Removal of volatile organic compounds from contaminated groundwater by pervaporation

Effective removal of non-aqueous phase liquid pools in groundwater and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated soils can be achieved by surfactant flushing. This surfactant-rich ground water contains VOCs like trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene (DCE), etc. Membrane pervaporation technique is employed here to remove TCE from these micellar systems where a very high percentage of the VOC is trapped inside the micellar core. The micellar solution flows through the bore of microporous hydrophobic hollow fibers wherein the micelles break down and release the surfactants and the TCE. The TCE is then removed through the pores and a nonporous thin silicone skin on the outside surface of the fiber, the other side of which is subjected to vacuum to allow pervaporation-based removal of the VOC. This research has characterized such a process for removal of TCE with or without surfactant. It was established that the presence of surfactant adversely affected the removal of TCE. The flux of TCE was found to be an increasing function of feed flow rate and Reynolds number. This research has also briefly explored the permeation of nonvolatile hydrocarbons such as dodecane from water flowing through the fiber bore by using a similar hollow fiber membrane

Fish Otolith Microchemistry as a Biomarker of Metal Pollution in the Estuarine Ecosystem

Numerous metal pollutants naturally find their way into estuaries, where many of them build up in the bodies of fish. While otoliths can give a historical record of pollution exposure, metal concentrations in soft tissue and water samples require ongoing, long-term sampling procedures. Fish have otoliths, which are three pairs of ear bones called the sagitta, lapillus, and asteriscus. The chemical makeup of these otoliths can be a useful tool to determine the presence of hazardous substances in fish because the physiological activity of fish is controlled by a variety of environmental factors. The possible use of otoliths as inorganic tracers of metal contamination will be covered in this chapter

Murid Herpesvirus-4 Exploits Dendritic Cells to Infect B Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in initiating immune responses. Some persistent viruses infect DCs and can disrupt their functions in vitro. However, these viruses remain strongly immunogenic in vivo. Thus what role DC infection plays in the pathogenesis of persistent infections is unclear. Here we show that a persistent, B cell-tropic gamma-herpesvirus, Murid Herpesvirus-4 (MuHV-4), infects DCs early after host entry, before it establishes a substantial infection of B cells. DC-specific virus marking by cre-lox recombination revealed that a significant fraction of the virus latent in B cells had passed through a DC, and a virus attenuated for replication in DCs was impaired in B cell colonization. In vitro MuHV-4 dramatically altered the DC cytoskeleton, suggesting that it manipulates DC migration and shape in order to spread. MuHV-4 therefore uses DCs to colonize B cells

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Not AvailableDue to global industrialization, large quantity of metals enters to the aquatic ecosystems. The behaviour of metals in the aquatic systems is dependent on various environmental factors. The present study, was conducted to know the effect of dissolved organic matter on the level of toxicity of inorganic mercury (Hg) on the common carp, Cyprinus carpio var. communis fry (av. length: 3.9 0.5 cm and av. weight: 0.9 0.20g). Acute toxicity test was conducted employing static bioassay method with constant aeration. At different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels, e.g., 0.02, 3.3, 7.6, 10.7, 14.5, 23.8, 32.4 and 44.5 mg/L, the ET values 50 (h) of mercury at 1.0 mg/L were 30.74, 102.85, 116.82, 150.37, 157.34, 185.46, 234.09 and 297.89h, respectively. As the concentration of DOC increased (0.02 to 44.5 mg/L), with the increasing amount of natural organic matter; the toxicity of mercury decreased almost 10 times (ET value increased from 50 30.7 to 297.9 h). This substantial reduction of mercury acute toxicity was due to the formation of mercury complexes with dissolved organic carbon that. contains organic ligands, which have S-, N- and O- containing functional groups for complexation. This provides the protective capacity of many natural lakes and wetlands of tropical countries which have high concentration of DOM against metal toxicants like mercury. To test this hypothesis, mercury level in the sediment, water and fish flesh (common carp and catla) of three sewage-fed fisheries units of Kolkata were tested. though at the entry point the sediment contained mercury (0.36 – 0.65 ppm), mercury level was either below detectable limit or below the permissible limit (<0.001 – 0.058 ppm)Not Availabl

Characterization of Proliferating Neural Progenitors after Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Zebrafish.

Zebrafish can repair their injured brain and spinal cord after injury unlike adult mammalian central nervous system. Any injury to zebrafish spinal cord would lead to increased proliferation and neurogenesis. There are presences of proliferating progenitors from which both neuronal and glial loss can be reversed by appropriately generating new neurons and glia. We have demonstrated the presence of multiple progenitors, which are different types of proliferating populations like Sox2+ neural progenitor, A2B5+ astrocyte/ glial progenitor, NG2+ oligodendrocyte progenitor, radial glia and Schwann cell like progenitor. We analyzed the expression levels of two common markers of dedifferentiation like msx-b and vimentin during regeneration along with some of the pluripotency associated factors to explore the possible role of these two processes. Among the several key factors related to pluripotency, pou5f1 and sox2 are upregulated during regeneration and associated with activation of neural progenitor cells. Uncovering the molecular mechanism for endogenous regeneration of adult zebrafish spinal cord would give us more clues on important targets for future therapeutic approach in mammalian spinal cord repair and regeneration

Production-inventory Management model for a weibull deteriorating item with linear demand and shortages

Background: Physical decay or deterioration of goods in stock is an important feature of real inventory systems. Material and methods: In the present paper, we discuss an production inventory model for a Weibull deteriorating item over a finite planning horizon with a linearly time-varying demand rate and a uniform production rate, allowing shortages, which are completely backlogged. Results and conclusions:&nbsp; A production inventory model is developed for a Weibull deteriorating item over a finite planning horizon with a linear time varying demand, finite production rate and shortages. The optimal number of production cycles that minimizes the average system cost is determined

A note on inventory model for ameliorating items with time dependent second order demand rate

Background: This paper is concerned with the development of ameliorating inventory models. The ameliorating inventory is the inventory of goods whose utility increases over the time by ameliorating activation. Material and Methods: This study is performed according to two areas: one is an economic order quantity (EOQ) model for the items whose utility is ameliorating in accordance with Weibull distribution, and the other is a partial selling quantity (PSQ) model developed for selling the surplus inventory accumulated by ameliorating activation with linear demand. The aim of this paper was to develop a mathematical model for inventory type concerned in the paper. Numerical examples were presented show the effect of ameliorating rate on inventory polices. &nbsp;Results and Conclusions:&nbsp; The inventory model for items with Weibull ameliorating is developed. For the case of small ameliorating rate (less than linear demand rate), EOQ model is developed, and for the case where ameliorating rate is greater than linear demand rate, PSQ model is developed.&nbsp; . &nbsp

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Not AvailableIn the present study, data on food and feeding habits, sex ratio, condition factor, fecundity, maturity stages and Gonado-somatic index (GSI) of Rita rita were assessed. Samples were collected from the landings centre located on the bank of river Ganga at Allahabad from October 2013 to September 2014. An overall sex ratio (M/F) of 1:0.99 observed was statistically non-significant. Molluscs (49.52% by volume), detritus (41.49%), insects (0.87%) and other miscellaneous food items formed the food of R. rita. In addition to the occurrence of the various food items, small pieces of polythene were found in 3.3% of the total stomachs examined. Food intake was observed to be reduced during the spawning months. However, the condition factor >1 suggested the species to be in good condition throughout the year in both the males and females.The mean relative gut length recorded was 1.6. Fecundity ranged from 21, 066 to 2, 49, 828 with a mean of 79,893 ova. Gonado-somatic index (GSI) was 0.41 to 6.71% and 0.21 to 1.48% for females and males, respectively. Highest monthly GSI in males and females was recorded in the month of July. Higher individual values of GSI along with presence of mature and maturing fishes encountered in the months, May to September showed that R.rita has multiple and prolonged breeding period from May to September with a peak between July and September.ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institut

Comparison of two concentrations of isobaric intrathecal levobupivacaine for vaginal hysterectomy

This study was performed to compare the anesthetic efficacy and safety of two concentrations of local anesthetic agent levobupivacaine in patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy. Forty-four patients of ASA I and II, were randomized to receive an intrathecal injection of one of two local anesthetic solutions. Each patient in Group A (n = 22) received 2 ml of isobaric levobupivacaine 5 mg/ml (10 mg) with 25 μg of fentanyl, while each patient in Group B (n = 22) received 4 ml of isobaric levobupivacaune 2.5 mg/ml (10 mg) with 25 μg of fentanyl. The onset and duration of sensory block at dermatome level T10, maximum upper spread of sensory block, time for two segment regression of sensory block as well as the onset, intensity and duration of motor block were recorded, as were any adverse effects, such as bradycardia, hypotension, nausea, and/or vomiting, etc. The onset of sensory block was similar in both the groups. The onset of motor block was significantly faster in group A compared with that in group B. The duration of sensory and motor blockade was of shorter duration in group B (P < 0.05). However, patients in group A required more use of a vasoactive drug (phenylephrine) compared with group B