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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
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
Topic Review
ESG and Digital Transformation for Healthcare Systems
Organizations worldwide have confronted these new challenges of sustainable finance by incorporating environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors and digital transformation (DT) in their innovation business strategies. 
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Natural capital is the wealth of nations that determine their economic status. Worldwide, vulnerable people depend on natural capital for employment, salaries, wealth, and livelihoods and, in turn, this determines the developmental index of the nation to which they belong. In this short review, we have tried to sum up the ideas and discussions over natural capital’s role in ascribing economic status to countries as well as the need for natural resource management and sustainability. This paper aimed to discuss how humanity’s prosperity is intertwined with the services that ecosystems provide, and how poor natural resource management (NRM) has adversely affected human well-being. Our preselected criteria for the review paper led us to evaluate 96 peer-reviewed publications from the SCOPUS database, which is likely the most comprehensive archive of peer-reviewed scientific literature as well as WoS, PUBMED, and Google Scholar databases. Our review revealed that the availability of ecological services is crucial for clean water and air, food and fodder, and agricultural development. We further discussed important concepts regarding sustainability, natural capital and economics, and determinants of human well-being vis-à-vis the intergenerational security of natural wealth. To ensure current and future human well-being, we conclude that an in-depth understanding of the services that ecosystems provide is necessary for the holistic management of the Earth system. 
  • 1.8K
  • 14 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Individual and Political Action on Climate Change
Individual and political action on climate change can take many forms. Many actions aim to build social and political support to limit, and subsequently reduce, the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, with the goal of mitigating climate change. Other actions seek to address the ethical and moral aspects of climate justice, especially with regard to the anticipated unequal impacts of climate change adaptation.
  • 1.8K
  • 31 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Wetland Resources in South Africa
Wetlands are important ecosystems with physical and socioeconomic benefits. A wetland is defined as an area of soil covered with water or has water close to its surface all year or at some periods of the year. They are necessary for people’s livelihoods but not usually considered important.
  • 1.8K
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Climate-Smart Agriculture of Hungarian Agribusiness
Climate change and agriculture interact with each other in many ways and have a complex impact. The agriculture sector needs to be prepared to adapt to the expected effects of climate change, and emphasis must be placed on prevention to achieve emission reduction targets. The research explores the current situation in the agricultural sector, the risks of climate change, as well as the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) solutions that appear at Hungarian agribusiness. Examining the climate innovation activities of farms shows a coherence of the practical application. The research is based on a questionnaire survey of Hungarian agribusiness and the country directorates of the National Chamber of Agriculture. The investigation confirmed that although farmers are susceptible to Agri-Innovation, they only partly exploit the potential of digitalization. For agriculture, the spread of agricultural digitalization and technology transfer is an excellent opportunity to increase agricultural production, maintain and improve its market position, and increase its digital maturity, which can also enhance the integration of climate innovation and sustainability aspects supporting the green economic development.
  • 1.8K
  • 24 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Cathode Materials of Sodium-Metal Chloride Batteries
The widespread electrification of various sectors is triggering a strong demand for new energy storage systems with low environmental impact and using abundant raw materials. Batteries employing elemental sodium could offer significant advantages, as the use of a naturally abundant element such as sodium is strategic to satisfy the increasing demand.
  • 1.8K
  • 08 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Biodegradable Polymer-Supported Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts
During the past two decades, immobilization of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a well-known photocatalyst, on several polymeric substrates has extensively gained ground since it limits the need of post-treatment separation stages. Taking into account the numerous substrates tested for supporting TiO2 photocatalysts, the use of biodegradable polymer seems a hopeful option owing to its considerable merits, including the flexible nature, low price, chemical inertness, mechanical stability and wide feasibility. 
  • 1.8K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
EcoHealth
EcoHealth (also referred to as Health Ecology) is an emerging field of study researching how changes in the earth’s ecosystems affect human health. It has many prospects. EcoHealth examines changes in the biological, physical, social and economic environments and relates these changes to human health. Examples of these changes and their effects abound. Common examples include increases in asthma rates due to air pollution, PCB contamination of game fish in the Great Lakes of the United States , and habitat fragmentation leading to increasing rates of Lyme disease. Recently virulent new infectious diseases such as SARS, Ebola virus, Nipah virus, bird flu and hantavirus have all been found to result from ecosystem change created by humans. These diseases have high death rates and very few effective therapies. EcoHealth is bringing together physicians, veterinarians, ecologists, life scientists, social scientists, agricultural scientists, landscape and urban planners, and others to study how ecosystem changes affect human health. EcoHealth strives to provide innovative, practical solutions to reduce or reverse the negative health effects of ecosystem change, and to use the salutogenic effects of functional ecosystems to improve public health.
  • 1.8K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Blockchain Technology in Waste Management
Implementing blockchain technology in waste management is a novel approach to environmental sustainability and accountability challenges in our modern world. Blockchain, a technology that enables decentralized and immutable ledgers, is being re-imagined as a tool to revolutionize waste management. This innovative approach aims to improve waste management transparency, traceability, and efficiency, resulting in significant environmental and economic benefits.
  • 1.8K
  • 11 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Real Driving Emissions
Air pollution caused by vehicle emissions has raised serious public health concerns. Vehicle emissions generally depend on many factors, such as the nature of the vehicle, driving style, traffic conditions, emission control technologies, and operational conditions. Concerns about the certification cycles used by various regulatory authorities are growing due to the difference in emission during certification procedure and Real Driving Emissions (RDE). Under laboratory conditions, certification tests are performed in a ‘chassis dynamometer’ for light-duty vehicles (LDVs) and an ‘engine dynamometer’ for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). As a result, the test drive cycles used to measure the automotive emissions do not correctly reflect the vehicle’s real-world driving pattern. Consequently, the RDE regulation is being phased to reduce the disparity between type approval and vehicle’s real-world emissions. According to this review, different variables such as traffic signals, driving dynamics, congestions, altitude, ambient temperature, and so on have a major influence on actual driving pollution. Aside from that, cold-start and hot-start have been shown to affect on-road pollution. Contrary to common opinion, new technology such as start-stop systems boost automotive emissions rather than decreasing them owing to unfavourable conditions from the point of view of exhaust emissions and exhaust after-treatment systems. In addition, the driving dynamics are not represented in the current laboratory-based test procedures. As a result, it is critical to establish an on-road testing protocol to obtain a true representation of vehicular emissions and reduce emissions to a standard level. The incorporation of RDE clauses into certification procedures would have a positive impact on global air quality. 
  • 1.8K
  • 02 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Lie Groups, Locally Compact Groups, and Pro-Lie groups
The principal concepts discussed here are various types of topological groups, Lie groups, and Pro-Lie Groups.
  • 1.8K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
The Environmental Impacts of Overpopulation
Overpopulation’s central role in environmental degradation is intermittently challenged. This article assesses the impact of mounting demographic pressures on six critical global sustainability challenges: deforestation, climate change, biodiversity loss, fishery depletion, water scarcity, and soil degradation. By synthesizing findings from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies, the article offers a comprehensive review of the effects of expanding human populations on the most pressing current environmental problems. Although the rate of population growth worldwide is slowing, human numbers are expected to continue increasing on Earth until the end of the century. Current research confirms that overpopulation causes substantial and potentially irreversible environmental impacts that cannot be ignored if international sustainability policy is to be effective.
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Apr 2025
Topic Review
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is an organic pollutant with persistence and carcinogenicity. They are universally present in the environment and food processing. Biological approaches toward remediating PAHs-contaminated sites are a viable, economical, and environmentally friendly alternative compared to conventional physical and/or chemical remediation methods. Recently, various strategies relating to low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) have been developed to enhance the microbial degradation of PAHs. However, the remaining challenge is to reveal the role of LMWOAs in the PAHs biodegradation process, and the latter limits researchers from expanding the application scope of biodegradation.
  • 1.8K
  • 24 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Analytical Methods for Dithiocarbamate Detection
Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) are a group of chemicals used primarily as fungicides, although they are exploited for various other applications. DTCs represent one of the oldest classes of broad-spectrum fungicides employed worldwide to control fungal diseases on many crops. Due to their ease of synthesis, low production costs (cheap and readily available starting materials) and a fungicidal activity with a multi-site mode of action, they are still among modern agriculture’s most extensively used pesticides. Although the environmental degradation in air, water, and soil is relatively rapid due to photolysis and/or hydrolysis, they are among the most frequently detected pesticides in the European Union (EU), also with a high frequency of maximum residue level (MRL) exceedances.
  • 1.8K
  • 27 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Biological Quality of Soils
As is it known, soil is the basis of all activity in which man is involved. At the same time, it is the key factor for the development of the life and biodiversity of the planet's flora and fauna. Hence, as result of global warming and climate change, ecological research has recently increased its importance on the bases that extensive forest areas, act as carbon sinks mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. But no less important for investigation should be to inquire under this plant cover. Because there is a totally unimaginable and diverse world that remains in constant interactions to keep alive and from the green covering habitat to the diverse forms from small mammals to man. Man in its early days learned to manage the soil with the aim of producing food. Afterwards the exponential growth of the population was produced, and a high demand for food, caused the expansion of livestock borders, caused the devastation of large areas of forests, and generated a great impact to the soil and ecosystem. As a result, the change in land use and the application of chemicals impoverished and impairs the soil and the life that inhabits it. This is why this work highlights the importance of the biological component of soil to the context of the Amazon of Ecuador. For this reason, is important to consider different organisms as Essential Indicators of Soil Quality, mainly for the tropical soil field. In order to reach this objective, we compiled information presenting it in tables. They facilitate the interpretation of the importance of species of organisms and parameters from a biological point of view. At the same time, they can be used as a theoretical basis for the development of projects and research aimed to the management of biological soil composites.
  • 1.8K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Forest Mapping
Forest mapping and inventories are essential for countries worldwide, and remote sensing makes it possible on temporal and spatial scales, especially for countries with little to no forest inventories. Remote sensing data, irrespective of their type (active or passive sensing), provide valuable information on forest stands, their composition, and their comparison with field-based conventional studies, and land cover mapping using remote sensing methods is used widely worldwide. With time, remote sensing makes it possible to precisely map forest dispersion on landscapes by correlating forest properties with other factors and mapping the species-level distribution of forests using fine spectral resolution imageries. Remote sensing data types, including optical, point-cloud (e.g., LiDAR), RADAR (e.g., Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)), and hyperspectral, can be used effectively to map forest types. Furthermore, researchers have designed algorithms for robust time-series mapping for vegetation change detection and monitoring systems for forest attributes using multiple sources and techniques. Lechner et al. described six key reasons why remote sensing is becoming important in forest studies, including (1) remote sensing imagery allows wall-to-wall mapping by providing a synoptic view of the area observation, (2) temporal data available anywhere and anytime you need, (3) homogeneity in remote sensing data, eradicating the possibility of human-induced errors, (4) remotely sensed data integrity and interoperability, (5) cost-effective data availability, and (6) readily available remote sensing data products, reducing the need of expertise.
  • 1.8K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases
Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are used for various applications, such as in refrigeration and air conditioning, as substitutes of the ozone-depleting substances. Their utilization has increased drastically over the last few decades, with serious consequences for global warming. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and several national and international legislations, such as the 2014 EU F-gas Regulation, aim to control the utilization and emissions of these gases. In the EU, the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) is underway, with successive reductions in quotas up to 2050. Under this scenario, efficient strategies for managing the produced and already existing F-gases are of vital importance to guarantee that their effect on the environment is mitigated. Up to now, most of the F-gases recovered from end-of-life equipment or when retrofitting systems are either released into the atmosphere or destroyed. However, in order to put forward a cost-efficient adaptation to the F-gas phase-down, increasing separation and recycling efforts must be made.
  • 1.8K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Târnave Vineyard
Located at the intersection of the geographical coordinates of 46°–47° Northern latitude and 23°–24° Eastern longitude, Târnave vineyards are part of the viticultural zone 1 of Romania. They are situated on the Transylvanian Plateau. The most significant viticultural area of Transylvania, the prestigious Târnave vineyard, named so because most of the vineyards are located on the slopes that delineate the valleys of the rivers Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică, is known and appreciated for its quality wines with a specific flavor and a good sugar/acidity balance.
  • 1.8K
  • 11 Aug 2021
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