An integrated approach for the classification of Plastic Large Micro Plastics (LMP) in beach sand

Contamination of coastal areas by plastic litter represents an emerging issue of concern because of the increasing use of polymeric disposable items, and there is a lack of information about sources, sinks, and pathways of microplastics into these related compartments. Microplastics embedded in beach sand result from combined contributions of various contamination and degradation processes from terrestrial and marine sources. An integrated approach, involving size, shape and color analysis, as well as chemical characterization, for the classification of plastic particles in the 1-5 mm size range, the so-called Large Micro Plastics (LMP), was developed and is here presented. Such size range was moreover selected as a potential subject of study in order to understand the composition and genesis of smaller microplastics (<1 mm) and nanoplastics (<300 µm). Moreover, LMP can be useful markers about ongoing processes of degradation and fragmentation of larger plastic debris. An optimized high resolution photographic procedure coupled with image analysis was developed in order to determine bidimensional size, shape and true color of collected LMP. An instrumental, automated tridimensional particle size and shape analysis was applied for the physical characterization of extracted LMP. The use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) and Raman Spectroscopy coupled with Optical Microscopy (OM-RS) allowed the chemical identification of extracted particles. The main aim of the this work was to develop an integrated approach which could allow to correctly define physical information, such as tridimensional size, shape and color of LMP, which are still underestimated [1]. Such approach meets the need to fill the gap between awareness of the LMP presence in marine litter and the evaluation of their transformation pathways from sources to potential environmental targets. The developed approach allowed a detailed physical and chemical characterization of LMP collected from August 2014 to February 2015 on the Lido Island (Venice, Italy), in a coastal protected area never investigated before

Micro- and mesoplastics in sea surface water from a Northern Adriatic coastal area

The presence of microplastics in the sea is a global issue widely studied and discussed in the last years. The whole marine ecosystem is now considered at high risk because of their presence and abundance in every studied environment all over the world because polymeric materials commonly constitute the main raw materials in contemporary industrial production. The presented study reports the results obtained from surface seawater monitoring of two sampling transects in the coastal area close to the Venice Lagoon (Italy) inlet, investigated in order to get new information about the presence and relevance of plastic pollution. Plastic particles collected by means of a manta net (0.3-mm mesh size) have been characterized in detail by utilizing a multi-technique approach in order to discriminate them by typology, dimension, colour, spatial density and chemical composition. Such information permitted the individuation of subgroups (specific groups) of plastic micro-debris in this Northern Adriatic area

Characterization of Plastic Large Micro Particles (LMP) from the beach sand of Lido Island (Venice, Italy)

The presence of Large Micro Particles (LMP) in coastal beach sediment is extremely variable and affected by seasonality and overtime events. A robust discussion on such atopic for a given site would require a representative amount of collected samples (and corresponding data) in space and time. In general the proven chemical identification of microplastic debris is a relatively easy task and it’s usually obtained almost effortless with user friendly spectroscopic analyzers such as Near Infra Red – NIR and Infrared (FT-IR). The real challenge is to perform a representative sampling and a qualified physical characterization in terms of size and shape.A summary of the very first sampling and analysis of LMP in the sediment of the Alberoni beach of the Lido island (Venice, Italy), in a coastal protected area never investigated before, is here presented with a critical discussion of the on-the-field and subsequent in-the-lab hitches encountered. A seasonal comparison of two sampling campaigns, October and December 2014, have been performed in terms of LMP abundance, chemical composition, color and item category mostly according to European guidelines [1]. Chemical analysis was performed with through NIR spectroscopy and Raman coupled to microscopy: a comparison of the two techniques in terms of size capability (i.e. macro vs. micro) is presented along with the corresponding microphotographs of extracted plastic samples and the role of the adsorbedorganic pollutants on their surface

An integrated approach for the classification of Plastic Large Micro Plastics (LMP) in beach sand

Contamination of coastal areas by plastic litter represents an emerging issue of concern because of the increasing use of polymeric disposable items, and there is a lack of information about sources, sinks, and pathways of microplastics into these related compartments. Microplastics embedded in beach sand result from combined contributions of various contamination and degradation processes from terrestrial and marine sources. An integrated approach, involving size, shape and color analysis, as well as chemical characterization, for the classification of plastic particles in the 1-5 mm size range, the so-called Large Micro Plastics (LMP), was developed and is here presented. Such size range was moreover selected as a potential subject of study in order to understand the composition and genesis of smaller microplastics (<1 mm) and nanoplastics (<300 µm). Moreover, LMP can be useful markers about ongoing processes of degradation and fragmentation of larger plastic debris. An optimized high resolution photographic procedure coupled with image analysis was developed in order to determine bidimensional size, shape and true color of collected LMP. An instrumental, automated tridimensional particle size and shape analysis was applied for the physical characterization of extracted LMP. The use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) and Raman Spectroscopy coupled with Optical Microscopy (OM-RS) allowed the chemical identification of extracted particles. The main aim of the this work was to develop an integrated approach which could allow to correctly define physical information, such as tridimensional size, shape and color of LMP, which are still underestimated [1]. Such approach meets the need to fill the gap between awareness of the LMP presence in marine litter and the evaluation of their transformation pathways from sources to potential environmental targets. The developed approach allowed a detailed physical and chemical characterization of LMP collected from August 2014 to February 2015 on the Lido Island (Venice, Italy), in a coastal protected area never investigated before

Characterization of Plastic Large Micro Particles (LMP) from the beach sand of Lido Island (Venice, Italy)

The presence of Large Micro Particles (LMP) in coastal beach sediment is extremely variable and affected by seasonality and overtime events. A robust discussion on such atopic for a given site would require a representative amount of collected samples (and corresponding data) in space and time. In general the proven chemical identification of microplastic debris is a relatively easy task and it’s usually obtained almost effortless with user friendly spectroscopic analyzers such as Near Infra Red – NIR and Infrared (FT-IR). The real challenge is to perform a representative sampling and a qualified physical characterization in terms of size and shape.A summary of the very first sampling and analysis of LMP in the sediment of the Alberoni beach of the Lido island (Venice, Italy), in a coastal protected area never investigated before, is here presented with a critical discussion of the on-the-field and subsequent in-the-lab hitches encountered. A seasonal comparison of two sampling campaigns, October and December 2014, have been performed in terms of LMP abundance, chemical composition, color and item category mostly according to European guidelines [1]. Chemical analysis was performed with through NIR spectroscopy and Raman coupled to microscopy: a comparison of the two techniques in terms of size capability (i.e. macro vs. micro) is presented along with the corresponding microphotographs of extracted plastic samples and the role of the adsorbedorganic pollutants on their surface

PM2.5 chemical composition in five European Mediterranean cities: A 1-year study

The seasonal and spatial characteristics of PM 2.5 and its chemical composition in the Mediterranean Basin have been studied over a 1-year period (2011\u20132012) in five European Mediterranean cities: Barcelona (BCN), Marseille (MRS), Genoa (GEN), Venice (VEN), and Thessaloniki (THE). During the year under study, PM10 annual mean concentration ranged from23 to 46 \u3bcgm 123, while the respective PM2.5 ranged from 14 to 37\u3bcgm 123, with the highest concentrations observed in THE and VEN. Both cities presented an elevated number of exceedances of the PM10 daily limit value, as 32% and 20% of the days exceeded 50 \u3bcgm 123, respectively. Similarly, exceedances of the WHO guidelines for daily PM 2.5 concentrations (25 \u3bcgm 123) were also more frequent in THE with 78% of the days during the period, followed by VEN with 39%. The lowest PM levels were measured in GEN. PM2.5exhibited significant seasonal variability,with muchhigherwinterconcentrationsforVEN and MRS,in fall and in spring for BCN. PM2.5chemical composition was markedly different even for similar PM2.5 levels. On annual average, PM 2.5 was dominated by OM except in THE. OM contribution was higher in Marseille (42%), while mineral matter was the most abundant constituent in THE (32%). Moreover,PM2.5 relative mean composition during pollution episodes(PM 2.5 &gt; 25 \u3bcgm 123) as wellas the origins of the exceedances were also investigated. Results outline mainly the effect of NO3 12 being the most important driver and highlight the non-negligible impact of atmospheric mixingand aging processes during pollution episodes

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys