Effective concentrations of potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) to rice seedlings were experimentally determined using relative growth rate as a sensitive endpoint. Agilent 44-K rice microarray was used to profile the molecular responses of rice seedlings exposed to thiocyanate ion (SCN⁻) at three different effective concentrations (EC₁₀, EC₂₀, and EC₅₀). A total of 18,498 known genes were collected from SCN-treated rice microarray analysis. Out of all, 1603, 1882, and 5085 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed at EC₁₀, EC₂₀, and EC₅₀ concentrations, respectively. More upregulated/downregulated DEGs were detected in shoots than in roots after SCN⁻ exposure. Gene functions and pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs indicated that different effective concentrations of SCN⁻ resulted in multiple enriched GO categories and KEGG pathways and outcomes were quite tissue-specific. Different regulations and adaptations of gene expression in molecular function (MF), biological process (BP), and cellular components (CC) were observed in rice tissues at different effective concentrations of SCN⁻, suggesting their different responsive and adaptive strategies. Information collected here presents a detailed description of SCN-induced alternations of gene expression in rice seedlings and provide valuable information for further searching specific genes participating in transportation, phytotoxic responses, and detoxification of SCN⁻ in rice seedlings.

The use of allelopathic compounds is an alternative for weeds control, since they present low toxicity when compared with the synthetic herbicides, that may cause several damages, as the contamination of the environment. Our objective was to determine the chemical composition and allelopathic properties of the essential oils of Psidium cattleianum, P. myrtoides, P. friedrichsthalianum, and P. gaudichaudianum on the germination and root growth of Lactuca sativa and Sorghum bicolor, and to evaluate their action on the cell cycle of root meristematic cells of L. sativa. The main compound found in all the studied species was (E)-caryophyllene (P. cattleianum—23.4 %; P. myrtoides—19.3%; P. friedrichsthalianum—24.6% and P. gaudichaudianum—17.0%). The different essential oils were tested at different concentrations on L. sativa and S. bicolor, reducing germination, germination speed index, and root and shoot growth of lettuce and sorghum seedlings. The cytotoxicity and aneugenic potential of these oils were evidenced by the reduction of the mitotic index and increase of the frequency of chromosomal alterations in L. sativa. The essential oils of the species of Psidium studied have potential to be used in weeds control.

A new Schiff base containing 1,2,4-triazole ring system (L) was synthesized and confirmed by ¹HNMR, FTIR spectroscopy. The chemical modification of PVC with a new Schiff base (L) was synthesized to produce a homogenous blend (PVC-L). A homogenous blend (PVC-L) was added to copper chloride to produce PVC-L-Cu (II). The PVC films had been irradiated with ultraviolet light for a long period and confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and weight loss; the surface morphology was inspected by scanning electron microscopy.

Since behavior is the connection between the internal physiological processes of an animal and its interaction with the environment, a complete behavioral repertoire is crucial for fish survival and fitness, at both the individual and population levels. Thus, unintended exposure of non-target organisms to antipsychotic residues in the environment can impact their normal behavior, and some of these behavioral changes can be seen during the entire life of the animal and passed to subsequent generations. Although there are some reports related to transgenerational toxicology, little is known of the long-term consequences of exposure to pharmaceutical compounds such as risperidone. Here, we show that zebrafish exposed to risperidone (RISP) during embryonic and larval stages presented impaired anti-predatory behavior during adulthood, characterizing a persistent effect. We also show that some of these behavioral changes are present in the following generation, characterizing a transgenerational effect. This suggests that even short exposures to environmentally relevant concentrations, at essential stages of development, can persist throughout the whole life of the zebrafish, including its offspring. From an environmental perspective, our results suggested possible risks and long-term consequences associated with drug residues in water, which can affect aquatic life and endanger species that depend on appropriate behavioral responses for survival.

Heavy-metal contamination of soils has increased in the last decades due to anthropogenic and industrial activities. Arsenic is one of the pollutants that is commonly found in industrial soils and is toxic for both plants and humans. The pH of the soil or the culture medium is one of the most important factors that interferes with the bioavailability of this metalloid to the plant. The addition of chelating agents, such as citric acid (CA), can increase the absorption of As by plants. Therefore, the objective of this work is to study the effect of the pH and the exogenous addition of citric acid on the growth, As accumulation, and thiol compounds in Eupatorium cannabinum; this plant grows naturally in contaminated soils in Asturias, Spain, and has a potential use in phytoremediation. The results showed that E. cannabinum was able to tolerate As stress even at extreme pH values and accumulated a high amounts of As in its roots, which makes it a promising species for the phytostabilization of soils polluted with this metalloid. An addition of 20 mg CA L⁻¹ led to increased biomass and As accumulation at acidic pH. In order to determine if thiolic compounds, such as phytochelatins, are involved in As accumulation and detoxification in E. cannabinum, we analyzed the synthesis of these compounds in the presence and absence of As and/or citric acid. Our results suggest that these thiolic compounds play a major role in As detoxification, since the presence of CA as a chelating agent reduced the amount of thiols necessary to cope with the toxicity caused by As.

Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, is the social, political, and economic center of the country. Significant levels of PM₁₀-bound As metalloid and metals have been found in the city, which poses possible adverse health risks to the residents from inhalation exposure. Therefore, this study focuses on the health risk assessment of age-dependent cancer and non-cancer using exposure pathway and human respiratory tract (HRT) mass deposition models. In the case of non-cancer risks, the hazard quotient (HQ) of As via ingestion exposure and the hazard index (HI) was found to be significant (> 1) for the children. The cancer risks through ingestion pathway (CRᵢₙg) were estimated in the order of 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻⁵ for children and adult groups, respectively. The overall CRᵢₙg levels for children were estimated slightly higher than the acceptable level of cancer risk (1 × 10⁻⁴) at all locations throughout the study area. Moreover, the risks of cancer through the inhalation (CRᵢₙₕ) and incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) due to HRT mass deposition were found to be significant (> 10⁻⁶) and with very small discrepancy in risk levels for both age groups. Furthermore, possible sources of the PM₁₀-bound metalloid (As) and metals were predicted through correlation, principal component, and enrichment factor analysis. The results of source apportionment study indicated the local anthropogenic emission sources (vehicular, biomass/coal/oil combustion, industrial), road dust re-suspension, and trans-boundary sources were responsible for the pollution levels in Seoul, South Korea. The health risks can be minimized by reducing the pollution levels of particulate matter at source.

To investigate the socioeconomic inequality in passive smoking in Iranian children and adolescents. Through a multistage random cluster sampling method, a representative sample of 14,400 school students, aged 6–18 years, were enrolled from urban and rural areas of 30 provinces of Iran. Using a non-linear principal component analysis (NLPCA), the correlated variables were summarized as socioeconomic status (SES). Normalized concentration index (NCI) was used to measure inequality in passive smoking at national and regional SES levels. We decomposed total socioeconomic inequality in passive smoking into explanatory variables to identify the main contributors of inequality in passive smoking in the population studied. Data of 12,327 students and parents were complete for the current study. The response rate was 85.6% (50.9% boys, 71.2% urban residents). About 44% of Iranian students were exposed to passive smoking. The NCI for passive smoking at a national level was − 0.043 (95% confidence interval − 0.035, − 0.012), indicating that passive smoking was more concentrated among poorer children and adolescents. This inequality was statistically significant at a national level and in all regions except for regions with lower middle- and lowest SES levels. Considering the decomposition analysis, the household SES (63%), mothers’ educational level (37%), fathers’ educational level (29%), and school type (18%) made the largest positive contribution to inequality in passive smoking of children and adolescents. Passive smoking was distributed unequally among Iranian children and adolescents; it was more concentrated among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Public health policies attentions should be given to reduce passive smoking among low SES children and adolescents living with illiterate or low-educated parents.

Degradation of photovoltaic system’s power due to dust deposition is one of the important concerns of photovoltaic investors, especially the PV modules which are installed in the hot and dry parts of a country. This issue requires to be more understood and quantify its impact on the PV module performance in installation site. This study experimentally studied the dust deposition using several glasses which were fixed in the wooden frames at different tilt angles and directions in the southeast of Iran. The dust deposition on the glasses, solar energy reduction of the dusty glasses, and PV power reduction due to dust deposition were measured in all months of the year. The results showed that the average dust deposition on the glasses is 4.6 × 10⁻³ gr/m²day during the year. In case of no rain precipitation and no cleaning, this value reached 2.74 × 10⁻²gr/m²day. The percentage of solar energy reduction due to dust deposition was varied between 2 and 16% during the year. A correlation for prediction of the solar energy transmittance reduction based on the settled dust on the glass samples was developed in the studied region using 1-year data collection. The average solar energy reduction was obtained 7% during the year, and this value reached 44% in case of no rain precipitation and no glass cleaning. Results showed that in the most months of the year the wind direction and the direction of the glasses with the maximum dust deposition were coincided with each other. Furthermore, the experimental measurement showed that the calculated optimum monthly tilt angle in some months of the year is not the same with the measured tilt angle due to dust deposition. The difference between the calculated and measured tilt angles in these months was 15°.

As the pillar of national economy, manufacturing industry is the largest primary energy consumer and emitter of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in China. Therefore, capturing the determinants of CO₂ emissions in manufacturing industry is extremely important for national efforts to mitigate carbon emissions. This paper explores the major driving forces behind CO₂ emission changes in China’s manufacturing industry during 2000–2015 from perspectives of the whole sector and 28 subsectors, by applying the temporal logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. Moreover, an intersectoral LMDI model is built to uncover the intersectoral discrepancies of CO₂ emissions among 28 subsectors. The temporal analysis indicates that industrial activity and energy intensity are crucial factors respectively contributing to the increase and mitigation of CO₂ emissions. The intersectoral analysis reveals that energy intensity is the dominant factor responsible for the intersectoral discrepancies of CO₂ emissions among 28 subsectors. The great mitigation towards CO₂ emissions can be achieved if energy efficiency is largely improved in carbon-intensive subsectors. Priority should be given by governments to the industrial technology advancement, such as subsidies for energy-saving technological transformation and promotion of international advanced techniques and equipment, which can greatly improve production efficiency and mitigate emissions in manufacturing industry.

Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has proven to be a significant source of phthalate (PAE) contamination in the environment. A detailed investigation was conducted to understand the concentration, distribution, profile and possible source of PAEs in residential and agricultural soils from Guiyu, Shantou, China, the largest e-waste processing and recycling areas in the world. Sixteen PAEs were analysed in 46 surface soil samples from three different sampling areas in terms of individual and total concentrations, together with pH and soil organic matter. High concentrations of the total PAEs were found in residential area A (more than 20,000 ng g⁻¹), revealing a clear urban pulse, whereas in residential area B and agricultural areas, concentrations were lower than 10,000 ng g⁻¹. The dominant PAEs were bis (2-nbutoxyethyl) phthalate, bis (4-methyl-2-pentyl) phthalate and dicyclohexyl phthalate. These PAEs were high-molecular weight PAEs (alkyl chains ≥ 6 carbons) and mainly derived from polyvinyl chloride commonly used in electrical and electronic equipment, indicating a distinctive composition in relation to the e-waste area. Three individual and the total PAEs exhibited significant positive correlations with pH. Principal component analysis indicated that PAEs were mainly distributed in three groups according to the alkyl chain length and potential source. This study showed that the informal e-waste recycling has already introduced PAEs into surrounding areas as a pollutant which should draw more attention and regulatory control.