A socioeconomic and natural vulnerability index for oil spills in an Amazonian harbor: A case study using GIS and remote sensing

The coastal zone of the Brazilian state of Maranhão is an area characterized by a large variety of human activities and services, in particular in the Itaqui-Bacanga port complex (IBC). The IBC is an area prone to oil spills resulting from the processes of transportation, storage, and tank cleaning. The present study aimed to map the different physical environments adjacent to this complex and the socioeconomic profile of the local population that would be most vulnerable to this type of disaster. Vulnerability studies are essential as one of the first step in the development of an integrated coastal zone management. The variables analyzed in this study included geomorphological units, and the income, education, and dependence on fishing of the local population. The estimate of the vulnerability index was based on the relationships between these variables, which were used to generate a vulnerability map using GIS and the interpretation of high-resolution remote sensing, showing the areas of highest priority for intervention in the case of oil spills. The analysis of the natural and socioeconomic environments indicated that the areas of highest vulnerability correspond to the mangroves and the Vila Nova and Alto da Esperança neighborhoods, respectively. These neighborhoods have a direct relationship with fishing, and low levels of both income and education. By contrast, the lowest vulnerability was attributed to the coastal plateau and the central Anjo da Guarda neighborhood, which is occupied by residents with relatively high income and education, who do not depend on fishing.     

Essential host plant cues in the grapevine moth

Host plant odours attract gravid insect females for oviposition. The identification of these plant volatile compounds is essential for our understanding of plant–insect relationships and contributes to plant breeding for improved resistance against insects. Chemical analysis of grape headspace and subsequent behavioural studies in the wind tunnel show that host finding in grapevine moth Lobesia botrana is encoded by a ratio-specific blend of three ubiquitous plant volatiles. The odour signal that attracts mated females to grape consists of the terpenoids (E)-β-caryophyllene, (E)-β-farnesene and (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene. These compounds represent only a fraction of the volatiles released by grapes, and they are widespread compounds known throughout the plant kingdom. Specificity may be achieved by the blend ratio, which was 100:78:9 in grape headspace. This blend elicited anemotactic behaviour in moths at remarkably small amounts. Females were attracted at release rates of only a few nanograms per minute, at levels nearly as low as those known for the attraction of male moths to the female sex pheromones.     

Herbicide selection of Italian ryegrass under different levels of UVB radiation

Ultraviolet-B radiation is an environmental stress for plants and this situation could become aggravated in the next decades. In this study we used Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) as a model system to test whether an environmental stress derived from global change, such as UVB, can influence the efficacy of control procedures and evolution toward herbicide resistance. We grew three generations of Italian ryegrass plants with and without UVB light and subjected them to a series of diclofop-methyl [(+/-)-2-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenoxy] propanoic acid, methyl ester] doses. The effect of selection history was tested with herbicide dose response. The effect of herbicide application on plant survival and biomass varied significantly among herbicide doses and with absence or presence of UVB light. In the absence of herbicide, the decrease in individual fecundity with increasing plant density was similar under both no-UVB and UVB light treatments. Only plants growing without UVB light increased production of reproductive structures in response to the decrease in density caused by herbicide application. Our study shows that UVB light was a weak stress factor for the ryegrass plants. However, when herbicide selection pressure was high, UVB light reduced the evolution toward herbicide tolerance. When selection pressure on the parental plants was lower, the two stress factors had a synergistic effect, causing changes in herbicide efficacy that in turn had demographic and evolutionary consequences. In the field, these interactions between stress factors might be of significance for annual weeds in which seed output is a major determinant in fitness.     

Public Space Management: Present and Potential

This paper explores approaches to the management of external public space, both now and in the future. The paper is in five parts. The discussion begins with an exploration of why public space management is universally an important concern by drawing from literature that argues that the quality of public space has declined, and that a greater engagement of the public sector in its management is required. Next, the research methodology is discussed which sought to investigate the management of public space in England as an example of trends and responses that point to a broader international concern. The approach included both a national survey of the state of play in public space management and a series of case studies that sought to explore innovative practice. Third, the results of a national survey are briefly outlined, with discussion following the same structure as the survey itself. Next, the results of detailed interviews with 20 local authority case studies that exhibited interesting or innovative practice in the local management of public space are presented. In a final part, conclusions are drawn which confirm that this is an area of public sector responsibility in need of significant investment and reform, but also that top-down initiatives from national government are beginning to inspire a burgeoning range of local government initiatives below. Therefore, although public space management remains a fragmented area of local government activity, a number of local authorities are beginning to establish a corresponding bottom-up agenda that seems to map a potential way forward for the future.     

Socioeconomic spillovers of the 2016–2017 Italian earthquakes: a bi-regional inoperability model

Environment, Development and Sustainability - In August and October 2016, and January 2017, Central Italy was shaken by four strong earthquakes followed by other earthquake swarms. These disruptive...     

A spatial risk assessment methodology to support the remediation of contaminated land

When soil and groundwater contaminations occur over large areas, remediation measures should be spatially prioritized on the basis of the risk posed to human health and in compliance with technological and budget constraints. Within this scope, the application of human health risk assessment algorithms in a spatially resolved environment raises a number of methodological and technical complexities. In this paper, a methodology is proposed and applied in a case study to support the entire formulation process of remediation plans, encompassing hazard assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterisation, uncertainty assessment and allocation of risk reduction measures. In the hazard assessment, it supports the selection of Contaminants of Concern (CoC) with regard to both their average concentrations and peak concentrations, i.e. hot spots. In the exposure assessment, it provides a zoning of the site based on the geostatistical mapping of contaminant. In the risk characterisation, it generates vector maps of Risk Factors on the basis of the risk posed by multiple substances and allows the interrogation of most relevant CoC and exposure pathways for each zone of the site. It also supports the Monte Carlo based probabilistic estimation of the Risk Factors and generates maps of the associated uncertainty. In the risk reduction phase, it supports the formulation of remediation plans based on the stepwise spatial allocation of remediation interventions and the on-time simulation of risk reduction performances. The application of this methodology is fully supported by an easy-to-use and customized Geographical Information System and does not require high expertise for interpretation. The proposed methodology is the core module of a Decision Support System (DSS) that was implemented in the DESYRE software aimed at supporting the risk-based remediation of megasites.     

Implications of mangrove dynamics for private and use in bragança, north Brazil: a case study

This work analyses effects of recent variations in the tidal inundation frequency in a mangrove ecosystem in the Bragança peninsula, North Brazil, and its implications for land occupation and use. Field data, time series of remote sensing images and local legislation were analysed focusing on the potential socio-economic impact of a changing environmental setting due to a rise in relative sea level. In the investigated period (1972–1997), vegetation changes along the coastline indicate net losses of mangrove coverage. In the central part of the peninsula, a topographically higher herbaceous plain constituting part of a farm presents an active progression of mangrove forest into an area previously dominated by grasses and herbs. This area measured 8.8 km² in 1972 but was gradually reduced to 5.6 km² in 1997, while progressively replaced by a monospecific stand of the black mangrove,Avicennia germinans. A linear extrapolation indicates that the elevated plain may be completely covered by mangrove by 2035. Current Brazilian legislation prohibits the extraction of mangrove trees without an officially approved management plan. Thus, the usable area of the farm has suffered a reduction by ca. 36% over 25 yr and we predict that is could be entirely replaced by mangroves in the next 35 yr. In this case study, legislation and ecosystem characteristics are analysed and a management plan discussed which could represent income alternatives for affected resource users at the local and regional level.     

Phenol nitration upon oxidation of nitrite by Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides

An interesting aspect of the chemistry of nitrite is the possibility for this compound to interact with other environmental factors and many oxidising species, which results in the oxidation of nitrite to nitrogen dioxide. This is a potentially interesting process that can lead to the formation of nitroaromatic compounds in the environment. In previous papers we have shown that nitrite can interact with dissolved Fe(III) and nitrate under irradiation, Fenton and heterogeneous photo-Fenton reagents, and semiconductor oxides such as TiO2, alpha-Fe2O3, and beta-FeOOH under irradiation. This paper reports on the interaction between nitrite/nitrous acid and the Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides beta-MnO2 and gamma-MnOOH, both in neutral solution under irradiation and in acidic conditions in the dark. beta-MnO2 and gamma-MnOOH originate from the oxidation of Mn(II) and play a key role in the redox cycling of manganese in the environment. These Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides show some photocatalytic activity, and they can act as thermal oxidants at acidic pH. The photoinduced oxidation of nitrite and the thermal oxidation of nitrous acid by Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides yield nitrogen dioxide and lead to the formation of nitrophenols in the presence of phenol. These processes can take place at the water-sediment or water-colloid interface in natural waters and on the surface of atmospheric particulate. Furthermore, the phenol/gamma-MnOOH/HNO2 system in dark acidic solution is an interesting model due to the formation of phenoxyl radical upon phenol monoelectronic oxidation by gamma-MnOOH. The kinetics of nitrophenol generation under such conditions indicates that phenol nitration is unlikely to take place upon reaction between phenoxyl and *NO2 and suggests a solution to a literature debate on the subject.     

Azo-dyes photocatalytic degradation in aqueous suspension of TiO2 under solar irradiation

The photodegradation of two common and very stable azo-dyes, i.e. methyl-orange (C₁₄H₁₄N₃SO₃Na) and orange II (C₁₆H₁₁N₂SO₄Na), is reported. The photocatalytic oxidation was carried out in aqueous suspensions of polycrystalline TiO₂ irradiated by sunlight. Compound parabolic collectors, installed at the “Plataforma Solar de Almería” (PSA, Spain) were used as the photoreactors and two identical reacting systems allowed to perform photoreactivity runs for the two dyes at the same time and under the same irradiation conditions. The disappearance of colour and substrates together with the abatement of total organic carbon content was monitored. The main sulfonate-containing intermediates were found to be in lower number in respect to those obtained under artificial irradiation. In particular there were no more evidence of the presence of hydroxylated transients. The dependence of dye photooxidation rate on: (i) substrate concentration; (ii) catalyst amount; and (iii) initial pH was investigated. The influence of the presence of strong oxidant species (H₂O₂, S₂O₈²⁻) and some ions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻) on the process was also studied.     

Fetal echocardiography using transvaginal and transabdominal probes during the first period of pregnancy: A comparative study

The authors compare the diagnostic possibilities of fetal transabdominal echocardiography versus transvaginal echocardiography. A larger diagnostic capacity is verified in different gestation ages with transvaginal probe between the 11th and 14th week of gestation. The results are emphasized by colour Doppler.