Contamination Profiles of Selected Pollutants in Non-Edible Portions Highlight Their Potential Exploitation Applications.

Properly managing aquatic organisms is crucial, including protecting endemic species and controlling invasive species. From a circular economy perspective, the sustainable use of aquatic species as a source of bioactive molecules is an area that is increasingly being explored. This includes the use of non-edible portions of seafood, which could pose considerable risks to the environment due to current methods of disposal.

Trace element levels in the muscles of three tern species (Aves: Laridae) from the western Arabian Gulf: environmental assessment and implications for conservation.

In the Arabian Gulf (called also Persian Gulf; hereafter 'the Gulf'), Jana and Karan Islands are recognized as one of the most Important Bird Areas in the region. Many migratory breeding seabirds, like the Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii, White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa and Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus, depend on these islands during the breeding season. However, these aquatic wildlife species are suffering from intensified urban and industrial coastal development and various contamination events including wars and related oil spills.

Environmental RNA outperforms eDNA metabarcoding in assessing impact of marine pollution: A chromium-spiked mesocosm test.

Environmental (e)DNA metabarcoding holds great promise for biomonitoring and ecotoxicological applications. However, few studies have compared the performance of eDNA versus eRNA metabarcoding in assessing organismal response to marine pollution, in experimental conditions. Here, we performed a chromium (Cr)-spiked mesocosm experimental test on benthic foraminiferal community to investigate the effects on species diversity by analysing both eDNA and eRNA metabarcoding data across different Cr concentrations in the sediment.

The response of cultured meiofaunal and benthic foraminiferal communities to lead exposure: Results from mesocosm experiments.

Lead (Pb) is regarded as a highly toxic element that poses a serious threat to biota. A mesocosm experiment was performed to assess the influence of Pb on meiofaunal (metazoans within 45-500 μm) and benthic foraminiferal (protozoan) communities. To this end, sediments bearing such communities were incubated in mesocosms, exposed to different levels of Pb in seawater, and monitored for up to 8 wk.

Assessing the effect of mercury pollution on cultured benthic foraminifera community using morphological and eDNA metabarcoding approaches.

Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic element for living organisms and is known to bioaccumulate and biomagnify. Here, we analyze the response of benthic foraminifera communities cultured in mesocosm and exposed to different concentrations of Hg. Standard morphological analyses and environmental DNA metabarcoding show evidence that Hg pollution has detrimental effects on benthic foraminifera.

Reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Sicilian saltmarsh (Italy).

The present study deals with the reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) by combining different analytical approaches such as metal content evaluation, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, and benthic foraminifera identification. A 41 cm core was collected in the sediments of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) at a water depth of about 50 cm. Different time intervals were recognized, each characterized by peculiar features that testify different environmental conditions.

Dynamics of pistachio oils by proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation dispersion.

A number of pistachio oils were selected in order to test the efficacy of nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation dispersion (NMRD) technique in the evaluation of differences among oils (1) obtained from seeds subjected to different thermal desiccation processes, (2) retrieved from seeds belonging to the same cultivar grown in different geographical areas and (3) produced by using seed cultivars sampled in the same geographical region. NMRD measures relaxation rate values which are related to the dynamics of the chemical components of complex food systems. Results not only allowed to relate kinematic viscosity to relaxometry parameters but also were successful in the differentiation among the aforementioned oils.

Dissolution mechanism of crystalline cellulose in H3PO4 as assessed by high-field NMR spectroscopy and fast field cycling NMR relaxometry.

Many processes have been proposed to produce glucose as a substrate for bacterial fermentation to obtain bioethanol. Among others, cellulose degradation appears as the most convenient way to achieve reliable amounts of glucose units. In fact, cellulose is the most widespread biopolymer, and it is considered also as a renewable resource.

Preliminary 1H NMR study on archaeological waterlogged wood.

Magnetic Resonance Relaxation (MRR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are powerful tools to obtain detailed information on the pore space structure that one is unlikely to obtain in other ways. These techniques are particularly suitable for Cultural Heritage materials, because they use water 1H nuclei as a probe. Interaction with water is one of the main causes of deterioration of materials.