Effects of an oil spill on the leaf anatomical characteristics of a beach plant (Terminalia catappa L.)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the short-term impacts of an oil spill on the leaf anatomical structures of Terminalia catappa L. from crude oil leakage in...     

Correction to: Water‑induced erosion potentiality and vulnerability assessment in Kangsabati river basin,eastern India

Environment, Development and Sustainability -     

GIS-based statistical model for the prediction of flood hazard susceptibility

At present, flood is the most significant environmental problem in the entire world. In this work, flood susceptibility (FS) analysis has been done in the Dwarkeswar River basin of Bengal basin, India. Fourteen flood causative factors extracted from different datasets like DEM, satellite images, geology, soil and rainfall data have been considered to predict FS. Three heuristic models and one statistical model fuzzy Logic (FL), frequency ratio (FR), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and logistic regression (LR) have been used. The validating datasets are used to validate these models. The result shows that 68.71%, 68.7%, 60.56% and 48.51% area of the basin is under the moderate to very high FS by the MCDA, FR, FL and LR, respectively. The ROC curve with AUC analysis has shown that the accuracy level of the LR model (AUC?=?0.916) is very much successful to predict the flood. The rest of the models like FL, MCDA and FR (AUC?=?0.893, 0.857 and 0.835, respectively) have lesser accuracy than the LR model. The elevation was the most dominating factor with coefficient value of 19.078 in preparation of the FS according to the LR model. The outcome of this study can be implemented by local and state authority to minimize the flood hazard.

     

Water-induced erosion potentiality and vulnerability assessment in Kangsabati river basin,eastern India

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The large-scale water-induced erosion is one of the most determining elements on land degradation in subtropical monsoon-dominated region. From this...     

Low concentration of HgCl2 drives rat hepatocytes to autophagy/apoptosis/necroptosis in a time-dependent manner

Mercury (Hg) is known to produce hepatotoxicity driving cells towards apoptosis. It was recently reported that low concentrations of Hg (5 μM) initiate autophagy in vitro within 30 min of incubation modulated by several autophagy-related gene proteins, and co-regulators through ubiquitination. The present study aimed to elucidate in vitro mode of cytotoxic responses including programed cell death in 5-μM Hg-treated rat hepatocytes. Autophagy proceeded from 30 min to 4 hr mediated by crosstalk between specific regulating factors of cell-death-signaling mechanisms. It was noted that after 4-hr incubation with 5 μM HgCl₂, cells were driven towards apoptosis followed by necroptosis within 6.5 hr. Receptor-interacting serine-threonine protein 3 (RIP3) and caspase-8 played a significant role in interlinking function. The positive role of caspase-8 with RIP3 significantly triggered caspase-3 via extrinsic apoptotic pathway. A shift from apoptosis to necroptosis occurred after 6 hr via tumor necrosis factor α-RIP3-caspase-8 pathway. No alteration in caspase-3 expression and presence of high-mobility group box 1 protein in nucleus indicated absence of apoptosis and necrosis in rat hepatocytes between 6.5 and 8 hr. Data indicated that cellular homeostasis is regulated by modulating different proteins and driving hepatocytes through autophagy to apoptosis to necroptosis in a time-dependent manner.     

Understanding biochemical defense and phytoremediation potential of Leucas aspera in crude oil polluted soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The phytoremediation potential and enzymatic defense of a medicinal herb Leucas aspera was studied in the crude oil contaminated soil. The...