Releases of phosphate fertilizer industry in the surrounding environment: Investigation on heavy metals and polomum-210 in soil

Distribution of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr,Ni,Mn concentrations and the activity of polonium-210 in the surrounding area of a phosphate fertilizer industry located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea has been determined.Nineteen sampling sites were distributed around the industrial zone on a surface area of about 100,000 m2.Atomic absorption spectroscopy and Alpha spectroscopy were used to quantify the heavy elements and polonium-210,respectively.Investigation on a particle scale was conducted by TEM and SEM coupled to EDX and X-ray cartography to determine the nature of heavy elements carders and their distribution.Heavy elements were mainly concentrated inside the particle size fraction ＜ 50μm.Their levels decreased with distance increasing from the industry.According to the reference soil,enrichment factors were about 10,15,32 and 100 times for Zn,Pb,Cu,and Cr,respectively inside the particle size fraction ＜ 50 μm on the closest sites to the industry.The main contaminant sources were transport and storage of row materials and the free release of phosphogypsum waste.Heavy elements were entrapped inside agglomerates of sulfates,phosphates and iron oxihydroxides in a diffused shape.Polonium-210 with an enrichment factor of about 56,showed the same behavior of the spatial distribution of the trace elements.     

The complexity of nectar: secretion and resorption dynamically regulate nectar features

In this paper, we review the phenomenon of nectar resorption, focusing on its physiological and ecological meaning. Nectar resorption is a phenomenon that has long been known but was rarely reported until the1990s. It has more recently been demonstrated in several species by various direct and indirect methodologies. It has generally been demonstrated in senescent flowers as a phenomenon separate in time from, and independent of, nectar secretion. The significance of this type of resorption is generally recognized as a resource-recovery strategy, recycling at least some materials invested in nectar production. Nevertheless, nectar resorption can occur concomitantly with nectar secretion. Nectar production is therefore best considered as a unified process comprising nectar secretion and resorption. The modulation of these two opposite phases allows nectar concentration to be maintained in a range suitable for pollinators (nectar homeostasis). The mechanism of nectar resorption at the cell level has received little attention, and its molecular basis can only be hypothesized on the basis of recent studies concerning sugar sensing.     

Growth of non-English-language literature on biodiversity conservation

English is widely recognized as the language of science, and English-language publications (ELPs) are rapidly increasing. It is often assumed that the number of non-ELPs is decreasing. This assumption contributes to the underuse of non-ELPs in conservation science, practice, and policy, especially at the international level. However, the number of conservation articles published in different languages is poorly documented. Using local and international search systems, we searched for scientific articles on biodiversity conservation published from 1980 to 2018 in English and 15 non-English languages. We compared the growth rate in publications across languages. In 12 of the 15 non-English languages, published conservation articles significantly increased every year over the past 39 years, at a rate similar to English-language articles. The other three languages showed contrasting results, depending on the search system. Since the 1990s, conservation science articles in most languages increased exponentially. The variation in the number of non-English-language articles identified among the search systems differed markedly (e.g., for simplified Chinese, 11,148 articles returned with local search system and 803 with Scopus). Google Scholar and local literature search systems returned the most articles for 11 and 4 non-English languages, respectively. However, the proportion of peer-reviewed conservation articles published in non-English languages was highest in Scopus, followed by Web of Science and local search systems, and lowest in Google Scholar. About 20% of the sampled non-English-language articles provided no title or abstract in English; thus, in theory, they were undiscoverable with English keywords. Possible reasons for this include language barriers and the need to disseminate research in countries where English is not widely spoken. Given the known biases in statistical methods and study characteristics between English- and non-English-language studies, non-English-language articles will continue to play an important role in improving the understanding of biodiversity and its conservation.     

COVID-19 drugs in aquatic systems: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The outbreak of the human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has induced an unprecedented increase in the use of several old and repurposed therapeutic...     

Anticancer properties of medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds against breast cancer: a review on recent investigations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common and recurring diseases and the second leading cause of death in women. Despite prevention, diagnostics,...     

Temporal distribution patterns of metals in water,sediment, and components of the trophic structure in a tropical coastal lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Trophic transfer and bioaccumulation of trace metals have a profound impact on the structure and function of coastal areas; however, the metal...     

Aspergillus awamori attenuates ochratoxin A-induced renal and cardiac injuries in rabbits by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and downregulating IL1β, TNFα, and iNOS gene expressions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most dangerous and that pollute agricultural products, inducing a variety of toxic effects in humans and animals. The...     

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...     

Mechanical,Thermal and Microstructural Characteristic of 3D Printed Polylactide Composites with Natural Fibers: Wood,Bamboo and Cork

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In the study, polylactide-based (PLA) composites modified with natural particles (wood, bamboo, and cork) and with different levels of infilling (100%,...     

Potential toxicity of leachate from the municipal landfill in view of the possibility of their migration to the environment through infiltration into groundwater

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Leachate from landfills is a product of complex biological and physicochemical processes occurring during waste storage. In the present study, the toxicity...