Accumulation of Arsenic and Fluoride in Lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl., Growing in the Vicinity of Coal-based Thermal Power Plant at Raebareli, India

ABSTRACT: Levels of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) were determined in an epiphytic lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl., collected from the vicinity of coal based thermal power plant of Raebareli, India. Both the elements are abundant in lichen thallus, while their substratum contained negligible amount. The As ranged between 8.9±0.7 to 77.3±2.0 µg g-1 dry weight in thallus and 1.0±0.0 to 9.7±0.2 µg g-1 dry weight in substratum; whereas F ranged between 9.3±0.52 to 105.8±2.3 µg g-1 dry weight in thallus however, it not detected in the substratum. The quantities of As in thallus increased with decreasing distance from the power plant, but F showed an opposite trend. The distribution of As and F around the power plant showed positive correlation with distance in all directions with better dispersion in western side as indicated by the concentration coefficient (R2). The F accumulaiton patterns in lichens clearly indicate that the  coal burning in power plant is the major contributor, and has its maximum levels on the down wind side. The analysis of variance and LSD indiacted that the As, F concentrations among lichen thallus is significant at p< 0.01% level. Key words: Bioaccumulation, Arsenic, Fluoride, Lichen, Thermal Power Plant Please Cite This Article As: R. Bajpai et al. 2010. Accumulation of Arsenic and Fluoride in Lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl., Growing in the Vicinity of Coal-based Thermal Power Plant at Raebareli, India. J. Exp. Sci. 1(4):34-37

Quantitative assessment of atmospheric elements and their interaction with transplanted lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl

A common foliose lichen Pyxine cocoes (Sw.) Nyl. was transplanted at 12 different sites of Dehradun City. The thalli of P. cocoes have been exposed for three months to monitor the accumulation of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn along with C and N and their impact on photosynthetic pigments (Chl a, Chl b, Total Chl) were also estimated. The results showed that thalli transplanted close to the city centre (0 km) exhibit early stress as revealed by decreasing photosynthetic pigments as compared to the control site. The qualitative and quantitative results of elements showed negative correlations with distance from the city centre. Among the metals analysed, Fe (3396.71µg g-1 DW) at Haridwar road followed by Zn (279.52µg g-1 DW) at Rajpur road found in maximum concentration. Similarly, the maximum carbon (C) concentration (52.05%) was observed at Haridwar road whereas the nitrogen (N) concentration (1.73%) was observed maximum at Rajpur road. The lichen P. cocoes possess good accumulation capacity for most of the atmospheric elements. It is well evident from this study that selected lichen species could be used to detect low to higher atmospheric elemental emissions from vehicular activity in the ambient air and the biomonitoring procedure could be further standardized and used as part of an environmental monitoring programme

Fungal Succession in Composite Soil on Staled Agar Disc at different Staling Periods

In the present study, the fungal colony interaction of composite soil was assessed under in vitro condition in virgin and staled agar discs after different staling periods i.e. 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours by using Warcup method to examine the tolerance potential of soil mycoflora present in the composite soil against the growth substances produced by the precolonized fungal colonies. It was observed that fungal growth pattern was different in each agar disc plate. It was also noticed that there was a successive decrease in the number of fungi colonizing on the reverse side of the staled agar discs. Only the most resistant microfungi i.e., Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. luchuensis, Aspergillus sulphureus, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium chrysogenum and Trichoderma viride were able to persist on staled agar disc after 96 and 120 hours of long staling periods

Insight into strigolactone hormone functions in plant parasitic weeds: a regulatory perspective

The strigolactones (SLs) are plants hormones that have multiple functions in architecture and development. The roles of SLs in shoot branching and stem secondary growth of autotrophic plants are established. SL is also involved in the interaction between root parasitic plants and their host plants. SLs are exudates by the root of the host plant in search of a fungal partner for symbiotic association, while parasitic plants utilize this facility to detect the host root. The first formed tubercle of Philapanhche, whose germinations are driven by host-derived SLs, exudates parasitic derived SLs (PSLs) and could encourages germination of the adjacent parasitic seeds, resulting in parasite cluster formation. The existence of aboveground spikes in clusters suggests an intriguing approach for increasing parasite population by amplifying PSLs, which result in massive parasitic seed germination. PSLs probably have a role in the increased branching of Broomrapes opposing the host plant, resulting in the parasites' clustered appearance aboveground. This review highlights the distinct roles of SLs and PSLs, and their potential role in host-parasitic interaction

Streamlined and Cost-Effective Genomic DNA Extraction Method for Lichens, Mushrooms, and Endolichenic Fungi: Enabling DNA Barcoding and Molecular Research

Extraction of nucleic acids in pure form from organisms is of paramount importance for DNA based identification and other molecular studies. Over the past few decades, DNA-barcoding has emerged as a powerful technique, facilitating species identification across various ‘difficult to identify’ life-forms. Fungi, being an immensely diverse group of microorganisms, contribute significantly to global biodiversity, with estimates ranging from 2.2 to 3.8 million species. However, a vast majority of this diversity remains unidentified, and many fungal species are considered cryptic. Therefore, numerous large- and small-scale DNA-barcoding projects are being conducted worldwide to unravel this rich biodiversity. However, the rigidity and high complex polysaccharides content of fungal cell-wall presents a significant obstacle, making the extraction of high-quality genomic DNA a challenging task across varied fungal organisms. In this study, we employed a modified CTAB based method to isolate and purify high-quality PCR-amplifiable genomic DNA primarily from lichens and tested it on other fungal life forms as well, including, mushrooms, endolichenic fungi, and parasitic fungi. Remarkably, the isolated DNA proved successful as a template in PCR reactions, serving the purposes of DNA barcoding, RAPD as well as for metagenomic analysis effectively. This versatile protocol demonstrated its utility across all the fungal life forms investigated in this study, offering a universal, cost-effective, and efficient approach for fungal DNA isolation

Eff ect of participatory women’s groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background A quarter of the world’s neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in India. Few community-based strategies to improve maternal and newborn health have been tested through the country’s government-approved Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). We aimed to test the eff ect of participatory women’s groups facilitated by ASHAs on birth outcomes, including neonatal mortality. Methods In this cluster-randomised controlled trial of a community intervention to improve maternal and newborn health, we randomly assigned (1:1) geographical clusters in rural Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India to intervention (participatory women’s groups) or control (no women’s groups). Study participants were women of reproductive age (15–49 years) who gave birth between Sept 1, 2009, and Dec 31, 2012. In the intervention group, ASHAs supported women’s groups through a participatory learning and action meeting cycle. Groups discussed and prioritised maternal and newborn health problems, identifi ed strategies to address them, implemented the strategies, and assessed their progress. We identifi ed births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths, and interviewed mothers 6 weeks after delivery. The primary outcome was neonatal mortality over a 2 year follow up. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN31567106. Findings Between September, 2009, and December, 2012, we randomly assigned 30 clusters (estimated population 156 519) to intervention (15 clusters, estimated population n=82 702) or control (15 clusters, n=73 817). During the follow-up period (Jan 1, 2011, to Dec 31, 2012), we identifi ed 3700 births in the intervention group and 3519 in the control group. One intervention cluster was lost to follow up. The neonatal mortality rate during this period was 30 per 1000 livebirths in the intervention group and 44 per 1000 livebirths in the control group (odds ratio [OR] 0.69, 95% CI 0·53–0·89). Interpretation ASHAs can successfully reduce neonatal mortality through participatory meetings with women’s groups. This is a scalable community-based approach to improving neonatal survival in rural, underserved areas of India

Effect of participatory women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background: A quarter of the world's neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in India. Few community-based strategies to improve maternal and newborn health have been tested through the country's government-approved Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). We aimed to test the effect of participatory women's groups facilitated by ASHAs on birth outcomes, including neonatal mortality. Methods: In this cluster-randomised controlled trial of a community interve

Community mobilisation with women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to improve maternal and newborn health in underserved areas of Jharkhand and Orissa: study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background: Around a quarter of the world's neonatal and maternal deaths occur in India. Morbidity and mortality are highest in rural areas and among the poorest wealth quintiles. Few interventions to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes with government-mandated community health workers have been rigorously evaluated at scale in this setting.The study aims to assess the impact of a community mobilisation intervention with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes among rural tribal communities of Jharkhand and Orissa.Methods/design: The study is a cluster-randomised controlled trial and will be implemented in five districts, three in Jharkhand and two in Orissa. The unit of randomisation is a rural cluster of approximately 5000 population. We identified villages within rural, tribal areas of five districts, approached them for participation in the study and enrolled them into 30 clusters, with approximately 10 ASHAs per cluster. Within each district, 6 clusters were randomly allocated to receive the community intervention or to the control group, resulting in 15 intervention and 15 control clusters. Randomisation was carried out in the presence of local stakeholders who selected the cluster numbers and allocated them to intervention or control using a pre-generated random number sequence. The intervention is a participatory learning and action cycle where ASHAs support community women's groups through a four-phase process in which they identify and prioritise local maternal and newborn health problems, implement strategies to address these and evaluate the result. The cycle is designed to fit with the ASHAs' mandate to mobilise communities for health and to complement their other tasks, including increasing institutional delivery rates and providing home visits to mothers and newborns. The trial's primary endpoint is neonatal mortality during 24 months of intervention. Additional endpoints include home care practices and health care-seeking in the antenatal, delivery and postnatal period. The impact of the intervention will be measured through a prospective surveillance system implemented by the project team, through which mothers will be interviewed around six weeks after delivery. Cost data and qualitative data are collected for cost-effectiveness and process evaluations

Explaining the impact of a women's group led community mobilisation intervention on maternal and newborn health outcomes: the Ekjut trial process evaluation

Background: Few large and rigorous evaluations of participatory interventions systematically describe their context and implementation, or attempt to explain the mechanisms behind their impact. This study reports process evaluation data from the Ekjut cluster-randomised controlled trial of a participatory learning and action cycle with women's groups to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Jharkhand and Orissa, eastern India (20052008). The study demonstrated a 45% reduction in neonatal mortality in the last two years of the intervention, largely driven by improvements in safe practices for home deliveries.Methods: A participatory learning and action cycle with 244 women's groups was implemented in 18 intervention clusters covering an estimated population of 114 141. We describe the context, content, and implementation of this intervention, identify potential mechanisms behind its impact, and report challenges experienced in the field. Methods included a review of intervention documents, qualitative structured discussions with group members and non-group members, meeting observations, as well as descriptive statistical analysis of data on meeting attendance, activities, and characteristics of group attendees.Results: Six broad, interrelated factors influenced the intervention's impact: (1) acceptability; (2) a participatory approach to the development of knowledge, skills and 'critical consciousness'; (3) community involvement beyond the groups; (4) a focus on marginalized communities; (5) the active recruitment of newly pregnant women into groups; (6) high population coverage. We hypothesize that these factors were responsible for the increase in safe delivery and care practices that led to the reduction in neonatal mortality demonstrated in the Ekjut trial.Conclusions: Participatory interventions with community groups can influence maternal and child health outcomes if key intervention characteristics are preserved and tailored to local contexts. Scaling-up such interventions requires (1) a detailed understanding of the way in which context affects the acceptability and delivery of the intervention; (2) planned but flexible replication of key content and implementation features; (3) strong support for participatory methods from implementing agencies