Impacts of climate change on plant diseases – opinions and trends

There has been a remarkable scientific output on the topic of how climate change is likely to affect plant diseases in the coming decades. This review addresses the need for review of this burgeoning literature by summarizing opinions of previous reviews and trends in recent studies on the impacts of climate change on plant health. Sudden Oak Death is used as an introductory case study: Californian forests could become even more susceptible to this emerging plant disease, if spring precipitations will be accompanied by warmer temperatures, although climate shifts may also affect the current synchronicity between host cambium activity and pathogen colonization rate. A summary of observed and predicted climate changes, as well as of direct effects of climate change on pathosystems, is provided. Prediction and management of climate change effects on plant health are complicated by indirect effects and the interactions with global change drivers. Uncertainty in models of plant disease development under climate change calls for a diversity of management strategies, from more participatory approaches to interdisciplinary science. Involvement of stakeholders and scientists from outside plant pathology shows the importance of trade-offs, for example in the land-sharing vs. sparing debate. Further research is needed on climate change and plant health in mountain, boreal, Mediterranean and tropical regions, with multiple climate change factors and scenarios (including our responses to it, e.g. the assisted migration of plants), in relation to endophytes, viruses and mycorrhiza, using long-term and large-scale datasets and considering various plant disease control methods

Host Responses in Life-History Traits and Tolerance to Virus Infection in Arabidopsis thaliana

Knowing how hosts respond to parasite infection is paramount in understanding the effects of parasites on host populations and hence host–parasite co-evolution. Modification of life-history traits in response to parasitism has received less attention than other defence strategies. Life-history theory predicts that parasitised hosts will increase reproductive effort and accelerate reproduction. However, empirical analyses of these predictions are few and mostly limited to animal-parasite systems. We have analysed life-history trait responses in 18 accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana infected at two different developmental stages with three strains of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Accessions were divided into two groups according to allometric relationships; these groups differed also in their tolerance to CMV infection. Life-history trait modification upon virus infection depended on the host genotype and the stage at infection. While all accessions delayed flowering, only the more tolerant allometric group modified resource allocation to increase the production of reproductive structures and progeny, and reduced the length of reproductive period. Our results are in agreement with modifications of life-history traits reported for parasitised animals and with predictions from life-history theory. Thus, we provide empirical support for the general validity of theoretical predictions. In addition, this experimental approach allowed us to quantitatively estimate the genetic determinism of life-history trait plasticity and to evaluate the role of life-history trait modification in defence against parasites, two largely unexplored issues

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

Potencial evocado auditivo de tronco encefálico por via óssea em indivíduos com perda auditiva sensorioneural Brainstem auditory evoked potential in subjects with sensorineural hearing losses

OBJETIVO: caracterizar os resultados do PEATE por via óssea em indivíduos com perda auditiva sensorioneural leve, comparando esses dados com o grupo controle, formado por indivíduos audiologicamente normais. MÉTODO: a amostra foi constituída por 40 adultos, de ambos os sexos, com faixa etária de 18 a 55 anos, distribuídos em um grupo controle de 30 indivíduos com audição normal e um grupo estudo composto de 10 indivíduos com perda auditiva sensorioneural de grau leve. O PEATE foi realizado com equipamento EP15, da marca Interacoustics. O estímulo utilizado foi o clique com taxa de apresentação de 27,7/s, em um total de 2000 estímulos, com polaridade de rarefação por VA e alternada para VO e filtro passa-banda de 50Hz e 3000Hz. RESULTADOS: em indivíduos com perda sensorioneural de grau leve, não houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre o limiar do PEATE por via aérea e óssea, estando esses limiares equivalentes, com GAP aéreo-ósseo menor que 10dB. A latência da onda V no limiar eletrofisiológico e a 50 dBnNA foram menores que as referidas latências observadas em indivíduos com audição normal. CONCLUSÃO: foram encontrados limiares eletrofisiológicos por via óssea equivalente aos limiares obtidos por via aérea, com presença de GAP aéreo-ósseo menor que 10dBnNA. Assim a utilização do PEATE por VO fornece dados para uma caracterização mais detalhada do tipo da perda auditiva.<br>PURPOSE: to characterize the results of ABR via bone in subjects with mild sensorineural hearing loss, comparing these data with the control group made up by subjects with normal hearing. METHOD: the sample consisted of 40 adults of both genders, 18 - 55 year old, divided into a control group of 30 subjects with normal hearing and a study group made up of 10 subjects with mild sensorineural hearing loss. ABR was carried out with Interacoustics brand EP15. The stimulus was the click presentation rate of 27.7 / s, for a total of 2000 stimuli with rarefaction polarity for AC and switched to VO and band-pass filter of 50Hz and 3000Hz. RESULTS: in subjects with mild sensorineural loss, there were no statistically significant differences between the ABR threshold via air and bone, and those thresholds were equivalent, with air-bone gap of less than 10dB. The latencies of wave V in the electrophysiological threshold and 50 dBnNA were lower latencies than those noted in subjects with normal hearing. CONCLUSION: we found electrophysiological thresholds via bone equivalent to thresholds obtained via air, with the presence of air-bone gap being less than 10dBnNA. Thus, the use of VO by ABR provides data for a more-detailed characterization of the type of hearing loss

Effects of Different Soil Treatments on the Development of Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea in Potato Roots and Tubers in the Greenhouse

Powdery scab caused by Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (Sss) causes extensive losses in potato production systems globally. Two pot experiments were established in the greenhouse in summer 2013 and winter 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of different soil chemicals, fumigant, amendments and biological control agents (BCAs) against Sss in the rhizospheric soil, potato roots and tubers. The study used visual assessment methods to assess the effect of treatments on root galling and zoosporangia production, and qPCR to measure Sss concentration in the soil and in the potato roots and tubers. All six soil treatments, namely metam sodium, fluazinam, ZincMax, calcium cyanamide, Biocult and a combination of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma asperellum recorded significantly (P < 0.05) lower numbers of zoosporangia in the roots compared to the untreated control. The same effect was observed on the concentration of Sss DNA in the roots at tuber initiation. A more diverse picture was obtained when root gall scores at tuber initiation and Sss DNA in the rhizospheric soil at tuber initiation and harvesting were compared. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were also noted in disease severity, disease incidence, and tuber yield between metam sodium, fluazinam, ZincMax, calcium cyanamide and the untreated control. Calcium cyanamide gave the highest tuber yield. The study demonstrated the potential of soil treatments such as metam sodium, fluazinam, ZincMax and calcium cyanamide in managing Sss in potatoes by reducing the pathogen both in the rhizospheric soil and the roots of the potato plant.The National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa, and Potatoes South Africa.http://link.springer.com/journal/115402018-03-30hj2017Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Aspects of functioning and environmental factors in medical work capacity evaluations of persons with chronic widespread pain and low back pain can be represented by a combination of applicable ICF Core Sets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medical work capacity evaluations play a key role in social security schemes because they usually form the basis for eligibility decisions regarding disability benefits. However, the evaluations are often poorly standardized and lack transparency as decisions on work capacity are based on a claimant’s disease rather than on his or her functional capacity. A comprehensive and consistent illustration of a claimant’s lived experience in relation to functioning, applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the ICF Core Sets (ICF-CS), potentially enhances transparency and standardization of work capacity evaluations. In our study we wanted to establish whether and how the relevant content of work capacity evaluations can be captured by ICF-CS, using disability claimants with chronic widespread pain (CWP) and low back pain (LBP) as examples.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Mixed methods study, involving a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of medical reports. The ICF was used for data coding. The coded categories were ranked according to the percentage of reports in which they were addressed. Relevance thresholds at 25% and 50% were applied. To determine the extent to which the categories above the thresholds are represented by applicable ICF-CS or combinations thereof, measures of the ICF-CS’ degree of coverage (i.e. content validity) and efficiency (i.e. practicability) were defined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Focusing on the 25% threshold and combining the Brief ICF-CS for CWP, LBP and depression for CWP reports, the coverage ratio reached 49% and the efficiency ratio 70%. Combining the Brief ICF-CS for LBP, CWP and obesity for LBP reports led to a coverage of 47% and an efficiency of 78%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The relevant content of work capacity evaluations involving CWP and LBP can be represented by a combination of applicable ICF-CS. A suitable standard for documenting such evaluations could consist of the Brief ICF-CS for CWP, LBP, and depression or obesity, augmented by additional ICF categories relevant for this particular context. In addition, the unique individual experiences of claimants have to be considered in order to assess work capacity comprehensively.</p