ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
Compact city planning and development: Emerging practices and strategies for achieving the goals of sustainability

The compact city is one of the leading paradigms of sustainable urbanism. Compact city planning and development has, over the last 30 years or so, been the preferred response to the challenges of sustainable development. It is strongly promoted by global and local policies due to its positive outcomes in terms of contributing to the economic, environmental, and social goals of sustainability. This paper examines how the compact city model is practiced and justified in urban planning and development with respect to the three dimensions of sustainability, and whether any progress has been made in this regard. To illuminate this urban phenomenon accordingly, a descriptive case study is adopted as a qualitative research methodology where the empirical basis is mainly formed by the official plans and documents of two Swedish cities: Gothenburg and Helsingborg, in combination with qualitative interview data and secondary data. This study shows that compactness, density, diversity, mixed land use, sustainable transportation, and green space are the core design strategies of compact city planning and development, with the latter being contextually linked to the concept of green structure, an institutional setup under which the two cities operate. Moreover, at the core of the compact city model is the clear synergy between the underlying strategies in terms of their cooperation to produce combined effects greater than the sum of their separate effects with respect to the benefits of sustainability as to its tripartite composition. Further, this study demonstrates that the compact city model as practiced by the two cities is justified by its ability to contribute to the economic, environmental, and social goals of sustainability. However, the economic goals dominate over the environmental and social goals, notwithstanding the claim about the three dimensions of sustainability being equally important at the discursive level. Nevertheless, new measures are being developed and implemented to strengthen their influence over urban planning and development practices towards balancing the three goals of sustainability.
Decoupling and mitigation potential analysis of CO2 emissions from Pakistan's transport sector

The transport sector has become one of the major economic, huge fossil fuel energy consumption, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emitting sector of Pakistan. This study applies the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) and Tapio's decoupling approach to estimate decoupling state and mitigation potential of CO2 emissions from the transport sector during 1984-2018. LMDI technique is applied to detect the influencing variables (i.e. carbon coefficient, fuel consumption, total energy consumption, and turn over economy), which oversee CO2 emissions. The outcomes show that CO2 coefficient effect is the factor which is decreasing CO2 emissions while economic growth (EG) effect is the factor which is growing CO2 emissions. The decoupling index is also applied to influencing factors which reflect the EG factors on CO2 emissions from the transport sector. The consequences confirm that during 1984-2018, the CO2 emissions show an expensive coupling with EG. Weak decoupling occurred only in the sub-periods 1999-2003, 2004-2008, and 2009-2013. Similarly, the CO2 emissions occurred from only three decoupling grades. Furthermore, a mitigation model based on the above impacting variables estimates the mitigation rate of CO2 emissions and showed that the CO2 mitigation seemed in 1999-2003, 2004-2008, and 2009-2013. Finally, forecasting outcomes of Tapio decoupling index show a weak decoupling during 2018-2030. Therefore, based on the empirical outcomes, this study puts forward a few policy suggestions to efficiently enhance the decoupling between Pakistan's transport CO2 emissions and EG. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent advances in membrane technologies for hydrogen purification

Planet Earth is facing accelerated global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. The United Nations agreement at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015 highlighted the importance of reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Hydrogen is a clean and efficient energy carrier and a hydrogen-based economy is now widely regarded as a potential solution for the future of energy security and sustainability. Although hydrogen can be produced from water electrolysis, economic reasons dictate that most of the H-2 produced worldwide, currently comes from the steam reforming of natural gas and this situation is set to continue in the foreseeable future. This production process delivers a H-2-rich mixture of gases from which H-2 needs to be purified up to the ultra-high purity levels required by fuel cells (99.97%). This driving force pushes for the development of newer H-2 purification technologies that can be highly selective and more energy efficient Palladium-based membranes than the traditional energy intensive processes of pressure swing adsorption and cryogenic distillation. Membrane technology appears as an obvious energy efficient alternative for producing the ultra-pure H-2 required for fuel cells. However, membrane technology for H-2 purification has still not reached the maturity level required for its ubiquitous industrial application. This review article covers the major aspects of the current research in membrane separation technology for H-2 purification, focusing on four major types of emerging membrane technologies (carbon molecular sieve membranes; ionic-liquid based membranes; palladium-based membranes and electrochemical hydrogen pumping membranes) and establishes a comparison between them in terms of advantages and limitations. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Driving factors of global carbon footprint pressure: Based on vegetation carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration capacity of vegetation plays an important role in global carbon emission reduction. Based on vegetation carbon sequestration, this paper establishes a carbon footprint pressure index to evaluate the carbon foot-print pressure in 60 sample countries, and discusses the driving factors that influence carbon footprint pressure in various countries through IPAT equation and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index decomposition approach. The results indicate that the global carbon footprint pressure shows an upward trend from 2000 to 2015, mainly owing to population growth and rapid socioeconomic development; technological progress has a certain inhibitory effect on the rise of carbon footprint pressure. Furthermore, the overall carbon footprint pressure in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries shows a downward trend, while the carbon footprint pressure in non-OECD countries is rising, even exceeding the economic growth rate, which is probably related to the transfer of a large number of implied carbon emissions from OECD countries to non-OECD countries.
Industrial hemp fiber: A sustainable and economical alternative to cotton

The textile industry is one of the highest polluting industries in the world. Recent studies have explored the introduction of environmentally friendly textiles to address this issue. One of these textiles is fiber derived from industrial hemp, which was recently approved for growth in the United States through the 2018 Farm Bill legislation. Motivated by hemp's potential to have a lower ecological footprint than cotton, the objective of this study is to determine if industrial hemp fiber can be produced in an economically competitive manner. Through the lenses of sustainable development and systems engineering, the basic design of the research assesses material selection decisions economically by taking a holistic supply chain view of the agricultural activities associated with industrial hemp compared to its largest competitor (i.e., cotton). With both fibers being comparable in performance, the production process of both textiles is juxtaposed, to account for interdependencies among stages with key economic and environmental considerations. As the economic cost of agricultural activities for hemp is currently uncertain in the United States, our methodology considers four main data inputs to capture the agricultural activities. First, fertilization costs are regarded as part of the cost associated with field preparations. Second, we assess the seed costs associated with cultivation. Third, the cost of irrigation (i.e., water consumption) and fourth, pest control cost represents the cost of field operations. These costs, combined with fiber yield, are used to estimate and compare the two fibers in USD per metric ton of final fiber produced. Industrial hemp is a high yield crop with (on average) 3 times more metric tons of fiber produced per hectare cultivated. Therefore, the adoption of hemp enables a reduction in cost associated with agricultural activities of 77.63%, when compared to cotton for medium total agricultural activity cost and medium yield estimates. In summary, our results suggest that industrial hemp fiber is economically viable and has the potential to be a more environmentally friendly alternative material than cotton within the textile industry. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cascading climate change impacts and implications

Climate change is expected to have adverse impacts and implications for a range of human-environment systems. However, our understanding of the extent to which these impacts may propagate as cascades, compounding to form multiple impacts across sectors, is limited. Cascades result from interdependencies between systems and sub-systems of coupled natural and socio-economic systems in response to changes and feedback loops. The combined effects of interacting stressors may affect the ability of individuals, governments, and the private sector to adapt in time, before widespread damage occurs. We discuss the origins of cascading impacts thinking and present the results of an investigation of cascading impacts and implications in New Zealand. A participatory and collaborative approach was used through workshops and semi-structured interviews with sector informants, including engineers, local government staff, and financial risk managers and analysts from the financial services sectors. Qualitative data collection was combined with network and systems analysis to examine increased frequency of high-intensity rainfall events, sea-level rise and drought, across urban water infrastructure and the financial services, and the implications of cascading climate change impacts for governance. Results demonstrate that closer consideration of the combined effects of linked stressors can facilitate a better understanding of the scope and scale of climate change impacts. By using critical systems thinking in characterising and assessing how climate change impacts cascade across domains, we show the implications of cascades for their governance and reveal where climate change adaptation interventions might be focused. The research methods and insights into cascades provide a conceptual and practical basis for further development, which can inform the design of additional studies in other domains and jurisdictions.
Surveillance, Self-Governance, and Mortality: The Impact of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs on U.S. Overdose Mortality, 2000-2016

Policy mechanisms shaping population health take numerous forms, from behavioral prohibitions to mandates for action to surveillance. Rising drug overdoses undermined the state's ability to promote population-level health. Using the case of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), we contend that PDMP implementation highlights state biopower operating via mechanisms of surveillance, whereby prescribers, pharmacists, and patients perceive agency despite choices being constrained. We consider whether such surveillance mechanisms are sufficient or if prescriber/dispenser access or requirements for use are necessary for population health impact. We test whether PDMPs reduced overdose mortality while considering that surveillance may require time to reach effectiveness. PDMPs reduced opioid overdose mortality 2 years postimplementation and sustained effects, with similar effects for prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and psychostimulants. Access or mandates for action do not reduce mortality beyond surveillance. Overall, PDMP effects on overdose mortality are likely due to self-regulation under surveillance rather than mandated action.
Switchable hydrophilic solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of four types of sulfonylurea herbicides in soils

In this study, switchable hydrophilic solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was developed for the determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides in soils. For the first time, the sample pretreatment was achieved due to the similar acid-base status of sulfonylurea herbicides and switchable hydrophilic solvent. In the extraction step, sulfonylurea herbicides were extracted as anions and transferred to an alkaline solution with switchable hydrophilic solvent anions. In the concentration step, two types of anions were transformed to their molecular state after the aqueous solution was acidified. In addition, the dispersion and microextraction processes were completed efficiently with the simultaneous formation of analytes and extractants. The factors affecting the extraction performance were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity was observed for each herbicide with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9952 to 0.9978. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.1-0.2 μg/g. Moreover, the relative recoveries of the sulfonylurea herbicides at spiking levels of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 μg/g in soil samples were between 75 and 111% (relative standard deviations: 0.4-11.4%). Therefore, the proposed method in this study could be successfully applied to the analysis of four types of sulfonylurea herbicides in soil samples.
Risk-constrained scheduling of a CHP-based microgrid including hydrogen energy storage using robust optimization approach

Recently, the integration of various energy resources, including renewable generation and combined heat and power (CHP) units in microgrids, has created the opportunity of off-grid operation with a suitable range of reliability. This paper presents an optimization model to schedule an islanded MG with various resources, including CHP, photovoltaic (PV), and boiler, as the primary energy provision sources besides electric battery storage, thermal storage and hydrogen energy system (HES). The HES has the power-to-hydrogen (P2H) and hydrogen-to-power (H2P) modes, which increases the flexibility of the scheduling. The uncertainty management is the most essential task in the CHP-based MGs scheduling problem, since the power and heat productions are interrelated and can result in economic losses without enough deliberations. Hence, this paper proposes the robust optimization approach (ROA) to cope with the uncertainties associated with the PV production and electric and heat load demands. The robust counterparts are applied to the deterministic problem to create a tractable adjustable robust framework. The problem is structured as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) handled by the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) using CPLEX solver. The results verified the effectiveness of the proposed robust counterparts in managing the associated risk. The results illustrated a conscious scheduling strategy under robust conditions. However, the more preserved decisions are taken, the higher operational cost is realized. In this regard, the increment of robustness level from the lowest value (deterministic condition) to the highest value (conservatism condition) increased the operation cost by about 43.29%. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Synergistic Manipulation of Na+ Flux and Surface-Preferred Effect Enabling High-Areal-Capacity and Dendrite-Free Sodium Metal Battery

The propensity of sodium anode to form uniform electrodeposit is bound up with the nature of electrode surface and regulation of Na-ion flux, as well as distribution of electronic field, which is quite crucial for high-areal-capacity sodium metal batteries (SMBs). Herein, a novel metallic sodium/sodium-tin alloy foil anode (Na/NaSn) with 3D interpenetrated network and porous structure is prepared through facile alloy reaction. The strong sodiophilic properties of sodium-tin alloy can lower the nucleation energy, resulting in smaller depositing potential and strong adsorption of Na+ , while synergistic effect of porous skeleton and additional potential difference (≈0.1 V) between Na and Na-Sn alloy (Na15 Sn4 ) can alleviate volume expansion, redistribute the Na-ion flux and regulate electronic field, which favors and improves homogeneous Na deposition. The as-fabricated Na/NaSn electrode can endow excellent plating/stripping reversibility at high areal capacity (over 1600 h for 4 mAh cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2 and 2 mAh cm-2 at 2 mA cm-2 ), fast electrochemical kinetics (500 h under 4 mAh cm-2 at 4 mA cm-2 ) and superior rate performances. A novel strategy in the design of high-performance Na anodes for large-scale energy storage is provided.
Fabrication of Co/Pr co-doped Ti/PbO2 anode for efficiently electrocatalytic degradation of beta-naphthoxyacetic acid

The existence of beta-naphthoxyacetic acid (BNOA) pesticide in water system has aroused serious environmental problem because of its potential toxicity for humans and organisms. Therefore, exploiting an efficient method without secondary pollution is extremely urgent. Herein, a promising Ti/PbO2-Co-Pr composite electrode has been successfully fabricated through simple one-step electrodeposition for efficiently electrocatalytic degradation of BNOA. Compared with Ti/PbO2, Ti/PbO2-Co and Ti/PbO2-Pr electrodes, Ti/PbO2-Co-Pr electrode with smaller pyramidal particles possesses higher oxygen evolution potential, excellent electrochemical stability and outstanding electrocatalytic activity. The optimal degradation condition is assessed by major parameters including temperature, initial pH, current density and Na2SO4 concentration. The degradation efficiency and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of BNOA reach up to 94.6% and 84.6%, respectively, under optimal condition (temperature 35 degrees C, initial pH 5, current density 12 mA cm(-2), Na2SO4 concentration 8.0 g L-1 and electrolysis time 3 h). Furthermore, Ti/PbO2-Co-Pr electrode presents economic energy consumption and superior repeatability. Finally, the possible degradation mechanism of BNOA is put forward according to the main intermediate products identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer. The present research paves a new path to degrade BNOA pesticide wastewater with Ti/PbO2-Co-Pr electrode. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Association study between relative expression levels of eight genes and growth rate in Hungarian common carp ( Cyprinus carpio)

One of the most important issues in improving the competitiveness of the fish production sector is to improve the growth rate of fish. The genetic background to this trait is at present poorly understood. In this study, we compared the relative gene expression levels of the Akt1s1, FGF, GH, IGF1, MSTN, TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5 genes in blood in groups of common carps (Cyprinus carpio), which belonged to different growth types and phenotypes. Fish were divided into groups based on growth rate (normal group: n = 6; slow group: n = 6) and phenotype (scaled group: n = 6; mirror group: n = 6). In the first 18 weeks, we measured significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups in terms of body weight and body length. Over the next 18 weeks, the fish in the slow group showed more intense development. In the same period, the slow group was characterized by lower expression levels for most genes, whereas GH and IGF1 mRNA levels were higher compared to the normal group. We found that phenotype was not a determining factor in differences of relative expression levels of the genes studied.
Biomethane production using an integrated anaerobic digestion, gasification and CO2 biomethanation process in a real waste water treatment plant: A techno-economic assessment

The biomethanation of CO2 from anaerobic digestion within the power to gas concept has recently emerged as a promising technology to upgrade biogas, to decarbonise the domestic and industrial heat sector, provide long term energy storage and deliver grid balancing services. In addition, the utilisation of the digestate, through a process such as gasification, offers a circular economy approach and has the potential to enhance the deployment of power to gas systems. To this direction, the study focuses on exploring the techno-economic feasibility of coupling biomethanation with digestate gasification for the wastewater industry. The study constitutes the first endeavour to assess the viability of such an integrated energy system. Four different scenarios have been designed and assessed. The energy efficiency of the concepts lies between 26.5% and 35.5% while the minimum selling price (MSP) of biomethane is in the range of 135-183 pound/MWh. The implementation of appropriate policy mechanisms and the inclusion of by-products revenues reduces the MSPs by approximately 32%-42%. The conduction of a typical sensitivity analysis has identified the electricity price as the prime cost driver and this is followed by the cost of the electrolyser or the gasification plant depending on the scenario. Finally, a 2030 analysis, that incorporates projected techno-economic advances, has been carried out and revealed that under certain circumstances profits can be generated.
[Mobile working of administrative staff at USB Bochum GmbH and affiliated companies before and during corona-related restrictions-first results of a longitudinal study]

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, the USB family made it possible for their administrative staff to work from home. Support measures for mobile working were implemented and supported by a company works agreement. A longitudinal survey is conducted to accompany these measures. The first results of the first survey are presented here. The aim of this survey is to compare the pre-Corona working situation without home office (2/2020) with the working situation during Corona-after the introduction of home office (10/2020). 68 people took part in the anonymous online survey. 41.2% of the participants work exclusively in the office, the remainder works partly/completely from home. Half of the latter do this due to a direct order. In the course of a retrospective survey the following becomes evident. 91.0% score occupational safety as equal or better. The participants save an average of 2.3 h per week. Small negative effects can be observed in the exchange of information and availability (Cohen's d both -0.27). The desire to exchange ideas privately with colleagues increases to a small extent (Cohen's d = 0.22). There is no increase in delimitation and overtime by colleagues. An effect of close to medium strength can be seen in the work-life balance (Cohen's d = 0.49); satisfaction increases here. A medium effect towards an improvement can be found in undisturbed work (Cohen's d = 0.66). The result shows a small effect in terms of increasing satisfaction with the work situation (Cohen's d = 0.24). 85.3% state that they can do the job equally well or better in October than in February. Due to the altered situation participants will save an average of 5.9 km of travel per week.Practical Relevance: Improved understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of switching to mobile working in a medium-sized company.