Individual preparedness and mitigation actions for a predicted earthquake in Istanbul

This study investigated the process of taking action to mitigate damage and prepare for an earthquake at the individual level. Its specific aim was to identify the factors that promote or inhibit individuals in this process. The study was conducted in Istanbul, Turkey—where an earthquake is expected soon—in May and June 2006 using qualitative methods. Within our conceptual framework, three different patterns emerged among the study subjects. Outcome expectancy, helplessness, a low socioeconomic level, a culture of negligence, a lack of trust, onset time/poor predictability, and normalisation bias inhibit individuals in this process, while location, direct personal experience, a higher education level, and social interaction promote them. Drawing on these findings, the paper details key points for better disaster communication, including whom to mobilise to reach target populations, such as individuals with direct earthquake experience and women.     

Multidisciplinary work on barium contamination of the karstic upper Kupa River drainage basin (Croatia and Slovenia); calling for watershed management

The present work was designed as an extension of a previous study of a barium anomaly observed in stream sediments of the Kupa River. In its upper part the Kupa River drains a region underlain by a trans-boundary aquifer. The river is a significant water resource in a region of tourism, sport, and fishing in both Croatia and Slovenia. The contamination source is situated in Homer (Lokve), Croatia, where barite was mined until 10 years ago. The barium processing waste material (<3-mm fraction) was carelessly deposited in gardens, forests, and into a sinkhole, which has an underground link with the Kupica River, a tributary of the Kupa River. Barium waste and stream sediments were analyzed using comparative techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and grain size analysis. XRD of the waste material identified the major minerals quartz, barite, and dolomite and the Fe-containing minor minerals muscovite and goethite. Barite was identified as a minor or trace mineral in the Kupica River sediments. XRF analysis of the waste material has shown Ba and Fe to be the predominant elements, Ca and K to be minor elements, and Mn, Zn, Sr, Pb, Co, Cu, As, Zr, Rb, Y, and Mo to be trace elements. Mössbauer spectroscopy performed at room temperature (RT) was used to study iron minerals, particularly to obtain information on the valence status of Fe ions. Grain size analysis of the waste material (<63-μm fraction) has shown that it contains 23.5% clay-size material in comparison with 7–8% clay-size material in stream sediments. It is our aim to combine geochemical and medical methods to investigate the possible impact of waste disposal on human health in Lokve. At this stage of the work, concentrations of Ba and other toxic elements in the water compartment of the Kupica River (a source of drinking water) have not been monitored by Croatian Waters (name of the Croatian water authorities). The necessity of such measurements in future studies has been highlighted. A preliminary study of diseases diagnosed in Lokve shows that about 18% of the total inhabitants have serious medical problems. Diseases of the circulatory system, endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory diseases predominate. This paper calls for further multidisciplinary research on the health effects of barium and trace elements, as well as for bioremediation of contaminated gardens and for watershed management of vulnerable karstic aquifers.     

Mountain spa rehabilitation improved health of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: pilot study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - European Association of Spa Rehabilitation (ESPA) recommends spa rehabilitation for patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome. We tested the hypothesis...     

Indigenous knowledge about climate change and sustainability of nomadic livelihoods: understanding adaptability coping strategies

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Indigenous knowledge about climate change that makes adaptability necessary by coping strategies leads to the sustainability of nomadic livelihoods....     

High frequency of antibiotic tolerance in deep subsurface heterotrophic cultivable bacteria from the Rozália Gold Mine,Slovakia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Rozália Mine, with its long mining history, could represent an environmental threat connected with metal contamination and associated...     

Spatial-temporal variability of aerosol sources based on chemical composition and particle number size distributions in an urban settlement influenced by metallurgical industry

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Moravian-Silesian region of the Czech Republic with its capital city Ostrava is a European air pollution hot spot for airborne particulate matter...     

Assessment of multiple anthropogenic contaminants and their potential genotoxicity in the aquatic environment of Plitvice Lakes National Park,Croatia

In this study, the influence of anthropogenic pollution on the aquatic environment of Plitvice Lakes National Park (PLNP) was investigated during 2011–2012 using a combination of chemical and cytogenetic analyses. Four groups of major contaminants [(volatile organic compounds: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX); persistent organochlorine pollutants: organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); major and trace elements; anthropogenic radionuclides (⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs)] were determined in three aquatic compartments (water, sediment, fish). Mass fractions of inorganic constituents in different compartments reflected the geological background of the area, indicating their origin from predominantly natural sources. Levels of volatile and persistent organic compounds in water and fish, respectively, were very low, at levels typical for remote pristine areas. Analysis of anthropogenic radionuclides in water and sediment revealed elevated activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in water, and measurable ¹³⁴Cs in the upper sediment layers from April 2011, possibly as a consequence of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. The potential genotoxicity of river and lake water and lake sediment was assessed under laboratory conditions using the alkaline comet assay on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and measured levels of primary DNA damage were within acceptable boundaries. The results showed that despite the protected status of the park, anthropogenic impact exists in both its terrestrial and aquatic components. Although contaminant levels were low, further monitoring is recommended to make sure that they will not rise and cause potentially hazardous anthropogenic impacts.     

Nonlinear Growth Models for Modelling Time Series of Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations

In this paper, a novel approach of modelling time series of nitrate concentrations in drinking water by nonlinear growth functions is proposed. An almost constant increase in the average values of nitrate concentrations occurred at the Vinokov??ak wellfield in the county of Vara?din, Croatia, in the period between 1998 and 2013. Our hypothesis was that the time series would be well adjusted to the nonlinear growth function with asymptotic properties after smoothing performed by the moving average method. We used a general growth model which does not have asymptotic properties and the logistic, Gompertz and Richards functions which do have asymptotic properties. Last three growth functions were modified based on the knowledge of a constant presence of basic nitrate concentrations in the drinking water before growth. The fit of growth curves to experimental data was assessed using R ² and Aikake’s information criterion. The modified growth functions gave the best fit to the smoothed time series of nitrate concentrations with R ² ranging from 0.9960 to 0.9986.     

Examination of the influence of phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMA) concentration on acetochlor adsorption by modified montmorillonite

The results presented in this paper show an impact of the concentration of the aromatic organic cation on the adsorption of acetochlor on the surface of the organic-modified montmorillonite. Natural montmorillonite from Bogovina (Boljevac municipality, Serbia) was used for organic modification in this experiment. Cation exchange capacity of this montmorillonite (86 mmol 100 g^?1 of clay) was determined using the methylene blue method. In pretreatment, montmorillonite was modified with NaCl. For the purpose of organic modification, three different concentrations of phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMA) have been selected, based on calculated CEC value: 43 mmol 100 g^?1 of clay (0.5 CEC), 86 mmol 100 g^?1 of clay (1 CEC) and 129 mmol 100 g^?1 of clay (1.5 CEC). The changes in the properties of the inorganic and organic modified montmorillonite were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and batch equilibrium method. Freundlich coefficients show higher uptake of the herbicide by montmorillonite modified with PTMA, compared to inorganic-modified montmorillonite. The results also indicate the influence of the organic cation concentration on the adsorption of the selected herbicide.     

Photocatalytic decomposition of N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O over g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/WO<Subscript>3</Subscript> photocatalysts

Although the nitrous oxide belongs among three of the most contributing greenhouse gases to global warming, it is quite neglected by photocatalytic society. The g-C₃N₄ and WO₃ composites were therefore tested for the photocatalytic decomposition of N₂O for the first time. The pure photocatalysts were prepared by simple calcination of precursors, and the composites were prepared by mixing of suspension of pure components in water followed by calcination. The structural (X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), textural (N₂ physisorption), and optical properties (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, photoelectrochemical measurements) of all composites were correlated with photocatalytic activity. The experimental results and results from characterization techniques confirmed creation of Z-scheme in the WO₃/g-C₃N₄ composites, which was confirmed by hydroxyl radicals’ trapping measurements. The photocatalytic decomposition of N₂O was carried out in the presence of UVA light (peak intensity at 365 nm) and the 1:2 WO₃/g-C₃N₄ composite was the most active one, but the photocatalytic activity was just negligibly higher than that of pure WO₃. This is caused by relatively weak interaction between WO₃ and g-C₃N₄ which was revealed from XPS.