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In groundwater, excess fluoride concentration (>1.5 mg/L) is a primary concern for various countries. Nanoadsorbents have been proven to possess higher adsorption capacity than conventional adsorbents. This review aims to provide insights into recent advancements in the adsorption of fluoride using various nanoadsorbents. Nanoparticles have very high specific surface area but are usually found unsuitable for real field applications as they tend to agglomerate. They are also difficult to recover after use and pose a significant threat to the environment through leaching. These limitations have given rise to the trend of the development of nanocomposites for defluoridation. Nanocomposites often involve a polymeric matrix that serves as a medium for their homogenous dispersion. This reduces agglomeration and leaching into the surroundings without altering the original activities of the nanoadsorbent. This review classifies the fluoride nanoadsorbents into three categories: bare nanoparticles, nanocomposites with nanoparticles inside the porous matrix, and nanocomposites with nanoparticles coated with or anchored on the matrix surface. Critical analyses of the importance and shortcomings of these classes have been presented. In general, bare nanocomposites show the best fluoride adsorption performance compared to other classes of nanoadsorbents.

The world is looking for alternative energy resources because of the depletion of fossil fuel reservoirs like crude oil, coal, and natural gases in the next few decades. In this aspect, unutilized coal waste and sustainable biomass are considered major energy contributors to convert biomass blended coal fines as high-quality solid briquettes. The present study integrates different briquette processing technologies to develop, coal-biomass-binder, coal-biomass (binderless), coal-binder, and carbonized biomass-binder composites. Briquette application depends upon, availability of waste coal, selection of appropriate biomass among the countless existing biomass stock, thermal-mechanical characteristics of raw material, and progressive advancements in briquetting machines. Present review highly encourages densification of aquatic biomass (water hyacinth, microalgae), activated sludge (municipal solid waste, tannery industry) as well as agro and forest residues (wheat straw, sawdust) to integrate briquetting technology with wastewater treatment or solid waste management. Briefly, the present study covers all aspects of briquette processing and the application of multifunctional bio-binders as cow dung, which act as a desulfurizing agent besides binding to obtain clean coal combustion. Further, cost assessment and budding future research concerned with briquetting technologies are explored to find alternative and sustainable energy routes.

Carbon-neutral sustainable approaches are highly demanding in the coal energy sector. Coal mine effluent disposal is a severe challenge with crucial concern issues of salinity hazard and heavy metal contamination due to long-duration water and coal interaction. The medium to the high salinity of coal mine effluent leads towards irrigation unsuitability due to the negative impact upon infiltration and permeability of nutrients from the soil to plant. Focusing on the international irrigation water quality standards given by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, most coal mine effluents are considered negatively impacting crops, soil fertility, groundwater, and aquatic life. Therefore, the current study investigates the direct cultivation suitability of Chlorella pyrenoidosa to simultaneously treat coal mine effluent for salinity removal and biomass production. Initially, C. pyrenoidosa culture adaptation in varying concentrations of coal mine effluents (25%–100%) in coal mine effluent, which are collected from two different points of coal mine named as coal mine effluent 1 (CME1) and coal mine effluent 2 (CME2). Evaluating C. pyrenoidosa growth kinetics, it was observed that the doubling time extended from 2.25 days (100% BG-11 as a medium; control) to 4.33 days (100% CME as a medium). Interestingly, the highest value for biomass production was 1.78 ± 0.12 g/ L with 25% CME 1 supplemented with essential growth nutrients; this value lies near 100% BG11 supplemented growth, 1.81 ± 0.05 g/L. In the current study, taking salinity removal as a prime concern, 100% utilization of CME-2 in place of BG-11 medium was very significant for salinity reduction from 4.80 ± 0.50 mS/cm (initial) to 0.98 ± 0.02 mS/cm (final) during 14 days batch growth. In continuation of that, the significant finding was salinity reduction of both samples (50% and 75% sample) to the level of 0.7 mS/ cm, which lies under the FAO guidelines for irrigation. Present findings also revealed an alternative to conventional processes, i.e., thermal and membrane desalination. Microalgae-assisted desalination is a novel, energy-efficient, eco-sustainable, cost-effective, and long-term operational approach. It has good potential to treat medium to sub-optimal salinity of coal mine effluent coupled with high-value biomass production.

Since the entry of female troops in different paramilitary forces, there is a dearth of well-fitted personal protective gear for them to maximise operational safety and protection. A mismatch of anthropometry in design adversely affected the user’s performance during critical operation, compromising the safety and well-being of an individual. A detailed anthropometry-based sizing study was conducted by the research team, on the Indian female paramilitary troops for proper sizing of their protective gears and ensembles. An anthropometric survey of 325 female para-military troops, posted in two locations with age ranged from 21 to 54 years (mean ± SD) value: 37.14 ± 8.49 years was done. Each subject’s 28 different body dimensions were taken. The data was then investigated using the factor analysis method. Principal component analysis technique was used to reduce the variables to similar factor components where, two components with an Eigenvalue of more than 1 were selected. viz. Principal component 1 (girth dimensions) and Principal component 2 (abdomen or waist dimension). These two key variables were used to divide the population into three separate clusters using the K-means cluster method. These cluster groups were validated using a regression tree. Descriptive statistical analysis of data was conducted followed by Cluster analysis (of key components shortlisted) using Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 21. The current study was the first complete anthropometric survey of Indian female paramilitary personnel for the development of a female-specific sizing system for a full-body protector (FBP) design resulting is an improved fit of full-body protector.

In this study, an effective surface functionalization of carbon fiber (CF) and its subsequent coating with functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were carried out to obtain improved interfacial shear strength (IFSS) which was validated by single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT). Functional groups, -COOH, -OH, and -NH2, were separately grafted on the CF surface using different chemical routes. Additionally, ultrasonic assisted electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique was used to coat -COOH, -OH, and -NH2 functionalized CNTs on the sized and surface functionalized CFs. Attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy (ATRIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images confirmed the successful surface functionalization and coating on CF. Neat PP and a blend of PP and maleic anhydride-grafted-styrene ethylene butylene styrene (MA-g-SEBS) were used as two different base polymer matrixes in preparing a total of 26 different SFFT samples. Silane functionalized CF coated with amine functionalized CNTs using ultrasonic assisted EPD process showed IFSS of ~ 29 MPa which was an impressive ~ 758% higher than pristine CF and highest among all the surface modified CFs. Interestingly, this translated into useful increase of ~ 13% in single fiber tensile strength of functionalized and treated CF over and above that of as received CF.

Microalgae have been reported to exhibit mutualistic interactions with other microorganisms like bacteria, filamentous fungi, and yeast and help each other co-exist. The potential of microalgae to perform photosynthesis and accumulate lipids make them suitable candidates for lipid production. Biofuel production from various single oleaginous microorganisms is already in practice. However, the high cost of biomass harvesting, extraction of lipids, and contamination issues are significant challenges of biofuel bioprocess commercialization. Recent microalgal co-culture studies showed considerable potential for easy biomass harvesting and reduction in overall energy consumption cost. Therefore, microalgal co-culture could be an alternative to overcome these constraints and enhance biomass and lipid production. Additionally, the integration of the nutrient sequestration process from potential agro-industrial wastewater using microalgal co-culture can reduce the cost of the substrate requirement for cultivation as well as ecological load. The co-culture in wastewater has shown excellent total phosphate removal efficiencies by microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana and yeast Rhodotorula glutinis, nitrogen removal by microalgae C. sorokiniana with activated sludge, and ammonium-nitrogen removal by C. vulgaris and fungi Aspergillus sp. co-culture. This review summarized the current advances towards biofuel and its value-added production from various microalgae co-culture and compared it with monoculture fermentation. It also includes some critical challenges of co-culturing for the economically viable bioprocess development for biofuel production. Furthermore, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment of co-culture technology were also discussed for biofuel production feasibility from microalgal co-culture.

Hydrogen gas, along with conventional fossil fuels, has been used as a green fuel with enormous potential. Due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, a new dimension of hydrogen production technology has arrived to reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. Microwave-based hydrogen production is a more promising and cost-effective technology than other existing green hydrogen production methods such as fermentation and gasification. Microwave heating may be superior to traditional heating due to several advantages such as less power consumption compared to other methods, higher yield, and a higher rate of conversion. Compared to another process for hydrogen production, the microwave-driven process worked efficiently at lower temperatures by providing more than 70% yield. The process of production can be optimized by using properly sized biomass, types of biomass, water flow, temperature, pressure, and reactor size. This method is the most suitable, attractive, and efficient technique for hydrogen production in the presence of a suitable catalyst. Hot spots formed by microwave irradiation would have a substantial impact on the yield and properties of microwave-processed goods. The current techno-economic situation of various technologies for hydrogen production is discussed here, with cost, efficiency, and durability being the most important factors to consider. The present review shows that a cost-competitive hydrogen economy will necessitate continual efforts to increase performance, scale-up, technical prospects, and political backing.

Introduction: Proper protective gear sizing is an important factor both for civilian and defence population. This is much more so in the defence sector as a well fitted personal protective ensemble...

Adsorption has proven to be most effective for arsenic removal. But standalone adsorption cannot cater to the need for large-scale treatment in centralized water supply systems. Combining adsorption with other low-pressure membrane processes may aid in scaling up and intensifying the overall arsenic removal. In the present pilot study, a low-cost laterite-derived adsorbent (LDA) has been used in combination with cross-flow ultrafiltration (Ads-UF) to develop a strategy suitable for remediation of arsenic-contaminated water. Effect of adsorbent particles on permeate flux has been assessed at different transmembrane pressure (0.2-0.6 MPa). Two different hybrid configurations, with and without intermediate sand filtration (SF), i.e. Ads-SF-UF and Ads-UF, were considered. Resistance-in-series and combined complete pore block-cake layer models have been used to understand the flux profiles. In the case of arsenic-spiked groundwater, it was observed that flux decline, at 0.6 MPa, was 28% higher with Ads-UF during a 12 h run compared to Ads-SF-UF. Spent LDA retrieved from the sand column was found to retain the elemental composition as that of the unused LDA (as per FT-IR and EDX) and was considered safe for disposal based on Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Cost estimation for a facility with 200 m

Microalgae are a promising source of raw material (i.e., proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, pigments, and micronutrients) for various value-added products and act as a carbon sink for atmospheric CO

In the current scenario, biopolymer and biopolymer composites are getting considerable interest in sustainable industrial development. Biopolymers produced from living organisms possess unique molecular and functional properties. The precise 3D structure of biopolymer makes them active molecules that are potentially applied in various industries like pharmaceutical, food, and nutraceutical, etc. The most commonly used biopolymers are chitosan, silk fibroin, poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE), polyacetal (PA), various cross-linked polythenes, and ultra-high molecular weight polythenes (UHMWP). The most successful application of biopolymers may be considered as active materials for biomedical engineering, along with materials for food packaging, water purification, and the packaging sector. The term tribology is associated with the friction and wear properties of certain materials. Industrial advancement with the improvement of the tribological behavior of biopolymer is an emerging area in view of the wide applicability of biopolymer in modern engineering. The present paper will comprise industrially significant biopolymers, their tribological properties concern with efficiency improvement, and sustainable development. Further, it will elaborate on current challenges and future aspects of the tribological study of biopolymers for modern engineering.

Stature is one of the most important elements in the identification of a person. Many different anthropometric dimensions can be used in the estimation of stature. Establishing the identity of an individual from body fragments has become an important necessity in recent times due to natural and man-made disasters. This study was performed on 226 Gurung soldiers of Gorkha regiment of Indian Army. The studied soldier’s age range was 18 years - 48 years. Six anthropometric measurements (Stature, Hand length, Arm length, Standing knee height, Foot length and Leg length) were measured and stature is estimated with the help of these measurements.There was no significant difference between actual and estimated stature. All anthropometric measurements were highly correlated with stature at significance level p< 0.001 but leg length had better correlation (r=0.816) compared to other variables. Staturecan be estimated with the help of standing knee height (r=0.686, p

Bare iron-based nanoadsorbents have been explored extensively for arsenic removal owing to the inherent affinity of iron for arsenic. However, bare nanoparticles have poor hydraulic properties and tend to agglomerate when used as adsorbents. Encapsulation of nanoparticles into polymeric materials is a safer way to restrict the transportation of highly reactive nanoparticles in the surrounding media without compromising the efficiency of these adsorbents. This study presents a modified method for synthesizing bionanocomposite beads intending to achieve optimal dispersion of nanoparticles throughout the biopolymer. In-situ iron oxyhydroxide alginate beads (IIAB) and chitosan beads (IICB) were prepared via gradual precipitation of ferric ions within the polymeric gel matrix. Electron microscopy images were used for morphological analyses of beads. Batch trials were conducted to assess the effect of dose, pH, contact time, and ionic strength on arsenic adsorption. Maximum adsorption capacities obtained via Langmuir isotherm model fitting were in the following order: IICB for As (V) > IICB for As (III) > IIAB for As (V) > IICB for As (III). 1.2 g/L of IICB and 2 g/L of IIAB were found to be sufficient for treatment of arsenic spiked groundwater. FTIR and XPS analyses reveal the role of hydroxyl and amino groups in the adsorption process. Spent beads could be easily harvested, regenerated using 0.1 M NaOH, and used for multiple cycles without significant leaching.

Background Gorkhas, a sub-mountainous population of the Himalayan region, are known for strength and bravery. In the present study when “Gorkha” is used without brackets, we are mentioning Gorkhas of Tibeto-Burman origin. Physical capability, strength and endurance are important components of fitness associated with genetic traits. The aim of this study was to examine the endurance potential of male Gorkha soldiers, based on endurance-related genetic markers ACE I/D, ACTN3 Arg (R)577Ter(X), CKMM A/G NcoI and eNOS Glu(G)298Asp(T). Methods Genotypic and allelic frequencies were determined in 374 male Gorkha soldiers (Tibeto-Burman). These frequencies were compared with frequencies obtained from Gorkha (Indo-Aryan), high-altitude natives (Tibeto-Burman) and Indian lowlanders (Indo-Aryan). “Total genotype score” (TGS) was calculated from accumulated combination of polymorphisms with maximum value “100” for theoretically “optimal” polygenic score. Probability of occurrence of “optimal” endurance profile was also determined. Results ACE II genotypic frequency was highest in Tamangs followed by Gurungs, Rais, Limbus and Magars. No statistical difference in genotypic and allelic frequency of ACTN3 Arg(R)577Ter(X) was noted within the groups. Rais showed the highest CKMM A allele frequency (0.908) compared to other Gorkha (Tibeto-Burman) groups. Limbus and Tamangs showed the highest eNOS G allele frequency (0.938 and 0.915, respectively) compared to that of other groups. Probability of male Gorkha soldiers possessing a theoretically optimal polygenic endurance profile for four candidate polymorphisms was ~3.35% (1 in 30). Four percent of the population of male Gorkha soldiers (15 in 374) exhibited an optimal TGS 100, and 16% exhibited TGS 87 for endurance compared to male Indian soldiers belonging to the lowland (Indo-Aryan) and Gorkha (Indo-Aryan) populations suggesting an overall more “favourable” polygenic profile in the male Gorkha soldier (Tibeto-Burman) population. Conclusions This study presents evidence of higher frequency of endurance-associated genes in the Gorkhas implying thereby that such genetically endowed individuals from the population may be selected and trained for achieving excellence in endurance-related elite sports activities. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40798-017-0085-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Nano-particles are highly efficient fluoride adsorbents, but agglomerate easily due to their high surface activity and are difficult to separate from aqueous medium after use. Mixed-metals oxyhydroxides nano-particles were prepared into a natural polymeric matrix of chitosan to overcome these problems. Hydrous mixed-metal oxyhydroxides, loaded chitosan composite (Fe-Al-Mn@chitosan) was prepared using abundantly available laterite clay and waste from steel industry via co-precipitation method. Fluoride removal using Fe-Al-Mn@chitosan composite followed Freundlich isotherm model which revealed multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous surface sites. Fe-Al-Mn@chitosan exhibited maximum adsorption capacity of 40±0.5 mg/g, while if only the inorganic mass fraction of composite was considered; the value reached 55±0.5 mg/g. Fluoride adsorption on Fe-Al-Mn@chitosan followed the pseudo-second order kinetics with rapid adsorption. No significant effect of other competitive ions was observed on F- adsorption using Fe-Al-Mn@chitosan composite. The composite adsorbent is found to be effective to produce drinking water from fluoride contaminated groundwater.

Background: Physical strength can be measured by means of hand grip strength. It is of great use as a functional index of nutritional status.Aims and Objectives: Physical strength can be measured by means of hand grip strength. It is of great use as a functional index of nutritional status. Association of hand grip strength with other variables is studied in order to predict the strength outcomes and to study the effect of factors that can influence hand grip strength performance.Materials and Methods: In the present study the correlations of dominant hand grip strength and anthropometric and body composition variables namely, height, weight, forearm length, arm length, hand breadth, body mass index (BMI), and fat mass in randomly selected 375 unrelated, normal, healthy Indian office going females of age 20-60 years with mean height and weight of 154.12 ± 5.94 cm and 59.86 ± 10.94 kg respectively has been studied.Result: Hand grip strength of the females varied from 17 kg to 32 kg with a mean of 23.86 ± 2.74 kg. The comparison of age, height, weight, forearm length, arm length, hand breadth, and fat mass with the hand grip strength showed good correlation (p

Microbial fuel cell technology is a recent approach which consist renewable and sustainable technology for electricity generation. Great attentions have been paid to microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Since, it recovers energy from renewable materials that can be difficult to dispose, such as organic wastes, waste water etc. and utilize variety of biodegradable substrates as fuel. Through which, microorganisms actively catabolize substrate and generate electricity. Besides many advantages, it still faces some limitations such as low power and current density. In the present research waste water was physically, biologically and chemically tested. We found that waste water has less amount of toxicity. Thus, it was assumed as low strength waste water and used for the MFC setup for bioelectric generation.Initially, the setup was run three times in a small scale. Simultaneously voltage and current was measured at different time intervals. It was observed that in first run, the voltage and current fluctuation data was not significant but voltage generation was varied from 140.8-182.5 mV in final run, correspondingly current fluctuated from 51-352 μA and power varied from 7180.8-66439.1 nW. However, we got highest power density of 0.0215-0.042 mW when the setup was moved in higher scale.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(3): 281-287

At present, polymer fibers have a wide range of applicability in daily life. Fiber polymers possess outstanding chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength, high modulus of elasticity, abrasion resistance. These polymeric fibers are employed in the manufacturing of composite materials called fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), and due to their mechanical strength, these are widely used in almost every domain of engineering structure such as civil infrastructure and in biomedical applications. This chapter describes various aspects of FRP, such as its key characteristics, emerging applications as well as challenges and critical issues.

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Introduction: Nutritional content of diet of vegetarian and non-vegetarian differs in terms of food composition and vegetarian diets are often low in protein, probably causing a difference in body composition, structure and strength characteristics. Purpose of study: To study anthropometric, body composition and hand strength differences among 641 vegetarian and 424 non-vegetarian Indian women, aged 20–60 yrs. Methods: ANOVA, t-test, multivariable stepwise regression and logistic regressions were performed to analyse association between BMI, hand grip strength and potential confounders using SPSS Version 17 for Windows. p < 0.05 referred to as statistically significant. Results: Vegetarians had less body fat than non-vegetarians. Statistically significant difference was found in their grip strength (GS) (t = 2.459, p < 0.05) and BMI (t = 2.188, p < 0.05). Height and weight were positively associated with grip strength in the vegetarian group while height and fat free mass were seen to be positively associated with grip strength in the non-vegetarian group. Grip strength was greater in non-vegetarian group and the vegetarians had lower BMI (25.33 kg/mt 2 ± 4.56) than nonvegetarians (25.95 kg/mt 2 ± 4.45, t-test = 2.188, p

Introduction: The study was designed to investigate back pain among working women in one of the largest Research and Development Organization in India and identify occupational factors associated with lower back pain by means of a survey of female employees. Methods: This study investigated the relative risk of whether different age groups, job types, body mass index (BMI), years or service, screen viewing distance, self perception of comfort level and duration of use of computer have a bearing on the occurrence of back pain and if such risk factors aggravate cases of back pain. Results: In the unadjusted table, there was a statistically significant chance of developing backpain as the age increases (odds ratio) OR 1.56, 95% (confidence interval) CI (1.030 - 2.372), however, after adjusting for the other co-variates, this chance was not of significance. Job types, body mass index (BMI) >30 (OR >1 (0.802-1.877), years of service and screen distance OR >1 (0.96-1.745) all showed a positive association with back pain though the p values were not of statistically significance. In the adjusted table, for those who use the computer daily at the workplace for more than 6 hours, there was a statistically significant association for this group of developing back pain as compared to the first group i.e. those who work for 0-2 hours, as shown by OR 1.79, (1.123 - 2.864).Conclusion: The present study indicated that backpain is present in as much as about 25.3% of the study population. For those who use the computer >6 hours daily, there was a statistically significant chance of developing backpain.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v3i1.5567 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences 3(2012) 6-12

The present study examines genomic variation among three tribal (Nayakpod, Thoti and Kolam) and a caste (Niyogi Brahmin) population groups of Andhra Pradesh, south India.The present study examined the genomic diversity of the populations in relation to other population groups of India using 20 autosomal loci.A total of 204 blood samples from the population groups described above were collected and analysis was carried out following standard protocols.All markers were found to be polymorphic in these groups except AluCD4 among Thotis. High average heterozygosity values (0.3927 among Thotis to 0.4268 among Brahmins) are comparable with the available autosomal (Alu and restriction site polymorphisms) data for the Nilgiri hill tribes of Tamil Nadu, south India. The gene differentiation value (Gst) was found to be 4.2. The principal coordinate analysis (PCO) based on data from the 20 markers presents a smaller cluster of presently studied populations than that of the Nilgiri hill tribes of Tamil Nadu, south India.Although the presently studied populations of Andhra Pradesh have heterozygosity similar to that of Nilgiri hill populations, the former are more closely placed on the PCO plot than the latter, who are more scattered. Also the gene differentiation (Gst) of the former is much lower than that of the latter, indicating considerable regional variation in the inflow of genes from diverse ethnic groups within south India.