CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC BULK DEPOSITION AT THE INDUSTRIAL AREA OF GELA (SICILY, ITALY)

Bulk deposition has been collected at six sampling sites in area of Gela plain (Italy) in the period from February 2008 to May 2009. Samples collected each two weeks were analysed for the major ion and trace elements content. Preliminary results allow identifying three different sources that control the abundance of the elements in atmospheric deposition: (1) sea spray, (2) geogenic dust, and (3) anthropogenic pollution. Due to the closeness of the coast, clear evidence of sea spray input is detectable for most of the samples. The high excess of non sea-salt sulphate (50 - 90% of the total) is prevailingly ascribable to the abundant SO2 emissions of the refinery. The pH values of the collected samples range from 4.2 to 8.6, with 80% of them above pH 6.5, indicating an extensive neutralization. This is due to NH3 coming from widespread agricultural activities in the plain of Gela, and geogenic CaCO3 either from local or from regional (desert dust) sources. Elevated levels of trace metals (Zn, V, Sb, Ni, Cr, Ni and Cu) can be observed in the samples collected close to the industrial area. All these elements can be identified as “anthropogenic” and attributed to the human activities, mainly to the industrial emissions, but a contribution could also derive from the intensive vehicular traffic

Geochemical survey of Levante Bay, Vulcano Island (Italy), a natural laboratory for the study of ocean acidification

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Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in patients undergoing carotid artery stent.

Although several reports have correlated Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) infection with carotid endarterectomy and coronary stent, no data have been reported on the potential relationship between this pathogen and carotid artery stenting (CAS). Hence, we evaluated 47 subjects, 27 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic, before CAS intervention and during the follow up, for the presence of CP DNA and anti-CP antibodies, including chlamydial HSP60 (Cp-HSP60). Before stent placement, CP DNA was detected exclusively in symptomatic patients, all of whom were also positive for CP IgG and IgA and 85.7% of them also had CP-HSP60 antibodies. At the follow-up, all CP DNA positive and 11 out of the 13 symptomatic patients with Cp-HSP60 antibodies became negatives. In contrast, no change was observed for CP- IgA antibodies. Despite the small number of patients, the present study advocates an important role of CP infection in symptomatic patients with carotid artery disease. Our findings also suggest that stent placement and/or therapy might have a role in favouring resolution of inflammation, though not affecting persistence of CP infection

Inorganic carbon physiology underpins macroalgal responses to elevated CO2

Beneficial effects of CO2 on photosynthetic organisms will be a key driver of ecosystem change under ocean acidification. Predicting the responses of macroalgal species to ocean acidification is complex, but we demonstrate that the response of assemblages to elevated CO2 are correlated with inorganic carbon physiology. We assessed abundance patterns and a proxy for CO2:HCO3- use (\u3b413C values) of macroalgae along a gradient of CO2 at a volcanic seep, and examined how shifts in species abundance at other Mediterranean seeps are related to macroalgal inorganic carbon physiology. Five macroalgal species capable of using both HCO3- and CO2 had greater CO2 use as concentrations increased. These species (and one unable to use HCO3-) increased in abundance with elevated CO2 whereas obligate calcifying species, and non-calcareous macroalgae whose CO2 use did not increase consistently with concentration, declined in abundance. Physiological groupings provide a mechanistic understanding that will aid us in determining which species will benefit from ocean acidification and why

Boatta et al_Lipid quantity and composition vary between three European house fly strains_data sets

Datasets used for the publication Boatta et al., (2023) Lipid quantity and composition vary between three European house fly strains. File dataset.csv: full dataset for the dry weight, the absolute and the relative lipid content File dataset_stat.csv: dataset used for the statistical analysis of the dry weight, the absolute and the relative lipid content of the three strains File dataset_FA: dataset used for the statistical analysis of the fatty acid composition Meaning of the codes: 1) STRAIN: housefly strain used as specified in the manuscript 2) TEMP: temperature at which the replicate has been exposed 3) DAY: time at which the sampling occurred as specified in the manuscript 4) JAR: Replicate of a specific treatment 5) REP: single identifier for a specific larva 6) dry_w: dry weight obtained as specified in the manuscript 7) dry_w_nolip: dry weight after the ether extraction as specified in the manuscript 8) lip_abs: absolute lipid content determined as specified in the manuscript 9) lip_rel: relative lipid content determined as specified in the manuscript 10) fatty acid abbreviations (ex. C12.0): refer to the manuscrip

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC BULK DEPOSITION AT THE INDUSTRIAL AREA OF GELA (SICILY, ITALY)

Bulk deposition has been collected at six sampling sites in area of Gela plain (Italy) in the period from February 2008 to May 2009. Samples collected each two weeks were analysed for the major ion and trace elements content. Preliminary results allow identifying three different sources that control the abundance of the elements in atmospheric deposition: (1) sea spray, (2) geogenic dust, and (3) anthropogenic pollution. Due to the closeness of the coast, clear evidence of sea spray input is detectable for most of the samples. The high excess of non sea-salt sulphate (50 - 90% of the total) is prevailingly ascribable to the abundant SO2 emissions of the refinery. The pH values of the collected samples range from 4.2 to 8.6, with 80% of them above pH 6.5, indicating an extensive neutralization. This is due to NH3 coming from widespread agricultural activities in the plain of Gela, and geogenic CaCO3 either from local or from regional (desert dust) sources. Elevated levels of trace metals (Zn, V, Sb, Ni, Cr, Ni and Cu) can be observed in the samples collected close to the industrial area. All these elements can be identified as “anthropogenic” and attributed to the human activities, mainly to the industrial emissions, but a contribution could also derive from the intensive vehicular traffic.PublishedThessaloniki, Greece6A. Monitoraggio ambientale, sicurezza e territorioope

Heritability of fat accumulation in the house fly and its implication for the selection of nutritionally tailored phenotypes

Fats make up a large fraction of the larval biomass in insects and are of increasing relevance for industrial purposes. The quantity of fats accumulated during the larval period can vary greatly among individuals. To selectively breed favourable fat accumulation phenotypes for commercial purpose, a genetic component underlying these differences would be required. In this study we determined the heritability of larval fat accumulation in the common housefly (Musca domestica L.). A nested paternal half-sib breeding design resulted in a total of 47 full-sib families, which produced in total 633 larvae, each phenotyped for their dry weight and fat content (absolute and relative). Adult selection was strictly standardized to reduce the variation in fat content induced by differences in development time during the immature stages: sires and dams were separated according to their pupation day and emergence day, and subsequently pooled into randomized groups. Two animal models were built to estimate the heritability of larval fat accumulation: (1) a Markov Chain Monte Carlo linear mixed model (MCMCglmm) where three sets of priors were used, and (2) one based on linear mixed model using restricted maximum likelihood (ASReml). The results showed a moderate heritability for larval absolute fat content for both MCMCglmm (between 0.30 and 0.38, depending on the set of prior used) and ASReml (0.37 ± 0.11). Slightly higher estimates were obtained for the relative fat content with both the MCMCglmm (between 0.34-0.48) and ASReml (0.47 ± 0.10). In contrast, heritability estimates for larval dry weight were low and could be obtained only with the MCMCglmm model (between 0.11-0.22). This work provides valuable insights into the quantitative genetics of larval fat characteristics, a trait of high relevance for the emerging sector producing insects for feed and food