Analytical mapping of research on disaster management,types and role of ICT during 2011–2018

Catastrophic disasters like earthquake and flood cause widespread destruction and financial devastation. This has brought disaster management into limelight making it a burgeoning academic research field. The remarkable rise of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has instigated the scientific world to incorporate these technologies in disaster management. This study presents scientometric analysis to identify the status quo of research on the management of various disasters and role of ICT in it. This paper uses bibliographic data retrieved from Scopus for the observation period from 2011 to 2018. We provide extensive insights into growth of publications, citation pattern and their connectedness with other subject disciplines. Furthermore, we identify most productive and influential countries, institutes and journals. Our study analyses co-occurrence of keywords using Visualization of Similarities (VOS) Viewer. This structured overview will enhance the understanding of this field leading to more focussed and purposeful research.     

Geospatial technology for assessment of soil erosion and prioritization of watersheds using RUSLE model for lower Sutlej sub-basin of Punjab,India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Erosion of soil by water coupled with human activities is considered as one of the...     

Modulation of mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium and antioxidant properties and antiproliferative effects of fractions from Cassia fistula L. on human cervical HeLa and breast MCF-7 cancer cells

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study investigated the antimutagenic, antioxidant, and antiproliferative properties of extracts of Cassia fistula prepared by sequentially...     

Connecting the dots between mitochondrial dysfunction and Parkinson’s disorder: focus mitochondria-targeting therapeutic paradigm in mitigating the disease severity

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mitochondria are unique cell organelles, which exhibit multifactorial roles in numerous cell physiological processes, significantly...     

Role of UPP pathway in amelioration of diabetes-associated complications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most widely spread metabolic disorder also called as “life style” disease. Due to the alarming number...     

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by fungal enzymes: A review

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of chemicals. They represent an important concern due to their widespread distribution in the environment, their resistance to biodegradation, their potential to bioaccumulate and their harmful effects. Several pilot treatments have been implemented to prevent economic consequences and deterioration of soil and water quality. As a promising option, fungal enzymes are regarded as a powerful choice for degradation of PAHs. Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus and Bjerkandera adusta are most commonly used for the degradation of such compounds due to their production of ligninolytic enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase and laccase. The rate of biodegradation depends on many culture conditions, such as temperature, oxygen, accessibility of nutrients and agitated or shallow culture. Moreover, the addition of biosurfactants can strongly modify the enzyme activity. The removal of PAHs is dependent on the ionization potential. The study of the kinetics is not completely comprehended, and it becomes morem hallenging when fungi are applied for bioremediation. Degradation studies in soil are much more complicated than liquid cultures because of the heterogeneity of soil, thus, many factors should be considered when studying soil bioremediation, such as desorption and bioavailability of PAHs. Different degradation pathways can be suggested. The peroxidases are heme-containing enzymes having common catalytic cycles. One molecule of hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the resting enzyme withdrawing two electrons. Subsequently, the peroxidase is reduced back in two steps of one electron oxidation. Laccases are copper-containing oxidases. They reduce molecular oxygen to water and oxidize phenolic compounds.     

Ionic dye adsorption by zinc oxide nanoparticles

The adsorption behaviour of Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1 on zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNP) has been investigated to understand the physicochemical process involved and to explore the possible use of nanoparticles in the treatment and management of textile waste matter. The dye removal capacity of ZNP towards Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1 was found to be 15.64, 6.78 and 6.38 mg g^?1, respectively. The adsorption process was pH dependent and optimum pH values of 9.0, 2.0 and 4.0 were obtained for Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1, respectively. Equilibrium was established after 1.0 h for all dyes. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models were applied to the system. The adsorbent ZNP was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. SEM analysis revealed the noticeable nanoporous morphology of the material. The results of FTIR spectroscopy showed that the process is driven by an electrostatic complexation mechanism. XRD studies revealed the nanocrystalline structure of ZNP. BET surface area measurement suggested a high pore volume and large surface area for the adsorbent. The kinetic measurements suggested pseudo-second-order kinetic processes with high regression coefficients and smaller standard error of estimate values and lower residual sum of squares. The thermodynamic measurements suggested that all processes were exothermic and accompanied by negative values for Δ G⁰, Δ S⁰ and Δ H⁰.     

Toxicity of a rice field herbicide in a nitrogen fixing alga,Cylindrospermum sp

Supplementation of paraquat into the culture medium proved to be highly toxic for a blue-green alga Cylindrospermum sp. A concentration of 15 microg/ml proved algicidal for the test alga. Various concentrations (0.5 microg/ml - 15 microg/ml) of the herbicide affected the growth and reduced chlorophyll and phycocyanin contents of the alga. In addition, it inhibited differentiation of heterocysts and akinetes. The inhibition of algal growth was found to be partially relieved on addition of 500 microg/ml of glucose.     

Evaluation of the pesticidal potential of the congress grass,Parthenium hysterophorus Linn. on the mustard aphid,Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.)

Petroleum ether extracts of leaves, stem and inflorescence of Parthenium hysterophorus Linn. at 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 ppm concentrations were tested in the laboratory for their toxic effects on the mean life span and progeny production of adults of the mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.). The investigations revealed a significant decrease in life span and progeny production with treatment. Among the three plant parts tested for their efficacy, the leaf extract showed the most significant effect in causing a dose dependent decline in both the life span and progeny production.