Green algae are dominant primary producers in aquatic environments. Thus, assessing the influences of pollutants such as nanoparticles on the algae is of high ecological significance. In the current study, cadmium selenide nanoparticles (CdSe NPs) were synthesized using the hydrothermal method and their characteristics were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Subsequently, the toxicity of synthesized nanoparticles on the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris was investigated. The observations by SEM confirmed that exposure to CdSe NPs had severe impacts on the algal morphology. Furthermore, the obtained results revealed the toxic effect of CdSe NPs by a decrease in the number of cells. Measurement of antioxidant enzymes activity showed an increase in the activity of catalase, and a decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) at high concentrations of CdSe NPs. The exposure of C. vulgaris to CdSe NPs resulted also in a change in algal pigments as well as total phenol content. Taken together, CdSe NPs appeared to have significant cytotoxic effects on C. vulgaris in the applied concentrations.

Preparation of the value-added products from e-waste resources is an important step in the recycling process. The present paper aims to propose a methodology for the recovery of In from scrap LCD panel via preparation of InBO₃ nanostructure. Discarded LCD panel was subjected to a recycling process through crushing, milling, and oxalic acid leaching to prepare In₂(C₂O₄)₃·6H₂O. Through the leaching process, B(OH)₃ from glass part (alumina borosilicate) has been leached out along with indium oxalate hydrated. Further thermal treatment on these extracted materials at 600 °C could result in the formation of InBO₃ nanostructures with an average particle size of 20 nm. A multistep mechanism based on thermodynamic calculations for the recycling of the InBO₃ form extracted precursors was proposed. Graphical abstract

The current study was performed to investigate the nephroprotective efficacy of Spirulina platensis (SP) and the possible benefits of combining SP and ascorbic acid (AA) in protecting against amikacin (AMK)-induced nephrotoxicity in rabbits. Forty-two male New Zealand rabbits were allocated to seven equal groups, receiving (I) normal saline as negative controls, (II) oral SP (500 mg/kg body weight), (III) oral AA (20 mg/kg bw), (IV) intramuscular AMK injection (100 mg/kg bw), (V) AMK plus SP, (VI) AMK plus AA, or (VII) AMK plus SP and AA at the aforementioned doses. The treatments were given once/day for 7 days. Data analysis showed that in comparison to the control group, AMK-intoxicated rabbits showed significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in serum concentrations of creatinine, uric acid, and urea, as well as renal tissue concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], malondialdehyde [MDA], and nitric oxide [NO]. Moreover, significant (p ≤ 0.05) reductions in renal glutathione concentration, antioxidant enzymatic activities (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), and total antioxidant capacity were noted following AMK intoxication. Treatment by SP ameliorated most of the aforementioned AMK-induced alterations. Although treatment with AA significantly reduced the renal tissue MDA, NO, and TNF-α concentrations, it was not associated with significant ameliorations of AMK-induced changes in the serum concentrations of renal function markers or renal tissue antioxidant parameters. The nephroprotective effects of SP-AA combination were more potent than SP alone in several parameters. In conclusion, SP alone or in combination with AA minimized the nephrotoxic effects of AMK through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

In this study, TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) and AgCl-modified TNTs nanocomposites with multiple crystal phases were synthesized through a hydrothermal method without calcination. The resultant samples had a large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area. Additionally, the Ag modification process reduced the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs in the synthesized sample and possessed more oxygen vacancy sites. The surface area of the AgCl-modified TNTs was smaller than that of non-modified TNTs sample; however, the nanocomposites exhibited outstanding photocatalytic performance and adsorption properties. AgCl compounds present on the TNTs surface effectively interacted with Hg⁰, improving the dye photodegradation efficiency. The Hg⁰ removal efficiencies of the TNTs and AgCl-modified TNTs samples were about 63% and 86%, respectively. The crystal violet (CV) and malachite green (MG) removal efficiencies of the AgCl-modified TNTs sample were around 57% and 72%, respectively. Both dyes photodecomposition efficiencies for AgCl-modified TNTs sample are higher than those of TNTs sample. The oxygen vacancy on the AgCl-modified TNTs surface was determined to be advantageous for OH⁻ and arsenate adsorption through ligand exchange. The maximum adsorption quantity of As⁵⁺ calculated by Langmuir equation was 15.38 mg g⁻¹ (TNTs) and 21.10 mg g⁻¹ (AgCl-modified TNTs).

The efficiency evaluation model of integrated energy system, involving many influencing factors, and the attribute values are heterogeneous and non-deterministic, usually cannot give specific numerical or accurate probability distribution characteristics, making the final evaluation result deviation. According to the characteristics of the integrated energy system, a hybrid multi-attribute decision-making model is constructed. The evaluation model considers the decision maker’s risk preference. In the evaluation of the efficiency of the integrated energy system, the evaluation value of some evaluation indexes is linguistic value, or the evaluation value of the evaluation experts is not consistent. These reasons lead to ambiguity in the decision information, usually in the form of uncertain linguistic values and numerical interval values. In this paper, the risk preference of decision maker is considered when constructing the evaluation model. Interval-valued multiple-attribute decision-making method and fuzzy linguistic multiple-attribute decision-making model are proposed. Finally, the mathematical model of efficiency evaluation of integrated energy system is constructed.

This study examines the empirical effects of four variables: economic growth, energy consumption, foreign direct investment, and financial development on environmental quality in Qatar. Three environmental quality indicators, namely, per capita CO₂ emissions, energy intensity (EI), and Adjusted National Savings (ANS) are used to examine the interactions between the variables using a time series dataset for the period 1980−2016. Following an appropriate multiple structural breaks unit root and cointegration tests, short- and long-run coefficients were estimated through the application of Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) model. The Toda-Yamamoto (TY) causality test was conducted to determine the causal link, if any, among the variables. Estimated results suggest a detrimental long-run effect of energy consumption on all three indicators of environmental quality. FDI has a negative long-run effect on environmental quality when it is measured by EI only. Financial development has no significant effect on any of the indicators. Bidirectional causality are noted between three variables: economic growth, energy consumption, and financial development and all three indicators of environmental quality. Policy implications are discussed.

Few detailed, individual-focused studies have researched the added effect of temperature on cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly in China. Moreover, no prior studies have explored the exposure-response relationship among all populations and different sub-sociodemographic groups. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was applied to evaluate the adverse health effects of temperature on CVD mortality for all populations and different sub-sociodemographic groups (by age, sex, educational level, living arrangement, and occupation) in Beijing. Based on the exposure-response relationships, firstly, we proposed a new model (COCKTAIL, Code Of Climate Key To An Ill) for revealing the split-and-merge relationships of the temperature-CVD mortality curve. This method could be used to apply the CVD deaths in a studied area to forecast the exposure-response relationships in the same area in the future. Secondly, this is the most detailed study to analyze the relationship between temperature and CVD mortality for different subgroups among the existing researches for developed and developing countries. We found that the cold temperature (at − 14 °C) was the risk factor for people with low socioeconomic status, especially for single people (including unmarried, divorced, and widowed), for indoor workers, and for people with low education, compared with the minimum mortality temperature, with a cumulative increase of 3.9 (80%CI, 2.9–5.4), 3.8 (80%CI, 2.8–5.1), and 4.5 (80%CI, 3.1–6.3) times respectively. Meanwhile, the hot temperature (at 35 °C) was the risk factor for CVD death, with a cumulative increase of 2.6 (80%CI, 2.0–3.4) for females, and 3.1 (80%CI, 2.4–4.2) for single people. The varying CVD vulnerability in terms of CVD mortality among various groups may assist governments in preparing health resources and taking measures to prevent or reduce temperature-related deaths.

2-Mercaptothiazoline (MTZ) is broadly present in daily use as an antifungal reagent, a brightening agent, and a corrosion inhibitor. MTZ is potentially harmful for human health. Although the toxic effects of MTZ on experimental animals have been reported, the effects of MTZ on the proteins in the circulatory system at the molecular level have not been identified previously. Here, we explored the interaction of MTZ with bovine hemoglobin (BHb) in vitro using multiple spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking. In this study, the binding capacity, acting force, binding sites, molecular docking simulation, and conformational changes were investigated. MTZ quenched the intrinsic emission of BHb via the static quenching process and could spontaneously bind with BHb mainly through van der Waals forces and hydrogen bond. The computational docking visualized that MTZ bound to the β2 subunit of BHb, which further led to some changes of the skeleton and secondary structure of BHb. This research provides valuable information about the molecular mechanisms on BHb induced by MTZ and is beneficial for clarifying the toxicological actions of MTZ in blood.

The extensive use of antibiotics has resulted in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), which may not be completely removed by traditional wastewater treatment processes. More effective approaches to disinfection are needed to prevent the release of ARB into the surface water. The metal-free photocatalyst graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has aroused great interest as a possible agent for water and wastewater treatment, due to its low cytotoxicity and photoactivity with visible light. In this study, the efficacy of g-C₃N₄ was assessed as a possible means to enhance ARB inactivation by irradiation. ARB were isolated and purified from secondary effluents in 4 municipal wastewater treatment plants. Of these, 4 typical multi-drug ARB isolates, belonging to Enterobacteriaceae, were selected for irradiation experiments. Inactivation was seen to increase with irradiation time. At 60 min, the inactivation of the 4 ARB isolates by light at > 300 nm and > 400 nm was in the range of 0.25–0.39 log and 0.16–0.19 log, respectively. The use of g-C₃N₄-mediated photocatalysis at the same wavelengths significantly enhanced that to 0.64–1.26 log and 0.31–0.41 log, respectively. The antibiotic susceptibility of the ARB isolates remained unchanged either prior to or after irradiation and was independent of photon fluence, reaction time, and the presence of g-C₃N₄. This study establishes a baseline for understanding the effectiveness of g-C₃N₄ photocatalysis on inactivation of ARB in wastewaters and lays the foundation for further improvement in the use of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment.

In this work, Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂ ternary nanocomposite was synthesized by a combination of green and precipitation method involving mixing of different concentrations of silver nitrate, boric acid, and titanium (IV) isopropoxide precursor with Plumeria acuminate leaf extract. The extract was obtained by boiling the mixture of distilled water and the powdered leaves in a beaker for few minutes followed by filtration. The microstructure, morphology, chemical composition, surface area, phase structure, and optical properties of the various prepared nanomaterials were determined by HRTEM, HRSEM, UV-Vis/DRS, BET, XRD, and XPS. The photocatalytic potential of TiO₂ nanoparticles and Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites to degrade local dyeing wastewater under artificial and natural sunlight irradiation was investigated. The extent of degradation of the organic pollutants was measured using chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) as indicator parameters. The XRD pattern of Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites revealed that the formation of pure anatase TiO₂ phase and the addition of both silver and boron precursors did not influenced the phase structure of the nanocomposites. The oxidation states of +1 and +3 for both Ag and B on the surface of Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites were confirmed by XPS. Optical characterization of the sample revealed reduction of band gap energy from 2.6 to 2.0 eV for TiO₂ and Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂, respectively. The Ag₂O/B₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites demonstrated excellent photocatalytic activity under natural sunlight and artificial light than mono and binary oxide systems with TOC and COD degradation efficiencies of 86.11% and 75.69%, respectively. The kinetics of degradation of organic dyes in the wastewater followed the order of Langmuir–Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order > Freundlich > Zero > Parabolic diffusion model. The coupling effect of Ag₂O and B₂O₃ onto TiO₂ framework was responsible for the enhanced photochemical stability of the nanocomposites even after five repeated cycles.