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Associations of polymorphisms in the cytokine genes IL1β (rs16944), IL6 (rs1800795), IL12b (rs3212227) and growth factor VEGFA (rs2010963) with anthracosilicosis in coal miners in Russia and related genotoxic effects
No full textAnthracosilicosis (AS), a prevalent form of pneumoconiosis among coal miners, results from the
accumulation of carbon and silica in the lungs from inhaled coal dust. This study investigated
genotoxic effects and certain cytokine genes polymorphic variants in Russian coal miners with
АS. Peripheral leukocytes were sampled from 129 patients with AS confirmed by X-ray and
tissue biopsy and from 164 asymptomatic coal miners. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms
were genotyped in the extracted DNA samples: IL1β T-511C (rs16944), IL6 C-174G (rs1800795),
IL12b A1188C (rs3212227) and VEGFA C634G (rs2010963). Genotoxic effects were assessed by the
analysis of chromosome aberrations in cultured peripheral lymphocytes. The mean frequency of
chromatid-type aberrations and chromosome-type aberrations, namely, chromatid-type breaks and
dicentric chromosomes, was found to be higher in AS patients [3.70 (95% confidence interval {CI},
3.29–4.10) and 0.28 (95% CI, 0.17–0.38)] compared to the control group [2.41 (95% CI, 2.00–2.82)and 0.09 (95% CI, 0.03–0.15)], respectively. IL1β gene T/T genotype (rs16944) was associated with
AS [17.83% in AS patients against 4.35% in healthy donors, odds ratio = 4.77 (1.88–12.15), P < 0.01].
A significant increase in the level of certain chromosome interchanges among AS donors is of
interest because such effects are typical for radiation damage and caused by acute oxidative
stress. IL1β T allele probably may be considered as an AS susceptibility factor among coal miners
Chemical looping combustion of biomass for renewable & non- CO2 emissions energy- status and review
Full text linkWorld depends on fossil fuel combustion for thermal energy generation. Fossil fuel combustion leads to the generation of CO2 and ex-tinction of non-renewable resources. To meet the future energy demands replacement of existing technologies should take place in the view of large quantities of GHG’s emissions from fossil fuels and their extinction. Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is primarily a combustion technique with an inherent separation of CO2 from the flue gases. Due to its advantage of negative CO2 emissions, chemical looping combustion got attention of many researchers since last one and half decade. Recent research advancements in the CLC provided a platform for further research and developments in chemical looping combustion of biomass. This paper reviews the CLC of biomass to present the overview of chemical looping combustion technology and its status of biomass utilization as a fuel in CLC reactors
Heavy metal (Pb) accumulation in metallophytes as influenced by the variations in rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soils physico-chemical characteristics
No full textActivities at root-soil interface determine the solubility and uptake of metals by plants. Metal accumulation
in plant species (Imperata cylindrical, Cynodon dactylon, Eleucine indica, Gomphrena celosoides, Sporobolus
pyramidalis, Chromolaena odorata and Rhynchospora corymbosa) growing on Pb contaminated site
as influenced by variations in physico-chemical characteristics, dissolved organic matter (DOM), Pb
fractionation and different functional groups (using Fourier Transmittance Infra-red) of rhizospheric and
non-rhizospheric soils was assessed. The electrical conductivity (2660–5520 ms) and Pb concentrations
(51390.0–64080.0 mg/kg) were more in non-rhizospheric than rhizospheric soils having 276 ms to 3160 ms
EC and 3289.0 to 44850.0 mg/kg Pb. More nutrients, DOM and carbohydrates functional groups (C-O; 1100
-1000 and O-H; 3700–3600) were found in rhizospheric compared to non-rhizospheric soils. The pH was
slightly acidic (5.0–5.54) and E. indica with the lowest pH (5.0) accumulated highest Pb concentrations in
shoot (8030 mg/kg) and root (16380 mg/kg) while C. odorata with highest values of pH, P, Ca and Mg in
rhizospheric soil accumulated the least (root; 331.6 and shoot: 209.0 mg/kg). Pb was more in organic and
residual fractions of rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soils respectively. Reduction in pH, EC coupled with
nutrients and DOM availability increased Pb uptake by plant
Fold change based approach for identification of significant network markers in breast, lung and prostate cancer
No full textCancer belongs to a class of highly aggressive diseases and a leading cause of death in the world. With more than
100 types of cancers, breast, lung and prostate cancer remain to be the most common types. To identify essential network
markers (NMs) and therapeutic targets in these cancers, the authors present a novel approach which uses gene expression
data from microarray and RNA-seq platforms and utilises the results from this data to evaluate protein–protein interaction (PPI)
network. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are extracted from microarray data using three different statistical methods in R,
to produce a consistent set of genes. Also, DEGs are extracted from RNA-seq data for the same three cancer types. DEG sets
found to be common in both platforms are obtained at three fold change (FC) cut-off levels to accurately identify the level of
change in expression of these genes in all three cancers. A cancer network is built using PPI data characterising gene sets at
log-FC (LFC)>1, LFC>1.5 and LFC>2, and interconnection between principal hub nodes of these networks is observed.
Resulting network of hubs at three FC levels highlights prime NMs with high confidence in multiple cancers as validated by
Gene Ontology functional enrichment and maximal complete subgraphs from CFinder
Combined heterogeneous Electro-Fenton and biological process for the treatment of stabilized landfill leachate
No full textTreatment of stabilized landfill leachate is a great challenge due to its poor biodegradability. Present
study made an attempt to treat this wastewater by combining electro-Fenton (E-Fenton) and biological
process. E-Fenton treatment was applied prior to biological process to enhance the biodegradability of
leachate, which will be beneficial for the subsequent biological process. This study also investigates the
efficiency of iron molybdophosphate (FeMoPO) nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst in E-Fenton
process. The effects of initial pH, catalyst dosage, applied voltage and electrode spacing on Chemical
Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency were analyzed to determine the optimum conditions. Heterogeneous E-Fenton process gave 82% COD removal at pH 2, catalyst dosage of 50 mg/L, voltage 5 V,
electrode spacing 3 cm and electrode area 25 cm2
. Combined E-Fenton and biological treatment resulted
an overall COD removal of 97%, bringing down the final COD to 192 mg/L
Iron impregnated biochars as heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the degradation of acid red 1 dye
No full textIn the present work, Acid Red 1 (AR1) dye degradation by two heterogeneous Fenton catalysts, namely iron
loaded rice husk biochar (Fe-RHB) and coir pith biochar (Fe-CPB) are studied. Biochar prepared from RHB and
CPB were sonicated in the presence of ferric nitrate for the synthesis of Fe-RHB and Fe-CPB by incipient impregnation method. Effect of operational parameters such as pH, the dosage of catalyst, H2O2 concentration and
temperature were examined. Characterization of the synthesized Fenton catalyst, Fe-RHB and Fe-CPB were
analysed by SEM, EDS, XRD and XPS techniques. In Fe-RHB Fenton system, maximum dye removal efficiency of
97.6% and TOC removal efficiency of 84.2% were obtained at pH 3 for 50 mg L−1 of AR1 concentration, with
16 mM of H2O2 and 5 g L−1 of catalyst dosage within 120 min reaction time. Similarly, for Fe-CPB, maximum
dye removal efficiency of 99.1% and TOC removal efficiency of 86.7% were obtained with 16 mM of H2O2 and
4gL−1 of dosage for 50 mg L−1 of initial dye concentration at pH 3. The prepared catalysts can be reused for
successive cycles as the catalyst materials are highly stable and have very less iron leaching property
Photocatalysis: A solution to the sulphur derived �waste water
No full textThe presence of sulphite & sulfide derivatives in the waste water leads to serious environmental and health issues. Therefore such waste water needs to be treated or converted into the less harmful forms before re-utilizing for the other purposes. However the cost of such treatment always remains burden to the industrial sector. It can be more feasible for industrial sector if there is a simple process to convert such wastes into the fuel. This will help to recover the cost invested in the waste water treatment. With this background, we have effectively implemented Photocatalysis system for the production of hydrogen from sulphur derived water . A promising hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 5.58 mmol/hr was achieved using Pt-TiO2 photocatalyst with sulphite & sulphide based waste waters
Appraisal of Noise Level Dissemination Surrounding Mining and Industrial Areas of Keonjhar, Odisha: a Comprehensive Approach Using Noise Mapping
Full text linkNoise mapping is a well-established practice among the European nations, and it has been following for almost two decades. Recently, as per guidelines of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), India, noise mapping has made mandatory in the mining expanses. This study is an effort made to map the noise levels in nearby areas of mines in the northern Keonjhar district. The motive of this study is to quantify the existing A-weighted time-average sound level (LAeq,T) in the study area to probe its effects on the human dwellings and noise sensitive areas with the probability of future development of the mines, roads and industrial & commercial zone. The LAeq,T was measured at 39 identified locations, includes industrial, commercial, residential and sensitive zones, 15 open cast mines, 3 major highways and 3 haulage roads. With the utilization of Predictor LimA Software and other GIS tools, the worked out data is mapped and noise contours are developed for the visualization and identification of the extent and distribution of sound levels across the study area. This investigation discloses that the present noise level at 60% of the locations in silence and residential zone are exposed to significantly high noise levels surpasses the prescribed limit of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India. The observed day and night time LAeq,T level of both the zone, ranged between 43.2 - 62.2 dB (A) and 30.5 – 53.4 dB (A) respectively whereas, the average Ldn values vary between 32.7 – 51.2 dB (A). The extensive mobility of heavy vehicles adjoining the sensitive areas and a nearby plethora of open cast mines is the leading cause of exceeded noise levels. The study divulges that the delicate establishments like school and hospitals are susceptible to high noise levels throughout the day and night. A correlation between observed and software predicted values gives R2 of 0.605 for Ld; 0.217 for Ln; and 0.524 for Ldn. Finally, the mitigation measure proposed and demonstrated using contour map showing a significant reduction in the noise levels by 0 – 5.3 dB (A)
You have full text access to this contentMembrane filtration immobilization technique—a simple and novel method for primary isolation and enrichment of bacteriophages
No full textAim: To develop a method for the isolation and enrichment of bacteriophages
selectively against specific bacteria coupled with a membrane filtration technique.
Methods and Results: Rapid isolation and concentration of host-specific
bacteriophages was achieved by exposure of the sample suspected to contain
bacteriophages to a specific host immobilized on a 0�45 lm membrane in a
membrane filtration unit. The principle behind this method is the exploitation
of host-specific interaction of bacteriophages with their host and maximizing
this interaction using a classic membrane filtration method. This provides a
chance for each bacteriophage in the sample to interact with the specific host
on the membrane filter fitted with a vacuum pump. Specific bacteriophages of
the host are retained on the membrane along with its host cells due to the
effect of adsorption and these adsorbed bacteriophages (along with their hosts)
on the filter disc are then amplified and enriched in regular nutritive broth
tryptose soya broth by incubation. With the help of the plaque assay method,
host-specific phages of various bacterial species were isolated, segregated and
enriched.
Conclusions: The phage concentration method coupled with membrane
filtration immobilization of host bacteria was able to isolate and enrich the
host-specific bacteriophages by several fold using a lower quantity of an
environmental water sample, or other phage suspensions. Enrichment of
phages from single plaques was also achieved.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The isolation and detection of hostspecific
bacteriophages from a low density bacteriophage water sample in a
single step by the use of a simple and basic microbiological technique can be
achieved. Enrichment of phages from low phage titre suspensions is also
achieved very effectively
Characterization of UDP-glucosyltransferase from Indigofera tinctoria
No full textIndican is a secondary metabolite in Indigofera tinctoria; its synthesis from indoxyl and UDP-glucose is catalyzed by a UDP-glucosyltransferase (UGT). In this study, we partially purified UGT extracted from I. tinctoria leaves and analyzed the protein by peptide mass fingerprinting. We identified two fragments that were homologous to UGT after comparison with the transcriptomic data of I. tinctoria leaves. The fragments were named itUgt1 and itUgt2 and were amplified using rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction to obtain full-length cDNAs. The resultant nucleotide sequences of itUgt1 and itUgt2 encoded peptides of 477 and 475 amino acids, respectively. The primary structure of itUGT1 was 89% identical to that of itUGT2 and contained an important plant secondary product glycosyltransferase (PSPG) box sequence and a UGT motif.
The recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli were found to possess high indican synthesis activity. Although the properties of the two proteins itUGT1 and itUGT2 were very similar, itUGT2 was more stable at high temperatures than itUGT1. Expression levels of itUGT mRNA and protein in plant tissues were examined by UGT assay, immunoblotting, and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. So far, we presume that itUGT1, but not itUGT2, primarily catalyzes indican synthesis in I. tinctoria leaves