Hasil untuk "Environmental protection"

M. Baldini, L. D. Maso, G. Liberatore et al.

J. Heddle, M. Hite, B. Kirkhart et al.

Min Fan, Ping Yang, Qing Li

A. A. Nazeer, M. Madkour

A. Chatzipavlis, D. Trogu, A. Ruju et al.

<p>This study presents an Early Warning System (EWS) for coastal flooding that integrates wind, wave, and sea level forecasts which are validated using in situ records. The system employs the SWAN spectral wave model to simulate nearshore hydrodynamics while an empirical approach is used to assess Total Watel Level (TWL) exceedances over a user-defined morphological threshold, deriving from repeated topographic surveys. This approach utilizes widely used empirical methods for wave run-up estimation and makes use of the most effective one after calibration. The performance of the EWS is assessed through seven monitored surge events of varying magnitude and hydrodynamic conditions, demonstrating strong agreement between projected TWL exceedances over predefined morphological thresholds, particularly under high-energy wave conditions. Minor discrepancies are noted during events with marginal TWL exceedances over short durations. Results underline the system's potential as a valuable tool for coastal hazard assessment and risk management, with future improvements focusing on appropriate updates of the beach morphology and the integration of suitable numerical techniques and machine learning algorithms.</p>

Suong Duong, Danny Lee, Carri Glide-Hurst et al.

BackgroundMulti-institutional clinical trials frequently use MRI imaging for critical decisions and guidance for medical treatments. Collecting and analyzing images produced by various MR vendors and models is quite difficult since image quality can be highly variable. No unifying quality control targeting protocol studies exists to ensure MRI images used in that study are comparable. This project will investigate variations between imaging sessions and between various scanners using radiomic parameters from prototype MRI QA phantom.PurposeTo develop a 3D radiomic phantom for quantifying radiomic feature consistency between MRI scanners across multi-institutions.MethodsThe prototype phantom consists of five 3D-printed objects (3 grid and 2 egg-shape) using Polylactic Acid (PLA) with/without 20% wood particles placed in a water container. The grid objects consisted of PLA scaffolding with 245 cubic voids (flood-filled by water) stacked in 7rows x 7columns x 5layers with volumes of 3x3x3 mm3 or 5x5x5 mm3, and scaffolding thickness of 1mm or 2mm. The egg-shaped objects are 5cm long with a 2cm or 4cm maximum diameter, filled with vitamin D3-capsules and olive-oil. It was scanned 10 times using T1- and T2-weighted sequences on Philips (1.5T Elekta Unity), GE (1.5T, Signa Artist), Siemens (1.5T MAGNETOM Sola), and Philips (1.5T Ingenia) across four institutions. TrueFISP and T2w sequences were used on ViewRay (0.35T MRIdian) scanners at two institutions. Per object, 107 radiomic features were extracted using the Pyradiomics extension in 3D Slicer. Coefficients of Variation (CV) of individual radiomic features were compared across 10 scans acquired on each scanner and used to compare radiomic feature consistency between objects and MRI scanners.ResultsThe radiomic feature consistency varied across objects with less reproducibility for the egg-shaped objects and more reproducibility for the grid objects, with slightly better reproducibility for T1w than T2w sequences. The GE scanner demonstrated better reproducibility than the other scanners. Both ViewRay scanners showed consistency for acquisitions with the TrueFISP sequence; the median CV of 107 radiomic features between objects was &lt;10%). The consistency was summarized in a heat map.ConclusionSome radiomic features showed significant intra-scanner variations. This study demonstrated that a standardized radiomic phantom is required to characterize individual scanners and MR sequences for establishing the baseline of radiomic features, which could be important for multi-institutional radiomic studies using MRI.

Yang Chen, Long Ma, Xixi Wang et al.

Desertification remains a critical global ecological and environmental challenge that threatens sustainable development. Although our understanding of desertification dynamics and their underlying drivers has improved, continued research is needed due to the region-specific nature of these processes. This study focuses on the Western Inner Mongolia Plateau in China as a case study to examine the evolution of desertification and its driving factors using a multifaceted approach, including the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model. Results show that the desertification sensitivity index (DSI) across the plateau ranged from 1.12 in prairie regions to 1.87 in desert areas, with a spatial gradient decreasing from west to east. Overall, the DSI exhibited a declining trend over the study period, though some areas showed localized degradation. Between 2001 and 2020, the DSI decreased across approximately 64 % of the plateau, with approximately 23 % (primarily desert regions) experiencing a significant reduction. In contrast, 36 % of the area, particularly the southeastern grasslands, saw an increase in DSI. Among the examined factors, seven—precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index(LAI), drought resistance, erosion protection, fire risk, and land-use intensity—demonstrated high explanatory power greater than 0.6, highlighting their significant positive or negative impact on desertification. Additional factors such as temperature, sunshine duration, and potential evapotranspiration also influenced desertification, albeit to a lesser extent. Notably, interactions among these variables played a crucial role in shaping desertification trends. Addressing desertification, therefore, requires integrated strategies that account for the complex interplay of soil, climate, vegetation, and land management.

Tuna Öncü, Mehmet Metin Yazman, Fikret Ustaoğlu et al.

Abstract Urban street dust acts as both a sink and a secondary source of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), contributing to environmental contamination and air quality degradation. Using geochemical and statistical methods, this study aimed to investigate the concentrations, spatial distribution, ecological risks, sources, and associated health risks of selected PTEs (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in < 63 μm street dust samples collected from 29 locations across Istanbul, Türkiye. Elemental concentrations were determined using ICP-MS, and contamination was evaluated using geo-accumulation (I geo), enrichment (EF), contamination (CF), potential ecological risk (PERI), and Nemerow’s pollution indices (NPI). Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) identified three dominant sources: industrial runoff (39.4%), traffic emissions (31.3%), and natural/soil inputs (29.4%). Health risk assessments indicated ingestion as the primary exposure pathway. Monte Carlo simulation revealed that the 95th percentiles of THI (3.57) and TCR (2.61 × 10⁻⁴) exceeded recommended thresholds for children, indicating potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, while adult risks largely remained within acceptable limits. Traffic-related elements such as Pb, Cu, and Zn were the major contributors to non-carcinogenic risks, with additional implications for inhalation exposure through dust resuspension. Although the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained below 50, suggesting generally good atmospheric conditions during the study period, localized dust contamination was found to pose significant health risks. These findings emphasize the need for integrated mitigation strategies, including traffic emission controls, dust suppression, and urban greening, to minimize PTE exposure and enhance urban environmental health.

Folke Ölander, John Thøgersen

Xiaohong Shi, Zeyuan Jiang, Dongbei Bai et al.

P. Duan, H. Li, Z. Ma et al.

<p>The 8.2 ka event has been extensively investigated as a remarkable single event but rarely considered as a part of multi-centennial climatic evolution. Here, we present absolutely dated speleothem multi-proxy records spanning 9.0–7.9 ka from Beijing in North China, near the northern limit of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and thus sensitive to climate change, to provide evidence of the intensified multi-decadal climatic oscillations since 8.52 ka. Three extreme excursions characterized by inter-decadal consecutive <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹⁸</span>O excursions exceeding <span class="inline-formula">±1<i>σ</i></span> are identified from 8.52 ka in our speleothem record. The earlier two are characterized by enriched <span class="inline-formula">¹⁸</span>O at <span class="inline-formula">∼8.50</span> and 8.20 ka, respectively, suggesting a prolonged arid event, which is supported by the positive trend in <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹³</span>C values, increased trace element ratios, and lower growth rate. Following the 8.2 ka event, an excessive rebound immediately emerges in our <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹⁸</span>O and trace element records but moderate in the <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹³</span>C, probably suggesting pluvial conditions and nonlinear response of the local ecosystem. Following two similar severe droughts at 8.50 and 8.20 ka, the different behavior of <span class="inline-formula"><i>δ</i>¹³</span>C suggests the recovering degree of resilient ecosystem responding to different rebounded rainfall intensity. A comparison with other high-resolution records suggests that the two droughts–one pluvial pattern between 8.52 and 8.0 ka is of global significance instead of being a regional phenomenon, and is causally linked to the slowdown and acceleration of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation that was further dominated by the freshwater injections in the North Atlantic.</p>

Rosie Mangan, Milly Gareeb, Marcus Boeno et al.

Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae) is a sprawling shrub native to the Americas, and a destructive invader of much of the humid tropics and subtropics of the Old World. Opportunistic native-range exploration in 1995 identified a stem-boring weevil, Lixus aemulus, as a promising biological control candidate agent. Host-specificity testing was conducted on L. aemulus in South Africa using laboratory no-choice and paired-choice tests. Three invasive alien plants closely related to C. odorata may be utilized by L. aemulus but no indigenous, ornamental or crop species in South Africa was or is expected to be attacked by the weevil. A native-range field survey was conducted in Brazil to determine the exact identity of the host plant L. aemulus had been collected in 1995, and to identify additional host-plant species. Genetic assessments of the Lixus sp.(p.). adults collected on the three host plants (C. odorata, Chromolaena laevigata and Heterocondylus vitalbae) reveal these individuals are L. aemulus and the weevil can be classed as an oligophage in its native range. Over 5,500 adults were released in South Africa, but overall establishment has been poor. The most likely explanation appears to be a climate mismatch between the region of South Africa invaded by C. odorata and the collection locality in Rio Branco, Acre state, Brazil. Additionally, because the full extent of the native range of L. aemulus is unknown, it is uncertain whether individuals can be sourced from an area whose climate resembles that of South Africa. Furthermore, despite being oligophagous, L. aemulus may perform sub-optimally on the southern African C. odorata biotype.

Macher Gergely Zoltán, Beke Dóra

This study aims to examine the plant stress responses induced by the water transport of matrix materials from the eroded and degraded asbestos cement materials. The paper includes a general assessment of the exposure and risk factors of the plant-water-soil system to asbestos cement products. Furthermore, the results of the experimental analysis provide empirical support for the plant stress response results according to the physiological and germination parameters of the tested plants. The background to the topic is that the contamination of irrigation water by asbestos cement raises serious environmental concerns, with toxicity to plants and soil contamination potentially having negative consequences for vegetation health and soil quality. In the presence of asbestos in water, plants are exposed to toxic stress, which can inhibit photosynthesis and nutrient uptake, but can also affect germination processes. The growth, reproduction and flourishing of plants also be at risk, as asbestos has adverse effects on cell division and metabolism. In addition, environmental stress can make plants more susceptible to disease and insect attack. This paper analysed the effects of pre-set dose concentrations of irrigation water containing asbestos cement matrix on the germination and physiological parameters of Trifolium pratense and Solanum lycopersicum in a germination experiment. The research area of the paper was influenced by the lack of minimum international practice, standards, and methodology. Therefore, the used methodology provides an opportunity for methodological development. The results can be used as a situation analysis for environmental plant protection and analytical professionals.

LIU Yuwen, DING Sansan, WANG Anjun

Suspended monorail trains represent an important component of urban rail transit and this mode of transportation is regarded as promising for applications in China. This paper begins with an introductory interview of the development of suspended monorail trains and subsequently analyzes the technical schemes of the Optics Valley Photon suspended monorail trains from various perspectives, including the general design, bogie system, car body system, electrical system, braking system, and network system. It further elaborates on key performance aspects such as safety, intelligence, low-carbon emissions, and environmental protection. The Optics Valley Photon suspended monorail trains have been successfully verified through simulation testing and experiments at both the component and vehicle levels. Furthermore, actual train operation on the track has demonstrated overall performance in alignment with industry application requirements.

Daisuke Tashima, Takuhiro Kashio, Takuya Eguchi et al.

In this study, a method was developed for the management of marine plastic waste via the production of activated carbon. The specific surface area, micropore volume, and mesopore volume of marine-plastic-based activated carbon prepared at selected temperatures and using selected activator weight ratios were measured, and the specific capacitance and supercapacitor electrode performance were evaluated. At an activation temperature of 800 °C and a raw material to 8 M KOH weight ratio of 1:7, a specific capacitance of 201F/g and a high surface area of 2389 m2/g were obtained. Therefore, marine plastic waste-based activated carbon can be used as the electrode material in supercapacitors.

Hui Guo, Yanxiao Chi, Yifan Jia et al.

In order to efficiently remove NOMs in natural surface water and alleviate membrane pollution at the same time, a flat microfiltration ceramic membrane (CM) was modified with MnFeO_X (Mn-Fe-CM), and a coagulation–precipitation–sand filtration pretreatment coupled with an in situ ozonation-ceramic membrane filtration system (Pretreatment/O₃/Mn-Fe-CM) was constructed for this study. The results show that the removal rates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific ultraviolet absorption (SUVA) and NH₄⁺-N by the Pretreatment/O₃/Mn-Fe-CM system were 51.1%, 67.9% and 65.71%, respectively. Macromolecular organic compounds such as aromatic proteins and soluble microbial products (SMPs) were also effectively removed. The working time of the membrane was about twice that in the Pretreatment/CM system without the in situ ozone oxidation, which was measured by the change in transmembrane pressure, proving that membrane fouling was significantly reduced. Finally, based on the SEM, AFM and other characterization results, it was concluded that the main mitigation mechanisms of membrane fouling in the Pretreatment/O₃/Mn-Fe-CM system was as follows: (1) pretreatment could remove part of DOC and SUVA to reduce their subsequent entrapment on a membrane surface; (2) a certain amount of shear force generated by O₃ aeration can reduce the adhesion of pollutants; (3) the loaded MnFeO_X with a higher catalytic ability produced a smoother active layer on the surface of the ceramic membrane, which was conducive in reducing the contact among Mn-Fe-CM, O₃ and pollutants, thus increasing the proportion of reversible pollution and further reducing the adhesion of pollutants; (4) Mn-Fe-CM catalyzed O₃ to produce ·OH to degrade the pollutants adsorbed on the membrane surface into smaller molecular organic matter, which enabled them pass through the membrane pores, reducing their accumulation on the membrane surface.

Hasan MM, Al Amin M, Moon ZK et al.

Md Mahedi Hasan,1 Md Al Amin,2,3 Zarin Khan Moon,4 Farhana Afrin2 1Faculty of Business Studies, Jashore University Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh; 2Department of Marketing, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj, Bangladesh; 3School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London, England, UK; 4Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Jashore University Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, BangladeshCorrespondence: Md Al Amin, Department of Marketing, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj, 8100, Bangladesh, Email alamin.bsmrstu21@gmail.comPurpose: Green banking, an ethical banking concept, concentrates on environmental protection and encourages social and environmental sustainability, perceived cognitive efforts, and subjective norms ensuring ecologically responsive banking services. Consequently, although there have been considerable green banking attempts in Bangladesh, it is yet unknown how environmental sustainability, perceived cognitive effort, and subjective norms affect usage behavior. The present research aims to uncover this gap, extending the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to examine the determinants of the bankers’ green banking usage behavior during COVID-19.Methods: Data were collected from 366 bankers in Bangladesh using a purposive sampling technique and analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM) using SMART PLS 3 software.Findings: The study found management support (0.291, t-statistics = 1.978, p 0.000), environmental sustainability (β = 0.278, t-statistics = 2.752, p < 0.001), perceived cognitive efforts (β = 0.401, t-statistics = 3.549, p < 0.000), and subjective norms (β = 0.309, t-statistics = 4.352, p < 0.000) influence bankers’ attitudes. Whereas environmental sustainability (β = 0.503, t-statistics = 3.726, p < 0.001), perceived cognitive efforts (β = 0.103, t-statistics = 2.020, p < 0.002), subjective norms (β = 0.281, t-statistics = 4.607, p < 0.000), and attitudes (= 0.602, t-statistics = 5.523, p 0.015) influence bankers’ green banking usage behavior. Finally, the mediating role of management supports, environmental sustainability, cognitive efforts and subjective norms on green banking usage behavior through attitudes was significant.Contribution/Conclusion: The study contributed to existing literature validating the proposed holistic framework applying TRA and three contemporary dimensions explaining bankers’ behavior toward green banking practice. Finally, the implementers should focus on green banking practices as green banking is one of the key strategies to protect the environment, assure social justice, and create economic success.Keywords: environmental sustainability, management supports, perceived cognitive efforts, green finance, sustainable banking

K. Segerson, Thomas J. Miceli

C. Fischer, I. Parry, W. Pizer

Angelika A. Adamus-Grabicka, Magdalena Markowicz-Piasecka, Marcin Cieślak et al.

A series of 3-benzylidenechrmanones <b>1</b>, <b>3</b>, <b>5</b>, <b>7</b>, <b>9</b> and their spiropyrazoline analogues <b>2</b>, <b>4</b>, <b>6</b>, <b>8</b>, <b>10</b> were synthesized. X-ray analysis confirms that compounds <b>2</b> and <b>8</b> crystallize in a monoclinic system in P2₁/n space groups with one and three molecules in each asymmetric unit. The crystal lattice of the analyzed compounds is enhanced by hydrogen bonds. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the anti-proliferative potential of 3-benzylidenechromanones and their spiropyrazoline analogues towards four cancer cell lines. Our results indicate that parent compounds <b>1</b> and <b>9</b> with a phenyl ring at C2 have lower cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines than their spiropyrazolines analogues. Analysis of IC₅₀ values showed that the compounds <b>3</b> and <b>7</b> exhibited higher cytotoxic activity against cancer cells, being more active than the reference compound (4-chromanone or quercetin). The results of this study indicate that the incorporation of a pyrazoline ring into the 3-arylideneflavanone results in an improvement of the compounds’ activity and therefore it may be of use in the search of new anticancer agents. Further analysis allowed us to demonstrate the compounds to have a strong inhibitory effect on the cell cycle. For instance, compounds <b>2</b>, <b>10</b> induced 60% of HL-60 cells to be arrested in G2/M phase. Using a DNA-cleavage protection assay we also demonstrated that tested compounds interact with DNA. All compounds at the concentrations corresponding to cytotoxic properties are not toxic towards red blood cells, and do not contribute to hemolysis of RBCs.