Elja: An R Package to Perform Environment-Wide Association Studies (Ewas / Envwas) Analysis

Anthropogenic and natural environmental contaminants are a common problem and a source of concern to ecosystem health. Industrial toxins are one of the leading causes of pollution worldwide. Industrial toxins may arise as a result of air emissions, water releases, water seepage, air deposition or disposal and leaching of solid waste. The combination of natural and anthropogenic sources of toxins present challenges with respect to the protection of local ecological environments. Predicting the impacts of environmental contaminants on ecosystems become an important part of the decision-making process for managing environment problems. To protect ecological environments and species, it is necessary to assess the risk to organisms exposed to toxins, and find relevant factors that determine the persistence and extirpation of populations. Over the past several decades, ecotoxicological models have been widely applied to predict contaminant effects.

Inhaled particles are readily phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages (AMs) present in the lung. Other routes of particle exposure targeting the lung and frequently used with animal models include intratracheal instillation and oropharyngeal aspiration. The mechanism (s) by which AMs drive pulmonary toxicity downstream of particle uptake is not fully understood, as well as the contributing role of other phagocytic cell types present in the airways and lung including epithelial cells.

In this study, the effects of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Benzo (α) pyrene (BαP) exposure on the levels of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in the pituitary and hypothalamus of Yellowfin seabream, (Acanthopagrus latus) were examined. To assess the acute stress responses, vegetable oil (2 µl g-1) containing BαP (50 mg kg-1) was injected into the treatment group of fish (the vegetable oil alone was the control), and brain samples from different groups were collected 3 hr after injection. Base line group was not injected. To study the long-term stress, brains were collected from both injected groups after 72 hr. The amounts of serotonin, dopamine, and amine metabolites in the hypothalamus and pituitary were measured. Results showed that BαP influenced the serotonergic system more than the dopaminergic system for both acute and prolonged stress in both the hypothalamus and pituitary. Acute exposure to BαP induced significant decreases in DA and increases in DOPAC (3, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) in the pituitary (P<0.05). Major changes induced by both acute and prolonged exposure to BαP included significant decreases in 5-HT, increases in 5-HIAA (5-hydroxy-3- indoleacetic acid) and increases in the 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio (P<0.05). These exposures might affect the synthesis, storage, uptake/release, and degradation of the neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus and pituitary of sea bream, especially the pituitary gland.

To promote environmental governance of pesticides, Ethiopia has developed a legal framework on pesticide registration, distribution and use. However, there is no clear answer to the question whether the policies on pesticide registration, distribution and use were implemented in an effective and sustainable way at the national and local levels. Therefore, this study is designed to assess the gap between the state pesticide policy and its implementation with respect to pesticides registration, distribution and use in Ethiopia. The data were collected from state’s pesticide experts (regulators), distributors (importers and retailers) and end users (vegetable framers) through structured and semi structured interview, observations and existed documents. The data were analyzed in combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The empirical results indicated that existing law do not function in an adequate way due to inefficient implementation and missing legal instruments. Thus, present shortcomings and future endeavors may need to find ways to envisage better implementation of the law that is designed to govern pesticide use by farmers from registration to distribution and use and monitoring, including quality control. Last but not least, there is a need to increase capacity of state actors (human, financial and material) both in the national and local level and participation of private actors should be considered for sustainable pesticide governance that will benefit Ethiopia.

Aerobic granulation technology is a strong contender to replace conventional wastewater treatment processes. Aerobic granules are microspheres of self-immobilized microorganisms and they can be easily separated from the liquid phase as they settle many times faster than sludge flocs. Biodegradation of toxic compounds is a crucial area where traditional wastewater treatment processes are still struggling. It is a relatively new research area for aerobic granulation technology, but it holds the key for this technology to establish itself as an effective alternative of present day wastewater treatment processes. This review covers the mostly explored toxic compounds which have been successfully treated by aerobic granulation technology. Present research trends of this technology in biodegradation of toxic compound have been critically analyzed to identify the future research directions. In addition to a summary of different reports, authors’ own opinions on this subject have been presented

Gully erosion is the major environmental problem threating huge area of agricultural lands in south Ethiopia, particularly. The present study aimed at evaluating demonstrates gully treatment methods for gully rehabilitation in Kamba, South Ethiopia. On farm filed experiments, key informant interview and focus group discussion were used to collect and analyze experimental data. The result of this study indicates that integration of check dame with Elephant grass have significant effect on gully rehabilitation. This integration was reduced gully depth, slope gradient, gully volume and soil loss. Slope of gully bed was reduced by 60%, 46% 37% respective years. Similarly gully depth reduced by 2.54m, 1.72m and 1.456m while gully volume was reduced by 37.44m3, 8.81m3 and 4.32m3 due to check dam as the same order of slope changes. Data such as sediment deposition and biomass production were collected, to investigate their effectiveness in reducing soil erosion and biomass production. Over a period of two years practices caused measurable gully morphology resulted soil calculated was 248.41kg of soil were deposited in 12.76m2 area. According to Focus group discussion farmers viewed these gully rehabilitation measures was positively, apart from the high labour, input materials and technical requirements of stone check dam. Based on the results the study concluded that check dam integrated with Elephant grass in the gully bed have positive effective rehabilitate gully erosion in the study area. Therefore, farmers should use gully rehabilitation techniques to preserve their land.

Hydroponic system is method of growing plant in nutrient rich solution. The seaweed biomass that is usually disposed as waste once the carrageenan component is extracted from it can be used as a fertilizer. Since nutrients in hydroponic system provide an ideal environment for microorganisms to grow, water-based microorganisms can be easily introduced into the system. This study compared the growth of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) grown in hydroponic system. The effects on the growth of plants in the hydroponic system when seaweed waste is used as the fertilizer were also studied. Furthermore, the possible genera of the microbes present in the water samples obtained from the hydroponic system were identified. The plants were grown in treated hydroponic tank (with seaweed waste fertilizer) and untreated hydroponic tank (without seaweed waste fertilizer). The mean heights of the plants in each condition were obtained and compared. Water samples were collected from the treated and untreated and biochemical tests were also carried out using the water samples collected to identify the possible genera of the microbes present in the hydroponic system. The plants height of treated tank is significantly taller than untreated tank. The microbe present in the treated tank was either Chromobacterium spp./ Vibrio spp./ Plesiomonas spp./ Aeromonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica/ Alcaligenes spp./ Shewanella spp./ Pseudomonas spp.(alkali producers), Kurthia spp. and Cardiobacterium spp., and in the untreated tank were Acinetobacter, Bordetella bronchiseptica / Alcaligenes spp./ Shewanella spp./ Pseudomonas spp. (alkali producers) and Chromobacterium spp./ Vibrio spp./ Plesiomonas spp./ Aeromonas spp. Further research need to be carried out to identify the exact bacterial strain of each microbe. By identifying the microbial population of the hydroponic system, further studies can be carried out to identify the beneficial and harmful bacteria. The harmful bacteria can then be eliminated from the hydroponic system to promote healthy growth of plants through hydroponic cultivation.

Neurolathyrism is caused by excessive consumption of Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) and seen in India and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The disease manifests as irreversible spastic paraparesis and quadriparesis leading to permanent disability. We report two unique cases of Lathyrism secondary to consumption of Lathyrus sativus and review the literature available. Two brothers from a remote village in India presented with slowly progressive spastic paraparesis of unknown aetiology. On neurological examination, they were found to have motor neuron pattern of weakness. Routine laboratory work-up, CSF studies and imaging of the brain and spine were all found to be unremarkable. Upon further review, it was found that the patients had a prolonged history of consumption of Lathyrus sativus legume. There is no known cure for neurolathyrism. As a result, the legume was banned from staple diet. However, the legume continues to be consumed despite the ban and public education.

The demand for energy continued to outstrip supply and necessitated the development of biomass option. Residues were the most popular forms of renewable energy and currently biofuel production became much promising. Agricultural wastes contained high moisture content and could be decomposed easily by microbes. Agricultural wastes were abundantly available globally and could be converted to energy and useful chemicals by a number of microorganisms. Compost or bio-fertilizers could be produced with the inoculation of appropriated thermophilic microbes which increased the decomposition rate, shortened the maturity period and improved the compost (or bio-fertilizer) quality. The objective of the present research was to promote the biomass technology and involved adaptive research, demonstration and dissemination of results. With a view to fulfill the objective, a massive field survey was conducted to assess the availability of raw materials as well as the present situation of biomass technologies. In the present communication, an attempt had also been made to present an overview of present and future use of biomass as an industrial feedstock for production of fuels, chemicals and other materials. We may conclude from the review paper that biomass technology must be encouraged, promoted, invested, implemented, and demonstrated, not only in urban areas but also in remote rural areas.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, known as PAHs, typically persist in the environment, exposing humans to a? considerable health hazard because of the toxins they contain and their capability of triggering cancer. Anthropogenic activities have introduced high levels of PAHs into Arabian Gulf countries’? soil and coastal waters. Numerous studies have indicated that diverse bacterial? strains can successfully break down PAHs. The deduction made is that biodegradation stands as the top choice in terms of? safety, effectiveness, and affordability when it comes to handling PAH-contaminated sites and locations. The efficiency of degrading three PAHs was analyzed in this study with the use? of two novel bacterial strains, considering the optimal temperature and pH requirements. Coastal sediments from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia yielded pure cultures of Ochrobactrum intermedium BC1 and Cupriavidus? taiwanensis LA, which were subjected to spiking with 100ppm concentrations each for anthracene, fluorene, and naphthalene. They were then incubated at 25°C in? a shake incubator for 18 days. A solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) device was used. The extraction of residual PAHs? was the main objective of using the SPME device. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized to quantify and? analyze the residues at predefined time intervals. By the conclusion of the 18-day timeframe, Ochrobactrum intermedium BC1 degraded naphthalene completely. Additionally, anthracene? experienced a reduction of approximately 87%, while fluorene underwent a decrease of about 67. Cupriavidus taiwanensis LA degraded anthracene, fluorene, and? naphthalene by 88%, 53%, and 91% respectively. The degrading efficiency of these novel strains of? bacteria is evidenced by these results. In closing, these strains can be considered potential members of a consortium of microbes? capable of degrading PAHs that can be employed effectively in various cleanup endeavors.