Development and validation of a numerical prediction model to estimate the annoyance condition at the operation station of compact loaders

This paper describes the results of a study aimed at developing and validating a prediction model to assess the annoyance conditions at the operator station of compact loaders by using noise signal objective parameters only. For this purpose, binaural measurements were carried out on 41 compact loaders, both in stationary and real working conditions. The 62 binaural noise recordings were objectively analysed in terms of acoustic and psychoacoustic parameters and then divided into 9 groups and used in specific jury tests to obtain the subjective annoyance scores. Finally, multiple regression technique was applied to the first 6 groups of noise stimuli to develop the model while the remaining groups were used to validate it.     

Contribution of a municipal solid waste incinerator to the trace metals in the surrounding soil

This study analyses the pedological environment of the area near a municipal waste incinerator that has been operating in the south-east district of Pisa for approximately 20?years. There are many other industrial activities in the area besides the incinerator, which represent possible sources of pollution, as well as heavy road traffic. The study area was defined by a 0-4-km zone around the site with a population of approximately 12,000 residents. The study included the physical and chemical characterisation of 100 samples of soil and an analysis of trace metals such as Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Hg, As and Cd. The samples were grouped into soil use categories. The results showed Zn, Pb and Hg correlated with their potentially mobile fractions, and suggested an anthropic contribution to their presence in the soil. Ni, Cr and As showed values attributable to a lithological origin. This was consistent with the PCA results. The aim was to define the environmental state of the soil of the area in order to create a reference for future research and to verify the possible presence of pollution from other sources (local industrial activities and traffic).     

Evaluation of carbon stock variation in Northern Italian soils over the last 70 years

Carbon (C) sequestration in soils is gaining increasing acceptance as a means of reducing net carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to the atmosphere. Numerous studies on the global carbon budget suggest that terrestrial ecosystems in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere act as a large carbon sink of atmospheric CO₂. However, most of the soils of North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Eastern Europe lost a great part of their organic carbon pool on conversion from natural to agricultural ecosystems during the explosion of pioneer agriculture, and in Western Europe the adoption of modern agriculture after the Second World War led to a drastic reduction in soil organic carbon content. The depletion of organic matter is often indicated as one of the main effects on soil, and the storage of organic carbon in the soil is a means of improve the quality of soils and mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emission. The soil organic carbon in an area of Northern Italy over the last 70 years has been assessed In this study. The variation of top soil organic carbon (SOC) ranged from −60.3 to +6.7%; the average reduction of SOC, caused by agriculture intensification, was 39.3%. This process was not uniform, but related to trends in land use and agriculture change. For the area studied (1,394 km²) there was an estimated release of 5 Tg CO₂-C to the atmosphere from the upper 30 cm of soil in the period 1935–1990.     

Approaches to semi-synthetic minimal cells: a review

Following is a synthetic review on the minimal living cell, defined as an artificial or a semi-artificial cell having the minimal and sufficient number of components to be considered alive. We describe concepts and experiments based on these constructions, and we point out that an operational definition of minimal cell does not define a single species, but rather a broad family of interrelated cell-like structures. The relevance of these researches, considering that the minimal cell should also correspond to the early simple cell in the origin of life and early evolution, is also explained. In addition, we present detailed data in relation to minimal genome, with observations cited by several authors who agree on setting the theoretical full-fledged minimal genome to a figure between 200 and 300 genes. However, further theoretical assumptions may significantly reduce this number (i.e. by eliminating ribosomal proteins and by limiting DNA and RNA polymerases to only a few, less specific molecular species). Generally, the experimental approach to minimal cells consists in utilizing liposomes as cell models and in filling them with genes/enzymes corresponding to minimal cellular functions. To date, a few research groups have successfully induced the expression of single proteins, such as the green fluorescence protein, inside liposomes. Here, different approaches are described and compared. Present constructs are still rather far from the minimal cell, and experimental as well as theoretical difficulties opposing further reduction of complexity are discussed. While most of these minimal cell constructions may represent relatively poor imitations of a modern full-fledged cell, further studies will begin precisely from these constructs. In conclusion, we give a brief outline of the next possible steps on the road map to the minimal cell.

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Urban atmospheric pollution: personal exposure versus fixed monitoring station measurements

We initiated the PETER (pedestrian environmental traffic pollutant exposure research) project to investigate pedestrians' exposure to traffic related atmospheric pollutants, based on data obtained with the collaboration of selected categories of pedestrian urban workers. We investigated relations between roadside personal exposure levels of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (including benzene) and particulate matter <10 microm (PM10) among traffic police (n = 126) and parking wardens (n = 50) working in downtown Bologna, Italy. Data were collected from workshifts throughout four 1-week periods in different seasons of 2000-2001. For benzene and PM10, comparisons were made with measurements by fixed monitoring stations, and influence of localized traffic intensity and meteorological parameters was examined. Roadside personal exposure to benzene correlated more strongly with other volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, xylenes and ethylbenzene) than with PM10. Benzene and PM10 personal exposure levels were higher than fixed monitoring station values (both p<0.0001). At multivariate analysis, benzene and PM10 data from fixed monitoring stations both correlated with meteorological variables, and were also influenced by localized traffic intensity. Plausibly because of the downtown canyon-like streets, weather conditions (during a period of drought) only marginally affected benzene personal exposure, and moderately affected PM10 personal exposure. These findings reinforce the concept that urban atmospheric pollution data from fixed air monitoring stations cannot automatically be taken as indications of roadside exposures.     

Multivariate tools to investigate the spatial contaminant distribution in a highly anthropized area (Gulf of Naples,Italy)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Gulf of Naples located in a high anthropized coastal area is subjected to an infrastructural intervention for the installation of a submarine...     

Removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater using advanced treatments. A review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The rise of emerging contaminants in waters challenges the scientific community and water treatment stakeholders to design remediation techniques that are simple,...