Enhancement of Biohydrogen Production from Co-Fermentation of Glucose, Starch, and Cellulose

The aim of this study was to assess the synergistic effects of co-fermentation of glucose, starch, and cellulose using anaerobic digester sludge (ADS) on the biohydrogen (H2) production and the associated microbial communities. At initial pH of 5.5 and mesophilic temperature of 37 ºC, the H2 yields were greater by an average of 27 ± 4% in all the different co-substrate conditions compared to the mono-substrate conditions, which affirmed that co-fermentation of different substrates improved the hydrogen potential. The sensitivity of mesophilic ADS to a temperature shock was also investigated. Unacclimatized mesophilic ADS responded well to a temperature shock of 60ºC which was evident from lower lag phase durations. Interestingly, co-fermentation of starch and cellulose at mesophilic conditions enhanced the hydrogen yield by 26% with respect to mono-substrate, while under thermophilic conditions starch competed with cellulose as the carbon source for the microbial populations and no enhancement in the overall yield was observed

Microsieving as a Primary Treatment for Biological Nitrogen Removal from Municipal Wastewater

There has been an increased interest in alternative carbon diversion technologies in wastewater treatment to improve the efficiency and performance of primary treatment, increase treatment capacity, and minimize overall energy consumption, especially in geographies with limited space for expansion. Microsieving technologies like the rotating belt filters (RBFs) have emerged as a promising primary solids separation alternative to primary clarification. This research was conducted to study the implications of retrofitting existing wastewater treatment plants (without primary treatment) with RBF technology. In order to fully evaluate the impact of RBF in water resource recovery facilities, it is paramount to investigate the unique characteristics of the more fibrous material removed by microsieving, cellulose, mostly in the form of toilet paper, which is a major component of the particulates in raw municipal wastewater. To date, a validated method for cellulose quantification in wastewater and sludge matrices was unavailable. This research demonstrated that the Schweitzer-reagent method is a very robust and reliable cellulose quantification method in light of its reproducibility and accuracy. Sludge from the RBF was observed to contain 37±1 % cellulose (on dry basis), whereas primary clarifier sludge contained 18±0.2 % cellulose (on dry basis) which confirmed that the RBF captures the cellulose more efficiently than the primary clarifier. The contribution from this work would have great implications on wastewater research in understanding the fate of toilet-paper-cellulose, and its impact on biosolids management given the already emerging trend to increase sustainability and resource recovery. When looked in the context of the impact of the RBF on activated sludge processes, RBF effluent was compared with raw wastewater and primary clarifier effluent. This was accomplished using respirometric techniques to identify the most influential biokinetic parameters required for model simulations. The raw wastewater was predominantly biodegradable where 71% of the TCOD was observed to be biodegradable. Primary clarifier and RBF treatment increased the biodegradable fraction to 80% and 74%, respectively, by removing inert particulates by settling and microsieving, respectively. As expected, microsieving and settling do not impact the soluble components in the wastewaters. The fractionation of the particulate components was dictated by the primary treatment suspended solids removal efficiency and was observed to be comparable for the RBF effluent and the primary clarifier effluent. The implementation of different COD fractions and kinetic coefficients of the RBF effluent would improve the model simulations for design, control, and optimization of biological wastewater treatment processes employing RBF as a primary treatment. In addition, the results from this study established that the RBF offers an alternative level of treatment (to primary clarification), which removes particulate solids, without impacting nitrification and denitrification processes with total nitrogen removal efficiency ranging from 68%-73% for medium-strength wastewater. Upon modeling (using GPS-X) to predict performance for high-strength wastewater, it was observed that within the TSS removal of 27%-70% by the RBF, biological nitrogen removal was not adversely affected (79% total nitrogen removal). Moreover, the overall primary and biological sludge production by a wastewater resource recovery facility employing an RBF as primary treatment was found to be 9% lower than the one with primary clarification. Chemically-enhanced-RBF treatment was observed to be ideal for plants trying to achieve BOD and ammonia limits; however, excessive removal of carbon compromised nitrogen removal efficiency (30% total nitrogen removal), especially with low-strength wastewaters. The findings of this work would instigate further research on RBF technology for successful integration as a primary treatment alternative in wastewater resource recovery facilities

Ending the child drowning epidemic in India and Bangladesh: Applying a framework for program development and implementation

Globally, drowning is the second largest cause of death by injury in children aged 1-14 years old. Risk factors for child drowning include poor supervision, lower socioeconomic status, poor swimming and rescue skills, and the proximity of open water near homes. These are more prevalent in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs). The WHO has developed recommended interventions for drowning prevention in rural LMIC contexts, such as the provision of supervised childcare to prevent access to nearby water bodies. This thesis explores the process of developing and evaluating drowning prevention programs in two high-risk LMIC regions: the Sundarbans in India and the Barishal Division in Bangladesh. As no previous research on drowning burden and prevention has been conducted in India, the main aims were to: (1) Identify the burden of child drowning in the Sundarbans, and (2) identify implementation strategies for drowning prevention programs. Conversely, drowning prevention programs have been implemented in Bangladesh, but evaluation of their implementation remains. The Anchal program provides supervised childcare to younger children, while SwimSafe provides swim training to older children. The main aims in Bangladesh were to: (1) Understand implementation implications and best practices, and (2) understand the impact of gender norms on implementation. The findings from the Sundarbans mortality survey showed a significant burden of drowning, with a rate of 243.8/100 000 for 1-4-year-old children, and 38.8/100 000 for 5-9-year-old children. Common circumstances were the lack of effective adult supervision, no physical barriers against water, and proximity of open water to homes. Findings from the analysis of relevant government policy and interviews with community-based stakeholders identified three existing government programs that could be leveraged for the implementation of drowning interventions. In Bangladesh, the mixed-methods process evaluation of the Anchal program showed that while the program was acceptable in the community, geographical barriers to access, cultural beliefs and inadequate resources reduced attendance, limiting effectiveness. The gender analyses of both Anchal and SwimSafe programs revealed opportunities to ensure equitability. Fewer older girls enrolled in SwimSafe classes compared to boys due to cultural concerns. Female community-based staff found that employment in the programs improved social status, physical mobility and access to resources

Addressing the public health challenge of birth defects in India

Birth defects consisted of a group of diverse clinical conditions categorized on the basis of a congenital presentation and a partly orwholly genetic etiology. Although individually rare, birth defects affect 2-3% of all births in India. As India has the largest global annualbirths, in absolute numbers, India may harbor the largest number of affected children worldwide. There is a need of strategic researchand interventions to bring down the rate of birth defects and associated economic burden and also a need to actively screen and identifythem at early stage so necessary intervention (medical or surgical) could be initiated so as to reduce lifelong disability as a result ofsuch defects. The recent child health screening and early intervention service initiative by the Government of India, the Rashtriya BalSwasthya Karyakram under the National Health Mission is the first attempt in the direction toward providing services for some ofthe more prevalent birth defects and has the potential to alleviate suffering of affected children especially from rural areas. The datacollected from this program could help policy makers to allocate sufficient funds aimed at treatment of birth defects and also developbehavior change communication strategies for prevention of the same

Left sided breast cancer is associated with aggressive biology and worse outcomes than right sided breast cancer

Breast cancer is more common on the left side than the right side. We aim to evaluate differences in clinicopathological and genomic characteristics based on laterality. We analyzed survival outcomes and clinical characteristics of 881,320 patients recorded by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used to explore genomic and clinical features from 1,062 patients. Gene expression data was used to quantitate cytolytic activity and hallmark gene-sets were used for gene set enrichment analysis. An institutional retrospective review was conducted on 155 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Patient characteristics were summarized by pathological complete response (pCR). Left sided tumors were found to be more prevalent than right sided tumors. No major clinicopathological differences were noted by laterality. Left sided breast cancer demonstrated poorer outcomes versus right sided tumors (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.08; p = 0.011). Cell proliferation gene sets, including E2F Targets, G2M Checkpoint, Mitotic spindle, and MYC Targets, were enriched on the left side compared to the right. Left sided tumors had lower pCR rates versus right sided tumors (15.4% versus 29.9%, p = 0.036). Our findings suggest that left sided breast cancer is associated with aggressive biology and worse outcomes compared to right sided breast cancer

Improving child survival under National Health Mission in India: Where do we stand?

India contributes to around one-fifth of the global under-five mortality and also maternal mortality besides one-third of the neonatalmortality. Since any reduction in child mortality in India is crucial for the global decline, therefore, the Indian Government decidedto undertake massive correction of the health system. This led to the launch of National Rural Health Mission in the year 2005. Sincethen, significant progress has been made and child mortality rates have shown a sharp decline. On comparing the progress made by theworld toward Millennium Development Goals, India fares better by showing a decline of 46.5% in comparison to 41% for the entireworld during the same period. In order to assess the state-wise reduction, data from sample registration system of the Registrar Generalof India which is available for most of the States/Union Territories (UTs) have been analyzed. States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,and Kerala have shown an impressive decline but some states such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Delhi still have a longway to go to reach the state specific goals and targets. Any further decline would only be possible by addressing inter-district variationsthat are still lagging behind and focused efforts need to be made, in order to reach these desired goals. This analysis would be valuablein planning future program implementation plans

Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Special Issue Highlights

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Assessment of Aerosol Mechanisms and Aerosol Meteorology Feedback over an Urban Airshed in India Using a Chemical Transport Model

The direct aerosol-radiative effects in the WRF-Chem model account for scattering/absorption of solar radiation due to aerosols, while aerosol–cloud interactions result in modifying wet scavenging of the ambient concentrations as an indirect aerosol effect. In this study, impact of aerosol on meteorological parameters, PM10 and ozone concentrations are analysed which revealed (i) that a net decrease in shortwave and longwave radiation by direct feedback results in decrease in temperature up to 0.05 K, (ii) that a net increase due to longwave and shortwave radiation when both direct and indirect effects are taken together results in an increase in temperature up to 0.25 K (where the mean of temperature is 33.5 °C and standard deviation 2.13 °C), (iii) a marginal increase in boundary layer height of 50 m with increase in temperature with feedbacks, (iv) overall net increase in radiation by direct and indirect effect together result in an increase in PM10 concentration up to 12 μg m−3 (with PM10 mean as 84.5 μg m−3 and standard deviation 28 μg m−3) and an increase in ozone concentration up to 3 μg m−3 (with ozone mean as 29.65 μg m−3 and standard deviation 5.2 μg m−3) mainly due to net increase in temperature. Furthermore, impact of sensitivity of different aerosol mechanisms on PM10 concentrations was scrutinized for two different mechanisms that revealed underestimation by both of the mechanisms with MOSAIC scheme, showing less fractional bias than MADE/SORGAM. For the dust storm period, MOSAIC scheme simulated higher mass concentrations than MADE/SORGAM scheme and performed well for dust-storm days while closely capturing the peaks of high dust concentrations. This study is one of the first few to demonstrate the impact of both direct and indirect aerosol feedback on local meteorology and air quality using a meteorology–chemistry modelling framework; the WRF-Chem model in a tropical urban airshed in India located in semi-arid climatic zone. It is inferred that semi-arid climatic conditions behave in a vastly different manner than other climatic zones for direct and indirect radiative feedback effects

Assessment of Air Pollution Mitigation Measures on Secondary Pollutants PM₁₀ and Ozone Using Chemical Transport Modelling over Megacity Delhi, India

Sporadic efforts have been introduced to control emissions in Delhi, but the air quality has declined further due to the rapid development of different sectors. In this study, the impact of various mitigation scenarios on air quality for PM10, ozone, and its precursors are studied using a chemical transport model, namely WRF-Chem. The Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research emission inventory was modified and introduced into the WRF-Chem model to assess the impact of selected emission control scenarios on different sectors. The simulations were conducted with reduced emissions for these sectors over the study domain: (a) implementation of Bharat Stage—VI norms in the transport sector, (b) conversion of fuel from coal to natural gas in the energy sector, and (c) fuel shift to LPG in the residential sector. The transport sector noted a decrease of 4.9% in PM10, 44.1% in ozone, and 18.9% in NOx concentrations with emission reduction measures. In the energy sector, a marginal reduction of 3.9% in NOx concentrations was noted, and no change was observed in PM10 and ozone concentrations. In the residential sector, a decrease of 8% in PM-10, 47.7% in ozone, and 49.8% in NOx concentrations were noted. The VOC-to-NOx ratios were also studied, revealing the ozone production over the study domain was mostly VOC-limited. As the inclusion of control measures resulted in varying levels of reduction in pollutant concentrations, it was also studied in the context of improving the air quality index. The WRF-Chem model can be successfully implemented to study the effectiveness of any regulated control measures

Assessment of Air Pollution Mitigation Measures on Secondary Pollutants PM10 and Ozone Using Chemical Transport Modelling over Megacity Delhi, India

Sporadic efforts have been introduced to control emissions in Delhi, but the air quality has declined further due to the rapid development of different sectors. In this study, the impact of various mitigation scenarios on air quality for PM10, ozone, and its precursors are studied using a chemical transport model, namely WRF-Chem. The Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research emission inventory was modified and introduced into the WRF-Chem model to assess the impact of selected emission control scenarios on different sectors. The simulations were conducted with reduced emissions for these sectors over the study domain: (a) implementation of Bharat Stage—VI norms in the transport sector, (b) conversion of fuel from coal to natural gas in the energy sector, and (c) fuel shift to LPG in the residential sector. The transport sector noted a decrease of 4.9% in PM10, 44.1% in ozone, and 18.9% in NOx concentrations with emission reduction measures. In the energy sector, a marginal reduction of 3.9% in NOx concentrations was noted, and no change was observed in PM10 and ozone concentrations. In the residential sector, a decrease of 8% in PM-10, 47.7% in ozone, and 49.8% in NOx concentrations were noted. The VOC-to-NOx ratios were also studied, revealing the ozone production over the study domain was mostly VOC-limited. As the inclusion of control measures resulted in varying levels of reduction in pollutant concentrations, it was also studied in the context of improving the air quality index. The WRF-Chem model can be successfully implemented to study the effectiveness of any regulated control measures