Age- and sex-based comparative distribution of selected metals in the scalp hair of an urban population from two cities in Pakistan

Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni in the scalp hair of male and female donors, with an age range of 6-60 years, were determined by ICP atomic emission spectroscopy. The donors were drawn from the densely populated city of Lahore and the relatively less-populated capital city of Islamabad for comparative evaluation of the metal levels in relation to age, sex and location. Linear regression analyses and correlation between paired metals indicated a positive correlation between Cu and Zn for both sexes ( [Formula: see text] ) and between Pb and Ni ( [Formula: see text] ) for males and females of Lahore. Metal concentrations varied between the two cities and the two sexes. The highest mean concentration was found for Zn at 180.5 microg g(-1) for males and 202.4 microg g(-1) for females from Lahore, while for counterparts from Islamabad the values were 105.2 microg g(-1) and 206.6 microg g(-1). Copper showed an identical mean concentration (20.8 microg g(-1)) in the hair of both males and females from Lahore; however, relatively lower mean concentrations (7.7 and 10.8 microg g(-1)) were observed for donors from Islamabad. Mean Pb concentrations in hair of male donors from Lahore and Islamabad were 9.4 and 7.0 microg g(-1), respectively; in female groups the concentrations were 14.3 and 5.7 microg g(-1), respectively. Ni showed the lowest concentration range (4.3-4.5 microg g(-1)) of all the four metals for subjects from Lahore, and this was higher than the corresponding range (2.0-3.2 microg g(-1)) for subjects from Islamabad. The findings are discussed in relation to the available data from the literature.     

Unravelling the photoprotective effects of freshwater alga Nostoc commune Vaucher ex Bornet et Flahault against ultraviolet radiations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Several studies have suggested the direct relationship between skin complications, air pollution, and UV irradiation. UVB radiations cause various...     

Decolorization of Blue CL-BR dye by AOPs using bleach wastewater as source of H2O2

This research was focused on the investigation of the efficacy of advanced oxidation processes (Fenton,ozonation and UV/H_2O_2) for decolorization of reactive azo dye (Blue CL-BR) using bleach wastewater as possible source of H_2O_2.All the experiments were performed on the laboratory scale set-up.The results showed that colour removal efficiencies by UV or bleach (H_2O_2) alone were not so efficient.Fenton process with bleach wastewater was found to be the most effective at process conditions such as pH of 3 and H_2O_2/Fe~(2 ) ratio of 24:1,resulting in 64% colour removal.Almost complete colour removal,i.e.,99% and 95% were achieved by UV/H_2O_2 and UVfoleach wastewater in 30 and 60 min,respectively.Ozonation proved an efficient method for decolorization of Blue CL-BR dye at alkaline pH.It was possible to achieve 98% colour removal with 30 min of ozonation at pH 9.The colour removal of dye was found to follow first order kinetics.     

Pasture diversification to combat climate change impacts on grazing dairy production

Among livestock systems, grazing is likely to be most impacted by climate change because of its dependency to feed quality and availability. In order to reduce the impact of climate change on grazing livestock systems, adaptation measures should be implemented. The goal of this study is to identify the best pasture composition for a representative grazing dairy farm in Michigan in order to reduce the impacts of climate change on production. In order to achieve the goal of this study, three objectives were sought: (1) identify the best pasture composition, (2) assess economic and resource use impacts of pasture compositions under future climate scenarios, and (3) evaluate the resiliency of pasture compositions. A representative farm was developed based on a livestock practices survey and incorporated into the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). For the pasture compositions, four cool-season grass species and two legumes were evaluated under both current and future climate scenarios. The effectiveness of adaptation measures based on economic and resource use criteria was evaluated. Overall, the pasture composition with 50% perennial ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and 50% red clover (Trifolium pratense) was identified as the best. In addition, the increase in precipitation and temperature of the most intensive climate scenario could significantly improve farm net return per cow (Bos taurus) and whole farm profit while no significant impact was observed on resource use criteria. Finally, the overall sensitivity assessment showed that the most resilient pasture composition under future climate scenarios was ryegrass with red clover and the least resilient was orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) with white clover (Trifolium repens).     

Removal of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants Using CSFe3O4@CeO2 Nanocatalyst via Adsorption–Reduction Catalysis: A Focused Analysis on Methylene Blue

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The synthesis of an efficient catalytic system with a safe catalysis approach has always been the concern of researchers to eradicate the problems arising...