An application of parametric and nonparametric models to the assessment of fluoride levels in vegetation exposed to stack emissions of an aluminum reduction plant in Greece

Various statistical models were developed for assessing airborne fluoride (F) levels in natural vegetation near an aluminum reduction plant using as predictor variables the distance from the emission source, the predominating wind, and characteristic topography-geomorphology parameters. Results revealed that F concentrations in vegetation showed a predictable response to both wind conditions and landscape features. The linear model was found to give good estimations, taking advantage of the relatively strong linear correlation between concentration and distance. A nonlinear relationship between the F concentration in vegetation and the other variables was also found, while interactions between the variables were found to be non-first-order. The nonlinear relationship hypothesis was supported by the improved results of various nonlinear models that also indicated the importance of the area's topography-geomorphology and meteorology in model predictions. The application of an artificial neural network (ANN) model showed the closest agreement between predicted and observed values with a correlation coefficient of 0.92. The improved reliability of the ANN and a regression tree model (RTM) also were indicated by the normal distribution of their residuals. The RTM and the ANN were further investigated and found to be capable of identifying the importance of the variables in vegetation exposure to air emissions.     

Review and comparison of methods to study the contribution of variables in artificial neural network models

Convinced by the predictive quality of artificial neural network (ANN) models in ecology, we have turned our interests to their explanatory capacities. Seven methods which can give the relative contribution and/or the contribution profile of the input factors were compared: (i) the ‘PaD’ (for Partial Derivatives) method consists in a calculation of the partial derivatives of the output according to the input variables; (ii) the ‘Weights’ method is a computation using the connection weights; (iii) the ‘Perturb’ method corresponds to a perturbation of the input variables; (iv) the ‘Profile’ method is a successive variation of one input variable while the others are kept constant at a fixed value; (v) the ‘classical stepwise’ method is an observation of the change in the error value when an adding (forward) or an elimination (backward) step of the input variables is operated; (vi) ‘Improved stepwise a’ uses the same principle as the classical stepwise, but the elimination of the input occurs when the network is trained, the connection weights corresponding to the input variable studied is also eliminated; (vii) ‘Improved stepwise b’ involves the network being trained and fixed step by step, one input variable at its mean value to note the consequences on the error. The data tested in this study concerns the prediction of the density of brown trout spawning redds using habitat characteristics. The PaD method was found to be the most useful as it gave the most complete results, followed by the Profile method that gave the contribution profile of the input variables. The Perturb method allowed a good classification of the input parameters as well as the Weights method that has been simplified but these two methods lack stability. Next came the two improved stepwise methods (a and b) that both gave exactly the same result but the contributions were not sufficiently expressed. Finally, the classical stepwise methods gave the poorest results.     

Impact of shipping emissions on ozone levels over Europe: assessing the relative importance of the Standard Nomenclature for Air Pollution (SNAP) categories

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The impact of shipping emissions on ozone mixing ratio over Europe is assessed for July 2006 using the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling...     

Organic contaminants in sediments and mussels from Thermaikos gulf,Greece

Thirteen surficial sediment samples, two sediment cores and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from six locations were collected from Thermaikos gulf, Greece and analyzed for herbicides, organochlorine compounds and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Herbicide concentrations were low in surface sediments (not detected‐0.8 ng/g dry wt) and undetectable in subsurface samples. Organochlorine concentrations ranged between 0.8 and 88.2 ng/g dry wt for the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and between 1.7 and 22.8 ng/g dry wt for the SDDTs, while aliphatic hydrocarbon values varied from 28.8 to 965.4 ng/g dry wt. The highest concentrations for all the pollutants were measured in the vicinity of the city of Thessaloniki. Petroleum‐related hydrocarbons were dominant in surface sediments, while were still detected till about 1 m depth in the sediment core. Mussels presented low organochlorine concentrations (3.6–10.5 ng/g dry wt for the PCBs, 12.2–34.0 ng/g dry wt for the DDTs), but petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations were rather increased, mainly in the samples collected along the east coastline of the gulf (aliphatic hydrocarbons 52.3–224.3 μg/g dry wt).     

Impact of dredged urban river sediment on a Saronikos Gulf dumping site (Eastern Mediterranean): sediment toxicity,contaminant levels,and biomarkers in caged mussels

Impacts of chemical contaminants associated with dumping of dredged urban river sediments at a coastal disposal area in Saronikos Gulf (Eastern Mediterranean) were investigated through a combined approach of sediment toxicity testing and active biomonitoring with caged mussels. Chemical analyses of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Cu, and Zn in combination with the solid phase Microtox® test were performed on sediments. Concentrations of PAHs, AHs, Cu, and Zn as well as multiple biomarkers of contaminant exposure and/or effects were measured in caged mussels. Sediments in the disposal and neighboring area showed elevated PAHs and AHs concentrations and were characterized as toxic by the solid-phase Microtox® test during and after dumping operations. Biomarker results in the caged mussels indicated sublethal effects mainly during dumping operations, concomitantly with high concentrations of PAHs and AHs in the caged mussel tissues. Cu and Zn concentrations in sediments and caged mussels were generally not elevated except for sediments at the site in the disposal area that received the major amount of dredges. High PAHs and AHs levels as well as sublethal effects in the caged mussels were not persistent after termination of operations. The combined bioassay–biomarker approach proved useful for detecting toxicological impacts of dredged river sediment disposal in sediments and the water column. Nevertheless, further research is needed to evaluate whether sediment toxicity will have long-term effects on benthic communities of the disposal area.     

The application of bioflocculant for the removal of humic acids from stabilized landfill leachates

The evaluation of bioflocculant, in comparison with traditional inorganic coagulants, for the removal of humic acids from landfill leachates stabilized by biological treatment, was performed using conventional jar-test coagulation experiments. The optimized conditions (pH and coagulant dosage) were identified for the treatment of synthetic solutions as well as for biologically pre-treated landfill leachates. It was found that the application of bioflocculant was quite efficient in the removal of humic acids from synthetic solutions as well as in the reduction of COD content from real landfill leachates. The optimal pH value was found to be between 7 and 7.5, while a 20 mg/l bioflocculant dosage was sufficient in providing more than 85% humic acid removal. The results were comparable with those obtained by the application of conventional coagulants such as alum or polyaluminum chloride; therefore, bioflocculant can be considered as a viable alternative in the treatment of landfill leachates applying coagulation.     

An empirical investigation of European drivers' self-assessment

PROBLEM: Evaluating motorists through self-assessment has attracted much interest in recent literature, which is mainly due to the profound impact various parameters of self-assessment can have on the way motorists deal with hazardous traffic situations. Much of the previous work in this area has been hampered both by the lack of adequate sample sizes and, because of the small samples, the evaluation methodologies used. METHOD: This paper extends previous research in two significant directions: (a) it uses the SARTRE 2 database, which provides more than 17,000 questionnaires from most European countries; and (b) it employs the ordered probit modeling approach, which recognizes the latent nature of self-assessment and explicitly links its dimensions to a set of relevant explanatory variables such as age, gender, region, and income. RESULTS: The results indicate that drivers who rate themselves as both more dangerous and faster than others are, generally, younger men, with higher incomes, break the speed limit more frequently, avoid wearing seat belts, and have been involved in more accidents in the past than other drivers. Interestingly, more experienced and more highly educated drivers assess their driving as less dangerous, but admit to driving faster than other drivers. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The methodology used and the results obtained can be a significant help in identifying drivers with high and low self-assessment ratings, which can be useful in planning and implementing road safety information campaigns.     

The use of tailor-made acidic deep eutectic solvents for preparation of quercetin-enriched extracts from onion solid wastes

The current examination dealt with the development of a methodology to produce quercetin, a multifunctional bio-flavonoid, by designing task-specific, highly acidic deep eutectic solvents, based on glycerol and natural organic acids. The purpose was to achieve a simultaneous hydrolysis of spiraeoside, the major quercetin glycoconjugate occurring in onion solid wastes, and quercetin extraction. After an initial performance screening, the combination of glycerol/oxalic acid was identified as the highest-performing system, and further investigation showed that the most efficacious molar ratio was glycerol/oxalic acid 3:1. Further study of hydrolysis/extractions conditions suggested 30 min, at 130°C, to be the best operating conditions, giving the highest yield of 19.65 mg quercetin per grams of dry mass. The extract obtained under these conditions displayed significantly enhanced antiradical activity, compared to control extracts prepared with water or aqueous ethanol. On the other hand, results on the ferric-reducing power were rather contradictory. It is proposed that such a methodology may be implemented to valorize onion solid wastes, for the production of extracts significantly enriched in quercetin, with increased antiradical properties.     

Converting environmental risks to benefits by using spent coffee grounds (SCG) as a valuable resource

Coffee is perhaps one of the most vital ingredients in humans’ daily life in modern world. However, this causes the production of million tons of relevant wastes, i.e., plastic cups, aluminum capsules, coffee chaff (silver skin), and spent coffee grounds (SCG), all thrown untreated into landfills. It is estimated that 1 kg of instant coffee generates around 2 kg of wet SCG; a relatively unique organic waste stream, with little to no contamination, separated directly in the source by the coffee shops. The produced waste has been under researchers’ microscope as a useful feedstock for a number of promising applications. SCG is considered a valuable, nutrients rich source of bioactive compounds (e.g., phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, lipids, chlorogenic and protocatechuic acid, melanoidins, diterpenes, xanthines, vitamin precursors, etc.) and a useful resource material in other processes (e.g., soil improver and compost, heavy metals absorbent, biochar, biodiesel, pellets, cosmetics, food, and deodorization products). This paper aims to provide a holistic approach for the SCG waste management, highlighting a series of processes and applications in environmental solutions, food industry, and agricultural sector. Thus, the latest developments and approaches of SCG waste management are reviewed and discussed.