Spillover effects of trade and foreign direct investment on economic growth: an implication for sustainable development

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This paper explores the advantages of international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), which can be the main factors of transferring technology...     

Application of water extract of slippery elm tree leaves as a natural reagent for selective spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of molybdenum(VI) in environmental water samples

A novel spectrophotometric method for the determination of molybdenum(VI) by using a natural reagent, water extract of slippery elm tree leaves, is developed. Molybdenum(VI) reacts with this natural reagent to form an orange colored product. The formed product shows maximum absorbance at 418 nm with a molar absorptivity value of 0.57 × 10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1, and this method is linear in the 0.4–10 mg L^?1 concentration range. The detection limit value was found to be 0.0350 mg L^?1. The proposed method is simple, clean, low cost, selective, and sensitive. It was applied to the analytic samples with satisfactory results.     

What have we known so far about microplastics in drinking water treatment? A timely review

• 23 available research articles on MPs in drinking water treatment are reviewed. • The effects of treatment conditions and MP properties on MP removal are discussed. • DWTPs with more steps generally are more effective in removing MPs. • Smaller MPs (e.g.,<10 μm) are more challenging in drinking water treatment. Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in drinking water sources and tap water, raising the concern of the effectiveness of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in protecting the public from exposure to MPs through drinking water. We collected and analyzed the available research articles up to August 2021 on MPs in drinking water treatment (DWT), including laboratory- and full-scale studies. This article summarizes the major MP compositions (materials, sizes, shapes, and concentrations) in drinking water sources, and critically reviews the removal efficiency and impacts of MPs in various drinking water treatment processes. The discussed drinking water treatment processes include coagulation-flocculation (CF), membrane filtration, sand filtration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Current DWT processes that are purposed for particle removal are generally effective in reducing MPs in water. Various influential factors to MP removal are discussed, such as coagulant type and dose, MP material, shape and size, and water quality. It is anticipated that better MP removal can be achieved by optimizing the treatment conditions. Moreover, the article framed the major challenges and future research directions on MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) in DWT.     

Investigation of the association between pesticide exposure and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Shahedieh population in Yazd

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to pesticides and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a cross-sectional study with a...     

Designing a mixed performance measurement system for environmental supply chain management using evolutionary game theory and balanced scorecard: A case study of an auto industry supply chain

This paper proposes a mixed performance measurement system using a combination of evolutionary game theory and the balanced scorecard (BSC) in environmental supply chain management (ESCM) that measures and evaluates business operations using the four different perspectives of finance, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. ESCM plays an important role in the supply chain which leads to the reduction, reuse and recycling of resources involved in both upstream and downstream activities. This paper presents guidance for practical managers in evaluating and measuring ESCM by developing a knowledge-based BSC and evolutionary game theory. The primary purpose of this paper is to apply the proposed method in a case study to one of Iran's biggest auto industry supply chain SAIPA Company. The results of this study indicate that the adoption of ESCM, in the absence of regulatory pressures and cost-saving measures is triggered by public pressures and its implementation is limited by organizational factors and strategic myopia.     

Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls and total mercury in two fish species (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Esox lucius</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius auratus</Emphasis>) in Anzali Wetland,Iran

The Anzali Wetland is one of the most important ecosystems in the north of Iran, and parts of it were registered as a Ramsar site in 1975. However, even though, due to many problems, including eutrophication produced by inflow of excess nutrients and organic materials, the wetland was also listed on the Montreux Record indicating the need to take urgent remedial action. This study was conducted to study the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and total mercury (THg) in two fish species (Esox lucius and Carassius auratus) as bio-indicators of the ecosystem condition in eastern part of Anzali Wetland. The sampling was carried out in six different periods between years 2009 and 2010. The results showed that the amounts of PCBs in the muscle of northern pike were below the detection limit of gas chromatography, whereas the average concentration in goldfish was 0.449 mg/kg wet weight. Some possible reasons for the higher levels of PCBs in goldfish in comparison with pike have been discussed. No significant (p < 0.05) correlation was observed between PCBs and biological factors (weight, length, lipid content) for both species. On the other hand, the mean concentration of THg in the muscle of pike and goldfish were 182.22 and 75.27 ng/g dry weight, respectively. Although these concentrations were below US-EPA criterion for human consumption (0.3 mg/kg), it pointed up a significant deterioration of the ecosystem condition during the past years. Finally, statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between THg with weight and an insignificant correlation with length for pike specimens.     

Bioaccumulation of trace elements in different tissues of three commonly available fish species regarding their gender,gonadosomatic index,and condition factor in a wetland ecosystem

In the present research, accumulation of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were determined in sediments and fillet, liver, kidney, gonads, and gills of three commonly fish species in the largest wetland ecosystem that is located in southwest of Iran; Shadegan wetland. Shadegan is one of the most important wetland that posses various fauna and flora but suffers inputs from agricultural and industrial activities. So, sediment samples and fish species including Barbus grypus, Barbus sharpeyi, and Cyprinus carpio were collected during winter 2009. Results showed that mean concentrations of trace elements (except Ni and Co) were high in liver and gills of B. grypus. Also trace elements had the most accumulation in liver of B. sharpeyi except for Cd (0.26 mg kg^− 1 d.w.) and Mn (13.45 mg kg^− 1 d.w.) that were high in gills. Beside, kidney is determined as target tissue for Ni and V in B. grypus and for Pb in C. carpio, due to their high concentration. Zn levels in all tissues of C. carpio showed the highest concentrations in comparison to other fish species. Generally, accumulations of most of the studied elements in B. grypus and B. sharpeyi were higher in females than in males, while in fillet and gonads of C. carpio, this trend was inverted. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were determined for different tissues of fish species with respect to elemental concentrations in sediment. BAFs results indicated that Zn, Pb, and Cu have higher BAF than other elements. Also this investigation demonstrated that trace elements have different affinities with condition factor of studied fish species. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) and Pb showed positive correlation together in both B. sharpeyi and B. grypus, respectively, in females and males. Moreover, females of C. carpio showed significantly positive relation of GSI and all studied elements.     

Predominance of clade D <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symbiodinium</Emphasis> in shallow-water reef-building corals off Kish and Larak Islands (Persian Gulf,Iran)

Scleractinian coral species harbour communities of photosynthetic taxa of the genus Symbiodinium. As many as eight genetic clades (A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H) of Symbiodinium have been discovered using molecular biology. These clades may differ from each other in their physiology, and thus influence the ecological distribution and resilience of their host corals to environmental stresses. Corals of the Persian Gulf are normally subject to extreme environmental conditions including high salinity and seasonal variation in temperature. This study is the first to use molecular techniques to identify the Symbiodinium of the Iranian coral reefs to the level of phylogenetic clades. Samples of eight coral species were collected at two different depths from the eastern part of Kish Island in the northern Persian Gulf, and Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Partial 28S nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA of Symbiodinium (D1/D2 domains) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were analyzed using single stranded conformational polymorphism and phylogenetic analyses of the LSU DNA sequences from a subset of the samples. The results showed that Symbiodinium populations were generally uniform among and within the populations of eight coral species studied, and there are at least two clades of Symbiodinium from Kish and Larak islands. Clade D was detected from eight of the coral species while clade C was found in two of species only (one species hosted two clades simultaneously). The dominance of clade D might be explained by high temperatures or the extreme temperature variation, typical of the Persian Gulf. Publication of this article was held up owing to technical problems. The publisher apologizes sincerely for this lengthy delay.