Soil carbon pools have a significant impact on the global carbon cycle and soil erosion caused by natural or human activities is one of the main drivers of changes in soil carbon sequestration. The ...present study aimed to estimate the carbon loss associated with soil loss in the watershed using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The study was carried out at the Central MPKV Campus Watershed, Rahuri, located in the rain shadow region of the Maharashtra state, India. The soil loss from the watershed was estimated using USLE model. The soil loss and carbon loss from the watershed were estimated before the implementation of conservation measures and after the implementation of conservation measures. It was found that the average annual soil loss from the watershed before and after conservation measures was 18.68 t/ha/yr and 9.41 t/ha/yr, respectively. Carbon loss was determined by soil loss rate, organic carbon content and the carbon enrichment ratio. The carbon loss from the watershed before and after conservation measures was 348.71 kgC/ha/yr and 205.52 kgC/ha/yr. The findings revealed that soil and carbon erosion was very severe on steep slopes without conservation measures and with limited vegetation cover. It was found that by reducing the carbon loss associated with soil loss, soil conservation measures not only aid in the conservation of natural resources but also serve as a climate change mitigation measure.
Groundwater resource problems are increasing development and planning challenges due to climate change and overexploitation, necessitating assessments of their potential and productivity. The study ...area has been facing a groundwater level decline problem for many years, and these results can help increase the groundwater level in the basaltic rock area. In this research, we have worked on the demarcation and suitability of groundwater potential zones using GIS and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) methods for the Urmodi River Basin. This research prepared eight thematic maps, that is, geomorphology, geology, drainage density, land use/land cover, elevation, lineament density and slope from satellite data and GIS methods, which play a primary factor in determining the proper groundwater potential zones. In this study, every thematic map was allocated weights depending on its specific characteristics and contribution to the groundwater potential capacity. The weights were determined using the AHP method, which considers the comparative significance of every layer about others. This weighting procedure allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the factors influencing groundwater potential in the Urmodi River basin. The resulting groundwater potential map was divided into four classes, that is, good, excellent, moderate, and poor. The study revealed that approximately 22.69% of the basin had excellent groundwater potential, 28.96% had good potential, 25.32% had moderate potential, and 22.92% had poor potential. These study findings suggest that a significant portion of the Urmodi River Basin exhibits good to moderate groundwater potential, indicating promising opportunities for sustainable groundwater utilization in the region. The groundwater potential zone map accuracy is 84% based on the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) method. These results can have implications for sustainable groundwater resources and provide a framework for conducting similar assessments in other regions. The results can be more important for sustainable development goals and helpful in increasing groundwater levels in the area.
A sustainable method for protecting natural resources is the adoption of recommended soil and water conservation (SWC) measures. SWC measures are well recognized for their effective soil protection ...and water harvesting. Unfortunately, their significance in climate change mitigation has yet to receive global attention. The present study was conducted to highlight the applicability of SWC measures for carbon management in watersheds. In this study, the impact of SWC measures on land cover, soil erosion, carbon loss, and carbon sequestration were investigated using advanced techniques of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). The study was conducted in the Central Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) campus watershed, located in the rainfed region of Maharashtra, India. The watershed is already treated with various scientifically planned SWC measures. Following the implementation of conservation measures in the watershed, average annual soil loss was reduced from 18.68 to 9.41 t ha−1yr−1 and carbon loss was reduced from 348.71 to 205.52 kgC ha−1yr−1. It was found that deep continuous contour trenches (DCCT) constructed on barren, forest, and horticultural land have the soil carbon sequestration rates of 0.237, 0.723, and 0.594 t C ha−1yr−1, respectively, for 0–30 cm depth of soil. Similarly, compartment bunds constructed on agricultural land have a soil carbon sequestration rate of 0.612 t C ha−1yr−1. These findings can be of great importance in the planning and management of climate-resilient watersheds.
The gut microbiome has varied impact on the wellbeing of humans. It is influenced by different factors such as age, dietary habits, socio-economic status, geographic location, and genetic makeup of ...individuals. For devising microbiome-based therapies, it is crucial to identify population specific features of the gut microbiome. Indian population is one of the most ethnically, culturally, and geographically diverse, but the gut microbiome features remain largely unknown. The present study describes gut microbial communities of healthy Indian subjects and compares it with the microbiota from other populations. Based on large differences in alpha diversity indices, abundance of 11 bacterial phyla and individual specific OTUs, we report inter-individual variations in gut microbial communities of these subjects. While the gut microbiome of Indians is different from that of Americans, it shared high similarity to individuals from the Indian subcontinent i.e., Bangladeshi. Distinctive feature of Indian gut microbiota is the predominance of genus Prevotella and Megasphaera. Further, when compared with other non-human primates, it appears that Indians share more OTUs with omnivorous mammals. Our metagenomic imputation indicates higher potential for glycan biosynthesis and xenobiotic metabolism in these subjects. Our study indicates urgent need of identification of population specific microbiome biomarkers of Indian subpopulations to have more holistic view of the Indian gut microbiome and its health implications.
The first organoselenium-based quinoline probe was successfully synthesized and characterized by common spectroscopic techniques. The probe was found to be selective and sensitive for superoxide ...detection over other reactive oxygen species (ROS), biothiols and metal ions, bearing “turn-on” fluorescence response with high photostability. The probe emitted strong yellowish-green fluorescence in the presence of superoxide with a 64 fold increase in fluorescence intensity. The detection limit of the probe was found to be 1.57 μM. The theoretical calculations strongly support the ICT mechanism for turn-on response. In addition, an in vitro cytotoxicity study revealed strong anticancer activity of the probe compared to the standard drug cisplatin in lung carcinoma (A549) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. The significantly high IC 50 value (65.21 μM) indicated the better biocompatibility of the probe for normal cells (MDCK) and that it will be a compelling medication for lung carcinoma cells (IC 50 = 2.14 μM) and breast cancer cells (IC 50 = 1.81 μM).
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•Herein, we have successfully synthesized a novel organoselenium-based BODIPY probe.•Synthesized compounds have been characterized with single crystal XRD.•Crystal packing of the ...probe showed formation of 1-D strip through F---H interactions.•The probe exhibited excellent selectivity for superoxide over other ROS and biothiols.•The probe detected superoxide inside the living cells and the study was supported by DFT.
Phenylselenide based BODIPY probe was successfully synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopic techniques (1H, 13C and 77Se NMR), mass spectrometry and single crystal XRD. Surprisingly, crystal packing diagram of the probe showed formation of 1-D strip through intermolecular F---H interaction. The probe was screened with various Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and found to be selective for superoxide ion over other ROS via “turn-on” fluorescence response. The probe selectively and sensitively detects superoxide with a lower detection limit (43.34 nM) without interfering with other ROS. The quantum yield of the probe was found to increase from 0.091 % to 30.4 % (334-fold) after oxidation. Theoretical calculations (DFT and TD-DFT) were also performed to understand the sensing mechanism of the probe. The probe was able to effectively detect superoxide inside living cells without any toxic effect.
Underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) has limited bandwidth, long propagation delays, and unrechargeable batteries, which forces the development of techniques minimizing the energy consumption of ...UWSNs. One solution is clustering that outperforms in terms of energy optimization and, in addition, can also provide scalability and data reliability. The development of clustering algorithms depends on UWSN architectures. In our case, we have proposed a hybrid UWSN network architecture named ACOP-UWSN (ACoustic OPtical Underwater Wireless Sensor Network), which aims for reliable data transmission at the fastest speed with higher data rates and minimized propagation delays. In ACOP-UWSN, optical sensors sense data, whereas acoustic sensors only relay data towards the surface buoy. Clustering of all these nodes may result in unnecessary wastage of the node’s energy and memory. Therefore, we undergo clustering of only optical sensors, as comparatively, sensing and processing of data consume maximum energy and memory than relaying data. In the proposed clustering algorithm, the criteria for cluster head selection are OSNR (optical signal-to-noise ratio) and residual energy. The mathematical derivation of OSNR for underwater wireless optical communication is a key part of the algorithm. The results achieved using the simulation tool show that our proposed OSNR-based energy efficient clustering algorithm (OECA) is efficient in terms of energy and as well data reliability as compared to state of art. The quantitative analysis of the results showed that the total energy consumed for the existing scheme is 450 J, which is more as compared to 400 J of OECA. Similarly, the residual energy of nodes using OECA is 1% greater than the existing scheme. To our knowledge, research on the clustering of optical sensors in UWSN is least available, and we are among the few to work on an OSNR-based clustering algorithm for underwater optical nodes.
The first organoselenium-based quinoline probe was successfully synthesized and characterized by common spectroscopic techniques. The probe was found to be selective and sensitive for superoxide ...detection over other reactive oxygen species (ROS), biothiols and metal ions, bearing "turn-on" fluorescence response with high photostability. The probe emitted strong yellowish-green fluorescence in the presence of superoxide with a 64 fold increase in fluorescence intensity. The detection limit of the probe was found to be 1.57 μM. The theoretical calculations strongly support the ICT mechanism for turn-on response. In addition, an
in vitro
cytotoxicity study revealed strong anticancer activity of the probe compared to the standard drug cisplatin in lung carcinoma (A549) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. The significantly high IC
50
value (65.21 μM) indicated the better biocompatibility of the probe for normal cells (MDCK) and that it will be a compelling medication for lung carcinoma cells (IC
50
= 2.14 μM) and breast cancer cells (IC
50
= 1.81 μM).
Synthesis of the first selenium containing quinoline probe, selective for superoxide detection
via
"turn-on" fluorescence response. The probe exhibited better anticancer activity than cisplatin.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to tackle viral variants, expand the number of antigens, and assess diverse delivery systems for vaccines against emerging viruses. In the present ...study, a DNA vaccine candidate was generated by combining in tandem envelope protein domain III (EDIII) of dengue virus serotypes 1–4 and a dengue virus (DENV)-2 non-structural protein 1 (NS1) protein-coding region. Each domain was designed as a serotype-specific consensus coding sequence derived from different genotypes based on the whole genome sequencing of clinical isolates in India and complemented with data from Africa. This sequence was further optimized for protein expression. In silico structural analysis of the EDIII consensus sequence revealed that epitopes are structurally conserved and immunogenic. The vaccination of mice with this construct induced pan-serotype neutralizing antibodies and antigen-specific T cell responses. Assaying intracellular interferon (IFN)-γ staining, immunoglobulin IgG2(a/c)/IgG1 ratios, and immune gene profiling suggests a strong Th1-dominant immune response. Finally, the passive transfer of immune sera protected AG129 mice challenged with a virulent, non-mouse-adapted DENV-2 strain. Our findings collectively suggest an alternative strategy for dengue vaccine design by offering a novel vaccine candidate with a possible broad-spectrum protection and a successful clinical translation either as a stand alone or in a mix and match strategy.
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Developing a successful vaccine against dengue has been challenging. Arun Sankaradoss and colleagues developed a genotype-specific DNA DENV vaccine candidate that elicits robust dengue immune responses. The low cost and thermostability of DNA vaccines should allow countries to implement large-scale vaccination programs, which could greatly reduce dengue cases.
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