The aim of this study is to conduct an economic and environmental assessment of forest biomass for heating, in particular two types of firewood and three types of wood chips were analyzed. Regarding ...economic aspects, an analysis was made of production costs and revenues (per tonne of biomass), considering all the stages involved “from the woods to the mouth of the boiler.” For the environmental analysis, conducted using life cycle assessment, the stages taken into account went from “the woods to the heat produced”. The wood biomasses were compared to each other and to fuel oil and natural gas. The economic analysis showed that at current market prices it is more profitable to produce firewood rather than wood chips. As concerns the environmental aspects, the results of the LCA showed that, for the same heat output, forest wood-based fuel has an environmental impact lower than fuel oil, but still higher than natural gas. There are no big differences in the impact of various wood fuels. In the conclusion, some ways for improvement have been proposed, in terms of both the economic competitiveness of the agro-energy supply chains considered and the reducing of their environmental impact.
•We compared five different wood biomass supply chains for fuel (both firewood and wood chips).•We evaluated both the economic and environmental aspects connected to different wood biomass fuels.•The economic analysis showed that it is more profitable to produce firewood rather than wood chips.•Forest wood-based fuel has an environmental impact lower than fuel oil, but higher than natural gas.
Shipping is understood to be a major vector for the introduction and spread of marine non-indigenous species (NIS). However, recreational boating is still unregulated and its influence as vector has ...not yet been assessed for the Mediterranean Sea, which is the second most popular recreational boating destination worldwide. This is the first large-scale study to examine this by a combined biological (analyzing hull and marina fouling) and social approach (boaters surveys on maintenance habits, travel patterns and awareness), focused on peracarid crustaceans. A surprisingly high number of NIS were found on vessels cruising Mediterranean waters, and species compositions suggest an exchange between marina and vessel assemblages. This means recreational boating presents a risk for NIS spread which should warrant regulation. Results also implied that regionally coordinated management should be supported by effective local-scale-based management in the Mediterranean, which could improve upon with targeted environmental education to solve lack of awareness.
•This study examines boating as a vector of non-indigenous species (NIS) introductions.•Specifically, peracarid crustaceans are studied in marinas and boats in the Mediterranean.•Results show numerous NIS in marinas and vessels and suggest exchanges between them.•Vessel maintenance and travel patterns influence the likelihood of NIS occurrence.•There is a general lack of awareness of marine bioinvasions among recreational boaters.
Bioconstructions of
Sabellaria alveolata
(Polychaeta Sabellariidae) from southern Sicily (Central Mediterranean) were sampled and analysed through a multidisciplinary approach in order to unravel the ...construction pattern of arenaceous tubes and explore possible analogies existing between the worm tubes and the agglutinated tests of benthic foraminifera (Protista). Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analyses were carried out on entire tubes as well as sectioned ones. Results show that arenaceous tubes are built following a rigorous architectural framework, based on selection and methodical arrangement of the agglutinated grains, and show surprising analogies with the test microstructure previously observed in agglutinated foraminifera. The grain distribution detected in both model species bioconstructions was analysed using a fractal numerical model (Hausdorff fractal dimension). Collected data show that in both organisms the grains were distributed according to a fractal model, indicating that the evolutionary process may have led to finding the same optimal constructive strategy across organisms with an independent evolutionary history, notwithstanding different geometrical scales. Furthermore, in sectioned tubes we observed microplastic fragments agglutinated within the arenaceous wall and in the inter-tube area. This unexpected finding shows that marine animals can be affected by microplastic pollution not only in soft tissues, but also engineered hard structures, and suggests the problem is more pervasive than estimated so far.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The European Union lacks a comprehensive framework to address the threats posed by the introduction and spread of marine non-indigenous species (NIS). Current efforts are fragmented and suffer ...substantial gaps in coverage. In this paper we identify and discuss issues relating to the assessment of spatial and temporal patterns of introductions in European Seas (ES), based on a scientifically validated information system of aquatic non-indigenous and cryptogenic species, A qua NIS. While recognizing the limitations of the existing data, we extract information that can be used to assess the relative risk of introductions for different taxonomic groups, geographic regions and likely vectors. The dataset comprises 879 multicellular NIS. We applied a country-based approach to assess patterns of NIS richness in ES, and identify the principal introduction routes and vectors, the most widespread NIS and their spatial and temporal spread patterns. Between 1970 and 2013, the number of recorded NIS has grown by 86, 173 and 204% in the Baltic, Western European margin and the Mediterranean, respectively; 52 of the 879 NIS were recorded in 10 or more countries, and 25 NIS first recorded in European seas since 1990 have since been reported in five or more countries. Our results highlight the ever-rising role of shipping (commercial and recreational) as a vector for the widespread and recently spread NIS. The Suez Canal, a corridor unique to the Mediterranean, is responsible for the increased introduction of new thermophilic NIS into this warming sea. The 2020 goal of the EU Biodiversity Strategy concerning marine Invasive Alien Species may not be fully attainable. The setting of a new target date should be accompanied by scientifically robust, sensible and pragmatic plans to minimize introductions of marine NIS and to study those present.
The development of therapeutic approaches for spinal cord injury (SCI) is still a challenging goal to achieve. The pathophysiological features of chronic SCI are glial scar and cavity formation: an ...effective therapy will require contribution of different disciplines such as materials science, cell biology, drug delivery and nanotechnology. One of the biggest challenges in SCI regeneration is to create an artificial scaffold that could mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and support nervous system regeneration. Electrospun constructs and hydrogels based on self-assembling peptides (SAPs) have been recently preferred. In this work SAPs and polymers were assembled by using a coaxial electrospinning setup. We tested the biocompatibility of two types of coaxially electrospun microchannels: the first one made by a core of poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PCL-PLGA) and a shell of an emulsion of PCL-PLGA and a functionalized self-assembling peptide Ac-FAQ and the second one made by a core of Ac-FAQ and a shell of PCL-PLGA. Moreover, we tested an annealed scaffold by PCL-PLGA microchannel heat-treatment. The properties of coaxial scaffolds were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed via viability and differentiation assays with neural stem cells (NSCs); whereas in vivo inflammatory response was evaluated following scaffold implantation in rodent spinal cords. Emulsification of the outer shell turned out to be the best choice in terms of cell viability and tissue response: thus suggesting the potential of using functionalized SAPs in coaxial electrospinning for applications in regenerative medicine.
Abstract Object : Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is described as a clinical and radiological entity characterized by thunderclap headaches, a reversible segmental or multifocal ...vasoconstriction of cerebral arteries with or without focal neurological deficits or seizures. The purpose of this study is to determine risk factors of poor outcome in patients presented a RCVS. Methods A retrospective multi-center review of invasive and non-invasive neurovascular imaging between January 2006 and January 2011 has identified 10 patients with criterion of reversible segmental vasoconstriction syndrome. Demographics data, vascular risks and evolution of each of these patients were analyzed. Results Seven of the ten patients were females with a mean age of 46 years. In four patients, we did not found any causative factors. Two cases presented RCVS in post-partum period between their first and their third week after delivery. The other three cases were drug-induced RCVS, mainly vaso-active drugs. Cannabis was found as the causative factor in two patient, Sumatriptan identified in one patient while cyclosporine was the causative agent in also one patient. The mean duration of clinical follow-up was 10.2 months (range: 0–28 months). Two patients had neurological sequelae: one patient kept a dysphasia and the other had a homonymous lateral hemianopia. We could not find any significant difference of the evolution between secondary RCVS and idiopathic RCVS. The only two factors, which could be correlated to the clinical outcome were the neurological status at admission and the presence of intraparenchymal abnormalities (ischemic stroke, hematoma) in brain imaging. Conclusions Fulminant vasoconstriction resulting in progressive symptoms or death has been reported in exceptional frequency. Physicians had to remember that such evolution could happen and predict them by identifying all factors of poor prognosis (neurological status at admission, the presence of intraparenchymal abnormalities).
Information on early invasion stages, whether successful or not, is often lacking because most invaders are only discovered once they have become abundant enough to be casually detected or have ...caused appreciable changes to the recipient environment. Moreover, when newcomers fail to establish self-sustaining populations, they are often not even documented; likewise the cause(s) of the failure remains unknown in most cases. Here we report for the first time a probable failed early invasion, caused by an unpredictable geological event, that was detected from two sediment records radiometrically dated through
210
Pb chronology. The cores, collected from Marsamxett Harbour in Malta (Central Mediterranean), reveal a continuous record for at least the last 110 years. Both cores contain towards the bottom (dated to the beginning of the twentieth century) the highly invasive Lessepsian immigrant benthic foraminifer
Amphistegina lobifera
Larsen 1976, demonstrating that it was present in this region long before it was first recognized in the Mediterranean. It then abruptly disappeared from the cores. We document that the disappearance may have been triggered by the 1908 Messina earthquake, with a resulting tsunami wave that reached Marsamxett Harbour and deposited over 20 cm of sediment. This event suddenly buried the sea-bottom, destroying the existing benthic community and damaging the seagrass
Posidonia oceanica
meadow. Today,
A. lobifera
is abundant along the Maltese coast, likely as a result of re-invasion in the 1940s, yet followed by a long detection lag time until it was first found in 2006.
ABSTRACT
We homogeneously analyse ∼3.2 × 105 photometric measurements for ∼1100 transit light curves belonging to 17 exoplanet hosts. The photometric data cover 16 years (2004–2019) and include ...amateur and professional observations. Old archival light curves were reprocessed using up-to-date exoplanetary parameters and empirically debiased limb-darkening models. We also derive self-consistent transit and radial-velocity fits for 13 targets. We confirm the non-linear transit timing variation (TTV) trend in the WASP-12 data at a high significance, and with a consistent magnitude. However, Doppler data reveal hints of a radial acceleration of about −7.5 ± 2.2 m s−1 yr−1, indicating the presence of unseen distant companions, and suggesting that roughly 10 per cent of the observed TTV was induced via the light-travel (or Roemer) effect. For WASP-4, a similar TTV trend suspected after the recent TESS observations appears controversial and model dependent. It is not supported by our homogeneous TTV sample, including 10 ground-based EXPANSION light curves obtained in 2018 simultaneously with TESS. Even if the TTV trend itself does exist in WASP-4, its magnitude and tidal nature are uncertain. Doppler data cannot entirely rule out the Roemer effect induced by possible distant companions.
This work compares the different methods of transport used to import pellets, through a case study of pellets imported into Italy. The objective was to evaluate the economic and environmental ...sustainability of the different transport methods, the former via a cost analysis, and the latter via an LCA analysis. In particular, the method of transport by sea from Virginia (USA) was compared to overland transport from some European locations. Industrial pellet markets strictly depend on the import of wood pellets from outside the EU-27. The analysis of transport phase is therefore crucial, for inspecting the consequences of transporting such a commodity along considerable distances and allowing decision makers to make strategic decisions about trade planning, optimize international routes, and choose the most sustainable transport methods. The economic analysis showed that road transport cost ranged from 18 to 112 € t−1, while sea cost from 68 to 82 € t−1. Concerning the environmental evaluation, the impact categories most involved were Fossil Fuels, Respiratory Inorganics and Land Use, showing that the critical points in the transport phase are the oil consumption per km and the production of high quantities of SO2 and NOx. Basically, transport by sea appeared to be better, from the economic viewpoint, and for what concerns one of the major environmental impacts involved (fossil fuels) and primary energy consumption, compared to road transport from some of the European locations normally supplying the Italian market. On the contrary, road transport was preferred if transporting pellets from locations nearest to Italy.
•We compared the different methods of transport used to import pellets, through a case study.•We evaluated the economic and environmental sustainability of overland and by sea transport.•Transport by sea in some cases resulted to be more convenient and consuming less fossil fuel than road transport.•The quantity of primary energy required to deliver the pellets varies from 7% to 11% of the energy they contain.
•Species traits responded to hydrological disturbance in an estuarine environment.•The new SR-FRED index allowed combining the taxonomic and functional structure.•CWM and SR-FRED provided the best ...overall picture regarding disturbance.•Trait-based indices should be used with caution in estuarine ecosystems.
The performance of several indices of benthic functioning, based on the traits of estuarine macro-invertebrates, was tested in the lower Mondego estuary (Portugal), whose two arms exhibit different disturbance levels related to hydromorphology. The results showed that some indices responded clearly to this type of disturbance and others not so well. We argue that the community-weighted mean trait values (CWM) in combination with the newly developed SR-FRED index provided the best overall picture of how the benthic communities might have been affected by hydromorphological disturbance. This study also showed that certain indices should be used with caution when dealing with communities with few and dominant species, such as in estuarine environments.
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