Formaldehyde is extraordinarily effective for fixation of human corpses and is routinely used in embalming solutions in anatomical dissection courses all over the world. High concentrations in vapors emitted from corpses embalmed with formaldehyde make it necessary to reduce the emission from cadavers for fulfilling tightening permissible exposure limits (PEL) worldwide. The study provides possible solutions to a problem faced by many anatomy labs. The emission of 50 human corpses was examined using 240 active personal and stationary samples with sampling tubes placed in the breathing area of probands or directly above the corpses. For measuring formaldehyde exposures along the dissection course, air samples were collected during the progress of dissection. Best results were achieved by a combination of post-embalming treatment with InfuTrace™, a formaldehyde binding solution applied to corpses fixed with 3% formaldehyde, and a modified ventilation system consisting of three long throw nozzles mounted vertically at the ceiling above the longitudinal axis of each dissection table. In this scenario, the inhalative exposure for students and teachers did not exceed 0.1 ppm during muscle dissection and 0.041 ppm during organ dissection, which are both dissection steps linked to high emission rates. The data emphasizes the necessity to use a combination of different methods — chemical polymerization of formaldehyde combined with a modified ventilation system — to reduce formaldehyde air loads far below the German PEL (0.3 ppm) and even the Japanese PEL (0.1 ppm) when using a standard 3%-formaldehyde fixation.

Use of herbicides is one of the most preferred options for crop protection against weeds. Imazamox is an imidazolinone (IMI)-group herbicide, and even low concentrations of imazamox might exhibit high biological activities on soil and plants. Therefore, in contrast to the conventional types of sunflowers that are sensitive to IMI-group herbicides, sunflowers that are resistive to IMI-group herbicides were also developed in recent years. In this study, the effect of imazamox on some physiological and genetic parameters of two types of sunflowers that are sensitive and resistant to IMI-group herbicides is comparatively investigated. For this purpose, three concentrations of imazamox (0.82, 1.64 and 2.45 mM, respectively) were applied on the two types of sunflower (i.e. SN:8 as IMI-sensitive type and SN:9 as IMI-resistant type, respectively). In addition, the physiological and molecular effects of IMI on antioxidant enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione S-transferase (GST)), heat shock proteins (such as HSP26, HSP60, HSP70), phenolic contents (coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid), phytohormone levels (indole-3-acetic acid, jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA)) and accumulation of pesticides in the leaf tissue of sunflowers were analysed by qRT-PCR and LC MS/MS analysis. In this study, the pesticide concentration of resistant-type SN9 was significantly greater than that of SN8 with the application of 1.64–2.45 mM of imazamox, and the total pesticide amounts were 1.6 and 1.8 times significantly higher in leaf tissues, respectively. This pesticide accumulation led to an imbalance in the phytohormone and phenolic levels, increased levels of unfolded or misfolded proteins, and selective reduction of the GST, SA and JA levels in the two types of sunflowers. However, SN9 significantly responded to the pesticide accumulation via the overexpression of mitochondrial chaperone HSP60 (16.15-fold) and stress-specific HSP70 (54.46-fold), as well as higher SOD expression and SA and JA levels. In particular, by the application of high-dose IMI, our data revealed strong protein chaperone response, a high level of SOD expression, and finally the crosstalk of SA and JA, and these physiological and molecular phenomena can be indicative of pesticide-induced stress in SN9. The study suggested that high-concentration imazamox treatment induces some physiological and genetic changes at the phytotoxic level on not only IMI sensitive type but also resistant type.

With the rapid growth of economy, the environmental pollution problem is becoming increasingly prominent. How to promote the coordinated and balanced development of economy and environment is a strategic problem of great significance that we face urgently. Taking Wuhan City of China as the research object, this paper selects the key indexes of economic growth and environmental pollution and studies the interactive influence between economic growth and environmental pollution in Wuhan. On the one hand, the impact of Wuhan’s economic growth on environmental pollution is analyzed by the proposed time-delay correlation analysis method and the time-delay EKC (Environment Kuznets Curve) models. On the other hand, the impact of Wuhan’s environmental pollution on environmental growth is studied. By establishing the LARS-LASSO (least angle regression-least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression model and the stepwise regression model, the main factors affecting economic growth in preliminary environmental pollution indexes are analyzed, and then, an interaction model is established to study the impact of the interaction between any two main environmental factors on economic growth. The results of empirical analysis show that the main factors affecting economic growth are industrial wastewater emissions, industrial waste gas emissions, and industrial smoke and dust emissions, and the interaction between industrial waste gas emissions and industrial wastewater emissions restrains economic growth.

Sugarcane vinasse, also known as distillery wastewater, is a key by-product of the ethanol industry. Vinasse characteristics and their huge volume pose environmental concerns about the choice of treatment method. Microfiltration (MF) has been efficiently applied to vinasse clarification; however, it has been underexplored in the literature. In this context, the present study investigated the application of coagulation and cross-flow MF for vinasse clarification. To maximize the process efficiency, operational parameters were optimized using the one-factor-at-a-time method in batch tests. The optimal values were Superfloc C492 concentration of 5 mg L⁻¹, backpulsing frequency of 10 min, and vinasse temperature of 45 °C, which showed a removal of 35.0, 86.0, and 99.9% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, and turbidity, respectively. The optimization process significantly improved the vinasse flux but did not show any influence in the permeate quality. Optimal parameters were successfully applied to the continuous mode in the MF system, which operated during 164 h at an average flux of 21.6 L h⁻¹ m⁻². High removals were reached for color (79.3%) and turbidity (99.6%), and low removal was found for COD (31.6%), which are in agreement with the batch mode tests. This work showed the importance of operational optimization, and the results provide valuable support for establishing practical guidelines for vinasse clarification in the ethanol industry. Graphical Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the potential of Oedogonium subplagiostomum AP1 in the removal of methyl orange from aqueous solution. The effects of process parameters, namely, dye concentration, biosorbent concentration, pH and contact time on adsorption were optimised using RSM. The predictions of the model output specified that process parameters influenced responses at a confidence level of 95% (P < 0.05). Optimum conditions for methyl orange removal (97%) was obtained at pH 6.5, contact time of 5.5 days, algal dose of 400 mg/L and dye concentration of 500 mg/L. Adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamic studies were conducted to assess the decolourisation efficiency. The results indicated that Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models best fitted the experimental data. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that methyl orange biosorption onto alga is spontaneous, favourable and exothermic in nature. The biosorbent-adsorbate interactions were characterised using UV-Vis, FT IR, SEM with EDX and XRD. The reuse potential of treated dye solution was assessed by dyeing fabrics. The physical properties of fabrics dyed using algae-treated water are comparable with that of tap water–dyed fabric proving the reuse potential of treated water in textile industries. The algal biomass subjected to composting diminishes the level of pollution. In silico study was performed to observe the interaction between methyl orange (ligand) and receptor protein (azoreductase) which plays an important role in the biodegradation of textile dyes. Thus, the results showed that Oedogonium subplagiostomum AP1 could be employed as an efficient and eco-friendly biosorbent for the removal of methyl orange. Graphical Abstract

Iron deficiency has been becoming a worldwide problem in crop cultivation. New approaches are desired to alleviate the iron-deficit chlorosis. Iron-containing nanomaterials could be effective to supply the iron to plants and promote plant growth. In this study, soil cultured watermelon plants were treated with 100, 200, and 400 ppm α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs), respectively. Growth and physiology parameters were investigated in a period of time. The study also evaluated the nutritional quality of watermelon fruit. Results showed that no elevation of plant growth or chlorophyll content was observed. All α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs treatments had no positive influence on nutritional components including central and edge sugar content, and total amino acid content. An interesting result was that the vitamin C (VC) content of all NP treatments was significantly improved compared with the control group (without iron). In addition, we found that iron distribution of α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs treatments was closely related to the concentrations of NPs. Both α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs could accumulate in root, stem, and leaf of watermelon plants, but only 400 ppm γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs treatment was found to exist in watermelon fruit. Although no promotion of α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs on the growth of watermelon plants was occurred, our results showed that both α- and γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs could enter plant roots and translocate upwards to other tissues. Our finds will provide data for the future applications of iron-containing nanomaterials in agricultural production. Graphical Abstract

The collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana, MG, in 2015 resulted in the overflow of more than 50 million m³ of mud containing mine tailings, leaving a path of destruction and immeasurable social and environmental consequences. Tailings’ chemical and physical assessments revealed the presence of some elements at levels higher than those allowed by Brazilian guidelines. The tailings also showed high density, which restricts vegetation recovery. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effects of mud containing mine tailings from the Fundão dam on the germination and initial growth and development of three plant species: millet, maize, and sorghum. These species were cultivated on substrates with five tailings proportions: 0 T (100% sand), 25 T (25% tailings + 75% sand); 50 T (50% tailings + 50% sand); 75 T (75% tailings + 25% sand); and 100 T (100% tailings). In experiment I, the germination and initial growth of seedlings (plants with 1 or none fully expanded leaf) in these substrates were evaluated. In experiment II, growth parameters, photosynthetic efficiency (gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence), metal accumulation, and plant root morphology of the same species were evaluated at the three fully expanded leaves vegetative stage (V3). Overall, the germination of seedlings and the initial growth of the three species analyzed were not affected by the presence of tailings. However, in plants at the V3 stage, morphophysiology variations differed among species, given that their growth, biomass accumulation, and root dynamics were altered. Proportions of tailings in the substrate did not influence the absorption of iron or manganese by the studied plants. At the V3 stage, maize was the most tolerant, with a more robust root system, and showed fewer morphological changes and greater water use efficiency than the other studied species.

With the extensive mining of vanadium (V) ore, much attention has been focused on soil V pollution and its hazards. This study was conducted to investigate the adsorption-desorption properties of V on silica under various conditions, such as initial vanadate (V(V)) concentration, reaction time, pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to describe the adsorption of V(V) on silica and the results indicate that the adsorption was mainly monolayer adsorption. The kinetic studies show that the mechanisms of V adsorption on and desorption from silica were different from one another. The main adsorption-desorption-controlling step was chemical reaction, whereas V adsorption on silica also involved the diffusion. The adsorption-desorption procedure was highly dependent on the initial V(V) concentration and solution pH. Adsorption of V(V) increased with an increase in initial concentration and the maximum adsorption capacity was observed at solution pH 3.0–5.0. At 29.1 mg L⁻¹ initial V(V), and silica dosage 36.4 g L⁻¹ at 25 °C, the adsorption amount reached maximum of 82.7 mg kg⁻¹ and the corresponding desorption rate was 5.44%. Therefore, silica is an effective adsorbent which can fix V in the soil.

The Cu/TiO₂ catalysts with the addition of Eu were developed by the sol-gel way for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOₓ by NH₃. Activity tests revealed that CuEu/TiO₂-0.15 catalyst showed the optimal de-NOₓ performance in a wide temperature range (150–300 °C), along with an admirable SO₂ tolerance. According to characterization analysis, the relationship between the NH₃-SCR performance and physicochemical characters of samples was explored. The adjunction of Eu on Cu/TiO₂ catalyst can contribute to the formation of a large amount of Cu²⁺, adsorbed oxygen, and acid sites on the catalyst surface. Moreover, the Eu addition on Cu/TiO₂ is favorable to the generation of activated NOₓ and NH₃ substances adsorbed on the catalyst surface, which would conduce to the NH₃-SCR process by Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism effectively.

Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999–2016 were used to investigate variabilities in serum cotinine levels for US adult smokers (N = 8951) and nonsmokers (N = 28,205) aged ≥ 20 years across the stages of glomerular function (GF). Those with serum cotinine levels < 3.3 ng/mL and did not report using any tobacco products during the last 5 days were classified as nonsmokers. Those with serum cotinine levels ≥ 3.3 ng/mL and reported using cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and/or water pipes with or without using e-cigarettes and/or smokeless tobacco products during the last 5 days were classified as nonsmokers. Those who had eGFR > 90 mL/min/1.73 m² were classified to be in GF stage 1 or GF-1, those with 60 ≤ eGFR ≤ 90 mL/min/1.73 m² were classified to be in GF-2, those with 45 ≤ eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² were classified to be in GF-3A, and those with 15 ≤ eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m² were classified to be in GF-3B/4. Among nonsmokers, except for females and non-Hispanic blacks, adjusted levels of serum cotinine (AGM) decreased relatively sharply from GF-1 to GF-2, stayed relatively stable at GF-2 and GF-3A, and then rose moderately to GF-3B/4. For example, for non-Hispanic whites, AGMs were 0.042, 0.033, 0.031, and 0.037 ng/mL at GF-1, GF-2, GF-3A, and GF-3B/4 respectively. Among smokers, except for females and non-Hispanic blacks, AGMs increased relatively sharply from GF-1 to GF-2 and then decreased from GF-2 to GF-3/4. For example, for males, AGMs were 151.9, 192.0, and 162.9 ng/mL at GF-1, GF-2, and GF-3/4 respectively. AGMs for male smokers were lower than for female smokers at GF-3/4 (162.9 vs. 197.2 ng/mL, p < 0.01). The order of AGMs by race/ethnicity was non-Hispanic blacks > non-Hispanic whites > Hispanics and others at every GF stage. AGMs at GF-3/4 were higher than AGMs at GF-1 for smokers.