Isoprene is a substantial contributor to the global secondary organic aerosol (SOA) burden, with implications for public health and the climate system. The mechanism by which isoprene-derived SOA is formed and the influence of environmental conditions, however, remain unclear.

Continental ice sheets are a key component of the Earth’s climate system, but their internal dynamics need to be further studied.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to cardiovascular disease, possibly via accelerated atherosclerosis. We examined associations between the progression of the intima-medial thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery, as an indicator of atherosclerosis, and long-term PM2.5 concentrations in participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Past global climate changes had strong regional expression. To elucidate their spatio-temporal pattern, we reconstructed past
temperatures for seven continental-scale regions during the past one to two millennia. The most coherent feature in nearly all
of the regional temperature reconstructions is a long-term cooling trend, which ended late in the nineteenth century. At multidecadal to centennial scales, temperature variability shows distinctly different regional patterns, with more similarity within

Although some studies mainly from Taiwan, Bangladesh and the United States, have suggested a consistent dose–response increase in the prevalence of hypertension with increasing arsenic exposure, the association between chronic environmental arsenic exposure and the risk of hypertension is still inconclusive. Most of the studies discussed the association from the point of view of arsenic concentration in drinking water or cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE), few involved arsenic speciation into the discussion.

Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a promising non-invasive index of airway inflammation that may be used to assess respiratory effects of air pollution. We evaluated FENO as a measure of airway inflammation after controlled exposure to diesel exhaust or ozone. Healthy volunteers were exposed to either diesel exhaust (particle concentration 300 µg/m3) and filtered air for one hour, or ozone (300 ppb) and filtered air for 75 minutes.

The editorial “Doctors for Rural Areas” (13 April 2013) is highly practical and convincing. In view of the dearth of capacity of preparing an MBBS doctor, our country lacks the number of doctors required for serving the rural areas. The MBBS doctors coming out from private medical colleges have to pay hefty amounts as capitation fees and at the same time a huge course fee. The rural areas have very poor infrastructure and lack a congenial living atmosphere and for these reasons, doctors remain absent while they serve their rural stint.

This has reference to the excellent article entitled “Cauvery Dispute: A Lament and a Proposal” (EPW, 30 March 2013) by Ramaswamy R Iyer on the history, complex dynamics and current status of the Cauvery River dispute. I run a conservation foundation in Bangalore and, as much of our work is along the river, I have had an opportunity to see the issue up-close. As Iyer points out, there is considerable political capital to be had in helping the dispute fester; this makes any sort of solution unacceptable to one state or the other. (Letters)

The revised RBI guidelines on priority sector lending discriminate against small and marginal farmers and favour corporates involved in agriculture. The guidelines seem to have been drawn up under pressure from banks.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013 sets a target to increase R&D expenditure to 2% of gross domestic product, this through public-private partnerships. But, compared to China, where is the commitment to R&D? India's innovation potential is grossly underutilised. The small and medium enterprises in the industrial clusters are yet to be effectively served by the formal R&D institutes. The universities as centres of advanced learning and research suffer from official neglect. There has been little effort to set up technology parks linked to them in their vicinity.