The stem cuttings of the terrestrial, ornamental plant, Portulaca oleracea, grew well in distilled water by producing adventitious roots and leaves. However, when exposed to various concentrations of sulfate and nitrate salts of copper resulted in a suppression of root growth, increase in initiation time of roots and sprouts and decay of stem cuttings from the cut open end, decrease in number of leaves with an increase in concentration of copper in the growth medium. Accumulation of copper increased with increasing concentrations of both copper sulfate and copper nitrate. However, copper accumulation was greater in copper nitrate than in copper sulfate treatment. Hence, copper in the presence of nitrate is more toxic than in the presence of sulfate. The accumulation factors in all treatment concentrations were greater than 1, hence P. oleracea is a copper accumulator.

In this study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of alkali activator on the standard consistency and setting times of low calcium fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)- based sustainable geopolymer pastes. Different proportions of FA and GGBS were blended into mixes of geopolymer paste using sodium hydroxide (SH) and sodium silicate (SS) as alkaline activator solution (AAS). Tests on geopolymer pastes for consistency and initial and final setting times were carried out for three different SH : SS ratios of 1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 1 : 3 for both 2.5 M (molarity) and 5.0 M of SH concentration. While increasing the molarity of SH, both consistency and setting time decreased. For all the blended binder mix, the setting time decreases with an increase in the quantity of SS in the alkali activator solution. An increase in the amount of GGBS content in the geopolymer blended binder mix increases the consistency and decreases the setting time. For both 2.5 M and 5 M blended geopolymer mixes, a decrease in the percentage of GGBS and an increase in the percentage of FA increased the setting time. Microstructural studies such as X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were carried out, and the results are presented. The FT-IR spectra for the blended binder mixes demonstrated the formation of geopolymerization and the presence of the functional groups.

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The present study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation of heavy metals from the effluent of battery industry by an aquatic plant, Bacopa monnieri. Experiment was carried for 25 days and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed in plant parts (roots and shoots), soil and effluent using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) for 5 days each. Parameters such as Translocation Factor (TF), Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) and Transposition Factor (TrF) were calculated to analyze heavy metal interaction between plant, soil and effluents. Zn and Mg were found to be high in TF, BCF and TrF, but Cr had a TF value higher than Zn as it translocates high amount of ions to plant parts. TrF values of contaminants increased constantly in the following order: Mg > Zn > Cd > Pb > Cr. TF and BCF values were not > 1 for toxic metals (Pb, Cr and Cd). B. Monnieri can be used as a phytoextractor in removing contaminants from aquatic bodies.

Keratitis due to Auerswaldia lignicola in a 32-year-old Indian male carpenter is described. At presentation, the patient reported persistent pain and tearing (left eye) in spite of topical antimicrobial therapy for more than 3 weeks. Clinically, mycotic keratitis was suspected, and direct microscopy of corneal scrapings stained by lactophenol cotton blue and Gram stains revealed broad septate hyphae. Intensive topical antifungal therapy was then given for 15 days. The keratitis continued to progress, necessitating therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty. Following the keratoplasty, there was rapid reduction in inflammation and gradual quietening of the eye. Brown-black fungal colonies resembling Lasiodiplodia theobromae were isolated from corneal scrape and corneal button (post-surgery) material on Sabouraud glucose-neopeptone agar; however, sporulation did not occur, so the morphological identification could not be confirmed. Sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA region of extracted fungal genomic DNA yielded an identification of A. lignicola Ariyawansa, J.K. Liu & K.D. Hyde; the sequence data have been deposited in GenBank (A. lignicola strain DK/V4, accession number KC866317.1). Medical management of keratitis due to such rarely reported fungal species may be difficult, necessitating surgical procedures.

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