Urban megaprojects and water justice in Southeast Asia: Between global economies and community transitions

Available online 1 April 2021Within the Southeast Asian context, urban megaprojects are often delivered in aquatic or semi-aquatic contexts, transforming local hydrological systems used for sanitation, agriculture, sustenance, resource use and cultural purposes by the local populations. This paper addresses a key knowledge gap on the impacts of urban mega-projects on water security and water-related human rights in Southeast Asia through a literature review, field observations and digital earth observation. Three case studies in Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar were used to develop a picture of urban megaproject impacts on urban water landscapes and the human rights of local communities. The paper adapts recent human rights frameworks developed specifically for megaproject life cycles and applies them to the selected urban megaproject case studies. The seven stages in the megaproject life cycle are linked with specific accountability measures for duty bearers. Current challenges and opportunities for the global urban development community are developed in relation to water justice and megaprojects. Further the question of a just urban transition is developed to mediate between megaproject proponents and local communities in the Global South.Scott Hawken, Behnaz Avazpour, Mike S. Harris, Atousa Marzban, Paul George Munr

Survey on electric and magnetic fields hp and Lenovo laptops in the vicinity of internet-connected smart phones

Nowadays exposure to electromagnetic fields, emitted from electronic devices, especially laptops and mobile phones is inevitable due to their portability. Exposure to electromagnetic fields causes harmful effects on human health. Today, most people are exposed to these fields while using their mobiles or laptops. In this cross-sectional study, the electric and magnetic fields of HP and Lenovo laptops are measured in the vicinity of 3G internet-connected Samsung smart phones at a distance of 30 and 45 cm in front of laptops. The mean electric field in the vicinity of the smartphone at a distance of 30 cm for HP and Lenovo laptops was 0.11v/m and 0.06 v/m and the mean magnetic field was 1.69 mG and 1.43 mG, respectively. The domain of electric and magnetic fields were ND-0.17 v/m and 0.3-2.4 mG, respectively. The mean electric field for HP and Lenovo laptops in the vicinity of the smartphone, at a distance of 45 cm, was 0.10 v/m and 0.06 v/m, respectively and the mean magnetic field was 1.32 mG and 1.16 mG. The mean of SAR, for HP and Lenovo laptops, in the vicinity of mobile phones, at a distance of 30 cm was 19×10-6w/kgand 5×10-6w/kg and at a distance of45 cm, was 17×10-6w/kgand 5×10-6w/kg. The Electric and magnetic field as well as SAR were less than standard. HP laptops magnetic field was significantly more than the Lenovo laptops. Unlike Lenovo laptops, electric and magnetic fields of HP laptops, in the vicinity of mobile phones, was significantly higher than the absence of mobile phones. Putting the internet-connected smart phones in the vicinity of HP laptops (significantly) and Lenovo laptops (insignificantly) increases the of electric and magnetic fields. © 2016, International Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. All rights reserved

Optimization of arsenite removal by adsorption onto organically modified montmorillonite clay: Experimental & theoretical approaches

Arsenic is a critical contaminant for aqueous environments as it poses harmful health risks. To meet the stringent regulations regarding the presence of arsenic in aqueous solutions, the feasibility of montmorillonite clay modified with hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride as the adsorbent was tested for the removal of arsenic ions from aqueous solutions. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirmed that the organically modified nanoclay (ONC) adsorbent had a porous structure with a vast adsorbent surface.The x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis proved the presence of carbon in the structure of the modified nanoclay that can be evidence for the creation of ONC. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results confirm the existence of four main groups of minerals, carbonate (Calcite), clay (Askmtyt and Kandyt), silicate (Quartz), and phyllosilicate (Kaolinite), in the ONC structure.The influence of various parameters such as solution pH, adsorbent dosage, initial arsenite concentration, and contact time on arsenic adsorption onto ONC was investigated. A 2(5) full factorial central composite experimental design was applied. A central composite design under response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the effects of independent variables on arsenite removal and to determine the optimum condition. The experimental values were in a good fit with the ones predicted by the model. The optimal operating points (adsorbent dosage: 3.7 g L-1, surfactant dosage: 3 g L-1 and the contact time: 37.2min) giving maximum arsenite removal (95.95) were found using Solver "Add-ins" in Microsoft Excel 2010

RETRACTED: On the fractional Ostrowski inequality with uncertainty

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief.An accidental administrative error sent out an Accept decision to the author. The handling editor sincerely apologizes for his error in the processing of this manuscript

Economical Approach for Determination of Kojic Acid by Nanostructured Ionic Liquid-Based Carbon Paste Sensor

An economical and sensitive nanostructured sensor based on carbon paste electrode (CPE) for the determination of kojic acid (KA) was developed in the current work. The applied CPE was modified with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (1B3MITFB) as a conductive binder and NiO nanoparticles (NiO/NPs). The proposed modified ionic liquid-based carbon paste electrode showed satisfactory concentration range and lower detection limit of 5.0�600 μM and 0.8 μM at phosphate buffer pH 6.0, respectively. An acceptable reproducibility with a satisfactory analytical characteristic was observed for the proposed sensor in the presence of common interfering compounds. The observed irreversible oxidation behavior of KA at the surface of the NiO/NPs/1B3MITFB/MCPE was controlled under the diffusion step and the diffusion coefficient (D) at the mass transport limited rate found to be 2.3 � 10�4 cm2 s�1. According to the slope of the Tafel plot, the value of 0.625 was calculated for the electron transfer coefficient (α). The acquired data from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies confirmed that the presence of NiO NPS and 1B3MITFB as a conductive binder resulted in a significant increase in the electro-oxidation signal of KA. The value of 12.3 kΩ for the Rct of unmodified CPE decreased to the value of 1.7 kΩ for the modified electrode. The obtained results revealed that the proposed modified ionic liquid-based carbon paste electrode could be applied successfully for the analysis of trace amounts of KA in biological samples such as blood serum, urine, and pharmaceutical samples such as liposome carriers containing KA as well as food samples such as vinegar. The synthesized NiO nanoparticles were characterized using XRD and EDAX analyses. The morphology of NiO/NPs is further characterized by SEM. Figure not available: see fulltext. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

The Impacts of Urban Megaprojects on Water and Sanitation Related Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

The provision of secure water supplies to human populations is a challenging task for societies globally, particularly in the context of growing urbanisation. Water scarcity has been identified as a key driver for future global conflicts and water conservation is a major focus for current research. This is because the majority of conventional urban water management systems are proving inadequate. Global trends such as urbanization and climate change have numerous direct and indirect impacts on urban water-related human rights as they affect water sources humans rely on for drinking, sanitation and a range of other activities which influence human health and prosperity. Groundwater recharge, water runoff, ecosystem health, and urban climate are all affected by the urban hydrological cycle which is distinctively different from rural and more natural hydrological cycles. For example water drainage is a major urban problem because hard urban surfaces prevent infiltration to the soil thereby increasing the risk of flooding and limiting the filtering and cleansing of water supplies. There is a need for more effective solutions for managing urban water. While new approaches such as water sensitive urban design and sponge city technologies are available, they are often not well adapted to protecting community values and rights. Megaprojects are key modes of development in Southeast Asia, especially over the past few decades. However, the effects of these projects on societies’ access to water are not well understood. Nevertheless, the basic impacts of these large-scale projects can be discerned through a range of methods including scholarly and grey literature review, field studies, and earth observation. This report addresses the lack of knowledge on urban megaproject impacts on water and sanitation-related human rights in Southeast Asia. Megaprojects are perceived to deliver wealth and new technology to urban regions in the context of rapid urbanization. This is important as in the Southeast Asia region where 20 percent of the total population live in poverty. However, the reality of these projects is often quite different from their aims as their large-scale development approach can destabilize local populations rather than address their needs. A concise literature review and five select case studies were used to develop a picture of urban megaproject impacts on the urban water landscapes and the resultant impacts on human rights. The selected concise case studies are:• Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam• Amarapura Urban Development, Shankalay Kyun Island, Mandalay, Myanmar• Bumi Serpong Damai City, Jakarta, Indonesia• Entertainment City (PAGCOR), Manila, Philippines• Boeng Kok Lake Development, Phenom Penh, CambodiaA review of the literature on mixed-use megaprojects reveals a range of complex urban challenges from inception to delivery. While there are compelling reasons for continuing to implement these projects, there are currently few successful projects in terms of economy, environment, and social uplift. To ensure that such projects are successful in terms of water-based human rights in future, a systematic review of such projects is necessary. This report is an initial step in this direction