Speciation of smectites in two shrink-swell soils of Central Peninsular India

Shrink-swell (Vertisols and their intergrades) soils cover an extensive area especially in Peninsular India with smectites as the dominant mineral. It was felt necessary to find out the species of smectites for better management of these soils. Hence, two benchmark Vertisols namely Seloo from Wardha and Saikhindi from Ahmadnagar districts of Maharashtra were chosen for the study. High resolution mineralogical analysis employed through X ray diffraction (XRD) techniques of the silt, total clay and fine clay fractions of both the pedons were carried out along with Greene-Kelly test with only fine clays. Silt (50-2 μm), total clay (<2 μm) and fine clay (<0.2 μm) fractions are dominated by smectite in both the soils; the smectites content increased gradually with decreasing size fraction. The fine clay fractions are mostly composed of smectite with small amounts of vermiculite and traces of chlorite, kaolin and feldspar. Greene-Kelly test indicated that both Seloo and Saikhindi soil fine clays are dominated by beidellite/nontronite over montmorillonite. The Seloo fine clay smectite is composed of 18–26 per cent and 74–82 per cent montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively, and for Saikhindi it is composed of 32–41 per cent and 59–68 per cent for montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively. However, these fine clay smectites are of low charge dioctahedral nature and therefore may not have any K selectivity. This property appears to have implications in K management of shrink-swell soils of Deccan basalt area

Green Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: Biological Synthesis Approaches and Potentials for Biomedical Applications

The nanomaterial industry generates gigantic quantities of metal-based nanomaterials for various technological and biomedical applications; however, concomitantly, it places a massive burden on the environment by utilizing toxic chemicals for the production process and leaving hazardous waste materials behind. Moreover, the employed, often unpleasant chemicals can affect the biocompatibility of the generated particles and severely restrict their application possibilities. On these grounds, green synthetic approaches have emerged, offering eco-friendly, sustainable, nature-derived alternative production methods, thus attenuating the ecological footprint of the nanomaterial industry. In the last decade, a plethora of biological materials has been tested to probe their suitability for nanomaterial synthesis. Although most of these approaches were successful, a large body of evidence indicates that the green material or entity used for the production would substantially define the physical and chemical properties and as a consequence, the biological activities of the obtained nanomaterials. The present review provides a comprehensive collection of the most recent green methodologies, surveys the major nanoparticle characterization techniques and screens the effects triggered by the obtained nanomaterials in various living systems to give an impression on the biomedical potential of green synthesized silver and gold nanoparticles

Silver-Based Antimicrobials

There is some talk about an antibiotic Armageddon due to quickly developing resistance towards commercially available antibiotics. For the most part, the classical antibiotic pipeline has dried up, and antibiotic resistance to any new drugs quickly develops. It is here that metal-based antimicrobials can step forward as possible solutions in this antimicrobial resistance era. The biological targets of metal atoms are more diverse, thus making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance compared with classical antibiotics. The metal silver has been used since antiquity for wound healing and water purification. At present, it is the most prevalent antimicrobial metal used in healthcare, industry, and consumer products. Silver is being used in the form of ionic salt, colloids, or in specific nanomaterials, and as described in this book, it can be applied as mixtures with other antimicrobials or coating composites. The different formulations are explored for their efficacy against a variety of problems related to agricultural and medical infections. Whilst by no means exhaustive, this book nicely highlights the present directions in silver-based antimicrobial research and antimicrobial formulation development. The chapters have been organized from a general introductory review to approaches of mixing other antimicrobials and materials to enhance silver performance. This is followed by synthetic approaches. First are biogenic (sometimes called green or eco-friendly) approaches, followed by advanced physical–chemical synthetic approaches. The book ends with an overview of applications through a review of patents over the past 10 years

Sustainable Agricultural Practices-Impact on Soil Quality and Plant Health

Agricultural practices involving the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides pose major risks to the environment and to human health. The development and adoption of sustainable ecofriendly agricultural management to preserve and enhance the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and improve agroecosystem functions is a challenge for both scientists and farmers. The Special Issue entitled “Sustainable Agricultural Practices—Impact on Soil Quality and Plant Health” is a collection of 10 original contributions addressing the state of the art of sustainable agriculture and its positive impact on soil quality. The content of this Special Issue covers a wide range of topics, including the use of beneficial soil microbes, intercropping, organic farming and its effects on soil bacteria and nutrient stocks, application of plant-based nematicides and zeolite amendments, sustainability in CH4 emissions, and the effect of irrigation, fertilization, and environmental conditions as well as land suitability on crop production

Agricultural Innovation and Sustainable Development

This book deals with sustainable agriculture at a time of climate change. It seeks to identify a number of solutions to deal with the agricultural stresses caused by climate change. These range from the identification and cultivation of appropriate crop varieties and the adoption of climate adaptive agricultural practices. Significant sustainable agricultural innovation is required to deal with these challenges. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) may be of crucial importance for modern agriculture. They serve to make R&D in agriculture attractive, by encouraging investment in new technologies and generating tradeable assets. A number of the chapters of this book refer to the principal IPRs relevant to agricultural innovation, namely: (i) patents, which protect inventions; (ii) plant variety rights, which protect the breeding of new and distinct plant varieties; and (iii) trademarks and geographical indications, which facilitate the marketing of products by providing protection for the symbols of their manufacturing or geographic origin. The United Nations Climate Change Panel has urged the consideration of the agricultural practices of traditional communities and some of these practices particularly involving rice, banana, and brassica cultivation are explored in the book. This book is essential reading for officials of governments and international organizations concerned with sustainability, as well as scholars and students concerned with these subject

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Not AvailableHydroxy-interlayerig (HI) in soil clay smectites of Vertisols in Peninsular India is a common phenomenon. Presence of small to moderate amounts of HI also affects the properties of soils. Earlier the view was that pH higher than 7.5 in soils may be the reason for HI. However, this explanation did not work in soil clay smectites of sodic Vertisols of Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and Purna valley of Maharashtra as the smectites in these areas are not hydroxy-interlayered. This demanded investigation for possible source and reason of HI in the soil clay smectites. Clay smectites of some Vertisols from Maharashtra (Takarkheda, Seloo and Saikhindi series) had small (about 3-5% in Seloo and Saikhindi) to moderate (about 5-15% in Takarkheda) HI. Mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction of soil clays indicated presence of HI, that were identified by (1) the nature of the graphs of K-saturated samples heated from 110° to 550°C; the peak at 1.0 nm was greatly reinforced with tailing on its low angle sides. In absence of chlorite, the 1.4 nm peak indicated hydroxy-interlayered smectite (HIS), (2) intensity of Ca-treated samples were higher than the Ca-EG treated samples which indicated presence of HIS and (3) persistence of 1.4 nm peak (after Greene-Kelly test) confirmed presence of HIS. The hydroxy-interlayered materials in hydroxy-interlayered smectities (HIS) are positively charged hydroxy-cations such as [Al3(OH)4]5+, [Al6(OH)15]3+, [Fe3(OH)6]3+, [Mg2Al(OH)6]+, etc. The positively charged hydroxy-cations are usually formed under acid weathering conditions in a humid tropical climate where substantial amount of Fe3+, Al3+, Mg2+ are available. Hence, the transformation of smectite to HIS by inclusion of hydroxy-cations would require acid weathering under humid tropical environment. In contrast, the study area where the Vertisols are formed have a semi-arid climate and a moderately to strongly alkaline conditions. This suggests that the presence of HIS in the study area representing semi-arid climate and having alkaline conditions is unlikely to favour the formation of HIS. Thus, the reactions involving hydroxy-interlayering is not a contemporary pedogenic process under semi-arid climatic conditions. The HIS which has been produced in the humid tropical area may have been transported through rivers and streams. After this depositional episode in wetter climate, soils became calcareous due to the change of climate to semi-arid. Thus, the HIS remained as a signature of climate change phenomenon.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableShrink-swell (Vertisols and their intergrades) soils cover an extensive area especially in Peninsular India with smectites as the dominant mineral. It was felt necessary to find out the species of smectites for better management of these soils. Hence, two benchmark Vertisols namely Seloo from Wardha and Saikhindi from Ahmadnagar districts of Maharashtra were chosen for the study. High resolution mineralogical analysis employed through X ray diffraction (XRD) techniques of the silt, total clay and fine clay fractions of both the pedons were carried out along with Greene-Kelly test with only fine clays. Silt (50-2 μm), total clay (<2 μm) and fine clay (<0.2 μm) fractions are dominated by smectite in both the soils; the smectites content increased gradually with decreasing size fraction. The fine clay fractions are mostly composed of smectite with small amounts of vermiculite and traces of chlorite, kaolin and feldspar. Greene-Kelly test indicated that both Seloo and Saikhindi soil fine clays are dominated by beidellite/nontronite over montmorillonite. The Seloo fine clay smectite is composed of 18-26 per cent and 74-82 per cent montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively, and for Saikhindi it is composed of 32-41 per cent and 59-68 per cent for montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively. However, these fine clay smectites are of low charge dioctahedral nature and therefore may not have any K selectivity. This property appears to have implications in K management of shrink-swell soils of Deccan basalt areas.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableDetermination of layer charge of soil clay smectites of the Peninsular India (PI) by alkylammonium method (Lagaly and Weiss, 1969) is generally encountered with some problems related to the inherent properties of smectites. The charges of these smectites are generally higher and the values are seldom closer to that of pure bentonite (Ray et al., 2003; Deshmukh, 2009). This is attributed to differential nature of smectites of Peninsular India. Detail study of the clay smectites indicate that hydroxy-interlayering (HI) is a common phenomenon (Pal and Deshpande, 1987, Bhattacharyya, et al., 1993, Deshmukh et al., 2009) in shrink-swell soils of PI. The presence of HI in smectites affects the determination of actual layer charge by alkylammonium method and the values obtained are found to be overestimated. The present study envisages to determine the layer charge of soil clay smectites before and after removal of HI. The EDTA method for the removal of HI from soil clay smectites has been used here for evaluation of the method. Two benchmark Vertisols from Maharashtra namely Seloo from Wardha and Saikhindi from Ahmednagar districts were chosen for the study. Fine clays were separated from the soils, characterized by XRD and were treated with alkylammonium hydrochlorides of various chain lengths before and after removal of HI.The fine clays contain dominant amount of smectite with small amounts of vermiculite and traces of chlorite, kaolin and feldspar. The smectites are partially chloritzed as evidenced by broadening towards the low angle side of 1.0 nm peak in K-saturated sample after subsequent heating to 550°C which is common in Vertisols. Greene-Kelly test showed the presence of both beidellitic/nontronitic and montmorillonite; where the former dominated over the latter. The weighted average layer charge by alkylammonium method for Seloo and Saikhindi fine clays are 0.450 and 0.432 mol(-)/(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2, respectively. The layer charge is highest at the surface and decreases down the depth for Seloo whereas for Saikhindi it showed irregular trend. After EDTA treatment and removal of HI, the semi-quantitative estimate showed a decrease in chlorite and increase in smectite values. This was also reflected in the values of weighted average layer charges (0.366 and 0.361 mol(-)/(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 for Seloo and Saikhindi clays, respectively) which decreased from the original values without EDTA treatment. This also suggests that EDTA is an effective extractant to remove HI from soil clay smectites. The removal of HI by EDTA method resulted in the decrease in layer charge compared to the original fine clays. This can thus help to resolve the problem of determining the actual layer charge of hydroxy-interlayered smectites by alkylammonium method.Not Availabl

Redox Imbalance and Mitochondrial Abnormalities in Kidney Disease

The kidney performs important functions in the human body and can inflict either acute kidney injury (AKI) or chronic kidney disease (CKD). AKI can be induced by kidney ischemia, drugs such as cisplatin, and heavy metals such as cadmium and arsenic. CKD can be induced by drugs, heavy metals, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as cancer. Importantly, nearly all kidney disorders have been shown to involve redox imbalance, reductive stress, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial abnormalities such as impaired mitochondrial homeostasis, including disrupted mitophagy and deranged mitochondrial unfolded protein responses. Understanding how these redox-related dysregulated pathways operate may give us new insights into how to design novel approaches to fighting kidney disease. This Special Issue of Biomolecules entitled “Redox imbalance and mitochondrial abnormalities in kidney disease” covers a variety of topics focusing on oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and antioxidation enhancement implicated in kidney disease or kidney transplantation

Chapter 34 - Biocompatibility of nanocellulose: Emerging biomedical applications

Nanocellulose already proved to be a highly relevant material for biomedical applications, ensued by its outstanding mechanical properties and, more importantly, its biocompatibility. Nevertheless, despite their previous intensive research, a notable number of emerging applications are still being developed. Interestingly, this drive is not solely based on the nanocellulose features, but also heavily dependent on sustainability. The three core nanocelluloses encompass cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). All these different types of nanocellulose display highly interesting biomedical properties per se, after modification and when used in composite formulations. Novel applications that use nanocellulose includewell-known areas, namely, wound dressings, implants, indwelling medical devices, scaffolds, and novel printed scaffolds. Their cytotoxicity and biocompatibility using recent methodologies are thoroughly analyzed to reinforce their near future applicability. By analyzing the pristine core nanocellulose, none display cytotoxicity. However, CNF has the highest potential to fail long-term biocompatibility since it tends to trigger inflammation. On the other hand, neverdried BNC displays a remarkable biocompatibility. Despite this, all nanocelluloses clearly represent a flag bearer of future superior biomaterials, being elite materials in the urgent replacement of our petrochemical dependence