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The review paper delves into the intricacies of water quality index (WQI) and its relationship with land use and land cover in the Ganga River basin of Uttar Pradesh. The study highlights the significance of the Ganga River, a major perennial river in India, and presents findings from previous paper work shows that 57 sites of Ganga basin show fair, poor, or heavily polluted water quality. Analysis of live storage data within the basin revealed a notable increase in LULC compared to previous years, resulting in decrease water quality indicators such as low rate of dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and high concentrations of pollutants like faecal coliform, total coliform, and nitrate (NO3-). The observed increased in nitrate concentration, particularly attributed to enhance industrial activities and agricultural runoff during the harvesting season, suggests a negative trend towards water quality restoration. The prevalence of untreated commercial and industrial wastewater remains a significant challenge to sustained water quality improvement. In conclusion, the paper advocates for addressing land use land cover of the Ganga basin and ensuring adequate flow releases to rejuvenate the river effectively. It underscores the need for comprehensive measures to sustainably manage land use and cover water resources and mitigate anthropogenic impacts on the middle Ganga River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article gives an outline of various recent advances in the area of applications of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in developing the wood science and technology. The technical and scientific results and findings reported in the literature on the NIRS in relation to assessment of various attributes of wood as a material have been studied. The ability of this technique to quickly incorporate the advancements being made in the related fields of instrumentation and software indicates that it is very easy to adopt in the area of research and development of wood and its products including wood-based composites and apply it in the wood-based industry. This article also includes the advances in NIR spectroscopic imaging techniques and the future trends and opportunities towards its applicability in the field of wood science leading to technological advancements in various industry sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All plants naturally contain cellulose which is a linear biopolymer. In addition to being the most common natural polymeric material on the global scale, it also has numerous advantages, such as comparatively low density, good biocompatibility, as well as noteworthy mechanical strength at a reasonable price. Lignocellulosic materials are generally converted into cellulose nanofibers or cellulose nanocrystals, commonly known as nanocellulose using mechanical or chemical or a combination of both the methods. In recent years, nanocellulose has appeared as one of the most notable green materials for diverse applications. Nanoscaled cellulose has also achieved commendable recognition owing to its intrinsic properties like more surface area, high mechanical strength, abundance and renewability, less toxicity, biocompatibility, decomposability making it a perfect and ideal nanomaterial. This review provides a broad introduction to nanocellulose, its types and various methods of extraction. In addition, a number of recent and forthcoming applications for nanocellulose have also been discussed, including wood adhesives, surface coatings, biomedical, wastewater treatment and in developing novel bio-based nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The open dumpsite is often the preferred option for waste disposal in most developing economies, but this option has severe environmental threats. For Kanpur city, being a hot tropical urban city, the generation of landfill gasses and secretion of leachate may be a factor in health concerns for the population on-site and vicinity of the dumpsites. In this study, leachate samples were collected in three different seasons: pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon season in the year 2021, and then analyzed for their physicochemical properties. The pollution potential was assessed in terms of the leachate pollution index. Its calculated index values for these three seasons were found as 6.44, 6.91, and 6.55, respectively. Based on the index values, it can be observed that the overall pollution potential of leachate was low but it was highest in the monsoon season. Hierarchical cluster analysis was also carried out to identify different clusters of parameters contributing to the index values. In addition, a study has also been done for the assessment of non-carcinogenic health risk in terms of hazard index due to on-site contaminated soil for the working population. The analysis shows that a child as a receptor poses a considerable non-carcinogenic health risk, but an adult is under non-potential health risk. However, prolonged exposure to adults might have damaging consequences like kidney failure, laxative, constipation, etc. The results of the study may help the professionals deal with waste disposal management and related technical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood is one of the renewable building materials which can meet the increased global demand for sustainable materials. However, the wood-based sector is experiencing challenges in meeting the rising market demand for high-quality wood and wood-based products because of scarce supply and legal prohibitions on harvesting trees in natural forests. Fast-growing plantation trees are being extensively studied as a prospective raw material source in order to meet the rising demand. But the timber extracted from the fast-grown plantations has some serious drawbacks, such as lower density, poor strength, dimensional instability and susceptibility to biodegrading agencies, limiting its widespread usage in various residential and industrial applications. To overcome these issues, wood is being modified with various types of thermoset and thermoplastic resins by impregnation method, which can substantially improve its properties to suit different applications. Nanomaterials have gained popularity in recent years due to their high efficacy and enormous potential to improve wood properties. The properties of wood can be greatly improved by combining conventional wood modification techniques with nanotechnology. Wood modification using resins fortified with nanomaterials further improves properties of resin modified wood and provide additional properties at low concentrations. Therefore, the nano-wood composites prepared using nanoparticles fortified resins have the potential to replace high-quality wood for various value-added applications and fast-growing trees can serve as a sustainable source of raw material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present embodiment is an account of work done on impregnation of thermoplastic polyether imide (PEI) [ULTEM 1000] into high-temperature biphenyl-based phthalonitrile (PN) thermosetting resin to form a semi-interpenetrating network (s-IPN) in order to find an optimum composition with little compromise on glass transition temperature (Tg) and thermal stability of base resin system. The PEI has been cured with PN resin in varied ratios of 5–30 mass% in arithmetic progression to study its effect on thermal and physical properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermos-gravimetric (TG) measurements of the s-IPN compositions were carried out to assess the extent of curing, curing enthalpy, glass transition (Tg), thermal stability and char yield, respectively. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), measurements were done to ascertain the effect of PEI component in PN system on its storage modulus, Tg under dynamic load with respect to temperature. PN95 composition having PN/PEI ratio in 95:05 stoichiometry has demonstrated the best desirable properties with respect to PEI content with least compromise in Tg temperature. More than 5 mass% PEI has resulted in drastic change in Tg of s-IPN from > 673 K to 525 K in case of 10 mass% PEI as evaluated by DMA. The morphological analysis of 30% PEI-containing s-IPN showed interesting cross-linked patterns probably formed by the fibrillar orientation of the thermoplastic resin in the PN matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tectona grandis L.f. (teak), though considered a paragon among timber species, raises several questions on quality parameters when grown on farmlands. The growth characteristics and important wood quality parameters such as equilibrium moisture content, density, shrinkage, static bending strength and stiffness, compressive strength parallel and perpendicular to grain, hardness, nail and screw holding powers of 24–25-year-old teak from intensively managed block (Bim), partially managed line (Lpm) and unmanaged block (Bum) plantations grown under agroforestry practices (AFP) were studied. Overall growth rate of teak trees of Bim was greater than Lpm and Bum. Few wood quality parameters of Bum were comparatively better than Bim and Lpm. However, teak from three AFP exhibited lower wood quality parameters compared to average values of forest teak. Superiority of Bum is reflected mainly in density and bending strength compared to Bim and Lpm. Other properties like compressive strength, hardness and nail and screw holding powers were almost comparable among three AFP. Flexural strength, compression parallel to grain and hardness of Bim and Lpm were found to be comparable. Average wood properties of both managed plantations were lower than Bum. There was no significant effect observed in specific gravity of wood when age of trees increased from 12 to 24 years. Although, Bum exhibited better or comparable properties to Bim and Lpm, average growth was significantly lower than managed plantations. Selective harvesting of Bum at pole stage may support optimal resource utilization, reduce inter-tree competition and provide an option to further delay felling of unharvested residual trees. Delayed harvesting of teak may provide more optimal economic utilisation as strength parameters are predicted to improve with increased maturity. If a decision to enhance financial returns is warranted, commercial felling could be initiated for Bim among the three options, due to its higher growth rate and moderate wood properties which can translate into higher returns. The outcome of the present study may be useful to stakeholders for taking appropriate management decisions for optimal utilization of the farm grown teak bioresource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical transmissions in the wavelength range 600–2700 nm have been done for the Se40As60−xSx (x = 10, 20) chalcogenide thin films. By using these transmission curves, various optical parameters like linear refractive index (n), static refractive index (n0), nonlinear refractive index (n2), oscillator energy (Ed), dispersive energy (E0), band gap energy (Eg), third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ(3)) and γ have been studied. Wemple-Di-Domenico (WDD) relation has been used for dispersion analysis. To know the possibility of nonlinear switching in Se40As60−xSx (x = 10, 20) chalcogenides, nonlinear susceptibility and nonlinear refractive indices are determined by using linear index of refraction and parameters of WDD. On the basis of observed nonlinear optical parameters, the suitability for photonic applications is also discussed. Our experimental results have very good agreement at 10 at.% of S with telecommunication wavelength (~ 1550 nm) at which the maximum optical nonlinearity is found. Due to higher values of nonlinear refractive index, Se40As50S10 is processed better for photonic devices in comparison of Se40As40S20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the health and environmental concerns, residential usage of copper chrome arsenate (CCA) and similar other heavy metal-based wood preservatives has been restricted in many countries. Waterborne micronized copper formulations of micron-sized particles containing copper- and some biocides are being used on commercial scale to improve the biological durability of various nondurable timber species. In the present work, different concentrations of micronized copper azole (MCA) were used to vacuum-pressure treat the plantation grown non-durable Melia dubia Cav. sapwood. The same species was also treated with CCA and water to be able to compare the efficacy of the treatments. Effect of impregnation of different MCA concentrations (0.5–2.0%) on the retention, density, water uptake, mechanical properties and decay resistance of M. dubia wood against brown and white rot fungi was evaluated. Copper leaching tests were carried out following American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) standards (E11) and the amount of copper leached from treated wood was analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The amount of copper retention in treated wood increased with increasing MCA concentration. The density of treated wood was slightly increased with MCA concentration due to the increased amount of preservative absorbed, while most of the strength properties of wood treated with MCA were found either comparable to control or slightly reduced. Micron- to nano-sized copper-containing particles were observed on cross-section and in the cell lumens. The numbers of particles observed on wood surfaces increased with the MCA concentrations. The improved performance of micronized copper treated M. dubia suggested that MCA can be used as an alternative to CCA and similar precarious preservatives for extending the service life of non-durable timbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted from 2016 to 2018 at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, to study the effect of integration of bio-products and inorganic fertilizers on soil quality parameters, growth and yield of sugarcane and also to assess the possibilities of reduction in inorganic fertilizers doses, if any through the integration of bio-products with inorganic fertilizers. Eight treatments of various bio-products in different combinations were applied on sugarcane plant and ratoon crops. These treatments were replicated three times in randomized block design. Inclusion of dharmarut (DHA), diamond (DIA), sugar factory kit (SF kit), and bio NPK kit with a recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) improved about 18.4% soil organic carbon (SOC) in sugarcane ratoon crop (13.37 Mg/ha). However, a 40% reduction in NPK could also improve SOC by 7.9% over the control (11.29 Mg/ha). Application of SF kit and bio NPK kit with RDF improved available N content in soil by 15.5% over the control. SF and bio NPK kits and NPK also improved available P in soil significantly over the control. Integration of DHA, DIA, SF kit, and bio NPK kit with 100% RDF improved 11.41% available K in the soil as compared to control plot (289 kg/ha). However, reduction in NPK with similar bio-products improved 15.6% available K after harvesting of ratoon crop compared to control plot. Mean available K content in soil (305.5 kg/ha) after harvesting ratoon crop was recorded higher by 43.6 kg/ha than after harvesting of plant crop. Integrated use of DHA, DIA, SF kit, and bio NPK kit along with 100% RDF improved sugarcane yield by 38.58% and 30.0% in sugarcane (plant) and ratoon crops, respectively, over the control (RDF). Such improvements in sugarcane yield also improved sugar yield by 30.4% and 26.4% in plant and ratoon crops, respectively, over the recommended NPK through chemical fertilizers alone. Integrated use of these bio-products with 60% RDF also resulted in an improvement of 16.65% and 19.0% cane yield in plant and ratoon crops, respectively, over the RDF. Such improvement in yield could contribute additional sugar production by 9% and 18.5% in sugarcane plant and ratoon crops, respectively, over the recommended dose of NPK (RDF). Thus, the integration of bio-products with NPK holds great promise for various sugarcane growing regions and categories of farmers to harness sustainable yield increases in sugarcane-based systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine tropical theileriosis caused by Theileria annulata, is a serious constraint to Indian dairy industry with more fatal infections in exotic cattle and substantial losses to cross-bred and indigenous zebu cattle. The present communication is to place on record the first report of molecular based confirmed case of cerebral theileriosis caused by T. annulata coupled with its morphological detection, clinical manifestations, haematological alterations and therapeutic management in a cross bred cattle calf from India. After preparation of peripheral thin blood smear from cross bred cattle calf at the site of collection and fixation with methanol, blood sample brought to Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science and A.H, Jabalpur and stained by standard protocol for Giemsa staining. Genomic DNA was isolated from the collected blood sample using QIAamp® DNA blood mini kit following the manufacturer's recommendations and PCR was performed. The cross bred cow calf revealed high rise in temperature (105.5°F), increased heart rate, labored breathing with seromucous nasal discharge, enlargement of prescapular lymph node and animal exhibited tonic clonic convulsions in response to any sudden noise. Giemsa stained thin blood smear revealed intraerythrocytic piroplasm and Koch'sblue bodies of T. annulata within the cytoplasm of lymphocytes. The species of Theileria was confirmed by molecular amplification of genomic DNA as T. annulata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field experiment was conducted during 2016–2018 and 2018–2020 at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow (IISR) research farm. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with eight treatments in rice-wheat-rice-wheat and sugarcane–ratoon–wheat cropping systems with/without application of Trichoderma viride. Mean experimental results obtained for both the cropping systems revealed that in the rice-wheat-rice-wheat (RWRW) cropping system, about one-third of crop residues produced could be recycled effectively with Trichoderma inoculation. However, in the sugarcane–ratoon–wheat (S.R.W.) system, complete residues (trash) could be applied in the subsequent ratoon crop. In the rice-wheat-rice-wheat cropping system, crop residue supplemented a mean 26.49 kg N, 7.12 kg P, and 12.55 kg K ha−1 year−1. However, the corresponding values for sugarcane–ratoon–wheat system were 56.13 kg N, 7.19 kg P, and 44.09 kg K ha−1 year−1.The population of soil bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes could be increased after crop residue retention/trash mulching. Thus, improved soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), soil microbial biomass N (SMBN), and soil respiration (S.R.) could be recorded. The highest S.O.C. was sequestered with trash mulching + Trichoderma. The crop residues added the soil nutrients (N.P.K.) status and the improved rhizospheric environment through improving soil physical, chemical, and biological properties after completion of the crop cycle. Sugarcane, rice, and wheat yields in the system could also be enhanced by crop residue addition and inoculation of T. viride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of present study is to introduce the notion of radical transversal screen Cauchy–Riemann (SCR) lightlike submersions from an indefinite Kaehler manifold onto a lightlike manifold with non trivial examples. We give a characterization theorem for these submersions and investigate the geometry of distributions involved in the definition of such submersions. We also obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for the induced connection on to be metric connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have engineered Aluminum (Al)-based plasmonic devices with MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheet to achieve both high sensitivities as well Figure of Merit (FOM) simultaneously for the wavelength of 1550 nm in the optical communication band. Since, studying 2D nanomaterials can provide quality collaboration for Ti3C2Tx, from their functionalization to application; Black Phosphorus, Graphene, fluorinated Graphene, and MoS2 are undertaken for this purpose. The effect of such 2D nanomaterials has been studied on both sensitivity and FOM for Ti3C2Tx-based engineered Al-plasmonic devices and a decent value of both sensitivity (119°/RIU) and FOM (340RIU−1) is achieved in the Kretschmann's configuration. To demonstrate the bio-sensing application with the proposed plasmonic devices, the detection of protein solution concentration, based on the change in their refractive indices, is carried out. The proposed Ti3C2Tx-based Al-plasmonic devices show promising applications in the optical communication band, employing fluorinated graphene and MoS2 in the near-infrared region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron impregnated fungal bio-filter (IIFB) discs of luffa sponge containing Phanerochaete chrysosporium mycelia have been used for the removal of As(III) from water. Two different forms of same biomass viz. free fungal biomass (FFB) and modified free fungal biomass (chemically modified and iron impregnated; CFB and IIFB) have been simultaneously investigated to compare the performance of immobilization, chemo-tailoring and iron impregnation for remediation of As(III). IIFB showed highest uptake capacity and percentage removal of As(III), 1.32 mg/g and 92.4% respectively among FFB, CFB and IIFB. Further, the application of RSM and ANN-GA based mathematical model showed a substantial increase in removal i.e. 99.2% of As(III) was filtered out from water at optimised conditions i.e. biomass dose 0.72 g/L, pH 7.31, temperature 42 °C, and initial As(III) concentration 1.1 mg/L. Isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies proved that the process followed monolayer sorption pattern in spontaneous and endothermic way through pseudo-second order kinetic pathway. Continuous mode of As(III) removal in IIFB packed bed bioreactor, revealed increased removal of As(III) from 76.40 to 88.23% with increased column height from 5 to 25 cm whereas the removal decreased from 88.23 to 69.45% while increasing flow rate from 1.66 to 8.30 mL/min. Moreover, the IIFB discs was regenerated by using 10% NaOH as eluting agent and evaluated for As(III) removal for four sorption–desorption cycles, showing slight decrease of their efficiency by 1–2%. SEM–EDX, pHzpc, and FTIR analysis, revealed the involvement of hydroxyl and amino surface groups following a non-electrostatic legend exchange sorption mechanism during removal of As(III). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers are dynamic ecosystems with diverse habitats that require ample connectivity to ensure the flow of ecosystem services, thus empowering the sustainable development of an entire basin. Geo-spatial tools offer powerful prospects for monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. The usefulness of Sentinel-2 datasets to assess river connectivity has been explored for an un-gauged seasonal river system. The present study was undertaken in five ecologically unique river reaches viz. Wainganga, Wardha, Pranhita, Godavari-mid and Manair in Godavari Basin in the Indian Deccan Plateau to map water spread dynamics at various time scales, i.e., fortnightly, monthly, seasonal, annual and demi-decadal during 2016–2021. The maximum value of perennial water spread per square kilometre of total floodplain area (2016–2021), determined using Sentinel-2 imageries, was observed in river Wardha (0.18) followed by Pranhita (0.12) and Wainganga (0.11). The water spread showed a decreasing trend, while the number of patches in the river corridor increased over time from post-monsoon to pre-monsoon season. The copious perennial habitat with relatively larger patches, incessant flow in river Pranhita and obstructed flow, large-sized patches reported in river Wardha during summer months, hold importance in terms of providing refuge to aquatic biota. This study provides evidence for the impact of water projects on spatio-temporal water spread dynamics in Godavari Basin. The demonstrated utility of Sentinel-2 imagery coupled with gauge station measurements for river continuity assessment and deep pool mapping would aid in enhancing our understanding on environmental flow at a spatial scale, which in turn would aid in effective river management to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The implications of this study for sustainable environmental management and limitations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous benefits have been derived from the use of fungicides but excessive use of chemical fungicides not only posing threat to human and animal life but also contaminates the prevailing environment. Damage by pathogenic fungi alone causes significant damage to crops like maize, rice, wheat, soybeans, and potatoes. Therefore, it becomes imperative that these diseases are checked and controlled, for which chemical pesticides are being sprayed on plants extensively. Considering the devastating damage and toxicity, the global focus has taken a drift from synthetic chemicals to nature-friendly biological control agents. The present study focuses on the use of biological control agents particularly Trichoderma in sugarcane during Pokkah boeng infection. In the present experiment, twenty promising Trichoderma strains were evaluated for plant growth promotion, lytic enzymes, and physiological and biocontrol activity. Out of the twenty, four potential Trichoderma strains were assessed in the pot experiment viz. T. harzianum strain T28, T41 and T49 and T. aureoviride strain T38. The T. harzianum (T28) showed efficient plant growth-promoting traits as it produced IAA (20.67 µg/ml), phosphorus solubilization (18.57 µg/ml), and cell wall degrading enzymes such as chitinase (24.98 µg/ml) and β-glucanase (29.98 µg/ml). The interference of biocontrol agent T. harzianum (T28) controlled the disease by 73.55%. Apart from this, the inoculation of Trichoderma (T28) enhanced growth attributes including germination percentage (26.61%), mean tiller number (8.28 tiller/pot), individual cane length (241.5 cm), single cane weight (1.13 kg) and the number of milleable canes (6.00 cane/pot). Improvements in physiological activities at different growth stages of the sugarcane crop were observed based on the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) on the leaf surface, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic rate. Further, improvement in juice quality parameters was also observed as it recorded the highest 0brix, sucrose, and commercial cane sugar by 21.26%, 19.28%, and 13.50%, respectively, by applying T. harzianum strain T28. Thus, results proved that T. harzianum strain T28 may be an effective eco-friendly biocontrol tool for managing Pokkah boeng disease in sugarcane. This is the first report of the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma spp. against Fusarium proliferatum causing Pokkah boeng disease in sugarcane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification provides an opportunity for farmers to maximize their profits, fulfilling multiple needs, avoid monsoon threats, and make the crop production system sustainable. Inclusion of various pulse/oilseed/vegetables/cereals/medicinal/aromatic crops with sugarcane brings forth cultivation of these crops in irrigated agro-system and improves the yields of component crops. Besides, the component crops improve soil fertility and create a favorable environment for the further growth of sugarcane crops. Sprouting in winter-initiated sugarcane ratoon could be enhanced by adopting fodder legumes such as Indian clover and Egyptian clover. Intercropping vegetables provides an ample opportunity for mid-season income generation and improves profitability. Besides, high-value medicinal and aromatic crops such as tulsi (holy basil), mentha could also be included in the sugarcane-based system. Crop residue management has been recognized as a critical issue in managing the crops in the various cropping systems. Including multiple bio-agents for fast decomposition of crop residues provides scope for managing soil organic carbon through crop residue recycling in the system. Resource use efficiencies, nutrient use, water use, and weed control could be increased by adopting suitable crops in intercropping systems. An integrated farming system involving crop, livestock, and fisheries options could improve farmers' profit besides employment generation in rural India. Recycling of bye products and co-products of other enterprises influences the viability and farmer's profitability of the system. Trash, press mud cake, vinasse, composted bagasse, rhizodeposition of stubble play a significant role in sustaining soil fertility and increasing crop productivity. New emerging crop diversification options, viz., intercropping of rajmash, winter maize, and garlic in autumn cane generate mid-season income and enhance the system's profitability for small and marginal cane growers. Dual-purpose legumes, viz., cowpea, and green gram as intercrops with spring-planted cane increase the pool of soil microbial biomass nitrogen capitalize allelopathic effects and sustain soil health. In the present paper, these issues have been discussed. Due to the adoption of location-specific and farmers-centric systems, farmers' profitability could be increased, providing sustainability to the sugarcane-based systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa Roxburg) has short shelf life even after drying due to insect infestations resulting in huge economic losses to farmers. Study was performed including coating with Aloe-vera gel, air drying, LDPE packaging and gamma irradiation (≤ 1 kGy) were evaluated for their efficacy in controlling storage losses. The study was performed with complete randomized design up to 6-month storage period. Physico-chemical properties analysis indicated, weight loss (0.11–0.88%), damage (upto 6.5%) and lesser grain borer infestation (up to 16 no. per packet) during storage at different intervals. Moisture content ranged (9.25–10.10%), protein (8.82–8.89%), fat (0.90–1.00%), carbohydrate (76.83–76.89%), total ash (3.11–4.18%), total sugar (5.83–5.89%), reducing sugar (1.84–1.88%), non-reducing sugar (3.98–4.02%), amylose (66.54–66.64%), in-vitro starch digestibility (3.14–3.18%), phenolics (0.14–0.18%), acidity (0.11–0.12%) and ascorbic acid (41.66–50.00 mg/100 g). These treatments were not found to affect the quality attributes significantly however; it helps in controlling insect infestations at ambient condition. The sensory score of the product, 'Sev' was ranked as like slightly to moderately range. It could be concluded that water chestnut with combinations of 50% aloe-vera gel +0.75 kGy gamma radiation treatment could be stored up to 6 months with retention of quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalonitrile (PN) resins are high-temperature-resistant thermosetting polymers which find applications in military as well as aerospace owing to their outstanding performance. At present, most of the PN resins are melt-processed and cured at high temperature via resin transfer moulding owing to their poor solubility in common organic solvents. In the present, embodiment efforts have been made to change the PN resin backbone with adamantane as potential functionality. Mono- and novel bis-adamantylated resorcinols 1a and 1b have been synthesized via Amberlyst-15 solid acid resin-catalysed Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction, as precursor material for the synthesis of novel phthalonitrile (PN) resin monomers 2a and 2b, respectively. The study includes structural and thermal characterization of resin monomers 2a and 2b along with their solubility in common organic solvents. These resins when cured to their thermosets have demonstrated thermal stability ~ 723 K (5% mass loss) with no glass transition temperature (Tg) up to 673 K. The resin monomers show very good solubility in industry-friendly organic solvents like acetone, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The utilization and misuse of prescription and controlled medications are expanding globally. However, the kind of substance abused may contrast from one country to another, but few drugs expand their horizons due to misused capabilities, expansion of the darknet, and increase in the Internet Connecting World. One of them is tramadol, a widely misused drug worldwide, which enforcement agencies recently noticed. In treating moderate to severe pain, a racemic combination of tramadol is employed. The non-medical utilization of narcotic drugs, i.e., tramadol, is a quick arising general medical issue prompting expanding calls for planning alterations to existing policies, reconnaissance, research, and wellbeing advancement measures. Tramadol addicts typically have a history of substance usage, and studies show that the number of tramadol abusers is increasing, particularly in some Middle Eastern Nations. Method: This review article finds the trends of analytical methods toward identification in pharmaceutical preparation and toxicological samples such as hair, urine, blood, and saliva. In the last 20 years, various analytical tools such as UV–visible spectroscopy, HPTLC, HPLC, LC–MS, GC, GC–MS, NMR, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Capillary Electrophoresis, Electrochemical sensors have been used for the identification of drugs in pharmaceutical preparation and toxicological samples. Forensic Scientists can only rely on quick and easy methods to perform. Result and discussion: This evaluation aims to give forensic scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and toxicologists the best solution for identifying tramadol acquired in the chemistry and toxicological divisions of various laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impregnation with polymeric resin fortified with nanoparticles is one of the promising techniques to improve moisture-related behaviours, strength properties and thermal stability of low-density wood. Nanowood composites (NWC) were produced by impregnating the phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin fortified nanoclay (NC) nanoparticle in fast grown low density Melia dubia wood. Dried wood samples were impregnated with different concentrations of PF resin (10–30%) fortified with 0.5–3.0 wt% of NC using vacuum and pressure technique. Different physical and mechanical properties such as density, water uptake, shrinkage, flexural strength properties, compressive strength and surface hardness were evaluated. Decay resistance of NWC against brown and white rot fungi and thermal stability were determined and found to be enhanced. The amount of improvement in different properties of Melia dubia NWC was found to be dependent on concentration of nanoparticle-resin impregnated into the wood. Microscopic characterization of NWC using scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that nanofiller and PF resin bulked the fibre lumen, penetrated the cell wall structures and also reacted with hydroxyl groups improving different wood properties to various extents. Thus, this processing technique may be employed to upgrade the quality of plantation grown lower density hardwoods. Preparation of such composites may represent a promising approach to obtain improved wood products for various value-added applications such as furniture, flooring, wall panelling and light construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a nano-plasmonic device based on Aluminum with BiFeO3 (BFO), as a multiferroic oxide with remarkable dielectric properties, is engineered using the transfer matrix method for implementation in an optical communication band for sensing applications. A comparative study is performed between different dielectric materials (e.g., BFO, Silicon, and Indium Phosphide), and the highest Figure of Merit (FOM) is achieved for the surface plasmon resonance sensor with BFO as the intermediate layer. To further increase the binding efficiency of the biomolecules with the sensing surface, a monolayer of 2D nanomaterial, namely Molybdenum disulfide, Graphene, MXene, and Fluorinated Graphene (FG), is added to the surface of the plasmonic device. After a rigorous analysis, FG is found to have the highest FOM of 334°/RIU and sensitivity of 125°/RIU. In summary, our work reveals potential applications for the proposed nano-plasmonic device based on Al-BFO configuration as a new type of supporting material with a monolayer of FG for enhancing biosensing activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denitrification is a potential strategy for nitrate removal from wastewater. This study reports the isolation of a novel bacterium Georgenia daeguensis ARB2 which has not been earlier reported for treatment of wastewater. ARB2 was isolated from pharmaceutical wastewater and optimized for growth and nitrate removal under conditions of 10 mM nitrate stress (140 mgL−1 NO 3 - - N ). It can utilize nitrate as a sole source of nitrogen, exhibits highest growth and aerobic denitrification using glycogen + maltose as a carbon source at pH 7.0, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 34, temperature 30 °C, and shaking speed of 100 rpm. ARB2 removes 20% of the initial nitrate concentration of 10 mM in 56 h, and 40% of the initial nitrate concentration of 1 mM in 52 h. Further, the efficacy of strain ARB2 was tested on real contaminated waters and was found to successfully reduce nitrate levels in them. The findings suggest that Georgenia daeguensis ARB2 has a potential application for the alleviation of nitrate under aerobic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the notions of screen slant and semi-slant lightlike submersions from an indefinite Sasakian manifold onto a lightlike manifold. We give examples and obtain characterization theorems for the existence of such lightlike submersions. We also investigate the integrability conditions of distributions involved in the definitions of both classes of lightlike submersions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late (summer) planting of sugarcane is very much common in subtropical India. Due to the adoption of sugarcane–ratoon–wheat cropping system in the region, sugarcane planting is delayed. Delay in planting of sugarcane reduces the period of tillering. Thus to improve tillering, growth, and yield of late-planted sugarcane, a field experiment was conducted to assess the four levels of seed cane material (S1: conventional 3 bud setts, S2: sett soaking in water for 4 h S3: sett soaking in 100 ppm ethrel solution for 4 h and S4: foliar application of 100 ppm ethrel and mixture of 1% urea on seed cane, one week before planting) and two levels of NPK fertilizers with and without microbial consortia (M1: 50% of recommended NPK with microbial consortia (Pseudomonas fluorescens (phosphate-solubilizing bacteria) + Gluconacetobacter + Trichoderma); M2: Recommended NPK (150 kg ha−1, 25 kg ha−1, 50 kg ha−1 without microbial consortia). Foliar spray of ethrel increased total N uptake by 47.27% at the harvest stage (145.9 kg ha−1). An improvement of 36.40% in P accumulation was recorded with foliar application of ethrel on seed cane as compared to control during the tillering phase. However, P improvement in stalk increased to the level of 18.71 kg ha−1 at harvest stage. Foliar spray of ethrel accumulated 33.04% higher K than control (124.4 kg a−1) at harvest. About 26.16% improvement in individual cane weight was recorded with foliar application of ethrel. Thus, foliar application of ethrel improved sugarcane (73.15 t ha−1) and sugar yield (8.55 t ha−1). Integrated use of microbial consortia and 50% of recommended NPK could bring forth 9.85% (68.48 t ha−1) and 7.86% (8.10 t ha−1) improvement in sugarcane and sugar yields over the recommended NPK in summer-planted sugarcane in subtropical India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercropping of mustard or potato in sugarcane in relation to traditional non-intercropping rotation on microbial diversity, soil quality and crop productivity was assessed in a 3-year cropping system trial. The systems consisted of sugarcane + mustard–ratoon–cowpea (SmRC), sugarcane + potato–ratoon–wheat (SpRW) and a standard sugarcane–ratoon–wheat (SRW) rotation. The SpRW system recorded a significantly higher cane equivalent yield (120.4 t ha−1) than SmRC (109.4 t ha−1) and SRW (92.6 t ha−1), which was 10.1% and 30.0% greater, respectively. However, the highest microbial activities (microbial counts, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and basal soil respiration), soil enzymes, total carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN), available N, Zn, Cu, Fe and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were recorded for SmRC system. The available K and S content were greater in SRW, while the highest average substrate oxidation rate was recorded in SmRC (0.00291 OD h−1), which was 14.1% and 7.58% more than that of SpRW and SRW systems, respectively. Moreover, SmRC significantly increased functional diversity indices and soil quality index. Total N, soil organic carbon, available P and S were identified as the key soil quality indicators, contributing 31.8, 30.9, 12.9 and 10.8% toward quality development, respectively. The highest functional diversity indices of microbial community, soil quality and crop productivity under intercropping are the result of greater SOC, TC, TN, microbial and enzymatic activities. In conclusion, intercropping of mustard or potato in sugarcane could be the way to increase crop productivity in limited land resources in subtropical areas of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, five states, viz., Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, contribute about 84.64% sugarcane production of the country and occupy about 82.46% cropped area. The mean productivity of these states is also higher as compared to remaining states. However, the yield gap up to 33.0 t ha−1 prevails among these states. The performance of technologies in different states also varies depending on constrains and potentials of the region. Thus, the objectives of our study were (1) to assess the yield gap between attainable yield and farmers yield in potential sugarcane-growing states of the country and (2) to determine the long-term relationship between improved technologies and sugarcane yields at various levels. Yield gap analysis revealed that Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest positive correlation between period and sugarcane yield (R2 = 0.917/r = 0.96) and showed that technological advancements caused linear increase in sugarcane yield. Out of eight technologies, five technologies, i.e. improved variety, pit method of planting, intercropping, drip irrigation and ratoon management, enhanced sugarcane yield by > 20% and could be placed as top rankers. In Maharashtra, improved variety, ratoon management, intercropping and integrated nutrient management were recorded as top rankers and improved sugarcane yields in the range of 20.44–31.29%, individually. In Karnataka, drip irrigation, intercropping, ratoon management and improved varieties increased > 20% sugarcane yield as compared to state average sugarcane yield. However, wide row spacing and INM could increase yield level in the range of 15.17% and 17.65%, respectively. In Tamil Nadu, the various technologies could increase about 4.35–35.87% higher sugarcane yields as compared to farmers practice. Pit method planting showed the highest improvement in yield (35.87%). Improved varieties, integrated weed management, intercropping and ratoon management showed positive effect in the range of 13.28–19.0% as compared to mean of technologies demonstrated in five states. In Bihar, the improved variety contributed 40.2% yield increase as compared to state average yield (59.25 t ha−1). Ratoon management (35.14%) and intercropping in sugarcane (31.76%) could also be ranked in the top category in increasing sugarcane yields. Thus, it could be recorded that improved variety in Maharashtra and Bihar, pit/trench method of planting in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu drip irrigation and ratoon management in Karnataka are the major technologies contributing in sugarcane yield. Therefore, these technologies need to be promoted in the potential sugarcane-growing states to improve the national average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the seismic response of cohesive-frictional soil slope has been investigated in the time-domain by using the 1995 Kobe earthquake records. A 2-dimensional dynamic finite element model has been developed in the plain-strain condition by considering the elastic perfectly plastic Mohr-Coulomb soil model criterion. The analysis simulates maximum horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations simultaneously at the base of the slope. The seismic response of the slope under combined seismic accelerations has been reported in terms of the displacement induced during the earthquake shaking period. The results show that the induced displacement of slope under combined seismic loadings is greater compared to the case of horizontal loading only. Further, the slope is expected to fail at the toe level first rather than at the crest level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify immunogenic proteins of C. botulinum type B secretome by immunoproteomic analysis. Results: In the present study, an attempt was made to elucidate the vaccine candidates/diagnostic molecules against botulism using immuno proteomic approach. C. botulinum type B secretome was elucidated when it was grown in TPGY as well as CMM media. Predominant 51 proteins were identified in both the media using 2-DE and mass spectrometry analysis. 2D gels (CMM & TPGY) were probed with respected proteins mice antiserum and obtained 17 and 10 immunogenic proteins in TPGY as well as CMM media respectively. Hypothetical protein CLOSPO_00563, ornithine carbamoyl transferase, FlaA, molecular chaperone GroEL and secreted protease proteins were found as the common immuno dominant proteins in both media. Polyclonal Antibodies raised against C. botulinum types A and E showed cross-reactivity with secretome C. botulinum type B at the lowest dilution (1:1000) but did not show cross reactivity with highest dilution (1:30,000) with C. botulinum type B secretome. Polyclonal antibodies against C. botulinum type F secretome did not show cross reactivity with C. botulinum type B secretome. Conclusions: Identified immunogenic proteins can be used as vaccine candidates and diagnostic markers for the infant and wound botulism but common immunogenic proteins may be the best vaccine candidate molecule for development of vaccine as well as diagnostic system against the infant and wound botulism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium plays an important role in the metabolism of plants, growth, development and yields. Worldwide, KCl is commonly used as source of K fertilizer in agricultural crops. The present experiment was taken up to assess the response of various sources of K on physiological attributes, yield and quality parameters of sugarcane. Treatments were no K application, potassium ammonium sulphate (H4KNO4S-9:0:30:20, NPKS ratio), slow release K fertilizer (0:0:45:0), sulphate of potash/potassium sulphate (K2SO4-0:0:50:17.5), muriate of potash (KCl-0:0:50:0) and muriate of potash (KCl) + elemental S @ 40 kg ha−1. Application of K2SO4 recorded 15.8% improvement in tiller population (during peak tillering stage) and 22.2% improvement in dry matter accumulation (at the harvest stage) over the KCl. About 12.33–24.16% increments in crop growth rate and the highest net photosynthetic rate (19.91 µmol m−2 s−1) were also recorded with application of K2SO4. Application of K fertilizers improved the availability of potassium in soil by 8.17% (254.2 kg ha−1). Potassium uptake in sugarcane crop ranged from 245 to 347 kg ha−1. The highest individual cane length (311 cm) was measured with application of K2SO4. Application of K2SO4 brings forth about 23.8% increments in millable canes, 14% in cane weight and 33.8% in cane yield over no K. Application of K also increased mean sucrose content in juice by 0.58 unit (17.0 pol per cent juice) over no use of K. Overall effect of K application on increasing sugarcane yield and sucrose content simultaneously brought forth improvement in commercial cane sugar (CCS) by 29.43% (10.50 t/ha) over no use of K. However, application of K2SO4 also improved CCS by 25.89% (11.67 t/ha) over the application of KCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new design of sampling device was developed and used for the assessment of microplastics in the floating plastic debris of the water channel flowing from the creek towards the sea. During the intermonsoon period (April to May), the collection using the sampling device showed over 106 microplastic particles with 9.9 g weight during the low tide conditions. A lesser number and amount of microplastic was recorded (95 particles weighing 8.7 g) during the high tide conditions. The collected microplastics were dried, segregated, assessed, and classified into four major categories, namely: plastic fragments, microfibre, microbeads, and foamed plastics. In total, six samplings were carried out in the water channel and it was evident that the maximum number and the maximum weight (g) of microplastics corresponds to low tide (post-high tide) conditions. The present investigation reveals that an insignificant quantity of microplastics is carried to the sea from the landward side. It is concluded that the origin of the microplastics in the oceans is through fragmentation and degradation of macro-and megaplastic transported to the sea through inland water channels connected to the sea. The contribution of microplastics from the landscape surrounding the sea/oceans is negligible. It is emphasized that the magnitude of microplastic in the oceans can be reduced by preventing the entry of macro- and megaplastics from the landward side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo being a fibrous lignocellulosic material has been used in numerous applications including structural and nonstructural sectors. Currently, there has been lot of interest to use the bamboo in engineered composites such as laminated bamboo lumber (LBL) for various end uses. The processing parameters for producing bamboo composites have enormous effects on their properties and overall performance. The focus of the present work was to study the effect of two important hot pressing parameters, i.e., specific pressure (10–25 kg/cm2) and pressing duration (15–25 min) on various properties of the LBL prepared using thin strips of Dendrocalamus brandisii bonded together with phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin. Various physical and mechanical properties of LBL such as moisture, density, water absorption, thickness swelling, volumetric swelling, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and compressive strength parallel to grain and perpendicular to the glue line were evaluated. The results showed that pressure and pressing duration had significant effect on the physical and mechanical properties of LBL. For superior physical and mechanical performance, the pressure of 20 kg/cm2 along with the pressing duration of 25 min can be suggested for D. brandisii LBL bonded with PF adhesive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse effect of intensive tillage practices on soil chemical and biological properties is already known. Soil organic carbon maintains porosity, releases nutrients for crop growth and also provides shelters to microbes. However, maintaining soil organic carbon at higher level and increasing crop productivity have become two faces of a single coin. Without addressing both issues simultaneously, the sustainability of production system will be far away. Strategic tillage intervention in no-tillage plots for sustaining long-term productivity is gaining importance. Strategic tillage through subsoiling/ripping of soil up to 45 cm depth at about 1 m spacing before sugarcane planting is feasible in sugarcane-based system. Thus, keeping the above points in view, the experiment was conducted during 2015–2017 with hypotheses of (i) whether the minimum tillage (once subsoiling) could maintain soil physical, chemical and biological parameters to sustain sugarcane productivity for longer period and (ii) how the mouldboard ploughing and/or conventional tillage practice affects these parameters and crop yields. The experiment was laid out in four preplant tillage treatments, i.e., one subsoiling (SS) and two harrowings, minimum tillage through subsoiling and direct planting of sugarcane through IISR Cutter Planter (SS), one ploughing through mouldboard plough and two harrowings (MBP + H) and conventional practice (CP—two ploughings through cultivator and one through rotavator) with six replications in randomized block design. The effect of these treatments was recorded on various soil physical, chemical and biological parameters vis-à-vis infiltration rate, cumulative infiltration and optimizing sugarcane yield in subtropical India. The results concluded that minimum tillage and direct planting of sugarcane through Sugarcane Cutter Planter could break hard impervious layer and improve soil physical, chemical and biological parameters besides improving sugarcane and sugar yields. Minimum tillage favoured build-up of soil organic carbon (SOC) and also release of nutrients for crop growth, which optimized rhizospheric environment as compared to conventional practice. Minimum tillage through subsoiling had shown major effect in reducing soil compaction in subsurface layers (bulk density—1.52 Mg m−3 (SS) vs 1.61 Mg m−3 through MBP + H). During tillering period, basic infiltration rate could reach the level of 7.5 mm/hr in SS plots compared to 5.5 mm/hr in conventional practice (CP). Minimum tillage recorded the highest SOC at all the crop growth stages. The highest mean SOC was recorded during grand growth phase (13.51 Mg ha−1). Minimum tillage altered lower amount of soil and showed the highest population of soil bacteria (log10 6.90x 105). Thus, the minimum tillage through subsoiling significantly improved sugarcane (96.32 t ha−1) and sugar yields (12.14 t ha−1) as compared to conventional tillage/mouldboard ploughing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scandate cathode made out of tungsten nanoparticles have several advantages such as high current density, uniform emission, and long life over conventional cathode. Fabrication of porous tungsten pellet out of tungsten nanoparticles by pressing and sintering is a critical challenge. Cold pressing followed by sintering of nanoparticles results shrinkage of pellet size and uncontrolled porosity, which motivate us to work on sintering of nanoparticle. A new chemical synthesis approach was adopted for precisely controlling the powder particle parameters. The present technology relates to the preparation of an ultra-fine nano-scandate powder using chemical route, dissolving tungsten, and rhenium powder in special solvent under ultra-agitation, wherein the other constituents (such as Ba, Ca, Sc, and alumina) are uniformly distributed throughout the powder. Dissolving tungsten and rhenium in the solution, and further sol–gel process, resulted in the formation of spherical shaped particles. Nanoparticles were characterized using: (1) X-ray diffraction (XRD) for phase purity of powder, (2) Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) for particle size and distribution, (3) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to study the surface micro-features such as pore dimension and pore distribution and (d) Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX) for elemental composition. The results showed that the powder has uniform grain size with an average particle diameter of ~100 nm. In this proposed work, rhenium has been co-doped with scandia doped tungsten nanoparticles in order to improve shrinkage. Addition of rhenium in scandia doped tungsten nanoparticles showed about 10% less shrinkage compared with scandia doped tungsten nanoparticle. Highlights: A novel synthesis approach for scandia doped rhenium–tungsten mixed nanoparticles using a sol–gel method was developed by dissolving tungsten and rhenium powder in hydrogen peroxide. The characterization result showed that the complete formation of the spherical shape, homogeneously mixed, phase pure nanoparticle with an average diameter of 100 nm without any contamination by other materials. Shrinkage effect of tungsten pellet made out of nanoparticles was reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare sector is always focused on the development of innovative functional nanomaterials, approaches, and devices for the detection of metabolites to cure and control the critical diseases. In this context, the present paper reports the synthesis of an axially oriented, biocompatible ternary hybrid composite of zinc oxide, polyaniline, and chitosan by in situ polymerization and composite formation technique. The prepared materials were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and two-probe method. The analytical result designates the formation of ZnO-encapsulated polyaniline grafted chitosan (ZnO-en/PANI-g-CHIT) composite with improved electrical conductivity, chemically stability and self-activating in nature. Furthermore, a film of ZnO-en/PANI-g-CHIT hybrid matrix was casted onto an indium tin oxide coated glass slide by spin coating technique for potentiometric sensing of urea after immobilization of ureasee. Thus, obtained film was found suitable as an electrode with a sensitivity of 187.5 µV ppm−1 cm−2, response time of 3 min, recovery time of 30 s and limit of detection 29.84 ppm for self-activating potentiometric urea sensing in the range of 20 ppm to 500 ppm of natural as well as artificial samples. Fabricated bio-electrode was stable for eight weak with consistent sensitivity as well as highly specific for urea sensing in the presence of respective interferents in comparison to several reported urea sensors. Furthermore, it is proposed that the developed urea sensor could be a promising sensing strategy for advanced clinical applications because of comparable performance to commercial method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The studies on acoustical behaviour of composite boards made from five different types of natural fibres (bagasse, bamboo, banana, coir and corn husk) have been carried out for their utilization as sound-absorbing materials. The composite boards of all five types of fibres were prepared in three different density range (low, medium and high). The ranges of low, medium and high density boards varied from 280 to 300 kg/m3, 320 to 350 kg/m3 and 400 to 450 kg/m3, respectively. The porosity, which was calculated based on bulk board density and fibre density, was found to vary from 50 to 79% depending upon the types of fibres and density of board. The damping coefficient (tan δ) was determined using dynamic mechanical analyzer and found maximum (0.09) in banana and corn husk fibre boards having density 280–297 kg/m3). The variation of sound absorption coefficient of fibre boards with frequency (up to 4 kHz) was measured. The noise reduction coefficient (NRC), which was calculated as an average of sound absorption coefficient values at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz, was found to decrease with the increase in board densities for all the five types of boards. The maximum NRC value of 0.40 was found for banana fibre boards having density of 280 kg/m3 and therefore found comparatively more suitable as sound absorbing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review article, synthesis, properties and applications of polyaniline-based nanocomposites (PANI-NCs) have been described. Different methods (viz chemical, electrochemical, photochemical and mechano-chemical) and size confinement tools used for preparation of PANI-NC are described with their advantageous and disadvantageous features. On the basis of synergized electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical and thermoelectric properties, PANI-NCs are used in development of sensors, support catalysts, water purifications, energy and biomedicals. Further, applications of PANI-NC are elaborated with suitable examples centring on the role of nano-confinements and chemical modification along with existing challenges for commercial uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-enzymatic electrochemical malathion sensing has been demonstrated over chitosan-grafted polyaniline (CHIT-g-PANI)-based electrode. Structural, morphological, and physical properties of electrode were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal analysis (TGA), and other relevant ASTM methods. The obtained result suggests the formation of porous hybrid matrix with better free complexing group, electrical conductivity, and thermal stability due to rearrangement of molecular structure and crystallinity. Further, CHIT-g-PANI-based electrode was used for potentiometric sensing of malathion (MLT) in tomato juice by monitoring induced potential due to surface interaction between MLT and CHIT-g-PANI-based electrode. The observed sensing parameters are sensing range 62.5 to 2.0 µM, sensitivity 2.26 mV µM−1 cm−2, limit of detection 3.8 µM, response time 8.0 min, and recovery time 30 s. On the basis observed results a charge transferring, weak surface complexation-based sensing mechanism was proposed in fruits and vegetables in competitive and cost-effective manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of 5,5′-(arylmethylene)bis[1,3-dimethyl-6-(methylamino)pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-diones] have been synthesized by 2: 1 condensation of 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid with armatic aldehydes in the presence of methylamine. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, IR, and mass spectra and tested for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Some of the compounds have shown antibacterial activity exceeding that of ampicillin used as reference drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxicity of three textile dyes—Optilan yellow, Drimarene blue and Lanasyn brown, was evaluated in a green alga Chlorella vulgaris. The unialgal populations of the alga showed a concentration-dependent decrease in specific growth rate and pigments after exposure to graded concentrations of above dyes. The elemental profile (C, H, N, S) of the treated and untreated cells showed a change which was evident from a significant decrease in the quantity of elements after exposure to the dyes. The observations provide convincing evidence that the textile dyes inhibited the growth, pigment and elemental composition of the algal cells. The findings of the present investigation will contribute to gaining a better understanding of the impacts of textile dyes on ecologically important aquatic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wood quality of two different age groups (5–6 and 9–10 years old) of Melia dubia Cav. (Syn. Melia composita willd.) was evaluated on the basis of physical and mechanical properties. The average GBH of 5–6 year-old Melia was found to be around 40–60 cm and that of 9–10 years was 55–80 cm. The highest heartwood proportion of stem wood was around 60% and the lowest 40% in case of 5–6-year-old trees and was 65% and 45% in case of 9–10-year-old Melia trees. Evaluation of various physical and mechanical properties of both 5–6- and 9–10-year-old trees under green and air-dry conditions has been carried out. Based on physical and mechanical properties, suitability indices of 9–10-year-old M. dubia wood were found to be 10–12% higher than 5–6-year-old. Timber of both age groups was classified as moderately heavy, soft, liable to warp crack (due to higher shrinkage) and not tough. The timber of 9–10-year-old trees was comparatively stronger than that of 5–6-year-old trees. The suitability indices also indicate that timber of both age groups is suitable for applications such as tool handles, construction, light packing cases and furniture. Based on good working quality parameters, timber is also found to be suitable for turnery items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is a common long-term complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and is observed in 23–80% of patients. As the postoperative mortality after PD has substantially decreased, it warrants more attention on the diagnosis and treatment of functional long-term consequences after PD. These include PEI and endocrine insufficiency that can result in significant nutritional impairment and often adversely impacts quality of life (QOL) of the patient. A PubMed search was performed for articles using key words "pancreatic exocrine insufficiency"; "pancreaticoduodenectomy"; "quality of life after pancreaticoduodenectomy"; "stool elastase"; "direct, indirect tests for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency"; "pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy." Relevant studies were shortlisted and analyzed. This review summarizes relevant studies addressing PEI following PD. We also discuss functional changes after PD, risk factors and predictive factors for postoperative PEI, clinical symptoms, direct and indirect tests for estimation of PEI, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), and QOL after pancreatic resection for malignancy. It was found that significant PEI occurs in most patients following PD. Fecal elastase 1 is an easy indirect test and should be performed routinely in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients after PD. PERT should be considered in every patient after PD with the aim to improve the QOL and perhaps even their long time survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane is a long-duration, huge biomass accumulating crop and requires a number of cultural and management operations from planting to harvesting. It is also a wonder crop where after harvesting of the main crop, the subsequent ratoon crop is generated through established root system. Adoption of green technologies is a viable option to improve sugarcane productivity and sustainability. Fine-tuning the green technologies, different methods/techniques of crop production, planting methods (cane node/STP technologies and planting through Cutter Planter), nutrient management strategies (intercropping, green manuring, press mud, bio-compost, bio-fertilizers, etc.), insect-pest and disease management options (cultural and physical methods, use of bio-agents, bio-pesticides, botanicals, light/pheromone or combo traps, etc.) and management of adverse climatic conditions (drought and flood) and/or crop residue recycling and trash management technologies may not only improve soil health and cane productivity but are also eco-friendly and environmentally safe. These green technological interventions are being applied in sugarcane and sugarcane-based production system in the country. Improvement in the crop productivity vis-a-vis sustaining natural resources is key components to be addressed through these technologies. Thus, reduction in cost of production, improvement in soil health, increased crop productivity and overall improvement in cane sugar productivity and farmers' income would be possible through the adoption of green technologies. The established green technologies in sugarcane production system and pre- and post-harvest management have potential to improve cane yield and sugar recovery besides enhancing farmer's income and sustainability. In this present paper, various aspects of increasing sugarcane and sugar yields, reducing cost of production and increasing farmers' income through the adoption of green technologies have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]