| 1. |
- Sumaila, U. Rashid, et al.
(författare)
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WTO must ban harmful fisheries subsidies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 374:6567, s. 544-544
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 2. |
- Zafar, Waqar Ali, et al.
(författare)
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Time series subsidence evaluation using NSBAS InSAR: a case study of twin megacities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) in Pakistan
- 2024
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Earth Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-6463. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ground deformation associated with natural and anthropogenic activities can be damaging for infrastructure and can cause enormous economic loss, particularly in developing countries which lack measuring instruments. Remote sensing techniques like interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) can thus play an important role in investigating deformation and mitigating geohazards. Rawalpindi and Islamabad are twin cities in Pakistan with a population of approximately 5.4 million, along with important government and private entities of national and international interest. In this study, we evaluate rapid paced subsidence in this area using a modified small baseline subset technique with Sentinel-1A imagery acquired between 2015 and 2022. Our results show that approximately 50 mm/year subsidence occurs in the older city of Rawalpindi, the most populated zone. We observed that subsidence in the area is controlled by the buried splays of the Main Boundary Thrust, one of the most destructive active faults in the recent past. We suggest that such rapid subsidence is most probably due to aggressive subsurface water extraction. It has been found that, despite provision of alternate water supplies by the district government, a very alarming number of tube wells are being operated in the area to extract ground water. Over 2017–2021, field data showed that near-surface aquifers up to 50–60 m deep are exhausted, and most of the tube wells are currently extracting water from depths of approximately 150–160 m. The dropping water level is proportional to the increasing number of tube wells. Lying downstream of tributaries originating from the Margalla and Murree hills, this area has a good monsoon season, and its topography supports recharge of the aquifers. However, rapid subsidence indicates a deficit between water extraction and recharge, partly due to the limitations inherent in shale and the low porosity near the surface lithology exposed in the area. Other factors amplifying the impacts are fast urbanization, uncontrolled population growth, and non-cultivation of precipitation in the area.
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| 3. |
- Alsaffar, Abdul Kareem K., et al.
(författare)
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Development of eco-friendly wall insulation layer utilising the wastes of the packing industry
- 2023
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 9:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efficient thermal insulation materials considerably lower power consumption for heating and cooling of buildings, which in turn minimises CO2 emissions and improves indoor comfort conditions. However, the selection of suitable insulation materials is governed by several factors, such as the environmental impact, health impact, cost and durability. Additionally, the disposal of used insulation materials is a major factor that affects the selection of materials because some materials could be very toxic for humans and the environment, such as asbestos-containing materials. Therefore, there is a continuous research effort, in both industry and academia, to develop sustainable and affordable insulation materials. In this context, this work aims at utilising the packing industry wastes (cardboard) to develop an eco-friendly insulation layer, which is a biodegradable material that can be disposed of safely after use. Experimentally, wasted cardboard was collected, cleaned, and soaked in water for 24 h. Then, the wet cardboard was minced and converted into past papers, then cast in square moulds and left in a ventilated oven at 75 °C to dry before de-moulding them. The produced layers were subjected to a wide range of tests, including thermal conductivity, acoustic insulation, infrared imaging and bending resistance. The obtained results showed the developed material has a good thermal and acoustic insulation performance. Thermally, the developed material had the lowest thermal conductivity (λ) (0.039 W/m.K) compared to the studied traditional materials. Additionally, it successfully decreased the noise level from 80 to about 58 dB, which was better than the efficiency of the commercial polyisocyanurate layer. However, the bending strength of the developed material was a major drawback because the material did not resist more than 0.6 MPa compared to 2.0 MPa for the commercial polyisocyanurate and 70.0 MPa for the wood boards. Therefore, it is recommended to investigate the possibility of strengthening the new material by adding fibres or cementitious materials.
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| 4. |
- Andersen, M. S., et al.
(författare)
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To facilitate a fair bioeconomy transition, stronger regional-level linkages are needed
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biofuels Bioproducts & Biorefining-Biofpr. - : Wiley. - 1932-104X .- 1932-1031. ; 16:4, s. 929-941
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The great hopes in Brussels that a circular bioeconomy will help bridge the growing divide between urban and rural areas and allow the hinterlands to prosper from 'green growth' are addressed in this article, which reflects on insights from three Nordic case studies of brown, green and blue biomass use at different levels of technology readiness. A closer examination of the forward, backward, fiscal and final demand linkages at regional level from increased biomass utilization, from eastern Finland and northern Sweden to Jutland and North Atlantic islands, suggests that linkages are and will remain relatively weak, predominantly dashing the expectations. As suppliers and exporters of natural resources, disadvantaged regions may all too easily get locked into a 'staples trap', where the value creation evaporates owing in part to the steep start-up costs and the associated boom-and-bust cycles, which place them in a weak position vis-a-vis the resource manufacturers and consumers. To make the prospects of development, employment and prosperity in the hinterlands materialize, measures are needed to strengthen the regional-level economic linkages. Regional-level revolving funds based on benefit-sharing instruments related to natural resources can be used to bolster economic development, as reflected in such schemes present in both China and Canada. We call for further research into whether and how such approaches can be replicated successfully by channeling revenues from biomass cultivation to regional-scale revolving funds, with mandates to strengthen long-term economic linkages and prosperity within the hinterlands. (c) 2022 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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| 5. |
- Batool, Atika, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis of Polyoxometalates-Ionic Liquids@Fe3O4@SiO2 composites for the extraction of atrazine and deltamethrin pesticides residues from food samples and their determination by HPLC
- 2024
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Ingår i: Microchemical journal (Print). - : Elsevier. - 0026-265X .- 1095-9149. ; 200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The excessive use of pesticides in food production has adverse effects on both the environment and human health. In the present study, atrazine and deltamethrin were employed as pesticides in the cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers, and brinjal. The HPLC method was utilized for thesimultaneous determination of these two pesticides, employing a cleanup approach based on polyoxometalates (POMs)ionic liquids magnetic nanocompositesCuILPOM-Fe3O4@SiO2 and ZnILPOM-Fe3O4@SiO2. These magnetic nanocomposites were synthesized and subjected to comprehensive characterization using various analytical techniques, including fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), UV–visible spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction(P-XRD),transmission electron microscope(TEM),scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy (EDX),thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and rheology. Thedispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) method was effectively employed for the extraction of pesticidesresidues using CuILPOM-Fe3O4@SiO2 and ZnILPOM-Fe3O4@SiO2. Under the optimized conditions, the linear concentration ranges for atrazine and deltamethrin were found to be 0.01–100.0 µg/L and 0.05–100 µg/L, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R2) for both compounds was notably high at 0.997 and 0.994, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.01 µg/L to 0.05 µg/L, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) fell within the range of 5.1 % to 7.2 %. Ultimately, the method's performance in various food samples was assessed, resulting in satisfactory recoveries ranging from 80.9 % to 98.6 %.
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| 6. |
- Kaur, Parminder, et al.
(författare)
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Photoelectrocatalytic treatment of municipal wastewater with emerging concern pollutants using modified multi-layer catalytic anode
- 2023
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 339
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Municipal wastewater contains emergent chemical and biological pollutants that are resistant to conventional wastewater treatments. Therefore, the focus of the current study was to address the challenge of removing emergent chemical and biological pollutants present in municipal wastewater. To achieve this, a photo electro-catalytic (PEC) treatment approach was employed, focusing on the removal of both micro and biological pollutants that are of emergent concern, as well as the reduction of Chemical Oxidation Demand (COD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). The treatment involved the use of a modified multi-layer catalytic anode photo-electroactive anode as an effective anode for PEC treatment of municipal wastewater. In the continuous mode of operation, %COD removal was optimized for the treatment of municipal wastewater under Ultra-Violet C (UVc), 280 nm, and Visible (Vis) radiation, 400 nm. Therefore, a comparative study was performed to investigate the effect of Vis radiation on %COD removal, micropollutants removal, and disinfection of municipal wastewater. Micropollutants present in municipal wastewater were effectively oxidized/degraded with the highest reduction rate between 100% and 80% under the influence of UVc and Vis radiation respectively by the PEC treatment process. Disinfection of various microorganisms present in the wastewater with the effect of UVc and Vis assisted PEC treatment was also monitored. Overall, 75–80% of the disinfection of municipal wastewater was contributed by the modified multi-layer catalytic anode. The UVc in the PEC system, contributes approximately 20–25% to the overall disinfection of municipal wastewater.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Zaher, Yumna, 1991-, et al.
(författare)
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Protein based nanomedicine : Promising therapeutic modalities against inflammatory disorders
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nanoselect. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2688-4011. ; 3:4, s. 733-750
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The safe and targeted delivery of pharmaceutical formulations has relied exten-sively on synthetic chemistry and other physicochemical approaches. Theresearch paradigm is now especially changing towards green (or environmentallyfriendly) approaches, and several biopolymer-based nanocarriers are marked asemerging nanomedicine tools. These have been developed to overcome problemswith conventional drug carriers, which induce severe side effects, especially dueto non-specificity with detrimental effects on non-targeted normal healthy cells.In addition, the phagocytosis of classic nanoparticles (NPs) and their degrada-tion associated with the formation of oxygen radicals by the immune systemare significant barriers for drug delivery. In this regard, protein nanocarriersappear as a promising approach to escape unwanted immune reactions. More-over, these protein-based NPs are generally non-toxic, biodegradable, and evencost-effective. As a less appreciated advantage, the surface properties of proteinsare easily modified. There are, however, several challenges and limiting choicesto make when choosing the type of modification to enable effective drug delivery.Here, we shed light on the role of protein nanocarriers for enhancing the bioavail-ability of different anti-inflammatory drugs, including better macrophage target-ing and overcoming biological barriers. This insight helps one to understandtheir broad utility in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and bridges thegap between naturaltherapeutic products and nanotechnology-based deliveryapproaches, creating perhaps an optimal blend to meet some of our most per-sistent healthcare problems.
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