Visible light N-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-induced photodegradation of Congo red: characterization,kinetics and mechanistic study

In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of Congo red has been investigated in N-doped TiO₂ (N-TiO₂) aqueous suspensions under visible light irradiation. Visible light-active N-TiO₂ was successfully prepared at three different weight contents (2.5, 5, and 7%) employing sol–gel method. It was able to harvest the visible irradiation with wavelength suitable for activation. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, diffused reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption Brunauer–Emmert–Teller, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer were used to characterize the doped catalyst. The samples had a relatively large specific Brunauer–Emmert–Teller surface areas of about 42 m² g^?1 with average X-ray diffraction crystalline size of 52 nm and showed visible light photocatalytic activity at about 408 nm. The impacts of several operating parameters on the Congo red photodegradation process were examined. Langmuir–Hinshelwood model exhibited pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics. N-TiO₂-assisted plausible photodegradation mechanism has been suggested based on the qualitatively detected intermediate compounds.     

Mediterranean Sea and anthropogenic influences on ambient vibration amplitudes in the low-frequency and high-frequency domains in the Algiers region

Ambient vibrations have been continuously recorded at Dar El Beida, about 20 km from Algiers (Algeria). This data set allows determining that, in the low-frequency domain (<1 Hz), ambient vibration sources are mainly linked to Mediterranean Sea effects, while in the high-frequency domain, they are closely related to anthropogenic activity. Climatic conditions have an influence on the ambient vibration spectral amplitudes in the low-frequency domain, which is not the case in the high-frequency domain. The limit between the low-frequency and high-frequency domain, based on natural versus anthropogenic activity, is not clear cut and lies between 1.25 and 1.50 Hz. Variations of H/V peak amplitudes in the low-frequency domain are clearly linked to the climatic conditions. In the high-frequency domain, H/V peaks are not related to climatic conditions and cannot be clearly related to anthropogenic source changes.     

Lack of population genetic structure in the marine nematodes Ptycholaimellus pandispiculatus and Terschellingia longicaudata in beaches of the Persian Gulf,Iran

We investigated genetic diversity and population genetic structure of two common benthic nematode species, Ptycholaimellus pandispiculatus and Terschellingia longicaudata, from sandy beaches in the area of Bandar Abbas (Iran), Persian Gulf. Based upon partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (COI) gene data, 17 and two haplotypes were found for P. pandispiculatus and Te. longicaudata, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance did not reveal a significant population genetic structure for either species. The absence of genetic structuring indicates substantial dispersal and gene flow in our study area. To assess the species structure of Te. longicaudata at a larger geographic scale, we compared 18S rDNA and COI sequences from Iran and the Scheldt Estuary in The Netherlands to ascertain whether they truly belong to the same species. Our data confirmed previous studies that Te. longicaudata likely constitutes a complex of multiple cryptic species, with one of these species having a (near) cosmopolitan distribution.