Topic Review
Methylmercury in Aquatic Environments
Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most important and the most abundant organic Hg pollutant in the aquatic ecosystem that can affect human health through biomagnification. It is the most toxic organic Hg form, which occurs naturally and by human-induced contamination in water and is further biomagnified in the aquatic food web. MeHg is the only Hg form that accumulates in living organisms and is able to cross the blood–brain barrier, presenting an enormous health risk. Anthropogenic activity increases eutrophication of coastal waters worldwide, which promotes algae blooms. Microalgae, as primary producers, are especially sensitive to MeHg exposure in water and are an important entrance point for MeHg into the aquatic food web. MeHg assimilated by microalgae is further transferred to fish, wildlife and, eventually, humans as final consumers. MeHg biomagnifies and bioaccumulates in living organisms and has serious negative health effects on humans, especially newborns and children.
  • 490
  • 07 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Land Use Land Cover Modeling
Land use land cover (LULC) modeling is considered as the best tool to comprehend and unravel the dynamics of future urban expansion.
  • 888
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Sediment and Particulate 137Cs Budget Studies
This basin is one of the most radioactively contaminated and studied in Central Russia. Over the past three decades, under the conditions of the decreasing snowmelt runoff in the spring and reduced share of cultivated land over the post-Soviet period, the intensity of the 137Cs transfer has decreased. The 137Cs deposit losses associated with erosion activities do not exceed a few percent. 
  • 342
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review
The NifA–NifL System for Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen–fixing bacteria execute biological nitrogen fixation through nitrogenase, converting inert dinitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere into bioavailable nitrogen. Elaborating the molecular mechanisms of orderly and efficient biological nitrogen fixation and applying them to agricultural production can alleviate the “nitrogen problem”. Azotobacter vinelandii is a well–established model bacterium for studying nitrogen fixation, utilizing nitrogenase encoded by the nif gene cluster to fix nitrogen. In Azotobacter vinelandii, the NifA–NifL system fine–tunes the nif gene cluster transcription by sensing the redox signals and energy status, then modulating nitrogen fixation. 
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Reducing CO2 in Passivhaus-Adapted Affordable Tropical Homes
On average, houses including those in the tropics are responsible for almost 39% of the global carbon emission caused by non-renewables, first and foremost by fuel. Looking at the worldwide map of residential buildings’ contribution compared with commercial, the worldwide national maximum of 33.5% CO2 of housing is caused by residential buildings in Uzbekistan. In an overwhelming number of most countries, their values are significantly lower, due to comparably lower energy demand than commercial buildings and because affordable homes increasingly use small PV to cater for their own basic needs. However, with the rising temperature and a likewise growing imperative to cool homes from about 30 °C onwards basically by split-unit air conditioners, the residential houses’ portion of CO2-emission might dramatically increase to survive such more common hot periods in the future. In combination with air conditioners needing some airtightness, the first purpose of this entry is to show that by 2050 in tropical regions, there will be no alternative to relatively airtight houses if the temperatures rise at the present speed. This is one alternative to an uncontrollable and life-threatening migration of millions of people to cooler but still livable regions in 2050. To trigger necessary changes toward homes that can better avert the heat, using the method of qualitative comparative content analysis, passive houses (PH) have emerged as adaptations to the tropical climate. Therefore, the second purpose of this in-depth study with the perspective of social science, is to reveal a comparative closer qualitative look at the tropicalized PH-approach. It is probably the most civilized building energy-saving strategy on the planet and can systematically keep the threatening increasing heat outside. However, before utilizing the concept, herein need to investigate why PH-technology as a whole concept with all its modules discussed earlier has been very slow to “go South” into the tropical region (the original PH will be referred to as “PH1”). The reason is that some qualitative differences of the more affordable and more simplistic tropicalized “PH2” make it easier and more realistic to penetrate the market, without letting go meaningful R&D-insights of PH1. As a probably facilitating future solution, the result is the triple-tabled option to utilise more synergies between the usually closed PH1 and the more open and flexibly naturally ventilated PH2. Unlike the PH-platform, ZEMCH is a related concept which tries to cater specifically to the significantly growing market for lower-income homes to go for carbonless energy. The conclusion is that scaling for residential buildings as mass products using passive house technology in combination with ZEMCH could turn out to become an important topic. It comprises the question in how far low or no carbon affordable homes based on the PH-concept in combination with ZEMCH-applications also may come into play as standard and to help mother Earth’s struggle for survival.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Application of Nanomaterials in Enhanced Oil Recovery
The implementation of nanoparticles in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques is a novel method that has proven to increase the recovery of oil in place more than conventional EOR processes in most cases. The main aim of integrating nanoparticles in EOR methods is to boost the performance of each EOR technique by enhancing one or more parameters or mechanisms related to the recovery method. Sometimes, adding nanoparticles to the EOR method might reduce oil recovery due to porosity reduction, injection blockage, aggregation, and settling problems. The utilization of nanomaterials in several EOR applications comes with many benefits, such as IFT reduction, wettability alteration, and mobility improvement.
  • 832
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Effects of Organic Amendments on Solanum tuberosum L.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the third most important food crop worldwide, after rice and wheat. The potato is one of the crops that produce more food per unit of time, water and area, even in more adverse climates in comparison with any other crop. It is also characterized by its extraordinary ability to adapt to different soil and climate conditions, occupying a leading role in the global food chain, and thus being considered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a food security crop. Likewise, the increase in world population leads to uncertainties in the food supply chain and it shows the need for high-yield crops.
  • 430
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Evolution of ENCFC in China
Since the implementation of Ecological Noncommercial Forest Certification (ENCFC) in China, it has achieved certain ecological, social and economic results. The domestic and foreign literature to study the development of ENCFC in China was reviewed here, which is led and implemented by the Chinese government.
  • 426
  • 01 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Tailing Covering Technology for Oxidation Prevention
Water and oxygen are the main reactants to produce Acid mine drainage (AMD), and the inhibition methods should consider controlling the availability of one or two components. Therefore, two strategies are adopted: (i) preventing oxygen from entering the tailings pile and thus reducing the rate of sulfide oxidation; and (ii) isolating the infiltration of external water and thus weakening the role of dissolved oxygen. According to different coverage principles, tailing cover systems can be divided into dry covers, wet covers, and organic covers.
  • 348
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Aquaculture-Integrated Agriculture Systems
Multiple uses of water aquaculture-integrated agriculture systems (AIAS) are inevitable to produce more food per drop of water to address water shortage, food insecurity, and climate change. Pond-based AIA could aid in increasing productivity, income for food producers and soil fertility, ecosystem maintenance, and adaptation to environmental change. AIAS helps adapt to and mitigate climate change by reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing pressure on water resources, and recycling nutrients.
  • 577
  • 31 Jan 2023
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