Removal of fluoride from wastewater is crucial to avoid excess accumulation of fluoride in the environment, which causes harm to humans. In this work, we performed a comparison study in which four different core–shell magnetic nanoadsorbents of fluoride ions were synthesized, characterized, and tested: NP1@Al(OH)₃AQ, NP1@Al(OH)₃ORG, NP2@Al(OH)₃AQ, and NP2@Al(OH)₃ORG. NP1 and NP2 stand for iron oxide nanoparticles prepared via the co-precipitation method and via thermal decomposition of organic precursors, respectively. AQ and ORG refer to the aqueous or organic media employed for the synthesis of the Al(OH)₃ shell. Although the nanomaterials containing the NP2 core showed higher adsorption capacity, a result in line with the higher content of Al(OH)₃ of these NPs, NP1@Al(OH)₃AQ were the only nanoparticles which could be regenerated and reused after fluoride desorption in alkaline medium. Pre-incubation of HepG2 cells exposed to fluoride ion with NP1@Al(OH)₃AQ and NP2@Al(OH)₃AQ produced a further recovery of cell’s viability. Cell viability tests performed with both NPs after 1, 2, or 3 uses showed a decrease in protection with increasing number of uses. In addition, NP1@Al(OH)₃ responded better to cellular protection, in good agreement with results obtained in vitro in the absence of biological material.

This paper presents a new material easily synthesized and with low cost, with the possibility of remove arsenic and the potential capability for the remediate water bodies. In this work, the efficiency in removing arsenic of the chitosan, supported onto modified polypropylene membrane, was studied using an aqueous As(V) solution of 0.4 mg/L, achieving a removal efficiency of 75%, which corresponds to an adsorption capacity of 0.031 mg/g. The As(V) adsorption depends on pH and the degree of chitosan grafting on the polypropylene membrane. A pseudo-second-order equation describes the adsorption of the membrane, classifying it as a chemisorption process. The chitosan supported on the membrane was characterized by the analysis of wettability, FT-IR-ATR, SEM-EDS, XRD powder, and surface charge. The As ions coordinate to the chitosan polar groups, allowing their removal from the aqueous solution.

Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures, and its effective management continues to be a therapeutic challenge. Oxidative stress and local inflammatory response accompany the status epilepticus (SE). This study evaluated the effect of Melissa officinalis extract (MOE) on oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus of pilocarpine (PILO)-administered rats, pointing to the involvement of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. Rats received PILO via intraperitoneal administration and were treated with MOE for 2 weeks. MOE prevented neuronal loss; decreased lipid peroxidation, Cox-2, PGE2, and BDNF; and downregulated glial fibrillary acidic protein in the hippocampus of PILO-treated rats. In addition, MOE enhanced GSH and antioxidant enzymes, upregulated Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA abundance, and increased the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in the hippocampus of epileptic rats. Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity and GABA were increased, and glutamate and acetylcholine were decreased in the hippocampus of epileptic rats treated with MOE. In conclusion, MOE attenuated neuronal loss, oxidative stress, and inflammation; activated Nrf2/HO-1 signaling; and modulated neurotransmitters, GFAP, and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase in the hippocampus of epileptic rats. These findings suggest that M. officinalis can mitigate epileptogenesis, pending further studies to explore the exact underlying mechanisms.

Adsorption is a promising alternative due to the good treatment efficiency for the removal of recalcitrant compounds, particularly if the adsorbent is inexpensive and readily available. This study focuses on the elimination of the pesticide acetamiprid by adsorption onto activated carbon (AC) prepared from a pomegranate bark (PB) biomass using different activation methods. Batch experiments were carried out to study the effect of operational factors like the adsorbent dose, initial pH, contact time, and temperature; synthetic water polluted by acetamiprid at several concentrations was used. H₃PO₄ used as activation agent gives the best removal efficiency with an abatement of 59% at neutral pH (~ 6.5). As expected, the performance increases with increasing the adsorbent dose and decreasing the acetamiprid concentration until 0.5 g L⁻¹ and 30 mg L⁻¹ respectively. Equilibrium isotherms have been analyzed by using the Langmuir and Freundlich models, which elucidate the acetamiprid uptake on activated carbon throughout the studied concentration range and fit well the experimental data. This study clearly shows that the activated carbon synthetized from pomegranate bark is an attractive alternative to the commercially available adsorbent for the removal of BPA from aqueous solution.

Insect pollinators, critical for both agricultural output and the ecosystem, are declining at an alarming levels partly due to human-made chemicals. Majority of environmental chemicals hamper the endocrine function and studies on the same in insects remain neglected. Here, we report a Drosophila-based ex vivo assay system that employs a reproductive tissue from transgenic males carrying a reporter gene (lacZ) downstream of ecdysone receptor response element (EcRE) and permits the evaluation of chemical-mediated activity modulation of all three isoforms of ecdysone receptor, which are critical for male fertility. We show agonistic [plasticizers, cypermethrin, atrazine, methyl parathion, imidacloprid, cadmium chloride, mercuric chloride or 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor] or antagonistic (apigenin, tributyltin chloride) effects or lack of effect thereof (rutin hydrate, dichlorvos, lead acetate, parabens) for seven different classes of environmental chemicals on ecdysone receptor activity reflecting the specificity and sensitivity of the developed ex vivo assay. Exposure to a few of these chemicals in vivo hampers the fertility of Drosophila males, thus linking the observed endocrine disruption to a quantifiable reproductive phenotype. The developed ex vivo assay offers a quick Drosophila-based screening tool for throughput monitoring of environmental chemicals for their ability to hamper the endocrine function of insect pollinators and other invertebrates.

In this work, we examine two modifications of fine-ground calcium carbonate material (GCC) in order to enhanced sorption of NO₂ and subsequent reaction properties toward NO₂⁻/NO₃⁻ formation by firstly exposing the GCC to supercritical (sc) CO₂ in order to increase particle surface area, a choice specifically made to avoid altering the surface chemistry, and secondly considering the potential advantage of using a surface coupling agent toward NO₂. The modification by the coupling agent amino silane (AMEO silane) was applied in a supercritical CO₂–ethanol mixture. The samples were characterised before and after modification by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), specific surface area determination (BET nitrogen adsorption), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and ion chromatography to reveal the effects of the surface modification(s) on the morphology, surface textural properties and sorption versus reaction properties with NO₂. The performance of the treated sorbents for NO₂ capture was evaluated at room temperature. Results show that reactivity of NO₂ with GCC was observed to increase as a function of increased surface area resulting from scCO₂ exposure, but that the presence of AMEO silane on the surface, while enhancing initial adsorption of NO₂ was seen subsequently to act to block reactivity. Thus, judicious use of coupling agent can provide desired rapid initial adsorption of the gas, but the goal of long-term CaCO₃-consuming reactivity, so as to prolong the uptake of NO₂ beyond surface saturation alone, is achieved by increasing surface area while retaining chemical-free exposed CaCO₃ surface.

The coal combustion produces a large amount of pollutants such as organic compounds pollutants (such as VOCs, SVOCs) and conventional pollutants (such as SO₂, NOx) which need to be controlled in coal-fired plants. Currently, there have been mature emission control technologies for conventional pollutants in coal-combustion flue gas. The complicated conditions of flue gas will have great effects on the property of VOCs adsorbents. Thus, high-quality adsorbents with great adsorption properties and selectivity of VOCs are urgently needed. In this work, a biomass-derived hierarchical porous carbon (HPC-A) with high adsorption capacity (585 mg/g) and great selectivity of toluene was proposed. Analyses through the competitive adsorption tests between toluene and SO₂ indicated that the pore size distributions of adsorbents dominate the adsorption capacity and selectivity. The ultramicropores (< 0.7 nm) determine the SO₂ adsorption capacity and promote the SO₂ adsorption selectivity, while the micropores of 0.7 ~ 2 nm and mesopores are beneficial for toluene adsorption. Intriguingly, the SO₂ molecules can promote the toluene adsorption kinetics on hierarchical porous carbons through occupying ultramicropores when competitive adsorption. Besides, we indicated the mechanism of adsorption capacity, selectivity, and kinetics of toluene and SO₂, and great reusability of HPC-A was found through toluene cyclic adsorption tests. The HPC-A could be a potential adsorbent for VOCs removal from coal-combustion flue gas.

Despite extensive investigation on the toxicity of microplastics (MPs), an emerging global concern, little is known about the combined toxicity of MPs and co-occurring pollutants in aquatic environments. In this study, the combined toxicity of polystyrene MPs and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) antibiotics was explored in zebrafish embryos in terms of the developmental, physiological, and endocrine toxicities. Exposure to PS and SMZ induced mortality (rate: 25.0 ± 7.5%) and malformation (rate: 20~35%) at multiple regions and stages of zebrafish development. Physiological toxicity was also induced as shown by the significant decrease in fetal movement (by 31.1~37.0%) and swimming frequency (by 26.9~36.8%) and the increase in heartbeat rate (by 19.0~20.9%). Finally, PS and SMZ exposure also induced extensive endocrine toxicities in zebrafish as confirmed by increases in various biomarkers including vitellogenin, 17β-estradiol, testosterone, and triiodothyronine. The combination index showed that antagonistic effects were present between PS and SMZ toxicity, which slightly decreased their combined toxicity. This study aims to further understand the combined toxicity of MPs and co-occurring pollutants in aquatic environments.

In the complex context of urbanization and climate change, how to improve the resilience of cities to deal with various uncertain and unpredictable threats is a new topic with both theoretical and practical challenges. In this paper, the researches on urban resilience are summarized using the bibliometric analysis combined with the visualization analysis. We provide a systematic and objective review of resilience applied to urban development focusing on its conceptual frameworks, research tendencies, and assessment methods. The analysis results demonstrate that an increasing attention has been given to urban resilience, especially in the field of climate change. The degree of research varies significantly in different countries, with the USA dominating in the number of publications, followed by the UK and China. Scholars’ attention to urban resilience in different periods is closely related to the development background and disasters experienced by their countries, but there are also some commonalities. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional research on urban resilience has been recognized by many scholars. Quantitative assessment tools such as simulation model and optimization model have been widely used to assess the level of urban resilience. Based on this, we put forward the future research trends in this field and provide a potential guide for future application of urban resilience.

Research on construction land use efficiency with carbon emissions provides valuable insights for effective regulation of land use planning and low-carbon development. This study explores construction land use efficiency (CLUE) in China and the USA by employing a slack-based measure (SBM) that incorporates carbon emissions as undesirable output to evaluate CLUE at the provincial/state level. The abatement potential (AP) of construction land use and carbon emissions through the land utilization process are further explored. We find (1) that the average CLUE in China (0.512) is relatively higher than that in the USA, but the CLUE in both countries is at a relatively low level; (2) that carbon emissions, as undesirable output, have a negative impact on CLUE; and (3) that the average AP for construction land is 0.485 in China and 0.696 in the USA, while the average AP for carbon emissions is 0.500 in China and 0.576 in the USA. Understanding these characteristics can lead to better coordination of emissions reduction policies and land use policies to optimize the construction land inputs in both countries, thereby sustaining land use management while reducing carbon emission.