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In this study, compression mechanical properties of five giant bamboo species from different continents were investigated based on the ISO 22157:2019 standard. The selected species have been used for rural construction for centuries. The chosen bamboo species for this study, which are considered strong candidates to be used in modern construction as well, are as follows: Phyllostachys edulis (Moso), Guadua angustifolia (Guadua), Gigantochloa apus (Tali), Gigantochloa atroviolacea (Black Java), and Phyllostachys bambusoides (Madake). The excellent properties of bamboo species in tension are well established. Hence, this article principally focuses on the behaviour of selected giant species in compression to be used as structural members. In this study, the mentioned bamboo species were gathered from different continents of origin to be critically assessed, analysed, and compared with one another to better understand their compression behaviour as structural columns. The compression properties of these bamboo species have not been evaluated and compared with one another in an academic study so far. The results show that all tested species were able to provide mean compressive strengths greater than 50 MPa, which makes them highly promising construction material candidates for modern construction. The Guadua test series was able to provide outstanding consistency in the presented compression behaviour and strengths among all the tested species. The specimens with the maximum sustained load belonged to the Tali species. The greatest average failure load belonged to the Moso species. The greatest mean compressive strength measured was 88.9 MPa, reported for Madake species with smaller diameters compared to the other test series. Among the specimens with larger diameters, the greatest mean ultimate strengths were for Moso, Guadua, and Tali species with 69.9 MPa, 60.7 MPa, and 59.1 MPa compressive strengths, respectively.

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited gram-negative bacterium causing a high number of severe diseases to many agricultural and forestry plants. We developed a Maxent model to detect the current and future potential distribution of X. fastidiosa in the Mediterranean under climate change. For future projections, we used Hadley Centre’s HADGEM2-ES models for four representative concentration pathways (2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5) and two time periods (2050 and 2070). Maxent models achieved excellent levels of predictive performance as can be seen from AUC, TSS and AUCdᵢff values. The potential distribution obtained for the current time comprises Portugal, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Albania, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey as well as all countries of northern Africa and the Middle East. X. fastidiosa is not predicted to change its distribution in the Basin in response to climate change. Our study, however, highlights that X. fastidiosa may overcome the current boundaries outside Italy. Given the potentially high risk, we urge that the listed countries consider appropriate and preventive phytosanitary measures to avoid the introduction of the bacterium.

Rett syndrome is an incurable neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding for methyl-CpG binding-protein 2 (MeCP2). Gene therapy for this disease presents inherent hurdles since MECP2 is expressed throughout the brain and its duplication leads to severe neurological conditions as well. Herein, we use the AAV-PHP.eB to deliver an instability-prone Mecp2 (iMecp2) transgene cassette which, increasing RNA destabilization and inefficient protein translation of the viral Mecp2 transgene, limits supraphysiological Mecp2 protein levels. Intravenous injections of the PHP.eB-iMecp2 virus in symptomatic Mecp2 mutant mice significantly improved locomotor activity, lifespan and gene expression normalization. Remarkably, PHP.eB-iMecp2 administration was well tolerated in female Mecp2 mutant or in wild-type animals. In contrast, we observed a strong immune response to the transgene in treated male Mecp2 mutant mice that was overcome by immunosuppression. Overall, PHP.eB-mediated delivery of iMecp2 provided widespread and efficient gene transfer maintaining physiological Mecp2 protein levels in the brain.

Nowadays, the evaluation of elderly patients' eligibility for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is crucial. We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of a multidimensional geriatric assessment, the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) score, on a cohort of 228 patients older than 60 years submitted to allo-SCT in Italy and France from 2008 to 2018. Based on FIL score, available in 215 patients, 125 (58%) patients were classified as “fit” and 90 as “unfit/frail.” The hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) was measured in 222 patients (97%); 71 (32%) patients had HCT-CI 0, 75 (34%) patients scored 1–2, and 76 (34%) ≥3. A total of 121 (53%) patients died after a median follow-up of 36 months. FIL score was found to highly predict survival, due to an excess of NRM in unfit/frail group, and confirmed its independent prognostic role on OS (HR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.25–0.55; p < 0.0001). On the contrary, the HCI-CI failed in allo-SCT outcome prediction (HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.96–1.16; p = 0.27). In summary, a comprehensive geriatric assessment with FIL score seems to add significant prognostic information in elderly patients submitted to allo-SCT. The pretransplant adoption of this easy-to-use tool could help the patients’ selection and management.

Aim Roads impact wildlife in different ways, among which road mortality has been the most studied. Budgets in conservation biology are usually small, and macroecological approaches have been employed in recent years as the first steps towards guiding management. Carnivores are particularly vulnerable to mortality on roads due to their elevated ecological needs (low population density, often low fecundity and relatively large home ranges). Our aim was to develop a ranking methodology to prioritize specific areas for road‐kill mitigation. Location Continental Italy. Methods We studied 271 occurrences of live polecats (Mustela putorius) and 212 polecat road‐kill sites. We used the former to generate a species distribution model and the latter to identify the variables that determined the road‐kill risk. Habitat suitability was derived from a spatial distribution model that combined the polecat occurrence data with a set of environmental variables. Prey availability was derived from the combination of suitability maps of 26 prey species. We used generalized linear modelling to identify the set of variables that best explained the occurrence of road‐kills. The variables included in the best performing model were combined to produce the road risk map and to identify the areas with the highest densities of road sections with highest risk. Results Road‐kills were positively associated with the road sections with higher broad‐leaved forest coverage. The number of casualties was found to be higher than expected on the national and provincial roads and lower than expected on the local roads. Main conclusions This approach allowed us to identify the 10 × 10 km cells where mitigation actions to prevent road‐kills should be prioritized. As mitigation actions (wildlife passage construction, fencing) are expensive, measures should be prioritized on the specific high‐risk road sections inside these selected cells, avoiding generalized mitigation plans.

A variety of approaches are available to address a genital gender affirming surgery (GGAS) in transgender men. The aim of the present study is to report surgical and functional outcomes after a suprapubic pedicled phalloplasty (SPP). From November 2008 to August 2018, a consecutive series of 34 patients underwent an SPP in two tertiary referral centers. GGAS was conducted as a multistaged procedure, consisting (1) SPP with subsequent radial artery-based forearm free-flap urethroplasty, (2) glans sculpting, urethral anastomosis, and scrotoplasty, and (3) penile prosthesis implantation. The duration of surgery, intra and postoperative complications, and hospital stay were selected as variables for surgical outcomes. Functional outcomes were extrapolated from a four-item questionnaire. A partial necrosis of phallus was detected in two cases (5.8 %). Two cases of seroma formation with wound dehiscence (5.8%) were detected. Overall, 89% of patients declared to be fully satisfied of the SPP, 83% would recommend the procedure to someone else, and 89% would undergo the same procedure again. Overall, 66% of patients could achieve an orgasm during sexual penetrative intercourses. The retrospective design, the lack of randomization and validated questionnaire for outcomes reporting, and the limited follow-up represent the main drawbacks of our study. Our evidences suggest that SPP represents as an acceptable option for GGAS.

Aim The establishment and spread of invasive alien species may be influenced by several mutually interacting factors, whose understanding is paramount to develop effective biosecurity policies. However, studies focused on modelling spatially explicit patterns of future invasion risk have so far focused on species response to climate change impacts, while land‐use change has been neglected. We investigated how the interplay between climate and land‐use change could affect the future potential distribution and dispersal corridors of four alien squirrels introduced to Europe (Sciurus carolinensis, Callosciurus finlaysonii, Callosciurus erythraeus and Eutamias sibiricus). Location and Methods Our study was conducted in Italy. We used Species Distribution Models and circuit theory methods to test whether future scenarios based only on climate change predict a different effect on range and connectivity of alien squirrel populations, compared to scenarios that include both climate and land‐use changes. Results Scenarios based only on climate change predicted a range increase and a high geographic stability (>50%) for most species, with different, yet limited, effects on connectivity corridors. Conversely, scenarios based on both climate and land‐use change showed a loss in range extent and a low geographic stability (<50%) of both range and dispersal corridors for most species. Main conclusions Scenarios considering both climate and land‐use change provide predictions on invasion risk that overturn those including only climate change. The effect of global warming alone would lead to a considerable range expansion of all species. Conversely, when land‐use change is added, a potential loss in suitable habitat and dispersal corridors is predicted for alien squirrels, hence limiting their range expansion. We recommend using multiple drivers in models to obtain reliable predictions for implementing biosecurity policies related to invasive alien species.

Social recognition is essential for the formation of social structures. Many times, recognition comes with lesser exploration of familiar animals. This lesser exploration has led to the assumption that recognition may be a habituation memory. The underlying memory mechanisms and the thereby acquired cortical representations of familiar mice have remained largely unknown, however. Here, we introduce an approach directly examining the recognition process from volatile body odors among male mice. We show that volatile body odors emitted by mice are sufficient to identify individuals and that more salience is assigned to familiar mice. Familiarity is encoded by reinforced population responses in two olfactory cortex hubs and communicated to other brain regions. The underlying oxytocin-induced plasticity promotes the separation of the cortical representations of familiar from other mice. In summary, neuronal encoding of familiar animals is distinct and utilizes the cortical representational space more broadly, promoting storage of complex social relationships. Recognition memory for other individuals forms quickly. Here the authors show that such memories are enabled by oxytocin and can be retrieved from reinforced and more distinct neural representations even when only limited sensory information is available.

Phenology is a key feature in the description of species niches to capture seasonality in resource use and climate requirements. Species distribution models (SDMs) are widespread tools to evaluate a species’ potential distribution and identify its large-scale habitat preferences. Despite its chief importance, data phenology is often neglected in SDM development. Non-migratory bats of temperate regions are good model species to test the effect of data seasonality on SDM outputs because of their different roosting preferences between hibernation and reproduction. We hypothesized that (1) the output of SDMs developed for six non-migratory European bat species will differ between hibernation and reproduction; (2) models built from datasets encompassing both ecological stages will perform better than seasonal models. We employed a dataset of 470 independent occurrences of bat hibernacula and 400 independent records of nursery roosts of selected species and for each species we developed separate winter, summer and mixed (i.e. generated from both winter and summer occurrences) models. Seasonal and mixed potential ranges differed from each other and the direction of this difference was species-specific. Mixed models outperformed seasonal models in representing species niches. Our work highlights the importance of considering data seasonality in the development of SDMs for bats as well as many other organisms, including non-migratory species, otherwise the analysis will lead to significant biases whose consequences for conservation planning and landscape management may be detrimental.

Little is known about the potentially disrupting effects of wind farms on the habitat connectivity of flying vertebrates at the landscape scale. We developed a regional-scale model to assess the wind farm impact on bat migration and commuting routes. The model was implemented for the bat Nyctalus leisleri in a region of central Italy currently undergoing considerable wind farm development. A Species Distribution Model (SDM) for N. leisleri was generated using the MaxEnt algorithm based on 47 presence records (reduced to 19 after the autocorrelation procedure) and 10 environmental variables derived from topographic and land cover maps. We used the SDM to create a map of connectivity using the software UNICOR to identify potential commuting corridors (PCCs). The incidence of each wind farm on bat flight corridors was assessed by overlaying the existing (380) and planned (195) turbine locations onto the PCCs. The SDM was statistically robust (AUC > 0.8). Most of the corridors were concentrated in the western part of the region, which hosts the largest suitable areas for the species; most of the existing (54 %) and planned (72 %) wind farms interfered with important corridors connecting the western and the eastern parts of the region. Our results provide key information on the impact of the wind farm industry on biodiversity on a regional scale. The novel approach adopted, based on SDM and connectivity analysis, could be easily extended to other flying vertebrates and landscapes and constitutes a promising planning tool necessary for harmonizing the development of renewable energy infrastructures with issues of biodiversity conservation.