Search results for "lcsh:Environmental sciences"
showing 10 items of 357 documents
Evaluation of Brassicaceae seedlings as trap plants for Bagrada hilaris Burmeister in Caper bush cultivations
2020
The caper bush, Capparis spinosa (Brassicales: Capparaceae), is intensively grown on Pantelleria Island (Trapani, Sicily, Sicilian channel) where it has been granted protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU. On this island, Bagrada hilaris, a stink bug native of Asia and Africa, is the major pest of caper crops. Recent studies have shown the attraction of B. hilaris to volatiles of brassicaceous plants at the seedling stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate three cotyledon-stage seedlings of host plants, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower), Eruca sativa (rocket) and Brassica carinata (Abyssinian cabbage), as potential trap plants for B. hilaris. The relative pr…
What are the effects of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on boreal forest biodiversity in Fennoscandia and European Russia? A systematic r…
2021
Abstract Background Forest harvesting changes forest habitat and impacts forest dependent species. Uneven-aged management is often considered better for biodiversity than even-aged management, but there is an ongoing discourse over the benefits and disadvantages of different silvicultural systems. This systematic review contributes to the public discussion and provides evidence for policy making by synthesising current evidence on impacts of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on biodiversity in boreal forests of Fennoscandia and European Russia. In this review even-aged and uneven-aged forest management are compared directly to each other as well as to natural forest to provide a b…
Ashes from Sewage Sludge and Bottom Sediments as a Source of Bioavailable Phosphorus
2018
Phosphorus is an element necessary for the growth of plants. As phosphate rock gets depleted, it becomes an increasingly scarce resource. Therefore, it seems necessary to implement simple methods of cheap and effective phosphorus recovery from waste. The ashes of municipal sewage sludge and bottom sediments constitute particularly valuable sources of phosphorus. However, these materials usually carry significant amounts of pollutants, including heavy metals. Optimization of ash phosphorus sequential extraction methods from a thermal conversion of sewage sludge and bottom sediments allows to select an effective and simple technology of phosphorus recovery, while maintaining low heavy metal p…
An Additive Model to Predict the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Blends Made by Virgin and Reprocessed Components
2021
In this work, an additive model for the prediction of the rheological and mechanical properties of monopolymer blends made by virgin and reprocessed components is proposed. A polypropylene sample has been reprocessed more times in an extruder and monopolymer blends have been prepared by simulating an industrial process. The scraps are exposed to regrinding and are melt reprocessed before mixing with the virgin polymer. The reprocessed polymer is, then, subjected to some thermomechanical degradation. Rheological and mechanical experimental data have been compared with the theoretical predictions. The results obtained showed that the values of this simple additive model are a very good fit fo…
Manufacturing Risk Identification in the Steel Industry
2020
The steel manufacturing industry is an inseparable part of the nuclear power plant construction project. This industry is a business full of dynamics, risks, and challenges. The implementation of risk management becomes an obligation that must be executed in managing this very complex project. In general, risk management in manufacturing includes steps to understand and identify potential problems that may occur, evaluate, monitor, and handle risks. The main risk management objectives are to prevent or minimize adverse effects due to unforeseen events through risk aversion or preparation of contingency plans related to those risks. This paper describes the identification of risk factors and…
Predictors of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Titers two decades after vaccination in a cohort of students and post-graduates of the Medical School at th…
2017
Introduction and objective. The introduction of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) for newborn babies in Italy in 1991, extended to 12-year-old children for the first 12 years of application, has been a major achievement in terms of the prevention of HBV infection. The objective of this study was to analyse the long-term immunogenicity and effectiveness of HBV vaccination among healthcare students with different working seniorities. Materials and method. A cross-sectional observational study of undergraduate and postgraduate students attending the Medical School of the University of Palermo was conducted from January 2014 – July 2016. HBV serum markers were performed with commercial …
Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and thyroid function in pregnant women and children: A systematic review of epidemiologic studies
2017
Introduction: Thyroid hormones (THs) are especially important for brain maturation and development during the fetal period and childhood. Several epidemiological studies have assessed the possible association between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and thyroid outcomes during the early stages of life. We aimed to review this evidence. Methods: We conducted a systematic review in compliance with the PRISMA Statement (search conducted in PubMed and Embase, as well as in the citations of the selected articles). We chose studies if they dealt with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4), or thyroid dysfunctions, and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS),…
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and risk of being born small for gestational age: Pooled analysis of seven European birth cohorts
2018
Background and aims: There is evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have developmental effects at environmental concentrations. We investigated whether some EDCs are associated with the adverse birth outcome Small for Gestational Age (SGA). Methods: We used PCB 153, p,p'-DDE, HCB, PFOS and PFOA measured in maternal, cord blood or breast milk samples of 5446 mother-child pairs (subset of 693 for the perfluorinated compounds) from seven European birth cohorts (1997–2012). SGA infants were those with birth weight below the 10th percentile for the norms defined by gestational age, country and infant's sex. We modelled the association between measured or estimated cord serum EDC co…
Electrooxidation of coconut oil in alkaline electrolyte
2017
Providing more and more energy is an essential task of the today’s energetic industry. In the last few years, in addition to the traditional methods of energy production, alternative energy sources have been developing fast. One of the devices that can make use of these sources is a fuel cell. The fuel cells can be a power source of future mainly due to their high efficiency, low influence on environment and the possibility of powering with different fuels. Most often, fuel cells are powered by hydrogen. However, the problems with its cheap production and storage are the reason for the search for alternative fuels for fuel cells. It is important that the new fuel will be characterized by ze…
Maristem stem cells of marine/aquatic invertebrates: from basic research to innovative applications
2018
The “stem cells” discipline represents one of the most dynamic areas in biomedicine. While adult marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cell (MISC) biology is of prime research and medical interest, studies on stem cells from organisms outside the classical vertebrate (e.g., human, mouse, and zebrafish) and invertebrate (e.g., Drosophila, Caenorhabditis) models have not been pursued vigorously. Marine/aquatic invertebrates constitute the largest biodiversity and the widest phylogenetic radiation on Earth, from morphologically simple organisms (e.g., sponges, cnidarians), to the more complex mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms, and protochordates. These organisms contain a kaleidoscope of MISC-type…