Ecotoxicity of marine sediments: Sampling and laboratory artifacts and their impacts on risk classification

Assessing the ecotoxicological risk of marine sediments is now a critical factor in deciding how to treat dredged material in harbor and coastal areas. Although ecotoxicological analyses are routinely required by some regu-latory agencies in Europe, laboratory skills necessary to perform them are often underestimated. According to the Italian Ministerial decree No. 173/2016, ecotoxicological tests are performed on the solid phase and elutriates, and the classification of sediment quality is defined using the "Weight of Evidence" (WOE) approach. However, the decree does not provide adequate information regarding the preparation techniques and laboratory skills. As result, a wide variability among laboratories occurs. An error in the classification of ecotoxicological risk has a negative impact on the whole environmental quality and/or the economy and management of the interested area. Thus, the main aim of this study was to determine if such variability can affect the ecotoxicological out-comes of tested species and WOE associated classification, producing different options for the management of dredged sediments. Four different sediment types were selected to assess the ecotoxicological responses and their changes as a function of variability of the following factors: a) the storage time laps (STL) for both the solid phase and the elutriates; b) the methods used to prepare the elutriates (centrifugation vs. filtration), and the conser-vation method used for the elutriates (freshly prepared vs. freezing). Results suggest a wide variability of eco-toxicological responses among the four sediment samples here considered, differentiated according to chemical pollution, grain-size texture, and macronutrient contents. The storage time laps significantly affect the physi-cochemical parameters and the ecotoxicity of both the solid phase test and elutriates. For the elutriates prepa-ration, centrifugation is preferred to filtration to preserve a better representation of sediment heterogeneity. Freezing of elutriates does not seem to show any significant effects on the toxicity. Findings allow to define a weighted schedule of the storage time of sediments and elutriates useful for laboratories to scale analytical priority and strategies related to different sediment types

Ecotoxicological Assessment of "Glitter" Leachates in Aquatic Ecosystems: An Integrated Approach

The most worrisome fraction within plastic pollution is that of microplastics (MP). A category of MP almost completely ignored is that of glitter. The objective of this study is to test the toxicity of nine types of glitter leachate (3 soak times: 3, 90 and 180 days) on model organisms in freshwater (Allivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, Daphnia magna) and saltwater (Allivibrio fischeri, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Paracentrotus lividus). An integrated approach was applied to obtain the percentage of ecotoxicological risk. The results show that (i) photosynthesizing primary producers are the most sensitive trophic level; (ii) algae transitioned from growth inhibition to biostimulation; (iii) D. magna showed higher sensitivity after 48 h compared to 24 h; (iv) A. fischeri responded more strongly in saltwater than in freshwater. The integrated data show a greater risk associated with the marine environment, with the highest risk for glitters that are hexagonal and composed of poly-methyl-methacrylate. Our multivariate analysis shows that the toxicity of plastic leaching is a complex phenomenon that depends on the sensitivity of the species, in some cases on the soaking time and on the medium, and is not clearly linked to the polymer type, the contact area or the colors of the particles

Skeletal muscle myopenia in mice model of bile duct ligation and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cirrhosis

Skeletal muscle myopathy is universal in cirrhotic patients, however, little is known about the main mechanisms involved. The study aims to investigate skeletal muscle morphological, histological, and functional modifications in experimental models of cirrhosis and the principal molecular pathways responsible for skeletal muscle myopathy. Cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration in mice. Control animals (CTR) underwent bile duct exposure or vehicle administration only. At sacrifice, peripheral muscles were dissected and weighed. Contractile properties of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were studied in vitro. Muscle samples were used for histological and molecular analysis. Quadriceps muscle histology revealed a significant reduction in cross-sectional area of muscle and muscle fibers in cirrhotic mice with respect to CTR. Kinetic properties of EDL in both BDL and CCl4 were reduced with respect to CTR; BDL mice also showed a reduction in muscle force and a decrease in the resistance to fatigue. Increase in myostatin expression associated with a decrease in AKT-mTOR expressions was observed in BDL mice, together with an increase in LC3 protein levels. Upregulation of the proinflammatory citochines TNF-a and IL6 and an increased expression of NF-kB and MuRF-1 were observed in CCl4 mice. In conclusion, skeletal muscle myopenia was present in experimental models of BDL and CCl4-induced cirrhosis. Moreover, reduction in protein synthesis and activation of protein degradation were the main mechanisms responsible for myopenia in BDL mice, while activation of ubiquitin-pathway through inflammatory cytokines seems to be the main potential mechanism involved in CCl4 mice

Embedding sustainability in risk management: The impact of environmental, social, and governance ratings on corporate financial risk

This study investigates the effect of corporate social and environmental evaluation on investors’ risk perception to explore the potential market risk for public companies that adopt a sustainable and responsible corporate strategy. We referred to the triple corporate assessment according to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria to check whether ESG factors—meant to direct firms toward social and environmental needs—improve corporate market performance or trigger, among investors, a perception of “window dressing.” In doing so, we tested the impact of corporate social performance—proxied by an ESG assessment—on corporate financial risk using double risk measurement. We conducted a five-year longitudinal study (fiscal years 2014–2018) of 222 companies listed on the Standard & Poor’s index. The empirical findings show higher investor uncertainty regarding corporate sustainability performance, probably due to the misalignment of objectives between investors and investees. Indeed, an overall ESG assessment corresponds to higher systematic risk for firms, and a corporate environmental rating has an upward effect on the same risk dimension

Social Participation and Independent Mobility in Children: The Effects of Two Implementations of "We Go to School Alone"

The aim of this research was to determine the outcomes of the \u27\u27We go to school alone\u27\u27 program in two Districts of Rome through a longitudinal study involving 392 children (mean age?8.37 years) and 270 parents. The outcomes of the program in the two Districts were very different. Only one resulted in an increase in children\u27s autonomous mobility on the home-school journey, a reduction in the number of times a child was taken to school by car, and, even more important, in an increase in the general level of children\u27s independent mobility in their neighborhood. The findings are discussed in terms of a process evaluation that enabled us to understand the differing results

An Audience-Centric Approach for Museums Sustainability

therefore, in order to become sustainable, museums should pay attention to audience and its internal diversity. In this way, a cultural site can plan tailored strategies to increase the number of visits and re-visits and to achieve community support. For this reason it is necessary to understand the cultural needs of visitors, acquiring appropriate monitoring tools, such as qualitative and quantitative ones. Generally, quantitative analyses are more reliable and complete, even if they require a considerable number of observations for the reliability of the results. Moreover, qualitative analysis provides more in depth information, even if their data do not allow us to make generalizations. The qualitative and quantitative methods for the detection of satisfaction are usually used separately, but their integration may bring significant added value in terms of the wealth of information. This study follows the analysis of the potential of the integration of qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques customized with respect to different types of targets. The results of the experimentation performed on ethnographic museums shows a consistency of the results obtained by the two different tools that increase the capacity information of survey instruments

The Relation between Collaborative Consumption and Subjective Well-Being: An Analysis of P2P Accommodation

The present paper investigates the relationships between Collaborative Consumption (CC) and well-being. Specifically, the study aims to understand the antecedents of subjective well-being (SWB) in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation services. The research adopts a mixed-method approach by integrating qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (survey) methods with sequential logic. A conceptual model was developed and validated through structural equation modelling (SEM). The model confirms that the SWB, which has three indirect antecedents (the social, environmental and economic dimensions), was positively influenced by the attitude towards P2P accommodation services, and the relation between this construct and SWB emphasizes the originality of the study. This research contributes to the current sharing economy debate, unveiling theoretical advances on the link between collaborative services and well-being

Multiannual assessment of the desert dust impact on air quality in Italy combining PM10 data with physics-based and geostatistical models

Desert dust storms pose real threats to air quality and health of millions of people in source regions, with associated impacts extending to downwind areas. Europe (EU) is frequently affected by atmospheric transport of desert dust from the Northern Africa and Middle East drylands. This investigation aims at quantifying the role of desert dust transport events on air quality (AQ) over Italy, which is among the EU countries most impacted by this phenomenon. We focus on the particulate matter (PM) metrics regulated by the EU AQ Directive. In particular, we use multiannual (2006–2012) PM10 records collected in hundreds monitoring sites within the national AQ network to quantify daily and annual contributions of dust during transport episodes. The methodology followed was built on specific European Commission guidelines released to evaluate the natural contributions to the measured PM-levels, and was partially modified, tested and adapted to the Italian case in a previous study. Overall, we show that impact of dust on the yearly average PM10 has a clear latitudinal gradient (from less than 1 to greater than 10 µg/m3 going from north to south Italy), this feature being mainly driven by an increased number of dust episodes per year with decreasing latitude. Conversely, the daily-average dust-PM10 (≅12 µg/m3) is more homogenous over the country and shown to be mainly influenced by the site type, with enhanced values in more urbanized locations. This study also combines the PM10 measurements-approach with geostatistical modelling. In particular, exploiting the dust-PM10 dataset obtained at site- and daily-resolution over Italy, a geostatistical, random-forest model was set up to derive a daily, spatially-continuous field of desert-dust PM10 at high (1-km) resolution. This finely resolved information represent the basis for a follow up investigation of both acute and chronic health effects of desert dust over Italy, stemming from daily and annual exposures, respectively.This work was performed as an ‘After-LIFE’ activity of the EU LIFE+2010 DIAPASON project (LIFE+10 ENV/IT/391) and is a contributing activity to the COST Action InDust (CA16202) and to the EU ERA4CS project DustClim (Grant n. 690462). We thank the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC, http://www.bsc.es/earth-sciences/mineral-dust-forecast-system/) for maintaining the BSC-DREAM8b daily dust forecasts used in this study. S. Basart acknowledges AXA Research Fund for supporting the long-term mineral dust research at the Earth Sciences Department at BSC. N. Alvan Romero carried out this research during an internship at ISAC-CNR under the supervision of F. Barnaba. Constructive comments by Jorge Pey and two other anonymous Reviewers are also gratefully acknowledged.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

The First Evidence of the Water Bioremediation Potential of Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel 1923): From Threat to Resource?

Each year, a staggering 700,000 tons of synthetic dyes are manufactured globally, leading to the release of dye-laden wastewater into aquatic systems. These synthetic dyes resist biodegradation, endangering human and environmental health. Since traditional wastewater treatments are basically unable to remove dyes, exploring the potential of alternative solutions, such as bioremediation, is crucial to reduce dye contamination in aquatic ecosystems. Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel 1923), listed as one of the 100 worst invasive species in Europe, is considered an invasive ecosystem engineer capable of causing economic and ecological losses. Despite this negative status, the literature suggests its positive contributions to aquatic ecosystems as habitat former and water bioremediator. However, existing evidence on the potential of F. enigmaticus to improve water quality is fragmented and lacks experimental data from laboratory tests. This study examined the potential of Ficopomatus reefs, both living and dead, to enhance water quality by removing contaminants, focusing on methylene blue (MB), one of the most common synthetic dyes. Bioaccumulation and bioadsorption were identified as key mechanisms for dye removal, supported by ATR-FTIR and microscopic analyses. Ficopomatus efficiently removed up to 80% of MB within 24 h. Bioaccumulation in the soft body accounted for 18% of the total removal, while complex adsorption phenomena involving carbonaceous, microalgal, and organic reef components accounted for 82%. Surprisingly, bioremediated solutions exhibited significant effects in ecotoxicological tests on bacteria, indicating the potential of F. enigmaticus to disrupt bacterial quorum sensing related to biofilm formation, and suggesting a possible antifouling action. This study underscores the intricate interplay between F. enigmaticus, water quality improvement, and potential ecological consequences, stressing the need for further investigation into its multifaceted role in aquatic ecosystems