The Role of Earthworms in Tropics with Emphasis on Indian Ecosystems

The paper highlights the research carried out by different scientists in India on aspects of earthworm population dynamics and species diversity, associated with other soil fauna and microflora. It also deals with the importance of earthworm activity on physicochemical properties of soil with reference to India and other tropical countries. Stress is laid on the earthworm plant association and importance of the secretions of earthworms as plant growth stimulators. Moreover, the earthworm species reported and being utilized for vermicomposting in India are discussed, since vermicomposting is the ultimate technology which renders for the improvement of soil fertility status and plant growth. Earthworms serve as indicators of soil status such as the level of contamination of pollutants: agrochemicals, heavy metals, toxic substances, and industrial effluents; human-induced activities: land-management practices and forest degradation. In all these fields there is lacuna with respect to contributions from India when compared to the available information from other tropical countries. There is lot of scope in the field of research on earthworms to unravel the importance of these major soil macrofauna from holistic ecological studies to the molecular level

Risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among palm oil mill workers

The palm oil industry is the fourth largest contributor to the Malaysian Gross National Income (GNI) but the importance of this industry to the nation’s economy does not preclude them from the risk of being affected by the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among the workers in palm oil mills. Previous studies carried out have not properly explained the exact reasons for the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among the palm oil mill workers. Thus, this study aim to determine the association between risk factors and MSD among palm oil mill workers. A total of 120 male workers were consecutively enrolled in this crosssectional study. Information on sociodemographic, working, lifestyle, health and injury factors were collected via questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. A high lifetime prevalence of MSD (71.7 percent) among palm oil mill workers was found. However, the one-year prevalence of MSD among the same population was only 50.8 percent. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking revealed that the risk factors: history of previous injury [2.35, 95 percent CI 1.12-4.93], Osteoarthritis [3.9, 95 percent CI 1.568-9.708] and perception of exertion [8.09, 95 percent CI 1.358-48.170] was found to be significantly associated with MSD symptoms reported in the past 12 months. As a conclusion, exposure to the combination of these risk factors may lead to an increased risk of developing MSD among palm oil mill workers

Deficiency in the endocytic adaptor proteins PHETA1/2 impairs renal and craniofacial development

A critical barrier in the treatment of endosomal and lysosomal diseases is the lack of understanding of the in vivo functions of the putative causative genes. We addressed this by investigating a key pair of endocytic adaptor proteins, PH domain-containing endocytic trafficking adaptor 1 and 2 (PHETA1/2; also known as FAM109A/B, Ses1/2, IPIP27A/B), which interact with the protein product of OCRL, the causative gene for Lowe syndrome. Here, we conducted the first study of PHETA1/2 in vivo, utilizing the zebrafish system. We found that impairment of both zebrafish orthologs, pheta1 and pheta2, disrupted endocytosis and ciliogenesis in renal tissues. In addition, pheta1/2 mutant animals exhibited reduced jaw size and delayed chondrocyte differentiation, indicating a role in craniofacial development. Deficiency of pheta1/2 resulted in dysregulation of cathepsin K, which led to an increased abundance of type II collagen in craniofacial cartilages, a marker of immature cartilage extracellular matrix. Cathepsin K inhibition rescued the craniofacial phenotypes in the pheta1/2 double mutants. The abnormal renal and craniofacial phenotypes in the pheta1/2 mutant animals were consistent with the clinical presentation of a patient with a de novo arginine (R) to cysteine (C) variant (R6C) of PHETA1. Expressing the patient-specific variant in zebrafish exacerbated craniofacial deficits, suggesting that the R6C allele acts in a dominant-negative manner. Together, these results provide insights into the in vivo roles of PHETA1/2 and suggest that the R6C variant is contributory to the pathogenesis of disease in the patient

High-powered police motorcycle: muscle discomfort among Malaysian traffic police riders

Discomfort due to riding a motorcycle is an issue that need to be addressed as it has long-term effects of musculoskeletal disorders on motorcyclists especially among occupational motorcyclist. Thus, this study was conducted to analyse the rating of muscle discomfort and correlation with the risk factors among traffic police riders. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 137 male traffic police riders (high-powered motorcycle) with the age between 20 to 39 years old. The 100-mm visual analogue scale questionnaire included ratings of perceived discomfort scales for 20 specific body regions was used in the study. The results indicate that the lower back (left and right) were the highest mean of discomfort which were 56.6 mm and 55.9 mm respectively. This followed with right (48.5±36.2 mm) and left (48.4±30.3 mm) upper back, and right hand (47.0±33.0 mm). The mean of overall discomfort ratings for all regions were more than 20 mm. Besides, there is a strong positive significant correlation between duration of ridings (hours) and overall discomfort ratings (p<0.01, r=0.785) and moderate positive correlation between year of traffic police motorcycle riding experience and overall discomfort ratings (p<0.01, r=0.410). As a conclusion, cumulative riding hours, riding experience and no support of the back area of the body in motorcycle seat, are the most concern in this study as this are the contributing factors to the muscle discomfort among traffic police riders while riding high-powered motorcycle. Thus, this study suggested an additional feature is needed in current motorcycle design in order to enhance comforts of traffic police riders. Also, it will improve the condition of traffic police riders’ discomfort and indirectly also improve their work and health performance as well as productivity

Field-induced structural and orbital transformations leading to large bulk photovoltaic response in modified barium titanate

Ferroelectric systems are gaining importance in the perspective of capitalizing on their potential in energy applications. In particular, the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect is one of the attractive fields because of the reported above bandgap photovoltage. Although numerous efforts are being made to understand the ferroelectric photovoltaic mechanism, correlations among the structural, orbital, and photovoltaic characteristics, useful to engineer the system for applications, are rarely being investigated. Here, such correlations are established in electric field-induced studies carried out on the lead-free ferroelectric Ba0.875(Bi0.5Li0.5)0.125TiO3 system. Upon poling, x-ray diffraction studies reveal a twofold enhancement in the orthorhombic phase fraction at the expense of the tetragonal phase in comparison with the unpoled sample. The ex situ and in situ Raman studies demonstrate the field-induced changes in the structural characteristics. Furthermore, the Rayleigh analysis validates the field-induced lattice deformation in accordance with x-ray diffraction and Raman studies. Notably, the Ba0.875(Bi0.5Li0.5)0.125TiO3 sample exhibits anomalous open-circuit voltage (12 V) under the poling condition. To substantiate the experimental finding, density functional theory calculations are carried out. The theoretical calculations elucidate that the conduction band edge of the orthorhombic phase has a vital contribution from z character orbitals, which is further enhanced under poling to give rise to a higher shift current and, hence, a better photovoltaic response. However, the tetragonal phase's orbital characters are robust upon poling. Overall, these studies pave the way for designing ferroelectric systems for better photovoltaic properties

Recent Progress Using Graphene Oxide and Its Composites for Supercapacitor Applications: A Review

Supercapacitors are prospective energy storage devices for electronic devices due to their high power density, rapid charging and discharging, and extended cycle life. Materials with limited conductivity could have low charge-transfer ions, low rate capability, and low cycle stability, resulting in poor electrochemical performance. Enhancement of the device’s functionality can be achieved by controlling and designing the electrode materials. Graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as a promising material for the fabrication of supercapacitor devices on account of its remarkable physiochemical characteristics. The mechanical strength, surface area, and conductivity of GO are all quite excellent. These characteristics make it a promising material for use as electrodes, as they allow for the rapid storage and release of charges. To enhance the overall electrochemical performance, including conductivity, specific capacitance (Cs), cyclic stability, and capacitance retention, researchers concentrated their efforts on composite materials containing GO. Therefore, this review discusses the structural, morphological, and surface area characteristics of GO in composites with metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal chalcogenides, layered double hydroxides, metal–organic frameworks, and MXene for supercapacitor application. Furthermore, the organic and bacterial functionalization of GO is discussed. The electrochemical properties of GO and its composite structures are discussed according to the performance of three- and two-electrode systems. Finally, this review compares the performance of several composite types of GO to identify which is ideal. The development of these composite devices holds potential for use in energy storage applications. Because GO-modified materials embrace both electric double-layer capacitive and pseudocapacitive mechanisms, they often perform better than pristine by offering increased surface area, conductivity, and high rate capability. Additionally, the density functional theory (DFT) of GO-based electrode materials with geometrical structures and their characteristics for supercapacitors are addressed

Spatio-temporal Identification of Regions with Anomalous Values of 222 Rn in Groundwater of Madurai District, Tamilnadu, India

Measurement of dissolved radon (222 Rn) activity concentration in groundwater samples from private and public hand pumps, and in bore wells located at Madurai district of Tamilnadu, India, are presented. The study attempts to identify the background value of 222 Rn in groundwater of hard rock terrain and the main aquifer contributing 222 Rn, and to determine if any correlation exists with observed field parameters. Measured parameters included pH, TDS, Temperature and 222 Rn in 42 samples for two seasons (South West Monsoon [SWM] and North East Monsoon [NEM]). The results show that the 222 Rn activity concentration of the samples ranged from 0.049 to 59.952 Bq/L in South west monsoon and 0.12 to 211.60 Bq/L in North east monsoon. The higher activity was noted in NEM and the highest 222 Rn concentrations were observed in granitic terrains in both seasons. The average values of the parameters studied shows that there is a general decrease of TDS and Temperature, but an increase in 222 Rn and pH during NEM. The spatial representation of the activity shows that maximum values are in the north eastern part of the study area. Further, correlations between the measured parameters show that temperature has a negative correlation to the samples of charnockite formation during both seasons; pH and TDS also show negative relationships to 222 Rn during SWM