Wild red deer [Cervus elaphus L.) grazing may seriously reduce forage production in mountain meadows

This study aimed at estimating the impact of red deer grazing on the productivity of meadows located in Pian Cansiglio, north-eastern Italian Pre-Alps. These meadows (383 ha; average elevation 1000 m asl are managed for hay/silage production (1-2 cuts per season) and are included in a protected area that hosts a high density of deer (around 30 heads/100 ha). In 2008 and 2010, dry matter (DM) production and loss due to deer grazing were estimated with exclusion cages (1 m2; 48 exclusion cages in 2008 and 52 in 2010). Night counts with spotlights were conducted to index deer use of meadows plots. DM production inside the cages was fairly good for the area (first and second cut: 5079 - 2193 Kg DM/ha in 2008, and 4200 - 2615 Kg DM/ha in 2010). DM production outside the cages was significantly lower (first and second cut in 2008: 4314-1389 Kg DM/ha, and in 2010: 3376-2052 Kg DM/ha). Therefore, the magnitude of losses was of 15-20% in the first and 25-40% in the second cut. DM losses in the different meadow plots were positively correlated with index of deer use, which in some plots was as high as 7-8 heads/ha. Deer grazing reduced also crude protein (CP) content of forage (15.6±4.4% DM inside exclusion cages and 13.8±3.5% DM outside), with losses being greater where CP content was higher. This study demonstrates that high densities of grazing deer may seriously impact on forage production and quality

Factors influencing gastrointestinal parasites in a colony of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) interacting with domestic ruminants

Parasitic infections in populations of wild herbivores can affect the individual fitness and population dynamics of their hosts. In this study, the ecology of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites was investigated in an Alpine ibex colony of the Marmolada massif, eastern Alps. Both individual and environmental factors were studied to reveal their relationship with parasite prevalence and burden. In a four-year period, 414 individual faecal samples of ibex were collected on a monthly basis during summer and autumn and were subjected to quali-quantitative examinations for the identification and quantification of oocysts and eggs. Domestic ungulates grazing in the same area were also sampled to investigate the risk of GI parasite transmission. Negative binomial regression models were developed to study the influence of physiological and environmental factors on parasite burdens. The results of the qualitative examination were in agreement with the few data already present in the literature for Alpine ibex, showing high prevalence values for Coccidia and GI strongyles, low values for Cestoda and sporadic presence of whipworms. Higher burdens in kids were found for Coccidia and Cestoda. Analysis of the GI endoparasite community of cattle and sheep suggested a negligible risk of parasite transmission to the Alpine ibex population. The sanitary risk represented by Coccidia and Cestoda in ibex kids and some peculiarities of the endoparasite distribution patterns in the Marmolada ibex population call for future in-depth ecological studies to investigate their influence on the limited growth rate shown by the ibex colony during the last decade

Cardiovascular flukes (Trematoda: Spirorchiidae) in Caretta caretta Linnaeus, 1758 from the Mediterranean Sea

Background: The northern Adriatic Sea represents one of the most important neritic foraging grounds for the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta L. in the Mediterranean Sea. Four genera of blood flukes with variable prevalence and pathogenic impact have been reported worldwide in this species. Hapalotrema Looss, 1899 and Amphiorchis Price, 1934 are the only two genera reported in Mediterranean waters; however, updated data describing spirorchiidiasis in the central and eastern Mediterranean and infection prevalence are still lacking. This work aimed to investigate the presence and pathology of spirorchiidiasis in C. caretta in the Mediterranean Sea. Methods: One hundred sixty-eight animals stranded along the northwestern Adriatic coast between 2009 and 2015 were submitted to necropsy and subsequent analyses for the detection of adult flukes, detection of eggs in the faeces and spleen and histopathology. Molecular analyses were carried out on hosts (mitochondrial D-loop) and parasites (28S gene and ITS2 spacer) to trace the turtle origins and identify the fluke phylogenetic relationships. Results: Spirorchiidiasis was detected in 16.7% of the animals. Hapalotrema mistroides (Monticelli, 1899) and Neospirorchis sp. were found in twenty-six and ten cases, respectively. Adult flukes were found in six cases, while eggs were detectable through copromicroscopic examination for all infected turtles, and the results for the detection of eggs in the spleen agreed with the copromicroscopic analysis. Only mild lesions were observed. Eggs of types 1 and 3 were grossly visible in the gastrointestinal mucosa, vasculitis was rarely observed in the heart and great vessels, and multifocal granulomas were widespread in the tissues. Molecular identification unambiguously assigned the spirorchiid samples to H. mistroides and Neospirorchis sp. Genetic characterization of loggerhead mtDNA pointed to a Mediterranean origin of the turtle hosts. Conclusion: This survey provides new data on the spread of spirorchiidiasis in the Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle population and reports for the first time the presence of Neospirorchis spp. in this basin. The infections did not have a causal effect on the death nor a strong impact on the general health status of the animals

Sustainability of using vineyard pruning residues as an energy source: Combustion performances and environmental impact

Open burning of agricultural waste is still a common practice as it is a rapid method for waste disposal, although natural biomass, including agriculture residues, can be exploited as a renewable energy source. We assessed the viability and sustainability of using vineyard pruning residues, as wood chips, for energy conversion. Wood chips, obtained from vineyards in the Prosecco DOCG region (Italy), were characterized in terms of chemical composition, calorific value, ash content and humidity. Combustion tests were performed in a medium-size biomass boiler (maximum power 500 kW) to assess the viability of the approach in terms of sustainable steady-state combustion. Primary emissions of both macro- and micro-pollutants were measured to assess the environmental impact. An analytical method was purposely developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and in three matrices: fly ashes, condensate and gas. The results showed that vineyard pruning residues can be used for energy conversion in medium- and large-scale biomass boilers. Primary emissions of measured pollutants were all below limit values set by current European legislation except for particulate matter, for which current available abatement technologies are required to contain emissions, abatement technologies are required to contain emissions, thus making the use of vineyard pruning residues unsuitable for combustion in domestic appliances where such technologies are not installed. Bottom ashes produced during combustion were also characterized to assess whether they can be recycled in the vineyard as soil amendments/fertilizer. Copper content in combustion ashes exceeded limit values for ashes to be used as fertilizers in agricultural fields for some European countries but not for others, indicating that ashes may need to be disposed as waste

J.D. Thompson’s Organizations in Action 50th anniversary: a reflection

At the 50th anniversary of James D. Thompson’s fundamental book, Organizations in Action, TAO Digital Library proposes a reflection on this great master’s legacy and the evolution of organizational studies. Twelve researchers, from different disciplinary fields, analyze both the texts utilized for teaching and the contribution of several important journals, particularly in recent decades. The outcome is an overall picture that may stimulate different, divergent evaluations and, even more importantly, desirable, deeper reflections

Clinical and virological findings in the ongoing outbreak of West Nile virus Livenza strain in northern Italy, July to September 2012.

Binary file ES_Abstracts_Final_ECDC.txt matche

ASTRI SST-2M: the design evolution from the prototype to the array telescope

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will represent the new frontier of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope. The simultaneous use of large, medium and small telescopes (respectively LST, MST and SST) will allow to explore the astronomy related to the very high energy domain, typical of Gamma rays, with a sensitivity, angular resolution and image quality never seen before. Within this project, ASTRI, the Italian 2 mirrors Schwarzshild-Couder configuration Small SST led by Italian National Institute of Astronomy (INAF), has moved quickly developing a 4m class telescope prototype which has been tested with results which demonstrates excellent performance as well as wide margins for further improvements. On the basis of the experiences made on the prototype, this paper focus on the design enhancements carried out for the telescope which will be part of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Mount control system of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The ASTRI SST-2M telescope is an end-to-end prototype proposed for the Small Size class of Telescopes (SST) of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The prototype is installed in Italy at the INAF observing station located at Serra La Nave on Mount Etna (Sicily) and it was inaugurated in September 2014. This paper presents the software and hardware architecture and development of the system dedicated to the control of the mount, health, safety and monitoring systems of the ASTRI SST-2M telescope prototype. The mount control system installed on the ASTRI SST-2M telescope prototype makes use of standard and widely deployed industrial hardware and software. State of the art of the control and automation industries was selected in order to fulfill the mount related functional and safety requirements with assembly compactness, high reliability, and reduced maintenance. The software package was implemented with the Beckhoff TwinCAT version 3 environment for the software Programmable Logical Controller (PLC), while the control electronics have been chosen in order to maximize the homogeneity and the real time performance of the system. The integration with the high level controller (Telescope Control System) has been carried out by choosing the open platform communications Unified Architecture (UA) protocol, supporting rich data model while offering compatibility with the PLC platform. In this contribution we show how the ASTRI approach for the design and implementation of the mount control system has made the ASTRI SST-2M prototype a standalone intelligent machine, able to fulfill requirements and easy to be integrated in an array configuration such as the future ASTRI mini-array proposed to be installed at the southern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)

The ASTRI SST-2M prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array: status after the commissioning phase of the telescope

ASTRI SST-2M is an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope developed by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) in the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project as an end-to-end prototype for the Small Size array. Large-, medium-, and small-sized telescopes will compose the CTA observatory that represents the next generation of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and will explore the very high-energy domain from a few tens of GeV up to few hundreds of TeV. The ASTRI SST-2M telescope has been installed at the INAF-Catania observing station at Serra La Nave, on Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) in September 2014. In these 3 years of open-air operations the telescope has been commissioned and its opto-mechanical performance is now well understood. The apparatus was made ready to host its main scientific instrument, the camera with Silicon-Photomultiplier based detectors. This contribution is a status report on the complete ASTRI SST-2M telescope assembly including the electro-mechanical structure and the optical system