Assessing drywell designs for managed aquifer recharge via canals and repurposed wells.

This study explores innovative drywell designs for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in agricultural settings, focusing on smaller diameter and deeper drywells, including the repurposing of dried or abandoned wells. Numerical simulations assessed the impact of drywell diameter (5-120 cm), depth (15-55 m), screen height, and subsurface heterogeneity on infiltration (I) and recharge (R) volumes over a one-year period under constant head conditions. Results indicate that smaller diameter drywells can effectively infiltrate and recharge significant water volumes.

The extent to which soil hydraulics can explain ecohydrological separation.

Field measurements of hydrologic tracers indicate varying magnitudes of geochemical separation between subsurface pore waters. The potential for conventional soil physics alone to explain isotopic differences between preferential flow and tightly-bound water remains unclear. Here, we explore physical drivers of isotopic separations using 650 different model configurations of soil, climate, and mobile/immobile soil-water domain characteristics, without confounding fractionation or plant uptake effects.

Colloid Interaction Energies for Surfaces with Steric Effects and Incompressible and/or Compressible Roughness.

Colloid aggregation and retention in the presence of macromolecular coatings (e.g., adsorbed polymers, surfactants, proteins, biological exudates, and humic materials) have previously been correlated with electric double layer interactions or repulsive steric interactions, but the underlying causes are not fully resolved.

Groundwater Recharge from Drywells Under Constant Head Conditions.

Drywells are widely used as managed aquifer recharge devices to capture stormwater runoff and recharge groundwater, but little research has examined the role of subsurface heterogeneity in hydraulic properties on drywell recharge efficiency. Numerical experiments were therefore conducted on a 2D-axisymmetric domain using the HYDRUS (2D/3D) software to systematically study the influence of various homogenous soil types and subsurface heterogeneity on recharge from drywells under constant head conditions. The mean cumulative infiltration () and recharge () volumes increased with an increase in the saturated hydraulic conductivity ( ) for various homogeneous soils.

Biomaterial Surface Hydrophobicity-Mediated Serum Protein Adsorption and Immune Responses.

The nature of the protein corona forming on biomaterial surfaces can affect the performance of implanted devices. This study investigated the role of surface chemistry and wettability on human serum-derived protein corona formation on biomaterial surfaces and the subsequent effects on the cellular innate immune response. Plasma polymerization, a substrate-independent technique, was employed to create nanothin coatings with four specific chemical functionalities and a spectrum of surface charges and wettability.

Minimizing Virus Transport in Porous Media by Optimizing Solid Phase Inactivation.

The influence of virus type (PRD1 and ΦX174), temperature (flow at 4 and 20°C), a no-flow storage duration (0, 36, 46, and 70 d), and temperature cycling (flow at 20°C and storage at 4°C) on virus transport and fate were investigated in saturated sand-packed columns. The vast majority (84-99.5%) of viruses were irreversibly retained on the sand, even in the presence of deionized water and beef extract at pH = 11.

Evaluating drywells for stormwater management and enhanced aquifer recharge.

Drywells are increasingly used for stormwater management and enhanced aquifer recharge, but only limited research has quantitatively determined the performance of drywells. Numerical and field scale experiments were, therefore, conducted to improve our understanding and ability to characterize the drywell behavior. In particular, HYDRUS (2D/3D) was modified to simulate transient head boundary conditions for the complex geometry of the Maxwell Type IV drywell; i.

A parasporin from Bacillus thuringiensis native to Peninsular India induces apoptosis in cancer cells through intrinsic pathway.

Parasporins, a class of non-insecticidal crystal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are being explored as promising anticancer agents due to their specific toxicity to cancer cells. The present study has identified 25 Bt isolates harbouring parasporin genes from Western Ghats region, the hotspot of biodiversity in India. Among these, the isolate, KAU 41 (Kerala Agricultural University isolate 41) contained non-hemolytic homogenous crystals showing specific cytotoxicity towards cancer cells.

, a pharmacologically effective alternative for in an Ayurvedic preparation, .

(Fabaceae) is a prime ingredient in , a well-known Ayurvedic preparation for gynecological ailments. Due to scarcity, adulteration or substitution of related raw drugs is a common practice in its preparation. The bark of (Roxb.

Contributions of Nanoscale Roughness to Anomalous Colloid Retention and Stability Behavior.

All natural surfaces exhibit nanoscale roughness (NR) and chemical heterogeneity (CH) to some extent. Expressions were developed to determine the mean interaction energy between a colloid and a solid-water interface, as well as for colloid-colloid interactions, when both surfaces contain binary NR and CH. The influence of heterogeneity type, roughness parameters, solution ionic strength (IS), mean zeta potential, and colloid size on predicted interaction energy profiles was then investigated.

Unraveling the complexities of the velocity dependency of E. coli retention and release parameters in saturated porous media.

Escherichia coli transport and release experiments were conducted to investigate the pore-water velocity (v) dependency of the sticking efficiency (α), the fraction of the solid surface area that contributed to retention (S), the percentage of injected cells that were irreversibly retained (M), and cell release under different (10-300mM) ionic strength (IS) conditions. Values of α, S, and M increased with increasing IS and decreasing v, but the dependency on v was greatest at intermediate IS (30 and 50mM). Following the retention phase, successive increases in v up to 100 or 150mday and flow interruption of 24h produced negligible amounts of cell release.

Temperature dependency of virus and nanoparticle transport and retention in saturated porous media.

The influence of temperature on virus (PRD1 and ΦX174) and carboxyl-modified latex nanoparticle (50 and 100nm) attachment was examined in sand-packed columns under various physiochemical conditions. When the solution ionic strength (IS) equaled 10 and 30mM, the attachment rate coefficient (k) increased up to 109% (p<0.0002) and the percentage of the sand surface area that contributed to attachment (S) increased up to 160% (p<0.

Attenuation of DMBA/croton oil induced mouse skin papilloma by Apodytes dimidiata mediated by its antioxidant and antimutagenic potential.

Context Considering the role of cellular oxidative stress in mutations and subsequent transformation, phytochemicals with antioxidant potential has become a primary choice as chemopreventives. Apodytes dimidiata E. Mey.

Transport and retention of bacteria and viruses in biochar-amended sand.

The transport and retention of Escherichia coli and bacteriophages (PRD1, MS2 and ФX174), as surrogates for human pathogenic bacteria and viruses, respectively, were studied in the sand that was amended with several types of biochar produced from various feedstocks. Batch and column studies were conducted to distinguish between the role of attachment and straining in microbe retention during transport. Batch experiments conducted at various solution chemistries showed negligible attachment of viruses and bacteria to biochar before or after chemical activation.

Protective effect of Scutellaria species on AAPH-induced oxidative damage in human erythrocyte.

Background: Scutellaria baicalensis is a well-known plant in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, several Scutellaria species with therapeutic potential have been recognized worldwide. Scutellaria colebrookiana and Scutellaria violacea, native to the Western Ghats of India, are reported to possess free radical scavenging efficacy.

Effect of Saraca asoca (Asoka) on estradiol-induced keratinizing metaplasia in rat uterus.

Background: Estrogen-mediated uterus endometrium instability is considered as one of the etiological factors in dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) and uterine cancer. Saraca asoca (Family: Fabaceae) and its fermented preparation, Asokarishta, are extensively used as uterine tonic to treat gynecological disorders in Ayurveda. The present study evaluated the effect of S.