A bacterium against the tiger: further evidence of the potential of noninundative releases of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection in reducing fertility of Aedes albopictus field populations in Italy

BACKGROUND

Incompatible insect technique (IIT) is a population suppression approach based on the release of males with manipulated Wolbachia infection inducing egg inviability in wild females. We here present results of multiple field releases of incompatible ARwP males carried out in 2019 in a 2.7-ha green area within urban Rome (Italy) to assess the effect on Aedes albopictus egg viability. Data are compared with results obtained in 2018, when the approach was tested for the first time in Europe.

RESULTS

An average of 4674 ARwP males were released weekly for 7 weeks, resulting in a mean ARwP:wild male ratio of 1.1:1 (versus 0.7:1 in 2018). Egg-viability dynamics in ovitraps significantly varied between treated and control sites, with an estimated overall reduction of 35% (versus 15% in 2018). The estimated proportion of females classified as mated with ARwP males was 41.8% and the viability rate of eggs laid by these females (9.5%) was on average significantly lower than that of females only mated with wild males (87.8%); however, high variability in fertility was observed. Values of ARwP male competitiveness were 0.36 and 0.73 based on the overall viability rate of eggs in ovitraps and on female fertility, respectively; thus, well above the conventional 0.2 threshold for an effective suppressive impact in the field.

CONCLUSIONS

Results further support the potential of IIT as a tool to contribute to Ae. albopictus control in the urban context, stressing the need for larger field trials to evaluate the cost-efficacy of the approach in temperate regions. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

C, N and their Stable Isotopes in Suspended and Sedimented Matter from the PO Estuary (Italy)

C and N content, C/N (atomic) ratio, and C and N isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were determined on suspended particulate matter and sediment samples obtained from riverine, estuarine and marine environments in two cruises (September 1995 and March 1996) in the Po estuary (Italy). Isotopic tracers of C and N, reported for the first time for this environment, gave information on sources of organic matter and their distributions. An end-member mixing model based on δ¹³C values was applied to estimate the relative importance of riverine and marine sources of organic matter in suspended particulate matter and sediments.     

Development and recovery from winter embolism in silver birch: seasonal patterns and relationships with the phenological cycle in oceanic Scotland

Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) is increasingly used in the United Kingdom for reforestation. However, recent evidence indicates that, under some circumstances, planted birch can suffer serious and repeated mortality of the apical leaders and branches, with consequent loss of apical dominance and the formation of a contorted stem. Plants from 37 seed sources of silver birch from Scotland and northern England planted at two sites were compared for several characteristics related to hydraulic architecture, vulnerability to freeze-thaw cycle induced embolism and spring recovery from winter embolism during the period 2000-2002. Phenological rhythms were also monitored in late winter-early spring to document relationships between phenology and water relations parameters. Significant differences were found across seed sources in stage of bud flushing for four dates in spring. Early flushing seed sources differed by about 1 to 2 weeks from late-flushing seed sources across the two sites. Wintertime xylem embolism in stems reached a peak of about 50 to 70% loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity, depending on the size and position of the sample shoots in the canopy. Small apical shoots were significantly more embolized than large basal shoots. Development of winter embolism was coupled to the occurrence of frost events. As percent loss of hydraulic conductivity increased during the winter, wood relative water content declined. Embolism reversal occurred rapidly in spring at the time of development of positive root pressure. No significant differences in the degree of winter embolism in 2001 were found among the three seed sources examined. The investigation was expanded in the winter-spring of 2002 to include 10 seed sources across both sites. Significant differences were found in degree of winter embolism across sites, dates and seed sources. For each date, there was a significant relationship between flushing scores and wood relative water contents across the two sites and all seed sources, suggesting that differences in time of flushing across sites and seed sources were likely caused by differences in the time of occurrence of root pressure, a necessary precondition to flushing.     

Synthesis and antifungal action of new tricyclazole analogues

Melanins are very important pigments for the survival and longevity of fungi, so their biosynthesis inhibition is a new biochemical target aiming at the discovery of selective fungicides. In this work is described the synthesis of new pyrazolo-thiazolo-triazole compounds, analogues of tricyclazole (a commercial antifungal product that acts by inhibiting melanin synthesis), and their biological activity was studied on some dermatophytes and phytopathogens. The compounds poorly inhibited the growth and pigmentation of fungi tested and were less efficient than tricyclazole. Electron microscopy on Botrytis cinerea showed that treatment with the most active compound caused abnormally thickened and stratified walls in fungi, whose ultrastructure was, in contrast, generally normal. The fungus treated with tricyclazole, on the other hand, appeared to be drastically altered, so as to become completely disorganized. These results suggest that the new azole compounds employ an action mechanism similar to that of other azoles, but dissimilar to that of tricyclazole.     

Ageing and the Mediterranean diet: a review of the role of dietary fats

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between food and health. Concerns have been raised about dietary fats and their relative nutritional advantages or disadvantages. In investigations of the associations between health and fat intake, special emphasis has been placed on the benefits of virgin olive oil for counteracting certain neurodegenerative diseases and ageing. With respect to ageing, accumulating evidence indicates that an improvement in quality of life can be reached by modulation of the extrinsic factors that influence many ageing processes. Of the modifiable factors, nutrition appears to be one of the strongest elements known to influence the rate of ageing as well as the incidence of age-associated diseases such as atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative pathologies. This paper reviews the theory of ageing and the role of fatty acids in the mechanisms affecting its evolution. It also confirms that virgin olive oil, an essential component of the Mediterranean diet, provides large amounts of stable and not easily oxidizable fatty acids as well as remarkable quantities of powerful antioxidant molecules.     

Pectin methylesterase from kiwi and kaki fruits: purification, characterization, and role of pH in the enzyme regulation and interaction with the kiwi proteinaceous inhibitor

Pectin methylesterase was purified from kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) and kaki fruit (Diospyros kaki). The pH values of the fruit homogenates were 3.5 and 6.2, respectively. The kiwi enzyme is localized in the cell wall and has a neutral-alkaline pI, whereas the kaki enzyme is localized in the soluble fraction and has a neutral-acidic pI. The molecular weights of the kiwi and kaki enzymes were 50 and 37 kDa, respectively. The two enzymes showed a similar salt and pH dependence of activity, and a different pH dependence of the inhibition by the kiwi proteinaceous inhibitor.     

Behaviour of Co, Fe, Mn and Ni in the Po Estuary (Italy)

The behaviour of Co, Fe, Mn, and Ni was investigated in the mixing area of the Po river in six surveys over the period March 1992 to June 1995 during low-to-medium solid load and flow conditions. The concentrations (nM) of dissolved elements for the riverine and marine end-members respectively were in the ranges 0.09 to 0.93 and 0.24 to 0.98 for Co, 10 to 53 and 5 to 20 for Ni, 12 to 87 and 5 to 33 for Fe, and 10 to 155 and 26 to 105 for Mn. Co and Mn behave non-conservatively in the Po estuary; an addition to the dissolved phase occurred for these elements that was more marked in the summer period. The concentrations of dissolved and particulate Ni decreased almost linearly with increase in salinity, with more marked variations in dissolved Ni concentration in winter than summer. The concentrations of dissolved and particulate Fe also varied conservatively with salinity. This unusual behaviour for dissolved Fe is attributed to the analytical procedure which excluded kinetically inert colloidal species.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Land Restoration Interventions in Dry Lands by Multitemporal Remote Sensing – A Case Study in Ouled DLIM (Marrakech,Morocco)

Atriplex nummularia has been extensively planted in Northern Africa to combat desertification. However, few studies evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions. This study aimed at assessing the dynamic performance of a number of Atriplex plantations located in the Marrakech province in terms of multitemporal dry biomass production. Three SPOT 5 images (2004, 2008 and 2012) and field biomass measurements were integrated to quantify the dry biomass production dynamics of plantations established from 1996 to 2007. Different plant ages covered the whole plant life cycle curve. Vegetation indices were derived from the images and those of 2012 were coupled to the measured biomass of 2012 to formulate biomass models. An analysis of shrub biomass production was conducted in plantations and in adjacent rangelands, covering varying degree of plant development, and an estimate of the economic benefits generated by the plantations in terms of available fodder biomass was performed. The results show that, on average, the plantation sites produced 2·21 to 3·61 Mg ha⁻¹ of dry biomass more than the surrounding rangelands. The best performing plantations yielded even greater differences, up to more than 7 Mg ha⁻¹. It was observed that the most performing plantations, while contributing to mitigating land degradation, have generated economic value and could compensate the economic cost of the intervention even under drought conditions. However, in several cases the plantation performance was far from sustainability, particularly due to poor management (early and/or over grazing), revealing that management is a critical factor for the success of this restoration practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lipid, protein and carbohydrate intake in relation to body mass index: an Italian study

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the association between macronutrient intake and body mass index (BMI). DESIGN: A series of hospital-based case-control studies. SETTINGS: Selected teaching and general hospitals in several Italian regions. SUBJECTS: A total of 6619 subjects from the comparison groups of the case-control studies were included in the analysis. METHODS: We obtained data from a validated 78-item food-frequency questionnaire submitted between 1991 and 2002. For various macronutrients, the partial regression coefficient (variation of BMI (kg m(-2)) per 100 kcal increment of energy intake) was derived from multiple linear regression models, after allowance for age, study centre, education, smoking habits, number of eating episodes and mutual adjustment for macronutrients. RESULTS: BMI was directly associated with protein intake among women only (beta = 0.68) and with unsaturated fats in both genders (for monounsaturated fats beta = 0.27 for men and 0.26 for women; for polyunsaturated fats beta = 0.27 for men and 0.54 for women), and inversely related to carbohydrates (beta = -0.05 for men and -0.21 for women) and number of eating episodes in both genders (beta = -0.42 for men and -0.61 for women) and to saturated fats among women only (beta = -0.57). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm and provide convincing evidence that, after allowance for selected covariates including total energy intake, a protein-rich diet is not inversely related to BMI, and a carbohydrate-rich diet is not directly related to BMI.