Search results for "Pollution"
showing 10 items of 2765 documents
Results of a literature review on methods for estimating buildings energy demand at district level
2019
Abstract In the framework of distributed energy planning, evaluating reliable energy profiles of different sectors has a prominent role. At the same time, it is a quite challenging task, since the availability of actual energy profiles of buildings at the district level is not widespread. A survey of over 70 studies in scientific literature has been accomplished and a set of criteria has been defined for classifying the selected contributions based on the energy demand data features, source and/or estimation methods, highlighting the ones adopting hourly energy profiles. As final results, tables summarizing the main methods characteristics and a selection of studies providing directly useab…
Cultural and socio-economic impacts of Mediterranean marine protected areas
2000
Marine protected areas (MPAs) may be important for protecting the marine environment, but they may also have substantial socio-cultural impacts about which very little is currently known, or acknowledged. In the Mediterranean, few data are available on the socio-economic consequences of MPAs. The present study reviews the existing data on MPAs in Spain, France, Italy and Greece. A general increase in tourist activities in Mediterranean MPAs is evident, as are increases in the abundances of larger fish species, although there are no data indicating yields for fisheries increase adjacent to MPAs. A large increase in the number of divers and vessels using MPAs has already had impacts on natura…
Emergence of Aspergillus fumigatus azole resistance in azole-naïve patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their homes.
2017
Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus (ARAF) has been reported in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but has not been specifically assessed so far. Here, we evaluated ARAF prevalence in azole-naïve COPD patients and their homes, and assessed whether CYP51A mutations were similar in clinical and environmental reservoirs. Sixty respiratory samples from 41 COPD patients with acute exacerbation and environmental samples from 36 of these patient's homes were prospectively collected. A. fumigatus was detected in respiratory samples from 11 of 41 patients (27%) and in 15 of 36 domiciles (42%). Cyp51A sequencing and selection on itraconazole medium of clinical (n = 68) and e…
The embodiment of wastewater data for the estimation of illicit drug consumption in Spain
2021
Data obtained from wastewater analysis can provide rapid and complementary insights in illicit drug consumption at community level. Within Europe, Spain is an important country of transit of both cocaine and cannabis. The quantity of seized drugs and prevalence of their use rank Spain at the top of Europe. Hence, the implementation of a wastewater monitoring program at national level would help to get better understanding of spatial differences and trends in use of illicit drugs. In this study, a national wastewater campaign was performed for the first time to get more insight on the consumption of illicit drugs within Spain. The 13 Spanish cities monitored cover approximately 6 million inh…
Stereoisomeric profiling of drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals in wastewaters of Valencia (Spain)
2014
AbstractThe enantiomeric and diastereomeric profiling of chiral pharmaceuticals (ephedrine, norephedrine, atenolol and venlafaxine) and illicit drugs (amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDEA)) was undertaken over a period of fourteen consecutive days in three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the city of Valencia, Spain. Degradation efficiency of WWTPs was found to be compound and enantiomer dependent. Selective enantiomer enrichment was observed for several target analytes. Amphetamine and MDMA were enriched with R(−)-enantiomers. 1S,2S(+)-pseudoephedrine was found …
Multi-residue determination of 47 organic compounds in water, soil, sediment and fish—Turia River as case study
2017
A sensitive and reliable method based on solid-liquid extraction (SLE) using McIlvaine-Na2EDTA buffer (pH = 4.5)-methanol and solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean up prior to ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) was applied to determine 47 organic contaminants in fish, soil and sediments. The SPE procedure to clean-up the extracts was also used as extraction method to determine these compounds in water. Recoveries ranged from 38 to 104% for all matrices with RSDs 50% for 36 compounds in front of 9, matrix effect < 20% for 31 compounds against 21, and LOQs <25 ng g−1 for 38 compounds against 22) indicates that the proposed method is mor…
Chlorinated hydrocarbons and total mercury in the prey of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla L.) in the quarken straits of the gulf of both…
1976
Samples of the white-tailed eagle population and its prey were collected from the Quarken straits area of the Gulf of Bothnia, Finland, and were analyzed for DDT, DDD, PCBs, aldrin, lindane, and mercury. Mercury, PCB, and DDE were detected in all animals studied. It was concluded that one of the most important reasons for the poor breeding results of the white-tained eagle (especially hatchability) are the combined effects of the studied pollutants originating for the most part from the fish-eating species in its prey (mergansers and great crested grebes). (JTE)
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in extracts of Baltic white-tailed sea eagles
1997
Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-(TCDD) equivalents were measured in extracts of Baltic white-tailed sea eagle tissues. Extracts of salmon, ringed seal, and grey seal were analyzed as other predatory species of the same area. Concentrations in eagle and seal tissues were greater than those in salmon. Concentrations of TCDD equivalents (TCDD-EQs) determined by the H4IIE bioassay were compared with toxic equivalents (TEQs) derived from instrumental chemical analyses in fractions containing polychlorinated dibenzo-P-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) or coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Toxic equivalents were calculated by use of an additive mod…
A European Multi Lake Survey dataset of environmental variables, phytoplankton pigments and cyanotoxins
2018
Under ongoing climate change and increasing anthropogenic activity, which continuously challenge ecosystem resilience, an in-depth understanding of ecological processes is urgently needed. Lakes, as providers of numerous ecosystem services, face multiple stressors that threaten their functioning. Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a persistent problem resulting from nutrient pollution and climate-change induced stressors, like poor transparency, increased water temperature and enhanced stratification. Consistency in data collection and analysis methods is necessary to achieve fully comparable datasets and for statistical validity, avoiding issues linked to disparate data sources. The Europea…
Use of physicochemical processing in treating urban waste waters
1994
The principal objective of the present study was to compare two clearly defined purification processes in two stages: the periods 1985–1987 (conventional) and 1988–1990 (physico‐chemical). In general, the mean concentrations obtained were lower in the second period. A z‐test for comparing means was applied, but no significant correlation was observed (p ≤ 0.05). The mean concentrations obtained (with some exceptions) are lower in the second period. With the passing of time, the total volume of sewage flow has increased, and hence the load of contaminants has become diluted. The use of physico‐chemical treatment prior to biological processing may be the cause of the increase in cost.