A model of area fidelity,nomadism, and distribution patterns of loggerhead sea turtles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caretta caretta</Emphasis>) in the Mediterranean Sea

Sea turtle tagging carried out in Italy in the period 1981–2006 resulted in 125 re-encounters of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) after a mean of 2.5 years, from different marine areas in the Mediterranean. At first finding, turtles ranged 25–83 cm of curved carapace length. Data were analyzed according to size, area, habitat type, season, in order to provide indication of movement patterns. When integrated with other information, results indicate that: (1) a part of turtles in the oceanic stage show a nomad behavior with movements among different oceanic areas; (2) another part show fidelity to an oceanic area; (3) turtles in the neritic stage show fidelity to neritic areas, and once settled to one area, change to other neritic areas is unlikely; (4) nomad oceanic turtles are significantly larger than sedentary ones, and also larger than turtles found in neritic areas; it is hypothesized that these could be Atlantic turtles that eventually leave the Mediterranean; (5) ecological transition from oceanic to neritic habitats occurs at a wide range of sizes, and some turtles may have a very brief oceanic stage; (6) turtles in the oceanic stage are more likely to recruit to neritic areas close to their oceanic areas than to distant ones; (7) part of turtles from some Mediterranean nesting beaches might frequent a relatively limited area range, including both oceanic and neritic areas; (8) in most of the Mediterranean, latitudinal seasonal migrations are unlikely. A general model of movement patterns of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean is proposed.     

Biological benthic tools as indicators of coastal marine ecosystems health

Coastal marine ecosystems are increasingly subjected to environmental stress and degradation due to pollution. Several research programmes have addressed this problem and produced relevant data sets for specific areas, often including consistent sets of environmental and biological variables. The value of existing information gathered from these types of data can be largely increased by combining them into a common data set to determine globally applicable relationships. To perform this exercise, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has recently formed the Ad hoc Study Group on Benthic Indicators (http://www.ioc.unesco.org/benthicindicators) with the aim of developing robust indicators of benthic health. In this paper, initial products and ongoing activities of this international initiative are described and discussed. An expansion of initial IOC/UNESCO research on benthic fauna-organic carbon relationships is also presented. As part of this follow-up research, the relationship between total organic carbon concentrations of sediment and abundance, biomass and species diversity of benthic macrofauna was evaluated using data sets from 2 different regions of the world comprising 3 different coastal marine environments. The ability of identifying threshold levels in selected variables that could serve as indicators of related adverse environmental conditions leading to stress in the benthos is envisaged within the frame of a larger joint analysis, carried out by the IOC/UNESCO Study Group on Benthic Indicators, of merged data sets from several coastal regions worldwide.     

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis using the polymerase chain reaction: Report of eight cases

Eight pregnancies at risk for cystic fibrosis have been monitored by first-trimester prenatal diagnosis with DNA amplification analysis. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used in all cases to amplify the region detected by KM 19. In two cases, the region detected by CS·7, another DNA probe tightly linked to the CF locus, was also examined. The results of the PCR determinations were confirmed using the Southern blotting procedure, by segregation analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) relative to XV-2c, J3·11, metH, metD, and KM19 probes.     

Anthropogenic NOx emissions alter the intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) for Quercus cerris stands under Mediterranean climate conditions

We investigated the effect of N deposition (Ndep) on intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE_i), the ratio of photosynthesis (A) to stomatal conductance (g_s), for two Quercus cerris stands at different distances to an oil refinery in Southern Italy. We used δ¹³C in tree rings for assessing changes in WUE_i; while the influence of climate and NO_x emission was explored through δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁵N, respectively. Differences in WUE_i between the two sites were significant, with trees exposed to different degrees of NO_x emissions showing an abrupt increase with the onset of pollution. Assuming similar g_s at the two sites, as inferred through δ¹⁸O, the higher N availability at the polluted site caused the shift of the A/g_s ratio in favour of A. Overall, our result suggests that an increase of Ndep may enhance tree WUE under a scenario of reduction of precipitation predicted for Mediterranean area.     

Urinary methyl tert-butyl ether and benzene as biomarkers of exposure to urban traffic

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and benzene are added to gasoline to improve the combustion process and are found in the urban environment as a consequence of vehicular traffic. Herein we evaluate urinary MTBE (MTBE-U) and benzene (BEN-U) as biomarkers of exposure to urban traffic. Milan urban policemen (130 total) were investigated in May, July, October, and December for a total of 171 work shifts. Personal exposure to airborne benzene and carbon monoxide (CO), and atmospheric data, were measured during the work shift, while personal characteristics were collected by a questionnaire. A time/activity diary was completed by each subject during the work shift. Spot urine samples were obtained for the determination of MTBE-U and BEN-U. Median personal exposure to CO and airborne benzene were 3.3 mg/m(3) and 9.6 μg/m(3), respectively; median urinary levels in end-of-shift (ES) samples were 147 ng/L (MTBE-U) and 207 ng/L (BEN-U). The time spent on traffic duty at crossing was about 40% of work time. Multiple linear regression models, taking into account within-subject correlations, were applied to investigate the role of urban pollution, atmospheric conditions, job variables and personal characteristics on the level of biomarkers. MTBE-U was influenced by the month of sampling and positively correlated to the time spent in traffic guarding, CO exposure and atmospheric pressure, while negatively correlated to wind speed (R(2) for total model 0.63, P<0.001). BEN-U was influenced by the month and smoking habit, and positively correlated to urinary creatinine; moreover, an interaction between CO and smoking was found (R(2)=0.62, P<0.001). These results suggest that MTBE-U is a reliable marker for assessing urban traffic exposure, while BEN-U is determined mainly by personal characteristics.     

Integrated Ambient and Microenvironment Model for Estimation of PM10 Exposures of Children in Annual and Episode Settings

Particulate matter air pollution is estimated to cause in the order of 350,000 excess deaths in the European Union calling for policy development and evaluation tools. In the current work, a model for PM₁₀ exposures of children is developed using microenvironment time activities and infiltration of ambient pollution indoors, both evaluated against observations earlier and integrated with city-wide air quality models in the current work. The model is demonstrated using data from two cities in Italy. High-end short-term exposures are characterized by an episode-day situation in Turin, and annual mean exposures in downtown Bologna. The air quality model was unable to capture the highest levels during the episode, and therefore, the exposure model was adjusted using observed–modeled ratio from a monitoring station. Air quality model performance for the annual levels was significantly better. Annual exposure variability within the target population was 1.5-fold in the downtown area Bologna and tenfold during the episode day in Turin.