scholarly journals Wildfires as a Source of PAHs in Surface Waters of Background Areas (Lake Baikal, Russia)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2636
Author(s):  
Alexander G. Gorshkov ◽  
Oksana N. Izosimova ◽  
Olga V. Kustova ◽  
Irina I. Marinaite ◽  
Yuri P. Galachyants ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Water Layer ◽  
Surface Microlayer ◽  
Back Trajectories ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Deep Layers ◽  
The Impact

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in different types of PAH-containing samples collected in Lake Baikal during wildfires in the adjacent areas. The set of studied samples included the following: (i) water from the upper layer (5 m); (ii) water from the surface microlayer; (iii) water from the lake tributaries; (iv) water from deep layers (400 m); and (v) aerosol from the near-water layer. Ten PAHs were detected in the water samples: naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene. The total PAH concentrations (ƩPAHs) were detected in a wide range from 9.3 to 160 ng/L, characterizing by seasonal, intersessional, and spatial variability. In September 2016, the ƩPAH concentration in the southern basin of the lake reached 610 ng/L in the upper water layer due to an increase in fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene in the composition of the PAHs. In June 2019, ƩPAHs in the water from the northern basin of the lake reached 290 ng/L, with the naphthalene and phenanthrene concentrations up to 170 ng/L and 92 ng/L, respectively. The calculation of back trajectories of the atmospheric transport near Lake Baikal, satellite images, and ƩPAH concentrations in the surface water microlayer of 150 to 960 ng/L confirm the impact of wildfires on Lake Baikal, with which the seasonal increase in the ƩPAH concentrations was associated in 2016 and 2019. The toxicity of PAHs detected in the water of the lake in extreme situations was characterized by the total value of the toxic equivalent for PAHs ranging from 0.17 to 0.22 ng/L, and a possible ecological risk of the impact on biota was assessed as moderate.

The Impact of Mental States on Semi-autonomous Driving Takeover Performance: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1372-1376
Author(s):  
Gaojian Huang ◽  
Christine Petersen ◽  
Brandon J. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Manual Control ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact

Semi-autonomous vehicles still require drivers to occasionally resume manual control. However, drivers of these vehicles may have different mental states. For example, drivers may be engaged in non-driving related tasks or may exhibit mind wandering behavior. Also, monitoring monotonous driving environments can result in passive fatigue. Given the potential for different types of mental states to negatively affect takeover performance, it will be critical to highlight how mental states affect semi-autonomous takeover. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the literature on mental states (such as distraction, fatigue, emotion) and takeover performance. This review focuses specifically on five fatigue studies. Overall, studies were too few to observe consistent findings, but some suggest that response times to takeover alerts and post-takeover performance may be affected by fatigue. Ultimately, this review may help researchers improve and develop real-time mental states monitoring systems for a wide range of application domains.

Towards Intelligent Agriculture Using Smart IoT Sensors

2021 ◽  
pp. 231-249
Author(s):  
Vanita Jaitly ◽  
Shilpa Sharma ◽  
Linesh Raja
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Smart Sensors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
Cattle Health ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Contemporary Technology

The word “smart” is quite commonly associated with different types of products of IoT sensors and its contemporary technology. The frequent progress in the contemporary technology includes convention and the progressive integration of microprocessor. This gives the smart sensors application to a wide range of applications. Smart sensors when associated with agriculture are known as smart agriculture. With the help of smart sensors, technology of internet of things has helped agriculture in facilitating its efficiency, which further helps in decreasing the impact of environment on the production of the crops and deprecate the expenses. This is done by a few methods like calculating the condition of the environment, which affects the production of the crops, keeping a check on the cattle health and indicating when some problem occurs. The author discussed about sensors, their nature and evolution, generations of smarts sensors, and how they became better with the course of time in terms of smart agriculture.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Surface Microlayer of Lake Baikal during Wildfires and Naphthalene-degrading Strains from the Bacterioneuston

Microbiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-615
Author(s):  
A. D. Galachyants ◽  
M. Yu. Suslova ◽  
I. I. Marinayte ◽  
O. N. Izosimova ◽  
A. Yu. Krasnopeev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Surface Microlayer ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

The Distributional Impact of Climate Policy

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale W Jorgenson ◽  
Richard Goettle ◽  
Mun S Ho ◽  
Daniel T Slesnick ◽  
Peter J Wilcoxen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Policy ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Distributional Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Distributional Impacts

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new methodology for evaluating the distributional impacts of climate policy. This methodology builds directly on the framework introduced by Jorgenson, Slesnick, and Wilcoxen (1992), but generalizes it by including leisure time, as well as goods and services, in the measure of household welfare. We provide detailed results for 244 different types of households distinguished by demographic characteristics. In addition, we evaluate the overall impact of a cap-and-trade system, as represented in Energy Modeling Forum 22. While there is a wide range of outcomes for different demographic groups, the impact on economic welfare is regressive and generally negative but relatively small.

scholarly journals Fire and water: contaminants and clearance following uncontrolled fires

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Walsh ◽  
Tim Stevenson ◽  
Richard Terrett ◽  
Cathy Banwell ◽  
Stewart Sutherland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Suspended Particle ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Water Contaminants ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Impact

There is a growing body of evidence surrounding the implications of uncontrolled bushfires and wildfires on water. This topic has importance from an ecological perspective, and significance for human health as it has consequences for drinking water quality and supply. Against the backdrop of climate change, it is especially important to holistically understand the impact of fire on water. This review took a systematic approach to establish a comprehensive overview of the changes occurring in freshwater systems following uncontrolled wildfires and bushfires. Screening of 16,551 results obtained from Web of Science, PubMed, and MEDLINE resulted in 111 manuscripts suitable for inclusion. The impact of fire across a wide range of water quality indicators either relative to pre-fire measurements or reference sites was examined qualitatively (increase/decrease) and where possible quantitatively (% change or difference). Factors included biomass, indicator species and species diversity, metals, nutrients, salts, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particulates and turbidity, pH, conductivity, temperature, and water course morphology. Evidence focused largely on short to medium term impacts (e.g. within 2 years of the fire event), with only a subset of studies reporting on longer term changes in response to fire. We found that bushfire has acute and long-lasting effects on water in terms of physical (e.g. decreased suspended particle size), chemical (e.g. increased nutrient concentration), and biological (e.g. decreased species diversity) characteristics. There was also evidence of resilience and recovery. We urge future work to consider measures that will fulfil both environmental and human health considerations, to allow more integrated insight into the impacts of fire on water.

scholarly journals Assessment of Supercritical CO2 Extraction as a Method for Plastic Waste Decontamination

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayah Alassali ◽  
Noor Aboud ◽  
Kerstin Kuchta ◽  
Philip Jaeger ◽  
Ahmad Zeinolebadi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Nir Spectroscopy ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Supercritical Extraction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Impact

Due to the lack of advanced methods to clean plastic waste from organic contaminants, this study aimed at evaluating supercritical extraction as a decontamination method. Oil-adhesive high-density polyethylene (HD-PE) oil containers were subjected to supercritical extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide. The extraction was conducted at 300 bar, applying various temperatures (i.e., 70, 80 and 90 °C). The study assessed the impact of temperature on the decontamination efficiency. The variation in the samples’ quality was first analyzed using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. An analysis of the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was followed. Samples treated at 70 and 80 °C showed higher extraction efficiencies, in spite of the lower extraction temperatures. The NIR analysis showed that the plastic specimens did not experience degradation by the supercritical decontamination method. Moreover, the NIR spectra of the extracted oil showed the presence of a wide range of compounds, some of which are hazardous. This has been confirmed by a GC-MS analysis of the extracted oil. Based on the provided assessment, the quality of the decontaminated HD-PE plastic samples—from a contamination point of view—is enhanced in comparison to untreated samples. The level of PAHs contamination decreased to be within the allowed limits defined by the REACH regulation, and also met the specifications of the German Product Safety Committee. This study proved the effectiveness of the supercritical extraction using CO2 in extracting organic contaminants from plastics, while maintaining their quality.

scholarly journals Variability of Chemical Properties of the Atmospheric Aerosol above Lake Baikal during Large Wildfires in Siberia

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1230
Author(s):  
Liudmila Golobokova ◽  
Tamara Khodzher ◽  
Olga Khuriganova ◽  
Irina Marinayte ◽  
Natalia Onishchuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Ionic Composition ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Water Layer ◽  
Aerosol Deposition ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

The article analyzes the chemical composition (ions, elements, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of the atmospheric aerosol in the near-water layer of the atmosphere above Lake Baikal during wildfires in Siberia. Aerosol deposition affects the aquatic environment of the watershed basin and the lake itself. The current law on Lake Baikal limits the activity of the permanent stationary anthropogenic sources of the aerosol in the central ecological zone, and they do not have a significant negative impact. Wildfires can have a much greater impact on the environment. Smoke emissions entering the area of Lake Baikal due to wildfires change the chemical properties of the atmospheric aerosol and increase its mass and number concentration. The concentrations of NH4+, K+, NO3−, and SO42−, which enter with submicron aerosol fraction, increase in the ionic composition of the aerosol. The composition of polyaromatic compounds changes, and their concentrations increase. Elevated concentrations of B, Mn, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, and Pb in the composition of aerosol indicate the influx of air masses from the areas prone to wildfires. Despite the sporadic effects of these natural factors, they affect the pollution of various Baikal ecosystems, especially small tributaries of the lake, whose main supply is atmospheric.

scholarly journals Concept of model support for corporate social performance planning

2019 ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Lyudmyla Potrashkova
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Enterprise Activity ◽  
Model Support

Introduction. When planning socially responsible activities, the management of the company faces a problem. The impact of such activities on the resource system and the potential of the enterprise is ambiguous and difficult to assess. On the one hand, socially responsible activities have a positive effect on the image of the enterprise, but on the other hand, they require additional expenditures of the enterprise's resources (since these measures are in essence aimed at ensuring an increased level of satisfaction of the interests of a wide range of stakeholders). This fact complicates the planning of socially responsible activities of the enterprise. As a consequence, enterprise management needs tools in the form of economic and mathematical models that would allow: to evaluate the impact of socially responsible activities on different types of enterprise resources and on its potential as a whole; to make decisions on planning of socially responsible activity of the enterprise on the basis of consideration of the task of reproduction of potential of the enterprise. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to develop a concept for building model support for the planning of socially responsible enterprise activity, taking into account the impact of such activity on the enterprise's potential. Results. To achieve this goal in the work on the basis of the analysis of the theory and practice of corporate social responsibility, formulated the concept that formulate requirements for model support for planning socially responsible activities of the enterprise. According to this concept, the planning of socially responsible activities should be based on an assessment of the enterprise's potential and its dynamics. In order to obtain a more accurate assessment of the impact of socially responsible enterprise activity on different types of resources and enterprise potential, model support for planning processes should include patterns of enterprise stakeholder behavior, taking into account the stakeholder social responsibility factor and the dynamics of the characteristics of their relations with the enterprise. Conclusions. The proposed developments are aimed at enhancing the validity of planning of socially responsible activities of enterprises.

scholarly journals Employer Responses to Legislation Protecting Non-Regular Workers: Evidence from South Korea

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
HYEJIN KO ◽  
ANDREW WEAVER
Keyword(s):  
Performance Pay ◽  
Employment Protection ◽  
Employment Protection Legislation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Employment Insecurity ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Protection Legislation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Many countries have taken steps to address employment insecurity by enacting employment protection legislation (EPL) for non-regular workers. Although the aggregate impacts of EPL reforms have been examined in the literature, less attention has been paid to the heterogeneous ways that different types of employers respond to these reforms. In this paper, we seek to shed additional light on the impact of non-regular workforce protections by investigating the response of establishments to legal changes in Korea in 2007. We employ a difference-in-difference framework to explore which establishment characteristics predict that employers will convert non-regular workers to regular status. Results indicate that, in the short term, the Korean labor reforms led to increased conversions of fixed-term workers to permanent status. Establishments that have shifted risk onto workers via the use of performance pay are more likely to extend permanent status to non-regular workers. However, establishments that provide favorable employment conditions were less likely to convert. Unions play a double-edged role. Unions in large establishments with a wide range of occupational categories are associated with relatively greater conversion of outsiders to regular status, while unions in smaller, more resource-constrained establishments with a narrower occupational focus are associated with more exclusionary behavior.

Quota Women Are Threatening to Men

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klea Faniko ◽  
Till Burckhardt ◽  
Oriane Sarrasin ◽  
Fabio Lorenzi-Cioldi ◽  
Siri Øyslebø Sørensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Preferential Treatment ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Women In Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Two studies carried out among Albanian public-sector employees examined the impact of different types of affirmative action policies (AAPs) on (counter)stereotypical perceptions of women in decision-making positions. Study 1 (N = 178) revealed that participants – especially women – perceived women in decision-making positions as more masculine (i.e., agentic) than feminine (i.e., communal). Study 2 (N = 239) showed that different types of AA had different effects on the attribution of gender stereotypes to AAP beneficiaries: Women benefiting from a quota policy were perceived as being more communal than agentic, while those benefiting from weak preferential treatment were perceived as being more agentic than communal. Furthermore, we examined how the belief that AAPs threaten men’s access to decision-making positions influenced the attribution of these traits to AAP beneficiaries. The results showed that men who reported high levels of perceived threat, as compared to men who reported low levels of perceived threat, attributed more communal than agentic traits to the beneficiaries of quotas. These findings suggest that AAPs may have created a backlash against its beneficiaries by emphasizing gender-stereotypical or counterstereotypical traits. Thus, the framing of AAPs, for instance, as a matter of enhancing organizational performance, in the process of policy making and implementation, may be a crucial tool to countering potential backlash.

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