1,721,010 research outputs found
Environmental pollution from plasticiser compounds: Do we know enough about atmospheric levels and their contribution to human exposure in Europe?
No full textThe information available for the levels of plasticizers in urban air for the European region was reviewed. Wide variability in phthalates and BPA concentrations between differently urbanised areas emerged, due to the influence of vehicular traffic, waste management practices and presence of buildings, from which plasticizers are emitted. The ambient air levels measured have not shown a significant influence on human exposure, confirming that other pathways play a fundamental role. Anyway, given their toxicity, it would be important to intensify measurements campaigns, at least for DEHP and BPA, to monitor and improve air quality, and, finally, limit the health risks deriving from the exposure to a mixture of air toxic molecules
PBDEs and PCBs in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems of the Victoria Land, Antarctica
No full textThe Victoria Land (East Antarctica) is characterized by the presence of lakes and ponds where rare water is found during the Summer months. These freshwater ecosystems are an important resource for migrating seabirds that use them and leave there their droppings and feathers, contributing to enrich the water with organic matter.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are long-range transported to polar regions and their detection in the Antarctic ecosystems date back to the 1960s. Most studies have been related to POP concentrations in marine environment, and terrestrial ecosystems have been poorly investigated. This study reports the concentration of PBDEs (23 congeners) and PCBs (21 among non-, mono-, di-, and ortho congeners) in lake sediment, soil and vegetation mat (community of algae, cyanobacteria, bryophites) collected close to six lakes in the Victoria Land (74°31′S-74°97′S, 165°07′E-162°51′E): Edmonson Point 14 and 15A, Carezza, Enigma, Tarn Flat 20, Inexpressible Island 10B.
The ∑PBDEs averaged 0.09–0.28 ng/g and BDEs 28, 47 and 154 were higher in mat and soils, while BDEs 183 and 47 in sediment samples. PCBs ranged <0.003–0.807 ng/g and congeners nos. 114, 138, and 187 were the most abundant. In addition, TEQs were derived for the non-and mono-ortho PCBs detected and values were very low in each matrix (0.010 pg/g in the soil, 0.012 pg/g in sediment and mat). The long-range atmospheric transport can be confirmed as the most important POP source in Antarctica, although the scientific stations and seabird colonies may be potential local sources and contribute to contaminant release
Have the iceberg B15 affected the POPs bioaccumulation in the Ross Sea? The case of Trematomus bernacchii
No full textThe T. bernacchii is a Antarctic fish with a widespread distribution and high abundance in near-shore seawaters; thus it is considered a good bio-indicator for contamination study, assessment of changes in Antarctic ecosystem quality (1), and temporal trend evaluation.
In this study, levels of various POPs were evaluated in Trematomus bernacchii. POP concentrations determined in different years (data from the literature) were analyzed in order to investigate their concentration trends and the possible influence of iceberg melting
Knowledge about microplastic in Mediterranean tributary river ecosystems: lack of data and research needs on such a crucial marine pollution source
Full text linkPCBs and PBDEs in soil, sediment and moss community from ponds across Victoria Land, Antarctica
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Persistent Pollutants in Arctic and Antarctic Krill and in Commercial Krill Oil
No full textKrill are considered key-species of marine ecosystems of the Polar Regions, being main food source for fish, marine mammals and birds in the Southern Ocean and in Arctic seawaters. Through ingestion, persistent organic pollutants accumulated in their body could be transferred to their predators due to biomagnification process and may cause effects in the entire trophic web. We studied krill from the Arctic and Antarctic seawaters in order to assess the toxic risk for their predators. Recently, the krill oil has been used in commercial preparation of pills for supplying unsaturated fatty acids, hence including humans in the list of krill predators. In order to assess the contaminant level and toxic risk for predators, the presence of some persistent organic pollutants was determined by gaschromatography-mass spectrometry in Antarctic and Arctic krill samples and commercial pills. The sum of 4 congeners of mono- and 8 congeners of non-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls was < 0.001-0.471 and < 0.001-0.499 ng/g wet wt in the Antarctic and Arctic krill,
respectively. HCHs and DDTs were more abundant in the Arctic krill (0.856±0.315 ng/g wet wt) while the sum of 23 congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ether predominated in the Antarctic krill (0.121±0.074 ng/g wet wt), with BDE47 making up most of the residue. The same contaminants were detected in the krill oil pills; the assessed TDI was below the limit suggested by the World Health Organization
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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