Association of environmental exposure with hematological and oxidative stress alteration in gasoline station attendants

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Gasoline station attendants spend a great deal of their time in the direct exposure to noxious substances such as benzene and byproducts of gasoline...     

Determining phosphorus release rates to runoff from selected Alberta soils using laboratory rainfall simulation

Phosphorus losses from agricultural land can cause accelerated eutrophication of surface water bodies. This study evaluated the use of soil test phosphorus (STP) levels to predict dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations in runoff water from agricultural soils using laboratory rainfall simulation. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) to what extent STP concentrations can be used as a basis to predict P losses from Alberta soils and (ii) how extended rainfall simulation run times affected DIP losses. Soil samples collected from a total of 38 field sites, widely scattered throughout the southern half of Alberta, were subjected to rainfall simulation in the laboratory. The STP concentrations were determined using Miller-Axley, Norwest, Kelowna, Modified Kelowna Mehlich-III, and distilled water extraction methods. Each rainfall simulation event lasted for at least 90 min. Runoff samples were collected in time series for the duration of each simulation, during two distinct runoff intervals: (i) for the first 30 min of continuous runoff (T30) and (ii) for 40 min during runoff equilibrium (Teq). For all the STP extractants and both runoff intervals, the relationship with DIP-flow-weighted mean concentration (FWMC) was linear and highly significant with r2 values ranging from 0.74 to 0.96. However, the slopes of the resulting regression lines were, on average, 1.85 times greater for the T30 runoff interval over those computed for the Teq interval. Thus experimental methodology greatly influenced regression parameters, suggesting that more work was needed to verify these relationships under natural conditions. In addition, with many of the r2 values greater than 0.90 there would be little, if any, benefit derived by including soil properties in regression analysis.     

Development of GP and GEP models to estimate an environmental issue induced by blasting operation

Air overpressure (AOp) is one of the most adverse effects induced by blasting in the surface mines and civil projects. So, proper evaluation and estimation of the AOp is important for minimizing the environmental problems resulting from blasting. The main aim of this study is to estimate AOp produced by blasting operation in Miduk copper mine, Iran, developing two artificial intelligence models, i.e., genetic programming (GP) and gene expression programming (GEP). Then, the accuracy of the GP and GEP models has been compared to multiple linear regression (MLR) and three empirical models. For this purpose, 92 blasting events were investigated, and subsequently, the AOp values were carefully measured. Moreover, in each operation, the values of maximum charge per delay and distance from blast points, as two effective parameters on the AOp, were measured. After predicting by the predictive models, their performance prediction was checked in terms of variance account for (VAF), coefficient of determination (CoD), and root mean square error (RMSE). Finally, it was found that the GEP with VAF of 94.12%, CoD of 0.941, and RMSE of 0.06 is a more precise model than other predictive models for the AOp prediction in the Miduk copper mine, and it can be introduced as a new powerful tool for estimating the AOp resulting from blasting.     

An assessment of hematological and biochemical responses in the tropical fish Epinephelus stoliczkae of Chabahar Bay and Gulf of Oman under chromium exposure: ecological and experimental tests

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of chromium on hematological and biochemical parameters in Epaulet Grouper, Epinephelus stoliczkae of Chabahar Bay and Gulf of Oman by ecological and experimental tests. Spatial evaluation of ecological test results showed these parameters had significant difference among some sampling sites. Examination of hematological and biochemical profiles on Epaulet Grouper was performed after 0.5, 1, 7, 14, and 21 days of chromium exposure (3.6, 7.31 and 14.6 mg/L). Experimental test results of chromium induce indicated the significant decrease in MCV, MCH, neutrophils, basophils, plasma protein and significant increase in MCHC, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and a biphasic trend in Hb, Ht, RBC, WBC, and glucose (p?<?0.05). Cellular and nuclear axis, cytoplasmic volume, cell and nuclear volume, and surface area were significantly different for ecological and experimental results (p?<?0.05). It was concluded that these parameters are sensitive in monitoring the toxicity of chromium concentrations.     

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using Garcinia extracts: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The demand for nanoparticles has been increasing rapidly in recent years due to their unique properties of interest for a wide range of applications. Several...