Targeting natural products against SARS-CoV-2

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The human coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus; the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)....     

Anticipated pharmacological role of Aviptadil on COVID-19

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide that is produced by the lymphoid cells and plays a major role in immunological functions for...     

Degradation–environment–society spiral: A spatial auto‐logistic model in Thailand

In this contemporary interpretation of the widespread land degradation problem in Southeast Asia, it is hypothesized that spatial interplay of environmental and socioeconomic predictors determines the occurrence of land degradation. Village surveys, remote sensing and spatial auto‐logistic modelling of the relationship between degradation and land use dynamics in Lam Phra Phloeng watershed of Thailand enabled 80.2% of land to be classified correctly in terms of the presence or absence of erosion and explained 53.2% of the total variation. Cultivation and dependence on agriculture for livelihood positively and significantly affect degradation. Lack of access to institutional credit and land titles significantly increased the probability of occurrence of degradation. On the other hand, education and social cohesion are negatively associated with the occurrence of degradation. The Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to measures the performance of the model. The calculated area under the curve (0.879) suggests that significant predictor variables in the model can be confidently used to forecast the likelihood of occurrence of degradation and thus to identify priority areas for intervention. Policies to reduce land degradation should include measures to reduce pressure on the land, including alternative income sources. Policies could mobilize capital to invest in encouraging nature‐based tourism and other off‐farm income options.     

COVID-19 and municipal solid waste (MSW) management: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Municipal solid waste (MSW) represents an inevitable by-product of human activity and a major crisis for communities across the globe. In recent...     

Co-substrate-mediated utilization of high concentration of phenol by Aspergillus niger FP7 and reduction of its phytotoxicity on Vigna radiata L.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Phenol and its derivatives behave as mutagens, teratogens and carcinogens inducing adverse physiological effects and are considered environmental...     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using waste weed, Salvinia cucullata

Biosorption studies of Cr(VI) were carried out using waste weed, Salvinia cucullata. Various adsorption parameters were studied, such as agitation speed, contact time, pH, particle size, and concentrations of adsorbent and adsorbate. The equilibrium was achieved in 12 h. A lower pH favoured adsorption of Cr(VI). The kinetics followed pseudo-second-order rate equations. The adsorption isotherm obeyed both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The calculated activation energy (1.1 kJ mol^-1) suggested that the adsorption followed a diffusion-controlled mechanism. Various thermodynamic parameters such as Δ G^°, Δ H^°, and Δ S^° were also calculated. The positive values of enthalpy indicated the endothermic nature of the reaction, and Δ S^° showed the increasing randomness at the solid liquid interface of Cr(VI) on the adsorbent, which revealed the ease of adsorption reaction. These thermo-dynamic parameters showed the spontaneity of the reaction. The maximum adsorption of uptake (232 mg g^-1) compared well with reported values of similar adsorbents. The rate-determining step was observed to follow an intra-particle diffusion model.     

Mesoporous carbon nanospheres derived from agro-waste as novel antimicrobial agents against gram-negative bacteria

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Porous carbon nanospheres were synthesized from agro-waste garlic peels by a one-pot facile and easy to scale-up pyrolysis method. Surface morphology...     

Release behavior and bioefficacy of imazethapyr formulations based on biopolymeric hydrogels

Controlled release formulations of imazethapyr herbicide have been developed employing guar gum-g-cl-polyacrylate/bentonite clay hydrogel composite (GG-HG) and guar gum-g-cl-PNIPAm nano hydrogel (GG-NHG) as carriers, to assess the suitability of biopolymeric hydrogels as controlled herbicide release devices. The kinetics of imazethapyr release from the developed formulations was studied in water and it revealed that the developed formulations of imazethapyr behaved as slow release formulations as compared to commercial formulation. The calculated diffusion exponent (n) values showed that Fickian diffusion was the predominant mechanism of imazethapyr release from the developed formulations. Time for release of half of the loaded imazethapyr (t_1/2) ranged between 0.06 and 4.8 days in case of GG-NHG and 4.4 and 12.6 days for the GG-HG formulations. Weed control index (WCI) of GG-HG and GG-NHG formulations was similar to that of the commercial formulation and the herbicidal effect was observed for relatively longer period. Guar gum-based biopolymeric hydrogels in both macro and nano particle size range can serve as potential carriers in developing slow release herbicide formulations.     

Fixed-bed adsorption of Malachite Green onto binary solid mixture of adsorbents: seashells and eggshells

In this work, continuous removal of Malachite Green from aqueous solution by adsorption was investigated using a laboratory scale fixed-bed column packed with binary solid mixture of seashell powder (SSP) and eggshell powder (ESP). The effects of initial dye concentration, feed flow rate, bed height, and the SSP?:?ESP ratio in the binary solid mixture on the breakthrough characteristics were studied. The breakthrough time decreased with increase in the flow rate and the initial dye concentration. The breakthrough time also varied greatly with change in bed height. The breakthrough time increased from 17.2?h to 34.5?h with increase in bed height from 6?cm to 12?cm. The breakthrough time was significantly affected by the change in the SSP?:?ESP ratio in the binary mixture. The breakthrough time decreased with increase in the SSP ratio in the binary mixture. In order to determine the column kinetic parameters, three different column kinetic models, namely Adams–Bohart, Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), and Yoon–Nelson models were fitted to the dynamic flow experimental data. The BDST model showed good agreement with the experimental results at all the process parameters studied. Results suggest that this novel approach of simultaneous utilization of adsorbents can be adopted for the treatment of dye-bearing effluents.     

Human serum paraoxonase gene polymorphisms and association with chronic symptoms of pesticide toxicity in Indian farmers

The association between PON1 (serum paraoxonase) genotype and symptoms of pesticide toxicity was examined in a total of 268 farm workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. Approximately 140 of the farm workers who did not report at least two of the symptoms of chronic toxicity, such as abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, fatigue, tremors of fingers, numbness, or limb weakness were categorized as controls. The remaining 128 farmers showed 2 or more of the above symptoms. All the farm workers were genotyped for polymorphisms of PON1 gene at amino acid positions 55 (exon 3) and 192 (exon 6). A decrease in the percentage of high-activity genotypes at both L55M and Q192R was observed in the farm workers reporting symptoms of pesticide toxicity. When combined genotype distribution at both exons was analyzed, a marked increase in the percentage of low-activity genotypes LLQQ, LMQQ, MMQQ, and MMQR was also observed in symptomatic farmers compared to controls. Age, working years, smoking, duration of exposure, and alcoholism were not statistically significant when compared to symptoms of chronic toxicity. Our findings suggest that L55M and Q192R gene polymorphisms influence the variable susceptibility of farmers to pesticide; and thus may be considered a useful biomarker of genetic susceptibility in assessing an individual's risk of pesticide exposures.