Rooting and carbohydrate availability in Vitis 140 Ruggeri stem cuttings

Rooting in Vitis 140 Ruggeri rootstock appears to be correlated to the availability of soluble carbohydrates in the cuttings. This relationship was verified using stem cuttings collected from December to April by comparing those propagated after cold storage (C) with those collected directly in the field (F). The basal end of some of the cuttings of both groups (C and F) were dipped into deionized water before propagation (CW and FW). The mobilization of soluble carbohydrates paralleled with the pattern of the rooting process. In the cold stored material, rooting took place earlier than in the field material. The mobilization of soluble carbohydrates occurred at two stages: during the storage period at 2 °C (50% if compared with the cuttings collected in the field) and during the first 20 d of rooting. On day 20, the carbohydrate content was reduced by 80%. Rooting and carbohydrate availability appear to be associated

Structured interview on erectile dysfunction (SIEDY©): a new, multidimensional instrument for quantification of pathogenetic issues on erectile dysfunction

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Reliability analysis of wireless sensor network for smart farming applications

Wireless Sensor Networks are subjected to some design constraints (e.g., processing capability, storage memory, energy consumption, fixed deployment, etc.) and to outdoor harsh conditions that deeply affect the network reliability. The aim of this work is to provide a deeper understanding about the way redundancy and node deployment affect the network reliability. In more detail, the paper analyzes the design and implementation of a wireless sensor network for low-power and low-cost applications and calculates its reliability considering the real environmental conditions and the real arrangement of the nodes deployed in the field. The reliability of the system has been evaluated by looking for both hardware failures and communication errors. A reliability prediction based on different handbooks has been carried out to estimate the failure rate of the nodes self-designed and self-developed to be used under harsh environments. Then, using the Fault Tree Analysis the real deployment of the nodes is taken into account considering the Wi-Fi coverage area and the possible communication link between nearby nodes. The findings show how different node arrangements provide significantly different reliability. The positioning is therefore essential in order to obtain maximum performance from a Wireless sensor network

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist in early arthritis

Objectives: MRI has been proposed as the imaging method of choice to evaluate the long-term outcome in patients with early arthritis. The role of dynamic MRI, performed at presentation, in predicting the outcome of patients with early arthritis has been addressed in the present study. Methods: 39 patients with early arthritis, involving at least one wrist, were studied with clinical visits and laboratory investigations, every 3 months. Dynamic MRI was performed with a low-field (0.2T), extremity-dedicated machine (Artoscan, Esaote, Genova, Italy) equipped with a permanent magnet and with a dedicated hand and wrist coil. During the intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA, twenty consecutive fast images of 3 slices of the wrist were acquired. The synovial contrast enhancement ratio was calculated both as rate of early enhancement (REE) per second during the first 55" and as relative enhancement (RE) at t seconds. Results: In our cohort of patients, REE and RE were significantly lower than those observed in a historical cohort of 36 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. In univariate analysis, low RE predicted complete remission of arthritis. In multivariate analysis, fulfillment of RA criteria during follow-up was predicted by high RE. The need for immunosuppressive treatment at the end of follow-up was predicted by both low RE and high REE. Conclusions: Dynamic MRI may be used to predict several outcomes of early arthritis involving the wris

Diagnostic delay in migraine with aura

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Surface activated chemical ionization - Electrospray mass spectrometry in the analysis of urinary thiodiglycolic acid

RATIONALE Thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) is a urinary metabolite of the oxazaphosphorine class of chemotherapeutics, in particular of ifosfamide. Ifosfamide metabolism generates chloroacetaldehyde (CAA), a toxic compound associated with neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, urotoxicity and cardiotoxicity. CAA, in turn, interacts with cellular thiol groups leading to GSH depletion, cell death and generation of thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA), as a final product. TDGA is mainly excreted in the urine. The ability to accurately measure TDGA in urine, therefore, will be a useful way of monitoring the ifosfamide exposure during chemotherapy. METHODS TDGA in urine samples was measured with liquid chromatograpy coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) by means of a novel Surface Activated Chemical Ionization - Electrospray (SACI-ESI) or a classical ESI ion source alone. RESULTS The SACI - ESI and ESI alone based methods for analysis of urinary TDGA were optimized and compared. A strong reduction in matrix effect together with enhanced quantification performances was obtained with the SACI \u2013 ESI when compared with the ESI. In particular, an increase in quantification precision (from 85 to 95%) and accuracy (from 59 to 90%) were observed, which allowed for optimal detection of TDGA. CONCLUSIONS The LC-SACI-ESI-MS approach provides a very sensitive and quantitative method for the analysis of TDGA. Thanks to sensitivity enhancement and matrix effect reduction, the SACI \u2013 ESI enables the use of a relatively low cost ion-trap mass spectrometer in the analysis of this toxicity biomarker in urine. Due to these characteristics, this approach would constitutes an invaluable tool in the clinical laboratory, for measuring TDGA and other toxicity related biomarkers of chemotherapy with proper sensitivity and accuracy