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Evaluation of Lipase from an Indigenous Isolated Bacillus Strain for Biodiesel Production
2023
Neha, Nisha Sethi, Sangita Yadav, Subhash Chander, Sweta Kumari, Ankur and Asha Gupta
Lipases are utilized in biodiesel production utilizing various types of substrates. The use of lipase in bioenergy production aims to reduce energy crises and environmental pollution. Lipase-producing indigenous bacteria Bacillus licheniformis (Accession no. OP56979) and Bacillus rugosus (Accession no. OP56980) were isolated from various oil-contaminated sites. The isolated potential lipolytic bacteria were screened for maximum lipase production. Then, the bacteria showing the highest lipolytic activity were subjected to identification using the 16s rRNA technique while other isolated were identified biochemically. Lipase [LipBL-WII(c)] from Bacillus licheniformis having the highest lipolytic activity expressed various characteristics. Characterization of crude LipBL-WII(c) expressed that it showed stability in a wide range of pH (4 to 10) with optimum lipolytic activity observed at pH 8. It was then found to be active at a temperature range from 20°C to 80°C with optimal at 50°C. Lipase activity was also stimulated in metal ions such as Ca+1, Mg2+, and Zn2+ the most. Furthermore, LipBL-WII(c) retained lipolytic activity in the presence of various organic solvents and surfactants. The kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax) for LipBL-WII(c) were ascertained using Lineweaver- Burk plot. LipBL-WII(c) showed a potential for biodiesel production using olive oil as a source. Lipase gave 84% yield of biodiesel production from olive oil. Thus, it could be employed as a potential candidate for green biodiesel production using oil sources.
Show more [+] Less [-]Postnatal Exposure to A Low Dose of Imidacloprid: Oxidative Stress in Brain Without Affecting Learning and Behavior in Swiss Albino Mice
2023
A. Sharma, S. Gupta and M. Kaur
The neurotoxic effects of exposure to low levels of the pesticide imidacloprid (IMI) and the effect of curcumin are of current interest when exposure occurs during early development. Male weanlings of Swiss albino mice (21 days old) were given 1 mg.kg-1 body weight (1/130 of LD50 and 2 mg.kg-1 body weight (1/65 of LD50) of imidacloprid and Curcumin (100 mg/kg body wt.) by oral gavage from postnatal day 21 to postnatal day 60. Young adult offspring were studied for behavioral parameters and learning ability using open field and Morris water maze. After completing the behavioral test, brains were processed for acetylcholine esterase activity and antioxidant enzyme estimation. The level of lipid peroxidation and activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione were assayed. In the present study, parameters such as locomotor activities and cognitive skills were not affected compared to lower doses of imidacloprid in the open field and Morris water test. However, activities and levels of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and lipid peroxidation were found to be altered. In contrast, superoxide dismutase, acetylcholine esterase activity, and glutathione remained unchanged compared to the control. This suggests that subchronic exposure to low doses of IMI can lead to significant alterations in the enzymes of antioxidant protective systems such as catalase and lipid peroxidation. Co-treatment with curcumin was able to restore the activities of the affected enzymes in comparison with the control.
Show more [+] Less [-]Efficacy of Tree Leaves as Bioindicator to Assess Air Pollution Based on Using Composite Proxy Measure
2023
J. S. Berame, J. E. Josue, M. L. Bulay, J. J. Delizo, M. L. A. Acantilado, J. B. Arradaza and D. W. M. G. Dohinog
Air pollution has become a major issue in cities due to urbanization, population growth, industrial development, and increasing number of vehicles. The study used Gmelina arborea tree leaves as a bioindicator to determine the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) as a simple and effective compositional index of environmental health in three cities in the Caraga Region, Philippines. To calculate the APTI, four biochemical parameters of tree leaves were calculated: relative water content, total chlorophyll content, leaf-extract pH, and ascorbic acid content. In terms of the APTI category, results showed that all G. arborea species collected in all sample sites are classified as sensitive to air pollution, with the sample collected in Bayugan City being the most sensitive, with an APTI value of 7.66, and the samples collected in Butuan and Cabadbaran City being the least sensitive, with APTI values of 9.54 and 9.11, respectively. A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed a significant difference between the APTI values of G. arborea trees in the three sampling areas in the Caraga region. Based on the APTI computed values of the tree leaves determined in all sites, it is concluded that G. arborea species can be used as a bioindicator of air pollution, classified as sensitive.
Show more [+] Less [-]Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Discharges from Fishmeal Factories Located in Levrier Bay, Nouadhibou-Mauritania
2023
M. E. Moulay Ely(), M. Sakho, S. Santana-Viera, J. J. Santana-Rodríguez, B. Elemine, M. Zamel, M. V. Deida, D. Froelich and I. Babah
Levrier Bay, located in the western part of Mauritanian Cost, has a strategic position in Mauritania’s fish economy and reproduction environment. Recently, fishmeal factories have multiplied in the bay. This study was carried out in Levrier Bay. It is the first one in this area which is interested in assessing the environmental impact of fishmeal factory discharges by measuring several parameters such as suspended matter, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), conductivity, turbidity, and salinity. A total of 27 samples were collected at 9 sites distributed on the link between effluents from factories and the Atlantic Ocean (discharge site). Results show that some parameters are over permissible values, like suspended matter content (SS), which reached 2020 mg. L.-1 level. The turbidity measure shows excessively high values (50 to 961 mg.L.-1); impacted by effluents at the reject point, the seawater conductivity and salinity are particularly low (4.53 to 188.2 and 13 to 56.4, respectively). The total organic carbon (TOC) values ranged from 200 to 780 mg/L, whereas the highest measured level of chemical oxygen demand was 4010 mg.L.-1 Biochemical oxygen demand content ranged from 685 to 961 mg/L. The biodegradability index (COD/BOD) shows that these effluents are not easily biodegradable because the index > 3.
Show more [+] Less [-]Study on the Experimental Conditions of Adsorption of Lanthanum (III) on Boron Nitride Nanosheets
2023
C. Fu, Y. He, C. Yang, J. He, L. Sun, G. Sheng, X. Zhang, L. Wang, L. Li and W. Linghu
This paper investigated the adsorption properties of boron nitride materials for La(III), and the possible action mechanism was put forward based on experiments. Then the boron nitride materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and FT-IR before and after adsorption. In addition, the effects of pH, the amount of adsorbent, the concentration of La(III) solution, and adsorption time on the adsorption efficiency were also investigated. It is found that under a certain amount of adsorbent when the pH is 7.0 and the concentration of La(III) is 40 mg.L-1, the adsorption ability of La(III) is the best. The maximum adsorption capacity is 201.45 mg.g-1. The adsorption kinetic data are in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models. These results show that boron nitride has a good application prospect for removing and recovering La(III) in water and has a certain practical application value.
Show more [+] Less [-]Computer Vision Based Machine Learning and Deep Learning Approaches for Identification of Nutrient Deficiency in Crops: A Survey
2023
M. Sudhakar and R. M. Swarna Priya
Agriculture is a significant industry that plays a major role in a country’s sustainable environment and economic development. The global population demands increased food production with minimal losses. Nutrient deficiency is one of the major and crucial factors influencing crop production significantly. Common techniques for determining crop nutrition status are the diagnosis of plant morphology, Enzymology, chemical effects, fertilization, etc. However, the above techniques are invasive and time-consuming or infeasible while considering varied production practices in different locations, environments and climatic conditions. Computer Vision is an area of Computer Science that deals with creating Artificial Intelligence based vision systems that can use image data, process, and analyze as humans perform. Early Detection of Crop Nutrient deficiencies favors the farmers to monitor the affected crops and plan for the manure or fertilizer application, which supports to regain of the crop’s efficiency for attaining its maximum yield. Modern computer vision systems rely on Machine Learning (ML), Remote sensing, Satellite imagery, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Internet of things (IoT) based sensor devices, and Deep Learning (DL) models that use algorithms to extract required features from data. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of recent research and identify the scope of computer vision-based technologies used for identifying crop nutrient content and deficiency, find research challenges in predicting nutrient imbalance in comparison with plant diseases that show certain similar characteristics, thereby to improve crop health and production.
Show more [+] Less [-]Analysis of Laboratory Experimental Tests on Mixed Oil Disposal (Bilge) from Ships Based on Marpol Annex I: A Case Study of Port of Tanjung Mas Semarang and Port of Tegal
2023
S. Awel and A. R. Fuad
Management of marine pollution is a difficult condition to realize, especially the pollution of mixed oil disposal (bilge) resulting from the operation of ships. The oil component has different characteristics compared to the essence of other substances; namely, oil can float on the surface of the water because it has an extra weight the type/density of the essence. The parameters tested in this research are oil/fat content parameters and their extraction according to National Certification Institution 6989.59:2008. Bilge water samples were taken from five commercial ships that leaned on the port and then carried out pre-treatment and post-treatment tests with the liquid separation process in the Oil Water Separator (OWS) device on the ship and then tested in the laboratory to determine the infrared spectrum in the absorption of oil content emissions in water samples, which may not exceed the standard threshold for port water quality, i.e., 5 mg.L-1. The sampling tests were carried out for the variables temperature, pH, Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), and oil content obtained values were below the threshold for water quality. To find out the relationship between Group I and Group II, linear regression was used showing the Ho result in reject (0.000<0.05), which means there is a significant relationship between Group I and II.
Show more [+] Less [-]Katowice Climate Package: Analysis, Assessment and Outlook
2023
Aditi Nidhi
Climate change is a widely debated topic in the 21st century, with various perspectives and opinions on its causes and potential remedies. Climate change risks have perplexed authorities and made protecting human life and health difficult. The elements that cause climate change, such as the combustion of fossil fuels, air pollutants, short-lived climatic pollutants, etc., have affected both the climate and human health. The Paris Agreement established several commitment periods that each nation was obligated to follow in accordance with their own individual capacities. This will assist in achieving greater human health and environmental benefits. To develop a robust climate change framework, WHO and other UN organizations have moved up to resolve these challenges. From the first international conference in 1988 to the current Conference of Parties, it has been concluded that “humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment, the ultimate consequences of which could be second only to a global nuclear war.” The recent Katowice Agreement and the climate change package that was put in place demonstrate the seriousness required to resolve the issues of finance, loss and damage, and differentiation mechanisms, which were thoroughly discussed. The paper will focus on the existing legal solutions for providing climate justice to nations. The study will also look at the effectiveness of COP24 in executing adaptation and mitigation plans and adhering to the Paris Agreement in both text and spirit.
Show more [+] Less [-]Systemic Economic Viability of Informal Sectors: E-Waste Management
2023
Dharna Tiwari, Gautam Mehra and Nidhi Gauba Dhawan
The informal sector has been at India’s core of recycling WEEE for the last few decades. They do not have the scientific knowledge of processing e-waste and use acid baths and heat treatment to extract precious metals. The existing processes used by informal actors lead to a serious impact on their health as well as the environment. The introduction of advanced recycling technology for mitigating the hazardous effects on the environment and human health is as important as the development of technology for new-age electronic products. The social, economic, and environmental benefits to the informal sector can ensure formalized livelihoods in e-waste recycling by ensuring access to technology. The paper highlights how setting up a recycling facility and capacity building of the informal sector solves the problem of informality and its associated social, economic, and environmental evils, which will benefit the sector as a whole.
Show more [+] Less [-]Determination of the Dynamics of Thunderstorms Through the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate and Environmental Lapse Rate
2023
Shiemaa A. Hashim, Jasim H. Kadhum, Zainab M. Abbood, Osama T. Al-Taai and Wedyan G. Nassif
This research aims to determine the types of thunderstorms formed in the thickness of the cloud (determine the Dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) and Environmental lapse rate (ELR)) in the case of precipitation during the day. Data were taken by Temperature, Dew point, Atmospheric Pressure, and Height from re-analysis by the (ECMWF) for the heights (0-18000) m, the levels of pressure (1000-100) mbar, low cloud cover data, and the characteristic days ((18, 24, 27) February, 28 April, and 25 November) of the year 2018 for Baghdad station were chosen to obtain the largest possible number of clouds and their diversity to use them in calculating the cloud cover and weather stability in terms of calculating the daily change, temperature, dew point in addition to calculating the low cloud cover with altitude and atmospheric instability. The Sigma Plot program was used in this research to determine the base of clouds and thunderstorms. The change in temperature, Dew point, clouds base, and altitude was determined, then the cloud thickness, types, and classification were calculated. The clouds found are strong thunderstorm clouds characterized by thickness and height, such as the clouds of Nimbostratus (Ns) and Cumulonimbus (Cb).
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