This work describes efforts to encapsulate savory (Satureja hortensis L.) essential oil (EO) with different natural polymers (i.e., Arabic gum/gelatin (AGG), apple pectin (AP), gelatin (G)) and, as a separate set of experiments, with bio cross-linkers (i.e., citric acid and transglutaminase enzyme). The phytotoxic activity of encapsulated savory EO on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and amaranth weed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) was investigated. The micro-capsules were evaluated in terms of size, polydispersity, stability, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, and release properties. The Korsmeyer–Peppas model operated when EO was being released from the micro-capsules. Carvacrol (52.5%) and γ-terpinene (30.2%) comprised the main constituents of the savory EO. Based on the results, encapsulating the EO with cross-linked biopolymers increased the stability and herbicidal activity of EO, as compared to simple EO emulsions. Maximum toxicity injuries (MTI) were caused by encapsulations of apple pectin, cross-linked with APe enzyme (15 ml/L) on both plant species. MTI were observed 2 days after using the micro-encapsulated herbicides (MCHs). However, the injury caused by MCHs on tomato was not significant. The lowest values of fresh weight (2.80 g), chlorophyll a (0.194 mg/g Fw), and total chlorophyll content (0.219 mg/g Fw) of amaranth occurred in response to APe (15 ml/L). Moreover, using AP(e) (10 ml/L) caused the lowest values of starch (0.444 mg/g Fw) and flavonoid contents (4.18 mg Cat/g Fw) in amaranth which measured as 59% and 90% reductions, respectively, in comparison with the control. The highest values of MDA (0.0109 nmol/g Fw) and H₂O₂ (0.0432 μmol/g Fw) were observed in amaranth plants treated with AP(e) (10 ml/L). In summary, cross-linked apple pectin can perform well in slow release delivery systems of agrochemicals. It can be recommended for use in the production of commercial, EO-based natural herbicides.

Oocyte vitrification preserves the female genetic resources of elite dromedary camels. In the current study, we aimed to explore the effects of vitrification of camel oocytes on mitochondrial activity, redox stress, and expression of genes related to mitochondrial function, apoptosis, pluripotency, and cytoskeleton. Moreover, we investigated developmental competence of vitrified oocytes after parthenogenetic activation. Oocytes vitrified with the Cryotop method were compared with the fresh oocytes. Our results showed that vitrification led to increased ROS production in oocytes as evidenced by an increase in the DCFDHA fluorescence intensity, and lower mitochondrial activity. At the molecular level, vitrification reduced mRNA expression of many genes, including those related to mitochondrial function (TFAM, MT-CO1, MFN1, ATP1A1, NRF1), pluripotency (SOX2 and POU5F1), and apoptosis (p53 and BAX). In contrast, expression of KLF4 and cytoskeleton-related genes (ACTB and KRT8) was not affected. However, we found no difference in the rates of oocyte survival, cleavage, and blastocyst development, and blastocyst hatching between fresh and vitrified oocytes after warming. Our results indicate that although vitrification of camel metaphase II (MII) oocytes adversely affected mitochondrial functions, the effect was transient without compromising the developmental potential of the oocytes after parthenogenetic activation.

Removal of Cr(VI) is of great concern due to its high mobility and toxicity in the natural environment. In this study, Fe-Mn oxide-modified biochar composite (FMBC) was prepared by impregnation to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous systems. The effect of Fe/Mn ratio, adsorbent dosage, solution pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and temperature were investigated on the Cr(VI) removal efficiency. Results showed that F1M3BC (with an Fe/Mn ratio of 1:3) had the maximum Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of 118.03 mg g⁻¹ at pH 2.0. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) by F1M3BC (91.79%) was higher than that by the pristine BC (32.17%). Experimental data fitted well with the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics equation. Thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. Multiple techniques including BET, SEM, FTIR, and XPS were used to analyze the possible adsorption mechanisms. It was found that the increased adsorption of Cr(VI) on F1M3BC, mainly occurred due to electrostatic attraction and Cr(VI) reduction, together with Cr(III) complexation. Furthermore, regeneration studies indicated that F1M3BC could be recycled for up to six cycles without loss of activity. Therefore, F1M3BC may be promising for environmental applications removing Cr(VI) from aqueous systems.

The effects of different additives on the compost of Camellia oleifera shell were characterized and a maturity evaluation system for the obtained compost was established. Four treatments were designed as C. oleifera shell with C. oleifera seed meal (A1), with C. oleifera seed cake (A2), with sheep manure (A3), and with spent mushroom substrate (A4). A3 had the longest thermophilic phase (over 50 °C) and shortest cooling phase. Compared with A1, the thermophilic phase of A2 was postponed 11 days due to the high lipid content, but terminated almost at the same time. The temperature of A4 increased slowly and took longer time to reach ambient. C/N, pH, E4/E6, and NH₄⁺-N decreased along with composting process, while TN, GI, and NO₃⁻-N were opposite. Based on the Pearson correlation analysis with the Solvita maturity index as a reference, the result indicated that TN, C/N, GI, NH₄⁺-N, and pH can be used for the maturity evaluation.

Epifaunal assemblages inhabiting the non-indigenous macroalga Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt were investigated on two physically distinct intertidal rocky (S1) and sandy (S2) sites along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The objective of this study was to test whether the habitat-forming marine alga S. muticum invasive in these sites supported different epifaunal assemblages under different environmental conditions and through time. The gastropods Steromphala umbilicalis, S. pennanti, and Rissoa parva and the isopod Dynamene bidentata were the most contributive species to the dissimilarity of epifaunal assemblage structure between both sites throughout seasons. SIMPER analysis showed a dissimilarity of 58.3–78.5% in the associated species composition of S. muticum between study sites with respect to sampling season. Species diversity and total abundance were significantly higher at the rocky site compared to the sandy site. PERMANOVA analyses showed significant differences of associated epifaunal assemblage structure for the season and site interaction. Accordingly, site and season were determinant factors conditioning the role of habitat in structuring epifaunal assemblages.

Drip irrigation is of prime importance from several points of view as the most effective and reliable method. Nevertheless, emitter clogging is the major problem related to this technology. Furthermore, pressure compensating button emitters are widely used considering their advantages resulting from the uniform distribution of water, reduction of evaporation, and deep percolation. In the present study, we report on four pressures compensating button emitters and their resistance to the clogging. Our research objectives incorporate two aspects; executing a 980-h experiment of drip irrigation by taking into consideration the temperature calibration equation, and evaluating the performance of the emitters by using the following four parameters: the relative average discharge (Dra), coefficient of uniformity (CU), emitter uniformity (EU), and the flow rate variation (qᵥₐᵣ). Thus, analyzing the evaluation of those parameters provides the potential of choosing emitters that have a high resistance to the clogging. The main conclusion of this research effort is that three types of the four emitters display a satisfactory resistance to clogging.

The interfacial activity of dispersants can be enhanced by combining two or more surfactants to formulate the dispersant. This paper examines the effects of Bio-Saponin (BS), a phytogenic surfactant on the interfacial activity of synthetic dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt (DOSS) usually adopted as a suitable surface-active agent in dispersants used in dealing with large-scale oil spills. The o/w emulsion created with the binary DOSS-BS was very stable and recorded the least average droplet size compared with that of DOSS only and BS only. Lower surface and interfacial tension values were also obtained from the DOSS-BS binary formulation. The dispersion effectiveness was also higher compared with that of DOSS and BS. However, they were dependent on the salinity and type of crude oil. These observations were attributed to the moderation of the interaction between the anionic head group of DOSS by the polysaccharide hydrophilic group of BS. The results revealed the potential application of DOSS-BS binary dispersant in oil spill remediation and in other processes that would require an effective emulsifier.

The spatial and temporal variation in the distribution, abundance and assemblage structure of zooplankton were examined in a mining-impacted stretch of river Ganga. The collection of samples has been done from three different sampling zones such as Z1 (Chandi Bridge Ghat) as reference zone, Z2 (Shyampur), and Z3 (Bisanpur) as mining-intruded area from May 2017 to April 2018. During the analysis, twenty-eight species of zooplankton kindred to four groups mainly Rotifera (ten species), Protozoa (five species), Cladocera (eight species), and Copepoda (five species) were identified. In the course of analysis, it was observed that Rotifera were dominant (43.49 %) followed by Cladocera (19.58 %), Protozoa (18.31 %), and Copepoda (18.62 %). The results showed that the distribution and abundance of zooplankton fluctuated more at Z1 (reference zone) as compared with Z2 and Z3 (mining-intruded zones). The diversity indices also indicated the higher richness, abundance, and evenness of zooplankton ranging from 3.145 to 3.180 at Z1, 3.081 to 3.129 at Z2, and 3.130 to 3.175 at Z3. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed positive and negative correlation between the zooplankton and water quality of the river Ganga. The present study shows that the anthropogenic activities such as river bed mining disturbed the water quality through enhancing the turbidity and nutrients load in the aquatic system. However, these changes in water quality significantly affected the distribution and abundance of zooplankton.

Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae are becoming increasingly abundant in North American fresh water lakes. Toxins produced by cyanobacteria have been associated with gastrointestinal injury, liver failure, and nephrotoxicity. They have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and liver cancers. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the incidence rates of gastrointestinal, liver, and urologic cancers are increasing in the province of Manitoba and, if so, whether these increases spatially and/or temporally correlate with areas where cyanobacterial contamination of fresh water lakes have been identified. Cancer incidence data were obtained from the Manitoba Cancer Registry. Cyanobacterial contamination data, as reflected by microcystin toxin concentrations, were available from the Manitoba Water Stewardship. ArcGIS mapping was employed to document spatial and temporal relationships between cancer incidence and cyanobacterial data. The results revealed that although the incidence rates for all three cancers have increased over the past 20–25 years, these increases were not disproportionally higher in zones with high microcystin toxin determinations. The results of this study argue against increased exposure to cyanotoxins as an explanation for the increase in gastrointestinal, liver and urologic cancers in Manitoba.

The critical issue generated by foaming in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a problem that is currently very common and shared, but which to date is treated mainly only at the management level. In this work, an experimental study with foam tests on real and synthetic waters was conducted using a laboratory scale plant and foaming power indices were calculated. To date, the estimation of foaming potential is mainly based on these indices which give information only on height/volume of foams but not on the type of foams, in terms of consistency and therefore stability. Tests showed that foaming power indices were highly variable with the same water: it was not possible to identify a single foaming potential value for each water. Two models were proposed to estimate the percentage increase in height of chemical foams produced following the introduction of air below the surface of a liquid. In terms of determination coefficient, the results obtained from the complex model were better: R² was 0.82 for the simple linear model and 0.90 for the complex one. This approach has allowed to underline some critical aspects of foaming potential as it is determined today and the possible improvements applicable for a more objective evaluation.