Placental transfer of pesticides in humans

Transfer of organochlorine pesticides from mother to fetus has been studied in 100 women. The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides were examined in maternal blood, placenta, and umbilical cord blood of the same mother/child pair. Residue levels of dichlorodiphenyl trichloro ethane (DDT) and its metabolites, isomers of benzene hexachloride (BHC) and aldrin were detected in all the samples analyzed, indicating their transfer from mother to the fetus. A correlation was found to exist between the pesticide concentration and age, dietetic habits and area of residence of pregnant women

NICNET - a Hierarchic distributed computer-communication network for decision support in the Indian Government

A decision support information system for the Indian Government is being evolved, based on the design of a predominantly query-based computer network with hierarchric distributed databases and random access communication. The four level hierarchy spans 439 districts at the lowest level, the Central Government headquarters in New Delhi, the set of 32 State Capitals and Union Territories, and the set of four Regional Centres. With interference tolerance and random access as two guiding principles behind the choice, Spread Spectrum transmission and Code Division Multiple Access system of satellite communication was adopted. Each node of the network is a 32-bit computer which is capable of local bulk storage of up to three units of 300 megabytes each for purposes of queryaccessible distributed databases. The design and implementation of such a distributed database has endowed the network with the capability to distribute the data related to such databases over various nodes in the network so as to be able to accept a query from any of the nodes

A Circular Economy Framework based on Organic Wastes Upcycling for Biodiesel Production from Hermetia illucens

The present waste management practices have adverse environmental impacts at the same time costly. Approximately, 80 % of the Malaysian municipal wastes including organic wastes are usual disposed into landfills. Hence, transformation organic wastes not only providing economic and environmental benefits but has given waste a value. This study focused on synthesis of biodiesel from H. illucens pre-pupae fed with fruit waste and food waste. The objective was to evaluate interactions between the variables including catalyst loading, reaction time versus fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield (wt %), temperature and methanol to sample mass ratio. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the bioconversion optimization process. Optimal biodiesel yield based on fruit waste achieved was 96.15 % at 51ºC; 8.3:1 methanol: mass ratio; 253 min and 15.1 % catalyst. Furthermore, the optimal yield obtained from the second set of optimization using lipids of pre-pupae derived from food waste was achieved at 94.63 %.  The optimum conditions for reaction temperature was 71°C, with methanol to mass ratio of 6.8:1, at reaction time of 254 min and catalyst loading of 7.0 v/v%. The properties of FAME produced were in accordance with EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 biodiesel standards

Oxygen consumption in relation to spontaneous Activity and ambient oxygen in five marine teleosts

Some metabolic adaptations of 5 species of South Indian marine teleosts, namely Caranx carangus (Bloch), Chorintmus lysan (Forskal), Chanos chanos (Forskal), Synagris furcosus (Day) and Gerres lucidus (Day) were studied. The fishes were acclimated to and tested at an average temperature of 30°C and 35%o salinity

Optimization of polyurethane foam cube in enhancing the attachment of microalgae biomass

Attachment of microalgae biomass to polyurethane foam material is believed could reduce the cost and time needed for harvesting process in making it reliable to be used in industry for biodiesel production. This paper aim to optimize the usage of polyurethane for higher attachment of microalgae biomass yield in term of it sizes and packing volume. The investigation revealed that 1.0 cm3 polyurethane foam yield highest attached biomass (0.812 g) and it has best performance compared to 0.125 cm3, 8 cm3 and 27 cm3 with attached biomass yield 0.666 g, 0.546 g, and 0.368 g respectively. For packing volume, 6% is the best since has highest attached microalgae biomass with yield 0.753 g, compared with 2%, 4%, 8% and 10% with yield 0.426 g, 0.577 g, 0.687 g and 0.644 g attached biomass respectively.Keywords: microalgae; chlorella vulgaris, polyurethane; attached biomass.

Radiation resistance of gadolinium zirconate pyrochlore

The pyrochlore structure-type is a proposed host phase for the immobilization of plutonium. Previous studies have shown that a wide variety of actinide pyrochlores can be synthesized. Gadolinium zirconate with the pyrochlore structure has been shown to be remarkably radiation resistant. We report additional results of ion-beam irradiation studies. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87570/2/15_1.pd

"Ghol-Dara" fishery off Bedi port in the Gulf of Kutch

Trawling done along the Saurashtra coast has shown that fishing grounds oft Dwarka near the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch compare favourably with some of the richest ones in the world (Jayaraman et al. 1959). There is a steady fishery for most of the trawl fishes in the fishing grounds throughout the year. It is significant that three of the most commercially important fishes, namely 'Dora', Polydactylus indicus (Shaw), 'Ghol, Pseudosciaena diacanthus (Lacepede) and 'Koth', Otolithoides brunneus (Day), caught along this coast support good inshore fisheries, though for a very short duration, in the Gulf of Kutch and are collectively referred to as the "Ghol-Dara fishery". The fishery lasts for about six weeks from March to May and is peculiar in that it is made up exclusively of adult fishes, which grow to large sizes (1.000 to 1,500 mm.) and are being caught by a highly selective, large-meshed gill net operated at the botto

Novel 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells through p53 mediated intrinsic pathway

AbstractA series of novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (OSD, OCOD, ONOD, OPD, COD, PMOD, and PCOD) were synthesized and characterized. Their structures were confirmed on the basis of IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy and molecular weights were found in the range 300–325g/mol. Cancerous cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2) and non-cancerous cell lines (Chang liver cells) were treated with these compounds for 48h, which caused dose dependent decrease in the cell viability. From the seven derivatives, OSD was found to be most potent with IC50 value close to 50μM on all tested cell lines. Hence, this compound was selected for mechanistic study on HepG2 cell lines. Fluorescent cell staining and DNA fragmentation study of 50μM OSD on HepG2 cells, showed events marked by apoptosis such as nuclear fragmentation, cytoplasm shrinkage and DNA damage. Further, the cells with same treatment were quantified for apoptosis using annexin V-PI flow cytometric technique. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly higher (p<0.05) after OSD treatment compared to control cells. OSD induced a significant increase (p<0.05) in the expression of the tumor suppressor p53 in HepG2 cells. The constitutive expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 significantly decreased (p<0.05) after treatment, while the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax significantly increased (p<0.05). The change in Bax to Bcl-2 ratio suggested involvement of Bcl-2 family in induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, the levels of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were significantly (p<0.05) up regulated in HepG2 cells after OSD treatment. The data suggest that 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives induce apoptosis mediated by intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. The findings strengthen the potential of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole scaffold OSD, as an agent with chemotherapeutic and cytostatic activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro