The paper presents the numerical study of the bearing capacity behavior of the model footing placed on the top of reinforced embankment slopes made up of Pozzolanic waste materials such as fly ash ...and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). The present investigation is aimed at studying the efficacy of the different types of reinforcement (geogrid and rubbergrid) in improving the load bearing capacity of the embankment slopes made up of waste materials. The effect of various parameters such as slope angle, location of the footing with slope crest, embedment depth of the reinforcement is studied on the strength behavior of the embankment. The analysis is carried out on unreinforced fly ash and GGBFS embankments for three slope angles and three locations of the footing with respect to slope crest, i.e., edge distance. The fly ash slopes reinforced with geogrid and rubber grid reinforcement is also analyzed for all the three slope angles and edge distances as that in unreinforced fly ash embankment slope and further, for various embedment depths of the layer of reinforcement. The GGBFS embankment reinforced with geogrid layer is analyzed with respect to critical slope angle and edge distance and optimum embedment depth of the reinforcement deduced from the unreinforced fly ash and GGBFS embankment and reinforced fly ash embankment. The analysis demonstrated that the load carrying capacity of the embankment slope decreases with increase in slope angle and edge distance in respect of unreinforced and reinforced fly ash slope and the optimum embedment depth ratio seems to be 1.2. Further, the rubbergrid reinforcement is found to perform better than the geogrid. The performance of geogrid reinforced GGBFS embankment is also noteworthy. The study underscores the effective utilization of Pozzolanic waste materials as the embankment slope and the rubbergrid derived out of discarded tyres.
In vitro transgenic hairy root cultures provide a rapid system for physiological, biochemical studies and screening of plants for their phytoremediation potential. The hairy root cultures of Brassica ...juncea L. showed 92% decolorization of Methyl orange within 4 days. Out of the different redox mediators that were used to achieve enhanced decolorization, 2, 2′-Azinobis, 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) was found to be the most efficient. Laccase activity of 4.5 U mg-1 of protein was observed in hairy root cultures of Brassica juncea L., after the decolorization of Methyl orange. Intracellular laccase produced by B. juncea root cultures grown in MS basal medium was purified up to 2.0 fold with 6.62 U mg-1 specific activity using anion-exchange chromatography. Molecular weight of the purified laccase was estimated to be 148 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme efficiently oxidized ABTS which was also required for oxidation of the other tested substrates. The pH and temperature optimum for laccase activity were 4.0 and 40°C, respectively. The purified enzyme was stable up to 50°C and was stable in the pH range of 4.0—6.0. Laccase activity was strongly inhibited by sodium azide, EDTA, dithiothreitol and L-cysteine. The purified enzyme decolorized various textile dyes in the presence of ABTS as an efficient redox mediator. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the enzymatic process involved in phytoremediation of textile dyes by using hairy roots.
Sesuvium portulacastrum is a common halophyte growing well in adverse surroundings and is exploited mainly for the environmental protection including phytoremediation, desalination and stabilization ...of contaminated soil. In the present investigation, attempts have been made on the decolorization of a toxic textile dye Green HE4B (GHE4B) using in vitro grown Sesuvium plantlets. The plantlets exhibited significant (70%) decolorization of GHE4B (50 mg 1⁻¹) that sustain 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) within 5 days of incubation. The enzymatic analysis performed on the root and shoot tissues of the in vitro plantlets subjected to GHE4B decolorization in the presence of 200 mM NaCl showed a noteworthy induction of tyrosinase, lignin peroxidase and NADHDCIP reductase activities, indicating the involvement of these enzymes in the metabolism of the dye GHE4B. The UV-visible spectrophotometer, HPLC and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses of the samples before and after decolorization of the dye confirmed the efficient phytotransformation of GHE4B in the presence of 200 mM NaCl. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis of the products revealed the formation of three metabolites such as p-amino benzene, p-amino toluene and 1, 2, 7-amino naphthalene after phytotransformation of GHE4B. Based on the FTIR and GC-MS results, the possible pathway for the biodegradation of GHE4B in the presence of 200 mM NaCl has been proposed. The phytotoxicity experiments confirmed the nontoxicity of the degraded products. The present study demonstrates for the first time the potential of Sesuvium for the efficient degradation of textile dyes and its efficacy on saline soils contaminated with toxic compounds.
ObjectiveTo provide insights into the nature, risk factors, impact and existing measures for reporting and preventing violence in the healthcare system. The under-reporting of violence against ...healthcare workers (HCWs) globally highlights the need for increased public awareness and education.MethodsThe Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems study used a survey questionnaire created using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) forms and distributed from 6 June to 9 August 2022. Logistic regression analysis evaluated violence predictors, including gender, age, years of experience, institution type, respondent profession and night shift frequency. A χ2 test was performed to determine the association between gender and different violence forms.ResultsA total of 5405 responses from 79 countries were analysed. India, the USA and Venezuela were the top three contributors. Female respondents comprised 53%. The majority (45%) fell within the 26–35 age group. Medical students (21%), consultants (20%), residents/fellows (15%) and nurses (10%) constituted highest responders. Nearly 55% HCWs reported firsthand violence experience, and 16% reported violence against their colleagues. Perpetrators were identified as patients or family members in over 50% of cases, while supervisor-incited violence accounted for 16%. Around 80% stated that violence incidence either remained constant or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among HCWs who experienced violence, 55% felt less motivated or more dissatisfied with their jobs afterward, and 25% expressed willingness to quit. Univariate analysis revealed that HCWs aged 26–65 years, nurses, physicians, ancillary staff, those working in public settings, with >1 year of experience, and frequent night shift workers were at significantly higher risk of experiencing violence. These results remained significant in multivariate analysis, except for the 55–65 age group, which lost statistical significance.ConclusionThis global cross-sectional study highlights that a majority of HCWs have experienced violence, and the incidence either increased or remained the same during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in decreased job satisfaction.
The present study focused on gravel berm and stone column improvement techniques for mitigating the effects of liquefaction for an embankment resting on liquefiable ground. Three-dimensional finite ...element models are developed to evaluate the effectiveness of two countermeasure techniques for embankments resting on liquefiable soil. Three different embankment models are considered in this study as benchmark embankment model (BM), gravel berm embankment model (GBM), and stone column mitigation model (SCM). Foundation soil has been modeled using an elasto-plastic effective stress-based UBC3D-PLM model. Initially, the behaviour of three different embankment models (BM, GBM, and SCM) are evaluated under varying amplitude of cyclic input motion. Later, a seismic study is carried out considering 10 sequential earthquake motions to assess the effect of the aftershock following the main shock event. It can be seen that even small amplitude aftershocks can develop a high excess pore pressure ratio in the foundation soil, especially below the embankment toe. Moreover, a linear correlation has been observed between the input motion Arias intensity and the intensity at the embankment crest. In an overall observation, stone column mitigation was found to be a sound mitigation approach.
•3-D finite element modeling of embankment with stone column and gravel berm mitigations are simulated.•The foundation liquefiable soil has been modeled using an advanced elasto-plastic UBC3D-PLM constitutive model.•Effects of sequential ground motion evaluated for 10 different real earthquake motions consisting main shock and aftershock.•Simulations show small amplitude aftershock events can also develop a high excess pore pressure ratio in the foundation soil.•Stone column mitigation performed better than gravel berm mitigation for embankment structures.
Fragility curve defines the probability of a structure exceeding a damage level for various levels of loading intensity. The present study presents a vulnerability analysis of a road embankment ...structure exposed to liquefaction-induced deformation due to earthquake loading. The numerical simulations are based on 2D finite element analysis considering liquefaction-susceptible soil as an elasto-plastic effective stress-based UBC3D-PLM model. The model parameters are developed through a calibration procedure with respect to the laboratory test results from past literature. The level of damage is described in terms of peak embankment settlement (PES) with increasing ground motion intensity (PGA). The fragility analyses have been carried out using an incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) considering a set of 9 different ground motions, which have been scaled to 16 different intensity levels. A wide range of parameters, including the relative density of liquefiable foundation soil, the geometry of the embankment, the thickness of the liquefiable layer, and the effect of densification on embankment response, have been considered in order to evaluate the vulnerability response of embankment subjected to liquefiable foundation soil. Study envisaged the relative density and thickness of liquefiable layer as primary and embankment geometry as secondary parameters having significant effect.
Green nanotechnology is an ever-evolving field of research and development due to an environmentally friendly approach. The present study highlights the green synthesis using
Pancratium parvum
bulb ...extract for the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles and enlightens its thorough characterization with biomedical applications. Here, the biogenic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were optimized for maximum and rapid synthesis and characterized by employing several spectroscopic and imaging techniques. Further, the synthesized particles were used to study anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM), anti-acetylcholinesterase enzyme assay, and binding kinetics study, comprising toxicity study on Vero cell lines. The findings concluded that statistically optimized parameters exhibited optimum synthesis of AuNPs with promising anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, and potential acetylcholinesterase inhibition as a remedy for Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies revealed good affinity kinetics of immobilized acetylcholinesterase enzyme on sensor chip with KD value 1.449 × 10
–6
M. Concurrently, the effect of AuNPs was evaluated on Vero cell lines, which exhibited the viability of cells at higher concentration, and CAM assay did not demonstrate angiogenicity. Thus, this said approach is rapid with potential medical applications.
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson (elephant foot yam) is a well-known vegetable tuber plant that belongs to medicinally important family Araceae. The present study reports on ...establishment of somatic embryogenesis using shoot apices as explants and assessment of genetic fidelity of regenerated plants using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Highest somatic embryo formation (100%) was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (13.31 µM) and 3% sucrose, whereas lowest percentage of somatic embryos was recorded on medium supplemented with different concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-d). Mature somatic embryos germinated readily on MS basal medium supplemented with coconut water (15%) and BAP (4.43 µM) and developed into normal plantlets after 4 weeks under dark conditions. Well-rooted plants were successfully acclimatized on half-strength MS medium; survival rate was 85%. The assessment of genetic fidelity and stability of regenerated plantlets from somatic embryos using RAPD markers resulted in monomorphic banding pattern that confirmed the genetic homogeneity of the regenerated plantlets. The protocol for somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of plantlets with low risk of genetic instability of A. paeoniifolius reported here is highly reproducible. This represents the first report on in vitro regeneration and RAPD assessment in A. paeoniifolius.
Plastid DNA markers sequencing and DNA fingerprinting approaches were used and compared for resolving molecular phylogeny of closely related, previously unexplored
Amorphophallus
species of India. ...The utility of individual plastid markers namely
rbcL
,
matK
,
trnH
–
psbA
,
trnLC
–
trnLD
, their combined dataset and two fingerprinting techniques viz. RAPD and ISSR were tested for their efficacy to resolves
Amorphophallus
species into three sections specific clades namely
Rhaphiophallus
,
Conophallus
and
Amorphophallus
. In the present study, sequences of these four plastid DNA regions as well as RAPD and ISSR profiles of 16
Amorphophallus
species together with six varieties of two species were generated and analyzed. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian Inference based construction of phylogenetic trees indicated that among the four plastid DNA regions tested individually and their combined dataset,
rbcL
was found best suited for resolving closely related
Amorphophallus
species into section specific clades. When analyzed individually,
rbcL
exhibited better discrimination ability than
matK
,
trnH
–
psbA
,
trnLC
–
trnLD
and combination of all four tested plastid markers. Among two fingerprinting techniques used, the resolution of
Amorphophallus
species using RAPD was better than ISSR and combination of RAPD +ISSR and in congruence with resolution based on
rbcL
.
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