Chemical Characterization of Different Products from the Tunisian Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.

Various dried (by-)products from the Tunisian O. ficus-indica were elucidated for their proximate composition, fatty acid (FA) composition, inorganic elements, sugars, and polyphenols. Nopal and prickly pear peel and seeds were abundant in fiber (respectively, 28.39, 12.54, and 16.28%). Seeds had also high protein (17.34%) and may be source of an edible oil, due to lipids (9.65%) poor in saturated FAs (14.12%) and rich in linoleic acid (61.11%). Nopal and peel showed the highest levels of Mg (493.57 and 345.19 mg/100 g), K (6949.57 and 1820.83 mg/100 g), Mn (59.73 and 46.86 mg/Kg) and Fe (23.15 and 15.23 mg/Kg), while the fruit pulp predominantly constituted of sugars, glucose and arabinose being predominant (42.57 and 13.56 g/100 g). Total polyphenols widely varied among the Opuntia products (108.36–4785.36 mg GAE/100 g), being mainly represented by hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids, and flavonoids as well. In particular, peel may be revalorized for these valuable bioactives, including 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (484.95 mg/100 g), cinnamic acid (318.95 mg/100 g), rutin (818.94 mg/100 g), quercetin (605.28 mg/100 g), and several isorhamnetin and kaempferol glycosides. Overall, the Tunisian prickly pear cactus could encourage a sustainable production, an effective waste management, and may provide several benefits for human health, in accordance with the model of the Mediterranean diet.

Concentration and distribution of macrominerals in tissues of Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to Cd and Cd-mixtures

Marine ecosystems are under great pressure due to heavy metals pollution, and mussels remain an important knowledge source in this regard. In this study, Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed for 7 days to Cd and three Cd-mixtures (Cd+Pb, Cd+Cu and Cd+Pb+Cu). The accumulation and tissue distribution of inorganic elements (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P and S, macrominerals) that are usually not taken into consideration in field studies on in bioassays were evaluated. Regarding concentration, the element which differed the most with respect to the control group was K, while Mg was the only one which showed no significant statistical difference with the control group. The group exposed to ternary mixture was the one in which there were more alterations in concentration and distribution of these macrominerals with respect to control, whereas in the group exposed to single Cd no significant differences in the concentration of these inorganic elements were found. The concentration and distribution of macrominerals in the compartments studied (digestive gland, gill and remaining soft tissues) is susceptible to the presence of Cd and heavy metal Cd-mixtures, with percentages of changes until 28.7%. Study results suggest that macrominerals composition in mussel tissues could be useful in studies of heavy metal contamination in marine ecosystems.

Chemical Composition and Source Apportionment of PM2.5 in A Border City in Southwest China

This paper studied the chemical characteristics and seasonal changes of PM2.5 in plateau cities on the southwest border of China. Urban air was sampled in Baoshan City during the rainy and dry seasons. Finally, 174 PM2.5 filters were collected (including 87 quartz and 87 Teflon samples for PM2.5). The mass concentrations, water-soluble inorganic ions, organic and inorganic carbon concentrations, and inorganic elements constituting PM2.5 were determined. Positive definite matrix factorization was used to identify potential sources of PM2.5, and the backward trajectory model was used to calculate the contribution of the long-distance transmission of air particles to the Baoshan area. It was found that in the wet season, most of the air masses come from the Indian Ocean and Myanmar. In the dry season, the air mass mainly comes from the China and Myanmar border area. The average concentration of PM2.5 in the wet and dry seasons was 23.17 ± 12.23 μg/m3. The daily mean value of OC/EC indicated that the measured SOC content was generated by the photochemical processes active during the sampling days. However, elements from anthropogenic sources (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sb, Ba, and Pb) accounted for 99.51% and 99.40% of the total inorganic elements in the wet season and dry season, respectively. Finally, source apportionment showed that SIA, dust, industry, biomass burning, motor vehicle emissions, and copper smelting emissions constituted the major contributions of PM2.5 in Baoshan. Using combined data from three measurement sites provides a focus on the common sources affecting all locations.

Surface-Passivated CsPbBr3 for Developing Efficient and Stable Perovskite Photovoltaics

All-inorganic perovskites consisting of only inorganic elements have been recently considered as highly stable semiconductors for photoactive layer of optoelectronics applications. However, the formation of high-quality thin film and trap-reduced interface has still remains an important task, which should be solved for improving the performances of all-inorganic perovskite-based photovoltaics. Here, we adopted facile method that could reduce charge-carrier recombination by depositing a passivation agent on the top surface of the CsPbBr3 all-inorganic perovskite layer. We also found that the CsPbBr3 perovskite photovoltaic prepared from surface treatment method using n-octylammonium bromide provides an improved stability in ambient environment and 1-sun illuminating condition. Therefore, the perovskite photovoltaics fabricated from our approach offered an improved power conversion efficiency of 5.44% over that of the control device without surface treatment (4.12%).

Inorganic Elements of Mangium Stem (Acacia mangium Willd) from Different Provenanc

This study aimed to investigate the ash content and concentrations of inorganic elements present in the stem of Acacia mangium. The tree samples (24 years) were collected from five different provenances (Sidei, West of Morehead, Daintree, Ellerbeck, and El Arish). Meanwhile, the disc samples were obtained from the trunk of each tree on the lower parts. The samples were collected from four radial positions (bark, sapwood, outer heartwood, inner heartwood), and the ash and insoluble acid contents were determined. Furthermore, the concentration of 5 elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, K, and Na) was measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The interaction of provenance and radial position factors affected ash and potassium contents. Also, acid insoluble ash and calcium contents showed a provenance factor effect. The barks obtained from the tree samples contained the highest concentrations of ash content and most of the elements. The wood and bark of El-Arish provenance showed the lowest (0.50~0.72%) and highest levels (4.75%) of ash content respectively. Furthermore, the highest amount of insoluble acid ash (3075 ppm) and calcium (4513 ppm) content was also measured in samples of El-Arish provenance, and radial position factor was a significant source of variation for Ca, Mg, Na, and Mn concentrations. Except Mg, the inner and outer portions of the heartwood mostly showed no significant difference in unprecedented element concentrations. Ash content was positively correlated with Ca in sapwood (r=0.39) and Mn in bark (r=0.54). In addition, moderate correlations were observed between Mg and Ca in heartwood (r=0.63) and bark (r=0.54) tissues. For ash and silica content, the comparatively low concentration on samples from El-Arish provenance are good options to improve wood quality for breeding programs.

Technique of Increasing Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) in White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Feed in Kasetsart University, Bangkok

White shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture has grown rapidly in Indonesia since early 2000s. White shrimp have stronger resistance to WSSDV attacks, and are euryhaline. In it’s natural habitat, this shrimp was found in waters with a range of 0.5-40 ppt salinity. White shrimp grow optimally at 15-25 ppt salinity, even still suitable at 5 ppt salinity. This capability provides the opportunities to culture these commodities in inland water. White shrimp need inorganic elements or minerals for their living processes. Calcium is one of the main needs of shrimp that is closely related to the development and maintenance of skeletal systems and plays a role in some physiological processes of the body.The requirement for calcium in shrimp is increasing when it is cultivated in fresh water.This Internship aims to find out the technique of adding calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in feed, used for the white shrimp culture in fresh water. In this field practice, the addition of calcium carbonate in a level of 2% refers to the requirement of white shrimp for optimal growth. This was based on the calcium requirements of shrimp in the amount of 1-2%. The method was repelleting, by grinding feed and calcium using mortar and pestle, then filtered to get the smoothest part. Then mix calcium with 10 mL of water and mix it with pellets evenly. Then the mixture is air dried and mashed again and weighed according to the required dose of feed. The addition of calcium in the feed affects the growth of shrimp, because calcium is one of the most important anorganic mineral for the growth and development of exoskeleton, regulates blood clotting, heart rate, kidneys, nerves, the activity of several enzymes, and cell function

Seaweed effects on plant growth and environmental remediation: a review

Seaweeds are plants found in sea that have tremendous applications in the fields of agriculture and environment. It comprises of three giant classes with a large number of different species. their ability to adopt to various conditions qualifies them more applicable to various environmental and agricultural arena. Agriculturally, both three classes Phaeophyta, Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta, have significant roles in promoting plant growth and productivity and soil protection as well as reclamation with class Phaeophyta has highest contribution due to its alginic acid content and other multifaceted components that are higher followed by Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta. Seaweed (living or dead biomass) has ability to phycoremediate environment against heavy toxic metals and lessen the excessiveness of non-metal inorganic elements via physisorption, chemisorption with the aid of binding sites provided by proteins and carbohydrates functional groups existing in their cell walls and secretion of organic acids and intracellular transformation and accumulation. Seaweed is an important factor in environmental remediation and soil restoration processes.

Living with landmines: Inhabiting a war-altered landscape

Mined land in Cambodia possesses hazardous potential for those willing to risk its inhabitation, but this potentiality is commingled with threat and uncertainty. Mined terrain creates sites where the affordances of place clash with its dangerous materialities. Village residents in this study were engaged in ongoing efforts to physically alter the place they inhabited, but these tectonic processes were not always successful. The presence of military waste transformed the landscape into an unfamiliar ecological terrain of intermingled organic and potentially explosive inorganic elements. By 2009, large swathes of village land had been cleared of both mines and wild vegetation, giving villagers a hard-earned sense of safety. However, ongoing uncertainty remained about the state of the ground and the things buried within it. Amidst the struggle to reclaim the landscape for agriculture, mines sometimes interposed themselves, their detonations damaging bodies and lives and unsettling residents’ sense of place.