Soil Contamination: A Menace to Life

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.5772/intechopen.94280 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonia Sethi ◽

Payal Gupta

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Soil Contamination ◽

Soil Pollution ◽

Capital Investment ◽

Ecological Environment ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

The Status ◽

Technical Capacity ◽

Sustainable Capacity

The dire concern for soil contamination includes the safety of food, ecological environment, public’s health and capacity of social sustainable development. Soil is polluted by heavy metals and pesticides which are far beyond pollution standards. The soil biodiversity and agricultural sustainability are adversely affected in long-term harmful effects by the prolonged intensive and indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. It needs immediate attention for the whole world to curb continual deterioration of soil pollution and remediate contaminated soil as soon as possible to decrease harm on people’s health and ecological environment. In fact, acceleration of related legislation, increased capital investment and technical development to remediate soil contamination and must achieve some progress. However, due to all sorts of the constraints, whether soil management system or technical capacity for decontamination is relatively outdated, so there remains a lot of work need to be done. Developing countries, including Brazil, India and so on, are also facing similar problems. Approaches to solve soil problems could benefit developing countries in process of industrialization and urbanization, so it’s a very meaningful job to deep analyze and study the current situation and countermeasures soil pollution. In this Chapter, the overall situation of soil pollution is introduced, the concrete causes and hazards of soil contamination are discussed, and technologies and processes of soil remediation are suggested for improvement of the status of soil contamination and social sustainable capacity.

Download Full-text

EPIDEMIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ACUTE PROMYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA IN CHILDREN: THE EXPERIENCE IN CHINA

Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases ◽

10.4084/mjhid.2012.012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. e2012012 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Li Zhang ◽

Xiaofan Zhu

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Treatment Failure ◽

Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia ◽

Promyelocytic Leukemia ◽

Early Mortality ◽

Term Survival ◽

The Status ◽

Treatment Abandonment ◽

Leukemia In Children

The limited available data suggest that the rate of early mortality is high and that long-term survival is poor in many developing countries. Death from bleeding and infection during chemotherapy, relapse and treatment abandonment are among the main cause of treatment failure in APL children. The status of children APL treatment in China is not described in general.

Download Full-text

Radio monitoring of plant products and soils of Polesia, Zhytomyr region, during the long-term period after the disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems ◽

10.15421/021770 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 444-454 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L. D. Romanchuk ◽

T. P. Fedonuk ◽

G. O. Khant

Keyword(s):

Soil Contamination ◽

Soil Pollution ◽

Radioactive Contamination ◽

Specific Activity ◽

Arable Land ◽

Potato Tubers ◽

Plant Products ◽

White Cabbage ◽

Corn Grains

The article highlights the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Northern Polesia has been and still remains the most polluted area. Full scale and limited economic activity is carried out on part of the contaminated territories. The zone of radioactive contamination includes half of the territory of this region, one third of the agricultural land and almost the same amount of the arable land. 9 districts, 734 towns and villages are located within the zone of radioactive contamination. In the long-term period after the disaster the situation in contaminated areas has improved and become predictable due to natural processes of recovery and implementation of countermeasures based on results of monitoring. However, until today regions of Ukrainian Polesia continue to produce agricultural products which do not meet the requirements of government regulations concerning the content of radionuclides in food and appear to present a threat to consumers. To assess the accumulation of 137Cs in plant products, we investigated the activity of these radionuclides in potatoes, vegetables, root crops and grains, and calculated the ratios of its transition from the ground to the products, which helped evaluate the intensity and amount of accumulation of radionuclides during the completion of the half-life period of 137Cs and evaluate the radiological situation in the northern regions of Polesia. The density of soil contamination with 137Cs and its specific activity in plant products grown on private plots were studied in three different districts of Zhytomyr region: Narodychi, Korosten and Ovruch. Analysis of the density of soil pollution with the 137Cs isotopes in the Northern part of Zhytomyr region in the post-disaster period shows that even 30 years after the tragedy, significant areas of arable land under certain conditions remain potentially dangerous on account of contaminated plant products. The specific activity of 137Cs in plant products grown on private plots was studied in residential places where soil contamination was detected. In particular, the list of studied crops included: potato tubers, white cabbage, fresh tomatoes, table beets, carrots, onions, beans, oat grains, corn grains. The most critical were populated areas located in zone II – village Vystupovychi of Ovruch district, village Loznytsia and village Khrystynivka of Narodychi district. In these settlements an excess of DR-2006 in plant products was noted despite the fact that an excess over the maximum permissible level of density of soil pollution was not observed. In decreasing order by the amount of CT 137Cs, we ranked crops as follows: beans > table beets > carrots > potato tubers > corn grains ˃ oats grains > white cabbage > onions > fresh tomatoes. For the population living on radioactively contaminated territories, plant products grown on private plots have been and still remain the main source of 137Cs radionuclides entering the body.

Download Full-text

The influence of inflation targeting on the pass-through effect of the exchange rate

Voprosy Ekonomiki ◽

10.32609/0042-8736-2018-11-70-84 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 70-84

Author(s):

Ph. S. Kartaev ◽

Yu. I. Yakimova

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Monetary Policy ◽

Exchange Rate ◽

Inflation Targeting ◽

Policy Regime ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Exchange Rate ◽

Pass Through ◽

The Impact

The paper studies the impact of the transition to the inflation targeting regime on the magnitude of the pass-through effect of the exchange rate to prices. We analyze cross-country panel data on developed and developing countries. It is shown that the transition to this regime of monetary policy contributes to a significant reduction in both the short- and long-term pass-through effects. This decline is stronger in developing countries. We identify the main channels that ensure the influence of the monetary policy regime on the pass-through effect, and examine their performance. In addition, we analyze the data of time series for Russia. It was concluded that even there the transition to inflation targeting led to a decrease in the dependence of the level of inflation on fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate.

Download Full-text

Markets, Technological Change and Economic Growth (The Quaid-i-Azam Lecture)

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v33i4ipp.327-356 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 33 (4I) ◽

pp. 327-356 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Richard G. Lipsey

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Economic Growth ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Common Ground ◽

The United States ◽

Industrial Countries ◽

Canadian Institute ◽

Primary Focus ◽

Short Time

I am honoured to be invited to give this lecture before so distinguished an audience of development economists. For the last 21/2 years I have been director of a project financed by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and composed of a group of scholars from Canada, the United States, and Israel.I Our brief is to study the determinants of long term economic growth. Although our primary focus is on advanced industrial countries such as my own, some of us have come to the conclusion that there is more common ground between developed and developing countries than we might have first thought. I am, however, no expert on development economics so I must let you decide how much of what I say is applicable to economies such as your own. Today, I will discuss some of the grand themes that have arisen in my studies with our group. In the short time available, I can only allude to how these themes are rooted in our more detailed studies. In doing this, I must hasten to add that I speak for myself alone; our group has no corporate view other than the sum of our individual, and very individualistic, views.

Download Full-text

A Study on the Status of Cognition Dysfunction and Long-term Care Service Experts in Korea Elderly Using Community Database

Society of Occupational Therapy for the Aged and Dementia ◽

10.34263/jsotad.2019.13.2.33 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 33-40

Author(s):

Eom-Ji Park ◽

Min-Seok Cho ◽

Soo-Hee Park

Keyword(s):

Long Term Care ◽

Care Service ◽

Term Care ◽

The Status ◽

Cognition Dysfunction

Download Full-text

Personality dynamics at work: The effects of form, time, and context of variability

European Journal of Personality ◽

10.1177/08902070211017341 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089020702110173

Author(s):

Nadin Beckmann ◽

Damian P Birney ◽

Amirali Minbashian ◽

Jens F Beckmann

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Temporal Stability ◽

Limited Evidence ◽

Short Term ◽

State Data ◽

The Status ◽

Over Time ◽

Trait Variability

The study aimed to investigate the status of within-person state variability in neuroticism and conscientiousness as individual differences constructs by exploring their (a) temporal stability, (b) cross-context consistency, (c) empirical links to selected antecedents, and (d) empirical links to longer term trait variability. Employing a sample of professionals ( N = 346) from Australian organisations, personality state data together with situation appraisals were collected using experience sampling methodology in field and repeatedly in lab-like settings. Data on personality traits, cognitive ability, and motivational mindsets were collected at baseline and after two years. Contingent (situation contingencies) and non-contingent (relative SD) state variability indices were relatively stable over time and across contexts. Only a small number of predictive effects of state variability were observed, and these differed across contexts. Cognitive ability appeared to be associated with state variability under lab-like conditions. There was limited evidence of links between short-term state and long-term trait variability, except for a small effect for neuroticism. Some evidence of positive manifold was found for non-contingent variability. Systematic efforts are required to further elucidate the complex pattern of results regarding the antecedents, correlates and outcomes of individual differences in state variability.

Download Full-text

Effect of Long-Term Soil Management Practices on Tree Growth, Yield and Soil Biodiversity in a High-Density Olive Agro-Ecosystem

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11061036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1036

Author(s):

Sauro Simoni ◽

Giovanni Caruso ◽

Nadia Vignozzi ◽

Riccardo Gucci ◽

Giuseppe Valboa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Soil Management ◽

Carbon Pools ◽

Grass Cover ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Canopy Effect ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Pools

Edaphic arthropod communities provide valuable information about the prevailing status of soil quality to improve the functionality and long-term sustainability of soil management. The study aimed at evaluating the effect of plant and grass cover on the functional biodiversity and soil characteristics in a mature olive orchard (Olea europaea L.) managed for ten years by two conservation soil managements: natural grass cover (NC) and conservation tillage (CT). The trees under CT grew and yielded more than those under NC during the period of increasing yields (years 4–7) but not when they reached full production. Soil management did not affect the tree root density. Collecting samples underneath the canopy (UC) and in the inter-row space (IR), the edaphic environment was characterized by soil structure, hydrological properties, the concentration and storage of soil organic carbon pools and the distribution of microarthropod communities. The soil organic carbon pools (total and humified) were negatively affected by minimum tillage in IR, but not UC, without a loss in fruit and oil yield. The assemblages of microarthropods benefited, firstly, from the grass cover, secondly, from the canopy effect, and thirdly, from a soil structure ensuring a high air capacity and water storage. Feeding functional groups—hemiedaphic macrosaprophages, polyphages and predators—resulted in selecting the ecotonal microenvironment between the surface and edaphic habitat.

Download Full-text

Lyell, the Geikies and Croll's observations on terrestrial glacial sediments and landforms

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ◽

10.1017/s1755691021000116 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

James ROSE

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

High Quality ◽

Glacial Sediments ◽

Direct Observations ◽

The Social ◽

The Status ◽

Social And Physical Environment ◽

Glacial Landforms

ABSTRACT Within the context of the work and achievements of James Croll, this paper reviews the records of direct observations of glacial landforms and sediments made by Charles Lyell, Archibald and James Geikie and James Croll himself, in order to evaluate their contributions to the sciences of glacial geology and Quaternary environmental change. The paper outlines the social and physical environment of Croll's youth and contrasts this with the status and experiences of Lyell and the Geikies. It also outlines the character and role of the ‘Glasgow School’ of geologists, who stimulated Croll's interest into the causes of climate change and directed his focus to the glacial and ‘interglacial’ deposits of central Scotland. Contributions are outlined in chronological order, drawing attention to: (i) Lyell's high-quality observations and interpretations of glacial features in Glen Clova and Strathmore and his subsequent rejection of the glacial theory in favour of processes attributed to floating icebergs; (ii) the significant impact of Archibald Geikie's 1863 paper on the ‘glacial drift of Scotland’, which firmly established the land-ice theory; (iii) the fact that, despite James Croll's inherent dislike of geology and fieldwork, he provided high-quality descriptions and interpretations of the landforms and sediments of central Scotland in order to test his theory of climate change; and (iv) the great communication skills of James Geikie, enhanced by contacts and evidence from around the world. It is concluded that whilst direct observations of glacial landforms and sediments were critical to the long-term development of the study of glaciation, the acceptance of this theory was dependent also upon the skills, personality and status of the Geikies and Croll, who developed and promoted the concepts. Sadly, the subsequent rejection of the land-ice concept by Lyell resulted in the same factors challenging the acceptance of the glacial theory.

Download Full-text

A Transformation of the Approach to Evaluating a Region’s Investment Attractiveness as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Economies ◽

10.3390/economies9020059 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Dmitriy G. Rodionov ◽

Evgenii A. Konnikov ◽

Magomedgusen N. Nasrutdinov

Keyword(s):

Social Environment ◽

World Order ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Innovative Development ◽

Social Infrastructure ◽

Regional Environment ◽

The Social ◽

The World ◽

The Status

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused a transformation of virtually all aspects of the world order today. Due to the introduction of the world quarantine, a considerable share of professional communications has been transformed into a format of distance interaction. As a result, the specific weight of traditional components of the investment attractiveness of a region is steadily going down, because modern business can be built without the need for territorial unity. It should be stated that now the criteria according to which investors decide if they are ready to invest in a region are dynamically transforming. The significance of the following characteristics is increasingly growing: the sustainable development of a region, qualities of the social environment, and consistency of the social infrastructure. Thus, the approaches to evaluating the region’s investment attractiveness must be transformed. Moreover, the investment process at the federal level involves the determination of target areas of regional development. Despite the universal significance of innovative development, the region can develop much more dynamically when a complex external environment is formed that complements its development model. Interregional interaction, as well as an integrated approach to innovative development, taking into account not only the momentary effect, but also the qualitative long-term transformation of the region, will significantly increase the return on investment. At the same time, the currently existing methods for assessing the investment attractiveness of the region are usually heuristic in nature and are not universal. The heuristic nature of the existing methods does not allow to completely abstract from the subjectivity of the researcher. Moreover, the existing methods do not take into account the cyclical properties of the innovative development of the region, which lead to the formation of a long-term effect from the transformation of the regional environment. This study is aimed at forming a comprehensive methodology that can be used to evaluate the investment attractiveness of a certain region and conclude about the lines of business that should be developed in it as well as to find ways to increase the region’s investment attractiveness. According to the results of the study, a comprehensive methodology was formed to evaluate the region’s investment attractiveness. It consists of three key indicators, namely, the level of the region’s investment attractiveness, the projected level of the region’s investment attractiveness, and the development vector of the region’s investment attractiveness. This methodology is based on a set of indicators that consider the status of the economic and social environment of the region, as well as the status of the innovative and ecological environment. The methodology can be used to make multi-dimensional conclusions both about the growth areas responsible for increasing the region’s innovative attractiveness and the lines of business that should be developed in the region.

Download Full-text