Search the digital library catalog

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing worldwide. This is due to the widespread and often uncontrolled release of antibiotics into surface water, drinking water, and the food chain. The traces of antibiotics (ng/L to μg/L) bioaccumulate, disrupt ecosystems, and accelerate AMR, yet regulatory monitoring remains inadequate. Sensitive analytical methods for the detection and quantification of antibiotics at trace levels in complex matrices are therefore essential. Conventional techniques, i.e., liquid or gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis, offer high accuracy but are associated with costly instrumentation, lengthy workflows, and extensive sample preparation. Electrochemical sensors based on advanced nanomaterials, particularly magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), have attracted considerable interest due to their advantages in sensitivity and selectivity, wide linear dynamic ranges, extremely low limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), low instrument cost, and rapid response. This review provides a critical overview of recent advances in MNP-based electrochemical platforms for antibiotic detection. The focus is on wet-chemical synthesis routes, modification approaches, and strategies for integrating magnetic nanocomposites into electrodes. Synergistic improvements through hybrid architectures are emphasized, combining MNPs with carbon nanomaterials, biopolymers, metal–organic frameworks, and molecularly imprinted polymers. Trends over the last five years have shown that applications in environmental monitoring, food safety, and drinking water are increasing. We summarize the key performance metrics, outline the current technical bottlenecks, such as long-term stability and large-scale manufacturing, and provide an outlook for the future. Taken together, these developments position MNP-based electrochemical sensors as versatile, highly effective tools for curbing antibiotic pollution and slowing the advancement of AMR.
Keywords: electrochemical sensor, antibiotics̀ determination, magnetic nanomaterials, material chemistry, nanocomposites, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, environmental sensing
Published in DKUM: 04.12.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
Full text (3,13 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: As of November 20, 2024, 35 years have passed since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989, a unique and binding instrument that enshrined, for the first time in international law, a comprehensive set of rights for children across the globe. While the UNCRC has driven significant progress since its adoption in 1989, emerging challenges, particularly digitalisation and the climate crisis, reveal critical gaps in its implementation. This article evaluates three decades of achievements in child rights protection, identifies persistent shortcomings, and examines the urgent need to address environmental degradation as a violation of children’s rights. Through an analysis of international legal provisions and landmark cases, the authors argue for stronger enforcement mechanisms to uphold children’s right to a healthy environment.
Keywords: child rights, right to a healthy environment, climate litigation, UNCRC, environmental human rights
Published in DKUM: 17.11.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
Full text (476,60 KB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: In assessing environmental impacts of packaging, it is necessary to use modern software tools, supported by verifiable databases based on the environmental life cycles of products. There are several software solutions that differ greatly from each other in terms of the complexity of life cycle modeling, accessibility to databases, LCIA methods used to determine environmental impacts, and the dynamics of database updating. The aim of this paper is to conduct LCA study for the case of a two-layered polymeric film made from low density polyethylene (PE-LD) and polyamide-6 (PA-6) laminated plastic packaging film using several LCIA methods to compare and comment the final LCA results in terms of the life-cycle environmental impacts. Results clearly show that the choice of LCIA method for evaluating environmental impacts within LCA study has a very large impact on the final result.
Keywords: packaging, life cycle assessment, LCIA methods, environmental impacts
Published in DKUM: 23.10.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 5
Full text (485,07 KB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: Background: Organisations in the contemporary workplace lack meaningful work and life, resulting in psychological and physical pain for workers. Employees seek organisations that align their daily work activities with society. Partially limited research exists on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee work-related attitudes, especially with the mediating mechanism of employee work meaningfulness (EWM) and organisation identification (OID) in developing country contexts such as Pakistan. This study has used Social Learning Theory (SLT) and Social Identification Theory (SIT). Methods: Data were collected through a sample of 154 employees in two waves from multiple sectors in Karachi, Pakistan, using non-probability, purposive sampling. The PLS-SEM, along with IBM-SPSS, was run for data analysis. Results: The results demonstrated that Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a significant positive relationship with employee work-related attitudes. CSR affects organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and pro-environmental behaviours (PEB) through the mediation mechanism of employee work meaningfulness (EWM) and organisational identification (OID). Conclusion: This study contributes to the nascent literature by establishing that EWM and OID mediate the effect of CSR on OCB and PEB. Furthermore, this study utilizes two primary theoretical lenses and provides a novel contribution to the current literature. Finally, this study provides valuable insights to policymakers, businesses, and society.
Keywords: work-related attitudes, corporate social responsibility, employee work meaningfulness, organisational citizenship behaviour, pro-environmental behaviours
Published in DKUM: 08.10.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
Full text (1,20 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: Consumers are increasingly exposed to environmental claims on food products. These claims often lack scientific validation and there are different methodologies that can be used for grounding these claims, which can lead to misleading results. The European Union’s (EU) Environmental Footprint methodology excludes the aggregation of environmental impacts, including damage to human health. This fact reduces transparency and limits the consumers’ ability to make information-based sustainable choices. This study aims to address this issue by calculating aggregated impacts on human health via life cycle assessment (LCA) in the agriculture and food-production sectors. In the study the IMPACT World+ method was used, including trustworthy databases and proper functional unit definition. The assessment encompassed three types of vegetables, four types of fruit, and four types of ready meals. The study also attempts to assess the impact of different farming systems (organic and conventional) on human health. Two standardised functional units, i.e., the unit based on product weight and product energy value were considered for each group of products. Our findings showed significant differences in results when different functional units were used. Additionally, no conclusion could be drawn regarding which farming system is more sustainable. Therefore, it is essential that the regulator clearly defines the criteria for selecting the appropriate functional unit in LCA within the agriculture and food-production sectors. In the absence of these criteria, results should be presented for all alternatives. Although not required by EU regulation, the authors suggest that companies should nevertheless disclose information regarding the environmental impact of agriculture and food production on human health, as this is important for consumers.
Keywords: sustainable food production, environmental concerns, life cycle assessment, human health, responsible consumption
Published in DKUM: 24.09.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 9
Full text (974,27 KB)
This document has many files! More...