Chemometric Analysis of Surface Water Quality Data: Case Study of the Gorganrud River Basin, Iran

Canonical correlation analysis (CCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and principal factor analysis (PFA) have been adopted to provide ease of understanding: interpretation of a large complex data set in the Gorganrud River monitoring networks, evaluation of the temporal and spatial variations of water quality, and finally identification of monitoring stations and parameters which are most important in assessing annual variations of water quality in the river. In accomplishing the research, 11 surface water quality data related to both of physical and chemical parameters have been collected from seven monitoring stations from 1996 to 2002. In general, our results from CCA method indicated strong relationship between physical and chemical parameters in the Gorganrud River. In addition, analyzing data through the PCA and PFA techniques revealed that all monitoring stations are important in explaining the annual variation of data set. From the point of view of the degree of importance of parameters contributing to water quality variations, further investigations by running two scenarios (rotated factor correlation coefficient value equal to 0.95 and 0.90 for the first and second scenarios, respectively) showed that the important parameters in one season may not be important for another season. For example, unlike in summer, water temperature, total suspended solids, total phosphorous, and nitrate parameters were important, electrical conductivity, and turbidity parameters had been realized as important parameters in spring through the first scenario.     

Energy-efficient removal of carbamazepine in solution by electrocoagulation-electrofenton using a novel P-rGO cathode

In this study,carbamazepine(CBZ) decay in solution has been studied by coupling electrocoagulation with electro-Fenton(EC-EF) with a novel P-rGO/carbon felt(CF) cathode,aiming to accelerate the in-situ generation of ·OH,instead of adding Fe²⁺ and H₂ O₂.Firstly,the fabricated P-rGO and its derived cathode were characterized by XRD,SEM,AFM,XPS and electrochemical test(EIS,CV and LSV).Secondly,it was confirmed that the performance in removal efficiency and electric ...     

Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

As largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all populations. The survey participants located in India and Italy perceived the largest drop in the air pollution concentration; conversely, the smallest variation was perceived among Chinese and Norwegian respondents. Among all the demographic indicators considered, only gender proved to be statistically significant.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01574-2.     

Investigation of the effects of static magnetic field on apoptosis in bone marrow stem cells of rat

This research was carried out to evaluate the influence of static magnetic field on the rate of apoptosis in bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) of rats. Extracted cells were suspended in αMEM as a culture media for 48 h. After that, cells were exposed to 15 mT static magnetic field (SMF) for 5 h, incessantly with or without FeCl₂. The rate of apoptosis was then assessed via flow cytometery. The results showed that either treatment with FeCl₂ or exposure to SMF enhanced the rate of apoptotic cells. Moreover, cells that were treated simultaneously with FeCl₂ and SMF have higher rate of apoptosis. An increase in apoptosis by 26.5% was induced by SMF alone and an increase in apoptosis by 28.2% was induced by a combination of FeCl₂ and SMF, compared to their corresponding controls. The results recommended that the effects of SMF on apoptosis may be related to increment of the number of free radicals in the cells.     

Complexing agents for metal removal using ultrafiltration membranes: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Water pollution by human activities is major issue. In particular, toxic metals are of particular concern, thus calling for advanced methods to remove metals from...     

Fish and shrimp waste management at household and market in Bushehr,Iran

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The aim of this study was to investigate the estimation and management of fish and shrimp wastes in Bushehr province. Two-part questionnaire...     

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Air of Sina and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals and Patients' Houses

Food and Environmental Virology - Side by side air sampling was conducted using a PTFE filter membrane as dry sampler and an impinger containing a suitable culture medium as a wet sampler. Most of...     

Harvesting of microalgae biomass from the phycoremediation process of greywater

The wide application of microalgae in the field of wastewater treatment and bioenergy source has improved research studies in the past years. Microalgae represent a good source of biomass and bio-products which are used in different medical and industrial activities, among them the production of high-valued products and biofuels. The present review focused on greywater treatment through the application of phycoremediation technique with microalgae and presented recent advances in technologies used for harvesting the microalgae biomass. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed. The microbiological aspects of production, harvesting and utilization of microalgae biomass are viewed.     

Policy challenges and approaches for the conservation of mangrove forests in Southeast Asia

Many drivers of mangrove forest loss operate over large scales and are most effectively addressed by policy interventions. However, conflicting or unclear policy objectives exist at multiple tiers of government, resulting in contradictory management decisions. To address this, we considered four approaches that are being used increasingly or could be deployed in Southeast Asia to ensure sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. First, a stronger incorporation of mangroves into marine protected areas (that currently focus largely on reefs and fisheries) could resolve some policy conflicts and ensure that mangroves do not fall through a policy gap. Second, examples of community and government comanagement exist, but achieving comanagement at scale will be important in reconciling stakeholders and addressing conflicting policy objectives. Third, private‐sector initiatives could protect mangroves through existing and novel mechanisms in degraded areas and areas under future threat. Finally, payments for ecosystem services (PES) hold great promise for mangrove conservation, with carbon PES schemes (known as blue carbon) attracting attention. Although barriers remain to the implementation of PES, the potential to implement them at multiple scales exists. Closing the gap between mangrove conservation policies and action is crucial to the improved protection and management of this imperiled coastal ecosystem and to the livelihoods that depend on them.