Impact of human disturbances on soil cyanobacteria diversity and distribution in suburban arid area of Marrakesh, Morocco

Abstract Background Cyanobacteria are among the first photoautotrophic component of soil microorganism communities which play a key ecological role in nutrient cycles and soil productivity. However, the sustainability of these soil biodiversity ecosystem services is increasingly compromised, especially in urban and peri-urban areas where soils are heavily exploited and used for a wide range of human activities. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of different types of human disturbances on cyanobacteria diversity and distribution in suburban soils of Marrakesh. Soil and cyanobacteria sampling were carried out during two campaigns at six sites located along an anthropogenic gradient from the least urbanized suburbs of Marrakesh to the highly anthropized suburban area. In the laboratory, soil physicochemical characteristics were measured. The morphological identification of cyanobacteria species was based both on microscopic observation and on soil cultures in solid and liquid Z8 media. Results The results showed a total of 25 cyanobacteria taxa belonging to ten genera, four families, and two orders (Oscillatoriales 88% and Chroococcales 12% of taxa). Among the taxa identified, seven strains were isolated in soil culture in nutrient media and purified in monoalgal culture. The highest cyanobacterial diversity was recorded in irrigated soil with treated wastewater compared to the non-cultivated control soil. In Principal Component and Cluster Analysis, suburban soils were subdivided into three groups depending on the chemical properties and cyanobacteria composition. Cyanobacteria diversity was significantly associated with the soil moisture, total organic carbon (TOC), PO4-P, NO3-N, and NH4-N contents. Conclusions While diversity and microalgal biomass were significantly lower in the soils affected by municipal and mining solid wastes, the input of organic matter and nutrients from treated wastewater appears to be beneficial for the increasing of the biodiversity of soil cyanobacteria. This survey provides a first inventory of the soil cyanobacterial communities and shows their spatial variability and high sensitivity to the land-use practices and anthropogenic disturbances on urban soil in Moroccan drylands.

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IMPACT OF DIGITAL MARKETING: THE PRESENT SCENARIO IN TELANGANA STATE – AN EMPERICAL STUDY

Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

10.21922/srjis.v8i65.1575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (65) ◽

pp. 15164-15172

Author(s):

S. Pratap ◽

Aziz Fatima

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Digital Marketing ◽

Rural And Remote ◽

Remote Areas ◽

Wide Range ◽

Rural And Remote Areas ◽

Telangana State ◽

The Impact ◽

Made In

In present scenario of COVID-19, the effect of pandemic on Digital Marketing is visible not only in urban areas but also in rural areas. Customers are searching for various products and services through Google by which they can purchase wide range of products and services to fill their needs and desires at relatively low price. The freedom to select numerous products is available by browsing various websites. Hence this study focuses on Impact of digital marketing particularly in the selected rural areas of Telangana state. This state been formed recently but in the IT sector it is receiving much attention throughout the globe, as many MNC’s are establishing their operations in this state. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this study to find out how the Impact of digital marketing is trickling down in the rural and remote areas of newly formed Telangana state. Hence this study focuses the impact of digital marketing in the selected areas of Telangana state.

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Soil Degradation Assessment in Europe, A Review of Status, Interaction and Remediation

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2019030018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

Jannes Stolte ◽

Gudrun Schwilch

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Soil Functions ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Wide Range ◽

Almost All ◽

The Impact

As soil formation is an extremely slow process, soil can be considered a non-renewable resource. Soils should thus be adequately protected and conserved to ensure that soil functions are not lost or diminished. Soil functions are, however, threatened by a wide range of processes. Europe’s soil resources may continue to degrade due to changes in climate, land use and other human activities. The challenge is to prevent degradation and its adverse effects on soil functions and ecosystem services, and even improve the ability of soil to perform its functions. The soil degradation processes are complex and all parts of Europe are affected by one or more soil threats to some degree. There is a lack of knowledge on, a large uncertainty in, and lack of quantitative information on understanding the interrelationships between soil threats, soil threat and soil functions, and soil and ecosystem services. A major challenge in clarifying these relationships is how to integrate information and to analyse the key interactions. To bridge this gap, we have made an approach based on a review and expert knowledge to understand and describe those interrelations. This has been described in qualitative terms, and showed that the soil functions biomass production is affected by almost all threats, whereas the threat biodiversity decline has a major negative impact on all functions. It also showed that both soil biodiversity and soil erosion are more or less affected by almost all other soil threats. In the RECARE project, various prevention and remediation measures were trialed. Changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified, and a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services was developed. Overall, the results showed positive on the impacts of the measures on ecosystem services. Although methodological challenges remain, the assessment served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels. Although these activities are steps towards a soil remediation strategy, there is a need for further research on the mentioned issues in order to achieve an improved overview of existing information on soil degradation at the European scale, their interactions, and effects on ecosystem services. In addition, the lack of legally binding targets limits the impact that existing policies have on reducing soil threats and protecting soil function, although various EU policy instruments have shown positive impacts even in absence of binding targets for Member States.

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Wastewater Treatment/Reuse in Rural Areas

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1993.0186 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 27 (9) ◽

pp. 125-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Atallah S. Kuttab

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Gaza Strip ◽

Subsurface Drainage ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Septic Tank ◽

The Impact ◽

Drainage Field

Proper hygiene leading to good health, in urban as well as rural communities, requires that the consumption of drinking water is raised to acceptable levels (UN organizations put it at 40 liters/cap/day). The increase of water availability necessitates the provision of sewage drainage facilities. Urban areas are normally provided with sewerage schemes (sewer lines, treatment plants, etc.). However, it is unrealistic and not cost feasible to construct such sophisticated systems in villages. This is due to limited resources of public funds available to the responsible government agencies. In rural areas, the provision of utilities to drain sewage in a safe way lags behind the provision of water for household activities, including drinking water. This creates severe contamination to the environment of the various villages and reduces the impact of water on the improvement of health. An appropriate wastewater treatment/reuse system, called the Subsurface Drainage Technique (SDT), is described here which was successfully applied, by Save the Children/USA, in several villages on the Israeli Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The system is applicable for individual households with land available in their immediate vicinity. It consists of a watertight septic tank, where primary treatment occurred, followed by a subsurface drainage field in which the secondary treatment took place. The treated wastewater in the drainage field allowed indirect irrigation (below ground level) for surface plants. Local materials were adopted for the construction of the SDT. Villagers themselves were trained to build the various units and therefore were able to maintain their efficient performance. Ongoing monitoring of the plants grown in the drainage field and the testing for bacteriological contamination ensures the safe performance of the technology.

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Fungi causing powdery mildew on plants of a Botanical Garden in Southern Finland

Karstenia ◽

10.29203/ka.2021.507 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 13-29

Author(s):

Ville J. Heiskanen ◽

Jari P. T. Valkonen

Keyword(s):

Powdery Mildew ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Cultivated Plants ◽

Its Sequencing ◽

Species Determination ◽

Morphological Studies ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

Fungi that cause powdery mildew on plants are plant pathogenic parasites (<em>Erysiphales</em>) and can significantly reduce the ornamental value of plants and cause significant yield losses among cultivated plants. In this study, 94 plant accessions infected with powdery mildew were observed in Kumpula Botanic Garden, Helsinki, Finland, in 2015. The taxonomic affiliation and species richness of powdery mildew fungi were investigated. Morphological studies by microscope distinguished only 14 fungal species, whereas further comparisons of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences enabled the identification of 28 species. Hence, ITS sequencing improved the reliability of species determination, as compared with the use of morphological characteristics only. The vegetation in an area of six hectares supported a wide range of fungi that cause powdery mildew as well as hyperparasitic microbes, which may balance the impact of pathogens in host plants. The findings of this study emphasize the role of botanical gardens in protecting biological diversity in urban areas.

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Epidemiological Characteristics of Major Depression of Hospitalized Patients in Psychiatric Hospital “Demir Hisar” – Demir Hisar for a Five Year Period from 2013 to 2017

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2020.3555 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (A) ◽

pp. 378-384

Author(s):

Biljana Iliev ◽

Dimitar Bonevski ◽

Andromahi Naumovska

Keyword(s):

Major Depression ◽

Psychiatric Hospital ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Psychiatric Hospitals ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Wide Range ◽

Epidemiological Characteristics ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Severe depression is a mental disorder with a wide range of changes in psychic functions, primarily of affectivity, and is manifested by dysphoric mood and reductive changes in cognitive, conative, and other psychic dynamics, with the presence of psychosomatic complaints and suicidal thoughts. There is always a triad of symptoms: Alteration of affectivity, anhedonia, and low energy with fatigue, but in her clinical picture, there are other symptoms, such as feeling guilty and helpless, obsessed with “black thoughts” with loss of confidence in themselves, with hopelessness, loss of appetite, and weight loss with present insomnia or hypersomnia, and more frequent thinking about death due to the feeling of worthlessness of life. This mental illness covers a vast area of the affective life of a human with a broad spectrum classified by ICD - 10- F 32, F 32.2, and F 32.3. AIM: The main goal is to determine the total number of patients with the major depression treated at “Demir Hisar” Psychiatric Hospital for a period of 5 years, retrospectively in 2013 until 2017 and to determine the impact of socio-demographic variables as risk factors and predictors. METHODS: The study is retrospective, and the necessary parameters for achieving the goals of the research are provided by analyzing the medical histories of all hospitalized patients treated in psychiatric hospitals Demir Hisar in the period from 2013 to 2017. Incidence rates and indexes of the dynamics of hospitalized patients with major depression were determined. RESULTS: About 61.8% of the patients are men and 38.2% women. Patients with no education and elementary school were 64.5% versus patients with high school and university 35.5% and are significantly underpowered. Regarding the employment status, 38.2% of patients are unemployed, and 61.8% of patients are employed. According to the cross-sectional study, 64.7% of men without education have severe depression and live in the city, and 53.3% of women with secondary education live in urban areas (city), meaning rural residence is associated with a reduced rate of severe depression. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that socio-demographic characteristics – age, gender, marital status, level of education, employment/unemployment status, and place of residence are related to the severity of depression.

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A successful 3-D seismic survey over Bahrain Island

GeoArabia ◽

10.2113/geoarabia0704657 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 657-672

Author(s):

Jean-Jacques Postel ◽

Abdul Nabi Mukhtar ◽

Philippe Feugère

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Oil Refinery ◽

Seismic Survey ◽

Recording Equipment ◽

Wide Range ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Petroleum Company ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Environmental constraints are critical issues for land seismic operations and require the development of appropriate equipment and methods. In 1998, Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG) acquired and processed seamless seismic data on behalf of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) from a complex field on the Island of Bahrain. The operation ran smoothly in spite of the difficulty of working amongst pipelines, wells, and other oil and gas installations; scarps and sabkhas; urban areas; a zoo, golf course, and racecourse; an oil refinery and aluminum smelter; and other industrial and commercial facilities. The survey deployed a wide range of recording equipment including two sets of vibrators and a combination of radio and cable telemetry recording systems, and a fleet-management system. The successful completion of the survey was achieved through dedicated teamwork. The key elements were as follows: (1) collecting the correct baseline information; (2) detailed planning of the timeframe, human and material resources, adaptation of acquisition techniques to varying circumstances, and health and safety requirements; (3) continuous monitoring of external conditions and the impact of the operation on the environment, in full consultation with the appropriate authorities; (4) maximum flexibility in the field operations so as to allow for changing conditions and unforeseen events; and (5) close partnership between CGG and Bapco at all stages of the project. A joint CGG/Bapco team designed sophisticated processing methods, with top priority being given to the numerous surface heterogeneities. In particular, the recording of an intensive up-hole survey allowed a dedicated team at CGG in France to compute a robust subsurface model and a precise set of primary statics. Seven velocity layers from the Quaternary sandstone to the base of the calcareous and dolomitic Eocene were mapped. These showed significant lateral and vertical velocity variations within identified geological units. Surface-consistent signal processing with calibration to well data was used to compensate for the variations. Other critical processing steps included detailed velocity control, the application of dip moveout routines with acquisition-irregularity-compensation schemes, Radon demultiples and 3-D algorithms, designed for optimal de-noising and imaging. These combined efforts led to the delivery of a final 3-D migrated block. As a result, a complete reinterpretation of the area was possible that significantly increased the estimated recoverable oil reserves (particularly by-passed oil) in the Awali field.

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Portable Urban Agriculture Technology and Soil Nutrient Drive App That Support Farmers Profit

International Journal of Engineering & Technology ◽

10.14419/ijet.v7i2.6.11705 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (2.6) ◽

pp. 331

Author(s):

Ronny D Nasihien ◽

Iswachyu Dhaniarti ◽

Anton Muhibuddin ◽

Cholil Hasyim ◽

M Ikhsan Setiawan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Agriculture ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Arable Land ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Acacia Auriculiformis ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Top Soil ◽

Fresh Vegetables ◽

The Impact

A narrow land farmed urban Agriculture. It used for daily fresh vegetables and fruit for the housing community in urban areas. Portable Urban Agriculture Technology as a support facility to increase production of Urban Agriculture, the Greenhouse portable system could be built and transferred to a specific location is convenient, safe, fast, lightweight structural material (PVC 0.55mm Tarpaulin) so that the Urban Agricultural Products closer to residential consumers in urban. The impact was the price was cheaper but quality. The objective was to plan, build and test prototype Water inflated tent activity as a facility to strengthen Greenhouse's strength, speed, effectiveness and comfort. Application method stages of the Cup or SDN on a former tin mining land, with Portable Urban Agriculture Technology support soil nutrient drive are as follows: first Reconstruction of the land in the form of land arrangement in accordance contours and irrigation channels that exist in the field is very important to support the success of the method SDN; second Management of top soil in the form of top soil enriched with organic material will support environmental compliance in the soil, especially for the growth and development of VAM hyphae and root system; third Soil Amendment to improve the physical and chemical properties of former mining land; fourth Activities vegetation of mined land with SDN method optimizes the achievement of the goals replanting of sustainable of native vegetation for erosion and runoff, repair and restoration of biodiversity, landscape aesthetics that will impact habitat improvement fauna, biodiversity, soil productivity and water quality. Tree plant species such as Acacia mangium, Acacia auriculiformis and Leucaena diversifolia microbes that have been infected with mycorrhizal fungi (VAM) will be very effective and support this effort. Vegetation activities with SDN method includes the following steps: first Seedling plants with VAM; second Preparation of arable land that supports the development of VAM in the soil; third Planting of the first cup with VAM; fourth Incubate 1 month; fifth Planting of the second cup with VAM; sixth 1 month incubation; and seventh The planting of the main crop.

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Comparative analysis of indicators for assessing the state of activated sludge in the water treatment process

Butlerov Communications ◽

10.37952/roi-jbc-01/20-61-1-96 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 96-103

Author(s):

Yelena S. Balymova ◽

◽

Yulia M. Safiullina ◽

Farida Yu. Akhmadullina ◽

Rustem K. Zakirov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Water Treatment ◽

Activated Sludge ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Shannon Index ◽

The State ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Control Factor ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

This article presents the results of biodiagnostics of activated sludge formed in the wastewater of organic synthesis plants. They are characterized by changes in the concentrations of control pollutants (phenol, non-ionic synthetic surfactants, glycols), as well as chemical oxygen demand in a fairly wide range, which negatively affects at the activated sludge state and does not allow to achieve the regulatory requirements for the quality of treated wastewater. In this paper, the state of active biomass in the process of biological wastewater treatment was evaluated using three quantitative assessment systems: a five-point scale, hydrobiological indices of biodiversity Shannon and Cuba. The paper presents a comparative analysis of systems for quantifying the state of activated sludge, that are recommended for use in water treatment practice, both for simple systems, in which only one control factor affects the state of activated sludge, and for complex systems, that include the impact of a large number of control ecotoxicants on the activated sludge ecosystem. It is shown that in quantitative terms, the established regularities of the influence of control pollutants on the state of activated sludge differ: the five-point evaluation system, in comparison with the Shannon index, reflects deeper changes in the state of the biocenosis, because it evaluates not only the number of hydrobionts, but also their state, as well as the state of activated sludge flakes and the liquid above it. However, the assessment of the activated sludge state by the Cube index revealed a quantitative discrepancy in the change of this index compared to the aforementioned, which suggests that it is not appropriate to use it to describe the dynamics of changes in the state of the bioagent in the process of water treatment.

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Sources of Airborne Endotoxins in Ambient Air and Exposure of Nearby Communities—A Review

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos9100375 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 375 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Catherine Rolph ◽

Ceri Gwyther ◽

Sean Tyrrel ◽

Zaheer Nasir ◽

Gillian Drew ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Wide Range ◽

Reported Data ◽

Airborne Endotoxins ◽

The Impact

Endotoxin is a bioaerosol component that is known to cause respiratory effects in exposed populations. To date, most research focused on occupational exposure, whilst much less is known about the impact of emissions from industrial operations on downwind endotoxin concentrations. A review of the literature was undertaken, identifying studies that reported endotoxin concentrations in both ambient environments and around sources with high endotoxin emissions. Ambient endotoxin concentrations in both rural and urban areas are generally below 10 endotoxin units (EU) m−3; however, around significant sources such as compost facilities, farms, and wastewater treatment plants, endotoxin concentrations regularly exceeded 100 EU m−3. However, this is affected by a range of factors including sampling approach, equipment, and duration. Reported downwind measurements of endotoxin demonstrate that endotoxin concentrations can remain above upwind concentrations. The evaluation of reported data is complicated due to a wide range of different parameters including sampling approaches, temperature, and site activity, demonstrating the need for a standardised methodology and improved guidance. Thorough characterisation of ambient endotoxin levels and modelling of endotoxin from pollution sources is needed to help inform future policy and support a robust health-based risk assessment process.

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Light pollution is associated with earlier tree budburst across the United Kingdom

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.0813 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1833) ◽

pp. 20160813 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Richard H. ffrench-Constant ◽

Robin Somers-Yeates ◽

Jonathan Bennie ◽

Theodoros Economou ◽

David Hodgson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Plant Phenology ◽

Deciduous Tree ◽

Light Pollution ◽

Spring Temperature ◽

Night Time ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

The ecological impact of night-time lighting is of concern because of its well-demonstrated effects on animal behaviour. However, the potential of light pollution to change plant phenology and its corresponding knock-on effects on associated herbivores are less clear. Here, we test if artificial lighting can advance the timing of budburst in trees. We took a UK-wide 13 year dataset of spatially referenced budburst data from four deciduous tree species and matched it with both satellite imagery of night-time lighting and average spring temperature. We find that budburst occurs up to 7.5 days earlier in brighter areas, with the relationship being more pronounced for later-budding species. Excluding large urban areas from the analysis showed an even more pronounced advance of budburst, confirming that the urban ‘heat-island’ effect is not the sole cause of earlier urban budburst. Similarly, the advance in budburst across all sites is too large to be explained by increases in temperature alone. This dramatic advance of budburst illustrates the need for further experimental investigation into the impact of artificial night-time lighting on plant phenology and subsequent species interactions. As light pollution is a growing global phenomenon, the findings of this study are likely to be applicable to a wide range of species interactions across the world.

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