Isolation and characterization of novel phorate-degrading bacterial species from agricultural soil

Based upon 16S rDNA sequence homology, 15 phorate-degrading bacteria isolated from sugarcane field soils by selective enrichment were identified to be different species of Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Brevibacterium, and Staphylococcus. Relative phorate degradation in a mineral salt medium containing phorate (50 μg ml^?1) as sole carbon source established that all the bacterial species could actively degrade more than 97 % phorate during 21 days. Three of these species viz. Bacillus aerophilus strain IMBL 4.1, Brevibacterium frigoritolerans strain IMBL 2.1, and Pseudomonas fulva strain IMBL 5.1 were found to be most active phorate metabolizers, degrading more than 96 % phorate during 2 days and 100 % phorate during 13 days. Qualitative analysis of phorate residues by gas liquid chromatography revealed complete metabolization of phorate without detectable accumulation of any known phorate metabolites. Phorate degradation by these bacterial species did not follow the first-order kinetics except the P. fulva strain IMBL 5.1 with half-life period (t½) ranging between 0.40 and 5.47 days.     

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of perfluoroalkyl substances in the human body

Currently, there are limited data on the levels of perfluoroalkyl substances other than perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid in the human body. Most of this information has been extracted from biological monitoring of plasma while the occurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances in other human tissues is rarely studied. The objective of the present study was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to assess the concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances in human tissues, based on an existing model previously validated for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid. Experimental data on concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances in human tissues from individuals in Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain) were used to estimate the values of some distribution and elimination parameters needed for the simulation. No significant correlations were found between these parameters and the chain lengths. The model was finally validated for five perfluoroalkyl substances.     

Halopriming imparts tolerance to salt and PEG induced drought stress in sugarcane

Sugarcane, a glycophyte grown in the tropical and subtropical regions, is frequently subjected to soil salinity, affecting the yield and quality of the harvest. The ameliorative efficiency of salt priming on emergence and plantlet growth was examined in sugarcane cultivars which are known to vary in salt tolerance under field conditions. Salt priming with NaCl (100 mM) improved both the percent and rate of germination of the sets of the tolerant (Co 62175) and moderately tolerant (CoM 265) varieties compared to sensitive (CoC 671) and test variety (Co 86032). Salt priming during germination also improved the growth performance of two-month-old sugarcane plants in terms of shoot length, shoot and root fresh weight when subjected to 15 day iso-osmotic (−0.7 MPa) NaCl (150 mM) or polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000; 20%, w/v) stress. The primed plants exhibited lower salt- and dehydration-induced leaf senescence. The results suggest salt priming as an efficient approach for imparting abiotic stress tolerance in sugarcane.     

Comparative studies of liver and brain glycogen content of male and female Clarias batrachus (L.) after exposure of different doses of arsenic

Different doses of arsenic (As) were used to investigate comparative toxicity on the liver and brain glycogen content on male and female Indian catfish Clarias batrachus (L.). As-induced effects were associated with gender, dose (5, 10, or 15?mg?L^?1), and varying time periods (48, 96, or 144?h). It was noted that As produced dose- and time-dependent liver glycogenolysis and late brain glycogenolysis. Liver glycogenolysis was significantly increased after 48?h at all three As doses. At the highest dose 15?mg?L^?1, liver glycogen were markedly diminished at in both male and female fish, but in females more reduction was observed than in males. However, with brain glycogen, the significant decrease was noted at 144?h with all three dose levels in both genders, with male being more susceptible. Thus, this study indicates that As produces glycogenolysis. The reduction in the liver glycogen content was more pronounced in female than in the male fish, whereas brain glycogen content decrease was more prominent in males.     

GIS-based impact assessment and spatial distribution of air and water pollutants in mining area

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mining is a significant part of the transforming economy, which is generally considered as essential as well as social evil at the same time. It is...     

Temporal modulation of turbulence structure over progressive erosion boundary under influence of wave current combined flow

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The action of wave dominated flow on river bank leads to retreatment of the bankline thereby causing intense erosion issues. The understanding of the bank erosion...     

A review on comparative study of Savonius wind turbine rotor performance parameters

One approach for reducing the level of environmental contamination threats around the world is to use renewable energy-harvesting equipment. Wind is a potential environmental resource that has become a desirable aspect of urban use due to advances in wind turbine design technology. Other variants have been developed based on the classic vertical-axis Savonius rotor model, which, according to experimental test findings and computational calculations, show higher operational characteristics performance. Generated power and shaft torque operational results are obtained by providing specific rotor blade shapes in these models, one of the most common designs, among small-scale rotor which uses a drag-based vertical axis whereas Savonius turbines having large-scale rotors not developed yet. This kind of rotor has the advantages of being simple to design, affordable, performing well at low speeds, and turns to flow direction independently. However, it was discovered that the Savonius rotor suffers through high quantity of negative torques created by the returning blade after a number of examinations into its performance. Many studies on various rotor types have been conducted to resolve the Savonius turbine’s performance constraints. The research showed and analyzed the difficulties and modification in design parameters of rotor, as well as their major impact on rotor performance.

     

Levels of chemical and microbiological pollutants in the vicinity of a waste incineration plant and human health risks: temporal trends

In 2007, a program was initiated to monitor air levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) (Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain). To investigate the temporal trends of chemical and microbiological pollutants, four 6-monthly campaigns were performed. Air samples were collected at different distances and directions from the facility, as well as in reference sites. In general terms, the concentrations of microbiological agents were very similar to those found in urban zones worldwide. The seasonal evaluation of the results showed higher levels of gram-negative bacteria in winter, contrasting with the increase of the airborne amount of total bacteria in summer. On the other hand, the concentrations of VOCs (mean range: 7.6-18.2 μgm⁻³) were typical of suburban zones. The current exposure to those compounds should not mean additional health risks for the population living nearby.