Triflumezopyrim (TMP), a mesoionic insecticide, is commonly used for controlling planthoppers in rice. However, the relationship between the TMP residue and toxicity against brown planthoppers (BPHs) has not been studied in detail. We are reporting the dissipation of TMP from rice plant and soil under field conditions. The median lethal dose and median lethal concentration were 0.036 ng per insect and 0.525 mg L⁻¹, respectively. TMP at recommended dose (25 g a.i. ha⁻¹) recorded 1.25 live BPH per hill as against 25.5 per hill in control at 14 days after treatment. TMP was considered to be harmless to the natural enemies, namely, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and Lycosa pseudoannulata in the rice ecosystem. The residue of TMP from rice plant and soil was estimated using the QuEChERS method using three different doses (12.5, 25, and 50 g a.i. ha⁻¹). The limit of quantitation (LOQ) of TMP in plant and soil was 5 µg kg⁻¹ and 1 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. The maximum content of TMP in soil was less than 1% that of plant content on day 1. The dissipation pattern of TMP both from plant and soil was better explained by the first-order double-exponential decay model (FODED) as compared to the first-order kinetic model. Overall, the half-lives of TMP were ranged from 2.21 to 3.02 days in plant tissues and 3.78 to 4.79 days in soil as per the FODED model. Based on the persistence and toxicity of TMP, we could conclude that TMP will be effective against BPH up to 7–10 days after application. Triflumezopyrim with reasonable persistence and high efficacy could be recommended as an alternate pesticide in BPH management in rice.

Samples of orange patinas found on a limestone window tracery and an ornament of the Batalha Monastery have been investigated by X-ray micro-diffractometry (μ-XRD) and low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (LV-SEM + EDS). The aim of the study was to determine the composition of the layered patinas, assess whether they have been intentionally applied or naturally formed, and study their degradation patterns. Preliminary results revealed that the orange patinas on the window tracery and the ornament showed different compositions and appearance, suggesting distinct formation pathways. Orange patinas on the ornament, which are now showing decay and delamination patterns, mainly consisted of gypsum with hematite as a minor component, implying the possibility of an intentional application of a mixture of ochre and lime as tint plaster. Orange patinas on the window tracery show, instead, the presence of Ca-oxalates, abundant weddellite, and minor whewellite, with minor hematite suggesting the yellowish/orange color as being due to Ca-oxalate patinas imbedding soil dust airborne particles. Such patina was possibly formed naturally either by the chemical attack due to atmospheric air pollutants from traffic exhausts emissions or by bacterial activity. No delamination was observed on the window tracery sample with granular decohesion as the major decay phenomenon. A comparison was made between this patina and the so-called scialbatura, a surface yellowish coating often found by conservators on limestone and marble in ancient monuments in the Mediterranean region.

There is currently no comprehensive acid sulfate soil (ASS) hazard mapping in Colombia. This study aims to create reliable prediction surfaces to estimate the types and subtypes of inland ASS, spatial variability of acidity and salinity, and acidification and salinization hazards. We used a combination of factor analysis, geostatistical tools with ordinary and indicator kriging, and Geographic Information System utilities to design a spatial prediction model. The studied variables were soil reaction, redox potential, and electrical conductivity at the A and B horizons obtained from a detailed systematic sampling in a sector of the Sinú River floodplain, Colombia. Two factors were identified; the first allowed us to delimit the homogeneous behavior of acidity as well as the types and subtypes of inland ASS precisely while the second facilitated the identification of ASS subtypes. Our findings indicate that 82% of the area reports very high and high to moderate acidification hazards in active ASS. A high salinization hazard exists in 26% of active ASS and 74% of both active and post-active ASS. These findings suggest serious acidification and salinization hazards and the need for urgent appropriate economic and environmental management. The approach applied here can be implemented at a field scale to improve understanding of the activity and behavior of ASS based on the acidity and salinity, which can facilitate a more reliable mapping of acidification and salinization hazards.

Heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, and Cu) were traced in a model of the aqueous food chain in the Aras River, located in northwest of Iran. The selected model included the zander (Sander lucioperca L.) and crustacean species known as amphipods (Gammarus sp.) which belong to the food chain of this ray-finned fish. A total of 172 samples (70 fish and 102 amphipods) were collected randomly and analyzed for heavy metals using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The results showed that the accumulation of heavy metals in both taxa are in the order of As > Pb > Cd > Cu, and concentrations of heavy metals in fish muscle are higher than Gammarus sp. in all stations in different seasons. Specimens of station (1) displayed the highest heavy metal content due to local industrial activities. The recorded concentrations of As, Pb, and Cd exceed the permissible limits. There is a close correlation between the concentrations of heavy metals in the amphipods and zanders. Target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR) were calculated to assess risks to human health. The average of THQ for As (1.43) exceeded the international standards and presenting health risks to the consumers of this fish species. The TTHQ for heavy metals was estimated higher than 1. At all stations, the value of CRCd > 1 × 10⁻³ indicating the degree of carcinogenicity of this metal in all parts of the Aras River. Therefore, according to our results, efficient control measures and regular biomonitoring should be established in this region.

Here, conjugate of nano-graphene oxide (GO) and titanium dioxide nanoparticle (nTiO₂) was proposed for the photocatalytic degradation of two toxic azo dyes, Congo red (CR) and Methylene blue (MB), under sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, the optimized weight ratio between GO and nTiO₂ of 1:5 demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency. The nanoconjugate induced 85% degradation of 40 ppm of CR in 60 min and a complete degradation within 70 min, while it degraded more than 90% of 20 ppm of MB in 80 min. The photocatalyst can be reused for five cycles of photocatalysis. Thus, the photocatalytic potential of GO/nTiO₂ under visible light may be used as a very suitable and cost-effective photocatalyst industrially for the removal of toxic dyes from water.

Microplastics (MPs) have long been the subject of scientific articles dealing with environmental pollution. The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and amount of MPs in soil aggregates depending on land use. The soil in the research area was formed on loess parent material and classified as Haplic Luvisol. From the soil samples were determined particle size distribution curves, and subsequently 40 mixed samples were dry sieved and then wet sieved to determine the percentage of individual soil fractions of water-stable soil aggregates (WSA). The representation and number of MPs were determined for the most common fractions. It was found that MPs occur in both cases of land use, slightly more (62 pt/5 g) in forest soil compared to arable (40 pt/5 g). It is generally known that soil is not homogeneous, but the amount of MPs in top layer for arable soil (8000 pt/kg) and forest (12,400 pt/kg) was estimated. The effect of land use is that forest WSA have a larger mean weight diameter (MWD) than arable land. By being larger, they are also more stable to movement during water erosion. MPs are bound in soil aggregates and they move together with them. This can be deduced from our measurements, because MPs extracted from WSA do not disintegrate in water after 2 hours and even after subsequent wet sieving. The effect of land use on microplastic occurrence and movement should be continually of concern in the future.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses significant long- and short-term risks to both the developing fetus and the mother. GDM can lead to maternal complications during pregnancy and increase the mother’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease later. The present study aimed to evaluate the maternal and fetal vasculopathies in the placenta of Saudi women with GDM. This prospective study examined 84 placentas from full-term pregnant women with no complications other than GDM; 40 placentas were collected from healthy women (controls), and 44 were collected from women diagnosed with GDM. The sampling took place in King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, between January and August 2019. All placentas were histologically examined according to the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group (2014, 2015). The results showed that the most common placental changes on the maternal side of the placenta in the GDM group were significant syncytial knots (77%), calcification (70%), villous agglutination (57%), decidual vasculopathy (43%), and retroplacental hemorrhage (34%). Placental infarction was the least common placental change in both groups. On the fetal side, vasculopathies included significant villous fibrinoid necrosis (70.5%), chorangiosis (50%), fibromuscular sclerosis (50%), and villous edema (38.6%). Significant villous fibrinoid necrosis, villous edema, and significant fibromuscular sclerosis were more prevalent in the GDM group. The present study concluded that gestational diabetes mellitus induces histopathological phenotypes in the full-term placenta. Increased decidual vasculopathy, syncytial knots, retroplacental hemorrhage, classification, villous agglutination, chorangiosis, villous edema, villous fibroid necrosis, and fibromuscular sclerosis may indicate GDM in the mother. Such findings in the placenta of a woman who has not been diagnosed with GDM increase the need for GDM examination in future pregnancies.

An important gap of knowledge exists regarding the public interest in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to understand the public interest in HPB diseases in the COVID-19 era. In this infodemiology study, we performed a comparative analysis of Google search volume of HPB terms in 2020–2021 and compared it to a similar time frame (2016–2019) in 3 periods to assess how trends in patient seeking behavior of HPB terms changed during the course of the pandemic in the USA and worldwide. Our analysis showed a substantial decrease in search volume of HPB diseases and procedure terms early in the pandemic. However, search volumes appeared to revert back to pre-pandemic years closer to the 1-year mark in USA and worldwide. Patients may have initially neglected HPB-related issues during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could lead to worse outcomes. While HPB-related terms reverted closer to pre-pandemic levels later in the pandemic, further research is needed to assess the long-term impacts.

Optimization of fuel injection strategies can maximize the utilization of ternary fuel by addressing the issues concerning fuel consumption, engine performance, and exhaust gas emission. In the midst of the pervasiveness of plant-based biofuel, this paper focused on maximizing the mahua oil biodiesel usage in a diesel engine having a common rail direct injection (CRDI) system without any engine modifications. The crude oil extracted from the seeds of Madhuca longifolia is known in India as mahua butter and has shown impressive fuel properties such as lower viscosity, flashpoint, boiling point, and comparable calorific value to diesel. 1-Pentanol, which has a chain of five carbons and can easily be blended with both diesel and biodiesel, is a promising type of alcohol for the future. In this study, the influence of fuel injection pressure with ternary fuel (diesel + mahua methyl ester + pentanol) on engine characteristics of CRDI diesel engine was analyzed. The fuel injection pressure is varied from 20 to 50 MPa so that ternary fuel can be properly utilized. The high injection pressure of 50 MPa has better combustion characteristics and higher brake thermal efficiency (4.39%) value than other injection pressure values. A better mixture is formed due to well-atomized spray, and as a result, the levels of CO (22.24%), HC (9.49%), and smoke (7.5%) fall with the increase in injection pressure. The usage of ternary fuel raised the NOₓ emission (12.46%) value and specific fuel consumption (SFC) with a decrease in the BTE (brake thermal efficiency) which attributes to its properties and combustion characteristics.

The salinization of grassland in arid and semi-arid areas is a serious environmental issue in China. Halophytes show extreme salt tolerance and are grown in saline-alkaline environments. Their rhizosphere microorganisms contribute significantly to plant stress tolerance. To study bacterial and fungal community structure changes in Chinese ryegrass (Leymus chinensis) rhizosphere soil under salt and alkali stress, pot experiments were conducted with different salt and alkali stress intensities. High-throughput sequencing was conducted, and the microbial diversity, community structure, and driving factors were analyzed in rhizosphere soil. The salinization of grassland in arid and semi-arid areas is a serious environmental issue in China. Halophytes show extreme salt tolerance and grow in saline-alkaline environments. A total of 549 species of bacteria from 28 phyla and 250 species from 11 phyla of fungi were detected in the rhizosphere soil of Leymus chinensis with different saline-alkali gradients. Alpha diversity analysis along saline-alkali gradients showed that bacterial community richness and diversity were the highest in the moderate saline-alkali group (pH = 8.28, EC = 160.4 μS·cm⁻¹), while fungi had high richness and diversity in the control group (pH = 7.35, EC = 134.5 μS·cm⁻¹). The bacteriophyta Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Plantomycetes, and the eumycota Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Glomeromycota were found with relative abundances of more than 10%. Saline-alkali gradients had significant effects on the abundance of the bacterial and fungal groups in the rhizosphere. The distribution of bacterial colony structure was not significant at the species level (P > 0.05). However, there were significant differences in the distribution of fungal structure and considerable differences in the composition of fungal species among the moderate saline-alkali group, severe saline-alkali group, and control group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the bacterial phylum Gemmatimonadetes had a highly significant positive correlation with pH and EC (P < 0. 01). Saline-alkali stress significantly inhibited the abundance of the bacteria Latescibacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroides, and the fungi Zoopagomycota, Mortierllomycota, and Cryptomycota (P < 0. 05). Compared with fungi, bacterial community composition was most closely correlated with soil salinization. This report provided new insights into the responses of relationships between rhizosphere soil microorganisms and salt and alkali tolerance of plants.