Erosion Modeling in Hard Rock Terrain Using Morphometry: A Case Study from Tamilnadu,India

Remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) can help identify erosion‐prone areas in need of soil conservation efforts     

Analysis of AchE and LDH in mollusc, Lamellidens marginalis after exposure to chlorpyrifos

The enzymes Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and Lactatedehydrogenase (LDH) are used as biological markers in the present study. Enzymes are highly sensitive and used to evaluate the biological effects of organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos in freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis. The test organisms were exposed to sub-lethal concentration (5 ppm) of chlorpyrifos for 30 days and allowed to recover for seven days. A distinct reduction of the enzyme AchE (34 +/- 3.3 U l(-1)) was found in the treated hepatopancreas. A significant increase in LDH activity in gill, hepatopancreas and muscle was observed. There was a significant recovery in AchE and LDH in the different tissues, after seven days recovery period.. Hence, the changes in the enzymes are found as the best biomarkering tool to evaluate the effect of organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos on the aquatic biota.     

Microcontroller PIC 16F877A standard based on solar cooker using PV—evacuated tubes with an extension of heat integrated energy system

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The unavailability of sunlight during nighttime and cloudy weather condition has limited the usage of solar cookers throughout the day. This study...     

Sub-chronic oral toxicity of acetamiprid in Wistar rats

Acetamiprid is a neoncotinoid insecticide that acts as an agonist to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor used as insecticide in crops and to control fleas on dogs and cats. The objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the sub-chronic toxicity of orally administered acetamiprid, (2) to estimate the tissue residue levels and (3) to assess the reactive oxygen species induction in Wistar rats. Clinical signs of toxicity and changes in the haematological parameters were not observed in the acetamiprid-treated groups. Biochemically, increases in the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol and decreases in body weight, feed consumption, reduced glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and AchE were observed. Lipid peroxidation was increased in liver and kidney. Acetamiprid residues persisted in liver, kidney, spleen, muscles, brain, fat and histopathology revealed lesions in the liver. The no observable adverse effect level of acetamiprid was found to be ≤55 mg/kg body weight.     

Autoantibodies and autoimmune disorders in SARS-CoV-2 infection: pathogenicity and immune regulation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease associated with the respiratory system caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim of this...     

Investigation on the usage of clay modified electrode for the electrochemical determination of some pollutants

Redox behavior of three pollutants, namely endosulfan (EN), o-chlorophenol (OCP) and direct orange 8 (DO8) were investigated electrochemically using sodium montmorillonite clay modified glassy carbon electrode. Influence of pH, scan rate and concentration were studied on the voltammetric response. Suitable medium for the electrochemical studies of EN was pH 1.0 and for other two pollutants pH 13.0. EN exhibited one well-defined reduction peak accounting for irreversible 2e(-) transfer and leading to the removal of one chlorine atom. OCP underwent one electron oxidation to the formation of phenoxy radical resulting in an oxidation peak. DO8 showed two peaks for reductions and two peaks for oxidation as a result of the reduction of azo group and oxidation of phenoxide group. These electrochemical reactions of the three pollutants reveals the suitability of clay modified electrode for the electroanalysis. A differential pulse stripping voltammetric procedure for the determination of these pollutants was developed. The limits of determination for EN, OCP and DO8 are 5-300, 10-800 and 50-800 ppb, respectively.