Glutathione peroxidases in Lolium multiflorum and Festuca arundinacea: Activity,susceptibility to herbicides and characteristics

To evidence a possible mechanism of defense toward oxidative stress induced by herbicides in plants, an investigation was carried on the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and in Festuca (Festuca arundinacea) in response to atrazine (6-chloro-N-ethyl-N′-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) and fluorodifen (4-nitrophenyl α,α,α-trifluoro-2-nitro-p-tolyl ether). In general, the herbicide treatments significantly induced GPX activity in the shoots of Italian ryegrass, whereas inhibited it in Festuca. These opposite behaviors are examined, taking into account the accumulation and persistence of the two herbicides in the plants, and they are discussed in terms of GPX counteraction to oxidative stress in the first case, and of a lower detoxification rate unable to prevent a deleterious effect on the GPX activity in the second case. Further information on the properties of Italian ryegrass and Festuca GPX were achieved by purification and isolation of the enzymes, performed by protein liquid chromatography and by electrophoretic analyses. GPX of both the plants were found to be heterodimer with multiple function in showing also glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity.     

A temporal and spatial monitoring of organotin pollution in a harborside region of Brazil by imposex and ecological quality ratio using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucozonia nassa</Emphasis>

This study represents the first use of Leucozonia nassa (Mollusca-Gastropoda) in a program of long-term monitoring. Specimens of L. nassa were collected between 2006 and 2014 and analyzed for the occurrence of imposex in two areas in Southeastern Brazil, one control area and another characterized by the presence of many ports and marinas. Imposex was evaluated in nine sites based on the percentage of females exhibiting imposex (I%), relative penis length index and vas deferens sequence index, classical indices to evaluate tributyltin (TBT) impacts. Moreover, this study uses for the first time in a tropical environment the ecological quality ratio (EQR), an approach to verify the imposex levels as an indicator of the impact by organotin compounds according to the EU Water Framework Directive. The results confirm the occurrence of high levels of imposex in L. nassa with all the indices evaluated. Furthermore, the results also indicate that, despite the international ban, antifouling paints based on TBT are still possibly used in Brazil. In addition, this study shows that L. nassa has the characteristics that make it a suitable bioindicator to monitor TBT pollution, and that the use of the EQR may create important data regarding this problem.     

Airborne concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor community environments in Italy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - COVID-19 pandemic raised a debate regarding the role of airborne transmission. Information regarding virus-laden aerosol concentrations is still...     

Automated conservation assessment of the orchid family with deep learning

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments are essential for prioritizing conservation needs but are resource intensive and therefore available only for a fraction of global species richness. Automated conservation assessments based on digitally available geographic occurrence records can be a rapid alternative, but it is unclear how reliable these assessments are. We conducted automated conservation assessments for 13,910 species (47.3% of the known species in the family) of the diverse and globally distributed orchid family (Orchidaceae), for which most species (13,049) were previously unassessed by IUCN. We used a novel method based on a deep neural network (IUC-NN). We identified 4,342 orchid species (31.2% of the evaluated species) as possibly threatened with extinction (equivalent to IUCN categories critically endangered [CR], endangered [EN], or vulnerable [VU]) and Madagascar, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and several oceanic islands as priority areas for orchid conservation. Orchidaceae provided a model with which to test the sensitivity of automated assessment methods to problems with data availability, data quality, and geographic sampling bias. The IUC-NN identified possibly threatened species with an accuracy of 84.3%, with significantly lower geographic evaluation bias relative to the IUCN Red List and was robust even when data availability was low and there were geographic errors in the input data. Overall, our results demonstrate that automated assessments have an important role to play in identifying species at the greatest risk of extinction.     

Coastal hazard due to submarine canyons in active insular volcanoes: examples from Lipari Island (southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

The recent high-resolution multibeam bathymetry surveys around Lipari Island allowed to evidence several submarine canyons, whose head often cut back up to very shallow water and at a few tens of meters far from the coast. These canyons are mainly located in the eastern and southern side of the island and are characterized by an ongoing retrogressive (landward) erosion, that also controlled the shape and the evolution of the coastline. The canyon heads are formed by minor slide scars. By coupling slide scar morphometry and simple numerical model we have been able to roughly estimate the potential tsunami wave amplitudes generated by related slope failures. Moreover, the retrogressive erosion of canyon heads can be claimed as a cause of the enhanced subsidence reported in the last few thousand years in the eastern part of Lipari, where the main villages are located. Based on these evidence, we propose a first assessment of the coastal hazard due to marine retrogressive activity in the largest and most densely populated island of the Aeolian Archipelago.     

Analysis of metals and EOX in sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants: a case study

The monitoring of extractable organic halogen (EOX) and heavy metal contents in sludge coming from 10 different municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTP) located in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) is reported. In this work, sludge samples drawn from sludge treatment units have been digested and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for metal evaluation. Samples were also extracted and analyzed by microcoulometric titrations, following modified DIN 38414 T17 standard, for EOX analysis. Analytical results showed a slight enrichment of the contents of certain metals (Cd< 2mg/kg, Cr< 51.5mg/kg, Cu<105.8 mg/kg, Hg<1.4 mg/kg, Ni<35.9 mg/kg, Pb<58.7 mg/kg, Zn<410.1 mg/kg, Ba<317.1 mg/kg, Co<1 mg/kg, Mo< 5 mg/kg, Mn<106.7 mg/kg), so almost all of the sludge would be suitable for agricultural use following Italian and European regulations. The evaluation of EOX was carried out by using hexane and ethyl acetate as extraction solvents, and a measurable organic halogen content (ranging from 0.31 to 39.5 mg Cl/kg DM) was clearly detected in the sludge. The lowest concentrations of EOX were found in sludge coming from the smallest MWWTPs, which is to be considered more suitable for agricultural use. Additionally, analytical assays on composts, peat and soils were performed to compare EOX concentrations between these matrices and sludge.     

Computer image generation for job simulation: An effective approach to occupational Risk Analysis

The paper deals with the general approach and features of the computer image generation for job simulation (CIGJS) method, as specially developed to support the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) technique.Starting from some general considerations on the occupational safety and health statistical data collection in Italy, when compared to US methodology, the paper provides an overview of the CIGJS method, developed to improve the effectiveness and usability of the traditional JSA.A case study is discussed in order to highlight how CIGJS makes the use of the JSA technique possible also at the design stage (this being fundamental according to a Prevention through Design approach), and allows to control the effectiveness of the adopted countermeasures.The application of the method complies with the basic European Directives requirements both on workers’ safety and health and on machinery analysis.Furthermore, CIGJS may substantially aid workers’ education and training, to the point of being a possible simulation-training device.     

Modeling of perched leachate zone formation in municipal solid waste landfills

The paper presents a 1D mathematical model for the simulation of the percolation fluxes throughout a landfill for municipal solid waste (MSW). Specifically, the model was based on mass balance equations, that enable simulation of the formation of perched leachate zones in a landfill for MSW. The model considers the landfill divided in several layers evaluating the inflow to and outflow from each layer as well as the continuous moisture distribution. The infiltration flow was evaluated by means of the Darcy’s law for an unsaturated porous medium, while the moisture distribution evaluation has been carried out on the basis of the theory of the vertically distributed unsaturated flow. The solution of the model has been obtained by means of the finite difference method. The model has been applied to a semi-idealized landfill located in Palermo landfill (Bellolampo). Specifically, field measurements were conducted to determine the relationship between waste density and applied vertical strain. This relationship was then used to relate vertical strain to waste porosity. The inflow rate to the system was simulated via a synthetic hyetograph whose characteristics have been identified in a previous hydrologic study.Three simulations, each with a different initial moisture content, were conducted. The model results showed a different response of the landfill in terms both of flow rates throughout the landfill and moisture profile. Indeed, the initial moisture content drastically influenced not only the formation of perched leachate zones but also their extension. The model can be a useful tool in predicting potential for the formation of perched leachate zones.     

An agenda for assessing and improving conservation impacts of sustainability standards in tropical agriculture

Sustainability standards and certification serve to differentiate and provide market recognition to goods produced in accordance with social and environmental good practices, typically including practices to protect biodiversity. Such standards have seen rapid growth, including in tropical agricultural commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, and tea. Given the role of sustainability standards in influencing land use in hotspots of biodiversity, deforestation, and agricultural intensification, much could be gained from efforts to evaluate and increase the conservation payoff of these schemes. To this end, we devised a systematic approach for monitoring and evaluating the conservation impacts of agricultural sustainability standards and for using the resulting evidence to improve the effectiveness of such standards over time. The approach is oriented around a set of hypotheses and corresponding research questions about how sustainability standards are predicted to deliver conservation benefits. These questions are addressed through data from multiple sources, including basic common information from certification audits; field monitoring of environmental outcomes at a sample of certified sites; and rigorous impact assessment research based on experimental or quasi‐experimental methods. Integration of these sources can generate time‐series data that are comparable across sites and regions and provide detailed portraits of the effects of sustainability standards. To implement this approach, we propose new collaborations between the conservation research community and the sustainability standards community to develop common indicators and monitoring protocols, foster data sharing and synthesis, and link research and practice more effectively. As the role of sustainability standards in tropical land‐use governance continues to evolve, robust evidence on the factors contributing to effectiveness can help to ensure that such standards are designed and implemented to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation.