11 research outputs found
Review of environmental benefits and development of methodology for EUNIS habitat changes from nature-based solutions: Application to Denmark and the Netherlands
No full textNature-Based solutions (NBS) are the measures supported by natural processes that can adapt to changing climates and generate diverse social, economic, and environmental benefits. Recognising the potential for additional NBS benefits, and quantifying these benefits is essential as it encourages decision-makers to implement and scale-up NBS initiatives. This paper presents findings from a systematic literature review. The review focused on tools and methodologies used for assessing the environmental benefits of implementing NBS. This review provides a detailed compilation of environmental indicators supported by assessment tools. It also includes a catalogue of tools for evaluating environmental benefits, thereby identifying research gaps. Moreover, this research proposes a methodology that uses an ArcGIS (Architecture of Geographic Information Systems) toolbox to identify habitat changes resulting from the implementation of NBS. The methodology translates CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) land cover classes to EUNIS (European Nature Information System) habitat classes. The developed toolbox was applied to two case studies: Denmark (12 NBS) and the Netherlands (3 NBS). The assessment aimed to compare the habitat changes between 2000 and 2018 as two extreme time points for NBS implementation for both case studies. Results indicate that NBS implementation can change habitats leading to an increase in the Red-necked Grebe population in Denmark and a decline in the Black-tailed Godwit population in the Netherlands (two threatened species). The population change highlights the potential positive and potential negative impacts of NBS in their respective cases. These findings suggest Denmark could benefit from lake construction and restoration projects. At the same time, the Netherlands could invest in wetlands and meadows construction and restoration projects to protect the respective species. They could establish designated breeding zones to ensure their population does not decline rapidly.BT/Environmental BiotechnologyHydraulic Structures and Flood Ris
Effect of different substrate sterilization methods on performance of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
No full textSaabunud / Received 21.01.2021 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 16.04.2021 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 16.04.2021 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Sanju Shrestha [email protected] sterilization of substrates is an indispensable step in oyster mushroom cultivation. Oyster mushroom growers in Nepal usually follow three different substrate sterilization methods; however, their comparative effectiveness is vastly unexplored. Thus, these experiments were carried out at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Lamjung Campus, Lamjung, Nepal from January to March, in the years 2017 and 2019. The objective of these experiments was to identify the most appropriate method of sterilization. Three different types of sterilization methods viz chemical sterilization (formaldehyde + carbendazim), steam sterilization, and hot-water sterilization were evaluated for the growth parameters and productivity of oyster mushroom cultivated on rice straw. The experiments were laid out on Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with ten replications. The results showed that the spawning rate was 3.2% of the wet substrate. Data were collected until the third flush. A significantly longer duration to colonize the substrate (29.7 days) was observed under chemical sterilization. The oyster mushroom performed best under steam sterilization as it took the shortest time for pinhead formation (34.30 days), fruiting body formation (43.60 days), cropping duration (89.30 days), and produced the highest mushroom yield (1401.9 g per 4 kg bag), and consequently, the highest biological efficiency (101.38%). Average pileus diameter and stipe length were statistically indifferent among the treatments suggesting the significant effect of sterilization methods on the yield of oyster mushroom but not on its morphological attributes
Trend Analysis and Change Point Detection of Climatic Parameters in Ambedkar Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh, India
No full textClimate change is one of the most serious challenges confronting humanity today, and its effects can be seen all over the world. The assessment of changes in the long-term weather trend is critical for developing water resource management strategies under climate change scenarios. Long-term trends for annual, monsoon, non-monsoon rainfall, rainy days, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature of Akbarpur, Allapur, Bhiti, Jalalpur, and Tanda stations in Uttar Pradesh\u27s Ambedkar Nagar district were examined in this study. The Mann-Kendall test revealed a non-significant decreasing trend for annual and monsoon rainfall at Akbarpur, Bhiti, and Jalalpur stations with an average rate of 1.64 mm/year whereas, it shows a non-significant increasing trend for annual and monsoon rainfall at the Allapur and Tanda stations with an average rate of 3.168 mm/year. Non-monsoon rainfall showed an in-significant decreasing trend at Allapur and Jalalpur stations with an average rate of 0.415 mm/year, whereas a non-significant increasing trend was shown at Akbarpur, Bhiti, and Tanda stations with an average rate of 0.197 mm/year. Annual rainy days shows non-significant decreasing trend for all stations of Akbarpur district with an average rate of 0.117 day/year (one day decrease with in nine year). It indicates seasonal shift and increased possibility of high intensity rainfall. The impact of extreme events of rainfall on the trend was evaluated on the whole and partial series before and after the break point and it was observed that there was no significant climate change in Ambedkar Nagar district and non-significant changing year of precipitation data series was found in 1995. A significant increasing trend in maximum temperature was observed for all stations in the months of August and December, with an average rate of 0.02 0C per year, while Allapur station also shows a significant increasing trend in maximum temperature in September, with a rate of 0.012 0C per year. However, a significant decreasing trend was observed in minimum temperature in the month of May at Akbarpur, Allapur, Jalalpur, Tanda station with an average rate of 0.027 0C per year. Rainfall and temperature are a principal climatic parameter which regulates the environmental condition of a particular region by directly influencing the agricultural productivity and water resources
Spatiotemporal characterization of meteorological drought and rainfall variation during El Niño/La Niña event over Bundelkhand region of India
No full textAbstract This study analyzes the relationship between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and rainfall variability in the Bundelkhand region using the Oceanic Niño Index (Niño 3.4 Index) for the period 1950–2022. Drought monitoring was conducted using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) to assess the impact of ENSO on regional drought conditions. Results indicate that El Niño years correspond to a decline in rainfall, with weak and moderate El Niño events leading to deficits of − 38.62 mm and − 21.44 mm, respectively, while strong El Niño years experienced a significant reduction of − 128.8 mm. Conversely, the relationship between La Niña and rainfall is inconsistent, with moderate La Niña years showing a positive anomaly of 66.89 mm, while weak and strong La Niña years resulted in mixed effects, with anomalies of − 17.59 mm and − 56.72 mm, respectively. Spatiotemporal analysis further revealed that drought conditions persisted in Bundelkhand during the La Niña years of 1973 and 2020, highlighting the region’s unique response to ENSO events. These findings emphasize the need for localized climate assessments, as large-scale ENSO trends do not consistently predict rainfall patterns in Bundelkhand region. This study provides valuable insights for drought mitigation and early warning strategies in the region
Short-term Effects of Organic Manure and Microbial Biofertilizer Doses on Soil Properties under Cluster Bean Cultivation in Southern Odisha, India
No full textAims: To evaluate the impact of different doses of organic amendments (FYM and vermicompost), with or without Rhizobium inoculation, on soil physical and chemical properties during clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) cultivation.
Design of Study: A field-based factorial randomized block design (RBD) with nine treatments and three replications.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted during the summer of 2025 at the Postgraduate Research Farm, Ranadevi, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, India.
Methodology: Nine treatments involved combinations of FYM and vermicompost at 100% and 150% recommended levels, with and without Rhizobium inoculation. Soil samples were collected at 30, 60, and 90 days after sowing (DAS) from the 0–15 cm depth. Physical (bulk density, texture) and chemical (pH, SOC, and available N, P, K) properties were analyzed using standard procedures.
Results: All organic treatments reduced soil bulk density, with 150% vermicompost + Rhizobium showing the lowest values (1.22 g/cm³ at 90 DAS). The texture remained sandy loam, with minor improvements in silt and clay fractions. pH was moderated most effectively by combined organic + Rhizobium treatments, maintaining near-neutral values. SOC increased across all treatments, with 100% FYM showing the highest (0.88% at 90 DAS). Available N, P, and K also improved significantly, with 150% vermicompost + Rhizobium consistently showing superior nutrient levels, especially for phosphorus (25.44 mg/kg) and potassium (206.08 mg/kg) at 90 DAS
Hydroclimatic Signatures of ENSO over India Understanding Rainfall Variability and Regional Sensitivity
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and regional rainfall variability across India using high-resolution gridded rainfall data and the Nino 3.4 index for the period 1951–2023. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) was employed to assess the strength and direction of the association between rainfall anomalies and ENSO phases (El Niño and La Niña). Results reveal a strong negative correlation during El Niño years, indicating widespread rainfall deficiency, while La Niña years generally correspond to enhanced precipitation across most regions. Among the five studied regions, North India exhibited the highest negative correlation (r = -0.65) with El Niño, reflecting its pronounced vulnerability to monsoon weakening, whereas South India showed the strongest positive correlation (r = 0.55) with La Niña, suggesting greater rainfall enhancement. Central, East, and West regions displayed moderate correlations, highlighting spatial variations in ENSO influence. The analysis underscores that ENSO remains a major large-scale climate driver affecting India’s rainfall distribution, though its effects are region-specific and modulated by local climatic factors. Understanding these spatial dynamics is essential for improving seasonal monsoon forecasts, agricultural planning, and drought preparedness, thereby contributing to more resilient water resource management strategies under climate variability
High throughput and cost-effective purification of small molecules using superficially porous stationary phase columns: An environment friendly approach
No full textOver the past two decades, higher efficiencies have become the goal of most research organizations, and more so for high throughput synthesis. Consequently, there is an urgent need for an advanced purification approach to accommodate the large number of small molecules in a shorter turnaround time. To address this, an efficient and high throughput purification method was developed leveraging the superficially porous particle (SPP) column technology, which was optimized with respect to detector acquisition rate, flow rate, and gradient time. The experiments were performed using a sample mixture of six commercially available small molecules including Nicotinamide (NIC), 4-Amino benzophenone (ABP), Praziquantel (PRA), butyl‑4-hydroxybenzoate (BHB), Warfarin sodium (WAR), and Ibuprofen (IBU). The study outcomes were promising and exhibited a good separation of all six analytes with ∼83 % less turnaround time and ∼65 % less solvent consumption than the regular methods. Furthermore, it showed significant improvement in peak symmetry, capacity factor, and resolution for all six analytes and afforded superior chromatographic performance than the regular method with fully porous particle (FPP) columns. The study concludes that SPP columns provide cost-effective, eco-friendly, and high throughput purification of small molecules
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer metastasis: the status quo of methods and experimental models 2025
No full textAbstract Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial cellular process for embryogenesis, wound healing, and cancer progression. It involves a shift in cell interactions, leading to the detachment of epithelial cells and activation of gene programs promoting a mesenchymal state. EMT plays a significant role in cancer metastasis triggering tumor initiation and stemness, and activates metastatic cascades resulting in resistance to therapy. Moreover, reversal of EMT contributes to the formation of metastatic lesions. Metastasis still needs to be better understood functionally in its major but complex steps of migration, invasion, intravasation, dissemination, which contributes to the establishment of minimal residual disease (MRD), extravasation, and successful seeding and growth of metastatic lesions at microenvironmentally heterogeneous sites. Therefore, the current review article intends to present, and discuss comprehensively, the status quo of experimental models able to investigate EMT and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, for researchers planning to enter the field. We emphasize various methods to understand EMT function and the major steps of metastasis, including diverse migration, invasion and matrix degradation assays, microfluidics, 3D co-culture models, spheroids, organoids, or latest spatial and imaging methods to analyze complex compartments. In vivo models such as the chorionallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, cell line-derived and patient-derived xenografts, syngeneic, genetically modified, and humanized mice, are presented as a promising arsenal of tools to analyze intravasation, site specific metastasis, and treatment response. Furthermore, we give a brief overview on methods detecting dissemination and MRD in carcinomas, highlighting its significance in tracking the course of disease and response to treatment. Enhanced lineage tracking tools, dynamic in vivo imaging, and therapeutically useful in vivo models as powerful preclinical tools may still better reveal functional interdependencies between metastasis and EMT. Future directions are discussed in light of emerging views on the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of EMT and metastasis
Osteopontin : A Key Multifaceted Regulator in Tumor Progression and Immunomodulation
No full textThe tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of various cellular components such as tumor cells, stromal cells including fibroblasts, adipocytes, mast cells, lymphatic vascular cells and infiltrating immune cells, macrophages, dendritic cells and lymphocytes. The intricate interplay between these cells influences tumor growth, metastasis and therapy failure. Significant advancements in breast cancer therapy have resulted in a substantial decrease in mortality. However, existing cancer treatments frequently result in toxicity and nonspecific side effects. Therefore, improving targeted drug delivery and increasing the efficacy of drugs is crucial for enhancing treatment outcome and reducing the burden of toxicity. In this review, we have provided an overview of how tumor and stroma-derived osteopontin (OPN) plays a key role in regulating the oncogenic potential of various cancers including breast. Next, we dissected the signaling network by which OPN regulates tumor progression through interaction with selective integrins and CD44 receptors. This review addresses the latest advancements in the roles of splice variants of OPN in cancer progression and OPN-mediated tumor-stromal interaction, EMT, CSC enhancement, immunomodulation, metastasis, chemoresistance and metabolic reprogramming, and further suggests that OPN might be a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for the evolving landscape of cancer management
