Search results for "POLLUTION"
showing 10 items of 2765 documents
Photocatalytic degradation of carbaryl in aqueous TiO2 suspensions containing surfactants
1999
The effect of ionic and non-ionic aliphatic surfactants on the photocatalytic degradation of Carbaryl (1-naphtyl-N-methylcarbamate) in aqueous solutions containing suspended TiO2 (anatase) particles, under irradiation with simulated AM1 solar light, was investigated. A neat inhibitory effect on the degradation rate was observed, depending on the nature of the surfactant and on the initial pH of the solution. The decay profiles of the primary process corresponded to the usual pseudo-first order kinetics for surfactant concentrations below the critical micellar concentration range, whereas a more complicate behaviour was observed in the presence of micellar aggregates. Mineralization of the p…
Analysis of Archaeological Bones for the Purpose of Reconstructing the Paleodiet of Medieval Inhabitants
2010
Bone is one of the few materials that are consistently recovered from archaeological and paleontological sites; its chemical composition has the potential to provide valuable information about ancient human and faunal diet and health status. Diet is one aspect of the development of human culture; changes in dietary regimes occurred together with changes in the manner of food procurement. Gathering, hunting and, after domestication, cattle breeding, and finally agriculture, each stage of development of the dietary process also brought social stratification, which in turn led to a preferred diet for certain individuals (Smrcka 2005). The most frequently examined elements for the reconstructio…
Lipid-Filled semipermeable membrane devices and mussels as samplers of organochlorine compounds in lake water.
1995
Semipermeable membrane sampling devices (SPMDs) and caged lake mussels (Anodonta piscinalis) were simultaneously deployed at four lake watercourse sites in Central Finland four weeks in August 1992. This study was part of the regular annual monitoring of the organochlorine compounds (OCC) in pulp-mill recipient watercourses of Finland with bivalves. Chlorohydrocarbons (CHCs), chlorophenol compounds (PCPs), chloroanisoles (PCAs) and chloroveratroles (PCVs) were analyzed from lipid extract of mussels and from the synthetic triolein lipid of the SPMDs. Hexane-diethyl ether (9:1, v/v) dialysis using polyethylene membrane was applied in dean up of the SPMD lipids and, for comparison, to six sets…
Exploiting historical rainfall and landslide data in a spatial database for the derivation of critical rainfall thresholds
2017
Critical rainfall thresholds for landslides are powerful tools for preventing landslide hazard. The thresholds are commonly estimated empirically starting from rainfall events that triggered landslides in the past. The creation of the appropriate rainfall–landslide database is one of the main efforts in this approach. In fact, an accurate agreement between the landslide and rainfall information, in terms of location and timing, is essential in order to correctly estimate the rainfall–landslide relationships. A further issue is taking into account the average moisture conditions prior the triggering event, which reasonably may be crucial in determining the sufficient amount of precipitation.…
Historical Contaminant Records from Sclerochronological Archives
2015
A number of marine and freshwater organisms, including scleractinian and proteinacious corals, coralline algae, sclerosponges, and bivalve mollusks, secrete skeletons that grow larger over time and may record environmental contaminants over the lifespan of an individual. Most of these organisms also form periodic growth patterns (growth increments, lines or bands) that can be used to accurately date contaminant archives produced from chemical or physical analysis of sequential skeletal samples (termed sclerochronology). The majority of records produced from these organisms thus far have focused on paleoclimate reconstructions, but there is a vast potential for information on changes in cont…
Concentrations and forms of heavy metals in Slovak soils
2005
The risk assessment of heavy-metal contamination in soils requires knowledge of the controls of metal concentrations and speciation. We tested the relationship between soil properties (pH, CEC, Corg, oxide concentrations, texture) and land use (forest, grassland, arable) and the partitioning of Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn among the seven fractions of a sequential extraction procedure in 146 A horizons from Slovakia. Using a cluster analysis, we identified 92 soils as representing background metal concentrations while the remaining 54 soils showed anthropogenic contamination. Among the background soils, forest soils had the lowest heavy-metal concentrations except for Pb (highest)…
Effects of diclofenac on the gametes and embryonic development of Arbacia lixula
2022
Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is among the main pollutants of aquatic environments. Nevertheless, even if several authors evaluated its effects on marine organisms, no work has ever analysed its impact on the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. The purpose of this study was to analyse, for the first time, the impact of DCF at different concentrations (50 mg/l, 5 mg/l, 0.5 mg/l, 0.05 mg/l) on A. lixula embryos and gametes to indicate possible safe minimum levels of release of this drug in marine environments. Our results showed significant concentration-dependent effects on embryonic development (decrease in the number of developed embryos and increase in the quant…
Antibiotic Resistance of Gram Negatives isolates from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the central Mediterranean Sea
2009
Previous studies on fish and marine mammals support the hypothesis that marine species harbor antibiotic resistance and therefore may serve as reservoirs for anti biotic-resistance genetic determinants. The aim of this study was to assess the resistance to antimicrobial agents of Gram negative strains isolated from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Oral and cloacal swabs from 19 live-stranded loggerhead sea turtles, with hooks fixed into the gut, were analyzed. The antimicrobial resistance of the isolates to 31 antibiotics was assessed using the disk-diffusion method. Conventional biochemical tests identified Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp., Provi…
Green Homeowners? An Empirical Application of Fischel’s Homevoter Hypothesis
2021
It is a no-brainer that owners of private property usually care about their personal possessions. But does this also apply to public goods? Fischel’s homevoter hypothesis argues that property owners—in this case homeowners—will exhibit more than average concern with regard to public goods, particularly local public goods in their own neighborhood such as the local crime rate, nearby schools, and environmental quality. This contribution applies Fischel’s hypothesis to the public good of residential environmental conditions. Based on survey and administrative data collected in two cities, Mainz in Germany and Zurich in Switzerland, it examines whether house and apartment owners, as compared t…
The effects of a subvention scheme for e-bikes on mode share and active mobility
2022
Hanne Beate Sundfør, Aslak Fyhri, The effects of a subvention scheme for e-bikes on mode share and active mobility, Journal of Transport & Health, Volume 26, 2022, 101403, ISSN 2214-1405, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101403 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140522000755) Introduction Previous studies show substantial mode share effects from e-bikes. E-bike owners cycle more and drive less car than they would without access to an e-bike. Support schemes for e-bikes exist in a number of countries, but knowledge about the effect of subsidies on active transport is limited. The aim of this study is to assess the mode change and active mobility effects of a subvention…