Existing Risks of Forest Fires in Radiation Contaminated Areas: A Critical Review

The purpose to highlight and focus on the most important risks of forest fires in radiationcontaminated areas, with some detailing of the problem in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). The search strategy was to collect a sufficient number of relevant publications in ScienceDirect, PubMed, Mendeley, ResearchGate, GoogleScholar from 2006 to the present in English, Russian, Ukrainian. Requests were made on the topics "Forest fires in a radioactively contaminated area" and "Assessing the territories' radiation safety", as well as for the keywords of this study. Analysis of available open information about the CEZ was done. Although, in the future, temperatures are expected to rise in contaminated forests, and the amount of precipitation will remain the same or slightly decrease, which will contribute to an increase in the frequency of fires. Considering the socio-economic situation in Ukraine, the introduction of early detection systems is more profitable than the elimination of the consequences of such emergencies. Investigations have been studied, which were published after 2006 only in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. The most attention is paid to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Despite the fact that a lot of studies are devoted to the study of the ecological situation in radioactively contaminated areas, many issues related to safety still concern the population living in this area. The reason for this is intermittent fires, which again and again cover large areas with smoke and cannot be extinguished for a long time. To eliminate anxiety, it is necessary to convey truthful information to the population in the most accessible and convincing way. It was a critical look at numerous studies in this area that made it possible to present concentrated information understandable for most segments of the population. The document concentrates on the most key problems of fires in radioactive forests, shows the intensity of the radionuclides impact on the population and the exposure ways, as well as the probable risks. Such information is necessary to reduce the psychological stress that can be caused by the media influence. Objectively understood situation promotes constructive action in extreme conditions and reduces the likelihood of panic

Advancement in Ozone base wastewater treatment technologies: Brief review

Over 70% of the planet's surface is covered by water. A universal solvent, water can dissolve a wide variety of compounds. The majority of water contamination is caused by human activity. Increasing water use and pollution are to blame for the current shortage of fresh water supplies. Population expansion, agricultural runoff, and municipal wastewater are the primary sources of pollution in the river. To conduct the study, the logical chain was developed. For the review, open sources of scientific information were used. The focus was on publications from the last 10 years and at the same time; earlier works were taken into accounts that have useful information for this study, which were identified in the list of references when studying recent sources. The number of sources published earlier than 10 years ago does not exceed 7% of the total number of references. The present study aims to determine the optimum conditions for best removal of contaminants as the review focuses on advancement in Ozonation/AOP technology, different type of methods used for drugs removal and different operating condition. Various modern treatment procedures make extensive use of drinking water treatment plants. Water shortages in countries can be alleviated by implementing some of the recommendations made in the research. More catchment areas need to be developed; strict management policies and guidelines should be implemented. Ozonation can also more effectively remove certain personal care products (PPCPs) from the skin. Recycled water can be disinfected using ozonation, which breaks down ozone in water. When ozone is used in this way, it is an effective parasiticide, germicide, and virucidal agent. It can also remove the chroma compounds, smells, infections, and many micro-pollutants simultaneously. Ozone-based AOP should be studied in the future to see whether it is cost-effective and to see if it consumes more energy than other traditional treatment methods

Impact of Urbanization on River Ecology – A GIS Technologies Perspective

Malir River which is the major seasonal river of Karachi once supported the market gardening practiced in Karachi. Its valleys and plains, once comprises the cultivated lands of vegetables and fruits that fulfilled the local market demand. But with a shift in rainfall characteristics, the cultivation also started to recede slowly as many of the crops could not withstand the prolonged drought conditions and farmers were not ready to take the risks and hence abandoned cultivation. Hence, changing climate gives way to the industrialization of rapidly growing urban center which in turn inducing desertification. Since the cultivated land which is supplied with water also is helpful in evapo-transpiration leading to precipitation by taking part in the water cycle. But the whole process was disrupted by the abolition of agricultural activity in the area. The study gives a GIS (Geographical Information Sciences) perspective of Land Use/Land Cover of the southern part of Malir plain near its mouth – the Korangi and Landhi Area which were also the active flood plains of Malir during 1960s. Since the huge urbanization and population growth has led to water scarcity in the area due to the reduction of underground aquifers and the reduction of agriculture, high research efficiency can be achieved using satellite imagery and GIS

Bioremediation of Petroleum Contamination: A Short Review

The pros and cons of using the bioremediation method for the removal of petroleum pollutants are discussed in this review article. Other methods along with bioremediation have been used to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants in the past. Bioremediation is cheap and efficient method than any other because major constituents of the crude oils are biodegradable. Despite the fact that, as compared to physicochemical strategies, longer periods are normally required, complete pollutant degradation can be achieved, and no further containment of the contaminated matrix is required. According to hydrocarbon present in the contaminants different strategies and organism are used for the bioremediation. Common strategies include controlling environmental factors such as oxygen availability, hydrocarbon solubility, nutrient balance and managing hydrocarbon degrading bacteria by eliminating the rate limiting factors that may slow down the bioremediation rate. Microorganism dynamics during bioremediation is most important for understanding how they respond, adapt and remediate pollution. However, bioremediation can be considered one of the best technologies to deal with petroleum product contaminants

Study of Seasonal variation and Index Based Assessment of Water Quality and Pollution in Semi-Arid Region of Morocco

Water resources quality assessment a basic requirement for ensuring its sustainability. Groundwater resources being restricted under the earth crust are at high risk of being polluted as compared to rivers which flow continuously. This study evaluated groundwater quality in Mohammedia prefecture, Morocco in terms of physicochemical parameters and seasonal variation. The physicochemical parameters analysed were Temperature, pH, EC, TDS, Na+, Ca2+, K+, NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, PO43-, SO42. Seasonal variation was evaluated for winter and spring seasons. The water quality was assessed in terms of overall water and Pollution index. Cation/anion ratio to TDS revealed evaporation and rock weathering dominance. Based on Pollution index, water quality of 88% samples was in excellent to good category in winter season. The pollution index during winter season was <1 for all sample locations. In Spring PI was >1 only at Location P1 which was attributed to NO2-. In Spring season 78% water samples were in Good to excellent category. The decrease in concentration during spring season was attributed to lack of soil-water interaction with reduced infiltration rate. The increase in concentration of parameters was attributed to anthropogenic activities. Further studies are needed to establish relationship between infiltration rate and pollutants concentration with respect to precipitation during monsoon season. Even though water quality in majority areas was fit for consumption and domestic use still further analysis should be carried out in terms of heavy metals and other emerging pollutants

Bimodal dynamics of mechanically constrained hydrogen bonds revealed by vibrational photon echoes

We have investigated the dynamics of the hydrogen bonds that connect the components of a [2]rotaxane in solution. In this rotaxane, the amide groups in the benzylic-amide macrocycle and the succinamide thread are connected by four equivalent N−H⋅⋅⋅O=C hydrogen bonds. The fluctuations of these hydrogen bonds are mirrored by the frequency fluctuations of the NH-stretch modes, which are probed by means of three-pulse photon-echo peak shift spectroscopy. The hydrogen-bond fluctuations occur on three different time scales, with time constants of 0.1, 0.6, and >=200 ps. Comparing these three time scales to the ones found in liquid formamide, which contains the same hydrogen-bonded amide motif but without mechanical constraints, we find that the faster two components, which are associated with small-amplitude fluctuations in the strength of the N−H⋅⋅⋅O=C hydrogen bonds, are very similar in the liquid and the rotaxane. However, the third component, which is associated with the breaking and subsequent reformation of hydrogen bonds, is found to be much slower in the rotaxane than in the liquid. It can be concluded that the mechanical bonding in a rotaxane does not influence the amplitude and time scale of the small-amplitude fluctuations of the hydrogen bonds, but strongly slows down the complete dissociation of these hydrogen bonds. This is probably because in a rotaxane breaking of the macrocycle-axle contacts is severely hindered by the mechanical constraints. The hydrogen-bond dynamics in rotaxane-based molecular machines can therefore be regarded as liquidlike on a time scale 1 ps and less, but structurally frozen on longer (up to at least 200 ps) time scales

Risk of Land Degradation: A Case Study of Phu Yen Province, Vietnam

The issue of the land degradation vulnerability index (LDVI) is multifaceted, encompassing climate, soil, vegetation, policy formulation, and human actions. In Vietnam, the convergence of climatic fluctuations and human impact results in phenomena, such as soil sealing, erosion, salinization, and landscape fragmentation. These phenomena are recognized as significant triggers of land degradation. This paper seeks to present a method for assessing a land's susceptibility to degradation by utilizing ten ecological 10 criteria: NDVI; slope; bulk density (cg/cm3); cation exchange capacity in the soil (CEC; mmol(c)/kg); Soil organic carbon stock (SOC; dg/kg), pH; Nitrogen (N; cg/kg); soil thickness (cm); soil surface temperature LST (0C); precipitation of the driest quarter (mm). The research results show that Song Hinh and Son Hoa communes are standing on the most land degradation vulnerability. Some criteria that are considered important in assessing land degradation by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique are NDVI, followed by slope, nitrogen, bulk density, and soil thickness. The results of the study are consistent with records in localities that are often under pressure from drought. Extreme LDVI areas were larger identified on low mountains, slope terrain, and precipitation of driest quarter under 200mm, expanding on the agricultural areas with 40km2 total province agriculture area, followed by grassland (20.3 km2), natural forests (17.2 km2), plantation forests (8.2 km2), residences (8.2 km2), and bare land (8.15 km2). Poor land management practices, such as improper construction, inadequate water management, and lack of terracing, can contribute to soil erosion and land degradation. This LDVI assessment process can be applied to some tropical countries. The NDVI index combined with the slope, nitrogen, bulk density, and soil thickness can be exploratory indicators of land sensitivity to land degradation

Studies of the silkworm enzyme activity and their correlations with economic variables

The experiment was conducted to analyse the larval performance and economic traits of bivoltine silkworm breeds of silkworm (SK-1, SK-6, SK-22, SK-28, SK-33, CSR4, CSR2, NB4D2, DUN6 and APS4) during spring season. The haemolymph total protein, succinate and gultamate dehydrogenase activities were estimated and their correlation with economic traits were also worked out. The results of the study confirmed that among ten bivoltine silkworm breeds, highest haemolymph SDH activity of 3.47 µmoles/ml/mgprotein/min was recorded in the silkworm breed SK1 and least SDH activity of 1.58 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was recorded in the breed APS4. The highest peak of succinate dehydrogenase activity of 2.65 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was observed on 7th day of the 5th instar and lowest peak of succinate dehydrogenase activity of 2.39 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was observed on 4th day of the 5th instar. GDH activity of 0.46 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was recorded highest in the silkworm breed SK1 and lowest of 0.15 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was recorded in silkworm breed APS4. The highest peak of haemolymph GDH of 0.36 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was recorded on 7th day of 5th instar and lowest peak of 0.26 µmoles/ml/mg protein/min was recorded on 4th day of 5th instar. The correlational studies revealed that haemolymph total protein, SDH and GDH were found to be positively corelated with yield by weight and number (cocoon), weight of mature larvae, shell weight ,cocoon weight, shell ratio percent, silk productivity, rate of pupation, fecundity, raw silk percentage  and length of filament. Thus, the study revealed that silkworm breeds like SK1, SK6, SK22 and SK28 as productive breeds and hence may be used for future breeding programmes for evolution of new robust silkworm breed