Search results for "environment"
showing 10 items of 28487 documents
Resistant ammonia-oxidizing archaea endure, but adapting ammonia-oxidizing bacteria thrive in boreal lake sediments receiving nutrient-rich effluents
2018
Climate change along with anthropogenic activities changes biogeochemical conditions in lake ecosystems, modifying the sediment microbial communities. Wastewater effluents introduce nutrients and organic material but also novel microbes to lake ecosystems, simulating forthcoming increases in catchment loadings. In this work, we first used 16s rRNA gene sequencing to study how the overall sediment microbial community responds to wastewater in six boreal lakes. To examine forthcoming changes in the lake biogeochemistry, we focused on the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), and examined their functional and compositional community response to wastewater. Although we found the l…
Lake size and fish diversity determine resource use and trophic position of a top predator in high-latitude lakes
2015
Prey preference of top predators and energy flow across habitat boundaries are of fundamental importance for structure and function of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as they may have strong effects on production, species diversity, and food-web stability. In lakes, littoral and pelagic food-web compartments are typically coupled and controlled by generalist fish top predators. However, the extent and determinants of such coupling remains a topical area of ecological research and is largely unknown in oligotrophic high-latitude lakes. We analyzed food-web structure and resource use by a generalist top predator, the Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in 17 oligotrophic subarctic lakes…
Social innovation in a post-conflict setting : examining external factors affecting social service NGOs
2021
While the study of the influence of external environmental factors on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is well explored in the international development literature, the importance of these factors on NGOs’ transformative roles in a post-conflict development setting remains less understood. Nevertheless, external environmental factors could have a crucial impact on NGOs in such a context, especially when NGOs want to integrate a socially innovative approach into the social services they provide. Using survey data of staff members of social service NGOs from post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina (N = 120) and applying resource dependence theory, this study identifies three environmental f…
The Circularity of MSW in Urban Landscapes: An Evaluation Method for a Sustainable System Implementation
2022
The debate on the sustainable perspective of a circular economy and MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) management is no longer focused on the resolution of an emergency and on the pure technicality of creating efficient services. New light has been shed on the operational phase, as often unresolvable technical-environmental issues during service management lead to a state of decay, affecting urban vulnerability and users’ involvement. The research aims to develop an auxiliary tool for public administrations in planning a zero-waste future whilst enhancing the urban landscape. This study considers the perspective of virtuous management of the resource flow cycle along with evaluating implementable …
Efficiency of COVID-19 Testing Centers in Iran: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach
2022
AbstractObjective:The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in managing their nonmonetary resources involved in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response.Methods:For this purpose, the data envelopment analysis approach was used to measure the efficiency, considering the number of personnel and vehicles and screened passengers as the input and output parameters, respectively. It was examined the efficiency of 10 IRCS’s branches given 17 d of screening operation. For the analysis, the DEA SolverPro software 15a version was used.Results:The results show that only 1 branch had been fully efficient in using the resources, while 5 bra…
Aerosolization Performance of Jet Nebulizers and Biopharmaceutical Aspects
2019
In this work, 13 jet nebulizers, some of which in different configurations, were investigated in order to identify the biopharmaceutical constraints related to the quality attributes of the medicinal products, which affect their safety, efficiency, compliance, and effectiveness. The aerosolization parameters, including the aerosol output, aerosol output rate, mass median aerodynamic diameter, and fine particle fraction, were determined according to the European Standard EN 13544-1, using sodium fluoride as a reference formulation. A comparison between the aerosol output nebulization time and the fine particle fraction displayed a correlation between the aerosol quality and the nebulization …
Effects of E-Cigarette Exposure on Prenatal Life and Childhood Respiratory Health: A Review of Current Evidence
2021
In the last decade, widespread use of E-cigarettes (EC) has occurred all over the world. Whereas, a large amount of evidence on harm to children from conventional cigarette exposure is available, data on health effects in this population throughout different vulnerability windows are still a matter of concern. Exposure to EC during pregnancy may compromise placental function, resulting in fetal structural abnormalities. Specifically, this may cause physio-pathologic changes in the developing lung, which in turn may impair respiratory health later in life. Furthermore, there is evidence that using EC can cause both short- and long-term respiratory problems in the pediatric population and the…
La responsabilitat social universitària i la construcció d’una societat per a totes les edats
2019
espanolEl presente ensayo ofrece una reflexion sobre el rol que puede ejercer la responsabilidad social universitaria en la construccion de una sociedad para todas las edades, concepto propuesto por Naciones Unidas (1995a; 2003) e inspirado en los principios de respeto, proteccion, solidaridad intergeneracional e inclusion de las personas mayores. Durante anos las personas mayores representaron un grupo minoritario excluido y socialmente estigmatizado. En virtud de los avances cientificos y tecnologicos que han prolongado la vida, el progresivo aumento del numero de aquellas, a nivel mundial, ha suscitado la creacion de politicas en favor del respeto e igualdad social, que frenen la reprodu…
Rapid change in forms of inorganic nitrogen in soil and moderate weed invasion following translocation of wet meadows to reclaimed post‐industrial la…
2019
Anthropogenic expansion and loss of natural environments calls for the more sustainable use of resources, including land. To combine the conservation of highly valuable meadow habitat with reclamation of post‐industrial land, 1.3 ha of turf were translocated from an urban area to basins constructed near an abandoned quarry. In contrast to the usual method of choosing similar habitats as salvage sites, the selected quarry possessed different environmental properties to the meadows, challenging their acclimatisation. To evaluate the project, we monitored three meadows (Molinion caeruleae alliance) for three seasons: immediately before the transfer and for 2 years afterwards. We recorded veget…
Photoinduced lethal and sublethal toxicity of retene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derived from resin acid, to coregonid larvae
2004
A comparative investigation on the acute phototoxicity of retene to vendace (Coregonus albula) and whitefish (C. lavaretus), both having pelagial larvae in spring, was conducted. To test the concept of early warning of sublethal biomarkers in relation to lethality to posthatch stages, we examined the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and retene on the levels of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) by exposing the animals to elevated levels of these factors for 48 and 72 h, respectively. Whereas UV-B and retene on their own were not lethal, simultaneous retene and UV-B exposure caused very high mortality to both species. The median lethal concentration (LC50; i.e., the c…