Honey Production with Remote Smart Monitoring System

The innovative technologies of precision agriculture can be applied to beekeeping, a very important sector both from an environmental and production point of view. Bees are responsible, through pollination, for the reproduction of numerous plants guaranteeing biodiversity and providing a final product, honey, highly energetic and with high health properties. Today, sensors applied to the hives can be used to obtain information on the colony phenology in the field, disturbing them as little as possible, allowing the construction of forecast models to control their health state and production increase. The Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences of the University of Palermo developed a WNS-type system for continuously monitoring and controlling the main environmental factors, both inside and outside the hive, in order to evaluate their influence on daily honey production. The novel system allows to identify any critical points in honey production recording environmental, sound and production data and real time transmitting them to the operators, accessing a specifically created web interface. The results of the study represent the basis for a precision hive management model that can be applied in different environmental conditions to optimize honey production

Application of Precision Agriculture for the Sustainable Management of Fertilization in Olive Groves

Olive tree growing (Olea europaea L.) has considerably increased in the last decades, as has the consumption of extra virgin olive oil in the world. Precision agriculture is increasingly being applied in olive orchards as a new method to manage agronomic variability with the aim of providing individual plants with the right input amount, limiting waste or excess. The objective of this study was to develop a methodology on a GIS platform using GEOBIA algorithms in order to build prescription maps for variable rate (VRT) nitrogen fertilizers application in an olive orchard. The fertilization plan was determined for each tree by applying its own nitrogen balance, taking into account the variability of nitrogen in soil, leaf, production, and actual biometric and spectral conditions. Each olive tree was georeferenced using the S7-G Stonex instrument with real-time kinematic RTK positioning correction and the trunk cross section area (TCSA) was measured. Soil and leaves were sampled to study nutrient variability. Soil and plant samples were analyzed for all major physical and chemical properties. Spectral data were obtained using a multispectral camera (DJI multispectral) carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform (DJI Phantom4). The biometric characteristics of the plants were extracted from the achieved normalized vegetation index (NDVI) map. The obtained prescription map can be used for variable rate fertilization with a tractor and fertilizer spreader connected via the ISOBUS system. Using the proposed methodology, the variable rate application of nitrogen fertilizer resulted in a 31% reduction in the amount to be applied in the olive orchard compared to the standard dose

De novo design of antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides starting from desert truffle Tirmania pinoyi peptides

With the aim of discovering new routes in the research of antimicrobials, we focused on polypeptide- enriched extracts derived from edible desert truffle mushroom Tirmania pinoyi. The extracts showed an interesting activity with MIC=50 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442. Through mass spectrometry analysis (RP-HPLC/ nESI-MS/MS) the following eight novel peptides FDVVPKTAANFRAL, AVTVGASTLADERA, FLVGGASLKPEF, VARIFAVFNDTF, HLVDEPQNLLK, LGEYGFQNALLR, FAVNGGCAKET, SREDLHPKL were detected. To characterize them online websites were used: IAMPpred, DPBAAS, Cell-PPD, ToxinPred, HemoPI, PeptideCutter and HLP. The analysis indicated that some peptides showed negative or neutral charge, hydrophobic ratio between 42% and 67%, Boman Index < 2.25 kCal/mol. According to the “APD3: Antimicrobial Peptide Calculator and Predictor” tool of the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) similarities (around 30-40%) with known antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) identified in amphibians were also detected. In contrast, the predicted antimicrobial, antifungal and antibiofilm activity was not significant. In order to improve biological and physico-chemical properties, the sequences of natural peptides were modified using APD3, by replacing some hydrophilic and negative charged amino acids with hydrophobic and positive ones. The derivative sequences (GWDVVPKTWWKFRAL, KWTWGASTLAKKRA, FLRGGWSLKPKF, KWRIFWVFNKTF, HLVKRWQNLLK, KGKYRFWNALLR, FARWGGCAKRT, SRKWLHPWL) showed net positive charge between +2 and +4, hydrophobic ratio between 42% and 48%, Boman Index < 2.25 kCal/mol and high stability. Moreover, the predicted antimicrobial, antifungal and antibiofilm activity was high, without toxic or hemolytic effects. In conclusion, bioinformatic analysis has demonstrated that novel peptides discovered in T. pinoyi may be considered new platforms for the design of novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm peptides to counteract multi-drug resistant pathogens

Fever with perinasal and tongue lesions: A diagnostic challenge

The diagnosis may be challenging, and high suspicion index should be maintained in immunosuppressed patients with unusual mucocutaneous lesions, even in non-endemic areas for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis

The gut microbiota structure of the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides pruinosus (Isopoda: Oniscidea)

We used a combination of culture-dependent and independent approaches to study in depth the microbial community associated with the digestive tract of the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833). Specimens from different sampling sites in Tunisia harbored distinct microbiota profiles indicating the impact of both host origin and environmental factors on shaping the microbial flora within P. pruinosus. Our results revealed unexpected bacterial diversity especially via metagenomic analysis; a total of 819 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to two major bacterial phyla; Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. We used Nutrient Agar to isolate the cultivable fraction of bacteria associated with the gut of three geographically distant populations of P. pruinosus. The isolated bacteria belong to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Enrichment cultures on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) medium gave evidence that the gut of this Oniscidea harbors cellulolytic Firmicutes and Proteobacteria probably involved in the lignocellulose degradation and then in mediating the functional role of terrestrial isopods as litter decomposers and regulators of nutrient cycling in soil ecosystems

Cover crop impact on soil organic carbon, nitrogen dynamics and microbial diversity in a mediterranean semiarid vineyard

Cover crop (CC) management in vineyards increases sustainability by improving soil chemical and biological fertility, but knowledge on its effects in semiarid soils is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of leguminous CC management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, soil nitrate content and microbial diversity in a semiarid vineyard, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). SOC and nitrate were monitored during vine-growing season; soil respiration, determined by incubation experiments, microbial biomass and diversity was analyzed after CC burial. The microbial diversity was evaluated by bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and high-throughput sequencing of 16SrDNA. CC increased nitrate content and, although it had no relevant effect on SOC, almost doubled its active microbial component, which contributes to SOC stabilization. An unexpected stability of the microbial communities under different soil managements was assessed, fungal diversity being slightly enhanced under CT while bacterial diversity increased under CC. The complete nitrifying genus Nitrospira and plant growth-promoting genera were increased under CC, while desiccation-tolerant genera were abundant in CT. Findings showed that temporary CC applied in semiarid vineyards does not optimize the provided ecosystem services, hence a proper management protocol for dry environments should be set up

Phospholipase A 2 Modulates Different Subtypes of Excitatory Amino Acid Receptors: Autoradiographic Evidence

Exogenous phospholipases have been used extensively as tools to study the role of membrane lipids in receptor mechanisms. We used in vitro quantitative autoradiography to evaluate the effect of phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) on N -methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA glutamate receptors in rat brain. PLA 2 pretreatment induced a significant increase in Α-[ 3 H]amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate ([ 3 H]AMPA) binding in the stratum radiatum of the CA1 region of the hippocampus and in the stratum moleculare of the cerebellum. No modification of [ 3 H]AMPA binding was found in the stratum pyramidale of the hippocampus at different ligand concentrations. [ 3 H]-Glutamate binding to the metabotropic glutamate receptor and the non-NMDA-, non-kainate-, non-quisqualate-sensitive [ 3 H]glutamate binding site were also increased by PLA 2 pretreatment. [ 3 H]Kainate binding and NMDA-sensitive [ 3 H]glutamate binding were minimally affected by the enzyme pretreatment. The PLA 2 effect was reversed by EGTA, the PLA 2 inhibitor p -bromophenacyl bromide, and prolonged pretreatment with heat. Bovine serum albumin (1%) prevented the increase in metabotropic binding by PLA 2 . Arachidonic acid failed to mimic the PLA 2 effect on metabotropic binding. These results indicate that PLA 2 can selectively modulate certain subtypes of excitatory amino acid receptors. This effect is due to the enzymatic activity but is probably not correlated with the formation of arachidonic acid metabolites. Independent of their possible physiological implications, our results provide the first autoradiographic evidence that an enzymatic treatment can selectively affect the binding properties of excitatory amino acid receptors in different regions of the CNS.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66358/1/j.1471-4159.1993.tb05843.x.pd

Bacterial biofilms on biopolymeric sorbent supports for environmental bioremediation

Bioremediation encompasses a broad range of environmental biotechnology, which require multidisciplinary approaches through implementation of innovative tools to the natural biological process occurring in soil, water and air. Immobilization of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms on biodegradable sorbent supports significantly promotes bioremediation processes. Recently ecofriendly, low cost bioremediation devices based on polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes hosting a biodegrading bacterial biofilms were obtained[1]. This work investigates the higher effectiveness of immobilizing hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria compared to that of planktonic cells. Soil hydrocarbon (HC) degrading Actinobacteria Nocardia cyriacigeorgica strain SoB, Gordonia amicalis strain SoCg[2], and the marine hydrocarbonoclastic Alcanivorax borkumensis strain AU3-AA-7[3] were immobilized on PLA and PCL membranes and tested on hexadecane. The capacity of adhesion and proliferation of these biodegrading biofilms within the biopolymers were evaluated at various time points (5, 10, 15, and 30 incubation days) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images revealed that PLA and PCL nanofibers were nearly completely covered by a complex three-dimensional bacterial film for all tested strains. Quantification of total biomass (estimated as total dsDNA) confirmed biofilm growth up to 30 days of incubation. Crude oil biodegradation ability of biofilms-membranes systems, assessed by Gas Chromatography-FID analysis, demonstrated the removal of over 60% of the oil after 5 days of incubation, outperforming free-living bacteria by 24%. Viable plate counts showed that bacterial biofilms adsorbed on biopolymers were still viable after 30 days, indicating their potential for long-term applications