Community resilience,land degradation and endogenous lock-in effects: evidence from the Alento region,Campania, Italy

This study analyses social, economic and political “lock-ins” for understanding community resilience and land degradation. The study focuses on lock-ins from within communities, using four case study communities in Italy affected by land degradation. The analysis highlights the complex interrelationships between various lock-ins, and suggests that the communities are on declining resilience pathways that may lead to increasing difficulties in addressing land degradation issues in future.     

Environmental fate of triasulfuron in soils amended with municipal waste compost

The amendment of soil with compost may significantly influence the mobility and persistence of pesticides and thus affect their environmental fate. Factors like adsorption, kinetics, and rate of degradation of pesticides could be altered in amended soils. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the addition of compost made from source-separated municipal waste and green waste, on the fate of triasulfuron [(2-(2-chloroethoxy)-N-[[4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino]carbonyl]benzenesulfonamide], a sulfonylurea herbicide used in postemergence treatment of cereals. Two native soils with low organic matter content were used. A series of analyses was performed to evaluate the adsorption and degradation of the herbicide in soil and in solution after the addition of compost and compost-extracted organic fractions, namely humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA), and hydrophobic dissolved organic matter (HoDOM). Results have shown that the adsorption of triasulfuron to soil increases in the presence of compost, and that the HA and HoDOM fractions are mainly responsible for this increase. Hydrophobic dissolved organic matter applied to the soils underwent sorption reactions with the soils, and in the sorbed state, served to increase the adsorption capacity of the soil for triasulfuron. The rate of hydrolysis of triasulfuron in solution was significantly higher at acidic pH and the presence of organic matter fractions extracted from compost also slightly increased the rate of hydrolysis. The rate of degradation in amended and nonamended soils is explained by a two-stage degradation kinetics. During the initial phase, although triasulfuron degradation was rapid with a half-life of approximately 30 d, the presence of compost and HoDOM was found to slightly reduce the rate of degradation with respect to that in nonamended soil.     

Less COVID-19 deaths in southern and insular Italy explained by forest bathing,Mediterranean environment,and antiviral plant volatile organic compounds

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is causing major sanitary and socioeconomic issues, yet some locations are less impacted than others. While densely populated areas are likely to favor viral transmission, we hypothesize that other environmental factors could explain lower cases in some areas. We studied COVID-19 impact and population statistics in highly forested Mediterranean Italian regions versus some northern regions where the amount of trees per capita is much lower. We also evaluated the affinity of Mediterranean plant-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) isoprene, α-pinene, linalool and limonene for COVID-19 protein targets by molecular docking modeling. Results show that while mean death number increased about 4 times from 2020 to 2021, the percentage of deaths per population (0.06–0.10%) was lower in the greener Mediterranean regions such as Sardinia, Calabria and Basilica versus northern regions with low forest coverage, such as Lombardy (0.33%) and Emilia Romagna (0.29%). Data also show that the pandemic severity cannot be explained solely by population density. Modeling reveals that plant organic compounds could bind and interfere with the complex formed by the receptor binding domain of the coronavirus spike protein with the human cell receptor. Overall, our findings are likely explained by sea proximity and mild climate, Mediterranean diet and the abundance of non-deciduous Mediterranean plants which emit immunomodulatory and antiviral compounds. Potential implications include ‘forest bathing’ as a therapeutic practice, designing nasal sprays containing plant volatile organic compounds, and preserving and increasing forest coverage.

     

Maturity assessment of compost from municipal solid waste through the study of enzyme activities and water-soluble fractions

In this work the dynamics of biochemical (enzymatic activities) and chemical (water-soluble fraction) parameters during 100 days of municipal solid wastes composting were studied to evaluate their suitability as tools for compost characterization. The hydrolase (protease, urease, cellulase, beta-glucosidase) and dehydrogenase activities were characterized by significant changes during the first 2 weeks of composting, because of the increase of easily decomposable organic compounds. After the 4th week a "maturation phase" was identified in which the enzymatic activities tended to gently decrease, suggesting the stabilisation of organic matter. Also the water-soluble fractions (water-soluble carbon, nitrogen, carbohydrates and phenols), which are involved in many degradation processes, showed major fluctuations during the first month of composting. The results obtained showed that the hydrolytic activities and the water-soluble fractions did not vary statistically during the last month of composting. Significant correlations between the enzymatic activities, as well as between enzyme activities and water-soluble fractions, were also highlighted. These results highlight the suitability of both enzymatic activities and water soluble fractions as suitable indicators of the state and evolution of the organic matter during composting. However, since in the literature the amount of each activity or fraction at the end of composting depends on the raw material used for composting, single point determinations appear inadequate for compost characterization. This emphasizes the importance of the characterization of the dynamics of enzymatic activities and water-soluble fractions during the process.     

Chemical diversity and biological activities of essential oils from native populations of Clinopodium menthifolium subsp. ascendens (Jord.) Govaerts

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study is focused on the analysis of regional variation of the chemical compositions of three Clinopodium menthifolium subsp. ascendens (Jord.)...     

Triadimefon Causes Branchial Arch Malformations in Xenopus laevis Embryos (5 pp)

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.014 Background, Aims and Scope Triazole-derivatives are potent antifungal agents used as systemic agricultural fungicides and against fungal diseases in humans and domestic animals. They act by inhibiting the cytochrome P-450 conversion of lanosterol to ergosterol, thus resulting in faulty fungal cell wall synthesis. Some data have been published about the teratogenic activity of triazoles on rodent embryos: Hypoplasias, abnormal shape, agenesis of the branchial arches, for example, were reported as typical induced malformations. Unfortunately, no data are available on the embryotoxicity of these compounds in amphibians, despite the increasing concern among the scientific community about the phenomenon of global amphibian population declines. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the embryo-lethal and teratogenic potentials of Triadimefon (FON), a triazolederivative widely used as an antimycotic in agriculture, by the test FETAX (Frog Embryos Teratogenic Assay, Xenopus) with particular attention being paid to the analysis of branchial arch malformations. Methods Xenopus laevis embryos were exposed continuously from stage 9 to increasing concentrations of FON and analyzed at stage 47 for mortality and teratogenicity (group I) to determine the median lethal (LC50) and teratogenic (TC50) concentrations. Another two pools of larvae were exposed to FON for a 2 hour period at early gastrula (Group II) or neurula (Group III) stages to verify which period of development is the most sensitive to FON. The malformations observed were further investigated by histological section and cartilage staining with Alcian blue. Results and Discussion The assay has estimated LC50 and TC50 values of 63.8 μM and 2.73 μM, respectively; the resulting TI (Teratogenic Index = LC50/TC50) value of 23.4 has underlined the very high teratogenic risk associated with this compound. Neurulation was more sensitive to FON exposure than gastrulation, since the TC50 estimated values for group III (neurula exposed) specimens was 7.6 times lower than those of group II (gastrula exposed). Interestingly, for each group analyzed, 100% of malformed embryos showed alterations at branchial arch derived cartilages: Anterior cartilages were reduced, missing, fused or incorrectly positioned while gill cartilages were altered only in the most severely affected specimens. In some cases these malformations were associated with hyperpigmentation. Our results support the hypothesis that FON can interfere with Neural Crest Cell (NCC) migration, since craniofacial components and melanophores are derived from neural crest material. Conclusion In conclusion, our data show Triadimefon to be a potent teratogen able to induce specific craniofacial malformation in Xenopus laevis embryos, probably interfering with the NCC migration into the branchial mesenchyme. These results are also interesting for ecotoxicological reasons as FON, as well as other pesticides, are likely to be present in water systems near agricultural or urban areas which may serve as habitats for developing amphibians and fishes. Recommendation and Outlook Our results are in agreement with the data obtained on in vitro cultured rat embryos suggesting that the FON mechanism of action involves strongly conserved molecules. The choice of Xenopus laevis as the model organism allows us to extend the toxicological and teratological observations to a molecular level, in order to search for novel genes regulated by FON exposure.     

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.