Effects of commercial formulations of glyphosate on marine crustaceans and implications for risk assessment under temperature changes.

Abstract Glyphosate-based formulations are the most commonly used herbicides worldwide with the risk of potential contamination of aquatic bodies. The present study assessed the response of four marine crustaceans to three different brands of herbicides Roundup®Platinum, Efesto® and Taifun® MK CL.T, under two selected temperatures of 20 °C and 30 °C. The harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus fulvus, the anostracan Artemia franciscana, the amphipod Corophium insidiosum and the isopod Sphaeroma serratum were chosen as testing organisms. Effects of herbicides and temperatures were assessed by estimating lethal concentrations. The results showed that the high temperature rises the toxicity of glyphosate with an increase of mortality of all the tested species. This is an important aspect for future risk assessments of pesticides under global climate change scenarios. Efesto® resulted the most toxic brand, showing C. insidiosum the most sensitive with 96 h-LC50 values of 3.25 mg/L acid equivalent (a.e.) at 30 °C and 7.94 mg/L a.e. at 20 °C followed by T. fulvus while A. franciscana and S. serratum were the less sensitive. This study provides important information for assessing the toxic effects of three different brands of glyphosate-based herbicides on non-target marine organisms suggesting that they should be carefully managed to minimize any negative impact on marine organisms

Multi-endpoint effects of derelict tubular mussel plastic nets on Tigriopus fulvus

Microplastic debris from direct and indirect human activities is considered a major threat to the marine biodiversity mainly due to its abundance, durability, persistence, and ability to accumulate contaminants from the environment. Derelict tubular plastic nets of various colours (blue (BN), yellow (YN), green (GN), pink (PN), and white (WN) net), used to distinguish mussel farming owners, were collected by scuba-dive from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea). All nets were made of polypropylene. Investigations looked for potential acute (mortality) and sub-chronic (mortality, larval development and moult release number, and adult percentage after 5–9 days) effects on Tigriopus fulvus nauplii considering both whole plastics (microplastic (MP), 50 mg/L) and leachates (12.5–100%). Acute test determined a median lethal concentration (LC50) only for BN for both MPs (107 mg/L) and leachates (50.1%). The prolonged exposure (5 days) to microplastics did not affect the T. fulvus survival. After 9 days, YN and BN decreased of approximately 100% larval development

Individual and combined effects of amoxicillin and carbamazepine to the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus

: Pharmaceuticals can be considered a global threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their pseudo-persistence and their potential toxicity towards non-target species. Amoxicillin (AMX) and carbamazepine (CBZ) and their mixture (1:1) were investigated on the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860) considering both acute and chronic endpoints. While acute and chronic exposure did not directly affect survival, reproductive endpoints were affected like the mean egg hatching time that was significantly longer than the negative control for treatments with AMX (0.789 ± 0.079 μg/L), CBZ (8.88 ± 0.89 μg/L), and AMX and CMZ as a mixture (1.03 ± 0.10 μg/L and 0.941 ± 0.094 μg/L), in that order

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in pediatrics. FASD and the pediatrician

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a complex and malformative condition due to the teratogenic effect of alcohol consumed during pregnancy. Several epidemiological studies have shown that maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation in childhood. The effects of alcohol on the fetus range from abortion to a spectrum of clinical manifestations called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) that includes partial FAS (PFAS), neonatal Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD) and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) up to the most severe disease which is the so-called FAS

Composizione, tessitura ed efficienza delle malte degli acquedotti Romani Cornelio e Figurella

Nell’ambito della conservazione dei beni culturali lo studio delle malte idrauliche a base di calce aerea rappresenta un tema di grande interesse per la complessità e la varietà dei materiali utilizzati e per l’importanza che hanno ri- vestito nella storia delle tecniche costruttive, grazie alle loro elevate prestazioni meccaniche e alla loro durabilità. L’Acquedotto Cornelio di Termini Imerese in Sicilia rappresenta un interes- sante esempio di costruzione idraulica, nella quale queste malte furono utiliz- zate sia per rivestire i condotti con strati impermeabilizzanti sia per conferire resistenza meccanica agli elementi strutturali. Un ulteriore elemento di interesse sta nella sua complessità costruttiva, che si presta ad essere letta attraverso uno studio comparato dei materiali: infatti si sviluppa per oltre dieci chilometri e la ricca documentazione storica disponibile attesta che fu costruito in diverse fasi, anche a causa del malfunzionamento di un sifone. In questo lavoro sono presentati i risultati della caratterizzazione analitica in Diffrattometria dei raggi X (XRD), Analisi Termica Simultanea e Microscopia Ottica dei materiali costitutivi di diverse parti dell’Acquedotto. I risultati di que- ste analisi sono stati incrociati tra loro per ottenere una caratterizzazione com- pleta delle malte, al fi ne di mettere a punto un protocollo di analisi e di archivia- zione dei risultati, che renda agevole lo studio comparato di questi sistemi

Cap. 6 Settore Robotics (in Innovazione e Valore. Automotive, Robotics)

Il saggio inaugura una nuova sezione della Collana di Finanza Aziendale dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza": Trends and Value, dedicata all’osservazione delle nuove tendenze innescate da innovazioni scientifiche, tecnologiche e industriali, capaci di provocare importanti e duraturi cambiamenti nei economici e sociali. Le imprese capaci di produrre innovazioni (nel senso più ampio) dovrebbero godere di vantaggi rispetto ai competitori e quindi – se quotate – essere maggiormente apprezzate dai mercati finanziari. Ci si chiede: quando emerge tale vantaggio competitivo? E’ rilevato prima dai risultati aziendali o dalle quotazioni dei titoli azionari delle società? Quanto dura il suo beneficio e quanto è difendibile? Il programma di ricerca, che qui si presenta con i suoi primi risultati, tenta di rispondere a tali domande indagando il tema, piuttosto ampio, delle relazioni tra innovazioni e valore delle imprese. Dalle analisi empiriche ci si attende che i gruppi societari leader nei rispettivi settori, che in molti casi sono anche gli agenti dell’innovazione, risultino anche i maggiori beneficiari – in termini di vantaggio competitivo e di prospettive di sviluppo – dei cambiamenti, rispetto altre imprese che si limitano a seguire tali orientamenti. I primi risultati relativi ai settori Automotive e Robotics non confermano sempre questa aspettativa.This essay opens a new section of the series of Corporate Finance of the "Sapienza" University of Rome, named "Trends and Value" and dedicated to the observation of new trends triggered by innovations in science, technology and industry, which cause significant and lasting changes in economy and society. Companies able to producing innovations should take advantages over competitors and then - if listed - be evaluated by the financial markets. But, the questions are: when emerges that competitive advantage? Is this advantage detectable before by the firm's performances or by the share prices of the firm? How long are its benefits and how is defensible? The research program, presented here, with its first results, try to answer these questions by investigating the relationship between innovation and firm’s value creation. The expectation of the empirical analysis is that the leaders in their respective sectors, which in many cases are also agents of innovation, prove also the biggest b

CHARACTERIZATION OF MORTARS FROM ANCIENT AND TRADITIONAL WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS IN SICILY

Long aged mortars from ancient hydraulic constructions of Sicily, i.e. the Roman aqueduct of Thermae and the Punic cisterns and traditional water supply systems in Pantelleria, have been characterised by means of XRD analysis, optical microscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis to correlate the hydraulic properties to the texture and to their different role in the construction, i.e. lining, covering, roofing and joint mortars. According to a procedure proposed in the literature all of the samples, but two air hardening ones, show high hydraulicity, which somehow can be related to the characteristics of aggregates