Vehicles are a major source of air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM) pollution, throughout the world and auto-rickshaws are considered main contributors to this air pollution. PM, in addition to causing respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, has potential to gain access to the brain and could induce neuroinflammation leading to different neurological disorders. Therefore, in the current project, MRI and immunohistochemistry techniques were adopted to ascertain the neurotoxic potential of the chronic exposure to different PM generated by two-stroke auto-rickshaws (TSA), four-stroke auto-rickshaws (FSA), and aluminum sulfate (AS) solution in rats. The results highlighted that all treated groups followed a pattern of dose-dependent increase in pure cortical neuronal loss, selective neuronal loss (SNL), nuclear pyknosis, karyolysis, and karyorrhexis. Mild to moderate areas of penumbra were also observed with increase in the population of activated microglia and astrocytes, while no alteration in the intensities of T₂W MRI signals was perceived in any group. When comparing the findings, TSA possess more neurotoxic potential than FSA and AS, which could be associated with increased concentration of certain elements in TSA emissions. The study concludes that chronic exposure to PM from TSA, FSA, and AS solutions produces diverse neuropathies in the brain, which may lead to different life-threatening neurological disorders like stroke, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disorders. Government and environmental agencies should take serious notice of this alarming situation, and immediate steps should be implemented to improve the standards of PM emissions from auto-rickshaws.

Gaseous nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) represents an oxidant that is present in relatively high concentrations in various indoor settings. Remarkably increased NO₂levels up to 1.5 ppm are associated with homes using gas stoves. The heterogeneous reactions of NO₂with adsorbed water on surfaces lead to the generation of nitrous acid (HONO). Here, we present a HONO source induced by heterogeneous reactions of NO₂with selected indoor paint surfaces in the presence of light (300 nm < λ < 400 nm). We demonstrate that the formation of HONO is much more pronounced at elevated relative humidity. In the presence of light (5.5 W m⁻²), an increase of HONO production rate of up to 8.6 · 10⁹molecules cm⁻² s⁻¹was observed at [NO₂] = 60 ppb and 50 % relative humidity (RH). At higher light intensity of 10.6 (W m⁻²), the HONO production rate increased to 2.1 · 10¹⁰molecules cm⁻² s⁻¹. A high NO₂to HONO conversion yield of up to 84 % was observed. This result strongly suggests that a light-driven process of indoor HONO production is operational. This work highlights the potential of paint surfaces to generate HONO within indoor environments by light-induced NO₂heterogeneous reactions.

To characterize coprophilous fungi for converting lignocellulose into lipids, four fungal strains utilizing cellulose microcrystalline and xylan were screened. The fungi were identified as Cladosporium sp. F1, Circinella sp. F6, Mycocladus sp. F49, and Byssochlamys sp. F52 based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequence similarity. The strain F52 accumulated 336.0 mg/L reducing sugars on cottonseed shells treated with ethanol. The combination of F1 + F52 increased the reducing sugar accumulating rates. However, the activities of avicelase and xylanase were not correlated with the reducing sugars accumulated by the test strains. Strains F6 and F52 produced higher cellular lipids (above 530.7 mg/L) than other strains. However, the strain F52 could produce more cellular lipids with xylose and mannose as the sole carbon sources. The results indicated that the reducing sugar contents accumulated by the different strains were influenced by the fungal taxa and ligocellulosic types. With fibrolytic and lipid accumulating activities, diverse fungi harboring in herbivore feces need to be further characterized.

Although the effect of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the oxidation of dissolved sulfur dioxide by oxygen has been the subject of many investigations, this is the first study which examines the effect of a large number of precisely 16 hydroxy compounds. The kinetics both in the absence and the presence of VOCs was defined by rate laws (A and B):[Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]where R ₒ and k ₒ are the initial rate and first-order rate constant, respectively, in the absence of VOCs, R ᵢ , and k ᵢ are the initial rate and the first-order rate constant, respectively, in the presence of VOCs, and [S(IV)] is the concentration of dissolved sulfur dioxide, sulfur(IV). The nature of the dependence of k ᵢ on the concentration of inhibitor, [Inh], was defined by Eq. (C).[Formula: see text]where B is an empirical inhibition parameter. The values of B have been determined from the plots of 1/k ᵢ versus [Inh]. Among aliphatic and aromatic hydroxy compounds studied, t-butyl alcohol and pinacol were without any inhibition effect due to the absence of secondary or tertiary hydrogen. The values of inhibition parameter, B, were related to k ᵢₙₕ , the rate constant for the reaction of SO₄⁻radical with the inhibitor, by Eq. (D).[Formula: see text] Equation (D) may be used to calculate the values of either of B or k ᵢₙₕ provided that the other is known. The extent of inhibition depends on the value of the composite term, B[Inh]. However, in accordance with Eq. (C), the extent of inhibition would be sizeable and measurable when B[Inh] > 0.1 and oxidation of S(IV) would be almost completely stopped when B[Inh] ≥ 10. B[Inh] value can be used as a guide whether the reaction step: SO₄⁻ + organics [Formula: see text] SO₄²⁻ + non-chain products: should be included in the multiphase models or not.

Veterinary manure is an important pollution reservoir of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). However, little is known of the distribution of ARB in plant endophytic bacteria and the number/types of ARB in chicken manure. In this study, 454-pyrosequencing was used to investigate the distribution and composition of ARBs in chicken manure and fertilized vegetables. The prevalence of ARB in the samples of the chicken manure compost recovered from farms on which amoxicillin, kanamycin, gentamicin, and cephalexin were used was 20.91–65.9 % for ARBs and 8.24–20.63 % simultaneously resistant to two or more antibiotics (multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria (MARB)). Antibiotic-resistant endophytic bacteria were widely detected in celery, pakchoi, and cucumber with the highest rate of resistance to cephalexin. The pyrosequencing indicated that the chicken manure dominantly harbored Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Synergistetes, and Proteobacteria and that Bacteroidetes was significantly enhanced in farms utilizing antibiotics. In the total cultivable colonies, 62.58–89.43 % ARBs and 95.29 % MARB were clustered in Bacteroidetes with the dominant species (Myroides ordoratimimus and Spningobacterium spp., respectively) related to human clinical opportunistic pathogens.

The aim of the present study was to describe the accumulation of trace metals in the liver, kidney, gills, muscles, and skin of four edible fish species (Tor putitora, Cirrhinus mrigala, Labeo calbasu, and Channa punctatus) of Rawal Lake Reservoir, Pakistan. The fish samples were collected in the pre-monsoon (May 2008) and post-monsoon (October 2007) seasons and were analyzed for heavy metals by using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Kidney and liver showed relatively high concentrations of heavy metals. The accumulation of metals in the different organs of the fish (skin, muscles, and gills) in post-monsoon was higher than in pre-monsoon. In pre-monsoon, the metals followed the trend Zn > Pb > Fe > Cr > Ni > Mn > Co > Cu > Cd > Li, while in the post-monsoon season, the trend was Fe > Pb > Cr > Ni > Zn > Cu > Co > Mn > Cd > Li. The concentrations of Ni, Cr, and Pb in the muscle of all fish species were higher than the WHO guideline values of heavy metals in fishes for human consumption except in T. putitora. Cu level was nearly equal to the WHO maximum levels in C. mrigala and L. calbasu, while it was lower in T. putitora and C. punctatus. It is strongly advocated that risk assessment studies should be conducted and there is an urgent need for water quality restoration and management of Rawal Lake Reservoir.

The cathode ray tube (CRT) glass is one of the most important problem that afflicts the electronic waste disposal whose solution lies in the identification of efficient and ecofriendly processes to detoxify and reutilize lead-contained funnel glass. This study is focused on a rapid screening of different chemical and mechanochemical processes to reduce lead content in waste CRT glass downgrading the risk correlated to it. In particular, as a possibility to clean waste CRT glass, treatments of lead-containing glass with different chelating agents (EDTA, NTA, ATMP, EDTMP and HEDP) were performed to evaluate their extractive capabilities. Furthermore, the influence of the grinding, the chelating agent functional groups (polyamino-carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid, and polyamino phosphonic acid), and the time and the temperature on lead content reduction were analyzed. ESEM and EDS analysis were performed on all the samples to evaluate the lead amount before and after the treatments.

In this paper, a numerical model is presented that is capable of describing the complex set of biochemical processes that occur in chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (CAH)-contaminated groundwater when an exogenous electron donor is added. The reactive pattern is based on the degradation pathways of both chlorinated ethanes and ethenes, and it includes electron donor production (H₂ and acetate) from the fermentation of an organic substrate as well as rate-limiting processes related to electron acceptor competition. Coupling of the kinetic model to a convection–dispersion module is described. The calibration phase was carried out using data obtained at a real CAH-contaminated site in the north of Italy. Model simulations of different application scenarios are presented to draw general conclusions on the effectiveness of reductive dechlorination (RD) as a possible cleanup strategy. Early outcomes indicate that cleanup targets can only be achieved if source longevity is reduced. Therefore, metabolic RD is expected to produce beneficial effects because it is known to induce bioenhanced degradation and transformation of CAHs.

Various hazardous substances contained in waste TV sets might be released into environment via dust during recycling activities. Two brominated flame retardants (BFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and five kinds of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) were detected in indoor dust collected from two workshops (TV dismantling workshop and subsequent recycling workshop). PBDEs concentrations in dust from waste wires recycling line (722,000 ng/g) were the highest among the studied sites, followed by those in manual dismantling–sorting line (117,000 ng/g), whereas TBBPA concentrations were the highest in manual dismantling–sorting line (557 ng/g) and printed circuit board (PCB) recycling line (428 ng/g). For heavy metals, Cu and Pb were the most enriched metals in all dust samples. The highest concentration of Pb (22,900 mg/kg) was found in TV dismantling workshop-floor dust. Meanwhile, Cu was the predominant metal in dust from the PCB recycling line, especially in dust collected from electrostatic separation area (42,700 mg/kg). Occupational exposure assessment results showed that workers were the most exposed to BDE-209 among the four PBDE congeners (BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-153, and BDE-209) in both workshops. The hazard quotient (HQ) indicated that noncancerous effects were unlikely for both BFRs and heavy metals (HQ < 1), and carcinogenic risks for Cd, Cr, and Ni (risk < 10⁻⁶) on workers in two workshops were relatively low.

To understand the temporal variations and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the coastal marshes, the concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cu) in the two Suaeda salsa marshes [middle S. salsa marsh (MM) and low S. salsa marsh (LM)] of the Yellow River estuary were determined from May to November in 2008 by in situ sampling and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. Results showed that heavy metal concentrations in S. salsa of MM and LM were generally in the order of Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni, while those in sediments fell in the order of Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb. Heavy metal concentrations of S. salsa in MM and LM were different, and significant differences were observed in stems (F = 4.797, p = 0.046) and litters (F = 6.799, p = 0.026) for Ni. Litter was the main stock of heavy metals, and the allocations of Cr, Ni, and Pb reached 31.25–51.31, 28.49–42.58, and 29.55–66.79 % (in MM) and 36.73–48.60, 41.70–57.87, and 33.30–60.64 % (in LM), respectively. The ratios of roots/leaves (R/L) and roots/stems (R/S) for Cr and Ni in MM were mostly greater than 1, while those ratios in LM were mostly less than 1, indicating that Cr and Ni in S. salsa at LM had greater mobility compared with those at MM. Moreover, the [accumulation factor, AF]ₚₗₐₙₜof Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb in LM, especially [AF]ᵣₒₒₜand [AF]ₛₜₑₘof Cr and [AF]ₗᵢₜₜₑᵣof Ni, was also higher than that in MM. These indicated that S. salsa grown in LM was more suitable for potential biomonitor or phytoremediation of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb if intertidal sediments were seriously contaminated with an increase of pollutant loading (especially heavy metals) in the Yellow River estuary. The use of biomonitor (S. salsa) living and growing in LM could yield valuable information not only on the presence of anthropogenic stressors, but, more importantly, on the adverse influence the stressors are having on the environment.