Impacts of Stone Mining and Crushing on Stream Characters and Vegetation Health of Dwarka River Basin of Jharkhand and West Bengal, Eastern India

Dwarka River basin (3882.71 km2) of Eastern India in the Chotonagpur Plateau and Gangetic Plain is highly affected by stone mining and crushing generated dust. In the middle catchment of this basin, there are 239 stone mines and 982 stone crushing units. These produce approximately 258120 tons of dust every year and this dust enters into the river and coats the leaves of plants. On the one hand, this is aggrading in the stream bed, increasing sediment load, decreasing water quality, specifically increasing total dissolved solid, pH, water colour, and it also degrades the vegetation quality. Vegetation quality is also degraded as indicated by decreasing of NDVI values (maximum NDVI in 1990 was 0.70 and in 2016 it was 0.48). Considering all these issues, the present paper intends to identify dust vulnerable zones based on six major driving parameters and the impact of the dust on river morphology, water quality and vegetation quality in different vulnerable zones. Weighted linear combination method (in Arc Gis environment) is used for compositing the selected parameters and deriving vulnerable zones. Weight to the each parameter is assigned based on analytic hierarchy process, a semi quantitative method. According to the results, 579.64 km2 (14.93%) of the catchment area is very highly vulnerable: Here 581 rivers have a length of 713 km and these riversare prone to high dust deposition, increased sediment load and water quality deterioration

Impacts of stone mining and crushing on stream characters and vegetation health of Dwarka river basin of Jharkhand and West Bengal, Eastern India

Dwarka River basin (3882.71 km2) of Eastern India in the Chotonagpur Plateau and Gangetic Plain is highly affected by stone mining and crushing generated dust. In the middle catchment of this basin, there are 239 stone mines and 982 stone crushing units. These produce approximately 258120 tons of dust every year and this dust enters into the river and coats the leaves of plants. On the one hand, this is aggrading in the stream bed, increasing sediment load, decreasing water quality, specifically increasing total dissolved solid, pH, water colour, and it also degrades the vegetation quality. Vegetation quality is also degraded as indicated by decreasing of NDVI values (maximum NDVI in 1990 was 0.70 and in 2016 it was 0.48). Considering all these issues, the present paper intends to identify dust vulnerable zones based on six major driving parameters and the impact of the dust on river morphology, water quality and vegetation quality in different vulnerable zones. Weighted linear combination method (in Arc Gis environment) is used for compositing the selected parameters and deriving vulnerable zones. Weight to the each parameter is assigned based on analytic hierarchy process, a semi quantitative method. According to the results, 579.64 km2 (14.93%) of the catchment area is very highly vulnerable: Here 581 rivers have a length of 713 km and these riversare prone to high dust deposition, increased sediment load and water quality deterioration

Gravitational couplings of charged leptons in a medium

We calculate the leading order matter-induced corrections to the gravitational interactions of charged leptons and their antiparticles in a medium that contains electrons but not the other charged leptons, such as normal matter. The gravitational coupling, which is universal at the tree level, is found to be flavor-dependent, and also different for the corresponding antiparticles, when the corrections of $O(\alpha)$ are taken into account. General expressions are obtained for the matter-induced corrections to the gravitational mass in a generic matter background, and explicit formulas for those corrections are given in terms of the macroscopic parameters of the medium for particular conditions of the background gases.Comment: Latex, axodraw, 39 pages. Added a few stylistic corrections and clarifying statements in the treatment of the photon tadpole diagra

An Efficient Ultrasound-Assisted Synthesis of Cu/Zn Hybrid MOF Nanostructures With High Microbial Strain Performance

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a promising choice for antibacterial and antifungal activity due to their composition, unique architecture, and larger surface area. Herein, the ultrasonic method was used to synthesize the Cu/Zn-MOF material as an effective hybrid nanostructure with ideal properties. SEM images were used to investigate the product’s morphology and particle size distribution. The XRD pattern revealed that the Cu/Zn hybrid MOF nanostructures had a smaller crystalline size distribution than pure Cu and Zn-MOF samples. Furthermore, the BET technique determined that the hybrid MOF nanostructures had a high specific surface area. TG analysis revealed that the hybrid MOF structures were more thermally stable than pure samples. The final product, with remarkable properties, was used as a new option in the field of antibacterial studies. Antibacterial activity was assessed using MIC and MBC against Gram negative and Gram positive strains, as well as antifungal activity using MIC and MFC. The antimicrobial properties of the synthesized Cu/Zn hybrid MOF nanostructures revealed that they were more effective than commercial drugs in some cases. This study’s protocol could be a new strategy for introducing new hybrid nanostructures with specific applications

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND: Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. FINDINGS: Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. INTERPRETATION: As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Impacts of stone mining and crushing on environmental health in Dwarka river basin

The present work intends to explore the impact of stone mine and crushing on environmental components in the Middle catchment of Dwarka river basin of Eastern India. Stone dust produced from the crusher units (∼10–11 tons/day) is not only injurious for human health but also other valuable components of the environment like air, water, soil and forest qualities. In consequences of this, temperature is raised by 1–1.5 °C, concentration of particulate matter (PM 10) is reached to >180 mg/m3 in the lower atmosphere, degradation of vegetation health, qualitative degradation of soil (high alkalinity, low organic carbon) and deterioration of water quality (high chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, low dissolved oxygen), 15%–60% loss of agriculture productivity, loss of fish productivity, noise emission beyond extreme permissible limit (>85 dbA) are identified. River bed encrusting, capturing river channel, quality deterioration of river water is also very evident