HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PALLIATIVE ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE WORLD AND IN UKRAINE

The object of the research is centers of palliative help. The article of research is historical development of establishments of palliative medicine. Global environmental problems of today lead to increase in the incidence of population and increase in incurable cases. The problems of terminally ill patients are been dealt with by palliative medicine, which takes care of the situation of such patients and their families. The article deals with the history of development of palliative care facilities in the world - hospices. The situation of creation of such establishments in Ukraine is analyzed, which indicates the need to revise the state regulatory framework for design. The analysis conducted in the article indicates the inconsistency of the current norms and the absence of special normative bases for the design of hospices. Current situation does not allow for proper development of the construction of palliative care facilities. In addition, the main criteria and needs are discussed in the article: Physical comfort (achieved by creating a home atmosphere in the hospital) Psychological comfort (achieved using the principle of an individual approach to each patient, taking into account all their needs) Social comfort (achieved by designing places for communication with other patients, as well as with relatives and friends. It is important that such places possess and create a positive attitude and distract from negative thoughts) Visual comfort (achieved with the help of thoughtful landscaping and designing places for walks, squares, intimate areas for rest and relaxation, as well as for the hobbies of patients)

Numerical analysis of a tire shredder machine to produce rubber particulate material

The main objective of this work is to develop a numerical analysis of a shredder machine to generate rubber particulate material for its implementation in different sectors such as construction, artisanal, and road as aggregates in the raw material. As part of the methodology, modern design theories were considered to select the materials for the different elements of the crushing machine; for this purpose, the SolidWorks design software was used to obtain a conceptual design model of the prototype. The mathematical and numerical results indicate that the prototype of the crushing machine will work in good conditions, always guaranteeing high levels of safety and performance based on the mechanical and physical properties of the materials selected through the design theories. Likewise, this machine will be low-cost to promote growth and competitive capacity for studies of different products with rubber aggregates to solve global environmental problems. Finally, the physical behavior of the new materials can be obtained with rubber particles aggregate will allow evaluating and optimizing a different kind of products that can be used in different sectors aiding sustainability sources.

Can Financial Constraints and Regulatory Distance Reduce Corporate Environmental Irresponsibility?

As global environmental problems become increasingly severe, corporate social (environmental) responsibility has become a hot topic in research, but there is still a lack of clear understanding of corporate environmental irresponsibility behavior and the driving factors behind this behavior. Our research aims to reveal the factors affecting corporate environmental irresponsibility from both internal and external perspectives. Inside enterprises, financial constraints will affect the degree of capital adequacy and thus affect the environmental behavior of enterprises. Externally, the fulfillment of corporate environmental responsibility will be affected by external regulatory pressure. Taking 399 A-share listed companies in China’s heavily polluting industries as the research objects, this paper empirically analyzes the influence paths and internal mechanisms of financial constraints and regulatory distance on corporate environmental irresponsibility, and it further divides regulatory distance into physical regulatory distance and power regulatory distance. This paper’s findings show that both financial constraints and physical regulatory distance were positively correlated with corporate environmental irresponsibility in China, and that the positive correlation between physical regulatory distance and corporate environmental irresponsibility was more significant in non-state-owned enterprises. In addition, financial constraints and regulatory distance have a complementary effect on corporate environmental irresponsibility. These findings can reduce the environmental risks posed by enterprises and help them to avoid environmental irresponsibility.

A Novel Superabsorbent Polymer from Crosslinked Carboxymethyl Tragacanth Gum with Glutaraldehyde: Synthesis, Characterization, and Swelling Properties

Nowadays, current global environmental problems include measures to eliminate or reduce the negative impact of chemicals from petroleum sources and, therefore, the use of materials from natural resources is increasingly recommended. In this context, natural-based superabsorbent polymers derived from polypeptides and polysaccharides have undergone chemical and biochemical modifications to improve their ability to absorb and retain large amounts of liquids. In the present paper, a new process has been used to overcome the side effects of radical polymerization in the manufacture of conventional polyacrylate superabsorbents (SAPs). Tragacanth gum (TG) was selected to prepare a new superabsorbent material (CMTG-GA) based on carboxymethyl tragacanth (CMTG) crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA). The characterization of the polymer was carried out by FTIR, TGA, XRD, and SEM. The effect of the amount of crosslinking agent and the pH on the water absorption capacity was also examined. Subsequently, swelling studies were performed using free swelling capacity (FSC) and centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) techniques in distilled water, tap water, and saline solution. The results showed that the CRC of the new material is not less than 42.1 g/g, which was observed for a ratio of 20% by weight of GA to CMTG. Likewise, the maximum absorption results were 43.9 and 32.14 g/g, respectively, for FSC and CRC at pH 8.0. In addition, a comparison of the swelling capacities of the synthesized product with a commercial SAP extracted from a baby diaper, well known in the Moroccan market, showed that the performances were very similar.

Geoethics in the Scenario of the Geological Society in Brazil

The development model assumed by human society over the last century is opposed to the Earth system’s resilience, which has resulted in global environmental problems such as global warming, desertification, depredation of geoheritage, etc. The concept of geoethics, proposed in 1993, was initially associated with ethical principles to mining and environmental, social and economic issues inherent to the exploration of these resources. Over the last few years, geoethics has turned to education, proposing a reflection on the way human beings relate to the geosphere, and particularly on the way geologists work during their academic and professional activities. In Brazil, geoethics entered the Brazilian Society of Geology scenario only from the end of the second decade of the 20th century and promoted changes in the academic and professional spheres.

Renewable Butanol Production via Catalytic Routes

Fluctuating crude oil price and global environmental problems such as global warming and climate change lead to growing demand for the production of renewable chemicals as petrochemical substitutes. Butanol is a nonpolar alcohol that is used in a large variety of consumer products and as an important industrial intermediate. Thus, the production of butanol from renewable resources (e.g., biomass and organic waste) has gained a great deal of attention from researchers. Although typical renewable butanol is produced via a fermentative route (i.e., acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation of biomass-derived sugars), the fermentative butanol production has disadvantages such as a low yield of butanol and the formation of byproducts, such as acetone and ethanol. To avoid the drawbacks, the production of renewable butanol via non-fermentative catalytic routes has been recently proposed. This review is aimed at providing an overview on three different emerging and promising catalytic routes from biomass/organic waste-derived chemicals to butanol. The first route involves the conversion of ethanol into butanol over metal and oxide catalysts. Volatile fatty acid can be a raw chemical for the production of butanol using porous materials and metal catalysts. In addition, biomass-derived syngas can be transformed to butanol on non-noble metal catalysts promoted by alkali metals. The prospect of catalytic renewable butanol production is also discussed.

MgO-Based Board Materials for Dry Construction Are a Tool for More Sustainable Constructions—Literature Study and Thermal Analysis of Different Wall Compositions

Growing global environmental problems force us to think about their impact and search for ways to protect the environment. While the construction industry and the production of construction materials contribute to environmental pollution, they also offer great potential for addressing many environmental problems. Important opportunities exist in the use and processing of a whole host of industrial and construction waste and in the use of mineral resources. Among such mineral resources is magnesite, whose deposits in Slovakia are abundant. The current sustainability trends impose strict requirements on construction materials and products, favoring solutions with sufficient ecological and efficiency performance characteristics. With this focus on efficient and sustainable solutions in mind, the objective of this research was to analyze magnesium oxide construction boards, as they are the most commonly used construction product based on MgO. The specific MgO-based boards that were studied were applied in selected constructions built using the so-called dry method of construction and were compared with traditional material solutions. The research methodology is based on an analysis of computational models of the proposed variants to determine selected thermal-technical parameters. The analyses of external and interior structures presented in this work suggest that when boards based on MgO and traditional materials are used for coating constructions built using the dry method of construction, the former provide certain benefits in terms of energy accumulation, improving living comfort, and in terms of the fire resistance of constructions, improving overall safety. The conclusion of the presented article is devoted to discussions with works that addressed various perspectives on the application of MgO in the field of materials research. The findings from this analysis are beneficial especially in terms of expanding the knowledge in the area.

The concept of “environmental sustainability” in scientific and information space

The main idea of the study is based on the assumption that the level of representation of a term in scientific journals and articles can represent the main stages of this term formation in scientific discourse. The analysis of the representation of the term “environmental sustainability” in open access scientific journals provides an opportunity to explore the basic patterns of development the idea of environmental sustainability in certain areas of knowledge. The aim of the study is to analyze statistical data on the use of the term “environmental sustainability” in scientific journals to outline the scope of scientific content of environmental sustainability in scientific and information space. The analysis was carried out in two directions: the use of the term in certain areas of research; general presentation of the term in the scientific apparatus of articles. It is established that the leading factors of general social content, which led to the emergence of the concept of ecological sustainability in scientific texts, were global environmental problems. The dynamics of using the term over the past few decades is described and three main stages of this concept implementation in the scientific and information space are identified: fragmentary, gradual stability and dynamic.

Effect of Silane Treatments on Mechanical Performance of Kenaf Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites: A Review

Natural cellulosic fibres, such as kenaf, can be used in polymeric composites in place of synthetic fibres. The rapid depletion of synthetic resources such as petroleum and growing awareness of global environmental problems associated with synthetic products contribute to the acceptance of natural fibres as reinforcing material in polymer composite structures. In Africa and Asia, kenaf is considered a major crop used for various cordage products such as rope, twine, and burlap and in construction, it is used for thermal insulation of walls, floors, and roofs and soundproofing solutions. In the furniture and automotive industry, it is used to manufacture medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and other composite materials for structural applications. Kenaf is primarily composed of cellulose (approximately 40 to 80%), which accounts for its superior mechanical performance. Kenaf fibres are chemically treated before mixing with the polymer matrix to improve their fibre interaction and composite performance. The alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution is the most frequently used chemical treatment, followed by a silane treatment. Numerous chemical concentrations of NaOH and silane solutions are investigated and several combined treatments such as alkaline-silane. The present review discusses the effect of silane treatments on the surface of kenaf fibre on the fabrication of polymer composites and their mechanical properties.

Plastic Biodegradation through Insects and their Symbionts Microbes: A Review

Plastic waste has recently been identified as one of the most serious environmental issues, affecting all life forms, natural habitats, and the economy, and is one of the most serious global environmental problems, second only to climate change. Seeking alternative environmentally sustainable options, such as biodegradation instead of conventional disposal, is critical in the face of this challenge. However, there is currently a lack of information about the mechanisms and efficacy of plastic biodegradation. From this perspective, this study aims to illustrate the negative environmental impacts of the plastic waste. It also addresses the role of insects and gut microbiota in the degradation of plastics, emphasizing the important role they will play in the future.