Search results for "Season"

Distribution and characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from surface waters of the South Nation River Watershed, Ontario, Canada

2007

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen thought to be widely distributed in the environment. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes isolates from surface waters derived from catchments within the South Nation River watershed (Ontario, Canada). This watershed is dominated by urban and rural development, livestock and crop production, and wildlife habitats. From June to November 2005, a total of 314 surface water samples were collected biweekly from 22 discrete sampling sites characterized by various upstream land uses. Presumptive Listeria spp. were isolated using a selective enrichment and isolation procedure, and 75 L. monocyt…

Bleeding Follicular Conjunctivitis due to Influenza H1N1 Virus

2010

Influenza H1N1 or A virus is a new virus serotype capable of human-to-human transmission. This infection causes a flu syndrome similar to that of seasonal influenza, with only one case of conjunctivitis described and no clinical details or microbiological confirmation. Its diagnosis is performed by PCR of pharyngeal smear of the patients affected. We report the first well-documented case in the medical literature of conjunctivitis by H1N1 virus.

BIOLOGY OF THE WREN, TROGLODYTES TROGLODYTES, IN A MEDITERRANEAN INSULAR AGROECOSYSTEM

2009

In the last years many species of birds have exploited urban and suburban habitats, taking opportunistically advantage of human presence for their niche parameters. The Wren is one of them and shows a high variability in the choice of nesting sites in the gardens of the outskirts of Palermo (Sicily). For many years the authors studied the breeding habits of this small bird, and thanks to the video-tape recordings on the nests, they were able to gather new information on its feeding habits and parental care. They could establish the role played by both parents, the different prey types carried to the chicks, and other data, scarcely known in the southern part of distribution of this passerin…

Seasonal characterization of nutritional, technological and antioxidant properties of Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. mucilage

2022

Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. fruit and cladodes are a source of mucilage, a carbohydrate complex, as well as of phytochemicals and other nutrients, useful in the food industry. Despite the environmental-based composition variability studied, there is no information on its seasonal variability, which is particularly important for its industrial use. In this study, some technological, nutritional, and bioactive properties of O. ficus-indica Mill. cladodes mucilage were analysed during the seasonal growth period. Total proteins did not change during the whole period and the lipid content significantly decreased from winter to the onset of summer. The fatty acid profile showed high levels of palm…

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Fatty Acid Profile in a Typical Cheese from Extensive Farms: First Assessment of Human Exposure by Dietary Intake

2022

Dairy products represent an important source of beneficial substances for humans. At the same time, they can expose the consumers to environmental contaminants ingested by animals through their diet, influencing their health negatively. This experiment aims to evaluate the risk and benefits related to the consumption of typical stretched cheeses, considering their fatty acid (FA) profile and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) content. Six representative farms, two of them organic, raising Cinisara cattle were selected, considering the typical extensive management systems, based on feeding of natural pasture integrated with concentrate and hay depending on the availability of forage on pas…

Effect of the pasture, in different seasons, and of the ripening time on the Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese

2008

The Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese is made processing Cinisara cow milk, which shows very interesting qualitative characteristics (Bonanno et al., 2004). The aim of this research was to study the effect of the pasture, in different seasons, and of different ripening on the yield in cheese after 24 h and on the chemical composition of the Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese

Effect of the pasture on milk production from Cinisara cows over the seasons

2008

Cinisara is a Sicilian autochthonous breed of dairy cow and its milk is processed to make Caciocavallo cheese. The pasture is the basis of the diet during all the year, but its production is not continuous and homogenous, because of environmental constrains (Alabiso et al., 2005). The feeding integrations are concentrate, hay and or straw, and their quantities given to the animals are different during the year in relation to the pasture resources. The aim of this research was to study the effect of the pasture on milk production from Cinisara cows over the seasons

The effect of the foaling season on lactation length and milk production of jennets

2011

Seagrass meadows at the extreme of environmental tolerance: the case ofPosidonia oceanicain a semi-enclosed coastal lagoon

2009

Atoll-like structures of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica were encountered in the innermost area of the Stagnone di Marsala, a semi-enclosed coastal lagoon along the western coasts of Sicily. The area is characterized by limited water exchange with the open sea and by a marked seasonal variation of water salinity and temperature, reaching beyond the theoretical tolerance limits of the species. In the present study we determined the genetic composition of the atoll-like structures, as well as the growth performance and flowering rate of these stands. We also assessed whether and to what extent the atoll-like structures are genetically isolated from plants growing in mead…

Signals of loss: Local collapse of neglected vermetid reefs in the western Mediterranean Sea

2022

During the summer of 2022, an extensive die-off of Dendropoma cristatum and other marine organisms associated with vermetid reefs was observed in the western Mediterranean Sea (northern coast of Sicily). Quantitative data from more than 300 km of coastal stripe indicated that the percentage of dead D. cristatum specimens, showing empty and/or transversely fractured shells, ranged from 64 to 84 % in populations having a density of 2900-4730 ind./m2, suggesting that millions of organisms had recently died along the Sicilian coast. This high mortality range coincided with prolonged desiccation events during which biogenic vermetid reefs were exposed to extreme warm-air conditions for several c…