The “resource curse” phenomenon has been the subject of extensive research, with its causes and transmission mechanisms primarily examined from the perspectives of economic development and rent seeking. Education is a major factor contributing to economically sustainable development, owing to its potential for improving cognition and skill levels and thereby enhancing worker productivity. The crowding-out or crowding-in effect of natural resource dependence on public education spending has been identified as one of the key mechanisms of the resource curse or blessing. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces, this empirical study revealed a positive correlation between natural resource dependence and public education expenditure, demonstrating the impact of the crowding-in effect, exerted by natural resource dependence, on public education expenditure. Abundant natural resources can provide funds for education expenditure. The sample was further divided into eastern and central and western regions. The results indicate that the crowding-out effect of natural resource dependence only affects public education expenditure in the Eastern region, while the crowding-in effect of natural resource dependence on public education expenditure in the central and western regions. Research shows that the regional differences of crowding-out or crowding-in effect are very obvious, so the government should adopt transfer payment to promote balanced regional development. Better economic and social policies will help to translate wealth from natural resources into economic growth. Thus, a “resource blessing” may emerge to replace the “resource curse.” Fairly distributed and higher quality education will enhance human capital, thereby promoting economic growth from its current resource-driven pattern to a knowledge-driven pattern.

In this study, hydrothermal carbonization of arecanut husk and its potential application as an alternate solid fuel and heavy metal sorption (adsorbent) was attempted. Arecanut husk (AH) treated with citric acid for 9 h resulted in the hydrochar yield of 58.7% with increased fixed carbon from 17 to 39.7% and HHV from 16.98 to 21.14 MJ kg⁻¹ compared to the parent biomass. The arecanut husk hydrochar (AHH) had H/C of 1.27, O/C ratio of 0.59 with an energy yield of 72.81%, and energy densification ratio of 1.24, and the values have the similar fuel characteristics of lignite. The pH, zeta potential, and surface of the hydrochar were 5.56, − 22.60 mV, and 0.98 m² g⁻¹ respectively. Hydrochar with a dosage of 0.1% showed a maximum rate of adsorption for Pb²⁺ (79.86 mg g⁻¹) at the initial concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹ in the aqueous solution compared to Zn²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, and Ni²⁺. SEM with EDAX and FT-IR spectroscopy results confirmed the presence of Pb²⁺ and changes in functional groups in arecanut husk hydrochar after adsorption of heavy metals in the aqueous solution.

Cellulose from bamboo shavings (BC) separated and modified by grafting triphenylphosphine, which was used as an adsorbent for the removal of Acid Black 24 from aqueous solution. The quaternary phosphonium-based bamboo cellulose (PBC) was characterized by FTIR and SEM measurements. The FTIR studies showed that the quaternary phosphonium group was successfully grafted onto the BC molecular structure. The effects of PBC dosage, contact time, initial dye concentration, temperature, and pH on the adsorption performance were studied. The nonlinear fitting kinetics and isotherms models were also conducted. The pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion and Langmuir models were more suitable for analyzing the adsorption behavior of PBC for Acid Black 24 dye. The adsorption activation energy was lower than 40 kJ mol⁻¹, and the ΔH⁰ value was in the range of 20~80 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating that PBC played a dominant role in the physical purification of dye. The results of thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous endothermic purification process. Adsorbents had a good reusability and high adsorption performance for dye removal. The adsorbents PBC had a good reusability and could effectively remove residual Acid Black 24 dye with good development prospects in the field of biomass adsorbent materials.

The heavy metals transfer from the soil, where they accumulate, to the edible parts of the plants, and then, their entrance in the food chain can represent a source of concern for human health. Among heavy metals, arsenic is one of the most widespread in the soil of Lazio (central region of Italy), where the phytoavailable geogenic arsenic enters the food chain, with a dangerous exposition of the local population. In the first part of this work, plants of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were grown in protected culture in the experimental farm of CREA-AA, where they were daily treated with different concentrations of sodium arsenate dibasic heptahydrate in order to investigate differences in their arsenic accumulation capacities. In order to confirm the results achieved, in the second part of this study, the arsenic concentration was determined in commercial products obtained from contaminated areas of Lazio, and the potential exposition risk for human health through consumption of these widely consumed vegetables was estimated. The highest arsenic concentrations were found in the samples of lettuce. To evaluate the potential health risk from consumption of L. sativa and R. sativus, the estimated daily intake (EDI) for adults, adolescents, and elderly was calculated, finding that HRI (health risk index) index value for arsenic was low (< 1) in the case of chronic consumptions for all samples of radishes, and for the lettuces grown in the area of Viterbo. On the contrary, the lettuces obtained from Tuscania and Tarquinia presented very high concentrations of arsenic and a worrying HRI value. In order to reduce the risk of As toxicity in the people through consumption of the vegetables, the irrigation water should contain less than 0.1 mg As L⁻¹. For this reason, the authors tested the application of red mud (RM) to remove As from groundwater before using it for the irrigation of radish and lettuce in greenhouse production.

Particulate matter (PM) contains different chemical substances that have been associated with health effects and an increased risk of mortality due to their toxicity. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) samples were collected in a region with rural characteristics (Seropédica (Se)) and another with some industries (Duque de Caxias (DC)) (Brazil, RJ). Rats were exposed to PM₂.₅ extracts daily for 25 days at different dilutions: 10×, 5×, and a concentrated solution (CS). Biochemical analyses were investigated for total antioxidant capacity (ACAP), lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration, activity of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), and activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST). The liver showed a significant increase in GCL (DC-5×, DC-CS and Se-CS) and GST activities (DC-CS and Se-CS) in both regions when compared to the control group. In the renal cortex, GCL activity decreased in most of the tested groups while GST activity increased only in the 5× groups of both regions (DC and Se). In the renal medulla, GCL activity decreased for Se-10× and DC-CS but increased for Se-5×, and GST activity increased in the Se-10×, DC-5×, and DC-CS groups. Lung GCL increased in all groups for both regions. Moreover, this organ also showed an increase in GST activity when higher metal concentrations were present (5× and CS). TBARS levels were increased for all tissues in most tested concentrations. These data indicate that soluble compounds (e.g., metals) from PM₂.₅ sampled in areas with different pollution indexes can change the redox status and cause damage to different tissues.

The method of indoor artificial rainfall simulations was applied to compare the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients (5°, 8°, 15°, and 25°) and rainfall intensities (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 mm/h) for two kinds of different hillslopes with weathered granite and with exposed soils respectively from the laterite layer (L-soil) and sand layer (S-soil). The results show that the distribution of runoff yield significantly varied with soil types as the surface flow was predominant for L-soil while interflow was the main runoff form for S-soil. Both surface flow and sediment yield of L-soil was more than that of S-soil, and the changing trends for L-soil were more regular. The relationships between surface flow, sediment yield, and rainfall intensity can be expressed by power functions (R² > 0.68). Interflow was positively related to slope gradient and displayed a single peak curve with the prolongation of runoff time. For S-soil, the surface flow increased with increasing slope gradient under light rainfall intensities but showed a decreasing trend under heavy rainfall intensities. Surface flow for L-soil showed a decreasing trend with increasing slope gradient under all rainfall intensities. The combined effects of slope gradient and rainfall intensity on runoff and sediment yield could be accurately described by linear correlation equations (R² > 0.59). The impact of rainfall intensity on surface flow and sediment yield was much greater than that of slope gradient. Slope gradient presented a more significant effect on interflow. The eroded sediment consisted of a relatively higher content of clay, silt, and fine sand, which was approximately 1.26 times greater than the original soils. There was a grading limit of particle size (0.25 mm) for sediment transport. These results not only demonstrate the effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on sloping runoff and sediment yield but also provide valuable information for loss prediction and conservation of soil and water.

Triiodinated benzoic acid derivatives are widely used as contrast media for medical examinations and are found at high concentrations in urban aquatic environments. During bank filtration, deiodination of iodinated contrast media has been observed under anoxic/anaerobic conditions. While several bacterial strains capable of dechlorination and debromination have been isolated and characterized, deiodination has not yet been shown for an isolated strain. Here, we investigate dehalogenation of iodinated contrast media (ICM), triiodobenzoic acids (TIBA), and analogous chlorinated compounds by Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain CBDB1 and its corrinoid co-factor vitamin B₁₂. No cell growth of CBDB1 was observed using iodinated compounds as electron acceptor. Only negligible deiodination occurred for ICM, whereas 2,3,5-TIBA was nearly completely deiodinated by CBDB1 without showing cell growth. Furthermore, TIBA inhibited growth with hexachlorobenzene which is usually a well-suited electron acceptor for strain CBDB1, indicating that TIBA is toxic for CBDB1. The involvement of CBDB1 enzymes in the deiodination of TIBA was verified by the absence of deiodination activity after heat inactivation. Adding iodopropane also inhibited the deiodination of TIBA by CBDB1 cells, indicating the involvement of a corrinoid-enzyme in the reductive TIBA deiodination. The results further suggest that the involved electron transport is decoupled from proton translocation and therefore growth. Graphical abstract

Atrazine (ATR) is a common herbicide used worldwide. It is a potent endocrine disruptor that causes hormonal imbalance. We investigated the modulatory role predisposed by glycyrrhizic acid (GA) against the hazardous effects caused by the ATR in the rabbit spleen. Sixty rabbits were assigned into 4 groups. The first group is the negative control; the ATR group received 1/10 of the oral LD ₅₀ ATR; the GA group received 50 mg/kg body weight daily intraproteinally; and group 4 received both ATR and GA concurrently. ATR and GA administrations were done for 60 days. ATR-induced humoral immunotoxicity was illustrated by decreased serum total protein, albumin, and globulin levels and rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus antibody titer, 4 weeks after vaccination. Moreover, upregulation of spleen Fas and caspase-III genes was recorded in ATR-exposed rabbits. Clear splenocyte apoptosis was observed in the immunohistochemical examination by the caspase-III technique. GA diminished the ATR-induced splenocyte apoptosis through downregulation of Fas and caspase-III expressions. In conclusion, our findings bounced a new perspective into the mechanism by which ATR induces immunotoxicity and assumed the potential modulatory role of GA.

The water of urban landscape park is often confronted with microalgal blooms due to its stagnancy. Bioremediation using the combined emergent and submerged plants to control the microalgae growth was investigated in the present study. Two water bodies (Bei and Xin) of Yuyuantan Park in Beijing were selected for the field experiments, and the other lakes with different vegetation of macrophytes were selected as the comparison. The concentrations of chlorophyll a (chl a), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP), and water temperature and transparency were monitored before and after bioremediation from 2015 to 2017. Results showed that the effects of microalgal inhibition were more significant 2 years after bioremediation. Specifically, the chl a of Dong Lake without any vegetation of macrophytes was up to 65.1 μg/L in summer of 2017, while the Bei and Xin Lakes was only 6.2 and 11.3 μg/L, respectively. In addition, the water quality and transparency also improved, with water bodies being crystal clear. Submerged plants played major roles in microalgal control and water quality improvement, compared to the lakes with only emergent plants. The intensity of humic acid-like substances in three-dimensional fluorescent spectra was stronger for the lakes with submerged plants.

Muscle, liver and kidney of 21 Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) from Mosor Mountain, Croatia, were sampled to quantify the activity of caesium and potassium radionuclides and five toxic and ten essential stabile elements in order to establish reference values for this species and to evaluate the potential of Barbary sheep tissues to reflect environmental pollution. We also assessed seasonal diet (botanical composition and dry matter content) of Barbary sheep based on analyses of a rumen content of culled animals. None of the 19 plant species (mostly grasses) identified as part of the Barbary sheep diet is known as a stabile element or radionuclide hyperaccumulator. Measured levels reflected low environmental pollution with arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, with levels generally less than those reported for wild herbivorous ungulates. Methodological differences (detection limit of elements in muscle) were shown to hamper interpretation and comparison of the Toxic Contamination Index (TCI) values with those published for other species. There was no homeostasis disturbance of trace elements in Barbary sheep, either due to inadequate intake via food or as an adverse effect due to a high toxic metal(loid) burden. Consumption of the muscle and liver of wild Barbary sheep can be considered safe for the health of adult consumers regarding toxic metal(loid)s and radioactive caesium, though the liver should be avoided as a food item in vulnerable population groups due to the possible adverse effects of cadmium and lead. Otherwise, muscle and liver are a rich source of copper, iron, selenium and zinc for consumers and, as such, can benefit the overall dietary intake of essential elements.