Long-term variations of folic acid concentrations in the Northern Adriatic

Folic acid (FA), which belongs to B-group vitamins has recently been recognized as possible nutrient for some phytoplankton species (a diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum). The beneficial role of FA in human health is widely documented. In some countries food fortification with FA has already become mandatory. FA is also used under commercial name of Dosfolat for the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewaters. This is an exploratory study on seasonal and depth variability of FA concentrations in the Northern Adriatic Sea (station 101-max depth 30 m, under the Po River influence). Seawater samples were analysed in the period from February 1998 to February 2003 based on monthly determinations. Those preliminary findings showed that in the upper layer (10 m) FA concentrations were in the range from 0.1 to 28 nM. In the lower layer (20-30 m) FA concentrations were in the range from 0.1 to 12 nM. It was found that phytoplankton and microorganisms which are responsible for the production of FA in the Northern Adriatic (Station 101) were situated at the depth from 5 to 10 m. The observed water column and seasonal distributions depended on a sensitive balance between the production and the consumption of FA.     

Input of heavy metals to the forest floor as a result of Cracow urban pollution

The influence of Cracow's urban pollution on small forest ecosystems was studied during 1998-2000. Seven sites located at different distances from the Cracow conurbation and from busy road were selected. Two sites were situated 26 and 31 km from Cracow town along an eastern transect, the other five-3, 8, 14, 26 and 35 km respectively, from Cracow-along a southern transect. At the beginning of September, five litter traps were set at each site. The quantity of litter fall, along with percentage composition of each species, were estimated for an area of 1 m(2). The concentration of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe in the litter fall and the input of these metals to the forest floor were determined. The input of cadmium ranged from 84 microg m(-2) at Kornatka in 1998 to 382 microg m(-2) at Bonarka in 2000. The input of lead was about 10 times higher than cadmium and varied from 406 microg m(-2) at Weglówka in 1998 to 3717 microg m(-2) at Bonarka in 2000. Input of Cu, Zn and Fe to the forest floor showed the similar tendency. During 1998-2000, the highest heavy metal concentrations in the litter fall and their impact on the forest floor were always found at sites close to the Cracow conurbation and, in the eastern transect, close to a steel works. Input of metals to the forest floor tended to decrease with increasing distance from the centre of Cracow.     

A design of two simple models to predict PCDD/F concentrations in vegetation and soils

The vegetation and soil levels of the 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) toxic congeners were calculated by means of a vegetation and a soil model, respectively. Both models predicted the levels of the 17 PCDD/F congeners in quite good agreement with the observed results although the soil model was more accurate than the vegetation model. Four different pathways of contribution to the vegetation concentrations were taken into account: vapour-phase absorption, dry particle deposition, wet particle deposition and uptake by root. The most important pathway was the vapour-phase absorption and the less was the uptake by root. In the soils model four pathways were considered: background soil concentration, dry particle deposition, wet particle deposition and uptake by root. After the background concentration, the most important pathway was the wet deposition.     

Urban waste recycling behavior: antecedents of participation in a selective collection program

ABSTRACT/ The aim of this study is to analyze the antecedents of urban waste recycling behavior. To achieve this goal, a concrete urban waste management program was chosen. The study focuses on the Selective Collection Program (SCP) in Zaragoza, a medium-sized city in northeastern Spain. The research starts with a conceptual model in which the variables that potentially affect recycling behavior can be classified into two groups: incentives and barriers. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the individuals are included in our study. Given that the proposed model requires specification of latent variables or constructs, the analysis is based on the Structural Equation Models (SEM) methodology. The results revealed that environmental awareness, knowledge of the environmental impact of urban waste, and the positive perception of management by local government exercise a positive effect on individual recycling behavior, while perceived personal difficulties (space and time availability) and distance to and from the container have a negative effect. As regards sociodemographic variables, this study found that annual family income sustains a negative relationship with recycling behavior, while age maintains a positive one. The results obtained clearly show the important role that the public authorities play, especially municipal governments, in achieving the waste recycling objectives established in accordance with international legislation.     

The relationship between the black carbon and bisphenol A in sea and river sediments (Southern Baltic)

This study was derived from field investigations to assess bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations in the sea and river sediments of the Gulf of Gdansk. Black carbon (BC) and total organic carbon (TOC) were identified as influencing factors on the accumulation. As a result of the transportation of BC with organic matter via rivers into the Gulf of Gdansk, the highest mean concentrations (11.26 ng BPA/(g dry weight (dw))), were determined in the sediments of river estuaries. Sediments in coastal stations were characterized by the lowest mean concentrations (5.73 ng BPA/(g dw)). TOC content below 0.1% determined the sorption of BPA on BC particles in sediments, and statistically significant correlation between the concentration of BPA and the BC/TOC ratio was found in these cases. In addition, dependency between the concentration of BPA and the content of BC was discovered in sediments where the BC/TOC ratio was > 0.33.     

Viruses Surveillance Under Different Season Scenarios of the Negro River Basin,Amazonia, Brazil

The Negro River is located in the Amazon basin, the largest hydrological catchment in the world. Its water is used for drinking, domestic activities, recreation and transportation and water quality is significantly affected by anthropogenic impacts. The goals of this study were to determine the presence and concentrations of the main viral etiological agents of acute gastroenteritis, such as group A rotavirus (RVA) and genogroup II norovirus (NoV GII), and to assess the use of human adenovirus (HAdV) and JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) as viral indicators of human faecal contamination in the aquatic environment of Manaus under different hydrological scenarios. Water samples were collected along Negro River and in small streams known as igarapés. Viruses were concentrated by an organic flocculation method and detected by quantitative PCR. From 272 samples analysed, HAdV was detected in 91.9 %, followed by JCPyV (69.5 %), RVA (23.9 %) and NoV GII (7.4 %). Viral concentrations ranged from 10² to 10⁶ GC L^?1 and viruses were more likely to be detected during the flood season, with the exception of NoV GII, which was detected only during the dry season. Statistically significant differences on virus concentrations between dry and flood seasons were observed only for RVA. The HAdV data provides a useful complement to faecal indicator bacteria in the monitoring of aquatic environments. Overall results demonstrated that the hydrological cycle of the Negro River in the Amazon Basin affects the dynamics of viruses in aquatic environments and, consequently, the exposure of citizens to these waterborne pathogens.     

Salt glands in the Jurassic metriorhynchid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geosaurus</Emphasis>: implications for the evolution of osmoregulation in Mesozoic marine crocodyliforms

The presence of salt-excreting glands in extinct marine sauropsids has been long suspected based on skull morphology. Previously, we described for the first time the natural casts of salt-excreting glands in the head of the Jurassic metriorhynchid crocodyliform Geosaurus araucanensis from the Tithonian of the Vaca Muerta Formation in the Neuquén Basin (Argentina). In the present study, salt-excreting glands are identified in three new individuals (adult, a sub-adult and a juvenile) referable to the same species. New material provides significant information on the salt glands form and function and permit integration of evolutionary scenarios proposed on a physiological basis in extant taxa with evidence from the fossil record. G. araucanensis represents an advanced stage of the basic physiological model to marine adaptations in reptiles. G. araucanensis salt glands were hypertrophied. On this basis, it can be hypothesized that these glands had a high excretory capability. This stage implies that G. araucanensis (like extant pelagic reptiles, e.g. cheloniids) could have maintained constant plasma osmolality even when seawater or osmoconforming prey were ingested. A gradual model of marine adaptation in crocodyliforms based on physiology (freshwater to coastal/estuarine to estuarine /marine to pelagic life) is congruent with the phylogeny of crocodyliforms based on skeletal morphology. The fossil record suggests that the stage of marine pelagic adaptation was achieved by the Early Middle Jurassic. Salt gland size in the juvenile suggests that juveniles were, like adults, pelagic.     

Mutagenic properties of PM2.5 air pollution in the Padana Plain (Italy) before and in the course of XX Winter Olympic Games of "Torino 2006"

PM2.5 is one of the most important aspects of environmental health. This air pollutant is breathable and it is implicated in several chronic adverse health effects such as the decrease of respiratory functionality and cancer. Several in vitro bioassays are able to predict the mutagenic/carcinogenic activity of the environmental pollutants and mixtures of them. In this study PM2.5 air pollution was daily monitored in three cities located in the Northern part of Italy and the mutagenic properties of the PM2.5 organic extracts were also assessed. Samplings lasted 14 months and cover the period of the Winter Olympic Games of "Torino 2006". In this work, the levels of PM2.5, its mutagenic properties (detected with Salmonella typhimurium assay), the role of the Olympic Games as environmental factor and some meteorological data are discussed. The mean concentration of PM2.5 measured in Torino was 45.4 (+/-30.6) microg/m(3), in Pavia 37.6 (+/-25.6) microg/m(3), in Verona 43.1 (+/-28.5) microg/m(3). Findings of the monthly pool bioassay were in Torino 107 (+/-104) net revertans/m(3), in Pavia 108 (+/-89) net revertans/m(3), in Verona 128 (+/-109) net revertans/m(3). The Olympic Games period data show that PM2.5 pollution and its load of mutagenic potential are different and partially independent phenomena. The Olympic Games had not a great impact on the PM2.5 pollution. The exclusive PM2.5 gravimetric analysis shows a potential human risk if compared with the latest international guide values but it does not describe exhaustively the human health risk associated to the presence of this particular air pollutant. Moreover, the chemical and biological activity qualification of the PM organic extracts as a whole, can instead improve the knowledge.     

A fuzzy expert system for soil characterization

As soil is a natural resource not always renewable, the risk characterization of contaminated soils is an issue of great interest. Artificial Intelligence (AI), based on Decision Support Systems (DSSs), has been developed for a wide range of applications in contaminated soil management. Decision trees have already shown to be easy to interpret and able to treat large scale applications. Fuzzy logic gives an improvement in the perturbations and the variance of the training data, due to the elasticity of fuzzy set formalism. In this study, we have developed a classificatory tool applied to characterize contaminated soil in function of human and environmental risks. Knowledge engineering for constructing the Soil Risk Characterization Decision Support System (SRC-DSS) involves three stages: knowledge acquisition, conceptual design and system implementation. A total of 26 parameters were divided into three groups to facilitate the configuration of the expert system: source attributes, transfer vector attributes, and local properties. Sixteen case studies were evaluated with the SRC-DSS. In comparison with other techniques, the results of the current study have shown that SRC-DDS is an excellent tool to classify and characterize soils according to the associated risk.     

Corematal function in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Utetheisa ornatrix</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae): Hydroxydanaidal is devoid of intrinsic defensive potency

Summary. Hydroxydanaidal, the pyrrolizidine alkaloid-derived male corematal pheromone active in the close-range precopulatory interactions of the moth Utetheisa ornatrix, appears not to contribute to the chemical defense of this moth. The compound failed to manifest feeding deterrency as an additive to mealworms, in assays with a lycosid spider (Lycosa ceratiola). Moreover, contact with the male’s coremata, such as appears to occur inevitably in consequence of courtship in Utetheisa, does not in itself reduce the palatability of the female moth.