Biochar: A Sustainable Approach for Improving Plant Growth and Soil Properties

Soil is the most important source and an abode for many nutrients and microflora. Due to rapid depletion of agricultural areas and soil quality by means of ever-increasing population and an excessive addition of chemical fertilizers, a rehabilitated attention is a need of the hour to maintain sustainable approaches in agricultural crop production. Biochar is the solid, carbon-rich material obtained by pyrolysis using different biomasses. It has been widely documented in previous studies that, the crop growth and yield can be increased by using biochar. This chapter exclusively summarizes the properties of biochar, its interaction with soil microflora, and its role in plant growth promotion when added to the soil

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING MICROALGAL EXTRACT AND ITS APPLICATION IN METAL ION REMOVAL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Heavy metal pollution is of great concern and cannot be ignored as heavy metals are highly mobile in soil and are recalcitrant. Nanotechnology provides a novel sustainable approach for synthesizing materials of desired properties, composition, and structure, it is however expected to adsorb heavy metals and play a significant role in water treatment. Green chemistry is the cost-effective, non-toxic, and environment friendly approach that involves the use of biological components as reducing and stabilizing agents for the synthesis of nanoparticles. In the present study, heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd II) and lead (Pb II) were successfully removed from its aqueous solution by an adsorption process using the silver nanoparticles of size ~15nm biosynthesized using freshwater algal extract. The adsorption peak at 411 nm confirms the formation of silver nanoparticles. The maximum value of metal ion adsorption capacity (23.98 mg/g) was observed for Pb (II). The higher value of R2 showed that the experimental data were fitted best with Langmuir isotherm. The rate kinetics study showed that Pb (II) adsorption on Ag nanoparticles followed pseudo-second order kinetics (R2>0.9) indicating that Pb (II) was attached to the nanoparticles surface through electrostatic force of attraction, also referred to as chemisorption whereas Cd (II) adsorption on Ag nanoparticles followed pseudo-first order kinetics (R2>0.8) indicating physical adsorption between adsorbate and adsorbent

Unmasking communication challenges with personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 apocalypse

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our lives and health care system too. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), there have been 164,523,894 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 3,412,032 deaths in the world (20 May 2021). This unprecedented public health emergency has affected both patients and clinicians experience regarding traditional face-to-face consultations. Amongst the most pressing of these challenges is the requirement to wear mandated personal protective equipment (PPE) which includes gloves, gowns, shoe covers, head covers, masks, respirators, eye protection, face shields, and goggles. These protective gear helps in preventing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus to both health professionals and the patients

Scar endometriosis-rare and painful entity: a case report

Scar endometriosis is a rare type of extra-pelvic endometriosis that develops following obstetrical and gynecological surgeries. It is a rare entity, though probably on the rise, due to the increase in caesarean sections performed worldwide. This manuscript reports a rare case of scar endometriosis involving rectus sheath following repeat caesarean section and was managed at a tertiary level centre. The patient required surgical excision of the lesion and was kept on regular follow-up following surgery. The physiopathology of scar endometriosis is complex; its symptomatology is rich and diverse but detailed history, thorough clinical examination along with imaging and histopathological evaluation is usually efficient in diagnosing the condition

A rare association of uterine leiomyoma with mesenteric vein thrombosis and bowel gangrene: case report

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign pelvic tumors in women. There are many complications reported with fibroids. However, mesenteric vein thrombosis and small bowel gangrene caused by a uterine fibroid are rare. This manuscript reports a rare case of 40 year female with a large uterine fibroid associated with mesenteric vein thrombosis and bowel ischemia. She underwent exploratory laparotomy in which resection of gangrenous bowel including jejunum and ileum was done along with left sided jejunostomy and right sided ileostomy. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingooophorectomy was done followed by jejunoileal anastomosis 6 weeks later. Hence, in patients presenting with acute abdomen and uterine fibroids, bowel gangrene must be included in the differential diagnosis

Knowledge and practices regarding pesticide application and handling among farmers in selected community areas of Uttarakhand

Background: In South Asia region, India is the biggest country manufacturing pesticides for agricultural production and ranks10th in world where farmers use pesticides in agricultural area. In India, farmers have less knowledge regarding pesticide application and very rarely they get opportunity to attend formal training program regarding handling of hazardous pesticides. In developing countries, farmers have unsafe pesticide application and handling practices due to which pesticide poisoning has a major health problems among famers. Indian farmers who practice unsafe use of pesticides also experience different health problems. Hence there is a necessity to find out knowledge and practices of farmers while handling dangerous pesticides in day to day life.Methods: A quantitative research approach and cross sectional survey design was used in present study. Total of 302 farmers residing in rural area of Doiwala block were selected by using purposive sampling technique. Ethical permission was obtained from institutional ethical committee and informed consent was taken from study participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 125 (41.5%) farmers were using pesticide two times in a year and 180(59.8%) farmers used it for protection of crops. It was expressed by 223 (73.8%) farmers that they read the labels on the pesticide containers before using it but only 182(60.3%) farmers followed the instructions on the label.Conclusions: Farmers did not have adequate knowledge about frequency and reasons of using pesticide in farming. Majority of the farmers did not have adequate knowledge and practices regarding use of pesticide in agricultural area.

A miraculous pregnancy following a myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting: a case report and review of literature

Cardiovascular disease is estimated to occur in 0.4-4.1% of pregnant women, whereas coronary heart disease complicates only 0.01% of all pregnancies. In recent times, MI has been observed to occur more frequently in young women. This might be attributed to the fact that women are deciding to become pregnant at advanced age. In such high-risk cases, proper pre-pregnancy, antenatal, intrapartum and post-partum care should be taken. Pregnant women with heart disease should be managed by a multidisciplinary team approach comprising of obstetricians, intensivists, cardiologists and neonatologists. Here, a case of pregnant woman with past history of MI; treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is presented and the management is highlighted

Emergence of Lumpy Pox Virus and Their Preventive Measures: A Global Livestock Threat

In the last few years viral disease not only affect the human but also the other life on this planet and result epidemic condition at global level. The highly transmissible viral disease called Lumpy skin disease (LSD) spread in sequential manner at worldwide level affecting the cattle or dairy animals of caprine, ovine and bovine family. The highly mutational efficiency of this viral strains affects the large-scale population and still no effective cure for it. Different vaccines designed at national and international level as a preventive measure to overcome the reoccurrence of this virus e.g., Bovivax-LSD™, Lumpivax™, Poxvac™, Lumpi-ProVacInd. However, still the mortality of LSD are low, not affect humans but emergence of the mutational variants demands novel vaccines

Latest Expansions in Lipid Enhancement of Microalgae for Biodiesel Production: An Update

Research progress on sustainable and renewable biofuel has gained motion over the years, not just due to the rapid reduction of dwindling fossil fuel supplies but also due to environmental and potential energy security issues as well. Intense interest in microalgae (photosynthetic microbes) as a promising feedstock for third-generation biofuels has grown over recent years. Fuels derived from algae are now considered sustainable biofuels that are promising, renewable, and clean. Therefore, selecting the robust species of microalgae with substantial features for quality biodiesel production is the first step in the way of biofuel production. A contemporary investigation is more focused on several strategies and techniques to achieve higher biomass and triglycerides in microalgae. The improvement in lipid enhancement in microalgae species by genetic manipulation approaches, such as metabolic or genetic alteration, and the use of nanotechnology are the most recent ways of improving the production of biomass and lipids. Hence, the current review collects up-to-date approaches for microalgae lipid increase and biodiesel generation. The strategies for high biomass and high lipid yield are discussed. Additionally, various pretreatment procedures that may aid in lipid harvesting efficiency and improve lipid recovery rate are described

Exploring the biochar as a suitable carrier for a bioinoculant Aspergillus niger K7 and its consequence on Eleusine coracana in field studies

Carriers are not only important in providing a protective niche for microbial inoculants but also act as delivery vehicles. In the present investigation, the aim is to study the suitability of biochar as a carrier for Aspergillus niger K7 as well as its impact on the growth and productivity of Eleusine coracana, if any. In this experiment, the spores of the K7 strain were used as bioinoculant with biochar as a carrier for growth studies of finger millet in the agriculture field. Soil and biochar were analyzed for their physiochemical properties. After that, inoculum preparation was done, and the inoculum was incubated for six months with biochar to examine the viability of K7 strain with biochar. At last, for field trials, the seeds were sown, the mixture was amended to the soil, and growth and yield parameters were measured at 60 and 130 days. The soil amended with K7 strain and biochar separately showed significant enhancement in the growth and yield of plants over control, but the combination of the fungal strain with biochar as a carrier gave the best results in our study. It can be inferred from the results that biochar can protect microbial inoculants, improve soil properties, and make nutrients available for plant growth