Short term effects of soil disinfection with metham sodium and organic alternatives on nematode communities

Nematode communities are valuable bioindicators of soil disturbance induced by agricultural practices. We report the results of a short term experiment set on a field previously cultivated with shell beans, where different agricultural practices were applied, namely disinfection with chemicals or organic alternatives (neem, basil, marigold and clove oils). We provide a detailed description of the soil nematode community before and after the application of agricultural practices, in terms of trophic structure, nematode functional indices and diversity. We also employ network analysis techniques to analyze the structure of nematode assemblages on the basis of co-occurrence of genera in samples. Chemical disinfection had a direct lethal effect on all nematode genera reducing or even eliminating their populations, while organic amendments favored only the free living nematodes without affecting plant feeders. These differences were poorly reflected on changes of diversity and even less on those of nematode indices. Network analysis offered significant insights into the structural changes in the web of interactions among nematode genera. The network after chemical disinfection was smaller, poorly connected and almost entirely dependent on the dominant phytoparasite Paratylenchus. In the absence of chemicals, large and more complex networks were formed

A Case Study of Nematode Communities’ Dynamics along Successional Paths in the Reclaimed Landfill

We assessed the abundance and composition of nematode communities in soil under herbaceous vegetation in reclaimed landfill sites at different ages after closure (3, 10 and 14 years) compared to those in neighboring semi-natural grazed grasslands (reference sites). We further applied network analysis based on the co-occurrence patterns of nematodes. Nematode abundance decreased between 3 and10 years of regeneration, but significantly increased from 10 to 14 years of regeneration. The number and identity of genera were comparable along the succession; however, there were dissimilarities in community composition during early- and mid-succession. The diversity, community composition and abundance at the sites after 14 years of regeneration converged with those at the reference sites. Moreover, changes during succession were not accompanied by the maturation of the soil food web, as demonstrated by Enrichment and Channel indices. In all the networks, centrality and modularity metrics differed significantly from those for random networks, whereas cohesion metrics showed no difference. All the networks exhibited Small-worldness indices higher than one, demonstrating that the networks of the interactions among genera at all the sites shared features that matched both random and non-random networks. The succession trajectory in reclaimed landfills was represented by a sequence of changes that differed in relation to the variable under consideration; network parameters tended to converge with those of a relatively resistant reference community, while the Enrichment and Channel indices did not. Additionally, the succession trajectory was not linear or steady; only the Channel index and Worldness index showed linear responses to succession time. However, across all the successional stages, the resource status remained basal or degraded while the nematode communities had an enhanced ability to cope with sudden changes

Intelligent Urban data monitoring for smart cities

Urban data management is already an essential element of modern cities. The authorities can build on the variety of automatically generated information and develop intelligent services that improve citizens daily life, save environmental resources or aid in coping with emergencies. From a data mining perspective, urban data introduce a lot of challenges. Data volume, velocity and veracity are some obvious obstacles. However, there are even more issues of equal importance like data quality, resilience, privacy and security. In this paper we describe the development of a set of techniques and frameworks that aim at effective and efficient urban data management in real settings. To do this, we collaborated with the city of Dublin and worked on real problems and data. Our solutions were integrated in a system that was evaluated and is currently utilized by the city. © Springer International Publishing AG 2016

Heterogeneous stream processing and crowdsourcing for traffic monitoring: Highlights

We give an overview of an intelligent urban traffic management system. Complex events related to congestions are detected from heterogeneous sources involving fixed sensors mounted on intersections and mobile sensors mounted on public transport vehicles. To deal with data veracity, sensor disagreements are resolved by crowdsourcing. To deal with data sparsity, a traffic model offers information in areas with low sensor coverage. We apply the system to a real-world use-case. © 2014 Springer-Verlag

A Unique Case of Primary Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma of the Anal Canal

Marginal zone lymphomas represent approximately 10-12% of all B-cell lymphomas. Extranodal marginal zone lymphomas (EMZL) or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are the most common subtype. Almost half of all MALT lymphomas arise in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and, while the stomach is the most common site of GI involvement, the small and large intestines can also be involved. Rare cases of MALT lymphoma involving the rectum have been reported; however, to our knowledge, involvement of the anal canal has never been reported in the literature. Here, we describe a unique case of MALT lymphoma of the anal canal. Infectious agents have been implicated in the pathogenesis of MALT lymphomas, possibly through persistent antigenic stimulation of the area; however, in our case no such infection was documented. © 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel. All rights reserved

An unusual case of CD4+CD7+CD56+acute leukemia with overlapping features of type 2 dendritic cell (DC2) and myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia

Type 2 dendritic cell (DC2) acute leukemia has been recently described. We report here an unusual case of a 17-yr-old adolescent with overlapping features of DC2 and myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia as defined by Suzuki et al. The patient presented with lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly without extranodal manifestations in skin or elsewhere. The morphologic, cytochemical and immunophenotypic features were compatible with those described in DC2 acute leukemia, with co-expression of CD4, CD56 and CD123 antigens. The novel markers BDCA-4 and BDCA-2 considered specific for DC2s were co-expressed. However, bright CD7 positivity along with a dim expression of CD33 (57%) and CD117 (27%) were also noted. Additionally, there was bright expression of NG2 monoclonal antibody 7.1, a frequent finding in myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia. The interpretation of the immunophenotypic pro. le leads to the hypothesis on the existence of borderline cases between DC2 and myeloid/NK cell precursor acute leukemia. Still, other hypotheses can not be overlooked, such as the possibility for a kind of variant monoblastic leukemia or of another rare entity of acute unclassified leukemia

INSIGHT: Dynamic traffic management using heterogeneous urban data

In this demo we present INSIGHT, a system that provides traffic event detection in Dublin by exploiting Big Data and Crowdsourcing techniques. Our system is able to process and analyze input from multiple heterogeneous urban data sources. © Springer International Publishing AG 2016