Correction to: Studies on the influence of natural resource utilization by humans on foraging behavior of honey bees at rural ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org10.1007/s11356-021-14573-3     

Densification of waste biomass for manufacturing solid biofuel pellets: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The demand for bioenergy is increasing due to the diminishing popularity of fossil fuels and rising greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to recent reports,...     

Comparative cytotoxicity of nanoparticles and ions to Escherichia coli in binary mixtures

The objective of this study was to understand toxicity of mixture of nanoparticles (NPs) (ZnO and TiO₂) and their ions to Escherichia coli. Results indicated the decrease in percentage growth of E. coli with the increase in concentration of NPs both in single and mixture setups. Even a small concentration of 1 mg/L was observed to be significantly toxic to E. coli in binary mixture setup (exposure concentration: 1 mg/L ZnO and 1 mg/L TiO₂; 21.15% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control). Exposure of E. coli to mixture of NPs at 1000 mg/L (i.e., 1000 mg/L ZnO and 1000 mg/L TiO₂) resulted in 99.63% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control. Toxic effects of ions to E. coli were found to be lesser than their corresponding NPs. The percentage growth reduction was found to be 36% for binary mixture of zinc and titanium ions at the highest concentration (i.e., 803.0 mg/L Zn and 593.3 mg/L Ti where ion concentrations are equal to the Zn ions present in 1000 mg/L ZnO NP solution and Ti^+ 4 ions present in 1000 mg/L TiO₂ NP solution). Nature of mixture toxicity of the two NPs to E. coli was found to be antagonistic. The alkaline phosphatase (Alp) assay indicated that the maximum damage was observed when E. coli was exposed to 1000 mg/L of mixture of NPs. This study tries to fill the knowledge gap on information of toxicity of mixture of NPs to bacteria which has not been reported earlier.     

Toxicological effects on some biochemical parameters of fresh water fish Channa punctatus (Bloch.) under the stress of nickel

Toxicological effects of some biochemical parameters of freshwater fish Channa punctatus (Bloch), under the stress of Nickel (NiSO4. 6H2O), at various concentrations of 10, 20, 30 and 40 ppm for 30 days were observed. Gradual decrease in the levels of liver protein and liver ascorbic acid due to proteolysis and liver glucose breakdown respectively was observed. Contradictorily, high liver cholesterol level, may be due to hepatic disfunctioning and accumulation in brain. There was also gradual decrease in the brain protein level showing significant alterations but the brain ascorbic acid level showed no significant alterations. Decrease in the protein and ascorbic acid level and increase of cholesterol level thus indicates stressful condition of the fish.     

Effect of application of ammonium thiosulphate on production and emission of methane in a tropical rice soil

Agricultural sources of atmospheric methane include flooded rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddies. However, certain soil nutrient management and cultural practices offer opportunities to reduce methane emissions. The effect of application of ammonium thiosulphate, a potential source of nitrogen and sulphur and also an inhibitor of nitrification and urease on methane production and emission from flooded alluvial (Typic Haplaquept) rice soil in India, was examined. Methane production and emission from control and urea-amended soil samples were almost identical. Application of ammonium thiosulphate to laboratory-incubated flooded soil (30 and 60 μg N g⁻¹ soil) and flooded rice fields (45.6 and 60 kg N ha⁻¹) effected a distinct inhibition of methane production and emission. Ammonium thiosulphate stimulated the population of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) to a greater extent at 60 μg N g⁻¹ soil than at 30 μg N g⁻¹ soil. In ammonium thiosulphate-applied rice field plots, mean methane efflux decreased by about 38 and 60% at 45.6 and 60 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively, over that of control. Inhibition of methane production by ammonium thiosulphate is, at least in part, due to the stimulation of SRB. Results suggest the mitigation potential of ammonium thiosulphate on methane emission from flooded rice paddies.     

Supervised clustering for automated document classification and prioritization: a case study using toxicological abstracts

Machine learning and natural language processing algorithms are currently widely used to retrieve relevant documents in a variety of contexts, including literature review and systematic review. Supervised machine learning algorithms perform well in terms of retrieval metrics such as recall and precision, but require the use of a sizeable training dataset, which is typically expensive to develop. Unsupervised machine learning algorithms do not require a training dataset and may perform well in terms of recall, but are typically lower in precision, and do not offer a transparent means for decision-makers to justify selection choices. In this paper, we illustrate the use of a hybrid document classification method based on semi-supervised learning that we refer to as “supervised clustering.” We show that supervised clustering combines the ease of use of unsupervised algorithms with the retrieval efficiency and transparency of supervised algorithms. We demonstrate through simulations the high performance and unbiased predictions of supervised clustering when provided even with only minimal training data. We further propose the use of ensemble learning as a means to maximize retrieval efficiency and to prioritize the review of those documents that are not eliminated by the supervised clustering algorithm.     

Methodology for consequence analysis of LNG releases at deepwater port facilities

A methodology to perform consequence analysis associated with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for a deepwater port (DWP) facility has been presented. Analytical models used to describe the unconfined spill dynamics of LNG are discussed. How to determine the thermal hazard associated with a potential pool fire involving spilled LNG is also presented. Another hazard associated with potential releases of LNG is the dispersion of the LNG vapor. An approach using computational fluid dynamics tools (CFD) is presented. The CFD dispersion methodology is benchmarked against available test data. Using the proposed analysis approach provides estimates of hazard zones associated with newly proposed LNG deepwater ports and their potential impact to the public.