Activity of a foam in preventing rebound of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium-containing droplets generated from the toilet bowl

In hospital environments, droplets generated by urination within shared toilets may represent a route of dissemination for bacteria such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm), which contributes significantly to the burden of hospital-acquired infections. We investigated the potential activity of a foam in preventing the generation of droplets containing Enterococcus spp. during urination. A uniform layer of foam was deposited in the inner walls and at the bottom of an experimental toilet contaminated with suspensions of Enterococcus strains (including a VREfm strain). Human urination was simulated, and colonies of Enterococcus were recovered through a toilet lid where agar plates had been placed. Results showed that the foam was able to suppress production of droplets containing Enterococcus spp. generated by a liquid hitting inner toilet walls. Conversely, Enterococcus colonies were recovered in absence of foam. Moreover, the foam did not show antibacterial activity. We propose a new non-antimicrobial approach aimed at limiting transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly in healthcare settings

A decade of monitoring surveys for Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in olive groves in Apulia (Italy) reveals a low incidence of the bacterium in the demarcated areas

In October 2013, Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp) was reported as being associated with a decline of olive groves in Salento (Apulia, Italy) and named as “olive quick decline syndrome” (OQDS). Due to its quarantine status, a series of mandatory actions were established in the Apulia region to impede its further spread in the territory. Upon the demarcation of “containment” and “buffer” zones, monitoring surveys were carried out in these areas for sampling olive trees and other host plants that showed symptoms putatively attributable to OQDS. The eradication of plants that tested positive for Xfp, including also all the asymptomatic ones in a radius of 100 or 50 m, was performed over 10 years. An analysis, based on the official data of such surveillance activities over the period of a decade, was performed. The data show that the Xfp incidence in the “containment” and “buffer” zones is very low, especially during the last three campaigns from 2020–2021 to 2022–2023, when the bacterium was detected in a range of 0.06%–0.70% of the sampled plants. In most of the sampled trees that showed symptoms of OQDS, the bacterium was not detected. Based on these data and according to epidemiological models that verified the negligible role of asymptomatic olive trees in the spreading of OQDS, we propose to eliminate the rule requiring the uprooting of all host plants that surround one Xfp-positive tree in a radius of 50 m. Such an implementation could save many healthy centennial and monumental olive trees and the remarkable landscape that they contribute to

Distribution of soil organic carbon between particulate and mineral-associated fractions as affected by biochar and its co-application with other amendments

The application of biochar to soils, either alone or combined with other amendments, represents a management practice aimed at storing carbon (C) while enhancing soil fertility. However, the long-term effects of biochar application on soil organic C protection against microbial decomposition are uncertain. This study investigated, in a 9-year-long-term field experiment, the protection of organic C by minerals and iron (Fe) in soils amended with biochar alone or combined with either municipal solid waste compost or sewage sludge. Particulate (not protected by minerals) and mineral-associated organic matter fractions were separated, quantified, and finally the Fe-mediated protection mechanisms were examined by Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. With respect to the unamended control soil, soils amended with biochar, especially when combined with municipal solid waste compost and sewage sludge, had 3 times greater content of particulate organic C. Biochar combined with municipal solid waste compost and sewage sludge also increased mineral-associated organic C content (1.5×), although the magnitude of the effect was smaller than for the particulate organic C fraction. The contents of Fe(III)-organic matter complexes in particulate and mineral-associated organic matter fractions of the amended soils were similar to those of the unamended soils. Hematite represented the main Fe oxide phase in the particulate organic matter fraction of all the soils as well as in the mineral-associated organic matter fraction of the unamended soils, whereas ferrihydrite was more abundant in the mineral-associated organic matter fraction of the amended soils. As a whole, the obtained results in general, and the positive effect on the mineral-associated organic matter possibly mediated by ferrihydrite occurrence in particular, highlight the potential of biochar, alone or in combination with other amendments, as a strategy to store and preserve C in soils

Promuovere la lettura nell'infanzia e nell'adolescenza. Percorsi e strumenti per educatori e insegnanti

Gli studi sulla promozione della lettura hanno dimostrato ormai da tempo l’incidenza che la lettura precoce ha sullo sviluppo infantile. Bambini e bambine, sostengono ricercatori ed esperti, leggono prima di leggere, cioè prima ancora di sviluppare le competenze esperte della letto-scrittura. Leggono attraverso la voce dell’adulto che è lì con loro e per loro e leggono attraverso le immagini. L’esperienza della lettura condivisa consente al bambino di acquisire e di sviluppare l’emergent literacy, le competenze linguistiche, alfabetiche e fonologiche, i corretti comportamenti di lettura, le capacità di comprensione, ma anche di vivere intense esperienze affettive, incidendo, in prospettiva, sul successo scolastico e, in generale, sul rapporto personale con i libri. Educare un bambino alla lettura, dunque, significa innanzitutto equipaggiarlo ad affrontare le sfide della vita, a cominciare da quelle proprie della sua piccola età: la quotidianità, la scoperta del mondo, le emozioni, ma anche le imprese ai suoi occhi straordinarie e difficili (per esempio, il primo giorno di scuola, la malattia, l’ospedalizzazione, la perdita di una persona cara, ecc.); mettergli tra le mani, insomma, uno specchio per conoscersi e per «decifrare la pianta topografica del suo paese» e, nel farlo, contribuire, come si vedrà meglio nelle pagine che seguono, al suo sviluppo cognitivo, linguistico, sociale ed emotivo- affettivo e alla costruzione, nella prospettiva di un’educazione permanente, e attraverso il rapporto continuo e costante con i libri, adeguatamente promosso, dell’adolescente e dell’adulto che sarà. Il che richiede la tessitura di una rete, finalizzata alla promozione, l’educazione e la pedagogia della lettura in cui siano coinvolti, in qualità di promotori, tutti coloro che si occupano, a vario titolo, dei bambini e dei ragazzi, in primis genitori, educatori e insegnanti. Il volume offre, a partire da questi presupposti, una attenta disamina sulle questioni legate al libro e alla lettura, da quelle teoriche (le più significative ricerche condotte in campo pedagogico, psicologico e neuroscientifico) a quelle pratiche (costruzione di laboratori di lettura, scelta dei testi, nuove forme di libro, ecc.), ponendosi come un valido strumento per studiosi, esperti, educatori, insegnanti e per chiunque voglia occuparsi professionalmente di promozione della lettura

Optimal water tariffs for domestic, agricultural and industrial use

Consider a water supplier who determines sales rates with the goals of maximizing profits, protecting consumer welfare, and ensuring adequate future water supplies. Buyers are differentiated and can use the water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes. We propose a leader-follower finite-horizon differential game. The leader (the water supplier) determines the selling price and the followers (consumers) react by requesting their optimal amount of water. We calculate a feedback Stackelberg equilibrium assuming that all user demand is satisfied (interior equilibrium). We compare two different tariff schemes: linear tariffs (the price paid is a multiple of the volume of water purchased), and increasing block tariffs (the unit price is lower for quantities of water that do not exceed a fixed threshold). We show that block pricing is never optimal and linear pricing is always preferred