No abstract

Post-harvest pest control can rely on few approved pesticides and tools; hence, there is a rising interest in new sustainable, eco-friendly approaches. In this study, eight commercial essential oils (EOs) (anise Pimpinella anisum, artemisia Artemisia vulgaris, fennel Foenicum vulgare, garlic Allium sativum, lavender Lavandula angustifolia, mint Mentha piperita, rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis, and sage Salvia officinalis) were selected for their bioactivity and commercial availability, and then formulated in nano-emulsions. Repellency and acute toxicity of the developed nano-formulations were tested against a key stored product pest, Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). All the developed nano-emulsions presented optimal physical characteristics (droplet dimension = 95.01–144.30 nm; PDI = 0.146–0.248). All the formulations were repellent over time tested against adult beetles, in area preference bioassays. The best repellent was the anise EO-based formulation (RC50 = 0.033 mg). Mortality values from cold aerosol trials showed that the majority of tested EOs caused immediate acute toxicity, and garlic EO nano-emulsion caused the highest mortality of T. confusum adults (LC50 = 0.486 mg/L of air). EO-based nano-insecticides, used as cold aerosol and gel, are promising control methods against stored product pests, which can be integrated and combined with other sustainable biorational approaches.

Considering the continuous development in the automotive sector and autonomous driving technology, it is necessary to conduct continuous research to identify the main points that can allow continuous improvement of system autonomy. In addition to designing new components, an important aspect is characterizing the test procedures uniformly. The present work is related to analyzing the testing phases of a vehicle concerning the post-processing of the tests, using suitable software and routines, and creating an overall summary report that includes information on the type of instrumentation and type of test and post-processing results. The paper proposes the generation of an innovative tool designed to improve the generation capacity of test maneuvers for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADASs) and to automate the collection and analysis phase of data relating to tests for a Lane System’s Support System (LSS), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), and Car to Pedestrian Nearside Child (CPNC) comply with Euro NCAP LSS 3.0.2, Euro NCAP AEB C2C 3.0.2 and UNECE R-152. The goal was achieved with the collaboration of the company Nardò Technical Center S.r.l. The entire post-processing routine was developed from data relating to experimental tests carried out in the company.

No abstract