Presence of bacteriophages in animal feed as indicators of fecal contamination

The objectives of this study were to determine if indigenous male specific and somatic bacteriophages could be detected in animal feeds and if isolated phages contained RNA or DNA. Seven fresh feeds, 2 fresh feed ingredients, 7 stored feeds, 2 stored feed ingredients, and 8 samples of poultry diets suspected to contain Salmonella spp. were enriched and spot plated for indigenous phages using Escherichia coli Famp and CN-13 as hosts. Bacteriophage numbers were below detection without enrichment, but both male specific and somatic coliphages were detected in all animal feeds, feed ingredients, and poultry diets after 16 h of enrichment, even after the samples had been stored for 14 months of storage at -20 C. Five out of 9 fresh feeds and 7 out of 8 stored feeds contained RNA somatic phages.     

Screening of hepatoprotective effect of a herbal mixture against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in Swiss albino mice

The hepatoprotective potential of a herbal mixture was evaluated against CCl4 induced liver injury in Swiss albino mice. Liv 52, a commercially available polyherbal hepatoprotective drug was evaluated for comparison. The potential toxicity of the above herbal hepatoprotective agents was also compared. It was observed that there was a reduction in the enzyme biomarkers (Aspartate and Alanine Transaminase) of liver injury in the herbal mixture treated groups, which was similar to the reduction initiated by Liv 52. An increase in glutathione was observed in the herbal mixture treated groups and it was assumed that the herbal mixture protects the liver by virtue of its antioxidant nature along with high regeneration initiation potential. From the study it is also concluded that the herbal mixture is safer than Liv 52.     

Studies on the Leaching of Radium and the emanation of radon from fertilizer process sludge

Radium-226 present in rock phosphate is carried to CaCO₃, the main process waste sludge of the fertilizer industry. Disposal of the sludge in the environment enhances the radiation background in the area. Two states of adherence of radium in the sludge have been identified, one loosely bound and the other chemically exchanged. The loosely bound fraction accounts for nearly 40% of the total activity, as demonstrated by leaching studies. Laboratory experiments show that activity leach-out by infiltration of water through the sludge is low. Lateral seepage is found to cause extensive areal contamination due to dispersal of suspended solids in the vicinity of the disposal area. The rate of emanation of radon from the sludge is found to be high, a factor of 10 over the normal background emanation rate. The radiation field in the waste disposal area also shows enhancement, with levels 4–6 times higher than natural background.     

Spatio-temporal classification and prediction of land use and land cover change for the Vembanad Lake system,Kerala: a machine learning approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Land use and land cover (LULC) change has become a critical issue for decision planners and conservationists due to inappropriate growth and its...     

Research on sustainable development for environmental management

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Biochemical evaluation of multiple herbal treatments in alloxan-induced diabetes in Wistar rats

Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were treated with multiple herbal preparation besides a control group receiving distilled water. The levels of glucose and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased abnormally in the alloxan treated group and the same were normalized upon treatment with the herbal preparation. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), protein and albumin in all groups remained unaltered. However, weekly body weight gain which got significantly altered in the alloxan-treated group was normalized by treatment with the herbal preparation. On the whole, a profound hypoglycemic effect was observed by the multiple herbal treatment in the diabetic rats.     

Nuclear events during early development in gametophytes of Macrocystis pyrifera,and the temporal effects of a marine contaminant

The time course of DNA synthesis in developing haploid gametophytes of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera was determined, and the effects of arsenic (As) on the temporally distinct nuclear events, DNA synthesis and subsequent nuclear division/translocation, were investigated to establish which of these specific events may be disrupted by this contaminant. Experiments were carried out on material collected from kelp beds near Santa Barbara, California from 1993–1994. Timing of DNA synthesis was determined during development by use of the fluorochrome, DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), and single-cell microspectrofluorometry. Zoospores, which result from meiosis, had already undergone two rounds of DNA synthesis at the time of release. The developing gametophytes underwent an additional two rounds of replication of DNA by 16 h of development, and following the first nuclear division/translocation, the gametophyte contained eight times the minimum DNA level throughout subsequent development. Both DNA synthesis and nuclear division/translocation, were found to be inhibited by As. Phosphate enrichment reduced the inhibitory effects of As on division/translocation of the nucleus, supporting the hypothesis that As interferes with phosphorylation. Gametophytes were more severely affected by As under light conditions, as opposed to dark, suggesting that photosynthesis may be more sensitive than dark metabolism.     

Biodegradable Polymers- A Review on Recent Trends and Emerging Perspectives

Recent trends in biodegradable polymers indicate significant developments in terms of novel design strategies and engineering to provide advanced polymers with comparably good performance. However, there are several inadequacies in terms of either technology or cost of production especially in the case of applications in environmental pollution. So, there is a need to have a fresh perspective on the design, properties and functions of these polymers with a view to developing strategies for future developments. The paper reviews the present state-of-art on biodegradable polymers and discusses the salient features of the design and properties of biodegradable polymers. Special emphasis is given to the problems and prospects of (1) approaches adopted to make non-biodegradable synthetic polymers such as polyethylene biodegradable and (2) biodegradable polymers and copolymers made from renewable resources especially poly(lactic acid) based polymers and copolymers which are emerging as the candidate biodegradable materials for the future.     

Impact of organic manure on the phytoremediation potential of Vetiveria zizanioides in chromium-contaminated soil

Chromium is a pollutant present in electroplating waste water and its removal is necessary for the protection of the environment. Vetiveria zizanioides (VZ) was grown in chromium effluent concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg kg ^?1 soil amended with organic manure and the potential for phytoremediation was determined. The amounts of Cr in plant tissues (root and shoot), soil and percentage electrolyte leakage of VZ roots were analysed. From the results, VZ amended with organic manure showed the greatest potential for Cr removal because of its faster growth and larger biomass achieved over the whole length of the experiment. In this study, 92.25% Cr removal efficiency was obtained with a Cr concentration of 50 mg kg ^?1 soil and removal efficiencies of 90.5% and 85% were obtained with 100 and 200 mg kg^?1, respectively after a period of two months of VZ growth.     

Both texting and eating are associated with impaired simulated driving performance

Objective: Distracted driving is a known contributor to traffic accidents, and many states have banned texting while driving. However, little is known about the potential accident risk of other common activities while driving, such as eating. The objective of the current study was to examine the adverse impact of eating/drinking behavior relative to texting and nondistracted behaviors on a simulated driving task. Methods: A total of 186 participants were recruited from undergraduate psychology courses over 2 semesters at Kent State University. We utilized the Kent Multidimensional Assessment Driving Simulation (K-MADS) to compare simulated driving performance among participants randomly assigned to texting (N = 45), eating (N = 45), and control (N = 96) conditions. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to examine between-group differences on simulated driving indices. Results: MANOVA analyses indicated that groups differed in simulated driving performance, F(14, 366) = 7.70, P < .001. Both texting and eating produced impaired driving performance relative to controls, though these behaviors had approximately equal effect. Specifically, both texting and eating groups had more collisions, pedestrian strikes, and center line crossings than controls. In addition, the texting group had more road edge excursions than either eating or control participants and the eating group missed more stop signs than controls. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both texting and eating are associated with poorer simulated driving performance. Future work is needed to determine whether these findings generalize to real-world driving and the development of strategies to reduce distracted driving.