The rise in global temperature is one of the main threats of extinction to many vulnerable species by the twenty-first century. The negative impacts of climate change on the northern highlands of Pakistan (NHP) could change the species composition. Range shifts and range reduction in the forested landscapes will dramatically affect the distribution of forest-dwelling species, including the Galliformes (ground birds). Three Galliformes (e.g., Lophophorus impejanus, Pucrasia macrolopha, and Tragopan melanocephalus) are indicator species of the environment and currently distributed in NHP. For this study, we used Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) to simulate the current (average for 1960–1990) and future (in 2050 and 2070) distributions of the species using three General Circulation Models (GCMs) and two climate change scenarios, i.e., RCP4.5 (moderate carbon emission scenario) and RCP8.5 (peak carbon emission scenario). Our results indicated that (i) under all three climate scenarios, species distribution was predicted to both reduce and shift towards higher altitudes. (ii) Across the provinces in the NHP, the species were predicted to average lose around one-third (35%) in 2050 and one-half (47%) by 2070 of the current suitable habitat. (iii) The maximum area of climate refugia was projected between the altitudinal range of 2000 to 4000 m and predicted to shift towards higher altitudes primarily > 3000 m in the future. Our results help inform management plans and conservation strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change on three indicator Galliforms species in the NHP.

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is frequently detected in ruminants, especially dairy cattle, and associated with the sporadic and epidemic outbreak of listeriosis in farms. In this epidemiological study, the prevalence, virulence, antibiotic resistance profiles, and genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes in three Egyptian dairy cattle farms were investigated. The risk factors associated with the fecal shedding of L. monocytogenes were analyzed. The L. monocytogenes strains from the three farms were categorized into distinct genotypes based on sampling site and sample type through enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR). A total of 1896 samples were collected from animals, environments, and milking equipment in the three farms. Results revealed that 137 (7.23%) of these samples were L. monocytogenes positive. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes in the animal samples was high (32.1%), and the main environmental source of prevalent genotypes in the three farms was silage. For all sample types, L. monocytogenes was more prevalent in farm I than in farms II and III. Risk factor analysis showed seasonal variation in production hygiene. For all sample types, L. monocytogenes was significantly more prevalent in winter than in spring and summer. The level of L. monocytogenes fecal shedding was high likely because of increasing age, number of parities, and milk yield in dairy cattle. Two virulence genes, namely, hlyA & prfA, were also detected in 93 strains, whereas only one of these genes was found in 44 residual strains. Conversely, iap was completely absent in all strains. The strains exhibited phenotypic resistance to most of the tested antibiotics, but none of them was resistant to netilmicin or vancomycin. According to sample type, the strains from the animal samples were extremely resistant to amoxicillin (95.2%, 80/84) and cloxacillin (92.9%, 78/84). By comparison, the strains from the environmental samples were highly resistant to cefotaxime (86.95%, 20/23). Furthermore, 25 multi-antibiotic resistance (MAR) patterns were observed in L. monocytogenes strains. All strains had a MAR index of 0.22–0.78 and harbored antibiotic resistance genes, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase (blaCTX-M [92.7%] and blaDHA-1 [66.4%]), quinolones (qnrS [91.2%], qnrA [58.4%], parC [58.4%], and qnrB [51%]), macrolides (erm[B] [76.6%], erm(C) [1.5%], and msr(A) [27%]), trimethoprim (dfrD [65.7%]), and tetracyclines (tet(M) [41.6%], tet(S) [8%], and int-Tn [26.3%]). ERIC-PCR confirmed that the strains were genetically diverse and heterogeneous. A total of 137 isolated L. monocytogenes strains were classified into 22 distinct ERIC-PCR groups (A–V). Among them, ERIC E (10.2%) was the most prevalent group. These results indicated that environment and milking equipment served as reservoirs and potential transmission ways of virulent and multidrug-resistant L. monocytogenes to dairy animals, consequently posing threats to public health. Silage is the main environmental source of prevalent genotypes on all three farms. Therefore, hygienic measures at the farm level should be developed and implemented to reduce L. monocytogenes transmission inside dairy cattle farms.

Sulfadiazine (SDZ) is a typical persistent sulfonamide antibiotic, which has been widely detected in natural drinking water sources. The degradation of SDZ by UV/Oxone (potassium monopersulfate compound) was explored in this study. The results showed that Cl⁻ can effectively activate PMS to promote rapid degradation of SDZ in the Oxone process by forming chlorine in the system. Radical quenching tests suggested that radical oxidation, including HO•, SO₄•⁻, and reactive chlorine species (RCS), played an important role by UV/Oxone. It further verified that concentration and distribution of HO•, SO₄•⁻, and RCS were pH-dependent; RCS act as a major contributor at pH 6.0 and pH 7.0 to degrade SDZ in this process. The SDZ degradation rate was firstly increased and then decreased by Cl⁻ and HCO₃⁻ (0–10 mM); HA (0–10 mg L⁻¹) exhibited insignificant influence on SDZ degradation. The degradation pathways of SDZ during UV/Oxone and formation pathways of five disinfection byproducts during subsequent chlorination were proposed. The possible DBP precursors formed by SO₂ extrusion, hydroxylation, and chlorination of SDZ during UV/Oxone pre-oxidation.

Photovoltaic (PV) power plants have shown rapid development in the renewable sector, but the research areas have mainly included land installations, and the study of fishery complementary photovoltaic (FPV) power plants has been comparatively less. Moreover, the mechanism of local microclimate changes caused by FPV panels has not been reported. This work revealed this mechanism using a physical model to illustrate the impact of FPV power plants in a lake on the environment. The results indicated that the lake becomes a heat sink after deploying the PV panel on water. The comprehensive albedo (0.082) decreased by 18.8% relative to the free water surface (0.101). The water energy change was dominated by the water–air vapor pressure deficit. In addition, the FPV panels had a heating effect on the ambient environment; however, the range of this effect was related to the water depth. The installation had an obvious heating effect on surface water.

Morphology optimization of catalysts has been considered as a viable strategy to improve the catalytic efficiency for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation by providing high surface area and abundant active sites. In this study, nanotubular Co₃O₄ (NT-Co₃O₄) was successfully synthesized as a PMS activator for the rapid removal of acid orange 7 (AO7) in aqueous solutions. Characterization results showed that NT-Co₃O₄ presented as aggregated nanotubes, with an average pore diameter of 10 nm. The specific surface area of NT-Co₃O₄ was as high as 41.8 m² g⁻¹. Catalytic experiments demonstrated that the degradation rate of AO7 in the NT-Co₃O₄/PMS system was 15 times greater than that in commercially available Co₃O₄/PMS system. The effects of various experimental parameters, including catalyst dose, PMS dose, pH, and temperature, were comprehensively investigated. The reactive species in the NT-Co₃O₄/PMS system were identified as sulfate radical (SO₄•⁻) through both quenching tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technology, and ≡CoOH⁺ played an important role in PMS activation. N atoms in the AO7 molecule were found to be preferentially attacked by SO₄•⁻. Moreover, the good stability and reusability of NT-Co₃O₄ were confirmed by a five-cycle AO7 removal experiment. This study provides a broader view of the potential applications of nanotubular materials to achieve highly efficient PMS activation in treating dyes in wastewater.

Several laccase-based products have been launched on the market over the years. However, there is little information about their toxicity and/or the toxicity of their residues. We evaluated the toxicity of a simulated denim-laundry wastewater containing Biolite BSN, a laccase-based product used for denim bleaching. The evaluation included a viability test with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a phytotoxicity test with Sorghum vulgare, and a toxicity test with Daphnia magna. The viability of S. cerevisiae was reduced to 40%. The radicle and plumule growth of S. vulgare was reduced to 62 and 66%, respectively. The CL₅₀ for D. magna was 29.7%, which classified this water as toxic (according to the percent rank method). Biolite BSN was identified as the main cause of the toxic effects; furthermore, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the wastewater was significantly high (3346.2 mg/L), and more than 90% of the COD corresponded to Biolite BSN. The anaerobic biodegradability tests showed that the denim-laundry wastewater could be treated anaerobically; therefore, it was treated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The treatment reduced the toxicity and COD in 50 and 77%, respectively, and a methane yield of 311.1 mL CH₄/g of CODᵣₑₘₒᵥₑd was obtained. Based on these results, we recommend to analyze the toxicity of all textile chemicals, regardless of whether they are enzyme-based products. A UASB reactor can be used as the first treatment stage for similar effluents in order to reduce the COD and the toxicity and recover methane as an added benefit.

Research scholars have diverted their attention towards the effect of biomass energy use on ecological footprints. Although recent research has investigated this association, the link between ecological footprints and biomass energy consumption has not provided consistent results. Therefore, this research attempts to fill the gap by examining the ecological footprints-biomass energy consumption nexus in the context of environmental Kuznets curve over the period of 1990–2016 in South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) countries. Moreover, this work incorporates globalization, natural resources, and economic growth (GDP) for empirical analysis. In doing empirical analysis, we applied some econometric analysis to deal with the issue of cross-sectional dependence in the data. The outcomes of fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic ordinary least squares estimations show that biomass energy consumption increases ecological footprints in SAARC countries. Moreover, globalization and GDP are also increasing ecological footprints. Environmental Kuznets curve cannot be validated in estimated countries. The Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test confirms one-way causality from biomass energy usage to ecological footprints. On the base of empirical results, several policy implications are suggested for SAARC countries.

The objective of this paper was to use residual lignin from second-generation ethanol process in the preparation of activated carbons, which were characterized and evaluated for the discoloration capacity of different dyes. Phosphoric acid and potassium carbonate were used as activating agents. Lignin and the commercial activated carbon were used as a reference, under the experimental conditions studied. Solids were characterized through yield, pH, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). To evaluate the best adsorbent, batch adsorption tests were performed under the same experimental conditions for three different dyes. The activated carbon with H₃PO₄ obtained excellent removal results for methylene blue and methyl red dyes of 96.8 and 94.1%, respectively, besides being the only one to present bromocresol green removal. Lignin proved to be a viable alternative as a raw material for the production of carbonaceous adsorbent, presenting higher yields of activated carbon compared to other raw materials.

Resuspended sediment is an important carrier of underwater material circulation, and bed shear stress is usually considered to be closely related to sediment resuspension. To analyze the resuspension dynamics in severely eutrophic Lake Chaohu, China, three fixed stations were set up to collect wave, current, and suspended sediment concentrate (SSC) data under windy weather, and two significant sediment resuspension events were recorded. Based on the Gaussian-shaped spectrum characteristics of waves in Lake Chaohu, the wave orbital velocity was estimated by using the wave parameter method. The selection of the general wave spectrum is important for the accurate estimation of wave orbital velocity. The results of the simple linear wave method were very similar to those of the wave parameter method with a Gaussian-shaped spectrum in Lake Chaohu. The total bed shear stress combining waves and currents during the observation period was calculated, and most of it was contributed by wind-driven waves. The bed material of Lake Chaohu has silt-enriched and weak cohesive features, and an examination of critical shear stress showed that the modified Shields curve method was still applicable to Lake Chaohu. When a sediment resuspension event occurred, the vertical gradient of SSC increased significantly, and the peak SSC value depended on the peak value of bed shear stress. As a predictor, bed shear stress only showed a good linear relationship during sediment resuspension events. At other times, the prediction of SSC using bed shear stress may be biased, especially at the time after a significant sediment resuspension event.

The Büyük Menderes watershed is the largest drainage watershed in Western Anatolia with an area of approximately 26,000 km². In the study area, almost 863 landslides occurred, extending over 222 km² with a mean landslide area of 0.21 km². In this study, landslide susceptibility assessments were carried out using artificial neural network method, which is one of the data-driven methods. In this study, that will contribute to the mitigation or control of the landslides caused by the reasons controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of landslides created in the GIS and MATLAB environment by using scientific and technological approaches within the framework. Since derivative activation function is also used in back-propagation artificial neural networks, its derivative is easily calculated in order not to slow down the calculation. Levenberg–Marquardt back-propagation (LM), resilient back propagation back-propagation (trainrp), scaled conjugate gradient back-propagation (trainscg), conjugate gradient with Powell/Beale restarts back-propagation (traincgb), and Fletcher-Powell conjugate gradient back-propagation (traincgf) algorithms are used, which constantly interrogate the link between the input parameter and the result output, and at least one cell’s output is given as an input to any other cell. Geology, digital elevation model, slope, topographic wetness index, roughness index, plan, profile curvatures, and proximity to active faults and rivers were used as landslide conditioning factors. In susceptibility assessments, landslides were separated by 70% analysis, 15% test, and 15% validation datasets by random selection method. The performances of the landslide susceptibility maps were assessed by the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy (ACC), precision, recall, F1 score, Kappa test error histogram, and confusion matrix, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, analysis, testing, validation, landslides, and study areas were found between 0.873 and 0.911. The susceptibility map had a high prediction rate in which high and very high susceptible zones corresponded to 26% of the study area including 82% of the recorded landslides.