Associating Metrics of Hunting Effort with Hunting Rate: A Case Study with the Wild Boar Sus scrofa

Wild boar Sus scrofa populations have increased dramatically in recent decades throughout Europe. While hunting is widely used in management activities; it rarely has an important role in regulating and reducing wild boar populations. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of hunting is a compelling issue. In this study, we used a three-year dataset (2016–2018) on a wild boar population living in Campania (southern Italy) as a case study to explore how the hunting effort made in collective drive hunts affected the hunting rate, estimated as the number of individuals culled per day. We fitted a Linear Mixed Model, in which we included the number of wild boars culled per drive hunt as the dependent variable, and the number of beaters, shooters and dogs and the month during which hunting occurred as the predictors. A mean of 1.81 wild boars were culled per drive hunt. The number of culled animals per hunt increased with the increasing number of hunting dogs and with the progression of the hunting season (i.e., from October to December), whereas the number of beaters and shooters had no effect. Overall, we observed a low hunting rate. We suggest that adjusting the hunting calendar and reorganising wild boar collective hunts, e.g., through an appropriate management of the number and training of hunting dogs, are essential to increase the hunting rate. Our results can be useful for wildlife managers to enhance hunting contribution in counteracting the negative impact of wild boar

Canine parvovirus and pseudorabies virus coinfection as a cause of death in a wolf (Canis lupus) from southern Italy

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) or suid herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) is the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, a highly contagious viral infection which causes neurological fatal illness in mammals other than suids. Here we report a case of a young wolf (Canis lupus) of around 2 years found dead by a hunter in the province of Avellino, Campania Region. Necropsy showed pathological findings consistent with encephalitis and gastroenteritis. Organs were analysed by microbiological and molecular investigations following standard procedures to ascertain the possible cause of death. Real-time PCR revealed the presence of PRV in the brain and of canine parvovirus 2b in organs like intestine, liver, brain, kidney and pancreas. Death probably occurred very shortly after SHV-1 infection in an animal already weakened by parvovirosis

Discovery of the heavily obscured supernova 2002cv

On the 13th of May 2002, supernova 2002cv was discovered using a near-infrared camera working at the AZT-24 1.1m telescope at Campo Imperatore (AQ-Italy). After the infrared detection a simultaneous photometric follow-up was started at optical wavelengths. The preliminary results confirm a heavily obscured object with a V-K color not lower than 6 magnitudes, making SN 2002cv the most reddened supernova ever observed. This finding, along with the recent discovery of another obscured supernova, suggests a critical revision of the rates known to date. The estimate of the visual extinction and the light curves are provided here. These latter indicate that our SN 2002cv observations are the earliest available for a type-Ia supernova at IR wavelengths.Comment: 4 page

A Spitzer IRS Survey of NGC 1333: Insights into disk evolution from a very young cluster

We report on the {\lambda} = 5-36{\mu}m Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of 79 young stellar objects in the very young nearby cluster NGC 1333. NGC 1333's youth enables the study of early protoplanetary disk properties, such as the degree of settling as well as the formation of gaps and clearings. We construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using our IRS data as well as published photometry and classify our sample into SED classes. Using "extinction-free" spectral indices, we determine whether the disk, envelope, or photosphere dominates the spectrum. We analyze the dereddened spectra of objects which show disk dominated emission using spectral indices and properties of silicate features in order to study the vertical and radial structure of protoplanetary disks in NGC 1333. At least nine objects in our sample of NGC 1333 show signs of large (several AU) radial gaps or clearings in their inner disk. Disks with radial gaps in NGC 1333 show more-nearly pristine silicate dust than their radially continuous counterparts. We compare properties of disks in NGC 1333 to those in three other well studied regions, Taurus-Auriga, Ophiuchus and Chamaeleon I, and find no difference in their degree of sedimentation and dust processing.Comment: 67 pages, 20 figures, accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

A Spitzer view of protoplanetary disks in the gamma Velorum cluster

We present new Spitzer Space Telescope observations of stars in the young ~5 Myr gamma Velorum stellar cluster. Combining optical and 2MASS photometry, we have selected 579 stars as candidate members of the cluster. With the addition of the Spitzer mid-infrared data, we have identified 5 debris disks around A-type stars, and 5-6 debris disks around solar-type stars, indicating that the strong radiation field in the cluster does not completely suppress the production of planetesimals in the disks of cluster members. However, we find some evidence that the frequency of circumstellar primordial disks is lower, and the IR flux excesses are smaller than for disks around stellar populations with similar ages. This could be evidence for a relatively fast dissipation of circumstellar dust by the strong radiation field from the highest mass star(s) in the cluster. Another possibility is that gamma Velorum stellar cluster is slightly older than reported ages and the the low frequency of primordial disks reflects the fast disk dissipation observed at ~5 Myr.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal: 32 pages; 11 Figure

Molecular Detection of Babesia spp. (Apicomplexa: Piroplasma) in Free-Ranging Canids and Mustelids From Southern Italy.

Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites with widespread geographical distribution and various wildlife species as reservoir hosts. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and assess the role of free-ranging canids and mustelids in the maintenance of Babesia spp. in southern Italy. PCR analysis of splenic samples targeting the 18S rRNA gene revealed the presence of Babesia spp. in 36 of 82 (43.9%) red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) including 29 (58%) from Campania region and seven (21.8%) from Calabria region, in seven of 13 (53.8%) Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), and in one of 13 (7.7%) gray wolves (Canis lupus). Samples from other host species including 9 Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), 1 stone marten (Martes foina), 1 least weasel (Mustela nivalis), and 1 European polecat (Mustela putorius) tested Babesia spp. negative. Sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene demonstrated the presence of B. vulpes in the red fox and two sequence types of badger-associated Babesia spp. in the Eurasian badger. The Babesia sp. sequence detected in the gray wolf was identical to a badger-associated Babesia sp. This study shows that the number of Babesia spp. infecting free-ranging carnivores in Italy is higher than currently believed, and suggests that these hosts may play an important role in the maintenance of the sylvatic cycle of these parasites. It is the first report of badger-associated Babesia spp. in Italy and in a gray wolf

Enlisting accounting history in the contest between competing visions of accounting systems: Tommaso Zerbi and the origin of double-entry bookkeeping

Biographical research has attracted a significant level of interest from the accounting history community. Nevertheless, most of these studies are focused on documenting the life and work of renowned accounting scholars and practitioners. The present study seeks to investigate the work of an author who is yet to attract the attention of the international community, Tommaso Zerbi, in close connection with the social and academic context in which his work was developed. The study emphasises the political and militant role that accounting history may play in academic communities by showing how accounting history research is not necessarily a value-free endeavour in the generation of new knowledge but can be enlisted in ensuring the success of a specific understanding of accounting systems in the context of academic struggles. Although mainly aiming at contributing to a national debate, the originality and value of Zerbi’s work ended up offering a significant contribution to the international debate on the origin of double-entry bookkeeping

Design and characterization of a minimally invasive bipolar electrode for electroporation

Objective: To test a new bipolar electrode for electroporation consisting of a single minimally invasive needle. Methods: A theoretical study was performed by using Comsol Multiphysics® software. The prototypes of electrode have been tested on potatoes and pigs, adopting an irreversible electroporation protocol. Different applied voltages and different geometries of bipolar electrode prototype have been evaluated. Results: Simulations and pre-clinical tests have shown that the volume of ablated area is mainly influenced by applied voltage, while the diameter of the electrode had a lesser impact, making the goal of minimal-invasiveness possible. The conductive pole’s length determined an increase of electroporated volume, while the insulated pole length inversely affects the electroporated volume size and shape; when the insulated pole length decreases, a more regular shape of the electric field is obtained. Moreover, the geometry of the electrode determined a different shape of the electroporated volume. A parenchymal damage in the liver of pigs due to irreversible electroporation protocol was observed. Conclusion: The minimally invasive bipolar electrode is able to treat an electroporated volume of about 10 mm in diameter by using a single-needle electrode. Moreover, the geometry and the electric characteristics can be selected to produce ellipsoidal ablation volumes

Altered miR-193a-5p expression in children with cow's milk allergy

Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies in children. Epigenetic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in CMA pathogenesis. We shown that DNA methylation of Th1/Th2 cytokine genes and FoxP3 affects CMA disease course. Preliminary evidence suggest that also the miRNome could be implicated in the pathogenesis of allergy. Main study outcome was to comparatively evaluate miRNome in children with CMA and in healthy controls