202 research outputs found
Molecular characterization of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ in Cacopsilla pruni insect vector
Recent investigations on molecular characterization of the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ (16SrX-B subgroup), causal agent of the European Stone Fruit Yellows (ESFY) syndrome, on the non ribosomal tuf gene resulted in the finding of two groups of isolates, named ‘type a’ and ‘type b’, both with a distinctive geographical distribution in Italian stone fruit growing areas (Ferretti et al., 2007 and 2008). Considering the role of Cacopsylla pruni (Scopoli) in the epidemiological cycle of the disease, the presence of the two groups of isolates has also been investigated in infected psyllid individuals from different Italian areas. Both types have been identified in C. pruni specimens collected on apricot, plum and wild Prunus species, confirming the geographical distribution and the percentages of spread of the two isolates.Keywords: ESFY, phytoplasma, characterization, tuf gene, insect vecto
Prediction of the kiwifruit decline syndrome in diseased orchards by remote sensing
Eight years after the first record in Italy, Kiwifruit Decline (KD), a destructive disease causing root rot, has already affected more than 25% of the area under kiwifruit cultivation in Italy. Diseased plants are characterised by severe decay of the fine roots and sudden wilting of the canopy, which is only visible after the season's first period of heat (July-August). The swiftness of symptom appearance prevents correct timing and positioning for sampling of the disease, and is therefore a barrier to aetiological studies. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of thermal and multispectral imaging for the detection of KD using an unsupervised classifier. Thus, RGB, multispectral and thermal data from a kiwifruit orchard, with healthy and diseased plants, were acquired simultaneously during two consecutive growing seasons (2017-2018) using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform. Data reduction was applied to the clipped areas of the multispectral and thermal data from the 2017 survey. Reduced data were then classified with two unsupervised algorithms, a K-means and a hierarchical method. The plant vigour (canopy size and presence/absence of wilted leaves) and the health shifts exhibited by asymptomatic plants between 2017 and 2018 were evaluated from RGB data via expert assessment and used as the ground truth for cluster interpretation. Multispectral data showed a high correlation with plant vigour, while temperature data demonstrated a good potential use in predicting health shifts, especially in highly vigorous plants that were asymptomatic in 2017 and became symptomatic in 2018. The accuracy of plant vigour assessment was above 73% when using multispectral data, while clustering of the temperature data allowed the prediction of disease outbreak one year in advance, with an accuracy of 71%. Based on our results, the unsupervised clustering of remote sensing data could be a reliable tool for the identification of sampling areas, and can greatly improve aetiological studies of this new disease in kiwifruit
A Cloud Based Service for Management and Planning of Autonomous UAV Missions in Smart City Scenarios
Cloud Robotics is an emerging paradigm in which robots, seen as abstract
agents, have the possibility to connect to a common network and share on
a complex infrastructure the information and knowledge they gather about the physical world; or conversely consume the data collected by other agents or made available on accessible database and repositories. In this paper we propose an implementation of an emergency-management service exploiting the possibilities offered by cloud robotics in a smart city scenario. A high-level cloud-platform manages a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (quadrotor UAVs) with the goal of providing aerial support to citizens that require it via a dedicated mobile app. The UAV reaches the citizen while forwarding a realtime video streaming to a privileged user (police officer),connected to the same cloud platform, that is allowed to teleoperate it by remote
Phloem cytochemical modification and gene expression following the recovery of apple plants from apple proliferation
Recovery of apple trees from apple proliferation was studied by
combining ultrastructural, cytochemical, and gene expression analyses to
possibly reveal changes linked to recovery-associated resistance. When
compared with either healthy or visibly diseased plants, recovered apple
trees showed abnormal callose and phloem-protein accumulation in their
leaf phloem. Although cytochemical localization detected Ca2+ ions in the
phloem of all the three plant groups, Ca2+ concentration was remarkably
higher in the phloem cytosol of recovered trees. The expression patterns
of five genes encoding callose synthase and of four genes encoding
phloem proteins were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-
polymerase chain reaction. In comparison to both healthy and
diseased plants, four of the above nine genes were remarkably upregulated
in recovered trees. As in infected apple trees, phytoplasma
disappear from the crown during winter, but persist in the roots, and it is
suggested that callose synthesis/deposition and phloem-protein plugging
of the sieve tubes would form physical barriers preventing the recolonization
of the crown during the following spring. Since callose deposition
and phloem-protein aggregation are both Ca2+-dependent processes, the
present results suggest that an inward flux of Ca2+ across the phloem
plasma membrane could act as a signal for activating defense reactions
leading to recovery in phytoplasma-infected apple trees.L'articolo é disponibile sul sito dell'editore: http://www.apsjournals.apsnet.or
A School-Based Program to Promote Well-Being in Preadolescents: Results From a Cluster Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study
Diario della Salute [My Health Diary] is a school-based program designed to enhance the subjective well-being and health of 12- to 13-year-old students. We hypothesized that providing students with the social and emotional skills to fulfill their potential and deal with common developmental tasks of adolescence (e.g., onset of puberty, identity development, increased responsibilities and academic demands) would result in improved well-being and health. The program comprises five standardized interactive lessons concerning common psychosocial and health issues in adolescence, and two narrative booklets addressed to both students and their parents. We evaluated the effectiveness of the program in terms of the students' subjective well-being, aggressive behavior, and health behavior. Using a quasi-experimental study design, schools in the intervention group implemented the full program and those in the comparison group received their regular curriculum. We administered measures of the study's objectives both before and after program implementation. Statistical analyses accounted for within-school clustering, potential socioeconomic and demographic confounding, and pre-implementation levels of these measures. We sampled 62 schools and allocated 2630 students to either an intervention or comparison group. Sociodemographic characteristics and baseline outcomes were balanced across study groups. Unexpectedly, respondents in the intervention group had 0.38 greater mean adjusted score of the WHO/Europe Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Symptom Checklist instrument than respondents in the comparison group, indicating a reduction in subjective well-being. We did not observe any program effects on aggressive and health behaviors. The apparent reduction in subjective well-being reflected by an increased perception of psychosomatic complaints is suggestive of either increased emotional competence or, potentially, iatrogenic program effects. While greater emotional competence is positively associated with well-being over the course of life, the program in its present form should not be disseminated due to the possibility of adverse unintended effects
Acquired Haemophilia A. Which is the best therapeutic choice in older adults? Single center study of 4 cases
Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) is a rare bleeding disorder due to autoantibodies directed against coagulation factor VIII. The treatment is based on recombinant activated factor VII and activated prothrombin complex concentrate. However, mainly in older patients, severe thrombotic complications have been reported. Here we report the different therapeutic approaches in 4 cases of elderly patients with AHA and co-morbidities
593pthe seneca study prognostic role of serum biomarkers in elderly metastatic colorectal cancer patients
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On the relationship between androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer and risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2
Determinants of oncologist's choice in offering drug holidays during first line therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
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