Spatializing Urban Forests as Nature-based Solutions: a methodological proposal

The Fifth Session of the UNEA-5 defines Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as “actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits”. A large number of the EU HORIZON 2020 research program projects include the implementation of NbS in urban settings. The proGIreg project implemented several NbS for urban regeneration with and for citizens in its Living Lab in the city of Turin (Italy), among others. Focusing on the NbS of urban forestry, this paper addresses the following question: where can NbS be implemented within the city, in order to maximize their social impact? To achieve this goal, by identifying neighborhoods in need of NbS implementation, the 3–30-300 rule proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was adopted and implemented, taking greater account of environmental and social characteristics. The paper also proposes an index to identify neighborhoods of the city that could have precedence in the implementation of NbS. The results highlight 10 neighborhoods where there is a high need of NbS implementation

Aggregation-Induced Emission of Tetraphenylethylene in Styrene-Based Polymers

In the present work, the preparation of different styrene-based polymer films containing small amounts of TPE and the evaluation of their photoluminescent behaviour is reported. When TPE is dispersed in a poor solvent or in a glassy PS matrix, the arrested intramolecular rotations of its aryls favour the strong emission of light centred at about 455-460 nm. Conversely, TPE fluorescence significantly weakens to a faint signal when good solvents or viscous but not glassy polymer matrices are used. Near-field optical microscopy correlates the fluorescence behaviour with the different matrix morphologies. These results should be able to be used for developing a new tool for polymer traceability

Thermochromic polyethylene films doped with perylene chromophores: experimental evidence and methods for characterization of their phase behaviour

We report on a thermochromic system suitable for sensing temperature changes in the 30-70 degrees C regime based on linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) films doped with N,N'-bis-(1'-phenylethyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxydiimide (PE-Pery), a fluorescent aggregachromic dye. At low PE-Pery concentration (0.01-0.02 wt%), the dye monomers were well dispersed in the polymer matrix showing their maximum fluorescence intensity at 525 nm. As the dye content was increased, monomers emission quenched whereas dye aggregates prevailed above 0.05 wt% as well as their red fluorescence band at 620-680 nm. Upon heating from 30 to 70 degrees C, all films displayed a thermochromic response, more evident for the less concentrated samples (<0.05 wt%) in which the emission of the dye as a monomer continuously increased with increasing temperature. This phenomenon promoted effective color changes from a dull red-violet at 30 degrees C to a bright yellow-green at 70 degrees C. Combined DSC and variable-temperature Solid State NMR (SSNMR) measurements addressed the thermochromic behavior to the increased amount of the available amorphous phase and to the increased mobility of both the interphase and amorphous components with temperature, which favored PE-Pery dispersion and diffusion, thus recovering their fluorescence. Overall, the present results support the use of PE-Pery-enriched LLDPE films as a chromogenic material suitable for the detection of temperature changes close to the physiological regime

Characterization of Salmonella Occurring at High Prevalence in a Population of the Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The aim of the study was to elucidate the association between the zoonotic pathogen Salmonella and a population of land iguana, Colonophus subcristatus, endemic to Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. We assessed the presence of Salmonella subspecies and serovars and estimated the prevalence of the pathogen in that population. Additionally, we investigated the genetic relatedness among isolates and serovars utilising pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) on XbaI-digested DNA and determined the antimicrobial susceptibility to a panel of antimicrobials. The study was carried out by sampling cloacal swabs from animals (n = 63) in their natural environment on in the island of Santa Cruz. A high prevalence (62/63, 98.4%) was observed with heterogeneity of Salmonella subspecies and serovars, all known to be associated with reptiles and with reptile-associated salomonellosis in humans. Serotyping revealed 14 different serovars among four Salmonella enterica subspecies: S. enterica subsp. enterica (n = 48), S. enterica subsp. salamae (n = 2), S. enterica subsp. diarizonae (n = 1), and S. enterica subsp. houtenae (n = 7). Four serovars were predominant: S. Poona (n = 18), S. Pomona (n = 10), S. Abaetetuba (n = 8), and S. Newport (n = 5). The S. Poona isolates revealed nine unique XbaI PFGE patterns, with 15 isolates showing a similarity of 70%. Nine S. Pomona isolates had a similarity of 84%. One main cluster with seven (88%) indistinguishable isolates of S. Abaetetuba was observed. All the Salmonella isolates were pan-susceptible to antimicrobials representative of the most relevant therapeutic classes. The high prevalence and absence of clinical signs suggest a natural interaction of the different Salmonella serovars with the host species. The interaction may have been established before any possible exposure of the iguanas and the biocenosis to direct or indirect environmental factors influenced by the use of antimicrobials in agriculture, in human medicine or in veterinary medicine

Have There Been any Changes in the Epidemiology and Etiology of Maxillofacial Trauma During the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Italian Multicenter Study

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had a significant impact on people's behavior. The aim of this study has been to evaluate how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has impacted the incidence and the features of maxillofacial fractures presented at 6 Italian tertiary centers. Clinical records of all the patients diagnosed for facial fractures between February 23 and May 23, 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Any differences in patient number and characteristics and fracture etiology and site between the 2 groups were then statistically analyzed.There has been a 69.1% decrease in the number of incoming patients during the pandemic. The number of foreign patients has decreased significantly (23.3% versus 9.6%, P\u200a=\u200a0.011) while the average age has increased (38.6 versus 45.6 years old, P\u200a=\u200a0.01). Specific statistical significant differences for accidental falls (31.8% versus 50.1%, P\u200a=\u200a0.005) and sports injuries (16.9% versus 1.4%, P\u200a<\u200a0.001) were found. Concerning fracture sites, significant differences have been found in relation to nasal (22.5% versus 11.4%, P\u200a=\u200a0.009) and frontal sinus (0.9% versus 4.4%, P\u200a=\u200a0.037) fractures. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly changed the epidemiology and the etiology of facial traumas

Worldwide tests of generic attractants, a promising tool for early detection of non-native cerambycid species

A large proportion of the insects which have invaded new regions and countries are emerging species, being found for the first time outside their native range. Being able to detect such species upon arrival at ports of entry before they establish in non-native countries is an urgent challenge. The deployment of traps baited with broad-spectrum semiochemical lures at ports-of-entry and other high-risk sites could be one such early detection tool. Rapid progress in the identification of semiochemicals for cerambycid beetles during the last 15 years has revealed that aggregation-sex pheromones and sex pheromones are often conserved at global levels for genera, tribes or subfamilies of the Cerambycidae. This possibly allows the development of generic attractants which attract multiple species simultaneously, especially when such pheromones are combined into blends. Here, we present the results of a worldwide field trial programme conducted during 2018-2021, using traps baited with a standardised 8-pheromone blend, usually com-plemented with plant volatiles. A total of 1308 traps were deployed at 302 sites covering simultaneously or sequentially 13 European countries, 10 Chinese provinces and some regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia (Siberia) and the Caribbean (Martinique). We intended to test the following hypotheses: 1) if a species is regularly trapped in significant numbers by the blend on a continent, it increases the prob-ability that it can be detected when it arrives in other countries/continents and 2) if the blend exerts an effective, generic attraction to multiple species, it is likely that previously unknown and unexpected spe-cies can be captured due to the high degree of conservation of pheromone structures within related taxa. A total of 78,321 longhorned beetles were trapped, representing 376 species from eight subfamilies, with 84 species captured in numbers greater than 50 individuals. Captures comprised 60 tribes, with 10 tribes including more than nine species trapped on different continents. Some invasive species were captured in both the native and invaded continents. This demonstrates the potential of multipheromone lures as ef-fective tools for the detection of 'unexpected' cerambycid invaders, accidentally translocated outside their native ranges. Adding new pheromones with analogous well-conserved motifs is discussed, as well as the limitations of using such blends, especially for some cerambycid taxa which may be more attracted by the trap colour or other characteristics rather than to the chemical blend