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Topic Review
5G for Climate Change Control
Climate change is one of the most challenging problems that humanity has ever faced. With the rapid development in technology, a key feature of 5G networks is the increased level of connectivity between everyday objects, facilitated by faster internet speeds with smart facilities indicative of the forthcoming 5G-driven revolution in Internet of Things (IoT).
  • 1.9K
  • 11 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Bacteriophages in Agriculture
Bacteriophages, more commonly referred to as phages, are a class of viruses discovered for their bactericidal effects even before the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics. An increasingly popular alternative to antibiotics is bacteriophages to control bacterial diseases. Their unique bactericidal properties make them an ideal alternative to antibiotics, as many countries begin to restrict the usage of antibiotics in agriculture. The recent evidence from within the past decade on the efficacy of phage therapy on common foodborne pathogens are analyzed, namely, Escherica coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter jejuni. 
  • 1.9K
  • 21 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanoides L.) in Phytoremediation
The increase of the global population and the requirement of food production and agricultural development, combined with a lack of water resources, have led to human attention being drawn to unconventional water sources, including saline water and wastewater. Most unconventional water treatment methods are not cost-effective; however, researchers have become interested in the phytoremediation method due to its cost-efficient and eco-friendly removal of many pollutants. Research showed that due to its unique characteristics, vetiver grass can be useful in phytoremediation. 
  • 1.9K
  • 02 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Trends in Emission of Marine Traffic Haifa Port
The vessel fleet calling at Israel ports mainly comprises vessels that have a lower engine tier grade (i.e., Tier 0 and 1), which is considered a heavy contributor to nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution. The entry recommends an additional cost charged (selective tariff) to reflect the external social cost linked to the single vessel air pollution combined with supportive technological infrastructure and economic incentive tools (e.g., electric subsidy) to attract or influence vessel owners to assign vessels equipped with new engine tier grades for calls at Israeli ports.
  • 1.9K
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Cadmium Pollution in Rice- and Wheat- Cropping Systems
The accumulation of cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a serious threat to the safe use of farmland and to the health of the human diet that has attracted extensive attention from researchers. Cadmium toxicity reduces the uptake and transport of essential elements in rice and wheat. Cadmium stress seriously affected the growth and morphology of plant roots. In the shoots, Cd toxicity was manifested by a series of physiological injuries, such as decreased photosynthesis, soluble protein, sugar, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Cadmium that accumulates in the shoots is transferred to grains and then passes up the food chain to people and animals.
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Global Climate Coalition
The Global Climate Coalition (GCC) (1989–2001) was an international lobbyist group of businesses that opposed action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and publicly challenged the science behind global warming. The GCC was the largest industry group active in climate policy and the most prominent industry advocate in international climate negotiations. The GCC was involved in opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, and played a role in blocking ratification by the United States. The coalition knew it could not deny the scientific consensus, but sought to sow doubt over the scientific consensus on climate change and create manufactured controversy. The GCC dissolved in 2001 after membership declined in the face of improved understanding of the role of greenhouse gases in climate change and of public criticism.
  • 1.9K
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Nitrogen Compounds Prediction
The prediction of nitrogen not only assists in monitoring the nitrogen concentration in streams but also helps in optimizing the usage of fertilizers in agricultural fields. A precise prediction model guarantees the delivering of better-quality water for human use, as the operations of various water treatment plants depend on the concentration of nitrogen in streams
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
100,000-Year Problem
The 100,000-year problem ("100 ky problem", "100 ka problem") of the Milankovitch theory of orbital forcing refers to a discrepancy between the reconstructed geologic temperature record and the reconstructed amount of incoming solar radiation, or insolation over the past 800,000 years. Due to variations in the Earth's orbit, the amount of insolation varies with periods of around 21,000, 40,000, 100,000, and 400,000 years. Variations in the amount of incident solar energy drive changes in the climate of the Earth, and are recognised as a key factor in the timing of initiation and termination of glaciations. While there is a Milankovitch cycle in the range of 100,000 years, related to Earth's orbital eccentricity, its contribution to variation in insolation is much smaller than those of precession and obliquity. The 100,000-year-problem refers to the lack of an obvious explanation for the periodicity of ice ages at roughly 100,000 years for the past million years, but not before, when the dominant periodicity corresponded to 41,000 years. The unexplained transition between the two periodicity regimes is known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, dated to some 800,000 years ago. The related "400,000-year-problem" refers to the absence of a 400,000-year periodicity due to orbital eccentricity in the geological temperature record over the past 1.2 million years. The transition in periodicity from 41,000 years to 100,000 years can now be reproduced in numerical simulations that include a decreasing trend in carbon dioxide and glacially induced removal of regolith, as explained in more detail in the article Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
  • 1.9K
  • 08 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Carbon Footprint Initiatives
One of the most significant environmental aspects is the issue of climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions generated by human activities. Given the importance of this topic, this paper gathers initiatives and methodologies that have been undertaken to calculate and reduce CO2 emissions and climate change effects. After studying these methodologies, their strengths and opportunities for further enhancement have been analyzed. 
  • 1.9K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Overview of Extracellular Polymeric Substances
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are complex extracellular polymers with high molecular weight, which are metabolic products of microorganisms and result from effluent organic matter and microbial lysis or hydrolysis. EPS were proved to have the ability to absorb and biodegrade certain substances. The main components in EPS were found to influence the properties of microbial floccules, such as transfer, surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, and aggregate stability. 
  • 1.9K
  • 17 Oct 2022
Topic Review
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent about 650 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the petroleum industry. The association describes its mission as to influence public policy in support of a strong, viable U.S. oil and natural gas industry. API's chief functions on behalf of the industry include advocacy, negotiation and lobbying with governmental, legal, and regulatory agencies; research into economic, toxicological, and environmental effects; establishment and certification of industry standards; and education outreach. API both funds and conducts research related to many aspects of the petroleum industry. The current CEO and president is Mike Sommers.
  • 1.9K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Management Strategies of Microplastics in Groundwater Environments
Microplastic contamination has become widespread in natural ecosystems around the globe as a result of the tremendous rise in plastic production over the past. However, microplastic pollution in marine and riverine habitats has received more attention than that of terrestrial environments or even groundwater. The most prevalent types of plastic detected in groundwater are polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate, and fibers and fragments represent the most commonly found shapes. The vertical transportation of microplastics in agricultural soils can affect groundwater aquifer systems, which is detrimental to those who use groundwater for drinking as well as to microorganisms present in the aquifers.
  • 1.9K
  • 22 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Orbital Effects on Climate
There are various solar/celestial effects that exist which have an effect on Earth's climate. These effects usually occur in cycles, and primarily include how Earth's obliquity, the eccentricity of Earth's orbit, and the precession of the equinoxes and solstices affect Earth's climate. In addition to these effects, there are also other factors that have an effect on Earth's climate. These other factors include how sun activity affects climate and how celestial phenomena, such as meteors, affect Earth's climate. Some of these factors aren't yet well understood, for instance the ice ages occur on 100,000 year cycles, and it's not completely understood why the various effects with this periodicity have such a strong effect on glaciation (see the 100,000-year problem).
  • 1.9K
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Economics of Global Warming
The economics of global warming concerns the economic aspects of global warming; this can inform policies that governments might consider in response. A number of factors make this a difficult problem from both economic and political perspectives: it is a long-term, intergenerational problem; benefits and costs are distributed unequally both within and across countries; and both scientific and public opinions need to be taken into account. One of the most important greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). Around 20% of carbon dioxide which is emitted due to human activities can remain in the atmosphere for many thousands of years. The long time scales and uncertainty associated with global warming have led analysts to develop "scenarios" of future environmental, social and economic changes. These scenarios can help governments understand the potential consequences of their decisions. The impacts of climate change include the loss of biodiversity, sea level rise, increased frequency and severity of some extreme weather events, and acidification of the oceans. Economists have attempted to quantify these impacts in monetary terms, but these assessments can be controversial. The two main policy responses to global warming are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (climate change mitigation) and to adapt to the impacts of global warming (e.g., by building levees in response to sea level rise). Another policy response which has recently received greater attention is geoengineering of the climate system (e.g. injecting aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight away from the Earth's surface). One of the responses to the uncertainties of global warming is to adopt a strategy of sequential decision making. This strategy recognizes that decisions on global warming need to be made with incomplete information, and that decisions in the near term will have potentially long-term impacts. Governments might choose to use risk management as part of their policy response to global warming. For instance, a risk-based approach can be applied to climate impacts which are difficult to quantify in economic terms, e.g., the impacts of global warming on indigenous peoples. Analysts have assessed global warming in relation to sustainable development. Sustainable development considers how future generations might be affected by the actions of the current generation. In some areas, policies designed to address global warming may contribute positively towards other development objectives. In other areas, the cost of global warming policies may divert resources away from other socially and environmentally beneficial investments (the opportunity costs of climate change policy).
  • 1.9K
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Wastewater Fecal Pollution Management
Global water scarcity has led to significant dependence on reclaimed or recycled water for potable uses. Effluents arising from human and animal gut microbiomes highly influence water quality. Wastewater pollution is, therefore, frequently monitored using bacterial indicators (BI).
  • 1.8K
  • 16 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Wegman Report
The Wegman Report (officially called the Ad Hoc Committee Report on the 'Hockey Stick' Global Climate Reconstruction) was prepared in 2006 by three statisticians led by Edward Wegman at the request of Rep. Joe Barton of the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce to validate criticisms made by Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick of reconstructions of the temperature record of the past 1000 years, in particular the reconstructions by Mann, Bradley and Hughes which had become the focus of the hockey stick controversy.
  • 1.8K
  • 08 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Biofortification
Biofortification is the process of increasing the number of vitamins and minerals in a crop; it can be carried out via agronomic techniques, transgenic technology, or plant breeding. The most practical and sustainable method for addressing the nutritional issue is biofortification, which involves enhancing the nutrients in common foods. This method is likely to reach rural residents who have limited access to a range of dietary options or other micronutrient therapies by the use of biofortified crops. 
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Civitas (Think Tank)
Civitas: The Institute for the Study of Civil Society is a United Kingdom think tank working on issues related to democracy and social policy.
  • 1.8K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Physical Algae Removal Technology
The most commonly used techniques for algae removal by physical methods include mechanical methods, shading technology methods, air flotation, clay flocculation, ultrasonic methods, filtration, ultraviolet irradiation, and adsorption.
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Heavy Metal Soil Contamination Detection Using Geochemistry and Field Spectroradiometry
Technological advances in hyperspectral remote sensing have been widely applied in heavy metal soil contamination studies, as they are able to provide assessments in a rapid and cost-effective way. The present work investigates the potential role of combining field and laboratory spectroradiometry with geochemical data of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) in quantifying and modelling heavy metal soil contamination (HMSC) for a floodplain site located in Wales, United Kingdom. The study objectives were to: (i) collect field- and lab-based spectra from contaminated soils by using ASD FieldSpec® 3, where the spectrum varies between 350 and 2500 nm; (ii) build field- and lab-based spectral libraries; (iii) conduct geochemical analyses of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd using atomic absorption spectrometer; (iv) identify the specific spectral regions associated to the modelling of HMSC; and (v) develop and validate heavy metal prediction models (HMPM) for the aforementioned contaminants, by considering their spectral features and concentrations in the soil. Herein, the field- and lab-based spectral features derived from 85 soil samples were used successfully to develop two spectral libraries, which along with the concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd were combined to build eight HMPMs using stepwise multiple linear regression. The results showed, for the first time, the feasibility to predict HMSC in a highly contaminated floodplain site by combining soil geochemistry analyses and field spectroradiometry. The generated models help for mapping heavy metal concentrations over a huge area by using space-borne hyperspectral sensors. The results further demonstrated the feasibility of combining geochemistry analyses with filed spectroradiometric data to generate models that can predict heavy metal concentrations.
  • 1.8K
  • 30 Oct 2020
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