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A modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system in pallets was developed for ‘Padrón’ peppers as a way to extend their shelf-life while maintaining good fruit quality. Peppers were stored at 6 °C in cardboard boxes arranged on pallets wrapped in micro-perforated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags. Physico-chemical (moisture, firmness, color, chlorophylls, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic content) and sensory analysis were carried out after 0, 7, 14, and 21 days of storage. An initial mixture of 11.8% O2–8.5% CO2 prevented anaerobic conditions and kept suitable CO2 levels throughout the entire storage period. Silica gel was tested as a moisture absorbent and considerably reduced water vapor condensation inside packaging bags. The MAP system developed maintained the shelf-life of peppers until the end of the 21-day storage period. The fruit always showed a good appearance and color. No rotting or other types of undesirable alterations were observed. MAP markedly reduced the fraction of peppers with water loss as evidenced by a minimum percentage of fruit with wrinkles (12.5%) as compared to unpackaged samples (75%). Good pigment stability was also observed Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was supported by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (Spain) project PGIDIT09TAL003E SI

Humans and the environment are both concerned about contaminated drinking water. One of the most dangerous constituents in wastewater is heavy metals. The removal of these contaminants from the ecosystem is still a challenge. Some of these heavy metals have been toxic concentrations in human and livestock drinking water. As a result, the goal of this study was to compare the adsorption potential of non-treated and acid-treated activated carbon generated from maize cob in the treatment of wastewater. Fresh maize cobs were air-dried and oven-dried at 255 °C for 9 hours after being cleaned in distilled water. These were crushed, sieved through a 300 μm mesh and carbonized in a muffle furnace to produce powdered activated carbon (PAC). One half of PAC was treated with 780 mL of hydrochloric acid (acid-treated activated carbon - AAC), while the other received no further treatment (non-treated activated carbon - NAC). For surface characteristics and functional groups, the conventional approach was applied to characterize AAC and NAC. Thirty grams of each sample were used in the treatment of metal recycling effluent. Untreated (T1), filtered (T2), NAC treated (T3), and AAC treated (T4) wastewater samples were analysed in three replicates using World Health Organization (WHO) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) standard methods for Physico-chemical parameters. Analysis of data was by ANOVA, while mean separation was by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at (P ≤ .05). Results showed that T2 had no significant improvement (P ≤ .05) in all parameters tested. T3 significantly increased pH, conductivity, TS and TSS, gave the highest mean alkalinity, but showed no significant changes in heavy metal contents. T4 significantly improved mean colour, conductivity, nitrate content and DO, reduced mean pH (from 7.4±0 to 2.1±0.1), increased heavy metal concentrations (P ≤ .05) and increased mean total acidity, but not significantly (P ≥ .05). Treatments improved parameters in the following order: filtration < NAC < AAC. Thus, acid-activated carbon had a higher adsorbent capability than non-activated carbon due to its wide surface area and low moisture and ash contents.

The influence of environmental variables on the seasonal and spatial distribution of plankton was studied for 24 months between February 2015 and January 2017 in the marine coastal water of Ogun State, Nigeria. The coastline was stratified into three sampling stations, and surface water samples were collected monthly per station for physico-chemical and plankton analyses. Mean values of physico-chemical parameters were: temperature (28.60±0.27°C), salinity (29.25±0.45‰), pH (7.38±0.07), electrical conductivity (42.13±0.33μS/l), total dissolved solids (29.59±0.30mg/l), dissolved oxygen (6.48±0.07mg/l), phosphate (1.36×10-2±0.39mg/l) and nitrate (2.25×10-2±0.65mg/l). The dominant phytoplankton and zooplankton groups were Diatomaceae (42.06%) and Calanoids (25.42%), respectively. Spatial diversity analysis of plankton in the study area showed that the highest (19, 35) species richness and abundance (5703, 12,452) for phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively occurred in Site 3. Seasonal species richness of phytoplankton and zooplankton was higher in the wet (27, 40) than the dry (23, 38) season. Canonical correspondence analysis explained 77.8% of the influence of environmental variables on plankton distribution. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, phosphate, pH, TDS and nitrate were the most marked factors that affected the distribution and abundance of plankton.

International audience; Continuous water monitoring is expensive and time consuming. Because it requires sampling information throughout 12 months and restricts the conduct of water aid management studies as well as the calibration and validation of excellent water models. To overcome this obstacle to better water quality management, improving water quality models is a necessary step. Various modelling strategies have been developed in recent years to improve the accuracy of predictions of major water parameters. In this work, for the prediction of raw water sulfate, we used five machine learning models were considered in this work: artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), Gaussian process regression (GPR), and decision tree (DT) and ensemble tree (ET). Moreover, the DT model was used to know the influence of the other physicochemical parameters (inputs) on the, and the ET model to improve the DT result and ensure the influence of the other physicochemical parameters on the sulfate. The experimental results indicate that all models were found to be effective in predicting sulfate levels, due to their very high correlation coefficients (close to 1) and very low statistical errors (close to 0); however, the most suitable water quality models were GPR and ANN, as their coefficients and statistical indicators do not show much difference between them. Indeed, the coefficients and the statistical indicators of the GPR model were R = 0.9991, R-2 = 0.9982, R-2 adj = 0.9978, RMSE = 0.0182, MSE = 0, 0003. MAE = 0.0073 and EPM = 1.5386; while those of the ANN model were: R = 0.9989, R-2 = 0.9978, R-a(dj)2 = 0.9972, RMSE = 0.0124, MSE = 0.0001, MAE = 0.0083 and EPM = 2.0639. The only difference that favored the GPR model if compared to the ANN was the number of parameters, namely 70 parameters and a very weak loss, 3.3404e-04. In contrast, the ANN model was run with 190 parameters. The model tests (interpolation) confirmed this result, owing to the values of the the correlation coefficient (R = 0.99834) and the coefficient of determination (R-2 = 0.9966), as well as that of statistical indicators (RMSE = 0.0309, MSE = 9.5219e-04, EPM = 3.0267 and MAE = 0.0122). In light of these results it can be concluded that the GPR model is the more efficient to predict sulfate in raw water. Additionally, its ability to deal with missing values, outliers, and the updating ability shows its relevance, which should be kept in the future. This efficiency seems to be due to the fact that the sulfate concentration in the raw water is linked to the physico-chemical characteristics of the environment by non-linear relationships. It is confirmed by a tree and ensemble model decision which provided information on how sulfate reacts with other physicochemical characteristics.

U ovom istraživanju provedeno je ispitivanje kakvoće medova na hrvatskom tržištu, uzorkovanih u razdoblju od 2019. do 2021. godine, kako bi se procijenila njihova kvaliteta i sukladnost prema zakonskoj regulativi. Analiza svih medova uključivala je fizikalno-kemijske pokazatelje: vodu, električnu vodljivost, hidroksimetilfurfural, aktivnost dijastaze, slobodne kiseline, reducirajuće šećere, saharozu te melisopalinološku analizu. Rezultati su interpretirani u odnosu na kriterije propisane Pravilnikom o medu i Pravilnikom o kakvoći uniflornog meda. Ukupno je analizirano 84 uzoraka meda, različitog botaničkog podrijetla (cvjetni, bagremov, kestenov, lipov, kaduljin, repičin, medljikovac) čijom je peludnom analizom utvrđeno da od 84 uzoraka njih 9 ne odgovara deklaraciji. Od fizikalno-kemijskih pokazatelja, hidroksimetilfurfural je bio najčešći uzrok nesukladnosti uzorka, jer je kod 13 medova koncentracija bila previsoka (>40 mg/kg). Osim što upućuje na pretjerano zagrijavanje i/ili neprikladno skladištenje meda, u nekoliko navrata izmjerena koncentracija hidroksimetilfurfurala je bila čak preko 100 mg/kg, što može ukazivati na patvorenje. U dva meda dobivena aktivnost dijastaze iznosila je 6, što je ispod propisane vrijednosti (8). Previsok udio saharoze zabilježen je kod jednog cvjetnog (6,99 g/100 g) i jednog repičinog meda (7,57 g/100 g), dok je kod dva kestenova meda i jednog kaduljinog razlog nesukladnog rezultata bila električna vodljivost. Sadržaj vode, reducirajućih šećera i slobodnih kiselina u svim pretraženim uzorcima bio je u skladu s propisanim. Najviše je uzorkovano cvjetnih (30) i bagremovih medova (30) pa je shodno tome i najviše nesukladnih medova pripadalo upravo tim vrstama, 8 odnosno, 9. Ukupno je zabilježeno 29 nesukladnih rezultata, što je rezultiralo s 22 uzorka meda koji nisu odgovarali kriterijima iz Pravilnika, odnosno 26 % svih pretraženih uzoraka., In this study, honey samples collected throughout Croatia in the period 2019-2021 were subjected to quality control to assess whether they meet the legally stipulated quality requirements. Analysis of all honey samples included physico-chemical parameters moisture, electrical conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural, diastase activity, free acidity, reducing sugars, sucrose and melissopalynology analysis. The obtained results were compared with the criteria of honey composition in two pieces of legislation: Ordinance on honey and the Regulation on the quality of unifloral honey. Pollen analysis performed on 84 honey samples of different botanical origin (floral, acacia, chestnut, lime tree, sage, rapeseed, honeydew), and nine samples were found to be incompliant with the data listed on the label. Among the physico-chemical parameters, hydroxymethylfurfural proved to be the most common cause of sample incompliance, with excessive concentrations (>40 mg/kg) in 13 samples. Although this indicates excessive heating and improper storage of honey, several samples had hydroxymethylfurfural concentrations in excess of 100 mg/kg, which may indicate honey adulteration. In two honeys, the obtained diastase activity was 6, which is below the prescribed value (of 8). Excessive sucrose content was recorded in one flower honey (6.99 g/100 g) and one rapeseed honey (7.57 g/100 g), while in two samples of chestnut honey and one sage honey electrical conductivity was the reason for non-compliance. All samples met the criteria for moisture content, reducing sugars and free acidity. Most of the collected samples were floral (30) and acacia honeys (30), and accordingly, most non-compliant samples belonged to these two plant species, eight and nine samples respectively. In total, there were 29 non-compliant results which resulted in 22 honey samples (26% of the total) failing to meet the Regulation criteria.

There is an increasing rate of environmental pollution resulting from high emission rates from bioprocessing industries in Kenya. This study provides information on the characterization of bioprocessing effluents from 3 industries in Kenya. To achieve this, samples of effluents were collected from the 3 industries and then transported using plastic containers to JKUAT chemistry laboratories within 24 hours for analysis. Each sample was divided into 3 different 500 ml bottles, and the experiment was replicated 3 times. Physico-chemical parameters such as total dissolved solids (TDS), biological oxygen demand in 5 days at 20°C (BOD 5 ), pH, total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and electrical conductivity (EC) of collected samples were analysed. The mean concentration levels were found to be (118±5, 176±10, and 128±3) for COD and (1200±2,800±1 and 700±6) for BOD 5 for dairy, coffee, and tannery effluents, respectively. These values were found to be slightly higher than the standard removal levels. The pollutant levels noticed at the different industries were notably high in tannery with 286 mg/l and least in the dairy effluents with 28mg/l. Based on the results obtained, there is need to treat effluents before discharging to water bodies.

The Standards for water quality in Fiji defined in the Environment Management Regulations 2007 only relate to effluent discharge into the environment. Urbanisation is contributing to wastewater contamination in receiving estuary and marine recreational waters, thus requiring specific guidelines. To create a baseline for this, a sampling programme with relevant physico-chemical and biological parameters was implemented at 3 sites along the Suva foreshore, for 8 consecutive months, during low and high tides. Analysis was done in triplicates, using standard methods approved for the examination of water and wastewater. In the absence of relevant Fiji guidelines, the results were compared with ANZECC (2000) guidelines for estuary and marine waters. Low DO levels, high COD, TN, NH3, TP, OP and heavy metal concentrations were measured in all 3 sites. For instance, TN and NH3 concentrations as high as 4.44 ±0.99 mg/L and 2.58 ± 0.89 mg/L respectively were recorded in Wailea river (Site 2). The colony counts for the TC, FC and E. coli were in most cases above the limits. These results confirm that wastewater discharges add to the inherent levels of parameters in receiving water bodies and support the need for specific, robust Fiji standards to better monitor water quality in foreshore areas. HIGHLIGHTS Urbanisation contributes to wastewater contamination in Fiji water bodies.; Development of water quality baseline is a pre-requisite for establishing water quality guidelines for water bodies.; Use of indicator organisms to assess water quality affected by discharge of wastewater.; Use of standard methods to develop baseline and water quality guidelines.; Potential effect of tidal movement on water quality of estuaries.

The article proposes modes of sterilization of meat pate from turkey meat, which was determined by the method in which the actual lethality Ff relative to the microflora should be equal to or exceed the required lethality of the sterilization process Fn (Ff ≥ Fn) canned turkey pate. The results of the study of the dependence of the kinetics of biochemical reactions on the thermal, chemical and mechanical sensitivity of the processed product, on pressure, temperature and chemical potential are presented. One of the effective ways to intensify the heat transfer process is the contact heating of the product by means of steam supply, which has a technological effect on the processed products. When comparing the results of the simulated results with experimental data, it is established that the solution of the problem of calculating the temperature field of the product on a computer gives quite satisfactory results between the calculated and experimental data. It is established that as a modification for the processed products it is necessary to solve thermohydromechanical equations with the corresponding initial and boundary conditions in addition to the transfer equation for each scalar quantity.

This study was conducted to assess the effect of wastewater quality of Paharang drain Faisalabad on ground water quality of adjacent areas. Ground water samples and drain water samples were collected and analyzed by using standard methods. Parameters of wastewater samples were compared with Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS). Results indicated that physico-chemical parameters including pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, fluoride and total hardness were found exceeding the permissible limits in wastewater samples. Similarly, few physicochemical parameters in groundwater were found within the permissible limit while electrical conductivity (EC), TDS, chlorides (Cl), fluoride (F), and total hardness in most of samples were found above the Pak EPA and WHO standard limits. Heavy metals like nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), andarsenic (As) were found within the prescribed concentrations in drain and ground water samples. Statistical analysis showed significant effect of some drain wastewater parameters like conductivity, TDS, salt, temperature, and Cl on the corresponding ground water quality. A strong positive correlation between pH, EC, TDS, Salt, and Cl in drain wastewater and strong positive correlation between EC, TDS and Salt in ground water samples was observed. For improving the ground water quality in the adjacent areas textile wastewater treatment all factories is required, and a combined effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the Paharang drain is also recommended.

Environmental stress caused by pollution is often assessed by diversity of macro-invertebrate species in specific aquatic habitat. To find out seasonal fluctuations in various macro-invertebrates communities and different water quality parameters of River Zhob, a research trial was conducted on River Zhob, Balochistan. Samples of macro-invertebrates and water were taken from four different stations of River Zhob. A total 18 taxa of various macro-invertebrates were identified from the area. Phylum Arthropoda constitute 94.8% of the total population followed by Mollusca (3.6%) and Annelida (1.4%). A large number of arthropods were belonged to order Diptera (1148), while the order Trichoptera was stood second with respect to macro-invertebrate´s number (441). The maximum numbers of macro-invertebrates were observed in the month of January. All physico-chemical parameters of River Zhob such as air temperature, water temp, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and total dissolved solids (TDS) were within the range, suitable for the healthy growth of macro-invertebrates. Diversified populations of various macro-invertebrates confirm good ecological condition of environment and water in the studied site especially ample concentration of DO in River. The documented data on macro-invertebrates in studied site will provide a baseline for future research. Resumo O estresse ambiental causado pela poluição é frequentemente avaliado pela diversidade de espécies de macroinvertebrados em habitats aquáticos específicos. Para descobrir as flutuações sazonais em várias comunidades de macroinvertebrados e diferentes parâmetros de qualidade da água do rio Zhob, foi realizado um teste de pesquisa no rio Zhob, Baluchistão. Amostras de macroinvertebrados e água foram retiradas de quatro estações diferentes do rio Zhob. Um total de 18 táxons de vários macroinvertebrados foram identificados na área. O filo Arthropoda constitui 94,8% da população total, seguido por Mollusca (3,6%) e Annelida (1,4%). Um grande número de artrópodes pertencia à ordem Diptera (1148), enquanto a ordem Trichoptera ocupava o segundo lugar em número de macroinvertebrados (441). Os números máximos de macroinvertebrados foram observados no mês de janeiro. Todos os parâmetros físico-químicos do rio Zhob, como temperatura do ar, temperatura da água, pH, oxigênio dissolvido (OD) e sólidos dissolvidos totais (TDS), estavam dentro da faixa, adequada para o crescimento saudável de macroinvertebrados. Populações diversificadas de vários macroinvertebrados confirmam boas condições ecológicas do ambiente e da água no local estudado, especialmente a ampla concentração de DO no rio. Os dados documentados sobre macroinvertebrados no local estudado fornecerão uma linha de base para pesquisas futuras.

One of the most important problems that people suffer from is not only how to get water, but also how to treat it for reuse in other areas, especially in arid areas which are characterized by a shortage of precipitation, so this modest work aims to study the reliability of wastewater treatment systems in the region, with the influence of climate change on this reliability in order to deduce the best process in one of the regions the driest in Algeria, the region of Ouargla. The town N'goussa has had a sewage treatment plant using a reed plant filter since 2008 which is used to reduce pollution of wastewater for possible reuse in irrigation. The objective of this study is to monitor the physicochemical quality of the raw and purified wastewater from the N ’GOUSSA WWTP in order to detect anomalies that may exist in the WWTP and be able to reuse its treated water for irrigation. The physicochemical results obtained revealed that the raw wastewater entering the WWTP presents a fairly high organic and nitrogen pollution. The removal of MES and nitrogen compounds seem ineffective due to the massive proliferation of implanted filters.

The purpose of the work is to check samples of cosmetic face or hand creams for compliance with the requirements of technical documents declared by manufacturers.

El Humedal Jaboque, es considerado como un ecosistema clave para la ciudad de Bogotá, debido a los servicios ecosistémicos y ambientales que brinda, sin embargo, este cuerpo de agua se encuentra sometido a diferentes tensores ambientales, que dificultan la prestación de dichos servicios y que a su vez, alteran la calidad fisicoquímica y biológica del agua. El humedal Jaboque, se divide en tres sectores, siendo el sector tres (S3) el área con mayor intervención antrópica, seguido del segundo sector (S2), mientras que el sector uno (S1) el cual colinda con el río Bogotá, se encuentra sometido a menor presión antrópica. En el presente estudio a partir de la estadística descriptiva se analizó la calidad del agua del Humedal Jaboque a nivel espacial y temporal, para lo cual, se determinaron las condiciones fisicoquímicas de la calidad del agua del humedal, a partir del registro histórico de doce (12) variables fisicoquímicas: pH, temperatura del agua, oxígeno disuelto, DBO5, DQO, conductividad, sólidos suspendidos totales, aceites y grasas, nutrientes (fósforo total, nitratos y/o nitrógeno total Kjeldahl) y tensoactivos, para un periodo de tiempo comprendido desde el año 2004 al 2020; cabe resaltar, que se recopiló información para la mayoría de los años comprendidos en la ventana de tiempo mencionada, como se evidencia en el anexo 3 y que los puntos de muestreo para los cuales se obtuvieron información histórica fueron georreferenciados, lo que permitió, la visualización del sector del humedal al que corresponde cada dato; así mismo, es de importancia mencionar, que de la información recopilada se analizaron los datos registrados únicamente para los años 2004, 2005, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 y 2020, lo anterior, debido a que, para estos años se contó con información para los tres sectores del humedal Jaboque.El análisis espacio temporal de la calidad del agua, para los años 2017, 2019 y 2020 fue robustecido mediante el cálculo y análisis de los índices ICA, BMWP/Col y ASPT. Estos índices solo se aplicaron para los tres años en mención, debido a que se contó con información completa de las variables fisicoquímicas requeridas para el cálculo del ICA, y de registros de macroinvertebrados acuáticos a nivel de familia para la obtención de los índices biológicos mencionados. Finalmente, con los datos de las variables fisicoquímicas y de los índices ICA, BMWP/Col y ASPT, siendo los dos últimos índices calculados a partir de la información hidrobiológica “macroinvertebrados acuáticos”, se aplicó la prueba no paramétrica de Varianza Wilconxon y se analizó la calidad del agua a nivel espacial (sectores del humedal) y temporal (Años 2017, 2019 y 2020). Los resultados obtenidos en la presente investigación se enfocaron a nivel espacial y temporal. A nivel fisicoquímico, para la ventana de tiempo comprendida entre el 2004 al 2020, en los tres sectores del humedal predominaron condiciones de hipoxia, aguas mineralizadas y aguas contaminadas por aguas residuales. Espacial y temporalmente, para los años 2017, 2019 y 2020, el índice ICA reflejó aguas de mala y regular calidad para los años 2017 y 2019, para el año 2020 aguas contaminadas para los tres sectores del humedal. Por otra parte, los índices BMWP/Col y ASPT indicaron aguas muy contaminadas para los tres sectores del humedal para los años 2017 y 2019, mientras que para el año 2020, aguas fuertemente contaminadas. The Jaboque Wetland is considered a key ecosystem for the city of Bogotá, due to the ecosystemic and environmental services it provides; however, this body of water is subject to different environmental tensors that hinder the provision of such services and, in turn, alter the physicochemical and biological quality of the water. The Jaboque wetland is divided into three sectors, with sector 3 being the area with the greatest anthropic intervention, followed by the second sector (S2), while sector 1, which borders the Bogotá river, is subject to less anthropic pressure. In the present study, based on descriptive statistics, the water quality of the Jaboque Wetland was analyzed at a spatial and temporal level, for which, the physicochemical conditions of the wetland's water quality were determined, from the historical record of twelve ( 12) physicochemical variables: pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, BOD5, COD, conductivity, total suspended solids, oils and fats, nutrients (total phosphorus, nitrates and / or total Kjeldahl nitrogen) and surfactants, for a period of time comprised from 2004 to 2020; It should be noted that information was collected for most of the years included in the mentioned time window, as evidenced in Annex 3 and that the sampling points for which historical information was obtained were georeferenced, which allowed the visualization of the wetland sector to which each data corresponds; Likewise, it is important to mention that from the information collected, the data recorded only for the years 2004, 2005, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 were analyzed, the above, because, for these years, there was information for the three sectors of the Jaboque wetland. The spatial-temporal analysis of water quality for the years 2017, 2019 and 2020 was strengthened by calculating and analyzing the ICA, BMWP / Col and ASPT indices. These indices were only applied for the three years in question, due to the fact that there was complete information on the physicochemical variables required for the calculation of the ICA, and from data of aquatic macroinvertebrates at the family level to obtain the mentioned biological indices. Finally, with the data of the physicochemical variables and the ICA, BMWP / Col and ASPT indices, the last two indices being calculated from the hydrobiological information "aquatic macroinvertebrates", the non-parametric test of Wilconxon Variance was applied and analyzed water quality at a spatial level (wetland sectors) and temporal (Years 2017, 2019 and 2020). The results obtained in the present investigation were focused on a spatial and temporal level. At the physicochemical level, for the time window between 2004 and 2020, in the three sectors of the wetland conditions of hypoxia, mineralized waters and waters contaminated by sewage prevailed. Spatially and temporally, for the years 2017, 2019 and 2020, the ICA index reflected water of poor and regular quality for the years 2017 and 2019, for the year 2020 contaminated waters for the three sectors of the wetland. On the other hand, the BMWP / Col and ASPT indices indicated highly polluted waters for the three sectors of the wetland for the years 2017 and 2019, while for the year 2020, highly contaminated waters. http://www.ustadistancia.edu.co/?page_id=3956 Maestría

Water quality deterioration is a serious problem with the increase in the urbanization rate. However, water quality monitoring uses grab sampling of physico-chemical parameters and a water quality index method to assess water quality. Both processes are lengthy and expensive. These traditional indices are biased towards the physico-chemical parameters because samples are only collected from certain sampling points. These limitations make the current water quality index method unsuitable for any water body in the world. Thus, we develop an enhanced water quality index method based on a semi-supervised machine learning technique to determine water quality. This method follows five steps: (i) parameter selection, (ii) sub-index calculation, (iii) weight assignment, (iv) aggregation of sub-indices and (v) classification. Physico-chemical, air, meteorological and hydrological, topographical parameters are acquired for the stream network of the Rawal watershed. Min-max normalization is used to obtain sub-indices, and weights are assigned with tree-based techniques, i.e., LightGBM, Random Forest, CatBoost, AdaBoost and XGBoost. As a result, the proposed technique removes the uncertainties in the traditional indexing with a 100% classification rate, removing the necessity of including all parameters for classification. Electric conductivity, secchi disk depth, dissolved oxygen, lithology and geology are amongst the high weighting parameters of using LightGBM and CatBoost with 99.1% and 99.3% accuracy, respectively. In fact, seasonal variations are observed for the classified stream network with a shift from 55:45% (January) to 10:90% (December) ratio for the medium to bad class. This verifies the validity of the proposed method that will contribute to water management planning globally.

The aim was to determine the quality parameters and oxidative stability of colour, lipids and proteins (formation of carbonyls) of vacuum packed lamb at a constant temperature of 2 °C ±1 °C up to 15 days post mortem. The suitability of lamb loin (longissimus lumborum) for ageing and optimal ageing period to obtain optimum sensory properties, especially tenderness and aroma was determined. A sample of 100 g lamb meat contains 23.48 g protein, 69.66 g water and 5.48 g fat. Lamb samples were the most tender after 11 days (both, sensory assessed and instrumentally measured – share force decreased by 61%) and had the best aroma after 15 days post mortem. In the meantime, the lamb became significantly brighter and more saturated (higher L*, a* and b* values), the content of secondary lipid oxidation products increased (1.7 times higher amount of malondialdehyde), and the content of protein carbonyls decreased to the initial value, despite an initial increase observed 11 days post mortem. We found that lamb loin is suitable piece for ageing; the optimal duration of ageing of loins is 15 days post mortem., Cilj rada bio je odrediti značajke kvalitete i oksidacijsku stabilnost boje, lipida te bjelančevina (stvaranje karbonila) janjetine pakirane u vakuumu, starosti do 15 dana nakon klanja, pri stalnoj temperaturi od 2 °C ± 1 °C. Utvrđivana je primjerenost janjećeg filea (longissimus lumborum) za zrenje te optimalno vrijeme zrenja, a kojima se postižu najbolja senzorička svojstva, posebice mekoća i aroma. Uzorak od 100 g janjetine sadrži 23,48 g bjelančevina, 69,66 g vode i 5,48 g masti. Uzorci janjetine su bili najmekši 11 dana nakon klanja (senzorička procjena i mekoća utvrđena instrumentima – udio sile smanjen je za 61 %), pri čemu je najbolja aroma utvrđena 15 dana nakon klanja. Janjetina je starenjem postala značajno svjetlija i zasićenija (veće vrijednosti L*, a* i b*), povećao se sadržaj sekundarnih produkata oksidacije lipida (1,7 puta veća količina malondialdehida), dok se sadržaj proteinskih karbonila, po početnom povećanju zabilježenom 11 dana nakon klanja, smanjio na početnu vrijednost. U svrhu objektivnije procjene brzine oksidacije bjelančevina u janjetini, valja napomenuti da je sedmodnevno smrzavanje mesa prije analize značajno smanjilo sadržaj proteinskih karbonila (32 %). Utvrđeno je da je janjeći file primjeren za produženo zrenje, pri čemu optimalno trajanje zrenja filea iznosi 15 dana nakon klanja., Das Ziel der Arbeit war es, die Qualitätsparameter und die oxidative Stabilität von Farbe, Lipiden und Proteinen (Bildung von Carbonylen) von vakuumverpacktem Lammfleisch bei einer konstanten Temperatur von 2 °C ±1 °C bis zu 15 Tage nach der Schlachtung zu bestimmen. Es wurde die Eignung der Lammlende (longissimus lumborum) für die Reifung und die optimale Reifezeit zur Erzielung optimaler sensorischer Eigenschaften, insbesondere der Zartheit und des Aromas bestimmt. Eine Probe von 100 g Lammfleisch enthält 23,48 g Eiweiß, 69,66 g Wasser und 5,48 g Fett. Die Lammfleischproben waren nach 11 Tagen am zartesten (sowohl sensorisch beurteilt als auch instrumentell gemessen - der Anteil nahm um 61% ab) und hatten nach 15 Tagen nach dem Schlachten das beste Aroma. Mit der Reifung wurde das Lammfleisch deutlich heller und gesättigter (höhere L*-, a*- und b*-Werte), der Gehalt an sekundären Lipidoxidationsprodukten stieg an (1,7-mal höhere Menge an Malondialdehyd), und der Gehalt an Proteincarbonylen sank auf den Ausgangswert, trotz eines 11 Tage nach der Schlachtung beobachteten anfänglichen Anstiegs. Für eine realistische Bewertung der Proteinoxidationsrate bei Lammfleisch ist zu beachten, dass ein 7-tägiges Einfrieren des Fleisches vor der Analyse den Proteincarbonylgehalt signifikant reduzierte (32%). Es wurde herausgefunden, dass die Lammlende ein für die Reifung geeignetes Stück ist; die optimale Dauer der Reifung der Lenden beträgt 15 Tage nach dem Schlachten., El fin de este estudio fue determinar los parámetros de calidad y estabilidad oxidativa del color, de los lípidos y proteínas (formación de carbonilo) de cordero envasado al vacío hasta 15 días después del sacrificio, a una temperatura constante de 2 ° C ± 1 ° C. Se determinó la idoneidad del filete de cordero (longissimus lumborum) para la crianza y el período óptimo de crianza para obtener las mejores propiedades sensoriales, especialmente ternura y aroma. Una muestra de 100 g de carne de cordero contiene 23,48 g de proteína, 69,66 g de agua y 5,48 g de grasa. Las muestras de cordero tuvieron la mayor ternura 11 días después del sacrificio (tanto evaluadas sensorialmente como medidas instrumentalmente; la proporción de fuerza se redujo en un 61%), con el mejor aroma determinado 15 días después del sacrificio. El cordero se volvió significativamente más brillante y saturado con la edad (valores más altos de L *, a * yb *), el contenido de productos secundarios de oxidación de lípidos aumentó (1,7 veces mayor cantidad de malondialdehído), mientras que el contenido de proteína carbonilo, luego del aumento inicial registrado 11 días después del sacrificio, se ha reducido al valor inicial. Para evaluar de manera más objetiva la tasa de oxidación de proteínas en el cordero, debe tenerse en cuenta que con la congelación de la carne durante siete días antes del análisis se redujo significativamente el contenido de proteína de los carbonilos de proteína (32%). Fue determinado que el filete de cordero era apto para el envejecimiento, siendo la duración óptima del envejecimiento del filete 15 días después del sacrificio., Il presente studio aveva lo scopo di determinare le caratteristiche concernenti la qualità e la stabilità ossidativa del colore, dei grassi e delle proteine (formazione di carbonile) della carne d’agnello confezionata sottovuoto a 15 giorni dalla sua macellazione a una temperatura costante di 2 °C ± 1 °C. È stata accertata l’idoneità del filetto d’agnello (longissimus lumborum) all’invecchiamento e la sua durata ottimale cui si attribuiscono i migliori risultati in termini di proprietà sensoriali, tenerezza e aroma. Il campione di 100 g di carne d’agnello contiene 23,48 g di proteine, 69,66 g d’acqua e 5,48 g di grassi. I campioni di carne d’agnello col maggior grado di tenerezza si sono dimostrati quelli dopo 11 giorni dalla macellazione (valutato sensorialmente e misurato con gli strumenti – sforzo di taglio ridotto del 61%), mentre il miglior aroma è risultato quello della carne a 15 giorni dalla macellazione. La carne d’agnello, col passare del tempo, è diventata più chiara e opaca (valori L*, a* e b* più alti), è aumentato il contenuto dei prodotti secondari dell’ossidazione dei lipidi (la quantità di malondialdeide è risultata 1,7 volte superiore), mentre il contenuto di carbonile proteico, dopo un iniziale incremento a 11 giorni dalla macellazione, s’è ridotto al valore iniziale. Ai fini di una valutazione maggiormente aggettiva della velocità di ossidazione delle proteine nella carne d’agnello, va detto che, dopo sette giorni di congelatore prima dell’analisi, il contenuto di carbonili proteici nella carne s’è sensibilmente ridotto (32%). È stato accertato che il filetto d’agnello è idoneo all’invecchiamento, laddove la sua durata ottimale è di 15 giorni dopo la macellazione.

A multidisciplinar analysis of sediments collected in diferent environments of the Doñana National Park (Guadalquivir estuary, SW Spain) provides an overview of the textural, mineralogical and physico-chemical parameters that control the distribution of benthic foraminiferal tests in this Biosphere Reserve. These microorganisms are absent in the fne quartzitic sands that constitute the substrate of temporary ponds with brief hydroperiods located in the dune systems and spits, as well as in other ponds with low conductivities or hypersaline conditions located in the inner marshlands or near the Guadalquivir river banks. Dead benthic foraminifera are mainly found on phyllosilicate-rich, silty-clayey substrates. The taphonomic analysis of the main species (Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica, Trochammina infata, Entzia macrescens) points to its deposit in situ. Cluster analysis permits to delimitate six foraminiferal assemblages. Cluster II (A. tepida+H. germanica) is the dominant assemblage in the central ponds and the margins of the main channels, while cluster IV (T. infata+E. macrescens) is restricted to some ponds located on the high marsh and cluster VI (Ammonia beccarii+Quinqueloculina spp.) is abundant on external beaches. Tidal fuxes cause the transport of these last marine benthic species and some plaktonic forms both to the inner areas of the estuary and to these beaches. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Today, the consumption of water is increasing day by day due to population. This increase of demand for water leads to an uncontrolled use of water supplies. Generally, in underdeveloped and developing countries, wastewater is discharged directly to receiving environments without treatment. This situation causes a decrease in the quality of these water supplies and restricts the benefits of streams. In this paper, we present the first extensive study on the quality of water of Kozlu Creek in Zonguldak. To determine the quality of the stream’s water, we have collected water samples from 6 different locations on the creek, on two separate dates in June and December of 2017. These samples have been tested to determine their levels of Chemical Oxygen Demand, Biological Oxygen Demand, Total Suspended Solids, pH, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, phosphorus, conductivity, oil and grease content. We used Geographical Information Systems to create thematic maps that demonstrate the level of pollution of water in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand and Total Suspended Solids parameters. As a result of the analyzes, it was found that the water quality in Kozlu Creek was in the 4th class according to the Regulation on Surface Water Quality.

This article discusses the analysis of the physico-chemical parameters of water in the Serayu River, Banjarnegara, Indonesia during the dry and rainy seasons. The parameters to be measured are heavy metals, alkalinity, pH, temperature, TDS, TSS, and corrosivity. The sampling location is at the mouth of the Serayu River, where Serayu River water is one of the Mrica Reservoir water sources used for hydroelectric power plants. (PLTA). When the samples were taken in the rainy and dry season in 2018. The results showed that in the rainy season, the surface water pH of the Serayu River estuary was 6.61; the TDS was 178 mg/l; the TSS was 62 mg/l; the BOD was 6.66 mg/l; the COD was 33.31 mg/l; and the nitrate was 4.03 mg/l. Meanwhile, in the dry season, the pH was 8.15; the TDS wa 121 mg/l; the TSS was 55 mg/l; the BOD was 6.35 mg/l; the COD was 31.77 mg/l, and the nitrate was 3.08 mg/l. All physical and chemical parameters meet the quality standards required in Indonesian Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001 concerning Management of Water Quality and Class III Water Pollution Control. The surface water of the Serayu River estuary is weak corrosive which means it is safe for hydropower activities. In general, in the rainy season the chemical physics parameters of the Serayu River estuary water level are higher than the rainy season.

The present study focused on the possibility of differentiating fresh-unprocessed orange juice according to botanical origin (variety), based on the use of conventional physico-chemical parameters, flavonoids, and volatile compounds, in combination with chemometrics. For this purpose, oranges from seven different varieties were collected during the harvest years of 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 from central and southern Greece. The physico-chemical parameters that were determined included: electrical conductivity, acidity, pH, and total soluble solids. The flavonoids: hesperidin, neohespseridin, quercetin, naringin, and naringenin were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD). Finally, volatile compounds were determined using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Statistical treatment of data by multivariate techniques showed that orange juice variety had a significant (p < 0.05) impact on the above analytical parameters. The classification rate for the differentiation of orange juice according to orange variety using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was 89.3%, based on the cross-validation method.

The main emphasis of this study was to assess the status of drinking water quality from four different water sources available in and around an institutional campus of Lumami, Nagaland University, with special reference to the detection of trace heavy metal elements. The results of the physico-chemical parameters of the water show that values of DO, BOD5 and free CO2 at S3 are beyond the permissible limit set by WHO and BIS. The values of DO in all the three stations (S1, S2 and S4) are near the maximum permissible limit of drinking water, indicating the deterioration of water quality, whereas the rests of the parameters are below the permissible limit of WHO and BIS. The detection of Hg in all stations along with alarmingly high concentrations of Fe and others such as Cu, Zn, Mn and Se is perceived as a matter of concern. On the other hand, As and Pb were not detected in any station. The detection of Hg and Fe in all the four types of water sources is an indication of contaminant hazards and needs drinking water treatment practices in these areas which in turn have implications on human health.

Water is a fundamental resource for human survival but the consumption of water that is unfit for drinking leads to serious diseases. Access to high–resolution satellite imagery provides an opportunity for innovation in the techniques used for water quality monitoring. With remote sensing, water quality parameter concentrations can be estimated based on the band combinations of the satellite images. In this study, a hybrid remote sensing and deep learning approach for forecasting multi–step parameter concentrations was investigated for the advancement of the traditionally employed water quality assessment techniques. Deep learning models, including a convolutional neural network (CNN), fully connected network (FCN), recurrent neural network (RNN), multi–layer perceptron (MLP), and long short term memory (LSTM), were evaluated for multi–step estimations of an optically active parameter, i.e., electric conductivity (EC), and an inactive parameter, i.e., dissolved oxygen (DO). The estimation of EC and DO concentrations can aid in the analysis of the levels of impurities and oxygen in water. The proposed solution will provide information on the necessary changes needed in water management techniques for the betterment of society. EC and DO parameters were taken as independent variables with dependent parameters, i.e., pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, chlorophyll–α, Secchi disk depth, and land surface temperature, which were extracted from Landsat–8 data from the years 2014–2021 for the Rawal stream network. The bi–directional LSTM obtained better results with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2 (mg/L) for DO and an RMSE of 281.741 (μS/cm) for EC, respectively. The results suggest that a hybrid approach provides efficient and accurate results in feature extraction and evaluation of multi–step forecast of both optically active and inactive water quality parameters.

The use of rivers for recreational and domestic practices makes it imperative to scrutinize the water quality circulating within surrounding communities. The complexity of biological, physical and chemical constituents in water is constantly evolving. This study evaluated various microbial and physico-chemical parameters in a polluted river system over a 12-month period. Apart from an increase in chemical pollutants, elevated levels of E. coli, total (TC) and faecal (FC) coliforms, and Shigella species could be attributed to faecal contamination entering the catchment. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed a strong relationship between FC, TC and temperature whereas moderate interactions was seen between total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, TC and FC populations. Furthermore, close relationships between the bacterial and phage communities were also observed. The complex interactions of these physico-chemical and microbial indicators could be due to anthropogenic activities, changing climatic conditions and the excreta of infected and non-infected individuals entering the river. Assessing the complexity of aquatic ecosystems can aid in the development of novel, customizable, inexpensive water purification tools.

The aim of the current study was to determine common physico-chemical parameters (salinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, and pH) of coastal water of two rocky shores from Buleiji and Paradise Point rocky shores at Karachi monthly basis, from November 2007 to April 2009. The range of air and surface water temperature of Buleji varies from 19 ºC to 30 ºC and 21ºC to 29 ºC, respectively. Almost similar air temperature and seawater temperature (19º to 29º C) were recorded at Paradise Point. Salinity ranged from 35 to 39 ‰ at Buleji while it ranged between 35 to 40 ‰ at Paradise Point. The lowest concentrations of dissolved oxygen was recorded in November’07 and November’08 at both sites, at Buleiji which were 1.6 mg/L and 1.7 mg/L while at Paradise Point it was 1.8 mg/L and 1.7 mg/L, respectively. The pH value ranged from 7.0 to 8.3 at Buleji and from 7.5 to 8.4 at Paradise Point. The concentrations of chlorophyll-a were between 1.2 and 3.7 µg cm-2 at Buleji while it ranged from 0.9 to 3.3 µg cm-2 at Paradise Point. Results showed that the obtained values of temperatures, salinity, pH and chlorophyll-a are favorable for the continued survival of marine biota but the values of dissolved oxygen were found to be below 4 mg/L which are not suitable for various species. Prolonged periods of minimal dissolved oxygen directly upset larval stages of numerous marine organisms. In Karachi coastal areas, seasonal accessibility of surface water is very responsive to the monsoon climate and physiography of coastal belt. These concerns were used to inform the common people and decision-makers about the state of the coastal environments. To protect these dynamic significant habitats, the government organizations and researchers should work with appropriate consideration.

The sensory profiles of thyme honey from the Greek islands with different thymus pollen grain contents (A: &gt, 60%, B: 40–60%, and C: 18–40%) were studied. The results of the physico-chemical analyses fulfilled the criteria set by international quality standards and, specifically, Greek legislation (moisture content &lt, 18%, hydroxymethylfurfural &lt, 10 mg/kg, and diastase activity &gt, 20 DN). The sensory results showed that there were significant differences between groups with different pollen grain contents (p &lt, 0.01) for all attributes except for floral aroma, with the Group A samples being the lightest in color (4.9 ± 1.8) and having the highest floral odor intensity (5.0 ± 2.0) and salty taste (3.5 ± 1.1). Additionally, samples with the highest pollen grain content (i.e., Group A) had olfactory notes of wood/wax/resin and a chemical aroma.

Pollution from potentially toxic metals (PTMs) is one of the most pressing global environmental challenge with soaring human health concerns. It is now critical to seek out effective remediation technologies to control PTMs in the terrestrial environment. Biochar has piqued the interest of researchers due to its ability to immobilize PTMs, particularly in soil, with the assumption that biochar having unique physico-chemical properties may influence PTM mobility. A meta-analysis was performed using 1503 observations extracted from 80 peer-reviewed articles to determine: (a) the effects of various physico-chemical properties of biochar on the bioavailability of PTMs (As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in soil and plants, and (b) the best specification of physico-chemical properties of biochar for effective remediation of these PTMs. The findings revealed that the reduction rate of PTM bioavailability is heavily influenced by the physico-chemical properties of both biochar and soil. The physico-chemical parameters of biochar that have effective response to PTMs immobilization were as; 101-500 m2 g−1 surface area, neutral to alkaline pH, pyrolysis temperature > 500 °C, with best application rate of 1.1-3%. However, overall results indicate that the biochar, with given specification of physico-chemical attributes, can decrease the bioavailability of PTMs by 40% in soil and 22% in plants. Moreover, edaphic factors such as soil pH, texture, and crop type can also influence the biochar mediated PTMs adsorption and transformation under field or pot conditions. Furthermore, research gaps remain to be filled in order to investigate the efficiency, high specificity, and secondary pollution aspects of biochar, particularly on large-scale applications as an amendment for PTM remediation. Awais Shakoor would like to express his gratitude for the grant provided by the University of Lleida, Spain. The part of work contributed by Muhammad Aammar Tufail, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under the Maria Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 722642 (project INTERFUTURE). The authors would like to appreciate the valuable comments from the editors and anonymous reviewers to improve the quality of this study.

Three trout farms from Nepal were studied to investigate the changes in physico-chemical parameters and their potential threat to natural water bodies receiving the effluents. Reference and impact sites were determined in each farm so as to find out the level of impacts due to farming activities. Some of the parameters such as dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, and total dissolve solids were significantly changed in the impacted zones compared to reference sites. Similarly, concentrations of some major ions such as calcium and sodium were increased in the impacted zones. On the other hand, some of the parameters such as pH and potassium did not change in the impacted zone although their concentrations were different among farms studied. Nevertheless, the overall changes in the physico-chemical parameters did not pose health risk to the aquatic ecosystems receiving effluents from these fish farms as the concentrations were below the prescribed levels by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as Nepal Environment Statistics. This is an indication that, although fish farming activities are degrading water qualities, there is no threat to the water quality receiving the effluents yet probably due to small scale farming. The increase in number of fish farms in the same area, however might pose risk to the ecological health in the region which warrants regular monitoring. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTVolume-6, Issue-2, Mar-May 2017, Page: 43-55

Freshwater is a vital medium by which fish for human consumption are cultured, thus, preserving its quality is essential. The presence and bioaccumulation pattern of some heavy metal concentrations in wild African Catfish,Clarias gariepinus(Burchell, 1822) muscles and water samples, collected from River Kaduna during the dry season month of December was assessed, to determine their concentrations, physico-chemical parameters, and risk evaluation of selected metals and their effects on fish quality. Analysis was carried out using standard analytical procedures and methods. Risk assessment for Fe, Pb, Ni, Cd, and Hg were based on average daily dose, hazard quotient, and cancer risk was also determined. Result showed that physico-chemical parameters, were within WHO recommended threshold limits, and mean concentrations of heavy metals followed the order Fe>Pb>Hg>Ni>Cd. Carcinogenic risk () via ingestion of fish muscles for Pb, Hg and Cd were higher than the acceptable limit (10-6). Anthropogenic activities, especially indiscriminate waste disposal were suggested as the main contributor to environmental pollution. Findings reveals possible health implications, thus constant surveillance was suggested to guide appropriate response.

The dataset contains the results of a bacteriological and physico-chemical study of watercourses waters within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk city in 2009. The examined material consisted of water samples collected from 16 watercourses within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk, Poland.

The dataset containst the results of a bacteriological and physico-chemical study of inland surface waters within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk city in 2008. The examined material consisted of water samples collected from four lakes located within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk, Poland.

The dataset contains the results of a bacteriological and physico-chemical study of watercourses waters within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk city in 2010. The examined material consisted of water samples collected from 16 watercourses within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk, Poland.

The dataset containst the results of a bacteriological and physico-chemical study of inland surface waters within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk city in 2010.The examined material consisted of water samples collected from four lakes located within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk, Poland.

The dataset containst the results of a bacteriological and physico-chemical study of inland surface waters within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk city in 2009. The examined material consisted of water samples collected from four lakes located within the administrative boundaries of Gdańsk, Poland.

Present paper deals with the study of Physico-chemical parameters of Urinjikulam pond, Thiruthangal (Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu). Monthly variations in the physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, pH (7.5 to 8.8), dissolved oxygen (1.62-5.92 mg/L), total alkalinity (81-271mg/L), total hardness (48 to 364mg/L), chlorides (11 to 1030mg/L), Phosphate (0.36 to 2.86mg/L) and nitrate (0 to 0.40mg/L) were investigated. All the parameters were beyond the permissible limits.

Lake Nasser is one of the largest man-made lakes on earth. It has a vital importance to Egypt for several decades because of the safe water supply of the country. Therefore, the water quality of the Lake Nasser must be profoundly investigated, and physico-chemical parameter changes of the water of the Lake Nasser should be continuously monitored and assessed. This work describes the present state of the physico-chemical (nitrate-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphate content, dissolved oxygen content, chemical oxygen demand, and biological oxygen demand) water parameters of Lake Nasser in Egypt at nine measurement sites along the Lake Nasser. The algorithm was devised at the University of Pannonia, Hungary, for the evaluation of the water quality. The aquatic environmental indices determined alongside the Lake Nasser fall into the category of “good” water quality at seven sampling sites and exhibited “excellent” water quality at two sampling sites according to Egyptian Governmental Decree No. 92/2013. In light of the tremendous demand for safe and healthy water supply in Egypt and international requirements, the water quality assessment is a very important tool for providing reliable information on the water quality. The protocol for water quality assessment could significantly contribute to the provision of high-quality water supply in Egypt. In conclusion, it can be stated that the parameters under investigation in different regions of Lake Nasser fall within the permissible ranges and the water of the Lake has good quality for drinking, irrigation, and fish cultures according to Egyptian standards; however, according to European specifications, there are steps to be accomplished for future water quality improvement.

Fly ash disposal & utilisation is becoming of a national concern due to increasing pollution issues and its efficient management to prevent further degradation of environmental pollution. At present, generation of flyash is in tune of about 130 million tone and likely to be increased in future. Thermal power plants (TPPs) generate a huge amount of fly ash during combustion of coal and face fly ash management problems. Open dumping of fly ash can deteriorate the groundwater quality by runoff. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to evaluate ground/surface water quality situated near thermal power plant (PTPP) located in eastern UP state in India. Water, flyash and coal samples from various locations in and around PTPP were collected and subjected to insitu and physico-chemical analysis. Coal samples found high ash content. pH values of ground water samples found acidic character with high conductivity values. Physico-chemical analysis of flyash and water extract indicated leaching tendency of soluble ions into water which enhance over a period of time. Urgent need towards flyash utilization & management is a cause of concern.

The present study deals with physico-chemical parameters and their correlation coefficient of Ambawade reservoir, Raigad [M.S] India during February 2014 to January 2016. The range of various parameters of reservoirs atmospheric temperature from 25.3ºC to 36.4ºC, water temperature from 23.5 to 35.7ºC, pH from 5.80 to 8.40, DO from 4.56 to 8.32 mg L-1, transparency from 32.56 to 103.40 cm, Free CO2 from nil to 5.90 mg L-1, EC from 58.20 to 110.80 µS cm-1, TDS from 8.41 to 18.42 mg L-1, total hardness from 54.40 to 71.32 mg L-1, total alkalinity from 46.32 to 74.21 mg L-1, NO3 - -N from 0.378 to 1.024 mg L-1, PO4 -P from 0.041 to 0.310 mg L-1, SiO2 from 3.75 to 9.19 mg L-1, Mg2+ from 5.67 to 8.84 mg L-1, Na+ from 3.04 to 5.66 mg L-1 and K+ from 0.36 to 0.98 mg L-1. Correlation coefficient (r) showed high significant positive and negative relationship (p < 0.01 level) between the parameters. The results revealed that there was a fluctuation in physico-chemical parameters during the period under report.

Kızılırmak is the longest river of Turkey and the most important one as a resource for various water uses. Therefore Kızılırmak river basin is under pressure from a diverse range of human activities. Six stations were sampled along the Kızılırmak river located in Nevsehir city during 2013–2014 seasonally. The physico-chemical parameters (water temperature, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, nitrite (NO3), ammonium (NH4), ammonia (NH3), phosphate (PO4), sulfate (SO4) and some metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, B, Cr, Ni, Pb, Hg, As, Se, Sb, Mn, Cd and Al) were measured in the water samples to determine the water quality of the Kızılırmak river. When the water quality classes were examined in terms of the measured physico-chemical parameters, it was detected that the river is IV. class for nitrite, III. class for BOD, phosphate and pH, II. class for NH4–N. The results showed that the heavy metal concentrations in water of the Kızılırmak river were within the quality class I. limits of the EPA and WPCR. The authors wish to thank to Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Scientific Research Project Fund (NEUBAP) for their financial support (Project number: NEUBAP13F22).

Quality of water in shrimp culture ponds depends on several physical, chemical and biological processes. In this study, the physico-chemical characteristics of water and sediment samples from inlet, pond and outlet of a traditional shrimp culture pond, locally called as bheri, were examined for nine months from March to November 2011. Majority of the physicochemical parameters of bheri were well within the optimum levels. The average BOD values in pond water and outlet water were 2.03 ppm and 2.33 ppm, respectively. In pond water, the levels of ammonia were from 0.012 to 0.033 ppm, which was well within the safe level (

The current study includes the assessment of physico-chemical characteristics along with the microbial diversity of hot water samples collected from three important sacred hot water springs of the Uttarakhand Himalaya close to the world-famous Hindu shrine Yamunotri temple. Hot water samples were collected for two consecutive years 2015–2016 in two sampling operations each year. A total of fifteen physico-chemical attributes of hot water were recorded. Microbes of hot water ponds were characterized by morphological, biochemical, MALDI-TOF MS, and molecular approaches. A total of twenty-two microbial strains were identified from the Surya Kund with water temperature ranging between 86 °C and 89 °C; twenty-two microbial strains were identified from the Draupadi Kund with water temperature ranging between 65 °C and 69 °C and twenty-one microbial strains were identified from the Yamunotri Tapt Kund with water temperature ranging between 45 °C and 48 °C during the study period. The present study on the assessment of physico-chemical characteristics and thermophilic microbial diversity of all the three hot water springs can be a useful reference for further studies on similar aspects in other parts of the Himalaya. The available data will also help to understand the reasons behind the curative properties of these hot water springs. This baseline information will also be instrumental for the conservation and management of these hot water springs., Environmental health; Nature conservation; Water pollution; Bacteria; Microorganism; Thermophilic bacteria; Hot water ponds; Physico-chemical parameters; MALDI-TOF-MS; Yamunotri shrine

Contamination of natural water sources is one of the main health problems worldwide, which could be caused by chemicals, metals, or microbial agents. This study aimed to analyze the quality of 18 rivers located in Quito, the capital province of Pichincha, Ecuador, through physico-chemical and microbial parameters. The E. coli and total coliforms assessments were performed by a counting procedure in growth media. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was realized to detect several microbial genera, as well as Candida albicans, two parasites (Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp.) and E. coli pathotypes: enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Additionally, physico-chemical parameters and major and trace metals were analyzed in each surface water sample. Our results demonstrated that most of the rivers analyzed do not comply with the microbial, physico-chemical, and metal requirements established by the Ecuadorian legislation. In terms of microbial pollution, the most polluted rivers were Monjas, Mach&aacute, ngara, Pisque, and Pita Rivers. Furthermore, three out of four analyzed E. coli pathotypes (EIEC, EHEC, and EAEC) were detected in certain rivers, specifically: Monjas River showed the presence of EIEC and EHEC, in the Mach&aacute, ngara River, EAEC and EIEC were detected, and finally, EIEC was present in the Guayllabamba River. Several physico-chemical parameters, such as pH, CODtotal, and TSS values, were higher than the Ecuadorian guidelines in 11, 28, and 28% of the rivers, respectively. Regarding heavy metals, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Mn surpassed the established values in 94, 89, 61, 22, 22, and 17% of the rivers, respectively. Machangara River was the only one that registered higher Cr concentrations than the national guidelines. The values of Al and Fe were above the recommended values in 83 and 72% of the rivers. Overall, based on the physical-chemical and microbiological parameters the most contaminated rivers were Mach&aacute, ngara and Monjas. This study revealed severe contaminations in Ecuadorean Rivers, further studies should evaluate the sources of contamination and their impact on public health.

Anthropic processes degrade quality of estuarine environments, resulting in a worrying form of water pollution. The objective of the study was to describe and discuss interannual and seasonal changes of water quality based on indicators monitored in Goiana River estuary, as well as identifying the main drivers of such changes. We considered three estuarine areas or habitats (upper estuary, middle estuary and lower estuary), and two seasons (dry and rainy) for anchoring sample design. The information collected for surface and bottom water include water temperature (°C), salinity, dissolved oxygen (mg L−1), saturation (%) and Secchi depth (cm) (n = 864). The monthly total rainfall (mm) was compiled from public database. Multivariate analyses highlight inter dependency among these parameters. Water quality was reduced in dry periods (including episodes of hypoxia), but generally increased toward the mouth of estuary. Rainfall is the most important factor in the renewal and maintenance waters of small tropical estuaries. Regions most sensitive to climate change where water resources are depleted and/or compromised should pay even more attention to upcoming changes in rainfall (seasonal) and climatic patterns in addition to better water management practices.

In environmental risk assessment, it is essential to understand the relationship between molecular structure and fate and toxicity of organic contaminants. For surfactants, physico-chemical parameters which can reflect the interactions that determine surfactant behavior are not well defined and are therefore needed for the development of robust quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). For the present study, we have measured HPLC retention times of several hydrocarbon and perfluorocarbon surfactant groups on a mixed-mode weak anion-exchange (WAX) and mixed-mode hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) stationary phase. The nonionic alcohol ethoxylates are well retained on the HILIC column. Retention of anionic surfactants on the HILIC column is likely influenced by the degree of hydration of the surfactants and electrostatic repulsion from silanol groups. Less hydrated anionic surfactants (perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and alkyl sulfates) show minimal hydrophilic interaction while other better hydrated anionic surfactants (alkyl carboxylates and alkyl sulfonates) are well retained. The retention mechanism of surfactants on both columns seems to be related to their degree of hydration, albeit expressed in different retention behavior: generally, retention on the WAX phase increases when retention on the HILIC phase decreases, and vice versa. The retention times from both columns were used to calculate retention factors (k’) and these were subsequently used in calculating parameters that reflect the electrostatic property (kAX) and hydrophilic property (kHILIC) that determine the interaction between the hydrophilic part of the surfactant and the stationary phase. In further development of predictive models, we suggest the use of kAX for anionic surfactants and kHILIC for nonionic surfactants.

The seasonal physico-chemical parameters like temperature, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, chlorides, salinity and electrical conductivity were determined seasonally from Girna, Ozarkhed, Chankapur and Gangapur reservoirs of Nasik district. Results of the present study indicated that the mean values of temperature, pH and total alkalinity were highest in summer season and lowest in winter season, mean values of dissolved oxygen was highest in winter season and lowest in summer season. The mean values of total hardness, salinity, chloride and electrical conductivity were highest during summer season and lowest during monsoon, in surface water sampled from four studied reservoirs. Thus result clearly indicated that the surface water of Girna reservoir was more polluted than other three reservoirs, while surface water of Gangapur reservoir was less polluted than other three studied reservoirs.

The aim of the present study was analysed the physical and chemical parameters in lump cheese and Korbáčik cheese. Sensory evaluation was performed only in Korbáčik cheese. There was compared quality of Korbáčik cheese made from lump cheese ripened one and three weeks. The statistical analysis of the moisture showed significant differences (p<0.001) among Korbáčik cheese made from raw material ripened one and three weeks. Average moisture of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened one week was 44.73% and of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened three weeks was 53.73%. The statistical analysis of the dry mater value showed significant differences (p<0.001) among the Korbáčik cheese made from raw material ripened one and three weeks. Average value of dry matter of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened one week was 55.27% and of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened three weeks was 46.27%. The statistical analysis of the fat content showed significant differences (p<0.01) among the Korbáčik cheese made from raw material ripened one and three weeks. Average fat content of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened one week was 22.67% and of the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened three weeks was 20.20%. The statistical analysis of the fat content in dry matter showed significant differences (p<0.001) among Korbáčik cheese made from raw material ripened one and three weeks. Average NaCl content in the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened one week was 3.78% and in the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened three weeks was 2.93%. The statistical analysis of MDA content showed significant differences (p<0.05) among the Korbáčik cheese made from raw material ripened one and three weeks. Average MDA content in the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened one week was 0.29 mg.kg-1 and in the Korbáčik made from cheese ripened three weeks was 0.36 mg.kg-1. Korbáčik cheese made from cheese aged 3 weeks was practically in all sensory parameters better evaluated than the Korbáčik cheese made from cheese aged one week.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the blossom honey samples divided into the three groups: acacia (Robinia psedoacacia) honeys (n=14), other unifloral honeys (clover Trifolium pratense, lime Tilia cordata, rape Brassica napus, buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum, chestnut Castanea sativa; n=8) and multifloral honeys (n=16). We tested the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of honeys. Followed physico-chemical parameters were tested: water, water content, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), pH, free acidity and diastase. From microbiological parameters, we found total plate count (TPC), TPC of anaerobic microorganisms, counts of coliform bacteria, sporulating bacteria and microscopic fungi in the honey samples using dilution plating method. Water content ranged from 13.60 to 21.90 g 100g-1 and two samples of multifloral honeys exceeded the limit value for water content (max 20.00 g 100g-1). HMF ranged from 0.77 to 10.93 mg kg-1 that is typical for fresh and heat-untreated honeys. Average values of pH were 5.02 ± 0.25 for acacia honey, 4.98 ± 0.31 for other unifloral honeys and 4.66 ± 0.45 for multifloral honeys. One sample of multifloral honeys exceeded the limit value for free acidity (max 50 meq kg-1). Higher TPC (above 2.00 log CFU g-1) was detected in 2 out of 14 acacia honeys (14.29%), in 2 out of 8 other unifloral honeys (25.00%) and in 5 out of 16 multifloral honeys (31.25%). Microscopic fungi were not found in 3 acacia honeys (21.43%), 2 other unifloral honeys (25.00%) and 2 multifloral honeys (12.50%). Overall, the obtained results showed good quality of evaluated honeys.

Mediterranean karst aquifers are sensitive systems vulnerable to contamination, exhibiting high rates of diversity and endemicity. In the present pilot-study, we aimed to detect the most suitable bioindicators of contaminant accumulation and mobilization within a Mediterranean karst river (Krka River, Croatia), whose lowermost sections belong to a designated protection area (national park). To meet our goal, we sampled water, drift and benthos (macroinvertebrates and periphytic microfauna) at the two Krka River sites, located upstream and downstream from town Knin and its urban influences. We compared: 1) environmental conditions (water physico-chemical parameters, trace- and macro-element concentrations) ; 2) abundance and diversity of periphyton and macroinvertebrate taxa constituting benthos ; and 3) macroinvertebrate benthos-drift relationships between the two sites. Despite higher values of all measured physico-chemical parameters, and most trace- and macro-element concentrations at the urban-influenced site, the concentrations of contamination indicators (i.e., COD, nutrients, metals) at both sites were generally low. This is likely a result of specific “self-purification ability” of the Krka River, mediated by relatively high contaminant retention potential of the underlying tufa (i.e., calcareous) and/or macrophyte substrates. Between-site differences in water quality further affected the spatial variation of macrozoobenthos, drift, and periphytic microfauna. We suggest that increased COD and orthophosphate concentration, and macrophyte presence at the urban-influenced site, supported higher densities and diversity of benthic organisms dominated by eurivalent (i.e., contamination-tolerant) taxa. The most numerous macroinvertebrate taxa in benthos were amphipod Gammarus balcanicus and the representatives of the endemic Dinaric karst taxa - gastropods Emmericia patula and Radomaniola curta germari, and another amphipod Echinogammarus acarinatus. Although we expected to observe significantly increased drift at the urban-influenced site due to the degraded environmental conditions, it was not observed. The observed benthos-drift patterns suggest that freshwater amphipods (i.e., gammarids), which were found most numerous in drift, could be considered as the most suitable bioindicators of a contaminant (i.e., metal) accumulation and mobilization within karst aquifers comparable to Krka River.

The purpose of the present study was to make wastewater characterization by physico-chemical parameters from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) – Municipal WWTP (MWWTP) and Poultry meat processing enterprise WWTP (PMPEWWTP). The investigation was carried out during 2016 and 11 wastewater parameters (ToC, pH, EC, SS, COD, BOD and total forms of N, P, K, Na and chlorides content) were controlled in 4 monitoring points (MPs) at both WWTPs: MP-1 – inlet of WWTP, MP-2 – after section of biological treatment, MP-3 – outlet of vertical precipitators and MP-4 – outlet of WWTP. Wastewater samples were collected every two months from each MP and were analyzed by validated Bulgarian State and ISO standards. The following were recorded: a) the value limit variation at the surveyed parameters and their characteristics by monitoring points in both treatment plants; b) that both TPs demonstrated high removal efficiency (81.6-98.6%) in regard to SS, COD, BOD5, Total N and Total P, and very low removal efficiency in regard to Total K (2.2-12.5%); c) that the final effluents from both TPs meet the ecological requirements for discharge in the receiving water bodies (Bedecka River and Azmaka River, respectively) for the parameters SS, COD, BOD5 and TN and deviate from them by phosphorus content that exceeds the permitted limit; d) that in MWWTP there are 25 correlations (15 positive and 10 negative) between monitored WW parameters and in PMPEWWTP – 28 correlations (19 positive and 9 negative), respectively; e) that there are different trends in the changes of the controlled physicochemical parameters by monitoring points and by months in both WWTPs determined on the basis of a regression model – a polynomial of degree II; f) that Na, Cl, COD and BOD5 WW content correlates very well with some other parameters, which allowed the development of linear regression models to determine their concentrations.

This study evaluated the quality of 78 honeys of six different floral types (Acacia, sage [Salvia officinalis L.], linden, chestnut, honeydew and blossom), mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reducing sugars, sucrose content, moisture, hydroxy-methylfurfural (HMF), free acidity, water-insoluble content, diastase activity, electrical conductivity were analysed. The samples of honey, collected during 2016-2017, were analysed using recommended methods. Results show that in 2016 and 2017, a great number of individual honeys sampled were of insufficient quality to satisfy regulatory requirements. Among the overall determined parameters, hydroxymethylfurfural and diastase activities in some honeys were not acceptable according to national and international regulations. A correlation between free acidity and electrical conductivity was found in both acacia and blossom honeys. HMF content and diastase activity was strongly negatively correlated in both acacia and blossom honeys. The quality of the honeys was varied, based on botanical origins, and presumably, handling and storage conditions.

Biodiversity of zooplankton in the Tigris River running in Baghdad City, central Iraq, was investigated. Fourteen physical and chemical parameters, were analyzed, these parameters include water and air temperature, pH, EC, turbidity, TDS, DO, BOD5, total hardness, Ca+2, Mg+2, chloride, nitrate and reactive phosphate. Most of these values were within of the Iraqi and international standard limits. In all, 106 taxonomy units of zooplankton were identified, including 65 taxa belonging to rotifers, 25 taxa to copepod and 16 taxa to Cladocera. Values of species richness index of rotifers varied from 1.051 to 12.98, for Cladocera from 1.285 to 3.41 and for copepod from 1.5 to 7.2. The Shannon–Weiner index of Rotifera varied from 0.67 to 3, 0.50–1.72 for Cladocera and from 0.91 to 2.51 for Copepoda. The uniformity index of zooplankton varied from 0.41 to 0.93 for rotifer, 0.33–1 for Cladocera and 0.36–1 for Copepoda. According to statistical analysis, temperature, EC, TDS and dissolved oxygen were observed as major factors which restrict the abundance and diversity of the zooplankton communities in the Tigris River.

Excess N fertilization to achieve high crop yield is a grand old practice in developing countries. However, inorganic nutrient sources considerably replenish soil organic C (SOC). In the present study, we applied six different levels of N keeping P and K constant for maize, grown under maize (Zea mays) - dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) cropping sequence. We recorded high crop yield, profuse root biomass and SOC stock with increasing N fertilization. Moreover, water holding capacity, microbial biomass carbon and particulate organic carbon improved significantly with increasing levels of N. Conversely, bulk density, mineral associated organic carbon and pH decreased with increasing application of inorganic N. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was recorded between root biomass and soil organic carbon. A study of the sensitivity index showed particulate organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon to be good indicators of nutrient management practices. Dhaincha cultivation accelerated C and N mineralization in soil, which is reflected in increased biomass and crop yield. Hence, we conclude that inorganic N fertilization rate (7280 kg ha-1) in maize-dhaincha cropping sequence successfully maintains the SOC balance and optimize N stock in soil.