Field observations about the behaviour of codling-moth in Trentino (North-Eastern Italy)

Codling-moth and applescab are the most important pathogens in both conventional and organic apple productions. In order to control any phytopathological problem, it is important to improve the knowledge of the behaviour of each specific pest. Since several years (starting from 1986) we are improving in Trentino (North-Eastern Italy) the observations of the population dynamics of codling-moth in order to find the best way to control and treat this pest insect. Constant monitoring and the knowledge of the characteristics of the different compounds and possible methods to control the codling-moth (mating disruption, granulose virus and specific nematodes) represent the most important basis to organize an effective controlstrategy

Improvement of heart rate recovery after exercise training in older people.

Twenty-four subjects aged 70 and older were retrospectively selected from our archives and screened for symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Baseline exercise test was negative for myocardial ischemia in all subjects. All subjects had completed an 8-week program, performed for a variety of indications and consisting of an aerobic physical training program including 30 minutes of cycling three times per week at 65% to 75% of maximum heart rate achieved at peak exercise test performed at enrollment, an educational intervention, dietary advice, and psychological support. All subjects underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) before and at the end of exercise training. At the end of each CPX, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), the rate of increase of ventilation per unit of increase of carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO2slope), and HRR were recorded. Twenty-five healthy subjects younger than 60 with no evidence of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia and not enrolled in any exercise training program were also retrospectively selected from our archives and used as a control group for analyzing HRR. These patients performed two exercise tests several weeks apart. Several studies have shown that changes in vagal tone can be used as an outcome tool that helps identify patients or subjects with or without cardiovascular disease at risk for a cardiovascular event, although the evidence of a prognostic value of HRR in older subjects without cardiovascular disease is rather poor. In this study, exercise training resulted in HRR improvement in healthy elderly subjects, suggesting that exercise training improves vagal/sympathetic balance in older subjects without cardiovascular disease as well. Whether the observed improvement in HRR may have long-term beneficial prognostic effects was not the aim of the study, although a beneficial effect might be postulated, in light of the Framingham dat

Longitudinal and latitudinal variations of the total ozone over the Central Andes

From the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data released by NASA, some analyses had been done in order to point out anomalies in the time and space distributions of the total ozone. Also some explanations for them have been tried. Here we focus on the longitudinal and altitudinal anomalies in a region characterised by strong variations in orography, as are the Andes at low and mid latitude. As a result of the analysis, we conclude that there is a depletion of the total ozone over the Altiplano and discuss some possible explanations of the phenomenon

Spatial interactions in agent-based modeling

Agent Based Modeling (ABM) has become a widespread approach to model complex interactions. In this chapter after briefly summarizing some features of ABM the different approaches in modeling spatial interactions are discussed. It is stressed that agents can interact either indirectly through a shared environment and/or directly with each other. In such an approach, higher-order variables such as commodity prices, population dynamics or even institutions, are not exogenously specified but instead are seen as the results of interactions. It is highlighted in the chapter that the understanding of patterns emerging from such spatial interaction between agents is a key problem as much as their description through analytical or simulation means. The chapter reviews different approaches for modeling agents' behavior, taking into account either explicit spatial (lattice based) structures or networks. Some emphasis is placed on recent ABM as applied to the description of the dynamics of the geographical distribution of economic activities, - out of equilibrium. The Eurace@Unibi Model, an agent-based macroeconomic model with spatial structure, is used to illustrate the potential of such an approach for spatial policy analysis.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures, 105 references; a chapter prepared for the book "Complexity and Geographical Economics - Topics and Tools", P. Commendatore, S.S. Kayam and I. Kubin, Eds. (Springer, in press, 2014

Design and manufacturing of a Nd-doped phosphate glass-based jewel

This paper reports the results of the designing, manufacturing and characterization of a jewel obtained by means of coupling the dogmas of industrial design to the analytical engineering approach. The key role in the design of the jewel was played by an in-house synthesized Neodymium (Nd)-doped phosphate glass, selected due to its easy handling and capability to change color according to the incident light wavelength. The glass core was covered by a metal alloy to mitigate its relatively high fragility and sensitivity to thermal shock and, at the same time, to highlight and preserve its beauty. The selection of the proper metal alloy, having thermo-mechanical properties compatible with those exhibited by the glass, was carried out by means of Ashby's maps, a powerful tool commonly adopted in the field of industrial design

Benchmarking a many-core neuromorphic platform with an MPI-based DNA sequence matching algorithm

SpiNNaker is a neuromorphic globally asynchronous locally synchronous (GALS)multi-core architecture designed for simulating a spiking neural network (SNN) in real-time. Several studies have shown that neuromorphic platforms allow flexible and efficient simulations of SNN by exploiting the efficient communication infrastructure optimised for transmitting small packets across the many cores of the platform. However, the effectiveness of neuromorphic platforms in executing massively parallel general-purpose algorithms, while promising, is still to be explored. In this paper, we present an implementation of a parallel DNA sequence matching algorithm implemented by using the MPI programming paradigm ported to the SpiNNaker platform. In our implementation, all cores available in the board are configured for executing in parallel an optimised version of the Boyer-Moore (BM) algorithm. Exploiting this application, we benchmarked the SpiNNaker platform in terms of scalability and synchronisation latency. Experimental results indicate that the SpiNNaker parallel architecture allows a linear performance increase with the number of used cores and shows better scalability compared to a general-purpose multi-core computing platform

Vulnerable personality and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy consequent to emotional stressful events: a clinical case report

Introduction: Although the onset of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) can be triggered by an acute, intense emotional stress, the exact pathogenic mechanisms still remain undefined. Presentation: A 58-year-old female was sent by ambulance to the Emergency Department (ED) for chest pain and ST elevations on ECG. Her chest pain began 3 hours before on admission after a domestic argument. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed severe systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 20%. Cardiac catheterization revealed no significant coronary artery disease. The left ventriculogram showed apical ballooning with hyperdynamic proximal segments. A diagnosis of Takotsubo Cardiomyophaty (TTC) was made according to the Mayo Clinic 2008 criteria. The patient evolved with improvement of her condition and, therefore, was discharged from the hospital. Follow-up echocardiogram seven days later showed normal LV size and function with ejection fraction (EF) of 43%. Paykel Life Stress Event Scale identified as emotional trigger a domestic argument occurred 3 hours before symptom onset. History showed a major life stress event, death of a loved one, six months before symptoms. The patient underwent psychological assessment after hospital discharge by Emotional Regulation Questionnaire and BDI showing high suppression/ low reappraisal profile and moderate depression. Conclusion: This case highlights the hypothesis of a possible link between cognitive emotional processing and vulnerability to Takotsubo syndrome

The use of technological tools as communities of practice by teachers of a private education network

As escolas têm utilizado da internet em larga escala enquanto uma forma de propagar a comunicação entre os docentes e os responsáveis pelos educandos, especialmente de escolas particulares. Essa interatividade entre o docente da Educação Infantil com os responsáveis utilizando a rede social, em especial o aplicativo Whatsapp, pode ser otimizada pela Gestão do Conhecimento (GC). O objetivo deste estudo foi o de investigar se os docentes da Educação Infantil de uma rede de ensino privada utilizam as redes sociais enquanto recurso de comunicação entre docente e responsáveis, como uma proposta de Comunidade de Prática. A pesquisa caracteriza-se como aplicada, de cunho exploratório, com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa. A pesquisa foi realizada numa rede de escolas particulares no Sul do Brasil, caracterizando como procedimento de estudo de caso, pois ocorreu a inserção do pesquisador para monitoramento em grupos de WhatsApp das escolas, bem como a aplicação de um questionário online. Os dados obtidos foram analisados por meio do IRAMUTEQ; e do sistema de análise estatística do Google Forms. Os resultados indicaram que os docentes interagem nas redes sociais, no contato com os responsáveis, com potencial relação como uma proposta de Comunidades de Prática no contexto educacional.Schools have been using the internet on a large scale as a means of spreading communication between teachers and learners, especially from private schools. This interactivity between the preschool teacher and those responsible for using the social network, especially the Whatsapp application, can be optimized by Knowledge Management (KM). The aim of this study was to investigate if the preschool teachers of a private education network use social networks as a communication resource between teacher and guardians, as a proposal of Community of Practice. The research is characterized as applied, exploratory, with a qualitative and quantitative approach. The research was carried out in a network of private schools in southern Brazil, characterizing as a case study procedure, as the researcher was inserted for monitoring in schools' WhatsApp groups, as well as the application of an online questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed through IRAMUTEQ; and the Google Forms statistical analysis system. The results indicated that teachers interact in social networks, in contact with those responsible, with potential relationship as a proposal of Communities of Practice in the educational context.Facultad de Informátic