Reviewing an eco-biogeographic question at regional scale: the unexpected absence of a ubiquitous mammal species ( Microtus savii, Rodentia) in coastal Southern Tuscany (central Italy) Abstract We reviewed the historical and recent data about the unexpected absence of a generalist ubiquitous mammal (Savi’s pine vole Microtus savii, Rodentia) from a large sub-regional coastal land reclaimed area of Tyrrhenian central Italy, trying to search for causes explaining it. We assessed the possible role of different factors for different sub-areas as, in primis, biogeographic isolation (Monte Argentario) and granulometric/geochemical soil characteristics (Maremma plain) linked to land reclaimed history. However, bioclimatic regime, and competition with other species in area of recent colonization, examined in relation to some specialized species traits could be added to explain the unexpected absence of this ubiquitous rodent. Comparing our data with other geographical areas with similar characteristics, we hypothesize that none of these factors can be considered individually determinant, but that the cause of this absence could be determined by their interaction among different causal factors. This note would stimulate future field sampling design aimed to test the different hypotheses here inductively proposed.

Magnetic field gradient inhibits Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth Abstract The daily exposure of humans to artificial magnetic fields has inspired studies of their effects on biological systems. Different views are advocated by many research groups and few studies have clarified the role of magnetic field gradients in observed results. We investigated the effect of strong gradients and continuous magnetic fields in a cellular system. Colonies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCMB 355 were grown in solid and liquid media and exposed to the neodymium–iron–boron magnets. Notably, in solid medium, cells exposed to previously demagnetized NdFeB magnets or to the metals contained in magnets exhibited normal activities, but when exposed to the gradient, growth drastically fails near the magnet, even when the intensity of magnetism was near zero. Increasing the distance of the magnet to regions of weak magnetic field gradient caused decreased cellular malaise. When the magnet was removed, the cells were not capable of growing again, indicating that the gradient killed the exposed cells. In liquid medium, we observed a decrease in the absorbance values in the region of 560 nm when the substrate was directly permeated by a strong magnetic field gradient in comparison with a control without the magnet or with a magnet covered with a thin layer of silicone. This study helps to clarify the effect of the magnetic field gradient in biological systems. Graphic abstract

Scattering of particles from a solid surface: the impulsive model of composite encounters Abstract We propose a general impulsive model for scattering of molecules from a flat solid surface. It is assumed within the framework of this model that an encounter of an atom (or ion) with the surface is a series of elastic (in the direction normal to the surface) hits of the atom against surface pseudoparticles, the hits instantly following each other. To each atom, one assigns two infinite sequences of masses of pseudoparticles. The model is a far-reaching generalization of the well-known hard cube model. Criteria for both finiteness and infinity of series of hits are formulated, based on the masses of pseudoparticles and the mass of the atom. It is shown that in virtually all the cases, any number of hits in a series occurs with a positive probability. The proposed model does not satisfy the reciprocity condition.

Pigments and plasters from the Roman temple of Deir El-Hagar, Dakhla Oasis, Egypt: vibrational spectroscopic characterization Abstract Deir El-Hagar temple at the Dakhla Oasis of the Western desert is a rare example of the surviving complete Roman structures in Egypt. The temple was discovered in 1819, and since that date, several restoration attempts have been carried out for its preservation. In the present case study, pigment and plaster samples from Deir El-Hagar temple were analyzed, for the first time, using different analytical methods. Initially, the microscopic observations were applied to collect stratigraphic data on the pictorial layers and the appropriate areas for analysis. The vibrational characteristics of the contained mineral phases were determined using Raman microspectroscopy. The surface morphology and microfeatures of the samples were accomplished by an environmental scanning electron microscopy and the energy-dispersive X-ray micro-analyzer (SEM–EDAX). Additionally, the visible reflectance spectroscopy (vis-RS) was used as a complementary method to record the reflectance spectra of some pigment samples. As such, the analytical techniques used in this study allowed the identification of the vibrational spectroscopic characteristics and the mineralogical–chemical composition of the studied samples. The results showed that the temple walls were plastered with two layers, coarse plaster and thin whitewash render. The blue pigment sample was identified as Egyptian blue and the occurrence of arsenic-based compounds in the sample was also reported and discussed. It was confirmed that a heated goethite, rather than natural red ochre, was used to produce the red colour. Additionally, mixed pigments were used to produce different hues and tonalities. A charcoal black, most likely of a charred wood, was used as a black pigment. Moreover, several proportions of haematite and magnetite were detected along the scanned surface of the black pigment. The findings of the current research allowed delivering an analytical report on the painting materials used in an important example of the Roman monuments in the Western desert of Egypt.

Associations of mtDNA haplotypes with productive traits in pigs Abstract The mitochondrial genome plays an important role in energy production and cells functions control. Therefore, it can affect the traits which are significant for selection of farm animals. The published data allow assuming that the mtDNA variability in pigs is one of the ways to assess and predict the breeding and productive qualities. The aim of our work was to determine the mtDNA haplotypes by the D-loop region sequencing and evaluate their associations with the selection features in pigs. Studies were carried out on landrace sows (n = 2626) bred in the Russian Federation. We estimated the Muscle Depth and the Percent Meat. As a result, three mtDNA haplogroups (C, D, and E) were identified. In the studied group of pigs, haplotype E was determined in 1378 sows (52.5%) and had the highest frequency. Haplotype D was detected in 1064 sows (40.6%). In general, haplotypes of European origin were more common in our population. Among the haplotypes of Asian origin (including A, B, and C), only haplotype C was identified in our group of pigs. It was determined in 182 sows (6.9%). Haplotypes A and B were not identified. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has demonstrated the significance of differences in the haplotypes of the mtDNA regarding the studied traits of meat productivity in sows. These facts confirm the prospects of mtDNA studies as determinants of pig productivity. Our results have shown that some haplotypes of mtDNA are largely related to phenotypic traits.

Improvement of hydrogen production under solar light using cobalt (II) phosphide hydroxide co-doped g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst Abstract Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been extensively studied as a model of photocatalyst material for water splitting. This study investigates potential of cobalt (II) phosphide hydroxide co-doped g-C3N4 (Co-P/C3N4) for solar water splitting to produce hydrogen gas as a clean energy source. Characterizations of the materials were done using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). Under solar light, the hydrogen production rates per hour using Co-P/C3N4 were 386.8 µmol/g which is 14-fold higher than that of g-C3N4 (28.1 µmol/g). The co-doping of cobalt (II) phosphide hydroxide onto g-C3N4 rapidly improved light harvesting capacity and photo-generated charge carrier separation, leading to increase photocatalytic H2 production. In addition, the reusability of Co-P/C3N4 was confirmed by performing the photocatalytic hydrogen production for five cycles. The material consistently produced H2 without any significant loss in hydrogen productivity. Based on these results, Co-P/C3N4 could be utilized as promising photocatalyst material for production of clean energy. Graphic abstract

Matrix formulation of the energy exchange problem of multi-level systems and the code FRIGUS Abstract FRIGUS is a user-friendly Python package for computing cooling functions that depend on gas density, radiation and gas temperatures. The input data are organized as matrices and the computation of the equilibrium level population, as well as the time-dependent evolution of the level population, together with the energy exchange is reduced to matrix operations, unlike traditional methods. The compact matrix formalism makes it easy to handle multi-level and multi-quantum number systems. FRIGUS provides interfaces for solving the rate equations using any third party (optimized) linear algebra solvers. FRIGUS is distributed as a Python library and it has been tested under different flavours of Linux operating systems. FRIGUS can be coupled with state-to-state ro-vibrational resolved chemistry codes, e.g., for H\(_2\), in astrophysical as well as industrial applications like hydrogen storage and in radiative–collisional plasma modeling.

Effectiveness of the monitoring of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca in the olive orchards of Southern Italy (Apulia) Abstract In 2013, an outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa was identified for the first time in Europe, in the extreme South of Italy (Apulia, Salento territory). The locally identified subspecies turned to be lethal for olive trees, starting an unprecedented phytosanitary emergency for one of the most iconic cultivations of the Mediterranean area. The Apulian-monitoring program of the epidemic amassed data on several hundreds of thousands of laboratory screening for the bacterium presence, jointly with georeferenced sample information. Starting from these data, it is possible to show that Xylella fastidiosa spreads by forming new, tightly clustered groups of infected plants (epidemic hotspots), with 98% of the infected trees separated by less than 100 mt from another infected tree. Surprisingly, more than three quarters of the newly detected epidemic hotspots are farther than 1 km from any previously known infected plants. Considering this finding, either long-range spreading of the bacterium is underestimated, or the current monitoring strategy must be called into question. In both cases, however, it can be anticipated that, under the current monitoring protocol, yearly epidemic spreading 1–15 km far from olive trees currently labeled as infected will be more common than previously thought.

Is central Croatian Adriatic Sea under plastic attack? Preliminary results of composition, abundance and sources of marine litter on three beaches Abstract Marine litter is a worldwide problem. It impacts negatively marine environment, organisms, human health and coastal communities. In this research, abundance, composition and sources of marine litter (macro-debris > 2.5 cm) and beach cleanliness were assessed for three beaches in the central Croatian Adriatic Sea. Mean abundance for the studied region was 3.35 items/m2 and the highest recorded CCI value was 150. Most of the collected litter was made of artificial polymer material (93.86%), and main sources of litter were shoreline activities representing (31.68% of the total sample) and fishing and aquaculture representing (12.66% of the total sample). Land-based and sea-based sources accounted for 32.76% and 15.16%, respectively. Results from the present study provide another evidence of marine litter problem and high presence of plastic items in the marine environment of the Adriatic Sea. Presence of litter from different countries shows the internationality of marine litter problem which can only be solved by international collaborations and partnerships as well as by taking individual responsibility of all. Presence of the short-life single-use plastic items and the problems associated with them have been recognized in this study as most of the items collected were single-use items. High abundance of these items indicates not only their large use in everyday life, but also the lack of awareness of the general public about the environmental problem they cause. Moreover, the results obtained in this research imply the need for better waste management systems.

Sea level rise scenario for 2100 A.D. for the archaeological site of Motya Abstract In this study, we analyze the impact of the sea level rise induced by climate change on the coastal cultural heritage site of Motya, the Phoenician colony (IV–III millennium B.P.) located in the San Pantaleo island, NW corner of Sicily (southern Italy). In particular, we assessed the effects of this phenomenon on the human settlement in the past 2400 years and the expected sea level rise scenario for the next decades. A detailed flooding scenario for 2100 from direct observations and two models, taking into account the contribution of Vertical Land Movements (VLM), is provided. The surface topography is derived from a novel high-resolution/high-accuracy digital surface model (DSM), which was performed through an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) survey, whereas the rate of VLM was estimated by the analysis of geodetic data at three Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations located close to the island. To estimate the local mean sea level and to correct the tide level (TL) at the epoch of UAV survey, the hydrometric recordings of the nearest sea level gauge station located at Porto Empedocle (Sicily), were used. Two flooding scenarios for 2100 were then represented on the high-resolution DSM, using the regional sea-level projections of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the Mediterranean region. According to the RCP 8.5 climatic model, a difference of about + 59 cm above the local mean sea level between the current and the expected coastline positions at 2100 A.D., was found. In addition, by adding the average half amplitude of the daily tide, equal to about 30 cm, a maximum flooding scenario was determined. Finally, in the maximum condition of sea level rise, a significant flooding on the archaeological structures is expected for the Kothon area and along the North-West coast of the island.