Comprehensive review on toxic heavy metals in the aquatic system: sources, identification, treatment strategies, and health risk assessment.

Heavy metal pollution in water sources has become a major worldwide environmental issue, posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. The pollution of the aquatic environment is increasing as a result of industrialization, climate change, and urban development. The sources of heavy metal pollution in water include mining waste, leachates from landfills, municipal and industrial wastewater, urban runoff, and natural events such as volcanism, weathering, and rock abrasion. Heavy metal ions are toxic and potentially carcinogenic. They can also buildup in biological systems and cause bioaccumulation even at low levels of exposure, heavy metals can cause harm to organs such as the nervous system, liver and lungs, kidneys and stomach, skin, and reproductive systems. There were various approaches tried to purify water and maintain water quality. The main purpose of this article was to investigate the occurrence and fate of the dangerous contaminants (Heavy metal and metalloids) found in domestic and industrial effluents. This effluent mixes with other water streams and is used for agricultural activities and other domestic activities further complicating the issue. It also discussed conventional and non-conventional treatment methods for heavy metals from aquatic environments. Conclusively, a pollution assessment of heavy metals and a human health risk assessment of heavy metals in water resources have been explained. In addition, there have been efforts to focus on heavy metal sequestration from industrial waste streams and to create a scientific framework for reducing heavy metal discharges into the aquatic environment.

[BCIgEPRED-a Dual-Layer Approach for Predicting Linear IgE Epitopes].

Allergy is a common health problem worldwide, especially food allergy. Since B cell epitopes that are recognized by the IgE antibodies act as antigenic determinants for allergy, they play a vital role in diagnostics. Hence, knowledge of an IgE binding epitope in a protein is of particular interest for identifying aller-genic proteins. Though IgE epitopes maybe conformational or linear, identification of the later is useful especially in food allergens that undergo processing or digestion. Very few computational tools are available for the prediction of linear IgE epitopes. Here we report a prediction system that predicts the exact linear IgE epitope. Since our earlier study on linear B cell epitope prediction demonstrated the effectiveness of using an exact epitope dataset (in contrast to epitope containing region datasets), the dataset in this study uses only experimentally verified exact IgE, IgG, IgM and IgA epitopes. Models for Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) were constructed adopting Dipeptide Deviation from the Expected mean (DDE) feature vector. Extensive validation procedures including five-fold cross validation and two different independent dataset tests have been performed to validate the proposed method, which achieved a balanced accuracy ranging from 74 to 78% with area under receiver operator curve greater than 0.8. Performance of the proposed method was observed to be better (accuracy difference of 16-28%) in comparison to the existing available method. The proposed method is developed as a standalone tool that could be used for predicting IgE epitopes as well as to be incorporated into any allergen prediction toolhttps://github.com/brsaran/BCIgePred.

A divergent and metal free synthesis of sulfoximine tethered imidazoles, imidazopyridines, imidazothiazoles, imidazobenzothiazines, thiazoles and selenazoles.

A divergent and metal free approach has been successfully developed for the synthesis of sulfoximine tethered heterocycles. A key α-bromoalkanone intermediate 3b has been reported for the first time. Various sulfoximine tethered imidazoles, imidazopyridines, thiozoloimidazoles, imidazobenzothiazines, thiazoles and selenazoles are made from this common sulfoximine building block.

Kinetics studies on the removal of Methyl ethyl ketone using cornstack based biofilter.

The performance of cornstack based biofilter inoculated with a mixed culture was evaluated for gas phase MEK removal under various operating conditions. Experiments were carried out at different flow rates (0.03-0.12m3h-1) and various initial concentrations (0.2-1.2g-3). A maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 35g-3h-1 was achieved at an inlet loading rate of 60g-3h-1 with a removal efficiency of 95%. High elimination capacity reached with this system could have been due to the dominant presence of filamentous fungi among others. The experimental results were compared with the values obtained from the Ottengraf-van den Oever model for zero-order diffusion-controlled region. The critical inlet concentration, critical inlet load and biofilm thickness were estimated using the model predictions.

Development of alginate-based aggregate inoculants of Methylobacterium sp. and Azospirillum brasilense tested under in vitro conditions to promote plant growth.

AIM: To develop co-aggregated bacterial inoculant comprising of Methylobacterium oryzae CBMB20/Methylobacterium suomiense CBMB120 strains with Azospirillum brasilense (CW903) strain and testing their efficiency as inoculants for plant growth promotion (PGP). METHODS AND RESULTS: Biofilm formation and co-aggregation efficiency was studied between A. brasilense CW903 and methylobacterial strains M. oryzae CBMB20 and M. suomiense CBMB120. Survival and release of these co-aggregated bacterial strains entrapped in alginate beads were assessed. PGP attributes of the co-aggregated bacterial inoculant were tested in tomato plants under water-stressed conditions. Results suggest that the biofilm formation efficiency of the CBMB20 and CBMB120 strains increased by 15 and 34%, respectively, when co-cultivated with CW903. Co-aggregation with CW903 enhanced the survivability of CBMB20 strain in alginate beads. Water stress index score showed least stress index in plants inoculated with CW903 and CBMB20 strains maintained as a co-aggregated inoculant. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports the development of co-aggregated cell inoculants containing M. oryzae CBMB20 and A. brasilense CW903 strains conferred better shelf life and stress abatement in inoculated tomato plants. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These findings could be extended to other PGP bacterial species to develop multigeneric bioinoculants with multiple benefits for various crops.

(E)-1-[2-(2-Nitro-styr-yl)-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl]propan-1-one.

In the title compound, C25H20N2O5S, the phenyl ring makes dihedral angles of 89.88 (8) and 13.98 (8)°, respectively, with the indole ring system and the nitro-benzene ring. The dihedral angle between the indole ring system and the nitro-benzene ring is 88.48 (11)°. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by a weak intra-molecular C-H⋯O inter-action. In the crystal, π-π inter-actions, with centroid-centroid distances of 3.6741 (18) and 3.8873 (17) Å, link the mol-ecules into layers parallel to the ab plane.

(E)-2-Bromo-1-[2-(2-nitro-styr-yl)-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl]ethanone.

In the title compound C24H17BrN2O5S, the phenyl ring makes dihedral angles of 85.4 (2) and 8.8 (2)° with the indole ring system and the nitro-benzene ring, respectively, while the indole ring system and nitrobenzene ring make a dihedral angle of 80.1 (2)°. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯O inter-actions link the mol-ecules, forming a two-dimensional network parallel to the bc plane.

2-Bromo-1-(1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl)propan-1-one.

In the title compound, C17H14BrNO3S, the phenyl ring makes a dihedral angle of 89.78 (16)° with the plane of the indole ring system. The terminal Br atom and the methyl group are disordered over two sets of sites, with site occupancies of 0.860 (2) and 0.140 (2). In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into a chain along the b-axis direction by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The chains are further linked by C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming layers parallel to the bc plane.

Status and future trends in wastewater management strategies using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques.

The two main things needed to fulfill the world's impending need for water in the face of the widespread water crisis are collecting water and recycling. To do this, the present study has placed a greater focus on water management strategies used in a variety of contexts areas. To distribute water effectively, save it, and satisfy water quality requirements for a variety of uses, it is imperative to apply intelligent water management mechanisms while keeping in mind the population density index. The present review unveiled the latest trends in water and wastewater recycling, utilizing several Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques for distribution, rainfall collection, and control of irrigation models. The data collected for these purposes are unique and comes in different forms. An efficient water management system could be developed with the use of AI, Deep Learning (DL), and the Internet of Things (IoT) structure. This study has investigated several water management methodologies using AI, DL and IoT with case studies and sample statistical assessment, to provide an efficient framework for water management.

Duganella sacchari sp. nov. and Duganella radicis sp. nov., two novel species isolated from rhizosphere of field-grown sugar cane.

Two strains, designated Sac-22(T) and Sac-41(T), were isolated from rhizosphere soil and rhizoplane of field-grown sugar cane clone Co86032. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed a clear affiliation of these two bacteria with the class Betaproteobacteria, their closest relatives being Pseudoduganella violaceinigra and Duganella zoogloeoides with 16S rRNA gene sequence pairwise similarities of 96.4-97.2 % to the two novel strains. Strains Sac-22(T) and Sac-41(T) shared a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value of 97.6 %. Cells of the two strains were Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped. Ubiquinone (Q-8) was the respiratory quinone and the predominant polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The main cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c/iso-C15 : 0 2-OH, C17 : 0 cyclo, C10 : 0 3-OH and C12 : 0. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 56.4 mol% for strain Sac-22(T) and 54.9 mol% for strain Sac-41(T). Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and physiological and biochemical characterization, that differentiated strains Sac-22(T) and Sac-41(T) from all recognized species of the genus Duganella, it was concluded that strains represent two novel species in the genus Duganella for which the names Duganella sacchari sp. nov. (type strain Sac-22(T) = KCTC 22381(T) = NCIMB 14475(T)) and Duganella radicis sp. nov. (type strain Sac-41(T) = KCTC 22382(T) = NCIMB 14476(T)) are proposed.

Comparison of soil bacterial communities of Pinus patula of Nilgiris, western ghats with other biogeographically distant pine forest clone libraries.

The bacterial community structure of the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil of Pinus patula, found in the Nilgiris region of Western Ghats, was studied by constructing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. In the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil clone libraries constructed, 13 and 15 bacterial phyla were identified, respectively. The clone libraries showed the predominance of members of culturally underrepresented phyla like Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. The Alphaproteobacteria and Acidobacteria clones were predominant in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil samples, respectively. In rhizosphere, amongst Alphaproteobacteria members, Bradyrhizobium formed the significant proportion, whereas in non-rhizosphere, members of subdivision-6 of phylum Acidobacteria were abundant. The diversity analysis of P. patula soil libraries showed that the phylotypes (16S rRNA gene similarity cutoff, ≥97 %) of Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes were relatively predominant and diverse followed by Alphaproteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. The diversity indices estimated higher richness and abundance of bacteria in P. patula soil clone libraries than the pine forest clone libraries retrieved from previous studies. The tools like principal co-ordinate analysis and Jackknife cluster analysis, which were under UniFrac analysis indicated that variations in soil bacterial communities were attributed to their respective geographical locations due to the phylogenetic divergence amongst the clone libraries. Overall, the P. patula rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere clone libraries were found significantly unique in composition, evenly distributed and highly rich in phylotypes, amongst the biogeographically distant clone libraries. It was finally hypothesised that the phylogenetic divergence amongst the bacterial phylotypes and natural selection plays a pivotal role in the variations of bacterial communities across the geographical distance.

Pesticide tolerant and phosphorus solubilizing Pseudomonas sp. strain SGRAJ09 isolated from pesticides treated Achillea clavennae rhizosphere soil.

In this study, an attempt was made to identify an effective phosphate solubilizing bacteria from pesticide polluted field soil. Based on the formation of solubilization halo on Pikovskaya's agar, six isolates were selected and screened for pesticide tolerance and phosphate (P) solubilization ability through liquid assay. The results showed that only one strain (SGRAJ09) obtained from Achillea clavennae was found to tolerate maximum level of the pesticides tested and it was phylogenetically identified as Pseudomonas sp. It possessed a wide range of pesticide tolerance, ranging from 117 µg mL(-1) for alphamethrin to 2,600 µg mL(-1) for endosulfan. The available P concentrations increased with the maximum and double the maximum dose of monocrotophos and imidacloprid, respectively. On subjected to FT-IR and HPLC analysis, the presence of organic acids functional group in the culture broth and the production of gluconic acid as dominant acid aiding the P solubilization were identified. On comparison with control broth, monocrotophos and imidacloprid added culture broth showed quantitatively high organic acids production. In addition to gluconic acid production, citric and acetic acids were also observed in the pesticide amended broth. Furthermore, the Pseudomonas sp. strain SGRAJ09 possessed all the plant growth promoting traits tested. In presence of monocrotophos and imidacloprid, its plant growth promoting activities were lower than that of the pesticides unamended treatment.

(E)-1-[2-(4-Chloro-2-nitro-styr-yl)-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl]propan-1-one.

In the title compound, C25H19ClN2O5S, the phenyl ring forms dihedral angles of 79.62 (12) and 80.02 (13)° with the indole ring system and the benzene ring, respectively. The nitro group is twisted at an angle of 22.39 (11)° with respect to the attached benzene ring. In the crystal, mol-ecules assemble into double layers in the ab plane via C-H⋯O inter-actions.

(E)-1-[2-(4-Fluoro-2-nitro-styr-yl)-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl]propan-1-one.

In the title compound, C25H19FN2O5S, the substituted phenyl ring makes a dihedral angle of 12.26 (9)° with the indole ring system. The nitro group is twisted at an angle of 26.92 (8)° out of the plane of the ring to which it is attached. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, weak C-H⋯O, C-H⋯F and π-π [centroid-centroid distance = 3.6645 (11) Å] inter-actions link the mol-ecules, forming a three-dimensional network.

(Z)-3-(1-Chloro-prop-1-en-yl)-2-methyl-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indole.

In the title compound, C18H16ClNO2S, the indole ring system forms a dihedral angle of 75.07 (8)° with the phenyl ring. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by a weak intra-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain along [10-1]. C-H⋯π inter-actions are also observed, leading to a three-dimensional network.

1-(2-Bromo-meth-yl-1-phenyl-sulfonyl-1H-indol-3-yl)propan-1-one.

In the title compound, C18H16BrNO3S, the dihedral angle between the phenyl ring and the indole ring system is 89.91 (11)°. The mol-ecular structure features weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Br hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the a-axis direction. The chains are further linked by C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming a layer parallel to the ab plane.

A Case of Idiopathic Retinitis Vasculitis Aneurysms and Neuroretinitis (IRVAN) Treated with Adalimumab.

PURPOSE: To report a case of IRVAN in a 13-year-old girl responding well to Adalimumab and Azathioprine. RESULTS: A 13-year-old girl presented to us with central scotoma for a duration of 10 months. She was treated earlier with oral steroids with poor response. Fundus examination revealed features of IRVAN. She was treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implant in both eyes with oral Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) with transient response to it. So she was switched over to subcutaneous Adalimumab 40 mg once in 2 weeks and oral Azathioprine 50 mg BD. The disease activity was well controlled with the current regime. CONCLUSION: Though various treatment modalities have been described in literature for the treatment of IRVAN. This is the first case of IRVAN to be treated with Adalimumab along with Azathioprine to be reported.

What do retina fellows-in-training think about the vitreoretinal surgical simulator: A multicenter survey.

Purpose: To profile vitreoretinal (VR) fellows-in-training from India exposed to the Eyesi surgical simulator, to identify potential barriers to voluntary use, and enumerate the most preferred tools and tasks before incorporating them into a formal skill-transfer curriculum. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was designed and circulated through an online portal (surveymonkey.com) to four different institutes of India having a VR surgical fellowship program and using a functional Eyesi (Haag-Streit) simulator. All fellows and trainees who were exposed to the simulator were eligible to participate, irrespective of time spent on the simulator and exposure to training steps on real patients. The responses collected were private and anonymous. Results: Of the 37 respondents, most (n = 25, 68%) considered surgical simulators to be the best training tool before operating on the human eye. A majority (n = 35, 94.5%) of participants spent <3 h per week on the simulator, which, most (n = 30, 81%) felt was not enough time. The main reasons for this underutilization were work-hour limitations (54.8%), lack of a structured training program (19.3%), or a dedicated supervisor (16.1%). Again, the majority (n = 33, 89%) of participants responded that VR surgical skills acquired during simulator training were transferrable to the operating room, which was reflected by their response (n = 31, 83.7%) that simulator-based training should be made mandatory before operating room exposure. Conclusion: This study gives an insight into the overall practice patterns and preferences in simulation training of surgical VR fellows-in-training across India. It indicates that the simulator is extremely helpful to fellows and if adopted, VR surgical simulators with organized, directed, and supervised sessions will considerably improve the surgical training experience.