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Environ Monit Assess 2019 Feb 16;191(3):163. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Surveying Engineering, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran.

In this study, artificial neural networks (ANNs) including feed forward back propagation neural network (FFBP-NN) and the radial basis function neural network (RBF-NN) were applied to predict daily sewage sludge quantity in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Daily datasets of sewage sludge have been used to develop the artificial intelligence models. Six mother wavelet (W) functions were employed as a preprocessor in order to increase accuracy level of ANNs. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2019 Feb 16;191(3):166. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Royal Scientific Society, Amman, Jordan.

Pollutants released to the Zarqa River have been identified, quantified, and linked to their sources. The methodology included field observation of the river, collection of available quality data, literature review, and grab sampling. Identified pollution sources to the Zarqa River are wastewater treatment plants, overflow of wastewater pumping stations, and leaks from sewer lines and manholes that pass through the riverbed, in addition to industrial, commercial, domestic, and agricultural activities along the river course. Read More

J Insect Sci 2019 Jan;19(1)

Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, is a pest of snap bean and lima bean in the eastern United States. This pest is susceptible to many insecticides available to conventional growers; however, organic management using parasitoid releases and organic insecticides have inconsistent results. In the interest of developing cultural management techniques such as trap crops or push-pull systems, five bean cultivars were evaluated for preferential host selection by E. Read More

J Anim Sci 2019 Feb 17. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

USDA-ARS, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT.

Larkspur (Delphinium spp.) poisoning is a long-term problem for cattle grazing on rangelands of western North America. Results from preliminary experiments have suggested that differences in larkspur toxicity may exist between heifers and bulls. Read More

J Anim Sci 2019 Feb 17. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

USDA-ARS, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT 84341.

Cattle losses from larkspur (Delphinium spp.) toxicity are a long-term challenge on the rangelands of western North America. In addition to animal factors that affect livestock poisonings, plant alkaloid composition (chemotype) affects the intoxication of cattle because some chemotypes are significantly more toxic. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):223-230

Dept. of Botany, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan.

The final quality of pharmaceutically active herbal preparation is significantly contributed by extraction procedures. Hence in the last decade Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) has been introduced. This is an efficient and modern tool with multiple benefits as compared to the traditional methods of extraction. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):217-220

International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.

Millettia ovalifolia is traditionally used in variety of diseases including inflammation. In our investigation in to the phytochemical constituents of Millettia ovalifolia an effort was made to find out bioactive constituent from medicinal Plant M. ovalifolia to scientifically validate its use in inflammatory disorders. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):205-212

Department of Statistics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Synthetic drugs are associated with adverse side-effects and rapid increase in resistance to most of them inspires to evaluate plants for their therapeutic values. We have been aimed to suggest the medicinal use of Nigella sativa seed aqueous extract to minimize the severity of liver damage via its antioxidant properties and its role in maintenance of cell ion-homeostasis. Annoyances in serum levels of some antioxidants and trace metals in human hepatitis C infected patients were compared with that from acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxic rabbits. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):165-169

Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.

Cananga odorata (Lamk.) Hook. f. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):153-163

Pharmacognosy Department, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It was deemed of interest to investigate Antidesm bunius aerial parts from phytochemical and biological points of view due to limited previous studies. Isolation and identification of phenolic compounds and evaluation of the potential antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of A. bunius aerial parts was investigated. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):143-152

Department of Zoology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

The efficacy of Chrozophora plicata and Trianthema portuclacastrum extracts was investigated against Trogoderma granarium at 10%, 20% and 30% concentrations and 2, 4 and 6 days of exposure periods. It was found that T. portuclacastrum extract caused significantly higher larval mortality (37. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):95-102

Department of Chemistry, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan.

The antioxidant potential of leaf, stem, root and flower extracts of Quisqualis indica Linn. was assessed to verify its ethnopharmacological importance. Both polar and non-polar solvents like n-hexane, chloroform, ethanol and distilled water were used to obtain crude extracts. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):21-28

Department of Marine Toxinology, The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.

Burn injury is one of the most destructive events in the world. The Pergularia tomentosa L. is a medicinal plant that traditionally, applies for treatment of burning, in Bushehr province, Iran. Read More

Pak J Pharm Sci 2019 Jan;32(1):7-13

Institute of Pharmacy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Present study was planned to estimate the gastroprotective activity of Euphorbia prostrata plant against aspirin induced gastric ulcers in male adult albino rabbits. The ulcer was induced by oral administration of aspirin in all groups except normal control group. Gastric contents were used to estimate total acid output, gastric volume and gastric pH. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 14;236:746-754. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Microbiology, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

A total of three bacteria isolated from activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant were found to reduce selenite to elemental selenium nanoparticles as both amorphous nanospheres and monoclinic nanocrystals. The three isolated strains, which are potential candidates for bioremediation of selenite-contaminated water sources, were designated as Citrobacter sp. NVK-2, Providencia sp. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 14;236:687-694. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address:

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an alternative fumigant to methyl bromide that was phased out globally due to its stratospheric ozone-depleting properties. Covering the surface of the soil with a plastic tarpaulin or 'barrier film' when using a soil fumigant is typically used to retain fumigants in the soil and to reduce emissions. Emission levels depend on the film's permeability, which varies mainly according to the film's material, the type of fumigant and the environmental conditions. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 14;236:674-686. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Tietotie 4, FI-31600, Jokioinen, Finland.

During the past twenty years, the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) have introduced a range of measures to reduce losses of nitrogen (N) to air and to aquatic environment by leaching and runoff. However, the agricultural sector is still an important N source to the environment, and projections indicate relatively small emission reductions in the coming years. The four Nordic countries have different priorities and strategies regarding agricultural N flows and mitigation measures, and therefore they are facing different challenges and barriers. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 14;236:657-666. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Power Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15/2172, 708 33, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic. Electronic address:

The minimization of landfill deposition of waste containing biological components represents a big problem, especially in built-up residential areas. The main problem of biologically degradable municipal waste is the quantity and composition of household waste which can have an important influence on decomposition processes already in collecting vessels. An amount of household waste produced in residential areas in the Czech Republic varies from 31 to 337 g/person/day, with an average value of 250 g. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Feb 14;173:235-242. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), the Ministry of Education, China; College of Life Science, Guangxi Normal University, 541004 Guilin, China. Electronic address:

The effects of water-extractable Mn concentration, bioaccumulation factor (BAF), translocation factor (TF), and Mn uptake by Polygonum pubescens Blume cultured in the unexplored soil, mining soil and tailing soil from the Pingle Mn mine in China were quantified in a pot experiment to determine the effects of EDTA exposure on the success of phytoremediation. The results showed that EDTA significantly (P < 0.05) increased the water-extractable Mn concentration, and soils with different amounts of artificial disturbances had different responses to EDTA exposure. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Feb 14;173:214-224. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China.

The enrichment of Cadmium in vegetables is threatening human health. The study aimed to screen Cd low-enriched leafy vegetables and explore whether antioxidative enzymes and heavy metal chelators are synergistic defensive mechanisms. In this paper, the Cd accumulation and translocation of garland chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium L. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Feb 14;173:203-213. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

According to the novel weapons hypothesis, root exudates are the inhibition factors for native species growth and development through invasive plants. It is hypothesized that antioxidant system (AOS) presents an effective role in plant defense system. The allelopathy indexes of P. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Feb 14;173:192-202. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address:

Bisphenol S (BPS) has been introduced into the industry as a safer alternative to bisphenol A (BPA). The distribution of BPS has recently become an important issue worldwide, but investigations on the toxicity and mechanisms of BPS remain limited. A review of the literature reveals that BPS has widespread presence in environmental media, such as indoor dust, surface water, sediments, and sewage sludge. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Feb 14;173:182-191. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan. Electronic address:

Since Ni-rich soils are a threat to the environment, growing edible crops on Ni-rich soils can pose a serious risk to human, animal, plant and ecosystem health and, hence, is considered as a challenging task for the researchers. Contrarily, limiting the bioavailability of Ni in such soils upon the addition of suitable amendments cum foliar spray of proteinogenic amino acids having an objective to alleviate stress to crop plants can considerably reduce the environmental risk. In this pot trail, we substantiate the effects of biochar (BR) and zeolite (ZL) addition in the soil along with proline (PN) spray on the resistance, and stress responses of wheat against Ni as well as on Ni translocation and accumulation in wheat plants grown on a Ni-rich soil contaminated by electroplating effluent. Read More

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2019 Jan 30;93:61-69. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus off Roosevelt Drive, OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Alginate microbeads are extensively used in tissue engineering as microcarriers and cell encapsulation vessels. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) based indentation using 20 µm colloidal probes to assess the local reduced elastic modulus (E * ) using a novel method to detect the contact point based on the principle of virtual work, to measure microbead mechanical stability under cell culture conditions for 2 weeks. The bead diameter and swelling were assessed in parallel. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2019 Feb 11;369:79-86. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Prague, Czech Republic.

An experiment was established to compare composting and vermicomposting for decreasing the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biomass fly ash incorporated into organic waste mixtures. PAH removal from the ash-organic waste mixture was compared to the same mixture spiked with PAHs. The removal of 16 individual ash PAHs ranged between 28. Read More

Bioresour Technol 2019 Feb 4;280:199-212. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.

Orthogonal tests were performed to assess the effect of design parameters on hydraulic and treatment performances of constructed wetlands. The results showed that water depth, layout of in- and outlet, flow rate, and aspect ratio mainly affected hydraulic performance, and water depth, plant spacing, and layout of in- and outlet mainly affected treatment performance. Optimal integrated performance was achieved with combination of 20-30 cm water depth, five evenly distributed inlets and one middle outlet, a flow rate of 0. Read More

J Environ Radioact 2019 Feb 14;202:8-24. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Department of Biophysics, Gagarin St. 23, Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia. Electronic address:

The study of effects of ionizing radiation (IR) on plants is important in relation to several problems: (I) the existence of zones where background radiation - either natural or technogenic - is increased; (II) the problems of space biology; (III) the use of IR in agricultural selection; (IV) general biological problems related to the fundamental patterns and specifics of the effects of IR on various living organisms. By now, researchers have accumulated and systematized a large body of data on the effects of IR on the growth and reproduction of plants, as well as on the changes induced by IR at the genetic level. At the same time, there is a large gap in understanding the mechanisms of IR influence on the biochemical and physiological processes - despite the fact that these processes form the basis determining the manifestation of IR effects at the level of the whole organism. Read More

Plant Physiol Biochem 2019 Feb 11;137:121-129. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Biology & LAQV-REQUIMTE-UP, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.

The interaction of lead (Pb) with plant hormonal balance and oxidative stress remains under discussion. To evaluate how Pb induces oxidative stress, and modulates the antioxidant enzymes and the phytohormones pool, four-week old Pisum sativum plants were exposed during 28 days to 10, 100 and 500 mg kg Pb in soil. In comparison to leaves, roots showed higher Pb accumulation, oxidative damages and changes in phytohormone pools. Read More

Plant Physiol Biochem 2019 Feb 8;137:113-120. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address:

The tropical forage grass Brachiaria humidicola (Bh) controls soil microbial nitrification via biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). The aim of our study was to verify if nitrate reductase activity (NRA) in Bh roots or leaves reflects in vivo performance of BNI in soils. NRA was measured in roots and leaves of contrasting accessions and apomictic hybrids of Bh grown under controlled greenhouse and natural field conditions. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 8;665:91-99. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address:

Animal manure contains various organic contaminants such as steroids. The fate of these steroids during composting is still unknown. Here we investigated the fate of androgens, progestogens, and glucocorticoids during animal manure composting and evaluated their residues in compost-applied soils. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 6;665:196-212. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic compounds, composed of benzene rings. The objective of this research was to identify the optimum condition for the degradation of PAHs contaminated water using photo-Fenton oxidation process via response surface methodology (RSM). Aqueous solution was prepared and potable water samples were collected from water treatment plants in Perak Tengah, Perak, Malaysia in September 2016. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 4;665:18-22. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Botánica, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address:

Humans and wildfires have historically driven landscape structure in the Mediterranean basin. The Iberian Peninsula is not an exception to that rule, and therefore, farmers, researchers, and governments seek alternative tools to minimize the loss of biodiversity and wildfire risks. Extensive livestock including beef cattle is currently promoted as a suitable management tool by European agro-environmental policies yet pieces of evidence exist regarding the reciprocal effects between cows and Mediterranean woody vegetation. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 8;665:107-112. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) is the most effective energy metabolism pathway in higher plants and animals. However, there is no information about its response in plants under environmental stress, especially under polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution. Here, this study is the first to discuss the intermediate and related enzyme changes in TCA cycle in plants. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 8;665:100-106. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Environmental Science and Engineering PhD Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX 79968, USA. Electronic address:

Numerous studies on short term effects of copper-based nanomaterials on plants have been published, however investigations with plants grown in a complex soil medium are lacking. In this study Grey Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) was grown in an environmental growth chamber using a 1:1 (v/v) potting mix native soil mixture amended with Kocide 3000, nCuO, bCuO, or Cu NPs. After 3 weeks Cu concentrations in the root, stem, and leaves of treated plants were significantly higher than control plants. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Institute for Ethnobotany and Zoopharmacognosy (IEZ) Rijksstraatweg 158A | 6573 DG | Beek | the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: There are insufficient safe and effective treatments for chronic pain in pets. In cases such as osteoarthritis there is no commercially available cure and veterinarians use NSAIDs to manage pain. Pet owners may have to plan for a lifetime of plant-based treatment for the conditions that lead to chronic pain in pets. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Laboratory of Chinese Herbal Drug Discovery, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, Guangdong, P.R. China. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn is a vine distributed in southwest area of China and used in folk medicine for treatment of tumors. Recent decades of studies on this plant reveal its synergistic effects with certain anticancer drugs in cancer therapy. Read More

Toxicon 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30123-970, Brazil. Electronic address:

Monofluoroacetate (MFA) is considered one of the most toxic substances known. It is found naturally in plants, and causes sudden death syndrome in ruminants. Due to hyperacute evolution of poisoning and the absence of effective treatment, induction of resistance in animals might be the best tool to control MFA poisoning in ruminants. Read More

Mol Biochem Parasitol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, CP 04360, México. Electronic address:

The nuclear import of proteins in eukaryotic cells is a fundamental biological process. While it has been analysed to different extents in model eukaryotic organisms, this event has rarely been studied in the early divergent protozoa of the order Kinetoplastida. The work presented here represents an overview of nuclear import in these important species of human pathogens. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, University of Mataram, Mataram, 83125, Indonesia. Electronic address:

A recently described species of black fly, Simulium wayani Takaoka and Chen, from the island of Timor was chromosomally mapped to provide insights into its evolutionary and biogeographic history. The morphologically based species status of S. wayani is supported by a suite of fixed chromosomal rearrangements and unique sex chromosomes derived primarily from a large pool of polymorphisms in the S. Read More

Chem Biol Interact 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Farmácia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address:

The indiscriminate use of medicinal plants and herbal medicinal products concomitantly with conventional drugs may result in herb-drug interactions that may lead to fluctuations in drug bioavailability, therapeutic failure, and/or toxic effects. CYP450 enzymes play an important role in drug biotransformation and herb-drug interactions. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and apply Caco-2 cells-based gene reporter assays to study in vitro the potential occurrence of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 gene expression modulation by standardized extracts of selected medicinal plants. Read More

Redox Biol 2019 Feb 7:101136. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Plant Reproductive Biology Laboratory. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, 18008 Granada, Spain. Electronic address:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids present in plant membranes react with reactive oxygen species through so-called lipid oxidation events. They generate great diversity of highly-reactive lipid-derived chemical species, which may be further degraded enzymatically or non-enzymatically originating new components like Reactive Carbonyl Species (RCS). Such RCS are able to selectively react with proteins frequently producing loss of function through lipoxidation reactions. Read More

Trends Plant Sci 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China. Electronic address:

Plant innate immunity plays an important role in regulating symbiotic associations with rhizobia, including during rhizobial infection, rhizobial colonization, and bacteroid differentiation in leguminous plants. Here we propose that an immune signaling pathway similar to plant pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) is required for the regulation of bacteroid differentiation in Medicago truncatula nodules. Read More

Bioorg Med Chem 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China. Electronic address:

A series of 4'-OH flurbiprofen Mannich base derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The biological screening results indicated that most of these derivatives exhibited good multifunctional activities. Among them, compound 8n demonstrated the best inhibitory effects on self-induced Aβ aggregation (65. Read More

Talanta 2019 May 5;197:113-121. Epub 2019 Jan 5.

CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources, Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, PR China. Electronic address:

Tyrosinase is the key enzyme in the treatment of vitiligo. Development of rapid, simple, and visual methods for screening bioactive compounds with tyrosinase activity from natural compounds is interesting for new drug discovery. Herein, a novel visual ratiometric fluorescent assay for screening tyrosinase activators and/or inhibitors based on silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) was explored. Read More

Mar Environ Res 2019 Feb 10. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Desalination Technologies Research Institute, Saline Water Conversion Corporation, PO BOX 8328, Al-Jubail, 31951, Saudi Arabia.

Two opposing views are held about the effects of desalination plants on coastal environments. One view is that brine discharged from desalination plants has minimal impact on the coastal environment. The other opinion claims that discharges from desalination plants pose a potential environmental hazard to coastal environments and particularly to those of the Arabian Gulf. Read More

Environ Pollut 2019 Feb 4;248:57-65. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Control of organic matter, nutrients and disinfection byproduct formation is a major challenge for the drinking water treatment plants on Matsu Islands, Taiwan, receiving source water from the eutrophic reservoirs. A pilot entrapped biomass reactor (EBR) system was installed as the pretreatment process to reduce organic and nitrogen contents into the drinking water treatment plant. The effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and combination of preceding physical treatment (ultraviolet and ultrasound) on the treatment performance were further evaluated. Read More

Environ Pollut 2019 Feb 7;248:10-17. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Environmental Safety Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-daero 989-111, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-353, Republic of Korea.

A source detective system has been developed to estimate unknown source regions and release rates of radionuclides released into the air from covert nuclear activities and accidents. This system is composed of trajectory, atmospheric dispersion, and source term estimation models. Simulated results were compared with the measurements of a field tracer experiment performed at the Yeonggwang nuclear power plant in Korea in May 1996. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 13;236:561-570. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA; Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., 1101 14th Street NW Suite 1200, Washington, DC, 20005-5637, USA.

Wastewater and power utilities in the United States have an enormous opportunity to collaborate on the mutually beneficial uses of reclaimed water. Despite close proximity to wastewater facilities, only a limited number of power plants are currently using municipal reclaimed water for cooling tower and boiler applications. Through a review of the literature, this document aims at creating a more perspicuous understanding of the reuse of reclaimed water for power plant applications, particularly as pertains to those associated with cooling towers and boilers, by highlighting the drivers of current implementation, regulatory issues and treatment goals, and available treatment technologies. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 13;236:534-550. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Escola de Química, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Horacio Macedo, 2030, Bl. E, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address:

Offshore oil/gas productions are power intensive and CO emitters from gas-fired power generation. This work investigates supersonic separator as a strategy for affording post-combustion capture backed up by cost reductions. Conventional offshore gas processing usually loses thermodynamic hydrate inhibitor methanol in processing and exported gas. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Feb 13;236:510-518. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Water Science and Engineering (WSE), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, P. O. Box 3015, 2601DA, Delft, the Netherlands; Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

There is critical concern over heavy metals because they are biotoxins. The best management option is elimination or at least minimization of effluence into the environment, but in several regions, mining wastewater or acid mine drainage (AMD) effluence into natural wetlands has continued. The ability of wetlands to attenuate heavy metals in mining wastewater and AMD has led to natural wetlands being used as recipients of these effluents in many parts of the world. Read More