Enhanced sunlight-driven catalysis for hydrogen generation and dye remediation using synergistic p-Co3O4/n-TiO2 nanocomposites.

In this study, p-Co3O4/n-TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using different ratios of cobalt and titanium precursors through a hydrothermal method. These nanocomposites demonstrated notable potential in photocatalytic applications for hydrogen production and orange-red dye degradation under sunlight. Various techniques, including XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, FESEM, TEM, and BET analysis, were used to comprehensively characterize their structural, morphological, and optical properties. The nanocomposites exhibited both cubic and tetragonal phases of Co3O4 and TiO2, and their combined effect resulted in a narrowed band gap. Additionally, the presence of Co3O4 induced surface plasmon resonance on the TiO2 surface, effectively impeding electron-hole recombination. The nanocomposites displayed an average particle size of ∼20 to 30 nm with substantial visible light absorption. High crystallinity and well-dispersed nanocomposites were confirmed by XRD and Raman, with BET surface areas ranging between 49 and 106 m2 g-1. Notably, the p-Co3O4/n-TiO2 nanocomposite showed superior photocatalytic activity, achieving a maximum hydrogen generation rate of 1120 µmol h-1 g-1 and an 83% degradation efficiency of the orange-red dye within 6 minutes under sunlight. This study emphasizes the enhanced performance of the p-Co3O4/n-TiO2 nanocomposite, indicating its potential in photocatalytic applications, conforming to a pseudo-first-order kinetics model.

Clinical Profile and Evaluation of Outcomes of Symptomatic Gallstone Disease in the Senior Citizen Population.

Background There is a heavy burden of gallstone disease on the world's population. The incidence and severity of symptomatic cholelithiasis increase with age. There is often a delay in presentation, leading to complicated disease, diagnostic delay, and increased morbidity. There is a paucity of studies on the presentation and management of cholelithiasis in elderly persons from the western part of India. This study aimed to observe the spectrum of presentation and management of symptomatic cholelithiasis in senior citizens. Objectives  The primary objective of this study was to describe the presentation, diagnosis and intraoperative findings of symptomatic gallstone disease (GSD) in patients aged over 60 years. The secondary objectives of this study were to find the association of GSD with age, sex, and comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and thyroid disorders. Methods All patients above the age of 60 years presenting to the surgical outpatient and emergency departments from January 2020 to July 2021 with symptomatic GSD were included. Details of history, physical examination, blood investigations, and imaging of the abdomen (ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreaticography, when indicated) were recorded. Patients were managed as per the advice of the treating consultant. Details of management and outcomes, including hospital stay, mortality, and morbidity, were noted. The descriptive data were organised into tables and percentages. The significance of various data and relationships between various variables was analysed using the Pearson chi-square test, Fischer exact test and scatter plots. Results A total of 76 patients were evaluated in this study, of which 73.7% were female. The mean age was 70.8 ± 1.7 years. The majority of patients (63.2%) were admitted through the outpatient department (OPD). The most common presenting complaint was abdominal pain (96.1%). Clinical jaundice was noted in 9.2%. Complicated Gall Stone Disease (GSD) was found more commonly in the female population (57.1%). Complicated GSD was more commonly found in patients with diabetes (p=0.075) and hypothyroidism (p=0.057). No association of age with intraoperative complications was noted (p = 0.446). Conclusion Senior citizens can present with both complicated and uncomplicated GSD. GSD, in the presence of hypothyroidism or diabetes mellitus, presents in a much more complicated form. Early surgical intervention in form of laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be beneficial to the patient if diagnosed with symptomatic gallstones. Patients of this age group need not be over investigated if a benign pathology is suspected.

Assessment of ozone toxicity on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars: Its defensive system and intraspecific sensitivity.

Anthropogenic activities help the ozone formation at the troposphere which causes toxic effects on plants and humans. Ozone is a highly reactive gas that enters in plants through stomata and initiates the overproduction of ROS which causes oxidative stress in plants that lead to the destruction of membranal lipids, proteins, impaired the production of sugars and other metabolites and ultimately damage the cell. Presented study was conducted to assess the ozone toxicity on the biomass accumulation of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars and the role of antioxidative activity in intraspecific sensitivity among the tested cultivars. Results showed that the ozone exposed plants have higher accumulation of H2O2 and MDA correspond to the EDU supplementation which increase the membrane permeability and adversely influence the protein, starch, and biomass accumulation and allocation of the experimental cotton cultivars. On the basis of biomass reduction, cotton cultivar ADC1 is the most sensitive cultivar, while cultivars G. Cot.21 > GADC-2 and G. Cot.13 is moderately sensitive and cultivar V-797 is the least sensitive to ozone stress. Activated defense mechanism such as enhanced activity of antioxidative compounds and enzymes detoxify the ROS by scavenging H2O2 and protects plants against damage. However, activation of defence is variable among the cultivars and corresponded to the biomass loss. Study concluded that the ozone sensitivity among the cotton cultivars depends on the scavenging of ROS. Further, study recommended cultivar ADC-1 as an assessment tool for ozone and cultivar V-797 for cultivation at ozone prone areas to minimize the agricultural loss.

Ozone risk assessment of castor (Ricinus communis L.) cultivars using open top chamber and ethylenediurea (EDU).

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) an important non-edible oilseed crop, is a prominent feed stock towards the generation of renewable materials for industrial production which has multiple applications ranging from cosmetics to biofuels industry. India accounts for 76% of the total world production of castor oil seed. However, major concern for developing countries like India where expanding economy led to rapid increases in gases like NOx, CO and VOCs photochemically form ozone. Ozone is strong oxidant that damages agriculture, ecosystems, and materials with considerable reduction in crop yields and crop quality. One way to reduce ozone induced loss is to focus on the adapting crops to ozone exposure by selecting cultivars with demonstrated ozone resistance. An experiment was conducted for ozone risk assessment of castor cultivars to select cultivar with demonstrated resistance against ozone pollution. This study comprise an open top chamber experiment with three treatments viz. (i) control (ambient ozone concentration), (ii) enhanced ozone (average 75 ppb for 4 h daily throughout the growing season), and (iii) EDU application. Results suggested that the ozone pollution substantially affected growth and physiology of castor cultivars. Crop biomass and yield was also negatively influenced by ozone pollution. Developed defence provided strength to withstand against ozone pollution to the experimental crop cultivars. However, developed defence is cultivar specific and positively correlated with the resistance against ozone pollution. Study concluded that the damage to ozone is directly dependent on the antioxidative potential of plant species. However, ozone adaptability is based on the genetic makeup of the cultivar and yield related loss to ozone can be minimizing by selecting ozone tolerant variety as seen in cultivar Nidhi-999.

Perceptions of Local Environmental Issues and the Relevance of Climate Change in Nepal's Terai: Perspectives From Two Communities.

The direct and indirect impacts of global climate change entail serious consequences for global biophysical and social systems, including the health, well-being and sustainability of communities. These impacts are especially serious for vulnerable groups in economically developing societies. While climate change is a global phenomenon, it is at the local level that impacts are most felt, and from where responses to climate change are enacted. It is increasingly urgent that communities possess the capacity to respond to climate change, now and in the future. Community representations of climate-relevant issues are critical to underpinning responses. Environmental representations do not directly reflect actual physical conditions but are interpreted through social and cultural layers of understanding that shape environmental issues. This paper investigates environmental and climate-relevant perceptions within two communities in the Terai region of Nepal; the city of Bharatpur and the village of Kumroj in Chitwan Province. Following mixed findings on levels of climate change awareness in Nepal, we set out to explore perspectives on the environment and climate change awareness by conducting 30 qualitative interviews with local people. The study found that issues linked to sanitation and cleanliness were most important in both communities, while reports of temperature and weather changes were less common and typically linked to local causes rather than climate change. Imagined futures were also closely related to current environmental issues affecting communities and did not discuss climate change, though temperature and weather changes were anticipated. However, when talk of climate change was deliberately elicited, participants displayed their awareness, though this was rarely linked to local conditions. We conclude that, in light of other pressing local issues, climate change is yet to penetrate the environmental representations of some communities and there is a need to address the disconnect between local issues and global climate change. Making climate change relevant at the local level by connecting to salient local issues and co-benefits comprises an important step in bridging the gap between more global awareness and its relevance more locally, particularly for communities at risk.

A calendar method of collecting remittance use data in a remittance dependent setting of Nepal1.

This methodological paper describes the design and refinement of a calendar method of collecting data on remittance receipt and remittance use and its piloting in a rural remittance dependent setting of Nepal. Much of the previous national surveys collected remittance receipt and remittance use cross-sectional data that used a time frame ranging from 12 - 24 months. These surveys collected remittance receipt data by asking, 'How much money has he/she sent in the past 12 months or 2 years?' We believe that the long time frame of one to two years adds burden to respondents for unnecessary calculations and is prone to re-call bias. Moreover, these surveys used vague words such as 'capital formation' or 'daily consumption' to measure the uses of remittances. Thus, the instrument per se is unreliable posing threats to collecting valid responses. Considering these flaws, in 2013, we designed a calendar with shorter timing cues and simple words for collecting longitudinal data on remittance receipt and remittance use. First, we describe the calendar design process. Next, we provide descriptive results of household responses on the amount of remittance received and the remittance used on various socio-economic and cultural dimensions of household activities. The implications of the insights gained from this study are discussed.