The impact of environmental parameters on the conversion of toluene to CO2 and extracellular polymeric substances in a differential soil biofilter

Chemosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 304-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achinta Bordoloi ◽  
Daniel J. Gapes ◽  
Peter A. Gostomski
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Soil Biofilter ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The impact of environmental variables on the spread of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Kwan Lim ◽  
Oh Joo Kweon ◽  
Hye Ryoun Kim ◽  
Tae-Hyoung Kim ◽  
Mi-Kyung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Ozone Level ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCorona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic and is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of environmental factors, such as climate and air pollutants, in the transmission of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. We collected epidemiological and environmental data from two regions of the Republic of Korea, namely Seoul metropolitan region (SMR) and Daegu-Gyeongbuk region (DGR) from February 2020 to July 2020. The data was then analyzed to identify correlations between each environmental factor with confirmed daily COVID-19 cases. Among the various environmental parameters, the duration of sunshine and ozone level were found to positively correlate with COVID-19 cases in both regions. However, the association of temperature variables with COVID-19 transmission revealed contradictory results when comparing the data from SMR and DGR. Moreover, statistical bias may have arisen due to an extensive epidemiological investigation and altered socio-behaviors that occurred in response to a COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, our results suggest that various environmental factors may play a role in COVID-19 transmission.

scholarly journals The Impact of Sampling Season and Catching Site (Wild and Aquaculture) on Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Negash Kabtimer Bereded ◽  
Getachew Beneberu Abebe ◽  
Solomon Workneh Fanta ◽  
Manuel Curto ◽  
Herwig Waidbacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Nile Tilapia ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Lake Tana ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sampling Season

The gut microbiota of fishes is known to play an essential role in diverse aspects of host biology. The gut microbiota of fish is affected by various environmental parameters, including temperature changes, salinity and diet. Studies of effect of environment on gut microbiota enables to have a further understanding of what comprises a healthy microbiota under different environmental conditions. However, there is insufficient understanding regarding the effects of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia. This study characterised gut microbial composition and diversity from samples collected from Lake Tana and the Bahir Dar aquaculture facility centre using 16S rDNA Illumina MiSeq platform sequencing. Firmicutes and Fusobacteria were the most dominant phyla in the Lake Tana samples, while Proteobacteria was the most dominant in the aquaculture samples. The results of differential abundance testing clearly indicated significant differences for Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria across sampling months. However, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fusobacteria and Cyanobacteria were significantly enriched in the comparison of samples from the Lake Tana and aquaculture centre. Significant differences were observed in microbial diversity across sampling months and between wild and captive Nile tilapia. The alpha diversity clearly showed that samples from the aquaculture centre (captive) had a higher diversity than the wild Nile tilapia samples from Lake Tana. The core gut microbiota of all samples of Nile tilapia used in our study comprised Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. This study clearly showed the impact of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities associated with the gut of Nile tilapia. Overall, this is the first study on the effects of sampling season and catching site on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia in Ethiopia. Future work is recommended to precisely explain the causes of these changes using large representative samples of Nile tilapia from different lakes and aquaculture farms.

scholarly journals Performance Evaluation of Underwater Wireless Optical Communication System by Varying the Environmental Parameters

Photonics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Dong-Chang Li ◽  
Chia-Chun Chen ◽  
Shien-Kuei Liaw ◽  
Shofuro Afifah ◽  
Jiun-Yu Sung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Communication ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Artificial Seawater ◽  
Blue Laser ◽  
Laser Source ◽  
Water Tank ◽  
Wireless Optical Communication ◽  
Transmission Distance ◽  
Flow Turbulence ◽  
The Impact

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has been considered a promising technology for high-speed underwater transmission. Some Gb/s level UWOC systems applying visible light have been demonstrated with a transmission distance of several meters or more. Many of the previous works focus on the advanced technologies to push the systems’ capacity–distance performance. However, practical environmental factors issue such as flow turbulence and temperature variation are seldom studied through specific statistical/theoretical models. In this paper, a UWOC system using a 450 nm blue light laser source was set up using a 1.5-m water tank with mirrors located on both sides for single or multiple reflections corresponding to different transmission distances. The blue laser was modulated by a 1.25 Gbps NRZ-OOK format with PRBS of 7, 24 or 31, respectively, for system performance comparison. The bit error rate (BER) values were measured in 1.5, 3.0 and 6 m, respectively, for system evaluation. At room temperature, the BER value was down to 10 × 10−8 for a 1.25 Gbps data rate in a 6 m transmission. Then, the UWOC transmission system experiment was carried out under several environmental parameters such as temperature, turbulence, artificial seawater by adding salt to simulate practical application in river or sea. When a submerged motor with an output of 1200 L/h was used as a water flow turbulence source, the impact to BER and transmission quality was negligible. For the temperature change issue, the experiment shows that around the original temperature of 25 °C had the best BER as compared to other temperature ranges from 10 to 50 °C. For artificial seawater issues by adding salt to simulate the real seawater environment. The transmission distance was only 3-m instead of 6 m, mainly due to particle scattering and water disturbance. With the motor pump on, the power penalty was 1 dB at 10 × 10−8 BER when compared to the motor pump off.

Predicting of atmospheric corrosivity and durability of structural materials. Part II. Impact of urban traffic pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Joanna Kobus ◽  
Rafał Lutze
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Coating ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Structural Materials ◽  
Traffic Volume ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Traffic Pollution ◽  
Street Traffic ◽  
The Impact

The results of the atmospheric corrosivity assessment in the immediate vicinity of streets of different traffic volume in Warsaw, Krakow and Katowice are derived . On the bases of annual exposures in 2014–2018 years an equation describing the impact of environmental parameters and street traffic volume on corrosion losses of zinc and zinc coating on steel was selected.

scholarly journals Effective conductivity and the impact of aging effects on foam insulations in cold climates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Belanger
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Effective Conductivity ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Cold Climates ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Insulating Materials ◽  
Performance Reduction ◽  
The Impact

Understanding material thermal conductivity is fundamental in high performance building design. This property is often advertised using a single value implied to be constant, though research shows that insulating materials have an effective conductivity that changes over a range of environmental parameters, including temperature and moisture levels. Various polyurethane and polyisocyanurate materials are analyzed in order to determine how the effective conductivity is altered by accelerated aging, obtained through exposure to high temperature, moisture, and freeze-thaw cycling. The measured results are used in hygrothermal simulations to determine the assumed and actual performance of insulating materials in the context of high performance wall and roof assemblies in cold climates. Results show that effects of aging and environmental temperature have higher impacts on the performance of polyisocyanurate materials than polyurethanes. Additionally, high moisture levels contribute to lower performance in all foam materials, with open cell materials experiencing the greatest performance reduction.

scholarly journals Impact of treated sewage on meiobenthic nematodes: a case study from the Tunisian Refining Industries Company

2022 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hedfi ◽  
M. Ben Ali ◽  
A. Noureldeen ◽  
H. Darwish ◽  
T. Saif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
The Other ◽  
Treated Sewage ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Bizerte Bay ◽  
De Man ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The main objective of the current study was to assess the impact of the water taken from the ‘Tunisian Refining Industries Company’ on meiobenthic nematodes, before and after a series of treatments in decantation basins followed by its discharge in Bizerte bay, Tunisia. The comparison of environmental parameters of the two types of water was clearly indicative of an improvement in the quality of treated waters after a significant reduction in their loads in hydrocarbons. Overall, the water retained a good quality after being treated by ‘Tunisian Refining Industries Company’ before discharge in the sea. At the end of the experiment, differential responses were observed according to the richness of sediment in organic matter and hydrocarbons. Thus, it was apparent that the nematode assemblage exposed to the treated waters was closer to controls and associated to higher values of abundance, than that under untreated ones. It was also assumed that the species Microlaimus honestus De Man, 1922, Paramonohystera proteus Wieser, 1956 and Cyartonema germanicum Juario, 1972 are sensitive bioindicators of bad environmental statues and of hydrocarbon presence in the environment. On the other hand, Metoncholaimus pristiurus (Zur Strassen, 1894) Filipjev, 1918 would rather be classified as a positive bioindicative species of this type of pollutants.

scholarly journals A psychrometric model to assess the biological decay of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in aerosols

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11024
Author(s):  
Clive B. Beggs ◽  
Eldad J. Avital
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Vapour Pressure ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Analytical Study ◽  
Decay Constant ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Reasonable Accuracy ◽  
The Impact

There is increasing evidence that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has been influenced by variations in air temperature and humidity. However, the impact that these environmental parameters have on survival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been fully characterised. Therefore, an analytical study was undertaken using published data to develop a psychrometric model to assess the biological decay rate of the virus in aerosols. This revealed that it is possible to describe with reasonable accuracy (R2 = 0.718, p < 0.001) the biological decay constant for the SARS-CoV-2 virus using a regression model with enthalpy, vapour pressure and specific volume as predictors. Applying this to historical meteorological data from London, Paris and Milan over the pandemic period, produced results which indicate that the average half-life of the virus in aerosols outdoors was in the region 13–22 times longer in March 2020, when the outbreak was accelerating, than it was in August 2020 when epidemic in Europe was at its nadir. However, indoors, this variation is likely to be much less. As such, this suggests that changes in virus survivability due the variations in the psychrometric qualities of the air might influence the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Application of thermal comfort assessment models to indoor areas near glazed walls – experimental evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-127
Author(s):  
António Manuel Figueiredo Freitas Oliveira ◽  
◽  
Helena Corvacho ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Indoor Space ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Indoor Spaces

In this paper, some of the results of an experimental study are presented. Its purpose was to better understand the impact of glazing on thermal comfort of users of indoor spaces (living and working), especially in the areas near glazed walls. Glazed elements, such as windows and glazed doors, allow visual access to the outdoor environment and the entrance of natural light and solar heat gains but they are often the cause of unwanted heat losses and gains and are disturbing elements in obtaining thermal comfort, both in global terms and in what concerns local discomfort due to radiant asymmetries and/or air draughts. Furthermore, solar radiation directly affecting users in the vicinity of glazing can also cause discomfort. These disturbances are recognized by users, both on cold winter days and on hot summer days. To assess thermal comfort or thermal neutrality of a person in a particular indoor space, it is important to know their location within that space. Thus, in order to adequately assess thermal comfort in the areas near the glazing, the indoor thermal environment must be characterized for this specific location. In this study, two indoor spaces (a classroom and an office-room) of a school building were monitored at different periods of the year. The measurements of the environmental parameters were performed both in the center of the rooms and in the areas near the glazing. Five models of thermal comfort assessment were then applied to the results, in order to compare the comfort conditions between the two studied locations and to evaluate the applicability of these models to the areas close to glazed walls. It was observed there was clearly a greater variability of comfort conditions in the vicinity of the glazed walls when compared to the center of the rooms. The application of thermal comfort assessment models to the two studied rooms was able to reveal the differences between the two compared locations within each space. It was also possible to show the effect of incoming solar radiation and the influence of the geometry of the spaces and of the ratio between glazed area and floor area by comparing the results for both spaces. The assessment model proposed by LNEC (Portuguese National Laboratory of Civil Engineering) proved to be the most adapted to Portuguese users’ habits.

scholarly journals Barbados towards 100% Renewable Energy: Case Scenarios for 2030 National Energy Target Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Sheldon Marshall ◽  
Randy Koon Koon
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Energy Profile ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
The Impact

The integration of renewable energy (RE) into the overall energy mix of Caribbean nations has been increasing in recent times. The volatile nature of the carbon-based industry through fluctuations in prices of fossil fuel based-products renders it necessary to promote an aggressive energy profile transition to renewable energy, as this is crucial to energy security in these vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The nation of Barbados has notably understood this reality and, as such, its government has endorsed the approach of 100% RE implementation by 2030. This paper explores three distinctive annual growth rate (AGR) scenarios to assess the impact on the expected power generation, economic and environmental parameters through the period of 2019-2030. Notable findings at a high case scenario for 2030 (at an AGR of 3%) projects a power generation of 1.343 Tera-watts-hour (TWh), which will displace 790,500 barrels of oil equivalent (boe), resulting in an abatement of approximately 0.95 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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