Indoor pollution from solid biomass fuel and rural health damage: A micro-environmental study in rural area of Burdwan, West Bengal

AbstractEmissions from biomass combustion are a major source of indoor and outdoor air pollution, and are estimated to cause millions of premature deaths worldwide annually. In this study, we assessed the effect of exposure to biomass smoke on various health status including blood pressure, gaseous component and ventilation pattern of kitchen and living room. For this investigation, a number of measurements were done to obtain indoor air quality (IAQ) data (indoor humidity, temperature, CO, CO2 and O3 concentration). Blood pressure was measured at baseline and one hour post-exposure. Results highlighted that a higher concentration of CO2 was released during burning of dry leaf, straw, cow dung compared to that from straw and LPG gas. Moreover, correlation study showed a strong negative relationship between CO and humidity (r=−0.609, p<0.000). Symptoms like eye irritation, shortness of breath, cough and dizziness were highly prevalent among biomass users. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed a strong positive (p<0.05) relationship with age of biomass users. However, wood users suffer from high systolic pressure (p<0.037). On the other hand, a very poor ventilation pattern was recorded in the studied population

Impacts of vehicle exhaust black soot on germination of gram seed (Cicer arietinum L.)

An investigation was initiated to examine the effects of carbon soot collected from exhaust tube of 15 years old petrol and diesel operated vehicles on gram seed germination and biochemical changes of seedling. In view of the widespread cultivation of gram seed in India and long-term impact of black carbon is the warming of the atmosphere as per the recommendation of IPCC (2007). Black soot were separately treated with different doses and the effects of these treatment had on seed germination, seedling vigor, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, root and shoot growth, protein, sugar, phenol and proline estimation were studied. The treatment T6 significantly affected on seed germination (84%) as well as seedling vigor and chlorophyll content. But other treatment promoted both seed germination and seedling vigor along with enhancement of other biochemical constituents. On the other hand micrograph study revealed that treatments T1 and T4 both showed negative effects on stomata rather than the ultra-structure of xylem and phloem

Effects of ultraviolet radiation on pigmentation and malondialdehyde content of three aquatic macrophytes

A study has been done in order to evaluate the ill effects of UV-A,UV-B and UV-C on pigmentation and malondialdehyde content of floating macrophytes (Lemna sp., Pistia sp. and Eichhornia sp.) in one, three, and five days interval. Study results revealed that all types of ultraviolet light (UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C) did not produce same extent of ill effects on the studied macrophytes. Pistia sp. and Eichhornia sp. showed similar reduction pattern of chl a/chl b ratio with respect to control. Results also suggest that among the three types of radiation only UV-B showed higher level of changes in both the pigment and malondialdehyde content. Moreover, among the three tested macrophytes only Lemna sp. showed some protective role against UV radiation compared to other to macrophytes

Seasonal variation of soil enzymes in areas of fluoride stress in Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

AbstractSoil enzyme activities provide a unique biochemical means for assessing soil function as an indicator of soil fertility, which can be altered by a profusion of fluoride in the soil and seasonal changes. Seven sites were chosen in the fluoride-affected area of Nasipur, Birbhum District, West Bengal, India, to compare seasonal changes in enzymes (urease, amylase, cellulase and invertase), fluoride content, physicochemical characteristics and the availability of microbes in the soil with a control. The activity of all the enzymes varied with season. Urease had greater activity in the summer, followed by winter; it showed marginal differences from the control area during the winter (p<0.002) and summer (p<0.110) but a significant (p<0.000) difference during the rainy season. Soil pH had a negative impact on urease activity during both winter and summer. Cellulase activity was accelerated by the organic matter and organic carbon content of the soil. Fluoride therefore had the greatest activity against urease activity during the rainy, summer and winter seasons. The microbial population of the soil also showed a negative impact of fluoride, which may in turn affect the soil enzymes and characteristics

Giant cells: multiple cells unite to survive

Multinucleated Giant Cells (MGCs) are specialized cells that develop from the fusion of multiple cells, and their presence is commonly observed in human cells during various infections. However, MGC formation is not restricted to infections alone but can also occur through different mechanisms, such as endoreplication and abortive cell cycle. These processes lead to the formation of polyploid cells, eventually resulting in the formation of MGCs. In Entamoeba, a protozoan parasite that causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses in humans, the formation of MGCs is a unique phenomenon and not been reported in any other protozoa. This organism is exposed to various hostile environmental conditions, including changes in temperature, pH, and nutrient availability, which can lead to stress and damage to its cells. The formation of MGCs in Entamoeba is thought to be a survival strategy to cope with these adverse conditions. This organism forms MGCs through cell aggregation and fusion in response to osmotic and heat stress. The MGCs in Entamoeba are thought to have increased resistance to various stresses and can survive longer than normal cells under adverse conditions. This increased survival could be due to the presence of multiple nuclei, which could provide redundancy in case of DNA damage or mutations. Additionally, MGCs may play a role in the virulence of Entamoeba as they are found in the inflammatory foci of amoebic liver abscesses and other infections caused by Entamoeba. The presence of MGCs in these infections suggests that they may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Overall, this article offers valuable insights into the intriguing phenomenon of MGC formation in Entamoeba. By unraveling the mechanisms behind this process and examining its implications, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the complex biology of Entamoeba and potentially identify new targets for therapeutic interventions. The study of MGCs in Entamoeba serves as a gateway to exploring the broader field of cell fusion in various organisms, providing a foundation for future investigations into related cellular processes and their significance in health and disease

Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report, we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration, Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic

The CMS Outer Hadron Calorimeter

The CMS hadron calorimeter is a sampling calorimeter with brass absorber and plastic scintillator tiles with wavelength shifting fibres for carrying the light to the readout device. The barrel hadron calorimeter is complemented with a outer calorimeter to ensure high energy shower containment in CMS and thus working as a tail catcher. Fabrication, testing and calibrations of the outer hadron calorimeter are carried out keeping in mind its importance in the energy measurement of jets in view of linearity and resolution. It will provide a net improvement in missing \et measurements at LHC energies. The outer hadron calorimeter has a very good signal to background ratio even for a minimum ionising particle and can hence be used in coincidence with the Resistive Plate Chambers of the CMS detector for the muon trigger

Design, Performance, and Calibration of CMS Hadron-Barrel Calorimeter Wedges

Extensive measurements have been made with pions, electrons and muons on four production wedges of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) hadron barrel (HB) calorimeter in the H2 beam line at CERN with particle momenta varying from 20 to 300 GeV/c. Data were taken both with and without a prototype electromagnetic lead tungstate crystal calorimeter (EB) in front of the hadron calorimeter. The time structure of the events was measured with the full chain of preproduction front-end electronics running at 34 MHz. Moving-wire radioactive source data were also collected for all scintillator layers in the HB. These measurements set the absolute calibration of the HB prior to first pp collisions to approximately 4%