{"results":[{"id":"crossref_10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127506","title":"Letter to the Editor of environmental pollution","authors":[{"name":"Anthony Kriech"}],"abstract":"","source":"CrossRef","year":2026,"language":"en","subjects":null,"doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127506","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127506","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":70},{"id":"doaj_10.23889/ijpds.v8i6.3358","title":"Data resource profile: a nationally representative linked pregnancy cohort in Canada integrating clinical, social, and environmental data","authors":[{"name":"Sabrina Chiodo"},{"name":"Sonia M. Grandi"},{"name":"Jessica Gronsbell"},{"name":"Laura C. Rosella"}],"abstract":"\nIntroduction\nPerinatal outcomes are shaped by clinical, social, and environmental factors, yet Canada lacks a nationally representative pregnancy cohort capturing these influences at the individual-level. This gap has limited the ability to address multifactorial drivers of maternal and fetal health. To fill this need, we established a linked cohort integrating survey, clinical, and contextual data to support equity-focused, precision public health research in maternal health.\n\n\nMethods\nWe linked the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS; 2000--2017) to the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) using Statistics Canada's Social Data Linkage Environment. Eligible participants were female (as defined by the binary CCHS sex variable), aged 15-49 years, with a hospital delivery within two years of their CCHS interview. We excluded multifetal gestations and retained only the first delivery per individual. Area-level and environmental exposures (i.e., neighbourhood inequity, pollution, greenspace, neighbourhood walkability, etc.) were appended via residential postal codes using the Postal Code Conversion File Plus (PCCF+).\n\n\nResults\nThe cohort includes 13,360 singleton births. Pre-pregnancy data include sociodemographics, health behaviours, chronic conditions, psychosocial factors, and reproductive history. Contextual measures capture neighbourhood marginalization, air pollution, greenness, and built environment characteristics. In the CCHS, individuals who reported being pregnant at interview and those who did not (but later delivered) had similar characteristics (SMDs \u003c 0.1), except for age and marital status. Data quality is supported by Statistics Canada's survey protocols, CIHI's hospital validation processes, and standardised geocoding.\n\n\nConclusion\nApproved researchers can recreate this dataset within Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres using reproducible R code, which will become openly available on GitHub. The cohort enables research across descriptive epidemiology, causal inference, predictive modelling, and health equity evaluation, supporting investigations into multilevel determinants of maternal health. Future work should prioritise national mother--child linkages to expand life course research.\n","source":"DOAJ","year":2026,"language":"","subjects":["Demography. Population. Vital events"],"doi":"10.23889/ijpds.v8i6.3358","url":"https://ijpds.org/article/view/3358","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":70},{"id":"arxiv_2603.29722","title":"Fragmented Movements, Connected Opponents: Analyzing the Interconnectivity of Firms and Environmental Justice Organizations in Global Socio-Environmental Conflicts","authors":[{"name":"Dario Cottafava"},{"name":"José R. Nicolás-Carlock"},{"name":"Marcel Llavero-Pasquina"}],"abstract":"This study investigates the interconnectivity of firms and Environmental Justice Organizations (EJOs) involved in socio-environmental conflicts worldwide, using data from the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas). By constructing a multilayer network that links firms, conflicts, and EJOs, the research applies social network analysis to evaluate the simultaneous involvement of these actors across multiple disputes. Both projected networks of firms and EJOs have been analysed by aggregating nodes by categories and countries to reveal structural differences. Findings reveal a stark contrast between the interconnectedness of firms and EJOs. Multinational corporations form a cohesive global network, enabling them to coordinate strategies and exert influence across regions. Conversely, EJOs are fragmented, often operating in isolated clusters with limited interconnection but forming a robust, decentralized and self-organized global network. Firms network present a strong dependence on pertaining conflict category while EJOs network does not depend on conflict category. This structural difference suggests a risk of systemic and structural coordination for firms towards exploitative expansion while EJOs dynamics seems to be led by a white blood cells defense-like mechanism. While fragmentation may represents a critical challenge for social movements, decentralization and self-organization show a more diffuse global networks supported by a limited number of central hub able to build stronger global alliances to effectively counter the power dynamics of transnational corporations. By providing robust evidence of these networks, this research contributes to discuss how structural differences in global coordination for companies and EJOs directly derives as emergent properties depending on the purpose of the network itself, sectorial expansion for firms while ecosystem preservation for EJOs.","source":"arXiv","year":2026,"language":"en","subjects":["physics.soc-ph"],"url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.29722","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.29722","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2026-03-31T13:22:15Z","score":70},{"id":"arxiv_2602.24091","title":"The impacts of artificial intelligence on environmental sustainability and human well-being","authors":[{"name":"Noemi Luna Carmeno"},{"name":"Tiago Domingos"},{"name":"Daniel W. O'Neill"}],"abstract":"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the world, but its impacts on the environment and human well-being remain uncertain. We conducted a systematic literature review of 1,291 studies selected from 6,655 records, identifying the main impacts of AI and how they are assessed. The evidence reveals an uneven landscape: 72% of environmental studies focus narrowly on energy use and CO2 emissions, while only 11% consider systemic effects. Well-being research is largely conceptual and overlooks subjective dimensions. Strikingly, 83% of environmental studies portray AI's impacts as positive, while well-being analyses show a near-even split overall (44% positive; 46% negative). However, this split masks differences across well-being dimensions. While the impacts of AI on income and health are expected to be positive, its impacts on inequality, social cohesion, and employment are expected to be negative. Based on our findings, we suggest several areas for future research. Environmental assessments should incorporate water, material, and biodiversity impacts, and apply a full life-cycle perspective, while well-being research should prioritise empirical analyses. Evaluating AI's overall impact requires accounting for computing-related, application-level, and systemic impacts, while integrating both environmental and social dimensions. Bridging these gaps is essential to understand the full scope of AI's impacts and to steer its development towards environmental sustainability and human flourishing.","source":"arXiv","year":2026,"language":"en","subjects":["cs.CY"],"url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.24091","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.24091","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2026-02-27T15:28:29Z","score":70},{"id":"doaj_10.31548/plant1.2025.09","title":"Application of biologically active substances in agriculture preparations","authors":[{"name":"L. Krychkovska"},{"name":"M. Bobro"},{"name":"G. Birta"},{"name":"S. Karpushyna"},{"name":"Yu. Grytzaenko"}],"abstract":"High-quality, naturally protected seeds prior to sowing, along with growth activation of seedlings, represent a promising approach to stabilising crop yield and quality. Enhancing plant resistance to dynamic environmental stresses, including harmful organisms, is one of the strategies for realising the biological potential of crop yields in breeding and seed production. This research aimed to experimentally evaluate a preparation based on humic substances, film formers, a nanocomposite, succinic acid, and microbiological carotene. Experiments were conducted using spring barley and wheat seeds. A seed encrustation technology employing a functional preparation was applied. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted at V. Dokuchaev Kharkiv National Agrarian University, Department of Plant Growing, over two years. The experimental design and economic efficiency assessment of the functional preparation in enhancing yield was carried out according to established methodologies. Pre-sowing seed treatment with the preparation resulted in improved field germination, synchronised seedling emergence, and increased yield. Comprehensive studies revealed that the preparation was compatible with fungicides, demonstrating a synergistic effect of their joint protective effect. Experimental results confirmed that seed incrustation with protective and stimulating formulations based on water-soluble polymers is an effective method for protecting plants from seed- and soil-borne infections while reducing the level of environmental pollution. The extended and enhanced fungicidal activity of film-forming protective and stimulating compositions was also demonstrated. Agricultural production tests indicated that the developed preparation was user-friendly, environmentally safe, and economically efficient, contributing to increased crop yields. The positive test results support practical recommendations for its application in both seed encrustation and grain crop spraying during the tillering and milky-wax ripeness phases","source":"DOAJ","year":2025,"language":"","subjects":["Plant culture"],"doi":"10.31548/plant1.2025.09","url":"https://agriculturalscience.com.ua/journals/tom-16-1-2025/zastosuvannya-biologichno-aktivnikh-rechovin-u-preparatakh-dlya-silskogo-gospodarstva","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":69},{"id":"doaj_10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116167","title":"Computational methods meet in vitro techniques: A case study on fusaric acid and its possible detoxification through cytochrome P450 enzymes","authors":[{"name":"Lorenzo Pedroni"},{"name":"Daniel Zocchi Doherty"},{"name":"Chiara Dall’Asta"},{"name":"Gianni Galaverna"},{"name":"Stephen G. Bell"},{"name":"Luca Dellafiora"}],"abstract":"Mycotoxins are known environmental pollutants that may contaminate food and feed chains. Some mycotoxins are regulated in many countries to limit the trading of contaminated and harmful commodities. However, the so-called emerging mycotoxins are poorly understood and need to be investigated further. Fusaric acid is an emerging mycotoxin, noxious to plants and animals, but is known to be less toxic to plants when hydroxylated. The detoxification routes effective in animals have not been elucidated yet. In this context, this study integrated in silico and in vitro techniques to discover potential bioremediation routes to turn fusaric acid to its less toxic metabolites. The toxicodynamics of these forms in humans have also been addressed. An in silico screening process, followed by molecular docking and dynamics studies, identified CYP199A4 from the bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris HaA2 as a potential fusaric acid biotransforming enzyme. Its activity was confirmed in vitro. However, the effect of hydroxylation seemed to have a limited impact on the modelled toxicodynamics against human targets. This study represents a starting point to develop a hybrid in silico/in vitro pipeline to find bioremediation agents for other food, feed and environmental contaminants.","source":"DOAJ","year":2024,"language":"","subjects":["Environmental pollution","Environmental sciences"],"doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116167","url":"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324002422","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":68},{"id":"doaj_10.3390/en17030752","title":"State of the Art and Environmental Aspects of Plant Microbial Fuel Cells’ Application","authors":[{"name":"Roman Lepikash"},{"name":"Daria Lavrova"},{"name":"Devard Stom"},{"name":"Valery Meshalkin"},{"name":"Olga Ponamoreva"},{"name":"Sergey Alferov"}],"abstract":"Environmental pollution is becoming ubiquitous; it has a negative impact on ecosystem diversity and worsens the quality of human life. This review discusses the possibility of applying the plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) technology for concurrent processes of electricity generation and the purification of water and soil ecosystems from organic pollutants, particularly from synthetic surfactants and heavy metals. The review describes PMFCs’ functioning mechanisms and highlights the issues of PMFCs’ environmental application. Generally, this work summarizes different approaches to PMFC development and to the potential usage of such hybrid bioelectrochemical systems for environmental protection.","source":"DOAJ","year":2024,"language":"","subjects":["Technology"],"doi":"10.3390/en17030752","url":"https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/3/752","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":68},{"id":"doaj_10.1051/matecconf/202439900011","title":"Characteristics of Coal Dust Deposition in Boiler Tail Gas Pipelines","authors":[{"name":"Liu Hui quan"},{"name":"Wang Yu"},{"name":"Lu Hao"}],"abstract":"Coal dust deposition in boiler tail gas pipelines can significantly affect boilers’ thermal and energy efficiency. This study investigates the deposition characteristics of coal dust particles in boiler tail gas tubes in variable cross-section tubes. Numerical simulations were performed using the Reynolds Stress Model and the Discrete Particle Model. User-defined functions coding is used to construct the particle deposition model in the particle deposition model. The study analyses the distribution of turbulent kinetic energy locations in the gradient tube, compares the distribution of particle deposition on its wall, and concludes that the deposition distribution of coal dust particles in the gradient tube is slightly different for different particle sizes. Smaller particles have a higher deposition efficiency in equal cross-section pipes than larger particles. Particle size also has a significant effect on pipe taper and expansion. The results of this study can provide theoretical guidance for optimising the design of boiler tail gas pipelines, improving energy efficiency, and reducing environmental pollution.","source":"DOAJ","year":2024,"language":"","subjects":["Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)"],"doi":"10.1051/matecconf/202439900011","url":"https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2024/11/matecconf_aeege2024_00011.pdf","pdf_url":"https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2024/11/matecconf_aeege2024_00011.pdf","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":68},{"id":"arxiv_2412.15261","title":"Blockchain in Environmental Sustainability Measures: a Survey","authors":[{"name":"Maria-Victoria Vladucu"},{"name":"Hailun Wu"},{"name":"Jorge Medina"},{"name":"Khondaker M. Salehin"},{"name":"Ziqian Dong"},{"name":"Roberto Rojas-Cessa"}],"abstract":"Real and effective regulation of contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants requires unbiased and truthful monitoring. Blockchain has emerged not only as an approach that provides verifiable economical interactions but also as a mechanism to keep the measurement, monitoring, incentivation of environmental conservationist practices and enforcement of policy. Here, we present a survey of areas in what blockchain has been considered as a response to concerns on keeping an accurate recording of environmental practices to monitor levels of pollution and management of environmental practices. We classify the applications of blockchain into different segments of concerns, such as greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, water, plastics, food waste, and circular economy, and show the objectives for the addressed concerns. We also classify the different blockchains and the explored and designed properties as identified for the proposed solutions. At the end, we provide a discussion about the niches and challenges that remain for future research.","source":"arXiv","year":2024,"language":"en","subjects":["cs.CR","cs.CY"],"doi":"10.3390/blockchains2030016","url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.15261","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.15261","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2024-12-16T19:28:45Z","score":68},{"id":"arxiv_2403.03664","title":"Environmental Insights: Democratizing Access to Ambient Air Pollution Data and Predictive Analytics with an Open-Source Python Package","authors":[{"name":"Liam J Berrisford"},{"name":"Ronaldo Menezes"}],"abstract":"Ambient air pollution is a pervasive issue with wide-ranging effects on human health, ecosystem vitality, and economic structures. Utilizing data on ambient air pollution concentrations, researchers can perform comprehensive analyses to uncover the multifaceted impacts of air pollution across society. To this end, we introduce Environmental Insights, an open-source Python package designed to democratize access to air pollution concentration data. This tool enables users to easily retrieve historical air pollution data and employ a Machine Learning model for forecasting potential future conditions. Moreover, Environmental Insights includes a suite of tools aimed at facilitating the dissemination of analytical findings and enhancing user engagement through dynamic visualizations. This comprehensive approach ensures that the package caters to the diverse needs of individuals looking to explore and understand air pollution trends and their implications.","source":"arXiv","year":2024,"language":"en","subjects":["physics.soc-ph","cs.LG"],"url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.03664","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.03664","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2024-03-06T12:34:50Z","score":68},{"id":"doaj_10.1186/s12544-023-00577-2","title":"Berlin Pankow: a 15-min city for everyone? A case study combining accessibility, traffic noise, air pollution, and socio-structural data","authors":[{"name":"Jan-Peter Glock"},{"name":"Julia Gerlach"}],"abstract":"Abstract Cars are dominating urban traffic in cities around the world, even though daily trips in many cities are often realized with active modes of transportation or public transport. Urban transport planning processes need to adapt to this reality and the necessity of climate change mitigation. Against this background, the research project “Mobility Reporting”, a joint undertaking of the district Pankow in Berlin and researchers from TU Berlin and TU Dresden, established a new, goal-driven, and participative planning process. The process identified local mobility as one of the central planning goals. The 15-min city (FMC) was thus adduced as a benchmark to analyze the district’s current mobility system and development potential. We conducted extensive accessibility analyses to examine the status quo concerning the FMC. We calculated travel times to essential destinations in daily life by foot, public transport, and car. This analysis was accompanied by a mixed online and paper–pencil survey conducted to evaluate the perceived accessibility of people in Pankow. The survey results shed light on the question of which walking time thresholds constitute a “very good” or “good” accessibility. Further analyses included environmental and social variables, allowing us to check whether areas with different accessibility levels also differ regarding the socio-economic characteristics of their inhabitants. For example, do socially advantaged neighborhoods have better local accessibility? Is there a trade-off between exposure to environmental pollution and good accessibility? With this contribution, we shed light on what an FMC is and ought to be. Results from the survey support the normative and political vision of the FMC. Pankow generally offers the merits of a walkable city, showing the expected travel time differences between the dense inner city and the outskirts. Socially disadvantaged neighborhoods are not consistently less accessible. However, there seems to be a trade-off between good accessibility (especially PT accessibility) and correlated externalities of transport, namely air pollution and noise.","source":"DOAJ","year":2023,"language":"","subjects":["Transportation engineering","Transportation and communications"],"doi":"10.1186/s12544-023-00577-2","url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12544-023-00577-2","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":67},{"id":"doaj_10.20078/j.eep.20230204","title":"Coal mine methane emissions quantification based on vehicle-based monitoring","authors":[{"name":"GAO Lan"},{"name":"MAO Huiqin"},{"name":"LU Xi*"}],"abstract":"Obtaining accurate emissions of methane (CH_4), one of the most important non-carbon-dioxide greenhouse gases, is the basis for formulating and validating emission reduction policies. In terms of shortcomings from the \"bottom-up\" approach, this study combined the vehicle-based monitoring and the AERMOD atmospheric dispersion modeling system to derive the emission rates and emission factors of main CH_4 sources in one demonstration coal mine in Jincheng city, Shanxi province. After systematically considering the topography, meteorological conditions, and infrastructure distribution of the coal mine, both the mobile and downwind stationary monitoring alternatives were adopted, using a platform equipped with a high-precision greenhouse gas analyzer. Results showed that the simulated CH_4 emission rate of a single ventilation shaft under non-production condition (763 kg/h) was about 15.9% lower than the data provided by the enterprise in production. If ignoring the fugitive emissions, the derived CH_4 emission factor of the coal mine was 15.09 m^3/t, which was 13.8% smaller than that in \" bottom-up\" inventory, indicating that the working conditions of the coal mine played a large role in CH_4 emissions. One ventilation shaft and two vent stacks in the gas gathering station were the main point sources, and six coal silos were the fugitive sources, the emission factors of which were 8.6 m^3/t( 43%), 6.49 m^3/t (33%) and 4.87 m^3/t (24%), respectively. The traditional \"bottom-up\" accounting without consideration of fugitive emissions, resulted in a nearly 24% under estimation of CH_4 emissions even under non-production conditions, which could be compensated by the methane quantification method based on vehicle-based monitoring.","source":"DOAJ","year":2023,"language":"","subjects":["Renewable energy sources","Environmental protection"],"doi":"10.20078/j.eep.20230204","url":"https://eep1987.com/en/article/4303","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":67},{"id":"doaj_10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113636","title":"Amidoxime functionalized chitosan for uranium sequestration in vivo","authors":[{"name":"Zhiheng Li"},{"name":"Siyi Wang"},{"name":"Yipu Dong"},{"name":"Xiaoyao Miao"},{"name":"Bingkun Xiao"},{"name":"Jianyun Yang"},{"name":"Jianfeng Zhao"},{"name":"Rongqing Huang"}],"abstract":"Amidoxime functionalized chitosan (AC) was recommended as a chelator for uranium sequestration in vivo in this study, and the structure-activity relationship was also explored. Compared with ZnNa3-DTPA, which was a commercial uranium mobilization drug, AC exhibited excellent biocompatibility and uranium removal efficiency, whether by injection or orally, which could reduce the amounts of uranium deposited in kidneys and femurs by up to 43.6% and 32.3%. In particular, ACs still possessed the ability to mobilize uranium in vivo even if administration was delayed for 72 h.","source":"DOAJ","year":2022,"language":"","subjects":["Environmental pollution","Environmental sciences"],"doi":"10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113636","url":"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322004766","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":66},{"id":"arxiv_2210.14131","title":"Light pollution and the concentration of anthropogenic photons in the terrestrial atmosphere","authors":[{"name":"Salvador Bará"},{"name":"Carmen Bao-Varela"},{"name":"Fabio Falchi"}],"abstract":"Light pollution can be rigorously described in terms of the volume concentration of anthropogenic photons (light quanta) in the terrestrial atmosphere. This formulation, consistent with the basic physics of the emission, scattering and absorption of light, allows one to express light pollution levels in terms of particle volume concentrations, in a completely analogous way as it is currently done with other classical pollutants, like particulate matter or molecular contaminants. In this work we provide the explicit conversion equations between the photon volume concentration and the traditional light photometry quantities. This equivalent description of the light pollution levels provides some relevant insights that help to identify artificial light at night as a standard pollutant. It also enables a complementary way of expressing artificial light exposures for environmental and public health research and regulatory purposes.","source":"arXiv","year":2022,"language":"en","subjects":["astro-ph.IM","physics.optics"],"doi":"10.1016/j.apr.2022.101541","url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.14131","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2210.14131","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2022-10-25T16:29:13Z","score":66},{"id":"arxiv_2211.10381","title":"Environmental Sensor Placement with Convolutional Gaussian Neural Processes","authors":[{"name":"Tom R. Andersson"},{"name":"Wessel P. Bruinsma"},{"name":"Stratis Markou"},{"name":"James Requeima"},{"name":"Alejandro Coca-Castro"},{"name":"Anna Vaughan"},{"name":"Anna-Louise Ellis"},{"name":"Matthew A. Lazzara"},{"name":"Dani Jones"},{"name":"J. Scott Hosking"},{"name":"Richard E. Turner"}],"abstract":"Environmental sensors are crucial for monitoring weather conditions and the impacts of climate change. However, it is challenging to place sensors in a way that maximises the informativeness of their measurements, particularly in remote regions like Antarctica. Probabilistic machine learning models can suggest informative sensor placements by finding sites that maximally reduce prediction uncertainty. Gaussian process (GP) models are widely used for this purpose, but they struggle with capturing complex non-stationary behaviour and scaling to large datasets. This paper proposes using a convolutional Gaussian neural process (ConvGNP) to address these issues. A ConvGNP uses neural networks to parameterise a joint Gaussian distribution at arbitrary target locations, enabling flexibility and scalability. Using simulated surface air temperature anomaly over Antarctica as training data, the ConvGNP learns spatial and seasonal non-stationarities, outperforming a non-stationary GP baseline. In a simulated sensor placement experiment, the ConvGNP better predicts the performance boost obtained from new observations than GP baselines, leading to more informative sensor placements. We contrast our approach with physics-based sensor placement methods and propose future steps towards an operational sensor placement recommendation system. Our work could help to realise environmental digital twins that actively direct measurement sampling to improve the digital representation of reality.","source":"arXiv","year":2022,"language":"en","subjects":["stat.ML","cs.LG"],"url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.10381","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2211.10381","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2022-11-18T17:25:14Z","score":66},{"id":"doaj_10.1186/s12940-021-00738-7","title":"Joint effects of ethnic enclave residence and ambient volatile organic compounds exposure on risk of gestational diabetes mellitus among Asian/Pacific Islander women in the United States","authors":[{"name":"Andrew D. Williams"},{"name":"Sandie Ha"},{"name":"Edmond Shenassa"},{"name":"Lynne C. Messer"},{"name":"Jenna Kanner"},{"name":"Pauline Mendola"}],"abstract":"Abstract Background Asian/Pacific Islander (API) communities in the United States often reside in metropolitan areas with distinct social and environmental attributes. Residence in an ethnic enclave, a socially distinct area, is associated with lower gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk, yet exposure to high levels of air pollution, including volatile organic compounds (VOCS), is associated with increased GDM risk. We examined the joint effects of ethnic enclaves and VOCs to better understand GDM risk among API women, the group with the highest prevalence of GDM. Methods We examined 9069 API births in the Consortium on Safe Labor (19 hospitals, 2002–2008). API ethnic enclaves were defined as areas ≥66th percentile for percent API residents, dissimilarity (geographic dispersal of API and White residents), and isolation (degree that API individuals interact with another API individual). High levels of 14 volatile organic compounds (VOC) were defined as ≥75th percentile. Four joint categories were created for each VOC: Low VOC/Enclave (reference group), Low VOC/No Enclave, High VOC/Enclave, High VOC/No Enclave. GDM was reported in medical records. Hierarchical logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) between joint exposures and GDM, adjusted for maternal factors and area-level poverty. Risk was estimated for 3-months preconception and first trimester exposures. Results Enclave residence was associated with lower GDM risk regardless of VOC exposure. Preconception benzene exposure was associated with increased risk when women resided outside enclaves [High VOC/No Enclave (OR:3.45, 95%CI:1.77,6.72)], and the effect was somewhat mitigated within enclaves, [High VOC/Enclave (OR:2.07, 95%:1.09,3.94)]. Risks were similar for 12 of 14 VOCs during preconception and 10 of 14 during the first trimester. Conclusions API residence in non-enclave areas is associated with higher GDM risk, regardless of VOC level. Ethnic enclave residence may mitigate effects of VOC exposure, perhaps due to lower stress levels. The potential benefit of ethnic enclaves warrants further study.","source":"DOAJ","year":2021,"language":"","subjects":["Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene","Public aspects of medicine"],"doi":"10.1186/s12940-021-00738-7","url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-021-00738-7","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":65},{"id":"doaj_10.3390/nano11051117","title":"Hybrid Nanocomposite Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications: A Review","authors":[{"name":"Marcela Socol"},{"name":"Nicoleta Preda"}],"abstract":"Continuing growth in global energy consumption and the growing concerns regarding climate change and environmental pollution are the strongest drivers of renewable energy deployment. Solar energy is the most abundant and cleanest renewable energy source available. Nowadays, photovoltaic technologies can be regarded as viable pathways to provide sustainable energy generation, the achievement attained in designing nanomaterials with tunable properties and the progress made in the production processes having a major impact in their development. Solar cells involving hybrid nanocomposite layers have, lately, received extensive research attention due to the possibility to combine the advantages derived from the properties of both components: flexibility and processability from the organic part and stability and optoelectronics features from the inorganic part. Thus, this review provides a synopsis on hybrid solar cells developed in the last decade which involve composite layers deposited by spin-coating, the most used deposition method, and matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation, a relatively new deposition technique. The overview is focused on the hybrid nanocomposite films that can use conducting polymers and metal phthalocyanines as \u003ci\u003ep\u003c/i\u003e-type materials, fullerene derivatives and non-fullerene compounds as \u003ci\u003en\u003c/i\u003e-type materials, and semiconductor nanostructures based on metal oxide, chalcogenides, and silicon. A survey regarding the influence of various factors on the hybrid solar cell efficiency is given in order to identify new strategies for enhancing the device performance in the upcoming years.","source":"DOAJ","year":2021,"language":"","subjects":["Chemistry"],"doi":"10.3390/nano11051117","url":"https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/11/5/1117","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":65},{"id":"arxiv_2109.04572","title":"Deciphering Environmental Air Pollution with Large Scale City Data","authors":[{"name":"Mayukh Bhattacharyya"},{"name":"Sayan Nag"},{"name":"Udita Ghosh"}],"abstract":"Air pollution poses a serious threat to sustainable environmental conditions in the 21st century. Its importance in determining the health and living standards in urban settings is only expected to increase with time. Various factors ranging from artificial emissions to natural phenomena are known to be primary causal agents or influencers behind rising air pollution levels. However, the lack of large scale data involving the major artificial and natural factors has hindered the research on the causes and relations governing the variability of the different air pollutants. Through this work, we introduce a large scale city-wise dataset for exploring the relationships among these agents over a long period of time. We also introduce a transformer based model - cosSquareFormer, for the problem of pollutant level estimation and forecasting. Our model outperforms most of the benchmark models for this task. We also analyze and explore the dataset through our model and other methodologies to bring out important inferences which enable us to understand the dynamics of the causal agents at a deeper level. Through our paper, we seek to provide a great set of foundations for further research into this domain that will demand critical attention of ours in the near future.","source":"arXiv","year":2021,"language":"en","subjects":["cs.LG","cs.AI","physics.data-an"],"url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.04572","pdf_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.04572","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"2021-09-09T22:00:51Z","score":65},{"id":"doaj_10.1016/j.envint.2020.105603","title":"Exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Indonesia","authors":[{"name":"Made Ayu Hitapretiwi Suryadhi"},{"name":"Putu Ayu Rhamani Suryadhi"},{"name":"Kawuli Abudureyimu"},{"name":"I Made Winarsa Ruma"},{"name":"Akintije Simba Calliope"},{"name":"Dewa Nyoman Wirawan"},{"name":"Takashi Yorifuji"}],"abstract":"Background: Recently emerging evidence suggests an association between particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) exposure and diabetes risk. However, evidence from Asia is limited. Here, we evaluated the association between PM2.5 exposure and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in one of the most populated countries in Asia, Indonesia. Methods: We used the 2013 Indonesia Basic Health Research, which surveyed households in 487 regencies/municipalities in all 33 provinces in Indonesia (n = 647,947). We assigned individual exposure to PM2.5 using QGIS software. Multilevel logistic regression with a random intercept based on village and cubic spline analysis were used to assess the association between PM2.5 exposure and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus. We also assessed the lower exposure at which PM2.5 has potential adverse effects. Results: We included 647,947 subjects with a mean age of 41.9 years in our study. Exposure to PM2.5 levels was associated with a 10-unit increase in PM2.5 (fully adjusted odds ratio: 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 1.05–1.14). The findings were consistent for quartile increases in PM2.5 levels and the cubic spline function. Even when we restricted to those exposed to PM2.5 concentrations of less than 10.0 µg/m3 in accordance with the recommended guidelines for annual exposure to PM2.5 made by the World Health Organization, the association remained elevated, especially among subjects living in the urban areas. Hence, we were unable to establish a safe threshold for PM2.5 and the risk of diabetes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a positive association between PM2.5 exposure and prevalence of diabetes mellitus, which is possibly below the current recommended guidelines. Further studies are needed to ascertain the causal association of this finding.","source":"DOAJ","year":2020,"language":"","subjects":["Environmental sciences"],"doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2020.105603","url":"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019337286","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":64},{"id":"doaj_10.1016/j.emcon.2019.11.003","title":"Photolysis of hexamethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (HDTMP) using manganese and hydrogen peroxide","authors":[{"name":"Ramona Kuhn"},{"name":"Isaac Mbir Bryant"},{"name":"Robert Jensch"},{"name":"Stephan Liebsch"},{"name":"Marion Martienssen"}],"abstract":"Aminophosphonates such as hexamethylenediaminetreta(methylene phosphonic acid) (HDTMP) are categorised as persistent substances. They are commonly used as scale inhibitors in cooling water systems and desalination processes. After utilisation, they are often discharged into aquatic environment without pre-treatment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) are promising pre-treatments for industrial wastewater treatments. We investigated the photodegradation of HDTMP with or without addition of manganese (Mn2+) and/or H2O2. Similar to results of our former photodegradation studies, we found that HDTMP also undergoes conversion with or without additives during the ultra violet (UV) irradiation. The reaction rate was most affected by the addition of H2O2, i.e. the HDTMP degradation was accelerated by a factor 3.85 compared with UV treatment without additives. The addition of Mn2+ accelerated the degradation of HDTMP only by a factor 1.53 compared with the UV treatment without additives. The combined addition of Mn2+ and H2O2 accelerated the HDTMP degradation by a factor 2.81.Interestingly, the initial cleavage is not initiated as expected at the C–N bond but at the C–P bond of the methyl carbon and the phosphorus of the methylenephosphonic acid group of HDTMP. This initial cleavage was independent whether the UV treatment was performed with or without additives. Therefore, we conclude that the degradation mechanism is similar independent of the four tested treatment conditions. We identified amino(methylenephosphonic acid) AMPA, dimethylamino(methylenephosphonic acid) DAMP and iminodi(methylenephosphonic acid) IDMP as the major breakdown products by performing LC/MS analyses. The major mineralisation products were ortho-phosphate, ammonium and carbon dioxide. The mass balances of unknown breakdown products allowed us to speculate about the molecular size of the unknown organic breakdown products.","source":"DOAJ","year":2020,"language":"","subjects":["Environmental pollution"],"doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2019.11.003","url":"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665019300319","is_open_access":true,"published_at":"","score":64}],"total":2419803,"page":1,"page_size":20,"sources":["CrossRef","DOAJ","arXiv"],"query":"Environmental pollution"}