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This study assessed the use and effects of contraceptives among female secondary school students in Abraka. A total of 250 female students were involved in this study. Primary data were obtained using a well-structured questionnaire. Data gotten were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean age of the respondents in this study was 15.09, majority of the respondents 212 (84.8%) considered themselves sexually active, while 198 (79.2%) of the respondents admitted to have had sexual intercourse. A high number of the respondents 201 (80.4%) had knowledge of contraceptives and a greater percentage (62%) got this knowledge from class-mates and friends and only 2.4% got it from course education and family combined. A total of 147 (58.8%) of the respondents were currently on contraceptive with most 81 (32.4%) admitting weekly use. One hundred and thirty-seven (137) (54.8%) of the respondents admitted to have experienced adverse effect in the course of using contraceptives with issues relating to menstruation being the most prevalent effect (26.4%). It is recommended that efforts should be intensified in creating awareness to promote safe sexual practice, especially abstinence amongst this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to define the value of heavy metals like Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrated in the F. carica bark and leaf samples collected from various places in Artvin City, Turkey. The analyses of these metals in the samples were carried out by ICP-OES. The comparisons were performed to specify whether there were any differences between the averages of the F. carica leaf and bark samples in terms of heavy metal accumulation levels. According to analyses results, the contents of copper, iron, manganese, zinc, lead, nickel, cadmium and chromium (μg g-1, dw) in the F. carica bark samples ranged from 68.88 to 88.14, 14.39 to 839.1, 0.896 to 35.39, 6.145 to 42.60, 0.113 to 1.206, 2.102 to 7.073, 0.030 to 0.180, and 2.228 to 7.747, respectively. On the other hand, for the leaf samples, the contents of heavy metals ranged from 2.801 to 26.68, 12.72 to 1605, 1.000 to 151.7, 7.383 to 40.16, 0.022 to 0.642, 0.216 to 1.849, 0.022 to 0.096, and 0.379 to 2.195, respectively. The study results showed that heavy metal concentrations in the bark samples were lower for Fe, Mn and Zn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most pressing environmental issues is how to properly dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW), which represents both a substantial source of concern and a challenge. The current study evaluated cobalt (Co) accumulation in MSW, their uptake by different vegetables grown for two years, and related human health risks. Vegetables were grown in four different groups, such as one control (ground soil), and the remaining treatment groups (T1, T2, and T3) received varying concentrations of MSW. The analysis of Co was done through an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results revealed that the concentration of Co was higher in all the vegetables (n = 15) grown in soil supplemented with 75% MSW during 2nd growing year. Among all vegetables, the highest concentration of Co was observed in Solanum tuberosum at T3 during 2nd growing year. The pollution load index (PLI) value for vegetables during both growing years was more than 1 except in control soil. The findings indicated that the highest enrichment factor (EF) and hazard resilience index (HRI) value of 0.09 was present in S. tuberosum. Health index values for cobalt in the study were below 1. The HRI < 1 indicated that consumers do not face any immediate health risks. The investigation of Co concentrations in blood samples obtained from individuals residing in different areas contributes a human health perspective to the research. The findings indicate that the concentration of Co rises with an increasing proportion of MSW. While the metal levels in MSW-treated soil were not high enough to classify the soil as polluted, the results recommend that recycling MSW can substitute mineral fertilizers. Nevertheless, the presence of cobalt in MSW may directly affect soil fertility and could impact crop production and human health., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

In this study, the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in plants sampled from Mt. Madra were investigated. Furthermore, the distribution characteristics and source identification of potentially toxic metals were investigated with the application of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modelling. Samples of 26 different plant species were taken from Mt. Madra at elevations ranging from 177 to 1347 m using the multi-point sampling approach. The metal quantities measured by ICP-OES are the following sequences (mean ± SD) (mg/kg): Fe (974.96 ± 29.6) > Mn (111.81 ± 2.6) > Zn (27.28 ± 0.2) > Ni (2.17 ± 0.03) > Pb (0.77 ± 0.01) > Cd (0.12 ± 0.01). According to the plant samples in which the highest values were determined, the metals are as follows: Cd (Lathyrus laxiflorus, 0.401 mg/kg), Fe (Ajuga orientalis, 7621.207 mg/kg), Mn (Castanea sativa, 724.927 mg/kg), Ni (Prunella laciniata, 6.947 mg/kg), Pb (Crataegus stevenii, 3.955 mg/kg) and Zn (Prunella laciniata, 50.802 mg/kg). The results of the PMF model showed that Cd had an atmospheric transport factor originated and transported from industrial activites, Ni had a substrate factor, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were influenced by different anthropogenic factors., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different irrigation sources on the levels of potentially toxic metals (Cd, Cr, Fe and Mn) in the edibles of citrus fruits (Citrus sinensis and Citrus limetta). The samples of fruit, soil and water were collected from two locations (fresh water irrigated-FW I and sewage water irrigated-SW II) within the city of Sargodha. The samples utilized in the study for metal analysis were prepared utilizing the wet acid digestion method. Metal determination was performed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The potentially toxic metal values in the citrus samples ranged from 0.010 to 0.063, 0.015 to 0.293, 6.691 to 11.342 and 0.366 to 0.667 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Fe and Mn, respectively. Analysis of Citrus limetta and Citrus sinensis indicated that the highest concentration of Cr, Fe and Mn is observed at the sewage water irrigation site (SW-II), whilst the minimum levels of Cr, Fe and Mn were observed at the fresh water irrigation site (FW-I). The results show that the levels of these metals in soil and fruit samples meet the acceptable guidelines outlined by USEPA and WHO. It was found that the metal pollution constitutes a potential threat to human health due to the HRI values for Cd, Cr, and Fe being above 1, despite the DIM values being below 1. Regular monitoring of vegetables irrigated with wastewater is highly recommended in order to minimise health risks to individuals., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The goals of the present research were to determine the heavy metal contents in the water-soil-cauliflower samples in industrial wastewater irrigated areas and to assess the health risks of these metals to the people. Metal analyses were carried out using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with a graphite furnace. The metal readings in the cauliflower specimens ranged from 1.153 to 1.389, 0.037 to 0.095, 0.61 to 0.892, 0.625 to 0.921, 1.165 to 2.399, 0.561 to 0.652, 0.565 to 0.585, 0.159 to 0.218 and 1.268 to 1.816 mg/kg for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn, respectively. Statistics revealed that, with the exception of Pb and Co (p > 0.05), there was no statistically significant variation in the metal concentrations in the cauliflower samples according to the irrigation type. Pb, Ni, and Cr had HRI values below 1.0 and did not seem to be a hazard to human health, in contrast to Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn, which glanced to constitute a health risk. Regular monitoring of vegetables irrigated with wastewater is strongly advised to reduce health hazards to people., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The present study aimed to determine the accumulation levels of arsenic in pasture soil, forage and animals. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of metals in the samples of soil, forage and blood plasma of horses. The level of arsenic ranged between 4.26 mg/kg (summer) and 4.66 mg/kg (winter) in soil samples and 2.67 mg/kg (summer) and 2.94 mg/kg (winter) in forage samples. In blood plasma samples, the mean arsenic (As) values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. In the blood plasma samples, the mean As values varied between 1.38 and 1.52 mg/L. No statistically significant changes were observed for arsenic concentrations in plasma samples of horses for sampling seasons (p > 0.05). A positive correlation was observed for forage and blood plasma to a certain degree for arsenic but for other media, arsenic correlations were negative and insignificant. It is therefore suggested that regular monitoring of heavy metals in soils/plants/animals is essential to prevent excessive build-up of arsenic., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The primary objective of this study was to determine the heavy metal contents in the water-soil-coriander samples in an industrial wastewater irrigated area and to assess the health risks of these metals to consumers. Sampling was done from areas adjoining the Chistian sugar mill district Sargodha and two separate sites irrigated with groundwater (Site 1), and sugar mill effluents (Site 2) were checked for possible metal contamination. The water-soil-coriander continuum was tested for the presence of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). The mean concentrations of all metals were higher than the permissible limits for all studied metals except for Mn in the sugar mill wastewater, with Fe (8.861 mg/L) and Zn (9.761 mg/L) exhibiting the highest values. The mean levels of Fe (4.023 mg/kg), Cd (2.101 mg/kg), Cr (2.135 mg/kg), Cu (2.180 mg/kg), and Ni (1.523 mg/kg) were high in the soil at Site 2 in comparison to the groundwater irrigated site where Fe (3.232 mg/kg) and Cd (1.845 mg/kg) manifested high elemental levels. For coriander specimens, only Cd had a higher mean level in both the groundwater (1.245 mg/kg) and the sugar mill wastewater (1.245 mg/kg) irrigated sites. An estimation of the pollution indices yielded a high risk from Cd (health risk index (HRI): 173.2), Zn (HRI: 7.012), Mn (HRI: 6.276), Fe (HRI: 1.709), Cu (HRI: 1.282), and Ni (HRI: 1.009), as all values are above 1.0 indicating a hazard to human health from consuming coriander irrigated with wastewater. Regular monitoring of vegetables irrigated with wastewater is strongly advised to reduce health hazards to people.

The goal of this study was to appraise potentially toxic metal contents in the soil-radish system in industrial wastewater irrigated areas. The analysis of metals in water, soil and radish samples were performed with spectrophotometric method. The potentially toxic metal values in the wastewater irrigated radish samples were ranged from 1.25 to 1.41, 0.02 to 0.10, 0.77 to 0.81, 0.72 to 0.80, 0.92 to 1.19, 0.69 to 0.78, 0.08 to 0.11, 1.64 to 1.67 and 0.49 to 0.63 mg/kg for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn, respectively. The potentially toxic metal values in the soil and radish samples irrigated with wastewater were lower than the maximum allowable limits, except for Cd. The results of the Health Risk Index evaluation conducted in this study also showed that the accumulations of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Cr, and Zn, especially Cd, pose a health risk in terms of consumption., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aimed to determine the potentially toxic metal contents in soil and spinach samples in areas irrigated with industrial wastewater and to evaluate the potentially toxic metal accumulation in spinach samples according to pollution indices. Water, soil and spinach samples were analysed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin-Elmer AAS-300). In this study, it was determined that the potentially toxic metal values ​​in the spinach samples irrigated with groundwater and sugar industry wastewater varied between 1.59 and 1.84, 0.22-0.68, 0.56-1.14, 1.41-1.56, 1.62-3.23, 0.57-1.02, 0.86-1.33, 0.20-0.32 and 0.35-2.10 mg/kg for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn, respectively. It was concluded that the difference between the metal values ​​in the spinach samples according to the irrigation sources was statistically significant, except for Cu and Pb (p > 0.05). According to the results of this study, there is no health risk for Pb, Co and Cr with HRI values ​​below 1.0, while there is a risk for Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn and Zn. The much higher HRI values ​​of Cd than 1 (196.8 and 169.6) suggested that this metal is likely to cause significant health problems in the region., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The use of wastewater in irrigation weakens the beneficial properties of the soil and leads to a threat to food safety standards. The present research was designed to explore the cobalt toxicity associated with the ingestion of wastewater irrigated wheat. Wheat plants of five different varieties were collected from 7 different sites of Punjab, Pakistan, which were irrigated with three different sources of water. The sampling was done in two cropping years. The cobalt values in water, soil and wheat samples (root, shoot, grain) ranged from 0.46 to 1.24 mg/l, 0.15 to 1.20, 0.29 to 1.30, 0.08 to 0.76 and 0.12 to 0.57 mg/kg, respectively. All the water samples showed high cobalt concentration than the maximum permissible value. However, all the soil and wheat plant samples were found within the maximum allowable range. The high cobalt concentration in irrigating water showed that the continuous usage of such type of water may lead to cobalt toxicity in living organisms with the passage of time and may results in severe health risks.

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the effect of the chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizers such as cow manure and poultry manure applications on the heavy metal/metalloid accumulation in the wheat samples. A field experiment was conducted using a complete randomized block design with three replicates per treatment to observe the impact of organic and chemical fertilizers on the heavy metal/metalloid accumulation in a wheat variety (Lasani-08). Heavy metal/metalloid concentrations in the root, shoot, and grains of wheat samples were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). In addition, the growth parameters of wheat samples were assigned. Results indicated that morphological parameters showed maximum growth under chemical fertilizer treatment. The heavy metal/metalloid concentrations in the wheat grains ranged from 12.95 to 25.83, 1.03 to 1.11, 16.83 to 20.26, 0.92 to 0.98, 0.504 to 1.997, 2.24 to 5.98, and 0.493 to 1.154 mg/kg for Zn, Co, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Cr, respectively. All heavy metal/metalloid values in the present study were within the safe limits reported by the FAO/WHO except for Pb. However, the health risk index determined for all metals are higher in the wheat grown with chemical fertilizer applications, but it has been shown that the consumption of wheat grown with organic and chemical applications is not hazardous for health.

Organic farming and healthy nutrition are among the most popular topics of recent times. However, organic fertilizers, which are one of the important elements of organic agriculture, have the potential to threaten human health with the toxic substances they may contain. The present study aimed to observe the effect of farmyard manure, poultry waste and press mud on metal accumulation in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to determine the pollution severity of soil and to examine the health risk due to the consumption of organic fertilizer applied pepper. The multipurpose pot experiment was conducted to study the agronomical growth performance and accretion of metals in C. annuum grown with different organic fertilizers in the soil at the area of the Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Pakistan. The trace metal contents in soil and C. annuum samples were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-6300 Shimadzu Japan). Trace metal concentrations in soil samples ranged from 0.152 to 0.850, 2.167 to 5.812, 0.345 to 1.235, 2.682 to 5.875, 0.095 to 0.558, 6.132 to 17.062, 0.172 to 2.235 and 6.670 to 22.585 mg/kg for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Fe, Mn and Zn, respectively. In pepper samples, trace metal concentrations ranged from 0.364 to 2.206, 0.305 to 4.042, 0.272 to 1.160, 1.132 to 1.305, 0.164 to 0.204, 4.736 to 17.000, 0.844 to 1.150 and 14.751 to 18.385 mg/kg for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Fe, Mn and Zn, respectively. The accumulation of Cd and Pb had higher values of HRI than 1 and these values suggested that these metals had probability to cause health problems., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present investigation was performed in different district of Punjab to determine the chromium level in soil, forages, and blood plasma of the small ruminants (goat and sheep). The results showed that the mean concentrations of chromium in the soil of Sargodha, Mianwali, and Bhakkar districts were ranged from 1.8 to 2.3, 3.01 to 4.99, and 2.04 to 2.87 mg/kg, respectively. The chromium level was higher in Mianwali compared with Sargodha and Bhakkar. The mean concentrations of chromium in forages which were used for feeding purposes were found between 0.672 and 1.631, 1.493 and 2.612, and 0.7804 and 1.047 mg/kg for Sargodha, Mianwali, and Bhakkar, respectively. The mean concentrations of chromium in blood plasma of goat which consumed the contaminated forages were between 0.666 and 1.269 mg/L in Sargodha, 0.657 and 0.752 mg/L in Mianwali, and 1.39 and 2.37 mg/L in Bhakkar. In blood plasma of sheep, the residual levels of chromium in the districts Sargodha, Mianwali, and Bhakkar were ranged from 0.673 to 1.384, 0.83 to 1.086, and 1.496 to 3.611 mg/L, respectively. In the present research, there was a higher concentration of chromium in blood plasma of sheep from Bhakkar and the lowest was in Sargodha. The chromium level in blood samples was found to be higher than the tolerable level of 1.0 mg/L in all districts. In light of these results, it was concluded that chromium levels in the soil and forages of all sites were present within the safe limit while in blood samples of sheep and goats were found to be above the acceptable limit. Sheep and goats also consume water from river, streams, and ponds and other contaminated water sources. So it might be the reason of higher level of chromium in their blood plasma. Hence, the proper monitoring of study sites will be necessary to prevent the excessive accumulation of chromium in ruminants in the near future.

Mineral fertilizers and organic manure are used as soil amender to enhance the mineral status of the soil. These fertilizers contain trace metals besides providing macro and micronutrients. The present study was performed to observe the effect of mineral fertilizers, poultry manure and cow manure on trace metal content of soil and various parts (root, shoot, and grains) of maize plant (Zea mays L.). The analysis of metals was performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-6300 Shimadzu Japan). The highest level of Pb, Fe, Ni and Cu was observed in the root as 0.36-0.55, 70.41-83.03, 4.98-7.44 and 2.94-4.43 mg kg - 1 , respectively. The highest level of Cd, Zn and Mn was determined in grains as 0.44-1.59, 28.05-46.39 and 26.24-46.57 mg kg - 1 , respectively. The values of all metals were found within their permissible limit given by FAO/WHO except for the Cd. The interactive use of mineral and organic fertilizers enhanced the level of trace metals in maize as compared to their sole application. In the present findings, the health risk index for all metals was less than 1 in all treatments. So, it was concluded that the level of metals in poultry manure, cow manure and mineral fertilizer treated maize did not pose any potential threat to the consumers.

The aim of the present research was to determine the trace metal accumulations in Trigonella foenum-graecum irrigated with three different water regimes (ground water, canal water and sugar mill water). Also, transfer factors, pollution load indices, and health risk indices were assessed to evaluate metal transport and accumulation through the food chain. The analysis was conducted by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Shimadzu model AA-6300) to evaluate the concentration of metals in water, soil and vegetables. Trace metal concentrations in water samples ranged from 0.84 to 1.67, 0.42 to 0.72, 0.45 to 0.85, 2.51 to 9.99, 1.21 to 1.92, 1.82 to 9.98 and 0.64 to 0.91 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn and Mn, respectively. The mean metal concentrations in soil samples were determined as 0.25, 0.86, 0.96, 3.37, 0.4, 0.44 and 2.31 mg/kg for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn and Mn, respectively. Trace metal accumulations in T. foenum-graecum samples gathered from where soil samples were taken are as follows: The contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn and Mn ranged from 0.48 to 1.06, 0.11 to 0.35, 0.15 to 0.29, 1.43 to 8.39, 0.39 to 0.54, 2.1 to 3.05 and 0.42 to 0.47 mg/kg, respectively. Statistical analyses showed that the treatments have non-significant effect (p > 0.05) on concentrations of metals in T. foenum-graecum samples collected from three sites for Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn and Mn and significant effect on Fe and Cd.

The present study was carried out to ascertain the level of various metals in wheat variety (Chagi-4) irrigated with diverse doses of wastewater. The concentration of metals in soil, water and wheat grain samples was examined through an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. In wheat grains, the mean values of metals (mg/kg) varied from 0.06 to 0.2 for Pb, 1.2 to 1.6 for Cd, 0.6 to 0.9 for Ni, 0.8 to 1.6 for Fe, 0.4 to 1.0 for Mn, 0.7 to 1.4 for Cu, 0.3 to 0.5 for Cr, 0.1 to 0.9 for Zn and 0.03 to 0.2 for Co, correspondingly. Measured concentrations were found within the permissible limit given by FAO/WHO except for cadmium whose concentration exceeded an acceptable limit 0.2 mg/kg suggested by FAO/WHO. It might be due to high soil pH, which hinders the efficient transfer of metals between different mediums. Wastewater irrigated soil, wheat and water had high metal values, but the low rate of transfer was noticed from soil to grains. Higher bioconcentration factor was obtained for manganese and cadmium; cadmium had even higher pollution load index, which could indicate the contamination status of soil. Therefore, regular monitoring of wastewater is necessary to prevent the excessive build-up of metals.

The irrigation with sewage water can be useful if it has no negative effects on food crop yield, soil pollution, and health of humans. However, it includes various types of contaminants like heavy metals that pollute the soil and crops. In this regard, the aim of this study was to evaluate the possible health risks of heavy metals in forages. Forages both of summer and winter were grown with different water treatments (sewage water and tap water) in Department of Botany, University of Sargodha. The concentration of iron (Fe) in water, soil, and plant samples was determined. The Fe values in tap and sewage water were observed as 0.090 and 0.115 mg/L, respectively. The highest mean concentration of Fe was 9.608 mg/kg in the soil where Trifolium alexandrinum is grown, and the lowest mean concentration was 0.154 mg/kg which occurred in the soil where Trifolium resupinatum is grown in winter. The maximum mean concentration of Fe in the root samples of plants was observed as 2.483 mg/kg in Pennisetum typhoideum, and the minimum mean concentration occurred as 0.390 mg/kg in Zea mays grown in summer. The maximum bioconcentration factor value of Fe was observed for T. resupinatum (5.259) grown in winter. The maximum pollution load index value of Fe was observed for T. alexandrinum (0.1688). The maximum value of daily intake of metals was observed as 0.0731 in Medicago sativa, and the maximum health risk index value was determined as 0.1091 in P. typhoideum.

The trace metal pollution in the environment is a highly concerned issue in these days. One of the important causes of trace metal pollution is the exhaust gases released from the vehicles on the roads. These dangerous gases pose life-threatening effects on the forage plants grown along the roadside as these plants are at direct risk to these trace metals. The aims of the present study were to determine the cobalt (Co) concentrations in soil, forages, and blood plasma of the buffaloes and to evaluate the Co deficiencies and toxicities in these samples. All samples were collected from six sites (Faisalabad roadside, Bhalwal roadside, Shaheenabad roadside, Mateela roadside, 50 Chak roadside, and Dera Saudi-control) of Sargodha city. The Co concentrations in these samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-6300 Shimadzu Japan). In soil samples, Co level ranged from 1.958 to 3.457 mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 6 and the lowest at site 2. In forage samples, Co level ranged from 0.770 to 2.309 mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 3 and the lowest at site 2. In blood plasma samples, Co level ranged from 2.644 to 4.927 mg/kg in the six sampling sites. The highest Co level was observed at site 1 and the lowest at site 3. The results showed higher Co values in the samples collected from the site IV while the bioconcentration factor for forage-soil was found highest in the samples collected from Site III. On the other hand, a correlation was found positively significant when soil and forage were correlated, and it was found negatively significant when blood and forage were correlated.

This study focused on evaluating the metal and metalloid contamination and associated risks in the two vegetables crops, coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) treated with three water regimes, canal water, groundwater and municipal wastewater. These vegetables are widely consumed by people and are also used in traditional medicine for treating various disorders. Metal and metalloid accumulation (Zn, Pb, Se, Cu, As, Mo, Fe, Ni) was found higher in vegetables treated with wastewater. Wastewater treated soil had high pollution load index. Fe, Zn, As and Pb had higher values in water, soil and vegetables as compared to other studied metals. Overall, metal correlation for soil and vegetables was significant and positive except for Fe and Cu in spinach. The highest value for daily metal intake was estimated for Fe while Se had the lowest value for the same index. It was thus concluded that trace metal and metalloid accumulation was a major health concern for the public consuming these vegetables.

This study was conducted to determine the concentration of toxic metals in soil, forage and blood plasma of lactating and non-lactating buffaloes in the district Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan. Soil samples were collected from varying distances from the road side. Plasma separation was achieved by centrifugation. The concentration of arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) were determined by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results of the study showed that the mean As, Se and Cd concentrations in soil samples were lower while Cr, Fe, Zn, Cu and Co were higher than the official guidelines. In plasma samples, mean concentration values of Co, Zn, Fe, Cd, Se and As were lower while Cu and Cr were higher than the recommended concentrations. According to the results of the study there was no potential exposure of toxicity in buffaloes of the study area.

We propose an approach to clustering and visualization of students' cognitive structural models. We use the self-organizing map (SOM) combined with Ward's clustering to conduct cluster analysis. In the study carried out on 100 subjects, a conceptual understanding test consisting of open-ended questions was used as a data collection tool. The results of analyses indicated that students constructed the aliveness concept by associating it predominantly with human. Motion appeared as the most frequently associated term with the aliveness concept. The results suggest that the aliveness concept has been constructed using anthropocentric and animistic cognitive structures. In the next step, we used the data obtained from the conceptual understanding test for training the SOM. Consequently, we propose a visualization method about cognitive structure of the aliveness concept.

The aim of this study was to determine the level of heavy metals such as copper, iron, manganese, zinc, lead, nickel, cadmium and chromium concentrated in Juglans regia bark and leaf samples from different localities in Artvin, Turkey. Analysis of the heavy metals Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr in samples was carried out by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES; Perkin Elmer, Optima 8000 DV). Statistical significance was determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The comparisons were performed in order to determine whether there were any differences between J. regia bark and leaf samples in terms of average heavy metal accumulation levels. As a result of this study, the following mean concentrations were determined for J. regia bark samples: the contents of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr (μg g -1 , dry weight) ranged from 72.46 to 88.14, 14.40 to 628.0, 0.896 to 67.71, 7.000 to 28.52, 0.040 to 0.905, 1.031 to 2.744, 0.011 to 0.158 and 1.192 to 3.134, respectively. On the other hand, for J. regia leaf samples, the contents of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr (μg g -1 , dry weight) ranged from 0.339 to 13.80, 12.72 to 698.2, 1.001 to 204.6, 7.362 to 56.03, 0.158 to 0.665, 0.130 to 2.744, 0.041 to 0.114 and 0.508 to 2.767, respectively. In the statistical analysis, heavy metal accumulation values of J. regia bark and leaf samples for Cu, Ni and Cr were significantly different ( P < 0.05).

Objective: This study has been done in order to identify plants that were used to make traditional Turkish salves between 2007 and 2008., Materials and Methods: During the step of identification of plants, the informants from different cities of Turkey were asked questions about the salves they have made and which plants and materials they have used. In this study, a total of 105 people from 21 provinces (N = 5 each province) were interviewed. Information was gathered through scientifically guided questionnaires, interviews, and general conversations, and fidelity level (FL) of species was determined., Results: According to the results of the identification, 68 plants are being used to make Traditional Turkish Salves for medicinal purposes in Turkey. Among them, 61 plants are wild and 7 plants are cultivated plants. Most used families were Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, and Rosaceae. Urtica dioica (100%) has the highest FL and Lawsonia inermis (33%) has the lowest., Conclusions: The data provided from our informants and analyzed in the present article clearly show that folk knowledge on medicinal plants and plant uses is still alive in the studied region.