Biological activities of the essential oil from the leaves of Lantana montevidensis (Spreng) Briq. in mice

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This work aimed to analyze the chemical composition and evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties of the essential oil obtained...     

Environmental impact and management of phosphogypsum

The production of phosphoric acid from natural phosphate rock by the wet process gives rise to an industrial by-product called phosphogypsum (PG). About 5 tons of PG are generated per ton of phosphoric acid production, and worldwide PG generation is estimated to be around 100–280 Mt per year. This by-product is mostly disposed of without any treatment, usually by dumping in large stockpiles. These are generally located in coastal areas close to phosphoric acid plants, where they occupy large land areas and cause serious environmental damage. PG is mainly composed of gypsum but also contains a high level of impurities such as phosphates, fluorides and sulphates, naturally occurring radionuclides, heavy metals, and other trace elements. All of this adds up to a negative environmental impact and many restrictions on PG applications. Up to 15% of world PG production is used to make building materials, as a soil amendment and as a set controller in the manufacture of Portland cement; uses that have been banned in most countries. The USEPA has classified PG as a “Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material” (TENORM).     

On the preconditions for large-scale collective action

Ambio - The phenomenon of collective action and the origin of collective action problems have been extensively and systematically studied in the social sciences. Yet, while we have substantial...     

Isotherm,kinetic, and thermodynamic studies for dynamic adsorption of toluene in gas phase onto porous Fe-MIL-101/OAC composite

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present paper, micro-mesoporous Fe-MIL-101/OAC composite using in situ incorporation of Fe-MIL-101 into oxidized activated carbon was...     

Hepatic monooxygenase (CYP1A and CYP3A) and UDPGT enzymatic activities as biomarkers for long-term carbofuran exposure in tench (Tinca tinca L)

The effect of a long-term exposure of tenchs to different concentrations (10 and 100 μ g/L) of the pesticide carbofuran has been evaluated. Microsomal hepatic cytochrome P450 subfamily 1A (CYP1A) and 3A (CYP3A) activities, as well as the phase II enzyme uridine diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) activity were evaluated as adequate biomarkers of fish exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of the pesticide carbofuran in freshwater ecosystems. A clear time-dependent inhibition of both CYP1A and UDPGT activities was observed in fish exposed to the highest dose of carbofuran with respect to controls, whereas in the case of CYP3A activity, values of exposed animals did not show a clear pattern of alteration during the experiment. The results of the present study demonstrated that hepatic CYP1A and UDPGT activities from tench could be considered as sensitive biomarkers for carbamate pesticides in polluted water, thus allowing future and ecologically relevant biomonitoring studies with this species.     

Myths and assumptions about human-wildlife conflict and coexistence

Recent extinctions often resulted from humans retaliating against wildlife that threatened people's interests or were perceived to threaten current or future interests. Today's subfield of human-wildlife conflict and coexistence (HWCC) grew out of an original anthropocentric concern with such real or perceived threats and then, starting in the mid-1990s, with protecting valued species from people. Recent work in ethics and law has shifted priorities toward coexistence between people and wild animals. To spur scientific progress and more effective practice, we examined 4 widespread assumptions about HWCC that need to be tested rigorously: scientists are neutral and objective about HWCC; current participatory, consensus-based decisions provide just and fair means to overcome challenges in HWCC; wildlife threats to human interests are getting worse; and wildlife damage to human interests is additive to other sources of damage. The first 2 assumptions are clearly testable, but if they are entangled can become a wicked problem and may need debunking as myths if they cannot be disentangled. Some assumptions have seldom or never been tested and those that have been tested appear dubious, yet the use of the assumptions continues in the practice and scholarship of HWCC. We call for tests of assumptions and debunking of myths in the scholarship of HWCC. Adherence to the principles of scientific integrity and application of standards of evidence can help advance our call. We also call for practitioners and interest groups to improve the constitutive process prior to decision making about wildlife. We predict these steps will hasten scientific progress toward evidence-based interventions and improve the fairness, ethics, and legality of coexistence strategies.     

Landscape--wildfire interactions in southern Europe: implications for landscape management

Every year approximately half a million hectares of land are burned by wildfires in southern Europe, causing large ecological and socio-economic impacts. Climate and land use changes in the last decades have increased fire risk and danger. In this paper we review the available scientific knowledge on the relationships between landscape and wildfires in the Mediterranean region, with a focus on its application for defining landscape management guidelines and policies that could be adopted in order to promote landscapes with lower fire hazard. The main findings are that (1) socio-economic drivers have favoured land cover changes contributing to increasing fire hazard in the last decades, (2) large wildfires are becoming more frequent, (3) increased fire frequency is promoting homogeneous landscapes covered by fire-prone shrublands; (4) landscape planning to reduce fuel loads may be successful only if fire weather conditions are not extreme. The challenges to address these problems and the policy and landscape management responses that should be adopted are discussed, along with major knowledge gaps.