Search

Stream ecosystems are inherently dependent on their surroundings and, thus, highly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, which alter both their structure and functioning. Anchored in biologically-mediated processes, the response of stream ecosystem functioning to environmental conditions exhibits intricate patterns, reflecting both natural dynamics and human-induced changes. Our study aimed at determining the natural and anthropogenic drivers influencing multiple stream ecosystems processes (nutrient uptake, biomass accrual, decomposition, and ecosystem metabolism) at a regional scale. By examining 38 natural and anthropogenic variables across 63 stream reaches in Gipuzkoa (northern Iberian Peninsula), we used structural equation modeling to unravel the cascading effect of basin- and reach-scale drivers onto ecosystem process. The results reveal significant variability in ecosystem processes, with contrasting spatial patterns, suggesting that studied processes respond differently to environmental factors. Urban land-use emerged as a primary basin-scale driver, whereas reach-scale variables reflected both natural and anthropogenic influence. Nutrient uptake rates were primarily driven by nutrient concentrations in stream water, but models for biomass accrual, decomposition, and ecosystem metabolism exhibited more complex cause-effect relationships. Our findings highlight the impact of urban areas on multiple ecosystem processes and services, disproportionate when considering their small land cover. The present study emphasizes the convenience of measuring multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously to get a comprehensive diagnosis of the functional status of rivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The scientific community is becoming increasingly concerned about the recent detection of transformation products (TPs) of antimicrobials (AMs) and their presence in the food chain. There are growing concerns about the potential consequences on food safety and the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance. In this work, the transformation process of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and oxytetracycline (OTC) in soil was thoroughly evaluated. For that purpose, soils were homogeneously contaminated at three concentration levels of SMX and OTC, independently, and samples were analysed after 7 and 14 days by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS). The results have demonstrated a remarkable transformation, particularly noteworthy for SMX, as it exhibited an 89 % - 94 % decrease in concentration within the initial 7 days of the experiment. In addition, to assess whether terrestrial organisms would be able to accumulate the AMs, Eisenia fetida (E. fetida) earthworms were exposed to the above-mentioned concentration levels of AMs in soil. Both AMs were accumulated in the organisms after 14 days, but higher bioaccumulation factor values (BCF) were determined for SMX (0.52-17.84) compared to OTC (0.02-0.21) at all tested concentrations. The analyses were extended to search for TPs in earthworms and soils using a suspect screening approach. Concretely, by means of UHPLC-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) three TPs were identified at 2a and 2b of confidence level. To the best of our knowledge, one SMX-TP and one OTC-TP were identified in earthworms and soil, respectively, for the first time in the present work. Earthworms did not experience weight loss or mortality in the presence of these AMs at levels found in the environment, but there was a decrease in riboflavin levels, which is linked to changes in the immune system. This study represents a significant advancement in understanding the impact of AMs in soil and their subsequent entry into the food chain. It also provides valuable insights into the potential effects of AMs and their TPs on organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Middle East is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change, yet evidence of the heat-related mortality remains limited in this area. Our present study investigated the heat-mortality association in Jordan and the potential modifying effect of greenness, population density and urbanization level on the association., Methods: For each of the 42 included districts, daily meteorological and mortality data from 2000 to 2020 were obtained for the warmest months (May to September). First, a distributed lag non-linear model was applied to estimate the district level heat-mortality association, then the district specific estimates were pooled using multivariate meta-regression models to obtain an overall estimate. Last, the modifying effect of district level greenness, population density and urbanization level was examined through subgroup analysis., Results: When compared to the minimum mortality temperature (MMT, percentile 0th, 22.20 °C), the 99th temperature percentile exhibited a relative risk (RR) of 1.34 (95 % CI 1.23, 1.45). Districts with low greenness had a higher heat-mortality risk (RR 1.39, 95 % CI 1.22, 1.58) when compared to the high greenness (RR 1.28, 95 % CI 1.13, 1.45). While heat-mortality risk did not significantly differ between population density subgroups, highly urbanized districts had a greater heat-mortality risk (RR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.23, 1.62) as compared to ones with low levels of urbanization (RR 1.32, 95 % CI 1.13, 1.55). Districts with high urbanization level had the highest heat-mortality risk if they were further categorized as having low greenness (RR 1.63, 95 % CI 1.30, 2.04)., Conclusion: Exposure to heat was associated with increased mortality risk in Jordan. This risk was higher in districts with low greenness and high urbanization level. As climate change-related heat mortality will be on the rise, early warning systems in highly vulnerable communities in Jordan are required and greening initiatives should be pursued., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: W. K. Al-Delaimy reports financial support was provided by NIH. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Monitoring zoonoses in urban environments is of great relevance, where the incidence of certain pathogens may be higher and where population density makes the spread of any contagious disease more likely. In this study we applied a metabarcoding approach to study potentially zoonotic pathogens in faecal samples of 9 urban vertebrate species. We applied this methodology with two objectives. Firstly, to obtain information on potential pathogens present in the urban fauna of a large European city (Madrid, Spain) and to determine which are their main reservoirs. In addition, we tested for differences in the prevalence of these potential pathogens between urban and rural European rabbits, used as ubiquitous species. Additionally, based on the results obtained, we evaluated the effectiveness of metabarcoding as a tool for monitoring potential pathogen. Our results revealed the presence of potentially zoonotic bacterial genera in all studied host species, 10 of these genera with zoonotic species of mandatory monitoring in the European Union. Based on these results, urban birds (especially house sparrows and pigeons) and bats are the species posing the greatest potential risk, with Campylobacter and Listeria genera in birds and of Chlamydia and Vibrio cholerae in bats as most relevant pathogens. This information highlights the risk associated with fresh faeces from urban wildlife. In addition, we detected Campylobacter in >50 % of the urban rabbit samples, while we only detected it in 11 % of the rural rabbit samples. We found that urban rabbits have a higher prevalence of some pathogens relative to rural rabbits, which could indicate increased risk of pathogen transmission to humans. Finally, our results showed that metabarcoding can be an useful tool to quickly obtain a first screening of potentially zoonotic organisms, necessary information to target the monitoring efforts on the most relevant pathogens and host species., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Juan Traba reports financial support was provided by Community of Madrid. Juan Traba reports article publishing charges was provided by Community of Madrid. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Soil contamination by antibiotics is a global issue of great concern that contributes to the rise of bacterial antibiotic resistance and can have toxic effects on non-target organisms. This study evaluated the variations of molecular, cellular, and histological parameters in Eisenia fetida earthworms exposed to sulfamethazine (SMZ) and tetracycline (TC), two antibiotics commonly found in agricultural soils. The earthworms were exposed for 14 days to a series of concentrations (0, 10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg) of both antibiotics. SMZ and TC did not affect the survival of E. fetida, however, other effects at different levels of biological complexity were detected. The two highest concentrations of SMZ reduced the viability of coelomocytes. At the highest TC concentration, there was a noticeable decline in cell viability, acetylcholinesterase activity (neurotoxicity), and the relative presence of mucopolysaccharides in the epidermis (mucous production). Glutathione S-transferase activity decreased in all TC treatments and at the highest SMZ concentration. However, levels of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls did not change, suggesting an absence of oxidative stress. Tetracycline was neurotoxic to E. fetida and changed the integrity of the epidermis. Both antibiotics altered the intestinal microbiota of E. fetida, leading to a reduction in the relative abundance of bacteria from the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, while causing an increase in the phylum Actinobacteroidota. All observed changes indicate that both SMZ and TC can disrupt the earthworms' immune system and gut microbiome, while fostering the growth of bacteria that harbour antibiotic resistance genes. Finally, both antibiotics exerted additional metabolic and physiological effects that increased the vulnerability of E. fetida to pathogens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This research analyses 24 years of oil extraction in blocks 16 and 67 of the Yasuní National Park (YNP) in the Amazonian Forest of Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse spaces in the world and with the current presence of ancient indigenous communities. As a novel contribution, we have carried out a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) that quantifies the footprints associated with the extraction, transportation, refining, distribution and final uses of the oil in four different scenarios (oil for asphalt use, electricity, marine fuel and passenger car transport). This study also sheds light on the energy return at the point of use of different oil-derivatives, and complements this with a qualitative analysis of the social, cultural and environmental implications for the Waorani communities. We conclude that the environmental burdens of the extraction process in blocks 16 and 67 in 2015 were greater than those of countries such as the United States, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, based on the analysis of 11 impact categories. The blocks' operation is the most unfavourable for the categories of Terrestrial Acidification Potential (TAP), Global Warming Potential (GWP), Terrestrial Ecotoxicity Potential (TEP) and Ecosystem Quality Loss Potential (EQL), with increments of 804.15 %, 105.36 %, 506.29 % and 210.73 %, respectively, in relation to the average of the rest of the extraction systems analysed. Specifically, the present case study shows 75.18 % higher impacts in the blocks addressed, when compared to the Ecuadorian average. During the period 1999-2022, the carbon emissions associated with the oil extraction in these blocks have increased by 139.01%. It has been detected a neo-colonial economic behaviour: while the Ecuadorian state received 21% of the sales, the Spanish government and the oil companies received, on average, 38% and 41% of the per-litre average fuel price, respectively. Thus, 79% of the income stayed in the Global North. We conclude that, on average, 19.64 % of the impacts associated with crude oil production and consumption occur in the Amazonian region of the YNP, depending on the fuel used and the consumption mechanism. For the Global Warming Potential (GWP) impact category, the extraction process carries, on average, 34.51 % of the weight in all of the life-cycle impacts, depending on the consumption scenario. It was also estimated that to be able to use 0.33 kWh of electricity from fuel combustion, 0.47 kWh of energy for goods transport and 0.20 kWh for passenger transport, an investment of 1 kWh is required, with an average extended EROI of 1:3.33. According to the qualitative analysis performed, it has been concluded that the main local impacts are related to the obstacles in environmental monitoring and information, the economic dependence of the communities on the oil extraction company, and cultural transformations; impacts that are not easily quantifiable or detectable using other methodologies. The combination of the qualitative analysis and LCA showed that the neo-colonial economic distribution did not compensate the social and environmental impacts of the oil extraction occurred in the YNP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Marine and freshwater mammalian predators and fish samples, retrieved from environmental specimen banks (ESBs), natural history museum (NHMs) and other scientific collections, were analysed by LIFE APEX partners for a wide range of legacy and emerging contaminants (2545 in total). Network analysis was used to visualize the chemical occurrence data and reveal the predominant chemical mixtures for the freshwater and marine environments. For this purpose, a web tool was created to explore these chemical mixtures in predator-prey pairs. Predominant chemicals, defined as the most prevalent substances detected in prey-predator pairs were identified through this innovative approach. The analysis established the most frequently co-occurring substances in chemical mixtures from AP&P in the marine and freshwater environments. Freshwater and marine environments shared 23 chemicals among their top 25 predominant chemicals. Legacy chemical, including perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene and mercury were dominant chemicals in both environments. Furthermore, N-acetylaminoantipyrine was a predominant pharmaceutical in both environments. The LIFE APEX chemical mixture application (https://norman-data.eu/LIFE_APEX_Mixtures) was proven to be useful to establish most prevalent compounds in terms of number of detected counts in prey-predator pairs. Nonetheless, further research is needed to establish food chain associations of the predominant chemicals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The globalization in plant material trading has caused the emergence of invasive pests in many ecosystems, such as the alder pathogen Phytophthora ×alni in European riparian forests. Due to the ecological importance of alder to the functioning of rivers and the increasing incidence of P. ×alni-induced alder decline, effective and accessible decision tools are required to help managers and stakeholders control the disease. This study proposes a Bayesian belief network methodology to integrate diverse information on the factors affecting the survival and infection ability of P. ×alni in riparian habitats to help predict and manage disease incidence. The resulting Alder Decline Network (ADnet) management tool integrates information about alder decline from scientific literature, expert knowledge and empirical data. Expert knowledge was gathered through elicitation techniques that included 19 experts from 12 institutions and 8 countries. An original dataset was created covering 1189 European locations, from which P. ×alni occurrence was modeled based on bioclimatic variables. ADnet uncertainty was evaluated through its sensitivity to changes in states and three scenario analyses. The ADnet tool indicated that mild temperatures and high precipitation are key factors favoring pathogen survival. Flood timing, water velocity, and soil type have the strongest influence on disease incidence. ADnet can support ecosystem management decisions and knowledge transfer to address P. ×alni-induced alder decline at local or regional levels across Europe. Management actions such as avoiding the planting of potentially infected trees or removing man-made structures that increase the flooding period in disease-affected sites could decrease the incidence of alder disease in riparian forests and limit its spread. The coverage of the ADnet tool can be expanded by updating data on the pathogen's occurrence, particularly from its distributional limits. Research on the role of genetic variability in alder susceptibility and pathogen virulence may also help improve future ADnet versions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The concern on the fate and distribution of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is a burning topic due to their widespread occurrence and potential harmful effects. Particularly, antibiotics have received great attention due to their implications in antimicrobial resistance occurrence. The impact of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is remarkable, being one of the main pathways for the introduction of CECs into aquatic systems. The combination of novel analytical methodologies and risk assessment strategies is a promising tool to find out environmentally relevant compounds posing major concerns in freshwater ecosystems impacted by those wastewater effluents. Within this context, a multi-target approach was applied in three Spanish river basins affected by different WWTP treated effluents for spatio-temporal monitoring of their chemical status. Solid phase extraction followed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography were used for the quantification of a large panel of compounds (n = 270), including pharmaceuticals and other consumer products, pesticides and industrial chemicals. To this end, water samples were collected in four sampling campaigns at three locations in each basin: (i) upstream from the WWTPs; (ii) WWTP effluent discharge points (effluent outfall); and (iii) downstream from the WWTPs (500 m downriver from the effluent outfall). Likewise, 24-h composite effluent samples from each of the WWTPs were provided in all sampling periods. First the occurrence and distribution of these compounds were assessed. Diverse seasonal trends were observed depending on the group of emerging compounds, though COVID-19 outbreak affected variations of certain pharmaceuticals. Detection frequencies and concentrations in effluents generally exceeded those in river samples and concentrations measured upstream WWTPs were generally low or non-quantifiable. Finally, risks associated with maximum contamination levels were evaluated using two different approaches to account for antibiotic resistance selection as well. From all studied compounds, 89 evidenced environmental risk on at least one occasion in this study., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Biological effects of aqueous fractions of a crude oil, alone or in combination with dispersant, were investigated in mussels, Mytilus edulis, exposed at three temperatures (5, 10 and 15 °C). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) tissue concentrations were determined, together with genotoxicity, oxidative stress and general stress biomarkers and the Integrated Biological Response (IBR) index. The bioaccumulation of individual PAHs varied depending on the exposure temperature, with relevant bioaccumulation of phenantrene and fluoranthene at 5 °C and heavier (e.g. 5-rings) PAHs at 15 °C. The values and response profiles of each particular biomarker varied with exposure time, concentration of the oil aqueous fraction and dispersant addition, as well as with exposure temperature. Indeed, PAH bioaccumulation and biomarker responsiveness exhibited specific recognizable patterns in mussels exposed at low temperatures. Thus, genotoxicity was recorded early and transient at 5 °C and delayed but unremitting at 10-15 °C. Catalase activity presented a temperature-dependent response profile similar to the genotoxicity biomarker; however, glutathione-S-transferase responsiveness was more intricate. Lysosomal membrane stability in digestive cells decreased more markedly at 5 °C than at higher temperatures and the histological appearance of the digestive gland tissue was temperature-specific, which was interpreted as the combined effects of PAH toxicity and cold stress. It can be concluded that the profile and level of the biological effects are definitely different at low temperatures naturally occurring in the Arctic/Subarctic region (e.g. 5 °C) than at higher temperatures closer to the thermal optimum of this species (10-15 °C)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study of trophic niche partitioning is of great importance for understanding community structure and species coexistence, particularly if these are threatened. Here DNA metabarcoding was used to assess the diet of four threatened steppe bird species (two bustards and two sandgrouses), with the aim of better understanding their dietary requirements, trophic interactions, and potential threats. The results showed seasonal and interspecific differences in their plant diet, with greater importance of cultivated plants during autumn and winter (around 50 % of their diet) than spring. Plants of the genus Convolvulus and of the family Brassicaceae were frequently consumed by all species. In spring, poppies (Papaver spp.) were a considerable part of their diet, and could be used as a source of carotenoids or for their anti-parasitic properties. Furthermore, results evidenced a trophic niche partitioning among species, with a marked segregation between bustard species and, to a lesser extent, between sandgrouse species. Diet similarity was generally higher between species from different orders that occur in mixed-species flocks (bustard - sandgrouse) than between species of the same order. This partitioning was probably related to a stratification in habitat use rather than to specialisation and might prevent competition to some extent. However, the homogenization of trophic resources resulting from agricultural intensification could pose an important threat, particularly during autumn, when weeds are scarcer and the most abundant trophic resource are sown seeds, which are often treated with pesticides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To estimate the environmental impact of a dietary intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) after one year of follow-up., Methods: Baseline and 1-year follow-up data were used for 5800 participants aged 55-75 years with metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMED-Plus study. Food intake was estimated through a validated semiquantitative food consumption frequency questionnaire, and adherence to the MedDiet was estimated through the Diet Score. Using the EAT-Lancet Commission tables we assessed the influence of dietary intake on environmental impact (through five indicators: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication). Using multivariable linear regression models, the association between the intervention and changes in each of the environmental factors was assessed. Mediation analyses were carried out to estimate to what extent changes in each of 2 components of the intervention, namely adherence to the MedDiet and caloric reduction, were responsible for the observed reductions in environmental impact., Results: We observed a significant reduction in the intervention group compared to the control group in acidification levels (-13.3 vs. -9.9 g SO2-eq), eutrophication (-5.4 vs. -4.0 g PO4-eq) and land use (-2.7 vs. -1.8 m2). Adherence to the MedDiet partially mediated the association between intervention and reduction of acidification by 15 %, eutrophication by 10 % and land use by 10 %. Caloric reduction partially mediated the association with the same factors by 55 %, 51 % and 38 % respectively. In addition, adherence to the MedDiet fully mediated the association between intervention and reduction in GHG emissions by 56 % and energy use by 53 %., Conclusions: A nutritional intervention based on consumption of an energy-reduced MedDiet for one year was associated with an improvement in different environmental quality parameters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest J.S.-S. reported receiving research support from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, the European Commission, the USA National Institutes of Health; receiving consulting fees or travel expenses from Eroski Foundation and Instituto Danone, receiving nonfinancial support from Hojiblanca, Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, the California Almond Board of California, Pistachio Growers and Borges S.A; serving on the board of and receiving grant support through his institution from the International Nut and Dried Foundation and the Eroski Foundation; and personal fees from Instituto Danone Spain; Serving in the Board of Danone Institute International. D·C. reported receiving grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. R.E. reported receiving grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fundación Dieta Meditarránea and Cerveza y Salud and olive oil for the trial from Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero and personal fees from Brewers of Europe, Fundación Cerveza y Salud, Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva, Instituto Cervantes in Albuquerque, Milano and Tokyo, Pernod Ricard, Fundación Dieta Mediterránea (Spain), Wine and Culinary International Forum and Lilly Laboratories; nonfinancial support from Sociedad Española de Nutrición and Fundación Bosch y Gimpera; and grants from Uriach Laboratories. The rest of the authors have declared that no competing interests exist. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The presence of nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs) in the environment is recognised as a global-scale problem. Due to their hydrophobic nature and large specific surface, NPs and MPs can adsorb other contaminants, as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and modulate their bioavailability and hazard. Adult zebrafish were exposed for 3 and 21 days to: (1) 0.07 mg/L NPs (50 nm), (2) 0.05 mg/L MPs (4.5 μm), (3) MPs with sorbed oil compounds of the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of a naphthenic crude oil (MPs-WAF), (4) MPs with sorbed benzo(a)pyrene (MPs-B(a)P), (5) 5 % WAF and (6) 21 μg/L B(a)P. Electrodense particles resembling NPs were seen in the intestine lumen close to microvilli. MPs were abundantly found in the intestine lumen, but not internalised into the tissues. After 21 days, NPs caused a significant downregulation of cat, and upregulation of gpx1a and sod1, while MPs upregulated cyp1a and increased the prevalence of liver vacuolisation. No histopathological alteration was observed in gills. In this study, contaminated MPs did not increase PAH levels in zebrafish but results highlight the potential differential impact of plastic particles depending on their size, making it necessary to urgently address the ecotoxicological impact of real environmental NPs and MPs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The incidence of scabies is rising in the last years. Subsequently, the use of pharmaceuticals to treat the disease has also increased. Treatment with topical permethrin is usually recommended as a first line agent. This substance is also an aquatic contaminant that is toxic for many non-target organisms, and has been included as a priority substance in the recently published proposal of the European Water Framework Directive. Current guidelines neglect the potential environmental impact of this drug, recommending that the cream should be applied head to toe and "washed off after 8-12 h". Recently, a wiping procedure before hand washing after application of the topical treatment resulted in a 66 % reduction of the amount of diclofenac released in wastewater. The authors suggested that this method could be explored for other topical treatments. In the case of scabiosis, a protocol implicating the whole body needs to be designed. The absorption of topical permethrin is low. Considering the growing incidence of scabies, the amount of the pyrethroid reaching the environment may also be increasing. Therefore, we believe that applying the wiping procedure to the case of topical permethrin deserves consideration. Other measures to minimize the amount of permethrin residues reaching wastewater by washing clothes and bed linen such as wearing single-use pijamas should also be explored. In conclusion, we need to apply a One Health approach in the treatment with scabies, without neglecting the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals. It is not rational to forget drugs once they go down the drain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cigarette smoke contains many chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and non-smokers. Breathing just a little cigarette smoke can be harmful. There are >7000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful and many of them can cause cancer. Currently, many studies reported the types of harmful organic compounds in cigarette smoke; instead, there are almost no works that describe the presence of inorganic compounds. In this work, a cost-effective self-made passive sampler (SMPS) was tested as a tool to collect different types of particulate matter (PM) from cigarette smoke containing metals as hazardous compounds (HCs). To determine the nature of the metals, nonmetals and metalloids as HCs, a direct qualitative analysis of the particulate matter (PM) was conducted without developing any special sample preparation procedure. For that, non-invasive elemental (Scanning Electron Microscope coupled to Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry) and molecular (Raman microscopy) micro-spectroscopic techniques were used. Thanks to this methodology, it was possible to determine in deposited PM, the presence of metals such as Fe, Cr, Ni, Ti, Co, Sn, Zn, Ba, Al, Cu, Zr, Ce, Bi, etc. most of them as oxides but also embedded in different clusters with sulfates, aluminosilicates, even phosphates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, an accurate analytical method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of twenty-seven antimicrobials (AMs) in earthworms using liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometry detector (UHPLC-MS/MS). Adequate apparent recoveries (80-120 %) and limits of quantification (LOQ) (1 μg·kg -1 - 10 μg·kg -1 ) were obtained, with the exception of norfloxacin (34 μg·kg -1 ). The method was applied to evaluate the accumulation of sulfamethazine (SMZ) and tetracycline (TC) in earthworms after performing OECD-207 toxicity test, in which Eisenia fetida (E. fetida) organisms were exposed to soils spiked with 10 mg·kg -1 , 100 mg·kg -1 or 1000 mg·kg -1 of SMZ and TC, individually. The results confirmed the bioaccumulation of both AMs in the organisms, showing a greater tendency to accumulate SMZ since higher bioconcentration factor values were obtained for this compound at the exposure concentrations tested. In addition, the degradation of both AMs in both matrices, soils and earthworms was studied using liquid chromatography coupled to a q-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry detector. Thirteen transformation products (TPs) were successfully identified, eight of them being identified for the first time in soil/earthworm (such as 4-Amino-3-chloro-n-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide or 4-(dimethylamino)-1,11,12a-trihydroxy-6,6-dimethyl-3,7,10,12-tetraoxo-3,4,4a,5,5a,6,7,10,12,12a-decahydrotetracene-2-carboxamide, among others) and their formation/degradation trend over time was also studied. Regarding the biological effects, only SMZ caused changes in earthworm growth, evidenced by weight loss in earthworms exposed to concentrations of 100 mg·kg -1 and 1000 mg·kg -1 . Riboflavin decreased at all concentrations of SMZ, as well as at the highest concentration of TC. This indicates that these antibiotics can potentially alter the immune system of E. fetida. This research represents a significant advance in improving our knowledge about the contamination of soil by AM over time. It investigates the various ways in which earthworms are exposed to AMs, either by skin contact or ingestion. Furthermore, it explores how these substances accumulate in earthworms, the processes by which earthworms break them down or metabolise them, as well as the resulting TPs. Finally, it examines the potential effects of these substances on the environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics are a global ecological concern due to their potential risk to wildlife and human health. Animals ingest microplastics, which can enter the trophic chain and ultimately impact human well-being. The ingestion of microplastics can cause physical and chemical damage to the animals' digestive systems, affecting their health. To estimate the risk to ecosystems and human health, it is crucial to understand the accumulation and localization of ingested microplastics within the cells and tissues of living organisms. However, analyzing this issue is challenging due to the risk of sample contamination, given the ubiquity of microplastics. Here, an analytical approach is employed to confirm the internalization of microplastics in cryogenic cross-sections of mussel tissue. Using 3D Raman confocal microscopy in combination with chemometrics, microplastics measuring 1 μm in size were detected. The results were further validated using optical and fluorescence microscopy. The findings revealed evidence of microplastics being internalized in the digestive epithelial tissues of exposed mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), specifically within the digestive cells forming digestive alveoli. This study highlights the need to investigate the internalization of microplastics in organisms like mussels, as it helps us understand the potential risks they pose to aquatic biota and ultimately to human health. By employing advanced imaging techniques, challenges associated with sample contamination can be overcome and valuable insights into the impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems and human consumers are provided., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Few prior studies have explored windows of susceptibility to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) in both the prenatal and postnatal periods and children's attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. We analyzed data from 1416 mother-child pairs from the Spanish INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) Study (2003-2008). Around 5 years of age, teachers reported the number of ADHD symptoms (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity) using the ADHD Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Around 7 years of age, parents completed the Conners' Parent Rating Scales, from which we evaluated the ADHD index, cognitive problems/inattention, hyperactivity, and oppositional subscales, reported as age- and sex-standardized T-scores. Daily residential PM 2.5 exposures were estimated using a two-stage random forest model with temporal back-extrapolation and averaged over 1-week periods in the prenatal period and 4-week periods in the postnatal period. We applied distributed lag non-linear models within the Bayesian hierarchical model framework to identify susceptible windows of prenatal or postnatal exposure to PM 2.5 (per 5-μg/m 3 ) for ADHD symptoms. Models were adjusted for relevant covariates, and cumulative effects were reported by aggregating risk ratios (RR cum ) or effect estimates (β cum ) across adjacent susceptible windows. A similar susceptible period of exposure to PM 2.5 (1.2-2.9 and 0.9-2.7 years of age, respectively) was identified for hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms assessed ~5 years (RR cum  = 2.72, 95% credible interval [CrI] = 1.98, 3.74) and increased hyperactivity subscale ~7 years (β cum  = 3.70, 95% CrI = 2.36, 5.03). We observed a susceptibility period to PM 2.5 on risk of hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms ~5 years in gestational weeks 16-22 (RR cum  = 1.36, 95% CrI = 1.22, 1.52). No associations between PM 2.5 exposure and other ADHD symptoms were observed. We report consistent evidence of toddlerhood as a susceptible window of PM 2.5 exposure for hyperactivity in young children. Although mid-pregnancy was identified as a susceptible period of exposure on hyperactivity symptoms in preschool-aged children, this association was not observed at the time children were school-aged., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

There is a growing concern about the presence of pharmaceuticals on the aquatic environment, while the marine environment has been much less investigated than in freshwater. Marine mammals are suitable sentinel species of the marine environment because they often feed at high trophic levels, have unique fat stores and long lifespan. Some small delphinids in particular serve as excellent sentinel species for contamination in the marine environment worldwide. To the best of our knowledge, no pharmaceuticals have been detected or reported in dolphins so far. In the present study, muscle, liver and blubber samples from three common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and seven striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along the Basque Coast (northern Spain) were collected. A total of 95 pharmaceuticals based on detectability and predicted ability to bioaccumulate in fish were included in the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. At least one pharmaceutical was found in 70 % of the individuals. Only three of the 95 monitored pharmaceuticals were detected in dolphin's tissues. Very low concentrations (<1 ng/g) of orphenadrine and pizotifen were found in liver and promethazine in blubber. Herein, the gap in the knowledge regarding the study organisms and marine environments with respect to pharmaceutical pollution, which demands further research to understand if pharmaceuticals are a threat for these apex predators, is highlighted and discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Downed woody debris (DWD) plays an important role as regulator of nutrient and carbon (C) cycling in forests, accounting for up to the 20 % of the total C stocks in primary forests. DWD persistence is highly influenced by microbial decomposition, which is determined by various environmental factors, including fluctuations in temperature and moisture, as well as in intrinsic DWD properties determined by species, diameter, or decay classes (DCs). The relative importance of these different drivers, as well as their interactions, remains largely unknown. Moreover, the importance of DWD for C cycling in virgin forests remains poorly understood, due to their scarcity and poor accessibility. To address this research gap, we conducted a study on DWD respiration (R DWD ), in a temperate virgin forest dominated by European beech and silver fir. Our investigation analysed the correlation between R DWD of these two dominant tree species and the seasonal changes in climate (temperature and moisture), considering other intrinsic DWD traits such as DCs (1, 2 and 4) and diameters (1, 10 and 25 cm). As anticipated, R DWD (normalized per gram of dry DWD) increased with air temperature. Surprisingly, DWD diameter also had a strong positive correlation with R DWD . Nonetheless, the sensitivity to both variables and other intrinsic traits (DC and density) was greatly modulated by the species. On the contrary, water content, which exhibited a considerable spatial variation, had an overall negative effect on R DWD . Virgin forests are generally seen as ineffective C sinks due to their lack of net productivity and high respiration and nutrient turnover. However, the rates of R DWD in this virgin forest were significantly lower than those previously estimated for managed forests. This suggests that DWD in virgin forests may be buffering forest CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere more than previously thought., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mitigating the effect of climate change toward a sustainable development is one of the main challenges of our century. The emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), is a leading cause of the global warming crisis. To address this issue, various sustainable strategies have been formulated for CO 2 capture. Renewable nanocellulose aerogels have risen as a highly attractive candidate for CO 2 capture thanks to their porous and surface-tunable nature. Nanocellulose offer distinctive characteristics, including significant aspect ratios, exceptional biodegradability, lightweight nature, and the ability for chemical modification due to the abundant presence of hydroxyl groups. In this review, recent research studies on nanocellulose-based aerogels designed for CO 2 absorption have been highlighted. The state-of-the-art of nanocellulose-based aerogel has been thoroughly assessed, including their synthesis, drying methods, and characterization techniques. Additionally, discussions were held about the mechanisms of CO 2 adsorption, the effects of the porous structure, surface functionalization, and experimental parameters. Ultimately, this synthesis review provides an overview of the achieved adsorption rates using nanocellulose-based aerogels and outlines potential improvements that could lead to optimal adsorption rates. Overall, this research holds significant promise for tackling the challenges of climate change and contributing to a more sustainable future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Biodiversity loss caused by housing is not a well-defined sector of environmental impact. This research quantifies effects on biodiversity of an average Spanish Single-Family House (SFH) with 180 m 2 of built surface. The current Spanish SFH stock GWP amounts to 1.16 Gt CO 2 eq in a 50-year life cycle, 40 % of which is embodied in the building materials and the 60 % are emissions due to the use of the building. This stock also impacts with 10.2 Gt 1,4-DCB the land, water and human health. SFHs also drive 6052 species extinct in a 50 year life cycle, and account for 3.03 M years of life lost due to premature death or lived with a disability. Divided by the 16 M people living in Spanish SFHs, each one lost 0.19 years of their lives (68.1 days) due to their home's impacts on human health. The article compares a reference conventional building against three low-impact cases, to understand how different building techniques and materials influence environmental outcomes that keep biodiversity loss the lowest possible. Scenarios include a standard brick and concrete house as Scenario 0 (SC0, Base), a timber Passivhaus as Scenario 1 (SC1), a straw-bale house with renewable energies as Scenario 2 (SC2), and an earth bioclimatic house as Scenario 3 (SC3). An initial Global Warming Potential (GWP) analysis was performed to relate previous building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies with biodiversity metrics. Three main biodiversity metrics; ecotoxicity (as midpoint indicator), biodiversity loss and damage to human health (both as endpoint indicators) have been considered. Compared to SC0 with 1292 kgCO 2 -eq·m -2 (516 embodied) of GWP, we found that SC1 emitted -47.0 % of that, SC2-41.4 % and SC3-80.9 %. Concerning ecotoxicity, where SC0 has 11,399 kg 1,4 DCB, the results are -27.9 % in SC1, -19.2 % in SC2, and -45.6 % in SC3. Regarding biodiversity loss, where SC0 has 7.54 E -06 species.yr·m -2 , the impacts are -30.9 % in SC1, -32.6 % in SC2, and -58.6 % in SC3. Human health damage in SC0 being 3.37 E -03 DALY, has been reduced in the timber home (SC1) is -44.2 %, of the Straw SFH (SC2) -39.2 %, and of the earth house (SC3) -67.1 %. This article shows that with current existing technological solutions GWP could be reduced in -80.9 %, ecotoxicity in -45.6 %, biodiversity loss in -58.6 % and human health in -67.1 %. Spanish Single-Family Houses built in timber, earth or straw-bale are real alternatives to current cement traditional building., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This work presents the geochemical characterization of two Martian analogues located in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin: Enekuri and Fruiz. In contrast to previous works carried out on the coastline analogues Meñakoz and Armintza (Biscay, Spain), these new outcrops are not in contact with sea-water nowadays. Hence, the weathering processes observed in Enekuri and Fruiz (inland) are different from those observed in Armintza and Meñakoz (coastline). In this way, among all the mineral phases found the only ones in common between inland and coastline outcrops are albite and chlorites, minerals that were formed in aqueous conditions. Understanding the differences presented in both types of outcrops could help to interpret the future results from the missions Mars2020 and the ExoMars2022, since coastline outcrops are affected by sea-water weathering and inland outcrops are altered by the high biological activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Juan Manuel Madariaga reports financial support was provided by Spanish Agency for Research. Juan Manuel Madariaga reports were provided by University of the Basque Country., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Lead (Pb) and lithium (Li) are metals which have been detected in the environment and, at high concentrations, can induce toxic effects that disturb the growth, metabolism or reproduction of organisms along the entire trophic chain. The impacts of these metals have scarcely been investigated using marine bivalves, especially when acting as a mixture. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of temperature on the ecotoxicological effects caused by Pb and Li, acting alone and as a mixture, on the mussel species Mytilus galloprovincialis after 28 days of exposure. The impacts were evaluated under actual (17 °C) and projected (+4 °C) warming conditions, to understand the influence of temperature rise on the effects of the metals (both acting alone or as a mixture). The results obtained showed that the increased temperature did not influence the accumulation of metals. However, the biomarkers evaluated showed greater responses in mussels that are exposed to metals under increased temperature (21 °C). The IBR index showed that there is a comparable toxic effect of Li and Pb separately, while exposure to a mixture of both pollutants causes a significantly higher stress response. Overall, the results obtained revealed that temperature may cause extra stress on the mussels and exposure to the metal mixture caused the greatest impacts compared to each metal acting alone., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The use of organic amendments for forage production has been promoted in recent years due to the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and the increasing cost of mineral fertilizers. Organic manures can contribute with an extra carbon to the soil to the potential addition of carbon stocks. This study aimed to measure the capacity of different organic amendments commonly available in livestock farms for forage fertilization to influence the rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) under future climate change conditions. For this purpose, on-farm processed exogenous organic matter (EOM) was analyzed for fiber and organic carbon mineralization to obtain the percentage of decomposable EOM and resistant EOM (DEOM and REOM, respectively). The RothC model was run in grasslands and forage maize under different scenarios considering specific DEOM and REOM values. The results showed that the degradability of amendments could influence SOC dynamics. The SOC of grasslands after 38 years of simulation differed by >30 % between compost and the liquid fraction of cattle slurry. Forage crops were simulated under the RCP8.5 scenario and fertilized with amendments at the recommended amounts of nitrogen for these crops. As a result, SOC stocks had a better response to organic fertilization in grassland, except under the application of the liquid fraction, with a decrease in SOC of 16 %. In cropland, only the solid fraction from mechanical separation of slurry and compost applications increased the SOC stock from 13 % to 26 % in the 2020-2090 period. Our study provides insights into how the degradability of EOM can affect simulations of the SOC stock rate over time., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Alvaro Doblas-Rodrigo reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation. Pilar Merino reports financial support was provided by National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology. Patricia Gallejones reports financial support was provided by European Union., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Background: Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a widespread toxic metalloid. It is well-known that iAs metabolism and its toxicity are mediated by polymorphisms in AS3MT and other genes. However, studies during pregnancy are scarce. We aimed to examine the role of genetic polymorphisms in AS3MT, GSTO2, N6AMT1, MTHFR, MTR, FTCD, CBS, and FOLH1 in iAs methylation efficiency during pregnancy., Methods: The study included 541 pregnant participants from the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Spanish cohort. Using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma-tandem mass, we measured arsenic (iAs and the metabolites monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)) in urine samples collected during the first trimester. iAs methylation efficiency was determined based on relative concentrations of the As metabolites in urine (%MMA, %DMA, and %iAs). Thirty-two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nine genes were determined in maternal DNA; AS3MT haplotypes were inferred. We assessed the association between genotypes/haplotypes and maternal As methylation efficiency using multivariate linear regression models., Results: The median %MMA and %DMA were 5.3 %, and 89 %, respectively. Ancestral alleles of AS3MT SNPs (rs3740393, rs3740390, rs11191453, and rs11191454) were significantly associated with higher %MMA, %iAs, and lower %DMA. Pregnant participants with zero copies of the GGCTTCAC AS3MT haplotype presented a higher %MMA. Statistically significant associations were also found for the FOLH1 SNP rs202676 (β 0.89 95%CI: 0.24, 1.55 for carriers of the G allele vs. the A allele)., Conclusions: Our study shows that ancestral alleles in AS3MT polymorphisms were associated with lower As methylation efficiency in early pregnancy and suggests that FOLH1 also plays a role in As methylation efficiency. These results support the hypothesis that As metabolism is multigenic, being a key element for identifying susceptible populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The relationship between exposure to air pollution and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and other outcomes is poorly understood. Beyond age and comorbidity, risk factors for adverse outcomes including death have been poorly studied. The main objective of our study was to examine the relationship between exposure to outdoor air pollution and the risk of death in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia using individual-level data. The secondary objective was to investigate the impact of air pollutants on gas exchange and systemic inflammation in this disease. This cohort study included 1548 patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia between February and May 2020 in one of four hospitals. Local agencies supplied daily data on environmental air pollutants (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , O 3 , NO 2 , NO and NO X ) and meteorological conditions (temperature and humidity) in the year before hospital admission (from January 2019 to December 2019). Daily exposure to pollution and meteorological conditions by individual postcode of residence was estimated using geospatial Bayesian generalised additive models. The influence of air pollution on pneumonia severity was studied using generalised additive models which included: age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, hospital, average income, air temperature and humidity, and exposure to each pollutant. Additionally, generalised additive models were generated for exploring the effect of air pollution on C-reactive protein (CRP) level and SpO 2 /FiO 2 at admission. According to our results, both risk of COVID-19 death and CRP level increased significantly with median exposure to PM 10 , NO 2 , NO and NO X , while higher exposure to NO 2 , NO and NO X was associated with lower SpO 2 /FiO 2 ratios. In conclusion, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic and health-related variables, we found evidence of a significant positive relationship between air pollution and mortality in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia. Additionally, inflammation (CRP) and gas exchange (SpO 2 /FiO 2 ) in these patients were significantly related to exposure to air pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Land use change and nutrient pollution are two pervasive stressors that can modify carbon cycling, as they influence the inputs and the transformation of detritus. Understanding their impact on stream food webs and on diversity is particularly pressing, as streams are largely fuelled by detrital material received from the adjacent riparian environment. Here we assess how a switch from native deciduous forest to Eucalyptus plantations and nutrient enrichment alter the size distribution of stream detritivore communities and decomposition rates of detritus. As expected, more detritus resulted in higher size-independent, or overall, abundance (i.e. higher intercept of size spectra). This change in overall abundance was mainly driven by a change of the relative contribution of large taxa (Amphipoda and Trichoptera), which changed from an average relative abundance of 55.5 to 77.2 % between the sites compared for resource quantity differences in our study. In contrast, detritus quality modified the relative abundance of large vs small individuals (i.e. size spectra slopes), with shallow slopes of size spectra (proportionately more large individuals) associated with sites with nutrient-richer waters and steeper slopes (proportionately fewer large individuals) associated with sites draining Eucalyptus plantations. Decomposition rates of alder leaves due to macroinvertebrates increased from 0.0003 to 0.0142 when relative contribution of large organisms increased (modelled slopes of size spectra: -1.00 and - 0.33, respectively), highlighting the importance of large sized individuals for ecosystem functioning. Our study reveals that land use change and nutrient pollution can greatly impair the transfer of energy through the detrital or 'brown' food web by means of intra- and inter-specific responses to quality and quantity of the detritus. These responses enable linking land use change and nutrient pollution to ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dietary patterns can produce an environmental impact. Changes in people's diet, such as the increased consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) can not only influence human health but also environment sustainability., Objectives: Assessment of the impact of 2-year changes in UPF consumption on greenhouse gas emissions and water, energy and land use., Design: A 2-year longitudinal study after a dietary intervention including 5879 participants from a Southern European population between the ages of 55-75 years with metabolic syndrome., Methods: Food intake was assessed using a validated 143-item food frequency questionnaire, which allowed classifying foods according to the NOVA system. In addition, sociodemographic data, Mediterranean diet adherence, and physical activity were obtained from validated questionnaires. Greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy and land use were calculated by means of the Agribalyse® 3.0.1 database of environmental impact indicators for food items. Changes in UPF consumption during a 2-year period were analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted using computed General Linear Models., Results: Participants with major reductions in their UPF consumption reduced their impact by -0.6 kg of CO 2 eq and -5.3 MJ of energy. Water use was the only factor that increased as the percentage of UPF was reduced., Conclusions: Low consumption of ultra-processed foods may contribute to environmental sustainability. The processing level of the consumed food should be considered not only for nutritional advice on health but also for environmental protection., Trial Registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN89898870. Registered 05 September 2013, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest This work was supported by the official Spanish Institutions for funding scientific biomedical research, CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (six coordinated FIS projects leaded by JS-S and JVi, including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI14/00972, PI14/00728, PI14/01471, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926, PI19/00957, PI19/00386, PI19/00309, PI19/01032, PI19/00576, PI19/00017, PI19/01226, PI19/00781, PI19/01560, PI19/01332, PI20/01802, PI20/00138, PI20/01532, PI20/00456, PI20/00339, PI20/00557, PI20/00886, PI20/01158); the Especial Action Project entitled: Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensiva sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus grant to JS-S; the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2014–2019; agreement #340918) granted to MÁM-G.; the Recercaixa (number 2013ACUP00194) grant to JS-S; grants from the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013, PS0358/2016, PI0137/2018); the PROMETEO/2017/017 and the AICO/2021/347 grants from the Generalitat Valenciana; the SEMERGEN grant. J.S-S is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. C.B. was granted by Juan de la Cierva grant. P.M.G. was granted by the Specialist Postdoctoral program of the Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía (Spain). None of the funding sources took part in the design, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data, or writing the report, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. J.S.-S. reported receiving research support from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, the European Commission, the USA National Institutes of Health; receiving consulting fees or travel expenses from Eroski Foundation and Instituto Danone, receiving nonfinancial support from Hojiblanca, Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero, the California Almond Board of California, Pistachio Growers and Borges S.A; serving on the board of and receiving grant support through his institution from the International Nut and Dried Foundation and the Eroski Foundation; and personal fees from Instituto Danone Spain; Serving in the Board of Danone Institute International. D.C. reported receiving grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. R.E. reported receiving grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fundación Dieta Meditarránea and Cerveza y Salud and olive oil for the trial from Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero and personal fees from Brewers of Europe, Fundación Cerveza y Salud, Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva, Instituto Cervantes in Albuquerque, Milano and Tokyo, Pernod Ricard, Fundación Dieta Mediterránea (Spain), Wine and Culinary International Forum and Lilly Laboratories; non-financial support from Sociedad Española de Nutrición and Fundación Bosch y Gimpera; and grants from Uriach Laboratories. The rest of the authors have declared that no competing interests exist. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Diverse criteria or parameters have been cited as tools to determine the maturity of carbonaceous matter (CM) found in geologic samples using Raman spectroscopy. However, these approaches involve the mathematical decomposition of Raman bands which can vary with the specific method, the software employed, or even the individual user. Data should be treated spectrum by spectrum and a similar spectroscopic pre-treatment should be applied to the whole dataset. All these factors affect the final result and can introduce a wide uncertainty and bias. We propose an alternative chemometric method that avoids these sources of uncertainty by considering the entire spectrum, not just certain regions, while allowing specific regions of interest to be defined. Moreover, spectra pre-treatment is not required. We employ principal component analysis (PCA) across the whole range of spectra. While the method does not provide an absolute maturity value, it allows comparison of different CM in terms of maturity or H:C ratio. In the analysis of coal standards, samples were grouped by maturity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The presence of microplastics in the food chain is a public concern worldwide, and its analysis is an analytical challenge. In our research, we apply Raman imaging to study the presence of 1 μm polystyrene microplastics in cryosections of Mytilus galloprovincialis due to its wide geographic distribution, widespread occurrence in the food web, and general high presence in the environment. Ingested microplastics are accumulated in the digestive tract, but a large number can also be rapidly eliminated. Some authors state that the translocation of microplastics to the epithelial cells is possible, increasing the risk of microplastics transmission along the food chain. However, as seen in our study, a surface imaging approach (2D) is probably not enough to confirm the internalization of particles and avoid misinterpretation. In fact, while some microplastic particles were detected in the epithelium by 2D Raman imaging, further 3D Raman imaging analysis demonstrated that those particles were dragged from the lumens to the epithelium during sample preparation due to the blade drag effect of the cryotome, and subsequently located on the surface of the analyzed cryosection, discarding the translocation to the epithelial cells. This effect can also happen when the samples are fortuitously contaminated during sample preparation. Several research articles that use similar analytical techniques have shown the presence of microplastics in different types of tissue. It is not our intention to put such results in doubt, but the present work points out the necessity of appropriate three-dimensional analytical methods including data interpretation and the need to go a step further than just surface imaging analysis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Kepa Castro reports financial support was provided by Basque Business Development Agency. Andreas Seifert reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Science Technology and Innovations. Andreas Seifert reports financial support was provided by Basque Business Development Agency. Urtzi Izagirre reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. Urtzi Izagirre reports financial support was provided by Basque Business Development Agency., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

For the first time, several pharmaceuticals have been defined as priority substances in the new proposal of the revision of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Consequently, environmental quality standards have been determined for several drugs. This is the case with the antiepileptic carbamazepine, which is considered as hazardous in healthcare settings by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This organism considers as such drugs that have shown teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity or other developmental, reproductive, or organ toxicity at low doses in studies with animals or humans. This study has been focused on the non-carcinogenic drugs classified in group 2, and their presence in the environment. This group contains many different therapeutic agents such as antineoplastics, psychoactive drugs, immunosuppressants and antivirals, among others. Of the 116 drugs included in the list, 26 have been found in aquatic environmental matrices. Certain drugs have received most attention (e.g., the antiepileptic carbamazepine, progesterone and the antidepressant paroxetine) while others completely lack environmental monitoring. Carbamazepine, fluconazole, paroxetine and warfarin have been found in invertebrates' tissues, whereas carbamazepine, oxazepam and paroxetine have been found in fish tissues. The main aim of the NIOSH's hazardous drug list is to inform healthcare professionals about adequate protection measures to prevent occupational exposure to these pharmaceuticals. However, this list contains useful information for other professionals and researchers such as environmental scientists. The paucity of relevant environmental data of certain hazardous pharmaceuticals might be important to help in the prioritization of compounds that may demand further research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Micropollutants monitoring in wastewater can serve as a picture of what is consuming society and how it can impact the aquatic environment. In this work, a suspect screening approach was used to detect the known and unknown contaminants in wastewater samples collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in the Basque Country (Crispijana in Alava, and Galindo in Vizcaya) during two weekly sampling campaigns, which included the months from April to July 2020, part of the confinement period caused by COVID-19. To that aim, high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to collect full-scan data-dependent tandem mass spectra from the water samples using a suspect database containing >40,000 chemical substances. The presence of > 80 contaminants was confirmed (level 1) and quantified in both WWTP samples, while at least 47 compounds were tentatively identified (2a). Among the contaminants of concern, an increase in the occurrence of some compounds used for COVID-19 disease treatment, such as lopinavir and hydroxychloroquine, was observed during the lockdown. A prioritization strategy for environmental risk assessment was carried out considering only the compounds quantified in the effluents of Crispijana and Galindo WWTPs. The compounds were scored based on the removal efficiency, estimated persistency, bioconcentration factor, mobility, toxicity potential and frequency of detection in the samples. With this approach, 33 compounds (e.g. amantadine, clozapine or lopinavir) were found to be considered key contaminants in the analyzed samples based on their concentration, occurrence and potential toxicity. Additionally, antimicrobial (RQ-AR) and antiviral (EDRP) risk of certain compounds was evaluated, where ciprofloxacin and fluconazole represented medium risk for antibiotic resistance (1 > RQ-AR > 0.1) in the aquatic ecosystems. Regarding mixture toxicity, the computed sum of toxic unit values of the different effluents (> 1) suggest that interactions between the compounds need to be considered for future environmental risk assessments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Europe has experienced a substantial increase in non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) since the mid-20th century due to their extensive use in fisheries, aquaculture and, more recently, pet trade. Despite relatively long invasion histories of some NICS and negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, large spatio-temporal analyses of their occurrences are lacking. Here, we used a large freshwater macroinvertebrate database to evaluate what information on NICS can be obtained from widely applied biomonitoring approaches and how usable such data is for descriptions of trends in identified NICS species. We found 160 time-series containing NICS between 1983 and 2019, to infer temporal patterns and environmental drivers of species and region-specific trends. Using a combination of meta-regression and generalized linear models, we found no significant temporal trend for the abundance of any species (Procambarus clarkii, Pacifastacus leniusculus or Faxonius limosus) at the European scale, but identified species-specific predictors of abundances. While analysis of the spatial range expansion of NICS was positive (i.e. increasing spread) in England and negative (significant retreat) in northern Spain, no trend was detected in Hungary and the Dutch-German-Luxembourg region. The average invasion velocity varied among countries, ranging from 30 km/year in England to 90 km/year in Hungary. The average invasion velocity gradually decreased over time in the long term, with declines being fastest in the Dutch-German-Luxembourg region, and much slower in England. Considering that NICS pose a substantial threat to aquatic biodiversity across Europe, our study highlights the utility and importance of collecting high resolution (i.e. annual) biomonitoring data using a sampling protocol that is able to estimate crayfish abundance, enabling a more profound understanding of NICS impacts on biodiversity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The amount of wastewater processed in treatment plants is increasing following more strict environmental regulations. Treatment facilities are implementing upgrades to abate the concentrations of nutrients and contaminants and, thus, reduce their effects on receiving systems. Although many studies characterized the chemical composition and ecotoxicological effects of treated wastewater, its environmental effects are still poorly known, as receiving water bodies are often subjected to other stressors. We performed a field manipulative experiment to measure the response of invertebrate assemblages to one year of tertiary-treated wastewater discharges. We poured treated wastewater from an urban wastewater treatment plant into the lower-most 100-m of a previously unpolluted stream (3.6 % daily flow on average) while using another upstream reach as control. The positive correlation between effect sizes of abundance changes and IBMWP scores suggested assemblage modifications were following taxa tolerance to ecological impairment. The treatment increased the temporal variability of SPEAR organic , EPT relative abundance, and invertebrate functional redundancy. Our results show that even in this best-case scenario of tertiary-treated and highly diluted wastewater, the abundance of the most sensitive taxa in the aquatic assemblages is reduced. Further improvements in wastewater treatments seem necessary to ensure these effluents do not modify receiving water ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The still significant uncertainties associated with the future capacity of terrestrial systems to mitigate climate change are linked to the lack of knowledge of the biotic and abiotic processes that regulate CO 2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in space/time. Mainly, rates and controls of CO 2 exchange from arid ecosystems, despite dominating the global trends in interannual variability of the terrestrial CO 2 sink capacity, are probably the most poorly understood of all. We present a study on rates and controls of CO 2 exchange measured with the eddy covariance (EC) technique in the Chihuahuan Desert in the Northeast of Mexico, to understand how the environmental controls of the NEE switch throughout the year using a multilevel approach. Since this is a water-limited ecosystem, the hydroecological year, based on the last precipitation and the decay of air temperature, was used to compare the wet (from May 16 to October 30, 2019) and dry (November 1, 2019 to May 15, 2020) seasons' controlling mechanisms, both at diurnal and nocturnal times. Annual NEE was -303.5 g C m -2 , with a cumulative R eco of 537.7 g C m -2 and GPP of 841.3 g C m -2 . NEE showed radiation, temperature, and soil moisture sensitivity along the day, however, shifts in these controls along the year and between seasons were identified. The winter precipitations during the dry season led to fast C release followed by lagged C uptake. Despite this flux pulse, the ecosystem was a net sink throughout most of the year because the local vegetation is well adapted to grow and uptake C under these arid conditions, even during the dry season. Understanding the controls of the sink-source shifts is relevant since the predictions for future climate include changes in the precipitation patterns., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Not applicable., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed pollutant. Its sub-lethal effects on reproduction of birds have been used as indicators of contamination and of potential demographic effects. However, studies typically used single endpoints that might not be representative of entire reproductive cycle. To estimate timing and net cumulative effects of Hg exposure under field conditions, we used observational data over 11 years from >1200 nests of great egrets breeding under temporally and spatially varying food availability and Hg exposures in the Florida Everglades. We collected measures of fish biomass and availability (>100 locations annually) and used four avian reproductive endpoints that represented the entire breeding cycle. We calculated net reproductive loss by adding estimated Hg effects on failures prior to egg laying, clutch size, hatching success and nestling survival in response to food availability and Hg exposure. To validate and assess results of the observational egret study, we ran the same analyses with data of captive breeding white ibises experimentally exposed to Hg with ad libitum food over 3 years. We found large (>50 %) reductions in great egret offspring with high Hg exposure (18 μg/g dw THg nestling feather, ~0.7 μg/g ww whole egg THg) and high food availability, and even larger reductions (up to 100 %) with high Hg exposure and low food. Timing and the relative contribution of different endpoints to overall reproductive failure varied with food availability. Failures prior to egg laying were relevant at all food availabilities and proportionally most important during high food availability (~70 % of total losses). Under high food, post-hatching failures increased moderately with increasing exposure (~10 % of total losses), and under low food, hatching failures became dominant (~50 % of total losses). Patterns of failure of captive white ibis fed ad libitum resembled those of great egrets under high food availability but differed in total magnitude. We suggest that, a) net reproductive effects of Hg in free-ranging animals are probably much higher than generally reported in studies using single endpoints, b) Hg effect sizes vary considerably among different endpoints and c) food availability is a strong driver of timing and net effects of Hg exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Injecting ozone by means of a venturi device causes an increase in the mass transfer coefficient with respect to gas dissolution through a microdiffuser. Moreover, it was observed that significant turbidity levels are not formed (<1 NTU) when using a microdiffuser, probably due to the relatively high stirring which avoids formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. On the contrary, employing a venturi injector led to the production of high turbidity levels in water (up to 20 NTU). This indicates that formation of supramolecular structures causing this turbidity requires the presence of certain facilitating species which are formed through ozone decomposition mechanisms. The maximum ozone transfer takes place when operating at pH 0 9.0, that is, when this value is close to the pK a and employing a dose of R = 115 mol O 3 /mol Pa 0 . Under these conditions, the degradation of paracetamol generates color, which is attributed to the presence of condensation products from pyrogallol, catechol, resorcinol, acetamide, oxalic acid and 4-aminophenol. Once paracetamol is fully degraded and solution turns colorless, turbidity grows (>20 NTU). This is attributed to formation of high molecular weight structures from 4-aminophenol and oxamide. Operating with large ozone excess (R = 500 mol O 3 /mol Pa 0 ), the maximum ozone transfer rate is achieved at pH 0 = 12.0. Under these conditions, the pollutant is fully removed together with water aromaticity and oxalic acid (able to form linear structures through hydrogen bonding) is detected during color development. Then, turbidity is formed due to cyclic dimer formation from acetic acid., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no interes statement., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Vegetation is widely used in the assessment of the quality of peatlands, while the invertebrate fauna of peatlands is relatively poorly studied. We compared the bioindicator values of vegetation with two arthropod groups widespread in peatlands, saprophagous Oribatida (Acariformes) and predatory Mesostigmata (Parasitiformes) mites. Samples were collected from ecotones at the edges of peatland ponds in Poland, including four in near-natural condition (i.e., peatlands unaffected by human activity) and three in previously disturbed but now recovering peatlands. A set of abiotic parameters was measured at each site: pond area, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, and water parameters (pH, conductivity, colour, total nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and organic carbon). Overall, 63,635 specimens of Oribatida and 448 of Mesostigmata were recovered in the sampling. Species richness of Oribatida (56 species) was higher than that of flora (46) and Mesostigmata (15). Vegetation was significantly associated with annual precipitation in the years 1998-2007 which accounted for 29.1 % of the variation in vegetation communities. Oribatida variability was significantly associated with the content of organic carbon in water accounting for 32.4 % of variation. In contrast, variation in the Mesostigmata was not significantly associated with any of the abiotic parameters. Vegetation at ponds in previously disturbed and now recovering peatlands had higher bush cover than at near-natural ponds and the pond in the cutaway peat had lowest moss cover and the highest number of associate species (i.e., species with wide tolerance not characteristic of the certain community). Mite communities did not differ consistently between near-natural and recovering peatlands. Sphagnum divinum Flatberg et Hassel was recorded from Poland for the first time., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics (MPs) can adsorb persistent organic pollutants such as oil hydrocarbons and may facilitate their transfer to organisms (Trojan horse effect). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 21 day dietary exposure to polystyrene MPs of 4.5 μm at 1000 particles/mL, alone and with sorbed oil compounds from the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of a naphthenic North Sea crude oil at two dilutions (25 % and 100 %), on marine mussels. An additional group of mussels was exposed to 25 % WAF for comparison. PAHs were accumulated in mussels exposed to WAF but not in those exposed to MPs with sorbed oil compounds from WAF (MPs-WAF), partly due to the low concentration of PAHs in the studied crude oil. Exposure to MPs or to WAF alone altered the activity of enzymes involved in aerobic (isocitrate dehydrogenase) and biotransformation metabolism (glutathione S-transferase). Prevalence of oocyte atresia and volume density of basophilic cells were higher and absorption efficiency lower in mussels exposed to MPs and to WAF than in controls. After 21 days MPs caused DNA damage (Comet assay) in mussel hemocytes. In conclusion, a Trojan horse effect was not observed but both MPs and oil WAF caused an array of deleterious effects on marine mussels at different levels of biological organization., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An effect-directed analysis (EDA) approach was used to identify the compounds responsible for endocrine disruption in a hospital effluent (Basque Country). In order to facilitate the identification of the potentially toxic substances, a sample was collected using an automated onsite large volume solid phase extraction (LV-SPE) system. Then, it was fractionated with a two-step orthogonal chromatographic separation and tested for estrogenic effects with a recombinant yeast (A-YES) in-vitro bioassay. The fractionation method was optimized and validated for 184 compounds, and its application to the hospital effluent sample allowed reducing the number of unknowns from 292 in the raw sample to 35 after suspect analysis of the bioactive fractions. Among those, 7 of them were confirmed with chemical standards. In addition, target analysis of the raw sample confirmed the presence of mestranol, estrone and dodemorph in the fractions showing estrogenic activity. Predictive estrogenic activity modelling using quantitative structure-activity relationships indicated that the hormones mestranol (5840 ng/L) and estrone (128 ng/L), the plasticiser bisphenol A (9219 ng/L) and the preservative butylparaben (1224 ng/L) were the main contributors of the potential toxicity. Derived bioanalytical equivalents (BEQs) pointed mestranol and estrone as the main contributors (56 % and 43 %, respectively) of the 50 % of the sample's explained total estrogenic activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The conservation of constructions, and especially of built heritage, requires complex studies concerning their Global Vulnerability. These studies have to consider the current state of the building, i.e. the degradation degree, and the factors that mostly affect the building and, therefore, generate alterations. These factors are not limited to the structure of the building, location and environmental factors are also involved. Hence, the assessment of built heritage vulnerability should consider the building itself and also be extended to the site and the environment. This work presents a systematic and reproducible methodology for the quantification of the Global Vulnerability in different typologies of constructions and environments. The proposed methodology establishes a relationship between the existing alterations (A) and the main factors (F) that affect vulnerability (V) by means of an AFV (Alteration/Factor/Vulnerability) diagram. Based on these results alteration and vulnerability indices are calculated. The obtained AFV diagram allows the comparison between different constructions or separate areas within the same construction. This methodology was validated in two early twentieth-century constructions that form part of the reinforced concrete architectural heritage of the Basque Country: the Punta Begoña Galleries (Getxo, Spain) and the Aqueduct of the Araxes paper mill (Tolosa, Spain)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Coarse resolution sensors are not very sensitive at detecting small fire patches, making current estimations of global burned areas (BA) very conservative. Using medium or high-resolution sensors to generate BA products becomes then a priority, particularly in areas where fires tend to be small and frequent. Building on previous work that developed a small fire dataset (SFD) for Sub-Saharan Africa for 2016, this paper presents a new version of the dataset for 2019 using the two Sentinel-2 satellites (A and B) and VIIRS active fires. Total estimated BA was 4.8 Mkm 2 . This value was much higher than estimations from two global, coarser-spatial resolution BA products based on MODIS data for the same area and period: 80 % greater than estimates from FireCCI51 (based on MODIS 250 m bands) and 120 % larger than MCD64A1 (based on MODIS 500 m bands). The main differences were observed in those months with higher fire occurrence (November to January for the Northern Hemisphere regions and June to September for the Southern Hemisphere ones). Accuracy assessment of the SFD product was based on a novel sampling strategy designed to obtain independent fire reference perimeters. Validation results showed remarkable high accuracy values comparing to existing global BA products. Overall omission errors (OE) were estimated as 8.5 %, commission errors (CE) as 15.0 %, with a Dice Coefficient of 87.7 %. All of these estimations implied significant improvements over the global, coarser spatial resolution BA products (OE > 50 % and CE > 20 % for the same area and period), as well as over the previous SFD product for 2016 of the same area, generated from a single Sentinel-2 satellite and MODIS active fires (OE = 26.5 % and CE = 19.3 %). Temporal accuracies greatly increased as well with the new product, with 92.5 % of fires detected within the first 10 days of occurrence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly worldwide in the year 2020, which was initially restrained by drastic mobility restrictions. In this work, we investigated the use of illicit drugs (amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis), and licit substances of abuse (alcohol and tobacco) during the earlier months (March-July 2020) of the pandemic restrictions in four Spanish (Bilbao and its metropolitan area, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Castellón and Santiago de Compostela) and two Portuguese (Porto and Vila do Conde) locations by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). The results show that no methamphetamine was detected in any of the locations monitored, while amphetamine use was only detectable in the two locations from the Basque Country (Bilbao and its metropolitan area and Vitoria-Gasteiz), with high estimated average usage rates (700-930 mg day -1 1000 inhabitant -1 ). The remaining substances were detected in all the investigated catchment areas. In general, no remarkable changes were found in population normalized loads compared to former years, except for cocaine (i.e. its main metabolite, benzoylecgonine). For this drug, a notable decrease in use was discernible in Castellón, while its usage in Porto and Santiago de Compostela seemed to continue in a rising trend, already initiated in former years. Furthermore, two events of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) dumping in the sewage network were confirmed by enantiomeric analysis, one in Santiago de Compostela just prior the lockdown and the second one in the Bilbao and its metropolitan area in July after relieving the more stringent measures. The latter could also be associated with a police intervention. The comparison of WBE with (web) survey data, which do not provide information at a local level, points towards contradictory conclusions for some of the substances, thereby highlighting the need for stable WBE networks capable of near real-time monitoring drug use., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)