Comparative analysis of microbiological indicators (heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria) in bottom sediments and biochemical parameters (level of oxidized proteins (OP) and lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities) in hepatopancreas of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) from three Sevastopol bays - Laspi, Kazach’ya, Streletskaya (the Black Sea) was carried out. The results obtained allowed to identify certain differences between the studied areas and characterize their ecological state. The maximum abundance of heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria was found in the most polluted Streletskaya Bay (95,000 and 250 cells/g respectively), the minimum - in the conventionally pure Laspi Bay (2,500 and 1.5 cells/g respectively). Parameters of prooxidant-antioxidant system (level of OP and LPO, SOD and CAT activities), as well as ALT activity in the hepatopancreas of mussels from Streletskaya Bay were found higher as compared to those in other tested areas. Most significant differences (more than twofold) in SOD activity, LPO content and basic ketone forms of OP levels were found between Laspi and Streletskaya bays. The results obtained indicate the severe pollution and less favorable living conditions for aquatic organisms in Streletskaya Bay, as well as demonstrate the high level of biochemical adaptation of mussels to complex environmental pollution. The studied parameters can be applied in the ecological monitoring of the coastal sea water areas.

Improper management of wet waste in cities located in temperate, humid regions with abundant rainfall leads to the production and spread of leachate across ecosystems. This not only pollutes soil and surface water but also contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, negatively impacting both ecosystem and human health. Effective waste management can transform these wastes into valuable products, such as fertilizer and biogas, while also preventing environmental damage. In this study, we focus on a region with moderate weather conditions, which offers the potential for efficient waste management at a reasonable cost. By evaluating various technologies and methods, as well as considering global implementation approaches, anaerobic digestion emerges as a more suitable solution for waste management compared to conventional methods like burying and burning. Apart from waste reduction, anaerobic digestion offers several advantages, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, prevention of soil, air, and water pollution, decreased toxicity and heavy metal contamination, and eradication of pathogenic organisms. Numerous types of digesters have been developed to date, and factors such as geographical location, substrate availability, construction materials, climatic conditions, cost and capital requirements, and energy consumption influence the design of these digesters. In this study, we estimate the design, construction, and management of a small-scale digester for a town with a population of 2000 people. By providing reliable information, this research aims to assist executive officials of towns and villages in establishing such units within their communities, promoting sustainable rural development.

This paper explores long-run and causal effects of financial development, real growth, urbanization, gross capital formation and energy consumption on CO2 emissions in Thailand by utilizing recent econometric techniques. The study employs ARDL technique to examine the long and short run interconnection between CO2 emissions and the regressors. Furthermore, we employ the FMOLS, DOLS and CCR as a robustness check to the ARDL long-run estimator. The study use time-series data spanning from 1971 to 2016. The study also utilizes the wavelet coherence technique to collect information on the association and causal interrelationship among these economic variables at different frequencies and timeframes in Thailand. The study objectives are structured to answer the following questions: (a) does the selected macroeconomic indicators impact CO2 emissions in Thailand? (b) if so, why? Findings reveal; (i) Negative and insignificant link between CO2 emissions and urbanization. (ii) GDP growth affects CO2 emissions positively. (iii) The interconnection between CO2 emissions and energy usage is positive. (iv) Gross capital formation impact CO2 emissions positively. (v) Positive interconnection exists between financial development and CO2 emissions in Thailand. Additionally, the wavelet coherence result provides a supportive evidence for the ARDL long run result. Based on these findings, policy directions were suggested.

Evidence of the health impact of air pollution in Morocco is scarce. We aimed to test our hypothesis that exposure to air pollutants has a significant impact on the health of Moroccans. For this systematic review, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, LILACS, and ProQuest databases, Google Scholar, and forward and backward citations for studies published between the database inception and August 16, 2022. All studies and reports that measure air quality in Morocco and its health impact were included, without language restrictions. This study is registered on PROSPERO under number CRD42020163948. Studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria rather than their methods. The data was extracted, coded, and prepared for future examination. After that, descriptive and thematic analyses were carried out. Of 1230 records identified, 31 were eligible, all of which had annual air pollutant concentrations in excess of WHO Air Quality Guidelines. The health impact was demonstrated in five studies. The most studied pathologies were asthma, respiratory and cardiac infections in children under 12 years and adults. In addition to heavy metals, the most investigated pollutants were PM10, O3, SO2, and NOx. The significant association between exposure to air pollutants and health in the Moroccan population has been demonstrated, even if it is not causal. Future research should quantify the health impact of pollution in other Moroccan cities.

High levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in the food and their adverse effects on human health are of increasing concern. Since milk is one of the most essential human nutritional resources, the present study aims at determining dioxins and PCBs in raw milk samples from four farms in North of Iran and raw and pasteurized samples from three farms and five dairy factories in Vicinity of Tehran (capital of Iran). Total toxic equivalence (TEQ) of dioxin and PCBs have been determined, using the DR-CALUX® bioassay. Results reveal that all samples are contaminated with dioxins and PCBs, comparatively. The total dioxins and PCBs levels in raw milk samples from the north range from 4.08 to 0.97 pg/gfat and for the raw samples and pasteurized samples from Tehran Province from 1.89 to 0.63 pg/gfat and 0.1 to 0.03 pg/gfat, respectively. The mean concentration of dioxins/PCBs is higher in samples from the north of Iran. This may be because of the common method of removing domestic and agricultural disposal in this area.

The increased consumption of fossil fuels provokes high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which give rise to serious environmental issues. Accordingly, designing and utilizing new classes of materials, such as Schiff bases, to capture CO2 gained significant attention from researchers worldwide. In the present work, two Schiff bases were synthesized and examined as storage materials for carbon dioxide gas. The prepared compounds were obtained by reacting trimethoprim with two aldehydes severally (benzaldehyde and parabromobenzaldehyde) in boiling methanol. The surface morphology of the compounds was investigated via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) test showed that Schiff bases 1 and 2 have surface areas of 17.993 and 2.732 m2/g, pore volumes of 0.008 and 0.005 cm3/g, and pore diameters of 17.02 and 74.89 nm, respectively. Reasonable uptake values of CO2 (31.36 cm3/g, 6.2 wt%) and (25.30 cm3/g, 5.0 wt%) were achieved by the prepared Schiff bases 1 and 2, respectively, at 313 K temperature and 40 bars pressure.

Though, the attention of researchers on exploring the impact of economic policy uncertainty on carbon emissions is on increase, however, the impact of different types of economic policy uncertainty remains unexplored. Thus, this study investigates the impact of different types of economic policy uncertainty on carbon emissions in Japan. A monthly data from 1987M1 to 2019M12 was used, while the FMOLS, DOLS, CCR and ARDL estimators were employed for examining the cointegration among the variables, as well as the long- and short-run relationship between types of economic policy uncertainty and carbon emissions. The study findings revealed a long-run cointegration among energy consumption, per capita income, fiscal, exchange rate, monetary, and trade policy uncertainties and carbon emissions. Moreover, this study found energy consumption, exchange rate, monetary, and trade policy uncertainties to contribute significantly to the increase of carbon emissions in Japan. Finally, this study suggests that environmental policy makers in Japan should take into account the economic policy uncertainty so as to promote robust information for climate policy that will be targeted at ameliorating the carbon emissions in Japan.

Qualitative status of the environment is signaled by a group of indicators, known as bioindicators, several of which are responsible for showing progressive impacts of different types of pollutants. Having addressed the influence of various bioindicators in environmental pollution, it has been revealed that bioindicators are sensitive to any disturbance in any environment. With regards to the pollution, the quality of an ecosystem can be judged by an organism, which is actually an indicator and play a key role in monitoring its changes. A reliable and cost effective way to evaluate the changes in the environment is possible by means of indicator species as ecological indicators, yet selecting a specific indicator poses a real challenge, followed by its identification as well as relation among indicators and their particular applications. As a result, environmental, ecological, and biodiversity indicators fulfill their goal of monitoring environmental quality. The current situation requires cost effective bioindicators along with their reliability to detect and mitigate the impacts of pollution in our environment.

Monitoring plastic ingestion by marine wildlife is important for both characterizing the extent of plastic pollution in the environment and understanding its effect on species and ecosystems. Current methods to detect plastic in the digestive system of animals are slow and invasive, such that the number of animals that can be screened is limited. In this article, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is investigated as a possible technology to perform rapid, non-invasive detection of plastic ingestion. Standard MRI methods were able to directly measure one type of plastic in a fulmar stomach and another type was able to be indirectly detected. In addition to MRI, other standard nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were made. Different types of plastic were tested, and distinctive NMR signal characteristics were found in common for each type, allowing them to be distin- guished from one another. The NMR results indicate specialized MRI sequences could be used to directly image several types of plastic. Although current commercial MRI technology is not suitable for field use, existing single- sided MRI research systems could be adapted for use outside the laboratory and become an important tool for future monitoring of wild animals. | publishedVersion

The northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis ingests a larger number of (micro)plastics than many other seabirds due to its feeding habits and gut morphology. Since 2002, they are bioindicators of marine plastics in the North Sea region, and data are needed to extend the programme to other parts of their distribution areas, such as the Arctic. In this study, we provide data on ingested plastics by fulmars collected in 1997 in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. An extraction protocol with KOH was used and for half of the birds, the gizzard and the proventricular contents were analysed separately. Ninety-one percent of the birds had ingested at least one piece of plastic with an average of 10.3 (±11.9 SD) pieces. The gizzards contained significantly more plastics than the proventriculus. Hard fragments and polyethylene were the most common characteristics. Twelve percent of the birds exceeded the EcoQO value of 0.1 g. | publishedVersion