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1.
Technical approaches to evaluate the surfactant-enhanced biodegradation of biodiesel and vegetable oils.
Montagnolli, RN, Cruz, JM, Moraes, JR, Mendes, CR, Dilarri, G, Lopes, PRM, Bidoia, ED
Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2019;(9):565
Abstract
This research compared the effects of biosurfactant on the biodegradation of biodiesel and vegetable oils while validating two conceptually diverging methodologies. The two experimental setups were successfully modeled towards the effects of biosurfactants during biodegradation. We established the equivalence of both methodologies from the data output. As expected, the biosurfactants caused an increased oil uptake, thus increasing biodegradation performance. Cooking oils were favored by the microbial consortium as a carbon source when compared with biodiesel fuel, especially after use in food preparation. However, we found that biodiesel substrate standout with the highest biodegradation rates. Our results might indicate that a rapid metabolic change from the original compound initially favored biodiesels during the assimilation of organic carbon for a set specialized microbial inoculum. The data output was successfully combined with mathematical models and statistical tools to describe and predict the actual environmental behavior of biodiesel and vegetable oils. The models confirmed and predicted the biodegradation effectiveness with biosurfactants and estimated the required timeframe to achieve satisfactory contaminant removal.
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2.
Developing a New Spectral Index for Detecting Cadmium-Induced Stress in Rice on a Regional Scale.
Wu, C, Liu, M, Liu, X, Wang, T, Wang, L
International journal of environmental research and public health. 2019;(23)
Abstract
In natural farmland ecosystems, cadmium (Cd) pollution in rice has attracted increasing attention because of its high toxicity, relative mobility, and high water solubility. This study aims to develop a spectral index for detecting Cd stress in rice on a regional scale. Three experimental sites are selected in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province. The hyperspectral data, chlorophyll (Chl) content, leaf area index, average leaf angle, Cd concentration in soil, and Sentinel-2A images from 2017 and 2018 are collected. A new spectral index sensitive to Cd stress in rice is established based on the global sensitivity analysis of the radiative transfer model PROSPECT + SAIL (commonly called PROSAIL) model with the auxiliary of the field-measured data. The heavy metal Cd stress-sensitive spectral index (HCSI) is devised as an indicator of the degree of Cd stress in rice. Results indicate that (1) the HCSI developed based on Chl is a good indicator of rice damage caused by Cd stress, that is, low values of HCSI occur in rice subject to relatively high pollution; (2) compared with common spectral indices, such as red-edge position and red-edge Chl index, HCSI is more sensitive to Chl content with higher Pearson correlation coefficients with respect to Chl content, ranging from 0.85 to 0.95; (3) HCSI is successfully applied in Sentinel-2A images from the two different years of monitoring rice Cd stress on a regional scale. Cd stress levels in rice stabilized, and the largest area percentage of each pollution levels of Cd decreased in the following order: No pollution (i.e., 40%), low pollution (i.e., 35%), and high pollution (i.e., 25%). This study indicates that a combination of simulation data from the PROSAIL model and measured data appears to be a promising method for establishing a sensitivity spectral index to heavy metal stress, which can accurately detect regional Cd stress in crops.
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3.
Settled iron-based road dust and its characteristics and possible association with detection in human tissues.
Čabanová, K, Hrabovská, K, Matějková, P, Dědková, K, Tomášek, V, Dvořáčková, J, Kukutschová, J
Environmental science and pollution research international. 2019;(3):2950-2959
Abstract
Settled road dust was examined to detect the presence of non-airborne submicron and nano-sized iron-based particles and to characterize these particles. Samples were collected from a road surface near a busy road junction in the city of Ostrava, Czech Republic, once a month from March to October. The eight collected samples were subjected to a combination of experimental techniques including elemental analysis, Raman microspectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, and magnetometry. The data thereby obtained confirmed the presence of non-agglomerated spherical nano-sized iron-based particles, with average sizes ranging from 2 down to 490 nm. There are several sources in road traffic which generate road dust particles, including exhaust and non-exhaust processes. Some of them (e.g., brake wear) produce iron as the dominant metallic element. Raman microspectroscopy revealed forms of iron (mainly as oxides, Fe2O3, and mixtures of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4). Moreover, Fe3O4 was also detected in samples of human tissues from the upper and lower respiratory tract. In view of the fact that no agglomeration of those particles was found by SEM, it is supposed that these particles may be easily resuspended and represent a risk to human health due to inhalation exposure, as proved by the detection of particles with similar morphology and phase composition in human tissues.
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4.
Interactions of Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Hg in their effects on activated sludge bacteria by using two analytical methods.
Rahmani, A, Asadi, A, Fatehizadeh, A, Rahmani, AR, Zare, MR
Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2019;(3):124
Abstract
Since trace metals rarely appear singly in industrial effluents, it is a major challenge to address combined effects of such toxicants on biological units of wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was interaction assessment of Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Hg in their effects on activated sludge bacteria using analytical methods. Two mathematical models were used to determine the effect of binary mixtures of Hg, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni on activated sludge bacteria using a dehydrogenase enzyme assay. Calculated EC50 values were compared to experimentally observed values of mixtures. Interactive effects were counted to be antagonistic for Hg and Cd, Cd and Pb, Cd and Ni, and Cr and Pb, synergistic for Cd and Cr and Hg and Cr, and additive for other binary mixtures. Maximum toxicity was related to Hg and Cr, Cd and Cr, and Hg and Cd. Physicochemical monitoring of single metals may underestimate hazards arising from these pollutants in environmental samples. Therefore, any possible interaction between metals in such environments should be considered when establishing environmental safety standards.
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5.
δ15N of lichens reflects the isotopic signature of ammonia source.
Munzi, S, Branquinho, C, Cruz, C, Máguas, C, Leith, ID, Sheppard, LJ, Sutton, MA
The Science of the total environment. 2019;:698-704
Abstract
Although it is generally accepted that δ15N in lichen reflects predominating N isotope sources in the environment, confirmation of the direct correlation between lichen δ15N and atmospheric δ15N is still missing, especially under field conditions with most confounding factors controlled. To fill this gap and investigate the response of lichens with different tolerance to atmospheric N deposition, thalli of the sensitive Evernia prunastri and the tolerant Xanthoria parietina were exposed for ten weeks to different forms and doses of N in a field manipulation experiment where confounding factors were minimized. During this period, several parameters, namely total N, δ15N and chlorophyll a fluorescence, were measured. Under the experimental conditions, δ15N in lichens quantitatively responded to the δ15N of released gaseous ammonia (NH3). Although a high correlation between the isotopic signatures in lichen tissue and supplied N was found both in tolerant and sensitive species, chlorophyll a fluorescence indicated that the sensitive species very soon lost its photosynthetic functionality with increasing N availability. The most damaging response to the different N chemical forms was observed with dry deposition of NH3, although wet deposition of ammonium ions had a significant observable physiological impact. Conversely, there was no significant effect of nitrate ions on chlorophyll a fluorescence, implying differential sensitivity to dry deposition versus wet deposition and to ammonium versus nitrate in wet deposition. Evernia prunastri was most sensitive to NH3, then NH4+, with lowest sensitivity to NO3-. Moreover, these results confirm that lichen δ15N can be used to indicate the δ15N of atmospheric ammonia, providing a suitable tool for the interpretation of the spatial distribution of NH3 sources in relation to their δ15N signal.
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6.
Residue, dissipation, and safety evaluation of etoxazole and pyridaben in Goji berry under open-field conditions in the China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Chen, H, Li, W, Guo, L, Weng, H, Wei, Y, Guo, Q
Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2019;(8):517
Abstract
The dissipation and residual levels of etoxazole and pyridaben in Goji berry under open field conditions were determined by using GC-NPD (gas chromatography with nitrogen and phosphorus detector) with modified QuEChERS method. At fortification levels of 0.01, 1, and 5 mg/kg in Goji berry, it was shown that recoveries were ranged from 80.40 to 100.9% with relative standard deviation of the method (RSD) for repeatability ranged from 2.20 to 4.25%. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 0.01 mg/kg. The dissipation rates of etoxazole and pyridaben were described by using first-order kinetics and its half-life, as they are 7.13 days, 5.77 days, and 5.99 days (etoxazole) and 1.02 day, 0.67 day, 1.02 day (pyridaben). The terminal residues of etoxazole and pyridaben were below the European maximum residue limit (MRL, 0.1 mg/kg) in Goji berry when measured 7 days after the final application, which suggested that the use of these insecticides was safe for humans. This study would help in providing the basic information for developing regulation to guard a safe use of etoxazole and pyridaben in Goji berry and prevent health problem from consumers.
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7.
Heavy metal-induced stress in rice crops detected using multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite images.
Liu, M, Wang, T, Skidmore, AK, Liu, X
The Science of the total environment. 2018;:18-29
Abstract
Regional-level information on heavy metal pollution in agro-ecosystems is essential for food security because excessive levels of heavy metals in crops may pose risks to humans. However, collecting this information over large areas is inherently costly. This paper investigates the possibility of applying multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite images to detect heavy metal-induced stress (i.e., Cd stress) in rice crops in four study areas in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, China. For this purpose, we compared seven Sentinel-2 images acquired in 2016 and 2017 with in situ measured hyper-spectral data, chlorophyll content, rice leaf area index, and heavy metal concentrations in soil collected from 2014 to 2017. Vegetation indices (VIs) related to red edge bands were referred to as the sensitive indicators for screening stressed rice from unstressed rice. The coefficients of spatio-temporal variation (CSTV) derived from the VIs allowed us to discriminate crops exposed to pollution from heavy metals as well as environmental stressors. The results indicate that (i) the red edge chlorophyll index, the red edge position index, and the normalized difference red edge 2 index derived from multi-temporal Sentinel-2 images were good indicators for screening stressed rice from unstressed rice; (ii) Rice under Cd stress remained stable with lower CSTV values of VIs overall growth stages in the experimental region, whereas rice under other stressors (i.e., pests and disease) showed abrupt changes at some growth stages and presented "hot spots" with greater CSTV values; and (iii) the proposed spatio-temporal anomaly detection method was successful at detecting rice under Cd stress; and CSTVs of rice VIs stabilized regardless of whether they were applied to consecutive growth stages or to two different crop years. This study suggests that regional heavy metal stress may be accurately detected using multi-temporal Sentinel-2 images, using VIs sensitive to the spatio-temporal characteristics of crops.
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8.
Effect of Air Pollution and Hospital Admission: A Systematic Review.
Ab Manan, N, Noor Aizuddin, A, Hod, R
Annals of global health. 2018;(4):670-678
Abstract
IntroductionMany epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between air pollution levels and human health in terms of hospital admissions. The aim of this paper is to gather evidence concerning air pollution effects on the risk of hospital admission. We hypothesised that increase in: particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels would be associated with the increasing trend of hospital admission.MethodsA systematic review of literature was carried out. Literature search was done in Sage, Ovid Medline, Science Direct, Wiley and ProQuest from 2010 to 2016 using keywords "hospital admission and air pollution". Studies of any relevant design were included if they presented original data, included at least one analysis where hospital admission was the specific outcome, and one or more of the following exposures were investigated: PM, O3, CO, NO2 and SO2.ResultsA total of 175 potential studies were identified by the search. Twenty two studies qualified for the review. Air pollution was noted to have an excessive risk of 3.46 (95%CI, 1.67, 5.27) of total hospital admissions. Cardiovascular admission was noted to have an increased risk of hospitalization for PM2.5 of 1.5 to 2.0; PM10 (1.007 to 2.7); NO2 (1.04 to 1.17) and SO2 (1.007). For respiratory admission, PM2.5 can caused an increased risk of hospitalization by 1.1 to 1.8; PM10 (1.007 to 1.13); NO2 (1.08 to 1.94) and SO2 (1.02). While O3 have minimal effect on COPD and stroke, CO does not influence in the effect of these hospitalization.ConclusionThe exposure to air pollutants confers an increased risk of admission of several disease. Our findings call for greater awareness of environmental protection and the implementation of effective measures to improve the quality of air, which may reduce the risks of adverse effects on the population's health.
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9.
Predicting soil water content at - 33 kPa by pedotransfer functions in stoniness 1 soils in northeast Venezuela.
Pineda, MC, Viloria, J, Martínez-Casasnovas, JA, Valera, A, Lobo, D, Timm, LC, Pires, LF, Gabriels, D
Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2018;(3):161
Abstract
Soil water content is a key property in the study of water available for plants, infiltration, drainage, hydraulic conductivity, irrigation, plant water stress and solute movement. However, its measurement consumes time and, in the case of stony soils, the presence of stones difficult to determinate the water content. An alternative is the use of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), as models to predict these properties from readily available data. The present work shows a comparison of different widely used PTFs to estimate water content at-33 kPa (WR-33kPa) in high stoniness soils. The work was carried out in the Caramacate River, an area of high interest because the frequent landslides worsen the quality of drinking water. The performance of all evaluated PTFs was compared with a PTF generated for the study area. Results showed that the Urach's PTF presented the best performance in relation to the others and could be used to estimate WR-33kPa in soils of Caramacate River basin. The calculated PTFs had a R2 of 0.65. This was slightly higher than the R2 of the Urach's PTF. The inclusion of the rock fragment volume could have the better results. The weak performance of the other PTFs could be related to the fact that the mountain soils of the basin are rich in 2:1 clay and high stoniness, which were not used as independent variables for PTFs to estimate the WR-33kPa.
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10.
Magnetic solid phase extraction of sulfonamides based on carboxylated magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles in environmental waters.
Gao, PS, Guo, Y, Li, X, Wang, X, Wang, J, Qian, F, Gu, H, Zhang, Z
Journal of chromatography. A. 2018;:1-10
Abstract
A magnetic nano-adsorbent material was prepared by functionalizing carboxylic group onto the granule surface of magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles (CMGO), using in-situ co-precipitating method. The surface morphology was characterized by SEM and TEM. The CMGO was selected as the adsorbent for the magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of sulfonamides (SAs) from environmental water samples, and the eluted analytes were determined by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A series of experimental parameters were optimized to improve the extraction efficiency such as amount of CMGO, extraction time, pH, ionic strength of the sample solution and desorption conditions. When the pH of water sample was 4.00, the extraction recoveries (ERs) for SAs were over 82.0% with 15.0 mg CMGO adsorption for 20 min. Under the optimized extraction conditions, linear range was obtained with coefficients of determination (R2)≥0.9983. The limits of detection for this proposed method were in the range of 0.49-1.59 ng/L, and the enrichment factors were 1320-1702 for eight SAs. The newly developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of trace SAs in real-world water samples, which provided satisfactory ERs in the range of 82.0-106.2% with RSDs less than 7.2%. Overall, it shows a great potential for the concentration of trace amine organic pollutions in complex matrices.