A motley of possible therapies of the COVID-19: reminiscing the origin of the pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The 2019 outbreak of corona virus disease began from Wuhan (China), transforming into a leading pandemic, posing an immense threat to the global...     

Focusing the pivotal role of nanotechnology in Huntington’s disease: an insight into the recent advancements

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Neurodegeneration is the loss of neuronal capacity and structure over time which causes neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer, amyotrophic...     

Deciphering the role of nanoparticles for management of bacterial meningitis: an update on recent studies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes called meninges and fluid adjacent the brain and spinal cord. The inflammatory progression...     

Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on metal phytoextraction from contaminated soil by Brassica juncea

The present study deals with metal uptake by Brassica juncea in the presence of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf 27 for Zn, Cu and Cd removal from brass and electroplating-industry effluent-contaminated soil. Inoculation of P. fluorescens significantly (p<0.05) increased water soluble (Ws) and exchangeable (Ex) metal content in contaminated soil in laboratory conditions and also enhanced plant biomass by 99% and chlorophyll content by 91% as compared to uninoculated plants in the greenhouse. The metal uptake by B. juncea followed the pattern Zn>Cu>Cd and increased with increasing plant growth duration. P. fluorescens inoculation increased root and shoot uptake of Zn by 3.05 and 2.69, Cu by 3.19 and 2.82 and Cd by 3.11- and 2.75-fold, respectively. BCF value for each metal was>1 and increased by 44%, 42% and 38% for Zn, Cu and Cd, respectively, in inoculated conditions, whereas TF remained unaffected and followed the order Zn>Cd>Cu. P. fluorescens inoculation also enhanced Ws fraction of Zn, Cu and Cd by 99%, 77% and 90% and Ex by 107%, 70% and 93%, respectively. Results depicted that association of B. juncea with P. fluorescens could be a promising strategy for enhancing soil metal bioavailability and plant growth for successful phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils.     

Enhancing disaster management by mapping disaster proneness and preparedness

The focus of most disaster management programmes is to deploy resources-physical and human-from outside the disaster zone. This activity can produce a delay in disaster mitigation and recovery efforts, and a consequent loss of human lives and economic resources. It may be possible to expedite recovery and prevent loss of life by mapping out disaster proneness and the availability of resources in advance. This study proposes the development of two indices to do so. The Indian census data of 2001 is used to develop a methodology for creating one index on disaster proneness and one on resourcefulness for administrative units (tehsils). Findings reveal that tehsil residents face an elevated risk of disaster and that they are also grossly under-prepared for such events. The proposed indices can be used to map regional service provision facilities and to assist authorities in evaluating immediate, intermediate, and long-term disaster recovery needs and resource requirements.