Spatial and seasonal variations in trace metals in marine sediments from the Dubai coastal environment.

This study was conducted to assess sediment trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) contamination using a systematic approach by collecting sediment samples from 8 transects along the Dubai coastline, each 10 km long, and each transect included its nearshore sediment sampling station. Additionally, 10 sediment samples were collected from the Dubai creek and other potential sources of metal pollution. The sediment samples were collected in December and again in August.

Biodegradation of bisphenol-A in water using a novel strain of Xenophilus sp. embedded onto biochar: Elucidating the influencing factors and degradation pathway.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an emerging hazardous contaminant, which is ubiquitous in the environment and can cause endocrine disruptor and cancer risks. Therefore, biodegradation of BPA is an essential issue to mitigate the associated human health. In this work, a bacterial strain enables of degrading BPA, named BPA-LRH8 (identified as Xenophilus sp.

Predicting the governing factors for the release of colloidal phosphorus using machine learning.

Predicting the parameters that influence colloidal phosphorus (CP) release from soils under different land uses is critical for managing the impact on water quality. Traditional modeling approaches, such as linear regression, may fail to represent the intricate relationships that exist between soil qualities and environmental influences. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the major determinants of CP release from different land use/types such as farmland, desert, forest soils, and rivers.

A comprehensive review on agricultural waste utilization through sustainable conversion techniques, with a focus on the additives effect on the fate of phosphorus and toxic elements during composting process.

The increasing trend of using agricultural wastes follows the concept of "waste to wealth" and is closely related to the themes of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Carbon-neutral technologies for waste management have not been critically reviewed yet. This paper reviews the technological trend of agricultural waste utilization, including composting, thermal conversion, and anaerobic digestion.

A field trial for remediation of multi-metal contaminated soils using the combination of fly ash stabilization and Zanthoxylumbungeanum- Lolium perenne intercropping system.

Insitu stabilization and phytoextraction are considered as two convenient and effective technologies for the remediation of toxic elements (TEs) in soils. However, the effectiveness of these two remediation technologies together on the bioavailability and phytoextraction of TEs in field trials has not been explored yet. Specifically, the remediation potential of fly ash (FA; as stabilizing agent) and ryegrass (as a TE accumulator) intercropped with a target crop for soil polluted with multiple TEs has not been investigated yet, particularly in long-term field trials.

Phytoimmunomodulators: A review of natural modulators for complex immune system.

In the past few decades, the medicinal properties of plants and their effects on the human immune system are being studied extensively. Plants are an incredible source of traditional medicines that help cure various diseases, including altered immune mechanisms and are economical and benign compared to allopathic medicines. Reported data in written documents such as Traditional Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine support the supplementation of botanicals for immune defense reactions in the body and can lead to safe and effective immunity responses.

Methotrexate, an anti-inflammatory drug, inhibits Hepatitis E viral replication.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a positively oriented RNA virus having a 7.2 kb genome. HEV consists of three open reading frames (ORF1-3).

Inhibition of HEV Replication by FDA-Approved RdRp Inhibitors.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is primarily a hepatotropic virus that is responsible for acute hepatitis E in the general population and for chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised individuals. In the absence of a globally accessible vaccine, pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin are the only antiviral agents available for the treatment of chronic patients. As viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) are indispensable for RNA replication, they are considered potential drug targets.

Investigation of the concentration, origin and health effects of PAHs in the Anzali wetland: The most important coastal freshwater wetland of Iran.

This study investigated the concentration of PAHs in 19 water samples, 34 sediment samples and 22 fish samples of Anzali Wetland, located in north of Iran. The average concentration of ∑PAHs in the wetland sediment was 89.19 μg/kg (8.

Computational and optoelectronic quantification of semi-conducting, warm ruby red color emanating Eu complexes with hetro-cyclic ligands.

Six Eu complexes were synthesised with β-keto acid as main ligand and secondary ligands through liquid assisted grinding method. These complexes were characterised by various techniques such as spectroscopic technique, XRD, EDAX, SEM analysis, thermal technique, Urbach energy and optical band gap investigation. The luminous photophysical properties were studied by PL spectroscopy in solid as well as solution phase and some theoretical calculation was done to investigate the radiative (A) & non-radiative (A) transition rate, quantum efficiency (ɸ), Judd Ofelt parameters for D → F transitions in both states.

Occurrence and source of PAHs in Miankaleh International Wetland in Iran.

We examined the occurrence and sources of 16 priority PAHs in the water and sediment samples of the Miankaleh Wetland (Coastal Biosphere Reserve), famous for harbouring huge flocks of migrating birds. The water and sediment samples collected from various locations were visualized and processed using a self-organizing map, positive matrix factorization and GIS. All the sediment samples, and >90% of the water samples, showed some degree of PAHs contamination.

Risk assessment, geochemical speciation, and source apportionment of heavy metals in sediments of an urban river draining into a coastal wetland.

Thirty sediment samples were collected from the Gohar Rood River (Iran) to assess the elemental concentrations, origins, and probable environmental risks in the riverine system. In this study, fifteen elements were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Cr at all sites were exceeded the SEL (Severe Effect Level) value.

Study of Judd-Ofelt, Urbach energy and photosensitization process in luminescent Sm(III) complexes with heterocyclic ligands.

Six samarium (III) complexes were synthesised by employing the β-ketocarboxylic acid as main ligand and five N-donor systems as ancillary ligands through the environmentally safe liquid-assisted grinding method. Various characterisation techniques were employed to determine the structure of the complexes i.e.

Strategies in synthetic design and structure-activity relationship studies of novel heterocyclic scaffolds as aldose reductase-2 inhibitors.

Heterocyclic scaffolds of natural as well as synthetic origin provide almost all categories of drugs exhibiting a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antibiotics, antidiabetic and anticancer agents, and so on. Under normal homeostasis, aldose reductase 2 (ALR2) regulates vital metabolic functions; however, in pathological conditions like diabetes, ALR2 is unable to function and leads to secondary diabetic complications. ALR2 inhibitors are a novel target for the treatment of retinopathy (cataract) influenced by diabetes.

Inhibition of Hepatitis E Virus Replication by Novel Inhibitor Targeting Methyltransferase.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a quasi-enveloped virus having a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome (~7.2 kb), flanked with a 5' methylated cap and a 3' polyadenylated tail. The HEV open reading frame 1 (ORF1) encodes a 186-kDa polyprotein speculated to get processed and produce Methyltransferase (MTase), one of the four essential replication enzymes.

Bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in some aquatic organisms from the proximity of Qeshm Island ecosystems: Human health perspective.

In this study selected marine species from north Persian Gulf ecosystems were collected to investigate the concentration of 15 trace elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, V, Zn and Hg) in muscle and liver tissues for the purpose of evaluating potential health risks for human consumers. The results indicated that Fe, Zn, Sr, Cu and As are the most abundant TEs in the tissues of the species. The concentration of Cu in P.

Augmentation of photophysical features and Judd-Ofelt analysis of extensively green glowing terbium (III) complexes with nitrogen donor ancillary ligands.

Six green glowing terbium (III) complexes were fabricated via grinding method utilizing a prime organic ligand (L) and nitrogen donor ancillary ligands. Characterization of synthesized complexes was accomplished through various spectroscopic techniques. The significant thermal stability was determined by thermogravimetric analysis while the energy bandgap and Urbach energy were investigated through diffused reflectance spectra of these complexes.

Biochemical and Biophysical Characterisation of the Hepatitis E Virus Guanine-7-Methyltransferase.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an understudied pathogen that causes infection through fecal contaminated drinking water and is prominently found in South Asian countries. The virus affects ~20 million people annually, leading to ~60,000 infections per year. The positive-stranded RNA genome of the HEV genotype 1 has four conserved open reading frames (ORFs), of which ORF1 encodes a polyprotein of 180 kDa in size, which is processed into four non-structural enzymes: methyltransferase (MTase), papain-like cysteine protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and RNA helicase.

Applicability of Reddish-Orange Light Emitting Samarium (III) Complexes for Biomedical and Multifunctional Optoelectronic Devices.

Six crimson samarium (III) complexes based on β-ketone carboxylic acid and ancillary ligands were synthesized by adopting the grinding technique. All synthesized complexes were investigated via elemental analysis, infrared, UV-Vis, NMR, TG/DTG and photoluminescence studies. Optical properties of these photostimulated samarium (III) complexes exhibit reddish-orange luminescence due to G → H electronic transition at 606 nm of samarium (III) ions.

Soil organic carbon dynamics in the agricultural soils of Bangladesh following more than 20 years of land use intensification.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key soil quality indicator, as it is a source and storage of plant nutrients and plays a vital role in soil fertility and productivity maintenance. Intensification of agriculture is known to cause SOC decline; however, much of the evidence stems from field-scale experimental trials. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how more than 20 years of agricultural land use intensification in Bangladesh has influenced SOC levels at landscape levels.

Designing of emerald terbium (III) ions with β-ketocarboxylic acid and heterocyclic ancillary ligands for biological and optoelectronic applications.

A green and highly efficient grinding method was adopted to synthesize emerald terbium complexes with 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluro-4-oxo-7-piperazin-1-ylquinoline-3-carboxylic acid as the main organic ligand and 2,2'-bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline, neocuproine, 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline and bathophenanthroline as ancillary ligands. Structural analysis of these complexes was executed via elemental, infrared and H-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, which confirmed that the ligand coordinated to the metal ion through β-ketone and hydroxyl groups of carboxylic acid. Thermal stability of these complexes was investigated by study of thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetric analysis.

Source and risk assessment of heavy metals and microplastics in bivalves and coastal sediments of the Northern Persian Gulf, Hormogzan Province.

The objectives of the current study are to investigate the concentration, biological risks, chemical speciation, and mobility of of heavy metals and also the determination of their distribution, physicochemical characteristics, and abundance of microplastics in coastal sediments and edible bivalves in the Persian Gulf, the coastal area of Hormozgan Province. Sampling points were selected considering the location of industrial, urban and Hara forest protected areas. In November 2017, a total of 18 sediment samples from coastal sediments (top 0-10 cm) and the most consumed bivalve species in the region were collected from two stations, Lengeh and Bandar Abbas Ports.

Behaviour of neonicotinoids in contrasting soils.

Neonicotinoids are widely used to control insect pests in agriculture. Their presence in the environment can affect the health of non-target insects and aquatic animals. The behaviour of four neonicotinoids, namely imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam, has been investigated in soils with contrasting characteristics to understand their migration in soil and ecological risk.

Development of BacMam Induced Hepatitis E Virus Replication Model in Hepatoma Cells to Study the Polyprotein Processing.

The processing of polyprotein(s) to form structural and non-structural components remains an enigma due to the non-existence of an efficient and robust Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) culture system. We used the BacMam approach to construct an HEV replication model in which the HEV genome was cloned in the BacMam vector under the CMV promoter. The recombinant BacMam was used to infect Huh7 cells to transfer the HEV genome.

Arsenic in the rock-soil-plant system and related health risk in a magmatic-metamorphic belt, West of Iran.

Following earlier reports of water contamination and arsenic (As) toxicity symptoms in residents of Kurdistan Province, As was determined in rock, soil and plant samples to investigate its fate from rock to crops and its potential effects on human health. Total As content ranged from 4.9 to 10,000 mg/kg, 7.