Studies on the subgenus Agraphoderus Bates of Blennidus Motschulsky from Peru: the jelskii species–group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini)

Estudio sobre el subgénero Agraphoderus Bates de Blennidus Motschulsky de Perú: el grupo de especies jelskii (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini) Se describen cuatro especies nuevas de Blennidus subgen. Agraphoderus, de los Andes al sur de Perú: B. (A.) procerus sp. n., B. (A.) abramalagae sp. n., B. (A.) etontii sp. n. y B. (A.) straneoi sp. n. Estas cuatro especies, conjuntamente con B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), constituyen el grupo de especies jelskii, que es muy homogéneo y cuyas especies posiblemente estarían estrechamente emparentadas, diferenciándose de otros miembros de mismo subgénero por la peculiar morfología del edeago. Se realiza una redescripción de B. (A.) jelskii tomando como criterio el lectotipo y paralectotipo designados por Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), con la cual se completa la breve descripción original realizada por Tschitschérine. Finalmente, basándonos en el patrón de distribución de las especies del grupo jelskii, y enfatizando el rasgo característico de las especies estenoendémicas que habitan áreas geográficas restringidas, se considera que posiblemente se hayan originado por procesos de especiación alopátrica. Palabras clave: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Perú, Taxonomía, Especies nuevas.Four new species of Blennidus subgenus Agraphoderus are described from the Andes of Southern Peru: B. (A.) procerus n. sp., B. (A.) abramalagae n. sp., B. (A.) etontii n. sp. and B. (A.) straneoi n. sp. Together with B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), they form a very homogeneous group of probably closely related species (the jelskii group), which is distinguished from other members of the subgenus by the distinctive morphology of the aedeagus. A redescription of B. (A.) jelskii is given based on the lectotype and paralectotype designated by Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), supplementing Tschitschérine’s brief original description. The distribution pattern of the species presently included in the jelskii species–group is discussed, emphasizing distinctive traits of stenoendemic species inhabiting restricted geographical areas, and discussing their possible origin by allopatric speciation. Key words: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Peru, Taxonomy, New species.Estudio sobre el subgénero Agraphoderus Bates de Blennidus Motschulsky de Perú: el grupo de especies jelskii (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini) Se describen cuatro especies nuevas de Blennidus subgen. Agraphoderus, de los Andes al sur de Perú: B. (A.) procerus sp. n., B. (A.) abramalagae sp. n., B. (A.) etontii sp. n. y B. (A.) straneoi sp. n. Estas cuatro especies, conjuntamente con B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), constituyen el grupo de especies jelskii, que es muy homogéneo y cuyas especies posiblemente estarían estrechamente emparentadas, diferenciándose de otros miembros de mismo subgénero por la peculiar morfología del edeago. Se realiza una redescripción de B. (A.) jelskii tomando como criterio el lectotipo y paralectotipo designados por Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), con la cual se completa la breve descripción original realizada por Tschitschérine. Finalmente, basándonos en el patrón de distribución de las especies del grupo jelskii, y enfatizando el rasgo característico de las especies estenoendémicas que habitan áreas geográficas restringidas, se considera que posiblemente se hayan originado por procesos de especiación alopátrica. Palabras clave: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Perú, Taxonomía, Especies nuevas

Effect of pre-bloom anti-transpirant treatments and leaf removal on 'Sangiovese' (Vitis vinifera L.) winegrapes

Recent trials have shown that basal shoot leaf removal at pre-bloom is effective in reducing fruit-set and yield, leading to better grape quality composition. The present trial was designed to determine whether similar results can be achieved with 'Sangiovese' vines by testing a pre-bloom spray of film-forming anti-transpirant (P) against pre-bloom hand defoliation of basal shoots (HD) and no defoliation (C). The results of our threeyear experiment show that, compared to C, P reduced net assimilation of treated leaves for 20-40 days and photosynthetic compensation was not found after treatments in the upper untreated leaves of P and in the remaining upper HD leaves; berry-set, cluster weight and yield were significantly reduced in P and HD; bunch compactness decreased in HD, with P clusters registering an intermediate value; must soluble solids content (°Brix) and pH of P and HD were higher; no differences were found among treatments for titratable acidity. Berry and skin weight and anthocyanin content of P and C berries were similar, whereas HD berries, which were fully exposed to ambient light and temperature throughout each season, showed higher skin weight and skin weight-to-berry weight ratio, but a decreasing of total skin anthocyanins content compared to C and P.

Application of kaolin and italian natural chabasite-rich zeolitite to mitigate the effect of global warming in vitis vinifera l. Cv. sangiovese

High temperatures and the anomalous distribution of rainfall during the growing season may have a negative impact on grapevine yield and berry composition. In recent years, many studies have focused on the application of agronomical techniques to reduce the negative impact of heat waves on secondary metabolites such as phenols. In particular, treatments with kaolin have shown positive effects on reducing canopy temperatures, enhancing the accumulation of anthocyanins. In regard to the above, three treatments were evaluated: untreated control (C), kaolin (CAO), and chabasite-rich zeolitites (ZEO) applications on cv. Sangiovese in order to verify the cooling effects on leaves and bunches, and the impact on gas exchange, yield parameters, berry composition, and on both chemical and sensory notes of wine. Minerals were sprayed twice around the veraison on the entire canopy at a 3% concentration. The results showed that the application of the minerals was able to reduce the berry temperatures in both years of the trial as compared to the untreated control (C), without affecting vine gas exchange, yield, and soluble solid accumulation. Furthermore, the cooling effect determined an increase in anthocyanin on both the grapes and the wine. At testing, CAO and ZEO wines stood out regarding greater color intensity and were preferred by the judges

Effects of Mechanical Winter Pruning on Vine Performances and Management Costs in a Trebbiano Romagnolo Vineyard: A Five-Year Study

Vineyard mechanical winter pruning has been spreading worldwide, and the physiological basis ascribable to it has been consolidated throughout the years. Despite labor savings and reduction of costs having been proven, the demonstration of its economic viability might be challenging. In this context, this work aims to evaluate the vine performances and the costs of different degrees of the mechanization of winter pruning over a five-year trial (2011-2015). In a vineyard of cv. Trebbiano Romagnolo (Vitis vinifera L.) located in northern Italy, three pruning treatments were laid out as follows: (a) manual pruning (MAN); (b) mechanical pre-pruning and simultaneous manual follow-up (MP + F); (c) mechanical pruning without a manual follow-up (MP). The results showed a strong increase in the node number of MP. Nevertheless, the yield compensation factors (i.e., the shoot fruitfulness and cluster weight) limited the increase in productivity. Soluble solids did not differ between the pruning treatments, while titratable acidity resulted slightly higher only on the MP berries. The MP treatment was the most economically convenient, with a vineyard surface of 1.5 hectares, while mechanical pruning with manual finishing resulted more advantageous, compared to manual pruning when the vineyard surface was greater than 2.9 hectares. The agronomic and economic results obtained in this five-year trial suggest that mechanical pruning may be profitably applied also on grapevine varieties characterized by low basal bud fruitfulness, such as Trebbiano Romagnolo

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among nursing students of the University of Palermo: Results from an online survey

Introduction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices towards SARS-CoV-2 among nursing students of University of Palermo during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. This is cross-sectional study. A survey was provided to all nursing students and consisted of two parts: demographics and Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey. A multivariate linear regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. Results. 575 students were interviewed, and their mean age was 22.29 ± 4.2. The overall score indicates good knowledge (p=0.046) and good practices among the four courses of study (p=0.038). Multivariate linear regression showed that Attitude score (b = -0.29; p = 0.024) and Knowledge score (b = 0.10; p = 0.026) adjusted for age, gender, year of study, perceived economic status, perceived health status were significantly associated with Practice score. Conclusion. Our results suggest that proper health education is useful for encouraging optimistic attitudes and maintaining safe practices among future category of nurses

Fertilizer Potential of Organic-Based Soil Amendments on cv. Sangiovese (V. vinifera L.) Vines: Preliminary Results

The intensification of highly specialized viticulture has led to a dramatic decrease of soil fertility that can be restored by increasing soil organic matter using organic fertilizers. The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of different organic amendments on vine vegetative growth and nutritional status, soil N availability and microbial biomass, as well as on yield and grape quality. The experiment was carried out in 2020 and 2021, on cv. Sangiovese (Vitis vinifera L.) vines grafted on 110 Richter (V. berlandieri × V. rupestris) planted in February 2019. Plants were fer-tilized yearly in spring with (1) mineral fertilization (MIN), (2) municipal organic waste compost (MOW), and (3) sewage sludge compost (SS). The application of SS increased nitrate availability in both years, while the supply of organic matter (no matter the source) enhanced soil microbial bio-mass content. Plant nutritional status was in the optimal range for all treatments, with an increase of N in SS and K in MOW. Fruit yield in 2020 was not influenced by treatments, while in 2021 it was enhanced by MIN and MOW, which also induced a higher berry quality. Plant vegetative growth was stimulated by the application of SS. In conclusion, from these preliminary results we observed a higher N availability as a consequence of SS supply that resulted in a higher plant biomass, but reduced yield and berry quality, supporting the theory that for vineyards, N should be carefully managed to reach an equilibrium between vegetative and reproductive activity

Medial tunica degeneration of the ascending aortic wall is associated with specific microRNA changes in bicuspid aortic valve disease

Ascending aortic diameter is not an accurate parameter for surgical indication in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Thus, the present study aimed to identify specific microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) and their expression levels in aortic wall aneurysm associated with BAV according to severity of medial degeneration and to elucidate the association between the tissue expression levels of the miRNAs with their expression in plasma. Aortic wall and blood specimens were obtained from 38 patients: 12 controls and 26 patients with BAV with ascending aortic aneurysm. Of the patients with BAV, 19 had cusp fusions of right and left, 5 of right and non-coronary, and 2 of left and non-coronary. Two groups of patients were identified according to the grade of medial degeneration (MD): Low-grade D group (LGMD) and high-grade MD group (HGMD). Expression level of miR-122, miR-130, miR-718 and miR-486 were validated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR in plasma and tissue samples. MD grade was found to be independent from the BAV phenotype. The HGD group showed increased expression levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2, and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells. Tissue expression levels of miR-718 and miR-122 were lower in the LGMD and HGD groups compared with expression in the control group; the HGD group showed increased levels of miR-486. Plasma expression levels of miR-122 were decreased in the LGMD and HGD groups, and miR-718 was only reduced in the HGD group. On the contrary, expression of miR-486 was increased in the LGMD and HGD groups. The data suggested that miR-486 may be considered as a non-invasive biomarker of aortic wall degeneration. Dysregulation of this putative biomarker may be associated with high risk of dissection and rupture in patients with BAV

Discovery and Cross-Section Measurement of Neutron-Rich Isotopes in the Element Range from Neodymium to Platinum at the FRS

With a new detector setup and the high-resolution performance of the fragment separator FRS at GSI we discovered 57 new isotopes in the atomic number range of 60$\leq Z \leq 78$: \nuc{159-161}{Nb}, \nuc{160-163}{Pm}, \nuc{163-166}Sm, \nuc{167-168}{Eu}, \nuc{167-171}{Gd}, \nuc{169-171}{Tb}, \nuc{171-174}{Dy}, \nuc{173-176}{Ho}, \nuc{176-178}{Er}, \nuc{178-181}{Tm}, \nuc{183-185}{Yb}, \nuc{187-188}{Lu}, \nuc{191}{Hf}, \nuc{193-194}{Ta}, \nuc{196-197}{W}, \nuc{199-200}{Re}, \nuc{201-203}{Os}, \nuc{204-205}{Ir} and \nuc{206-209}{Pt}. The new isotopes have been unambiguously identified in reactions with a $^{238}$U beam impinging on a Be target at 1 GeV/u. The isotopic production cross-section for the new isotopes have been measured and compared with predictions of different model calculations. In general, the ABRABLA and COFRA models agree better than a factor of two with the new data, whereas the semiempirical EPAX model deviates much more. Projectile fragmentation is the dominant reaction creating the new isotopes, whereas fission contributes significantly only up to about the element holmium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure