Comparison of structure and composition of a fossil Champsosaurus vertebra with modern Crocodylidae vertebrae: A multi-instrumental approach.

Information on the adaptation of bone structures during evolution is rare since histological data are limited. Micro- and nano-computed tomography of a fossilized vertebra from Champsosaurus sp., which has an estimated age of 70-73 million years, revealed lower porosity and higher bone density compared to modern Crocodylidae vertebrae. Mid-infrared reflectance and energy dispersive X-ray mapping excluded a petrification process, and demonstrated a typical carbonate apatite distribution, confirming histology in light- and electron microscopy of the preserved vertebra. As a consequence of this evolutionary process, the two vertebrae of modern Crocodylidae show reduced overall stiffness in the finite element analysis simulation compared to the fossilized Champsosaurus sp. vertebra, with predominant stiffness along the longitudinal z-axes.

Environmental quality monitoring and impact assessment of solid waste dumpsites in high altitude sub-tropical regions.

Solid Waste Management (SWM) in high altitude regions is critically phased because of the non-availability of suitable facilities for the treatment and handling of large quantities of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Open burning practices at hill slopes were noticed which affect the surrounding environment. Hence, it became essential to measure the environmental components around the dumpsites to examine the impacts and suggest new technological solutions. The pollution parameters were monitored in and around the dumpsites, and the data was analysed using statistical tools. The assessment of air quality indicated maximum fine suspended particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration of 206.66 µg/m3 followed by respairable particulate matter (PM10), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). Among the gaseous emissions, methane (CH4) concentration was very high (38.53 mg/L) followed by carbon monoxide (CO) concentration (0.96 mg/L). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were also detected at few dumpsites with highest observed benzene (C6H6) concentration of 157.53 µg/m3. The soil sample analysis indicated that iron (Fe) concentration dominates followed by manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni). For evaluation of different alternatives for the SWM system, Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) was applied.

Characterization of municipal solid waste in high-altitude sub-tropical regions.

Solid waste management (SWM) is one of the most challenging issues owing to lack of authentic data on different elements of SWM, namely, storage, collection, transportation, separation, processing and disposal. This study presents an assessment of existing status of SWM in conjunction with municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates, physical and chemical characterization of MSW in high-altitude sub-tropical regions. Weighing of empty and fully loaded trucks per trip revealed total quantity of MSW collected. The average efficiency of MSW collection was 70%. From the baseline data, it is inferred that the population and MSW generation rates are not co-related. The collected MSW included biodegradables (organic wastes), paper, plastic, glass, ceramics, metals, inert materials, ash and debris. The data analysis indicated that the biodegradable components dominate the characterization at 54.83% followed by inert, ash and debris at 21.06%, paper at 8.77%, plastic at 8.18%, glass and ceramics at 4.45% and metals at 2.71%. Statistical measures were also applied and 90% confidence interval (CI) was generated for the characterization data measuring its statistical significance.

Emission, speciation, and evaluation of impacts of non-methane volatile organic compounds from open dump site.

Surface emission from Dhapa, the only garbage disposal ground in Kolkata, is a matter of concern to the local environment and also fuels the issues of occupational and environmental health. Surface emission of the Dhapa landfill site was studied using a flux chamber measurement for nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Eighteen noncarbonyl volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 14 carbonyl VOCs, including suspected and known carcinogens, were found in appreciable concentrations. The concentrations of the target species in the flux chamber were found to be significantly higher for most of the species in summer than winter. Surface emission rate of landfill gas was estimated by using two different approaches to assess the applicability for an open landfill site. It was found that the emissions predicted using the model Land GEM version 3.02 is one to two orders less than the emission rate calculated from flux chamber measurement for the target species. Tropospheric ozone formation has a serious impact for NMVOC emission. The total ozone-forming potential (OFP) of the Dhapa dumping ground considering all target NMVOCs was estimated to be 4.9E+04 and 1.2E+05 g/day in winter and summer, respectively. Also, it was found that carbonyl VOCs play a more important role than noncarbonyl VOCs for tropospheric ozone formation. Cumulative cancer risk estimated for all the carcinogenic species was found to be 2792 for 1 million population, while the total noncancer hazard index (HI) was estimated to be 246 for the occupational exposure to different compounds from surface emission to the dump-site workers at Dhapa. Implications: This paper describes the real-time surface emission of NMVOCs from an open municipal solid waste (MSW) dump site studied using a flux chamber. Our study findings indicate that while planning for new landfill site in tropical meteorology, real-time emission data must be considered, rather than relying on modeled data. The formation of tropospheric ozone from emitted NMVOC has also been studied. Our result shows how an open landfill site acts as a source and adds to the tropospheric ozone for the airshed of a metropolitan city.

Performance Evaluation of Effluent Treatment Plant Installed in a Typical Slaughter House.

A study was conducted to evaluate performance of effluent treatment plant installed in a typical slaughter house engaged in production of frozen meat. The results indicated that the treatment plant consisting of two stage activated sludge process followed by activated adsorption filter achieves TDS, BOD and COD removal efficiencies of 98.62 %, 99.48 % and 99.08 % respectively. The treated effluent with TSS of 53 mg/L, BOD of 19 mg//L and COD of 74 mg/L is used by the slaughter house for irrigation of eucalyptus plants. The paper covers production process, effluent characterisation, effluent treatment scheme and performance.

Assessment and quantification of plastics waste generation in major 60 cities of India.

Polymers or plastics materials registered rapid growth in 1970s, 1980s and 1990s at the rate of 2-2.5 times the GDP growth in India. The demand for plastic raw material got more than doubled from 3.3 Million Metric Ton to 6.8 Million Metric Tons in 2010 attributed mainly to rapid urbanization, spread of retail chains, plastics based packaging from grocery to food and vegetable products to cosmetics and consumer items. Plastics packages have its merits over many of conventional materials in the related sector but unless they are collected back effectively after their use to go into recycling process, they become an eyesore in the stream of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) due to high visibility. As the synthetic and conventional plastics are non-biodegradable in nature, these remain in the dump yards/ landfills for several years, if not collected properly. Due to non- biodegradability, plastics waste remains in the environment for several years, if not collected and disposing plastics wastes at landfills are unsafe since toxic chemicals leach out into the soil and as they contaminate soil and underground water quality. The municipal solid waste also increasing day-by-day due to the inefficient source collection, segregation and transmission of plastics waste for recycling and reusing. In order to find out the realistic plastics waste generation, a study on assessment and quantification of plastics waste has been carried out by CPCB in collaboration with CIPET on selected 60 major cities of India.

Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) as a starter culture for accelerating fish sauce fermentation.

AIMS: Application of Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) for the acceleration of fish sauce fermentation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Traditional fish sauce fermentation was mimicked using Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) as starter culture. Protease activity, peptide release and α-amino content (parameters used to monitor the progress of the fermentation) were high at day 10 in tests and day 20 in un-inoculated controls. The total protein and nitrogen contents were also high in tests compared with controls. The amino acid profile observed at the end of fermentation in experimental samples, when compared with the commercial sauce preparation, was found to be better with respect to flavour and aroma contributing amino acids as well as essential amino acid lysine. Microflora analysis of the final fish sauce revealed the absence of any nonhalophilic or halotolerant micro-organisms. The protease-producing halophilic isolates obtained from the fish sauce of eviscerated and uneviscerated controls were identified as Halobacterium sp. F1 and F2, respectively, by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous augmentation of Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) accelerated the fish sauce fermentation process with an additive effect on the existing natural microflora present in the fish during fermentation. Halobacterium sp SP1(1), therefore, can be used as an important starter culture for accelerating the fish fermentation process, which is attributed to its extracellular protease. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present study is the first report on use of Halobacterium species as a starter culture for accelerating fish sauce fermentation. Use of halobacterial starter cultures may revolutionize the process in fish sauce industries by reducing the fermentation time and making the process more economical with improved nutritive value of product.

Airway inflammation and upregulation of beta2 Mac-1 integrin expression on circulating leukocytes of female ragpickers in India.

OBJECTIVES: Over one million ragpickers collect and sale recyclable materials from municipal solid wastes (MSW) in India for a living. Since MSW contains a host of pathogenic microorganisms, we investigated the occurrence of airway inflammation and its underlying mechanism in 52 non-smoking female ragpickers (median age 29 yr) and 42 control women matched for age, smoking habit and socioeconomic conditions in Kolkata, eastern India. METHODS: Spontaneously expectorated sputum were stained using the Papanicolau method for cytology, and flow cytometry was used for measurements of surface expression of beta(2) Mac-1 integrin (CD11b/CD18) on leukocytes and P-selectin on platelets. The concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured in plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with controls, sputum samples of ragpickers contained significantly increased numbers of alveolar macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils and lymphocytes, suggesting airway inflammation. Circulating neutrophils and monocytes of the ragpickers overexpressed CD11b/CD18 and their platelets had upregulated surface expression of P-selectin, implying functional activation of these cells. In addition, plasma levels of IL-8 and TNF-alpha were significantly increased, indicating greater trafficking of leukocytes from circulation to the tissues. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a positive association between the ragpicking profession and leukocyte activation after controlling for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Ragpickers experience leukocyte and platelet activation and airway inflammation that could make them more vulnerable to tissue damage and cardiovascular diseases.

Assessment of the status of municipal solid waste management in metro cities, state capitals, class I cities, and class II towns in India: an insight.

Solid waste management is one of the most challenging issues in urban cities, which are facing a serious pollution problem due to the generation of huge quantities of solid waste. This paper presents an assessment of the existing situation of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in major cities in India. The quantity and composition of MSW vary from place to place, and bear a rather consistent correlation with the average standard of living. Extensive field investigations were carried out for quantification, analysis of physical composition, and characterization of MSW in each of the identified cities. The MSW management status (per the MSW Rules, 2000) has also been assessed, and an action plan for better management has been formulated; both are presented in this paper. Studies carried out in 59 selected cities in India have revealed that there are many shortcomings in the existing practices used in managing the MSW. These shortcomings pertain mainly to inadequate manpower, financial resources, implements, and machinery required for effectively carrying out various activities for MSWM. To overcome the deficiencies in the existing MSWM systems, an indicative action plan has been presented incorporating strategies and guidelines. Based on this plan, municipal agencies can prepare specific action plans for their respective cities.

Statistical optimization of medium components for extracellular protease production by an extreme haloarchaeon, Halobacterium sp. SP1(1).

AIMS: Optimization of medium components for extracellular protease production by Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) using statistical approach. METHODS AND RESULTS: The significant factors influencing the protease production as screened by Plackett-Burman method were identified as soybean flour and FeCl(3). Response surface methodology such as central composite design was applied for further optimization studies. The concentrations of medium components for higher protease production as optimized using this approach were (g l(-1)): NaCl, 250; KCl, 2; MgSO(4), 10; tri-Na-citrate, 1.5; soybean flour, 10 and FeCl(3), 0.16. This statistical optimization approach led to production of 69.44 +/- 0.811 U ml(-1) of protease. CONCLUSIONS: Soybean flour and FeCl(3) were identified as important factors controlling the production of extracellular protease by Halobacterium sp. SP1(1). The statistical approach was found to be very effective in optimizing the medium components in manageable number of experimental runs with overall 3.9-fold increase in extracellular protease production. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present study is the first report on statistical optimization of medium components for production of haloarchaeal protease. The study also explored the possibility of using extracellular protease produced by Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) for various applications like antifouling coatings and fish sauce preparation using cheaper raw material.