Pollution Avoidance Research Articles

Boruta-grid-search least square support vector machine for NO2 pollution prediction using big data analytics and IoT emission sensors

Purpose This paper seeks to assess the performance levels of BA-GS-LSSVM compared to popular standalone algorithms used to build NO2 prediction models. The purpose of this paper is to pre-process a relatively large data of NO2 from Internet of Thing (IoT) sensors with time-corresponding weather and traffic data and to use the data to develop NO2 prediction models using BA-GS-LSSVM and popular standalone algorithms to allow for a fair comparison. Design/methodology/approach This research installed and used data from 14 IoT emission sensors to develop machine learning predictive models for NO2 pollution concentration. The authors used big data analytics infrastructure to retrieve the large volume of data collected in tens of seconds for over 5 months. Weather data from the UK meteorology department and traffic data from the department for transport were collected and merged for the corresponding time and location where the pollution sensors exist. Findings The results show that the hybrid BA-GS-LSSVM outperforms all other standalone machine learning predictive Model for NO2 pollution. Practical implications This paper's hybrid model provides a basis for giving an informed decision on the NO2 pollutant avoidance system. Originality/value This research installed and used data from 14 IoT emission sensors to develop machine learning predictive models for NO2 pollution concentration.

Smog Avoidance Investment While Improving Air Quality: Health Demand or Risk Aversion? Evidence from Cities in China.

Atmospheric pollution control policies have achieved remarkable progress in China since 2013, and the smog protective equipment market has experienced a great boom during the same period. From the perspectives of the health production efficiency hypothesis and the time discount rate hypothesis, this study investigates the relationship between household expenditures on air pollution avoidance and health care, and individuals’ self-assessed health based on network survey data from 17 cities in China. Using the treatment effect model to control the potential endogenous selection problems, we explain the paradox of the growing smog avoidance investment coexisting with improving air quality. First, smog avoidance investment and household medical expenditures do not have substitution effects, while the perception of pollution intensity, pollution protection knowledge, and future health preferences significantly promote smog avoidance investment and medical expenditures. Second, air pollution avoidance investment greatly increases the probability that urban residents rate their health as “good” and “very good”. The results indicate that the time preference hypothesis can explain the pollution avoidance investment behavior and health demands of Chinese urban residents well. The hidden social welfare loss caused by air pollution may still be underestimated, even though short-term avoidance costs are included in the evaluation of pollution impacts. It is necessary to optimize environmental regulations and policies to consistently improve the ecological environment.

Perspective on Land Treatment and Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture in the Western United States

The practice of irrigation with municipal wastewater has evolved from avoidance of surface water pollution to beneficial reuse of water and nutrients for crop production. The ability of the soil to filter out pollutants and pathogens has been documented, such that groundwater quality is not degraded where recycled water to irrigate crops used for human consumption. The example of successful practice of the Castroville project in Monterey County, California illustrates safe reuse of recycled water for crop growth, marketing of crops grown into the fresh produce market, and groundwater protection. Impediments to the future more widespread reuse of recycled water for agricultural irrigation are also discussed. Many of the same technological advancements that have supported the development of modern agricultural water reuse projects have also improved the feasibility of various competing urban water reuse applications. The effects from increasing water scarcity has also had an impact on the quality and quantity of water available for agricultural water reuse projects. The historical practice of developing centralized and regional wastewater treatment facilities near a suitable surface water discharge location may need to be modified for better consideration of agricultural irrigation in integrated water resources planning.

Ecological Impact of Artificial Light at Night: Effective Strategies and Measures to Deal with Protected Species and Habitats

When conserving or protecting rare or endangered species, current general guidelines for reducing light pollution might not suffice to ensure long-term threatened species’ survival. Many protected areas are exposed to artificial light at levels with the potential to induce ecological impacts with unknown implications for the ecosystems they are designated to protect. Consequently, it is recommended that precautionary methods for the avoidance and mitigation of light pollution in protected areas be integrated into their management plans. This paper’s aims are to present an overview of best practices in precautionary methods to avoid and mitigate light pollution in protected areas and to identify and discuss what ecosystems should be considered light-sensitive and how to prioritise species and habitats that need protection from artificial light, including examples of legislation covering ecological light pollution in the European Union and in Sweden. The important aspects to include when considering light pollution at a landscape level are listed, and a proposal for prioritisation among species and habitats is suggested. Sensitive and conservation areas and important habitats for particularly vulnerable species could be prioritised for measures to minimise artificial lighting’s negative effects on biodiversity. This may be done by classifying protected natural environments into different zones and applying more constrained principles to limit lighting. The light pollution sensitivity of various environments and ecosystems suggests that different mitigation strategies and adaptations should be used depending on landscape characteristics, species sensitivity and other factors that may determine whether artificial light may be detrimental. Issues of the currently used measurement methods for artificial light at night are reviewed. We also propose and discuss the principles and benefits of using standardized measurement methods and appropriate instrumentation for field measurements of artificial light concerning the environmental impact of light pollution.

Health perception and commuting choice: a survey experiment measuring behavioral trade-offs between physical activity benefits and pollution exposure risks

Previous literature suggests that active commuting has substantial health benefits. Yet, in polluted regions, it can also cause additional health risks by increasing riders’ pollution exposure and raising their inhalation rate. We examine the effect of perceived air pollution on stated commuting choices using an on-site survey experiment for 2285 non-automobile commuters in Zhengzhou, a heavily polluted city in central China. We integrate a sequential randomized controlled trial in a survey where individuals in the treatment group received tailored information on their commuting-related pollution exposure, based on our 2 week peak-hour pollution monitoring campaign across transportation modes in the city. We find that travelers in Zhengzhou have already adopted pollution prevention actions by favoring indoor commuting modes on polluted days. Individuals receiving personalized pollution exposure information by mode further decrease active commuting by 8.4 percentage points (95% CI: 5.1, 11.6), accompanied by a 14.7 percentage points (95% CI: 10.7, 18.3) increase in automobile commuting. Travellers make sub-optimal, overly risk averse choices by reducing active commuting even for trips where epidemiological research suggests the exercise benefits outweigh pollution exposure risks. This pollution avoidance tendency significantly attenuates the effect of policies encouraging active commuting. Our findings show the intricately intertwined relationships between the public health targets of promoting active lifestyles and reducing pollution exposure, and between individual pollution avoidance and societal pollution mitigation.

Mathematical Prediction on the strength and behaviour of structural member by incorporating Incinerated Bio-Medical Waste Ash in Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag based Geopolymer Concrete

Concrete seems to be the more commonly used construction substance throughout the entire globe as well as its usage have been expanded over the last decade because the demand for building works has increased. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is one of the technologies that may be used to replace traditional concrete. Geopolymer concrete is an inorganic alumino-silicate polymer made mostly of silicon, aluminum, and by-product materials such as Fly Ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS), and other by-product materials. While the key motives for utilizing GPC is technical and economic advantages, the avoidance of environmental pollution by appropriate waste management has become a concern. The primary goal of this research is to see how Incinerated Bio-Medical Waste Ash (IBWA) affects the mechanical and flexural activity of GPC. In this report, IBWA is substituted for GGBS in various percentages (0, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50%). The inclusion of IBWA converts the substance from brittle to ductile, resulting in substantial improvements in tensile stress, tensile strain, toughness, and energy absorption capacities. The samples was held constant at ambient temperature throughout the curing phase. On concrete specimens, the mechanical properties of concrete, including the compressive strength of the cube, the split tensile strength and the bending strength were inspected. The experimental findings indicate that introducing IBWA to GPC enhances the mechanical behaviour of the material as well as the load carrying capability of the beams.

GO-P25@SA gel beads with excellent separation performance for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

Photocatalytic treatment of water pollutants has attracted extensive attention due to its low energy consumption, low cost and the avoidance of secondary environmental pollution. However, most photocatalysts are in powder form, which makes it difficult to separate from the water system after the reaction. Especially in practical applications, the recycling of the catalyst is an important part. Based on the characteristics that sodium alginate (SA) is easy to form gels under mild conditions, GO-P25@SA gel beads were prepared. The catalyst can be separated from the water system by simple filtration, which greatly saves the recycle cost. Besides, the light response of TiO2 (P25) and excellent conductivity of graphene oxide (GO) make GO-P25@SA have excellent photocatalytic degradation and cyclic stability for rhodamine B (RhB). In this work, the unique merits of GO and sodium alginate (SA) in developing functionalized photocatalyst were demonstrated, providing a low-cost and easy recycle treatment strategy for rhodamine B degradation.

Molecular identification of Peronospora viciae causing downy mildew on field pea pods and its management

In the growing season 2016–2017, downy mildew disease was initially occurred on pea pods followed by plantlets leaves that observed in different locations where pea plants were grown at Kafr-El-Dawar district, Beheria governorate, Egypt. This irregular observation leads to thought that the cause of disease is new to this particular region. Molecular identification of the isolated fungus proved that the causal agent is Peronospora viciae. The sequences of the fungal isolate sent to GenBank and registered under accession number MN620384. Under field trials, it was observed that throughout the two cultivated seasons the fungicides application had greater effect on downy mildew incidence comparing with applied chemical inducers. Along the two cultivation seasons, pea plants sprayed with salicylic acid, potassium sorbate and ascorbic acid highly suppressed the disease incidence between 12.4 and 17.1%. Moderate effect was recorded as 19.2–22.7% disease reduction with potassium bicarbonate, lemongrass oil, lemongrass oil and humic acid application. The lowest effect was recorded as 32.5% at sodium benzoate treatment; meanwhile, 54.3% disease incidence was recorded at untreated control. Under field conditions, significant reduction in pea downy mildew disease was achieved by the use of fungicide alternative as foliar application. Therefore, these approaches could be utilized successfully for controlling this foliar disease especially they distinguished with safely use and avoidance of environmental pollution.

Development and Validation of the Purity Orientation-Pollution Avoidance Scale: A Study With Japanese Sample.

The moral foundations theory (MFT) proposes that there are five moral foundations that work as the standard to make moral judgments. Among them, the purity foundation is a complex concept. It is considered to be a distinctive foundation compared with the other ones partly because it involves religious beliefs. The assumption underlying the purity foundation is Christian beliefs, so the MFT was developed and made prevalent mostly in the Western cultures. However, because of that assumption, cultural differences in perceiving the purity foundation should be observed with a non-Western sample, such as Japan. It would be important to discuss and clarify the Japanese unique aspect of their orientation toward the pure and impure. We constituted a scale to measure people's tendency toward purity orientation–pollution avoidance (POPA), based on the purity/sanctity subscale of the MFT. For validation, we administered several scales along with POPA. In Study 1, we developed the scale and measured the relationship between the degree of one's POPA, disgust, and animism. We identified four factors as POPA subscales. In Study 2, we investigated the test–retest reliability of POPA and conducted questionnaire surveys to measure attitudes toward paranormal phenomena and the degree of concern for each of the moral foundations. The results showed the validity of the scale, based on the moderate correlations with other scales. The POPA can be a promising tool to better understand the phenomena involving the purity foundation in a Japanese context.

Modification of carbon based cathode electrode in a batch-type microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide an efficient way to utilize energy from biomass while it offer advantages such as pollution avoidance, high energy conversion efficiency, and flexibility for a wide range of applications. MFCs have gained much attention and are considered as current research hotspot in bioenergy. To further improve the reaction area, microbial compatibility, and to increase the power generation efficiency in the design and manufacturing of a small-scale MFC, the use of 3D printing technology and the employment of a high-efficiency mixing area are proposed in this work. Carbon cloth is employed as the electrode substrate of the MFC. Moreover, the carbon nanotubes and graphene dispersions are used to modify the carbon electrode plates. The results show that the graphene modified carbon cloth electrode MFC has a maximum power density of 199.24 mW m−2 at a current density of 1.52 A m−2. While the unmodified carbon cloth electrode MFC has a current density of 0.63 A m−2. This indicates that the graphene modified carbon cloth electrode MFC achieved a maximum power density of about 232% compared with the unmodified carbon cloth electrode MFC. The lowest internal resistance obtained was 0.66 kΩ when the electron transfer medium was accounted. This indicated a low anode impedance which is desired in MFC systems. Result revealed that the graphene modified carbon cloth electrode is the best electrode material based on the enhanced power density and lowered internal resistance. The results of the work aims to provide insight in the improvement of the MFC electrode modification technology.

Management of lung disease in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: what we do and what we do not know.

Management of lung disease in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) includes both non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Lifestyle changes with avoidance of environmental pollutants, including tobacco smoke, improving exercise levels and nutritional status, all encompassed under a disease management program, are crucial pillars of AATD management. Non-pharmacological therapies follow conventional treatment guidelines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Specific pharmacological treatment consists of administering exogenous alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein intravenously (augmentation therapy). This intervention raises AAT levels in serum and lung epithelial lining fluid, increases anti-elastase capacity, and decreases several inflammatory mediators in the lung. Radiologically, augmentation therapy reduces lung density loss over time, thus delaying disease progression. The effect of augmentation therapy on other lung-related outcomes, such as exacerbation frequency/length, quality of life, lung function decline, and mortality, are less clear and questions regarding dose optimization or route of administration are still debatable. This review discusses the rationale and available evidence for these interventions in AATD.

Study on the sustainability evaluation and development path selection of China’s coal base from the perspective of spatial field

The coal base plays an important role in improving the security ability of coal supply and the modernization level of coal industry. This paper aims to explore the sustainability evaluation and development path selection of China’s coal base from the perspective of spatial field. Firstly, from the perspective of “spatial field”, attractive force of coal base was measured by gravity model in physics through evolution, deformation, hypothesis and deduction. Secondly, a representative and highly efficient coal base, Sanjin coal base, was selected for the analysis, in which Vensim was used to quantitatively predict the impact of various factors in 2009–2030. By setting up the benchmark scenario and different regulatory scenarios, the optimal development path of sustainability for coal base was discussed. The results showed that, (1) few enterprises have high attractive force among the 73 core enterprises in China’s coal base; (2) only under the coordinated development path of the coal base, which is to reduce air pollution, waste water and solid waste, as well as to increase the development scale of coal base, can the steady growth and the avoidance of pollution be realized.

Increase in domestic electricity consumption from particulate air pollution

Accurate assessment of environmental externalities of particulate air pollution is crucial to the design and evaluation of environmental policies. Current evaluations mainly focus on direct damages resulting from exposure, missing indirect co-damages that occur through interactions among the externalities, human behaviours and technologies. Our study provides an empirical assessment of such co-damages using customer-level daily and hourly electricity data of a large sample of residential and commercial consumers in Arizona, United States. We use an instrumental variable panel regression approach and find that particulate matter air pollution increases electricity consumption in residential buildings as well as in retail and recreation service industries. Air pollution also reduces the actual electricity generated by distributed-solar panels. Lower-income and minority ethnic groups are disproportionally impacted by air pollution and pay higher electricity bills associated with pollution avoidance, stressing the importance of incorporating the consideration of environmental justice in energy policy-making. While electricity production has a significant impact on air quality, the opposite effect has been suspected but not empirically demonstrated. Now, using pollution and electricity consumption data, He et al. show the impact of air pollution on domestic electricity consumption.

Effects of purity orientation / pollution avoidance on anxiety about immigrants

Effects of purity orientation / pollution avoidance on anxiety about immigrants

The Impact of Air Pollution on Movie Theater Admissions

We provide new evidence of pollution avoidance in the movie theater market. Our analysis is based on a unique data set of high-frequency movie ticket sales in China at the movie- and city-level during 2012-2014. We estimate that one pollution day reduces the market share of a movie by 2.26%, other things being equal. On average, the popular movies are inelastic to air pollution. However, as air quality deteriorates, even the blockbuster movies start to suffer a box-office loss during the heavy pollution episodes. Our results suggest that air pollution suppresses demand for a consumer sector in a largely indoor environment.

Can Local Enhancement in Earthworms Affect the Outcome of the Standard Earthworm Avoidance Test?

Earthworms exhibit clumping behaviour in and out of the soil. However, it remains unknown if such social behaviour ultimately influences the outcome of ecotoxicological experiments in the laboratory. We performed several overnight avoidance tests to determine whether social behaviour (i.e., local enhancement) is a factor in pollution avoidance behaviour in the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The results showed that there was no clear influence of social behaviour on the choice or avoidance of Cd contaminated soils, although we suspect that 50mgCd/kg might not have been high enough to elicit a significant avoidance response. Nevertheless, when offered a choice between clean undisturbed soil and previously inhabited soil, the worms preferred the previously inhabited soil (p < 0.01). While the level of metal pollution investigated in this study did not disrupt or help predict social dynamics, local enhancement, perhaps driven by some sort of habitat imprinting, was successfully documented in Eisenia fetida.

The Economics of the Naturalist Food Paradigm

Challenges to the conventional paradigm have isolated industrial agriculture from consumer segments exhibiting preferences for a growing array of credence attributes, including organic, locally produced, and raised using humane livestock and poultry practices. This review surveys the empirical evidence on the economic impact of the alternative to the conventional industrial agriculture paradigm that motivates these growing market segments. We define this alternative the Naturalist Paradigm. While more research is needed to completely assess the impacts of specific naturalist responses, current findings demonstrate that restrictions on industrial practices imposed by policy or consumer preferences sacrifice productivity, thereby imposing environmental costs and raising food prices. Such restrictions may also reduce choice sets of consumers, impeding consumer and producer welfare gains. The intended benefits of such practices for human, animal, or environmental well-being must be weighed against the costs they impose. Trade-offs imposed by such practices suggest that their contributions to obesity reduction in the developed world, alleviation of hunger and malnutrition among poor populations, and avoidance of environmental pollution and biodiversity loss are highly uncertain.

690 A novel water-in-oil emulsion with a natural surfactant modified clay prevents skin damage from urban dust and cedar pollen

Air pollutants and pollens cause skin inflammation and aging. It is important to protect the skin from particulate matter and to develop formulations composed of natural ingredients for avoidance of environmental pollution. Previously, we developed a conventional water-in-oil emulsion with a synthetic surfactant modified clay (C-W/O), which protects the skin from allergens. In this study, we developed a novel water-in-oil emulsion with a natural surfactant modified clay (N-W/O). We performed microarray analysis using total RNA extracted from reconstructed human epidermis stimulated with urban aerosols or cedar pollens for 6 hours as a model of epidermal inflammation. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as IL1B and CXCL8, and matrix metalloproteinases, such as MMP1, MMP3, and MMP9, were significantly upregulated by particulate matter stimulation. Next, we compared the efficacy of N-W/O and C-W/O to prevent epidermal degradation. Tissues and culture media were collected 24 hours after particulate matter stimulation for histological assay and quantification of CXCL8 and MMP1 secretion. A thickened stratum corneum, thinned vital layer, and cleaved E-cadherin were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin, and the levels of CXCL8 and MMP1 secretion in the media were significantly increased. N-W/O prevented degradation of epidermal integrity and the secretion of inflammatory proteins more than C-W/O. Taken together, our data suggest that N-W/O is better than C-W/O because it is composed of natural ingredients and protects the skin from particulate matter such as urban aerosols and cedar pollens.

Pollution avoidance and green purchase: The role of moral emotions

This study explores the relationship between moral emotions and pro-environmental intentions related to pollution avoidance and green purchasing. Findings gathered from 573 Chinese respondents indicate that pollution avoidance intentions contribute to green purchasing intentions. We also find that positive emotions (e.g., pride, gratitude) relate to both pollution avoidance and green purchasing intentions, but negative emotions (e.g., guilt, condemnation of others) only relate to green purchasing intentions. Self-directed moral emotions have stronger influence on pollution avoidance intention than other-directed emotions, but the effect of the other-directed emotions become stronger due to green purchasing intention. These effects of emotions on pro-environmental intentions are enhanced by behavioral control level. The interaction between self-directed emotions with perceived behavioral control is stronger, compared with those with other-directed emotions. This research enriches extant literature pertaining to green consumption, with important implications for policy makers and strategy formulation promoting green and pollution-avoiding behaviors.

Assessing air quality index awareness and use in Mexico City

BackgroundThe Mexico City Metropolitan Area has an expansive urban population and a long history of air quality management challenges. Poor air quality has been associated with adverse pulmonary and cardiac health effects, particularly among susceptible populations with underlying disease. In addition to reducing pollution concentrations, risk communication efforts that inform behavior modification have the potential to reduce public health burdens associated with air pollution.MethodsThis study investigates the utilization of Mexico’s IMECA risk communication index to inform air pollution avoidance behavior among the general population living in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Individuals were selected via probability sampling and surveyed by phone about their air quality index knowledge, pollution concerns, and individual behaviors.ResultsThe results indicated reasonably high awareness of the air quality index (53% of respondents), with greater awareness in urban areas, among older and more educated individuals, and for those who received air quality information from a healthcare provider. Additionally, behavior modification was less influenced by index reports as it was by personal perceptions of air quality, and there was no difference in behavior modification among susceptible and non-susceptible groups.ConclusionsTaken together, these results suggest there are opportunities to improve the public health impact of risk communication through an increased focus on susceptible populations and greater encouragement of public action in response to local air quality indices.