Aspects of the reproductive biology of the marine ornamental Vagabond Butterflyfish Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus, 1758 (Pisces, Chaetodontidae) from Iligan Bay, Southern Philippines

The reproductive biology of ornamental fish species from coral reefs is poorly studied despite increasing demand in the aquarium trade industry. Aspects of the reproductive biology of the Vagabond butterflyfish, Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus, 1758, from Iligan Bay, Southern Philippines were investigated from August 2021 to August 2022. Monthly samples of 30 to 45 individuals per class size with a range of 9 to 14.1 cm (TL) were collected to examine the sex ratio, maturity stages and spawning period, gonadosomatic index (GSI), length at first maturity (L50) and the batch fecundity (BF) of the species. The sex ratio showed female dominance (1:1.42) among size classes and across months. The spawning period indicates a peak during the inter-monsoon or warm months (April and May) and extends beginning of the Southwest monsoon period (June and July). These were supported by the relatively higher gonadosomatic index (GSI) recorded during these months. Histological examination showed that the ovaries during this period had the presence of numerous tertiary vitellogenic and hydrated oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles. At the same time for testes, there are occurrences of dense spermatozoa in the lumen of tubules in testes. This served as confirmatory evidence in support of the spawning period. The length at first sexual maturity of males (10.58 cm TL) was slightly shorter than females (10.91 cm TL). Fecundity increased with the fish’s total length and weight showing a non-linear relationship that was best described by a power function. This study highlighted the valuable data produced that are required for the management of the population stock of this species

Profile and potential bioactivity of the miRNome and metabolome expressed in Malva sylvestris L. leaf and flower

Malva sylvestris L. (common mallow) is a plant species widely used in phytotherapy and ethnobotanical practices since time immemorial. Characterizing the components of this herb might promote a better comprehension of its biological effects on the human body but also favour the identification of the molecular processes that occur in the plant tissues. Thus, in the present contribution, the scientific knowledge about the metabolomic profile of the common mallow was expanded. In particular, the phytocomplex of leaves and flowers from this botanical species and the extraction capacity of different concentrations of ethanol (i.e., 95%, 70%, 50%, and 0%; v/v in ddH2O) for it were investigated by spectrophotometric and chromatographic approaches. In detail, 95% ethanol extracts showed the worst capacity in isolating total phenols and flavonoids, while all the hydroalcoholic samples revealed a specific ability in purifying the anthocyanins. HPLC–DAD system detected and quantified 20 phenolic secondary metabolites, whose concentration in the several extracts depended on their own chemical nature and the percentage of ethanol used in the preparation. In addition, the stability of the purified phytochemicals after resuspension in pure ddH2O was also proved, considering a potential employment of them in biological/medical studies which include in vitro and in vivo experiments on mammalian models. Here, for the first time, the expressed miRNome in M. sylvestris was also defined by Next Generation Sequencing, revealing the presence of 33 microRNAs (miRNAs), 10 typical for leaves and 2 for flowers. Then, both plant and human putative mRNA targets for the detected miRNAs were predicted by bioinformatics analyses, with the aim to clarify the possible role of these small nucleic acids in the common mallow plant tissues and to try to understand if they could exert a potential cross-kingdom regulatory activity on the human health. Surprisingly, our investigations revealed that 19 miRNAs out of 33 were putatively able to modulate, in the plant cells, the expression of various chromosome scaffold proteins. In parallel, we found, in the human transcriptome, a total of 383 mRNAs involved in 5 fundamental mammalian cellular processes (i.e., apoptosis, senescence, cell-cycle, oxidative stress, and invasiveness) that theoretically could be bound and regulated by M. sylvestris miRNAs. The evidence collected in this work would suggest that the beneficial properties of the use of M. sylvestris, documented by the folk medicine, are probably linked to their content of miRNAs and not only to the action of phytochemicals (e.g., anthocyanins). This would open new perspectives about the possibility to develop gene therapies based on miRNAs isolated from medicinal plants, including M. sylvestris

Antibacterial activity of alkaloids from Sida acuta

Sida acuta is a shrub indigenous to pantropical regions. The plant is widely used for its various pharmacological properties. Among compounds of pharmacological interest occurring in the plant, are indoloquinoline alkaloids. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity ofalkaloids of S. acuta from Burkina Faso. The alkaloids had a good antimicrobial activity against the test microorganisms. In the agar-well diffusion assay, highest inhibition zone diameters were recorded with Gram-positive bacteria. The broth microdilution assay gave minimal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 16 to 400 ìg/ml and minimal bactericidal concentration values ranging from 80 to up to 400 ìg/ml. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the same alkaloids led to the identification of cryptolepine and quindoline as the major components

Effects of 5-year experimental warming in the Alpine belt on soil Archaea: Multi-omics approaches and prospects

We currently lack a predictive understanding of how soil archaeal communities may respond to climate change, particularly in Alpine areas where warming is far exceeding the global average. Here, we characterized the abundance, structure, and function of total (by metagenomics) and active soil archaea (by metatranscriptomics) after 5-year experimental field warming (+1°C) in Italian Alpine grasslands and snowbeds. Our multi-omics approach unveiled an increasing abundance of Archaea during warming in snowbeds, which was negatively correlated with the abundance of fungi (by qPCR) and micronutrients (Ca and Mg), but positively correlated with soil water content. In the snowbeds transcripts, warming resulted in the enrichment of abundances of transcription and nucleotide biosynthesis. Our study provides novel insights into possible changes in soil Archaea composition and function in the climate change scenario

Unifying rational models of categorization via the hierarchical Dirichlet process

Models of categorization make different representational assumptions, with categories being represented by prototypes, sets of exemplars, and everything in between. Rational models of categorization justify these representational assumptions in terms of different schemes for estimating probability distributions. However, they do not answer the question of which scheme should be used in representing a given category. We show that existing rational models of categorization are special cases of a statistical model called the hierarchical Dirichlet process, which can be used to automatically infer a representation of the appropriate complexity for a given category.Thomas Griffiths, Kevin Canini, Adam Sanborn, Dan Navarr

Are Italian football clubs embracing sustainability?

The purpose of this study is to explore the approach of a sustainable governance in terms of sustainability strategies that firms have been implementing towards different stakeholders. The study adopts the stakeholder theory lens to advance research on the area. A qualitative approach was used through semi-structured interviews with 17 participants employed in a total of 12 Italian professional football organizations participating in the top division of football (Serie A). Specific themes regarding the sustainability (and CSR) strategies implemented by the 12 football clubs emerged from the in-depth interviews: a) sustainability approach (awareness), b) organizational sustainability capacity in terms of human, financial and other core resources, networks and external relationships. This study sheds light on football clubs’ sustainability, representing a distinctive view in managerial literature

Sustainability in Aquaponics: Industrial Spirulina Waste as a Biofertilizer for Lactuca sativa L. Plants

Aquaponics represents an alternative to traditional soil cultivation. To solve the problem of nutrient depletion that occurs in this biotechnological system, the application of a spirulina-based biofertilizer was assessed. The microalgal waste used in this study came from industrial processing. Four different dilutions of the supernatant portion of this waste were sprayed on lettuce plants cultivated in an aquaponics system installed at the Botanical Gardens of the Tor Vergata University of Rome. The biofertilizer was characterized to evaluate its amount of macro- and micronutrients. The analysis conducted on the plants involved both morpho-biometric aspects and qualitative–quantitative measurements. The experiments showed that the spirulina extract had a positive effect on the growth and nutraceutical content of the lettuce plants; the obtained results highlighted that a dilution of 75% was the best for treatment. The use of the proposed organic and recycled fertilizer could increase the sustainability of crop cultivation and promote the functioning of aquaponics systems

Biostimulants promoting growth of Vicia faba L. seedlings: inulin coated ZnO nanoparticles

In the present contribution, inulin coated ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO@inu NPs) were investigated for their potential application on crop production systems, by appraisal of their biostimulating effects on Vicia faba L (faba bean). Naked and coated ZnO NPs were synthesized according to purposely implemented eco-friendly protocols and characterized with multiple techniques to determine their crystallographic phase, average particle size, and degree of coating. Faba beans were grown in culture medium supplemented with NPs at 50 or 100 mg kg−1, using ZnO NPs alone, inulin alone, a mixture of the two, or ZnO@inu NPs. Seed germination rate and biometric evaluations on seedlings were carried out, together with Zn localization in the plant tissues. cellular and molecular effects were ascertained by analyses of photosynthetic pigments, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, viability, induction of oxidative stress and tissue damage, antioxidant response, and modulation of gene expression. these combined studies indicated a potential role of ZnO@inu NPs in promoting growth and development of V. faba seedlings, acting at a post-germinative phase, probably by stimulating the stem cell mitosis. Finally, inulin as a coating agent for the ZnO NPs favored the bioavailability and adsorption of the nanomaterials into the plant tissues, without altering their bioactivity but mitigating any adverse side effect. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Actual and potential impact of air pollution on Italian forests: results from the long-term national forest monitoring networks under the ICP Forests

Actual and potential pressure and impacts of air pollution have been summarized by using the dataseries of the Italian forest monitoring networks (CONECOFOR), mostly on the basis of evaluations carried out within the LIFE project SMART4Action. Trends in air pollution shows only few important reductions (e.g.: sulphate and ozone). The impacts on forest health status, increments and standing volumes, plant diversity, soil and nutrient are discussed. Evidences of risk are also reported, mainly due to N deposition, on all the response factors