924 results on '"Environmental media"'
Search Results
2. Advances in researches on migration and transformation behavior of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances precursors in the environment
- Author
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Xiaohui JIN and Ni YAN
- Subjects
pfas ,precursor ,existence ,transport ,transformation ,environmental media ,Geology ,QE1-996.5 - Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) precursors are indirect sources of many PFAS in the environment, widely utilized in various fields such as food packaging, firefighting foams, metal plating, textile coatings, and pesticides. Due to the transformation of PFAS precursors in the environment and limitations in analytical testing methods, PFAS precursors are often neglected. The biological toxicity of PFAS precursors has been confirmed, including their interference with normal fetal development, induction of immunotoxicity, and cell apoptosis in the mother's body. Moreover, PFAS precursors can transform into stable PFAS, posing sustained hazards to the ecological environment and biological health. Investigating the transport and transformation behavior of PFAS precursors in different environmental media is crucial to their contaminant control. Based on recent researches, this study provides a comprehensive review of the major sources and existence characteristics of PFAS precursors, as well as their transport and transformation behaviors in environmental media such as the atmosphere, soil, and water bodies. The results indicate that PFAS precursors have been widely detected in water bodies, soils, suspended particulate matter (SPM), sediments, and the atmosphere worldwide. During the transport process, water bodies are the main carriers of PFAS precursors, while soils, SPM, and sediments mainly play a role in retention. In addition, long-distance transport through the atmosphere is an important source of pollution in extreme areas. Furthermore, the retention and migration of PFAS precursors in environmental media often accompany transformation, resulting in producing PFAS that endangers the ecological environment and biological health continuously. This article reviews the research progress on the migration and transformation of PFAS precursors in the environment, aiming to provide the basis for the pollution prevention and control of PFAS precursors and PFAS.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Distribution and Management of Residual Antibiotics in the Litopenaeus vannamei Shrimp Farming Environment: Recommendations for Effective Control.
- Author
-
Li, Feipeng, Xie, Siyu, Wang, Mingzhu, Chen, Ling, and Yu, Haixiang
- Subjects
- *
WHITELEG shrimp , *SHRIMP culture , *TETRACYCLINES , *DISTRIBUTION management , *ANTIBIOTIC residues , *ANTIBIOTICS - Abstract
This study specifically focused on Litopenaeus vannamei and examined the distribution of residual antibiotics in various components of shrimp ponds throughout an aquaculture cycle. The findings revealed that aquaculture feed served as the primary source of antibiotics, continuously introducing them into the ponds throughout the entire production cycle. A multimedia distribution model for antibiotics in the ponds was established based on the principle of mass balance. The distribution characteristics of six antibiotics with higher levels in the feed, namely, sulfamethoxazole (SMX), norfloxacin (NOF), levofloxacin (LEOF), tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and chlortetracycline (CTC), were investigated in the pond water, sediment, and shrimp. At the end of the cultivation period, the total antibiotic residues accounted for 65~80% in various media, with the sediment containing 50~60% of the distribution proportion (p < 0.01), which was identified as the primary reservoir for most antibiotics, with LEOF and NOF accounting for the highest proportions (45.78% and 50.29%, respectively). Based on the model's findings and the allowable daily dosage of antibiotics, recommendations were made for the effective control of antibiotic residues in shrimp farming management. To address the significant net loss of sulfonamides (SAs) and tetracyclines (TCs) in aquaculture production, it is crucial to carefully regulate their dosages and administration methods. Implementing eco-friendly additives and regularly cleaning surface sediments can aid in reducing antibiotic residue levels in various environmental media, thereby mitigating the environmental impact on aquaculture production activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Modern slavery legislation and the limits of ethical fashion.
- Author
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Lusty, Natalya and Richards, Harriette
- Subjects
- *
SLAVERY laws , *FASHION , *SUPPLY chains , *CONSUMER ethics - Abstract
The introduction of the Australian Modern Slavery Act in 2018 has important implications for the fashion sector and the supply chains that it furnishes. However, it also introduces an added layer of complexity to the already crowded space of ethical fashion information. This article investigates how fashion consumers navigate the increasingly complex landscape of ethical fashion against the backdrop of new legislation and alongside the moral imperatives and pressures of environmental media. Research into sustainable fashion often suggests that more reporting, more transparency, more information is necessary in order to educate consumers about ethical options. However, our survey and interview data illustrate that even the most informed and knowledgeable consumers find it difficult to navigate the information that is available, often becoming overwhelmed when it comes to buying ethically. Taking seriously the competing demands driving ethical consumption, we argue that understanding how the mechanisms of failure operate in the ethical fashion landscape, particularly feelings of shame and guilt, can give us greater knowledge of fashion consumer attitudes and practices. This, in turn, may lead to a better awareness of the needs of conscious consumers as well as the limits of ethical fashion. We advocate for an acknowledgment of consumer imperfection to shift away from pathologizing the consumer or the commodity itself and to focus instead on the consumer's thwarted relationship with the means of production and the complicated global networks of engagement that inform ethical consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. 全氟及多氟烷基化合物前体物质在环境中迁移与 转化行为研究进展.
- Author
-
金宵卉 and 阎 妮
- Abstract
Copyright of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology / Shuiwendizhi Gongchengdizhi is the property of Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. A Review of Distribution and Profiles of HBCD in Different Environmental Media of China.
- Author
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Deng, Jinglin, Liu, Wenbin, Gao, Lirong, Jia, Tianqi, He, Yunchen, Mao, Tianao, and Hussain, Javid
- Subjects
- *
FIREPROOFING agents , *CITIES & towns , *ISOMERS , *BIOTIC communities , *POLYSTYRENE - Abstract
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is the most important flame retardant that has been used in Expanded Polystyrene foam and Extruded Polystyrene foam in the past forty years across the world. China was the major producer and user of HBCD, and the total HBCD production was about 0.3 million tons. Although HBCD was completely banned in China in 2021 because of its long-range transport, bioaccumulation and toxicity, there is still a lot of residue in the environment. Therefore, we reviewed multiple studies concerning the distribution of HBCD in diverse environmental matrices, such as in the air, dust, soil, water, sediment, and biota. Results revealed that HBCD levels in different environments in China present geographical variation and were at a high level compared with other countries. In all environmental media, relatively high HBCD concentrations have been found in industrial and urban areas. Industrialization and urbanization are two important factors that influence the concentration and distribution of HBCD in the environment. In terms of isomer, γ-HBCD was the dominant isomer in soil, water, and sediment, while in the biota α-HBCD was the predominant isomer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Insect media and photography: An interview with Jussi Parikka.
- Author
-
Parikka, Jussi, Mangalanayagam, Nina, and Wolthers, Louise
- Abstract
Among one of the main inspirations for the research behind this Special Issue is Jussi Parikka's 2010 book Insect Media: An Archeology of Animals and Technology. In this interview, the guest editors, Nina Mangalanayagam and Louise Wolthers, ask Professor Parikka to revisit some of the book's core issues in relation to digital photography and the current media landscape in general. The conversation also revolves around artificial intelligence (AI), bugs, mimicry, contemporary art as well as scale and operational images, which reflect Parikka's recent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Whales for Sale: A Content Analysis of American Whale-Watching Operators' Websites.
- Author
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Reamer, Marcus, Macdonald, Catherine, Wester, Julia, and Shriver-Rice, Meryl
- Subjects
WHALE watching ,ECOTOURISM ,WHALES ,CONTENT analysis ,WEBSITES - Abstract
Digital media, particularly websites, have become a critical component of wildlife tourism experiences, especially during the pretour information-seeking stage. With a focus on whale watching, this study used a grounded theory approach to identify, categorize, and investigate the common themes, text, and images used on 178 whale-watching operator websites across six geographic regions in the US. The results of a content analysis suggest that operators who are predominantly small business owners focus their marketing strategies on elements of their tour offerings and operator characteristics to distinguish themselves from competitors rather than emphasizing the whales themselves, conservation actions, or educational opportunities, catering to a segment of entertainment-oriented rather than sustainability-oriented guests. Ecolabel-certified operators in the sample mentioned conservation and educational topics more, though the information provided could still use improvement. We discuss implications and opportunities for the continued study of media related to whale watching and other marine wildlife tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Impacts of Agricultural Pesticide Contamination: An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rural Communities of Eswatini.
- Author
-
Msibi, Sithembiso Sifiso, Su, Lihchyun Joseph, Chen, Chung-Yu, Chang, Cheng-Ping, Chen, Chiou-Jong, Wu, Kuen-Yuh, and Chiang, Su-Yin
- Subjects
ATRAZINE ,ECOLOGICAL risk assessment ,PESTICIDES ,LIQUID chromatography-mass spectrometry ,AGRICULTURE ,ENVIRONMENTAL health ,PESTICIDE residues in food ,RISK assessment - Abstract
Marked reductions in mean annual rainfall associated with climate change in Eswatini in Southern Africa have encouraged the recycling of irrigation water and the increased use of pesticides in agricultural production, raising concerns about potential ecological and health risks due to long-term exposure to pesticide residues in soil and irrigation water. This probabilistic integrated risk assessment used liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the concentrations of four commonly used agricultural pesticides (ametryn, atrazine, pendimethalin, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)) in irrigation water and topsoil samples from farmlands in Eswatini to assess potential ecological and health risks due to exposure. The concentrations of these pesticides ranged from undetectable to 0.104 µg/L in irrigation water and from undetectable to 2.70 µg/g in soil. The probabilistic multi-pathway and multi-route risk assessments conducted revealed hazard indices exceeding 1.0 for all age groups for ametryn and atrazine, suggesting that the daily consumption of recycled irrigation water and produce from the fields in this area may pose considerable health risks. The indices pertaining to ecological risks had values less than 0.1. Adaptation measures are recommended to efficiently manage pesticide use in agriculture, and further research will ensure that agriculture can adapt to climate change and that the general public and ecosystem are protected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Farm media: An introduction.
- Author
-
Kish, Zenia and Peters, Benjamin
- Subjects
- *
AGRICULTURE , *FARMS , *MEDIATION , *AGRICULTURAL intensification , *MEDIA studies , *SCHOLARLY method - Abstract
This essay introduces the first special issue to explore the subject of farm media, which the authors identify as the multiple forms of mediation—representational, infrastructural, and elemental—that reproduce the modern agri-food system. Through this multi-lens framework, media scholars are invited to take the farm seriously as a site of analysis, particularly the recent transformation of agriculture through intensive datafication and its accompanying socio-technical and environmental dimensions. The essay launches these lines of inquiry by reviewing relevant interdisciplinary scholarship, particularly in media studies and critical agrarian studies, and introduces contributor essays exploring the multi-mediation of the farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. The whole earth and apartheid: Media, peer-production, segregation.
- Author
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Pringle, Thomas Patrick
- Subjects
- *
TELECOMMUNICATION systems , *APARTHEID , *APPROPRIATE technology , *MEDIA studies , *ARCHIVAL materials , *AGRICULTURE , *RURAL poor - Abstract
This article revisits arguments in new media studies regarding how the Whole Earth Catalog and publications from the appropriate technology (AT) movement established models of networked media communication antecedent to peer-production. By emphasizing the agricultural pedagogy of back-to-the-land and rural developmental print-based communication networks, this article traces how a group of White, educated South African environmentalists, the Environmental and Development Agency (EDA), produced humanitarian AT manuals to circulate in the segregated areas of apartheid in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Reading together archival materials with Stuart Hall's theoretical response to the historiography of imperialism and land dispossession in South Africa, Pringle argues that EDA's print-based media communication network enacted a cultural effort consistent with what would become peer-production, and that this case study is instructive for contemporary critiques of capital-intensive digital agriculture in postcolonial contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. On Agricultural Techniques: Broadcast , precision , and the media of culture.
- Author
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Miles, Christopher
- Subjects
- *
AGRICULTURE , *PRECISION farming , *MEDIA studies , *CULTURAL industries , *DIGITAL media , *PEASANTS - Abstract
Following the advent of precision agriculture in the context of an emerging informatic ideal in farming, digital media technologies of virtually every kind are now increasingly employed in agrarian contexts, making entanglements of media and agriculture explicit and critical scholarship needed. Such developments have significant political, ethical, and ecological consequences media scholars are uniquely positioned to engage across multiple axes. Yet dedicated work in media studies on agriculture is limited. Accordingly, this article advances an argument for a media studies of agriculture that attends to both contemporary and historical insinuations of these two culture industries, employing (1) the agriculturally rooted media concept of cultural techniques and (2) brief histories of the media-agricultural concept of broadcasting and its relation to imperatives for precision "targeting" as a means for framing and exploring such connections toward future work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Topography as the Groundwork for Landscape Design --Interview With Karen M'Closkey and Keith VanDerSys.
- Author
-
M'CLOSKEY, Karen and VANDERSYS, Keith
- Abstract
Copyright of Landscape Architecture Frontiers is the property of Higher Education Press Limited Company and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Distribution and Management of Residual Antibiotics in the Litopenaeus vannamei Shrimp Farming Environment: Recommendations for Effective Control
- Author
-
Feipeng Li, Siyu Xie, Mingzhu Wang, Ling Chen, and Haixiang Yu
- Subjects
antibiotics ,aquaculture ponds ,environmental media ,distribution ,management ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Genetics ,QH426-470 - Abstract
This study specifically focused on Litopenaeus vannamei and examined the distribution of residual antibiotics in various components of shrimp ponds throughout an aquaculture cycle. The findings revealed that aquaculture feed served as the primary source of antibiotics, continuously introducing them into the ponds throughout the entire production cycle. A multimedia distribution model for antibiotics in the ponds was established based on the principle of mass balance. The distribution characteristics of six antibiotics with higher levels in the feed, namely, sulfamethoxazole (SMX), norfloxacin (NOF), levofloxacin (LEOF), tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and chlortetracycline (CTC), were investigated in the pond water, sediment, and shrimp. At the end of the cultivation period, the total antibiotic residues accounted for 65~80% in various media, with the sediment containing 50~60% of the distribution proportion (p < 0.01), which was identified as the primary reservoir for most antibiotics, with LEOF and NOF accounting for the highest proportions (45.78% and 50.29%, respectively). Based on the model’s findings and the allowable daily dosage of antibiotics, recommendations were made for the effective control of antibiotic residues in shrimp farming management. To address the significant net loss of sulfonamides (SAs) and tetracyclines (TCs) in aquaculture production, it is crucial to carefully regulate their dosages and administration methods. Implementing eco-friendly additives and regularly cleaning surface sediments can aid in reducing antibiotic residue levels in various environmental media, thereby mitigating the environmental impact on aquaculture production activities.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. THE ROLE OF VISUAL AND PRINTED MEDIA IN RAISING AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AND POLLUTION.
- Author
-
RAHEEM, MOHAMMED DHAFIR, JABER AL-TALQANY, MUTHANA ABRAHIM, HUSSEIN AL-KHAFAJI, FORQAN AIL, and AL HUSSAIN KADHEM, JAAFAR ABD
- Subjects
CONSCIOUSNESS raising ,ENVIRONMENTAL risk ,RISK perception ,POLLUTION ,SUSTAINABLE development - Abstract
Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Law & International Relations / Relações Internacionais no Mundo is the property of Relacoes Internacionais no Mundo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2023
16. THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN SPREADING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AMONG STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP.
- Author
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Mecheri Mohamed, NACER
- Subjects
CITIZENSHIP ,AWARENESS ,ENVIRONMENTAL education ,STUDENTS ,STUDENT health services - Abstract
This study aims at identifying the nature of environmental citizenship and the role of university in spreading environmental awareness among students through the introduction of environmental culture. Moreover, it explores the methods to develop this culture through environmental education. Another aspect that this study identifies is the role of environmental media as far as the orientation toward descriptive method of analysis is concerned through administering a questionnaire. The latter is composed of three axes that were applied to a sample of 32 forms distributed to a group of master students (first year) in various fields of economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Friction and Wear Behavior of NM500 Wear-Resistant Steel in Different Environmental Media.
- Author
-
Wang, Guobo, Zhao, Hao, Zhang, Yu, Wang, Jie, Zhao, Guanghui, and Ma, Lifeng
- Subjects
FRICTION ,FRETTING corrosion ,SLIDING wear ,ADHESIVE wear ,LOW alloy steel ,DRY friction ,OPTICAL interference - Abstract
The study aims to investigate the influence of environmental media on the friction and wear behavior of low-alloy wear-resistant steels and to provide practical references for their application. This article conducted sliding wear tests on NM500 wear-resistant steel under different loads under air atmosphere, deionized water, and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution conditions. Someone quantitatively measured the friction coefficient and wear amount of each friction pair. The present study employed scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and a white light interference three-dimensional surface profiler to analyze the surface structure, cross-sectional morphology, element distribution, and wear mechanism of the wear scars under various experimental conditions. The results show that: In deionized water, NM500 has the best wear resistance, while the dry state is the worst. The lubricating and cooling effect of the liquid, as well as the corrosive effect of the NaCl solution, play an essential role in the wear behavior of NM500. Under dry friction conditions, the wear mechanism of NM500 is principally adhesive wear, fatigue wear, and oxidation wear. In the case of wear testing in deionized water, the researchers characterized the dominant wear mechanism as adhesive wear in conjunction with fatigue wear and abrasive wear. In contrast, when they carried out the wear testing in NaCl solution, the wear mechanism was primarily driven by corrosion wear and adhesive wear, with only a minor contribution from fatigue wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. In-between
- Author
-
Willim, Robert, author
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Policy Approaches to Green Film Practices: Local Solutions for a Planetary Problem
- Author
-
Vaughan, Hunter, Hansen, Anders, Series Editor, Depoe, Steve, Series Editor, Kääpä, Pietari, editor, and Vaughan, Hunter, editor
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. "Environmental media" in the cloud: The making of critical data center art.
- Author
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Hogan, Mél
- Subjects
- *
ART centers , *ART movements , *EXHIBITIONS , *SERVER farms (Computer network management) - Abstract
Despite the numerous projects and exhibitions dedicated to technology and Internet infrastructure, "Data Center Studies" has not yet fully grappled with art's role in the wider intervention critical scholarship is making via the data center—as object, cultural image, sociotechnical imaginary, site, metaphor, and concept. In this article, I weave in artworks and insights from artists to make a theoretical intervention about what constitutes environmental media "in the cloud," and how a critique of Internet infrastructure has spurred a critical data center art movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. A Review of Distribution and Profiles of HBCD in Different Environmental Media of China
- Author
-
Jinglin Deng, Wenbin Liu, Lirong Gao, Tianqi Jia, Yunchen He, Tianao Mao, and Javid Hussain
- Subjects
HBCD ,occurrence and distribution ,environmental media ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is the most important flame retardant that has been used in Expanded Polystyrene foam and Extruded Polystyrene foam in the past forty years across the world. China was the major producer and user of HBCD, and the total HBCD production was about 0.3 million tons. Although HBCD was completely banned in China in 2021 because of its long-range transport, bioaccumulation and toxicity, there is still a lot of residue in the environment. Therefore, we reviewed multiple studies concerning the distribution of HBCD in diverse environmental matrices, such as in the air, dust, soil, water, sediment, and biota. Results revealed that HBCD levels in different environments in China present geographical variation and were at a high level compared with other countries. In all environmental media, relatively high HBCD concentrations have been found in industrial and urban areas. Industrialization and urbanization are two important factors that influence the concentration and distribution of HBCD in the environment. In terms of isomer, γ-HBCD was the dominant isomer in soil, water, and sediment, while in the biota α-HBCD was the predominant isomer.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Denaturalizing the Image: An Interview with Susan Schuppli.
- Author
-
Lee-Morrison, Lila
- Subjects
LANDSCAPES ,SEMIOTICS ,VIDEO art - Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Time, disaster, new media: Your Name as a mind-game film.
- Author
-
Teng, Tim Shao-Hung
- Subjects
DISASTERS ,ANIMATED films ,CLOUD computing ,SOCIAL media ,WEAVING - Abstract
This essay argues that by deploying the mind-game tropes of body swap and time travel, the Japanese animated film Your Name poses questions of time, memory, and mediation that must be considered in light of the 2011 national disaster. To take up these questions, I juxtapose three lines of interrogation that situate the film at varying timescales. The first analyzes the film's use of myth to construct a unified timeline that ensures the continuation of national history. This national time, however, is warped into a cosmic scheme. Expounding on the trope of musubi or weaving, the second, mind-game inquiry thus philosophizes time beyond the national framework to better account for the protagonists' task of historical rescue through radical experiments with fate and contingency. Inspired by the film's portrayal of skies and clouds, the final inquiry foregrounds the naturalized environment of new media technologies that engages time and memory beyond and beneath the human perceptual frame. To conclude, I provide some critical notes that ask how an ecologically attuned mind-game paradigm anticipates alternative modes of social imagination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Occurrence and combined exposure of phthalate esters in urban soil, surface dust, atmospheric dustfall, and commercial food in the semi-arid industrial city of Lanzhou, Northwest China.
- Author
-
Zhang, Qian, Wang, Lijun, and Wu, Qianlan
- Subjects
PHTHALATE esters ,DUST ,URBAN soils ,EMISSIONS (Air pollution) ,HEALTH risk assessment ,ATMOSPHERIC deposition ,GAS chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) - Abstract
A total of 138 samples including urban soil, surface dust, atmospheric dustfall, and commercial food were collected from the semi-arid industrial city of Lanzhou in Northwest China, and 22 phthalate esters (PAEs) were analyzed in these samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the pollution characteristics, potential sources, and combined exposure risks of PAEs. The results showed that the total concentration of 22 PAEs (Ʃ 22 PAEs) presented surface dust (4.94 × 10
4 ng/g) ≫ dustfall (1.56 × 104 ng/g) ≫ food (2.14 × 103 ng/g) ≫ urban soil (533 ng/g). Di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP), di-isobutyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-isononyl phthalate/di-isodecyl phthalate were predominant in the environmental media and commercial food, being controlled by priority (52.1%–65.5%) and non-priority (62.1%) PAEs, respectively. Elevated Ʃ 22 PAEs in the urban soil and surface dust was found in the west, middle, and east of Lanzhou. Principal component analysis indicated that PAEs the urban soil and surface dust were related with the emissions of products containing PAEs, atmosphere depositions, and traffic and industrial emissions. PAEs in the foods were associated with the growth and processing environment. The health risk assessment of United States Environmental Protection Agency based on the Chinese population exposure parameters indicated that the total exposure dose of 22 PAEs was from 0.111 to 0.226 mg/kg/day, which were above the reference dose (0.02 mg/kg/day) and tolerable daily intake (TDI, 0.05 mg/kg/day) for DEHP (0.0333–0.0631 mg/kg/day), and TDI (0.01 mg/kg/day) for DNBP (0.0213–0.0405 mg/kg/day), implying that the exposure of PAEs via multi-media should not be ignored; the total non-carcinogenic risk of six priority PAEs was below 1 for the three environmental media (1.21 × 10−5 –2.90 × 10−3 ), while close to 1 for food (4.74 × 10−1 –8.76 × 10−1 ), suggesting a potential non-carcinogenic risk of human exposure to PAEs in food; the total carcinogenic risk of BBP and DEHP was below 1 × 10−6 for the three environmental media (9.13 × 10−10 –5.72 × 10−7 ), while above 1 × 10−4 for DEHP in food (1.02 × 10−4 ), suggesting a significantly carcinogenic risk of human exposure to DEHP in food. The current research results can provide certain supports for pollution and risk prevention of PAEs. [Display omitted] • Twenty-two phthalate esters (PAEs) were detected in urban soil, surface dust, dustall and food. • Di-n/iso-butyl, di(2-ethylhexyl) and di-isononyl/di-isodecyl phthalates were dominant. • PAEs in environment media were from various emissions and atmospheric depositions. • PAEs in foodstuffs were mainly related to the growth and processing environment. • Di-n/iso-butyl and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalates in food presented certain health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Impacts of Agricultural Pesticide Contamination: An Integrated Risk Assessment of Rural Communities of Eswatini
- Author
-
Sithembiso Sifiso Msibi, Lihchyun Joseph Su, Chung-Yu Chen, Cheng-Ping Chang, Chiou-Jong Chen, Kuen-Yuh Wu, and Su-Yin Chiang
- Subjects
pesticides ,agriculture ,liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry ,environmental media ,multimedia model ,health risk ,Chemical technology ,TP1-1185 - Abstract
Marked reductions in mean annual rainfall associated with climate change in Eswatini in Southern Africa have encouraged the recycling of irrigation water and the increased use of pesticides in agricultural production, raising concerns about potential ecological and health risks due to long-term exposure to pesticide residues in soil and irrigation water. This probabilistic integrated risk assessment used liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the concentrations of four commonly used agricultural pesticides (ametryn, atrazine, pendimethalin, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)) in irrigation water and topsoil samples from farmlands in Eswatini to assess potential ecological and health risks due to exposure. The concentrations of these pesticides ranged from undetectable to 0.104 µg/L in irrigation water and from undetectable to 2.70 µg/g in soil. The probabilistic multi-pathway and multi-route risk assessments conducted revealed hazard indices exceeding 1.0 for all age groups for ametryn and atrazine, suggesting that the daily consumption of recycled irrigation water and produce from the fields in this area may pose considerable health risks. The indices pertaining to ecological risks had values less than 0.1. Adaptation measures are recommended to efficiently manage pesticide use in agriculture, and further research will ensure that agriculture can adapt to climate change and that the general public and ecosystem are protected.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides in the parasite Cosmocerca sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) and the amphibian host Amietophrynus regularis (Reuss, 1833) within Lagos metropolis, Nigeria
- Author
-
Okechukwu Martin Okeagu, Bamidele Akinsanya, Patrick Omoregie Isibor, Josephine Daniel-Rugu, Abiodun Benedict Onadeko, Babangida Yalwaji, and Khalid Olajide Adekoya
- Subjects
Depurative potential ,Bioaccumulation ,Environmental media ,Insecticides ,Lagos metropolis ,Toxicology. Poisons ,RA1190-1270 - Abstract
Background: Amphibian species are being threatened worldwide and chemical pollution is one of the leading causes of this decline. The use of agrochemicals such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) among the several health and ecological challenges it causes, the sharp amphibian population decline is most pressing.Toad specimens Amietophrynus regularis were sampled from three (3) selected areas; each comprising of natural habitat and dumpsites within Lagos metropolis. Methods: The congeners of organochlorine pesticides were tested in the liver, intestine, and parasite (Cosmocerca sp.) of the toads and soil samples from the respective locations using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC–MS). Histopathological analyses were conducted on the intestines and liver of the toads using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain and then examined under the binocular dissecting microscope. Results: The concentration of aldrin in the intestine of A. regularis sampled at the dumpsites was higher than the concentrations in the intestines of A. regularis in the natural habitat. The concentrations of dieldrin in the uninfected A. regularis at both dumpsite and natural habitat were higher than the concentrations in the infected A. regularis at both environments. This indicated that the parasite Cosmocerca sp. may have played a depurative role in sequestering the concentration of dieldrin in the toads irrespective of the location. The parasites exhibited marked sequestration capacity characterized by the notably high total bioaccumulation rate both in the liver and the intestine at the dumpsite. The stunted villi being the common histological alteration in the infected and uninfected toads at the dumpsite but missing in the uninfected counterparts at the natural habitat may be attributed to the differences in the background concentration of the OCP congeners. Conclusions: The parasite- Cosmocerca sp. has been shown to be a potential tool in the biomonitoring of these OCP congeners which persists in the environment. Continuous research on these congeners is a searchlight to checkmate the environment to see how compliant industries and the consumers are in terms of regulation of these chemicals.
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- 2022
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27. A review of the application of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography MS-based techniques for the analysis of persistent organic pollutants and ultra-trace level of organic pollutants in environmental samples
- Author
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Vaye Oliver, Ngumbu Rafael Sarji, and Xia Dan
- Subjects
comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography ,mass spectrometry ,persistent organic pollutants ,environmental media ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Analysis of complex samples in environmental matrices poses extreme challenge for analytical chemists as the number of known and unknown compounds are numerous and have varying physical and chemical properties. The introduction, over the past decade, of comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography (GC × GC) paired with mass spectrometry (MS) has tremendously changed the analytical profiles of ultra-trace levels of organic pollutants from different environmental media. This review article provides a summary of selected articles using comprehensive 2D GC/MS-based methodologies from January 2014 to August 2019. The applications of various MS detectors, such as single (Q) and triple (QqQ) quadrupole, low resolution and high resolution time-of-flight (TOF), and the hybrid (quadrupole TOF-MS), coupled to GC × GC, and their benefits for analyzing persistent and emerging organic pollutants when applied to different environmental matrices were discussed. Emphasis was given to reviewing some applications of GC × GC-electron capture detector (ECD) and GC × GC-μECD within the specified period as these detectors have improved selectivity and sensitivity toward halogenated (bromine and chloride) compounds found in ultra-trace levels of environmental media.
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- 2022
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28. Seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in an urban slum
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Min-Li Chua, Md. Nazmul Ahsan, Akira Sakai, Shigeo Fujii, Shotaro Goto, Michiya Kodera, and Hidenori Harada
- Subjects
children ,environmental media ,escherichia coli ,fecal exposure assessment ,quantitative microbial risk assessment (qmra) ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Seasonal and gender impacts have not been well considered in fecal exposure assessment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study examined the seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in children through daily living activities in an urban slum in Bangladesh. We determined Escherichia coli concentrations in seven types of environmental samples (n = 232) and the activity data of children via diary recording, questionnaires, and interview surveys. Daily and monthly exposures were stochastically estimated for drinking, eating, pond bathing, well bathing, and hand-to-mouth contact. Of the five pathways, pond bathing and drinking contributed a large part of the daily and monthly exposure. Significant seasonal differences were observed in daily exposures for bathing, which were higher in the rainy season (2.59 × 102 CFU/day for boys and 6.19 × 10−1 CFU/day for girls) than in the dry season (1.69 × 102; 4.30 × 10−2), because of longer pond bathing time and more contaminated bathing water in the rainy season. In contrast, eating had significantly higher exposure in the dry season (3.71 × 10; 3.22 × 10) than the rainy season (1.50 × 10; 1.24 × 10) due to the higher dish contamination. Significantly higher daily exposure was observed in the bathing for boys than girls, as boys spent longer time for bathing at a heavily contaminated pond. HIGHLIGHTS Seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure were studied in a slum in Bangladesh.; Escherichia coli levels of seven types of samples and activity data of children were collected.; Fecal exposure of children through five pathways was modeled by seasons and gender.; Drinking predominantly contributed to the exposure of girls regardless of seasons.; Boys’ preference to pond bathing caused the largest exposure in the rainy season.;
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- 2021
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29. Pharmaceutically active compounds in biotic and abiotic media of rivers receiving urban sewage: Concentrations, bioaccumulation and ecological risk.
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Zheng, Chaoya, Liu, Jianchao, Cai, Yuanfei, Jing, Chenyang, Jiang, Runren, Zheng, Xiqiang, and Lu, Guanghua
- Subjects
- *
BIOACCUMULATION , *SEWAGE , *GROUNDFISHES , *PARTICULATE matter , *PELAGIC fishes - Abstract
Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) are recognized as posing health risks to aquatic ecosystems. The occurrence characteristics and ecological effects of 15 PhACs were investigated in the multiphase media of Yangtze River (Nanjing area, China) during wet and dry seasons. All 15 PhACs were detected in the traditionally dissolved phase, suspended particulate matter, sediment and fish, with total concentrations of PhACs (ΣPhACs) of 64.75–366.20 ng/L, 18.50–69.40 ng/g, 3.29–23.30 ng/g and 0.00–176.44 ng/g, respectively. Ibuprofen (IPF), roxithromycin (ROX) and caffeine (CFI) were the dominant PhACs in all of the environmental media. As the main carrier for PhACs, the colloids contributed 8.60%− 77.04% of PhACs in the traditionally dissolved phase, and distribution coefficients (log K col =6.38–7.95) of PhACs in colloidal phase were significantly higher than those in SPM and sediment. The bioaccumulation potential of ΣPhACs in the wild fish tissues was generally in order as follows: brain > liver > kidney > gill > blood > intestines > muscle > bile, which was positively correlated with their log K ow. The concentrations of CFI, ROX and IPF in the muscle, gill and liver can be predicted by their log K ow and pollution levels in the blood, and the concentrations of PhACs in the muscle of benthic fish were much higher than those in pelagic fish. The bioaccumulation factors of ROX, fluoxetine and bezafibrate in intestines, brain and blood showed strong enrichment capacity (>5000). In the risk assessment, the acute risk level of PhACs to aquatic organisms decreases gradually with the trophic level, while the trend of chronic risk was the opposite. The chronic mixture risk of PhACs to fish was > 1 at all sampling sites, 59.79% of mixed risk quotient were provided by clofibric acid, diclofenac, erythromycin and ketoconazole. These results indicated that PhAC can cause harmful health effects to sensitive organisms both individually and mixedly. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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30. Roles of Environmental Media and Chemical Transformations of Environmental Toxicants in Toxicity Induction
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Wang, Dayong and Wang, Dayong
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- 2020
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31. THE EMERGENT ASPECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN VIDEO GAMES: A HISTORICAL REVIEW.
- Author
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El Ghilali, Khalil Morad, Papadopoulos, Spiros, and Benkirane, Iman Meriem
- Subjects
VIDEO games ,CLIMATE change ,ARTIFICIAL intelligence ,COMPUTER software ,GAMIFICATION - Abstract
In response to recurrent natural catastrophes and climate change, research into the use of videogames in sustainability is on the rise, and it is cementing their position as part of the contemporary digital education. The educational impact of such games rapidly becomes an important field. By retracing the history of the main climate change engaged video games, this paper describes and analyses the advantages and drawbacks of using serious games for environmental awareness, showcasing their capacity to simulate major topics in a mediated manner and to invite players to act in an unmediated way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
32. Friction and Wear Behavior of NM500 Wear-Resistant Steel in Different Environmental Media
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Guobo Wang, Hao Zhao, Yu Zhang, Jie Wang, Guanghui Zhao, and Lifeng Ma
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NM500 ,wear mechanism ,friction and wear ,environmental media ,Crystallography ,QD901-999 - Abstract
The study aims to investigate the influence of environmental media on the friction and wear behavior of low-alloy wear-resistant steels and to provide practical references for their application. This article conducted sliding wear tests on NM500 wear-resistant steel under different loads under air atmosphere, deionized water, and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution conditions. Someone quantitatively measured the friction coefficient and wear amount of each friction pair. The present study employed scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and a white light interference three-dimensional surface profiler to analyze the surface structure, cross-sectional morphology, element distribution, and wear mechanism of the wear scars under various experimental conditions. The results show that: In deionized water, NM500 has the best wear resistance, while the dry state is the worst. The lubricating and cooling effect of the liquid, as well as the corrosive effect of the NaCl solution, play an essential role in the wear behavior of NM500. Under dry friction conditions, the wear mechanism of NM500 is principally adhesive wear, fatigue wear, and oxidation wear. In the case of wear testing in deionized water, the researchers characterized the dominant wear mechanism as adhesive wear in conjunction with fatigue wear and abrasive wear. In contrast, when they carried out the wear testing in NaCl solution, the wear mechanism was primarily driven by corrosion wear and adhesive wear, with only a minor contribution from fatigue wear.
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- 2023
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33. Non-targeted analysis (NTA) and suspect screening analysis (SSA): a review of examining the chemical exposome
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Manz, Katherine E., Feerick, Anna, Braun, Joseph M., Feng, Yong-Lai, Hall, Amber, Koelmel, Jeremy, Manzano, Carlos, Newton, Seth R., Pennell, Kurt D., Place, Benjamin J., Godri Pollitt, Krystal J., Prasse, Carsten, and Young, Joshua A.
- Published
- 2023
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34. Sensing the ‘Contemporary Condition’: The Chronopolitics of Sensor-Media
- Author
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Sebastian Scholz
- Subjects
sensor-media ,technoecologies of sensation ,media environments ,environmental media ,chronopolitics ,more-than-human-sensing ,Social Sciences ,Political science (General) ,JA1-92 ,Philosophy (General) ,B1-5802 - Abstract
The article discusses the relevance of sensor-technologies as media. Beyond technical affordances sensors act as agents of implementing and activating a more-than-human sensorium within encompassing technoecologies of sensation. Outlining the onto-epistemological implications of being ‘in touch with’ sensor-media, the contribution raises questions of what it means to be included in an infrastructure of sensorial interfaces - not only of tech-assisted human-to-human or human-to-machine communication, but of unmanageable processes of machine-to-machine exchange. Delineating sensors as media necessitates reflections on the temporal relations that define the ‘contemporary condition’ of intensified global computation, technological interconnectedness and the ontogenesis of sensor-media milieus, their respective temporalities and concomitant (an)aesthetics of experienced time.
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- 2021
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35. Symmetries of Touch: Reconsidering Tactility in the Age of Ubiquitous Computing.
- Author
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Ladewig, Rebekka and Schmidgen, Henning
- Subjects
- *
UBIQUITOUS computing , *HUMAN body , *SYMMETRY , *ANTHROPOLOGY , *MODERNITY - Abstract
Engaging with the specific ways current media technologies interact with, or directly access the human body, we suggest developing a 'symmetrical' theory of touch. Critically referring to Bruno Latour's invocation of 'symmetrical anthropology', we reconsider tactile agency as 'technological agency', arguing that the concept of touch – traditionally viewed as an exclusively human ability – should be extended to non-human actors and analysed in view of the cultural logic of capitalism. Its systematic focus, then, is on the productive intersections and contact zones between biology and technology: from phenomena of non-human touch in industrial production (lathing, printing, etc.) to the material touching taking place in the instrumental grasp on the living in the 19th-century physiological laboratories and the invisible operations of tracing, tracking and sensing taking place in the technological milieus of today's (media) environments. In highlighting the tactile dimension of digital modernity and its economic genealogies, this article aims to advance a combined concept of human and non-human touch which provides a crucial angle for reconsidering bodies and technologies in the age of ubiquitous computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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36. Breaking Green Ceilings: podcasting for environmental and social change.
- Author
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Mulki, Sapna and Ormsby, Alison A.
- Abstract
Podcasting is considered to be a communication medium with minimal barriers to entry, making it an attractive method for people, especially from historically underrepresented communities, to tell their own stories. Using the "Breaking Green Ceilings" podcast as a case study, we explore how podcasting serves as an ideal approach to effectively amplify the voices of environmentalists from historically underrepresented communities, specifically Disabled, Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. By sharing these stories, the podcast aims to challenge misconceptions and highlight the contributions that environmentalists from historically underrepresented communities make toward environmental sustainability at all levels—grassroots, academia, nonprofit, and government. The "Breaking Green Ceilings" podcast also helps address the lack of diversity in mainstream environmental media and organizations. We use an interdisciplinary, intersectional lens in this article to demonstrate how environmental issues are interconnected with race, religion, socio-economic status, and politics as relates to historically underrepresented communities. We explore four main themes that have emerged on the podcast: environmental justice, structural racism and conservation, traditional ecological knowledge, and access to nature and the outdoors. Finally, strategies are provided to show how the podcast goes beyond the airwaves to build an inclusive community, raising awareness on the issues discussed and moving people to action to undo and unlearn some of the harmful practices and attitudes that have divided the environmental movement for decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Young Adults' Reactions and Engagement with Short-form Videos on Sea Level Rise.
- Author
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Shriver-Rice, Meryl, Fernandes, Juliana, Johns, Lisa N., Riopelle, Cameron, and Vaughan, Hunter
- Subjects
YOUNG adults ,SEA level ,DIGITAL computer simulation ,VIDEOS ,MULTIMEDIA messaging ,MUSIC scores ,STREAMING video & television - Abstract
This study examines young South Floridians' perceptions of visual elements and four generic types of engagement identified via a novel interdisciplinary methodology (Vaughan, H., & Johns, L. N. [2021]. Beyond frame analysis: Formal analysis and genre typology in the communication study of short-form environmental video messaging. Journal of Environmental Media, 2(1), 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1386/jem%5f00040%5f1) combining formal analysis and genre theory in short-form videos on sea-level rise. We employ a mixed-methods approach in order to examine how formal aspects, such as the use of direct address, voiceover, computer animation and digital simulation, narrative structure, and musical score impact viewer reception of 10 short-form videos and sharing behavior. An inductive analysis of emergent themes identifies several notable aspects that should be considered by practitioners of environmental media in the design and execution of compelling and persuasive short-form videos. Key results point to the importance of focusing on human stories and voices, a narratology that emphasizes practical actions and solutions, a measured use of humor and overly evocative musical scores, as well as the importance of video source and overall quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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38. Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and Pollution of Environmental Media Around a Used Lead-acid Battery Recycling Center in Ibadan, Nigeria
- Author
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Elizabeth Oloruntoba, Olusegun Gurusa, Folashade Omokhodion, Julius Fobil, Niladri Basu, John Arko-Mensah, and Thomas Robin
- Subjects
used lead-acid battery ,ulab informal recycling ,metals ,environmental media ,ibadan ,nigeria ,Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,TD1-1066 - Abstract
Background. Heavy metals are usually present in trace amounts in various environmental media such as water, soil, and air, and many are poisonous to human health even at very low concentrations. Objectives. To assess the risk of heavy metal contamination of water, soil, and plants around a used lead acid battery (ULAB) recycling center in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods. Environmental samples (water, soil, and plants) were collected using standard methods and concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. Results. The concentration of metals detected in water samples were higher than permissible limits at more than 50% of the sampling locations. In contrast, heavy metals in soil were within permissible limits. Most of the heavy metals except Pb were found to be present in the plant within permissible limits. Lead levels in water and plants from all locations exceeded the permissible limits. The contamination degree and pollution load index of water sources around the ULAB recycling center indicate a high degree of pollution of water sources with heavy metals, while soil samples were within the normal baseline levels. The transfer factor of Pb from soil to Amaranthus viridis was 1.92. This has implications for human health as the plant is often harvested and for sale in local markets as a source of food and medicine. Conclusions. The present study recommends improved technology for ULAB recycling and adequate treatment of effluent/runoff from recycling centers before discharge. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
- Published
- 2021
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39. A Review and Perspective of Environmental Disinfection Technology Based on Microwave Irradiation
- Author
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Liu, Liming, Wang, Na, Laghari, Azhar Ali, Li, Hong, Wang, Can, Zhao, Zhenyu, Gao, Xin, and Zeng, Qiang
- Published
- 2023
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40. Environmental media as an environmental protection mechanism under the law of environmental protection within the from work of sustainable development
- Author
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kaltoum sedrati
- Subjects
environment ,nature ,environmental media ,environmental protection ,Law ,Economic history and conditions ,HC10-1085 - Abstract
Environmental topics are always one of the old topics that evolve constantly due to the relation between man simplicity to complexity, a lot of problems began to appear and became increasingly a cute, especially with the spread of the phenomenon of industrialization and the widespread of consumption habits of different goods and services. This reality has resulted in more complex problems such water, air and soil pollution, desertification extinction of certain species, climate change, global warming..... This situation has led many countries and governements to enact laws and legislations for limiting environmental problems. Algeria, like other countries, followed this trend and established measures and arrangements for the protection and promotion of the environment. Environmental media was amono thes mechanisms in the protection of the environment and it is considered as a reliable means to address environmental problems.
- Published
- 2020
41. Tracking Lead in Environmental Media in the City of Onitsha, Southeast Nigeria
- Author
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Timothy Iyobosa Asowata and Akinade Shadrach Olatunji
- Subjects
lead isotope ,anthropogenic sources ,environmental media ,city of onitsha ,Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,TD1-1066 - Abstract
Background. The enrichment of lead (Pb) in a rapidly expanding urban environment is largely caused by industrial and anthropogenic activities. However, very few studies have come from sub-Sahara Africa as a whole, in spite of the increased rate of population, industrialization and urbanization in this region. The city of Onitsha is the commercial heartland of southeast Nigeria. Objectives. To determine the concentration of Pb in soils and sediments in Onitsha and the surrounding area and to identify the possible sources of Pb content in the environmental media. Methods. One hundred and sixty-two (162) samples (120 top and subsoils, and 42 stream and side drain sediments) were collected from the city of Onitsha, Nigeria to determine Pb concentrations, identify the main sources of Pb in this region, and determine its fate in soil and sediments using Pb isotopes. Thirty (30) 15 g clay fractions of soil and sediment samples, and a sample each of galena (from the Lower Benue Trough), coal and soot from vehicle exhaust and battery cells were collected from the city and analyzed for lead isotopes (Pb204, Pb206, Pb207 and Pb208) using ultra-trace inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. Results. The distribution and concentration of Pb in the soil of Onitsha was observed to be influenced by land use patterns with very elevated concentrations of Pb observed for mechanic and metal workshop samples (1444.3, 1067.5, 1048.1, 1730.5 and 580.5 ppm); active waste dump samples (448.4 and 311.9 ppm); and farmland and garden samples (366.2 ppm). The concentration of Pb in the sediments also showed varying elevated concentrations across locations, ranging from 45.7–540.1 ppm. A comparison with the control samples revealed that the Pb concentrations measured in the environmental media were several folds higher than that of the control. The Pb isotope analysis indicated that most of the Pb in environmental media was anthropogenic in origin and had been predominantly contributed by unsustainable environmental practices such as indiscriminate waste dumps, hydrocarbonbased products emissions, by-products from mechanical workshops that have been haphazardly constructed in the city, and industrial plants located within urban areas. Conclusions. The relatively higher concentrations of Pb in soils and sediments were found to be influenced by land use, as also observed in the Pb isotope readings, which will, over time, adversely affect environmental media and biota. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
- Published
- 2019
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42. Relationships among Environmental Attitudes, Efficacy, and Pro-Environmental Behaviors across 12 Countries
- Author
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Miller, Lindsay B
- Subjects
Communication ,Educational psychology ,Efficacy ,Environmental Attitudes ,Environmental Media ,Moderation ,Multi-Country ,Pro-Environmental Behaviors - Abstract
As issues of environmental degradation become increasingly pressing and publicized, it is imperative that scholars have a clear understanding of the forces that can lead individuals to adopt pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). Two such antecedents that have been widely studied are pro-environmental attitudes and efficacy. Although ample research has been published to explore the relationships between pro-environmental attitudes, efficacy, and PEB, the field lacks a coherent understanding of the many subdimensions of these constructs and the relationships between them. Furthermore, there is little research that explores how these constructs may vary across countries—an understanding of which is vital to combat such global phenomena. Finally, previous research indicates that media communication of environmental issues can impact environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior; however, further examination of various types of media use can elucidate which media measures best relate to pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors across countries. Using data from a large international survey (N = 1,000 adults in each of 12 countries) conducted in 2019 by Ipsos for the National Geographic society, this thesis attempts to clarify these central constructs of environmental communication by testing the relationships between these constructs and their subdimensions overall, and across countries.Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that a general model, using the combined measures of these constructs, provided the best option for cross-country relationships between EA, efficacy, media, and PEB. Unexpectedly, a mismatch model examining environmental concern, self-efficacy, and public PEB provided the most variance explained on the combined (cross-country) sample. Although the fit of the models to individual country samples varied substantially, country-level differences explained less unique variance in the model than pro-environmental attitudes, and similar amounts of unique variance as the other model variables and controls. The results show that environmental attitudes are a strong predictor of PEB across countries, and the direct and interactive relationships involving efficacy are very small and inconsistent across countries. The relative dominance of environmental attitudes as a predictor raises questions about the unique importance of efficacy in explaining PEB separate from attitudes. However, due to the small effect sizes and correlational nature of the data, it is unclear whether communication campaigns targeting pro-environmental attitudes can result in desired behavior change. The nuanced connections between these variables within individual countries highlight the importance of cross-national environmental research.
- Published
- 2022
43. توظيف وسااا ا الام م لاستبااام المعلومات م أزمة جا حة فيروس سورونا (سوفيد-19 ).
- Author
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احمد إبراهيم صال
- Subjects
HEALTH facilities ,COVID-19 pandemic ,COVID-19 ,HEALTH programs - Abstract
Copyright of Journal of Al-Frahids Arts is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2021
44. Green Screens: The Materiality and Environmental Impact of the Desktop Film.
- Author
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Schulze, Joshua
- Subjects
HORROR films ,DIGITAL media ,DIGITAL technology ,FILM studies ,COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
This article uses the 2020 desktop horror film Host, which was made and released entirely under lockdown conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and shot using the computer screen interface of a Zoom call, as a case study through which to examine the film industry's increasing dependency on digital technologies. It first situates the film within the broader context of sustainable filmmaking initiatives, emphasizing the carbon footprint of digital streaming pla4orms to complicate the assumption that such technologies are immaterial. It then considers the capacity for the film and its reflexive deployment of the computer interface to provoke an awareness of its own materiality, with a focus on the ways in which it dramatizes the failure of videoconferencing so%ware to meaningfully replace "authentic" communication, rendering it threatening and uncanny in the process. The article ends by considering how the film's transparent displaying of its labour and construction still keeps invisible the exploitative and racialized labour of digital device construction--without which it would not exist--ultimately arguing that film studies would benefit from a continued occupation with materiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
45. A review of the COVID-19 pandemic and its interaction with environmental media
- Author
-
Yuvaraj Muthuraman and Ilamathi Lakshminarayanan
- Subjects
COVID-19 ,Diagnosis ,Environmental media ,Structure ,Transmission ,Environmental sciences ,GE1-350 - Abstract
Viruses are biologically active parasites that only exist inside a host they are submicroscopic level. The novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, is generally caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is comparable to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). As a result of globalization, natural alterations or changes in the SARS-CoV-2 have created significant risks to human health over time. These viruses can live and survive in different ways in the atmosphere unless they reach another host body. At this stage, we will discuss the details of the transmission and detection of this deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus via certain environmental media, such as the atmosphere, water, air, sewage water, soil, temperature, relative humidity, and bioaerosol, to better understand the diffusion, survival, infection potential and diagnosis of COVID-19.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. A Green Intervention in Media Production Culture Studies: Environmental Values, Political Economy and Mobile Production.
- Author
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VAUGHAN, HUNTER
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL sciences ,FILMMAKING ,SOCIAL impact ,LOCAL culture ,MOTION picture industry ,APPETIZERS - Abstract
This article develops an interdisciplinary theoretical method for assessing the environmental values articulated and practised by dispersive or 'mobile' film production practices, aiming toward applicable strategies to make media practices more environmentally conscientious and sustainable. Providing a social and environmental study of the local relational values, political economy and ecosystem ramifications of runaway productions and film incentive programmes, this study draws on contemporary international green production practices as entryways into environmentally positive film industry change. Offering an overview of the potential use of a relational values approach to media production cultures, the essay uses two opposing models (the Michigan film incentive and the underwater cinematography culture of South Florida) in order to assess the political dynamics, social consequences and environmental threats of Hollywood's mobile practices - as well as their potential as sites, beyond Hollywood, to converge environmental values with local media culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Sensing the 'Contemporary Condition': Chronopolitics of Sensor-Media.
- Author
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Scholz, Sebastian
- Subjects
ONTOGENY ,AESTHETICS - Abstract
Ubiquitous and pervasive micro-technologies of sensing have become one of the dominant yet vastly under-researched media of knowledge production. This article discusses the relevance of conceptualizing sensor-technologies as media. Beyond their technical affordances sensor-media act as agents of implementing and activating a more-than-human sensorium within contemporary technoecological assemblages. They actively participate in a comprehensive re-articulation and problematization of what it means 'to sense' under current technological conditions. Media-saturated responsive environments operate on their own terms and, for the larger part, on a micro-temporal scale that remains inaccessible to human sense perception. The aim of the article is to delineate the onto-epistemological challenges posed by sensor-media under conditions of intensified global computation, technological interconnectedness, and the ontogenesis of technoecological milieus, their respective temporalities and (an)aesthetics of experienced time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. FERAL ROBOTIC BIRDS.
- Author
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Terry, Lou
- Subjects
DIGITAL storytelling ,ACTOR-network theory ,SOUNDSCAPES (Auditory environment) ,ROBOTICS - Abstract
This paper will ask what potential the frameworks of actor-network theory and multispecies storytelling have for informing our understanding of environmental change. Specifically, it will explore how combining these two theories might reveal the web of entanglements between us and our environments, alongside our joint environmental citizenship with our non-human counterparts. It will then look at how we might sense and articulate environments in such a way as to render these entanglements and joint environmental citizenship visible (and audible). Through research led practice, the paper explores the implications that engagement with non-human organisms, specifically through sound - with an ear to artistic modes of perception as well as scientific - have for forming critical insights into environmental and ecological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
49. Mercury contamination of soil and water media from different illegal artisanal small-scale gold mining operations (galamsey)
- Author
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J. Mantey, K.B. Nyarko, F. Owusu-Nimo, K.A. Awua, C.K. Bempah, R.K. Amankwah, W.E. Akatu, and E. Appiah-Effah
- Subjects
Galamsey ,Mercury ,Environmental media ,Chamfi ,Washing Board ,Washing plant ,Science (General) ,Q1-390 ,Social sciences (General) ,H1-99 - Abstract
Environmental media contamination with mercury, because of illegal artisanal small-scale gold mining (popularly called galamsey), is a major concern in Ghana; yet specific details as to how such contaminations are influenced or distributed across different galamsey operations have been lacking. We monitored mercury levels across nine different galamsey operations (Washing Board, Washing Plant, Anwona, Dig and Wash, Dredging, Underground Abandoned Shaft, Underground Sample Pit, Chamfi and Mill House) in three hotspot assemblies (Tarkwa Nsuaem, Amenfi East and Prestea Huni Valley) of the Western Region of Ghana. Triplicate samples each of background soil, surface water/drainage, slurry/sludge and galamsey waste materials (totaling 160) were obtained and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) to determine total Hg concentrations. From the comparison of mean ranked concentration of mercury, using the Kruskal-Wallis Test, it was realized that the observed differences in ranking was significant for all four environmental media considered. Thus, the poor handling, usage and disposal of mercury from the different galamsey activities did result in elevation of harmful quantities of mercury into the environment. Overall, the highest median value obtained for mercury was recorded at the Mill House galamsey sites and within slurry/sludge medium. This was followed by Chamfi, Washing Board, Washing Plant, Anwona, Dig and Wash and Dredging in descending order, with the Underground Abandoned Shaft and Underground Sample Pit galamsey types recording values below detection limit. In terms of their contribution to mercury contamination to the environment, Mill House, Chamfi, Anwona, Washing Board and Washing Plant galamsey types recorded the highest mean rankings. Overall, key priority information required for influencing reclamation and cleanup policy decisions for mercury, for the many affected wastelands across the country, can be derived from this paper.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Gaming Green: The Educational Potential of Eco – A Digital Simulated Ecosystem
- Author
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Kristoffer S. Fjællingsdal and Christian A. Klöckner
- Subjects
serious games ,sustainability ,ecosystems ,environmental consciousness ,environmental media ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Research into the use of videogames in education is on the rise, and they are cementing their position as part of the modernized, digital classroom. Sustainability education has also become a subject of interest among environmentally minded game developers and understanding the educational impact of such games is rapidly becoming an important field. This study examined the educational potential of the digital simulated ecosystem known as Eco, in order to reveal how playing Eco might promote environmental consciousness surrounding ecosystems. Qualitative data from seven respondents were subjected to a thematic analysis, revealing two main themes that highlight both game-based learning outcomes as well as barriers against learning. The findings indicate that Eco is a viable tool for promoting some aspects of environmental consciousness about ecosystems, and suggestions for future implementation of Eco are provided.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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