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The Indian textile industry has experienced a downswing in exports, an upsurge in production costs, and low efficiency because of demonetization and Goods and Service Tax (GST) headwinds. The Covid-19 pandemic has further aggravated the situation. Though the government has taken various steps to support the sector, evaluating the financial position of a textile firm is still important as it depicts the true picture of the firm's financial status, i.e., distressed or not distressed. The sample consists of textile firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) during 2010-2020. This study predicts the financial situation of textile firms using the Altman Z-score and also the relationship between the Altman Z-score and the market value of firms in India's textile sector using panel regression model. The findings suggest that many of the firms are distressed and the Z-score significantly impacts their market value. Further, only retained earnings to the total assets is significantly associated with the market value of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the study was to measure the causal effect of selected socio‐economic factors and anthropometrical characteristics on the menarche occurrence. Methods: The sample consisted of 2195 Bengali girls (aged 7‐21) from middle‐class families, from Kolkata city, India. The age at menarche was recorded from the retrospective data and status quo method. The causal effect of anthropometric and socio‐economic variables on menarche occurrence was estimated by the nonparametrical analysis of survival probability (survival random forest). Results: In the examined cohort menarche occurred, on average, at 11.8 years of age. The probability of menarche occurrence amplified with the increasing values of factors such as body mass index, height‐for‐age z‐scores, number of family members, household rooms, and toilets, but decreased when expenditures increased. The relation maintained a similar pattern of causal effect with girls' age. Conclusions: A complex pattern of relationship among sexual development, physique, and socio‐economic characteristics was defined. The tendency toward early menarche, along with the observed causal relationships indicate that the analyzed sample is nearing the characteristics and standards of living noted in other middle and even high‐income countries in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves have wide applications in traditional medicines due to their several therapeutic properties. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs), in mangrove habitats, need serious concern because of their toxicity, bioaccumulation capacity and ecotoxicological risks. In the current study, we aimed to examine sediment quality and bioaccumulation of PTEs in a mangrove-dominated habitat of Sundarban, India, and their relation with antimicrobial property of ten mangrove species of the region. Antimicrobial activity of different solvent fractions of mangrove leaves was assessed against seven microorganisms. The highest antimicrobial activity was detected in ethyl acetate and acetone-extracted fractions of Avicennia alba. Various sediment quality indices revealed progressively deteriorating nature of surface sediment having moderate contamination, however, low ecotoxicological risk. The accumulation factors (AF) for different PTEs indicate a gradual metal bioaccumulation in leaf tissue. Antimicrobial activities indicated both positive and negative correlations with manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) concentrations of mangrove species. Concentration of Mn showed a significant correlation with almost all the fractions, whereas Cu had correlation with ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol fractions (P < 0.05). The AF of Mn and Cu exhibited correlation with antimicrobial activities of acetone and methanol fractions, whereas Fe and Zn had correlation with hexane and ethyl acetate fractions. Overall, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn concentrations of Acanthus ilicifolius and Avicennia alba leaves and in the surface sediments demonstrated the strongest association (P < 0.05) with their antimicrobial activity as also depicted in correlation and cluster analysis studies. Thus, this study will help to establish a link between the PTEs in mangrove ecosystem with their bioactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel analysis of attenuation the growth of Aspergillus tamarii on concrete using radiation in the field of conservation of heritage building. • UVC and gamma irradiation decreased the leaching of calcium ions from concrete when infected with A. tamarii. • Increase in compressive strength of concrete cube was observed to be the most in irradiated cubes. • Effect of A. tamarii and low dose radiation led to less deterioration of concrete (except higher dose) than only exposure to A. tamarii. The conservation of concrete-based deteriorated heritage buildings is a big challenging issue worldwide including in India. This study focused on to prevent fungal biodeterioration in concrete using UVC and gamma radiation. M20 graded concrete cubes (5 cm × 5 cm × 5 cm) were infected with Aspergillus tamarii , which was isolated from a 200 years old historic heritage building. M20 signifies a mixture of cement, sand and aggregate (1:1.5:3), made in such a way that the concrete cube has a compressive strength of 20 N/mm2 when examined after 28 days of curing. The fungal growth appeared clearly as calcium oxalate crystals in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs. Several doses of UVC and gamma radiation were applied on concrete cube. The changes in concrete properties were examined after 30 days in terms of weight, compressive strength, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and micro Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The results exhibited that compressive strength of control (non-infected and non-irradiated), biodeteriorated (infected), UVC (625 µw/cm² × 300 s) and gamma (0.5 KGy) irradiated infected (inhibition) concrete cubes were 19.74 ± 0.46, 18.88 ± 0.43, 20.20 ± 0.34 and 19.93 ± 0.20 N/mm2 respectively whereas negligible weight losses were observed for inhibition cubes compared to biodeteriorated ones. Calcite (1400, 874 and 705 cm−1), one of the major functional band present in concrete became weak after getting infected by Aspergillus tamarii and strong for inhibition samples irradiated with the above doses. The EDXRF analysis exhibited that mass percentage of calcium ions of the biodeteriorated concrete cubes (49.88 ± 0.65%) was lower than that of UV (75.75 ± 0.16%) and gamma (70.95 ± 0.30%) irradiated infected or inhibition concrete cubes. Altogether, the efficacy of the recommended inhibitory dose of ultraviolet and gamma radiation against concrete deterioration in the field of conservation of heritage building was observed to be positive. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic toxicity is one of the major health issues throughout the world. Approximately 108 countries that account for more than 230 million people worldwide are at high risk of arsenic poisoning mainly through drinking water and diet. Chronic exposure to arsenic causes several pathophysiological end-points including skin lesions, peripheral neuropathy, cancer, etc. In India, the population living in the lower Gangetic basin possesses a great risk of arsenicosis and other diseases. Scientists are trying to understand the gene-environmental interactions behind arsenic toxicity revealing the potential role of genetic variants of individuals. Few pieces of the literature showed that the population is not exposed to a mixture of metals. Hence, in this study, an attempt has been made to explore whether some other metals play a synergistic role in As-induced toxicity. For this, an assessment of the level of heavy metals using ED-XRF in soil, vegetables from As-exposed areas along with quantification of the heavy metal concentration in human blood and hair of the As-exposed population were conducted. Results show the concentration of urinary arsenic is very high signifying the magnitude of the exposure. In addition to this, the levels of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr) were found to be very high in soil and Fe, manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) in vegetables were exceeding the WHO/FAO recommended permissible limit. However, Fe and zinc (Zn) were predominantly high in whole blood and hair of the arsenic-exposed population when compared with the control population. It can be confirmed that the population from Murshidabad is exposed to As and other heavy metals through drinking water as well as food. Particularly for this population, Fe, Zn and rubidium (Rb) may play a synergistic role in arsenic-induced toxicity. However, further studies on the large population-based investigation are required to establish the chemistry of the metal toxicity. • Arsenic toxicity is one of the major health issues throughout the world. • Levels of Fe, Cu, Cr were very high in soil from the arsenic-exposed study area. • Fe, Mn, Pb in vegetables from the study area were exceeding the WHO/FAO recommended permissible limit. • Fe and Zn were predominantly high in whole blood and hair of arsenic-exposed population compared to control population. • Fe, Zn and Rb may play a synergistic role in arsenic-induced toxicity in the study population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish grown in the East Calcutta Wetland (ECW) areas in West Bengal, India amass waste elements within their body through nutritional uptake and accumulation. The present investigation had been carried out to study the extent of accumulation of different waste elements in tissues of Indian major carps (IMCs) commonly cultured in composite industrial wastewater-fed fishponds in ECW, India. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometric studies were used to estimate metals like chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) in water and sediment of fishponds, and in fish tissues (gill, liver and muscle) of three economically important IMCs, rohu ( Labeo rohita), katla ( Catla catla) and mrigel ( Cirrhinus mrigala), collected from contaminated and control sites. It is evident from the study that mainly liver is the site of maximum accumulation of the elements, while gill, in most cases, is the site of least metal accumulation in the three IMC species studied. Principal component analysis reveals that Fe and Cr were in the first component and thereby must be having a major influence in trace metals uptake and bioaccumulation. Tissue-specific and species-specific patterns of metal concentration and partitioning were apparent from our present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the impact of American Depositary Receipt (ADR) listings on the return of underlying domestic stocks of six emerging markets from Asia and Latin America and they are India, Korea, Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Average abnormal returns and cumulative average abnormal returns are calculated for the [-100, +100] event window, with the ADR listing date being the event date. The results indicated a significant positive abnormal local market returns on an ADR listing day. However the overall sample seems to be adversely affected by the international listing during the post-listing period. The study also compared the long-term performance of domestic and international market returns of the underlying shares and found insignificant difference between the returns of two markets and the market segmentation hypothesis holds good in all the stocks of six countries and it occurs due to the differences in the prices of ADRs and underlying domestic shares so ADRs are trading at premium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective 60Co gamma irradiation method for the removal of contaminating surface microorganisms (fungi) of mung (Vigna mungo L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) stored seeds, without the loss of germination capacity and minimum loss of nutritional values, are described. Significant depletion of surface fungal population on wheat (96%) and mung (94%) was noticed within 2 kGy, while complete inhibition of surface fungal population was observed at 4.2 kGy. Although the irradiation did not significantly alter the germination potential of the treated grains, it reflected delay in germination as a function of absorbed dose. The seed membrane permeability and nutritional values like carbohydrate and protein content of the radiation-exposed seed were significantly altered. The radiosensitivity of wheat was found more than that of the mung. It was also observed that the germinating potential of the treated seeds did not alter significantly. However, membrane permeability of seeds was altered as a result of gamma irradiation. Precisely, the investigation reflected that the dose range from 1 to 2 kGy was most effective for seed sterilization, keeping their viability and minimum loss of nutritional value like protein and carbohydrate intact. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS There are many reports on radiation sterilization of stored seeds without any consideration of the nutritional quality of the seeds, which is very important for quality control. We should look upon change of quality of seed during seed sterilization. We need to protect/or estimate minimal loss of the nutritional value of stored seed by loss and benefit assessment. The significance and originality of this manuscript is that we try to look for an effective 60Co gamma irradiation method for the removal of contaminating surface microorganisms (fungi) of mung ( Vigna mungo L.) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) stored seeds, without the loss of germination capacity and minimum loss of nutritional values. The study was concentrated on germination pattern, protein, carbohydrate and intensity of seed membrane damage during radiation processing. Also, our present work emphasized on radiosensitivity of different seed-borne fungi that frequently infected seed grain during storage. This study may help to sterilize the stored seed with consideration of nutritional value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Failure investigation of various parts of galvanised borewell pipes installed at different depths from southern part of India. • Uppermost pipe inserted in moisture free soil is less prone to failure. • Lower pipes inserted into mixture of soil and water exhibited severe corrosion including pitting. • Use of different steel grades in main pipe and sleeve joint pipe resulted in formation of galvanic couple leading to puncture of main pipe adjacent to sleeve joint areas. • Thread areas are corroded due to steel thickness reduction as well absence of zinc coating. • Water sample analysis shows high conductivity, hardness, TDS and high chloride ion concentration leading to pitting corrosion. Galvanised pipes are used extensively for borewell application to tap underground water at various geographical and geological conditions. The depth of borewell varies from place to place depending on many factors such as, (i) the quantity of water need to be tapped out per unit time, (ii) the surrounding geological conditions and (iii) the depth of underground water level. Early failure of galvanised borewell pipe is very common phenomena and purpose of this work is to identify the probable causes for such failures. The present work details on the analysis of such corroded borewell pipes from south eastern part of India. The steels substrate, coating and the corrosion products from different depth of the borewell assembly as well as the soil and water samples were investigated under SEM/EDS, XRD. Two major parameters were identified for early failure of borewell galvanised pipe, such as, (i) higher level of chloride content (1065 ppm) & high hardness (1802 ppm) in the underground water and (ii) wrong design of the borewell pipe setting including dissimilar grades of steel used in the pipes. Primary borewell steel pipes are more electronegative than the sleeve steels. This resulted in corrosion at the surface of primary pipe near the sleeve joint. The ground water with elements like magnesium, calcium and sodium leads to formation of hard scale inside of the pipe. Such scale further enhances the deposition of chloride ions on the steel surface and triggers the pitting corrosion. The most susceptible region for early failure of galvanised borewell pipe is the sleeve joint region. Many bare (without zinc coating) and exposed joint threads are visible near the sleeve joint area with lower steel thickness. Crevice corrosion at the edge of the sleeve joint also plays important role in failure due to absence of any insulating materials at the joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sundarban along with its networks of rivers, creeks and magnificent mangroves form a unique ecosystem. Acid sulphate soils have developed in this ecosystem under anoxic reducing conditions. In the present study, we have investigated the distribution of acid sulphate soils along with its elemental characterization and possible sources in four reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban like Maushuni (I1), Canning (I2), Bally (I3) and Kumirmari (I4). Elements show moderate to strong correlation with each other (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). Except Si, Ca and Pb, a higher enrichment factor was observed for K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn. Geo-accumulation index values of all sampling locations reveal that Cr, Fe, Cu and Zn are in I geo class 1. The pollution load index value of the reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban varies between 1.31 and 1.48. The observation of this study could help to strategize policies to mitigate and manage acid sulphate soils in Indian Sundarban., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A strain CSB 9 isolated from chromite mine soil of Sukinda, India was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens based on biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The strain exhibited relatively high tolerance to Cr(VI) (⩽900mgL(-1)) and fast reduction rate of 2.22mg Cr(VI) L(-1)h(-1), under optimized conditions of 100mgL(-1) Cr(VI), pH 7 and temperature 35°C within 45h. Mechanism of Cr(VI) reduction as well as nature and fate of the reduced product were studied to determine the scope of removal of reduced Cr(III) end product. AAS analyses of the culture products treated with Cr(VI) for 45h showed the distribution of Cr(III) in pellet and culture supernatant to be 37.4±1.7 and 62.6±3.4mgL(-1), respectively. In SEM images, the bacterial pellets with Cr(VI) treatment appeared coagulated, rough and porous whereas the pellets without Cr(VI) treatment appeared regular, smooth and non-porous in structure. SEM-EDX of the bacterial precipitates under Cr(VI) treatment revealed immobilization of Cr(III) species on the bacterial cell surface. Further Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of Cr(III) species, with characteristic peak at around 600cm(-1). TEM-EDX study of the bacterial precipitates under Cr(VI) treatment showed intracellular deposition of Cr(III) which are in nanometric range. Further characterization of reduced product by XRD, FT-IR and SAED analyses suggested the formation of poorly crystalline end products. A Cr(VI) removal mechanism considering both the surface immobilization and intracellular accumulation of Cr(III) along with the formation of coagulated cell precipitate by living B. amyloliquefaciens was suggested., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to ascertain possible correlation between alterations in trace elemental profile and the progression or regression of two most common potentially malignant disorders affecting oral cavity, namely oral submucous fibrosis and leukoplakia, blood from 60 patients from each group of patients as well from 30 healthy individuals was analyzed for elemental profiling employing EDXRF technique. Out of the 16 detected elements (K, Si, Ca, V, Cr, Ni, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Co, and Pb), Mn, Fe, Zn, Br, and Co showed remarkable alteration in their profile in both leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis patients with respect to the normal healthy individuals. While Zn, Br, and Fe reflected similar changes--showing gross depletion in both the diseased groups, Mn and Co depicted inverse pattern of alterations in their concentrations in the two types of precancerous disorders when compared to the control subjects.

Proton Induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) have been used to study the effects of gamma irradiation on heavy metal accumulation in callus tissue of Plantago ovata-an important cash crop of India. PIXE analysis revealed radiation-induced alteration in trace element profile during developmental stages of the callus of P. ovata. Subsequent experiments showed antagonism between Fe and Cu and also Cu and Zn and synergistic effect between Fe and Zn. FACS analysis showed significant induction of the metallothionein (MT) protein following gamma-irradiation, and maximum induction was noted at the 50-Gy absorbed dose. This indicated a progressive increment of MTs as a measure for protection against gamma-rays, to combat alteration in the homeostasis of heavy metals like Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn.