Heavy industrialization, specifically in the developing countries, has generated several unwanted environmental pollution. A variety of toxic organic compounds is produced in chemical and petroleum industries, which have resulted in collectively hazardous effects on the environment that needs immediate attention for remediation. Degradation of these pollutants has been tried through the various mechanism, out of which photocatalytic degradation seems to be one of the most promising approaches to reduce environmental pollution specifically in waste water treatment. Photocatalytic degradation has potential for the effective decomposition of organic pollutants due to efficiency to convert light energy into chemical energy. Additionally, the photocatalytic oxidation process is an advanced technique as it offers high degradation and effective mineralization at moderate temperature and specific radiation wavelength. Among various known photocatalysts, TiO2 is regarded as the one of the potential photocatalysts because of its hydrophilic property, high reactivity, reduced toxicity, chemical stability and lower costs. Therefore, the present chapter focuses on the role of TiO2 as the photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants. The general mechanism of degradation of organic pollutants along with properties of TiO2 as the photocatalyst, existing mechanism of degradation via TiO2 was explained. The possible approaches to enhance degradation via TiO2 nanoparticle along with existing bottlenecks have been also discussed.
The present study aimed at comparing the relative efficacy of different capacitating agents used for sperm pretreatment during in vitro fertilization (IVF) and subsequent embryo development of caprine oocytes. In experiment 1, the effect of different concentrations of heparin (0, 20, and 50 µg/mL) on sperm pretreatment for different periods of time (30 and 60 min) was studied. In experiment 2, the dose-dependent effect of calcium ionophore (0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 µM) on sperm pretreatment was assessed. Experiment 3 validated and compared the effects of both capacitating agents on sperm pretreatment for capacitation based on the results of the first two experiments. The treated sperms from each group were used for in vitro fertilization and subsequent embryo development. The results indicated that in experiment 1, capacitation with heparin at 20 µg/mL for 60 min had significantly higher (P < 0.05) cleavage and blastocyst production. In experiment 2, capacitation with calcium ionophore at 0.1 µM had significantly more morulae (P < 0.05) and numerically more blastocyst production. In experiment 3, capacitation with heparin at 20 µg/mL had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) blastocyst production rate as compared to calcium ionophore treatment. Based on this study, heparin can be used to enhance capacitation of freshly collected sperms during in vitro fertilization and subsequent embryo development.
This study evaluated the capability of ABHI001 to effectively degrade-cresol through different techniques. The molecular identity of the laboratory isolate ABHI001 was confirmed through the 16S ribosomal DNA gene pattern, and its morphological features were investigated through field-emission scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the degradation behavior of the isolate for cresol was verified using several techniques, including UV-visible spectroscopy, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The maximum degradation percentage of 85% for-cresol could be achieved after 18 h of incubation with . ABHI001. The formation of -hydroxybenzaldehyde,-hydroxybenzoate, and protocatechuate metabolites was confirmed through HPLC. The study results indicate that . ABHI001 may have applications in the bioremediation of organic pollutants, such as -cresol.
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