This study aimed to observe the effect of toxicity of the pesticide thiamethoxam (TMX) at sublethal concentrations in the liver and brain of Oreochromis niloticus. In the experiment, fish were exposed to 50, 100, and, 150 mg/L with thiamethoxam for 48 h and 15 days. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferaz (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activities; and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), heat shock proteins 70 (HSP70), glutathione (GSH), and genotoxicity parameter 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods and ELISA techniques. Depending on time and dose in TMX exposure in liver tissue, a significant decrease in GSH level; an increase in SOD, GST, GPx, and EROD enzyme activities; and HSP70, TBARS, and 8-OHdG levels was determined. In brain tissue, SOD, GST, and EROD enzyme activities, an increase in HSP70, TBARS, and 8-OHdG levels, and a decrease in CAT enzyme activity and GSH levels were determined. In this study, TMX in the concentrations used showed that changes in oxidative stress biomarkers, genotoxicity parameter 8-OHdG levels, and HSP70 levels caused toxic effects in the model organism. As a result of the study, the changes and protective effects of the antioxidant system and stress proteins at the cellular level were determined in sublethal doses of toxic effects caused by TMX in the vital organs of the organism. In this toxicological study, TMX exposure resulted in toxicity to O. niloticus liver and brain tissues, in addition, responses of biomarkers to time and concentrations were determined. As a result of this study, the potential toxic effects of the commonly used pesticide TMX will reveal both the ecological risks of the aquatic organism and the basic data of the safety and risk assessments of O. niloticus consumed as food for human health.

Concentrations of eight trace elements (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) were investigated in Posidonia oceanica leaf blades and sediments sampled from 23 stations along the Turkish-Mediterranean Sea coast. Trace element (TE) concentration in both sediment and P. oceanica showed a statistically significant distribution among sampling stations. Most of the TE concentration in samples varied remarkably among stations without a consistent trend. Concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cu, and Pb in the sediment of all of the sampling stations were determined as non-polluted based on the comparison with the sediment quality guideline index. More than a quarter of the sampling stations were found as moderately or heavily polluted for Cr, Ni, and As. The mean TE concentrations found in the sediment sample in the present study were similar to the concentrations reported from the different parts of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. TE concentrations in P. oceanica were generally lower compared to the concentrations in the sediment except for Cd, Zn, and Cu. While a positive correlation was found for Ni concentrations between sediment and P. oceanica samples, negative correlation was detected for V, Cr, Zn, Cu, As, and Cd concentrations between sediment and P. oceanica. The highest bioaccumulation factor in P. oceanica was calculated for Cd. The study area of the present study, especially the western sites (provinces of Antalya and Muğla), hosts millions of tourists annually and under the influence of intensive human activities in summer. Thus, coastal waters are heavily exposed to TEs and significantly positive correlations were detected between the anthropogenic TE pollutants (As, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, and V) and natural sourced TE (Ni and Cr). Based on our data, the Mediterranean Sea coast of Turkey does not present significant levels of Zd, Cd, Cu, and Pb pollution, whereas 65% of the stations were heavily polluted with As. Since As categorized as carcinogenic to humans, seafood sources should be monitored in terms of As concentrations. The current data might be useful in further TE-monitoring studies and TE discharge management strategies.

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a highly reactive organic compound that is mainly used as a sterilizing agent. However, to date, the effects of EtO on the cardiovascular system are not clear. We aimed to explore the association between blood EtO levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general US population. We obtained information on blood levels of EtO and CVD outcomes in 3,410 participants from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014 and 2015–2016. Logistic regression models were applied to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association between EtO and risk of all CVD as well as subtypes of CVD. Linear regression analyses were used to estimate the associations of EtO with potential mechanistic parameters of CVD, including blood pressure, blood lipid levels and inflammatory parameters. Higher blood levels of EtO were associated with an increased risk of all CVD (p for trend = 0.003), with an adjusted OR (95% CI) in the highest quartile of 1.94 (1.24, 3.02) compared with the lowest quartile as a reference. Higher concentrations of EtO were positively associated with the risk of angina (p for trend = 0.04) and heart attack (p for trend = 0.011). In addition, the concentration of EtO was positively associated with the levels of triglycerides, white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils (p = 0.003 for eosinophils and p < 0.001 for the others) and negatively associated with the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.001). We found that exposure to EtO was associated with angina, heart attack and all CVD in a large representative US population. Furthermore, EtO may induce CVD through the inflammatory response and abnormal fatty acid metabolism.

The roles of land scale and household labor allocation have always been a hot button in nitrogen (N) fertilizer use. Rural part-time farming is the main form of household labor allocation in China. This study aimed to quantify the N fertilizer use responses to land-scale expansion and rural part-time farming with different degrees and types in Chinese croplands. Using data on 1159 households extracted from a rural household survey in three great agricultural plains, China, we applied Ordinary Least Squares and Tobit model to yield the consistent results. The results showed that N fertilizer use significantly decreases by 2.23 kg/ha with per unit increase in land scale (p < 0.1), while rural part-time farming degree significantly increases N fertilizer use by 29.72 kg/ha (p < 0.01). Particularly, different effects are detected on the different types of part-time farming households. PTF II (part-time farming degree ranges from 50% to 80%) and OFH (degree higher than 80%) types are proved to be responsible for increasing N fertilizer use of 25.41 kg/ha (p < 0.01) and 22.86 kg/ha (p < 0.05), respectively. These findings imply that the government should encourage part-time farming households to transfer agricultural croplands, thereby expanding land scale so as to reduce N fertilizer use.

In the recent past, partial replacement of cement by rice husk ash (RHA) in concrete is a prime focus of global researchers for sustainable development in energy and environmental aspects. The present investigation aims at testing the water absorption capacity of the different types and sizes of the RHA-incorporated cement concrete. A design of experiments (DOE) was conducted using the Taguchi method to develop an L₂₇ matrix to assess the individual effects of each variable. From the experimental study, decreasing the RHA size and increasing the RHA loading, higher bulk density, and surface area led to decreasing the water absorption capacity of the RHA-blended cement concrete during curing. Furthermore, 20 wt% replacement of cement by RHA in concrete furnishes the 3-fold decrease of water absorption capacity compared to normal concrete (without RHA). An empirical model was developed to predict the water absorption capacity of the RHA-incorporated cement concrete. The model indicates that RHA loading, silica content, and specific surface area are the key factors influencing the water absorption capacity of the concrete. And the model appears to be able to predict the water absorption capacity of concrete quite accurately with > 95% confidence level.

In the circular economy context, improving the eco-efficiency of the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) occupies a prominent role. The aim of this study was to evaluate the eco-efficiency of MSW services provided by a sample of 142 Chilean municipalities using data envelopment analysis (DEA), a method that integrates both economic and environmental variables into a single performance index. This study also investigated whether the MSW facilities are affected by economies of scale. In a second stage of analysis, the effects of some exogenous variables on the eco-efficiency of MSW services were explored. The results demonstrated that 92.3% of the municipalities evaluated were not eco-efficient and presented notable room for improvement as the average eco-efficiency score was 0.58. In addition, 40.4% of the municipalities presented negative economies of scale; i.e. their operational size was not optimum and joint organization of MSW management systems should be promoted. Finally, the population served, population density, tourism and waste generated per capita were shown to have a significant impact on the eco-efficiency of MSW services. The results of this study will be beneficial for policymakers to formulate effective public policies to make the provision of MSW services more cost- and environmentally effective.

The current global spirit for sustainable development has led to increased attention to reducing the use of conventional energy sources and managing the issue of climate change. Renewable (or clean) energy consumption is a key element of any country’s environmental quality and sustainable economic growth. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the impacts on clean energy consumption of common factors in pursuing a sustainability strategy, including environmental degradation (measured as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions), clean energy technology, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, institutional quality, and globalization for a panel of European Union (EU) 28 countries in the period from 1995 to 2017. We employ two estimation techniques, continuous updating-fully modifying (CUP-FM) and continuous updating-bias correcting (CUP-BC). In addition, the study incorporates Driscoll-Kraay regression for a panel model to investigate the validity and reliability of long-term elasticities’ results. The findings of long-run analyses indicate that CO2 emissions, clean energy technology, GDP growth, and globalization positively impact clean energy consumption and institutional quality negatively impacts it. Finally, the results of causality testing indicate a unidirectional causal relationship between clean energy technology and clean energy consumption and a bidirectional association between institutional quality and clean energy consumption. The study’s outcomes have policy implications, especially regarding designing strategic choices to promote investment in clean energy technology to increase the use of clean energy sources and to overcome the issues of institutional quality in supporting clean energy consumption in the EU-28 countries.

The linkage between a free market and the environment has been under debate for a long time. In the traditional view, environmental issues are one of the free market’s failures. However, a free market is a solution for environmental problems through the lens of free-market Environmentalism because free markets can be more successful than governments in solving environmental issues. Whether or not a free-market economy leads to environmental degradation and makes Mother Nature angry is a challengeable research gap. This paper fills this gap by examining the impact of a free-market on Mother Nature’s anger in 35 Asian economies over the period 2000–2018. Our empirical results show that a free-market economy reduces the Mother Nature’s anger (proxied by total number of deaths and total economic losses from natural disasters), and this beneficial impact is intensified with the improvement of property rights and government integrity. Our findings assert the important role of a free-market economy, property rights, and government integrity in mitigating the anger of Mother Nature.

The inception of the novel coronavirus has forced the world into despair. Rapid progress has been made in addressing the situation, and various clinical diagnostic methods were developed for early detection of transmission. However, with a rapidly increasing number of infected populations worldwide, the testing of each individual was impractical. The wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been implemented to evaluate disease outbreaks as an early warning system for pandemic preparedness. Numerous studies reported the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the open drains and STPs across the globe via recovery efficiency of surrogate virus from existing virus concentration protocols. However, the such reported studies did not justify the use of WBE to identify or pinpoint the specific hotspots of transmission which could be prioritized for rapid efforts to contain or accelerate active vaccination efforts. Identifying precise locations of hotspots could be an essential aspect in controlling the outbreak and surge of wave by prioritizing the region for primary outbreak response. This article focuses on the issues relating to the primary focus for WBE that can be adapted, and its suitability for utilization in the mass vaccination program is discussed. Effective use of WBE information in terms of source tracking might be crucial as we move towards mass vaccination to control outbreaks of COVID-19 pandemic.

The spread of COVID-19 worldwide has shown how quick global economy can become affected when ones’ health and future are at risk. This paper examines the evidence of Granger causality among the housing price, the unemployment rate, crude oil price, and world pandemic uncertainty in France, Germany, the UK, and the USA over the period 1996Q1–2019Q2. In this case, the linear and asymmetric Granger causality approaches of Toda-Yamamoto and Hatemi-J are respectively applied to provide useful insight. Although only significant evidence of linear Granger causality is found among the unemployment rate and the house prices in all the four economies, the investigations revealed asymmetric evidence involving the world pandemic uncertainty. Specifically, there is a significant uni-directional asymmetric Granger causality from the world pandemic uncertainty to the house price in France, Germany, and the USA but not in the UK. The variation in the results among the examined countries is explained by potential differences in economic structures or business cycle and other social and economic factors. Thus, relevant policy guidance is implied from the results especially for the policymakers in the examined countries.