Search Results (250)

Airborne magnetic particles (AMPs) are associated with potentially toxic elements, and their size, mineralogy, and concentration can significantly impact both the environment and human health. However, their spatial analysis is often limited by small datasets, non-normality, and pronounced local variability. In this work, two sites with distinct demographic and geographic characteristics, the city of Mar del Plata (Argentina) and the Aburrá Valley region (Colombia), were analyzed using the fuzzy Magnetic Pollution Index (IMC) as an indicator of the concentration of AMPs. Moreover, an original methodological framework that explicitly incorporates measurement uncertainty through fuzzy numbers, combined with an approach modeling fuzzy semivariances via α-cuts, performs spatial prediction via ordinary kriging. This study produces maps that simultaneously reflect the magnitude of IMC and its associated uncertainty. Unlike classical geostatistics, the fuzzy-based model captures the inherent imprecision of magnetic measurements and reveals spatial patterns where uncertainty becomes informative about the type and origin of pollution. In particular, this approach demonstrates that areas with higher IMC levels are associated with high anthropic activity (near industrial zones, main avenues, slow traffic). In contrast, lower values were found in residential areas. Overall, the fuzzy-driven approach provides an additional layer of information not accessible through traditional methods, improving spatial interpretation and supporting the identification of priority areas for environmental monitoring. Full article

The Atlantic Forest is a biome of great diversity under constant anthropic pressure. This study was conducted in three environments in the state of Rio de Janeiro: rural environment, Seropédica campus (UFRRJ); urban environment, Urca campus (UNIRIO); and forest environment, Três Picos State Park, Cachoeiras de Macacu. We aimed to evaluate the attractiveness of the fauna of Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae by two stages of bait decomposition, study their synantropy, and identify bioindicators for each environment. Four traps were installed at each environment, two containing preserved beef liver and two containing beef liver with 48 h of putrefaction. Samples were collected quarterly, between June 2021 and May 2023. A total of 5476 dipterans were collected, with five Calliphoridae species (77.1%) and 11 Mesembrinellidae (22.9%). Laneella nigripes showed a preference for liver baits with 48 h of putrefaction. Mesembrinellidae species, Hemilucilia benoisti and Paralucilia nigrofacialis were asynanthropic, occurring exclusively in the forest environment. Hemilucilia segmentaria and H. semidiaphana were also asynanthropic, but occurred in urban and/or rural environments. Chrysomya and Cochliomyia genera and Lucilia cuprina were synanthropes. Eight potentially bioindicator species were identified for the forest environment and four for rural environments. Full article

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of H10 subtype are able to circulate in domestic and wild bird populations but can also spill over and adapt to mammals, posing a continuous risk to biodiversity conservation, veterinary health, and public health. In the present study, we assessed the zoonotic potential of nine H10 AIVs isolated from waterbirds during surveillance and research studies carried out in Italy between 1994 and 2007. Overall, six H10NX strains from wild mallards (n. 1 H10N2, n. 5 H10N7), one H10N7 strain from domestic mallards, and two H10N8 strains from Eurasian coots were sequenced by next-generation sequencing (NGS). HA phylogenetic analysis indicated a marked divergence between viruses from these two sympatric waterbird species and showed a close relationship between three H10N7 strains from wild mallard and one H10N7 isolate of domestic origin. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of several molecular markers, associated with increased zoonotic potential, including the PB2-A588V mutation found in the Eurasian coot H10N8 viruses and previously linked to mammalian adaptation in H10 strains. Molecular analysis also showed that all H10 viruses were susceptible to the major approved classes of influenza antivirals (inhibitors of neuraminidase, matrix-2, and polymerase acid protein). Moreover, phenotypic assay confirmed their susceptibility to oseltamivir and zanamivir drugs. From an ecological perspective, we found that different H10 gene pools seem to be harboured in different waterbird species sharing the same environment; additionally, a bidirectional transmission of H10 mallard isolates occurred between natural and anthropic ecosystems. Overall, our findings account for the need of continuous monitoring of AIVs belonging to the H10 subtype. Full article

Dam collapse is a catastrophic event involving an artificial reservoir usually filled with water for hydropower or irrigation purposes. Several cases of dam collapses have overwhelmed entire valleys, reconfiguring their geomorphology, redesigning their landscape, and causing several thousand casualties. These episodes led to more careful regulations and the activation of more effective monitoring and mitigation strategies. A fundamental tool in defining appropriate procedures for alert and risk scenarios is the Dam Emergency Plan (PED), an operational document that establishes the actions and procedures required to manage potential hazards (e.g., geo-hydrological and seismic risk). The aim of this study is to describe a reference methodology for identifying geo-hydrological criticalities based on historical and geomorphological data, applied to civil protection activities. A further objective is to provide a structured inventory of Italian reservoirs, assigning each a potential risk index based on an analytical approach considering several factors (age and construction methodology of the dam, morphological and environmental settings, anthropized environment, and exposed population). The approach identifies that the most significant change in risk over time is not only the dam itself but also the transformation of the territory. This methodology does not incorporate probabilistic forecasting of flood or climate change; instead, it objectively characterizes the exposed territory, offering insights into existing vulnerabilities on which to base effective mitigation strategies. Full article

A handful of Sphagnum species and their ecosystems find their southernmost occurrence in the Pyrenees, and these small, relict units are endangered through anthropic activities and climatic change. A number of hydropower reservoirs covered former mire systems with water or let them ashore. These infrastructures will eventually become useless and abandoned, and the mires could possibly be restored, but there have been no known experiments in the Pyrenees in this field. The removal of the dam of a small reservoir in the Central Pyrenees in 2012 uncovered bare ground that was appropriate for testing mire restoration. In 2017, we started the restoration of two Habitats of Community Interest (HCIs), i.e., transition mires and quaking bogs (HCI 7140) and active raised bogs (HCI 7110*). To restore HCI 7140, we set a Carex rostrata population by planting cuttings and then small tufts of two Sphagnum species within the sedge sward. In parallel, we set small clumps of two other Sphagnum species intended to grow into hummocks (HCI 7110*). After seven growing seasons, HCI 7140 reached a good progression level, with a prosperous C. rostrata sward and progressive expansion of the Sphagnum populations. HCI 7110* turfs had varying performance, exhibiting moderate survivorship and positive expansion of the remaining turfs. The varying performance of the restored populations illustrates the possibilities of restoring mire communities in suboptimal environments. Interestingly, such restorative actions are appropriate for enhancing populations of species under threat, such as Sphagnum divinum. Full article

The species of the Bufonidae family exhibit a great diversity of habitats, diurnal or nocturnal habits, a complex evolutionary history, and a wide distribution, which makes this group suitable for morphological studies. In this work, we aimed to identify the existence of morphological patterns related to the habitat use and diurnal or nocturnal habits of Bufonidae in the Brazilian Amazon. To achieve this, we studied the morphological measurements of 210 specimens from three zoological collections and characterized the type of habitat and diurnality/nocturnality of the species. The morphological patterns and habitat use were investigated through principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), respectively. The evaluation of the relationships between morphological variation, habitat use, and diurnality/nocturnality was performed via redundancy analysis (RDA). Accordingly, Amazonian bufonids were divided into three morphological groups associated with different vegetation types and environments, demonstrating that body size is closely linked to diurnal or nocturnal life habits and habitat. Species with large body sizes are associated to anthropized areas, while intermediate and smaller species are associated with primary forests. Full article

Large language models have expanded their application from traditional tasks in natural language processing to several domains of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This research studies the potential of these models for financial “nowcasting”–real-time forecasting (of the recent past) for cryptocurrency market conditions. Further, the research benchmarks capabilities of five state-of-the-art decoder-only models, gpt-4.1 (OpenAI), gemini-2.5-pro (Google), claude-3-opus-20240229 (Anthropic), deepseek-reasoner (DeepSeek), and grok-4 (xAI) across 12 major crypto-assets around the world. Using minute-resolution history of a day in USD for the stocks, gemini-2.5-pro emerges as a consistent leader in forecasting (except for a few assets). The stablecoins exhibit minimal deviation across all models, justifying the “nowcast strength” in low-volatility environments, although they are not able to perform well for the highly erratic assets. Additionally, since large language models have been known to better their performance when executed for a higher number of passes, the experimentations were conducted for two passes (Pass@1 and Pass@2), and the respective nowcast errors are found to be reduced by $1.2156\%$ (on average). Full article

The rehabilitation of coal mine sites in semi-arid environments is a step in combating desertification. A promising rehabilitation approach involves the development of anthropic soils that can support vegetation. However, reliable soil quality indicators are needed to evaluate long-term sustainability of rehabilitation strategies. In a coal mine area in northeastern Spain, two anthropic soils (0.5 m thick) were constructed by layering fine-textured coal residues at the bottom, topped with coarse overburden materials. Chemical fertility was enhanced using combinations of semi-liquid manure (25 or 60 mm) and straw (0 or 15 Mg ha⁻¹), resulting in four treatments randomly distributed across both soil surfaces. Two abiotic indicators were selected for sustainability assessment: soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and microstructure. Seven years after rehabilitation activities were completed, SOC fractions were analyzed. In addition, two years later, soil porosity and specific pore perimeter were also assessed in soil thin section images. The results indicated that the lower manure rate promoted more efficient SOC stabilization, evidenced by a 4–5-fold increase in specific pore perimeter at 0–5 cm depth, and lower fulvic acid content at 5–20 cm depth, compared with the higher manure rate. Micromorphological analysis proved to be a sensitive method for detecting early improvements in the physical quality of anthropic soils, highlighting the importance of adjusting manure rates for sustainable coal mine rehabilitation. Full article

Leishmaniasis is difficult to control due to clinical and vector diversity associated with the complex life cycle of Leishmania parasites, which are transmitted by sandflies. This study investigated the presence of Leishmania DNA in sandfly vectors, their blood meal sources, and their distribution in relation to environmental and climatic variables in four municipalities in Piauí state, Brazil. Between 2020 and 2022, sandflies were collected, morphologically identified, and analyzed for the presence of parasite DNA and blood meal sources (PCR, sequencing). Climate data were correlated with the density of collected insects. Among the 10,245 specimens collected, Lutzomyia longipalpis (54.87%) and Nyssomyia whitmani (30.41%) were the most abundant in the collection areas. Leishmania braziliensis DNA was detected in Lu. longipalpis, while L. braziliensis and Leishmania infantum DNAs were recovered from Ny. whitmani. Homo sapiens was the main blood meal source (~73%). Vector density was associated with humidity, temperature, and precipitation in Teresina and Pedro II, with significant results for Ny. whitmani. In conclusion, Lu. longipalpis, widely adapted to anthropized environments, can act as a potential vector of the etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Teresina and Oeiras. In Pedro II, the detection of L. infantum DNA in Ny. whitmani suggests a possible role of this species in the transmission cycle of visceral leishmaniasis, reinforcing the complex ecoepidemiology of Leishmania spp. in Piauí. Full article

Although traditional methods of evaluating colony health provide a general overview, they are often subjective and imprecise. Therefore, a more integrative approach is needed. The aim of this study is to use a multi-omics strategy—combining proteomic and metallomic approaches—to evaluate the interactions between honeybees and their environment. Two apiaries were selected for the study: apiary A, which is located in an extensive agricultural landscape, and apiary M, which is located in a less anthropized environment. The distribution of honeybee soluble proteins and small biomolecules was analyzed using size-exclusion chromatography. These profiles varied significantly between sampling times and apiaries. During spring, a reduced high molecular mass protein peak and an elevated very low molecular mass molecules peak were observed in honeybees from apiary A. Hemolymph analysis corroborated these findings, showing a depletion of key nutritional proteins, such as vitellogenin and apolipophorin in this apiary during the same season. In addition to protein distribution, we studied also the speciation of zinc and copper using chromatographic and atomic absorption techniques. Our results indicate site and season-dependent variation in metal binding profiles, with evidence for the presence of metallothionein-like proteins capable of binding both copper and zinc. This study highlights the urgent need for integrated, multi-method research to understand the complex dynamics of honeybee health and emphasizes the fundamental role of agricultural practices in ensuring the health of honeybees. Full article

The study presented in this paper is intended to be a contribution to the practical implementation of the “sustainability” concept, often misunderstood at times and incorrectly applied. The first sections describe a systematic procedure for a rigorous definition of “sustainability” and of “sustainable development” based on thermodynamics. A concept tightly connected with “sustainability” is “resource thriftiness”, i.e., the reduction in the anthropic extraction of irreplaceable supplies of fossil ores and fuels contained in the Earth’ crust and the reduction in the load posed on the environment by discharges, collectively referred to as “environmental conservation”: this is another concept that must be embedded in the definition of sustainability. An environmentally friendly society ought to concentrate on minimising such consumption by implementing an efficient and rational conversion of primary resources to final commodities while maintaining acceptable life standards. A thermodynamics-based approach can help identify the boundaries of the “sustainable region”: if sustainable development depends on a balance between primary input and final consumption, the internal allocation of the latter among citizens becomes a relevant parameter. The study presented in this paper introduces a direct link between demographics and pro capite final exergy use, showing how the age distribution of a society strongly impacts primary consumption. The paper presents some considerations about the quantitative link between the so-called “demographic pyramids” and the exergy budget of a country, with specific examples based on currently available data. Full article

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is currently reduced to a few, small fragments surrounded by anthropic landscapes. Urban forest remnants play an important role in housing biodiversity in urbanized areas and enabling species dispersion between larger natural areas. Describing and monitoring the biodiversity in these anthropized environments is a useful tool for urban ecology and species conservation. By compiling long-term data, this study proposes a species list of tropical diurnal butterflies for an Atlantic Forest remnant in Southeastern Brazil and describes the temporal diversity patterns of the community. Inventories were carried out from the 1970s to 2000 to record butterfly incidence data in a 250 ha fragment of seasonal, semideciduous Atlantic Forest, resulting in a species list of 706 species presented here for the first time for the studied area. From 1998 to 2000, weekly standardized observations enabled inferences on temporal trends in butterfly diversity. Total species richness peaked in the climatic transitions, and a cycle of 52 weeks was reported for beta diversity. Butterfly families lack synchronized temporal fluctuations. Nymphalidae and specifically the fruit-feeding nymphalids were considered good surrogates for short-term studies and monitoring community changes. Full article

Gaseous pollutants and aerosols resulting from anthropic activities and natural phenomena require adequate source apportionment methodologies to be fully assessed. Furthermore, it is crucial to differentiate between fresh anthropogenic emissions and the atmospheric background. The proximity method based on the O₃/NO_x (ozone to nitrogen oxides) ratio has been used at the Lamezia Terme (code: LMT) World Meteorological Organization—Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO/GAW) regional station in Italy to determine the variability of CO (carbon monoxide), CO₂ (carbon dioxide), CH₄ (methane), SO₂ (sulfur dioxide), and eBC (equivalent black carbon), thus allowing the differentiation between local and remote sources of emission. Prior to this work, all O₃/NO_x ratios lower than 10 were grouped under the LOC (local) proximity category, thus including very low ratios (≤1), which are generally attributed by the literature to “urban” air masses, particularly enriched in anthropogenic emissions. This study, aimed at nine continuous years of measurements (2015–2023), introduces the URB category in the assessment of CO, CO₂, CH₄, SO₂, and eBC variability at the LMT site, highlighting patterns and peaks in concentrations that were previously neglected. The daily cycle, which is locally influenced by wind circulation and Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) dynamics, is particularly susceptible to urban-scale emissions and its analysis has allowed the highlighting of notable peaks in concentrations that were previously neglected. Correlations with wind corridors and speeds indicate that most evaluated parameters are linked to northeastern winds at LMT and wind speeds under 5.5 m/s. Weekly cycle analyses, i.e., differences between weekdays (MON-FRI) and weekends (SAT-SUN), have also highlighted tendencies driven by seasonality and wind corridors. The results highlight the potential of the URB category as a tool necessary to access a given area’s anthropogenic output and its impact on air quality and the environment. Full article

Short-term channel adjustments are a research topic of great relevance in the framework of fluvial geomorphology, but studies on this topic have been quite scarce in Southern Italy, at least since the 2010s, notwithstanding the fact that this area is strongly representative of a much wider morphoclimatic context, i.e., the Mediterranean area, which particularly suffers from the effects of current climate change. Currently, different interpretations still exist about the type and role of controlling factors, and a common morphoevolutionary trend is quite far from being defined; so, new case studies are needed. In this paper, the geomorphological changes experienced by the Sabato R. (Southern Italy) over a period of ~150 years were investigated. A reach-scale geomorphological analysis in a GIS environment of raster data, consisting of four topographic maps (from 1870, 1909, 1941 and 1955) and five sets of orthophotos (from 1998, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2014), was carried out, integrated with field-surveyed data. Land-use changes, in-channel anthropic disturbances, floods and rainfall variations were selected as possible controlling factors. The study highlighted four morphoevolutionary phases of the studied river. Phase 1 (1870s–1910s) was characterized by a relative channel stability in terms of both mean width and pattern, while channel widening dominated during Phase 2 (1910s–1940s). In contrast, Phase 3 (1940s–1990s) was characterized by intense and diffuse narrowing. Finally, during Phase 4 (from the 1990s onward), an alternation in channel narrowing and flood-induced widening was detected. During all phases, changes in both channel pattern and riverbed elevation were less evident than those in channel width. Land-use changes and, later, floods, in addition to in-channel human disturbances at a local scale, were the main controlling factors. The obtained results have profound implications for rivers located outside Italy as well, as they provide new insights into the role played by the considered controlling factors in the geomorphological evolution of a typical Mediterranean river. Understanding this role is fundamental in regional-scale river management, hazard mitigation and environmental planning, as proved by the vast pre-existing scientific literature. Full article

Geo-historical information deduced from geo-iconographical resources, derived from extensive research and the selection of cartographies and historical documents, enabled the investigation of the natural and anthropic transformations of the perifluvial area of the Po River in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy). This territory, significant in terms of its historical, cultural, and environmental contexts, for centuries has been the scene of flood events. These have characterised the morphological and dynamic variability in the riverbed and relative floodplain. The close relationship between man and river is well documented: the interference induced by anthropic activity has alternated with the sometimes-damaging effects of river dynamics. The attention given to the fluvial region of the Po River and its main tributaries, in a peculiar lowland sector near Parma, is critical for understanding spatial–temporal changes contributing to current geo-hydrological risks. A GIS project outlined the geomorphological aspects that define the considerable variations in the course of the Po River (involving width reductions of up to 66% and length changes of up to 14%) and its confluences from the 16th to the 21st century. Knowledge of anthropic modifications is essential as a tool within land-use planning and enhancing community awareness in risk-mitigation activities and strategic management. This study highlights the importance of interdisciplinary geo-historical studies that are complementary in order to decode river dynamics in damaging flood events and latent hazards in an altered river environment. Full article