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Coke-oven wastewater (CW), containing an array of toxic pollutants above permissible limits even after conventional primary and secondary treatment, needs a tertiary (polishing) step to meet the statutory limit. In the present study, a suitable bacterial–microalgal consortium (Culture C) was constructed using bacterial (Culture B: Bacillus sp. NITD 19) and microalgal (Culture A: a consortium of Chlorella sp. and Synechococcus sp.) cultures at different ratios (v/v) and the potential of these cultures for tertiary treatment of CW was assessed. Culture C4 (Culture B:Culture A = 1:4) with inoculum size: 10% (v/v) was selected for the treatment of wastewater since the maximum growth (3.08 ± 0.57 g/L) and maximum chlorophyll content (4.05 ± 0.66 mg/L) were achieved for such culture in PLE-enriched BG-11 medium. During treatment of real secondary treated coke-oven effluent using Culture C4 in a closed photobioreactor, the removal of phenol (80.32 ± 2.76%), ammonium ions (47.85 ± 1.83%), fluoride (65.0 ± 4.12%), and nitrate (39.45 ± 3.42%) was observed after 24 h. In a packed bed bioreactor containing immobilized C4 culture, the maximum removal was obtained at the lowest flow rate (20 mL/h) and highest column bed height (20 cm). Artificial intelligence-based techniques were used for modeling and optimization of the process.

In the present research, three agents such as saw dust (carbonised), waste of the timber industry, suspended bacterial cells of Pseudomonas oleovorans strain NITD 20 and immobilised whole live bacterial cells were used individually for fluoride removal from synthetic wastewater. Carbonised saw dust was used first as an adsorbent at optimum conditions such as pH 7±0.2, initial fluoride concentration of 15 mg·L-1, particle size of 0.10 mm, adsorbent dose of 60 g·L-1, contact time of 10 h and stirring speed of 120 rpm, and it showed 79.04±0.196% fluoride removal. In the present study, both suspended and immobilised cells of ‘Pseudomonas oleovorans strain NITD 20’ were used for the defluoridation process. Immobilisation was done onto the carbonised saw dust. The maximum removal was observed for suspended cells at 94.5±2.1% and immobilised cells at 98±1.23% in 10 h and 8 h incubation periods, respectively, from 15 mg·L-1 fluoride containing synthetic wastewater.

Background Removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater is essential as it is potentially toxic and carcinogenic in nature. Bioremediation of heavy metals using microalgae is a novel technique and has several advantages such as microalgae remove metals in an environmentally friendly and economic manner. The present study deals with modeling and optimization of the phycoremediation of Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater. The initial concentration of Cr(VI), initial pH, and inoculum size were considered as input factors, and the percentage removal of Cr(VI) was chosen as a response. Results An accurate data-driven genetic programming model was developed with the experimental data of other scientists to find a relation between the percentage removal of Cr(VI) and all input parameters. To maximize the removal of Cr(VI), the grey wolf optimization technique was applied to determine the optimal values of input parameters. Conclusion These optimum input parameters are difficult to get through experimentation using the trial-and-error method. The established modelling and optimization technique is generic and can be applied to any other experimental study. Graphical Abstract

Background Being the most widely used construction material, concrete health is considered a very important aspect from the structural point of view. Microcracks in concrete cause water and chlorine ions to enter the structure, causing the concrete to degrade and the reinforcement to corrode, posing an unacceptable level of structural risk. Hence repair of these cracks in an eco-friendly and cost-effective way is in the interest of various researchers. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is an effective way considered by various researchers to heal those concrete cracks along with an important environmental contribution of CO2 (carbon dioxide) sequestration in the process. Main content As the current concentration of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere is about 412 ppm, it possesses a deadly threat to the environmental issue of global warming. The use of bacteria for MICP can not only be a viable solution to repairing concrete cracks but also can play an important role of CO2 arrestation in carbonate form. This will help in carbon level management to lessen the adverse effects of this greenhouse gas on the atmospheric environment, particularly on the climate. To overcome the insufficiency of studies concentrating on this aspect, this review article focuses on the metabolic pathways and mechanisms of MICP and highlights the value of MICP for CO2 arrestation/sequestration from the atmosphere during the process of self-healing of concrete cracks, which is also the novelty of this work. An overview of recent studies on the implementation of MICP in concrete crack repair is used to discuss and analyse the factors influencing the effectiveness of MICP in the process, including various approaches used for CO2 sequestration. Furthermore, this investigation concentrates on finding the scope of work in the same field for the most effective ways of CO2 sequestration in the process of self-healing cracks of concrete. Conclusion In a prospective study, MICP can be an effective technology for CO2 sequestration in concrete crack repair, as it can reduce adverse environmental impacts and provide greener environment. This critical study concludes that MICP can bear a significant role in arrestation/sequestration of CO2, under proper atmospheric conditions with a cautious selection of microorganisms and its nutrient for the MICP procedure. Graphical Abstract

Importance This proof-of-concept paper demonstrates that driver mutations can be detected in plasma in differentiated thyroid tumors, and we were able to detect mutations in upto 80% malignant thyroid nodules. Additionally, cancer subtypes could also be predicted using a 8-gene panel. In almost 90% follicular adenoma, rat sarcoma virus (RAS) mutations were detectable. There was a strong agreement between driver mutations found in plasma samples, FNAC materials, and histopathology samples. This has potential as a noninvasive, preoperative diagnostic tool (particularly of clinical importance in indeterminate nodules) and may help in detection of residual tumor after surgery. Future research is warranted to test the role of this tool to detect tumor recurrence. Objective Ultrasonographic (USG) evaluation and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are cornerstone for evaluation of thyroid neoplasm. Molecular technique including detection of driver mutation from FNA cytology (FNAC) material is an established modality. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using plasma cell–free nucleic acids to identify known driver mutations in differentiated thyroid neoplasm. Design Patients presenting with thyroid nodules underwent USG with Thyroid Image Reporting and Data Systems scoring and FNAC (Bethesda classification). All patients in Bethesda 3, 4, 5, 6 underwent surgery and histopathological confirmation. Patients in Bethesda 2 (cosmetic concerns, compressive symptoms) underwent surgery, and rest were presumed benign on the basis of USG, FNAC features, and clinical followup.). Setting Endocrinology clinic. Participants Subjects with thyroid nodule. Intervention(s) or Exposure(s) None. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s) Plasma sample, FNA, and histopathology material were evaluated for driver mutations (8-gene panel comprising BRAF-V600E, RET/PTC3, RET/PTC1, TERT promoter, HRAS, NRAS, KRAS, and PAX8-PPARG). Results A total of 223 subjects were recruited; of these 154 were benign and 69 had differentiated thyroid cancer. We were able to detect driver mutation from plasma in 55 subjects (79.71%) of all malignant patients, and 11 patients in benign category had RAS mutation (follicular adenoma). Rest of the benign nodules did not have any detectable driver mutations. Conclusions and Relevance Plasma might be a viable noninvasive alternative source for detection of driver mutations (8-gene panel) in subjects with differentiated thyroid tumors and may have significant clinical utility.

Though the biological treatment employing bacterial strains has wide application in effluent treatment plant, it has got several limitations. Researches hence while looking for alternative biological organisms that can be used for secondary treatment came up with the idea of using microalgae. Since then, a large number of microalgal/cyanobacterial strains have been identified that can efficiently remove pollutants from wastewater. Some researchers also found out that the algal biomass not only acts as a carbon sink by taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and giving oxygen but also is a renewable source of several value-added products that can be extracted from it for the commercial use. In this work, the cleaning effect of different species of microalgae/cyanobacteria on wastewater from varied sources along with the value-added products obtained from the algal biomass as observed by researchers during the past few years are reviewed. While a number of review works in the field of phycoremediation technology was reported in literature, a comprehensive study on phycoremediation of wastewater from different industries and household individually is limited. In the present review work, the efficiency of diverse microalgal/cyanobacterial strains in treatment of wide range of industrial effluents along with municipal wastewater having multi-pollutants has been critically reviewed.

This article focuses on the phycoremediation of pollutants from secondary treated coke-oven effluent through a green and economical route. A microalgal sample was collected and identified as a consortium of Chlorella sp. and Synechococcus sp. The culture cost was reduced by using poultry litter extract as supplementary material to BG-11 medium. Since the major pollutants present in real secondary treated coke-oven wastewater are phenol, ammoniacal-N (NH4+) and cyanide, several matrices were designed with these three major pollutants by varying their initial concentrations such as phenol (2–10 mg/L), cyanide (0.3–1 mg/L) and NH4+ (100–200 mg/L), termed as simulated secondary treated coke-oven wastewater. Maximum removal was observed with individual solutions of phenol (4 mg/L), cyanide (0.6 mg/L) and NH4+ (175 mg/L), while maximum removal in simulated secondary treated coke-oven wastewater was observed at higher concentrations of phenol (8 mg/L) and cyanide (0.8 mg/L) and the same concentration of NH4+ (175 mg/L). A consortium was found effective to meet statutory limits of pollutants. Kinetic model was developed for predicting growth of consortium and observed that the poultry litter extract-enriched BG-11 medium showed higher values of maximum specific growth rate (0.56 per day) and carrying capacity (1,330 mg/L) than that in BG-11 medium only. HIGHLIGHTS A consortium was identified for tertiary treatment of coke-oven wastewater.; Poultry litter extract was found effective as a growth medium for consortium.; Phycoremediation of NH4+, phenol and cyanide was examined with the present consortium.; Biomass and biomolecules were extracted and estimated.; A consortium was found effective for real wastewater treatment.

The present study evaluated short-time effect of steam modified biochar with rhamnolipid solution on the removal of different volatile organic and inorganic compounds (acetone, xylene, ammonia) in biofilter with capillary system. Modification of pine wood biochar with steam governed better treatment of pollar acetone and ammonia compounds from the air stream with removal efficiencies of 93% and 96%, respectively. It was related to biochar’s higher average capillary radius, moisture content and lower air velocity. However, removal of xylene was much lower and reached 72% in the case of modified biochar. It can be explained by its higher Henry’s constant, hydrophobicity and non-polarity.

Congenital Epulis or Neumann’s tumour is a rare benign outgrowth commonly from the maxilla in a new-born. It presents dramatically at birth of a child with breathing or feeding problems. The treatment in such symptomatic infants is prompt excision which presents a challenge to Surgeons but more so to the anaesthesiologist. A case report is presented here with a focus on the methods of anesthesia and surgery. A brief literature review is also presented.

In the present study, the waste part of the banana tree was used as a precursor, and copper chloride salt was used as an impregnating agent for the preparation of adsorbent to remove both cyanide and phenol from synthetic wastewater. Initially, thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the rate of carbonization of the material with temperature, and thus, the optimum temperature (370 °C) and time of carbonization (35 min) were assessed. Different samples of adsorbents were prepared next by varying the weight ratio of pseudo-stem of waste banana tree to copper salt from 1:1 to 30:1. All the samples were then tested for removal of both the pollutants, and the ratio (20:1) corresponding to maximum removal of both the pollutants was considered as optimum. Therefore, further studies were conducted with the adsorbent prepared at optimum ratio, temperature and time and such adsorbent was termed as copper impregnated activated banana tree (CIABT). One variable at a time approach was followed to find out the most effective condition based on the maximum removal of pollutants. Maximum removal of 95.99 ± 1.03% and 97.33 ± 0.04% was achieved for cyanide (initial concentration: 100 ppm) and phenol (initial concentration: 450 ppm), respectively, at an optimum contact time of 150 min, the particle size of 90 μ, the adsorbent dosage of 10 g/L, pH 8.0 using CIABT at 25 °C. Hybrid artificial neural network–particle swarm optimization were employed for modelling-optimization of removal of both the pollutants while achieving 91.4–99.99% and 86.43–99.99% removal of cyanide and phenol, respectively, from simulated wastewater.

Background Molecular testing is increasingly used to identify malignancy in thyroid nodules (especially indeterminate category). Measurement of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels from plasma has been useful in diagnosis of cancers of other organs/tissues; herein we analyze cfDNA levels in patients with thyroid nodules to explore the possibility of establishing a cutoff for identification of malignancy. Methods Patients underwent ultrasonography (USG) and USG-guided fine needle aspiration as well as surgery, where indicated. Cell-free DNA was extracted from plasma and quantified. In initial analysis (determination of cutoff), cfDNA levels were compared between Bethesda 2 and Bethesda 5 &6 to establish a cutoff value that could differentiate malignant from benign nodules. In the subsequent analysis, the aforementioned cutoff was applied (validation of cutoff) to those with indeterminate nodules to check ability to predict malignancy. Results Fine needle aspiration (n = 119) yielded patients with Bethesda 2 (n = 69) Bethesda 5 & 6 (n = 13) who underwent histopathological confirmation. Cell-free DNA levels in these 2 groups were 22.85 ± 1.27 and 96.20 ± 8.31 (ng/mL) respectively. A cfDNA cutoff of 67.9 ng/mL, with area under the curve of 0.992 (95% CI, 0.97-1.0) with 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity was established to identify malignant lesions. Indeterminate group (Bethesda 3 & 4) underwent surgery (malignant n = 24), (benign n = 13), and using the previously identified cutoff for cfDNA, we were able to identify malignant lesions with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 92.3%. There was a very strong agreement between cfDNA-based classification with histopathology-based classification of benign and malignant nodules (Cohen’s kappa 0.94; P Conclusion Plasma cfDNA estimation could help differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules.

In reverse osmosis seawater treatment process, membrane fouling can be mitigated by degrading organic pollutants present in the feed seawater. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of employing solar photocatalysis using TiO2/ZnO/H2O2 to pretreat reverse osmosis (RO) feed seawater under solar irradiation. Process optimisation and performance evaluation were undertaken using response surface methodology-desirability function and RSM integrated with genetic algorithm (RSM-GA). Statistical analysis was performed to determine the interactive relationships and main effects of input factors such as TiO2 dosage, H2O2 dosage, pH, reaction time and ZnO dosage. The performance evaluation was determined in terms of percentage removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The obtained optimum values using RSM-GA evaluation for TOC and COD removal were found to be 76.5% and 63.9%, respectively. The predicted RSM-GA results correspond well with the experimental results (TOC removal = 73.3%, COD removal = 61.2%). Utilization of renewable solar energy coupled with optimum utilisation of nanophotocatalysts enables this technique to be a unique treatment process for RO pretreatment of seawater and membrane fouling mitigation.

Background: High resolution ultrasonography (USG) is the first-line investigation in evaluation of euthyroid nodules. Thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) is an USG-based risk stratification system for classifying thyroid nodules. Subjects with high-risk category of TIRADS undergo fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and FNAC findings are reported according to Bethesda classification. Bethesda categories are used for determining risk of malignancy. Data regarding sonographic classification of thyroid nodule and its cytological association with respect to final histopathological diagnosis remains scarcely available in India. Aims and Objective: The study evaluated euthyroid nodules for risk of malignancy and compared sonographic features and FNAC (Bethesda classification) findings with histopathology of excised samples. Material and Methods: This was a single-center observational study on 137 consecutive subjects of solitary euthyroid nodule. All subjects underwent USG according to TIRADS and FNAC where applicable. Surgical biopsy report was used as a gold standard. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive and negative predictive value of FNAC were 80%, 90%, 85%, 86%, and 86.6% and TIRADS were 80%, 47.2% 61%, 51.3%, and 77.3%, respectively. FNAC classification was equally sensitive and more specific than TIRADS. Among individual USG parameters, micro-calcification was most sensitive (80%) and specific (86%). Irregular margin and taller-than-wider shape had a specificity of 89% and 92%, respectively. 3 patients (14.28%) with benign cytology and suspicious USG features (specifically TIRADS 4 & 5) undergoing surgery had malignancy in final HPE. Conclusions: USG and FNAC are equally sensitive in diagnosing malignant thyroid nodule but FNA is more specific (90%). It's a minimally invasive method which can be used to distinguish malignant from benign lesions with a high degree of accuracy (85%). In patient having high risk feature on USG, a benign cytology needs to be repeat FNAC and they should undergo surgical biopsy for confirmation.

Background: Though DSM no longer considers homosexuality as a clinical condition, it still remains a contentious issue across social, legal, and religious paradigms. Collectivistic and traditional societies (eg, India) are more reticent in accepting the multifaceted nature of sexuality. This study thereby tries to arrive at a collective understanding about homosexuality. Methods: The study was conducted in the following 3 parts: Focus group discussion (FDG) to unravel the collective understanding of homosexuality in heterosexual young adults. In-depth personal interviews with 3 homosexual persons. In-depth personal interview with 3 heterosexual peers of homosexual persons. Results: Qualitative analysis of the FGDs revealed that the participants share a collective opinion that “lack of acceptance and negative stereotyping of homosexuality” to be a predominant social phenomenon in India. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the personal interviews of the homosexual persons revealed experience of social ostracization and unique personal journey toward self-acceptance and adaptation. IPA of the personal interviews of the heterosexual peers disseminate that these people have the agonizing vicarious experience of seeing their friends being discriminated against and also personal experiences of social rejection on account of having a homosexual friend. Conclusion: This study is unique in that it tried to recognize homosexuality from multiple perspectives. Findings suggest that heteronormative hegemony operates insidiously and pervades the boundary of the self-generating “self-doubt.” Understanding these dimensions might help address their unmet needs and identities as well as mitigate stigma surrounding the same.

The present study aims at removal of Cr(VI) using immobilized Limnococcus limneticus from synthetic wastewater. Four different methods were followed to immobilize test cyanobacterial strain onto ca...

The present article focuses on the bioremediation of diesel from simulated wastewater at different pollutant concentrations using a novel indigenous microalgal-bacterial consortium isolated...

Microalgae are the unicellular or multicellular photosynthetic microorganisms that can efficiently fix carbon dioxide (CO2) from various sources such as the environment, industrial flue gas, and some carbonate salts. In the present study, one green microalgal strain and a cyanobacterial consortium were used separately for the sequestration of CO2 at different pHs (7–11), at different initial concentrations of CO2 (5–20%), and at various inoculum sizes (5–12.5%). The maximum sequestration of CO2 was found to be 74.37 ± 0.49% and 71.12 ± 0.05% at 5% and 15% CO2 for green algae and cyanobacterial consortium. The biomass generated after sequestration of CO2 was utilized for the synthesis of biomolecules.

In this study, variations in physicochemical parameters and heavy metal contamination in water–sediments of a natural stream in the Durgapur industrial zone have been investigated. pH, COD, Cl−, CN− and heavy metals, viz. Pb, Hg and Fe concentrations in channel water, are higher than Indian standards. Metal concentrations in sediments are many folds higher than background value, where Pb, Cd, Hg and Cr contents exceed the sediment quality guidelines. Contamination factor (C f) value of channel water follows the order of Hg > Pb > Fe > Cr > Cd > Cu > Ni, whereas enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index (I geo) values in channel sediments are in the order of Hg > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd > Fe > Cu. The assessment of contamination index (C d), modified contamination index (mCd) and pollution load index indicates that channel water and sediment samples in the study area are strongly contaminated by heavy metals. Sediment samples based on PELQ and ERMQ are highly toxic, with high degree of potential ecological risk at all the monitored stations. Multivariate analysis infers that heavy metals in channel water and sediments are majorly sourced from industrial discharge.

In the present study, plywood dust has been used as precursor to prepare activated carbon and copper as impregnating agent. Two methods have been employed to impregnate copper in activated carbon s...

Altered expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), longer than 200 nucleotides without potential for coding protein, has been observed in diverse human diseases including viral diseases. It is largely unknown whether lncRNA would deregulate in SARS-CoV-2 infection, causing ongoing pandemic COVID-19. To identify, if lncRNA was deregulated in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, we analyzed in silico the data in GSE147507. It was revealed that expression of 20 lncRNA like MALAT1, NEAT1 was increased and 4 lncRNA like PART1, TP53TG1 was decreased in at least two independent cell lines infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expression of NEAT1 was also increased in lungs tissue of COVID-19 patients. The deregulated lncRNA could interact with more than 2800 genes/proteins and 422 microRNAs as revealed from the database that catalogs experimentally determined interactions. Analysis with the interacting gene/protein partners of deregulated lncRNAs revealed that these genes/proteins were associated with many pathways related to viral infection, inflammation and immune functions. To find out whether these lncRNAs could be regulated by STATs and interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), we used ChIPBase v2.0 that catalogs experimentally determined binding from ChIP-seq data. It was revealed that any one of the transcription factors IRF1, IRF4, STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5A had experimentally determined binding at regions within -5kb to +1kb of the deregulated lncRNAs in at least 2 independent cell lines/conditions. Our analysis revealed that several lncRNAs could be regulated by IRF1, IRF4 STAT1 and STAT3 in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and lncRNAs might be involved in antiviral response. However, these in silico observations are necessary to be validated experimentally., Long non-coding RNA; NEAT1; MALAT1; Interferon regulatory factors; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19

Coke-oven wastewater is generally characterized by having an array of pollutants such as cyanide, phenol, and ammoniacal-N. The present study focuses on the simultaneous removal of such pol...

Algae are well familiar for their CO2 sequestration nature and as a potential alternative source of energy. At the same time algae have an equal potential to act as a green source to develop a new method of the nanoparticles synthesis. Although there exists number of different physical and chemical synthesis techniques but over their limitations green synthesis has been emphasized for last two decades. This chapter will briefly summarize the synthesis of the nanomaterials by different green process. Algae mediated synthesis processes are significantly explored for the different nanomaterials synthesis. Finally different characterization techniques and application of the algae mediated nanomaterials have been summarized.

The present study focuses on the abatement of Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater using Chlorococcum sp. The effects of different operating variables like pH (7–11), inoculum size (2–10%), and initial concentration of Cr(VI) (5–40 mg/L) have been examined following one-factor-at-a-time approach. The most effective condition at which maximum removal of Cr(VI) has been obtained as observed during OFAT analysis is as follows: initial concentration of Cr(VI): 20 mg/L, initial pH: 9, inoculum size: 10% and under such conditions the test strain removes up to 67.3 ± 0.03% of Cr(VI) after 12 days. Further, variation of removal of Cr(VI) with time has been investigated at different operating conditions. Simultaneous studies on production of biomass and biomolecules like protein, carbohydrate, and lipid have also been done. To assess the mechanism of metal removal, the distribution of Cr(VI) through biosorption and bioaccumulation has been determined. The biomass has been characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Finally, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Particle Swarm Optimization techniques have been used to model and optimize the phycoremediation of Cr(VI).

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur-713 209, West Bengal, India Environmental Engineering Group, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur-713 209, West Bengal, India E-mail: susmita.dutta@che.nitdgp.ac.in Manuscript received online 04 June 2020, revised and accepted 20 September 2020 In the present study, batch experiments were performed with broken earthen tea cups which are found abundantly as waste material at the road side tea shops. Since these tea cups are made of mud or clay, they do not have any adverse effect of environment. Further, by using these broken tea cups, solid disposal problems are minimized. Several process parameters such as particle size (0.1-0.62 mm), contact time (0.5-10 h), pH (4.5-8.5), adsorbent dose (10-60 gL-1), stirring speed (30-150 rpm), and initial fluoride concentrations (2-12 mgL-1) were varied during batch study and found that the said waste material had good fluoride removal efficiency. At pH 4.5, initial fluoride concentration of 10 mgL-1, particle size of 0.10 mm, adsorbent dose of 50 gL-1 and stirred speed of 120 rpm clay adsorbent showed 75% fluoride removal. Characterizations of the adsorbent were done. Adsorption kinetics was also studied to know the behavior and mechanism of adsorption and Pseudo 2nd order model was found to fit best. Adsorption equilibrium data were fitted reasonably well to Langmuir isotherm model. Regeneration study showed that the adsorbent could be used even after four cycles of operation.

National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Department of Chemical Engineering, Durgapur- 713209, India Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Deanship of Research, Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia E-mail: susmita.dutta@che.nitdgp.ac.in Manuscript received online: …… (Date), Accepted: … (Date), Published online …… (Date) Fouling due to organic contaminants in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process leads to recurrent chemical cleaning, elevated operating pressure, and shorter membrane life. The present study evaluates the performance of solar photocatalysis of heterogeneous TiO2/photo-Fenton process to pre-treat RO feed-seawater under solar irradiation. Modeling and optimization of the process are performed by using both genetic algorithm (GA) coupled with artificial neural network (ANN) method, and response surface methodology (RSM). The performance of organic degradation is evaluated in terms of total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The efficiency of the process is studied as a function of five independent variables: the dosage of TiO2, airflow rate, pH, reaction time (RT) and dosage of Fe2+ (maintaining H2O2/Fe2+ ratio in the range from 150:1 to 50:1). Both RSM and ANN models were evaluated based on correlation coefficient (R2), average error (AE) and root means square error (RMSE). GA coupled ANN model was found to be more accurate for determining optimum operating conditions. The obtained optimum values using ANN-GA include a reaction time of 115 min, 0.66 g/L of TiO2, 0.75 g/L of H2O2, 15 mg/L of Fe2+, pH 6.4 and airflow rate of 3.9 L/min. The optimum TOC removal rate was found to be 67.2%. The predicted ANN-GA result (67.2%) corresponds well with the experimental one (TOC removal = 65.4%).

Cyanide is highly toxic to our ecosystem. The main contributor of cyanide to the environment is the untreated or improperly treated wastewater coming from various industries like steel, metallurgical, mining, tanning, etc. Bioremediation is an inexpensive yet effective measure, compared to physico-chemical methods, for removal of cyanide from industrial effluents. In the present study, one indigenous bacterial strain was collected and isolated from the outfall of nearby coke-oven plant and identified as Bacillus sp. NITD 19 through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The test strain was used for removal of cyanide from synthetic solution. Lethal dose analysis was performed and the strain was found to grow up to 100 mg/L initial cyanide concentration. One factor at a time (OFAT) analysis was performed to get the effective operational parameters for maximum removal by varying pH (6–10), inoculum load (1–4%), temperature (25–37 oC), and initial concentration (20–100 mg/L) in a judicial manner. Time variation study of cyanide removal was carried out then. FTIR study was performed for biomass characterization.

Hexavalent chromium has high toxic effect on the ecological system. The aim of the present study is to isolate and characterize the bacteria that can reduce the toxicity of hexavalent chromium from liquid effluent. The bacterial isolate was identified as Bacillus sp. ltds1 after 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, and annotation has been submitted in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank. The bacterial strain was found able to grow in Luria Broth medium at 100 mg/L Cr6+ concentration. A maximum Cr6+ bioremediation (95.24 ± 2.08 %) could be achieved using the said isolate at 40 mg/L, pH 7, and inoculum concentration 4 % at 24 h. The residual chromium was found in the form of less toxic trivalent chromium (Cr3+), which confirms that the bacterial isolate can transform toxic Cr6+ to non-toxic Cr3+. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) study was performed to analyze the functional groups and overall nature of chemical bonds involved in the remediation process, whereas, Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) studies of native and treated cells showed the changes in elemental composition in response to metal stress. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based prediction model is developed based on experimental points. The developed model was found to predict the bioremediation of Cr6+ at various operating conditions. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the variables like the initial concentration of metal, pH, temperature, and inoculum concentration for the said bacterial strain. The results showed that the isolate could be applied as a potential bioremediation agent for Cr6+ removal.

This investigation focused on phycoremediation of pollutants from synthetic coke-oven wastewater using a cyanobacterial consortium of Leptolyngbya sp. and Planktothrix sp., and biomass prod...

The risk factors associated with COVID-19 related severity, morbidity, and mortality, i.e., obesity (often associated with NAFLD), hyperglycemia, hypertension and dyslipidemia all cluster together as metabolic syndrome (MetS). Instead of studying association of these risk factors with COVID-19, it makes sense studying the association between MetS on one hand and COVID-19 on the other. This study explores a molecular basis underpinning the above association. Severity of COVID-19 patients with MetS could be due to functional alterations of host proteins due to their interactions with viral proteins. We collected data from Enrichr (https://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/Enrichr/), DisGeNET (https://www.disgenet.org/) and others and carried out enrichment analysis using Enrichr. Various biological processes and pathways associated with viral protein interacting partners are known to involve in metabolic diseases. The molecular pathways underlying insulin resistance, insulin signaling and insulin secretion are not only involved in diabetes but also in CVD and obesity (associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFLD). Lipid metabolism/lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation and inflammation are associated with MetS. Viral interacting host proteins are associated and enriched with terms like hyperglycemia, coronary artery disease, hypertensive disease related to CVD and liver diseases in DisGeNET. Association of viral interacting proteins with disease-relevant biological processes, pathways and disease-related terms suggests that altered host protein function following interaction with viral proteins might contribute to frequent occurrence and/or severity of COVID-19 in subjects with MetS. Such analysis not only provides a molecular basis of comorbidity but also incriminates host proteins in viral replication, growth and identifies possible drug targets for intervention.

Background: Anemia is a very important preventable nutritional disorder affecting pregnant ladies which may have some adverse effects on the neonatal survival and development. Birth weight was correlated with changes in maternal hemoglobin concentration in various trimesters as it is important for determining child survival and development. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between maternal hemoglobin levels in various trimesters and neonatal birth weight. Materials and Methods: The study enrolled all pregnant women within age group 15–35 years who gave birth at Agartala Government Medical College and GBP Hospital from June 15, 2017 to August 15, 2017. Pregnant women were included into the study following delivery by simple random sampling into cases (Pregnant women who delivered low birth weight babies 0) with neonatal birth weight in all three trimesters in both cases and controls which is statistically significant (P < 0.05).