Search results for "PIA"

Reducing waste and ecological impacts through a sustainable and efficient management of perishable food based on the Monte Carlo simulation

2019

Abstract In today’s competitive global market it is mandatory to improve warehousing operations integrating economic, environmental and social aspects. The recent advancement in monitoring technologies can greatly improve the performance of the food supply chain reducing product loss. In particular, in the perishable food supply chain, initially inventory operations are critical because they manage the material flows in very variable conditions. The deterioration level of the products as well as the market demand are the main factors that can influence warehouse strategy. This research aims to consider the application of sustainability principles in the context of warehouse storage, evaluat…

Spatial distribution ofVespa velutinaindividuals hunting at domestic honeybee hives: heterogeneity at a local scale

2014

Since its recent introduction into Europe, the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, has become a major predator of the domestic honeybee, Apis mellifera, but little is known about its hunting behavior. We studied V. velutina hunting behavior by a capture-mark-recapture procedure in an experimental apiary. A total of 360 hornets were captured and tagged, and we determined: (i) the number of hornets visiting the apiary and the changes in time, (ii) the average number of individual visits per half-day and the time elapsed between consecutive recaptures, and (iii) the individual and global distribution of the hornets in the apiary. More than 50% of the marked hornets were recaptured at least o…

Male mating success during parturial intermoults in the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare revealed by the use of a microsatellite locus

2007

3 pages; International audience; We investigated the value of microsatellite DNA markers to improve our knowledge of mating strategy with inference to sperm competition in particular, in the woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare. In terrestrial isopods, mature females develop a brood pouch or marsupium before egg laying, the pouch being formed by overlapping oöstegites during a special moult called parturial moult. Under laboratory conditions, we show that Armadillidium vulgare females are able to mate during parturial intermoults, even in the presence of a physical barrier such as that represented by the ventral marsupial plates. Our results reveal that the contribution of a second male mating w…

2019

Reptiles use pterin and carotenoid pigments to produce yellow, orange, and red colors. These conspicuous colors serve a diversity of signaling functions, but their molecular basis remains unresolved. Here, we show that the genomes of sympatric color morphs of the European common wall lizard ( Podarcis muralis ), which differ in orange and yellow pigmentation and in their ecology and behavior, are virtually undifferentiated. Genetic differences are restricted to two small regulatory regions near genes associated with pterin [ sepiapterin reductase ( SPR )] and carotenoid [ beta-carotene oxygenase 2 ( BCO2 )] metabolism, demonstrating that a core gene in the housekeeping pathway of pterin bi…

The killer shrimp, Dikerogammarus villosus, invading European Alpine lakes: a single main source but independent founder events with an overall loss …

2017

16 pages; International audience; 1. The effects of biological invasions are generally more detrimental in isolated ecosystems than in the interconnected ones and freshwater lakes appear to be particularly fragile. The Ponto-Caspian freshwater amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus (Pontogammaridae), also known as the killer shrimp, is a highly invasive species that can have significant ecological impacts on receiving ecosystems. It has colonised most of the European main inland waterbodies, including at least 12 lakes in the Alps – an area of high conservational priority and, at the same time, heavily affected by anthropogenic changes. Particularly, overland translocations of boats among tourist…

Large-Scale Monitoring of Resistance to Coumaphos, Amitraz, and Pyrethroids in Varroa destructor

2021

ABSTRACTVarroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite causing devastating damages to honey bee colonies around the world. Its impact is considered a major factor contributing to the significant seasonal losses of colonies recorded every year. Beekeepers are usually relying on a reduced set of acaricides to manage the parasite, usually the pyrethroids tau-fluvalinate or flumethrin, the organophosphate coumaphos and the formamidine amitraz. However, the evolution of resistance in the populations is leading to an unsustainable scenario with almost no alternatives to reach an adequate control of the mite.Here we present the results from the first, large-scale and extensive monitoring of the suscep…

Larvicidal Activity of Essential Oils of Five Apiaceae Taxa and Some of Their Main Constituents Against Culex quinquefasciatus.

2018

Apiaceae are aromatic herbs producing essential oils which are used on an industrial scale for various purposes. Notably, Apiaceae essential oils may replace synthetic insecticides keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution and human poisoning. In the present work, we explored the insecticidal potential of the essential oils from five Apiaceae taxa, namely Sison amomum, Echinophora spinosa, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sphondylium, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. ternatum, and Trachyspemum ammi, as well as their major constituents (sabinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, myristicin, and thymol), against the filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus. For the purpose, the essent…

How to reach optimal estimates of confidence intervals in microscopic counting of phytoplankton?

2021

Abstract Present practices in the microscopic counting of phytoplankton to estimate the reliability of results rely on the assumption of a random distribution of taxa in sample preparations. In contrast to that and in agreement with the literature, we show that aggregated distribution is common and can lead to over-optimistic confidence intervals, if estimated according to the shortcut procedure of Lund et al. based on the number of counted cells. We found a good linear correlation between the distribution independent confidence intervals for medians and those for parametric statistics so that 95% confidence intervals can be approximated by using a correction factor of 1.4. Instead, the rec…

Transition to turbulence in serpentine pipes

2017

Abstract The geometry considered in the present work (serpentine pipe) is a sequence of U-bends of alternate curvature. It is characterized by pipe diameter, d = 2a and bend diameter, D = 2c. The repeated curvature inversion forces the secondary flow pattern, typical of all flows in curved ducts, to switch between two mirror-like configurations. This causes (i) pressure drop and heat or mass transfer characteristics much different from those occurring either in a straight pipe or in a constant-curvature pipe, and (ii) an early loss of stability of the base steady-state flow. In the present work, four values of the curvature δ = a/c (0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) were considered. For each value of …

Combined gasification-oxidation system for waste treatment with supercritical water: Lca and performance analysis

2020

In this study the environmental performance of a first-of-its-kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and oxidation (SCW-GcO), was evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model wastes. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. A “from cradle to grave” approach was chosen for the analysis, considering impact categories such as climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion, and other relevant indicators. The environmental profile of the SCW-GcO process was co…