In order to overcome the difficulty in sterilising soils without affecting the nature and quantity of humic components in it, the Arnold method of sterilisation has been tried. Humic substances from the sterilised soil samples were compared with their corresponding counterparts from the non-sterilised samples. The data reveal that this method of sterilisation does not affect the humic components present in the soil. © 1982 Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers.

C VARADACHARI

A K BARMAN

A CHATTOPADHYAY

K GHOSH

University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a collegiate public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.&nbsp;Within India it is recognized as a &quot;Five-Star University&quot; and accredited &quot;A&quot; Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

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The University of Calcutta has secured the Fifth position among the Universities of India in the prestigious &quot;Indian University Ranking 2019&quot; list, released by the NIRF of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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It was established on 24 January 1857, and was one of the first institutions in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and Western-style university. Its alumni and faculty include several heads of state, heads of government, social reformers, prominent artists, only academy award winner and Dirac medal winner in India, many Fellows of the Royal Society and five Nobel laureates as of 2019 which is highest in South Asia.

University Of Calcutta

Sterilisation of soil without affecting the humic components

Plant and Soil

Decomposition studies with humic acids (HAs) present in HA-clay complexes revealed that such decomposition decreases at higher clay concentrations. At high clay concentration, moreover, it has also been observed that smaller and more flexible humic molecules are less susceptible to the said decomposition as compared to larger and more rigid structures. © 1984 Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers.

Studies on decomposition of humus in clay-humus complexes

Increasing use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) necessitates an improved understanding of their potential impact on environment health. In the present study we evaluated the genotoxicity of MWCNT on plant and mammalian test systems. Genotoxic responses such as chromosomal aberrations and DNA strand breakages were studied in Allium cepa, human lymphocytes, mouse bone marrow cells and pBR322 plasmid DNA. Results showed that MWCNT could cause chromosomal aberrations, DNA fragmentation and apoptosis in Allium root cells that could be correlated with the internalization of MWCNT in the plant cells. In human lymphocytes significant genotoxic response was observed at the concentration 2μg/ml. Higher concentrations led to a decrease in values of the tail DNA percent that may be due to the formation of crosslinks. Annexin V-FITC-PI staining indicated only a small percentage of cells were undergoing apoptosis. Genotoxic effects were shown by micronuclei (MN) frequencies in experiments on mouse bone marrow cells. In the cell free DNA system (plasmid pBR322), a strong correlation between DNA strand break and concentration was observed. Based on the findings of the present study MWCNT may have significant impact on genomic activities. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT): Induction of DNA damage in plant and mammalian cells

The polyelectrolyte character of four natural and ten synthetic hymatomelanic acids, synthesized from possible monomers both in the presence and absence of catalysts, was established by means of viscosity measurements. Intrinsic viscosities were evaluated for the purpose of comparison. The number‐average molecular weights of some typical natural and synthetic hymatomelanic acids were determined from osmotic pressure measurements. Using the Flory‐Fox relationship in an approximate manner, the root‐mean‐square average end‐to‐end separations were also evaluated. Copyright © 1971 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Journal	Plant and Soil
Publisher	Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers
ISSN	0032-079X