Analysing the relationship between ectomycorrhizal infection and forest decline using marginal models

This statistical survey originates from the problem of discovering which relationship exists between root ectomycorrhizal infection and health status of forest plants. The sampling scheme takes observations from roots that come from sectors around the tree resulting in a hierarchical association structure of the observations. Marginal regression models are used to analyze the mean effect of the ectomycorrhizal state on a response variable proxy for the health degree of the plants

Hacking the topographic ruggedness index

The topographic ruggedness index (TRI) is widely adopted for the analysis of digital elevation models, providing information on local surface spatial variability. In this work, the TRI is interpreted according to a geostatistical perspective, highlighting its main characteristics and drawbacks. TRI can be interpreted as an omnidirectional short-range spatial variability index, computed according to a pixel centered perspective. The simplicity and interpretability of the index, free from user-dependent selections, promoted its implementation in several software environments and its application in a wide set of case studies. However, the index has several drawbacks for its application in earth sciences, such as a strong dependency on local slope (it is basically an average adjacent neighbor slope algorithm) and the selection of different lag distances in the computation of spatial variability along the main directions and the diagonal ones. We propose a new metric radial roughness (RRI) in order to solve the main drawbacks of TRI but maintaining its main philosophy (i.e., pixel centered perspective and simplicity of the algorithm). The new index corrects for the differences in lag distances and resolves the dependency on trend using increments of order 2. The code of the index, implemented in R statistical language, and test data are provided with the paper (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7132160) to promote its implementation in other software environments

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their effects during female puberty: A review of current evidence

Puberty is the process of physical changes between childhood and adulthood during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction. It is considered one of the main temporal windows of susceptibility for the influence of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs may act as single chemical agents or as chemical mixtures; they can be pubertal influencers, accelerating and anticipating the processing of maturation of secondary sexual characteristics. Moreover, recent studies have started to point out how exposure to EDCs during puberty may predispose to breast cancer later in life. In fact, the estrogen-mimicking endocrine disruptors (EEDs) may influence breast tissue development during puberty in two main ways: the first is the action on the proliferation of the breast stromal cells, the second concerns epigenetic mechanisms. The aim of this mini-review was to better highlight what is new and what is not completely known regarding the role of EDCs during puberty

Minimum Quench Energy and Early Quench Development in NbTi Superconducting Strands

The stability of superconducting wires is a crucial task in the design of safe and reliable superconducting magnets. These magnets are prone to premature quenches due to local releases of energy. In order to simulate these energy disturbances, various heater technologies have been developed, such as coated tips, graphite pastes, and inductive coils. The experiments studied in the present work have been performed using a single-mode diode laser with an optical fiber to illuminate the superconducting strand surface. Minimum quench energies and voltage traces at different magnetic flux densities and transport currents have been measured on an LHC-type, Cu/NbTi wire bathed in pool boiling helium I. This paper deals with the numerical analysis of the experimental data. In particular, a coupled electromagnetic and thermal model has been developed to study quench development and propagation, focusing on the influence of heat exchange with liquid helium

Parenting infants at the times of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study on parental stress in the province of Modena (Northern Italy)

Background and aim of the work: The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent measures to prevent virus’s spread particularly affected families with young children, that represent a complex system characterized by a constant interaction between the infant’s and the parent’s well-being. The present study aims to investigate the parenting stress experienced by parents with 6-month-old healthy infants surveyed from September 2019 to April 2021 in the Modena province (Northern Italy). Research design and methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) questionnaire to assess stress levels in the parent-child system. Since the questionnaire is meant to be self-completed by the participant, the survey could continue to be conducted remotely during the pandemic lockdown months. Results: Most parents exhibited physiological stress scores, but parents who have been interviewed during the pandemic period had a higher prevalence of stress problems. Subjects in the COVID group also showed a drop in the defensive response and a lower prevalence of stress problems when parenting siblings. Conclusions: These findings underline the importance of early detection of isolation’s negative effects on households and strengthen the need for tailored familial support during stressful events, in order to pro-mote parent and children’s emotional well-being

QUINOLONE- AND ETA-LACTAM- RESISTANCE IN Escherichia coli FROM DANISH AND ITALIAN BROILER FLOCKS

The prevalence of quinolone- and -lactam-resistant E. coli was investigated among healthy broiler flocks in Denmark and Italy. In Denmark, sock samples were collected from 10 parent flocks and 10 offspring flocks, according to the procedure currently used for the surveillance of Salmonella in the EU. Samples were enriched in McConkey broth and streaked on McConkey agar plates added with nalidixic acid (32 g/ml), ciprofloxacin (2 g/ml), ampicillin (32 g/ml), cefotaxime (2 g/ml) or ceftiofur (8 g/ml). The -glucuronidase test was performed for verification of presumptive E. coli. The same methods were used to analyse sock samples collected from 6 Italian broiler flocks. PCR with primers for the CTX-M-type extended-spectrum -lactamases (ESBLs) was performed on cephalosporin-resistant isolates. While resistance to ampicillin and nalidixic acid was widespread in both countries, resistance to ciprofloxacin and cephalosporins was more common among Italian flocks. In Denmark, ciprofloxacin resistance was only detected in 1 parent flock without any history of quinolone usage and none of the flocks was positive for cephalosporin-resistant E. coli. In Italy, resistance to ciprofloxacin was detected in all flocks and resistance to ceftiofur and cefotaxime were detected in 5 flocks. Primers specific for the CTX-M-type ESBLs generated PCR amplicons from isolates from 3 of these flocks. In industrialized countries, the poultry production system is highly standardized, and therefore comparable. However, the use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials is particularly limited in Danish poultry production. Accordingly, the results of this study could reflect the different policies in antimicrobial usage between the two countries

Diprosopus: A Rare Case of Craniofacial Duplication and a Systematic Review of the Literature

In 1990, Gorlin et al. described four types of craniofacial duplications: (1) single mouth with duplication of the maxillary arch; (2) supernumerary mouth laterally placed with rudimentary segments; (3) single mouth with replication of the mandibular segments; and (4) true facial duplication, namely diprosopus. We describe a newborn born with wide-spaced eyes, a very broad nose, and two separate mouths. Workup revealed the absence of the corpus callosum and the presence of a brain midline lipoma, wide sutures, and a Chiari I malformation with cerebellar herniation. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and compared all the cases described as diprosopus. In 96% of these, the central nervous system is affected, with anencephaly being the most commonly associated abnormality. Other associated anomalies include cardiac malformations (86%), cleft palate (63%), diaphragmatic hernia (13%), and disorder of sex development (DSD) (13%). Although the facial features are those that first strike the eye, the almost obligate presence of cerebral malformations suggests a disruptive event in the cephalic pole of the forming embryo. No major monogenic contribution has been recognized today for this type of malformation

Response of microchannel plates to single particles and to electromagnetic showers

We report on the response of microchannel plates (MCPs) to single relativistic particles and to electromagnetic showers. Particle detection by means of secondary emission of electrons at the MCP surface has long been proposed and is used extensively in ion time-of-flight mass spectrometers. What has not been investigated in depth is their use to detect the ionizing component of showers. The time resolution of MCPs exceeds anything that has been previously used in calorimeters and, if exploited effectively, could aid in the event reconstruction at high luminosity colliders. Several prototypes of photodetectors with the amplification stage based on MCPs were exposed to cosmic rays and to 491 MeV electrons at the INFN-LNF Beam-Test Facility. The time resolution and the efficiency of the MCPs are measured as a function of the particle multiplicity, and the results used to model the response to high-energy showers.Comment: Paper submitted to NIM