Road mortality is probably the best-known and visible impact of roads upon wildlife. Although several factors influence road-kill counts, carcass persistence time is considered the most important ...determinant underlying underestimates of road mortality. The present study aims to describe and model carcass persistence variability on the road for different taxonomic groups under different environmental conditions throughout the year; and also to assess the effect of sampling frequency on the relative variation in road-kill estimates registered within a survey.
Daily surveys of road-killed vertebrates were conducted over one year along four road sections with different traffic volumes. Survival analysis was then used to i) describe carcass persistence timings for overall and for specific animal groups; ii) assess optimal sampling designs according to research objectives; and iii) model the influence of road, animal and weather factors on carcass persistence probabilities. Most animal carcasses persisted on the road for the first day only, with some groups disappearing at very high rates. The advisable periodicity of road monitoring that minimizes bias in road mortality estimates is daily monitoring for bats (in the morning) and lizards (in the afternoon), daily monitoring for toads, small birds, small mammals, snakes, salamanders, and lagomorphs; 1 day-interval (alternate days) for large birds, birds of prey, hedgehogs, and freshwater turtles; and 2 day-interval for carnivores. Multiple factors influenced the persistence probabilities of vertebrate carcasses on the road. Overall, the persistence was much lower for small animals, on roads with lower traffic volumes, for carcasses located on road lanes, and during humid conditions and high temperatures during the wet season and dry seasons, respectively.
The guidance given here on monitoring frequencies is particularly relevant to provide conservation and transportation agencies with accurate numbers of road-kills, realistic mitigation measures, and detailed designs for road monitoring programs.
Grape pomace and grapeseed are agro-industrial by-products, whose inadequate treatment generates socioeconomic and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, it is possible to valorize them by extracting ...their bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants (phenolic compounds), vitamin E and fatty acids. The bioactive compounds were extracted using solid-liquid extraction. The yields for phenolic compounds were 18.4 ± 0.4% for grape pomace, and 17.4 ± 0.4%, for grapeseed. For the oil, the yields were 13.3 ± 0.2% and 14.5 ± 0.3% for grape pomace and grapeseed. Antioxidant capacity was assessed by the assay with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and showed that phenolic extract has higher antioxidant capacity than the oils. Grape pomace and grapeseed extracts exhibit, correspondingly, values of 90.8 ± 0.8 and 87.5 ± 0.5 of DPPH inhibition and IC
of 48.9 ± 0.5 and 55.9 ± 0.7 μg
·mL
. The antimicrobial capacity was assessed by the disk diffusion test, and revealed that, phenolic extracts inhibit the growth of
and
. The obtained extracts were incorporated in 10 face cream formulations, with slight modifications in quantities of formulation stabilizers. Their stability was studied for 35 days, and this revealed the possibility of incorporating extracts and oils obtained from by-products as antioxidants in cosmetics, and replacing synthetic ones. As a future recommendation, microencapsulation of the extracts should be performed, in order to increase their stability.
Carcass persistence time and detectability are two main sources of uncertainty on roadkill surveys. In this study, we evaluate the influence of these uncertainties on roadkill surveys and estimates. ...To estimate carcass persistence time, three observers (including the driver) surveyed 114km by car on a monthly basis for two years, searching for wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). Each survey consisted of five consecutive days. To estimate carcass detectability, we randomly selected stretches of 500m to be also surveyed on foot by two other observers (total 292 walked stretches, 146 km walked). We expected that body size of the carcass, road type, presence of scavengers and weather conditions to be the main drivers influencing the carcass persistence times, but their relative importance was unknown. We also expected detectability to be highly dependent on body size. Overall, we recorded low median persistence times (one day) and low detectability (<10%) for all vertebrates. The results indicate that body size and landscape cover (as a surrogate of scavengers' presence) are the major drivers of carcass persistence. Detectability was lower for animals with body mass less than 100g when compared to carcass with higher body mass. We estimated that our recorded mortality rates underestimated actual values of mortality by 2-10 fold. Although persistence times were similar to previous studies, the detectability rates here described are very different from previous studies. The results suggest that detectability is the main source of bias across WVC studies. Therefore, more than persistence times, studies should carefully account for differing detectability when comparing WVC studies.
The cosmetic industry has been focusing on replacing synthetic ingredients with natural ones, taking advantage of their bioactive compounds. This work assessed the biological properties of onion peel ...(OP) and passion fruit peel (PFP) extracts in topical formulations as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants and UV filters. The extracts were characterized regarding their antioxidant capacity, antibacterial capacity and sun protection factor (SPF) value. Results revealed that the OP extract exhibited better results, which can result from the high concentrations of quercetin, as identified and quantified in HPLC analysis. Afterward, nine formulations of O/W creams were produced with minor changes in the quantity of additives: OP and PFP extract (natural antioxidants and UV filters), BHT (synthetic antioxidant) and oxybenzone (synthetic UV filter). The stability of the formulations was determined for 28 days; it was verified that they remained stable throughout the study period. The assays of the formulations' antioxidant capacity and SPF value revealed that OP and PFP extracts have some photoprotective properties and are excellent sources of antioxidants. As a result, they can be incorporated in daily moisturizers with SPF and sunscreens replacing and/or diminishing the quantities of synthetic ingredients, reducing their negative effects on human health and the environment.
Despite its importance for reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, there is still incomplete understanding of factors responsible for high road mortality. In particular, few empirical studies examined ...the idea that spatial variation in roadkills is influenced by a complex interplay between road-related factors, and species-specific habitat quality and landscape connectivity.
In this study we addressed this issue, using a 7-year dataset of tawny owl (Strix aluco) roadkills recorded along 37 km of road in southern Portugal. We used a multi-species roadkill index as a surrogate of intrinsic road risk, and we used a Maxent distribution model to estimate habitat suitability. Landscape connectivity was estimated from least-cost paths between tawny owl territories, using habitat suitability as a resistance surface. We defined 10 alternative scenarios to compute connectivity, based on variation in potential movement patterns according to territory quality and dispersal distance thresholds. Hierarchical partitioning of a regression model indicated that independent variation in tawny owl roadkills was explained primarily by the roadkill index (70.5%) and, to a much lesser extent, by landscape connectivity (26.2%), while habitat suitability had minor effects (3.3%). Analysis of connectivity scenarios suggested that owl roadkills were primarily related to short range movements (<5 km) between high quality territories. Tawny owl roadkills were spatially autocorrelated, but the introduction of spatial filters in the regression model did not change the type and relative contribution of environmental variables.
Overall, results suggest that road-related factors may have a dominant influence on roadkill patterns, particularly in areas like ours where habitat quality and landscape connectivity are globally high for the study species. Nevertheless, the study supported the view that functional connectivity should be incorporated whenever possible in roadkill models, as it may greatly increase their power to predict the location of roadkill hotspots.
The avocado peel is an agro-industrial by-product that has exhibited a massive increase in its production in the last few years. The reuse and valorisation of this by-product are essential since its ...disposal raises environmental concerns. In the present study, ethanolic extracts of avocado peels of the Hass variety were obtained, for three extraction times (1.5 h, 3 h and 4 h) and analysed for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Antioxidant evaluations of the extracts revealed that the extraction time of 1.5 h exhibited the best results amongst the three, with a DPPH inhibition percentage of 93.92 ± 1.29 and an IC
percentage, the necessary concentration of the extract to inhibit 50% of DPPH, of 37.30 ± 1.00. The antibacterial capacity of the extracts was evaluated and it was revealed that they were able to inhibit the growth and development of bacteria of the
family. The obtained extract was incorporated in two types of cosmetic formulations (oil-in-water and water-in-oil) and their stability was evaluated and compared with formulations containing synthetic preservatives (BHT and phenoxyethanol). The results of the stability evaluation suggest that the avocado peel extract has the potential to be incorporated in both types of emulsions, acting as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent, proving it to be a viable option to reduce/replace the use of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, the avocado peel extract proved to be more effective and stable in oil-in-water emulsions. These results highlight the possibility of obtaining sustainable cosmetics, significantly reducing the negative impacts on the environment by the incorporation of extracts sourced from the avocado peel, an interesting source of phenolic compounds, an abundant and low-cost by-product.
Roads represent one of the main sources of wildlife mortality, population decline, and isolation, especially for low-vagility animal groups. It is still not clearly understood how wildlife ...populations respond to these negative effects over space and time. Most studies on wildlife road mortality do not consider the spatial and temporal components simultaneously, or the imperfect roadkill detection, both of which could lead to inaccurate assumptions and unreliable mitigation actions. In this study, we applied a multi-season occupancy model to a 14-year amphibian mortality dataset collected along 120 km of roads, combined with freely available landscape and remote sensing metrics, to identify the spatiotemporal patterns of amphibian roadkill in a Mediterranean landscape in Southern Portugal. Our models showed an explicit general decrease in amphibian roadkill. The Iberian painted frog (Discoglossus galganoi) experienced roadkill declines over time of ∼70 %, while the spiny common toad (Bufo spinosus) and the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) had a loss of nearly 50 %, and the Southern marbled newt (Triturus pygmaeus) had 40 %. Despite the decreasing trend in roadkill, spatial patterns seem to be rather stable from year to year.
Multi-season occupancy models, when combined with relevant landscape and remote sensing predictors, as well as long-term monitoring data, can describe dynamic changes in roadkill over space and time. These patterns are valuable tools for understanding roadkill patterns and drivers in Mediterranean landscapes, enabling the differentiation of road sections with varying roadkill over time. Ultimately, this information may contribute to the development of effective conservation measures.
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•Amphibians are currently the most road-killed vertebrate group.•We studied spatiotemporal patterns of roadkill in a Mediterranean landscape.•We applied multi-season occupancy models to 14-year mortality data.•Roadkill trends decreased in the study area in all analysed species.•Assessment of amphibian populations living near roads is urgently required.
The growing concern regarding the adverse effects of synthetic UV filters found in sunscreens has spurred significant attention due to their potential harm to aquatic ecosystems and human health. To ...address this, the present study aimed to extract and microencapsulate sensitive bioactive compounds derived from by-product onion peel (OP) by molecular inclusion using β-cyclodextrin as the wall material. Identification and quantification of bioactive compounds within the extract were conducted through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD) analysis, revealing quercetin and resveratrol as the primary constituents. The photoprotection capacity, evaluated by the sun protection factor (SPF), revealed a protection factor comparable to the value for a synthetic UV filter. The produced microparticles presented high antioxidant capacity, significant photoprotection capacity, encapsulation efficiency of 91.8%, mean diameter of 31 μm, and polydispersity of 2.09. Furthermore, to comprehensively evaluate the performance of OP extract and its potential as a natural UV filter, five O/W emulsions were produced. Results demonstrated that microparticles displayed superior ability in maintaining SPF values over a five-week period. Photoprotection evaluation–skin reactivity tests revealed that both extract and microparticles absorb UV radiation in other regions of UV radiation, revealing their potential to be used as a natural UV filter to produce a sustainable and eco-friendly value-added sunscreen.
Abstract Practitioners are recognized as one of the key components that make parenting interventions meaningful and helpful to families, and the impact of practitioners' skills on the outcomes of ...parenting interventions has been consistently recognized in research. However, the mechanisms and ongoing processes through which the practitioners' actions and skills may impact parental engagement and other outcomes remain unknown. This qualitative study explored parents' perceptions about the processes through which specific practitioners' skills contribute to the outcomes of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Program (IYPP). Twenty‐four Portuguese parents who had completed the IYPP were interviewed in four focus groups, and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Practitioners' skills were perceived by parents as having an impact on their engagement in the program, their process of change, and their interpersonal relationships. Practitioners were perceived to demonstrate their influence in the intervention process through six different roles: the roles of a confidant, a positive coach, a partner, a maestro, a tailor, and a congruent person. This study reinforces the prominent role of practitioners in enabling parental outcomes of an evidence‐based parenting program and suggests that more attention should be paid to continuing supervision and other professional development processes.
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