Gallium nitride (GaN) and indium gallium nitride (InGaN) nanostructures, and their nanocomposites with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are prepared by solvothermal method and used as sensing materials ...for ammonia gas. The ammonia sensing characteristics are studied by coating the synthesized GaN and InGaN nanostructures, and their nanocomposites on interdigitated electrodes. The sensing parameters, i.e., sensing response, selectivity, and stability, are studied for various operating temperatures and relative humidity. The pristine GaN and InGaN exhibit a sensing response of 23.8% and 28.1% for 200 ppm concentration at 300 K, whereas the nanocomposites of GaN and InGaN show an increased response of 37.4% and 44.2%. This improvement in the nanocomposites maybe ascribed to the better conductivity, higher number of gas adsorption sites and reduced bandgap. It is found that these materials are an excellent choice for ammonia gas sensing application.
GaN and InGaN nanostructures, and their nanocomposites with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are prepared by solvothermal method and used as sensing materials for ammonia gas. The sensing parameters are studied for various operating temperatures and relative humidity. The response of InGaN nanoparticles is at 28.1%, whereas response increases to 44.2% for InGaN/rGO nanocomposite at room temperature (300 K).
•IARC classified occupational exposure to asphalt as possibly carcinogenic to humans.•In India, asphalt workers do not use a adequate personal protective measures to reduce exposure.•Increased ...biomarkers of genetic damage were seen in asphalt workers compared with controls.•The observed genetic damage in asphalt workers is associated with possibility of increased malignancy risk.•Asphalt workers should be provided PPE to reduce risk for severe adverse health effects.
There are contradictory reports about bitumen exposure and malignancy risk worldwide. Also, the evidence for genotoxicity risk among workers occupationally exposed to asphalt is insufficient. The study intended to evaluate particulate matter 10 (PM10) at the workplace and biomarkers of genotoxicity effects among a group of asphalt workers in and around Bangalore, India. This study involved a total of 107 participants (54 exposed group and 53 unexposed control group). To evaluate the genotoxicity, the urinary 8-OHdG and relative telomere length as oxidative damage while micronucleus (MN) assay for cytogenetic damage was carried out during the study. The majority of workers have reported health complaints and 57.4% of them were not using any personal protective equipments (PPE’s). The level of PM10 detected was 104 ± 9.5 μg/m3 and 619 ± 22.7 μg/m3 in the road paving and asphalt mixing sites respectively. The biomonitoring study observed a highly significant (p = <0.001) increase in the level of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the exposed group (23.17 ± 8.65 ng/mg creatinine) compared to the control (13.6 ± 7.12 ng/mg creatinine), revealed age significant associated and non-smoking borderline significant associated for oxidative stress. The relative telomere length (TL) analysis revealed its highly significant (p = 0.004) reduction in the exposed group, adjusted mean 0.95 (95% CI 0.83–1.07) compared to the control 1.06 (95% CI 0.91–1.26). The job category (p = 0.028), non-smoking (p = 0.026), and tobacco chewing (p = 0.013) were associated with reduced relative TL in the asphalt exposed group. In cytogenotoxicity analysis, the mean micronucleus (MN) frequency per 100 cells in the exposed group (26.46 ± 19.8) was significantly (p = <0.001) increased over the control group (8.56 ± 7.18). Neither smoking habit nor age appeared to influence the MN frequencies in either group. In the present study, we have demonstrated genetic damage in workers occupationally exposed to asphalt and particulate matter, raising concern for an increased risk of malignancy in these workers.
This study evaluated the occupational injuries and health hazards associated with fishing as an occupation among non-traditional rural tribal fishing communities in the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, ...India.
This cross-sectional study included a total of 170 individuals belonging to a fishing community, comprising both male (n = 82) and female (n = 88) participants. The demographic details including occupational history, lifestyle characteristics, socio-economic status, personal habits, and health status were assessed through the questionnaire survey.
The fishing community has a low socioeconomic status and poor literacy, lifestyle, and personal habits. The mean age of the participants was 38.8 yrs (male 34.8; female 39.9 yrs). Only 10% reported usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the work duration varied from 8 to 24 hrs in a day. While male subjects reported smoking habits (12%) and alcohol consumption (23%), none of the females reported alcohol consumption and smoking habits. The major occupational injuries that occurred were due to catfish (72%) and oysters (48%). A large number of female subjects reported musculoskeletal pains. The body mass index of about 28% of fishermen was above the normal range. Abnormal blood sugar, blood pressure, and respiratory and neurological symptoms were the other major health complaints. The major environmental hazards reported were salinity, solar radiation, tides, and high wind.
Injuries from handling fish and oysters were observed to be the major occupational burden. Additonally, a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and chronic health illness was commonly observed among the fishers. Adequate training and awareness programs are required for effective management of occupational health hazards and health promotion.
The present study was planned to estimate the prevalence of dental fluorosis in 6-12 years of children and its association with various drinking water sources, water, and urine fluoride levels among ...the subset of children under the umbrella of a larger study to address iodine deficiency disorders and iron deficiency anemia in 17 villages of Manvi and Devadurga talukas of Raichur district of Karnataka.
Analysis of subset of data and urine samples of children under the umbrella of a larger cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in 17 villages of Manvi and Devadurga taluks of Raichur district. House to house survey was carried out to collect data using a semi-structured questionnaire in ODK software. Demographic details, source of drinking water, clinical assessment of dental fluorosis, and height and weight measurements were performed by trained staff. Urine and water samples were collected for fluoride level estimation. The overall prevalence of dental fluorosis and its severity-wise prevalence were estimated. Association between dental fluorosis and age, gender, type of diet, source of drinking water, height for age, BMI for age, water fluoride level, and urine fluoride level were carried out using logistic regression analysis.
The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 46.0%. Mild, moderate, and severe dental fluorosis was found in 37.9, 7.8, and 0.3% of children. With the increasing age of participants, the odds of dental fluorosis were found to increase by 2-4 folds. The odds of having dental fluorosis were significantly increased with increasing water fluoride levels of 3 to 5 ppm AOR = 3.147 (1.585-6.248);
= 0.001 in comparison with water fluoride levels of < 1 ppm. The similar trend was found with urine fluoride level > 4 ppm AOR = 3.607 (1.861-6.990);
< 0.001. As compared to river water, other sources of drinking water were significantly associated with higher odds of dental fluorosis.
Prevalence of dental fluorosis was high in 6 to 12 years due to overexposure of fluoride from drinking water. High water and urine fluoride levels in children indicate the chronic exposure to fluoride and suggest that the population is at high risk of developing chronic fluorosis.
•Lower cholinesterase activity and DNA damage was associated with occupational exposure to pesticide.•No significant impact of confounding factors on cholinesterase activity and comet assay ...parameters.•Multiple intervention techniques such usage of PPE, awareness programmes including education and training are required for the workers.•This study demonstrates the need of further longitudinal study for better understating of the exposure and effects.
To assess the effects of exposure to pesticides in tea garden women workers, the present study evaluated the activities of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) as biomarkers of pesticide exposure and DNA damage by comet assay as a biomarker of genotoxicity in peripheral blood lymphocytes. We examined 143 women subjects including 77 women workers exposed to pesticide in tea garden (exposed) and 66 women subject with no history of occupational exposure to pesticides (non-exposed). The two groups had similar mean ages, BMI and personal habits. The results revealed that exposed group had lower activity of AChE (2.86 ± 0.75 vs. 3.93 ± 0.87 U/ml) BChE (2.02 ± 0.74 vs. 2.60 ± 0.74 U/ml, p < 0.001) than those of non-exposed group. The mean comet parameters such as tail length (TL), % DNA in tail, tail moment (TM) and olive tail moment (OTM) used to measure DNA damage were significantly elevated in exposed workers compared to non-exposed (p < 0.001). There was no variation observed in Cholinesterase (ChEs) activity and Comet assay parameter based on age, personal habits, years of exposure and use of personal protective equipments (PPEs) except BChE activity. The multiple regression analysis showed no association of confounding factors on end points measured except slight negative association of BMI with tail length. Therefore this study suggests that the workers in tea garden might have exposed to pesticide through their occupation on a regular interval. Although this study could able to associate it with their occupational exposure, the role of other DNA damaging factors cannot be ruled out. Our study finding indicate the necessity of periodic monitoring of these biomarkers along with imparting education and training to minimise the risk.
Fluorides are emitted in both gaseous and particle forms in the industrial sector. However, studies usually only report total fluoride content. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the particulate, ...gaseous fluoride and correlate it with the respirable dust particles in Single Super Phosphate (SSP), Granular Single Super Phosphate (GSSP), and administration divisions of the industry. Respirable dust particles, particulate fluoride, and hydrogen fluoride in the work environment were collected on a filter cassette containing an MCE filter paper (0.8 micron 37-mm) and Na2CO3 impregnated backup pad, respectively, using a personal sampler. The fluoride samples were analyzed using Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) and expressed as milligrams per meter cube (mg.m-3). The respirable dust, particulate, and gaseous fluoride content were found to have statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between the divisions (SSP, GSSP, and administration) in the static monitoring, whereas, in the case of personal monitoring, no significant differences were observed. Average airborne respirable, particulate, and gaseous fluoride levels in static monitoring were 1.37, 1.03, 0.20 mg.m-3, 0.018, 0.008, 0.001 mg.m-3, and 0.808, 0.403, 0.026 ppm in SSP, GSSP and administration respectively, whereas in personal monitoring the average respirable, particulate and gaseous fluoride concentrations were 1.18, 0.85, 0.30 mg.m-3, 0.0013, 0.007, 0.002 mg.m-3 and 0.356, 0.258, 0.011 ppm in SSP, GSSP and administration respectively. The present study observed that the levels of fluoride decreased with an increase in distance from SSP, followed by GSSP and administration. It indicates that the fluoride exposure was inversely proportional to the distance of the source. This study outcome will help to design a policy and intervention to mitigate fluoride exposure among workers.
Air quality is used worldwide to confirm the current status of air pollution level and associated health risks to the public. Several air pollutants reach very high concentrations in many regions ...across India. In this study, air pollutants were measured in an urban city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Southern India, during 2013 to 2014 based on season and location, and the influence of meteorological factors. Air pollutants (PM
10
, PM
2.5
, SO
2
, NO
2
, CO, and O
3
) across eight locations including industrial, residential, traffic, and commercial areas were assessed. The results showed that PM
10
, PM
2.5
, and CO were the most serious pollutants and their average concentrations ranged from 65.5 to 98.6 μg/m
3
, 27.6 to 56.9 μg/m
3
, and 1.58 to 8.21 mg/m
3
, respectively, among various locations. Significantly higher concentration of air pollutants was recorded in industrial areas followed by traffic and commercial areas. Comparatively higher mean concentration of O
3
(2.22 ± 0.75 μg/m
3
) and CO (7.73 ± 1.86 mg/m
3
) was recorded during the summer season, whereas the concentration of PM
10
(80.3 ± 24.4 μg/m
3
), PM
2.5
(45.1 ± 17.7 μg/m
3
), SO
2
(7.86 ± 1.55 μg/m
3
), and NO
2
(13 ± 1.81 μg/m
3
) was higher in southwest monsoon. Ozone (O
3
) and CO positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity. The level of PM
10
, PM
2.5
, and CO concentrations exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) guidelines. The present study’s results emphasize the need of effective air pollution control in Coimbatore. Precautionary measures to be taken to avoid exposure of air pollutants to the public and minimize pollutants. This study further suggests an investigation on the adverse impact on human health and environment using appropriate risk analysis techniques.
Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are the microorganisms thatspecifically infect and often kill insects and other arthropods. EPF is themost effective biocontrol agent against insects in the natural ...ecosystem whichcould be an effective alternative to chemical insecticides in bio-intensivepest management. Beauveria bassiana, one of the most prevalentsoil-borne entomopathogens, has virulence on insect pests. The present study isaimed to evaluate the pathogenicity of a native isolate of the entomopathogenicfungus B. bassiana isolated from the soil samples of a cotton field(Kuthukkal) in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu against Dysdercuscingulatus. Bio-efficacy trials were carried out with six differentconcentrations viz., 4.6 × 103,1.5× 104, 5.0 × 105, 2.7 × 106, 3.2 × 107,and 2.8 x 108 (spores/mL) in all the five nymphal instars and theadults of D. cingulatus. A 100% mortality was observed in higherconcentrations 2.8 x 108 (spores/mL) at 120hrs after treatment. The resultsof the present study show that the isolate seems to be highly promising in thepest management of D. cingulatus.
Assassin bugs are terrestrial predators belonging to the family Reduviidae. Among the 24 subfamilies, harparctorinae is predominant and extensively investigated for biocontrol applications compared ...to the others subfamilies in Reduviidae. Being natural enemies of phytophagous insects, understanding the phylogeny of these predatory bugs can precise the selection of candidates to employ in insect pest management. In addition to morphological systematics, complete mitochondrial genome sequences provide great insights into the phylogeny for resolving evolutionary complexity. Complete mitochondrial genomes of four potential predatory harpactorinae and one outgroup triatominae were retrieved from NCBI GenBank database. Comparative analysis of the five mitogenomes and the nucleotide sequence between nad1 and nad2 genes were selected as the best option to distinguish. The nucleotide sequence between nad1- nad2 are found to be biased towards A and T similar to their respective complete mitogenomes. Tajima’s test of neutrality suggest that the evolutionary selection at nad1-nad2 was parallel to the complete mitogenome and showed positive and significant (p > 0.1) with high nucleotide diversity. Unequal evolutionary rate at nad1-nad2 between lineages observed in Tajima’s relative rate test and proved the nucleotide sequences of nad1-nad2 between species are highly variable. Comparing the phylogenetic trees generated using the complete mitogenomes and nad1-nad2 genes uncovered the correlation between the trees and having identical branches with varying bootstrap values. Conventionally the highly conserved protein-coding cox1 gene is used for molecular taxonomy whereas this study provides an additional and/or a possible alternative molecular marker for genetic comparative test (the nucleotide sequence between nad1-nad2) to understand the systematics and phylogeny of Reduviidae. The significant nucleotide diversity, high genetic distance and less genetic similarity of the sequence between nad1-nad2 genes among the species studied, Agriosphodrus dohrni, Rhynocoris fuscipes, Scipinia horrida, and Velinus nodipes undoubtedly propose the possible utilization of nad1-nad2 region as distinguishable molecular marker.
Abstract
Extend the longevity of diesel in the world there is a need for identify ing alternatives sources. Biodiesel is the one of the best alternatives to overcome the fuel crises, day to day fuel ...price arise and environment emission concerns. In this study, the performance of the engine and emission has been studied. The raw non-edible waste cooking oil and Jatropha oils are equally blended 1:1 ratio is used to convert the biodiesel with methanol and alkaline catalyst KOH (Potassium Hydroxide) by transesterification process. Evaluated the physical properties of WJB value as per ASTM Standards. Nano additives magnesium oxide and graphene oxide were added 2:1 ratio mixed with biodiesel and diesel blend. The 4-stroke diesel engine used to find emission and performance of the bio-diesel blend WJB10, WJB20, WJB30,WJB40 and compared with mean diesel. The performance test ,combustion test and emission result were found lesser fuel consumption with brake thermal efficiency and reduced HC,CO,CO2 and NOx in WJB30 fuel blend compared to diesel.
