Water-induced erosion poses severe harm to the sustainable development of land and water resources that is essential for attaining agricultural sustainability in Qareaghaj catchment of Fars Province, Iran. This study evaluates the topo-hydrological, morphometric, climatic, and environmental characteristics of Qareaghaj catchment for prioritizing the sub-watersheds that are susceptible to erosion caused by water. We tested and compared a novel ensemble multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model, namely the weighted aggregated sum product assessment-analytical hierarchy process (WASPAS-AHP) with prevailing benchmark ensemble MCDM models including VlseKriterijumska optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR)-AHP and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)-AHP for ranking sub-watersheds and determining the most significant parameter that influences water erosion (WE) in Qareaghaj catchment. The outcome of weights using pairwise comparison matrix (PCM) of AHP reveals that normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), mean annual rainfall (MAR), slope degree (SD), and slope length and steepness factor (LS) governs the WE in Qareaghaj catchment. The prioritization rankings of sub-watersheds obtained using the VIKOR-AHP, TOPSIS-AHP, and WASPAS-AHP models demonstrate that SW31, SW63, and SW94 had the highest priority rank with a score of 0.047, 0.69, and 0.477, respectively. The comparison of rankings from the models using Spearman’s correlation coefficient tests (SCCT) and Kendall’s tau correlation coefficient tests (KTCCT) revealed that WASPAS-AHP had a higher correlation with TOPSIS-AHP and VIKOR-AHP ensemble models. The outcome of MCDM models was validated based on the erosion potential method (EPM), which displayed that the VIKOR-AHP model was better for mapping the erosion susceptibility than TOPSIS-AHP and WASPAS-AHP models. Thus, the erosion susceptibility mapping based on the VIKOR-AHP ensemble model can be considered for developing new strategies and land use policies in order to control WE in Qareaghaj catchment.

Environment and social life are open to hazards, because of the distribution, diffusion, and conversion processes of chemicals contained in hazardous materials. These chemicals are very dangerous. Various precautions should be taken into consideration during the displacement of hazardous materials. Therefore, it is important to identify and minimize the risks in the transportation of hazardous material. This work investigates to identify the critical risk factors and their weights for hazardous material transportation operations. The literature is reviewed, critical risk factors for hazardous material transportation are defined, and data from different experts is collected. A two-level hierarchical structure is established to evaluate risk factors. Then, the experts’ evaluations of main and sub-risk factors are consolidated using the modified Delphi method. Weights of main and sub-risk factors are obtained using the Pythagorean fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method. To show the robustness of the proposed decision-making methodology, a sensitivity analysis is conducted.

Among the environmental pollution elements, one of the most important problems of the world today, air pollution and heavy metal pollution that have gradually increased after the industrial activities, are of significant importance. Heavy metals are not easily dissolved in nature. Moreover, they tend to bioaccumulate in living organisms, and some of them have a toxic or carcinogenic effect even at low concentrations. For this reason, it is crucial to monitor the heavy metal concentration in the air and monitor the changes. One of the efficient methods in observing the change of heavy metal concentrations in the air is the use of annual rings of trees as a biomonitor. The present study aimed to determine the annual change of Ni and Co concentrations, which are among the heavy metals related to traffic volume at most, in annual rings of Cedrus atlantica harvested in Kastamonu in late 2019. Within the scope of this study, the heavy metal concentrations in the inner and outer bark were compared to the heavy metal concentration in wood and the change of concentration in terms of direction was also analyzed. As a result of the present study, the highest concentrations in both heavy metals were found in the outer bark, whereas the transmission of metals within the wood was limited. It was found that Ni concentration significantly changed directionally in woods, and this change was related to the traffic volume. Thus, it was concluded that the annual rings of Cedrus atlantica were very suitable biomonitors to monitor Ni concentration change.

Fluorine (F) is widely distributed in soils and is not an essential element for the normal growth of a plant, but in higher concentrations, it is toxic. However, the environmental toxicity of F in soils is still controversial. A pot experiment of broad bean and maize under the exposure to F was performed to elucidate F phytotoxicity and the response of the microbial community in soils. Six different levels (0, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg kg–¹) of sodium fluoride were spiked into the soil. The results revealed that the height of stem and root decreased with increasing concentration of F. Germination rate and fresh weight showed no difference in different treatments. At the treatment of 1000 mg kg⁻¹ F, the degradation rates of pigments were 30.6%, 42.9%, and 35.7% for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophylls compared with control, respectively. All treatments showed a higher level of F accumulation in root than that in stem and leaf, and stem had a minimum F accumulation. Proteobacteria was the dominant species in bacteria and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria declined significantly with F exposure. Moreover, the number of microbial species both in bacteria and fungus was reduced for the increase of F. In general, our results revealed that high concentrations of F inhibited the growth of broad bean and maize but without visual symptom. The effect of fluorine on broad bean and maize is clarified in the present study which is instructive for agricultural safety.

Refractory organic pollutants in tail water of dyeing wastewater treatment have aroused wide concern. Their efficient and cost-effective removal reduced their threat to public health and ecosystem. Herein, a novel short-cut photocatalysis/algal degradation-based hybrid technology was implemented in efficient removal of methylene blue (MB) in simulated tail water using reliable titanium dioxide and common Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and the mechanisms in processes were emphasized. The treatment efficiency was significantly improved via pretreatment before chemical and biological degradation. MB of 79.71% was concentrated as the adsorption of the modified titanium dioxide and the collection of titanium dioxide by inorganic coagulant. The supernatant with low concentration of MB after coagulation was able to be directly treated by Chlorella pyrenoidosa. MB of 93.7% was degraded and transformed to intermediates in short-cut photocatalysis under visible light in 1 h. The intermediates owning the low biological inhibition were easily further degraded by Chlorella pyrenoidosa in 6 days. Mechanism analysis implied that the modified titanium dioxide was not simple monolayer adsorption, and physical adsorption was dominant. The coagulant played an essential role of charge neutralization in collection of the modified titanium dioxide. The removal of photocatalytic intermediates was divided to fast adsorption of Chlorella pyrenoidosa, low desorption in lag period of algae, and gradual biodegradation that accompanied with the increase of algal cell quantity.

The present study has been conducted to evaluate the potential threat of NiO nanoparticles (NiO NPs) on an edible fish Heteropneustes fossilis. Fishes selected for the study were exposed to four concentrations of NiO NPs (12, 24, 36 and 48 mg/l) for the period of 14 days, and various haematological, biochemical and enzymological changes in the exposed fishes were examined. Results revealed that maximum fluctuations were seen in 48-mg/l-exposed fishes when compared with the control in terms of the haematological parameters (RBC count, WBC count, Hb content, Ht% and O₂ carrying capacity of blood), enzymatic activities (AST, ALP, ALT and LDH) and biochemical parameters (level of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, bilirubin and creatinine). However, 12 mg/l treatment to the fishes showed its least impact on aforesaid parameters. Furthermore, Ni accumulation and changes in cortisol level in the blood were also noticed in all the treated fishes. Structural changes, such as membrane and nuclear disintegration, micronucleus, deformed and vacuolated cells, and enucleation were also observed in RBCs of NiO NP–treated fishes. Conclusively, our study provides useful information and insight for the possible ecotoxicity of NiO NPs on aquatic organisms and emphasizes upon the importance of treatment of effluents containing nanoparticles before their release into the aquatic system.

The selected 16 high-priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were characterized in PM₂.₅ in the indoor and outdoor air samples collected at the urban slum and rural sites in the Central East India. At the urban slum site, the indoor and outdoor concentrations of PAHs were 466.03± 11.94 ng/m³ and 321.71± 34.87 ng/m³, respectively. At the rural location, the indoor and outdoor concentrations were 294.85± 20.53 ng/m³ and 241.74± 29.04 ng/m³, respectively. Three-four and five-ring PAHs were found to be dominant in both urban slum and rural sites. Diagnostic ratio (DR) analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) conclude that diesel exhaust, gasoline, biomass, and coal combustion were the significant sources of 16 PAHs in indoor and outdoor environments, the urban slum and rural sites. Lifetime average daily dose (LADD) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values were calculated for health risk assessment for 6-year-old children and 24-year-old adults. The ELCR values in the urban slum site and the rural location were calculated 43.24 × 10⁻⁶ and 28.3 × 10⁻⁶. The ELCR values were observed between the acceptable limit 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁴ given by regulatory agency USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (1989).

Deltamethrin (DM) is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide commonly used in veterinary and agriculture. However, both animal and human exposure are associated with hepatorenal toxicity. Our experimental goal was to assess the protective effects of Spirulina platensis (SP) against DM-induced hepatorenal injury, growth performance, meat chemical composition, and its residues in meat, liver, and skin of broiler chickens. Sixty 1-day-old Cobb broiler chicks were assigned to 4 experimental groups; each was divided into 3 replicates with five chicks each; the 1st group received basal diet alone (control), 2nd group supplemented with SP 20 g/kg diet, 3rd group supplemented with DM 300 mg/kg diet, and 4th group supplemented with DM and SP diet. All groups have received the treatment for 35 days. DM, decreased body weight, weight gain, and increased feed conversion rate. DM showed a significant increase in ALT, AST, urea, creatinine, and MDA and a significant decrease in SOD, and GSH levels. Also, SP significantly reduced DM levels in meat, skin, and liver with a reduction 63.01, 63.00, and 62.90 %, respectively. The DM intoxicated group showed a significant decrease in protein and a marked increase in fat, cholesterol, and triglycerides when compared to the control group. Histopathological changes were also recorded. Dietary SP improved these parameters. Dietary inclusion of SP can be recommended due to the protective effects on DM-induced toxicity in broiler chickens.

Pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widespread environmental pollutant gaining attention as it is highly injurious to aquatic life. Although the toxicity of CPF is well characterized, but the mechanism of toxic response especially, the hepatotoxicity remained unclear. In this study, we performed integrated analysis, including micro-RNA (miRNA) and small RNA (sRNA) to analyze CPF exposure responding genes and enrichment pathways. A total of 23,742 expressed genes were detected and out of these expression levels of 1746 were changed significantly. Majority of them participated in protein biosynthesis, nucleotide binding, and oxidation-reduction activities. In extensive analysis of micro-RNA (miRNA) expression profiles by comparing CPF treated carp with control, we identified 214 novel miRNAs with CPM > 5 in at least one sample. The miRNAs have the same change in direction compared with overlapped mRNA pairs in upregulated genes, suggesting potential positive correlation. As a whole, we detected many differently expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs, which may be used as the biomarkers for the detection of CPF pollution in water and aquatic product safety. However, their functions are required to be deeply analyzed, especially more samples or time pointed data are needed to illustrate their concrete mechanism.

The occurrence and infestations of chlorine-resistant invertebrates in drinking water distributions have attracted concerns on water quality in China, making effective deactivation imperative. This study presents a novel strategy for nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) deactivation using peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/UV-C. The results indicated that 100% deactivation efficiency was obtained under optimal conditions. An acidic pH and 0.25 mg/L Fe(II) were beneficial to the PMS/UV-C-triggered deactivation of nematodes. A mechanism study demonstrated that [Formula: see text] was activated by UV-C to produce ·OH and [Formula: see text], which resulted in oxidative stress and stimulated the occurrence of cell apoptosis, leading to nematode deactivation. The results reveal PMS/UV-C as an alternative to chlorination in water treatment plants (WTP) or an emergency application when chlorine-resistant invertebrates breed in a second-supply water tank is a promising strategy for disinfection. This approach possessed the advantages of avoiding the production of chlorine disinfection by-products (DBP) and greater efficacy of nematode deactivation. This work will provide ideas for on-going research efforts into chlorine-resistant invertebrate deactivation and eventually achieve the direct drinking of municipal tap water.