Impact Of Hazards Research Articles

Economic damage from natural hazards and internal migration in the United States

AbstractIn this paper, we analyze the impact of natural hazards on internal migration in the United States (US). The analysis uses Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax records and analyzes different versions of a gravity model to assess the impact of economic damage caused by natural hazards on migration flows between counties. We find that natural hazards in the origin county are associated to larger outflows, with hurricanes exhibiting the most substantial impact on migration, followed by floodings and severe storms. These results emphasize the need for migration research that distinguishes between various types of hazards. Furthermore, we extend the gravity model to investigate whether people tend to relocate to relatively nearby areas in response to natural hazards, an established phenomenon in existing literature. For floods and severe storms, the analysis demonstrates that migration flows to nearby counties are comparatively larger than to distant counties. These findings may be concerning, as it implies that individuals could still be at a high risk of experiencing future disasters. Additionally, we provide several robustness checks to investigate to what extent our results are driven by extreme events in the dataset.

Assessing the impact of natural hazards on U.S. cotton yields: a random forest analysis of drought, wildfires, and hurricanes (2012-2023)

Abstract. The cotton industry is essential in the world. This paper investigates the impacts of natural hazards, particularly drought, wildfires, and hurricanes, on cotton yield (LB/Acre) in 14 major cotton-producing states in the United States from 2012 to 2023. The paper uses a random forest model with drought severity and cover index (DSCI), number of wildfire alerts, and number of hurricanes and their interactions as influencing factors on cotton yield. The results shows that wildfires were most likely to affect cotton yield among the three major categories of natural hazards, and hurricanes did not significantly affect cotton yield. Cotton yield decreases significantly in years with severe drought and high wildfire activity. In addition, the study emphasizes the compounding impact of these hazards, suggesting that the interaction between drought and wildfires exacerbates the effects on cotton yields. Overall, cotton growers and local authorities need substantial mitigation and adaptation strategies for wildfires and droughts.

The Basque Impact Weather Catalogue

Abstract. This paper introduces the Basque Country impact weather catalogue, a versatile tool designed, developed, and maintained by the Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet), with the primary objective of systematically recording detailed information regarding adverse weather events that generate some degree of impact in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC). The catalogue serves as a repository where information is gathered for the comprehensive characterisation and evaluation of extreme weather events, focusing on both environmental conditions and their associated impacts. For this purpose, three key aspects are included: context, hazard and risk and impact. In the context section, we include information about the date, duration, spatial extent, measurement statistics data, synoptic/mesoscale aspects, and other metadata. The hazard and risk section includes information about hazard and risk typology according to Euskalmet severe weather criteria and warnings procedure. Regarding the impact, a range of metrics and indicators are defined to characterise critical aspects, encompassing the severity of impact including economic damages, human fatalities, and disruptions to normal life. The creation of the Catalogue involves utilising various data sources and repositories, not only from Euskalmet but also, particularly in terms of impact, from emergency interventions, newspapers, local media websites, social media, and data from the Spanish Insurance Consortium. While the volume of available material from each event description may vary from case to case, a standardised information structure and minimum content are imperative for all registered events. This ensures that qualitative analyses based on extensive reports, and quantitative analyses based on recorded or estimated metrics and indicators, are possible for events included. This paper outlines into the design and structuring of the catalogue, and the fundamental steps undertaken during its implementation.

Integration of geoelectric methods and remote sensing in assessing the environment state in the area of impact of ecologically hazardous objects

Relevance. The need for comprehensive assessment of environmental components in the zones of ecologically hazardous industrial facilities impact, which enables to operatively identify the spatial structure of technogenic pollution. Aim. Chemical pollution assessment of the geological environment in the zones of industrial objects impact, based on the combined use of remote sensing and ground-based geoelectric methods. Objects. Sources of pollution during the production of mineral fertilizers (phosphogypsum dumps, sulfur storage). Methods. The author has developed a complex of methods, consisting of multispectral space imaging (Sentinel-2 satellite images) and ground-based geoelectric researches: water surface resistivity measurements, natural electric field potential imaging, vertical electrical sounding. According to satellite image data (vegetation indices NDVI, NBR, SWVI), technogenic geosystems modifications are distinguished, characterizing different levels of chemical pollution (TM-1, TM-2 and natural geosystem). Within the modification zones, geoelectrical studies are carried out to assess the depth of contamination. Results. In the zone of phosphogypsum dumps impact, two technogenic modifications were distinguished, with a total area of 83.3 hectares, characterized by a statistically significant decrease in the values of vegetation indices compared to the average level. Based on the results of vertical electrical sounding, it was established that the depth of contamination in the TM-1 zone reaches up to 20 m, in the TM-2 zone – up to 2.5 m. The migration of contaminated substances from the dumps occurs with surface drain. In the zone of impact of the sulfur storage, the area of pollution, specified with vegetation indices, covers two hectares. According to the results of the natural electric field method and vertical electrical sounding, the flow of pollution from the sulfur storage site penetrates into groundwater, which is discharged in the TM-1 zone, causing the death of vegetation. In the TM-2 zone, contamination is registered only in the ground aquifer. The developed set of methods enables to quickly and relatively comprehensively diagnose the state of the undergoing technogenic impacts geological environment.

Reduction of the environmental impact of the determination of l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine in milk products by microchip electrophoresis

A novel miniaturized analytical method for the simultaneous determination of l-carnitine and its ester, acetyl-l-carnitine in fresh milk and milk products by microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with conductivity detection was developed. Under optimized separation conditions, separation voltage of 4 kV and 50 mmol L−1 acetic acid and 0.1 % methylhydroxyethylcellulose at pH 3.0 as background electrolyte, carnitines were sufficiently separated in less than 10 min. An elimination of adsorption of the cationically migrated analytes on a poly(methyl methacrylate) microchip was achieved by addition of 1 mmol L−1 triethylenetetramine to all analyzed samples. The detector response was linear in the range 0.2–1.5 µg mL−1 for l-carnitine and 0.4–2.0 µg mL−1 for acetyl-l-carnitine. The LOQ values were 0.1 µg mL−1 and 0.4 µg mL−1 for l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine, respectively. Recoveries of the analytes in the analyzed samples were in the range 87.5–97.8 %. The developed MCE method has been successfully applied to the analysis of carnitines in eight milk products after a sample pretreatment which included precipitation, centrifugation, and filtration. The developed MCE method has a low hazardous impact on human health and the environment.

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment During Simultaneous Operations in Industrial Plant Maintenance Based on Job Safety Analysis

The risk of accidents during simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) in plant maintenance has been increasing. However, research on methods to prevent such accidents has been limited. This study aims to develop a novel framework, hazard identification and risk assessment of simultaneous operations (HIRAS), for identifying and evaluating potential hazards during concurrent tasks. The framework developed herein is expected to be an effective safety management tool that can help prevent accidents during these operations. To this end, the job location and hazard information in job safety analysis (JSA) were standardized into four attributes. The standardized information was then synchronized spatially and temporally to develop a HIRAS model that identifies and assesses the impact of hazards between operations. The model was tested using 40 JSA documents corresponding to maintenance operations at Company P, a South Korean steel-making company. The model was tested in two scenarios: one with planned operations and the other with unplanned operations in addition to planned operations. The performance evaluation results of the first scenario showed an F1-score of 98.33%. In this case, a recall of 97.52% means that the model identified 97.52% of the hazard-inducing factors. The second scenario was compared with the results of a review by six subject matter experts (SMEs). The comparison of the results identified by the SMEs and the model showed an accuracy of 89.3%. This study demonstrates the potential of JSA, which incorporates the domain knowledge of workers and can be used not only for individual tasks but also as a safety management tool for surrounding operations. Furthermore, by improving the plant maintenance work environment, it is expected to prevent accidents, protect workers’ lives and health, and contribute to the long-term sustainable management of companies.

A Coupled CA Urban Development Model (UDM) and Urban Fabric Generator (UFG) for the Assessment of Climate Hazards on Future Urban Development

Abstract. Cellular Automata (CA) spatial models have become a de facto means by which to simulate future scenarios of land use activity, particularly urban development. Increasingly, such models are being employed within large scale climate impact, adaption and resilience studies to provide future scenarios of land use change and urban development, facilitating the calculation of the economic impact of future climate hazards and development land use adaption options. However, many spatial CA models only provide information on whether land has undergone a transition from one use/activity to a new one. In the case of urban development, they are unable to provide information on the spatial pattern of new development at an intra-cell level of spatial fidelity. However, in many cases such information is important as the spatial impacts of hazards and the adaption and resilience of new urban development will be dependent on the precise spatial configuration of buildings, roads and urban green space. In this paper an Urban Fabric Generator (UFG) is presented that takes the outputs of an Urban Development Model (UDM) and simulates plausible spatial configurations of buildings, roads and urban green space. The utility of the UFG is demonstrated via two flooding case studies, where generated spatial patterns of urban form are used to parameterise a hydrodynamic pluvial flood model that evaluates the impact of future climate driven rainfall on property damage and the utility of infrastructure investment with regards to improving surface water flood resilience.

Cold temperature effects on the impact behaviour of glued-laminated timber beams

Engineered wood products, such as glued-laminated timber (glulam), have been and are continuously being utilized in the construction of tall timber buildings and notable landmark bridges. This infrastructure, particularly the latter, may be exposed to hazardous impact loads throughout their service life. As little research has been conducted on the impact behaviour of glulam beams under cold temperature conditions, there is a need to investigate the potential effects of impact loading on glulam structural elements at cold temperatures. This paper presents an experimental investigation aimed at understanding the effects of cold temperatures on the impact behaviour of glulam timber beams. Fifteen glulam beams were tested under quasi-static and impact loading, under ambient and cold temperatures. Drop weight impact testing was performed to simulate dynamic loading conditions similar to those experienced in real-world scenarios. The results indicate that both the loading regime and cold temperatures have a significant influence on the strength and stiffness of glulam beams, whereby statistically significant increases in the moduli of rupture and elasticity were observed, however, no interaction between the two variables occurred. A single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model was developed and validated using the experimental test results and found to provide good accuracy.

Distinctive toxic repercussions of polystyrene nano plastic towards aquatic non target species Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp and Daphnia magna.

The widespread application of plastics and its eventual degradation to micro-sized or nano-sized plastics has led to several environmental concerns. Moreover, nanoplastics can easily cascade through the food chain accumulating in the aquatic organisms. Thus, our study focussed on investigating the hazardous impact of nano-sized plastics on aquatic species including Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp, and Daphnia magna. Various concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics ranging from 0.01 mg/L to 100 mg/L were tested against Nitrobacter vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp, and Daphnia magna. The minimum inhibitory concentration of polystyrene nanoplastics in Nitrobacter vulgaris was found to be 25 mg/L, and in Daphnia magna, the median lethal concentration 50 was observed to be 64.02 mg/L. Exposure of Scenedesmus sp with increasing nanoplastic concentrations showed a significant decrease in total protein (p < 0.001), and chlorophyll content (p < 0.01), whereas the lipid peroxidation increased (p < 0.001) significantly. Similarly, Nitrobacter vulgaris and Daphnia magna showed a significant decrease in catalase activity (p < 0.001) and an increase in lipid peroxidation levels (p < 0.01). Concomitant with lipid peroxidation results, decreased superoxide dismutase levels (p < 0.01) and protein concentrations (p < 0.01) were observed in Daphnia magna. Besides, the increasing concentration of polystyrene nanoplastics displayed an elevated mortality rate in Scenedesmus sp (p < 0.001) and Nitrobacter vulgaris (p < 0.01). Further, scanning electron microscopy analysis substantiated the morphological alterations in Nitrobacter vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp on exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics.

Designing nature to be a solution for climate change in cities: A meta-analysis

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are designed as a win-win strategy to address societal challenges while providing biodiversity, social, and economic benefits. However, uncertainties and gaps persist, particularly regarding the criteria that define a NbS measure and the specific requirements for a solution to be fully recognized as such, which limit the full potential of these strategies in practice. Another persistent issue is the lack of data on strategy responses across different implementation scales (local, city, regional) and climatic zones (temperate, arid, tropical). This article provides an overview of the potential of NbS to promote climate adaptation in cities. Our meta-analysis, which compiled 7163 records from 89 articles worldwide, indicates that integrating NbS strategies with traditional approaches (gray infrastructure and sustainable technologies) is the most effective response to concurrently address multiple climate-related hazards. Flooding had the highest impact at 35.7 %, followed by increased runoff at 30.5 %. Peak flow and water pollution both had an impact of 10.3 %, while temperature increase accounted for 5.7 %, and decreases in thermal comfort made up 5.0 %. We concluded that all evaluated strategies reduced the impact of climate-related hazards, but this reduction was twice as large when incorporating NbS (18.6 % vs 8.1 %). We also demonstrate that this effect is observed under projected climate scenarios, reinforcing the role of NbS in making cities more resilient and sustainable.

Bioremediation of textile wastewater using Bacillus cereus isolated from refinery site: Comparative analysis of free and immobilized cells systems

The textile industries consume a considerable amount of freshwater and discharge untreated or semi-treated pollutants to the environment. Azo dyes, generally employed in textile manufacturing industries, have a hazardous impact on the ecosystem. Incomplete treatment of wastewater containing azo dyes discharges into the aquatic system, which has recalcitrant and toxic properties. Hence, the need for cost-effective and high-performing technologies is essential. In this direction, bacterial degradation is considered an economically viable and efficient technique for the treatment of Active blue (AB) dye. Polyurethane foam (PUF) is a low-cost and hydrophilic material with a microporous structure, which offers an excellent surface-to-volume ratio. Hence, PUF was preferred for the immobilization of isolated bacterial species. For this, a dye-degrading gram-positive bacteria namely Bacillus cereus GS2 IIT (BHU) was isolated from the petroleum sludge. A comparative analysis between free and immobilized cell systems was carried out by varying the process parameters, i.e., batch time, pH, temperature, glucose concentration, and initial AB dye concentration. The corresponding optimum conditions were found to be 6.0 days, 6.5, 30 °C, 1.0 g/L, and 50 mg/L, respectively. The immobilized cell system exceeds the dye removal efficiency (RE) by 10. 7 % compared to the free cell system. The packed bed bioreactor could be able to deliver 98.56 % of dye removal at an inlet loading rate of 30 mg/L d and 50 mg/L of initial dye concentration.

Maximum entropy-based modeling of community-level hazard responses for civil infrastructures

Perturbed by natural hazards, community-level infrastructure networks operate like many-body systems, with behaviors emerging from coupling individual component dynamics with group correlations and interactions. It follows that we can borrow methods from statistical physics to study the response of infrastructure systems to natural disasters. This study aims to construct a joint probability distribution model to describe the post-hazard state of infrastructure networks and propose an efficient surrogate model of the joint distribution for large-scale systems. Specifically, we present maximum entropy modeling of the regional impact of natural hazards on civil infrastructures. Provided with the current state of knowledge, the principle of maximum entropy yields the “most unbiased“ joint distribution model for the performances of infrastructures. In the general form, the model can handle multivariate performance states and higher-order correlations. In a particular yet typical scenario of binary performance state variables with knowledge of their mean and pairwise correlation, the joint distribution reduces to the Ising model in statistical physics. In this context, we propose using a dichotomized Gaussian model as an efficient surrogate for the maximum entropy model, facilitating the application to large systems. Using the proposed method, we investigate the seismic collective behavior of a large-scale road network (with 8,694 nodes and 26,964 links) in San Francisco, showcasing the non-trivial collective behaviors of infrastructure systems.

Heavy metals in commonly consumed rice grains in Bangladesh and associated probabilistic human health risks

Food contamination by heavy metals is a concerning issue worldwide. The presence of elevated levels of heavy metals in commonly consumed rice has emerged as a critical issue in ensuring food safety. This research encompassed the collection of 44 rice samples, representing seven distinct varieties, through a randomized sampling approach across various retail markets within Dhaka city. The investigation of heavy metal content (including Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) within the rice samples was carried out employing Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The findings disclosed substantial disparities in heavy metal concentrations among the different rice varieties. Notably, the concentrations of Cr (0.99 mg/kg), Fe (8.35 mg/kg), Pb (0.49 mg/kg), and Co (0.02 mg/kg) were observed to exceed the established maximum permissible limits. This contamination of the rice varieties may stem from either natural processes or human activities. Utilizing these metal concentrations, this study employed Monte-Carlo simulation to calculate health risk and probabilistic health risk. The Target Hazard Quotients (THQs) for Cr, Fe, and As exceeded the threshold of 1 in each rice variety, particularly in Amon and Lal Biroi in Mymensingh, Najirshail in Bogra, 28 in Sherpur and Kushtia, Miniket in Bogra and Rajshahi, and lastly, paijam in Rangpur and Tangail. Furthermore, the Hazard Index (HI) exceeded 1 in all rice varieties, implying that the consumption of these selected rice grains may have a substantial impact on overall food quality and its potential health consequences. Both carcinogenic risk and probabilistic risk for As, Ni, Cd, Cr, and Pb were found to surpass the threshold levels and safe limits, respectively. This suggests that individuals who have regularly consumed these rice varieties may face a heightened probability of developing cancer in the future, as predicted. According to sensitivity analysis, metal concentration and food ingestion rate (FIR) are the most relevant components that contribute to the significant impact of carcinogenic health hazards. Finally, the study concluded that heavy metal intake from food poses a risk to human health, necessitating the effective monitoring based on each geographic location and identify the source of this heavy metal to limit its exposure.

Synthesis and Characterization of Low-Cost Zirconium Nanocomposites as Novel Adsorbents for Arsenazo III Pollutant

Removing contaminated Arsenazo III dye from contaminated effluent is a challenge and of great interest due to its hazard and environmental impact. Therefore, the biggest challenge was producing highly efficient, easy to recycle, and economically inexpensive adsorbent materials for the contaminated dye. Three chemically stable zirconium nanocomposites with unique properties were synthesized by gel-precipitation technology. The composition, chemical, and physical properties of zirconium molybdate, tungstate, and silicate nanocomposites have been extensively proven using many different and appropriate devices such as XRD, SEM–EDX, TEM, FT-IR, BET, DLS, TGA-DTA, and zeta potential. By utilizing the most effective adsorption techniques, Azo-dye was successfully bound to ZrMo-NPs, ZrW-NPs, and ZrSi-NPs composites. The uptake capacities for these composites were measured at 0.29, 0.79, and 1.61 mmol.g−1, respectively. The sorption parameters were optimized as follows: a feed solution pH of 3 for ZrMo-NPs, a pH of 2.3 for ZrW-NPs, and a pH of 2.3 for ZrSi-NPs. The stirring time was set at 30 min, the metal ion concentration was 1.64 mmol L−1, and the sorbent dose was 7.5 mg. The adsorption results agreed well with the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order reaction models and demonstrated the endothermic nature and kinetic improvement by increasing temperatures. The three nanocomposites effectively eliminated tainted dye from lab wastewater, offering promise for their potential applications in the future.Graphical

State-of-art review of resilience of bridges and bridge networks

In recent years, many attempts have been made to incorporate resilience frameworks into decision making, establish the best use of available resources and reduce the impact of hazards on bridges and bridge networks. However, scholarly research in this area is still in its early phases, with minimal exploration of research gaps and future prospects. A state-of-the-art review of bridge and bridge network resilience studies using a science mapping approach is presented here. Research on the topic was obtained from the Scopus literature database. The literature database was then analysed using VOSviewer and Nvivo tools to display the domain-specific body of knowledge. The study then focused on the most prolific researchers and disaster types, bridge resilience assessment approaches, current research trends, future directions and theoretical and practical implications. The research paradigm on the resilience of bridges and bridge networks is changing toward the usage of digital tools and technologies. In this context, a framework id proposed by integrating building information modelling/geographic information systems and digital twin models. The proposed framework can aid bridge owners in accumulating iterative data, creating multi-hazard disaster preparedness policies and designing and enhancing life-cycle management and maintenance tasks of bridges and bridge networks.

Light Pollution: To What Extent We are Concerned About

Light pollution is now a global problem with a catastrophic impact on human health, environment, ecology, plant life cycle, and animals. Some nations have enacted laws aimed at limiting light pollution. Unfortunately, there is no such regulation in Bangladesh, and if there is, it is not being enforced. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate people's perceptions of light pollution in Bangladesh. This study collected three hundred forty samples using a convenient sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data. Among the sources, the respondents identified commercial light, fireworks, light from the market, and light from billboards as the major sources of light pollution. Besides light from the neighbor's house, own domestic light, events light, and light from home were assumed to be the significant disturbing light sources. Findings showed that most respondents agreed with the hazardous impact of light pollution on human health, animals, the environment, and the ecosystem. Among the possible solutions, respondents recommended developing awareness, limiting light at night-time, cutting off unnecessary lights, and reducing the frequent use of decorative lights. Results conclude that people have a sound understanding and good perception of light pollution. So the associate agents can take appropriate steps toward light pollution control.

Unprecedented mechanical wave energy absorption observed in multifunctional bioinspired architected metamaterials

In practical engineering, noise and impact hazards are pervasive, indicating the pressing demand for materials that can absorb both sound and stress wave energy simultaneously. However, the rational design of such multifunctional materials remains a challenge. Herein, inspired by cuttlebone, we present bioinspired architected metamaterials with unprecedented sound-absorbing and mechanical properties engineered via a weakly-coupled design. The acoustic elements feature heterogeneous multilayered resonators, whereas the mechanical responses are based on asymmetric cambered cell walls. These metamaterials experimentally demonstrated an average absorption coefficient of 0.80 from 1.0 to 6.0 kHz, with 77% of the data points exceeding the desired 0.75 threshold, all with a compact 21 mm thickness. An absorptance-thickness map is devised for assessing the sound-absorption efficiency. The high-fidelity microstructure-based model reveals the air friction damping mechanism, with broadband behavior attributed to multimodal hybrid resonance. Empowered by the cambered design of cell walls, metamaterials shift catastrophic failure toward a progressive deformation mode characterized by stable stress plateaus and ultrahigh specific energy absorption of 50.7 J/g—a 558.4% increase over the straight-wall design. After the deformation mechanisms are elucidated, a comprehensive research framework for burgeoning acousto-mechanical metamaterials is proposed. Overall, our study broadens the horizon for multifunctional material design.

Regional, local and current forecast of the impact hazard of coal seam sites based on seismic monitoring

Relevance. Insufficient validity of the quantitative criteria of the regional, local and current forecast of the impact hazard of the coal seams being developed, the absence of algorithms linking the use of geophysical and direct geomechanical methods in forecasting. Aim. To develop a comprehensive method of geodynamic forecasting, including determining the extent of an impact-prone area identified by the results of a regional forecast based on the registration data of the GITS seismic monitoring system, for conducting local and current forecasts of impact hazard by regulatory methods. Object. An array of rocks of the excavation column 4-1-5-7 of the Osinnikovskaya mine during mining operations in the zone of a group of tectonic disturbances and the intersection of advanced workings. Methods. Regional geomechanical forecast by the geophysical method of seismic activity registration (GITS system), local (current) forecast by natural electromagnetic radiation methods (Angel-M equipment) and the output of drilling fines. Results. The paper introduces the results of complex studies in the excavation column 4 1-5-7 of the Osinnikovskaya mine to establish a correlation between seismic activity and the parameters of the stress-strain state of the array. The authors have introduced the concept of integral indicators of the considered parameters IF and Ikσ. They take into account the area of the zone for the i-th range according to the complex parameter of seismic activity F and the coefficient of vertical stresses in the roof of the formation Kσ. It is established that the informative value of the integral indicators is almost twice as high as the informative value of the initial parameters. Experimental nomograms и are presented to determine the category "DANGEROUS/NON-DANGEROUS" for the regional forecast of impact hazard according to the GITS seismic monitoring system. The authors developed a general algorithm for predicting the impact hazard during clean-up operations. This algorithm uses an integrated approach that includes a regional forecast for recording seismic activity within the mine field and local forecasting methods, both geophysical and direct, to clarify the boundaries of seismic energy release zones and confirm the category of impact hazard. Thу paper introduces the example of determining the width of the zone of increased seismic energy release in the mine closest to the seismically active zone. The dynamics of the occurrence, development and decrease of the seismic energy release zone in the considered areas in the mine workings is shown. The authors give the examples of the implementation of a local forecast of impact hazard in previously established potentially dangerous areas by methods of recording natural electromagnetic radiation of rocks and by the output of drilling fines.

Fabrication of nickel oxide decorated CNTs/GO nanohybrid: A multifunctional electrocatalyst for overall electrochemical water splitting

Hydrogen production from water as renewable energy resource is vital to fulfil the huge energy demands without any hazardous environmental impact. Pursuing the efficient, durable and economical electrocatalyst other than benchmark expensive materials such as Pt, Ru, and Ir, for water electrolysis is a big challenge to produce the hydrogen as clean fuels. Here, we have successfully decorated nickel oxides nanoparticles over the carbon nanotubes covered by the graphene oxide layers (GO/NiO@CNTs/GO) using a facile hydrothermal method and utilized as electrocatalyst for electrochemical water splitting. The surface morphology and structure was assessed using a variety of analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). As prepared nanohybrid (GO/NiO@CNTs/GO) was utilized as multifunctional electrocatalyst to investigate the water electrolysis potential via different electrochemical techniques including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry. The fabricated electrode exhibited a lower overpotential of 236 mV and 208 mV at the standard current density of 10 mAcm−2 under alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively. Enhanced double layer capacitance (Cdl) and reduced charge transfer resistance (Rct) also showed the boosted performance for the hybrid materials with long term stability. The carbon based nanohybrid (GO/NiO@CNTs/GO) showed the promising potential having multifunctional characteristics including oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions along with overall electrochemical water splitting.

Adoption status of integrated pest management (IPM) practices among vegetable growers of Lamjung district of Nepal

The widespread use of highly toxic pesticides for agricultural purposes has raised concerns about their hazardous impact on both human health and the environment. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a strategy designed to tackle pest problems and reduce pesticide use, with the aim of protecting both human health and the environment. This study was conducted in Besishahar, Sundarbazar, Rainas, and Madhyenepal municipalities of the Lamjung district of Nepal in the year 2023 with a sample of 100 vegetable-growing farmers to assess the adoption of IPM practices in vegetable cultivation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data, and the logit model was used to identify the factors affecting the adoption of IPM practices in vegetable cultivation among farmers. Respondents were grouped into two categories, adopter and non-adopter, based on the extent of adoption of IPM practices. The findings revealed that only 37 % of the total respondents adopted IPM practices for vegetable cultivation. The easy availability of chemical pesticides and lack of bio-pesticides were the major constraints for the adoption of IPM practices in the study area. The output of the binary logit model indicated that greater participation in training, higher education levels, and increased contact with extension agents significantly influence the adoption of IPM practices in vegetable cultivation. The findings could be used to formulate better policies towards increasing the adoption of sustainable approaches in agriculture and regulation.