We present characterization of atmospheric pressure Ar streamer jet, diagnostics of physico-chemical properties of Plasma Activated Water (PAW), and modeling of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species (RONS) deposited in PAW. Additional focus is on the toxicity of the created PAW to model plant Lemna minor. The streamer jet is characterized by analyzing electrical properties, gas-phase characteristics through plasma emission, and laser-induced fluorescence of OH(X) radicals. Measured OH densities are in the range of 10(20) m(-3) depending on the mean power deposited to plasma. Gas phase species are linked to measured RONS concentrations, while modeling results confirmed the production mechanisms of H2O2, NO2- and NO3- species. Experiments with Lemna minor show both favorable and negative effects of PAW depending on the PAW concentration.
Rubber is an industrial material valued worldwide for its remarkable elasticity and versatility. It has become an essential material among the several various sectors, contributing to technological progress and improving the quality of everyday life. In the twenty-first century, increasing global awareness over rubber pollution has highlighted the significant attention towards the ecological footprint and sustainability challenges associated with rubber materials. The manufacturing of rubber is known to produce effluents that are difficult to treat with existing technologies. These effluents are known to have a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) alongside organic toxic pollutants. However, the new advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for treating such wastewater have shown promise alongside AOPs that produce high amounts of hydroxyl radicals. This paper analyzes other prominent techniques such as Fenton and photo-Fenton, photocatalysis, ozonation, and electrochemical oxidation, aimed at treating rubber industry effluents. These techniques are found to be highly effective against resistant pollutants and aid in increasing biodegradation efficiency. The Fenton processes, alongside AOP technologies, pose some operational challenges and are not advanced enough to have cost-effective and efficient solutions. The combination of AOPs with biological processes and other recent studies have been shown to be effective, but more research needs to be done on their economic viability. We have also emphasized the important role of hybrid synergistic systems and AI in improving the effectiveness of AOPs for achieving better waste management practices in the rubber industry. Classification of advanced oxidation process (AOPs) based on reactive mechanism
This study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of recycled activator solutions to produce activated carbons. The activated carbons were evaluated for physicochemical characteristics and methylene blue adsorption. Activated carbon with fresh ZnCl2 solution and palm kernel shell char were prepared for comparison. The fresh activated carbon (AC1) exhibits higher surface area (891 m2/g), followed by the ones produced using the recycled activator solutions from the first (AC2, 681 m2/g) and second (AC3, 602 m2/g) activations. The former exhibits a higher methylene blue capacity of 379 mg/g. Although AC3 exhibits a lower adsorption capacity (204 mg/g), it shows a slightly higher Langmuir b constant, indicating stronger adsorbate-adsorbent interactions at individual sites. The performance of recycled-activator carbons positions them among advanced composite adsorbents recently reported for efficient cationic pollutant removal with excellent recyclability, demonstrating that activator recycling does not compromise functional performance. The equilibrium and kinetics data obeyed the Redlich-Peterson and pseudo-second-order models, respectively, while the thermodynamic parameters suggest that the process is endothermic, feasible and spontaneous. Water is more effective to regenerate the spent activated carbon with desorption efficiency of 98.3 %. To conclude, the use of recycled activator solutions is viable to produce activated carbons with considerable performance for dye wastewater treatment.
Previous studies have highlighted significant genetic structure among Southeast Asian populations, with Northern Borneo natives closely related to Austronesians from Taiwan and the Philippines, and Peninsular Malaysia indigenous populations potentially linked to the indigenous Andamanese. In this study, we analyzed 96 genomes from indigenous populations in Peninsular Malaysia, genotyped with approximately 2 million genome-wide autosomal SNPs, alongside datasets from Singapore cosmopolitan Malays and five native populations from Sabah, Northern Borneo. Our findings reveal distinct genetic structures between indigenous populations and Malays, despite their shared habitat. The Malays exhibit substantial admixture with East Asian, Austronesian, and indigenous Peninsular Malaysian ancestral components. Indigenous populations showed lower within-population diversity and longer linkage disequilibrium compared to benchmark populations. Estimated divergence times suggest that the Semang represent an earlier branching population (similar to 10,000 years ago), followed by Northern Borneo natives (similar to 7,600-6,H800 years ago), with Malays diverging more recently. These results support a scenario of successive migration waves into Southeast Asia, providing insights into the genetic history and population structure of the region.
Root-knot nematodes (RKN; Meloidogyne spp.) are among the most destructive constraints to tomato production in the Pothwar region of Pakistan. This study aimed to quantify the incidence, severity, prevalence, and species composition of RKN in major tomato-growing districts and to evaluate the potential of green-synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs), alone and in combination with Trichoderma polysporum, for nematode management and plant stress mitigation. Extensive field surveys revealed marked spatial variability, with the highest RKN incidence and severity recorded in Chakwal, followed by Attock, Rawalpindi, and Jhelum. Cluster and dendrogram analyses consistently separated high-risk areas characterized by sandy loam soils, low rainfall, and poor crop rotation from lower-risk areas with heavier soils, higher rainfall, and diversified cropping systems. Disease prevalence exceeded 66% in all districts and reached 100% in Chakwal. Species identification showed the dominance of M. incognita (79.89%), followed by M. javanica, M. arenaria, and M. hapla, with molecular phylogenetic analysis confirming M. incognita as the principal species. Mixed populations were common, particularly M. incognita-M. javanica. Green-synthesized TiO2-NPs were successfully characterized as anatase-phase nanoparticles (similar to 24.6 nm). Greenhouse assays demonstrated that TiO2-NPs, especially at 20 mg L-1 combined with T. polysporum, significantly reduced root galling and improved physiological traits, including chlorophyll content, relative water content, and membrane stability. Biochemical parameters such as proline, proteins, sugars, flavonoids, and phenolics were also markedly enhanced under combined treatment. Overall, the study highlights severe and widespread RKN pressure in the Pothwar region and demonstrates that integrated application of TiO2-NPs with biocontrol agents offers a promising, eco-friendly strategy for sustainable RKN management in tomato.
