scholarly journals THE INTERACTION OF FLOODS WITH TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Ivan Vaníček ◽  
Jiří Vaníček

Current demands on transport infrastructure are very often associated with the terms of “sustainability, availability and affordability”. The first term directly refers to the basic principles of sustainable construction in transport infrastructure, primarily motorway and railways, and how they are related to a very significant consumption of land, energy and natural aggregates. This paper is focused on the other two terms, availability and affordability. These principles are intended to guarantee proper functioning of communication even in nonstandard situations such as natural hazards, most typically floods. To avoid a total collapse of transport infrastructure, the term robustness is often applied, recognizing that this term is not a substitute for another outcome – namely a more expensive structure. The paper shows the possibilities for elimination of the negative impact of floods on transport infrastructure as they relate to different types of interaction and different types of floods.

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariet Raedts ◽  
Irene Roozen

Consumers’ responses to product recalls with language errors Consumers’ responses to product recalls with language errors Product recall notices not only warn consumers for faulty products, they also limit the damage which may be caused to the company. But what happens when the product recall notice itself contains errors? This study investigated the effects of three different types of language errors: typographical errors, verb errors and sentence errors. Four versions of a product recall were created. The control condition contained no errors. The other three versions contained either five typos, five grammatical conjugation errors or five poorly formed sentences. Participants (N = 710) were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Results indicate that participants who detected the errors, had lower attitudes towards the advertisement and the company than participants in the control condition and participants who failed to detect the errors. Poorly formed sentences also had a negative impact on consumers’ brand evaluations and their future product purchase intentions. Hence, language errors in product recall notices can have negative consequences for companies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aguirre-Ramírez ◽  
H. Silva-Jiménez ◽  
I. M. Banat ◽  
M. A. Díaz De Rienzo

AbstractMacromolecules are essential cellular components in biological systems responsible for performing a large number of functions that are necessary for growth and perseverance of living organisms. Proteins, lipids and carbohydrates are three major classes of biological macromolecules. To predict the structure, function, and behaviour of any cluster of macromolecules, it is necessary to understand the interaction between them and other components through basic principles of chemistry and physics. An important number of macromolecules are present in mixtures with surfactants, where a combination of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions is responsible for the specific properties of any solution. It has been demonstrated that surfactants can help the formation of helices in some proteins thereby promoting protein structure formation. On the other hand, there is extensive research towards the use of surfactants to solubilize drugs and pharmaceuticals; therefore, it is evident that the interaction between surfactants with macromolecules is important for many applications which includes environmental processes and the pharmaceutical industry. In this review, we describe the properties of different types of surfactants that are relevant for their physicochemical interactions with biological macromolecules, from macromolecules–surfactant complexes to hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Cristina Rodríguez-Varela ◽  
Giulia Mariani ◽  
Pilar Dolz ◽  
Juan Antonio García-Velasco ◽  
Vicente Serra ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 global pandemic has meant a sanitary and social threat at every level and it was not any different for the assisted reproduction industry. This retrospective two-arm study aims to describe its impact on infertility treatments performed in our clinics (IVI Spain, Rome, and Lisbon) regarding: (1) assessment of COVID-19 impact in the amount, type, and success of infertility treatments performed during 2020 compared to 2019; and (2) description of the psychological status of women who got pregnant during the first months of the pandemic and its correlation with their final pregnancy outcome. On the one hand, this pandemic has led to a significant reduction in the total number of treatments performed, even though the proportion of the different types was almost unaltered. Additionally, its impact on pregnancy rates was not clinically relevant. On the other hand, the psychological status of pregnant women did not seem to affect their final pregnancy outcome. These results suggest that, even in the event of a negatively affected psychological status in our study population, it was not translated into an impaired pregnancy outcome. Hence, the COVID-19 global pandemic, although devastating, might not have exerted a clinically relevant negative impact on the overall pregnancy outcome in our clinics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 30-35
Author(s):  
Marta Wójcik

The automotive sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of economy. The increasing amount of cars both in Polish and world roads results in the immeasurable benefits associated with the goods and human transport. On the other hand, this phenomenon caused the contamination of the environment. During the fuel combustion in petrol or diesel engines, the harmful gases, for example CO2, NOx and SOx are emitted. Apart from the negative impact on the environment, the emission of the aforementioned gases results in the deterioration of human conditions, as well as, the development of civilization diseases. In order to minimalize the harmful influence of an automotive industry on the environment, new technologies which can reduce the consumption of fuel or limit the fumes emission are developed. The first part of paper presents new solutions in an automotive sector which influence on the decline of the negative impact of automobiles on the environment. Additionally, proposed solutions affect the development of a car industry, taking into consideration environmental aspects.


2014 ◽  
pp. 104-121
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Kułaga

The article is devoted to the subject of the goals of the climate and energy policy of the European Union, which can have both a positive, and a negative impact on the environmental and energy policies. Positive aspects are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, diversification of energy supplies, which should improve Europe independence from energy imports, and increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the national energy system structures. On the other hand, overly ambitious targets and actions can lead to large losses for the economies of EU Member States. The article also highlights the realities prevailing in the international arena and noncompliance of international actors with global agreements on climate protection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Hendrico Firzandy Latupeirissa ◽  
Gierlang Bhakti Putra ◽  
Niki Prastomo

Brick debris that makes up the majority of construction waste has not received proper waste disposal in Indonesia. On the other hand, brick debris could be potentially reused as non-structural building materials to reduce its negative impact on the environment. This study aims to test the effectiveness of soundproofing on recycled brick debris. The soundproof test was carried out on brick debris in the form of fine and coarse grains. The simulation box is then used as a support for the brickwork material and then the box is exposed to a sound source with a certain level of noise that is considered disturbing human comfort. Noise level measurements are made in the outside and inside the box. These measurements are tabulated and then analyzed to see the success of the two aggregates in reducing noise. Basically, the brickwork material has succeeded in becoming a recycled building material that can absorb noise, although further research must be carried out to be able to state that this material is truly ready to be used as an alternative building material with good acoustic capabilities.


2019 ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
V V. Kafidov ◽  
V. N. Filippov ◽  
I. P. Filippova

The presented study addresses the problems of development of small and medium towns in Russia. Aim. The study aims to examine a town as a socio-economic environment where its residents exist and as the fundamental factor for the development of society.Tasks. The authors identify key problems in the development of small and medium Russian towns, which interferes with the historical appearance and has a negative impact on the living environment.Methods. Problems in the development of small and medium towns in Russia are examined using theoretical methods: systematic approach, statistical analysis, social and philosophical analysis.Results. The study identifies the main negative effects of the existing model of development of small and medium Russian towns, such as destruction of their historical and cultural appearance, distortion of the overall architectural motif, increased load on communications, and congestion of the transport infrastructure.Conclusions. At the current stage, efficient development of small and medium towns in Russia is impossible within the framework of the existing infill development. This chaotic process cannot be stopped without a new conceptual approach and changes in the legislative and normative framework of urban development. The only factor that determines the boundaries of the existing approach to urban development is the lack of physical space for new buildings in urban areas. The authors formulate proposals that would help to solve the problems of development of small and medium towns in Russia. 


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2335
Author(s):  
Gabriella Pinto ◽  
Sabrina De Pascale ◽  
Maria Aponte ◽  
Andrea Scaloni ◽  
Francesco Addeo ◽  
...  

Plant polyphenols have beneficial antioxidant effects on human health; practices aimed at preserving their content in foods and/or reusing food by-products are encouraged. The impact of the traditional practice of the water curing procedure of chestnuts, which prevents insect/mould damage during storage, was studied to assess the release of polyphenols from the fruit. Metabolites extracted from pericarp and integument tissues or released in the medium from the water curing process were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and electrospray-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (ESI-qTOF-MS). This identified: (i) condensed and hydrolyzable tannins made of (epi)catechin (procyanidins) and acid ellagic units in pericarp tissues; (ii) polyphenols made of gallocatechin and catechin units condensed with gallate (prodelphinidins) in integument counterparts; (iii) metabolites resembling those reported above in the wastewater from the chestnut curing process. Comparative experiments were also performed on aqueous media recovered from fruits treated with processes involving: (i) tap water; (ii) tap water containing an antifungal Lb. pentosus strain; (iii) wastewater from a previous curing treatment. These analyses indicated that the former treatment determines a 6–7-fold higher release of polyphenols in the curing water with respect to the other ones. This event has a negative impact on the luster of treated fruits but qualifies the corresponding wastes as a source of antioxidants. Such a phenomenon does not occur in wastewater from the other curing processes, where the release of polyphenols was reduced, thus preserving the chestnut’s appearance. Polyphenol profiling measurements demonstrated that bacterial presence in water hampered the release of pericarp metabolites. This study provides a rationale to traditional processing practices on fruit appearance and qualifies the corresponding wastes as a source of bioactive compounds for other nutraceutical applications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Davide Vittori

Abstract Scholars have long debated whether populism harms or improves the quality of democracy. This article contributes to this debate by focusing on the impact of populist parties in government. In particular, it inquires: (1) whether populists in government are more likely than non-populists to negatively affect the quality of democracies; (2) whether the role of populists in government matters; and (3) which type of populism is expected to negatively affect the quality of liberal-democratic regimes. The results find strong evidence that the role of populists in government affects several qualities of democracy. While robust, the findings related to (2) are less clear-cut than those pertaining to (1). Finally, regardless of their role in government, different types of populism have different impacts on the qualities of democracy. The results show that exclusionary populist parties in government tend to have more of a negative impact than other forms of populism.


Author(s):  
Davorin Cimermančič ◽  
Janez Kušar ◽  
Tomaž Berlec

AbstractChanging a traditional company into a lean one is a very complex and time-consuming process that needs to be addressed in an appropriate way, otherwise the project of introduction of leanness into a company may fail on the one hand and even have a negative impact on business operations of the company on the other. When introducing a change, a step-by-step procedure leading to a progress may be of great help. The paper outlines a general procedure of leanness, an important part of which is a lean agent. A portfolio analysis is also used as a measure of leanness or as an indicator of the desired direction. The applied working methods were mainly active workshops and interviews with employees. The procedure has been tested on an example of a Slovene company; first, the existing situation is outlined, then the leanness steps taken according to the procedure and the final result after the first transition of the procedure.


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