Status and drivers of food insecurity and adaptation responses under a changing climate among smallholder farmers households in Bagmati Province,Nepal

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Like other low-income countries in Asia and Africa, Nepal still suffers from food insecurity with a large proportion of food-insecure households being...     

Delivering Arsenic-free Drinking Water-Made Practically Possible: Continuous Scale Electrochemical Arsenic Remediation Process Furnished,based on Experimental Studies and ANN Simulation

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Arsenic (As) in groundwater has become a worldwide concern due to its high toxicity as it is classified as a potent carcinogen, when exposed to...     

Long-term sustainability of groundwater resources in the central Ganga Alluvial Plain,India: Study from Gomti River Basin

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Groundwater is the major primary source of drinking and irrigation water for nearly 500 million inhabitants in both rural and urban areas of the Ganga...     

Development and characterization of microwave composite cladding

The development of cladding through microwave radiation is recently explored and very few, initial studies were reported elsewhere. In order to explore more viability of process, (EWAC (Ni based) + 20% Cr₂₃C₆ powder) composite cladding has been developed on substrate austenitic stainless steel (SS-316). The experiments were conducted in domestic microwave oven and the clad of thickness, approximate 500 m has been developed by the exposure of microwave radiation at frequency 2.45 GHz for duration of 360 s. Typical clads cross sections of composite clads showed good metallurgical bonding with the substrate by partial dilution. The back scattered electron image of clad cross section showed the reinforced chromium carbide (Cr₂₃C₆) particles are uniformly distributed and well embedded in the Ni based matrix. The developed clad is free from visible solidification cracking and has significantly less porosity which is of the order of 0.90%. The XRD pattern of the developed clad showed the presence of FeNi₃, NiSi and Cr₂₃C₆ phases. The average Vicker's microhardness of developed clad was observed as 425 ± 140 Hv.     

Inferring the fluoride hydrogeochemistry and effect of consuming fluoride-contaminated drinking water on human health in some endemic areas of Birbhum district,West Bengal

This research work is carried out to evaluate fluoride (F) hydrogeochemistry and its effect on the population of two endemic villages of Birbhum district, West Bengal. Fluoride concentration in drinking water varies from 0.33 to 18.08 mg/L. Hydrogeochemical evolution suggests that ion-exchange mechanism is the major controlling factor for releasing F in the groundwater. Most of the groundwater samples are undersaturated with respect to calcite and fluorite. Health survey shows that out of 235 people, 142 people suffer from dental fluorosis. According to fluoride impact severity, almost 80 and 94 % people in an age group of 11–20 and 41–50 suffer from dental and skeletal fluorosis, respectively. Statistically drinking water F has a positive correlation with dental and skeletal fluorosis. Bone mineral density test reveals that 33 and 45 % of the studied population suffer from osteopenic and osteoporosis disease. IQ test also signifies that F has a bearing on the intelligence development of the study area school children. The existence of significant linear relationship (R ² = 0.77) between drinking water F and urinary F suggests that consumption of F-contaminated drinking water has a major control over urinary F (0.39–20.1 mg/L) excretion.     

Studies on the water extracts of medicinal plants grown in copper mining areas and their antioxidant effects

High copper (Cu) accumulation in medicinal plants might favor lipid peroxidation and hence affect antioxidant responses. This effect was studied by determining antioxidant activities in the water extracts of medicinal plants from Cu mining impact site and compared with control samples. Antioxidant activities of the extracted medicinal plants were assayed by measuring (1) total phenolic and flavonoid contents, (2) diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)^? free radical scavenging activity, and (3) inhibition capacities of lipid peroxidation. The total phenolic as well as total flavonoid contents of the mining impact samples and control samples are not significantly different. However, inhibition of lipid peroxidation capacities was significantly less (12–60%) for mining impact samples as reflected by the IC₅₀ values. These anomalies were attributed to high concentrations of Cu (2–4-fold higher) in mining impact samples as measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A positive correlation was observed between Cu levels and IC₅₀ values for the inhibition of lipid peroxidation for mining impact samples.     

Free and conjugated estrogen exports in surface-runoff from poultry litter-amended soil

Land application of animal manures such as poultry litter is a common practice, especially in states with surplus manure. Past studies have shown that animal manure may contain estrogens, which are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and may pose a threat to aquatic and wildlife species. We evaluated the concentrations of estrogens in surface runoff from experimental plots (5 x 12 m each) receiving raw and pelletized poultry litter. We evaluated the free (estrone, E1; 17beta-estradiol, E2beta; estriol, E3) and conjugate forms (glucuronides and sulfates) of estrogens, which differ in their toxicity. Sampling was performed for 10 natural storm events over a 4-mo period (April-July 2008). Estrogen concentrations were screened using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), followed by quantification using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Concentrations of estrogens from ELISA were much higher than the LC/MS/MS values, indicating crossreactivity with organic compounds. Exports of estrogens were much lower from soils amended with pelletized poultry litter than the raw form of the litter. No-tillage management practice also resulted in a lower export of estrogens with surface runoff compared with reduced tillage. The concentrations and exports of conjugate forms of estrogens were much higher than the free forms for some treatments, indicating that the conjugate forms should be considered for a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed by estrogens.     

Analysis of the toxicogenomic effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Slovakian girls: correlations between gene expression and disease risk

The chemical composition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment is not uniform throughout the world, and these contaminants contain many structurally different lipophilic compounds. In a well-defined study cohort in the Slovak Republic, the POP chemicals present in the peripheral blood of exposed children were chemically analyzed. The chemical analysis data revealed that the relative concentration and profile of structurally different organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE), 2,2′-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloro-ethane (p,p′-DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), may vary from individual to individual, even within the same exposure area. These chemicals can be broadly classified into two groups. The first group, the PCB congeners, primarily originated from industrial compounds and their byproducts. The second group of compounds originated from or was commonly used in the agricultural sector (e.g., DDT, HCB). The objective of this study was to examine the effects of the two POP exposure profiles on gene expression. For the study population, we selected pre-pubertal girls (mean age of 46.2 ± 1.4 months) with high POP concentrations in their blood (> 75% tile of total POP) and classified them in the high ‘PCB’ group when the total PCB concentration was significantly higher than the total concentration of other POP components and in the ‘Other Than PCB’ (OTP) group, when the total PCB concentration was significantly lower than the concentration of the other major POP constituents. A matched control group of girls (< 25% tile of total POP) was selected for comparison purpose (n = 5 per group). Our aims were to determine whether there were any common effects of high POP exposure at a toxicogenomic level and to investigate how exposure may affect physiological functions of the children in two different exposure scenarios. Global gene expression analysis using a microarray (Affymetrix Gene Chip Human genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array) platform was conducted on the total RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the girls. The results were analyzed by Partek GS, Louis, MI, which identified twelve genes (ATAD2B, BIVM, CD96, CXorf39, CYTH1 ETNK1, FAM13A, HIRA, INO80B, ODG1, RAD23B, and TSGA14) and two unidentified probe sets, as regulated differentially in both the PCB and OTP groups against the control group. The qRT-PCR method was used to validate the microarray results. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software package identified the possible molecular impairments and disease risks associated with each gene set. Connective tissue disorders, genetic disorders, skeletal muscular disorders and neurological diseases were associated with the 12 common genes. The data therefore identified the potential molecular effects of POP exposure on a genomic level. This report underscores the importance of further study to validate the results in a random population and to evaluate the use of the identified genes as biomarkers for POP exposure.     

Mixing ratios of carbonyls and BTEX in ambient air of Kolkata, India and their associated health risk

Mixing ratios of 15 carbonyls and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes) were measured for the first time in ambient air of Kolkata, India at three sites from March to June 2006 and their photochemical reactivity was evaluated. Day and nighttime samples were collected on weekly basis. Formaldehyde was the most abundant carbonyl (mean concentration ranging between 14.07 microg m(-3) to 26.12 microg m(-3) over the three sites) followed by acetaldehyde (7.60-18.67 microg m(-3)) and acetone (4.43-10.34 microg m(-3)). Among the high molecular weight aldehydes, nonanal showed the highest concentration. Among the mono-aromatic VOCs, mean concentration of toluene (27.65-103.31 microg m(-3)) was maximum, closely followed by benzene (24.97-79.18 microg m(-3)). Mean formaldehyde to acetaldehyde (1.4) and acetaldehyde to propanal ratios (5.0) were typical of urban air. Based on their photochemical reactivity towards OH. radical, the concentrations of the VOCs were scaled to formaldehyde equivalent, which showed that the high molecular weight carbonyls and xylenes contribute significantly to the total OH-reactive mass of the VOCs. Due to the toxic effect of the VOCs studied, an assessment for both cancer risk and non-cancer hazard due to exposure to the population were calculated. Integrated life time cancer risk (ILTCR) due to four carcinogens (benzene, ethyl benzene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) and non-cancer hazard index for the VOCs at their prevailing level were estimated to be 1.42E-04 and 5.6 respectively.