Geospatial quality assessment of locally available ice for heavy metals and metalloids and their potential risks for human health in Karachi, Pakistan.

Extreme hot conditions during summers, high poverty rate and continuous electricity load shedding affect commercial manufacturing and sale of ice in many countries. The vendors prepared ice using untreated piped water, tanker water and ground water. These waters may contain hazardous pollutants and ice made from them will pose a potential human health risk.

Investigating seasonal air quality variations consequent to the urban vegetation in the metropolis of Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Urban atmospheric pollution is global problem and and have become increasingly critical in big cities around the world. Issue of toxic emissions has gained significant attention in the scientific community as the release of pollutants into the atmosphere rising continuously. Although, the Pakistani government has started the Pakistan Clean Air Program to control ambient air quality however, the desired air quality levels are yet to be reached.

Aluminum phytotoxicity in acidic environments: A comprehensive review of plant tolerance and adaptation strategies.

Aluminum (Al), a non-essential metal for plant growth, exerts significant phytotoxic effects, particularly on root growth. Anthropogenic activities would intensify Al's toxic effects by releasing Al into the soil solution, especially in acidic soils with a pH lower than 5.5 and rich mineral content.

Spatial distribution of heavy metals, source identification, risk assessment and particulate matter in the M4 motorway.

Metal-containing dust is a potential severe environmental and human health threat. Metals present in dust may originate from car exhausts, tear and wear of tires, and vehicular emissions, which are less manageable. Metal-containing dust from roads can contaminate the soils, and crops alongside motorway.

Detrimental Effects of Induced Soil Compaction on Morphological Adaptation and Physiological Plasticity of Selected Multipurpose Tree Species.

Soil compaction has become a global problem affecting soil worldwide. With an increased population, more demands for food and wood have resulted in intensive cultivation and increased mechanization of our farmlands and irrigated plantations. The use of heavy machinery results in soil compaction, which affects the entire soil ecosystem.

Assessing the effects of limestone dust and lead pollution on the ecophysiology of some selected urban tree species.

Soil and air pollution caused by heavy metals and limestone dust are prevalent in urban environments and they are an alarming threat to the environment and humans. This study was designed to investigate the changes in morphological and physiological traits of three urban tree species seedlings (, and ) under the individual as well as synergetic effects of heavy metal lead (Pb) and limestone dust toxicities. The tree species were grown under controlled environmental conditions with nine treatments consisting of three levels of dust (0, 10, and 20 g) and three levels of Pb contaminated water irrigation (0, 5, and 10 mg L).

Toxic effects of cadmium on the physiological and biochemical attributes of plants, and phytoremediation strategies: A review.

Anthropogenic activities pose a more significant threat to the environment than natural phenomena by contaminating the environment with heavy metals. Cadmium (Cd), a highly poisonous heavy metal, has a protracted biological half-life and threatens food safety. Plant roots absorb Cd due to its high bioavailability through apoplastic and symplastic pathways and translocate it to shoots through the xylem with the help of transporters and then to the edible parts via the phloem.

Xylem anatomical responses of and influenced by the climate of Daxing'an mountains in Northeastern China.

Wood anatomy and plant hydraulics play a significant role in understanding species-specific responses and their ability to manage rapid environmental changes. This study used the dendro-anatomical approach to assess the anatomical characteristics and their relation to local climate variability in the boreal coniferous tree species (Dahurian larch) and var. (Scots pine) at an altitude range of 660 to 842 m.

Unraveling the role of natural functional oils in modulating osteoarthritis related complications.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease and has been studied extensively in recent years as no promising therapy available so far for its treatment and remains a great challenge for health care specialists. Although the identification of some major mechanisms that contribute to this disease suggests a plethora of bioactive agents in tackling the associated complications yet OA's pathophysiology is still poorly understood owing to complex mechanistic changes observed. Experimental research is now exploring a wide range of therapeutically effective agents in an effort to find a way to repair OA-related joint degeneration and halt it from getting worse.

State-of-the-art OMICS strategies against toxic effects of heavy metals in plants: A review.

Environmental pollution of heavy metals (HMs), mainly due to anthropogenic activities, has received growing attention in recent decades. HMs, especially the non-essential carcinogenic ones, including chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As), have appeared as the most significant air, water, and soil pollutants, which adversely affect the quantity, quality, and security of plant-based food all over the world. Plants exposed to HMs could experience significant decline in growth and yield.

Evaluation of heavy metal phytoremediation potential of six tree species of Faisalabad city of Pakistan during summer and winter seasons.

Environmental pollution induced by heavy metals has been identified as a leading threat in the modern era. Woody tree species may play a crucial role in the removal of heavy metals from soil and air, thus minimizing pollution potential. The present study was designed to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of six tree species; Azadirachta indica, Cassia fistula, Conocarpus erectus, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Morus alba, and Populus deltoids, respectively, in the industrial and residential areas of Faisalabad based on the concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) in their leaves and barks in winter (2018) and summer (2019) seasons.

Determining the appropriate level of farmyard manure biochar application in saline soils for three selected farm tree species.

Salinity is a global problem, and almost more than 20% of the total cultivated area of the world is affected by salt stress. Phytoremediation is one of the most suitable practices to combat salinity and recently biochar has showed the tremendous potential to alleviate salt-affected soils and enhance vegetation. Trees improve the soil characteristics by facilitating the leaching of salts and releasing organic acids in soil.

Development of Construction Material Using Wastewater: An Application of Circular Economy for Mass Production of Bricks.

Water is one of the necessary ingredients for construction materials. Billions of gallons of clean water are wasted during the development of fired clay bricks. Similarly, the waste of clean water is a global issue.

Spatial distribution of carbon dynamics and nutrient enrichment capacity in different layers and tree tissues of Castanopsis eyeri natural forest ecosystem.

Forest ecosystem carbon (C) storage primarily includes vegetation layers C storage, litter C storage, and soil C storage. The precise assessment of forest ecosystem C storage is a major concern that has drawn widespread attention in global climate change worldwide. This study explored the C storage of different layers of the forest ecosystem and the nutrient enrichment capacity of the vegetation layer to the soil in the Castanopsis eyeri natural forest ecosystem (CEF) present in the northeastern Hunan province, central China.

Impact of organic and inorganic amendments on arsenic accumulation by rice genotypes under paddy soil conditions: A pilot-scale investigation to assess health risk.

In this study, we investigated the distinct effects of organic (farmyard manure (FYM), cow dung (CD), biogas slurry (BGS), sugarcane bagasse (SCB)) and inorganic (gypsum and lignite) amendments on arsenic (As) accumulation by two rice genotypes, Kainat (fine) and Basmati-385 (coarse), under As stress. Results showed that shoot As concentration was ~2-time greater in Kainat compared to Basmati-385 (3.1-28 vs.

Efficacy of rhizobacteria for degradation of profenofos and improvement in tomato growth.

Pesticides are widely used for managing pathogens and pests for sustainable agricultural output to feed around seven billion people worldwide. After their targeted role, residues of these compounds may build up and persist in soils and in the food chain. This study evaluated the efficiency of bacterial strains capable of plant growth promotion and biodegradation of profenofos.

The potential of microbes and sulfate in reducing arsenic phytoaccumulation by maize (Zea mays L.) plants.

Arsenic (As) contamination in soil-plant system is an important environmental, agricultural and health issue globally. The microbe- and sulfate-mediated As cycling in soil-plant system may depend on soil sulfate levels, and it can be used as a potential strategy to reduce plant As uptake and improve plant growth. Here, we investigated the role of soil microbes (SMs) to examine As phytoaccumulation using maize as a test plant, under varying sulfate levels (S-0, S-5, S-25 mmol kg) and As stress.

Effect of three different types of biochars on eco-physiological response of important agroforestry tree species under salt stress.

Soil reclamation through afforestation along with soil amendments is one of the most suitable practices to combat soil salinity while the use of biochar may have potential to ameliorate salt-affected soils. This study was designed to check effects of different biochars on the physico-chemical properties of soil and characteristics of three important agroforestry trees species: , in saline soils. Farmyard manure biochar (FYMB), sugarcane bagasse biochar (SCB), woodchips biochar (WCB) were applied (6% w/w) to check their effects on plants under saline conditions.

Eco-physiological evaluation of multipurpose tree species to ameliorate saline soils.

Salinity is a widespread soil and underground water contaminant threatening food security and economic stability. Phytoremediation is an efficient and environmental-friendly solution to mitigate salinity impacts. The present study was conducted to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of five multipurpose trees: and under four salinity treatments: Control, 10, 20 and 30 dS m.

Exploring the arsenic removal potential of various biosorbents from water.

Globally, contamination of groundwater with toxic arsenic (As) is an environmental and public health issue given to its carcinogenic properties, thereby threatening millions of people relying on drinking As-contaminated well water. Here, we explored the efficiency of various biosorbents (egg shell, java plum seed, water chestnut shell, corn cob, tea waste and pomegranate peel) for arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) removal from As-contaminated water. Significantly, egg shell and java plum seed displayed the greatest As(III) elimination (78-87%) at 7 pH followed by water chestnut shell (75%), corn cob (67%), tea waste (74%) and pomegranate peel (65%).

The evaluation of arsenic contamination potential, speciation and hydrogeochemical behaviour in aquifers of Punjab, Pakistan.

In this study, we tested 123 groundwater wells from five different areas of Punjab, Pakistan for arsenic (As) contamination level and species, as well as delineated hydrogeochemical behaviour of As in aquifers. Results revealed that 75% and 41% of the groundwater wells exceeded the safe As limit of World Health Organisation (WHO, 10 μg L) and Pakistan-EPA (50 μg L), respectively. Arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) spanned 0-80% and 20-100% of total As (1.

Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils by using Solanum nigrum: A review.

Heavy metals are among the major environmental pollutants and the accumulation of these metals in soils is of great concern in agricultural production due to the toxic effects on crop growth and food quality. Phytoremediation is a promising technique which is being considered as an alternative and low-cost technology for the remediation of metal-contaminated soils. Solanum nigrum is widely studied for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils owing to its ability for metal uptake and tolerance.

Uptake and distribution of minerals and heavy metals in commonly grown leafy vegetable species irrigated with sewage water.

Heavy metal uptake and accumulation behavior in dietary vegetables irrigated with sewage waters is an important issue worldwide. The main objective of this study was to examine and compare the physiological and growth responses of leafy vegetables irrigated with sewage water. A pot experiment was conducted in a wire house with three leafy vegetables, coriander (Coriandrum sativum), mint (Mentha arvensis), and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum), grown under ambient conditions.

A Compact "Water Window" Microscope with 60 nm Spatial Resolution for Applications in Biology and Nanotechnology.

Short illumination wavelength allows an extension of the diffraction limit toward nanometer scale; thus, improving spatial resolution in optical systems. Soft X-ray (SXR) radiation, from "water window" spectral range, λ=2.3-4.