Assessment of sediment quality in the Mediterranean Sea–Boughrara lagoon exchange areas (southeastern Tunisia): GIS approach-based chemometric methods

Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe) in surface sediments from 66 sites in both northern and eastern Mediterranean Sea–Boughrara lagoon exchange areas (southeastern Tunisia) were studied in order to understand current metal contamination due to the urbanization and economic development of nearby several coastal regions of the Gulf of Gabès. Multiple approaches were applied for the sediment quality assessment. These approaches were based on GIS coupled with chemometric methods (enrichment factors, geoaccumulation index, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis). Enrichment factors and principal component analysis revealed two distinct groups of metals. The first group corresponded to Fe and Mn derived from natural sources, and the second group contained Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu originated from man-made sources. For these latter metals, cluster analysis showed two distinct distributions in the selected areas. They were attributed to temporal and spatial variations of contaminant sources input. The geoaccumulation index (I _geo) values explained that only Cd, Pb, and Cu can be considered as moderate to extreme pollutants in the studied sediments.     

Environmental copper: Behaviour when involved in physical adsorption at several interfaces

From a literature-based assessment of the current knowledge about both the toxic or salutary properties of copper, this study focused on the determination, at 25 °C, of the interfacial properties of CuCl_2, either alone or in mixture with carbofuran used, here, as a model of organics and/or pesticide. The interfaces under study were: i) the air/solution interface and ii) the silica/solution interface. The former is considered as a path for volatilization, whereas the latter permits a modelling of physical adsorption upon solids, which is the first and unavoidable step in any adsorption process. One should note that it can also mimic adsorption on some sandy soils. Coadsorption was clearly identified as implicated in an enhancement of the surface content of both solutes at both interfaces. However, at the two interfaces under study, the way the surface became structured led to opposite adsorption mechanisms for the organic compounds and the salt. A rough theory about ionic adsorption is also proposed.     

Heavy metal concentrations in the surface marine sediments of Sfax Coast, Tunisia

Sixty-seven surface marine sediment samples in the <63 ?? m fraction collected from the coast of Sfax (Tunisia) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry for seven heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Zn, Cd, and Fe). Metal concentrations were compared with natural values, marine sediment quality standards, and also with other results concerning sediments from several Mediterranean coasts. The study of their spatial distributions refined by complementary approaches including principal component analysis, enrichment factors, and geoaccumulation index showed a significant impact of multiple anthropogenic sources. These included industrial sources and municipal discharges of the urban Sfax and also non-controlled discharges in rural zones close to the coastline. Moderate pollution of sediments, especially by Pb, Zn, and Ni, was shown to exist in localized sites. Besides, it was shown that other sites, slightly to highly enriched in terms of Cu, Cr, and Cd, are characterized by a quality of sediments varying from unpolluted to moderately polluted.     

The relationship between zooplankton community and environmental factors of Ghrib Dam in Algeria

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The effect of environmental factors on zooplankton diversity, abundance, and distribution in the Ghrib Dam water body was investigated for...     

Degradation of Polyethylene Designed for Agricultural Purposes

For many years now, scientific articles have been published on the potential biodegradability of polyethylene. Polyethylene (PE) with peroxidant additives, in the form of agricultural films, is sold by various suppliers as biodegradable mulch. Even though, the photo-chemical and thermal degradation of these products under artificial laboratory conditions is highlighted, several extrapolation on the biodegradation and, moreover, on the neutral environmental impact of PE are made. In this study, three different commercial mulch films have been submitted to standardised biodegradation tests and the results are discussed. The first conclusions are that a very low degree of biodegradation of the commercial PE films is achieved from these tests and that crosslinked PE micro-fragments are found in soil after a very long period of time.     

Bioelectricity generation from three ornamental plants: Chlorophytum comosum,Chasmanthe floribunda and Papyrus diffusus

In the present study, bioelectricity generation using a living plant in soil was achieved by converting solar energy into electricity on the principles of plant photosynthesis. The plants Chlorophytum comosum, Chasmanthe floribunda and Papyrus diffuses were used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and produced, respectively, a maximum current of 25, 31 and 19 mA/m², without the use of any nutrient or membrane. In this study, the importance of light was demonstrated by the high current values generated during daytime, and the microorganisms at the anode-rhizosphere interface were examined.     

Personality of young drivers in Oman: Relationship to risky driving behaviors and crash involvement among Sultan Qaboos University students

Objective: Drivers’ behaviors such as violations and errors have been demonstrated to predict crash involvement among young Omani drivers. However, there is a dearth of studies linking risky driving behaviors to the personality of young drivers. The aim of the present study was to assess such traits within a sample of young Omani drivers (as measured through the behavioral inhibition system [BIS] and the behavioral activation system [BAS]) and determine links with aberrant driving behaviors and self-reported crash involvement.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Sultan Qaboos University that targeted all licensed Omani's undergraduate students. A total of 529 randomly selected students completed the self-reported questionnaire that included an assessment of driving behaviors (e.g., Driver Behaviour Questionnaire, DBQ) as well as the BIS/BAS measures.

Results: A total of 237 participants (44.8%) reported involvement in at least one crash since being licensed. Young drivers with lower BIS–Anxiety scores and higher BAS–Fun Seeking tendencies as well as male drivers were more likely to report driving violations. Statistically significant gender differences were observed on all BIS and BAS subscales (except for BAS–Fun) and the DBQ subscales, because males reported higher trait scores. Though personality traits were related to aberrant driving behaviors at the bivariate level, the constructs were not predictive of engaging in violations or errors. Furthermore, consistent with previous research, a supplementary multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that only driving experience was predictive of crash involvement.

Conclusions: The findings highlight that though personality traits influence self-reported driving styles (and differ between the genders), the relationship with crash involvement is not as clear. This article further outlines the key findings of the study in regards to understanding core psychological constructs that increase crash risk.     

Factors affecting metribuzin retention in Algerian soils and assessment of the risks of contamination

Metribuzin is a widely used herbicide around the world but it could lead to soil and water contamination. Metribuzin retention on a silty–clay agricultural soil of Algeria was studied in laboratory batch experiments to assess the contamination risk of the groundwater. Factors conditioning the fate of metribuzin were investigated: soil nature, metribuzin formulation, NPK fertilizer, and soil pH. Freundlich sorption isotherms gave the coefficients K _F between 1.2 and 4.9 and 1/n _a between 0.52 and 0.93. The adsorption is directly dependent on organic and clay soil contents. Formulated metribuzin (Metriphar) reduces the adsorption (K _F?=?1.25) compared to pure metribuzin (K _F?=?2.81). The addition of an NPK fertilizer decreases the soil pH (6.67 for the soil without fertilizer and 5.86 for 2 % of fertilizer) and increases metribuzin adsorption (K _F is 4.83 for 2 % of fertilizer). The pH effect on the adsorption is corroborated in experiments changing the soil pH between 5 (K _F is 4.17) and 8 (K _F is 1.57) under controlled conditions. Desorption isotherms show a hysteresis and only 30 to 40 % of the initially adsorbed metribuzin is released. The estimated GUS index is ≥2.8 for a DT50?≥?30 days. K _F values and the hysteresis show that metribuzin is little but strongly retained on the soil. Formulated metribuzin and addition of fertilizer affect the retention. However, the GUS index indicates a high mobility and a significant risk of leaching. The most appropriate risk management measure would be an important increase in organic matter content of the soil by addition of organic amendments.