Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in citrus fruit irrigated with fresh water under arid conditions: Concentrations, sources, and risk assessment

In Jordan, as well as in all the world countries, consumption of citrus fruits is an essential part of the daily diet, so it is important to assess the potential risk of the persistent organic pollutants such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in these fruits to the human health and identify their sources in order to eliminate or reduce them. This study reports 16 priority PAHs content in four types of peeled citrus fruits grown in Jordan valley. PAHs were detected in all the studied samples in variable quantities depending on the type of citrus fruits. The results showed that the highest PAH level corresponded to acenaphthene (35.018 µg/kg) in grapefruit. Among the carcinogenic PAHs, benzo[a]anthracene (BaA) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were the most representative and found in all the analyzed fruit, soil, and water samples, whereas anthracene (ANT) was not detected at all. The mean ∑16 PAHs for the different fruits were found to be 62.593 µg kg−1 in grapefruit, 24.840 µg kg−1 in lemon, 22.901 µg kg−1 in mandarin, and 5.082 µg kg−1 in orange. The dominance of naphthalene (NAP) and acenaphthene (ACE) in soil under hot climatic conditions indicates the recent and continuous input of these types in the investigated area. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) for ∑16 PAHs was observed in the order of grapefruit > lemon > mandarin > orange. Based on the results of the principal component analysis (PCA), the primary sources of PAHs in agricultural soils mainly originated from biomass burning and vehicular emissions. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) indicated that consumption of these four citrus fruits may expose human health to potential cancer risk. The findings of this study call the policymakers and public administrations to the formulation of stringent policies and actions to control biomass burning and vehicular emissions

Accumulation, Source Identification, and Cancer Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Different Jordanian Vegetables

The accumulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in plants is considered one of the most serious threats faced by mankind because of their persistence in the environment and their carcinogenic and teratogenic effect on human health. The concentrations of sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs) were determined in four types of edible vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and cucumbers), irrigation water, and agriculture soil, where samples were collected from the Jordan Valley, Jordan. The mean total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) ranged from 10.649 to 21.774 µg kg−1 in vegetables, 28.72 µg kg−1 in soil, and 0.218 µg L−1 in the water samples. The tomato samples posed the highest ∑16PAH concentration level in the vegetables, whereas the zucchini samples had the lowest. Generally, the PAHs with a high molecular weight and four or more benzene rings prevailed among the studied samples. The diagnostic ratios and the principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the PAH contamination sources in soil and vegetables mainly originated from a pyrogenic origin, traffic emission sources, and biomass combustion. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) for ∑16PAHs have been observed in the order of tomatoes > cucumbers and eggplants > zucchini. A potential cancer risk related to lifetime consumption was revealed based on calculating the incremental lifetime cancer risk of PAHs (ILCR). Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices and avoiding biomass combusting would greatly help in minimizing the potential health risk from dietary exposure to PAHs

Sustainable FinTech Innovation Orientation: A Moderated Model

Financial technology (otherwise known as FinTech) refers to a type of technology and innovation that tries to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services. Despite the importance of this technology in people’s financial transactions in improving the management of their financial operations, processes, and lives, there is a lack of empirical evidence about sustainable FinTech services in the Jordanian context. Consequently, this research examines the factors that influence the acceptance of FinTech services, which have a variety of social, environmental, and ecological benefits. This study proposes an integrated model by combining the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with the perceived enjoyment as an independent variable and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as a moderator variable simultaneously. A total of 304 responses from Jordanian citizens were analyzed by the quantitative method of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The result confirmed that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment have a significant and positive influence on users’ decision to use FinTech services. Meanwhile, eWOM is found to moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and Jordanians’ decisions to use FinTech services. Finally, this study provides practical implications for managers to encourage them to provide adequate, reliable, and sustainable services to their customers at a reasonable cost that fit their demands and ultimately improve their living standards. Current study limitations and future research directions are presented in the last section

Sustainable FinTech Innovation Orientation: A Moderated Model

Financial technology (otherwise known as FinTech) refers to a type of technology and innovation that tries to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services. Despite the importance of this technology in people’s financial transactions in improving the management of their financial operations, processes, and lives, there is a lack of empirical evidence about sustainable FinTech services in the Jordanian context. Consequently, this research examines the factors that influence the acceptance of FinTech services, which have a variety of social, environmental, and ecological benefits. This study proposes an integrated model by combining the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with the perceived enjoyment as an independent variable and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as a moderator variable simultaneously. A total of 304 responses from Jordanian citizens were analyzed by the quantitative method of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The result confirmed that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment have a significant and positive influence on users’ decision to use FinTech services. Meanwhile, eWOM is found to moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and Jordanians’ decisions to use FinTech services. Finally, this study provides practical implications for managers to encourage them to provide adequate, reliable, and sustainable services to their customers at a reasonable cost that fit their demands and ultimately improve their living standards. Current study limitations and future research directions are presented in the last section

Insight into the Inclusion Complexation of Fluconazole with Sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene in Aqueous Solution, Solid-State, and Its Antimycotic Activity

The study aims to assess the interaction between fluconazole and sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene towards enhancing its dissolution performance and antimycotic activity. A solubility study was carried out at different pH conditions, and the results revealed the formation of a 1:1 molar ratio fluconazole-sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene inclusion complex with an AL type phase solubility diagrams. The solid powder systems of fluconazole-sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene were prepared using kneaded and co-evaporation techniques and physical mixtures. DCS, PXRD, TGA-DTG, FT-IR, and in vitro dissolution performance characterize the prepared systems. According to physicochemical characterization, the co-evaporation approach produces an amorphous inclusion complex of the drug inside the cavity of sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene. The co-evaporate product significantly increased the drug dissolution rate up to 93 ± 1.77% within 10 min, unlike other prepared solid powders. The antimycotic activity showed an increase substantially (p ≤ 0.05, t-test) antimycotic activity of fluconazole co-evaporate mixture with sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene compared with fluconazole alone against clinical strains of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. In conclusion, sulfonatocalix[4]naphthalene could be considered an efficient complexing agent for fluconazole to enhance its aqueous solubility, dissolution performance, and antimycotic activity