About
14
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Introduction
My main scientific interests are the physiological and behavioural modifications induced in insects by chemical compounds, by ecological changes, by genetic modifications and by interactions with biological control agents.
As a Marie Sklodowska Curie fellow, I am focused on the modification the motivation priorities of insects as a consequence of an addicted status, obtained by means of drugs of abuse, exploitable for behavioural conditioning, with the aim of building new generation biosensors.
Additional affiliations
August 2015 - August 2017
August 2015 - June 2016
Publications
Publications (14)
Animals use olfaction to detect developmentally significant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their local environment. As part of a wider study aiming to demonstrate that the olfactory responses of animals to VOCs can be modified through the creation of a drug-addicted status and association with a selected VOC, we investigated nicotine and toba...
The Mediterranean Fruit Fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera, Tephriditae) is an important pest in the Mediterranean region causing severe economic losses. Currently, pyrethroids are the most common insecticides used in the control of the Medfly. However, the demand for biopesticides is growing due to the necessity to limit the use of hazard...
The red palm weevil (RPW) is the major pest of palms in the Mediterranean region. One of the most interesting control solutions for this pest is endotherapy, comprising injections of biologically active substances directly into the stem of the palm. The objective of the present work was to study the ovicidal and adulticidal properties of two neonic...
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorous ferrugineus Oliver (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important, tissue-boring pest of date palm in many parts of the world. The aim of the work was to investigate the effects of two plant oil-based products (BRK6 and BRK9) on the mortality of RPW (Exp. 1) and morpho-physiological characteristi...
Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, native of southern eastern Asia, is a major pest of palm species, including cultivated, ornamental and spontaneous plants. Adult females oviposit inside young leaves or in wound of the trunk and larvae bore the palm trees leading to their death. The goal of this work, financed by the IAEA (Vienna, A...
Antipersonnel mines are indiscriminate and inhumane weapons and have disastrous long-term consequences. Currently, there are more than 100-million landmines located in 70 countries around the world. Since 1975, landmines have killed or maimed more than one million people, in the majority are children. Probing the ground with a stick or bayonet is t...
Neem oil is a natural product obtained from the seeds of the tree Azadirachta indica. In this report, we investigate the alterations of the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane caused by treatment with the nonterpenoid fraction of neem oil that we defined as methanolic extract (MEX). The dose-response effect was evaluated and a MEX-depende...
Neem oil is a natural product obtained from the seeds of the tree Azadirachta indica. Its composition is very complex and the oil exhibits a number of biological activities. The most studied component is the terpenoid azadirachtin which is used for its insecticidal and putative antimicrobial properties. In this report we investigate the biological...
A commercial formulation of neem was tested on adult Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) to determine its effects on fecundity and longevity. Four no-choice tests were carried out in the laboratory at constant conditions of temperature, humidity, and photoperiod. Different concentrations were tested mixing neem solutions with the adult's rearing diet. T...
