Visible light driven mineralization of spiramycin over photostructured N-doped TiO2 on up conversion phosphors

A novel visible light-active photocatalyst formulation(NdT/OP) was obtained by supporting N-doped TiO_2(NdT) particles on up-conversion luminescent organic phosphors(OP). The photocatalytic activity of such catalysts was evaluated for the mineralization process of spiramycin in aqueous solution. The effect of NdT loading in the range 15–60 wt.% on bulk and surface characteristics of NdT/OP catalysts was investigated by several chemicophysical characterization techniques. The photocatalytic performance of NdT/OP catalysts in the removal of spyramicin from aqueous solution was assessed through photocatalytic tests under visible light irradiation. Total organic carbon(TOC) of aqueous solution,and CO and CO_2 gas concentrations evolved during the photodegradation were analyzed. A dramatic enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the photostructured visible active NdT/OP catalysts,compared to NdT catalyst,was observed. Only CO_2 was detected in gas-phase during visible light irradiation,proving that the photocatalytic process is effective in the mineralization of spiramycin,reaching very high values of TOC removal. The photocatalyst NdT/OP at 30 wt.% of NdT loading showed the highest photocatalytic activity(58%of TOC removed after 180 min irradiation against only 31% removal after 300 min of irradiation of NdT). We attribute this enhanced activity to the high effectiveness in the utilization of visible light through improved light harvesting and exploiting. OP particles act as "photoactive support",able to be excited by the external visible light irradiation,and reissue luminescence of wavelength suitable to promote NdT photomineralization activity.     

Transplacental amniocentesis: Is it really a higher-risk procedure?

The aim of this study was to compare transplacental with non-transplacental amniocentesis in terms of related complications. Between January 1991 and December 1992, 4564 genetic amniocenteses were performed in 4527 patients (4491 singleton, 35 twin, and one triplet pregnancy) at 15–16 weeks of gestation. All the procedures were ultrasound-guided and performed by the same operator. In 1487 cases, an anterior placenta was traversed with the needle, whereas in 3077 cases, the needle was inserted directly into the amniotic cavity without traversing the placenta. After the exclusion of patients in whom amniotic cell culture failed or in whom an abnormal karyotype was obtained, and of patients lost to follow-up, a total of 4454 patients (98 per cent) were followed for 30 days after amniocentesis. Two spontaneous abortions occurred after a transplacental procedure, and five after a non-transplacental procedure (P = not significant). There were no episodes of amniotic fluid leakage in the first group, whereas 16 ruptures of the membranes that resolved spontaneously occurred in the second group (P<0·01). Our data suggest that transplacental amniocentesis carries a similar abortive risk to and a lower risk of transient rupture of the membranes than non-transplacental amniocentesis and may therefore be preferred at the gestational period examined (15–16 weeks). However, the risk of feto-maternal haemorrhage, which is reported to be higher for a transplacental procedure, must be considered in the case of an anterior placenta.     

Sperm allocation in relation to male traits, female size, and copulation behaviour in freshwater crayfish species

Sperm competition is a well-recognised agent in the evolution of sperm and ejaculate structure, as well as variation in female quality. Models of the evolution of ejaculate expenditure predict that male body condition, female fecundity and the risk and intensity of sperm competition may be the ultimate factors shaping optimal ejaculate size. We investigated sperm allocation in Austropotamobius italicus, a freshwater crayfish exhibiting a coercive mating system and external fertilisation, in relation to male and female traits and copulation behaviour under laboratory conditions. We found that mating males were sensitive to female size and produced larger ejaculates when mating with larger females, which were more fecund in terms of number of eggs produced. We found no evidence for female egg production being sperm-limited, as the number of eggs was not dependent on male sperm expenditure. Copulation duration and number of ejaculations reliably predicted the amount of sperm transferred, and both these behavioural measures positively covaried with female body size. These results indicate that male freshwater crayfish can modulate their sperm expenditure in accordance with cues that indicate female fecundity. In addition, a novel finding that emerged from this study is the decrease in sperm expenditure with male body size, which may either suggest that large, old male crayfish are better able than small males to economise sperm at a given mating to perform multiple matings during a reproductive season, or that they experience senescence of their reproductive performance.     

Responses of Metaphycussp. nr. flavus to semiochemicals released from a scale host, Coccus hesperidum

Summary. Metaphycus sp. nr. flavus (Encyrtidae: Hymenoptera) is a parasitoid species collected from the Mediterranean region which lays its eggs in the immature stages of several economically important soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae), including brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum L. (= host insect). Preliminary tests suggested that the parasitoid is most successful in producing offspring when it oviposits in the younger stages of brown soft scale. In Y-olfactometer bioassays measuring wasp choices and residence times, naïve parasitoids were significantly more attracted to yucca leaves infested with 26, 27, or 28 d-old scale than to uninfested leaves, whereas leaves with older (29-30 d-old) scale were no more attractive than uninfested leaves. Parasitoids also spent significantly more time in the arm with yucca leaves infested with 26 d-old scale than in the arm with uninfested leaves. These results are consistent with observations of the parasitoids reproductive success on scale of different ages, whereby older scale are more likely to encapsulate the developing eggs of M. sp. nr. flavusfemales than are younger scale. Further bioassays determined that yucca leaves that had been infested with 26 d-old scale but from which the scale had been removed were as attractive as infested leaves. In contrast, infested yucca leaves from which scale had been removed and the leaves subsequently washed with distilled water were less attractive than infested leaves. Furthermore, the wash water containing scale residues was attractive to female wasps. In total, these results suggest that Metaphycussp. nr. flavus females utilize volatile, water soluble compounds produced by brown soft scale as cues to locate suitable hosts.     

Thermodynamic behaviour of sodium and calcium based sorbents in the emission control of waste incinerators

The dry treatment of flue gas produced by incineration processes is discussed thermodynamically. The study investigates the theoretical limits achieved by sodium and calcium based sorbents in the removal of the pollutant species HCl, NOx and SO2. Calculations were performed varying the temperature and the molar ratio between the amount of the injected alkaline sorbent and the content of the pollutant gaseous species in the flue gas. Results show that sodium cation based sorbents are more efficient than calcium based ones in the whole investigated temperature range (100-600 degrees C). The higher effectiveness of sodium based sorbents is particularly remarkable towards hydrogen chloride, whose concentration can always be reduced below the values set by the environmental regulations. Possible improvements in the treatment efficiency of combustion fumes obtainable with sodium based sorbents can be mainly summarised in a lower concentration of HCl in the treated gas and in a partial reduction of NOx concentration.     

Effects of atmospheric pollution on lichen biodiversity (LB) in a Mediterranean region (Liguria, northwest Italy)

The effects of air pollution on lichen biodiversity (LB) were monitored in Liguria (northwest Italy). A systematic sampling strategy was adopted in order to avoid the influence of spatial autocorrelation on the results. An eight LB class scale permitted to point out the levels of naturality/alteration in the region. The comparison of these results with the ones obtained by mean of physico-chemical methodologies shows a good accordance. The results of this study suggest the possibility of designing an integrated monitoring network, in which biological monitoring will allow to estimate the level of alteration in remote areas, which account for most of this region and which are currently not covered by measurements with automatic systems.     

Length of index and ring fingers differentially influence sexual attractiveness of men’s and women’s hands

Humans show intra- and intersexual variation in second (2D) relative to fourth (4D) finger length, men having smaller 2D:4D ratio, possibly because of differential exposure to sex hormones during fetal life. The relations between 2D:4D and phenotypic traits including fitness components reported by several studies may originate from the organizational effects that sex hormones have on diverse organs and their concomitant effect on 2D:4D. Evolutionary theory posits that sexual preferences are adaptations whereby choosy individuals obtain direct or genetic indirect benefits by choosing a particular mate. Since sex hormones influence both fitness and 2D:4D, hand sexual attractiveness should depend on 2D:4D, a hypothesis tested only in one correlational study so far. We first presented hand computer images to undergraduates and found that opposite-sex hands with long 2D and 4D were considered more sexually attractive. When we experimentally manipulated hand images by increasing or decreasing 2D and/or 4D length, women preferred opposite-sex hands that had been masculinized by elongating 4D, whereas men avoided masculinized opposite-sex right hands with shortened 2D. Hence, consensus exists about which hands are attractive among different opposite-sex judges. Finger length may signal desirable sex hormone-dependent traits or genetic quality of potential mates. Psychological mechanisms mediating hand attractiveness judgments may thus reflect adaptations functioning to provide direct or indirect benefits to choosy individuals. Because the genetic mechanisms that link digit development to sex hormones may be mediated by Hox genes which are conserved in vertebrates, present results have broad implications for sexual selection studies also in nonhuman taxa.     

A new practical aid to regional hydrogeologic planning: The runoff coefficient map

The principal aim of this research is to solve problems of water-budget estimation in particularly indeterminate conditions, of the kind that are frequently encountered in the field, in which absence or insufficiency of hydrographic instrumentation prevents the adequate evaluation of runoff.To do this we have developed techniques that are based on the method of Kennessey (1930), in which the runoff coefficient of a watershed in estimated using three physiographic variables (slope angle, permeability, and vegetation cover) and a parameter that defines the climatic conditions of the local area. Our comparison of the Kennessey method with instrumental records from a wide variety of instrumented drainage basins in central Italy shows that the method provides reliable estimates of runoff. Our analysis also indicates the best criteria for its application, as shown by the examples and results presented in this article.This research enables us to present a new application of the method, namely the runoff coefficient map, which, in addition to its specific usefulness for the evaluation of runoff, has three advantages. First, it supplies a more realistic vision of the local distribution of runoff/rainfall ratios; second, it allows one to overcome the spatial constraints imposed by the narrow frame of reference represented by the watershed; and third, it makes an important contribution to the solution of other hydrogeological problems, such as the evaluation of the amount of water required for adequate recharge of the intake areas of deep aquifers or the maintenance of geothermal processes.Hence we propose this mapping technique as a valuable practical aid to regional hydrogeologic planning.     

Brazilian Amazonia: Industrial development and environmental monitoring

After a critical analysis of the strategies for conservation of the environment in Latin America and of large-scale development projects (agriculture and livestock raising, mining and electrical power plants) in the Amazon region of Brazil, this paper deals with the use of high-resolution satellite imagery for environmental monitoring. Two areas were considered in the study, Tucurui and Altamira. Spot/XS and Landsat/TM multispectral images were used, together with color aerial photographs of these areas. A computer-assisted visual interpretation procedure was employed to analyze images, and linear multispectral transformation was applied in selected subscenes in order to improve information extraction. The results indicate that high-resolution satellite imagery is generally compatible with the scale of the environmental problems in Amazonia and is a very efficient source of detailed information at a local scale on many aspects of the environment, in particular for monitoring changes over time in selected areas. Therefore, commercial satellite imagery, processed by specialized software, can accommodate a variety of analysis needs for decision makers and can also be an effective means of verification of international agreements on conservation of the environment in Amazonia.