Elemental Composition of Urban Aerosol Collected in Florence, Italy

An extensive investigation is in progress aiming at the characterisation of the air particulate composition in Florence. For our investigation, we use the external PIXE-PIGE beam facility of the I.N.F.N. Van de Graaff accelerator at the Physics Department of the Florence University. In order to gather information on both the longer- and shorter-time trends of the aerosol elemental composition, we are analysing both long temporal series (about 1 year) of 24-h Millipore filters collected by the health authorities in 3 different sites, and filters collected simultaneously in two of the above sites for about one month, by two streakers with one-hour resolution, providing size fractionation between particle size smaller than 2.5 µm and from 2.5 µm to 10 µm. The streakers sampling period includes two days during which the Municipality of Florence has banned the circulation of non-catalytic cars, due to the increase of NO₂ above the "recommended safety values". We present here the first obtained results for the sampling site located near a heavy traffic road.     

Detection of Torque Teno Sus Virus in Pork Bile and Liver Sausages

Torque teno viruses (TTV) are small DNA viruses widespread among humans and pigs. The clinical significance of TTV infections in either humans or pigs is uncertain. In fact, TTV viremia is highly prevalent in patients with different pathologies, but it can also be frequently observed in healthy subjects. Virus infection in pigs is considered a putative cofactor in several diseases; despite being detected frequently in healthy animals, its role still remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) in 62 bile samples collected from pigs at slaughterhouse and in 36 fresh pork liver sausages bought at point of sale. Quantitative Real-Time PCR, confirmed that 19.4 and 58.3 % of bile and sausage samples tested positive for TTSuV, respectively. The mean viral load was established as 5.6 × 10⁴ GE/µl for bile and 7.16 × 10³ GE/g for sausages. TTSuV nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed a wide heterogeneity among the circulating TTSuV strains, which included both TTSuV1 and TTSuV2.     

Solar-driven photocatalytic treatment as sustainable strategy to remove pesticide residues from leaching water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We have demonstrated the potential leaching of eight compounds, one insecticide (flonicamid) and seven fungicides (myclobutanil, penconazole,...     

Exploring the emergence of a tipping point for conservation with increased recognition of social considerations

Despite a common understanding of the harmful impacts of Western conservation models that separate people from nature, widespread progress toward incorporating socioeconomic, political, cultural, and spiritual considerations in conservation practice is lacking. For some, the concept of nature-based solutions (NbS) is seen as an interdisciplinary and holistic pathway to better integrate human well-being in conservation. We examined how conservation practitioners in the United States view NbS and how social considerations are or are not incorporated in conservation adaptation projects. We interviewed 28 individuals working on 15 different such projects associated with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund. We completed 2 rounds of iterative coding in NVivo 12.6.1 to identify in the full text of all interview responses an a priori set of themes related to our research questions and emergent themes. Many respondents saw this moment as a tipping point for the field (one in which the perceived values of social considerations are increasing in conservation practice) (76%) and that social justice concerns and the need to overcome racist and colonial roots of Western conservation have risen to the forefront. Respondents also tentatively agreed that NbS in conservation could support social and ecological outcomes for conservation, but that it was far from guaranteed. Despite individual intention and awareness among practitioners to incorporate social considerations in conservation practice, structural barriers, including limited funding and inflexible grant structures, continue to constrain systemic change. Ultimately, systemic changes that address power and justice in policy and practice are required to leverage this moment to more fully address social considerations in conservation.     

Health impact assessment of air pollutants during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Brazilian metropolis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Studies around the world have revealed reduced levels of atmospheric particulate matter in periods of greatest human mobility restriction to contain...     

Soil organic matter and biological activity under long-term contamination with copper

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Organic matter (OM) and enzymes activity can act as indicators of the time and level of soil contamination with heavy metal. The goal of this study is...     

Comprehensive review on naringenin and naringin polyphenols as a potent anticancer agent

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Though the incidence of several cancers in Western societies is regulated wisely, some cancers such as breast, lung, and colorectal cancer are...     

Toxicity on crustaceans and endocrine disrupting activity on Saccharomyces cerevisiae of eight alkylphenols

In the last few years many concerns have been raised regarding the environmental safety of alkylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants (APnEOs).They are widely used in detergents, paints, herbicides and many other formulated products. It has been estimated that 60% of APnEOs end up in the aquatic environment; they are biodegradable and transformed into alkylphenols, such as nonylphenol and octylphenol that are hydrophobic and tend to accumulate. In the present study, acute and chronic aquatic toxicity and the estrogenic activity of the following eight alkylphenols were assessed: 4-nonylphenol, 4-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol-10-ethoxylate, 4-tert-octylphenol, POE (1 to 2)-nonylphenol, POE (6)-nonylphenol, POE (3)-tert-octylphenol and POE (9 to 10)-tert-octylphenol. The toxic potential was measured on the crustaceans Daphnia magna and Ceriodaphnia dubia, while the estrogenic activity was determined by using the YES-test with the strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae RMY326. The results showed that the exposure of crustaceans to the eight xenoestrogens investigated caused both acute and chronic effects. The EC50 values found for C. dubia at 48 h were compared to D. magna at 24h and, gave a first indication about the toxic activity of the compounds investigated, that is better expressed in the long-term. In fact, chronic data showed a strong increase in toxicity with EC50 values one or two orders of magnitude lower than the acute values. The results of the YES-test showed that nonylphenol, octylphenol and 4-tert-octylphenol were the most estrogenic and the bioassay was able to detect their estrogenicity at very low concentrations (ng-microg/l).