Salinity is a serious abiotic stress that limits crop production and food security. Micronutrient
application has shown promising results in mitigating the toxic impacts of salinity. This study
assessed the impacts of zinc seed priming (ZSP) on the germination, growth, physiological and
biochemical functioning of sorghum cultivars. The study comprised sorghum cultivars (JS-2002 and
JS-263), salinity stress (control (0 mM) and 120 mM)), and control and ZSP (4 mM). Salinity stress
reduced germination and seedling growth by increasing electrolyte leakage (EL: 60.65%), hydrogen
peroxide (H2O2: 109.50%), malondialdehyde (MDA; 115.30%), sodium (Na), and chloride (Cl) accumulation
and decreasing chlorophyll synthesis, relative water contents (RWC), total soluble proteins
(TSPs), and potassium (K) uptake and accumulation. Nonetheless, ZSP mitigated the deleterious
impacts of salinity and led to faster germination and better seedling growth. Zinc seed priming
improved the chlorophyll synthesis, leaf water contents, antioxidant activities (ascorbate peroxide:
APX, catalase: CAT, peroxidase: POD, superoxide dismutase: SOD), TSPs, proline, K uptake and
accumulation, and reduced EL, MDA, and H2O2 production, as well as the accumulation of toxic
ions (Na and Cl), thereby promoting better germination and growth. Thus, these findings suggested
that ZSP can mitigate the toxicity of salinity by favoring nutrient homeostasis, antioxidant activities,
chlorophyll synthesis, osmolyte accumulation, and maintaining leaf water status

Anatoxin-a (ATX-a) is a neurotoxin produced by some species of cyanobacteria. Due to its water solubility and stability
in natural water, it could pose health risks to human, animals, and plants. Conventional water treatment techniques are not
only insufficient for the removal of ATX-a, but they also result in cell lysis and toxin release. The elimination of this toxin
through biodegradation may be a promising strategy. This study examines for the first time the biodegradation of ATX-a
to a non-toxic metabolite (Epoxy-ATX-a) by a strain of Bacillus that has a history of dealing with toxic cyanobacteria
in a eutrophic lake. The Bacillus strain AMRI-03 thrived without lag phase in a lake water containing ATX-a. The strain
displayed fast degradation of ATX-a, depending on initial toxin concentration. At the highest initial concentrations (50 &
100 μg L− 1), total ATX-a degradation took place in 4 days, but it took 6 & 7 days at lower concentrations (20, 10, and
1 μg L− 1, respectively). The ATX-a biodegradation rate was also influenced by the initial toxin concentration, reaching its
maximum value (12.5 μg L− 1 day− 1) at the highest initial toxin concentrations (50 & 100 μg L− 1). Temperature and pH
also had an impact on the rate of ATX-a biodegradation, with the highest rates occurring at 25 and 30 ºC and pH 7 and
8. This nontoxic bacterial strain could be immobilized within a biofilm on sand filters and/or sludge for the degradation
and removal of ATX-a and other cyanotoxins during water treatment processes, following the establishment of mesocosm
experiments to assess the potential effects of this bacterium on water quality

Soil salinization has increased over recent years and is negatively affecting crop productivity. Nutrient application is an effective strategy to improve abiotic stress tolerance in crops. The application of coated fertilizers has emerged as an excellent approach to mitigate the adverse impacts of soil salinity. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effects of zinc and sulfur coated urea on the performance of wheat growing under saline conditions. The study comprised of diverse salinity stress levels; 0, 6 and 12 dS m−1, cross combined with normal urea (NU), zinc coated urea (ZCU) and sulfur coated urea (SCU). Salinity stress reduced wheat yield by impairing leaf water status, reducing photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes accumulation, potassium (K) and nitrogen (N) uptake while increasing sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) uptake and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage (EL) accumulation. The application of ZCU increased the wheat yield by enhancing photosynthetic pigments, leaf water status, antioxidant activities, osmolytes accumulation, and reducing H2O2, MDA and EL accumulation. Furthermore, the significant increase in growth and yield of wheat with ZCU and SCU was also linked with improved K and N uptake, higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and reduced Na and Cl concentration. Thus, the application of ZCU could be an effective approach to improve wheat productivity under saline conditions.

Microcystin (MC), a hepatotoxin that is harmful to human health, has frequently increased in freshwaters
worldwide due to the increase in toxic cyanobacterial blooms. Despite many studies reported the human
exposure to MC through drinking water, the potential transfer of this toxin to human via consumption of vegetables
grown on farmlands that are naturally irrigated with contaminated water has not been largely investigated.
Therefore, this study investigates the presence of MC in irrigation water and its potential accumulation in
commonly consumed vegetables from Egyptian farmlands. The results of toxin analysis revealed that all irrigation
water sites contained high MC concentrations (1.3–93.7 μg L? 1) along the study period, in association
with the abundance of dominant cyanobacteria in these sites. Meanwhile, MCs were detected in most vegetable
plants surveyed, with highest levels in potato tubers (1100 μg kg? 1 fresh weight, FW) followed by spinach (180
μg kg? 1 FW), onion (170 μg g? 1 FW), Swiss chard (160 μg kg? 1 FW) and fava bean (46 μg kg? 1 FW). These MC
concentrations in vegetables led to estimated daily intake (EDI) values (0.08–1.13 μg kg bw? 1 d? 1 for adults and
0.11–1.5 μg kg bw? 1 d? 1 for children), through food consumption, exceeding the WHO recommended TDI (0.04
μg kg bw? 1 d? 1) for this toxin. As eutrophic water is widely used for irrigation in many parts of the world, our
study suggests that cyanotoxins in irrigation waters and agricultural plants should be regularly monitored to
safeguard the general public from inadvertent exposure to harmful toxins via food consumption.

The biological synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from plant extracts has emerged as a novel
method for producing NPs with great scalability and biocompatibility. The present study is focused on biofabricated
zinc oxide nanomaterial characterization and investigation of its photocatalytic and antifungal
activities. ZnO NPs were biosynthesized using the leaf extract of Polyalthia longifolia without using
harmful reducing or capping chemicals, which demonstrated fungicidal activity against Fusarium
oxysporum f. sp. ciceris. The results showed that the inhibition of the radial growth of F. oxysporum f. sp.
ciceris was enhanced as the concentration increased from 100 ppm to 300 ppm. The effectiveness of
the photocatalytic activity of biosynthesized ZnO NPs was analyzed using MB dye degradation in
aqueous medium under ultraviolet (UV) radiation and natural sunlight. After four consecutive cycles, the
photocatalytic degradation of MB was stable and was 84%, 83%, 83%, and 83%, respectively, during
natural sunlight exposure. Under the UV sources, degradation reached 92%, 89%, 88%, and 87%,
respectively, in 90 minutes. This study suggests that the ZnO NPs obtained from plant extract have
outstanding photocatalytic and antifungal activities against F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris and have the
potential for application as a natural pest control agent to reduce pathogenesis.

Seismic activity is typically mild to moderate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, because of its close proximity to seismically active areas like the Zagros-Biltis Fold Thrust Belt (ZBFTB) and the Makran Subduction Zone, its susceptibility to the effects of seismic events is increased. There have been sporadic reports of ground motion felt in different parts of the UAE over the past 20 years. To assess the seismic hazard in the countries of the southern Arabian Gulf, which include the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, a probabilistic analysis was conducted. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration (SA) values were the focus of the evaluation, which also considered the 10% and 5% chances of exceeding these values over a 50-year exposure period. This evaluation was carried out for National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) site classes B/C and C. Magnitudes were harmonized and updates made to the region's earthquake and focal mechanism catalogs to improve the assessment's accuracy. Additionally, completeness checks and seismicity declustering were performed. The boundaries of the seismic sources that were considered were established using data on crustal thickness, active faults, and geological and tectonic features. In response to this inquiry, the UAE's unique seismic source model was created. Twelve area seismic sources make up this model; they are distributed throughout the ZBFTB and Makran areas and consist of two intermediate-depth zones (deeper than 35 km) and ten shallow-depth zones (deeper than 35 km). The seismic hazard in the UAE is attributed to the prospective seismic zones that fall under these categories. Each identified seismic source has its own unique set of seismicity recurrence parameters, such as the maximum expected magnitude, the annual rate of earthquakes exceeding Mw 4.0, and the b-value, determined individually. Considering the prevalent stress regime for each source, two region-specific ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) were chosen and implemented. In Ras Al-Khaimah, in particular, the study's mean PGA and SA at 0.2 s values were found to be 0.12 g and 0.29 g, respectively, for a 475-year return period and under B/C NEHRP site conditions. These results indicate that the northeastern portion of the study area has the highest levels of hazard. This thorough analysis provides essential information about the seismic hazard profile of the UAE and its surroundings, enabling better preparedness and risk-reduction strategies.

This paper presents an archaeogeophysical prospection in Abydos, a rich archaeological site including royal monuments and tombs from multiple periods of Ancient Egypt. Abydos is the most important burial site of ancient Egypt, having a history extending back about 7500 years. Near-surface geophysical techniques, particularly ground magnetic and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, have been used to discover hidden ancient archaeological objects that will help with the site's long-term development. The main objective of this work was the depth estimation and geometry determination of the buried archaeological objects southwest Seti I temple, such as walls, tombs and other features. A proton-precession magnetometer (G-857) and an SIR-4000 equipment with an antenna of 200 MHz were used as instrumentation for the magnetic and GPR surveys, respectively. A final output is a total magnetic intensity (TMI) anomaly map, which has undergone extensive filtering to separate the residual components related to the shallow objects that could potentially serve as archaeological targets from the regional components of the deeper anomalies. Depth was estimated using source parameter imaging and 3D Euler deconvolution. The qualitative interpretation of the obtained magnetic maps reveals that there are clusters of anomalies that could indicate archaeological remains. On the other hand, the GPR findings reveal the presence of reflection hyperbolae within the measured profiles coinciding with the magnetic anomalies, supporting the probable existence of archaeological buried objects, which need to be confirmed by excavation. The main depths of these objects range approximately between 1 and 3 m. Our results bring new light on yet uninvestigated archaeological features at Abydos, paving the road to renewed archaeological research in this area.

This paper presents a comprehensive seismic hazard assessment of the Mila earthquake epicentral area that occurred on August 7, 2020 (Mw 5.0) in northeast Algeria. The analysis emphasizes the environmental factors that likely played a crucial role in amplifying the earthquake’s damaging impacts on the region. This interdisciplinary methodology encompasses several key aspects, including the earthquake catalog, an analysis of coseismic geological factors according to the environmental seismic intensity (ESI) scale, and the estimation of peak ground acceleration (PGA) values using both probabilistic and deterministic seismic hazard approaches (PSHA and DSHA, respectively). A comprehensive assessment of seismic intensity was conducted by examining primary and secondary impacts across three districts: El-Kherba, Grareme-Gouga, and Azzeba. Both PSHA and DSHA were conducted for the region, revealing that the varying intensity levels are linked to the distributions of modified mercalli intensity (MMI) and PGA. Our findings show that the hazard estimation methods used can result in significant variations in the PGA distributions. Moreover, PGA values often diverge significantly from macroseismic intensity levels derived using the ESI scale. Consequently, incorporating environmental factors into hazard assessments is essential for achieving a more accurate seismic evaluation. In the final phase, seismic hazard assessment methods are employed to estimate damage distributions at risky locations, considering a 50-year exposure period. The results show the importance of taking precautions to reduce earthquake casualties in vulnerable old urban centers. This work proposes a methodology for conducting site-specific hazard and vulnerability estimations to mitigate earthquake hazard and support risk reduction measures.

In this study the seismic hazard in Northern Algeria is analyzed by using a probabilistic approach, and specifically the parametric-historic method. This method enables the incorporation of the entire accessible seismic history into the analysis and effectively addresses both the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of the seismicity parameters. The recently compiled earthquake catalog covering the region and spanning the period from 1658 to 2018 was used for estimating the seismicity parameters. The seismic hazard maps in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) were calculated for return period of 475 years for rock, stiff soil, and soft soil conditions. The uniform hazard spectra (UHS) for the major cities in Northern Algeria were calculated for the same conditions. The largest PGA values are observed near the cities of Chlef, Algiers, Blida, Medea, and Tipasa. Arguably the most important obtained result is evident in the seismic hazard estimates for the capital city of Algiers, which significantly exceed previously published estimates.

Recently, extensions of the gamma and beta functions have been studied due to their appealing properties and wide range of applications in various scientific fields. This note aims to investigate generalized inequalities associated with the extended beta and gamma functions.