Aquatic animals live in an acoustic world, prone to pollution by globally increasing noise levels. Noisy human activities at sea have become widespread and continue day and night. The potential effects of this anthropogenic noise may be context-dependent and vary with the time of the day, depending on diel cycles in animal physiology and behaviour. Most studies to date have investigated behavioural changes within a single sound exposure session while the effects of, and habituation to, repeated exposures remain largely unknown. Here, we exposed groups of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in an outdoor pen to a series of eight repeated impulsive sound exposures over the course of two days at variable times of day/night. The baseline behaviour before sound exposure was different between day and night; with slower swimming and looser group cohesion observed at night. In response to sound exposures, groups increased their swimming speed, depth, and cohesion; with a greater effect during the night. Furthermore, groups also showed inter-trial habituation with respect to swimming depth. Our findings suggest that the impact of impulsive anthropogenic noise may be stronger at night than during the day for some fishes. Moreover, our results also suggest that habituation should be taken into account for sound impact assessments and potential mitigating measures.

Proteomics technology is an attractive biomarker candidate discovery tool that can be applied to study large sets of biological molecules. To identify novel biomarkers and molecular targets in arsenic-induced skin lesions, we have determined the protein profile of arsenic-affected human epidermal stratum corneum by shotgun proteomics. Samples of palm and foot sole from healthy subjects were analyzed, demonstrating similar protein patterns in palm and sole. Samples were collected from the palms of subjects with arsenic keratosis (lesional and adjacent non-lesional samples) and arsenic-exposed subjects without lesions (normal). Samples from non-exposed healthy individuals served as controls. We found that three proteins in arsenic-exposed lesional epidermis were consistently distinguishably expressed from the unaffected epidermis. One of these proteins, the cadherin-like transmembrane glycoprotein, desmoglein 1 (DSG1) was suppressed. Down-regulation of DSG1 may lead to reduced cell-cell adhesion, resulting in abnormal epidermal differentiation. The expression of keratin 6c (KRT6C) and fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) were significantly increased. FABP5 is an intracellular lipid chaperone that plays an essential role in fatty acid metabolism in human skin. This raises a possibility that overexpression of FABP5 may affect the proliferation or differentiation of keratinocytes by altering lipid metabolism. KRT6C is a constituent of the cytoskeleton that maintains epidermal integrity and cohesion. Abnormal expression of KRT6C may affect its structural role in the epidermis. Our findings suggest an important approach for future studies of arsenic-mediated toxicity and skin cancer, where certain proteins may represent useful biomarkers of early diagnoses in high-risk populations and hopefully new treatment targets. Further studies are required to understand the biological role of these markers in skin pathogenesis from arsenic exposure.

Holm oaks form typical urban woodlands in the Mediterranean region. We aimed at characterizing the enchytraeid communities in these environments and searching for possible correlations with soil parameters, including the traffic contamination. Samples of litter and topsoil were collected at different spatial scales and seasons in Naples and Siena cities and in two suburban stands. Only the co-variation between pollution and other soil chemico-physical factors showed significant effects, whereas no direct effect of soil microbiology was detected. Some thermophilous Fridericia and Achaeta tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs and their abundance was mainly determined by Ca bioavailability. Central-European mesophilous species increased significantly under more temperate environmental conditions. Different combinations of soil cohesiveness, grain size composition and moisture regime seem to select species of certain body sizes.

Anthropogenic pollutants are near-ubiquitous in aquatic systems. Aquatic animals such as fishes are subject to physiological stress induced by pollution present in aquatic systems, which can translate to changes in behaviour. Key adaptive behaviours such as shoaling and schooling may be subject to change as a result of physiological or metabolic stress or neurosensory impacts of pollution. This can result in fitness and ecological impacts such as increased predation risk and reduced foraging success. Here, we conducted a systematic metanalysis of the existing literature, comprising 165 studies, on the effects of anthropogenic pollution on sociability and group cohesion in fish species. Both organic (number of studies = 92, posterior mean (PM) = -0.483, p < 0.001) and inorganic (n = 24, PM = -0.697, p < 0.05) chemical pollutants, as well as light exposure (n = 21, PM = -3.176, p < 0.01) were found to reduce sociability. These pollutants did not reduce group cohesion, indicating that effects may be masked in group settings, though fewer studies were carried out on group cohesion and this is a key area for future research. Mixtures of chemical pollutants (n = 16) were found to reduce cohesion (PM = -45.42, p < 0.01), but increase sociability (PM = 46.00, p < 0.01). Evidence was found that fish may behaviourally acclimate to two forms of pollutant, namely mixed chemical pollutants (PM = -0.693, p < 0.05) and noise exposure (n = 22, PM = -4.059, p < 0.05). While aquatic systems are often subject to pollution from multiple sources and of multiple types, very few studies investigated the effects of multiple stressors concurrently. This review identifies trends in the existing literature, and highlights areas where further research is required in order to understand the behavioural and ecological impacts of anthropogenic pollutants in aquatic systems.

This paper presents the characterization of municipal solid waste (MSW) randomly collected from two material recovery facilities in São Paulo city, before (input — recyclables) and after (output — rejects) the sorting processes. Geo-environmental and geotechnical tests were performed on shredded samples and a digestion method was applied to detect the metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations using an ICP OES. The objective was to assist future activities of integrated solid waste management and soil pollution. Results showed different particle sizes comparing the input (44.6%) and the output MSW (75.1%) passing through the 100-mm sieve. Organic matter and ash contents indicated the influence of inorganic carbon due to the plastics’ presence, with values varying between 6 and 13%. The pH values obtained were neutral and the electrical conductivity of the MSW rejects suggested a higher amount of ions, with values above 1000 µS/cm. Metals analyses show that Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn are present in high concentrations, depending on the types of the materials. Standard Proctor compaction curves yielded maximum dry unit weight varying from 6.6 to 10.0 kN/m³ and optimum moisture contents from 20 to 42%. Cohesion ranged from 1.3 to 31.3 kPa and friction angle from 3.2 to 42.9°. The results are comparable with those obtained for other countries using different MSW treatments and contribute to the data basis for MSW from the selective collection, aiming the integrated solid waste management, serving for other countries that adopt MSW sorting and recycling.

Mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), which can be used for waste reduction and for the burning of methane from biological treatments to generate electricity and heating, has become a popular research topic in environmental geotechnical engineering. This study investigated the mechanical behaviour of MBT waste and the effects of different reinforcement contents and reinforcement scales on its shear strength characteristics, and 68 groups of MBT waste samples from the Hangzhou Tianziling landfill were tested in the laboratory with a direct shear test apparatus. The samples exhibited displacement hardening behaviour in their mechanical response. The results show that the content and scale of the reinforced materials in MBT waste play an important role in the strength characteristics of MBT waste, and graphs showing the variation of the MBT waste shear strength and shear strength parameters with different reinforcement contents and reinforcement scales are shown. The range of cohesion c is 6.0–12.0 kPa, and the internal friction angle φ is 15.6–26.6°, respectively. The results of this study provide a reference for the assessment of slope stability at MBT landfills.

Mechanically and biologically treated (MBT) waste has significant characteristics such as high stability and low moisture content, which can reduce water, soil, and gas pollution in subsequent treatments. This pre-treatment method is environmentally friendly and sustainable and has become a popular research topic in the field of environmental geotechnical engineering. Using a direct shear test apparatus and five shearing rates (0.25, 1, 5, 10, and 20 mm/min), the shear strength characteristics of MBT waste at the Hangzhou Tianziling Landfill were studied. The results indicate the following: (1) With the increase in horizontal shear displacement, the shear stress of MBT waste gradually increases without a peak stress phenomenon, which is a displacement hardening curve; (2) the shear strength increases with an increase in the shearing displacement rate, and the sensitivity coefficient is 0.64–2.66; (3) a shear strength, shearing rate, and normal stress correlation model is established, and the model has a high degree of fit with the overall experimental data; (4) cohesion (c), internal friction angle (φ), and the logarithm of the shearing rate are linear; (5) the range of c of MBT waste is 22.32–39.51 kPa, and φ is 64.24–68.52°. Meanwhile, the test data are compared with the test data in the literature. The ranges of c and φ of municipal solid waste determined via the shear test are found to be wider than those of MBT waste. The results of this study can provide a reference for the stability calculation of MBT landfills.

In the search for alternatives to bioremediation of soils, this research aimed to analyze the effects of lime, cement, and asphalt as stabilizers on clayey gravel and sand soil contaminated with gasoline in the laboratory. Concentrations of 10–20% of lime, cement, and asphalt were added to the soil. A standard sample was chosen to compare the results obtained in the modified Proctor compaction, California bearing ratio (CBR), direct shear, and consolidation tests. It was found that the presence of more than 10% liquid low–density hydrocarbon affects plasticity, void ratio, friction angle, moisture content, dry density, and cohesion. According to the tests carried out, soils contaminated with concentrations lower than 10% of gasoline are recommended to construct the subgrade and sub-base layers in pavements. Finally, it was found that cement is the stabilizer that presented overall higher enhancements of the mechanical properties of the clayey gravel and sand soil among the three stabilizers. However, the results also show that depending on the soil use and specific parameter requirements, other stabilizers can be used.

To commercialize the biocementation through microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), the current study aimed at replacing the costly standard nutrient medium with corn steep liquor (CSL), an inexpensive bio-industrial by-product, on the production of urease enzyme by Sporosarcina pasteurii (PTC 1845). Multiple linear regression (MLR) in linear and quadratic forms, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and genetic programming (GP) were used for modeling of process based on the experimental data for improving the urease activity (UA). In these models, CSL concentration, urea concentration, nickel supplementation, and incubation time as independent variables and UA as target function were considered. The results of modeling showed that the GP model had the best performance to predict the extent of urease, compared to other ones. The GP model had higher R² as well as lower RSME in comparison with the models derived from ANFIS and MLR. Under the optimum conditions optimized by GP method, the maximum UA value of 3.6 Mm min–¹ was also obtained for 5%v/v CSL concentration, 4.5 g L–¹ urea concentration, 0 μM nickel supplementation, and 60 h incubation time. A good agreement between the outputs of GP model for the optimal UA and experimental result was obtained. Finally, a series of laboratory experiments were undertaken to evaluate the influence of biological cementation on the strengthening behavior of treated soil. The maximum shear stress improvement between bio-treated and untreated samples was 292% under normal stress of 55.5 kN as a result of an increase in interparticle cohesion parameters.

Soil polluted by oil and its derivatives is a critical environmental issue worldwide that jeopardizes ecological systems and causes geotechnical problems. This review paper focuses on the previous studies concerning the impacts of oil pollution on soil geotechnical properties. To this end, related academic literature on this topic was investigated and discussed. The findings of this study demonstrated that the addition of oil pollution in coarse-grained soils significantly reduces particle surface roughness. On the other hand, in fine-grained soils, it results in flocculation and secondary aggregation of clay particles, less aggregated and loose packing in the soil matrix, the formation of isometric pores, the formation of fissure-like pores, and an increase in mesoporosity. In general, it was found that the geotechnical properties of oil-polluted soils are mostly determined by the physicochemical and/or physical interactions between the soil and contaminant. Additionally, previous research has demonstrated that oil pollutants alter the geotechnical properties of cohesive and non-cohesive soils significantly, including the Atterberg limits, particle-size distribution, compaction behavior, unconfined compressive strength, friction angle, cohesion, hydraulic conductivity, and consolidation characteristics. However, no general pattern could be established for the majority of them. Besides, it was found that the degree of geotechnical property alteration of oil-polluted soil is strongly influenced by the soil type and features, as well as the quantity, type, and chemical composition of oil pollutants.