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This study presents the contents of α-methylenecyclopropylglycine, a potentially toxic amino acid, in the peel, pulp and seed fractions of two well-known litchi varieties, namely Shahi and China, over a span of three harvest-seasons. For analysing α-methylenecyclopropylglycine, an LC-MS/MS-based method was validated. The method-accuracies fell within 75-110 % (RSD, <15 %) at 0.1 mg/kg (LOQ) and higher levels. A comparative evaluation of the results in peel, pulp and seed at 30 days before harvest (DBH), 15-DBH, and edible-ripe stage revealed that α-methylenecyclopropylglycine content increased as the litchi seeds grew towards maturity, regardless of the cultivar. In arils, at maturity, the concentration of α-methylenecyclopropylglycine ranged from not-detected to 11.7 µg/g dry weight. The Shahi cultivar showed slightly higher α-methylenecyclopropylglycine content in comparison to China litchi. This paper presents the first known analysis of combined seasonal data on different fruit components at various growth stages for the two chosen litchi cultivars grown in India.

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Peripheral neuropathy can affect sensory, motor, or autonomic nerves and manifest with a variety of symptoms. Tuberculosis as a major infectious disease that often affects many organs of the body. However, primary involvement of peripheral nerves is unusual. Peripheral neuropathy in patients with tuberculosis often is associated with other comorbidities, such as immunocompromised states, diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, and some antitubercular medications. This report describes the rare finding of peripheral tubercular neuritis with caseating abscesses of right median and radial nerve in a healthy 24-year man.

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Previous research on solar box cookers focusing on the bulk usage of energy storage materials is a costly technique for performance enhancement. Bulk energy storage materials take much time to charge and, thus, result in a low rate of cooking at the start. Therefore, a hot box solar cooker has been developed and experimentally studied for thermal performance enhancement in a hilly region of Uttarakhand, India. A bed of phase change material (paraffin wax) filled with small capsule-shaped containers was prepared (detachable) and placed over the cooking tray of the tested cooker. These containers were vertically positioned over the bed to enhance the heat transfer rate inside the cooker to attain a fast-cooking response. Notably, the combined effect of extended geometry with PCM is an excellent method to increase the efficiency of a solar cooker. As per the author's knowledge, likely techniques have not been studied for a box cooker to achieve a fast-cooking rate in any hilly region up to date. The results of cooking tests show that the cooking plate attained a maximum temperature of about 150 °C. It is because of the combined effect of extended fins (vertical capsules) and PCM filled inside them. The results of the experimental study show that the thermal efficiency of the cooker was found to be about 45.7%, the cooking power was calculated about 54.71 W, the heat transfer coefficient was estimated about 311 W/m2 °C, and the overall heat loss coefficient was computed about 5.71 W/m2 °C. This modified cooker costs about $48.19, and the payback period is about 03 years and 11 months. Cooking trials also showed that the present SBC could cook almost all the dishes commonly cooked in Uttarakhand.

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Gomti river receives industrial as well as domestic wastes from various drains of Lucknow city. In the process the water and sediment of the river Gomti get contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants. In the present study, impacts of domestic/industrial wastes on the water and sediment chemistry of river Gomti with special reference to heavy metals have been investigated in different seasons (summer, winter and rainy). For this, seven sampling sites: Gaughat, Mohan Meakin, Martyr's Memorial, Hanuman Setu, Nishatganj bridge, Pipraghat and Malhaur, in the river Gomti in Lucknow region were identified and samples of water and sediments were collected in all the three seasons. In the collected water and sediment samples, six metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were analyzed on ICP-AES (Inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy) Labtam Plasmalab 8440. High concentrations of all the metals were noticed in water and sediment in rainy season compared to summer and winter. Because in rainy season runoff from open contaminated sites, agricultural field and industries, directly comes into the river without any treatment. In both the cases, the concentration of zinc was maximum (0.091 microg/ml in water and 182.13 microg/g in sediment) and the concentration of cadmium (0.001 microg/ml in water and 17.26 microg/g in sediment) was minimum. Higher concentration of metal in water and sediment during rainy season could be due to the industrial/agricultural/domestic runoff coming into the river.

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Industry has become an essential part of modern society, and waste production is an inevitable outcome of the developmental activities. A material becomes waste when it is discarded without expecting to be compensated for its inherent value. These wastes may pose a potential hazard to the human health or the environment (soil, air, water) when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed off or managed. Currently in India even though hazardous wastes, emanations and effluents are regulated, solid wastes often are disposed off indiscriminately posing health and environmental risk. In view of this, management of hazardous wastes including their disposal in environment friendly and economically viable way is very important and therefore suggestions are made for developing better strategies. Out of the various categories of the wastes, solid waste contributes a major share towards environmental degradation. The present paper outlines the nature of the wastes, waste generating industries, waste characterization, health and environmental implications of wastes management practices, steps towards planning, design and development of models for effective hazardous waste management, treatment, approaches and regulations for disposal of hazardous waste. Appraisal of the whole situation with reference to Indian scenario is attempted so that a better cost-effective strategies for waste management be evolved in future.

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Most of the available techniques for removal of heavy metals from solution such as leachates from waste sites are very expensive. The technique described in this paper is designed to study the removal of humic acid by alginate beads and the subsequent binding of the metals within the beads thus decreasing the leachability of heavy metals from a hazardous waste site. The entry of 500 mg/l humic acid into 3% calcium alginate beads in 24 h showed a distinct fluorescence as compared to the fluorescence shown by the entry of 100 and 250 mg/l of humic acid into alginate beads. Further, on treatment of calcium alginate beads containing 500 mg/l humic acid with metals such as Cu, Mn, Zn, Cr and Fe, quenching of fluorescence was noticed, which was maximum with Cu and minimum with Fe.

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Removal of chromium (Cr) from tannery effluents by recovery of metal also reduces the ecotoxicological impact. To develop such a process, columns packed with calcium alginate (CA) beads with or without humic acid (HA) have been used as an adsorbent and tannery effluent was passed through it. Concentration of Cr in beads and in different fractions collected after adsorption was measured. Change in total organic carbon content during the process was also noticed. The fractions were also tested for toxicity towards Microtox assay. EC(50) values were determined with the help of Microtox analyser 500. Data showed that the CA beads along with HA could be effectively utilised in removal of 54% Cr and also in reducing the toxicity (EC(50) (%) in 5 min=>100 in fractions collected after 72 h).

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Humic acid with hydroxyl-, phenoxyl-, and carboxyl-reactive groups can form coordination compounds with metals. The ion-exchange equilibrium method using Dowex AG 50W-X8, 20-25 mesh Na(+) form was used to determine stability constants of complexes formed between humic acid (isolated from the soil) 50-250 microg ( approximately 3x10(-5)-15x10(-5) mol/liter) and metal salts solution 200 microg at pH 3.5. The stability constant (log K) for different metal-humic acid complexes indicated the following order of the stabilities of complexes formed between humic acid and metal ions: Cu>Fe>Pb>Ni>Co>Ca>Cd>Zn>Mn>Mg. The data on stability constants demonstrated substantial deviation from Irwing-Williams series reported for divalent ions. The molar humic acid/metal ratios were also calculated. Some of the factors affecting the stability constants such as cation exchange capacity of humus soil, molecular radius, and molecular surface area of humic molecules were also estimated. The significance of the data to predict the behavior of these complexes in the environment is discussed.

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Breeding preferences of Anopheles culicifacies, a principle malaria vector, in the plains of India was studied in the rice agro-ecosystem of Kheda district in central Gujarat. Extensive breeding of this species was found in the rice field channels (20.83 per cent) and in rice fields (5.32 per cent). However, rice nurseries (0.91 per cent) and post-harvested rice fields (2.51 per cent) were less preferred. The species was found in abundance in newly transplanted rice fields and during early months of rice cultivation with a peak prevalence in the non-monsoon (Rabi) season. The breeding of An. culicifacies was inversely proportional and negatively correlated (r = -0.868; p < 0.05) with the height of the plants, whereas it showed a positive correlation (r = 0.779; p < 0.05) with the distance between plants. Rice fields near the villages supported maximum breeding of An. culicifacies (48 per cent) followed by the rice fields, 0.5 to one km away from the human habitation. Co-efficient of association (C8 index) revealed a positive association of the species with An. annularis, An. pallidus, An. subpictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. However, it was negatively associated with An. nigerrimus, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. vishnui sub groups.

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Adult incomplete cleft lip nose deformity is not uncommon in India. Poverty, ignorance, and parental neglect account for its late presentation. Besides the classical features of cleft lip nose deformity, the constant findings observed in this patient population have been a widened and depressed nasal sill. This is attributable to the sparse, hypoplastic, and abnormally orientated orbicularis oris muscle in the region of the sill. Failure to restore the nasal sill symmetry by suitably augmenting the sill frequently leads to unsatisfactory and asymmetric results. However, in the literature, satisfactory restoration of the nasal sill has not been given the importance it deserves while performing cleft lip rhinoplasty. We present a method of augmenting the depressed nasal sill in cases of adult incomplete nose deformity using a superiorly based orbicularis oris muscle flap, which is harvested from the soft tissues between the apex of the cleft and the nostril sill. Following de-epithelialization of the overlying skin, the exposed muscle is raised as a superiorly based flap after dissecting it from the underlying mucosa. It is folded, turned over, and tucked into the nasal sill base and anchored to the anterior nasal spine to give the desired augmentation. Satisfactory results have been obtained in 18 cases of nasal deformity associated with incomplete cleft lip. In our opinion, this technique offers a simple and effective method of augmenting the depressed sill by utilizing locally available tissues and without the need for procuring autologous tissue from distant sites.

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Rice agro-ecosystem of Kheda district in Central Gujarat was inhabited by 14 species of anophelines and 15 species of culicines. Anopheles subpictus and Culex vishnui gr dominated the respective groups. Species diversity in rice fields as well as in associated habitats remained high during non-monsoon (rabi) period. There existed several positive and negative interspecific associations. Malaria vector An. culicifacies showed positive association with An. subpictus, An. annularis, An. pallidus and Cx. quinquefasciatus but was found negatively associated with An. nigerrimus, Cx. vishnui and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus.

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Mosquito breeding in relation to aquatic vegetation and certain physico-chemical parameters was studied in rice fields of Kheda district in central Gujarat. A total of 14 anopheline and 15 culicine species were encountered in close association with different types of aquatic vegetation in different proportions. Among anophelines, Anopheles annularis, An. nigerrimus, An. subpictus and An. tessellatus were of general distribution and were found associated with each aquatic vegetation. An. culicifacies showed poor association with most of the aquatic weeds. Maximum number of anophelines were found associated with algae. Culex vishnui sub-group predominated among culicines and showed frequent association with Ceratophyllum, Hydrilla and algae. Physico-chemical parameters also exerted some impact on mosquito larval population.

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Studies on seasonal prevalence and succession of mosquitoes in rice fields, revealed the dominance of Anopheles culicifacies and An. subpictus in newly transplanted fields during early months of rice cultivation, which was later replaced by the species like An. annularis, An. barbirostris, An. nigerrimus and An. tessellatus with the growth in plant height. Among culicines, except Cx. quinquefasciatus other species were prevalent during growing and later stages of the rice crop. Larval density was found inversely proportional to the height of plants, whereas species diversity maximized during growing phase due to equitable number of specimen among species.

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First web space contractures of the hand affect predominantly the movements at the trapeziometacarpal joint, rendering the thumb ineffective for opposition and thereby destroying the essential elements of grasp and pinch. Adequate release of contractured first web space followed by a local skin flap cover and dynamic abduction splintage for the subsequent 6 weeks gives excellent results. Documenting the first web angle at every follow-up visit can detect early recurrences and the dynamic splintage can be reinstituted to achieve the normal first web space. Secondary surgery in the form of flexor pollicis longus tendon lengthening or opponens-plasty helps to prevent recurrences.

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Fish fingerlings (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to sublethal concentrations of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (0.005 ppm) for 24, 48, and 96 h under static laboratory conditions. Alterations were noted in the levels of glycogen, lactic acid, sialic acid, and acid and alkaline phosphatases in the gill, liver, and kidney. This chemical may impair metabolic processes in fingerling carp, because increased exposure resulted in significant increases in lactic acid and decreases in glycogen and sialic acid along with inhibition of acid and alkaline phosphatase activity.

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