Impact of posture and upper-limb muscle activity on grip strength

Purpose. The current research was carried out to determine grip strength (GS) with change in posture and upper-limb muscle activity of manual workers and investigate the impacts of these changes. Methods. For the current research, 120 male and 80 female participants were selected and GS was assessed using a digital hand grip dynamometer in various conditions. Results. The outcomes showed that male participants had higher GS as compared to female participants. Maximum GS was found in a standing posture with the fixed forward shoulder at 45°, elbow at 90° and a neutral position of the wrist and forearm for all participants. Conclusions. Higher values of GS were attained in standing postures which may result in attainment of higher performance levels by the workers. The outcomes justify the importance of correct postures during manual work in industries employing traditional methods.     

Modeling rhizofiltration: heavy-metal uptake by plant roots

The discovery of phytoaccumulation potential of plant species has led to its application for remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil and wastewater, which is termed as phytoextraction/rhizofiltration. For prediction, analysis, planning and cost-effective design of such systems, mathematical models not only are used as a screening tool but also provide optimal parameters like harvesting time, irrigation schedule, etc. Several laboratory and field scale studies have been carried out in the past, and mathematical expressions have been developed by various researchers for different phenomena like metal adsorption in soil, plant root growth with time, moisture and metal uptake by plant root, moisture movement in unsaturated zone, soil moisture relationship, etc. The complete design of any such phytoremediation program would require the knowledge of behavior of heavy-metal movement in soil, water and plant root system. In this paper, a model for simulating heavy-metal dynamics in soil, water and plant root system is developed and discussed. The governing non-linear partial differential equation is solved numerically by implicit finite difference method using Picard's iterative technique, and the formulation has been illustrated using a characteristic example. The source code is written in MATLAB.     

Studies on the use of power ultrasound in solid–liquid myrobalan extraction process

Focus on eco-friendly processing techniques makes vegetable tanning a viable option in leather processing and establishes the subsequent need for the more efficient methods of extraction in tannin manufacture. Application of ultrasound has been tried in the extraction of tannins from myrobalan nuts in order to improve the extraction efficiency, to perform the extraction under milder process conditions and to reduce the process time. The influence of process parameters such as ultrasonic output power, time and temperature has been studied. Scale-up trials and the use of ultrasound in pulse mode have also been attempted. The results show that a three- to fivefold improvement is possible with ultrasonic output from 20 to 100 W. Extraction efficiency has been calculated from the maximum extractable materials from myrobalan nuts. Extraction efficiency is found to be 90% for ultrasound, 100 W without external heating as compared to 77% for control process at 70 °C for 4 h. Therefore, ultrasound could be employed even dispensing with provision for temperature controls. The use of ultrasound in pulse mode offered 70% extraction efficiency of continuous mode. Scale-up trials indicate that there exists an optimum ultrasonic output power depending on the amount of nuts used, to achieve better extraction efficiency. The effectiveness of ultrasonically extracted tannin solution has also been tested in the tanning process for its applicability. The degree of tanning efficacy has been assessed by shrinkage temperature measurement. The results indicate that ultrasonically extracted tannin solution is suitable for tanning process. Therefore, application of ultrasound in tannin extract manufacture is a viable option with added advantages.     

Hazard assessment of metals in invasive fish species of the Yamuna River,India in relation to bioaccumulation factor and exposure concentration for human health implications

Monitoring of heavy metals was conducted in the Yamuna River considering bioaccumulation factor, exposure concentration, and human health implications which showed contamination levels of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) and their dispersion patterns along the river. Largest concentration of Pb in river water was 392 μg L^?1; Cu was 392 μg L^?1 at the extreme downstream, Allahabad and Ni was 146 μg L^?1 at midstream, Agra. Largest concentration of Cu was 617 μg kg^?1, Ni 1,621 μg kg^?1 at midstream while Pb was 1,214 μg kg^?1 at Allahabad in surface sediment. The bioconcentration of Cu, Pb, Ni, and Cr was observed where the largest accumulation of Pb was 2.29 μg kg^?1 in Oreochromis niloticus and 1.55 μg kg^?1 in Cyprinus carpio invaded at Allahabad while largest concentration of Ni was 174 μg kg^?1 in O. niloticus and 124 μg kg^?1 in C. carpio in the midstream of the river. The calculated values of hazard index (HI) for Pb was found more than one which indicated human health concern. Carcinogenic risk value for Ni was again high i.e., 17.02?×?10^?4 which was larger than all other metals studied. The results of this study indicated bioconcentration in fish due to their exposures to heavy metals from different routes which had human health risk implications. Thus, regular environmental monitoring of heavy metal contamination in fish is advocated for assessing food safety since health risk may be associated with the consumption of fish contaminated through exposure to a degraded environment.     

Reconstituting “America”: The Clean Energy Economy Ventriloquized

With the foregrounding of “clean energy” policies by climate change concerns, the rhetorical constitution of “America” as a collective subject, mobilized to adopt the clean energy economy (CEE), becomes crucial. Here, I analyze the constitutive rhetoric of Pew Charitable Trusts’ landmark 2009 report on the CEE, drawing from the ventriloqual perspective to communication. I argue that this approach provides a more pragmatic, conversational understanding of the interpellative process constituting “America,” noting it to be hybridized and composed of various human and nonhuman agents. Tracing the ingoing interaction among agents—some manifest in the text, others spectral—sheds light on the complex relations of power at stake, recognizes the open-ended possibilities (and restrictions) of agency, and the role of material structures shaping environmental communication and policy.     

Appraisal of groundwater arsenic on opposite banks of River Ganges,West Bengal,India, and quantification of cancer risk using Monte Carlo simulations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study was conducted to inspect the spatial distribution, source identification, and risk assessment of groundwater arsenic (As) in different...     

Engineered nanoparticles in wastewater and wastewater sludge – Evidence and impacts

Nanotechnology has widespread application in agricultural, environmental and industrial sectors ranging from fabrication of molecular assemblies to microbial array chips. Despite the booming application of nanotechnology, there have been serious implications which are coming into light in the recent years within different environmental compartments, namely air, water and soil and its likely impact on the human health. Health and environmental effects of common metals and materials are well-known, however, when the metals and materials take the form of nanoparticles – consequential hazards based on shape and size are yet to be explored. The nanoparticles released from different nanomaterials used in our household and industrial commodities find their way through waste disposal routes into the wastewater treatment facilities and end up in wastewater sludge. Further escape of these nanoparticles into the effluent will contaminate the aquatic and soil environment. Hence, an understanding of the presence, behavior and impact of these nanoparticles in wastewater and wastewater sludge is necessary and timely. Despite the lack of sufficient literature, the present review attempts to link various compartmentalization aspects of the nanoparticles, their physical properties and toxicity in wastewater and wastewater sludge through simile drawn from other environmental streams.     

Decay profile and metabolic pathways of quinalphos in water, soil and plants

The widespread occurrence of pesticide residues in different agricultural and food commodities has raised concern among the environmentalists and food chemists. In order to keep a proper track of these materials, studies on their decay profiles in the various segments of ecosystem under varying environmental conditions are needed. In view of this, the metabolites of quinalphos in water and soil under controlled conditions and in plants, namely tomato and radish in field conditions have been analysed and possible pathways suggested. In order to follow the decay of the pesticide, an HPLC procedure has been developed. Studies conducted in water at different temperatures, pH and organic content reveal that the persistence of the pesticide decreases with the increase in all the three variables. In the three different types of soils studied, the effect of pH is more or less apparent on a similar line. On an average a faster decay is observed in the case of plants than in water and soil. The decay profiles in all these cases follow first order kinetics. The metabolites were identified by GC-MS. The investigations reflect that degradation occurs through hydrolysis, S-oxidation, dealkylation and thiono-thiol rearrangement. The pathways seem to be complex and different metabolites were observed with the change in the matrix. Quinalphos oxon, O-ethyl-O-quinoxalin-2-yl phosphoric acid, 2-hydroxy quinoxaline and quinoxaline-2-thiol were observed in all the matrices. Results further indicate that the metabolites, 2-hydroxy quinoxaline and oxon, which are more toxic than parent compound, persist for a longer time.     

Emergence of nano silica for oil and gas well cementing: application,challenges, and future scope

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nanotechnology has opened up a plethora of opportunities and has acquired extreme importance in a myriad of fields to produce enhanced materials....