Next-generation sequencing in the biodiversity conservation of endangered medicinal plants

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Medicinal plants have been used as traditional herbal medicines in the treatment of various types of diseases. However, the increased demand for these...     

Uncurtaining the pivotal role of ABC transporters in diabetes mellitus

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The metabolic disorders are the edge points for the initiation of various diseases. These disorders comprised of several diseases including diabetes,...     

Removal of congo red and basic violet 1 by chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) sawdust,a saw mill waste: batch and column studies

The efficiency of chir pine sawdust (CPS) for adsorptive removal of the dyes, congo red (CR) and basic violet 1 (BV), from aqueous solution was evaluated using batch and column studies. The equilibrium was attained in 60 min for CR and 45 min for BV. The adsorption of BV obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model while the Freundlich isotherm fitted the equilibrium data of CR adsorption. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities (Q_o) of CPS for BV and CR were 11.3 and 5.8 g kg^?1, respectively. The kinetic data for CR were best fitted to the Lagergren pseudo-first-order model and for BV to the pseudo-second-order model. The intra-particle diffusion was found to be the rate-controlling step for CR adsorption, while the adsorption kinetics of BV were controlled by both intra-particle and liquid-film diffusion. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The adsorption activation energy (E_a) for CR (124 kJ mol^?1) implied chemical adsorption while that for BV (5.4 kJ mol^?1) indicated physical adsorption. An increase in the Thomas model constant (K_Th) with increasing flow indicated that for both dyes the mass transport resistance decreased during adsorption. Thus, CPS may be an efficient low-cost adsorbent for decolorization of dye-containing wastewaters.     

Metal Pollution Assessment of Sediment and Water in the River Hindon, India

The metal pollution in water and sediment of the River Hindon in western Uttar Pradesh (India) was assessed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The metal concentrations in water showed wide temporal variation compared with bed sediment because of variability in water discharge and variations in suspended solid loadings. Metal concentrations in bed sediments provided a better evaluation of the degree and the extent of contamination in the aquatic environment, Santagarh and Atali being the most polluted sites of the river. The ratio of heavy metals to conservative elements (Fe, Al, etc.) may reveal the geochemical imbalances due to the elevated metal concentrations normally attributed to anthropogenic sources. Metal/Al ratios for the bed sediments of the river Hindon were used to determine the relative mobility and general trend of relative mobility occurred Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd.     

Fluoride, boron and nitrate toxicity in ground water of northwest Rajasthan, India

The study was carried out to access the fluoride, boron, and nitrate concentrations in ground water samples of different villages in Indira Gandhi, Bhakra, and Gang canal catchment area of northwest Rajasthan, India. Rural population, in the study site, is using groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, without any quality test of water. All water samples (including canal water) were contaminated with fluoride. Fluoride, boron, and nitrate were observed in the ranges of 0.50–8.50, 0.0–7.73, and 0.0–278.68 mg/l, respectively. Most of the water samples were in the categories of fluoride 1.50 mg/l, of boron 2.0–4.0 mg/l, and of nitrate <?45 mg/l. There was no industrial pollution in the study site; hence, availability of these compounds in groundwater was due to natural reasons and by the use of chemical fertilizers.     

Investigations of an intense aerosol loading during 2007 cyclone SIDR – A study using satellite data and ground measurements over Indian region

Tropical cyclones are prominent weather systems characterized by high atmospheric pressure gradients and wind speeds. Intense tropical cyclones occur in India during the pre-monsoon (spring), early monsoon (early summer), or post-monsoon (fall) periods. Originating in both the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS), these tropical cyclones often attain velocities of more than 100 km h^?1 and are notorious for causing intense rain and storm surge as they cross the Indian coast. In this study, we examine the changes in the aerosol properties associated with an intense tropical cyclone “SIDR”, that occurred during 11–16 November 2007 over BoB. This cyclone, accompanied with very strong surface winds reaching 223 km h^?1, caused extensive damage over Bangladesh. Ground-based measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in the neighboring urban environment of Hyderabad, India, showed significant variations due to changes in wind velocity and direction associated with the cyclone passage. The Terra-MODIS and AVHRR satellite images showed prevalence of dust particles mixed with emissions from anthropogenic sources and biomass-burning AS, while the aerosol loading over BoB was significantly lower. The positive values of Aerosol index (AI) obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) suggested the presence of an elevated aerosol layer over the West coast of India, AS and Thar Desert during and after the cyclone episode. Meteorological parameters from the MM5 mesoscale model were used to study the variations in winds associated with the cyclonic activity. Particulate matter loading over the region during the cyclone period increased by ～45% with an accompanying decrease in columnar aerosol optical depth. The variations in Angstrom parameters suggested coarse-mode particle loading due to dust aerosols as observed in satellite data.     

Mosquito biodiversity of Dibru-Saikhowa biosphere reserve in Assam, India

Entomological surveys were conducted for three consecutive years in core and buffer zone of the Dibru-Saikhowa biosphere reserve in pre monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. A total of 52 species of mosquitoes under eleven genera have been detected. The genus Anopheles (18 species) was the predominant followed by Culex, Aedes, Mansonia, Armigeres, Mimomyia, Ochlerostatus, Malaya, Toxorhynchites, Ficalbia and Aedeomyia. The buffer zone of the forest reserve where human habitations are there exhibited the presence of maximum number of species (49 species under 10 genera) in comparison to core zone (42 species under 10 genera). In buffer zone, maximum numbers of species (38) were recorded in monsoon season followed by post- monsoon (35 species) and Pre-monsoon season (34 species). Whereas in core zone, maximum number of species were collected in post monsoon season followed by pre monsoon season and monsoon season. In Core and buffer zone, the maximum species were recorded from the ground pool habitat and slow flowing stream respectively. Among the disease vectors, the potential Japanese encephalitis vectors incriminated in India were very much prevalent. This study provides the list of available mosquito species recorded for the first time in the Dibru-Saikhowa biosphere reserve.     

Bright photophase accelerates re-entrainment after experimental jetlag in Drosophila

The efficacy of bright photophase (BP) in accelerating the re-entrainment of Drosophila biarmipes rhythm following 8?h phase advance and delay of light–dark (LD) cycle was examined by subjecting the flies to 24?h LD cycles with dim photophase (DP) at 30?lx and BP at 300?lx. Re-entrainment was analysed by using the activity onset, activity offset and the duration of activity. Following LD advance or delay, the BP flies re-entrained faster than the DP flies which was attributed to the enhanced zeitgeber strength of BP. Nevertheless, the re-entrainment was a protracted process even in the BP flies since the activity offsets underwent more transients than the activity onsets. Thus, this study demonstrates that the BP accelerates the re-entrainment in D. biarmipes. It, however, also reveals that the re-entrainment is a prolonged process when the activity onset and offset are regarded as the rhythm markers.     

Spore inhibition-based enzyme substrate assay for monitoring of aflatoxin M1 in milk

A spore germination-based concept and its transformation into a field level prototype for monitoring aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in milk was developed. Initially, 15 strains of Bacillus spp. procured from different culture collection were screened for AFM₁ sensitivity using spot assay and marker strain showing inhibition at 0.5 ppb was selected based upon maximum zone of inhibition. The selected strain B. megaterium 2949 was further screened for different enzymes activities and subsequently its spores were produced to an extent of 73.13% ± 3.197% in newly developed sporulation medium containing beef extract (0.0075% ± 0.0004%), yeast extract (0.015% ± 0.001%), peptone (0.0375% ± 0.0016%), and sodium chloride (0.0375% ± 0.0018%). A spore germination-based concept/ assay was optimized by immobilizing spores in eppendorf with pretreated milk (80°C/15 min) containing germinant and chromogenic substrate followed by incubation at 37°C. The appearance of sky blue color within real time of 45 min indicated spores germination and release of specific marker enzyme such as acetyl esterase and its specific action on chromogenic substrate which demonstrates absence of AFM₁ in milk. However, if there was no color change, presence of AFM₁ at 0.5 ppb MRL was denoted by Codex. The developed concept on AFM₁ detection was validated and a correlation of 0.97 was established with AOAC approved Charm 6602 and ELISA at Codex MRL with minimal false positive and negative results. The cost effective test has potential application in dairy farms, manufacturing, and R&D units for routine monitoring of AFM₁ in milk.