Flexible power grip use by capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)

Grasping behavior relies on both motor and cognitive skills. The variability of power grip actions in a reaching-for-grasping task has been assessed in capuchins monkeys (N=20). On average, each individual used more than five different grip types, revealing a flexible use of the hand and a preference for the use of the thumb in opposition to the other fingers. No evidence of hemispheric specialization was found, however action planning abilities varied as a function of age and task practice

Agricultural abandonment in Mediterranean reclaimed peaty soils: Long-term effects on soil chemical properties, arbuscular mycorrhizas and CO2 flux

In the last century, most peatlands were reclaimed for agricultural purposes, which led to peat degradation and to severe subsidence, and thus too wet conditions for crops. In some areas this has therefore led to wide agricultural abandonment. However, studies on the effect of agricultural abandonment as a potential restoration tool are lacking. In this study, the effectiveness and the restoration potential of agricultural abandonment in reducing peat degradation and in improving soil microbial biodiversity were evaluated. The main chemical parameters, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal diversity and soil respiration partitioning were used to assess the long-term effect of 15 years of agricultural abandonment (Aband) in a Mediterranean reclaimed peatland. An intensive maize cultivation (Cult) in the same area was used as a comparison. Multivariate analyses showed that 15 years of agricultural abandonment: did not affect the main soil chemical parameters, except for NH4+ which was lower in the Aband than in the Cult; increased AM fungal root colonization and the diversity in terms of number of families of AM fungi retrieved in roots, but decreased soil AM fungal richness; reduced total soil respiration and its autotrophic component but increased respiration by heterotrophs; determined a lower fluctuation of soil CO2 flux response to air temperature than the Cult. Thus, although some soil quality parameters were significantly improved, 15 years of agricultural abandonment may not lead to an effective restoration. Consequently, alternative and sustainable solutions for the protection and preservation of Mediterranean peatlands need to be develope

An open dataset about georeferenced harmonized national agricultural censuses and surveys of seven mediterranean countries

[EN] The dataset presented in this paper is based on data gathered from several countries within the West Mediterranean area at the highest detailed scale regarding official statistics, with the aim of investigating land and food systems dynamics in the Mediterranean. Characterizing land and food systems dynamics is critical to reveal insights regarding interactions between current dynamics of agricultural practices, species diversity and local food systems. These interactions were analyzed, at multiple spatial scales, on a large part of the Mediterranean basin within the DIVERCROP Project (https://divercropblog.wordpress.com/). An harmonized dataset with the desired characteristics was not readily available from official sources and, therefore, it was necessary to build an ad hoc database that could: (1) cover the Mediterranean areas of seven countries, namely Algeria (DZ), France (FR), Italy (IT), Malta (MT), Portugal (PT), Spain (ES) and Tunisia (TN); (2) contain data referred to the most disaggregated level of administrative units for which data is available in each country; (3) contain data referred to at least two time points, including the latest available data, in each country; (4) contain data on number of farm holdings, on the physical areas covered by the main annual and permanent crops and on livestock (number of heads); (5) contain a primary key that allows joining the census and surveys database to a geographical dataset of administrative units covering the entire area; (6) have an associated complete geographical dataset of administrative units, to allow spatial data analyses.DIVERCROP is funded through the ARIMNet2 2016 Call by the following funding agencies: ANR, IRESA (Tunisia), INIA (Spain), FCT (Portugal), ATRSNV (Algeria), MiPAAF (Italy) and MCST. ARIMNet2 (ERA-NET) has received funding from the European Union s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement n 618127. Special thanks to all of the local partners of the DIVERCROP project for collaborating on data collection, discussing the method and validating the results.Villani, R.; Sabbatini, T.; Moreno-Pérez, OM.; Guiomar, N.; Debolini, M. (2019). An open dataset about georeferenced harmonized national agricultural censuses and surveys of seven mediterranean countries. Data in Brief. 27:1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.104774S182

Use of attractant and repellent substances to control Tomicus destruens (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Pinus pinea and P. pinaster pine forests of Tuscany

We report the results of a two-year study conducted in maritime pine and stone pine forests in Tuscany to test the efficacy of various substances in attracting or repelling adults of Tomicus destruens in the reproductive stage, i.e. while seeking trees or parts of trees suitable for reproduction. The attractants tested were: Tomowit, (-)- and (+)- a pinene, racemic b pinene, Mt-mix, trans-verbenole “Destruens” and “Ipm”. The repellents used were: Green leaf volatiles (Glv’s, jans-2-hexen-1-ol), octanol (octanol-1-octanol), verbenone, alcohols C6 and C8, benzyl alcohol, (-)-b-pinene and racemic limonene. The most effective attractant was (-)-a pinene, although bark-beetles were also caught with Tomowit and Ipm. As regards the repellents, logs protected with verbenone had the lowest level of attack, but this repellent lost its activity when combined with other substances. Key words: terpenes, monitoring, protection, Pinus spp., Scolytidae.  MPIEGO DI SOSTANZE ATTRATTIVE E REPELLENTI NEI CONFRONTI DI TOMICUS DESTRUENS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN PINETE DI PINUS PINEA E P. PINASTER DELLA TOSCANASi riportano i risultati di indagini biennali condotte in pinete di pino marittimo e di pino domestico della Toscana, allo scopo di valutare l’efficacia di semiochimici nell’attrarre o respingere adulti di Tomicus destruens nella fase di ricerca delle piante o parti di esse idonee alla riproduzione. Come attrattivi sono stati utilizzati: Tomowit, (-) e (+)-a pinene, il racemo di a pinene, Mt-mix, trans-verbenolo, “Destruens” e “Ipm”; come repellenti sono stati sperimentati: Green leaf volatiles (Glv’s, jans-2-hexen-1-ol), octanolo (octanol-1- octanol), verbenone, gli alcoli C6, C8, l’alcool benzilico, (-)-b pinene e il racemo di limonene. Tra le diverse sostanze attrattive sperimentate, (-)-a pinene è risultato il più efficace; catture si sono ottenute anche con l’impiego di Tomowit e con un nuovo formulato denominato Ipm. Tra le sostanze ad effetto repellente provate, il verbenone, quando impiegato da solo, sembra avere una certa attività, mentre perde questa sua proprietà quando viene provato in combinazione con altre sostanze. Parole chiave: terpeni, monitoraggio, protezione, Pinus spp., Scolytidae.

Exploring the use of modelling tools within the participatory approach to protect the water resource

Massaciuccoli lake, subsidence, numerical modelling, scenario

Water planning and management in the Cornia river plain by means of the gis-integrated freewat platform

Coastal aquifer, Cornia valley, Tuscany, Managed Aquifer Recharge, FREEWAT platform

Using flood water in Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes as a solution for groundwater management in the Cornia valley (Italy)

The lower Cornia valley aquifer system (Tuscany, Italy) provides the only source of water for drinking, irrigation, industrial purposes and it also contributes to the water needs of the nearby Elba island. Since 60 years, intensive exploitation of groundwater resulted in consistent head lowering and water balance deficit, causing subsidence, reduction of groundwater dependent ecosystems, and salinization of freshwater resources. Rebalancing the water budget of the hydrologic system is the main objective of the LIFE REWAT project (sustainable WATer management in the lower Cornia valley through demand REduction, aquifer Recharge and river REstoration; http://www.liferewat.eu). Here, five demonstration measures (river restoration; Managed Aquifer Recharge; reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation; high irrigation efficiency scheme; leakage management in water distribution systems) are set in place for promoting water resource management, along with capacity building and participatory actions. A pilot Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) infiltration basin for using flood-water was designed and set in operation in Suvereto, testing the new-issued Italian regulation on artificial recharge of aquifers (DM 100/2016). The infiltration basin is located at a pre-existing topographical low near the Cornia River. The river, having intermittent flow, provides the recharge water during high flow periods, including floods, and when discharge is above the minimum ecological flow. The infiltration basin is set in a groundwater recharge area where the aquifer is constituted by gravel and sands. A preliminary project and an executive one were prepared and discussed with the relevant authorities, following one-year long monthly monitoring of surface- and ground-water. The project was supported by a groundwater flow modelling-based approach using the FREEWAT platform (www.freewat.eu). The facility consists of the following elements: i) intake work on the River Cornia; ii) the inlet structure control system, managed by quality (mass spectrometer defining surface water spectral signature) and level probes, and allowing pumping into the facility at predefined head and chemical quality thresholds; iii) a sedimentation basin; iv) the infiltration area (less than 1 ha large); v) the operational monitoring system, based on a network of piezometers where both continuous data (head, T, EC, DO) are gathered and discrete measurements/sampling performed. The cost of construction of the plant is about 300000 C well below the cost of a surface water reservoir for a similar storage. Depending on the climatic conditions, the estimated volume of diverted surface water may vary between 300000 m3/year and 2 Mm3/year. Being the facility a pilot one, diverted water discharge ranges between 20 to 50 l/s. Minimal site development and modification was required, resulting in a no-impact water-work, while providing ecosystem benefits by reconnecting and inundating former abandoned riverbeds. The effectiveness of such pilot may demonstrate the potential for Flood-MAR schemes to increase water availability in scarcity prone areas

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Assessing Specific Vulnerability of Shallow Aquifers to Pesticide Using GIS Tools. Data Needs and Reliability of Index-Overlay Methods: An Application to the San Giuliano Terme Agricultural Area (Pisa, Italy)

Pesticides play a crucial role in regulating crop production by reducing crop losses and increasing crop yield and quality. However, they may threaten surface and groundwater, a phenomenon occurring at global scale, potentially causing environmental damage and prohibition of water use or high treatment costs for drinking water. Assessing spatially‐defined aquifer vulnerability to pesticide is then important, as it may allow defining agricultural areas where pesticides should be used following well‐defined agronomic practices/limitations. In this study, after a brief review of recent studies on aquifer vulnerability assessment to pesticide, we applied the Vulnerability Index method to the agricultural area of the Municipality of San Giuliano Terme (Pisa, Italy) in order to focus on the data needs and discuss the reliability of this method (as an example of index‐overlay methods). The proposed method needs a relatively small number of parameters compared to other more complex ones. Despite a such a small number of parameters, some were not easily available in our case study. Thus, some assumptions were made. This led to vulnerability maps with reduced reliability, no validation with groundwater samples, and little practical use. This means that to produce robust but static vulnerability assessments, large datasets are needed. In turn, the cost of data gathering may be high. The value of these data may, however, be increased, and the cost better justified if the analyses are based on process‐based or advanced statistical methods. While the future for vulnerability assessment methods is the use of process‐based/advanced statistical methods, index‐overlay methods, as a preliminary step for process‐based simulation analysis, may still provide initial and relatively quick insights on potential leaching of pesticides. This in turn may support extension services in delivering timely and relevant advices on the use of such pesticides to farmers and owners of plant nurseries and greenhouse