Biochemical and locomotor responses of Carcinus maenas exposed to the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the widely used anti-depressant fluoxetine on behaviour (locomotion), moulting, neuromuscular transmission, energy production and anti-oxidant defences’ efficiency of the epibenthic crab Carcinus maenas. Crabs were individually exposed to fluoxetine concentrations for 7 d. Effects on locomotion were assessed at the end of the exposure using an open field test adapted to C. maenas in the present study. Tissue samples were later collected to evaluate fluoxetine effects on physiological functions using the activity of key enzymes and other parameters as biomarkers, namely: N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAGase) in the epidermis (moulting) and the hepatopancreas; cholinesterases (ChE) in muscle (neuromuscular cholinergic transmission); NADP⁺-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and lactate dehydrogenease (LDH) in muscle (energy production); glutathione S-transferases (GST) in hepatopancreas (biotransformation and oxidative stress system); glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidade (GPx), total glutathione levels (TG) and lipid peroxidation levels in the hepatopancreas (anti-oxidant defences and oxidative damage). Because no information on C. maenas NAGase activity was previously available, its variation during the moult cycle was also investigated. The results showed that locomotion was significantly increased at fluoxetine concentrations equal or above 120 μg L⁻¹, with animals spending more time moving, walking longer distances than controls. Levels of NAGase activity were found to vary in relation to C. maenas moult cycle, but no alterations were observed after exposure to fluoxetine. Significant increases in the activity of ChE, GST and GR enzymes, and the levels of TG were found, with a lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) of 120 μg L⁻¹. Effects on locomotion were significantly and positively correlated to those induced on ChE activity. The results raise concern when hypothesising conditions of chronic exposure in the wild.     

Direct and indirect impact of sewage sludge compost spreading on Quercus coccifera monoterpene emissions in a Mediterranean shrubland

Monoterpene emissions of Quercus coccifera L. were repeatedly measured during the two years following the spreading of a sewage sludge compost at rates of 50 Mg ha⁻¹ and 100 Mg ha⁻¹, in a twelve-year-old post-fire Mediterranean shrubland. We also monitored the patterns of change in soil and leaf nutrient content, plant water potential, chlorophyll fluorescence, and plant growth. Compost spreading resulted in weak changes in leaf nutrient content and plant water status, and therefore no significant effect on monoterpene emissions at leaf scale, except during one summer sampling, probably related to advanced leaf maturity with the highest compost rate. However, compost increased plant growth, particularly the leaf biomass. The results suggest that compost spreading in Mediterranean shrublands has no strong short-term effect on Q. coccifera monoterpene emissions at leaf level, but may indirectly increase volatile organic compound fluxes at the stand scale, which may contribute to regional ozone pollution.     

Environmental impact of APC residues from municipal solid waste incineration: reuse assessment based on soil and surface water protection criteria

Waste management and environmental protection are mandatory requirements of modern society. In our study, air pollution control (APC) residues from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) were considered as a mixture of fly ash and fine particulate solids collected in scrubbers and fabric filters. These are hazardous wastes and require treatment before landfill. Although there are a number of treatment options, it is highly recommended to find practical applications rather than just dump them in landfill sites. In general, for using a construction material, beyond technical specifications also soil and surface water criteria may be used to ensure environmental protection. The Dutch Building Materials Decree (BMD) is a valuable tool in this respect and it was used to investigate which properties do not meet the threshold criteria so that APC residues can be further used as secondary building material. To this end, some scenarios were evaluated by considering release of inorganic species from unmoulded and moulded applications. The main conclusion is that the high amount of soluble salts makes the APC residues a building material prohibited in any of the conditions tested. In case of moulding materials, the limits of heavy metals are complied, and their use in Category 1 would be allowed. However, also in this case, the soluble salts lead to the classification of "building material not allowed". The treatments with phosphates or silicates are able to solve the problem of heavy metals, but difficulties with the soluble salts are still observed. This analysis suggests that for APC residues to comply with soil and surface water protection criteria to be further used as building material at least a pre-treating for removing soluble salts is absolutely required.     

Modelling the influence of peri-urban trees in the air quality of Madrid region (Spain)

Tropospheric ozone (O(3)) is considered one of the most important air pollutants affecting human health. The role of peri-urban vegetation in modifying O(3) concentrations has been analyzed in the Madrid region (Spain) using the V200603par-rc1 version of the CHIMERE air quality model. The 3.7 version of the MM5 meteorological model was used to provide meteorological input data to the CHIMERE. The emissions were derived from the EMEP database for 2003. Land use data and the stomatal conductance model included in CHIMERE were modified according to the latest information available for the study area. Two cases were considered for the period April-September 2003: (1) actual land use and (2) a fictitious scenario where El Pardo peri-urban forest was converted to bare-soil. The results show that El Pardo forest constitutes a sink of O(3) since removing this green area increased O(3) levels over the modified area and over down-wind surrounding areas.     

Psychosocial and ergonomic survey of office and field jobs in a utility company

Introduction. The effect of different kinds of work on the psychosocial assessment of workers under the same management and organizational environment is investigated. Methods. A voluntary assessment in a utility company was carried out using the short version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire (CoPsoQ) on two occasions, 1.5 years apart. Initially, 25 office workers (11 men and 14 women) participated, while 14 of those workers (8 women and 6 men) participated in the second assessment together with 32 field workers. The sewage, water treatment and maintenance workers, totaling 32 men, also participated in a field ergonomics assessment using the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries field work ergonomic checklist. Results. The longitudinal outlook was fairly stable, with sustained severe scores in many CoPsoQ subscales and intensification of severity of workers’ control over work and esteem for men. A significantly higher esteem score resulted for field rather than office workers. Workers subjected to foul odors showed similar severity of psychosocial factors. Discussion. For most psychosocial dimensions, the organizational design and management system in place, as well as the overall cultural environment in which it operates, create a much stronger and more decisive impact than job-specific factors.     

Local knowledge about dugout canoes reveals connections between forests and fisheries

Dugout canoes are traditional boat types made from a single tree trunk. This type of boat can reveal unique connections between forest and fisheries in coastal areas: their construction and the species used depend on the local ecological knowledge of artisans and the plant resources available and are also influenced by the type of fisheries in which the canoe will be used. Our objective was to analyze how dugout canoes are constructed, maintained, and currently used in the central coastal region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The study emphasizes the interaction between the use of forest resources and artisanal fishing in this coastal environment. The data collected were based on interviews with 30 artisans and participant observation. Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake, Ocotea porosa (Nees & Mart.) Barroso, Ocotea Aubl../Nectandra Roll. Ex Rottb., and Aspidosperma Mart. & Zucc. are the main taxa used to construct the canoes. Many canoe sizes are used, and based on the boat type, the trunk diameters needed to construct them varies from 0.6 to 2.9 m and trunk heights from 4 to 10 m. Different types of canoe are used according to the type of fishing and especially to the environment conditions. The construction of canoes in the region has decreased due to difficulties in acquiring wood, changes in fishing activities, and reasons related to labor and apprenticeship, all causes related to modernization of the society and urban growth. The knowledge of plant species used can contribute to shape policies to improve forest management. The survival of cultural practices in artisanal fishing communities should be stimulated in sustainable development programs, and it involves maintaining ecological and technical knowledge related to fishing and the plant resources used to manufacture and maintain fishing equipment.     

Phthalides as promising insecticides against Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

In this study, the insecticide potential of eight phthalides derived from furan-2(5H)-one was evaluated against Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) larvae. The potency of the most active phthalides and the susceptibility of six different T. absoluta populations to these compounds were determined. The toxicity of these molecules to two non-target species (Solenopsis saevissima Smith and Tetragonisca angustula Latreille) was also evaluated. Two phthalides (3 and 4) presented insecticide potential against T. absoluta. Phthalide 4 was as toxic as piperine (positive control) and both phthalides exhibited rapid action (LT₅₀ < 2 hours). The variation in the susceptibility of T. absoluta populations to the phthalides 3 and 4 was low. Neither phthalide presented physiological selectivity for non-target species.

Therefore, the phthalides 3 and 4 are promising molecules, or at least, a starting point for a chemical optimization program leading to formulations for the management of the tomato leafminer. The application of such products should be conducted according to the principles of ecological selectivity.     

Effects of glyphosate on the non-target leaf beetle Cerotoma arcuata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in field and laboratory conditions

This study aimed to assess the glyphosate application effects on the Cerotoma arcuata Oliver (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) population in glyphosate-resistant soybean crops. Field studies were conducted with glyphosate and the insecticide endosulfan to observe the effects of these pesticides on C. arcuata, on its damages in the crop and on the populations of natural enemies in glyphosate-resistant soybean crops. Moreover, the lethal and behavioral sublethal response of C. arcuata to glyphosate and endosulfan was conducted in the laboratory. The results of the field and laboratory experiments showed that glyphosate caused moderate toxicity and high irritability in C. arcuata and that endosulfan caused high toxicity and irritability. Therefore, the direct effect of glyphosate on C. arcuata was negative and does not explain the population increases of this pest in glyphosate-resistant soybean. However, the glyphosate also decreased the density of predators. Thus, the negative effect of glyphosate on the predators may be related to population increases of C. arcuata in glyphosate-resistant soybean crops, however, more studies are needed to better evidence this relationship. This study suggests that glyphosate can impact other non-target organisms, such as herbivorous insects and natural enemies and that the use of this herbicide will need to be carefully stewarded to prevent potential disturbances in beneficial insect communities in agricultural systems.     

Agricultural solid waste for sorption of metal ions,part II: competitive assessment in multielemental solution and lake water

Sugarcane bagasse and hydroponic lettuce roots were used as biosorbents for the removal of Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) from multielemental solutions and lake water, in batch processes. These biomasses were studied in natura (lettuce roots, NLR, and sugarcane bagasse, NSB) and chemically modified with HNO₃ (lettuce roots, MLR, and sugarcane bagasse, MSB). The results showed higher adsorption efficiency for MSB and either NLR or MLR. The maximum adsorption capacities (q_max) in multielemental solution for Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) were 35.86, 31.42, 3.33, and 24.07 mg/g for NLR; 25.36, 27.95, 14.06, and 6.43 mg/g for MLR; 0.92, 3.94, 0.03, and 0.18 mg/g for NSB; and 54.11, 6.52, 16.7, and 1.26 mg/g for MSB, respectively. The kinetic studies with chemically modified biomasses indicated that sorption was achieved in the first 5 min and reached equilibrium around 30 min. Sorption of Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) in lake water by chemically modified biomasses was 24.31, 14.50, 8.03, and 8.21 mg/g by MLR, and 13.15, 10.50, 6.10, and 5.14 mg/g by MSB, respectively. These biosorbents are promising and low costs agricultural residues, and as for lettuce roots, these showed great potential even with no chemical modification.     

Integrated spatiotemporal trends using TRMM 3B42 data for the Upper São Francisco River basin,Brazil

Trend analysis is an important issue for the decision-making processes. Thus, trends of rainfall, consecutive dry days (CDD), and consecutive wet days (CWD) in the Upper São Francisco River basin, Brazil, using daily rainfall data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) for recent 18 years, were analyzed. Instead of analyzing the trend of one average time series for one specific confidence level, a spatiotemporal analysis over the entire area with 169 continuous time series is done by applying the nonparametric Mann-Kendall and Sen tests for simultaneously 13 confidence levels and a new integrated confidence classification is proposed. The results show that the rainfall has increased during the less rainy periods (from June to October) and has decreased in the rainy periods (from November to May), with the highest and lowest confidence levels, respectively. An analysis of CDD and CWD shows that the number of CDD has decreased, while the number of CWD has increased, which revealed that the dry periods are more frequently interrupted for the period studied.