Trends in landings of fish species potentially affected by climate change in Portuguese fisheries

Fisheries are an important source of food, with a high economic value and social significance. The present worrying situation of the world fisheries is the result of the interaction between different factors (e.g. climatic variations, natural oscillations, technological innovation), but the greatest challenges are overfishing and climate change. The species richness of the Portuguese coast is generally higher than that found in northern Europe and similar to that of the Mediterranean, since many species have their southern or northern distribution limits along the Portuguese coast. The zoogeographic importance of this latitudinal area has long been recognized, representing the transition between north-eastern Atlantic warm-temperate and cold-temperate regions, which makes the Portuguese coast an area of great sensitivity to the detection of climate change. Official landing data for commercial species that have the Portuguese coast as their distribution limit were analysed together with sea surface temperature for the period of 1927–2011. In general, landings of species with affinity for temperate waters presented a decreasing trend, whereas species with affinity for subtropical/tropical waters showed an increasing trend. These variations were associated with variation in temperature: lower landings of temperate species occurred mainly in warm years, whereas landings of subtropical/tropical species presented an opposite trend, with higher landings in warm years. Preparing for the impacts of climate change is crucial for the sustainability of fisheries. Management should take into consideration information about environmental factors that affect species distribution and abundance.     

Recycled lightweight concrete made from footwear industry waste and CDW

In this paper two types of recycled aggregate, originated from construction and demolition waste (CDW) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) waste, were used in the production of concrete. The EVA waste results from cutting off the EVA expanded sheets used to produce insoles and innersoles of shoes in the footwear industry. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of the use of these recycled aggregates as replacements of the natural coarse aggregate, upon density, compressive strength, tensile splitting strength and flexural behavior of recycled concrete. The experimental program was developed with three w/c ratios: 0.49, 0.63 and 0.82. Fifteen mixtures were produced with different aggregate substitution rates (0%, 50% EVA, 50% CDW, 25% CDW–25% EVA and 50% CDW–50% EVA), by volume. The results showed that it is possible to use the EVA waste and CDW to produce lightweight concrete having semi-structural properties.     

Determination of seventeen endocrine disruptor compounds and their spatial and seasonal distribution in Ria Formosa Lagoon (Portugal)

In spite of its outstanding ecological and touristic importance the Ria Formosa Lagoon shows signs of anthropogenic pollution. Nonetheless, until the present survey no studies had ever documented the measurement of natural and pharmaceutical estrogens (17β-estradiol, estrone, and 17α-ethynylestradiol), xenoestrogenic industrial pollutants (4-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol, and their mono and diethoxylates and bisphenol A), phytoestrogens (formononetin, biochanin A, daidzein, genistein), and sitosterol in this area. The 17 compounds measured herein are known as endocrine disrupters (EDCs) and act over the endocrine system even in few amounts (ng L^?1–μg L^?1). Thus to conclude about the influx of EDCs in the lagoon, water samples were taken every 2 months, during 1 year (2010), in low tide at nine sites distributed along the coastline. Water samples (1 L) were preconcentrated in the Oasis HLB cartridges and cleaned in silica cartridges before their analysis by GC-MS. Data showed the ubiquitous presence of potentially hazardous amounts of estrogens (particularly of ethynylestradiol, up to 24.3 ng L^?1), nonylphenol (up to 547 ng L^?1), and sitosterol (up to 12,300 ng L^?1), mainly in summer, suggesting that the increase of the local number of inhabitants (tourists), the rise of the water temperature (up to 26 °C), and the blooming of local flora may interfere with the water quality parameters. This makes the lagoon a potential model to study. Taking into account the data, it was concluded that there are conditions for the occurrence of endocrine disruption in aquatic animals, even in areas included in the natural park of the Formosa. Besides, both the high amounts of un-ionized ammonia (up to 0.3 mg L^?1) and phosphates (up to 1.6 mg L^?1) my pose risks for local fauna and humans.     

Antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus spp. isolated from wastewater and sludge of poultry slaughterhouses

Antibiotimicrobial resistance was investigated in 537 Enterococcus spp. isolates recovered from 22 samples of crude inflow, treated effluent and sludge collected in wastewater treatment plants of eight poultry slaughterhouses of Portugal. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in the resistance to each antimicrobial agent with regards to the origin of the sample (inflow, sludge and effluent). Many of the isolates displayed resistance to tetracycline (85.7%), erythromycin (45.7%), nitrofurantoin (34.0%) and rifampicin (17.8%). Resistance was also observed, but to a lesser extent, to ciprofloxacin (10.2%), ampicillin (8.0%), chloramphenicol (4.6%), vancomycin (0.9%) and gentamicin (0.4%). Resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes was present in 37.1% of the isolates. Wastewater treatment resulted in viable enterococci decrease between less than 1 log and 4 log; nevertheless, more than 4.4 x 10(5) colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL were present in the outflow of the plants and thus resistant enterococci are not prevented from reaching the general environment.     

Concentrations of lead in cosmetics commonly used in South Africa

In this study, we present evidence of lead in lip liner, oil absorbent powder, mascara, concealer, lipsticks, lip gloss, and foundation. The samples were analyzed for lead by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The levels of lead in concealer, mascara, lip liner, and oil absorbent powder were found to be 7.4?±?1.3?µg?g^?1, 15.8?±?0.2?µg?g^?1, 29.0?±?9.2?µg?g^?1, and 17.3?±?2.9?µg?g^?1, respectively. The levels of lead in lipsticks, lip gloss, and foundation ranged from not detected to 73.1?±?5.2?µg?g^?1, 4.7 to 11.7?±?2.8?µg?g^?1, and 7.8 to 32.9?±?1.4?µg?g^?1, respectively. Thus, in the majority of samples, the concentrations of lead are higher than the USFDA maximum permissible concentration of 0.10?µg?g^?1 in candy and cosmetics. In lipsticks alone, only 25% of 40 samples were found to meet the requirement. Therefore, continuous use of cosmetic products in which lead concentration exceeds the maximum permissible level may pose a health hazard for the female population of South Africa in the long run.     

Nest placement of the giant Amazon river turtle, Podocnemis expansa, in the Araguaia River, Goiás State, Brazil

The giant Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis expansa) nests on extensive sand bars on the margins and interior of the channel during the dry season. The high concentration of nests in specific points of certain beaches indicates that the selection of nest placement is not random but is related to some geological aspects, such as bar margin inclination and presence of a high, sandy platform. The presence of access channels to high platform points or ramp morphology are decisive factors in the choice of nesting areas. The eroded and escarped margins of the beaches hinder the Amazon river turtle arriving at the most suitable places for nesting. Through the years, changes in beach morphology can alter nest distribution.     

Tradescantia pallida cv. purpurea boom in the characterization of air pollution by accumulation of trace elements

Tradescantia pallida cv. purpurea, a plant species widely employed for ornamentation in Brazil, has been successfully used for monitoring the genotoxicity of various agents by the micronucleus assay. To amplify knowledge about its suitability as a bioindicator species, its capacity for accumulating trace elements from urban air pollution was evaluated. T. pallida was rooted using standardized soil, and the vases were distributed in two highly polluted sites of the urban area of S?o Paulo, Brazil (Cerqueira Cesar and Congonhas districts), and in one unpolluted control site situated approximately 50 km from downtown S?o Paulo (in Caucaia do Alto). Approximately six months after exposure to pollutants, adult leaves of this plant were collected monthly for 12 months. The leaves were washed with deionized water, dried, and ground for analyses. Characterization of element levels was carried out by neutron activation analysis. Powdered samples and standards were irradiated at the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor for short and long periods, and concentrations of As, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Cr, Co, Fe, K, La, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th, and Zn were determined. Analysis of variance applied to the results indicated that samples from polluted sites present the highest concentrations of Ba, Ce, Cr, Co, Fe, La, Sb, and Sc (p < 0.05). Discriminant analysis revealed that it was possible to distinguish the two polluted areas with a precision of 97.5%, based on the amount of pollutant elements measured in the plants at each site. The results indicated the potential use of T. pallida as an accumulator plant for air pollution biomonitoring.