Essential host plant cues in the grapevine moth

Host plant odours attract gravid insect females for oviposition. The identification of these plant volatile compounds is essential for our understanding of plant–insect relationships and contributes to plant breeding for improved resistance against insects. Chemical analysis of grape headspace and subsequent behavioural studies in the wind tunnel show that host finding in grapevine moth Lobesia botrana is encoded by a ratio-specific blend of three ubiquitous plant volatiles. The odour signal that attracts mated females to grape consists of the terpenoids (E)-β-caryophyllene, (E)-β-farnesene and (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene. These compounds represent only a fraction of the volatiles released by grapes, and they are widespread compounds known throughout the plant kingdom. Specificity may be achieved by the blend ratio, which was 100:78:9 in grape headspace. This blend elicited anemotactic behaviour in moths at remarkably small amounts. Females were attracted at release rates of only a few nanograms per minute, at levels nearly as low as those known for the attraction of male moths to the female sex pheromones.     

Fetal echocardiography using transvaginal and transabdominal probes during the first period of pregnancy: A comparative study

The authors compare the diagnostic possibilities of fetal transabdominal echocardiography versus transvaginal echocardiography. A larger diagnostic capacity is verified in different gestation ages with transvaginal probe between the 11th and 14th week of gestation. The results are emphasized by colour Doppler.     

Isolation of single circulating trophoblasts from maternal circulation for noninvasive fetal copy number variant profiling

Objective

To develop a multi-step workflow for the isolation of circulating extravillous trophoblasts (cEVTs) by describing the key steps enabling a semi-automated process, including a proprietary algorithm for fetal cell origin genetic confirmation and copy number variant (CNV) detection.

Methods

Determination of the limit of detection (LoD) for submicroscopic CNV was performed by serial experiments with genomic DNA and single cells from Coriell cell line biobank with known imbalances of different sizes. A pregnancy population of 372 women was prospectively enrolled and blindly analyzed to evaluate the current workflow.

Results

An LoD of 800 Kb was demonstrated with Coriell cell lines. This level of resolution was confirmed in the clinical cohort with the identification of a pathogenic CNV of 800 Kb, also detected by chromosomal microarray. The mean number of recovered cEVTs was 3.5 cells per sample with a significant reverse linear trend between gestational age and cEVT recovery rate and number of recovered cEVTs. In twin pregnanices, evaluation of zygosity, fetal sex and copy number profiling was performed in each individual cell.

Conclusion

Our semi-automated methodology for the isolation and single-cell analysis of cEVTS supports the feasibility of a cell-based noninvasive prenatal test for fetal genomic profiling.     

Performance of some biotic indices in the real variable world: A case study at different spatial scales in North-Western Mediterranean Sea

The aim of this study was to analyse the variability of four different benthic biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, H′, M-AMBI) in two marine coastal areas of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In each coastal area, 36 replicates were randomly selected according to a hierarchical sampling design, which allowed estimating the variance components of the indices associated with four different spatial scales (ranging from metres to kilometres). All the analyses were performed at two different sampling periods in order to evaluate if the observed trends were consistent over the time. The variance components of the four indices revealed complex trends and different patterns in the two sampling periods. These results highlighted that independently from the employed index, a rigorous and appropriate sampling design taking into account different scales should always be used in order to avoid erroneous classifications and to develop effective monitoring programs.     

Satellite-based indices in the analysis of land cover for municipalities in the province of Siena, Italy

Territorial indicators based on the satellite measured reflected or emitted energy can provide valuable information on the spatial evolution of a territory. Information regarding land use, biomass coverage and radiant temperature were obtained from remotely obtained measurements for each municipality in the Province of Siena. Remotely sensed data were combined into different indices to compare characteristics of land cover between territories and create an information base for continued study. A classification was performed on a municipal level and land use classes were grouped together and a general index of use pressure was created. A vegetation index was used to compare biomass densities. A radiant temperature index was calculated using measure thermal infrared emissions. The results of these analyses allowed researchers to examine the intra and inter-municipal spatial heterogeneity within the Province. A comparison between the results of each index was made and the problems related to the use of such indices were examined.     

Air pollutants and the characterization of the organic content of aerosol particles in a mixed industrial/semi-rural area in central Italy

Both regulated and unregulated air pollutants were detected during an intensive seasonal sampling campaign in a mixed industrial/semi-rural area on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, at two sites located opposite a hospital waste incinerator, downwind according to the direction of the prevailing local winds. Concentrations of pollutants were significantly lower than in urban atmospheres. The composition of particulate organic material indicated a heavy biogenic impact, accompanied by a lower contribution from petroleum-related processes. Both PAH and nitro-PAH group compositions of particulates were used to assess the nature and relative importance of sources. Both sites showed that different and diffuse sources contributed to local pollution with a significant contribution from traffic, proving that the hospital waste incinerator was not the main pollution source in this area. Among unregulated compounds, a series of positional isomers of nitro-PAHs and other organic compounds associated with particulate matter were investigated. In particular, 1- and 3-nitrophenanthrene identification was carried out, and they proved to be the most abundant nitro-PAHs.     

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sediments using in situ SPME sampling

A new method of determining the composition of sediment/soil gases and their volatile organic compound (VOC) content is described. VOCs were collected in situ from intertidal sediments in the Menai Strait and surrounding areas. The sampling was performed using a portable sampler comprising a funnel coupled to a SPME fibre. Gases were extracted from the sediments using a small vacuum pump pulling 100 mL min(-1) at atmospheric pressure. Sixty one different compounds were detected in the samples, and their fluxes and concentrations were determined. The compounds were classified into groups: halogenated, sulfur containing compounds, aldehydes, BTEXs (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene) and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the chemical composition of extracted gas was influenced primarily by sediment type. Muddy anoxic sediments were dominated by halogenated and sulfur containing compounds and sandy sediments had more aldehydes and BTEXs.     

Soil organic carbon sequestration as affected by afforestation: the Darab Kola forest (north of Iran) case study

Following the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, afforestation of formerly arable lands and/or degraded areas has been acknowledged as a land-use change contributing to the mitigation of increasing atmospheric CO(2) concentration in the atmosphere. In the present work, we study the soil organic carbon sequestration (SOCS) in 21 year old stands of maple (Acer velutinum Bioss.), oak (Quercus castaneifolia C.A. Mey.), and red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) in the Darab Kola region, north of Iran. Soil samples were collected at four different depths (0-10, 10-20, 20-30, and 30-40 cm), and characterized with respect to bulk density, water content, electrical conductivity, pH, texture, lime content, total organic C, total N, and earthworm density and biomass. Data showed that afforested stands significantly affected soil characteristics, also raising SOCS phenomena, with values of 163.3, 120.6, and 102.1 Mg C ha(-1) for red pine, oak and maple stands, respectively, vs. 83.0 Mg C ha(-1) for the control region. Even if the dynamics of organic matter (OM) in soil is very complex and affected by several pedo-climatic factors, a stepwise regression method indicates that SOCS values in the studied area could be predicted using the following parameters, i.e., sand, clay, lime, and total N contents, and C/N ratio. In particular, although the chemical and physical stabilization capacity of organic C by soil is believed to be mainly governed by clay content, regression analysis showed a positive correlation between SOCS and sand (R = 0.86(**)), whereas a negative correlation with clay (R = -0.77(**)) was observed, thus suggesting that most of this organic C occurs as particulate OM instead of mineral-associated OM. Although the proposed models do not take into account possible changes due to natural and anthropogenic processes, they represent a simple way that could be used to evaluate and/or monitor the potential of each forest plantation in immobilizing organic C in soil (thus reducing atmospheric C concentration), as well as to select more appropriate species during forestation plan management at least in the north of Iran.     

Contamination by polybrominated diphenyl ethers of sediments from the Lake Maggiore basin (Italy and Switzerland)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are characterized by chemical properties and toxicological profiles similar to other POPs (persistent organic pollutants) included in the EU Priority Pollutant List (2455/01/CE). However, limited data have been available for these compounds thus far for Italian freshwater abiotic matrices. Lake Maggiore basin, a heavily industrialized and densely populated area, was selected for studying PBDE contamination in Italy. PBDEs and OCs (organochlorine compounds) in the basin were quantified by analysing both sediment cores collected in 2005 from the lake and grab samples from the main tributaries and the emissary. Fourteen PBDEs, from tri-BDE to hepta-BDE congeners and BDE209, were compared with some organochlorine POPs (PCBs and DDTs) characterizing Lake Maggiore basin contamination. Analyses of tri-to hepta-BDEs, PCBs and DDTs were undertaken by GC-MS/MS, while BDE-209 was analysed by GC/ECD. Results showed a dominant presence of BDE-209 (>95% of SigmaBDE) and limited amounts of BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153 and BDE-154. Lake core profiles highlighted a decreasing trend in PCB concentrations starting from the year 2000, while PBDEs showed greater concentrations after the beginning of the 1990s (up to 30 ng g(-1)d.w.). Among the tributaries, the Bardello and Boesio rivers were the most PBDE-contaminated (up to 290 ng g(-1)d.w.).