2 1 The innovative transport systems and the CityMobil project 10 1.1 The research questions 10 2 The state of art in the field of automatic transport systems 12 2.1 Case studies and demand studies for innovative transport systems 12 3 The design and implementation of surveys 14 3.1 Definition of experimental design 14 3.2 Questionnaire design and delivery 16 3.3 First analyses on the collected sample 18 4 Calibration of Logit Multionomial demand models 21 4.1 Methodology 21 4.2 Calibration of the “full” model. 22 4.3 Calibration of the “final” model 24 4.4 The demand analysis through the final Multinomial Logit model 25 5 The analysis of interaction between the demand and socioeconomic attributes 31 5.1 Methodology 31 5.2 Application of Mixed Logit models to the demand 31 5.3 Analysis of the interactions between demand and socioeconomic attributes through Mixed Logit models 32 5.4 Mixed Logit model and interaction between age and the demand for the CTS 38 5.5 Demand analysis with Mixed Logit model 39 6 Final analyses and conclusions 45 6.1 Comparison between the results of the analyses 45 6.2 Conclusions 48 6.3 Answers to the research questions and future developments 52

The European commission

Reactive oxygen species

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to prevent or control pests, diseases, weeds, and other plant pathogens in an effort to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Although pesticides are developed through very strict regulation processes to function with reasonable certainty and minimal impact on human health and the environment, serious concerns have been raised about health risks resulting from occupational exposure and from residues in food and drinking water. Occupational exposure to pesticides often occurs in the case of agricultural workers in open fields and greenhouses, workers in the pesticide industry, and exterminators of house pests. Exposure of the general population to pesticides occurs primarily through eating food and drinking water contaminated with pesticide residues, whereas substantial exposure can also occur in or around the home. Regarding the adverse effects on the environment (water, soil and air contamination from leaching, runoff, and spray drift, as well as the detrimental effects on wildlife, fish, plants, and other non-target organisms), many of these effects depend on the toxicity of the pesticide, the measures taken during its application, the dosage applied, the adsorption on soil colloids, the weather conditions prevailing after application, and how long the pesticide persists in the environment. Therefore, the risk assessment of the impact of pesticides either on human health or on the environment is not an easy and particularly accurate process because of differences in the periods and levels of exposure, the types of pesticides used (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the areas where pesticides are usually applied. Also, the number of the criteria used and the method of their implementation to assess the adverse effects of pesticides on human health could affect risk assessment and would possibly affect the characterization of the already approved pesticides and the approval of the new compounds in the near future. Thus, new tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict the potential hazards of pesticides and thus contribute to reduction of the adverse effects on human health and the environment. On the other hand, the implementation of alternative cropping systems that are less dependent on pesticides, the development of new pesticides with novel modes of action and improved safety profiles, and the improvement of the already used pesticide formulations towards safer formulations (e.g., microcapsule suspensions) could reduce the adverse effects of farming and particularly the toxic effects of pesticides. In addition, the use of appropriate and well-maintained spraying equipment along with taking all precautions that are required in all stages of pesticide handling could minimize human exposure to pesticides and their potential adverse effects on the environment.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/8/5/1402/pdf

Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Sampling and analysis or visual examination of soil to assess its status and use potential is widely practiced from plot to national scales. However, the choice of relevant soil attributes and interpretation of measurements are not straightforward, because of the complexity and site-specificity of soils, legacy effects of previous land use, and trade-offs between ecosystem services. Here we review soil quality and related concepts, in terms of definition, assessment approaches, and indicator selection and interpretation. We identify the most frequently used soil quality indicators under agricultural land use. We find that explicit evaluation of soil quality with respect to specific soil threats, soil functions and ecosystem services has rarely been implemented, and few approaches provide clear interpretation schemes of measured indicator values. This limits their adoption by land managers as well as policy. We also consider novel indicators that address currently neglected though important soil properties and processes, and we list the crucial steps in the development of a soil quality assessment procedure that is scientifically sound and supports management and policy decisions that account for the multi-functionality of soil. This requires the involvement of the pertinent actors, stakeholders and end-users to a much larger degree than practiced to date.

Soil quality – A critical review

Rodents are the most abundant and diversified order of living mammals in the world. Already since the Middle Ages we know that they can contribute to human disease, as black rats were associated with distribution of plague. However, also in modern times rodents form a threat for public health. In this review article a large number of pathogens that are directly or indirectly transmitted by rodents are described. Moreover, a simplified rodent disease model is discussed.

Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health

During the period from 2014 to 2017, a retrospective study on pesticide poisoning in domestic animals and livestock was compiled and then analyzed. A total of 71 pesticide analyses have been submitted to the Pharmacy and Toxicology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet in Tunisia. All the cases were first referred either through the clinical and/or pathological departments of the Veterinary School, the private and/or governmental veterinarians or directly by the pet owners. Among the total number of the suspected samples, 21 (29.6%) cases were found positive for various kinds of pesticides. Carbamate insecticides were the most frequently implicated pesticide (52.4% of the total positive cases), followed by organophosphate insecticides (19%), then rodenticides-anticoagulants and rodenticides non-anticoagulants (14.3% each). Therefore, carbamates and organophosphates are the most implicated group of pesticides in intoxications (71.4%). Among the 21 positive cases were 11 dogs, 4 cats, 3 poultry, 2 ruminants, and 1 case of bee poisoning. Partition chromatography (HPLC) has been used to characterize the incriminated pesticides. The aim of this survey was to determine incidence and characteristics of pesticide poisoning in domestic and farm animals in Tunisia. The reported results are useful for epidemiological cartography and medical management of intoxicated animals.

/pdf/animal-pesticide-poisoning-in-tunisia-taubikt783.pdf

Animal Pesticide Poisoning in Tunisia.

Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic species of the Leptospira genus. Animals can have two roles in the epidemiological cycle: they can be an accidental host and suffer of the disease or a reservoir host which does not express any clinical sign and shed bacteria in their urine. Some of the most known reservoirs for leptospirosis are certain rodent species, but the situation is less clear for aquatic rodents, especially for coypu (Myocastor coypus). It has been shown that this species can have kidney carriage for leptospirosis, but the relationship between carriage and individuals or population health has not been investigated yet. We trapped 133 coypus in two wetlands in the East of France during 3 years. For each animal, a complete necropsy, leptospirosis serology, and a specific real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for pathogenic leptospires were performed; in addition, for some animals, a specific kidney culture for leptospires and histology on kidney were performed. In spite of a high seroprevalence (respectively 76 % and 64 %) and of a significant prevalence of kidney carriage in both areas (respectively 12.1 % and 8.0 % of positive qPCR on kidney), the trapped animals seemed in good health, and the population did not seem to be affected by the circulation of the bacteria. These findings are concurring arguments to consider coypu as a real reservoir for leptospirosis.

The role of the coypu ( Myocastor coypus ), an invasive aquatic rodent species, in the epidemiological cycle of leptospirosis: a study in two wetlands in the East of France

In this study, osprey (Pandion haliaetus) tissues collected in France were used for contaminants analyses by a non-invasive approach. 53 pesticides (organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate, pyrethroids, herbicides, anticoagulant rodenticides), 13 PCBs, and 5 metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, copper and arsenic) were quantified in liver of 14 individual samples. PCBs and mercury were frequent (mean 0.5 mg/kg, range < d.l.−2.6 mg/kg and mean 3.4 mg/kg, range < d.l.−16.3 mg/kg wet weight, respectively). Inter-individual variations in contaminant diversity and amounts were noticed. Immediate conservation of the species in the country does not seem to be threatened by global contamination.

Tissue Concentrations of Pesticides, PCBs and Metals Among Ospreys, Pandion haliaetus , Collected in France

Use of the Nile monitor, Varanus niloticus L (Reptilia: Varanidae), as a bioindicator of organochlorine pollution in African wetlands.

Environmental contamination caused by obsolete pesticide stocks was assessed using the Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) as a sentinel species. Organochlorines and organophosphates were quantified by gas chromatography in abdominal fat and the liver, respectively. Results were compared to those obtained from three other sites, characterized by different histories of contamination. None of the previously stocked pesticides were recovered. Low to moderate levels of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4′-DDE) were quantified in monitors from all sites. Malathion and 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (4,4′-DDD) also were detected sporadically. Interindividual variability was substantial. Correlations between pesticide loads and individual characteristics were considered. The nondetection of previously stocked pesticides in the monitors' tissues, their contamination by other pesticides, and the value of V. niloticus as a monitoring tool for environmental contamination are discussed. The results indicate a situation of low concern and draw attention to the importance of local conditions in determining environmental dangers associated with potential pollution sources. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:387–394. © 2011 SETAC

Assessing environmental contamination around obsolete pesticide stockpiles in west africa: using the nile monitor (varanus niloticus) as a sentinel species

Philippe Berny

Papers

Animal Pesticide Poisoning in Tunisia.

The role of the coypu ( Myocastor coypus ), an invasive aquatic rodent species, in the epidemiological cycle of leptospirosis: a study in two wetlands in the East of France

Tissue Concentrations of Pesticides, PCBs and Metals Among Ospreys, Pandion haliaetus , Collected in France

Use of the Nile monitor, Varanus niloticus L (Reptilia: Varanidae), as a bioindicator of organochlorine pollution in African wetlands.

Assessing environmental contamination around obsolete pesticide stockpiles in west africa: using the nile monitor (varanus niloticus) as a sentinel species