Application of sulfur-based products reduces Halyomorpha halys infestation and damage in pome fruit orchards.

Background: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest that causes economic damage on crops, decreasing fruit yield and quality. Conventional insecticides are frequently used to reduce infestations, but these are often with a limited residual effect, besides being costly and detrimental to nontarget organisms and the environment. In integrated pest management, novel strategies against H.

Seasonal Dynamics and Damage of in Italian Vineyards.

The brown marmorated stink bug, (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive polyphagous pest often observed in vineyards. In Europe, a gap needs to be filled in the knowledge on seasonal dynamics and damage on grapes. With this study, we described the seasonal dynamics of and its distribution in multi-cultivar vineyards, and we evaluated the damage on grape clusters induced by different pest densities.

Wettable sulphur application for Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) management: laboratory and semi-field experiments.

Background: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a significant threat to crop production. Alternatives to synthetic pesticides are needed for its management. Here we investigated the effect of sulphur on H.

Study of the Interface between Wild Bird Populations and Poultry and Their Potential Role in the Spread of Avian Influenza.

Water birds play a crucial role in disseminating and amplifying avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in the environment. However, they may have limited interactions with domestic facilities, raising the hypothesis that other wild birds may play the bridging role in introducing AIVs into poultry. An ornithocoenosis study, based on census-transect and camera-trapping methods, was conducted in 2019 in ten poultry premises in northeast Italy to characterize the bird communities and envisage the species that might act as bridge hosts for AIVs.

An integrated system for the management of environmental data to support veterinary epidemiology.

Environmental and climatic fluctuations can greatly influence the dynamics of infectious diseases of veterinary concern, or interfere with the implementation of relevant control measures. Including environmental and climatic aspects in epidemiological studies could provide policy makers with new insights to assign resources for measures to prevent or limit the spread of animal diseases, particularly those with zoonotic potential. The ever-increasing number of technologies and tools permits acquiring environmental data from various sources, including ground-based sensors and Satellite Earth Observation (SEO).

Integration of Epidemiological and Genomic Data to Investigate H5N1 HPAI Outbreaks in Northern Italy in 2021-2022.

Between October 2021 and April 2022, 317 outbreaks caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses were notified in poultry farms in the northeastern Italian regions. The complete genomes of 214 strains were used to estimate the genetic network based on the similarity of the viruses. An exponential random graph model (ERGM) was used to assess the effect of 'at-risk contacts', 'same owners', 'in-bound/out-bound risk windows overlap', 'genetic differences', 'geographic distances', 'same species', and 'poultry company' on the probability of observing a link within the genetic network, which can be interpreted as the potential propagation of the epidemic via lateral spread or a common source of infection.

Rapid spread of a new West Nile virus lineage 1 associated with increased risk of neuroinvasive disease during a large outbreak in northern Italy, 2022: One Health analysis.

Background: A new strain of WNV lineage 1 (WNV - 1) emerged in the Veneto Region, northern Italy, in 2021, eight years after the last outbreak of WNV - 1 in Italy. The virus, which co-circulates with WNV-2, has become endemic in the Region, where, in 2022, most human cases of neuroinvasive disease (WNND) reported in Europe have occurred.

Methods: Comparative analysis of the epidemiology and clinical presentation of WNV-1 and WNV-2 infection in humans, as well as the temporal and geographic distribution of WNV-1 and WNV-2 among wild birds and Culex pipiens mosquitoes in Veneto, from May 16th to August 21st, 2022, to determine if the high number of WNND cases was associated with WNV-1.

Comparative efficacy of BG-Sentinel 2 and CDC-like mosquito traps for monitoring potential malaria vectors in Europe.

Background: Different trapping devices and attractants are used in the mosquito surveillance programs currently running in Europe. Most of these devices target vector species belonging to the genera Culex or Aedes, and no studies have yet evaluated the effectiveness of different trapping devices for the specific targeting of Anopheles mosquito species, which are potential vectors of malaria in Europe. This study aims to fill this gap in knowledge by comparing the performance of trapping methods that are commonly used in European mosquito surveillance programs for Culex and Aedes for the specific collection of adults of species of the Anopheles maculipennis complex.

Active Surveillance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Wintering Waterbirds in Northeast Italy, 2020-2021.

The increasing involvement of wild waterfowl in H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV) circulation continues to pose a threat to animal and public health worldwide. In winter 2020-2021, two field surveillance activities were carried out on a weekly basis, through virological and serological analyses, in 823 hunted and 521 trapped migratory aquatic birds in northeast Italy. Sixty Eurasian teals were recaptured several times, which allowed us to follow the progression of the HPAI H5 infection in naturally infected wild waterfowl.

Inter-annual variability of the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers affecting West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens population dynamics in northeastern Italy.

Background: Vector-borne infectious diseases (VBDs) represent a major public health concern worldwide. Among VBDs, West Nile virus (WNV) showed an increasingly wider spread in temperate regions of Europe, including Italy. During the last decade, WNV outbreaks have been recurrently reported in mosquitoes, horses, wild birds, and humans, showing great variability in the temporal and spatial distribution pattern.

Investigations on the Grape Leafhopper in North-Eastern Italy.

The leafhopper (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is native of Northern and Central America where it occurs on wild and cultivated grapes as well as on a number of secondary hosts. This species was recorded for the first time in Europe (Italy, Veneto region) in 2004. Since then it has spread over Northern Italy and Slovenia.

Relative Infestation Level and Sensitivity of Grapevine Cultivars to the Leafhopper Empoasca vitis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae).

The leafhopper Empoasca vitis (Göthe) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) feeds on veins of grapevine leaves, mainly on the phloem, causing physiological injury, color change and drying of leaf margins, yield and sugar content reduction. The relative infestation level (i.e.

The analytical model of nanoparticle recovery by microflotation.

A model of collision and collection of Brownian submicron particles based on the creation of a convective-diffusion layer near a bubble surface and overcoming the energy barrier created by particle/bubble interaction is developed. Simple analytical expressions describing the rate of collision and collection efficiency are obtained. The collision and collection minimums and the limits of theory applicability are analysed.

Effects of irrigation on the seasonal abundance of Empoasca vitis in north-Italian vineyards.

The effect of irrigation on the abundance of Empoasca vitis (Göthe) populations was investigated in four vineyards located in northeastern Italy. In two experiments, we compared leafhopper population densities in plots irrigated (micro-spray irrigation system) or nonirrigated. In another experiment, we studied the effect of various irrigation systems on E.

Shear-induced coalescence of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions.

This work reports on coalescence in oil-in-water Pickering emulsions subjected to simple shear flow. The emulsions were stabilized by silanized fumed silica particles forming layers a few hundred nanometers thick around drops that are tens of micrometers in size. The drop size and particle concentration in the emulsions were fixed, while the salt concentration was varied to adjust the colloidal interactions between the drops and particles.

Influence of surface charge on wetting kinetics.

The wettability of a titania surface, partially covered with octadecyltrihydrosilane, has been investigated as a function of solution pH. The results show that surface charge affects both static wettability and wetting kinetics. The static contact angle decreases above and below the point of zero charge of the titania surface in a Lippman-like manner as the pH is altered.

Electrostatic attraction between a hydrophilic solid and a bubble.

The contact between fine hydrophilic α-Al(2)O(3) particles and nitrogen bubbles was studied as a function of solution composition in single bubble capture experiments, where the bubble collection efficiency was measured. The surface charges of both bubble and particle were controlled by varying the electrolyte concentration and pH of the solution. In all experiments the bubbles were negatively charged while the α-Al(2)O(3) particles were either negatively (above pH of the isoelectric point, pH(IEP)) or positively (below pH(IEP)) charged.

Reduction of surface hydrophobicity using a stimulus-responsive polysaccharide.

The adsorption of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) onto a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer has been characterized using the quartz crystal microbalance (with dissipation monitoring, QCM-D). Adsorption was studied as a function of initial solution conditions. CMC adsorbs to a greater extent at high ionic strength (10(-1) M KCl as opposed to 10(-2) M KCl) or low pH (3 as opposed to 9).

Interfacial displacement of nanoparticles by surfactant molecules in emulsions.

The remarkable stability of nanoparticles attached to oil-water interfaces in macroemulsions hinders controlled detachment of these particles from emulsions. In this work it is shown that adding surfactant molecules which preferentially adsorb at the oil-water interface displaces nanoparticles from the interface. Surfactant adsorption at the oil-water interface is energetically favoured and readily occurs on mixing nanoparticle-stabilised oil-in-water emulsions with surfactant solutions.

Foamability of aqueous suspensions of fine graphite and quartz particles with a triblock copolymer.

The foamability of a triblock copolymer solution was strongly influenced by the presence of particles. The stability of the foam was evaluated by measuring the foam volume, the drainage of water and particles, and the bubble size as a function of time. The higher stability of foams produced with hydrophilic quartz particles, compared with hydrophobic graphite particles, was related to the presence of quartz aggregates in the lamellae and Plateau borders reducing water drainage, and therefore thin film rupture and bubble coalescence.

Adsorption of modified dextrins to a hydrophobic surface: QCM-D studies, AFM imaging, and dynamic contact angle measurements.

The adsorption of three dextrin-based polymers, regular wheat dextrin (Dextrin TY), phenyl succinate dextrin (PS Dextrin), and styrene oxide dextrin (SO Dextrin) on a model hydrophobic surface, consisting of a mixed alkanethiol layer on gold, has been characterized using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The three polymers exhibited varying affinities and capacity for adsorption on the hydrophobic substrate. Atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging of the polymer layers indicates that all three polymers fully cover the surface.

Structure of oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by silica and hydrophobised titania particles.

We have studied the stability and structure of emulsions formed in the presence of colloidal mixtures of partially hydrophobic titania particles and hydrophilic silica particles. On their own, the titania particles attached strongly to the oil-water interface and stabilised emulsions, while the silica particles did not attach to the interface. Adding silica particles to the titania dispersions enhanced coalescence processes during emulsion formation, except under mixing conditions that favoured particle heteroaggregation.

The encapsulation and release of guanosine from PEGylated liposomes.

The encapsulation and release kinetics of guanosine from liposomes and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomes are reported. Specifically, the influence of PEG chain length, PEGylation level, lipid type, drug-loading level, temperature, and solution conditions (i.e.