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Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
Combined Electrocoagulation and Adsorption Processes
The electrocoagulation (EC) process is a possible alternative to conventional wastewater treatment methods. Characteristics of the process, such as its flexibility, easy operation, no need for additional chemicals, and its ability to deal with different contaminants, have been increasing the interest in its implementation. The EC process found application in the treatment of different contaminated waters, and several studies have shown the potential of this technology. Adsorption (AD) is another attractive way of treating wastewaters due to the potential of using low-cost and environmentally friendly adsorbents. Due to their high surface area and well-developed pore structure, activated carbons are the most used adsorbents in wastewater treatment systems. The high price of activated carbon limits its application. The combination of the EC and AD processes can be used to amplify the advantages that each process presents in treating wastewaters. As a first step, the EC process reduces the pollutant loading and the suspended solids concentration, which can benefit the AD process by delaying the adsorbent saturation and preventing clogging. Additionally, each adsorption/regeneration cycle could result in the adsorbent losing some of its capacity; as a result, delaying adsorbent saturation helps to increase its useful life.
573
17 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Agents
Combating chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats with novel solutions reduces disasters and accident risks and, at the same time, aids sustainability.
573
16 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Three-Dimensional Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation for Cultural Heritage
In the cultural heritage field, point clouds, as important raw data of geomatics, are not only three-dimensional (3D) spatial presentations of 3D objects but they also have the potential to gradually advance towards an intelligent data structure with scene understanding, autonomous cognition, and a decision-making ability. The approach of point cloud semantic segmentation as a preliminary stage can help to realize this advancement.
573
09 Mar 2023
Topic Review
HCH Removal in a Biochar-Amended Biofilter
The biochar biofilter proved to be 96% efficient at cleaning HCH and its transformation products from drainage water, a significant improvement over classic biofilter that remove, on average, 68% of HCH. Although iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, such as Gallionella and Sulfuricurvum, were dominant in the biochar bed outflows, they were absent in sediments, which were rich in Simplicispira, Rhodoluna, Rhodoferax, and Flavobacterium. The presence of functional genes involved in the biodegradation of HCH isomers and their byproducts was confirmed in both systems. The high effectiveness of the biochar biofilter displayed in this study should further encourage the use of biochar in water treatment solutions, e.g., for temporary water purification installations during the construction of other long-term wastewater treatment technologies, or even as final solutions at contaminated sites.
572
10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
The New Green Challenge in Urban Planning
The creation of green areas within urban centers was born as a response to profoundly different problems, such as the demographic increase and the progressive urbanization of landscapes. Moreover, up to date, the genetics of plants has not been considered for urban contexts. Considering the multitude of urban contexts, purposes, and needs for which green spaces in cities are created, it is today very challenging to provide an exhaustive definition of ‘urban area’ and its relative ‘urban vegetation’, since the geographic, climatic, and resource-related opportunities, and constraints, are not equally distributed factors across the world and specific for each context. Furthermore, urban vegetation can also include cultural plant typology with agricultural interest related to food production, such as the horticultural species.
572
08 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Cryosphere
The cryosphere (from the Greek κρύος kryos, "cold", "frost" or "ice" and σφαῖρα sphaira, "globe, ball") is an all-encompassing term for those portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost). Thus, there is a wide overlap with the hydrosphere. The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system with important linkages and feedbacks generated through its influence on surface energy and moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrology, atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Through these feedback processes, the cryosphere plays a significant role in the global climate and in climate model response to global changes. The term deglaciation describes the retreat of cryospheric features. Cryology is the study of cryospheres.
572
15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
EDCs and Prostate Disease
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) belong to a heterogeneous class of environmental pollutants widely diffused in different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This implies that humans and animals are continuously exposed to EDCs from different matrices and sources. Moreover, pollution derived from anthropic and industrial activities leads to combined exposure to substances with multiple mechanisms of action on the endocrine system and correlated cell and tissue targets. For this reason, specific organs, such as the prostate gland, which physiologically are under the control of hormones like androgens and estrogens, are particularly sensitive to EDC stimulation. It is now well known that an imbalance in hormonal regulation can cause the onset of various prostate diseases, from benign prostate hyperplasia to prostate cancer.
571
21 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Arsenic Exposure via Contaminated Water and Food Sources
Arsenic poisoning constitutes a major threat to humans, causing various health problems. The presence of arsenic in ecosystems can originate from several natural or anthropogenic activities. Arsenic can be then gradually accumulated in different food sources, such as vegetables, rice and other crops, but also in seafood, etc., and in water sources (mainly in groundwater, but also to a lesser extent in surface water), potentially used as drinking-water supplies, provoking their contamination and therefore potential health problems to the consumers.
571
24 Jun 2022
Topic Review
The Influence of Heavy Metal
There are a multitude of sources of heavy metal pollution which have unwanted effects on this super organism, the soil, which is capable of self-regulation, but limited. Living a healthy life through the consumption of fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, edible products and by-products of animal origin, honey and bee products can sometimes turn out to be just a myth due to the contamination of the soil with heavy metals whose values, even if they are below accepted limits, are taken up by plants, reach the food chain and in the long term unbalance the homeostasis of the human organism. Plants, these miracles of nature, some with the natural ability to grow on polluted soils, others needing a little help by adding chelators or amendments, can participate in the soil detoxification of heavy metals through phytoextraction and phytostabilization.
571
04 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Controlling Factors of California Precipitation
Using observational data covering 1948–2020, the environmental factors controlling the winter precipitation in California were investigated. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was applied to identify the dominant climate regimes contributing to the precipitation. The first EOF mode described a consistent change, with 70.1% variance contribution, and the second modeexhibited a south–east dipole change, with 11.7% contribution. For EOF1, the relationship was positive between PC1(principal component) and SST (sea surface temperature) in the central Pacific Ocean, while it was negative with SST in the southeast Indian Ocean. The Pacific–North America mode, induced by the positive SST and precipitation in the central Pacific Ocean, leads to Californiabeing occupied by southwesterlies, which would transport warm and wet flow from the ocean, beneficial for precipitation. As for the negative relationship, California is controlled by biotrophically high pressure, representing part of the Rossby wave train induced by the positive SST in the Indian ocean, which is unfavorable for the precipitation. For EOF2, California is controlled by positivevorticity at the upper level, whereas at the lower level, there is positive vorticity to the south and negative vorticity to the north, the combination of which leads to the dipole mode change in the precipitation.
570
20 Aug 2021
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