scholarly journals Platyhypnidium aquaticum as Bioindicator of Metal and Metalloid Contamination of River Water in a Neotropical Mountain City

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 974
Author(s):  
Ángel Benítez ◽  
Samuel Torres ◽  
Ramiro Morocho ◽  
Washington Carrillo ◽  
David A. Donoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Contamination ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Control Zone ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Current State ◽  
Aquatic Mosses ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
The City

Water contamination is a major environmental problem in many cities of the world. Most water contamination results from industry and human activities that generate toxic substances (e.g., metals). Rheophilic and aquatic mosses are found in lotic ecosystems, and their morphological and physiological traits are responsive to ecological and pollution gradients. Here we hypothesized that the native rheophilic moss Platyhypnidium aquaticum (A. Jaeger) M. Fleisch exposed to polluted waters can bioaccumulate greater amounts of metals, and a metalloid, than P. aquaticum exposed to pollution-free water. To this aim, we tested the bioindicator capacity of the aquatic P. aquaticum for 15 metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, K, Ca, Na, Mn, V, Co, Ba, Cr, Al, Sr, and Mg) and one metalloid (As), in twelve river samples coming from three urban and one control zone along the Zamora river in the city of Loja. When compared to the control, our results showed that P. aquaticum in the Southern, Central, and Northern zones of the city bioaccumulated higher concentrations of Ba, Cd, Co, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr, Zn, and the metalloid As. On the other hand, concentrations of Al, Ca, Cr, Pb, and V in P. aquaticum tended to be lower in the control zone, but these differences were not significant. We suggest that the presence of these contaminants may be related to water pollution (e.g., residual discharges and a lack of treatment systems) along urban zones of the river. We report for the first time the utility of P. aquaticum as a model species for development of long-term biomonitoring programs of water contamination in South America. Passive biomonitoring with P. aquaticum can be a simple and low-cost method to obtain reliable data of the current state of water contamination with metals and metalloids in tropical regions.

scholarly journals Pollution Reduction Potential By Implementing Electrostatic Dust Precipitators On Mongolian Small-Scale Stoves (A Pilot Study In Ulaanbaatar)

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-128
Author(s):  
Daniel Karthe ◽  
Tim Hafer ◽  
Byambasuren Battulga ◽  
Lodoysamba Sereeter ◽  
Gunther Stehr
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Reduction Potential ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pollution Reduction ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Major Fraction ◽  
Reduction Potentials ◽  
The City

The  Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatarexperiences some of the world’s  worst air pollution during the winter months, most of it being caused by small coal- and wood-fired stoves which are used for heating and cooking purposes in peri-urban parts of the city. A recent pilot study in Songinokhairkhan  District of Ulaanbaatar City evaluated the feasibility of electrostatic dust precipitators (ESP) for reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions from small stoves. This paper focuses on the pollution reduction potentials that would result from a large-scale implementation of ESPs. Using a locally developed low- cost ESP system (which is currently in the process of further improvement), reduction rates ranging between 10 to 50% of the PM emissions  (depending on the fuel and combustion conditions) could be achieved. Fitting all or at least a major fraction of the small stoves with such ESPs could reduce PM emissions by an order of several thousand tons per heating season for the whole city. The avoided particle emissions would simultaneously prevent atmospheric pollution by various trace metals and metalloids including As, Cd, Pb and Zn, which are known to be major soil and water pollutants locally, and several other toxic substances. However, this also means that safe disposal strategies must be developed for the fly ash precipitated during ESP operation.

scholarly journals Epiphytic Cryptogams as Bioindicators of Air Quality in a Tropical Andean City

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11218
Author(s):  
Juan Díaz ◽  
Luis Montaño ◽  
Paul Salinas ◽  
Ángel Benítez
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Zone ◽  
Air Quality Assessment ◽  
Tropical Areas ◽  
And Control ◽  
The City

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems in developed and developing countries. Epiphytic cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) are proposed as a reliable indicator to detect environmental changes, given to their sensitivity to pollutants. In this study we evaluated air quality in the city of Ambato using bryophytes and epiphytic lichens on three land uses (urban, peri-urban and control). In each zone we selected ten trees (a total of 90 trees) for each station (a total of nine stations), where we recorded the frequency and cover of epiphytic cryptogams in a quadrat of 10 × 50 cm that was divided into 5 × 5 cm squares. Differences in richness, index of atmospheric purity (IAP) and diversity were analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM) and changes in species composition using multivariate analysis. We recorded 39 species of cryptogams (25 lichens and 14 bryophytes). Richness, diversity and index of atmospheric purity were higher in the control zone compared to the urbanized zones. Community composition changed between the different zones, with increasing differences between the control and urban zones. The urban areas of the city of Ambato were identified with high levels of air pollution due to their lower diversity related to higher vehicular traffic and industrial activities (e.g., footwear and textile factories, tanneries). Thus, epiphytic cryptogams are a fast and low-cost method for air quality assessment in tropical areas.

Effect of feed pattern of landfill leachate on water reduction in constructed wetland in Southeast Asia

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 669-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuka Ogata ◽  
Tomonori Ishigaki ◽  
Yoshitaka Ebie ◽  
Noppharit Sutthasil ◽  
Chart Chiemchaisri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Constructed Wetland ◽  
Landfill Leachate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Leachate Treatment ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Water Reduction ◽  
Landfill Management

To improve landfill management in Southeast Asia, reduction of landfill leachate volume with low cost and easy operation is required. The present study attempted to utilize constructed wetland (CW) for reduction of landfill leachate by evapotranspiration. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of operation and season on evapotranspiration of CW applied to landfill leachate treatment in tropical regions. The pilot-scale CW planted with cattail was constructed in Sainoi landfill site, Thailand. CW could siginificantly reduce the leachate volume by the evapotranspiration in daytime than nighttime. Frequent inflow of horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) during daytime resulted in active evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration of CW in HSSF with high frequency of inflow showed the similar that in free water surface (FWS). Throughout the year including both rainy and dry seasons, evapotranspiration of CW were significantly higher than the evaporation volume which is regarded as water reduction by existing landfill leachate treatment, i.e. stabilization pond. CW should be served as the techonology for appropriate management of landfill leachate in Southeast Asia.

EXPERIMENTATION OF A LOW COST ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION INDEX TO THE CITY OF CAMPINA GRANDE, BRAZIL

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson da Trindade Marcelino ◽  
Júlio Mannuel Tavares Diniz ◽  
ALVARO ROCHA ◽  
Eisenhawer de Moura Fernandes ◽  
Raimundo Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electronic System ◽  
The City

PHYTOMONITORING AS A METOD OF THE ASSESSMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR POLLUTION BY URBAN ENVIRONMENT BY FINE DUST

2019 ◽  
pp. 42-53
Author(s):  
Irina Glinyanova ◽  
Valery Azarov ◽  
Valery Fomichev
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Prunus Armeniaca ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Control Zone ◽  
Atmospheric Air ◽  
Random Functions ◽  
The City

Fine dust: (PM2.5, PM10) is a priority pollutant that contributes to the development of numerous dis-eases in urban areas. The purpose of this scientific work is to study the dispersed composition of dust parti-cles on the leaves of apricot trees (Prúnus armeníaca) in the residential zone of Volgograd. The novelty of the work lies in the study of the dispersed composition of dust particles on the leaves of apricot trees (Prúnus armeníaca) in the residential zone in the city of Volgograd near the construction industry enterprise, me-chanical engineering, leather production and railway transport line in comparison with the conditionally clean (control) zone of the SNT “Orocenets” ”(Sovetsky District, Volgograd) from the standpoint of random functions expressed by integral distribution curves of the mass of particles over their equivalent diameters. As a result of the research, the dispersed composition of dust on the leaves of apricot trees (Prúnus ar-meníaca) in the residential area of Volgograd was revealed. Fine particles were found: PM2.5, PM10 in each of the studied points, which by their values, both in their number and mass fraction, significantly exceed the data on fine dust in a conditionally clean area (control) in the SNT “Oroshanets” (Sovetsky district Volgo-grad), which creates certain environmental risks for local residents. The dispersed analysis of particles from the standpoint of random functions in the future will allow with a sufficiently high degree of accuracy to pre-dict the dust content of urban atmospheric air in the range of monthly and / or seasonal average values compared to the traditional measurement of fine dust concentration in atmospheric air of the urban environ-ment as the maximum single or daily average. At the same time, further studies of dust on the leaves of plants in an urban environment, namely, the study of the density of its sedimentation, will also reveal a group of ur-ban plants that are best suited to retain PM2.5 and PM10 on leaf plates in this region, which can significantly increase the quality of the atmospheric air of the urban environment and be of a recommendatory nature for the state-owned landscaping services of the city of Volgograd when improving the green areas of a megacity.

scholarly journals Computation offloading through mobile vehicles in IoT-edge-cloud network

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Long ◽  
Yueyi Luo ◽  
Xiaoyu Zhu ◽  
Entao Luo ◽  
Mingfeng Huang
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Computation Offloading ◽  
Mobile Edge Computing ◽  
Challenging Problem ◽  
Learning Technique ◽  
Cloud Network ◽  
The City ◽  
Task Offloading

AbstractWith the developing of Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile edge computing (MEC), more and more sensing devices are widely deployed in the smart city. These sensing devices generate various kinds of tasks, which need to be sent to cloud to process. Usually, the sensing devices do not equip with wireless modules, because it is neither economical nor energy saving. Thus, it is a challenging problem to find a way to offload tasks for sensing devices. However, many vehicles are moving around the city, which can communicate with sensing devices in an effective and low-cost way. In this paper, we propose a computation offloading scheme through mobile vehicles in IoT-edge-cloud network. The sensing devices generate tasks and transmit the tasks to vehicles, then the vehicles decide to compute the tasks in the local vehicle, MEC server or cloud center. The computation offloading decision is made based on the utility function of the energy consumption and transmission delay, and the deep reinforcement learning technique is adopted to make decisions. Our proposed method can make full use of the existing infrastructures to implement the task offloading of sensing devices, the experimental results show that our proposed solution can achieve the maximum reward and decrease delay.

scholarly journals An “Animated Spatial Time Machine” in Co-Creation: Reconstructing History Using Gamification Integrated into 3D City Modelling, 4D Web and Transmedia Storytelling

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 460
Author(s):  
Mario Matthys ◽  
Laure De Cock ◽  
John Vermaut ◽  
Nico Van de Weghe ◽  
Philippe De Maeyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Physical Situation ◽  
Time Machine ◽  
Transmedia Storytelling ◽  
Spatial Reconstruction ◽  
3D Software ◽  
The City ◽  
City Models

More and more digital 3D city models might evolve into spatiotemporal instruments with time as the 4th dimension. For digitizing the current situation, 3D scanning and photography are suitable tools. The spatial future could be integrated using 3D drawings by public space designers and architects. The digital spatial reconstruction of lost historical environments is more complex, expensive and rarely done. Three-dimensional co-creative digital drawing with citizens’ collaboration could be a solution. In 2016, the City of Ghent (Belgium) launched the “3D city game Ghent” project with time as one of the topics, focusing on the reconstruction of disappeared environments. Ghent inhabitants modelled in open-source 3D software and added animated 3D gamification and Transmedia Storytelling, resulting in a 4D web environment and VR/AR/XR applications. This study analyses this low-cost interdisciplinary 3D co-creative process and offers a framework to enable other cities and municipalities to realise a parallel virtual universe (an animated digital twin bringing the past to life). The result of this co-creation is the start of an “Animated Spatial Time Machine” (AniSTMa), a term that was, to the best of our knowledge, never used before. This research ultimately introduces a conceptual 4D space–time diagram with a relation between the current physical situation and a growing number of 3D animated models over time.

scholarly journals The European Green Capital Award—Is It a Dream or Reality for Belgrade (Serbia)?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6182
Author(s):  
Marijana Pantić ◽  
Saša Milijić
Keyword(s):  
Urban Transformation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transmission Of Knowledge ◽  
Current State ◽  
Transitional Countries ◽  
Great Hope ◽  
Environmentally Responsible ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The City ◽  
Insight Into

An agreement of cooperation and transmission of knowledge regarding the nomination for the European Green Capital Award (EGCA) was signed between the mayors of Belgrade and Ljubljana (EGCA 2016 winner) in September 2018. The candidacy of Belgrade was finally realized in October 2019. Great hope was placed in this endeavour because internationally recognized awards, such as the EGCA, represent enormous capital for both the city and the state. The EGCA requires serious preparation and significant fulfilment of preconditions. Many economically strong and environmentally responsible cities competed for the award, but did not win. On the other hand, the capital of Serbia does not appear to be an obvious winning candidate, especially as it is differentiated from the previous winners by being a non-EU city and by the fact that it is still undergoing an intense urban transformation, characteristic of transitional countries. Therefore, the main aim of this article is to present a review of the current state of Belgrade’s environmental qualities and its comparison with the EGCA criteria and with Grenoble as one of the winning competitors. The article gives a full overview of the EGCA requirements with certain details on required indicators, gives relevant insight into the procedure, which could be of use for any future candidacy, and discusses potential benefits for winners, losers and repeat candidacies.

scholarly journals Understanding Spatial Variability of NO2 in Urban Areas Using Spatial Modelling and Data Fusion Approaches

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Said Munir ◽  
Martin Mayfield ◽  
Daniel Coca
Keyword(s):  
Data Fusion ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The City

Small-scale spatial variability in NO2 concentrations is analysed with the help of pollution maps. Maps of NO2 estimated by the Airviro dispersion model and land use regression (LUR) model are fused with measured NO2 concentrations from low-cost sensors (LCS), reference sensors and diffusion tubes. In this study, geostatistical universal kriging was employed for fusing (integrating) model estimations with measured NO2 concentrations. The results showed that the data fusion approach was capable of estimating realistic NO2 concentration maps that inherited spatial patterns of the pollutant from the model estimations and adjusted the modelled values using the measured concentrations. Maps produced by the fusion of NO2-LCS with NO2-LUR produced better results, with r-value 0.96 and RMSE 9.09. Data fusion adds value to both measured and estimated concentrations: the measured data are improved by predicting spatiotemporal gaps, whereas the modelled data are improved by constraining them with observed data. Hotspots of NO2 were shown in the city centre, eastern parts of the city towards the motorway (M1) and on some major roads. Air quality standards were exceeded at several locations in Sheffield, where annual mean NO2 levels were higher than 40 µg/m3. Road traffic was considered to be the dominant emission source of NO2 in Sheffield.

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