Physiological and biochemical mechanisms of spermine-induced cadmium stress tolerance in mung bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vigna radiata</Emphasis> L.) seedlings

The role of exogenous spermine (0.25 mM Spm, a type of polyamine (PA) in reducing Cd uptake and alleviating Cd toxicity (containing 1 and 1.5 mM CdCl₂ in the growing media) effects was studied in the mung bean (Vigna radiata L. cv. BARI Mung-2) plant. Exogenously applied Spm reduced Cd content, accumulation, and translocation in different plant parts. Increasing phytochelatin content, exogenous Spm reduced Cd accumulation and translocation. Spm application reduced the Cd-induced oxidative damage which was reflected from the reduction of H₂O₂ content, O₂ ^?– generation rate, lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, and lipid peroxidation level and also reflected from the reduction of spots of H₂O₂ and O₂ ^?– from mung bean leaves (compared to control treatment). Spm pretreatment increased non-enzymatic antioxidant contents (ascorbate, AsA, and glutathione, GSH) and activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and glutathione reductase (GR) which reduced oxidative stress. The cytotoxicity of methylglyoxal (MG) is also reduced by exogenous Spm because it enhanced glyoxalase system enzymes and components. Through osmoregulation, Spm maintained a better water status of Cd-affected mung bean seedlings. Spm prevented the chl damage and increased its content. Exogenous Spm also modulated the endogenous free PAs level which might have the roles in improving physiological processes including antioxidant capacity, osmoregulation, and Cd and MG detoxification capacity. The overall Spm-induced tolerance of mung bean seedlings to Cd toxicity was reflected through improved growth of mung bean seedlings.     

Use of fungi for the bioconversion of rice straw into cellulase enzyme

Cellulase production was carried out by solid state bioconversion (SSB) method using rice straw, a lignocellulosic material and agricultural waste, as the substrate of three Trichoderma spp. and Phanerochaete chrysosporium in lab-scale experiments. The results were compared to select the best fungi among them for the production of cellulase. Phanerochaete chrysosporium was found to be the best among these species of fungi, which produced the highest cellulase enzyme of 1.43 IU/mL of filter paper activity (FPase) and 2.40 IU/mL of carboxymethylcellulose activity (CMCase). The “glucosamine” and “reducing sugar” parameters were observed to evaluate the growth and substrate utilization in the experiments. In the case of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, the highest glucosamine concentration was 1.60 g/L and a high concentration of the release of reducing sugar was measured as 2.58 g/L obtained on the 4th day of fermentation. The pH values were also recorded. The range of the pH was about 5.15 to 5.56 in the case of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium.     

Big data and predictive analytics to optimise social and environmental performance of Islamic banks

Environment Systems and Decisions - Regardless of known as environment-friendly entities, Islamic banks indirectly impact the environment through their clients’ engagement and slow response...     

Estimation and comparison of night-time OH levels in the UK urban atmosphere using two di erent analysis methods

Night-time OH levels have been determined for UK urban surface environments using two methods, the decay and steady state approximation methods. Measurement data from the UK National Environmental Technology Centre archive for four urban sites (Bristol, Harwell, London Eltham and Edinburgh) over the time period of 1996 to 2000 have been used in this study. Three reactive alkenes, namely isoprene, 1,3-butadiene and trans-2-pentene were chosen for the calculation of OH levels by the decay method. Hourly measurements of NO, NO2, O3, CO and 20 VOCs were used to determine night-time OH level using the steady state approximation method. Our results showed that the night-time OH levels were in the range of 1 105–1 106 molecules/cm3 at these four urban sites in the UK. The application of a t-test of these analyses indicated that except Bristol, there was no significant di erence between the OH levels found from the decay and steady state approximation methods. Night-time levels of the OH radical appeared to peak in summer and spring time tracking the night-time O3 levels which also passed through a maximum at this time.     

Deterioration of water quality of Surma river

Surma River is polluted day by day by human activities, poor structured sewerage and drainage system, discharging industrial and household wastes. The charas (natural channels) are responsible for surface runoff conveyance from its urban catchments to the receiving Surma River. Water samples have been collected from a part of Surma River along different points and analyzed for various water quality parameters during dry and monsoon periods. Effects of industrial wastes, municipal sewage, and agricultural runoff on river water quality have been investigated. The study was conducted within the Chattak to Sunamganj portion of Surma River, which is significant due to the presence of two major industries – a paper mill and a cement factory. The other significant feature is the conveyors that travel from India to Chattak. The river was found to be highly turbid in the monsoon season. But BOD and fecal coliform concentration was found higher in the dry season. The water was found slightly acidic. The mean values of parameters were Conductivity 84–805 μs; DO: dry-5.52 mg/l, monsoon-5.72 mg/l; BOD: dry-1mg/l, monsoon-0.878 mg/l; Total Solid: dry-149.4 mg/l, monsoon-145.7 mg/l. In this study, an effort has been taken to investigate the status of concentration of phosphate (PO⁻⁴) and ammonia–nitrogen (NH₄–N) at four entrance points of Malnichara to the city, Guali chara, Gaviar khal and Bolramer khal. Data has been collected from March–April and September–October of 2004. Concentrations have been measured using UV Spectrophotometer. Although the phosphate concentration has been found within the limit set by DOE for fishing, irrigation and recreational purposes, however ammonia–nitrogen has been found to exceed the limit.     

USING SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION FOR ALFALFA1

ABSTRACT: A test of the suitability of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) compared to a sprinkler, was conducted on a Kansas producer's field where the soil is loam. The treatments included drip tape spacing of 60, 40, and 30 inches placed at depths of 18 and 12 inches. A nearby plot irrigated by a center pivot sprinkler was seeded to alfalfa and used for comparison. Seedling emergence and yield were adversely affected at 60 inch spacing, while the depth of placement of drip tapes (18 and 12 inches) showed no effect on yield. The site served for education and allowed comparison between SDI tape spacing and center pivot system.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of fingerling stocking and ecological perspectives in enhancing fish harvest in a large tropical reservoir of Northern India

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The present study evaluated the effectiveness of stocking the Gangetic carps, viz. Labeo catla, Labeo rohita, and Cirrhinus mrigala, in a large...     

Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Urethane Modified Polyesteramide Coatings from Jatropha Seed Oil

In this study, we have developed urethane modified polyesteramide (UPEA) resin by the condensation polymerization reaction of N,N-bis (2-hydroxy ethyl) jatropha oil fatty amide (HEJA) and itaconic acid to form polyesteramide (PEA). The latter was further reacted with different percentages (16–22%) of toluylene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) to prepare UPEA. The structural elucidation of HEJA, PEA, UPEA was carried out by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic techniques. The coating was made on mild steel strips. The physico-chemical and physico-mechanical analyses were carried out by standard laboratory methods. The thermal stability of polymer was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Thermal analyses shows that these coatings can be used safely up to 230 °C. The corrosion protective behavior of UPEA coatings was investigated in acid, alkali, water and xylene. All the coatings exhibited good chemical resistance performance in acid, alkali, saline and organic solvents, while the resin UPEA 20 showed the best performance.