Nonylphenols in freshwaters of the hydrologic system of an Italian district: association with human activities and evaluation of human exposure

A sampling campaign for the determination of concentrations of nonylphenol isomers (NPs) in freshwaters and sediments of the hydrologic system of the Rieti district (central Italy) was conducted from 2002 to 2003. Eighteen sampling points, selected on the basis of the different human activities in the vicinity, were monitored; six series of water samples (from June 2002 to February 2003) and one of sediment samples (summer 2002) were analyzed by GC/MS.

There was a direct relationship between concentrations of NPs and the presence of urban or industrial activities near the sampling point. However, concentrations of NPs in water were in the range of <0.1–1.4 μg l⁻¹, and their presence limited to short distances from the sources of contamination. Accumulation factors in sediment samples ranged from 10² to 5 × 10³.     

Does the improved stability offered by motorcycle antilock brakes (ABS) make sliding crashes less common? In-depth analysis of fatal crashes involving motorcycles fitted with ABS

Objective: This research investigated the following issue. Though several tests indicate that motorcycle ABS may increase motorcycle stability, thus reducing the risk of a sliding crash involving braking (i.e., the rider is separated from the motorcycle and slides along the road surface prior to collision), there is limited research showing to what extent sliding crashes are reduced by ABS in real-life conditions.

Methods: The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) carry out in-depth studies for all road fatalities. A total of 38 in-depth studies with ABS motorcycles were included: 22 in Sweden and 16 in Norway (2005–2014). These were compared with 98 cases in Sweden and 32 in Norway involving motorcycles of the same types but without ABS. The data sets were analyzed separately and also merged together. The difference between the proportions of sliding crashes regardless braking was analyzed; selective recruitment was handled with a sensitivity analysis. Induced exposure was used to calculate the reduction of all crashes and those involving braking.

Results: Four ABS cases (11%) involved falling off the motorcycle prior to collision, and 35% of the non-ABS crashes were sliding (P =.004). The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable, with a relative difference of sliding crashes ranging between 65 and 78%.

None of the 4 sliding crashes with ABS occurred during braking; that is, all ABS riders who braked prior to collision crashed in an upright position. In the 4 sliding cases with ABS, the riders lost control of their motorcycles: 2 while accelerating on asphalt with very poor friction, 1 while negotiating a curve with an excessive lean angle, and 1 by abruptly releasing the throttle in the middle of a curve.

Although based on a limited number of cases, the distributions of sliding and upright collisions among crashes without braking were similar, thus suggesting that the crash posture would not be affected by ABS if no braking occurred. The calculations with induced exposure showed that upright crashes with braking were also reduced by ABS; all fatal crashes, regardless of braking, were reduced by 52%.

Conclusions: Though this research was based on a limited material, it confirmed that sliding fatal crashes are significantly decreased by ABS. Considering that ABS will soon be mandatory in the European Union on all new motorcycles with engine displacement over 125cc, these findings should be taken into account in the future design and testing of motorcycle-friendly road barriers and integrated protection systems.     

Comments on pesticide risk assessment by the revision of Directive EU 91/414

Introduction  

Human health and the environment are major concerns for European Commission policy on the authorisation of plant protection products. The new regulation that revises and replaces the directive 91/414/EC moves towards the adoption of a Persistent Bioaccumulation Toxicity cutoff criterion because current pesticide risk assessment (PRA) is deterministic, based on few standard cases and therefore characterised by uncertainty. This revision could create concerns about sustainability.     

Gas emission into the atmosphere from controlled landfills: an example from Legoli landfill (Tuscany,Italy)

Background, aim and scope  

Landfill gas (LFG) tends to escape from the landfill surface even when LFG collecting systems are installed. Since LFG leaks are generally a noticeable percentage of the total production of LFG, the optimisation of the collection system is a fundamental step for both energy recovery and environmental impact mitigation. In this work, we suggest to take into account the results of direct measurements of gas fluxes at the air–cover interface to achieve this goal.     

Intrinsic worker mortality depends on behavioral caste and the queens’ presence in a social insect

According to the classic life history theory, selection for longevity depends on age-dependant extrinsic mortality and fecundity. In social insects, the common life history trade-off between fecundity and longevity appears to be reversed, as the most fecund individual, the queen, often exceeds workers in lifespan several fold. But does fecundity directly affect intrinsic mortality also in social insect workers? And what is the effect of task on worker mortality? Here, we studied how social environment and behavioral caste affect intrinsic mortality of ant workers. We compared worker survival between queenless and queenright Temnothorax longispinosus nests and demonstrate that workers survive longer under the queens’ absence. Temnothorax ant workers fight over reproduction when the queen is absent and dominant workers lay eggs. Worker fertility might therefore increase lifespan, possibly due to a positive physiological link between fecundity and longevity, or better care for fertile workers. In social insects, division of labor among workers is age-dependant with young workers caring for the brood and old ones going out to forage. We therefore expected nurses to survive longer than foragers, which is what we found. Surprisingly, inactive inside workers showed a lower survival than nurses but comparable to that of foragers. The reduced longevity of inactive workers could be due to them being older than the nurses, or due to a positive effect of activity on lifespan. Overall, our study points to behavioral caste-dependent intrinsic mortality rates and a positive association between fertility and longevity not only in queens but also in ant workers.     

Evaluation of concrete production with solid residues obtained from fluidized-bed incineration of MSW-derived solid recovered fuel (SRF)

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of solid residues derived from municipal solid waste-derived solid recovered fuel incinerated in a circulating fluidized-bed boiler for concrete production. The concrete mixtures casted by partially replacing the natural aggregates with bottom ash (27 %) and exhausted sand (13 %), according to the European standards for concrete, may be classified in the C16/20 class. The leaching tests performed on monolithic concrete samples showed that the concentrations measured in the leachates were lower than limit values for waste recovery, with the only exception of nickel for the mixture made with the exhausted sand.     

VTOL aircraft in emergency planning and management: a model for a helipad network

The scientific literature regarding HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) planning lacks a method for defining optimal sites for helipads that takes into account risk distribution and hospital location. Such a method could minimise overall rescue time in emergency situations. In this paper a method that supports the decisions taken by disaster planners and managers is developed, focusing on the quantification of necessary air resources for the management of some probable calamities. Given a region characterised by a natural and non-natural disaster risk map, along with a comprehensive transport system (also characterised by a risk map), a set of emergency destinations (hospitals), a set of heliports/helipads dislocated on the territory and a number of available HEMS rotorcraft, the aim of the paper is to assess the adequacy of the VTOL/FATO (Vertical Take-Off and Landing/Final Take-Off and Landing Area) system in order to deal with a set of possible emergencies.     

Assessment of susceptibility of olive cultivars to the Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin, 1790) and Camarosporium dalmaticum (Thüm.) Zachos & Tzav.-Klon. attacks in Calabria (Southern Italy)

Within the framework of research concerning the application of techniques alternative to chemical pesticides for control of parasites, the C.R.A. Experimental Institute for Olive Growing for many years has been performing a large investigation in order to detect sources of genetic resistance in olive germplasm. In the present study we observed the behavior related to the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) infestation and Camarosporium dalmaticum infection of ten olive cultivars farmed under the same agronomic and climatic conditions in Calabria, Southern Italy. The sampling and the data collecting were carried out in three different ripening times.The drupe amount of oleuropein and cyanidine was detected by laboratory analyses in order to verify a possible correlation between these molecules and the level of infestation/infection of the above-mentioned parasites. The obtained data were submitted to analysis of variance. In relation to the fungal infection the results displayed that cvs Tonda nera dolce showed the lowest susceptibility, while the cv Giarraffa turned out to be the most susceptible. The less susceptible cultivars to the phytophagous were Tonda nera dolce and Bhardi Tirana. Since the less susceptible cultivar to olive fly attacks are the same observed in relation to the susceptibility to olive fruit rot, it is suggested a relation between the olive fly infestation and the fungal infection. It suggests the utility to achieve these results both to transfer directly to the farmers' world and to emphasize ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation.