In vitro antimicrobial activity of crude extracts of Jatropha species

Leaf extracts, stem extract, roots extract, latex and oil of Jatropha curcas, J. glandulufera, J. integerrima and J. gossypofolia were screened in order to study their effect on plant pathogenic fungi Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizoctonia solani and plant pathogenic bacteria Erwinia carotovora pv. Carotovora, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Xanthomonas campestris pv. Citri and Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae. Degree of variation of antifungal and antibacterial activity of different parts of Jatropha sp. was observed

Soil information system: use and potentials in humid and semi-arid tropics

The articles presented in this special section emanated from the researches of consortium members of the National Agricultural Innovative Project (NAIP, Component 4) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. These researches have helped develop a soil information system (SIS). In view of the changing scenario all over the world, the need of the hour is to get assistance from a host of researchers specialized in soils, crops, geology, geography and information technology to make proper use of the datasets. Equipped with the essential knowledge of data storage and retrieval for management recommendations, these experts should be able to address the issues of land degradation, biodiversity, food security, climate change and ultimately arrive at an appropriate agricultural land-use planning. Moreover, as the natural resource information is an essential prerequisite for monitoring and predicting global environmental change with special reference to climate and land use options, the SIS needs to be a dynamic exercise to accommodate temporal datasets, so that subsequently it should result in the evolution of the soil information technology. The database developed through this NAIP would serve as an example of the usefulness of the Consortium and the research initiative of ICAR involving experts from different fields to find out the potentials of the soils of humid and semi-arid bioclimatic systems of the country

Georeferenced soil information system: assessment of database

Land-use planning is a decision-making process that facilitates the allocation of land to different uses that provide optimal and sustainable benefit. As land-use is shaped by society–nature interaction, in land-use planning different components/facets play a significant role involving soil, water, climate, animal (ruminant/ non-ruminant) and others, including forestry and the environment needed for survival of mankind. At times these components are moderated by human interference. Thus land-use planning being a dynamic phenomenon is not guided by a single factor, but by a complex system working simultaneously,which largely affects the sustainability. To address such issues a National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) on ‘Georeferenced soil information system for land-use planning and monitoring soil and land quality for agriculture’ was undertaken to develop threshold values of land quality parameters for land-use planning through quantitative land evaluation and crop modelling for dominant cropping systems in major agro-ecological sub-regions (AESRs) representing rice–wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and deep-rooted crops in the black soil regions (BSR). To assess the impact of landuse change, threshold land quality indicator values are used. A modified AESR map for agricultural landuse planning is generated for effective land-use planning

Association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data from 28 823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. We considered 11 occupations and grouped them by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income. Results Overall, working in settings with potentially high exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. The most common occupation was farming. Compared to people not working in any of the 11 considered occupations, those who were farmers for ≥20 years were more likely to have chronic cough (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.94), wheeze (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.63) and dyspnoea (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.53–2.20), but not lower FVC (β=0.02 L, 95% CI −0.02–0.06 L) or lower FEV1/FVC (β=0.04%, 95% CI −0.49–0.58%). Some findings differed by sex and gross national income. Conclusion At a population level, the occupational exposures considered in this study do not appear to be major determinants of differences in lung function, although they are associated with more respiratory symptoms. Because not all work settings were included in this study, respiratory surveillance should still be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.publishedVersio

Cohort Profile: Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study was established to assess the prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction, a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and its risk factors in adults (≥40 years) from general populations across the world. The baseline study was conducted between 2003 and 2016, in 41 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and collected high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry from 28 828 participants. The follow-up study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, in 18 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. At baseline, there were in these sites 12 502 participants with high-quality spirometry. A total of 6452 were followed up, with 5936 completing the study core questionnaire. Of these, 4044 also provided high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. On both occasions, the core questionnaire covered information on respiratory symptoms, doctor diagnoses, health care use, medication use and ealth status, as well as potential risk factors. Information on occupation, environmental exposures and diet was also collected

Enhancement in mechanical properties of silica low-k thin films using wet chemical technique

439-442Silica low-k films have been deposited on silicon wafer using sol-gel spin-on method. The tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) has been used as a precursor solution. In order to improve the properties, the deposited films have been surface treated by wet chemical treatment at different trimethylcholosilane (TMCS) volumetric concentrations in hexane. The presence of hydrophobic (CH3) groups observed around 2900 cm-1 confirms the surface modification of films. Further, the water contact angle of as-deposited and surface treated film at 20% TMCS concentration in hexane have been found to be 83º to 104º, respectively. This significant change in water contact angle after surface modification confirmed the change in surface of film from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The mechanical properties of films have been determined by using nano-indentation techniques. The depth of penetration of indent in film surface has been observed to be decrease from 75 nm to 45 nm after surface modification at 20% TMCS concentration in hexane. This shows the improvement in mechanical properties of film after surface modification. The Young’s modulus and hardness of surface modified films at 20% TMCS have been observed to be 78 GPa and 3.45 GPa, respectively

Структурні, оптичні та магнітні властивості нанокристалічних тонких плівок Cd1 – xMnxS при кімнатній температурі

Плівки Cd1 – xMnxS (x = 0,0; 0,2; 0,4; 0,6; 0,8 та 1,0) були виготовлені за допомогою недорогої техніки хімічного осадження з ванни (CBD) на скляну підкладку. Плівки були отримані при оптимізованій температурі ванни 80 °C і pH 11. У поточному дослідженні ми вивчали структурні, оптичні та магнітні властивості осаджених тонких плівок. Рентгенівська дифракція (XRD) підтвердила, що нанокристалічна структура має більшу величину с/а порівняно з плівками CdMnS. XRD свідчить про гексагональні та кубічні структури вюрциту з орієнтацією росту вздовж напряму (002). Параметр решітки а зменшився з 4,126 до 4,003 Å. Спостерігалася та сама тенденція і для параметру решітки с з величиною x від 5,263 до 5,200 Å. Оптичні властивості осаджених нанокристалічних плівок Cd1 – xMnxS досліджували при кімнатній температурі за допомогою УФ-видимого спектрофотометра. Виявлено, що оптична заборонена зона збільшується з додаванням Mn2+. Розбавлені магнітні напівпровідники (DMS) II-VI груп демонструють чіткі магнітні фази при низьких і кімнатних температурах. Дослідження магнітної поведінки та сприйнятливості проводили за допомогою надпровідного квантового інтерференційного пристрою (SQUID) на магнітометрі з вібруючим зразком (VSM) в діапазоні постійного магнітного поля 0-40 кЕ при кімнатній температурі.Cd1 – xMnxS (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) films were prepared using a low-cost chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique onto the glass substrate. Films were obtained at an optimized bath temperature of 80 °C and pH of 11. In the current study, we investigated the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the as-deposited thin films. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) result confirmed that the nanocrystalline structure has a high aspect ratio compared to CdMnS films. XRD suggests hexagonal wurtzite and cubic structures with growth orientation along the (002) direction. The lattice parameter ‘a’ decreased from 4.126 to 4.003 Å. The same trend in the lattice parameter ‘c’ with x was observed (5.263 to 5.200 Å). The optical properties of as-deposited Cd1 – xMnxS nanocrystalline films were studied at room temperature using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The optical band gap is found to be enhanced with Mn2+ composition. Group II-VI-based diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) show distinct magnetic phases at low and room temperatures. The magnetic behavior and susceptibility studies were carried out using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) on a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) in the range of dc magnetic field of 0-40 kOe at room temperature

Internment of polysulfide in fractal carbon structure for high rate lithium-sulfur batteries

The development of Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries was hindered due to the insulating nature of sulfur and the high shuttling of Li-polysulfide in electrolytes. To address these stumbling blocks, we introduced a highly dense fractal-like candle soot (CS) carbon cloud on the three-dimensional (3D) glass fiber paper as an interlayer that adsorbs and provides sufficient sites for Li-polysulfide accommodation. The interlayer also retains the electrolyte with soluble Li-polysulfides and converts them into insoluble lower-order polysulfide (Li2S and Li2S2) without losing the electrical contact. Li-S cell is fabricated with activated candle soot (ACS) and sulfur (S) composite (ACS-S) as an electrode material. The candle soot-glass fiber interlayer (CS_IL) attained a high initial discharge capacity of 1139 mAh g−1 at a 0.5C rate and displayed excellent cyclic stability with reversible capacity of 865 mAh g−1 at the current rate of 2C for 100 cycles with coulombic efficiency of 95%. Further, the same cell was tested at a high charge/discharge rate of 7C, and exhibit excellent reversible capacity of 485 mAh g−1 with a long life of 400 cycle and high coulombic efficiency of 95%. The overall improvement of Li-S battery also evident with impedance analysis, H-cell adsorption testing, and shuttle factor calculations