Study of physico-chemical characteristics of water bodies around Jaipur

The present study has been undertaken to evaluate physico-chemical parameters (pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, alkalinity and hardness) and zinc concentration in water bodies in and around Jaipur. Water samples from Jalmachal Lake, Nevta Lake, Amer Lake and Ramgarh Lake were analysed. Results reveal that the water of Jalmahal Lake is most polluted due to high pH, hardness, alkalinity, free carbon dioxide, zinc content, and a low level of dissolved oxygen. Contrarily Ramgarh Lake is least polluted, as it has high dissolved oxygen and low pH, alkalinity, free carbon dioxide, hardness and zinc content.     

Economic valuation of health impacts of air pollution in Mumbai

Air pollution leads to serious negative impacts on health. Thephysical evidence is compelling. An attempt has been made inthis paper to establish dose-response relationship of AmbientAir Quality Index and human health, based on time spent by anindividual in different microenvironments during one day.Economic valuation of morbidity and mortality has been attemptedthrough lost salary approach. The results show that theavoidance cost is 29% of the total health damage cost.     

Qualitative Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds in Outdoor and Indoor Air

The present work attempts to identify VOC's in outdoor and indoor air in Mumbai City India. Ambient air was adsorbed on especially fabricated stainless steel cartridge packed with activated coconut charcoal at uniform flow rate. Qualitative identification of VOC's was done by thermally desorbing air from the cartridges and subsequent analysis on Varian GC-MS using NIST Library. The outdoor monitoring locations include residential area, commercial area, industrial, airport, petrol pumps, traffic junctions, arterial roads, highways, slums, parking area, service garages and municipal dump sites. The indoor locations comprised of air-conditioned and non air-conditioned offices, bedrooms, shops and instrumentation laboratory. The identified VOC's include aldehydes, ketones, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic acids, oxygenated hydrocarbons, amines, esters and halogenated compounds. Thirteen VOCs in outdoor air and seven in indoor air amongst those identified, figure in the list of Hazardous Air Pollutants listed in Title III of the U.S. EPA Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.     

Genetic basis of lethal junctional epidermolysis bullosa in an affected fetus: Implications for prenatal diagnosis in one family

Fetal skin biopsy at 20 weeks' gestation in a woman at risk for a child with the lethal skin-blistering disorder junctional epidermolysis bullosa (Herlitz) confirmed an affected fetus. Genomic DNA from the aborted fetus was examined for mutations in laminin 5, a macromolecule involved in adhesion at the dermal-epidermal junction, and a candidate protein in this condition. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of exon 10 and parts of the flanking introns of the gene encoding the β3 chain of laminin 5 (LAMB3) and subsequent analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis showed a more slowly migrating band in the affected fetus compared with the normal control. Nucleotide sequencing of the abnormal PCR product revealed a homozygous 77 bp duplication within the exon, resulting in a premature termination codon 250 bp downstream from the 3′ end of the duplication. Maternal DNA was heterozygous for the mutant and wild-type alleles. These findings illustrate the genetic basis of the skin disease in this case and also offer the prospects of a simple, rapid, and reliable first-trimester DNA-based prenatal, or even preimplantation, diagnostic test for future pregnancies in this family.     

Antibodies Against Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in European Moose and White-Tailed Deer in Finland

Food and Environmental Virology - The main animal reservoirs of zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) are domestic pigs and wild boars, but HEV also infects cervids. In this study, we estimated the...     

Butterfly effects in mimicry? Combining signal and taste can twist the relationship of Müllerian co-mimics

Müllerian co-mimics are aposematic species that resemble each other; sharing a warning signal is thought to be mutually beneficial for the co-mimics by reducing per capita predation risk. In Batesian mimicry, edible mimics avoid predation by resembling an aposematic model species. The protection of both the model and the mimic is weakened when the mimics are abundant compared to the models. The quasi-Batesian view suggests that defended (Müllerian) co-mimics, when unequal in their defences, could also show a Batesian-like trend of increasing mortality with increasing abundance of a less defended “mimic”. We manipulated frequencies of unequally distasteful artificial co-mimics that were prey for great tits. The co-mimics had different signals (imperfect mimicry) but were equally preferred by the birds when palatable. Unexpectedly, when unpalatable, one of the signals was easier for the birds to learn to avoid. Consequently, during predator learning, the signal design of the prey strongly affected mortality of the co-mimics; there was an interaction between the signal and frequency treatments, but increasing the frequency of a less defended “mimic” did not increase co-mimic mortalities as predicted. In contrast, in a memory test that followed, the effect of signal design disappeared; if the birds had experienced high frequency of “mimics” during learning, co-mimic mortalities did subsequently increase. Since the effect of co-mimic frequencies on mortalities changed depending on the signal design of the prey and predator experience, the results suggest that mimetic relationship may be an unpredictable interplay of several factors in addition to taste and abundance.     

Arsenic accumulation in root and shoot vis-a-vis its effects on growth and level of phytochelatins in seedlings of Cicer arietinum L

Arsenic (As) contamination of water and soil has become a subject of prime interest due to its direct effect on human health through drinking water and food. In present study two varieties (CSG-8962 and C-235) of chickpea, Cicer arietinum L., which is a major supplementary food in many parts of India and a valuable source of protein, has been selected to estimate the level of arsenate in root and shoot of five day old seedlings vis-à-vis effect of arsenate on seedling growth and induction of thiols including glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs) and their homologues. Both varieties accumulated arsenate to similar levels and most of the metalloid was confined to roots, only about 2.5% was translocated to shoot. Plant growth was also not affected significantly in both the varieties. Arsenate exposure significantly induced the levels of thiols including PCs and homophytochelatins (hPCs). The induction of thiols was much higher in roots than shoots and was greater in var C-235 between the two tested ones. Thus, both varieties tolerated and detoxified arsenic through chelation with GSH, PCs and hPCs, primarily in roots, however var C-235 performed better     

Devicyprin induced gonadal impairment in a freshwater food fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch)

Synthetic pyrethroids are the recent major class of broad spectrum, photostable, organic insecticides used in agricultural, domestic and veterinary applications and now account for more than 30% of global insecticide use. Cypermethrin is metabolized and eliminated significantly more slowly by fish than by mammals or birds, which may explain this compound's high toxicity in fish compared to other organisms. The present communication deals with histoanatomical alterations in the gonads of a local fresh water food fish, Channa punctatus exposed to 0.033 ppm (96 hr LC50 X 1/10) concentration of a synthetic pyrethroid, devicyprin (cypermethrin 25%) in aquatic medium of aged tap water for 15, 30 and 45 days respectively. In testis, exposure dependent histological damage has been observed in terms of vacuolization, condensation of spermatogonic cells, distortion of tubular epithelium, shrinkage of interstitial cells and general inflammatory responses. Longest exposure of 45 days has resulted in peculiar starry-sky appearance of the testicular tissue. Gross histo-anatomy of ovarian tissue reveals epithelial lesions, inflammatory responses, stromal hemorrhage, increased interstitium and shrinkage of yolk vesicles towards periphery These findings are quite suggestive of reproductive impairments leading to delayed gonadal maturity and adversely affecting processes of sperm production and ovulation and thus, the fish production.     

Deltamethrin-induced alterations in serum calcium and prolactin cells of a freshwater teleost,Heteropneustes fossilis

Deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide widely used in many countries, causes significant adverse effects in aquatic ecosystems. The concentration of deltamethrin in water reservoirs and the run off from agricultural areas (in water) in many countries range up to 24.0?µg?L^?1 which is higher than the recommendation of the European Union standard. Hence, in this study the effects of deltamethrin were investigated, i.e. its toxic impacts on the freshwater catfish Heteropneustes fossilis in terms of serum calcium and prolactin cells (located in the rostral pars distalis region of the pituitary). The fish were subjected to deltamethrin for a short-term experiment (96?h; 1.5?µg?L^?1 e.0.8 of 96?h LC₅₀) and a long-term experiment (28 days; 0.37?µg?L^?1 e.0.2 of 96?h LC₅₀). After short-term deltamethrin exposure, serum calcium levels decrease. No histological change in prolactin cells is noticed throughout the short-term experiment. Fish exposed to deltamethrin for 7 days also exhibit a decrease in serum calcium level. This decrease persisted until the end of the experiment (28 days). Prolactin cells of fish treated for 14 days with deltamethrin exhibit increased nuclear volume and degranulation, increasing progressively from the 21st day onwards. After 28 days, a few degenerated cells are discerned. The results of this study show that deltamethrin is moderately toxic for the freshwater fish H. fossilis by producing adverse effects on serum calcium and prolactin cells. Hence, it should be used with caution in areas near fish-inhabited waters.     

Full scale treatment of hazardous wastewater through thermal reduction

An attempt has been made to present the data relating to full scale application of evaporation‐incineration technology for containment of wastewater emanating from H‐acid (mono sodium salt of 1 amino‐8‐hydroxynapthalene 3,6‐disulphonic acid) production with recourse to zero wastewater discharge. The wastewater is acidic with high concentrations of COD and total dissolved salts and BOD/COD ratio of 0.11. NO_x, SO_x, SPM and CO from stack emissions are within the standards stipulated by the statutory bodies.