Using remote sensing data within an optimal spatiotemporal model for invasive plant management: the case of Ailanthus altissima in the Alta Murgia National Park.

We tackle the problem of coupling a spatiotemporal model for simulating the spread and control of an invasive alien species with data coming from image processing and expert knowledge. In this study, we implement a spatially explicit optimal control model based on a reaction-diffusion equation which includes an Holling II type functional response term for modeling the density control rate. The model takes into account the budget constraint related to the control program and searches for the optimal effort allocation for the minimization of the invasive alien species density.

Characteristics of Commercial and Raw Pellets Available on the Italian Market: Study of Organic and Inorganic Fraction and Related Chemometric Approach.

Air pollution and the increasing production of greenhouse gases has prompted greater use of renewable energy sources; the EU has set a target that the use of green energy should be at 32 percent by 2030. With this in mind, in the last 10 years, the demand for pellets in Italy has more than doubled, making Italy the second largest consumer in Europe. The quality of the pellets burned in stoves is crucial to indoor and outdoor pollution.

Laboratory and on-road testing for brake wear particle emissions: a review.

Brake wear emission is a significant contributor to vehicle-related particulate matter, especially in areas with high traffic density and braking frequency. Only recently, non-exhaust emissions from car brake wear have been regulated under Euro 7 regulation, which introduces emission limits for both brake and tires. It also introduces a standard brake particle assessment procedure which includes sampling procedure and measurement techniques defined in the Global Technical Regulation on brakes from light-duty vehicles up to 3.

In-vivo exposure of a plant model organism for the assessment of the ability of PM samples to induce oxidative stress.

This study aims to propose an innovative, simple, rapid, and cost-effective method to study oxidative stress induced by PM through in-vivo exposure of the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. A. thaliana seedlings were exposed to urban dust certified for its elemental content and to PM samples collected in an urban-industrial area of Northern Italy.

Effects of Oscillation Amplitude Variations on QCM Response to Microspheres of Different Sizes.

Suspended particulate matter (PMx) is one of the most important environmental pollutants. Miniaturized sensors capable of measuring and analyzing PMx are crucial in environmental research fields. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is one of the most well-known sensors that could be used to monitor PMx.

Triazine Herbicide and NPK Fertilizer Exposure: Accumulation of Heavy Metals and Rare Earth Elements, Effects on Cuticle Melanization, and Immunocompetence in the Model Species .

The increasing use of agrochemicals, including fertilizers and herbicides, has led to worrying metal contamination of soils and waters and raises serious questions about the effects of their transfer to different levels of the trophic web. Accumulation and biomagnification of essential (K, Na, Mg, Zn, Ca), nonessential (Sr, Hg, Rb, Ba, Se, Cd, Cr, Pb, As), and rare earth elements (REEs) were investigated in newly emerged adults of exposed to field-admitted concentrations of a metribuzin-based herbicide and an NPK blend fertilizer. Chemical analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) supported by unsupervised pattern recognition techniques.

Occurrence of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in wastewater treatment plants in Northern Italy.

Wastewater treatment plants are known to be relevant input sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the aquatic environment. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence, fate, and seasonal variability of twenty-five PFAS in four municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP A, B, C, and D) surrounding the city of Milan (Northern, Italy). Composite 24-h wastewater samples were collected in July and October 2021 and May and February 2022 from influents and effluents of the four WWTPs.

A multi-analytical approach to studying the chemical composition of typical carbon sink samples.

Peatlands in southern South America (Tierra del Fuego region, TdF) play a key role in the ecological dynamics of Patagonia. It is, therefore, necessary to increase our knowledge and awareness of their scientific and ecological value to ensure their conservation. This study aimed to assess the differences in the distribution and accumulation of elements in peat deposits and Sphagnum moss from the TdF.

Particle and gas phase sampling of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs by activated carbon fiber and GC/MS analysis.

Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are semi-volatile compounds and can be partitioned in the atmosphere between the gas and particulate phase, due to their physicochemical properties. For this reason, the reference standard methods for air sampling include a quartz fiber filter (QFF) for the particulate and a polyurethane foam (PUF) cartridge for the vapor phase, and it is the classical and most popular sampling method in the air. Despite the presence of the two adsorbing media, this method cannot be used for the study of the gas-particulate distribution, but only for a total quantification.

Small but irreplaceable: The conservation value of landscape remnants for urban plant diversity.

The widespread decline of biodiversity due to increasing urban development raises the need to timely identify areas most relevant to the conservation of native species, particularly within cities where natural areas are extremely limited. Here, we assess the multiple role of local geomorphological features in shaping patterns and dynamics of plant diversity, with the aim of identifying conservation values and priorities in an urbanised area of Southern Italy. Based on recent and historical lists of vascular plants, we compared the floristic composition of different portions of the area by considering species' conservation value, ecological and biogeographical traits.

Satellite monitoring of bio-fertilizer restoration in olive groves affected by Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp), has attacked the olive trees in Southern Italy with severe impacts on the olive agro-ecosystem. To reduce both the Xfp cell concentration and the disease symptom, a bio-fertilizer restoration technique has been used.

Seven-year monitoring of mercury in wet precipitation and atmosphere at the Amsterdam Island GMOS station.

Mercury (Hg) fate and transport research requires more effort to obtain a deep knowledge of its biogeochemical cycle, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere and Tropics that are still missing of distributed monitoring sites. Continuous monitoring of atmospheric Hg concentrations and trend worldwide is relevant for the effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM) actions. In this context, Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM) and total mercury (THg) in precipitations were monitored from 2013 to 2019 at the Amsterdam Island Observatory (AMS - 37°48'S, 77°34'E) to provide insights into the Hg pathway in the remote southern Indian Ocean, also considering ancillary dataset of Rn-222, CO, CO, and CH.

The Presence of Ultra-Traces of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Heavy Metals in Some Areas of Molise: The Importance of a "Blank" in Public Health Studies.

The emission of chemicals into the environment has increased in a not negligible way as a result of the phenomenon of globalization and industrialization, potentially also affecting areas always considered as "uncontaminated". In this paper, five "uncontaminated" areas were analyzed in terms of the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs), comparing them with an "environmental blank". Chemical analyses were carried out using standardized protocols.

Comparison of thermal alkaline pretreatment and zinc acetate-catalyzed methanolysis (MtOH-ZnOAc) for anaerobic digestion of bioplastic waste.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of thermal alkaline pretreatment and zinc acetate-catalyzed methanolysis (MtOH-ZnOAc) in biogas production from bioplastic in anaerobic digestion. The pretreated bioplastic with MtOH-ZnOAc performs efficient solubilization and produced 205.7 ± 6.

Local dimensionality and inverse persistence analysis of atmospheric turbulence in the stable boundary layer.

The dynamics across different scales in the stable atmospheric boundary layer has been investigated by means of two metrics, based on instantaneous fractal dimensions and grounded in dynamical systems theory. The wind velocity fluctuations obtained from data collected during the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study-1999 experiment were analyzed to provide a local (in terms of scales) and an instantaneous (in terms of time) description of the fractal properties and predictability of the system. By analyzing the phase-space projections of the continuous turbulent, intermittent, and radiative regimes, a progressive transformation, characterized by the emergence of multiple low-dimensional clusters embedded in a high-dimensional shell and a two-lobe mirror symmetrical structure of the inverse persistence, have been found.

PM elemental composition in indoor residential environments and co-exposure effects on respiratory health in an industrial area.

This study aimed to identify and characterise indoor sources of particulate matter (PM) in domestic environments. 74 inhabited apartments located in the urban area of Gela (Sicily, Italy), close to a refinery, and in three villages of the hinterland were evaluated, in real-world conditions, for the elemental composition of PM. The samples were collected simultaneously inside and outside each apartment for 48 h.

Characterization of Thermal Gradient Effects on a Quartz Crystal Microbalance.

Quartz crystal microbalances are widely used sensors with applications for the detection of very-low-mass deposition in many different fields, from contamination monitoring in the high vacuum of deep space missions to the monitoring of biological activity or pollution using specifically designed active substrates. These sensors are very stable over time; nevertheless, their sensitivity to the temperature is well known, and different implementations have been devised to correct it, e.g.

Extractable denuders for selective sampling of vapour phase organics in the atmosphere.

Extractable denuders were designed to collect trace atmospheric semivolatile organic compounds with high volume (38.30 and 200 L/ min) samplers. Denuders were made of multichannel ceramic support coated with sodium silicate and functionalised with phenyl moieties.

Activated Porous Carbon Fiber: New Adsorbent for Sampling and Analysis by Thermal Desorption of Siloxanes in Biogas and Biomethane.

The growing global energy demand requires the continuous development and optimization of the production of alternative energy sources. According to the circular economy approach, waste conversion into biogas and biomethane represent an interesting energy source. The input into the distribution network and energy conversion systems of biomethane requires quality monitoring and the use of cleaning up systems.

n-Alkanes and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Deposition Dust and PM of Interiors in Touggourt Region, Algeria.

The occurrence of pollutants in environment displays its maximum impact on human health and on the global "quality" of life in the places where humans spend most of their time, i.e., indoors.

Innovative experimental approach for spatial mapping of source-specific risk contributions of potentially toxic trace elements in PM.

Exposure to potentially toxic trace elements (PTTEs) in inhalable particulate matter (PM) is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiorespiratory diseases. Therefore, in multi-source polluted urban contexts, a spatially-resolved evaluation of health risks associated with exposure to PTTEs in PM is essential to identify critical risk areas. In this study, a very-low volume device for high spatial resolution sampling and analysis of PM was employed in Terni (Central Italy) in a wide and dense network (23 sampling sites, about 1 km between each other) during a 15-month monitoring campaign.

Molecular signatures of organic particulates as tracers of emission sources.

Chemical signature of airborne particulates and deposition dusts is subject of study since decades. Usually, three complementary composition markers are investigated, namely, (i) specific organic compounds; (ii) concentration ratios between congeners, and (iii) percent distributions of homologs. Due to its intrinsic limits (e.

"For Asia Market Only": A Green Tattoo Ink between Safety and Regulations.

Due to the increasing tattoo practicing in Eastern countries and general concern on tattoo ink composition and safety, the green tattoo inks Green Concentrate by Eternal, for European and "for Asia Market Only" were analyzed, under the premise that only the former falls under a composition regulation. A separation of the additives from the pigment was carried out by successive extraction in solvents of different polarities, i.e.

Clean Style Recovery and Utilization of Residual Nutrients in Effluents From Biohydrogen Production: Immobilization Based on Sodium Alginate.

Clean- and high-value recovery and reuse of the residue of biohydrogen production (biohydrogen slurry) is an urgent problem to be solved. In this study, sodium alginate (SA) gel was used to concentrate nutrients quickly from biohydrogen slurry, which was prepared into gel microspheres (GMs), just like "capsule." The immobilization and release efficiency of conventional and reverse spherification were investigated.

ROADS-Rover for Bituminous Pavement Distress Survey: An Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Prototype for Pavement Distress Evaluation.

Maintenance has a major impact on the financial plan of road managers. To ameliorate road conditions and reduce safety constraints, distress evaluation methods should be efficient and should avoid being time consuming. That is why road cadastral catalogs should be updated periodically, and interventions should be provided for specific management plans.