Chemical communication plays a central role in reproductive interactions, yet the extent to which female endocrine state is reflected in chemical cues and used by males remains poorly understood in most amphibians. We investigated seasonal variation in urinary 17β-oestradiol (E2) and its association with male responses to female chemical cues in the Italian endemic salamander Salamandrina perspicillata . Using non-invasive uri...

Recent advancements in neural decoding have shown promising results in reconstructing visual experiences from brain activity. However, existing approaches focus primarily on decoding within a single dataset or subject, which limits generalization across various sources of neuroimaging. In this work, we propose a novel framework for the decoding of visual stimuli between subjects and between data sets, integrating neural record...

The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants poses challenges to global surveillance efforts, necessitating swift actions in their detection, evaluation, and management. Among the most recent variants, Omicron BA.2.86 and its sub-lineages have gained attention due to their potential immune evasion properties. This study describes the development of a digital PCR assay for the rapid detection of BA.2.86 and its descendant lineages,...

Crocus sativus L. is a crop grown for spice production, and large amounts of residues from the flowers are produced during the process. The underutilized by-product from saffron spice production, the C. sativus tepals, was investigated as a promising raw material of natural bioactive compounds using light spectrum manipulation in controlled environments. The plants were grown under either light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or natura...