Recognition of Trace Element Contamination Using Ficus macrophylla Leaves in Urban Environment

Urban areas are characterized by numerous pollutants emitted by anthropic sources both in the form of solid and gaseous particulates. Biomonitoring is an easy, economical, and accessible approach for the determination of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, we used the leaves of Ficusmacrophylla Desf. ex Pers., collected in the city of Palermo (Italy), to determine major and trace elements. Geogenic elements exhibited the highest concentrations, making up 99% of the weight of the analyzed elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, S, Na, Fe, and Al); they range 21,400 (Ca) to 122 µg g-1 (Al). The remaining elements showed median concentrations in the range 47.5-0.05 µg g-1 in the following order of abundance: Sr > Cu > Mn > Zn > Br > Rb > Ba > Pb > Cr > Sb > As > Mo = Sc. Cluster analysis, with Spearman's coefficient to measure sample similarity, identified five main groups, namely, three clusters related to the geogenic background and marine spray; one cluster linked to elements essential to plants, and a final group attributed to the influence of traffic emissions. Calculated enrichment factors (EF) showed that the enrichments found for P and K were linked to plant metabolism; Na and Mg confirmed the role of sea spray; Cu and Zn underlined the contribution linked to anthropic processes and the role of micronutrients in plants.. As, Cr, and Mo had EF values ranging from 10 and 20, and Sb had EF > 90. From geochemical distribution maps of As, Cr, Mo, and Sb it was observed that metal and metalloid concentrations were higher in urban areas and immediately decreased as one moved away from these areas. Local pollution sources play a great role in trace element concentrations in airborne particulate matter. The present study confirms that Ficusmacrophylla leaves are suitable for screening an urban environment to identify concentrations of inorganic chemicals, since they have high tolerance to pollution

Feature paper in environmental chemistry and technology

Attention to the environment and its problems has undergone unprecedented growth in recent years [...]

Platinum and Palladium Accumulation in Edible Mushroom Boletus aereus Bull. Growing in Unpolluted Soils of Sicily Region (Italy)

: Human exposure to certain metals occurs indirectly through diet. This study was conducted to determine the content of Pt and Pd in fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus Bull. collected from several wooded areas of Sicily with different substrates (sedimentary and volcanic) with limited anthropogenic influence. Determinations were performed by coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to quantify Pt and Pd. The concentrations of investigated Pt and Pd in mushroom samples ranged from 0.31 to 3.09 ng g-1 for palladium and 0.21 to 4.22 ng g-1 for platinum. The results of the present study suggest that commonly consumed Boletus aereus mushrooms do not accumulate significant levels of Pt and Pd as demonstrated by bioconcentration factor (BCF) values, and their content is lower than in other food products. Additionally, based on the calculated daily intake rates of Pt and Pd, it can be concluded that occasional consumption of fruiting bodies of B. aereus collected in Sicily is safe. The proposed methodological approach appears to be fully adequate for the reliable quantification of Pt and Pd. The data obtained in this investigation confirm that mushrooms are probative of a significant portion of the total exposure to PGEs due to the diet

Determination of Water-Soluble Trace Elements in the PM10 and PM2.5 of Palermo Town (Italy)

This study contributes to the current knowledge on the solubility of trace elements in the atmospheric particulate matter of the urban area of Palermo. Daily sample filters of PM10 and PM2.5 were collected in monitoring stations within and outside the urban area, characterized by variable traffic density. The bulk of compositions in PM10 and PM2.5 were determined by ICP-MS. The water-soluble trace elements (WSTE) and major ion components of particulate matter were determined by ICP-MS and ion chromatography, respectively. A significant difference in the metals content was observed between the samples taken in urban areas and those from suburban areas. The calculated enrichment factor highlights the high values for Cu, Mo, Sb, V, and Zn, confirming the contribution of human activities. The leaching test was applied to PM10 and PM2.5 filters and showed different behaviors and transport of metals and metalloids. The calculated leaching coefficient highlights the metals typically produced by anthropic activities, compared to those of geogenic origin, are much more soluble in water and have greater mobility. The factor analysis was used to identify the sources of water-soluble ions. The main sources are anthropic, geogenic, and sea spray. The final objective of this study is to obtain, with the aid of leaching experiments on PM2.5 and PM10 filter samples, information about the bioavailability and mobility of the different metals and metalloids that could be used as the scientific basis for public health intervention and to raise the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in the urban environment, especially in densely populated areas

Studies on Reticulitermes lucifugus Rossi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): a review of associated hindgut flagellates and investigations on protist species of the Sicilian subspecies, R. lucifugus \u201cSicily\u201d

The present study was conducted on protist species from R. lucifugus \u201cSicily\u201d subspecies in a field site of Palermo (Sicily, Italy) on June 2015. Since protist species associated with R. lucifugus in Europe are still confused and recent revisions are lacking, this work aims at achieving greater clarity on these symbiosis trough a review of the literature in light of new phylogenetic studies on this termite species. The purpose of this work was also to highlight and quantify protists associated with the Sicilian subspecies, R. l. \u201cSicily\u201d. Results pointed out the real protist community attributable to R. lucifugus from the literature and showed 13 protist species detected in the subspecies R. l. \u201cSicily\u201d. These species were consistent with previous reports except for Spironympha sp., mentioned for the first time from this termite. Total protist population estimates was 26,814.71 \ub1 1,121.92 protists per termite. Dinenympha exilis and D. gracilis were found in greater abundance with relative species abundance of 17%. Monocercomonas termitis, Microjoenia hexamitoides, Trichonympha minor and Pyrsonympha flagellata could be used to distinguish R. lucifugus because these protists are not found in other Reticulitermes species

L’Alternanza Scuola Lavoro e i docenti tutor: un’indagine esplorativa

El tema de la formación integrada entre la escuela y el trabajo se ha desarrollado en los últimos veinte años en Europa. La formación profesional en Italia ha aparecido en el debate político y social debido a la publicación de la Ley n. 53 de 28 de marzo de 2003, n. 53 (art. 4) y su Decreto Legislativo n. 77 de 15 de abril de 2005 y de la Ley n.107 de 13 de julio de 2015. En esta última se recoge la obligación de realizar la alternancia escuela trabajo para todas las ramas de la enseñanza secundaria de segundo grado. La formación profesional en España la encontramos con la publicación de la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación (LOE), con los Programas de Cualificación Profesional Inicial y de la Ley Orgánica 8/2013, de 9 de diciembre, para la mejoria de la calidad educativa (LOMCE) que crea los ciclos de Formación Profesional Básica con el Módulo de Formación en Centros de Trabajo, dentro la Formación Profesional del sistema educativo. La presente tesis es de carácter exploratorio y tiene como objetivo: investigar y evaluar el proceso de la Alternancia Escuela Trabajo desde la aplicación de la Ley 107/2015 y sobre la percepción que los docentes tutores tienen con respecto a ella. La muestra participante, del estudio cualitativo, se compone por 53 docentes tutores de la enseñanza secundaria de segundo grado, de las provincias de Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta y Trapani (Sicilia, Italia) y por 7 docentes tutores y 2 orientadores de el Módulo Formación en Centros de Trabajo de la Formación Profesional Básica (Burgos, España) durante el curso 2017/2018. Los instrumentos para la recogida de información fueron las entrevistas semi-estructuradas con el objetivo de profundizar en la alternancia escuela trabajo en Italia y España. El análisis de datos se realizó con el Programa Open Code y con el Programa ATLAS.ti. Los análisis determinaron el Cuestionario Alternancia Escuela Trabajo. El instrumento cuantitativo se elaboró en un Módulo Google Chrome para comprobar la percepción que los docentes tutores italianos tienen sobre la metodología actual. La muestra participante se compone por 492 Cuestionarios, recogidos durante el curso 2018/2019 y analizados con el Programa SPSS. Los resultados del estudio aportan algunos temas relevantes como: para el éxito positivo de las practicas son indispensables la competencia proyectual y comunicativa de los tutores, así como la participación activa de los docentes, las familias, los estudiantes y los tutores empresariales. Otra característica de la Alternancia Escuela Trabajo es la acción de orientación al trabajo y todavía los docentes consideran necesaria una formación específica para su trabajo Finalmente, el estudio identifica que la alternancia escuela trabajo es una metodología compleja y sirven acciones de formación, información y orientación para los docentes

Preliminary study on trace metal content in manna extracted from Fraxinus angustifolia cultivars in Madonie (Sicily, Italy)

The manna is a product obtained from the elaborate sap solidification that comes out from the incisions made on the stem of some species of the genus Fraxinus L. In this study, we have analyzed 12 samples of manna to determine the chemical composition. Twenty elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, U, V, Zn) were determined using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer. The results show that the most abundant elements are Fe > Rb > Al > Cu > Ba > Zn > Sr with median concentrations in the range of 0.9 – 10mg kg-1. The remaining elements exhibit median concentrations in the range of 0.0003 -0.5 mg kg-1. The manna also can be considered as good sources of essential elements for subjects with diseases related to diabetes. Moreover, the manna could be recommended for a daily diet

APPLICABIILITA’ DELL’APPROCCIO MULTICOSTELLATION CON L’AUSILIO DI SOFTWARE COMMERCIALI NELLA RETE UNIPA

Lo sviluppo dei sistemi di radio navigazione satellitare richiede lo studio di soluzioni nuove, in particolar modo per quanto riguarda l'integrazione di più sistemi satellitari. In numerosi lavori è stata studiata l'influenza che l'utilizzo congiunto dei sistemi satellitari GLONASS e GPS hanno in un rilievo topografico. Tuttavia, scopo di questo articolo scientifico non è tanto quello di valutare questa influenza, ma di dare un forte apporto allo sviluppo di un nuova metodologia, del tutto innovativa, denominata Multiconstellation. L'approccio Multiconstellation, come è noto in letteratura, è stato introdotto qualche anno or sono dai ricercatori dell'area Geomatica dell'Università La Sapienza di Roma; da allora sono stati compiuti alcuni lavori con tale approccio con sessioni limitata ad una durata di 30 minuti, su basi di lunghezza minima. Con questo nuovo metodo, modificando i files RINEX originali mediante l'utilizzo del software Multicon, è possibile raddoppiare il numero di basi linearmente indipendenti per sessione, dimezzando pertanto il numero di sessioni da utilizzare e quindi il tempo necessario per eseguire l'intero rilievo. Considerando che nella pratica professionale un topografo utilizza spesso strumenti noleggiati e software commerciali per le elaborazioni dei dati, dimezzare i tempi complessivi di un rilevo implica diminuire i costi complessivi dello stesso. Essendo quindi evidenti i vantaggi teorici di questo nuovo approccio rispetto a quello tradizionale, si è pensato di valutare la sua affidabilità in termini di precisioni raggiungibili con sessioni di durata più lunga di quelle utilizzate negli anni scorsi, cioè con durata temporale estesa tra le 3 e le 12 ore, considerando i dati provenienti dalla rete sperimentale gestita dal DICAM dell’Università di Palermo, mediante l’utilizzo dei principali software commerciali delle più prestigiose case produttrici mondiali (Leica LGO ver.8,0, Topcon Pinnacle ver 1.0, Topcon Tools ver. 8.0, Trimble Business Center)

Metals distribution in the organic and inorganic fractions of soil: a case study on soils from Sicily

AbstractThe content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, has been determined in the organic and inorganic fraction of eight soil samples from Sicily. A modified type-Tessier sequential extraction procedure has been used to recognize metals in five different fractions categorised as follows: (a) exchangeable metals, (b) metals bound to carbonates, (c) metals bound to iron and manganese oxides, (d) metals bound to organic matter, and (e) metals in residual fraction. The mineralogical composition of soils samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction. Humic substances were extracted by means of an alkaline extraction procedure. It has been found that both the mineralogical composition and the different content of humic fraction of organic matter in the soils investigated are responsible for the observed trace metal distribution. The obtained data show that a significant amount of trace metals is bound to the organic fraction where different binding sites are present simultaneously. In particular, Pb an..

Visualization of coronary arteries and coronary stents by low dose 320-slice multi-detector computed tomography in a patient with atrial fibrillation

Abstract Cardiac multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is widely used in the diagnosis of coronary disease. However, the predictive value of this technique is limited in the presence of atrial fibrillation and coronary stents. Here we present a case showing the ability of the new 320-slice MDCT to assess coronary anatomy in a patient with atrial fibrillation and coronary stents