12/02/2024


Metal ion contamination in wastewater is an issue of global concern. The conventional methods of heavy metal removal from wastewater have some drawbacks, ranging from generation of sludge to high cost of removal. Adsorption technique for copper(II), zinc(II), and chromium(VI) using activated carbon has been found efficient. However, it is not economical on a large scale. This, therefore, necessitates the search for economical and readily available plant biomass-based activated carbons for the sequestration of the metal ions. This review presents the state of the art on the adsorption of copper(II), zinc(II), and chromium(VI) from industrial wastewater. Based on the literature review presented, the groundnut husk and corncob based activated carbons were found to possess the maximum adsorption capacities for copper(II), zinc(II), and chromium(VI) removal, when compared with the other plant biomass-based activated carbons. The high values of the adsorption capacities obtained were as a result of the isotherms and pH of the adsorbent as well as the initial concentration of the metal solutions. From the review, the equilibrium data fitted better with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms than with other isotherms. Research gaps were identified which include a need to investigate the kinetic and the thermodynamic behaviors of the metal ions onto the studied adsorbents. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the three types of activation of the adsorbents should be investigated using single and multi-metals. The optimization of particle size, contact time, temperature, initial concentration, and adsorbent dosage for adsorption of copper(II), zinc(II), and chromium(VI) onto the studied adsorbents using response surface methodology is equally required.We estimated detection probabilities of bird carcasses along sandy beaches and in marsh edge habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico to help inform models of bird mortality associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We also explored factors that may influence detection probability, such as carcass size, amount of scavenging, location on the beach, habitat type, and distance into the marsh. Detection probability for medium-sized carcasses (200-500 g) ranged from 0.82 (SE = 0.09) to 0.93 (SE = 0.04) along sandy beaches. Within sandy beaches, we found that intact/slightly scavenged carcasses were easier to detect than heavily scavenged ones and did not find strong effects of location on the beach on detection probability. We estimated detection rate for each combination of scavenging state, carcass size, and position along sandy beaches. In marsh edge habitats, detection ranged from 0.04 (SE = 0.04) to 0.86 (SE = 0.10), with detection rates rapidly increasing from small ( 1000 g) carcasses regardless of vegetation type (Spartina or Phragmites). https://www.selleckchem.com/EGFR(HER).html Carcasses of all sizes were generally harder to locate in Spartina-dominated marshes than in Phragmites-dominated ones. A subset of the data for which we could adequately assess the effect of distance into the marsh indicated that detection rates generally declined the farther a carcass was into marsh vegetation. Based on power analyses, our ability to identify predictors that influence detection rates would be higher with larger numbers of carcasses, greater numbers of search trials per carcass, or more balanced sampling distributions across predictor values.PURPOSE To investigate the effects of dairy products on bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy postmenopausal women. METHODS The EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Medline, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for relevant studies. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as the effect size. Subgroup analysis and Begg's test were conducted. RESULTS Six studies with a total of 618 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Milk was the main dairy product used in the trials. There was a significant association between dairy product consumption and BMD of the lumbar spine (SMD 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.37, P = 0.009), femoral neck (SMD 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.53, P  less then  0.001), total hip (SMD 0.37, 95% CI 0.20-0.55, P  less then  0.001), and total body (SMD 0.58, 95% CI 0.39-0.77, P  less then  0.001). Subgroup analysis suggested that there was a positive effect of dairy product consumption on the BMD of the total hip starting from 12 months and the femoral neck starting from 18 months. There was also a positive association with the BMD in the four sites in people living in low-calcium intake countries. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis provides evidence that dairy products can increase BMD in healthy postmenopausal women. Dairy product consumption should be considered an effective public health measure to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV; genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) is responsible for serious cucurbit yield losses worldwide. Different WMV genetic groups have been characterized so far. Among these, the "classical" (CL) group has been present in the Mediterranean basin for 40 years, whereas the "emergent" (EM) group includes isolates that are associated with more-severe symptoms observed since 2000. Information on the spatial and temporal evolution of WMV isolates in Italy is currently sparse. In this study, 39 WMV isolates samples collected in different regions over the last two decades were analysed at two different genomic regions that are known to be highly variable and contain recombination breakpoints. Most of the isolates collected between 2002 and 2009 were found to belong to the CL group, whereas the isolates from 2012 onwards were classified as EM, indicating that EM isolates have progressively displaced the CL population in Italy. Although genetic variability was observed within both CL and EM groups and recombinant isolates were detected, no positive selection or haplotype geographic structure were inferred. This suggest that the shift from CL to EM populations was likely due to multiple introductions of EM isolates in different regions of Italy rather than from genetic differentiation of local populations. The progressive increase in prevalence of the highly virulent EM populations is a serious concern because of their symptom severity, and the presence of multiple EM variants that include recombinants necessitates new efforts to develop durable control strategies.