Phenotype and genotype characterization of Monilinia spp. isolates and preformed antifungal compounds in peach peel fruit at different developmental stages

The brown rot fungi belong to a group of fungal pathogens that causes considerable damage to cultivated fruits trees, particularly stone fruits and apples in the temperate regions of the World and during the postharvest with an important economic impact. In particular in Italy, it is important to monitor the Monilinia population to control economic losses associated to the peach and nectarine market. This motivates the research steps presented in this dissertation on Monilinia Italian isolates. The Monilinia species collected from stone fruits have been identified using molecular analysis based on specific primers. The relevant role of M. fructicola was confirmed and, for the first time, it was found also on apple fruits. To avoid the development of resistant strains and implement valid treatment strategies, the understanding of the fruit natural resistance during different developmental stages and the assessment of the Monilinia sensitivity/resistance to fungicides are required. The relationship between the inhibition spots and the phenolic compounds in peach fruit peel was highlighted in this research. Three methods were used to assess isolate resistance/sensitivity, the amended medium, the Spiral Gradient Endpoint Method (SGD) and the Alamar Blue method. The PCR was used to find possible mutation points in the b-tubulin gene that is responsible for fungicide resistance. Interestingly, no mutation points were observed in resistant M. laxa isolates, suggesting that the resistance could be stimulated by environmental factors. This lead to the study of the effect of the temperature on the resistance and the preliminary results of in vitro tests showed that maximum inhibition was observed at 30°C

First Report of Asiatic Brown Rot (Monilinia polystroma) and Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola) on Pears in Italy

Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is an important fruit postharvest decay causing severe losses in stone and pome fruits with a significant economic impact. In Italy, three Monilinia species (M. laxa, M. fructicola, and M. fructigena) are the causal agents of blossom and twig blight and brown fruit rot in stone fruit. M. polystroma has been observed on peaches in Italy (2) and has been reported in Czech Republic and Hungary (3), Poland (4), Serbia (5), and Switzerland (1) on pome fruits and apricots. In September 2013, stored var. Abate Fetel pears showing brown rot symptoms were observed in Emilia Romagna region. In 20% of the symptomatic pears, circular and brown to black decay spots were observed, covered by a large number of yellowish or buff-colored stromata, while decayed tissues remained firm, resembling M. polystroma symptoms. In another 13% of stored pears, the decayed tissues remained firm, and decay lesions were covered with numerous grayish pustules containing spores. Putative pathogens were isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C in darkness for 5 days. The colonies grown on PDA were yellowish, with irregular black stromatal crusts at the edges of the colonies after 10 to 12 days of incubation. Some colonies developed, at their margins, sporogenous tissue slightly elevated above the colony surface that was buff/pale luteous (4). Conidia developing from such cultures were one celled, ovoid or limoniform, smooth and hyaline, measuring 12.2 to 20.4 × 8.4 to 12.3 µm when grown on V8 juice agar (V8) at 22°C, and matched the description of those for M. polystroma. Other colonies, which developed a gray mass of spores in concentric rings with the reverse side black, were morphologically identified as M. fructicola. The colony margins were smooth edged, and the conidia were one-celled, limoniform, hyaline, and measuring 12.1 to 17.4 × 8.1 to 11.2 µm on V8 at 22°C. Isolate identificaton was obtained using the universal primers for Monilinia spp. (3). Pathogenicity was confirmed using surface-sterilized mature var. Abate Fetel and William pears wounded with a sterile needle, and inoculated with 20 µl of an M. polystroma or M. fructicola conidial suspension (103 spores/ml). After 7 days of incubation at 20°C, typical symptoms of Asiatic brown rot or brown rot developed on both the wounds of all inoculated pears, while controls remained symptomless. Mean colony diameters measured after 7 days were 47.3 mm for Asiatic brown rot and 44.1 mm for brown rot, and there were no significant differences in colony diameter after 7 days between M. polystroma and M. fructicola (α < 0.05). After 14 days, yellowish exogenous stromata appeared on the surface of pears infected by M. polystroma, whereas numerous grayish pustules containing spores appeared on pears inoculated with M. fructicola. Control pears still remained symptomless. The fungus isolated from inoculated fruit exhibited the same morphological features as the original isolates, and PCR/sequencing analysis using primers ITS1 and ITS4 confirmed the results of the universal primers (3) (GenBank Accession Nos. GU067539.1 and HQ893748.1). Although the presence of M. polystroma and M. fructicola has been documented in Italy, this is the first time these two species were observed on Italian pears. This report suggests a broader impact since M. polystroma and M. fructicola have not been previously reported on pears in Europe. Because of the importance of pears in the Italian fruit industry, knowledge about the occurrence of new pathogens will facilitate the adoption of adequate control strategies to reduce postharvest losses

Structure-dependent electrical properties of graphene nanoribbon devices with graphene electrodes

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are a novel and intriguing class of materials in the field of nanoelectronics, since their properties, solely defined by their width and edge type, are controllable with high precision directly from synthesis. Here we study the correlation between the GNR structure and the corresponding device electrical properties. We investigated a series of field effect devices consisting of a film of armchair GNRs with different structures (namely width and/or length) as the transistor channel, contacted with narrowly spaced graphene sheets as the source-drain electrodes. By analyzing several tens of junctions for each individual GNR type, we observe that the values of the output current display a width-dependent behavior, indicating electronic bandgaps in good agreement with the predicted theoretical values. These results provide insights into the link between the ribbon structure and the device properties, which are fundamental for the development of GNR-based electronics.Comment: Published in Carbon (2019

Brain structural and functional alterations in multiple sclerosis-related fatigue: a systematic review

Fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS); it influences patients' quality of life. The etiology of fatigue is complex, and its pathogenesis is still unclear and debated. The objective of this review was to describe potential brain structural and functional dysfunctions underlying fatigue symptoms in patients with MS. To reach this purpose, a systematic review was conducted of published studies comparing functional brain activation and structural brain in MS patients with and without fatigue. Electronic databases were searched until 24 February 2021. The structural and functional outcomes were extracted from eligible studies and tabulated. Fifty studies were included: 32 reported structural brain differences between patients with and without fatigue; 14 studies described functional alterations in patients with fatigue compared to patients without it; and four studies showed structural and functional brain alterations in patients. The results revealed structural and functional abnormalities that could correlate to the symptom of fatigue in patients with MS. Several studies reported the differences between patients with fatigue and patients without fatigue in terms of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes and brain atrophy, specifically in the thalamus. Functional studies showed abnormal activation in the thalamus and in some regions of the sensorimotor network in patients with fatigue compared to patients without it. Patients with fatigue present more structural and functional alterations compared to patients without fatigue. Specifically, abnormal activation and atrophy of the thalamus and some regions of the sensorimotor network seem linked to fatigue

In vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic acids from a commercial aleurone-enriched bread compared to a whole grain bread

Wheat aleurone, due to its potentially higher bioaccessibility and bioavailability of micronutrients and phenolic acids, could represent a useful ingredient in the production of commonly consumed cereal-based food. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic acids both from an aleurone-enriched bread and from a whole grain bread. The two bread samples were firstly characterized for the phenolic acid content. An in vitro digestion was then performed in order to evaluate the release of phenolic acids. The results obtained suggest that the bioaccessibility of the phenolic acids in the aleurone-enriched bread is higher than in the whole grain bread. These in vitro results suggest the potential use of aleurone in the production of foods, and this may represent an attractive possibility to vehicle nutritionally interesting components to consumers

Scalable High-Mobility Graphene/hBN Heterostructures

Graphene-hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) scalable heterostructures are pivotal for the development of graphene-based high-tech applications. In this work, we demonstrate the realization of high-quality graphene-hBN heterostructures entirely obtained with scalable approaches. hBN continuous films were grown via ion beam-assisted physical vapor deposition directly on commercially available $SiO_2/Si$ and used as receiving substrates for graphene single-crystal matrixes grown by chemical vapor deposition on copper. The structural, chemical, and electronic properties of the heterostructure were investigated by atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical transport measurements. We demonstrate graphene carrier mobilities exceeding $10,000 cm^2/Vs$ in ambient conditions, 30% higher than those directly measured on $SiO_{2}/Si$. We prove the scalability of our approach by measuring more than 100 transfer length method devices over a centimeter scale, which present an average carrier mobility of $7500 \pm 850 cm^{2}/Vs$. The reported high-quality all-scalable heterostructures are of relevance for the development of graphene-based high-performing electronic and optoelectronic applications

Evaluation of 21-Numbered Circle and 10-Centimeter Horizontal Line Visual Analog Scales for Physician and Parent Subjective Ratings in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective.To evaluate the measurement properties of 21-numbered circle visual analog scales (VAS) and traditional 10-cm horizontal line VAS for physician and parent subjective ratings in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).Methods.We studied 2 patient samples in whom physician global rating of overall disease activity, parent global rating of the child's overall well-being, and parent rating of intensity of child's pain were performed using traditional 10-cm horizontal line VAS (n = 397) or 21-numbered circle VAS (n = 471). The measurement performances of the 2 VAS formats were examined by assessing construct validity, score distribution, responsiveness to change over time, and minimal clinically important difference (MCID).Results.Most Spearman correlations with other JIA outcome measures yielded by 21-numbered circle VAS were greater than those obtained with 10-cm horizontal line VAS, revealing that the circle VAS format has better construct validity. Ceiling effects (i.e., score = 0) for physician and parent global ratings were 43.7% and 32.9%, respectively, on 21-numbered circle VAS, and 31.6% and 35.3%, respectively, on 10-cm horizontal line VAS. Responsiveness of 21-numbered circle VAS was good (standardized response mean > 0.8) or moderate (standardized response mean > 0.6) among patients classified as improved or worsened, respectively, by the physician or the parent. Overall, MCID values for 21-numbered circle VAS tended to be greater for worsening than for improvement.Conclusion.The 21-numbered circle VAS are a suitable alternative to the 10-cm horizontal line VAS and may facilitate incorporation of physician and parent subjective ratings in standard clinical practice

Transcriptomic Analysis of Single Isolated Myofibers Identifies miR-27a-3p and miR-142-3p as Regulators of Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle

Summary: Skeletal muscle is composed of different myofiber types that preferentially use glucose or lipids for ATP production. How fuel preference is regulated in these post-mitotic cells is largely unknown, making this issue a key question in the fields of muscle and whole-body metabolism. Here, we show that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in defining myofiber metabolic profiles. mRNA and miRNA signatures of all myofiber types obtained at the single-cell level unveiled fiber-specific regulatory networks and identified two master miRNAs that coordinately control myofiber fuel preference and mitochondrial morphology. Our work provides a complete and integrated mouse myofiber type-specific catalog of gene and miRNA expression and establishes miR-27a-3p and miR-142-3p as regulators of lipid use in skeletal muscle. : Chemello et al. characterize coding mRNAs and non-coding microRNAs expressed by myofibers of hindlimb mouse muscles, identifying complex interactions between these molecules that modulate mitochondrial functions and muscle metabolism. They demonstrate that specific short non-coding RNAs influence the contractile fiber composition of skeletal muscles by modulating muscle metabolism. Keywords: single myofiber, skeletal muscle metabolism, mitochondria, miRNAs, lipid