Summer feeding ecology of great pampa-finches, <i>Embernagra platensis</i> at Laguna de Guaminí, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The aim of this study was to assemble data on the summer feeding ecology of the Great Pampa-finch, Embernagra platensis at the Laguna de Guaminí, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and to explore the differences related to the dietary patterns for each sex between winter and summer when possible. The stomach contents of 43 birds were analyzed. The animal fraction was composed of Hymenoptera (45.1%), Coleoptera (32.4%), Lepidoptera (6.0%), Araneae (5%) and Orthoptera (3.2%). The application of the index of relative importance (IRI) resulted in 1490.4 for Coleoptera, 428.5 for Hymenoptera and 162.5 for Lepidoptera caterpillars. The vegetal fraction consisted of Triticum aestivum (26.9%), Cyperaceous (25%), Poaceae (Gramineae) (19.3%) and Panicum sp. (11.2%). The IRI values were 893.8 for Triticum aestivum, 174.5 for Gramineae, 126.5 for Panicum sp. and 112.8 for Scirpus sp. The food niche width was 0.33 for both sexes; the diversity index resulted in 1.06 for females and 1.33 for males and specific diversity ranged from 1.87 to 2.84. A canonical component analysis (CCA) was performed on environmental and morphometric variables, and a Monte Carlo test confirmed the canonical correlations. A t-test showed that some birds harmonized with a logarithmic model and some with a geometric curve. During the summer, Embernagra platensis ingests Hymenoptera and Coleoptera more often than seeds, suggesting that two biological mechanisms could be taking place in this bird.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Un estudio sobre la paloma doméstica Columba livia var. en la ciudad de Jena, Alemania

Se estudió una población de palomas domésticas, Columba livia var. en la ciudad de Jena, Alemania, entre julio y diciembre de 2007, mediante censos diarios en diez transectos de un sector de la ciudad, cinco en áreas urbanas y cinco en áreas suburbanas. La densidad poblacional de palomas en las zonas urbanas resultó mayor que en las zonas suburbanas, aunque no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ambas áreas. Las actividades de comportamiento registradas por las palomas fueron de descanso, de mantenimiento del plumaje, de vuelo, alimentación, baños de sol y elección de lugares donde posarse. Las actividades se producen en lugares como tejados altos y aleros de edificios en zonas urbanas y tejados y aleros de balcones en zonas suburbanas. El fenotipo de plumaje más abundante para ambas áreas durante el periodo del censo fue Blue bar. Palabras clave: Columba livia var., paloma doméstica, aves urbanas, Jena, Alemania.A population of feral pigeons, Columba livia var. was conducted in the city of Jena, Germany, from July to December 2007. Daily censuses were conducted by walking ten transects in a selected area of the city, five transects in built up areas and five in the suburbs. Pigeon population density was higher in urban areas than in suburbs but differences were not significant. Main behavioural activities recorded were resting, preening, flying, eating, sunning and roosting. Regular locations of activities were rooftops and roof edges in urban areas, and rooftops, eaves on balconies in suburban areas. The plumage phenotype most frequently recorded in both areas was Blue bar. Key words: Columba livia var., Feral pigeons, Urban birds, Jena city, Germany.Se estudió una población de palomas domésticas, Columba livia var. en la ciudad de Jena, Alemania, entre julio y diciembre de 2007, mediante censos diarios en diez transectos de un sector de la ciudad, cinco en áreas urbanas y cinco en áreas suburbanas. La densidad poblacional de palomas en las zonas urbanas resultó mayor que en las zonas suburbanas, aunque no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ambas áreas. Las actividades de comportamiento registradas por las palomas fueron de descanso, de mantenimiento del plumaje, de vuelo, alimentación, baños de sol y elección de lugares donde posarse. Las actividades se producen en lugares como tejados altos y aleros de edificios en zonas urbanas y tejados y aleros de balcones en zonas suburbanas. El fenotipo de plumaje más abundante para ambas áreas durante el periodo del censo fue Blue bar. Palabras clave: Columba livia var., paloma doméstica, aves urbanas, Jena, Alemania

Morphometry, body weight, and winter diet of least seedsnipe <i>Thinocorus rumicivorus</i> in Buenos Aires Province

La subespecie del sur de la Agachona Chica (<i>Thinocorus rumicivorus rumicivorus</i>) es un ave de estepas, vegas y lagunas que, en Argentina, habita en la Patagonia. Durante la época invernal migra al centro de Chile y noreste de Argentina y Uruguay. Los productores consideran que las bandadas migratorias de esta ave utilizan sus cultivos de invierno y recurren a métodos de control químico. Como la información sobre su biología es escasa, se presenta información de ocho individuos capturados en un cultivo de colza (<i>Brassica napus</i>) de la localidad de Chillar, provincia de Buenos Aires en julio de 2004. El peso promedio de los individuos fue de 54.3 g. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la morfometría entre los sexos. El contenido estomacal tuvo un peso promedio de 0.42 g, variando el contenido vegetal entre 11–67% del total. El resto estuvo formado por fragmentos de origen mineral. En orden decreciente de predominancia se encontraron semillas de las familias Polygonaceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae, Chenopodiaceae y Asteraceae. No se hallaron restos de colza en ninguno de los contenidos analizados. La Agachona Chica parece alimentarse principalmente de la vegetación que crece como maleza en los cultivos. Se recomienda desarrollar estudios más detallados sobre su dieta y hábitos de alimentación, dado que la especie es blanco de control químico entre los agricultores de Buenos Aires.The southern subspecies of the Least Seedsnipe (<i>Thinocorus rumicivorus rumicivorus</i>) inhabits steppes, water meadows and lagoons, and in Argentina it occurs in Patagonia. During the winter it migrates to central Chile and northeastern Argentina and Uruguay. Farmers believe that these migrating birds feed on their winter crops and apply chemical control methods on them. Since information on the biology of the Least Seedsnipe is scarce, we analyzed eight specimens captured in an oilseed rape (<i>Brassica napus</i>) crop in Chillar, Buenos Aires Province, in July 2004. Mean body weight of the specimens was 54.3 g. No significant morphometric differences were noted between sexes. Mean stomach content weight was 0.42 g, and vegetal contents ranged between 11–67%. The remaining stomach contents were mineral fragments. In decreasing order of predominance, seeds of the following families were found: Polygonaceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Asteraceae. No rests of oilseed rape were found in any of the analyzed stomach contents. We infer that Least Seedsnipe feeds mostly on vegetation growing as weeds in crops. Being this species a target of chemical control by Buenos Aires farmers, we recommend that more thorough diet and foraging studies should be carried out

Effect of Size, Shape and Surface Functionalization on the Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most investigated antibacterial agents against multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens. They can lead to cellular death by means of different mechanisms, damaging several cell compartments, from the external membrane, to enzymes, DNA and proteins; this simultaneous attack amplifies the toxic effect on bacteria with respect to traditional antibiotics. The effectiveness of AgNPs against MDR bacteria is strongly correlated with their chemical and morphological properties, which influence the pathways involved in cellular damage. In this review, AgNPs’ size, shape and modification by functional groups or other materials are reported, both to investigate the different synthetic pathways correlated with nanoparticles’ modifications and to evaluate the related effect on their antibacterial activity. Indeed, understanding the synthetic conditions for obtaining performing antibacterial AgNPs could help to tailor new and improved silver-based agents to combat multidrug resistance

Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Sexual and Reproductive Health Interventions in Pre-Adolescent and Adolescent Students in UE/EEA Countries: A Systematic Review

: The objective of this review is to investigate perceptions of and satisfaction with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions among pre-adolescents and adolescents of all genders and ethnicities in EU/EEA countries. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA recommendations. A systematic literature search was conducted on MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central), CINAHL (EBSCO), and PsycINFO (EBSCO) up to March 2022 to identify all published articles that included information on perceptions and levels of satisfaction with SRH interventions. The selected studies were independently and blindly evaluated for risk of bias. Finally, only five papers were included in our review, divided according to the implemented intervention design: conducted by research groups (health or non-health professionals) or structured entirely in a peer-to-peer approach. Both types of program designs analyzed in the included studies were well accepted by students, even though satisfaction assessment methods were not standardized. Peer-to-peer conducted SRH programs or interventions with practical components (e.g., exercises, discussion) were more appreciated. We also found higher levels of satisfaction among younger participants. Future SRH educational programs should consider an assessment of participants' perceptions and satisfaction, possibly adopting standardized tools. Following a peer-to-peer structure and delivering programs early could lead to greater participant satisfaction

Are psychological status and trust in information related to vaccine hesitancy during COVID-19 pandemic? A latent class and mediation analyses in Italy

Despite the recognized benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine hesitancy (VH) remains one of the biggest challenges of the mass vaccination campaign. Most studies investigating VH determinants focused on socio-demographics and direct relationships. In this study, we aimed at: 1) identifying subgroups of people differently affected by the pandemic, in terms of psychological status; 2) investigating the role of psychological status and trust in information as possible mediators of the relationship between individual characteristics and VH. To this purpose, a latent class analysis (LCA) followed by a mediation analysis were carried out on data from a survey conducted in January 2021 on 1011 Italian citizens. LCA identified four different subgroups characterized by a differential psychological impact of the pandemic: the extremely affected (21.1%), the highly affected (49.1%), the moderately affected (21.8%) and the slightly affected (8%). We found that VH decreased with the increase of psychological impact (from 59.3% to 23.9%). In the mediation analysis, past vaccination refusal, age 45-54 years and lower-than-average income, were all indirectly related to higher VH through mistrust in COVID-19 information. Differently, the psychological impact counteracted the greater VH in females, the negative effect of social media among youngest (&lt;35 years) and the negative effect of mistrust in the lower-than-average-income subgroup. Knowledge of psychological profile of hesitant individuals, their level of trust and the sources of information they access, together with their sociodemographic characteristics provides a more comprehensive picture of VH determinants that can be used by public health stakeholders to effectively design and adapt communication campaigns

Recent Applications of Melanin-like Nanoparticles as Antioxidant Agents

Nanosized antioxidants are highly advantageous in terms of versatility and pharmacokinetics, with respect to conventional molecular ones. Melanin-like materials, artificial species inspired by natural melanin, combine recognized antioxidant (AOX) activity with a unique versatility of preparation and modification. Due to this versatility and documented biocompatibility, artificial melanin has been incorporated into a variety of nanoparticles (NP) in order to give new platforms for nanomedicine with enhanced AOX activity. In this review article, we first discuss the chemical mechanisms behind the AOX activity of materials in the context of the inhibition of the radical chain reaction responsible for the peroxidation of biomolecules. We also focus briefly on the AOX properties of melanin-like NP, considering the effect of parameters such as size, preparation methods and surface functionalization on them. Then, we consider the most recent and relevant applications of AOX melanin-like NPs that are able to counteract ferroptosis and be involved in the treatment of important diseases that affect, e.g., the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as the kidneys, liver and articulations. A specific section will be dedicated to cancer treatment, since the role of melanin in this context is still very debated. Finally, we propose future strategies in AOX development for a better chemical understanding of melanin-like materials. In particular, the composition and structure of these materials are still debated, and they present a high level of variability. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanism behind the interaction of melanin-like nanostructures with different radicals and highly reactive species would be highly advantageous for the design of more effective and specific AOX nano-agents

Photoluminescence-Based Techniques for the Detection of Micro- and Nanoplastics

The growing numbers related to plastic pollution are impressive, with ca. 70 % of produced plastic (&gt;350 tonnes/year) being indiscriminately wasted in the environment. The most dangerous forms of plastic pollution for biota and human health are micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs), which are ubiquitous and more bioavailable. Their elimination is extremely difficult, but the first challenge is their detection since existing protocols are unsatisfactory for microplastics and mostly absent for nanoplastics. After a discussion of the state of the art for MNPs detection, we specifically revise the techniques based on photoluminescence that represent very promising solutions for this problem. In this context, Nile Red staining is the most used strategy and we show here its pros and limitations, but we also discuss other more recent approaches, such as the use of fluorogenic probes based on perylene-bisimide and on fluorogenic hyaluronan nanogels, with the added values of biocompatibility and water solubility