Effects of radiation exposure on brain health: a state of the art and new challenges

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Good brain health refers to a condition in which a person may fully realize their talents and improve their psychological, emotional, cognitive, and...     

Topiramate potential neurotoxicity and mitigating role of ginger oil in mice brain

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Topiramate has multiple pharmacological mechanisms that are efficient in treating epilepsy and migraine. Ginger has been established to have gingerols...     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Potential Evaluation of Modified Cellulose Immobilized with Hydroxyquinoline as a Sorbent for Vanadium Ions

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - A considerable increase in the importance of vanadium globally and its common uses in many manufacturable alloys made it a target for much scientific...     

Active Bio-composite Sodium Alginate/Maltodextrin Packaging Films for Food Containing Azolla pinnata Leaves Extract as Natural Antioxidant

The aim of the current work was to produce sodium alginate (SA) maltodextrins (MD) based functional films incorporated with phenolic extract of Azolla pinnata leaves fern (AF) by solution molding technique. AF with different concentrations (0.8, 1.2 and 1.6% w/w) were integrated inside SA.MD films. The resulted films were characterized to investigate the surface structure by scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal disposal by (DSC), crystallization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), potential interaction by (FT-IR) and some mechanical properties. The SEM micrographs indicated that the higher concentration (1.6%) of AF extract caused development of wrinkles on the surface of films. And as a result, there were a significant decrease of elongation at break (EB) and tensile strength properties of films to 55.01 and 58.42%, respectively. By continues addition of AF extract to SA.MD films, the film thickness increased from 0.124 to 0.181 mm, the scavenging and antimicrobial properties were enhanced by the attendance of ferulic acid, rutin, thiamine, tamarixetin, astragalin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and epicatechin inside extracts. Furthermore, the films solubility, swelling degree and water vapor permeability were decreased to 13.08%, 26.41% and 1.662?×?10^??10 g H₂O/m s p.a. The resulted films could be utilized as composite packaging material for different food applications.

     

Is animal welfare a central issue for consumers of luxury goods?

The compatibility between luxury and sustainable development has been increasingly examined in recent literature, but a number of ethical issues remain unexplored. One such concern is animal welfare, a recurrent question in the luxury goods sector. This is one of the first research articles to shed light on this subject, utilising two studies, one qualitative and the other quantitative with conjoint analysis, conducted among 12 and 253 French consumers, respectively. The results reveal that consumers are sensitive to the challenge of animal welfare in luxury, but fall into two different groups. Some have a preference for animal‐based raw materials sourced from livestock farms that respect animal welfare, whilst others are more favourable to the use of synthetic raw materials. In particular, the results show that the use of synthetic raw materials is accepted by some consumers but can lead to a reduction in the perceived value of luxury products.     

Remediation of saturated soil contaminated with petroleum products using air sparging with thermal enhancement

Pollutants in the form of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), such as petroleum products, pose a serious threat to the soil and groundwater. A mathematical model was derived to study the unsteady pollutant concentrations through water saturated contaminated soil under air sparging conditions for different NAPLs and soil properties. The comparison between the numerical model results and the published experimental results showed acceptable agreement. Furthermore, an experimental study was conducted to remove NAPLs from the contaminated soil using the sparging air technique, considering the sparging air velocity, air temperature, soil grain size and different contaminant properties. This study showed that sparging air at ambient temperature through the contaminated soil can remove NAPLs, however, employing hot air sparging can provide higher contaminant removal efficiency, by about 9%. An empirical correlation for the volatilization mass transfer coefficient was developed from the experimental results. The dimensionless numbers used were Sherwood number (Sh), Peclet number (Pe), Schmidt number (Sc) and several physical-chemical properties of VOCs and porous media. Finally, the estimated volatilization mass transfer coefficient was used for calculation of the influence of heated sparging air on the spreading of the NAPL plume through the contaminated soil.     

Bacterial interactions with uranium: An environmental perspective

The presence of actinides in radioactive wastes is of major concern because of their potential for migration from the waste repositories and long-term contamination of the environment. Studies have been and are being made on inorganic processes affecting the migration of radionuclides from these repositories to the environment but it is becoming increasingly evident that microbial processes are of importance as well. Bacteria interact with uranium through different mechanisms including, biosorption at the cell surface, intracellular accumulation, precipitation, and redox transformations (oxidation/reduction). The present study is intended to give a brief overview of the key processes responsible for the interaction of actinides e.g. uranium with bacterial strains isolated from different extreme environments relevant to radioactive repositories. Fundamental understanding of the interaction of these bacteria with U will be useful for developing appropriate radioactive waste treatments, remediation and long-term management strategies as well as for predicting the microbial impacts on the performance of the radioactive waste repositories.     

Food contamination as a pathway for lead exposure in children during the 2010–2013 lead poisoning epidemic in Zamfara, Nigeria

In 2010, an estimated 400 to 500 children died of acute lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining in Zamfara, Nigeria. Processing of gold ores containing up to 10% lead within residential compounds put residents, especially children, at the highest risk. Principal routes of exposure were incidental ingestion and inhalation of contaminated soil and dusts. Several Nigerian and international health organizations collaborated to reduce lead exposures through environmental remediation and medical treatment. The contribution of contaminated food to total lead exposure was assessed during the environmental health response. Objectives of this investigation were to assess the influence of cultural/dietary habits on lead exposure pathways and estimate the contribution of contaminated food to children's blood lead levels(BLLs). A survey of village dietary practices and staple food lead content was conducted to determine dietary composition, caloric intakes, and lead intake. Potential blood lead increments were estimated using bio-kinetic modeling techniques. Most dietary lead exposure was associated with contamination of staple cereal grains and legumes during post-harvest processing and preparation in contaminated homes. Average post-harvest and processed cereal grain lead levels were 0.32 mg/kg and 0.85 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Age-specific food lead intake ranged from 7 to 78 μg/day. Lead ingestion and absorption were likely aggravated by the dusty environment, fasting between meals, and nutritional deficiencies. Contamination of staple cereal grains by highly bioavailable pulverized ores could account for as much as 11%–34% of children's BLLs during the epidemic, and were a continuing source after residential soil remediation until stored grain inventories were exhausted.     

基于测试数据的室内超宽带信道建模研究

基于室内超宽带信道测量研究建立了基于簇的时延抽头模型以及与距离和载频有关的新颖的路径损耗模型,建立了路径损耗同时与距离和频率的依赖关系.同时,研究发现视距和非视距接收信号幅度分别满足莱斯和瑞利分布.该模型对超宽带无线系统仿真和设计有重要的指导意义.     

Adsorption of 60Co and 154+152Eu Using Graft Copolymer of Starch-Polyacrylic Acid-Polyvinylsulfonic Acid

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Starch-polyacrylic acid-polyvinylsulfonic acid (St-g-PAA-PVSA) graft copoymer was synthesized by gamma radiation as an initiator. The chemical structure,...