Evaluation of groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural use in Thanjavur city, Tamil Nadu, India

As groundwater is a vital source of water for domestic and agricultural activities in Thanjavur city due to lack of surface water resources, groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking and agricultural usage were evaluated. In this study, 102 groundwater samples were collected from dug wells and bore wells during March 2008 and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, major ions, and nitrate. Results suggest that, in 90% of groundwater samples, sodium and chloride are predominant cation and anion, respectively, and NaCl and CaMgCl are major water types in the study area. The groundwater quality in the study site is impaired by surface contamination sources, mineral dissolution, ion exchange, and evaporation. Nitrate, chloride, and sulfate concentrations strongly express the impact of surface contamination sources such as agricultural and domestic activities, on groundwater quality, and 13% of samples have elevated nitrate content (>45 mg/l as NO3). PHREEQC code and Gibbs plots were employed to evaluate the contribution of mineral dissolution and suggest that mineral dissolution, especially carbonate minerals, regulates water chemistry.Groundwater suitability for drinking usage was evaluated by the World Health Organization and Indian standards and suggests that 34% of samples are not suitable for drinking. Integrated groundwater suitability map for drinking purposes was created using drinking water standards based on a concept that if the groundwater sample exceeds any one of the standards, it is not suitable for drinking. This map illustrates that wells in zones 1, 2, 3, and 4 are not fit for drinking purpose. Likewise, irrigational suitability of groundwater in the study region was evaluated, and results suggest that 20% samples are not fit for irrigation. Groundwater suitability map for irrigation was also produced based on salinity and sodium hazards and denotes that wells mostly situated in zones 2 and 3 are not suitable for irrigation. Both integrated suitability maps for drinking and irrigation usage provide overall scenario about the groundwater quality in the study area. Finally, the study concluded that groundwater quality is impaired by man-made activities, and proper management plan is necessary to protect valuable groundwater resources inThanjavur city

Nanomaterial-based Sensors for the Study of DNA Interaction with Drugs

The interaction of drugs with DNA has been searched thoroughly giving rise to an endless number of findings of undoubted importance, such as a prompt alert to harmful substances, ability to explain most of the biological mechanisms, or provision of important clues in targeted development of novel chemotherapeutics. The existence of some drugs that induce oxidative damage is an increasing point of concern as they can cause cellular death, aging, and are closely related to the development of many diseases. Because of a direct correlation between the response, strength/ nature of the interaction and the pharmaceutical action of DNA-targeted drugs, the electrochemical analysis is based on the signals of DNA before and after the interaction with the DNA-targeted drug. Nowadays, nanoscale materials are used extensively for offering fascinating characteristics that can be used in designing new strategies for drug-DNA interaction detection. This work presents a review of nanomaterials (NMs) for the study of drug-nucleic acid interaction. We summarize types of drug-DNA interactions, electroanalytical techniques for evidencing these interactions and quantification of drug and/or DNA monitoring

Give south Indian authors their true names

10.1038/452530dNature4527187530-NATU

Relative nutritional efficacy of arginine and ornithine salts of α- ketoisocaproic acid in traumatized rats

The relative dietary efficacy of arginine α-ketoisocaproate (AKIC) and ornithine α-ketoisocaproate (OKIC) is evaluated in a rat (Sprague-Dawley) trauma (bilateral femur fracture) model. Both control and traumatized rats were starved for 2 d and then pair-fed for 2 or 4 d one of three liquid diets: diet 1 was a basic casein diet; diets 2 and 3 were the basic diet in which 10% of nitrogen was replaced by AKIC or OKIC nitrogen, respectively. Irrespective of the diet, the protein-efficiency ratio, defined as the gain in body weight per grams nitrogen consumed, was 27% less in traumatized rats than in control rats. More improvement in apparent nitrogen balance, particularly in traumatized rats, was seen with the AKIC supplement. Plasma amino acid patterns demonstrated stimulation of net protein synthesis with AKIC and not with OKIC. Dietary supplementation with AKIC may be beneficial to promote nitrogen economy in trauma victims