[Research Advances in Removal Efficiency and Mechanism of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants].

Microplastics, as a novel type of environmental pollutant, have attracted notable attention in environmental research due to their widespread distribution and potential biological toxicity. Drinking water treatment plants play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the water supply, with a particular focus on the removal efficiency of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants. Different treatment processes in water plants exhibit various removal efficiencies of microplastics and they operate through distinct removal mechanisms.

Revealing the contribution of mountain ecosystem services research to sustainable development goals: A systematic and grounded theory driven review.

Ecosystem services are the bridge between people and nature, especially for mountains, which cover more than two thirds of the world's territory, and are able to provide a diversity of ecosystem services and are significant for the enhancement of human well-being. Understanding how mountain ecosystem services (MES) support The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is critical to realizing effective benefits from mountain resources, yet the extent to which MES support the SDGs is currently unclear and needs to be further explored. This study systematically reviewed the current research works by using grounded theory.

Environmental audit scoring evaluation: evolution of an evidence-based environmental assessment tool to support person-centered care.

Long-term care settings are at the center of strongly debated approaches to policies that shape the delivery of care and operational practices. There is advocacy for transformational change within these settings to support a person-centered approach to care delivery, but it is difficult and multifaceted involving everything from changing the level of staffing and care models to developing appropriate metrics to assess an individual's quality of life. The physical environment is a key component for accomplishing the organizational and operational goals related to person-centered care, but providers and their design teams need the appropriate tools to guide evidence-based decision-making.

Retailer Responses to Public Consultations on the Adoption of Takeaway Management Zones Around Schools: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis.

Background: Takeaway food is often high in calories and served in portion sizes that exceed public health recommendations for fat, salt and sugar. This food is widely accessible in the neighbourhood food environment. As of 2019, of all local authorities in England (n=325), 41 had adopted urban planning interventions that can allow them to manage the opening of new takeaway outlets in "takeaway management zones around schools" (known elsewhere as "exclusion zones").

Biodegradation-assisted removal of sulfur-based odor compounds in rural drinking water using durable chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol biochar aerogels.

Rural drinking water often suffers from unpleasant odors like dimethyl sulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) due to poor raw water quality and limited treatment options. This study introduces durable chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biochar aerogels-supported bioflims in ultrafiltration (BAB-UF) reactors, where the incorporation of PVA significantly enhances structural integrity, biodegradation resistance, and functional lifespan, providing an efficient, sustainable solution for removing odorous compounds from rural water. Experimental results showed the enhanced chitosan/PVA porous biochar aerogels (CPPCA) displayed excellent biocapacity and structural stability.

Mechanism of selectivity filter constriction in potassium channel: Insights from high-throughput steered molecular dynamics simulations.

Potassium channels are essential for regulating cellular excitability by controlling K ion flow. In voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, C-type inactivation modulates action potentials and holds significant physiological and clinical importance. The selectivity filter (SF) of potassium channels functions as the C-type inactivation gate by alternating between conductive and non-conductive states.

Comparative study of quantitative identification methods for peri-urban areas based on a multi-indicator system.

As peri-urbanisation becomes widespread, quantitative methods for identifying peri-urban areas (PUAs) are increasingly abundant. This study aims to quantitatively compare the differences in the results obtained from multiple PUA identification methods within the same study area and to analyse the spatial patterns of the PUAs. The Threshold Method, Breakpoint Clustering, and Multilayer Perceptron were chosen to compare the identification results of PUAs in Zhengzhou City, China.

Accelerated Hydrothermal Aging and Degradation Mechanism of PE100 Butt-Fusion Welded Joint.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines are extensively utilized in energy transportation in the ocean. However, long-term exposure to water can alter the performance of HDPE, potentially leading to pipeline accidents. This study focuses on simulating the aging characteristics of PE100 polyethylene pipeline butt-fusion welded joints (B-FWJs) in water using hydrothermal accelerated aging experiments at various temperature gradients.

Anthropomorphic Design in Mortality Salience Situations: Exploring Emotional and Non-Emotional Mechanisms Enhancing Consumer Purchase Intentions.

This study investigates the role of anthropomorphic design in alleviating consumer anxiety induced by mortality salience and delves into the underlying emotional and non-emotional mechanisms. Through a series of meticulously designed experiments, we confirm that anthropomorphic design significantly enhances positive emotional responses in consumers, reduces negative emotions, and thereby increases their preference and willingness to purchase products. Even after the diminution of emotional reactions, anthropomorphic design continues to sustain consumer preference by enhancing psychological intimacy.

An approach based on ecosystem services for assessing progress towards sustainable development goals at both national and provincial levels in China.

Ecosystem services (ESs), the benefits nature provides to people, are an important basis for fulfilling sustainable development goals (SDGs). Therefore, an ES-based approach will help deepen our understanding of the relationships between natural systems and human well-being and provide co-benefit pathways for sustainable development. However, monitoring progress towards achieving the SDGs based on the contributions of ESs to SDGs is lacking.

Influence of steel-to-concrete ratio on sustainable column design in Saudi Arabia.

This study investigates the impact of the steel-to-concrete ratio in building columns on environmental factors, embodied energy, and cost estimations in a hotel construction scenario in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This study focuses on the production (A1-A3) and construction (A4-A5) stages, omits the use and disposal phases, and extensively examines the material components and their environmental implications. It evaluates the environmental impact of diverse column types.

Microplastic-induced changes in Cd and Cr behavior in the agricultural soil-wheat system: Insights into metal bioavailability and phytotoxicity.

Microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals widely coexist in agricultural soils, posing significant risks to soil-plant ecosystems. This study explores the effects of five common MPs-polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and polylactic acid (PLA)-and environmental-simulating microplastics (EMPs), composed based on the composition of local MPs in agricultural soils, on the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of Cd and Cr in soils. Pot experiments demonstrated that MPs, particularly PE and EMPs at a 5 % dosage, markedly decreased soil pH, water-holding capacity, and soil organic carbon content.

Health impacts of takeaway management zones around schools in six different local authorities across England: a public health modelling study using PRIMEtime.

Background: In England, the number of takeaway food outlets ('takeaways') has been increasing for over two decades. Takeaway management zones around schools are an effective way to restrict the growth of new takeaways but their impacts on population health have not been estimated.

Methods: To model the impact of takeaway management zones on health, we used estimates of change in and exposure to takeaways (across home, work, and commuting buffers) based on a previous evaluation suggesting that 50% of new outlets were prevented from opening because of management zones.

Self-cleaned surface of vanadium boride for long-lasting and boosted Fenton oxidation.

Coupling extra electron supply with iron-mediated advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is an efficient strategy for long-lasting oxidation of organic contaminants in environmental remediation. Many subsequent attempts have been made, such as homogeneous catalysts and metal catalysts, of which secondary organic pollution and surface passivation layers limit their application. In this work, metal borides as co-catalysts can efficiently accelerate the Fenton reaction by firmly sacrificing electrons to Fe(III) reduction.

Source identification of water distribution system contamination based on simulated annealing-particle swarm optimization algorithm.

Ensuring the safety of water supplies is critical for urban areas requires rapid response when water quality anomalies are detected in the pipeline network. Prompt action is essential to prevent widespread contamination, protect public health, and mitigate potential social unrest. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has faced challenges for contamination source identification (CSI) in water distribution systems (WDS), primarily due to its susceptibility to locally optimal solutions.

Isogeometric boundary element method analysis for dielectric target shape optimization in electromagnetic scattering.

In order to optimize the overall form of electromagnetic scattering in two-dimensional dielectric media, this work offers a frequency-domain boundary element method based on isogeometric analysis. The Isogeometric boundary element method (IGABEM) is used to guarantee geometric correctness during optimization and prevent over-refinement of the mesh. Non-uniform rational B-splines are used to discretize the boundary integrals of the model, enabling rapid numerical computation while ensuring high accuracy.

Revisiting factors influencing consumer travel for purchasing goods and experiencing services in Shanghai, China.

This paper revisits the relationships among the perceived built environment, travel attitude, perceived value, and consumer travel in the particular era of the changing retail landscape amid advances in information technology. This study thus uses consistent partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLSc-SEM) to estimate the focal parameters on the basis of data from 30 commercial centres in Shanghai, China. Additionally, this inquiry uses multigroup analysis structural equation modelling (MGA-SEM) to evaluate the disparities between two types of consumer travel: purchasing goods and experiencing services.

The impact of orientation changes in kindergarten activity rooms in different light climate zones of China on indoor daylighting environment.

Kindergarten activity rooms benefit children's growth and development under good natural indoor lighting conditions. Therefore, it is of great significance to conduct research on the indoor daylighting effects of kindergarten activity rooms under different orientations. However, most of the existing studies are based on the analysis and simulation of fixed orientations and single elements, and lack of comprehensive evaluation and analysis.