Characteristics and Bioactivities of Carrageenan/Chitosan Microparticles Loading α-Mangostin

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - This study attempted to develop carrageenan/chitosan based microparticles loading α-mangostin which was extracted from Vietnamese mangosteen skin. The...     

Mate quality,not aggressive spillover,explains sexual cannibalism in a size-dimorphic spider

Sexual cannibalism particularly before mating is costly for the male victim but also for the female aggressor if she risks remaining unmated. The aggressive spillover hypothesis explains the persistence of this behavior as a maladaptive side effect of positive selection on aggressiveness in a foraging context. The hypothesis predicts that the occurrence of sexual cannibalism is explained by female aggressiveness but is not related to male phenotype or behavioral type. An alternative hypothesis invokes sexual selection and makes the opposite prediction namely that sexual cannibalism is an expression of female choice and should hence mainly target males of low quality. We tested the above hypotheses on a sexually dimorphic nephilid spider Nephilengys livida, known for male monopolization of females via genital damage, female genital plugging, and mate guarding, by staging mating trials during which we recorded mating behaviors and occurrences of pre- and postcopulatory cannibalism. We did not restrict assessment of aggressiveness to the mating and foraging context but also included aggression against same sex conspecifics. To assess female personalities, i.e., consistent individual differences in behavior including aggressiveness, we repeatedly tested them for intra-sex aggression, voracity towards prey, locomotory activity, and boldness. Females exhibited consistent differences in intra-sex aggressiveness, latency to attack prey, and boldness. Aggressive females had shorter latencies to attack prey and were more active than non-aggressive ones. In contrast to the predictions of the aggressive spillover hypothesis, females that were aggressive towards prey and towards other females were not more likely to attack a male than non-aggressive females. In support of the mate choice hypothesis, less aggressive males were more likely attacked and cannibalized than more aggressive ones. This hints at sexual selection for aggressiveness in males and raises the question of mechanisms that maintain variation in male aggressiveness.     

Process modeling and economic assessment of converting municipal solid waste into solid fuel via hydrothermal processing: a case study in Vietnam

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - As with any developing country, Vietnam has faced numerous challenges in the management and treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW)....     

Correction to: Advanced fabrication and multi-properties of aluminium hydroxide aerogels from aluminium wastes

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-021-01211-w     

Comparison of phytotoxic effects of bio-synthesised copper oxide nanoparticle and ionic copper on Elodea canadensis

This study aims to investigate the phytotoxic effects of both Punica granatum peel extract directed copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) and copper nitrate on Elodea canadensis. The CuONPs were characterised by UV–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy. The ratio of photosynthetic pigments, total soluble protein, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and copper accumulation in the E. canadensis was determined to evaluate the phytotoxicity of the CuONPs and copper nitrate on E. canadensis. The significant improvements were observed in the growth rate of E. canadensis, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid contents, and total soluble protein in the E. canadensis when it was exposed to the CuONPs. Additionally, CAT and APX activities and MDA contents were enhanced by accumulation of the CuONPs into the E. canadensis. These results suggested that oxidative stress was alleviated, owing to the result of an increase in the antioxidants such as CAT and APX, with an increase in the concentration of the CuONPs. Finally, the findings of this study show that copper nitrate has many negative effects on E. canadensis compared bio-synthesised CuONPs.     

Leadership within regional climate change adaptation networks: the case of climate adaptation officers in Northern Hesse,Germany

In the climate adaptation literature, leadership tends to be an understudied factor, although it may be crucial for regional adaptation governance. This article shows how leadership can be usefully conceptualized and operationalized within regional governance networks dealing with climate adaptation. It applies an integrative framework inspired by complexity leadership theory, distinguishing several leadership functions to enhance the adaptive capacity of regional networks. We focus on one specific institutional innovation, appointed climate adaptation officers, who seek to connect science and governance practice, and to mainstream climate adaptation. Our question is twofold: What is the potential of climate adaptation officers to advance the adaptation agenda and to what extent did their establishment and working practice mirror the various leadership functions needed to raise the adaptive capacity of the regional network they operated in? The integrative leadership framework structures the analysis of climate adaptation officers forming part of a government-funded project seeking to enhance adaptation to climate variability in the central German region of Northern Hesse. The data consist of interviews with scientists and regional authority employees and project documentation including an evaluation. We find that climate adaptation officers raised awareness for climate adaptation and helped to shape and implement a number of projects within the overall KLIMZUG programme, highlighting impeding and enabling factors. The process of setting up this institutional innovation involved all forms of leadership functions and is an example of vertical mainstreaming. Its operation involved most clearly enabling and connective leadership functions and is an example of horizontal mainstreaming.     

Effect of solid waste landfill organic pollutants on groundwater in three areas of Sicily (Italy) characterized by different vulnerability

The aim of this study was to obtain information on the presence and levels of hazardous organic pollutants in groundwater located close to solid waste landfills. Eighty-two environmental contaminants, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 29 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 7 dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and 10 furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) were monitored in areas characterised by different geological environments surrounding three municipal solid waste landfills (Palermo, Siculiana and Ragusa) in Sicily (Italy) in three sampling campaigns. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs were always below the legal threshold. Overall, the Fl/Fl + Py diagnostic ratio revealed that PAHs had a petrogenic origin. VOC levels, except for two notable exceptions near Palermo landfill, were always below the legal limit. As concerns PCB levels, several samples were found positive with levels exceeding the legal limits. It is worth noting that the % PCB distribution differs from that of commercial compositions. In parallel, some samples of groundwater containing PCDDs and PCDFs exceeding the legal threshold were also found. Among the 17 congeners monitored, the most abundant were the highest molecular weight ones.

     

Interspecies and interregional comparisons of the chemistry of PAHs and trace elements in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska

Comparative biogeochemical studies performed on the same plant species in remote areas enable pinpointing interspecies and interregional differences of chemical composition. This report presents baseline concentrations of PAHs and trace elements in moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland) (HCM) and Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Total PAH concentrations in the mosses of HCM were in the range of 473–2970 μg kg^?1 (dry weight basis; DW), whereas those in the same species of Alaska were 80–3390 μg kg^?1 DW. Nearly all the moss samples displayed the similar ring sequence: 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 for the PAHs. The 3 + 4 ring/total PAH ratios show statistically significant differences between HCM (0.73) and Alaska (0.91). The elevated concentrations of PAHs observed in some sampling locations of the Alaskan parks were linked to local combustion of wood, with a component of vehicle particle- and vapor-phase emissions. In HCM, the principal source of PAH emissions has been linked to residential and industrial combustion of coal and vehicle traffic. In contrast to HCM, the Alaskan mosses were distinctly elevated in most of the trace elements, bearing a signature of the underlying geology. H. splendens and P. schreberi showed diverse bioaccumulative capabilities of PAHs in all three study areas.