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In the neoliberal democratic order, society is governed by dual constitutions. The constitutional laws ensure the rights and liberty of an individual. However, the economic laws of the market nurture competition for economic self-sufficiency of an individual as a homo-economicus. The neo-liberal market laws are complimented by the constitutional laws that help the liberal elites to perpetuate dominance and decry the call for social justice demanded by the masses. The study humbly attempts to brief upon the dichotomy between the free market and the interests of individuals in the neoliberal order. The study thus explores the evolution and status of neo-liberalism to trace out the dynamics of the dichotomy between market and individual.

Nanotechnology has garnered a lot of publicity because of its promising attributes and vast variety of applications in areas including structural components, ballistic protection, electronics, culinary science, and medication delivery. The sources of nanoparticles are multifaceted. The introduction of nano-particles into different ecosystems is a major concern and its traces have been found in marine ecosystems as well. This chapter explores the sources and occurrences of nanoparticles in aquatic ecosystems and the need for future research in this direction.

In the field of nanoscale materials and electronics fabrication, the term “nanotechnology” refers to a broad range of techniques that may be used. Examples of nanotechnological processes include the production of nanowires, as well as techniques for fabricating semiconductors such as lithography, atomic layer deposition, molecular vapour deposition, focused ion beam machining, electron beam lithography, and molecular self-assembly. Concerns regarding the impact of nanotechnology on the environment, health, and society are a contested issue. It's too early to tell whether the growth of nanotechnology will be a boon or a bane.

Interest in growing cannabis for medical and recreational purposes is increasing worldwide. This study reviews the cultivation of cannabis, its medicinal significance, and its social impacts. It is believed that cannabis has many medicinal properties that could prove very useful for the managing different disease, and at the same time it has many harmful effects that expose it to many legal and social aspects. Cannabis contains a psychoactive compound called tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) that creates a psychogenic effect. It can be consumed through the respiratory tract and digestive tract through smoking and oral ingesting, respectively. In contrast, cannabidiol (CBD), another component derived from cannabis, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that has gained popularity for its medicinal values and as a supplement.

Phytoremediation is a plant-based technology that is both cost-effective and environmentally beneficial, and it is classified as an in-situ modification method. Using phytoremediation, on the other hand, results in the restoration of the preservation site's biological activity, physical structure, and chemical properties. Heavy metals can be found in a variety of places in the environment. Because most of these compounds are water soluble, they circulate quickly across the environment. Heavy metals and other pollutants in high concentrations can impair the body's physiology and biochemistry, resulting in health problems. This chapter will review the literature available in different data bases on Cannabis sativa for possible remediation of pollutants from different ecosystems.

Background:Post meningitis hearing impairment is an important public health problem. Neonatal meningitis is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates in future life. An important consequence is hearing loss. Hearing plays a basic and important role in language, speech and intellectual development. Late detection causes irreversible stunting of the language development potential of the child. Early detection and intervention would help to maximize linguistic competence and literacy development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The study of brainstem evoked response audiometry provides an opportunity to evaluate the functional integrity of auditory pathway from inner ear to upper brainstem. Aim:This study was conducted to determine the incidence of sensorineural hearing loss following meningitis in neonates. Material and Methods:The present study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College Srinagar. All the patients,Term neonates with CSF culture proven bacterial meningitis. , were referred to the Department of ENT, SMHS Hospital Srinagar, of the institution for thorough ENT checkup, to exclude any ear pathology and BERA (Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry). Results:In our study total number of cases were 87. Majority of our studied children i.e. 47 (54%) were < days of age whereas 40 (46%) children were 8-28 days of aged. The mean age of our study patients was 15.7+3.71.Out of 87 patients in our study, male predominance was observed with 55.2% males versus 44.8% females with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. Hearing loss was observed in 11 (12.6%) of our study children.Bilateral hearing loss was seen in 5 of the 11 children (5.7%) while as unilateral hearing loss was observed in 6 of the 11 children (6.9%). Out of a total of 11 (12.6%) patients who had hearing loss, 6 (6.9%) were having mild hearing loss, followed by 3 (3.4%) children with profound hearing loss while as moderate and severe hearing loss was observed in 1 (1.1%) patients each. Conclusion: Hearing loss is not a rare complication asociated with meningitis in neonates, early detection and appropriate treatment is needed to prevent language , speech and intellecual damage.

Functional food ingredients and dietary supplements are essential for health promotion and disease risk reduction. The demand for various food products is increasing day by day due to ever increasing population. Different multinational companies have invested to meet the demands of the people all over the world. However, some miscreants have adultered different food products that caused various concerns to the people and the government. Hence, different laws in different countries have been regulated to maintain the quality of food. However, there is major legislation and product approval challenges which should be aligned by global common regulations to move forward by reducing the scope for conflict between our regulatory approaches and by forging closer cooperation that can only be addressed by appropriate and accurate ingredients understanding, safety legislation, clinical studies benefits, advanced food processing technologies and various analytical studies. The nutraceutical revolution will direct us into a new era of medicine and health, in which the food industry will become a research oriented, analogous to the pharmaceutical industry. The present review article discusses the recent status of nutraceuticals and their importance to prevent various diseases.

Paraquat dichloride (PD) is a major contaminant in aquatic environment and is a cause of concern to different organisms, especially to fishes, as it causes different changes in behavioral and morph...

Agriculture is important for people all over the world in order to obtain food to sustain the ever-growing population. However, the current practices for obtaining more and more food has several environmental challenges. Hence, new environmentally friendly fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides have been developed that enhance crop yield by facilitating maximum nutrient uptake by the application of nanotechnology that will help in promoting sustainable agriculture by the slow or controlled release fertilizers. This slow discharge encourages improved delivery of nutrients to the plants that further speeds up early germination, fast growth, and high nutritional level. The current study is aimed to review nano-chemicals used in agriculture that have been developed by the researchers all over the world.

It has been shown that reproductive activity is responsive to changes in the physical, psychosocial, and chemical environments. Occupational exposure has been identified to a wide range of putative hazards and adverse reproductive outcomes, or fertility. Such risks include the physical environment such as VDT and noise, as well as psychosocial stress and chemical agents. Some of these may have a direct or indirect effect on IVF outcomes. Psychosocial factors such as inadequate coping mechanisms, anxiety and/or depression are related to a lower incidence of IVF pregnancy. In this chapter the authors focus on the difficulties involved in linking exposure to putative hazardous substances to adverse reproductive outcomes in environmental and occupational settings, particularly the effectiveness of IVF procedures.

One of the expected effects of mammalian developmental defects is a rise in air temperature. Heat stress adversely affects embryo oogenesis, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and implantation. The number of defects caused by heat stress in all mammals is almost identical, but each species has its own particular sensitivity to specific defects. It suggests that genotype may have a significant effect on the type of defect, its occurrence, and its extent. By heat output and loss, the body temperature is usually preserved in a restricted range, but the equilibrium can be disrupted by illness, inadequate nutrition, and severe environmental temperature. Elevated maternal temperature during pregnancy, either by fever or any other means of heating, may result in embryo death, retarded development, abortion, and many embryonic defects such as cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis or programmed cell death, structural and functional defects, and changes in maternal physiology. Maternal heat stress also reduces the levels of placental hormones. This chapter deals with the heat stress effect on reduction of reproductive function, implantation defects, etc. of different animals and humans.

In recognition of the potential risks that certain chemicals pose to aquatic ecosystems and human health as well as the lack of information regarding the levels of such compounds, the present study...

With a long history and deep connection to the Earth’s resources, indigenous peoples have an intimate understanding and ability to observe the impacts linked to climate change. Traditional ecologic...

Vegetables are vital to the human diet, and in particular provide the well-known nutrients to maintain normal physiological functions. The prolonged application of large amount of fertilizers and p...

The concentrations of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides were determined in surface sediments and freshwater molluscs (Melanoides scabra and Melanoides tuberculata) from Tighra Reservoi...

The conversion of waste into vermicompost is seen as an opportunity by different workers that may be advantageous in terms of improving the structure and physical conditions of the soil, increase the water retention capacity and availability of phosphorous to the growing plants, prevention of leaching loss of soluble inorganic nitrogen, and addition of nutrients/essential micro nutrients. It is observed that the vermicompost obtained from seri waste has better nutrient value as compared to conventional fertilizers. The success of sericulture industry in future will depend on sustainability of organic fertilizers both in terms of nutrient management and environmental protection. Similarly, the waste can be used for biogas production, as activated carbon, feed for the livestock, etc. are the opportunities of converting waste into value-added products. This chapter will review the different types of waste that is produced from sericulture and can be used to form value-added services.

The story of garbage processing is changing globally and is being considered as a potential option in the hierarchy of integrated solid waste management that involves stabilization of organic material by the joint action of earthworms and microorganisms. Vermicomposting is an economically viable technique in which the job is done by certain species of earthworms that enhances the process of waste conversion and produces a better end product vermicompost. Vermicompost is highly nutritive fertilizer and more powerful growth promoter over the conventional compost. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium commonly referred as NPK, micronutrients, growth hormones and enzymes. Its commercialization is a good business opportunity and is emerging as an industry itself. The farmers need to raise the crops by organic farming that will reduce the cost and will decrease the impact on environment. The present chapter is an attempt to highlight different approaches of converting waste into vermicompost and the importance of vermicomposting as compared to synthetic fertilizers.

The management of solid waste has become a major problem even in rural areas of India, due to shrinkage of agricultural land and depletion of forest areas. During the recent past, people in rural areas were decomposing the waste, and finally, it was used as a manure in their agricultural areas. However, the trend is completely changing the Indian scenario of converting the backyard waste into manure. Now with the help of scientific knowledge, the waste is utilized as an energy resource, and waste from the rural areas is considered a raw material for this process. Different technologies in India are available to convert waste into energy apart from the technologies that have impact on the environment.

Plants in urban territories assume a fundamental job to purify the contamination in human conditions. Quickly developing biomass plants, for example, Salix species, are promising for use in phytoremediation of defiled land. It is realized that substantial metals are taken up and translocated by plants to various degrees. The section portrays the decision of eco-accommodating Salix alba species and their correct situation in the urban condition to defeat the contamination issues. White willow imitations can aggregate generous measures of Cd and Zn in the over-the-ground biomass and have along these lines been tried for phytoextraction of decently polluted soils. This section likewise audits the potential for the phytoremediation of substantial metal-defiled land by the Salix alba. The perspectives from various examinations on Salix alba have been utilized to exhibit the limit and plausibility of utilizing it in phytoextraction. Consequently, to augment phytoextraction productivity, it is critical to choose a quickly developing and high biomass plant with high take-up of substantial metals, which is additionally perfect with motorized development systems and neighborhood climate conditions.

The rise of different heavy metals in different ecosystems is a cause of concern as it may deteriorate the quality of these ecosystems. The increase in these metals may reach to different organisms by a process of bioaccumulation that may cause various deleterious effects in humans. Hence, researchers have used different mechanisms to remove these pollutants from these ecosystems. Phytoremediation is considered a safe and eco-friendly mechanism to restore these ecosystems. Among the different species, Salix spp. is considered a potent tool to remove the heavy metals from the most spoiled sites by natural mechanisms. This chapter reviews the ecology, ecological niches and phytoremediation characteristics of Salix spp.

Marine pollution due to littering from anthropogenic activities is a serious global environmental problem—the main reason accumulation of debris in the environment, including in the ocean. There is a significant hazard coming from plastic debris. Besides entanglement and ingestion, marine plastics debris has more complex problems and can release additional and by-product chemical substances. If we keep producing and not doing anything, a recent study said by 2050 there would be three times more plastic than fish in the ocean. We only have a limited understanding of marine plastic debris distribution, implication, fate, and behavior. Science is the key to getting the right alternative for processing debris. To prevent marine pollution successfully requires education and outreach programs, strong laws and policies, and law enforcement for government and private institutions. This chapter explores marine plastic debris.

Most of the heavy metals have deleterious impacts on the growth and productivity of the plants, and also alters the general physiological characteristics of plants. But, some plants cope with the pollution stress and accumulate more and more toxic and heavy metals in their modified tissues. These toxic substances not only affect the plant physiology, but have toxic impacts on soil health. The toxic metals, in context to many organic compounds are not decomposed by the microbiological activity. Toxic levels of Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg) affects plant processes at physiological and biochemical levels some of the heavy metals are accumulated in aquatic environment and most of them get absorbed in the aquatic plants. Theretofore, a miscellaneous positive correlation among selected aquatic plants and specific heavy metals was reported, however mechanism of a particular model species is still vague. The intrusion of heavy metals may also change the nutrient pool of the aquatic ecosystem that may affect the overall productivity of the system. The work will review some of the important heavy metals, the plants that are useful to reduce the concentration of these metals from different ecosystems.

Aim. The aim of the present study was to identify and evaluate predominant noise sources in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir, India. Methods. Sound levels were measured at operator’s ear level in the working zone of the workers of seven cricket bat factories. The impact assessment was made through personal interviews with each worker separately during their period of rest. Results. On average, 62.5% of the workers reported difficulty in hearing and 24.1% of the workers have become patients for hypertension. Only 58.1% of the workers complained of headache due to high noise level. Conclusions. The workers engaged in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir are exposed to high noise levels. It is suggested that personal protective equipment like ear plugs and ear muffs be used by these workers as a protection against this hazard.

Mycorrhizal fungi are symbionts forming mutualistic relationship with plant roots. In the present study, surface sterilized onion seeds were sown in earthen pots filled with sterile soil. Half the pots were inoculated with sterilized arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spores and sterilized inoculated maize root fragments and another half without any AMF inoculation represented control but were provided sterilized maize root fragments having no AMF colonization. After 40 days of germination, the inoculated plants along with their controls were sampled at 20, 40, 60 and 80 days of growth. The bulbs of onion plant are shown to present a higher level of metabolites like carbohydrates, protein and phenolics, and mineral nutrition in the mycorrhizal ones as compared to the non-inoculated ones. The HPLC analysis depicted that indigestible oligosaccharides are increased due to AMF inoculation. Phytochemical changes in the AMF infected plants in comparison to their respective controls by GC–MS analysis are also reported here in.

Concentration of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides and their metabolites were determined in whole body homogenate of L. acuminata, I. exustus, V. dissimilis, V. bengalensis, from Tighra Reservoir during summer and post monsoon season using GC-MS technique. The different types of pesticides viz., HCB, heptachlor, aldrin, endosulfan, dieldrin, p,p-DDT, choloropyrifos, methyl parathion, dicholorovos, ethion, malathion, parathion were found in resident molluscs studied. Concentration of these pesticides varied independently during the summer and the post monsoon season at monitored sites. The study concluded that presence of pesticides in Tighra Reservoir is a major concern on public and ecosystem health and use of biopesticides in the adjacent area of Reservoir is highly recommended.

Nanoparticles hold great potential in the field of medicine. In this review we have discuuded some of the diseases that are treated by the use of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has gained interest in recent years almost in every field with special emphasis on nanomedicine and nanobiology. Nanosystems with different compositions and biological properties have been extensively investigated for drug and gene delivery applications. However, it is important to understand the interactions of nanomaterials with the biological environment, targeting cell-surface receptors, drug release, multiple drug administration, stability of therapeutic agents under consideration.

Heavy metal contamination in water is a serious concern to the environment and human health. High concentrations of heavy metals in the environment can be toxic to a variety of living species. Natural bio-absorbents are abundant and inexpensive and considered a waste if not managed properly. The role of bio-absorbents has been widely studied and has been utilized for the removal of heavy metals. The objective of the chapter is to search the database for different absorbents and their efficiency for the removal of heavy metals. Key words related to the study have been used to select different papers published by the researchers all over the world. A rigorous three-tier process has been utilized by the authors to select the papers from the database for the current study. This chapter has identified a few research gaps in the field of heavy metal removal by using different low cast absorbents that need to be taken into account in future research.

PurposeThe first approach mainly aims at measurement of SPM, SO2 and NO2 from different sources in the Gwalior region and the second and third approach aims at the quantification of water and noise quality of the city of Gwalior. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these approaches.Design/methodology/approachThe water analysis was carried out by the standard methods of APHA, 2005 and the air and noise analysis were carried out by the standard procedures of CPCB, New Delhi and published work earlier respectively.FindingsThe water quality in the city was well within the standards, however, the noise and air quality in the city was above the standards set by CPCB, New Delhi.Originality/valueThis is the first approach in the city of Gwalior that related air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution to acute and chronic illnesses amongst all age groups. This will lead to the development of a sustainable city, while working to transform the city of Gwalior into a sustainable city.

The working environment in carpet industry was assessed for fungal contamination in Gwalior (India). The sampling was carried out in five carpet units that were selected randomly. The Petri plates containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium was exposed for a period of 15 min near the workplace (exposed) and outside environment (control). They were covered again with aluminium foil before transporting them to the laboratory for further analysis. It was found that various types of fungal species viz., Aspergillus niger, A. parasitics, Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., Trichoderma sp., Curvularia sp., Cladosporium sp., and yeast were present at the work place, which may cause various types of diseases among the weavers. Therefore, we recommended good housekeeping and workplace design, which is necessary for control of fungal contamination at the work place, that may not only reduce the disease among workers but may also increase productivity and efficiency of the workers.

Nature has bestowed every living creature with unique qualities for maintaining an ecological balance. Earthworms are equipped with wonderful machinery, absolutely different from other organisms, which allow them to nurture the soil beautifully, having a direct impact on the production and quality of crops. Worms act as natural boosters when organic matter is converted into vermicompost and as soil conditioners bringing beneficial microbial activity to plants for growth and development. Microbial stimulation in the presence of earthworms may be due to the utilization of additional nutritive substances (secretion and excretion products) that they provide. Vermicomposting is highly nutritive and a growth promoter as compared to conventional compost. The process of vermicomposting has been well studied by earlier researchers, covering almost every aspect, but scant scientific literature is available on the relationship of earthworms with microbial diversity in different ecosystems. This chapter investigates how earthworms are natural boosters for agro-ecosystems and the role earthworms play in activating different microbes in agriculture fields.

Lychee is an evergreen tree of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, mostly grown in China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the rest of tropical Southeast Asia, and commercially propagated through air layering by vegetative propagation. Lychee can successfully grow at higher altitudes with sufficient moisture and in an acidic soil environment but is prone to severe frost. Lychee has the ability to spread and produce good foliage growth in the presence of sufficient organic matter including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil.

The use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has not only caused damage to environment but has caused detrimental impacts on the health of people. In order to feed the ever growing population and prevent environmental contamination and decrease the impact on human health organic farming is being promoted all over the world. The use of Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi to boost agricultural productivity is considered a better alternative as it has strong influence on plant interactions by aiding plants in resource acquisition, disease suppression, and tolerance to soil pollution and play a decisive role in plant development. It also enhance the supply of water and nutrients (phosphate and nitrogen), to the host plant. In return, up to 20% of plant-fixed carbon is transferred to the fungus; hence the nutritional exchange is bidirectional. AMF acts as a biocontrol agent for various crops and thus reduces the burden of pesticides in agro-ecosystems. Advance research is needed to develop farming systems that optimize the use of natural resources such as mycorrhizal fungi for sustainable agricultural production. The present chapter is an attempt to study the role of AMF in controlling different plant parasitic nematodes along with its important advantages for the crop production.