Hasil untuk "Environmental protection"

Geraldo Willson Fernandes, Gabriel Arvelino de Paula, Mariana G. Bender et al.

Brazil’s General Environmental Licensing Law (No. 15,190/2025) redefines environmental governance under the banner of “simplification” but effectively dismantles preventive safeguards. The law introduces self-declared licensing, automatic license renewals, and broad exemptions for agriculture and livestock, while restricting public participation. Although partial presidential vetoes removed some unconstitutional provisions, these vetoes may still be overturned by Congress. Key omissions, such as the absence of vetoes on Articles 7 and 9, preserve mechanisms that weaken oversight and accountability. Within Brazil’s decentralized system, where most authorizations are issued by state agencies, the law consolidates existing permissive practices and deepens regulatory asymmetry. This new framework lowers the national baseline for environmental protection, threatens biodiversity, and jeopardizes Brazil’s ability to meet international climate and biodiversity commitments. Instead of modernizing procedures or strengthening institutional capacity, the law normalizes shortcuts that externalize environmental costs and undermine democratic participation.

Julia Radwan-Pragłowska, Paulina Bąk, Łukasz Janus et al.

Excessive blood loss is a leading cause of mortality among soldiers and accident victims. The wound healing process typically ranges from three weeks to several months, with disruptions in healing stages potentially prolonging recovery time. Chronic wounds may persist for years, creating a favorable environment for microbial growth. Chitosan, a derivative of chitin—the second most abundant biopolymer in nature—is obtained through deacetylation and exhibits mucoadhesive, analgesic, antioxidant, biodegradable, non-toxic, and biocompatible properties. Due to its hemostatic and regenerative support capabilities, chitosan is widely applied in the food, cosmetic, and agricultural industries; environmental protection; and as a key component in dressings for chronic wound healing. Notably, its antibacterial properties make it a promising candidate for novel biomaterials to replace traditional antibiotics and prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains. The primary aim of this study was the chemical cross-linking of chitosan with the amino acids L-aspartic and L-glutamic acid in the presence of periclase (magnesium oxide) under microwave radiation conditions. Subsequent research stages involved the analysis of the samples’ physicochemical properties using SEM, FT-IR, XPS, atomic absorption spectrometry, swelling behavior (in water, SBF, and blood), porosity, and density. Biological assessments included biodegradation, cytotoxicity, and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The obtained results confirmed the high potential of the newly developed hemostatic agents for effective hemorrhage management under non-sterile conditions.

Colić Snežana

Sustainable business has become a global phenomenon in recent decades. An increasing number of banks and financial institutions are implementing the concept of social responsibility in their operations. Banks in the domestic banking market lag behind international banking institutions in applying the concept of sustainability and realizing economic, environmental and social goals. Accordingly, this paper deals with analyzing of the concept of sustainable business in the banking sector with special reference to the practice of Banca Intesa a.d. Belgrade. The goal is to determine to what extent the realization of environmental and social goals through socially responsible, sustainable business contributes to the realization of economic goals. The activities of Banca Intesa in the field of environmental protection, social responsibility and management (ESG), as well as the effects of these activities on the bank's reputation and competitiveness, are presented. The research is based on the analysis of basic indicators of sustainability, in regard to the economic value realized by the bank for the observed period. Special emphasis is placed on green financial products, credit policy and social inclusion. The paper concludes that sustainable business is not only ethics but also a long-term competitiveness strategy. 

Saima Rashid, Ilyas Ali, Nida Fatima et al.

Abstract Airborne respiratory tract infection typically occurs seasonally in subtropical countries, particularly during winter, when transmission and fatality rates considerably rise, indicating that low humidity and freezing temperatures facilitate the transmission of viral strains in age heterogeneity. Despite this, the atmospheric elements that contribute to periodic influenza occurrences and their critical influence on the spread of influenza stay ambiguous in various age groups. The oversight of undetected cases amid a widespread outbreak of transmissible illnesses results in an underappreciation of the prevalence of infection and the basic recurrence rate. This study proposes the dynamics of the influenza epidemic in the province of Madrid, Spain, with an emphasis on the effects of control employing actual data. The main challenge is accurately estimating the virus’s rate of transmission and assessing the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns. By taking into account the modified Atangana-Baleanu-Caputo (mABC) fractional difference operator, we develop an analytical framework for an outbreak caused by influenza and broaden it to accommodate the fractional scenario. The non-negativity and boundedness are guaranteed by the computation of the fractional-order influenza system. At the disease-free equilibrium (DFE), we perform a local asymptotic stability analysis (LAS) and display the outcome for $$\mathbb {R}_{0}<1$$ . In addition, periodic solutions and the model’s uniform permanence are proved. Environmental factors to decrease interaction between different ages, increase immunization protection, and minimize vaccine refusal risks are the most efficient way to meet preventative and surveillance targets. Our system’s best-fit parameter settings were detected using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (M-C-M-C) technique with influenza information collected in Spain. We predict a basic reproduction number of 1.3645 (96% C.I: (1.3644, 1.3646)). The framework’s essential variables are determined using unpredictability and sensitivity evaluation. To further bolster the operator’s effectiveness, a number of tests of this novel kind of operator were conducted. We remark that in various time scale domains $$\mathbb {N}_{\mathbbm {k}}$$ , the investigated discrete formulations will be $$\Gamma _{1}^{2}$$ -nonincreasing or $$\Gamma _{1}^{2}$$ -nondecreasing by examining $$\Gamma _{1}$$ -monotonicity formulations and the basic properties of the suggested operator. Algorithms are constructed in the discrete generalized Mittag-Leffler (GML) kernel for mathematical simulations, emphasizing the effects of the infection resulting from multiple factors. The dynamical technique used to build the influenza framework was significantly impacted by fractional-order. In order to lessen the infections, time-dependent control factors are also implemented. The optimality criteria are produced by applying Pontryagin’s maximal argument to prove the validity of the most effective control. If vaccine penetration and immunity rates have been resurrected, achieving the control objective requires 12 months longer and costs less than the previous scenario.

Daixuan Gong, Huanda Zheng, Pengfei Lv et al.

Tanja Blažić, Bojan Stojnić, Svetlana Milanović et al.

In addition to having a negative impact on the health of people and domestic animals, rodents often cause enormous damage to the environment by disrupting natural biodiversity. The negative impacts of rodents in urban and rural areas have required intensive use of rodentcides in spite of the proven risk of secondary poisoning of non-target predators and scavengers. Continuous and intensive use of rodenticides has led to environmental pollution through their retention in the environment. Commensal rodents are predominantly managed with anticoagulant rodenticides, which are very persistent in the environment and move up the food chain and accumulate in the bodies of predators and scavengers. Generally, the use of anticoagulant rodenticides continues, and there is a need to take appropriate measures to reduce their harmful impact. The efficacy of second generation anticoagulants (bromadiolone, difenacoum and brodifacoum), combined either mutually or with chlorophacinone at reduced doses (0.001 % and 0.0008 %), in controlling brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) was tested in a four-day no-choice feeding test. Combinations of second generation anticoagulants were more effective than the combination of chlorophacinone and second generation anticoagulants. The results indicate that combinations of different anticoagulants at multifold lower doses than the standard may provide a successful tool for brown rat control and a more environment-friendly method of rodent control and protection of non-target animals.

Valery Konyshev, Alexander Sergunin

Introduction. The article examines cooperation between Russia and the US on Arctic research in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. One of the accompanying tasks is to study the motivations of both sides for continuing such cooperation. Methods and materials. The article uses the so-called liberal intergovernmental approach as a research method, aiming to explain the reasons for cooperation between countries with different socio-political structures and national interests on the world stage. The empirical basis for the study was the documents of international organizations, US and Russian state institutions, as well as research organizations in Russia and the US involved in the study of the Arctic. Analysis. The article demonstrates that currently there are four main levels of US-Russian scientific cooperation in the Arctic: interpersonal (individual), institutional (between various Russian and American organizations), state (government exchange programs), and international (within the framework of multilateral organizations of a global and regional nature). Results. It is concluded that despite the unfriendly actions taken by the US against Russian scientists and organizations, the “mechanism of interdependence” created in previous years did not allow to completely interrupt scientific ties between these countries. Both sides are well aware of the value of cooperation in this area and therefore try to maintain certain channels of interaction. Natural science topics (climate change, meteorology, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, oceanology, glaciology, etc.) dominate the priorities of US-Russian scientific cooperation in the Arctic. However, socio-humanitarian and interdisciplinary issues (local communities, indigenous peoples, gender studies, urban development and planning, etc.) have recently become increasingly important. The authors believe that scientific cooperation between Russia and the US in the Arctic will revive as the international situation and bilateral relations between the two countries normalize after the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Authors’ contribution. V.N. Konyshev: Introduction and Analysis. A.A. Sergunin: Abstract, methods and materials, results, and design of the scientific apparatus.

Yihua Xu, Zizhe Du, Lingqian Kong et al.

Since the reform and opening up, the scale of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into China has been continuously expanding, but the imperfect environmental governance mechanism has led to increasingly severe environmental problems in China. This paper studies the impact and mechanism of public environmental participation (PEP) on FDI. The results show that PEP has a significant negative impact on the FDI inflow of enterprises. Hindrance effect of PEP on enterprise FDI is more obvious in economically developed eastern regions, coastal cities and first-tier cities. PEP has a greater impact on FDI in high-tech industries. The economic growth target has a restraining effect on China’s environmental protection, weakening public supervision of FDI. The constraint of economic growth targets increases the pressure to develop the economy, and weakens the inhibitory effect of PEP on corporate FDI. This study provides important empirical evidence for improving China’s environmental governance system and high-quality utilization of foreign investment.

Bassma H. Elwakil, Basant A. Bakr, Mohammed M. Aljeldah et al.

In the original publication [...]

Dorothy Q Kellogg, Jeffrey W. Hollister, Chester L. Arnold et al.

Background Excess nitrogen (N) loading to coastal ecosystems impairs estuarine water quality. Land management decisions made within estuarine watersheds have a direct impact on downstream N delivery. Natural features within watersheds can act as landscape sinks for N, such as wetlands, streams and ponds that transform dissolved N into gaseous N, effectively removing it from the aquatic system. Identifying and evaluating these landscape sinks and their spatial relationship to N sources can help managers understand the effects of alternative decisions on downstream resources. Methods The N-Sink approach uses widely available GIS data to identify landscape sinks within HUC-12 (or larger) catchments, estimate their N removal potential and map the effect of those sinks on N movement through the catchment. Static maps are produced to visualize N removal efficiency, transport and delivery, the latter in the form of an index. The R package nsink was developed to facilitate data acquisition, processing and visualization. Results nsink creates static maps for a specific HUC-12, or users can visit the University of Connecticut website to explore previously mapped areas. Users can investigate specific flowpaths interactively by clicking on any location within the catchment. A flowpath is generated with a table describing N removal along each segment. We describe the motivation behind developing nsink , discuss implementation in R, and present two use case examples. nsink is available from https://github.com/USEPA/nsink. Conclusions N-Sink is a decision support tool created for local decision-makers and NGOs to facilitate better understanding of the relationship between land use and downstream N delivery. Local decision-makers that have prioritized N mitigation in their long-term planning can use nsink to better understand the potential impact of proposed development projects, zoning variances, and land acquisition or restoration. nsink also allows resource economists to investigate the tradeoffs among different, often costly, N reduction strategies.

Adina Raluca Sibian, Elena Nicoleta Untaru

Nowadays, becoming environmentally sustainable has become crucial to developing tourism. The task of directing tourism activities towards the ideal of sustainability can also be served through the use of interpretation. The aim of this study is to conduct a literature review in the field of interpretation in tourism in order to highlight its role in the destination management equation and its contribution to sustainable tourism development. The literature highlights the critical role of interpretation in improving knowledge and raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection by tourists in the destination visited. Many studies have also highlighted the different impact that verbal and non-verbal interpretation can have on the degree of involvement of tourists in environmental protection activities in the destination. From a managerial point of view, tourism decision-makers should consider including interpretation activities in the marketing strategy of the tourist destination, with the aim of increasing tourists' involvement in environmental protection activities, which has a significant impact on the tourist experience, but also on tourists' satisfaction and behavioral intentions.

Florin Manea, Emilian Ghicioi, Marius Cornel Suvar et al.

On the evening of 5 April 2014, at a building located on 122 Tomis Boulevard, Constanta Municipality, Constanta County, Romania, a restaurant with its kitchen on the ground floor and a lounge bar located on the first floor experienced a fire, one that resulted in four victims and total building destruction. An important step in the technical-scientific expertise was the investigation of the incident based on the elaboration of two fire scenarios using the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) model, which observed the fire propagation, the generation of toxic gases (carbon monoxide that disoriented and intoxicated the victims, three of whom could not save themselves) depending on the location of the plausible ignition sources, and explained the destructive effects. This paper focuses on the steps required to identify the critical conditions that led to the occurrence of the unwanted event. Based on the calculations, hypothesis, and FDS simulations, the mechanism of the event occurrence was considered to be strongly related to the onsite observations and criminal file issued by the state authorities.

Ivančica Slunjski

In the second half of the 20th century, ecological theory of perception presented a new concept of perception according to which it is not a one-sided process within the perceiver, in the form of representation and interpretation of sensory data obtained from the environment, but a process within direct and continuous interaction between the percipient and the environment. Opposing the almost intuitive acceptance of numerous dualities based on the traditionally accepted separation of subject and object, ecological theory introduces an innovative concept of affordance. At about the same time, the initial ideas of an equally innovative theory of the organism-environment system arise, and in this paper they are connected in the context of the interpretation of perception. The goal of the paper is to present the concept of affordance and point out its affinity with the theory of the unity of organism and environment, as well as the need for further introduction of similar theoretical concepts, and with this intention, the concept of ecological perceptual holism is proposed.

Przemysław P. Tomczyk, Marcin Kiedrzyński, Ewa Forma et al.

Abstract Polyploidization drives the evolution of grasses and can result in epigenetic changes, which may have a role in the creation of new evolutionary lineages and ecological speciation. As such changes may be inherited, they can also influence adaptation to the environment. Populations from different regions and climates may also differ epigenetically; however, this phenomenon is poorly understood. The present study analyzes the effect of climatic stress on global DNA methylation based on a garden collection of two related mountain grasses (the narrow endemic diploid Festuca tatrae and the more widely distributed mixed-ploidy F. amethystina) with different geographic ranges and ecological niches. A lower level of DNA methylation was observed for F. tatrae, while a higher mean level was obtained for the diploid and tetraploid of F. amethystina; with the tetraploids having a higher level of global methylated DNA than the diploids. The weather conditions (especially insolation) measured 24 h prior to sampling appeared to have a closer relationship with global DNA methylation level than those observed seven days before sampling. Our findings suggest that the level of methylation during stress conditions (drought, high temperature and high insolation) may be significantly influenced by the ploidy level and bioclimatic provenance of specimens; however an important role may also be played by the intensity of stress conditions in a given year.

Elaheh allahyari, Narjes Sadat Mazari Moghaddam, Negin Nasseh

The term "Green University" is commonly known as activities that have a vision for sustainable development. The term also indicates the important responsibility of higher education in developed countries to educate about the environment. In green universities, strict measures should be taken to control and remove environmental pollutants, such as organizing the university sewage, controlling produced solid waste, and even reducing air pollutants. An important solution proposed is to reduce energy consumption and use new, renewable, and bio-compatible energies, such as wind, water, and biomass energies instead of fossil fuels. Students should take advantage of the nature of green buildings or environmentally-friendly buildings in green universities so that, in addition to respecting environmental issues, they can be well-acquainted with the principles of environmental protection in a healthy environment. Accordingly, in addition to the use of books and articles, this study has referred to the internet databases of official authorities and green universities of the world to introduce part of the criteria, indicators, activities, programs, views, and successes of the pioneers of the sustainable development of the green university. This study aims to examine the criteria and models of green management and to examine the related actions and measures of Birjand University of Medical Sciences until 2021.

Xiao Xie, Jiashuang Huang, Yonghua Zhang et al.

Sauvagesia rhodoleuca is an endangered and national key protected species of China, with limited natural distribution in Guangdong and Guangxi, Southern China. Here we reported the first complete chloroplast genome of S. rhodoleuca using genome skimming approach. The chloroplast genome is 157,300 bp in length, with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 86,021 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 18,137 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,571 bp. It encodes 112 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 28 transfer RNA genes, and four ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis results strongly supported that S. rhodoleuca was closely related to Medusagyne oppositifolia.

Marsz Andrzej A., Styszyńska Anna, Bryś Krystyna et al.

In the course of analysing the annual air temperature in Wrocław (TWr), a rapid change of the thermal regime was found between 1987 and 1989. TWr increased by >1°C, a strong, statistically significant positive trend emerged. The analysis of processes showed that strong warming in the cold season of the year (December–March) occurred as a result of an increase in the NAO intensity and warming in the warm season because of increased sunshine duration in Wrocław (ShWr). Multiple regression analysis has shown that the winter NAO Hurrell's index explains 15% of TWr variance, and the ShWr of the long-day (April–August) period 49%, whereas radiative forcing 5.9%. This indicates that the factors incidental to the internal variability of the climate system explain 64% of the TWr variability and the effect of increased CO2 concentration only ~6%. The reason for this rapid change of the thermal regime was a radical change in macro-circulation conditions in the Atlantic-European circular sector, which took place between 1988 and 1989. The heat, which is the cause of warming in Wrocław, comes from an increase in solar energy inflow (April–August) and also is transported to Europe from the North Atlantic surface by atmospheric circulation (NAO). These results indicate that the role of CO2 in shaping the contemporary temperature increase is overestimated, whereas the internal variability of the climate system is underestimated.

S. Therre, J. Fohlmeister, J. Fohlmeister et al.

<p>In this study, the dead carbon fraction (DCF) variations in stalagmite M1-5 from Socotra Island in the western Arabian Sea were investigated through a new set of high-precision U-series and radiocarbon (<span class="inline-formula">¹⁴C</span>) dates. The data reveal an extreme case of very high and also climate-dependent DCF. For M1-5, an average DCF of <span class="inline-formula">56.2±3.4</span>&thinsp;% is observed between 27 and 18&thinsp;kyr&thinsp;BP. Such high DCF values indicate a high influence of aged soil organic matter (SOM) and nearly completely closed-system carbonate dissolution conditions. Towards the end of the last glacial period, decreasing <span class="inline-formula">Mg∕Ca</span> ratios suggest an increase in precipitation which caused a marked change in the soil carbon cycling as indicated by sharply decreasing DCF. This is in contrast to the relation of soil infiltration and DCF as seen in stalagmites from temperate zones. For Socotra Island, which is influenced by the East African–Indian monsoon, we propose that more humid conditions and enhanced net infiltration after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) led to dense vegetation and thus lowered the DCF by increasing <span class="inline-formula">¹⁴CO₂</span> input into the soil zone. At the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) a sudden change in DCF towards much higher, and extremely variable, values is observed. Our study highlights the dramatic variability of soil carbon cycling processes and vegetation feedback on Socotra Island manifested in stalagmite DCF on both long-term trends and sub-centennial timescales, thus providing evidence for climate influence on stalagmite radiocarbon. This is of particular relevance for speleothem studies that aim to reconstruct past atmospheric <span class="inline-formula">¹⁴C</span> (e.g., for the purposes of <span class="inline-formula">¹⁴C</span> calibration), as these would rely on largely climate-independent soil carbon cycling above the cave.</p>

M. Bethencourt, F. Botana, J. Calvino et al.

Minh Hieu Ho, Thien Bui-Thuan Do, Nhi Ngoc-Thao Dang et al.

Green electrospinning has attracted great interest since non-toxic solvents were shown to be applicable in the fabrication of fibrous materials while ensuring health safety and environmental protection. Less harmful reagents such as acetone (AC) and acetic acid (AA) have been employed in this field in recent years. However, research in this area is still rare, yielding only preliminary results. In this study, two different types of solvents (pure AC and an AA/AC mixture) were used to fabricate electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes. Sample morphology, wettability, tensile strength, and chemical composition were compared between two types of membranes. Cell&#8722;scaffold interaction was also examined by cell adhesion and proliferation assays. The results demonstrate that the two types of solvents had significant effects on membrane morphology, physical strength, and cell adherence behaviors, which should be considered for different application purposes.