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Biochar amendment have been explored recently for improving hydro-mechanical properties of landfill cover system and enhancing the vegetation for the ecological restoration of post closure landfills. Existing studies have predominantly focused on the hydro-mechanical properties of biochar-amended rooted soils and yet few studies have comprehensively investigated their gas permeability functions in response to unsaturated conditions. The objective of this study is to experimentally and theoretically investigate the coupled effects of biochar and root intensity on CO2 gas permeability in unsaturated soil. Biochar-amended rooted soil was prepared by growing Chrysopogon zizanioides on granite residual soils with biochar at a mas ratio of 5 %. Gas permeability and unsaturated soil properties (i.e., suction and degree of saturation) were monitored simultaneously. Due to the presence of roots, the maximum gas permeability, hydraulic conductivity, and suction increased by 200 %, 600 %, and 50 %, respectively, compared with bare soil. This was attributed to preferential flow, micropore increasement and negative pressure induced by root growth. However, biochar addition decreased the maximum gas permeability and hydraulic conductivity by 21 % and 33 %, respectively. This was attributed to the pore filling function of biochar, increased capillarity due to intrapore of biochar, and presence of surface functional groups in biochar promoting CO2 adsorption. A newly developed model was proposed to predict gas permeability with respected to unsaturated soil properties. It was revealed that the gas permeability function of rooted soils showed a strong dependence on the measured root length density. This study highlights the significance of adopting biochar in mitigation of gas emissions in vegetated landfill cover system.

Streams of Wokha district, Nagaland were surveyed (2005-2006) to document the torrential fish fauna. Amblyceps apangi Nath & Dey (1989) was collected from seven of the 12 streams surveyed, and found to be abundant in those streams. Detailed description of the study area, habitat characteristics of the streams, habitat ecology of the fish and a morphological study (based on 20 males and 20 females), is discussed.

Wetlands, known as beels in Assam, harbour rich fish fauna. Documentation of fish fauna in two beels of Goalpara district, Assam has been taken up for the first time (2005-2007). So far a total of 59 species belonging to 40 genera, 20 families and 8 orders have been recorded and listed in this paper. Of the collected species 17 were lotic species and 42 were lentic habitat fishes. These fishes are categorized into 13 vulnerable, 5 endangered and 1 critically endangered species (CAMP 1998). The two beels Sidli and Seksekia are fed by a channel from the river Brahmaputra.

Wild edible plants are often found to be rich sources of nutrients and medicinally beneficial compounds with pharmacological activities. Gnetum gnemon is a nutritionally important plant and a popular food source in parts of Assam and North-East India. Various microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently identified in many plants; how ever, there are no records of identification of miRNAs in any species of Gnetum. The prediction of miRNA-target associations in G. gnemon is an important step to facilitate functional genomics studies in this species. In the present study, all known miRNAs from plants available in public domain were used to search for the conserved G. gnemon miRNA homologues in publicly accessible expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in NCBI database. An aggregate of 20 new potential miRNAs belonging to two diverse miRNA families (miR399 and miR5021) were identified through a homology-based search by following stringent filtering criteria. To investigate the potential cross-king dom effects of the identified miRNAs, we further identified the putative target genes of G. gnemon miRNAs in hu man transcriptome and analyzed them against the NCBI non-redundant protein database. The KEGG analysis of the target genes indicated that these genes were involved in different metabolic pathways such as caffeine meta bolism, drug metabolism, and nitrotoluene degradation. The target genes of G. gnemon miRNAs in humans were found to be associated with various disorders of both hereditary and non-hereditary origin. These results could help to shed new light on understanding of miRNA-mRNAs functional networks in this species and its po tential use as a small RNA-based therapy against some human diseases.

Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Arsenic contamination in groundwater poses a significant threat to human health, affecting millions worldwide. This study presents a novel approach for simultaneous remediation of both As(III) and As(V) by using iron-functionalized polythiophene (PTh@Fe) composites. The PTh@Fe composite was synthesized by a reduction process involving FeCl 2 /FeCl 3 byproducts of polymerization, resulting in a highly efficient adsorbent for both As(III) and As(V) species. The investigation systematically examined key parameters influencing arsenic removal, including adsorbent dosage, pH, initial arsenic concentration, and contact time. The composite exhibited exceptional adsorption capacities, with maximum removal percentages of 98.7% for As(III) and 98.8% for As(V) under the optimized conditions. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses suggested endothermic and spontaneous adsorption processes following a pseudo 2nd-order mechanism. Furthermore, the Langmuir isotherm model provided an excellent fit to the experimental data, with maximum adsorption capacities of 8.62 mg/g for As(V) and 7.57 mg/g for As(III). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed the feasibility of arsenic adsorption onto iron species in various oxidation states, offering valuable theoretical insights into the process. Furthermore, the composite demonstrated good reusability over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles and tolerance to coexisting anions, highlighting its practical applicability for water purification. This research demonstrates the potential of iron-functionalized polythiophene composites as a promising solution for addressing arsenic contamination in water sources, bridging the gap between innovative materials and theoretical understanding in environmental science and water treatment technologies., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Fly ash consists of a considerable amount of hazardous elements with high mobility, posing substantial environmental risks during storage in surface impoundments and landfills. This hinders its efficient reuse in construction or material industries. To enhance the versatility of fly ash applications, a novel surface modification technique, termed SuMo, has been developed to create a hydrophobic polysulfide polymer coating on the surface of fly ash particles. The physicochemical properties of SuMo fly ash samples were examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and leaching of hazardous elements was tested under practical environmental conditions (pH 4-12) based on the EPA's leaching environmental assessment framework (LEAF). The successful coating of polysulfide polymer on fly ash surface was verified through an increased percentage of C, S, and O in elemental mapping, coupled with the identification of S-O, CO, and C-H functional groups consistent with the chemical structure of polysulfide polymer. While the SuMo fly ash particles maintained their spherical shape, they exhibited increased surface roughness, robust hydrophobicity, and thermal stability up to 250 °C. Notably, owing to the coating's resilience against water leaching, the SuMo fly ash demonstrated a substantial reduction (up to 60-fold) in leachate concentrations of multiple concerning elements, including B, Be, Ba, Mn, Zn, As, Cr, Hg, etc., under various pH conditions compared to the uncoated fly ash. Furthermore, the polysulphide polymer coating effectively prevented Hg volatilization from fly ash below 163 °C. This study highlights the efficacy of the developed polysulfide polymer coating in mitigating the diffusion of hazardous elements from fly ash, thereby enhancing its potential reutilization in material, construction, and agriculture industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Information Education Communication (IEC) materials play a vital role in behavior change by raising awareness about health issues. In India, suicide is the leading cause of death in the age group of 15-39 years, exemplifying the pressing need for raising awareness about suicide prevention. This study aimed to develop a brochure on suicide prevention for young adults with the help of scientific methodology., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative research design was used in the study, and purposive sampling was used to collect the data. The study analyzed the awareness level and existing knowledge gap about suicide prevention among college students with the help of focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted independently among mental health experts, college teachers, and college students. Based on the findings from the FGDs, a comprehensive brochure was developed. The qualitative data collected by FGDs were analyzed using direct content analysis., Results: The findings of the FGDs helped identify the knowledge gaps with regard to young adult suicide prevention, and a brochure was prepared to address the same., Conclusion: The development of young adult suicide prevention IEC resources pertinent to Indian settings is crucial. To bridge the knowledge gap on suicide prevention among college students and raise awareness, a brochure was developed based on scientific findings of the FGDs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: The military environment is characterized by unpredictable situations, intensive training, demanding workload, and job-associated stressors, which make it highly stressful. Mentorship and mental well-being training could be beneficial to both officers and the new adolescent recruits of the Indian Air Force (IAF)., Aim: This study aimed at evaluating the effect of a multi-disciplinary structured training on mentoring and mental well-being among officers and instructors in the IAF., Methods: Seventy IAF officers/instructors underwent a week-long multi-disciplinary structured training program, which was conducted at a tertiary care neuro-psychiatric hospital in South India. A quasi-experimental design with a single-group pre- and post-test was adopted. Outcome measures included a) knowledge on mentorship and mental health and b) self-perceived competence in addressing mental health distress., Results: Post training, there was a statistically significant improvement in scores on mentorship/mental health knowledge and a significant increase in self-perceived competence in addressing mental distress., Conclusion: Mentorship and mental well-being training for officers and instructors in the IAF improved mental health knowledge and self-perceived competence. Therefore, administration of regular and in-depth structured mental health-related training interventions could be beneficial not only to the officers but also to the new recruits/mentees in the IAF., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)

Soil acidification in managed ecosystems such as agricultural lands principally results from the increased releasing of protons (H + ) from the transformation reactions of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) containing compounds. The incorporation of liming materials can neutralize the protons released, hence reducing soil acidity and its adverse impacts to the soil environment, food security, and human health. Biochar derived from organic residues is becoming a source of carbon input to soil and provides multifunctional values. Biochar can be alkaline in nature, with the level of alkalinity dependent upon the feedstock and processing conditions. This review covers the fundamental aspects of soil acidification and of the use of biochar to address constraints related to acidic soil. Biochar is increasingly considered as an effective soil amendment for reducing soil acidity owing to its liming potential, thereby enhancing soil fertility and productivity in acid soils. The ameliorant effect on acid soils is mainly because of the dissolution of carbonates, (hydro)-oxides of the ash fraction of biochar and potential use by microorganisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Soil is an integral part of the ecosystem because it serves as a habitat for various microorganisms and lays the foundation for supporting plant growth and development. Therefore, factors such as increased anthropogenic activities hand by hand with other natural processes that harm the ecosystem may eventually lead to a decline in soil quality and fertility, hindering the growth of plants and soil microbial communities. Given the current global scenario of increasing human intervention, it is essential to find effective measures and reliable technologies to restore soil quality. Biochar is an emerging soil ameliorant employed for soil health restoration and is primarily generated through the anoxygenic pyrolysis of biomass. The biochar application in soil remediation may be beneficial due to biochar's unique physicochemical properties, including high carbon and metal fixation abilities. In addition, biochar possesses abilities to reduce the plant's environmental stress injuries. This review briefly overviewed the ingredients and mechanism of biochar productions. We then emphatically reviewed the advances in biochar applications in soil bioremediation, soil microflora growth stimulation, and the alleviation of various biotic and abiotic stresses in plants., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2022.)

Organic entities like suitably functionalized naphthalene diimide (NDI) exhibited logical behaviours in response to various external stimuli and can be used to develop digital logic operations. The present findings include utilization of two congeners of NDI i.e. , N1 and N2 for the successive turning ON/OFF of fluorescence with inclusion of acid and base. The recognition of the switching phenomenon of the probes N1 and N2 are applied to construct fundamental digital logic gates such as NOT, YES, IMPLICATION, INHIBIT, etc. The inputs to each of the logic gates are defined by the presence or absence of acid and base. Accordingly, the outputs generated from the gates are in the form of fluorescence ON or OFF status denoted by "1" and "0" respectively. Likewise, we have adopted Boolean algebra and its associated De-Morgan's theorem to build the combined logic gates such as XOR and XNOR gates. The proposed logic gates are validated by the optical behaviour of the congeners N1 and N2 in response to acid as well as base and the experimental results are confirmed by the theoretical predictions. The proposed work can have potential applications in next-generation logic based analytical applications., Competing Interests: “There are no conflicts to declare”., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The municipal solid waste (MSW) dump in Boragaon, Guwahati, lies on the fringe areas of the wetland, Deepor Beel, which is a Ramsar site. The study was undertaken to analyze the impact the solid waste dump has on the adjoining wetland. Five sampling locations (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5) in the wetland were selected within a distance of 3000 m from the MSW dump for the continuous monitoring of the surface water and sediment of the wetland. Nineteen physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, air and water temperature, total hardness, alkalinity, turbidity, DO, free CO 2 , TDS, BOD, Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Cl - , NO 3 - , HCO 3 - , PO 4 3- , SO 4 2- ) were analysed in the surface water, and 7 physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, %OC, %N, PO 4 3- , K + , Na + ) were analysed in sediment. Heavy metals Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn, Zn and As were analysed in surface water and sediment samples. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) applied on the surface water data have aptly described the source of contamination in the study area to be from the adjoining MSW dump site. The surface spread of contamination from the MSW dump towards the wetland was evident from the regression equations drawn from the sediment data. The mean concentration of Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd and As in surface water exceeded the MPL (maximum permissible limit) of WHO 2011 (World Health Organization). The pollution load index (PLI) of sediment in the wetland shows that the study area is under the category of "progressive deterioration".

Permanent wilting point (PWP) is generally used to ascertain plant resistance against abiotic drought stress and designated as the soil water content (θ) corresponding to soil suction (ψ) at 1500 kPa obtained from the soil water retention curve. Determination of PWP based on only pre-assumed ψ may not represent true wilting condition for soils with contrasting water retention abilities. In addition to ψ, there is a need to explore significance of additional plant parameters (i.e., stomatal conductance and photosynthetic status) in determining PWP. This study introduces a new framework for determining PWP by integrating plant leaf response and ψ during drought. Axonopus compressus were grown in two distinct textured soils (clayey loam and silty sand), after which drought was initiated till wilting. Thereafter, ψ and θ within the root zone were measured along with corresponding leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthetic status. It was found that coarse textured silty sand causes wilting at much lower ψ (≈ 300 kPa) than clayey loam (≈ 1600 kPa). Plant response to drought was dependent on the relative porosity and mineralogy of the soil, which governs the ease at which roots can grow, assimilate soil O 2 , and uptake water. For clay loam, the held water within the soil matrix does not facilitate easy root water uptake by relatively coarse root morphology. Contrastingly, fine root hair formation in silty sand facilitated higher plant water uptake and doubled the plant survival time.

Multi-layered engineered landfill consists of the bottom liner layer (mainly bentonite clay (B)) upon which the hazardous wastes are dumped. In current practice, sand (S) is mixed with bentonite to mitigate the adverse effects of using bentonite alone in the liner layer. Incorporation of waste and unutilized fly ash (FA) as an amendment material to B has been explored in terms of its hydro-mechanical properties, but not gauged its adsorption potential. Indian subcontinent primarily relies on the thermal power source, and FA dumps have already reached its full capacity. The objective of this study is to explore the adsorption characteristics of four B-FA composite mixes sourced within India, considering Pb 2+ as a model contaminant. The effect of fly ash type, fly ash amendment rate and adsorbate concentration was explored in the current study and juxtaposed with B-S mixes, based on 960 batch adsorption tests. Both B-FA and B-S mixes reached equilibrium adsorption capacity within 65 min. At higher adsorbate concentrations (commonly observed in the liner), B-FA mixes exhibited superior adsorption capacity, mainly one mixed with Neyvelli fly ash (NFA). The effect of higher amendment rate had little impact on the adsorption capacity at different concentration, but gradually decreased the percentage removal of Pb 2+ . The B-S mix showed a drastic decrease in percentage removal at higher adsorbate concentration among all tested mixes. Systematic characterization including geotechnical properties, microstructure and chemical analysis was also done to interpret the obtained results. Both Freundlich and Langmuir models fitted the isotherm data well for all B-FA mixes. The maximum adsorption capacity from the isotherm was correlated to easily measurable Atterberg limits by two empirical relationships., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper deals with the study of the surface morphology of barbels, upper lips, and adhesive discs in four hill stream fish species collected from Basistha River, a torrential river in Guwahati city, Assam, India. The four species belonging to the genus Garra namely, Garra gotyla (Gray, 1830), Garra gravelyi (Annandale, 1919), Garra stenorhynchus (Jerdon, 1849), and Garra nasuta (McClelland, 1838) were collected from the same torrential habitat. These fish revealed anatomical peculiarities in their barbels, lips, and adhesive discs which are believed to help them in adapting to such habitats. Organs exhibiting adaptive modifications (barbels, lips, and adhesive discs) were studied with the scanning electron microscope. The study primarily revealed the presence of type I and type II taste buds in the barbels, lips, and adhesive discs, and numerous unculi surrounded by microridges in the upper lips and adhesive discs. A cumulative, intercalated action of these organs enables these fish to adhere and adapt to rocky, torrential streams. Special ability to adapt to these habitats was reflected from the two types of taste buds (I and II) present in the barbels, and the clustering of excrescencies bearing unculi in the lips and adhesive discs of the fish.

Fluoride removal from groundwater has been studied by addition of dilute phosphoric acid (PA) to the influent water before limestone treatment through laboratory plug-flow column experiments and bench-scale plug-flow pilot tests. In this PA-enhanced limestone defluoridation (PAELD) technique, fluoride is removed from 0.526 mM to 0.50-52.60 μM in 3 h with near neutral final pH. The presence of PA increases the fluoride removal capacity of limestone to 1.10 mg/g compared to 0.39 mg/g reported in its absence. The changes in fluoride removal with variation in initial PA concentration, initial fluoride concentration and the final pH have been found to be statistically significant with p < 0.05. The estimated recurring cost is US$ ≈0.58/m(3) water. Simple scrubbing and rinsing is a preferable method for regeneration of limestone as it is almost equally effective with lime or NaOH. Sorption of fluoride by calcium phosphates produced in situ in the reactor is the dominant mechanism of fluoride removal in the PAELD. Precipitation of CaF2 and sorption of fluoride by the limestone also contribute to the fluoride removal. High efficiency, capacity, safety, environment-friendliness, low cost and simplicity of operation make the PAELD a potential technique for rural application., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)