Protective effect of Spirulina platensis against aluminium-induced nephrotoxicity and DNA damage in rats

The protective effect of Spirulina platensis (SP) powder against aluminium-induced nephrotoxicity and DNA damage in rats was studied. Male rats receiving daily 40 mg/kg b.wt. aluminium chloride (AlCl₃) orally had increased serum levels of urea and creatinine, up regulated kidney injury molecule-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 genes, down regulated catalase and glutathione peroxidase genes, and increased all parameters of kidney DNA damage using comet assay. Treatment with SP alleviated all AlCl₃-induced effects of toxicity, especially when the animals were pre-treated.     

Synthesis,extraction, and identification of light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in microwave oven fried Aseel chicken tissues

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of microwave oven frying on production of four, light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) anthracene, fluorene, phenathrene, and pyrene in four tissues heart, liver, neck, and wings of Aseel chickens. The microwave oven-fried samples of tissues along with respective control after appropriate preparation were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. These PAH were identified by comparing retention time of the unknown with known ones and concentration was calculated. Data showed that among the four chicken tissues, the neck contained the maximum level (0.079 mg/kg) of anthracene while wings contained the minimum (0.006 mg/kg). Similarly, in case of flourene, the fried heart showed greater percentage increase (225.04%) while wings showed 16.18% fluorene compared with other two organs, while phenanthrene and pyrene were maximal in wings at 0.249 mg/kg and 0.094 mg/kg, respectively. Results demonstrate that high-temperature treatment such as microwave oven frying of chicken meat might be responsible to generate these toxicants. Further study is to determine the production of other PAH under the different barbecuing conditions using various meat varieties.     

Effect of sediment properties on the sorption of C12-2-LAS in marine and estuarine sediments

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) are anionic high production volume surfactants used in the manufacture of cleaning products. Here, we have studied the effect of the characteristics of marine and estuarine sediments on the sorption of LAS. Sorption experiments were performed with single sediment materials (pure clays and sea sand), with sediments treated to reduce their organic carbon content, and with field marine and estuarine sediments. C₁₂-2-LAS was used as a model compound. Sorption to the clays montmorillonite and kaolinite resulted in non-linear isotherms very similar for both clays. When reducing the organic content, sorption coefficients decreased proportionally to the fraction removed in fine grain sediments but this was not the case for the sandy sediment. The correlation of the sediment characteristics with the sorption coefficients at different surfactant concentrations showed that at concentrations below 10 μg C₁₂-2-LAS/L, the clay content correlated better with sorption, while the organic fraction became more significant at higher concentrations.     

Removal of Cr(VI) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Poly 3-Methyl Thiophene Conducting Electroactive Polymers

This paper deals with a new application of poly 3-methyl thiophene synthesized chemically onto sawdust (termed as P3MTh/SD) as an effective adsorbent for removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions using column system. Chemical synthesis of poly 3-methyl thiophene was performed by addition of ferric chloride (in chloroform) as oxidant to sawdust which had previously been soaked in monomer solution. All the sorption experiments were conducted using dynamic or column system at room temperature. The effect of important parameters such as pH and initial concentration on uptake of Cr(VI) was investigated. In order to find out the possibility of the regeneration and reuse of the exhausted adsorbent, desorption studies were also performed. The currently introduced adsorbent was found to be an efficient adsorbent for removal of highly toxic and hazardous Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions. As our breakthrough analysis has indicated, each gram of P3MTh/SD is able to remove more than 95% of Cr(VI)ions from 300 mL of Cr(VI) polluted solution with the initial concentration of 25 mg L⁻¹ in column system. Sorption/desorption of Cr(VI) ions was found to be a highly pH dependent processes.     

Life-cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management alternatives with consideration of uncertainty: SIWMS development and application

This paper describes the development and application of the Stochastic Integrated Waste Management Simulator (SIWMS) model. SIWMS provides a detailed view of the environmental impacts and associated costs of municipal solid waste (MSW) management alternatives under conditions of uncertainty. The model follows a life-cycle inventory approach extended with compensatory systems to provide more equitable bases for comparing different alternatives. Economic performance is measured by the net present value. The model is verified against four publicly available models under deterministic conditions and then used to study the impact of uncertainty on Sydney’s MSW management ‘best practices’. Uncertainty has a significant effect on all impact categories. The greatest effect is observed in the global warming category where a reversal of impact direction is predicted. The reliability of the system is most sensitive to uncertainties in the waste processing and disposal. The results highlight the importance of incorporating uncertainty at all stages to better understand the behaviour of the MSW system.     

An analysis of the drivers affecting the implementation of green supply chain management

Green supply chain management has emerged as an important organizational philosophy to reduce environmental risks. We develop a model of the drivers affecting the implementation of green supply chain management using an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) framework. The various drivers of green supply chain management (GSCM) are identified based on the GSM literature and on consultations with experts in the industry. The model developed is validated on a case study involving a manufacturing firm in southern India.     

A time series analysis of environmental and metrological factors impact on cutaneous leishmaniasis incidence in an endemic area of Dehloran,Iran

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the environmental and metrological variables and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) transmission and its prediction in a region susceptible to this disease prevalence using a time series model. The accurate locations of 4437 CL diagnosed from 2011 to 2015 were obtained to be used in the time series model. Temperature, number of days with temperature over 30 °C, and number of earthquake were related to CL incidence using the Seasonal Auto-correlated Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model according to the Box-Jenkins method. In addition, the relationship between land use and surface soil type in 500- and 1000-m radius around the CL patients were investigated. The SARIMA models showed significant associations between environmental and meteorological variables and CL incidence adjusted for seasonality and auto-correlation. The result indicated that there are need more robust preventive programs in earthquake-prone areas with high temperature and inceptisol soil type than other areas. In addition, the region with these characteristics should be considered as high-risk areas for CL prevalence.     

Predictive model for disinfection by-product in Alexandria drinking water, northern west of Egypt

Chlorine has been utilized in the early stages of water treatment processes as disinfectant. Disinfection for drinking water reduces the risk of pathogenic infection but may pose a chemical threat to human health due to disinfection residues and their by-products (DBP) when the organic and inorganic precursors are present in water. In the last two decades, many modeling attempts have been made to predict the occurrence of DBP in drinking water. Models have been developed based on data generated in laboratory-scale and field-scale investigations. The objective of this paper is to develop a predictive model for DBP formation in the Alexandria governorate located at the northern west of Egypt based on field-scale investigations as well as laboratory-controlled experimentations. The present study showed that the correlation coefficient between trihalomethanes (THM) predicted and THM measured was R ²?=?0.88 and the minimum deviation percentage between THM predicted and THM measured was 0.8 %, the maximum deviation percentage was 89.3 %, and the average deviation was 17.8 %, while the correlation coefficient between dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) predicted and DCAA measured was R ²?=?0.98 and the minimum deviation percentage between DCAA predicted and DCAA measured was 1.3 %, the maximum deviation percentage was 47.2 %, and the average deviation was 16.6 %. In addition, the correlation coefficient between trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) predicted and TCAA measured was R ²?=?0.98 and the minimum deviation percentage between TCAA predicted and TCAA measured was 4.9 %, the maximum deviation percentage was 43.0 %, and the average deviation was 16.0 %.