Environmental Questions Research Articles

Enabling GPTs for Expert-Level Environmental Engineering Question Answering

Enabling GPTs for Expert-Level Environmental Engineering Question Answering

Open-source software integration: A tutorial on species distribution mapping and ecological niche modelling

Over the last decade, access to global data has become increasingly critical for research, allowing insights into diverse biological, environmental and societal questions at a macro scale. Digitisation has greatly enhanced the use of herbarium data in the analysis of species distributions and ecological niche modelling. Yet, sources on modelling and mapping methodology using open-source software is greatly lacking for beginners. We have created a replicable and thorough tutorial to visualise species occurrence data and exploratory analysis that was developed by undergraduates with broad backgrounds and levels of experience. This tutorial integrates the open-source programmes QGIS, MaxEnt and R to develop distribution maps, using bryophytes as a case study, to promote the accessibility of open-source software and remote access learning. This tutorial has already set the foundation for further research into distribution modelling of rare Illinois bryophytes to better understand the potential impact of climate change.

Viromes vs. mixed community metagenomes: choice of method dictates interpretation of viral community ecology

BackgroundViruses, the majority of which are uncultivated, are among the most abundant biological entities on Earth. From altering microbial physiology to driving community dynamics, viruses are fundamental members of microbiomes. While the number of studies leveraging viral metagenomics (viromics) for studying uncultivated viruses is growing, standards for viromics research are lacking. Viromics can utilize computational discovery of viruses from total metagenomes of all community members (hereafter metagenomes) or use physical separation of virus-specific fractions (hereafter viromes). However, differences in the recovery and interpretation of viruses from metagenomes and viromes obtained from the same samples remain understudied.ResultsHere, we compare viral communities from paired viromes and metagenomes obtained from 60 diverse samples across human gut, soil, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Overall, viral communities obtained from viromes had greater species richness and total viral genome abundances than those obtained from metagenomes, although there were some exceptions. Despite this, metagenomes still contained many viral genomes not detected in viromes. We also found notable differences in the predicted lytic state of viruses detected in viromes vs metagenomes at the time of sequencing. Other forms of variation observed include genome presence/absence, genome quality, and encoded protein content between viromes and metagenomes, but the magnitude of these differences varied by environment.ConclusionsOverall, our results show that the choice of method can lead to differing interpretations of viral community ecology. We suggest that the choice of whether to target a metagenome or virome to study viral communities should be dependent on the environmental context and ecological questions being asked. However, our overall recommendation to researchers investigating viral ecology and evolution is to pair both approaches to maximize their respective benefits.ADm-mTTAXM3aVZwCyoroCBVideo

Machine learning to guide the use of plasma technology for antibiotic degradation

Antibiotics are misused and discharged into environmental water, posing a constant potential threat to the ecosystem. Utilising plasma’s physical and chemical effects to remove antibiotics has emerged as a promising wastewater treatment technology. However, the complexity and high cost of reactor configurations represent significant limitations to the practical application of this technology. Furthermore, evaluating the degradation efficiency of antibiotics necessitates using costly and sophisticated testing instruments, coupled with time-consuming and labour-intensive experiments. The present study developed a generalised model using machine learning algorithms to predict the removal efficiency of antibiotics by a plasma system. Of the eight machine learning algorithms constructed, the ensemble model XGBoost exhibited the highest prediction accuracy, as indicated by a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.943. This correlation indicates a strong relationship between the predicted removal rates and the experimental values. Moreover, the accuracy of the prediction was enhanced through the utilisation of a multi-model stacking approach. A further quantitative assessment of the key factors affecting the efficiency of the plasma process, and their synergistic effects, is provided by the interpretable analysis of the model’s behaviour. It is anticipated that the results will facilitate the design of efficient plasma systems, reduce the need for extensive experimental screening, and improve practical applications in the removal of antibiotic contamination. This provides an informative view of the applications of plasma technology, opening the way for new environmental research questions.

A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO RECYCLING WASTE: EXAMPLES OF THE APPLICATION OF 3D PRINTING TO EXTEND THE LIFE CYCLE OF MATERIALS

The environmental questions emerged in recent decades have caused a transition from a linear economy to a circular economy (CE). CE is based on the reuse of materials in subsequent production cycles by extending their useful life, with the aim of reducing and if possible, eliminating any waste. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), a 3D printing technique, has emerged in recent years as a promising methodology for green and sustainable purposes. The use of natural and biocompostable materials for the production of filaments for FFF, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), has made this 3D printing technique one of the most promising in several fields. This paper presents some applications concerning the development of innovative and sustainable materials focused on reducing the environmental impact of conventional FFF materials, carried out in recent years in our laboratories. In particular, various composite filaments incorporating poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and different handicraft or agro-industrial waste materials, including olive wood waste (OW), cocoa bean shell waste (CBSW), ceramic waste (CW) and Lecce stone waste (LSW), have been produced by extrusion. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the innovative biocomposites developed, including structural, morphological, thermal and mechanical evaluations, and the comparison of the results obtained with the different subproducts is presented in the paper. Finally, some simple real objects first reproduced manually, were later 3D printed using the developed biocomposite filaments, demonstrating the effectiveness of FFF in successfully recycling artisanal and agro-industrial waste within the same production company, reducing costs and supporting the CE.

Over 100-fold improvement in the accuracy of relaxed eddy accumulation flux estimates through error diffusion

Measurements of atmosphere-surface exchange are largely limited by the availability of fast-response gas analyzers; this limitation hampers our understanding of the role of terrestrial ecosystems in atmospheric chemistry and global change. Current micrometeorological methods, compatible with slow-response gas analyzers, are difficult to implement, or rely on empirical parameters that introduce large systematic errors.Here, we develop a new micrometeorological method, optimized for slow-response gas analyzers, that directly measures exchange rates of different atmospheric constituents, with minimal requirements. The new method requires only the sampling of air at a constant rate and directing it into one of two reservoirs, depending on the direction of the vertical wind velocity. An integral component of the new technique is an error diffusion algorithm that minimizes the biases in the measured fluxes and achieves direct flux estimates.We demonstrate that the new method provides an unbiased estimate of the flux, with accuracy within 0.1% of the reference eddy covariance flux, and importantly, allows for significant enhancements in the signal-to-noise ratio of measured scalars without compromising accuracy. Our new method provides a simple and reliable way to address complex environmental questions and offers a promising avenue for advancing our understanding of ecological systems and atmospheric chemistry.

Effect of pH on Development of the Zebrafish Inner Ear and Lateral Line: Comparisons between High School and University Settings.

Increasing carbon dioxide levels associated with climate change will likely have a devastating effect on aquatic ecosystems. Aquatic environments sequester carbon dioxide, resulting in acidic conditions that can negatively affect fish development. Increasing climate change impacts in the coming decades will have an outsized effect on younger generations. Therefore, our research had two interconnected goals: 1) understand how aquatic acidification affects the development of zebrafish, and 2) support a high school scientist's ability to address environmental questions of increasing importance to her generation. Working with teachers and other mentors, the first author designed and conducted the research, first in her high school, then in a university research laboratory. Zebrafish embryos were reared in varying pH conditions (6.7-8.2) for up to 7 days. We assessed fish length and development of the inner ear, including the otoliths; structures that depend on calcium carbonate for proper development. Although pH did not affect fish length, fish reared in pH 7.75 had smaller anterior otoliths, showing that pH can impact zebrafish ear development. Furthermore, we demonstrate how zebrafish may be used for high school students to pursue open-ended questions using different levels of available resources.

Pengembangan Modul Cetak Pengolahan Sampah Basah Berbantuan Maggot BSF dan Efektivitasnya dalam Meningkatkan Pengetahuan Lingkungan Siswa

The environment is defined as a set of aspects in the form of physical, chemical and biological as well as social factors that have a direct or indirect relationship to living things and human activities in the short and long term. However, the environment can experience various problems, one example is environmental damage by causing waste in the environment. One of the reasons for the waste generated by the community is their lack of knowledge about the environment. It was proven in preliminary research at SMA Negeri 11 Pinrang, the results of the initial analysis using students' environmental knowledge questions were still low with an overall result of 43.73. These results indicate that there are still many students who do not know environmental topics and problems, especially waste and its processing, so they are lazy about disposing of waste according to the server and processing the waste, especially wet waste. This research is development research referring to Plomp and Nieven's development design and conducting a quasi-experiment using the PjBL model in class X at SMA Negeri 11 Pinrang. The research results show that the printed module has a practicality value of 91.1% in the very practical category so it is suitable for use in the learning process. The average pretest result for the experimental class was 50.8 in the low category after learning using printed modules and the PjBL model and the posttest was 88 in the very high category and experienced an increase of 37.2%. The average pretest result for the control class was 44.26 in the low category after learning only using the PjBL model and the posttest was 79.6 in the high category and experienced an increase of 35.34%. Therefore, it can be concluded that the printed module is practical and effective in the experimental class with an N-Gain value of 0.75.

Improving Environmental Sanitation Knowledge through Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (CHLB) Education

Environmental cleanliness is always associated with health because maintaining a clean environment can prevent the emergence of various types of diseases. This service activity aims to increase awareness, experiences, and knowledge and foster a sense of community towards a clean and healthy environment to avoid various diseases. This community service method uses service learning (SL), which refers to experiential learning, namely providing direct knowledge to the community regarding the importance of maintaining a clean environment. The activity begins with a pretest, providing CHLB knowledge material on environmental cleanliness, questions and answers, and a post-test. Community service is also accompanied by health checks and the provision of vitamin C supplements and Fe tablets (blood supplements). The results of community service showed that the average pretest and post-test scores for community knowledge in PHBS were 70 and 92.5, the results showed that there was an increase in community knowledge to improve environmental sanitation after being given education regarding CHLB.

The wealth of nations matters: A cross-national analysis of how political orientation and household income affect attitudes toward environmental protection

The article investigates normative preferences for environmental protection over economic growth registered in 74 countries—based on the European Values Study and the World Value Survey (2017–2022). We employ multi-level logistic regression to demonstrate that Gross Domestic Product per capita moderates the effects of political orientation and household income, both of which tend to be stronger in wealthier countries. Only in wealthy societies are left-leaning and affluent individuals far more likely to prefer environmental protection. Not accounting for moderation leads to underestimating the propensity for political polarization over environmental questions. Hence, our study suggests that large-scale implementation of growth-impeding or wealth-sacrificing environmental policies could face insurmountable public opposition in wealthy societies. Furthermore, failing to account for the moderation by GDP per capita in cross-national studies of environmental attitudes may constitute a confounding factor by aggregating wealthier countries, where the effects of political orientation and household income prove substantial, with the poorer ones, where they appear negligible.

PH/Ion Dual-Responsive Emulsion Via a Cationic Surfactant and Positively Charged Magnesium Hydroxide Nanosheets.

Emulsions, formed by dispersing a liquid into another immiscible one by virtue of emulsifiers, have been widely applied in commercial applications like foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and personal care, which always confront environmental and/or toxic questions due to emulsifiers' high dosage. Recently, a study on Pickering emulsions points out a solution to stable emulsions based on the costabilizing effect of colloidal particles, which focused on surface-active particles cooperating with oppositely charged ionic surfactants. Costabilized emulsions adopting a charge-similar ionic surfactant and particles were less studied. In this article, a hexane-in-water emulsion was prepared in use of a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with positively charged magnesium hydroxide (MH) nanosheets at low concentrations (10-5 M and 10-2 wt %, respectively). The emulsion is stable due to the synergy by CTAB and MH nanosheets, which functions in virtue of the electric repulsion by similarly charged particles, the mechanical shielding by MH nanosheets, and restrained water drainage in lamellae between droplets due to the gelation of MH nanosheets. Moreover, the emulsion is doubly switchable within emulsification/demulsification via convenient pH or ion manipulation, a mechanism based on the breakdown and rebuilding of the costabilizing synergy. Such dual-responsive emulsions show high potential for the delicate control of drug delivery, release, and biphasic biocatalysis applications.

Circular Economy Approaches in the Palm Oil Industry: Enhancing Profitability through Waste Reduction and Product Diversification

Today, facing difficult environmental and sustainability questions, the palm oil industry is an important force in global trade and development. As a transformative solution to these problems, this review assesses the implementation of circular economy (CE) strategies. CE principles promote the transformation of waste into value through recycling, upcycling and other low-carbon innovation applications. This review estimates the capability of palm-based biomass, including palm oil mill effluent (POME) and refinery wastes. It evaluates how different technologies such as gasification are used to change these fuel sources into energy fuels and value-added products for industry. It also involves incorporating Industry 4.0 to boost efficiency and waste value creation into the operation. Although the potential of CE in creating an eco-friendly, profitable palm oil industry is apparent, nevertheless it must overcome all kinds and levels of barriers – from economic to technological to social. This review points out for collaborative efforts, technological advancement, and supportive policies to navigate these challenges, advocating for a unified shift towards sustainability and efficiency in the palm oil sector.

Environmental Literacy: Perception of Prospective Biology Teacher Students on Waste Management in FKIP Untan

This research aims to analyze the perceptions of prospective biology teacher students regarding waste management in the FKIP Tanjungpura University environment. Descriptive methods with a quantitative approach are used to describe the current state of research subjects based on existing facts. The research population consisted of prospective biology teacher students from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 classes, with a sample size of 124 students selected randomly. The research instrument consists of a questionnaire and environmental literacy test questions. The research results show that prospective biology teacher students at FKIP Tanjungpura University have a good perception of waste management, with the majority of students showing positive environmental attitudes and high commitment to environmentally friendly practices. Environmental literacy in this research is explained through three main indicators: environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior. From the research results, it can be concluded that students show a good understanding of the concept of waste management and awareness of the importance of protecting the ecosystem. In conclusion, this research provides a clear picture of the perceptions of prospective biology teacher students regarding waste management in the campus environment. This collective support from students reflects the importance of environmental literacy in preserving the environment. Efforts to continue to increase environmental understanding and awareness among students can make a positive contribution in creating a generation that cares about the environment in the future.

Applying Latent Variable Models to Estimate Cumulative Exposure Burden to Chemical Mixtures and Identify Latent Exposure Subgroups: A Critical Review and Future Directions.

Environmental mixtures, which reflect joint exposure to multiple environmental agents, are a major focus of environmental health and risk assessment research. Advancements in latent variable modeling and psychometrics can be used to address contemporary questions in environmental mixtures research. In particular, latent variable models can quantify an individual's cumulative exposure burden to mixtures and identify hidden subpopulations with distinct exposure patterns. Here, we first provide a review of measurement approaches from the psychometrics field, including structural equation modeling and latent class/profile analysis, and discuss their prior environmental epidemiologic applications. Then, we discuss additional, underutilized opportunities to leverage the strengths of psychometric approaches. This includes using item response theory to create a common scale for comparing exposure burden scores across studies; facilitating data harmonization through the use of anchors. We also discuss studying fairness or appropriateness of measurement models to quantify exposure burden across diverse populations, through the use of mixture item response theory and through evaluation of measurement invariance and differential item functioning. Multi-dimensional models to quantify correlated exposure burden sub-scores, and methods to adjust for imprecision of chemical exposure data, are also discussed. We show that there is great potential to address pressing environmental epidemiology and exposure science questions using latent variable methods.

Technique-economical viability of repowering of small hydroelectric power plant considering the social insert and environmental preservation.

The increasing growth of electrical energy demand, associated with an increase in the costs of energy production and the care related to environmental and social questions lead the planning of the world energetic sector to set a strategy for a more efficient utilization of the existing production sources. This work presents a case study of repowering a Small Hydroelectric Power Plant (SHPP), to demonstrate that this kind of enterprise is feasible in offering an augment of electrical energy to the system so to supply any future demand. Based on the statistics of a river hydraulic potential supplying the plant, one verifies the possibility of raising the capacity of electrical power generation of a water fillet in approximately 75%. The presented analysis of the technical-economical viability does not only consider the value of the equipments and the current costs of the electrical energy, but is also an effort to incorporate the various environmental and social benefits which can be obtained by the repowering of a SHPP, with emphasis to the generation and commercialization of carbon credits which enable the reduction of the investment paying-off time, making this enterprise more attractive from an economical, social and environmental standpoints.

Assessing participatory process‐system linkages in polycentric water governance: Insights from WFD implementation in Germany

AbstractAn important, although insufficiently answered, environmental governance research question concerns how exactly participation improves policy implementation at different scales. Numerous studies have highlighted important variables influencing the effectiveness of participatory processes. However, studies of participation tend to be strongly process‐oriented rather than system‐oriented and often overlook the reality that participatory processes are part of increasingly complex and broader decision‐making systems. By analyzing particular process‐system linkages, this paper contributes new knowledge regarding how participatory processes can influence decision‐making in polycentric governance systems. This study focuses on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, which aims for good ecological and chemical status in all European waters, in six German states with varied polycentric decision‐making structures. No direct decision‐making power was found to be associated with any of the participatory processes themselves. Rather, the power remained embedded within the other established institutional structures. Nevertheless, the participatory processes did still intend to influence decision‐making within those established structures through the aggregation and multiplication of information. The findings show that only a few representatives or a small proportion of the total number of decision‐makers are involved in participatory processes. Therefore, those processes may either affect decisions directly due to the binding nature of the decisions taken within participatory processes or alternatively have effects through more complex and nuanced multiplication routes following the conclusion of each participatory process. Moreover, all of the participatory processes examined in this study were reliant to some extent on such multiplication mechanisms to amplify the effects on decisions throughout the overall polycentric governance system.

Hygroscopic Growth of Adsorbed Water Films on Smectite Clay Particles.

Hygroscopic growth of adsorbed water films on clay particles underlies a number of environmental science questions, from the air quality and climate impacts of mineral dust aerosols to the hydrology and mechanics of unsaturated soils and sedimentary rocks. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to establish the relation between adsorbed water film thickness (h) and relative humidity (RH) or disjoining pressure (Π), which has long been uncertain due to factors including sensitivity to particle shape, surface roughness, and aqueous chemistry. We present a new MD simulation approach that enables precise quantification of Π in films up to six water monolayers thick. We find that the hygroscopicity of phyllosilicate mineral surfaces increases in the order mica < K-smectite < Na-smectite. The relationship between Π and h on clay surfaces follows a double exponential decay with e-folding lengths of 2.3 and 7.5 Å. The two decay length scales are attributed to hydration repulsion and osmotic phenomena in the electrical double layer (EDL) at the clay-water interface.

Research into land atmosphere interactions supports the sustainable development agenda

Abstract Non-technical summary Greenhouse gas emissions and land use change – from deforestation, forest degradation, and agricultural intensification – are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Important land-based strategies such as planting trees or growing bioenergy crops (with carbon capture and storage) are needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to enhance biodiversity. The integrated Land Ecosystems Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPS) is an international knowledge-exchange and capacity-building network, specializing in ecosystems and their role in controlling the exchange of water, energy and chemical compounds between the land surface and the atmosphere. We outline priority directions for land–atmosphere interaction research and its contribution to the sustainable development agenda. Technical summary Greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities and land use change (from deforestation, forest degradation, and agricultural intensification) are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Afforestation, reforestation, or growing bioenergy crops (with carbon capture and storage) are important land-based strategies to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to enhance biodiversity. The effectiveness of these actions depends on terrestrial ecosystems and their role in controlling or moderating the exchange of water, heat, and chemical compounds between the land surface and the atmosphere. The integrated Land Ecosystems Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPS), a global research network of Future Earth, enables the international community to communicate and remain up to date with developments and concepts about terrestrial ecosystems and their role in global water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. Covering critically important topics such as fire, forestry, wetlands, methane emissions, urban areas, pollution, and climate change, the iLEAPS Global Research Programme sits center stage for some of the most important environmental questions facing humanity. In this paper, we outline the new challenges and opportunities for land–atmosphere interaction research and its role in supporting the broader sustainable development agenda. Social Media Summary Future directions for research into land–atmosphere interactions that supports the sustainable development agenda

Pressures of the urban environment on the endocrine system: Adverse effects and adaptation

With an increasing collective awareness of the rapid environmental changes, questions and theories regarding the adaptability of organisms are emerging. Global warming as well as chemical and non-chemical pollution have been identified as triggers of these adaptative changes, but can we link different kinds of stressors to certain phenotypic traits? The physiological adaptation, and particularly endocrine system adaptation, of living beings to urban environments is a fascinating way of studying urban endocrinology, which has emerged as a research field in 2007. In this paper, we stress how endocrine disruption in humans and environment can be studied in the urban environment by measuring the levels of pollution, endocrine activities or adversity. We broaden the focus to include not only exposure to the chemicals that have invaded our private spheres and their effects on wild and domestic species but also non-chemical effectors such as light, noise and climate change. We argue that taking into account the various urban stress factors and their effects on the endocrine system would enable the adoption of new approaches to protect living organisms.

High School Understanding of the Cradle-to-Grave Process of Electric Vehicles

The existing shift from combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles has created this perception that electric vehicles are flawless. The purpose of this study was to measure how aware people are of the cradle-to-grave process of electric vehicles, measuring their complete environmental footprint. This study conducted an experiment among high school students across all grade levels at one school to examine their understanding of the environmental effects of electric vehicles. Students (N=278) were asked to answer seven demographic questions, 7 environmental questions, 6 questions about the cradle-to-grave process, and 5 questions about combustion engine vehicles. Students self-reported their knowledge about each of these categories, on a 1-5 likert scale. The results indicated that the students were not as aware about the cradle-to-grave process of electric vehicles, while they knew statistically more about combustion engine vehicles. The implications of this study suggest a need for better education regarding electric vehicles through schools and better online research, which in turn, will create a more informed society.