Treatment of domestic wastewater by potential application of a submerged aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata Casp

All over the world wastewater pollution is common. Untreated municipal wastewater posing eutrophication, where water is enriched with nutrients and unhygienic to use. Control of eutrophication is burning issues for aquatic sites around the world. In such a state, remediation of nutrients by aquatic plants is remarkable for municipal wastewater treatment. Present study was conducted by off-site experiment, where Hydrilla verticillata Casp was cultured in a tub for subsequent seven days over one year. Second one of the tub was used as control. The quality of domestic wastewater was assessed before and after the experiment by analyzing physicochemical parameters following APHA-AWWA-WPCF-1980. The results of the present experiment revealed the significant improvement in the quality of municipal wastewater, as indicated by the decrease in values  of most physicochemical parameters studied, except pH,  Dissolved oxygen and plant biomass. That showed efficiency and potentiality of aquatic plant for the purpose.&nbsp

Study on growth, potential utility and N.P.P. of a submerged aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata Casp.

Hydrilla verticillata Casp is a rooted submerged aquatic plant belonging to the family Hydrocharitaceae. It is distributed in aquatic bodies over the world. Hydrilla verticillata Casp affect the aquatic system positively or by negatively based on their density in aquatic bodies. Specific growth pattern, Physiology and mode of vegetative propagation etc. help Hydrilla verticillata Casp to adopt in various types of fresh water environment. Aquatic plants are important for maintaining life system in water bodies and also useful for nutrient recycling. A wide ecological impact of aquatic plants in water has been recorded by the researchers in the world. The aim of the present study was to examine the growth and estimation of NPP of Hydrilla verticillata Casp in an artificial water tank and plastic tubs respectively. Findings of the experiments are discussed furthermore

Why does currency denomination in external liabilities of small island developing states matter? Evidence from Fiji

The valuation effects on international investment position induced by the exchange rate volatility are not uniform or easily manageable in small and vulnerable economies when compared with larger developing or developed countries. To investigate the underlying dynamics, we developed a foreign currency exposure index over the period 2006–2019. The positive reading of the index suggests that though Fiji has a high net negative international investment position (90% of its GDP), it does not pose any serious risk. To ascertain determinants of Fijiʼs exposure index, we applied fully modified ordinary least square and autoregressive distributed lag bounds test. We have compared both estimates for consistency. Our findings suggest that the underlying determinants of Fijiʼs currency exposure are foreign debt, trade openness and exchange rate. This article bridges the gap in the literature on currency exposure risks in small island developing states and is the first study of its kind for the Pacific region

Neurodevelopmental disorders in children aged 2-9 years: Population-based burden estimates across five regions in India.

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) compromise the development and attainment of full social and economic potential at individual, family, community, and country levels. Paucity of data on NDDs slows down policy and programmatic action in most developing countries despite perceived high burden. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We assessed 3,964 children (with almost equal number of boys and girls distributed in 2-<6 and 6-9 year age categories) identified from five geographically diverse populations in India using cluster sampling technique (probability proportionate to population size). These were from the North-Central, i.e., Palwal (N = 998; all rural, 16.4% non-Hindu, 25.3% from scheduled caste/tribe [SC-ST] [these are considered underserved communities who are eligible for affirmative action]); North, i.e., Kangra (N = 997; 91.6% rural, 3.7% non-Hindu, 25.3% SC-ST); East, i.e., Dhenkanal (N = 981; 89.8% rural, 1.2% non-Hindu, 38.0% SC-ST); South, i.e., Hyderabad (N = 495; all urban, 25.7% non-Hindu, 27.3% SC-ST) and West, i.e., North Goa (N = 493; 68.0% rural, 11.4% non-Hindu, 18.5% SC-ST). All children were assessed for vision impairment (VI), epilepsy (Epi), neuromotor impairments including cerebral palsy (NMI-CP), hearing impairment (HI), speech and language disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and intellectual disability (ID). Furthermore, 6-9-year-old children were also assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disorders (LDs). We standardized sample characteristics as per Census of India 2011 to arrive at district level and all-sites-pooled estimates. Site-specific prevalence of any of seven NDDs in 2-<6 year olds ranged from 2.9% (95% CI 1.6-5.5) to 18.7% (95% CI 14.7-23.6), and for any of nine NDDs in the 6-9-year-old children, from 6.5% (95% CI 4.6-9.1) to 18.5% (95% CI 15.3-22.3). Two or more NDDs were present in 0.4% (95% CI 0.1-1.7) to 4.3% (95% CI 2.2-8.2) in the younger age category and 0.7% (95% CI 0.2-2.0) to 5.3% (95% CI 3.3-8.2) in the older age category. All-site-pooled estimates for NDDs were 9.2% (95% CI 7.5-11.2) and 13.6% (95% CI 11.3-16.2) in children of 2-<6 and 6-9 year age categories, respectively, without significant difference according to gender, rural/urban residence, or religion; almost one-fifth of these children had more than one NDD. The pooled estimates for prevalence increased by up to three percentage points when these were adjusted for national rates of stunting or low birth weight (LBW). HI, ID, speech and language disorders, Epi, and LDs were the common NDDs across sites. Upon risk modelling, noninstitutional delivery, history of perinatal asphyxia, neonatal illness, postnatal neurological/brain infections, stunting, LBW/prematurity, and older age category (6-9 year) were significantly associated with NDDs. The study sample was underrepresentative of stunting and LBW and had a 15.6% refusal. These factors could be contributing to underestimation of the true NDD burden in our population. CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies NDDs in children aged 2-9 years as a significant public health burden for India. HI was higher than and ASD prevalence comparable to the published global literature. Most risk factors of NDDs were modifiable and amenable to public health interventions

Research Productivity of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology

Bibliometric analysis was used to assess the research productivity of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geological (WIHG) during 1991-2020. Data was collected from the Scopus database, and VOSviewer software used for visualization. The study focused on various bibliometrics parameters like year-wise research growth, Authors productivity, Growth rates measures (AGR, RGR, Dt), Collaboration measures (DC and CC), subject-wise distributions, most prolific authors, highly collaborative institutions, most cited documents, top funding agency, types of documents, etc. The results showed that the maximum number of documents, 93 (7.21%), were published in 2017. India and the United States of America contributed the highest numbers of documents, 1289 & 97. The highest number, 995(60.78%) of scholarly publications, has come from the subject of Earth and Planetary Sciences. P Srivastava is the most prolific and highly cited author. WIHG collaborates with many IITs like IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, and central universities such as HNB Garhwal University, BHU, etc. The Randolph glacier inventory: A globally complete inventory of glaciers is the most highly cited publication in the Journal of Glaciology by Pfeffer et al. in 2014 with 515 citations. The Current Science, has the first rank of productive and cited source with 156 documents and 2380 citations

Mapping of sovereign risks in small island economies: An application of contingent claim approach to fiji

While a decline in the market value of sovereign assets (below a benchmark level of liabilities) can trigger sovereign distress/default risk, volatility in sovereign assets can increase the risk premium on domestic debt and credit spread on external debt. These can escalate the probability of debt default. Therefore, measuring the probability and distance to debt distress associated with sovereign positions is important for assessing the macro-financial risks of an aggregate economy. This paper presents an application of the Contingent Claim Approach (CCA) for measuring the implied asset value and its volatility for the case of Fiji. The CCA captures non-linear changes to sovereign assets and liabilities that are hardly captured by other macroeconomic variables. Our consistent empirical findings indicate no sovereign debt distress for Fiji. Unavailability of partial data on the certain composition of sovereign assets and liabilities is a limitation, but our results are consistent and useful guide to debt policy in Fiji. It is also useful for future research on debt sustainability in other similar smaller developing economies

Variation in the chemical constituents of soybean due to industrial pollution

The two varieties of soybean (Soybean Bragg and Soybean JS-71-05) were collected from an industrial site (IS) and from a non-industrial site (NIS) for the study of their chemical composition and fatty acids profiles by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). These studies revealed large changes in the major and minor fatty acids of the soybean seeds due to the effect of chemical pollutants. There was a significant decrease in the amounts of major and minor fatty acids, such as myristic acid (14:0), palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), oleic acid (18:1), linoleic acid (18:2), and linolenic acid (18:3), in the seeds from industrial site. The changes in the chemical composition due to chemical pollutants showed mixed results

An examination of house price bubble in the Real Estate Sector: the case of a small Island economy – Fiji

This paper aims to assess the equilibrium house price in the city of Suva (Fiji) and to analyse the house price bubble in the Fiji housing market. This paper adopts a time series approach to determine the presence of house price bubbles in Fiji over the period from 1988 to 2018. The findings suggest that real income, land cost, building material price, inflation rate, volatility, household size and wealth have a positive impact on house prices, whereas user cost of capital and political disturbances have a negative impact. The findings further indicate that the Fijis’ housing market does not constitute any house price bubble. This paper draws policy implications for a small developing state (Fiji) and other similar economies. The price bubble in the Fiji housing market is analysed for the first time. This paper develops a comprehensive empirical approach to assess the equilibrium-housing price in Fiji

Foreign exchange market asymmetries in Pacific small island developing states: Evidence from Fiji

After abandoning Bretton Wood, the foreign exchange market has been dominated by three types of economies: export-oriented economies (China and other Asian countries), commodity economies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and oil exporting nations) and reserve-currency economies (US, EU, UK, and Swiss). As a result, the asymmetric development of the foreign exchange market has reduced the monetary and fiscal space for PSIDS, which face structural challenges such as a low population base, import dependence, aid dependency, climate risk, and political uncertainty. The ‘Exchange Market Pressure Index’ (EMPI) for Fiji is developed in this article to quantify the pressure on the exchange rate and monetary authorities' responses to micromanaging balance sheet impacts. The calculated EMPI accurately reflects four instances of financial distress in Fiji, including significant exchange market pressure in response to growing trade deficits and external debt, the global financial crisis's contagion effect, and political uncertainty. Our EMP Index's robustness is attributed in part to the employment of a dynamic time series estimate method, a time-varying weighing scheme, and a high-frequency monthly dataset