CO2 Values Research Articles

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of CO2 Emissions from Vehicles in Urban Areas: A Satellite Imagery Approach

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a significant global environmental concern, widely notable as a major cause of climate change. Meanwhile, transportation is the main sector contributing to CO2 emissions, which are escalating at a faster rate than Gross Domestic Product Growth. This study attempted to evaluate the spatial–temporal pattern of CO2 emissions from vehicles using the Sentinel 5P satellite image. The Sentinel 5P image was acquired from the European Space Agency from 2019 until 2022. Utilizing ArcGIS 10.5, these data were analyzed to extract the CO2 values, which were then displayed as the total column amount. Thereafter, the extraction by point method was conducted on road features based on the Mukim Kajang basemap to obtain the value of CO2 emissions from transportation. Spatial–temporal mapping was then accomplished through kernel density analysis, enabling the identification of CO2 emission hotspot areas. The findings show that the spatial–temporal pattern of CO2 emissions was higher in September 2019 (0.06964 mol/m2), March 2020 (0.03596 mol/m2), December 2021 (0.0437 mol/m2), and January (0.03384 mol/m2), respectively. Based on eight cities in Mukim Kajang, Bandar Kajang has been a hotspot area for carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles for four consecutive years, starting in 2019 until 2022. In summary, the results of this study could provide guidelines to researchers and policymakers to develop effective strategies to reduce the level of CO2 emissions from transportation in urban areas.

Evaluating sustainable water management strategies using TOPSIS and fuzzy TOPSIS methods

This study evaluates sustainable water management strategies using TOPSIS and Fuzzy TOPSIS (FTOPSIS) to address global water scarcity by comparing rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and desalination across five criteria: water efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental impact, social equity, and technological feasibility. The results show Rainwater Harvesting as the most balanced option with a relative closeness value of Ci+=0.640, excelling in social equity and environmental sustainability. Water Recycling ranks closely behind (Ci+=0.608), highlighting its adaptability and technological feasibility, while Desalination, though highly efficient, is hindered by lower cost-effectiveness (Ci+=0.578). By integrating TOPSIS and FTOPSIS, the study addresses uncertainties and subjective criteria, providing a robust multi-dimensional assessment framework for resource management. This methodology aids decision-makers in identifying strategies that align with sustainable development goals and adapt to regional priorities. Future work can expand this framework to include stakeholder engagement and policy factors, enhancing water management strategies for resilient, long-term solutions.

Evaluation of Carbon Sequestration Potential of Different Melia Germplasms in Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka, India

Melia dubia is one of the best agroforestry tree species, which is known for its faster growth rate and biomass accumulation. To maintain ecological balance and sustainability carbon sequestration plays an important role, hence this study aimed at identifying the best suitable Melia germplasm for Eastern dry zone of Karnataka. The present research was conducted from April, 2023 to July, 2024 in Agroforestry field unit, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Randomized block design was used for the experiment. Evaluation of 15 Melia germplasms revealed that highest tree height was recorded in MD-173 (16.06 m) and lowest in MD-129 (12.31 m). Girth at breast height (GBH) was highest in MTP-3 (97.94 cm) and lowest in MD-135 (60.35 cm). Tree volume was highest in MTP-3 (328.6 m3 ha-1) and was on par with MTP-1 (314.4 m3 ha-1) and MD-138 (307.4 m3 ha-1) whereas, significantly lower tree volume was found in MD-135 (106.0 m3 ha-1). The above ground biomass, belowground biomass, total biomass and total biomass carbon were found highest in MTP-3 (197.2 t ha-1, 51.3 t ha-1, 248.6 t ha-1 and 124.2 t ha-1 respectively), and significantly lowest were found in MD-135 (63.6 t ha-1, 16.5 t ha-1, 80.1 t ha-1 and 40.1 t ha-1 respectively). MTP-3 consistently exhibited the highest biomass CO₂ values across all intervals, reaching a remarkable 455.9 t ha⁻¹ at 81 months followed by MTP-1 (436.1 t ha⁻1). MD-138 (426.4 t ha⁻¹), MD-157 (375.9 t ha⁻¹), and MD-164 (375.7 t ha⁻¹) were found to be intermediate CO2 accumulators. Lowest carbon sequestration potential was found in MD-135 (147.1 t ha-1), MD-174 (209.8 t ha-1) and MD-129 (236.3 t ha-1). MTP-3 followed by MTP-1 and MD-138 were more suitable for Eastern dry zone of Karnataka.

Research on influencing factors and improvement methods for air pollution in rural houses of severe cold region of China

Self-sufficient energy system leads to high levels of indoor pollution, accompanied by fuel burning processes indoors. Many factors have potential impacts and relations among factors and indoor air pollution are complicated. Exploration on revealing the relations in rural-houses of severe cold region of China is still insufficient. This paper attempted to comprehensively explore influences of factors composed of building layout, building envelope, heating feature, outdoor climate on indoor air pollutants. Field measurement and questionnaire survey were conducted in thirty-nine villages located in Shenyang, China. Temporal data for indoor air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, CO2 and CO in winter were measured. For each pollutant, 51,110 pieces of data were obtained. Statistics for percentage distributions of pollutants in different concentration intervals showed that 80% of day-time was in serious pollution situation. Associations between factors and indoor air pollutions were investigated utilizing multifactorial logistic regression. The values of OR and CI showed that these factors had significant effects on four kinds of pollutants. Overall, variations of factors in the four dimensions were found to have the greatest impact on CO2 concentration. Further, the influence of different heating scenarios composed of multiple factors on indoor air pollution level were analyzed. Twenty heating scenarios were suggested for heating in rural houses of severe cold region. Time-series data of air pollutants, indoor air temperature and humidity were detrended to study the correlations while eliminating the influence of time. It was found that indoor temperature fluctuated earlier than air pollutants and thus should not be taken as the indicator of estimating fuel burning time. The research results are helpful to deepen the understanding of the influence of various factors on complex indoor environment of rural houses in severe cold region. In addition, yielded results will provide basis to formulate strategies for improving living environment of rural-house and help to eliminate the health inequities caused by poverty.

Analysis of the Existing Air Emissions Detection Methods for Stationary Pollution Sources Monitoring

The application of coal technologies for energy generation leads to high pollutant emissions. Thus, governmental and international organizations have created new programs and laws for monitoring emissions. Recently, the government of Kazakhstan has introduced regulations for the measurement of emissions produced by factories and power plants. However, the requirements and Corecommendations for the monitoring methods have not been defined. Therefore, this article addresses the problem and focuses on determining the measurement errors made by optical SGK510 and electrochemical POLAR devices used for coal power plants. The hypothesis is based on the fact that there are currently no systems for monitoring probe drying, and its implementation is expensive. The main methods are analyzed, namely their operation, taking into account the presence of water particles in samples, and the possibility of using adjustment coefficients is considered. The main pollutants chosen for analysis are CO, NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, and O2. Using the Broich–Pagan test, homoscedasticity was determined, and the Fisher test showed the possibility of using tuning coefficients. The data for the optical method were compared to measurements taken using Inspector 500. The error for SO2 determination was 7.19% for NO, 44.0985% for NO2, 733.26% for NOx, 7.39% for O2, 2.75% for CO, 60.81%. The comparison between SGK510 and POLAR demonstrated the following errors: for CO—1.5%, for NOx—82.4405%, for SO2—41.17%, for O2—11.61%. According to the Fisher criteria analysis of the optical method, only SO2 and CO values measured by SGK510 in comparison to Inspector 500 had close similarity, while others demonstrated high deviations. The significance tests were carried out by Fisher’s, t-test, and ANOVA methods. For the electrochemical measurement, only CO values had close similarity. In the future, methods will be proposed to improve the accuracy of the system while reducing maintenance costs, as well as cleaning sampling systems. The multicomponent analysis application for accuracy improvement with the exhaust gas humidity, temperature, and flow consideration was recommended as a possible solution.

Carbon Stocks Estimation Using the Stock Difference Method of Various Land Use Systems Based on Geospatial in Kualan Watershed

Indonesia controls 75%-80% of the world's carbon stocks, so the amount of carbon stocks must be utilized optimally. This study aims to determine carbon stocks, potential emissions, and economic value of carbon stocks in each land use. The method used is secondary data analysis and field checking. The data collected were Sentinel 2A acquisitions in 2020 and 2022, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and land use land cover in 2020-2023. Data analysis used SNAP and ArcGIS 10.8. The tool used for data analysis is spatial analysis map algebra. The results showed mixed dryland agriculture has the most extensive carbon stock, at 2,614,178 tons/ha, with potential emissions of 9,585,320 tons/ha. The most minor carbon stock is in mining land use, which is 0 tons/ha with potential emissions of 0 tons/ha. The highest C02 value in USD is the forest land use group. In the Secondary Dryland Forest, Secondary Swamp Forest, and Plantation Forest groups, it is 17,517,400.50 USD, while the lowest is mining land use, which is 0 USD. Overall, the CO2 value of land use in the study area is 34,246,314.45 USD. Integrating remote sensing data analysis and field surveys in geospatial technology is one of the new approaches to studying carbon stocks and CO2 emissions in topsoil from various land uses. By utilizing geospatial technology, efforts to estimate carbon stocks on the surface are easier and faster.

Utilizing supercritical water gasification for hydrogen production combined with a waste heat recovery system for domestic households

Hydrogen from food waste can provide sustainable energy. Food waste can be gasified into clean, efficient hydrogen gas using cutting-edge techniques. This study is about the gasification of food waste under different settings to determine gas production and efficiency. The supercritical water gasification (SCWG) method was used in experiments at 400 °C, 450 °C, and 500 °C with reaction durations of 30, 60 and 90 min. The results showed peak values of CO2, CO, CH4, H2 at 90 min, equivalent to 6.2 % and 7.9 % hydrogen efficiency (HE) and cold gas efficiency (CGE). Peak CGE and HE were 6.7 % and 9.2 % at 500 °C, whereas peak CE and total gas output were 6.8 % and 8.6 %. To generate heat and power, a PEM cell was added. Gasification-generated hydrogen was warmed and fed in the PEM circuit at 0.7, 1 and 1.5 m/s. The peak velocity indicates a 23.1 % waste heat recovery rate and a higher hydrogen temperature difference of roughly 8.1 °C. At the temperature of peak gasification (500 °C), the values of CO2, CO, CH4, and H2 are approximately 3.6 mol/kg, 0.3 mol/kg, 2.6 mol/kg, and 4.7 mol/kg, respectively. At the peak gasification temperature (500 °C), As a result, the suggested system is ideal for combining hydrogen production to generate both power and heat energy for use in heating small homes or buildings (the proposed system can deliver that much energy or at least partially fulfill it).

Geographic Information System and Contamination Indices for Environmental Risk Assessment of Landfill Disposal Sites in Central Saudi Arabia

Landfills pollute air, soil, and surface and groundwater worldwide. The present work aims to assess the environmental risks of three landfills in southern Riyadh using GIS, soil quality guidelines, and contamination indices. GIS tools indicated an increase in the area of the landfill sites with time. The concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in the investigated landfills had the following descending order: Fe (11,532 mg/kg) ˃ Al (5405 mg/kg) ˃ Pb (561.7 mg/kg) ˃ Zn (356.8 mg/kg) ˃ Mn (165 mg/kg) ˃ Cr (74.8 mg/kg) ˃ Cu (42.7 mg/kg) ˃ Ni (22.4 mg/kg) ˃ V (21.8 mg/kg) ˃ As (5.16 mg/kg) ˃ Co (4.08 mg/kg). The highest values of Al, As, Co, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were recorded from Al Kharj road landfill (RL3). However, the average values of all HMs were lower than those from most worldwide soils and backgrounds, except for Zn, Cu, Cr, and Pb. Results of enrichment factor and statistical analysis indicated deficiency to minimal enrichment and geogenic sources for Al, Co, Mn, and V, while those of As, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu showed EF ˃ 2, which might be indicative of anthropogenic activities, especially in RL3. Additionally, very high contamination and a high effects range—median were reported in individual samples, especially for Pb, As, and Zn, indicating frequent adverse effects for these HMs. The difference in contamination for the HMs in the studied landfill sites might be attributed to the difference in the magnitude of input for each metal into the landfill site and/or the difference in the removal rate of each metal from it.

Characteristics, Sources, and Health Risk Changes of Heavy Metal Pollution Carried by PM2.5 in Beijing and Evaluation of Policy Effectiveness

To evaluate the effectiveness of air pollution prevention and control measures in Beijing, this study measured the content of 13 metal elements, including seven heavy metal elements [As, Cd, Co, Cr（Ⅵ）, Ni, Pb, and V], through daily PM2.5 sampling （n = 934） in the urban area of Beijing for four years. We analyzed the interannual changes in the concentration levels of various metals and the differences between heating and non-heating seasons, used a positive definite matrix factorization （PMF） model for quantitative source analysis, and used health risk assessment methods to evaluate the health risks of six metals. The results showed that, except for a few metal elements such as Cr（Ⅵ） and Ni, which showed an increase in concentration in individual years, the overall concentration of each element showed a downward trend. The concentrations of ten metals, including V, Co, Pb, and Mn, during the heating season were significantly higher than those during the non-heating season （P<0.05）. There were five main types of atmospheric heavy metal pollution sources in Beijing： dust sources, transportation sources, coal sources, industrial sources, and fuel oil combustion sources. Among them, the proportion of coal sources was generally decreasing. The HQ values of each metal were all less than 1, indicating no non-carcinogenic health risk. The carcinogenic risk of Ni and Cd could be ignored, while the R values of As, Co, and Cr（Ⅵ） in each year were between 10-6 and 10-4, indicating a certain carcinogenic risk. The interannual trends in atmospheric concentration, sources, and health risks indicate that the relevant measures for air pollution prevention and control in Beijing have achieved positive results.

Comprehensive analysis of particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, and microbiological contamination in an international chain supermarket

Indoor environmental quality is of utmost importance since urban populations spend a large proportion of their life in confined spaces. Supermarkets offer a wide range of products and services that are prone to emitting several air pollutants. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive characterisation of the indoor and outdoor air quality in a multinational supermarket, encompassing not only criteria parameters but also unregulated pollutants of concern. Monitoring included measurements of comfort parameters, CO2, multiple gaseous pollutants, particulate matter (PM10) and bioburden. PM10, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyls were subject to chemical speciation. Globally, the supermarket presented CO2, VOCs, and PM10 values below the limits imposed by international regulations. The PM10 concentration in the supermarket was 33.5 ± 23.2 μg/m3, and the indoor-to-outdoor PM10 ratio was 1.76. Carbonaceous constituents represented PM10 mass fractions of 21.6% indoors and 15.3% outdoors. Due to the use of stainless-steel utensils, flour and fermentation processes, the bakery proved to be a pollution hotspot, presenting the highest concentrations of PM10 (73.1 ± 9.16 μg/m3), PM10-bound elements (S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, and Cr) and acetaldehyde (42.7 μg/m3). The maximum tetrachloroethylene level (130 μg/m3) was obtained in the cleaning products section. The highest values of colony-forming units of bacteria and fungi were recorded in the bakery, and fruit and vegetable section. The most prevalent fungal species was Penicillium sp., corresponding to 56.9% of the total colonies. In addition, other fungal species/sections with toxicological or pathogenic potential were detected (Aspergillus sections Aspergilli, Circumdati, Flavi, Mucor and Fusarium sp.).

The impact of economic policy uncertainty, renewable energy adoption, and eco-innovation on sectoral CO₂ emissions in the United States

In 2022, emitting 4.8 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the United States ranked as the global second-biggest polluter. In order to address this, the US has set a specific target of reducing net carbon dioxide emissions by 50–52 % from the peak of 2006 by 2030. For this reason, identifying the most important elements that will help achieve the SDGs is of the utmost importance. This study looked at how the relationships between green energy transitions (ET), ecological innovation (EI), economic policy uncertainty (EPU), energy consumption (EU), economic growth (EG), and sectoral CO₂ emissions changed from 1982 to 2022. It used advanced Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR) and Quantiles Granger Causality test (QGC). The result highlights a positive correlation between overall sectoral CO2 quantiles and ET quantiles. In the lowest to upper quantiles, EI and sectoral CO2 are slightly positive; however, in the 0.2–0.95 quantiles, the rising slope values demonstrate that EPU affects SCO2. In a similar vein, sectoral CO2 and energy consumption exhibited mixed results across quantiles, while the QQR slope values for sectoral CO2 and economic growth exhibited mixed results throughout quantiles as well. It is crucial to make investments in ET and ecological innovation in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals-7 by 2030. This will reduce EPU and ensure that all sectors have access to energy.

Comparison of Carbon-Dioxide Emissions of Diesel and LNG Heavy-Duty Trucks in Test Track Environment

Environmental protection and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are getting increasingly high priority in the area of mobility. Several regulations, goals and projects have been published in recent years that clearly encourage the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, the adoption of green alternatives and the use of renewable energy sources. The study compares CO2 emissions between conventional diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), and furthermore investigates the main influencing factors of GHG emissions. This study was carried out in a test–track environment, which supported the perfect reproducibility of the tests with minimum external influencing factors, allowing different types of measurements. At the results level, our primary objective was to collect and evaluate consumption and emission values using statistical methods, in terms of correlations, relationships and impact assessment. In this research, we recorded CO2 and pollutant emission values indirectly via the fleet management system (FMS) using controller area network (CAN) messages. Correlation, regression and statistical analyses were used to investigate the factors influencing fuel consumption and emissions. Our scientific work is a unique study in the field of HDVs, as the measurements were performed on the test track level, which provide accuracy for emission differences. The results of the project clearly show that gas technology can contribute to reducing GHG emissions of HDVs, and LNG provides a reliable alternative way forward for long-distance transportation, especially in areas of Europe where filling stations are already available.

Comparative Sensitivity Analysis of GA, PSO, and PSO-GA Algorithms for Carbon Environment Development and Sustainability

<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;" lang="EN-US">To effectively address the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions in the tourism place, in this study focuses a Sanshan scenic spot for precise prediction. The main factors contributing CO<sub>2</sub> emission as, accommodation, transportation and catering services which intends to improve the need of carbon emission forecasting methods. To address this issue, we proposed an innovatively integrating the optimization algorithms Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization for accurately predicting the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Initially, this system taken input from the CO2 emissions occurred from the year of 2010 to 2020. The optimization model contains the input variables, initializing populations, evaluating fitness values, and iterating until convergence to found best prediction model. The experimental results of the proposed PSO-GA system attains 9.86 highest sensitivity showcases best performance in predicting CO<sub>2 </sub>emissions, as evidenced by its superior Adjusted Rand Index value of 1 after 160 iterations. The predicted and measured values of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions using this algorithm remains significant and advanced carbon environment development at scenic spots. The PSO-GA was used to calculate the carbon emissions of three mountainous scenic spots over the next five years, and the medium and high carbon levels should change to a medium carbon development stage by 2024.</span></p>

Biodegradation potentials of soil-borne fungal cultures grown on haloxyfop R methyl ester herbicide medium

The heterotrophic and haloxyfop-R methyl ester utilizing fungal counts associated with two top soil samples was determined. Five (5) fungal isolates; Aspergillus niger, Candida sp., Trichoderma sp., Fusarium sp., and Alternaria sp. Were cultured from the soil samples using serial dilution as well as pour plate techniques. These isolates were sub-cultured and screened for their ability to use haloxyfop-R methyl ester as sole source of metabolic energy as well as using the turbidimeteric method. Two of the screened fungal isolates which exhibited maximal optical density (OD) difference values; A. niger and Fusarium sp. Were selected and utilized for the subsequent degradation/shake flask experiment. Growth profile parameters which included; pH, OD, dissolved CO2 and weighed dry fungal biomass were determined during the growth profiling test at a 96 hour interval for 16 days using appropriate methods and equipment. Mean soil pH values were 5.08 ± 0.02 and 4.62 ± 0.02 for samples A and B. The mean total heterotrophic fungal count was 8.7×10³ cfu/g ± 1.5 for A and 1.6 × 10⁴ cfu/g ±1.0 for B. The mean pH value observed for A. niger in the course of the growth profile test ranged from 6.0 ± 8.7 to 7.3 ± 8.0 and 7.3 ± 5.8. The mean OD values observed for A. niger and Fusarium sp. In the course of the shake flask experiment varied from 0.66 ± 7.1 to 1.96 ± 4.5 and 1.62 ± 5.4 to1.99 ± 3.6 respectively. With reference to the detection of mean dissolved CO2 values, utilized as an indirect indicator of herbicide mineralization, the axenic cultured A. niger was the most effective amongst the growth profile fungal cultures.

The Coefficient of Reactivity and Activation Energy as the Criteria of Assessment of the Influence of Sustainable Aviation Fuels on Combustion Process in a Rapid Compression Combustion Machine and a Turbine Engine

Aviation in Europe is required to use fuels containing up to 2 wt. % of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). A better understanding of the impact of SAFs on the combustion process will be helpful in solving problems that may arise from the widespread use of these kinds of fuels. It was assumed that the reactivity coefficient αi and the activation energy could be a criteria for assessing the impact of SAFs on the combustion process. Based on DGEN engine tests, the following activation energy values of CO2 and CO formation reactions were obtained—Jet A-1: EaCO2/R=3480 and EaCO/R=982; A30: EaCO2/R=3705 and EaCO/R=2903; and H30: EaCO2/R=3637 and EaCO/R=2843. These results indicate differences in the structure of combustion reaction chains involved by the SAF addition to Jet A-1 fuel. The same conclusion has been formulated on the basis of the reactivity coefficient αi. The values of maximum cylinder pressure (Pmax) obtained during indicator RCCM (rapid compression combustion machine) tests correlated with both the activation energy and coefficients of reactivity. This suggests that the influence of SAF addition to Jet A-1 fuel on the structure of chemical reactions chain during RCCM tests is similar to the influence during DGEN 380 tests. The assumption stated above was confirmed. This indicates the possibility of the preliminary forecasting of CO2 and CO emissions from the DGEN 380 engine based on the test at the RCCM stand.

Dual Cocatalytic Sites Synergize NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide to Boost Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer

AbstractNickel‐iron layered double hydroxide (LDH) is a promising cost‐efficient catalyst to replace noble metals for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER), yet its intrinsic activity under high current density conditions is not satisfactory, which greatly constrains the industrial application of NiFe LDH catalysts. Herein, a new class of integrated Co and W co‐doped NiFe LDH catalysts is reported with dual cocatalytic sites for alkaline OER catalysis. The optimized Co2.8, W3.8‐NiFe LDH integrated catalyst has superior alkaline OER activity (255 mV@1000 mA cm−2) and excellent catalytic stability (200 h@500 mA cm−2). The turnover frequency value of Co2.8, W3.8‐NiFe LDH can reach 4.02 s−1 at 1.49 V versus RHE, which is 9.6 times higher than that of NiFe LDH and superior to the noble metal catalysts. Moreover, it can achieve 1.0 A cm−2 at 1.86 V and maintain 300‐h stable operation in anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer. Theoretical and experimental studies indicate that W sites promote the *OH adsorption and Co sites favor protons desorption of OH*. These dual cocatalytic sites jointly promote *O coverage, effectively accelerating alkaline OER kinetic.

Mortality and Associated Factors in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Associated Pulmonary Hypertension with and without Interstitial Lung Disease: A Long-Term Follow-up Study.

We aimed to analyze the prevalence, mortality, and prognostic factors in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) with or without interstitial lung disease (ILD). The associations between mortality and demographics, transthoracic echocardiography, right heart catheterization (RHC), pulmonary functional parameters at baseline, and treatment modalities in two groups; patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, PH without significant ILD) and PH + ILD were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 56.6±13.5 (range: 34-82, 44 women/ 2 men), and 23 (52.3%) were deceased during a median follow-up of 45 months. The survival rates of PH-SSc patients were 91% for the first year, 75% for 2 years, 68% for 3 years, and 43.1% for 5 years. The majority of deceased patients were in the PH + ILD group (p=0.007). The PH + ILD group had more diffuse skin involvement, anti-Scl-70 positivity, high C-reactive protein, low FVC, and lower DLCO values. The deceased patients had higher ePASP, low CO, and FVC values compared to surviving patients. Median survival time was significantly better in patients on combined therapy (44 vs. 61 months, p=0.01). The mortality-related factors in the PH + ILD group were decreased initial FVC, high ePASP on echocardiography, low cardiac output on RHC, deteriorated functional class, and monotherapy. This is the first reported SSc-PH cohort from Turkey by a multidisciplinary team after the implementation of PAH-specific drugs. SSc-PH is a severe complication of SSc with high mortality especially in patients with accompanying severe ILD.

АНАЛИЗ ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ИНДИКАТОРОВ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТУАЛЬНЫХ ТРАНСПОРТНЫХ СИСТЕМ КАК ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ АВТОМОБИЛЬНОГО ТРАНСПОРТА В КУРСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

The article presents an analysis of modern research in the field of assessing the anthropogenic impact of motor transport, including emissions of pollutants into the air, noise and vibration impact. When implementing measures aimed at reducing the negative impact of motor transport, considerable attention is paid to the development and implementation of intelligent transport systems (ITS). To assess the effectiveness of using ITS elements in the Kursk region in terms of improving environmental performance, the authors analyzed the following functional indicators of ITS: mass emissions of pollutants contained in vehicle exhaust gases; noise level from traffic flow; CO and NOx concentration values. The conducted field studies and calculations indicate the high efficiency of ITS implementation to reduce the environmental load on sections of the road network.

Persistent biogeochemical signals of land use-driven, deep root losses illuminated by C and O isotopes of soil CO2 and O2

Replacing long-lived, rarely disturbed vegetation with short-lived, frequently disturbed vegetation is a widespread phenomenon in the Anthropocene that can influence ecosystem functioning and soil development by reducing the abundance of deep roots. We explore how sources and fate of soil CO2 vary with organic substrate source, abundance of respiring biota (i.e., roots and soil microbes), season, and soil depth. We quantified multiple isotopic signatures of CO2 (δ13C, Δ14C, δ18O) as well as concentrations and δ18O of free O2 in the upper 5 m of soil at sites where root abundances and soil organic C have been previously quantified: in late-successional forests, cultivated fields, and ~ 80 y old regenerating pine forests growing on previously cultivated land. We hypothesized that soil CO2sources would vary across soil depth and land cover, reflecting varying abundances of organic substrates, and seasonally as the dominance of root vs. microbial CO2 production changes through the year. δ13C–CO2 revealed respiration of C4-derived substrates in cultivated fields particularly during the growing season. This effect was not evident in soils of regenerating pine or older hardwood forests, suggesting that ~ 80 y of pine inputs to reforested soils have been sufficient to dominate microbial substrate selection over any remnant, historic agricultural C4 inputs. Δ14C–CO2 diverged by land use at 3 and 5 m, indicating that more recently-produced photosynthate is available for mineralization in forests compared to cultivated plots, and in late-successional forests compared to regenerating pine forests. At 1.5, 3, and 5 m in forested plots we observed evidence of respiratory demands on soil pore space O2. In these soils, we observed declines in [O2] compared to other depths and to the agricultural plots and concurrent increases in δ18O of free O2, consistent with the idea that roots and heterotrophic soil microbes are more active where photosynthate is more available. The δ18O–CO2 values, a likely proxy for δ18O of soil porewater, exhibited 18O enrichment during the winter, when many sampling wells were flooded, compared to growing season values. These data suggest an isotopically-distinct and laterally-flowing source of CO2-laden porewater during winter months. Combined, these datasets document how ~ 80 y of forest regeneration can provide sufficient C inputs to mask any microbial mineralization of decades-old organic inputs, but belowground C inputs still lag those of late successional forests. We also infer that lateral and vertical flows of water can serve as a sink for biotically-generated CO2, and that where deep soil [CO2] is lower due to lower root and microbial activities, production of carbonic acid is also diminished. Where reaction rates are weathering limited, a paucity of deep roots imposed by anthropogenic land cover change thus may limit the production of this agent of soil development and the C sink represented by the silicate weathering it can promote. The data suggest deep and persistent effects of the loss of deeply rooted long-lived vegetation on deep soil C storage and transformations that promote acid-dissolution weathering reactions that help form soil itself.

Potentially Toxic Metals Enrichment in Soils of Ishiagu Mining Community, Southeastern Nigeria

This Study was carried out to evaluate potentially toxic metals enrichment, pollution and potential ecological risk in the soils of Ishiagu. The concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), Aluminum (Al) and Iron (Fe) in soil samples from the area were analyzed by Bureau Veritas Laboratory, Vancouver, Canada, using inductively-coupled plasma optic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Descriptive statistics, enrichment factor, pollution load and potential ecological risk indices were employed to analyze the data in order to understand the characteristics of potentially toxic metals in the study area. The potentially toxic metals statistic show the mean values (mg/kg-1 ) of Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, Al, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, and Cu to be 205.7, 162, 527, 35892, 11374, 1.3, 21.6, 15, 14.6 and 11.1 respectively. The soil enrichment varied considerably between mining and non-mining areas with mining area being extremely enriched with Pb, Zn and Cd, and significantly enriched with Co, Cu, Ni and Fe. Non- mining areas are minimally enriched with all investigated metals. The soils around the mines are polluted with Pb and Cd, where both metals also pose very high ecological risks.