Nanocomposite Foils of PS/Cu : Dual Functionality of Optical Enhancement and Antibacterial Activity on .

Copper nanoparticles embedded in polystyrene (PS) nanocomposite foils were prepared via the solution casting method to study their optical characteristics and antimicrobial activities. Structural and surface morphology of the prepared nanocomposite foils were carried out by FTIR and FESEM. UV-vis spectra reveal that the nanocomposite foils are optically transparent in the visible region, with a strong absorbance peak at ~ 264 nm.

Exploring the association between long-term MODIS aerosol and air pollutants data across the Northern Great Plains through machine learning analysis.

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent (AE) are the major environmental indicators to perceive air quality and the impact of aerosol on climate change and health as well as the global atmospheric conditions. In the present study, an average of AOD and AE data from Tera and Aqua satellites of MODIS sensors has been investigated over 7 years i.e.

Statistical and spatio-temporal analyses of noise pollution level and its health impact.

Due to rapid urbanization and exponential growth in transportation; traffic noise has become a major area of concern. Noise not only disturbs our day-to-day life but also have severe adverse health effects over humans which further may lead to mortality. This paper focuses on the behavior of noise levels of Lucknow city over a decade and establishes its correlation with impact on human health in terms of annoyance and sleep disturbance.

Comparative study for sorption of arsenic on peanut shell biochar and modified peanut shell biochar.

In this study, arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] removal efficiency of peanut shell biochar (PSB) and modified peanut shell biochar (MPSB) was compared in aqueous solutions. The modification was carried out with KMnO and KOH. Sorption efficiency of MPSB was relatively higher than PSB at pH 6 for As(III) (86%) and for As(V) (91.

Imidacloprid biodegradation using novel bacteria Tepidibacillus decaturensis strain ST1 in batch and in situ microcosm study.

Imidacloprid is one of the frequently used insecticides. Indiscriminate use of imidacloprid makes it perilous to non-target organisms as well as the environment, including soil and water sources, thus, making its elimination from the environment an irresistible concern. Bioremediation is a technique that uses the degrading capabilities of bacteria to create an economical and reliable method of pesticide abatement.

Spatio-temporal assessment of ambient air quality, their health effects and improvement during COVID-19 lockdown in one of the most polluted cities of India.

The present work aims to investigate seasonal variations in air pollution levels in Lucknow and assess the ambient air quality of the city together with highlighting the health impacts of major pollutants like PM, PM, SO, NO, Pb, Ni and aerosols from 2010 to 2019. The maximum and minimum values of PM, PM, SO, NO, Pb and Ni were found to be 270.75 and 122.

Phototrophic cultivation of NaCl-tolerant mutant of Spirulina platensis for enhanced C-phycocyanin production under optimized culture conditions and its dynamic modeling.

Commercial cultivation of Spirulina sp. is highly popular due to the presence of high amount of C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and other valuable chemicals like carotenoids and γ-linolenic acid. In this study, the pH and the concentrations of nitrogen and carbon source were manipulated to achieve improved cell growth and C-PC production in NaCl-tolerant mutant of Spirulina platensis.

Study of optical phase conjugation in amorphous Zn(x)-S(y)-Se(100-x-y) chalcogenide thin films using degenerate four-wave mixing.

Degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) experiment is performed to obtain light wavefront inversion (phase conjugation) in semiconducting chalcogenide thin films. Third order nonlinearity of amorphous Zn(x)-S(y)-Se(100-x-y) chalcogenide thin films using DFWM technique is studied at second harmonic of Nd:YAG laser. Influence of total input irradiance on phase conjugate signal is deliberated using log-log plot that has a slope of three and hence implies third order nonlinearity.

Spatial distribution of arsenic in groundwater of southern Nepal.

Groundwater is an important source of both drinking water and of irrigation in the Terai region of Nepal. Although thousands of tubewells have been drilled in this region, the distribution of those that have been sampled and analyzed for As contamination is not consistent across the region. Based on a recent blanket tubewell testing program conducted in Nepal in 2007, preliminary data are available that allows us to provide a perspective on the As-contamination situation in drinking water of the six southern the Terai districts of Nepal.

Sensitive measurement of optical nonlinearity in amorphous chalcogenide materials in nanosecond regime.

The present work focuses on the nonlinear optical behavior of chalcogenide As(2)S(3) film as well as on bulk material. The thin film of As(2)S(3) grown by thermal evaporation and bulk glass developed by melt-quenched technique has been characterized using nanosecond pulses of Nd:YAG (532 nm) and Nd:YVO(4) (1,064 nm) laser. Using Z-scan technique, the laser induced nonlinear optical parameters viz.

Variations in physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics of water during breeding of Cyprinus carpio in a closed hatchery system.

Physico-chemical and microbial characteristics of culture water were examined during the induced breeding of Cyprinus carpio in a controlled environmental system. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, pH, ammonia nitrogen, total bacterial count, hardness, salinity, carbonate and bicarbonate were estimated before and after spawning and hatching. Average alteration in water pH before and after spawning was 7.

Differential modal Zernike wavefront sensor employing a computer-generated hologram: a proposal.

The process of Zernike mode detection with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is computationally extensive. A holographic modal wavefront sensor has therefore evolved to process the data optically by use of the concept of equal and opposite phase bias. Recently, a multiplexed computer-generated hologram (CGH) technique was developed in which the output is in the form of bright dots that specify the presence and strength of a specific Zernike mode.