Use of essential oils of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum L.), lavender (Lavandula spp.) and peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) for weed control

The indiscriminate use of synthetic chemical compounds for weed control has been often responsible of damage to both the environment and the human health. To challenge these problems, in the last years research has increased its effort to find out alternatives farming strategies. A feasible alternative could be the identification of natural substances with allelopathic effects for the realization of natural herbicides. Some research has already highlighted the possibility of using essential oils, extracted from aromatic plants, for weed control. The advantage in the utilization of such natural compounds is the quickly breaking down process into the environment and so the possible application in sustainable agriculture like organic farming. Objective of this research was the evaluation of the inhibition effect exerted by the essential oils of cinnamon, peppermint and lavender on seeds germination of some of the most common weeds species of the Mediterranean environment (pigweed, wild mustard and ryegrass). The results have highlighted a control in the weeds germination. Among the essential oils tested, cinnamon oil has exerted the highest inhibition effect compared with lavender and peppermint ones. The dicotyledonous species have been more susceptible compared with the monocotyledonous, even if it has been recorded only for redroot pigweed a dose able to inhibit totally the seed germination

Halorubrum chaoviator sp. nov., a haloarchaeon isolated from sea salt in Baja California, Mexico, Western Australia and Naxos, Greece

hree halophilic isolates, strains Halo-G*T, AUS-1 and Naxos II, were compared. Halo-G* was isolated from an evaporitic salt crystal from Baja California, Mexico, whereas AUS-1 and Naxos II were isolated from salt pools in Western Australia and the Greek island of Naxos, respectively. Halo-G*T had been exposed previously to conditions of outer space and survived 2 weeks on the Biopan facility. Chemotaxonomic and molecular comparisons suggested high similarity between the three strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strains clustered with Halorubrum species, showing sequence similarities of 99.2–97.1 %. The DNA–DNA hybridization values of strain Halo-G*T and strains AUS-1 and Naxos II are 73 and 75 %, respectively, indicating that they constitute a single species. The DNA relatedness between strain Halo-G*T and the type strains of 13 closely related species of the genus Halorubrum ranged from 39 to 2 %, suggesting that the three isolates constitute a different genospecies. The G+C content of the DNA of the three strains was 65.5–66.5 mol%. All three strains contained C20C20 derivatives of diethers of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglyceromethylphosphate and phosphatidylglycerolsulfate, together with a sulfated glycolipid. On the basis of these results, a novel species that includes the three strains is proposed, with the name Halorubrum chaoviator sp. nov. The type strain is strain Halo-G*T (=DSM 19316T =NCIMB 14426T =ATCC BAA-1602T)

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Hydrodynamics around a Vertical Cylinder in Waves

The present study provides an extensive analysis on the hydrodynamics induced by a vertical slender pile under wave action. The authors carried out the study both experimentally and numerically, thus enabling a deep understanding of the flow physics. The experiments took place at a wave flume of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche. Two different experimental campaigns were performed: In the former one, a mobile bed model was realized with the aims to study both the scour process and the hydrodynamics around the cylinder; in the latter one, the seabed was rigid in order to make undisturbed optical measurements, providing a deeper analysis of the hydrodynamics. The numerical investigation was made by performing a direct numerical simulation. A second order numerical discretization, both in time and in space, was used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations while a volume of fluid (VOF) approach was adopted for tracking the free surface. The comparison between experimental and numerical results is provided in terms of velocity, pressure distributions around the cylinder, and total force on it. The analysis of the pressure gradient was used to evaluate the generation and evolution of vortices around the cylinder. Finally, the relation between scour and bed shear stresses due to the structure of the vortex pattern around the pile was assessed. It is worth noting that the physical understanding of this last analysis was enabled by the combined use of experimental data on scour and numerical data on the flow pattern

Euryhaline Aliens Invading Italian Inland Waters: The Case of the Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896

none6Alien invasive species represent a major threat in Italian freshwaters. Despite national and European regulations aimed at the control and prevention of new invasive species, the number of allochthonous species is increasing and so is the rate of spread. One of the most widespread invasive animals in coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea is the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, a native of the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina. The species is euryhaline, and besides coastal waters, it is also commonly recorded in upper estuaries and lower reaches of rivers. Considering its fast adaptability and invasiveness, the main purpose of this work is to assess whether its biological plasticity and invasive capability may represent, in addition to marine and coastal habitats, also a potential threat for inland waters. Samples were collected in seven sites distributed between Southern and Central Italy. The new records are herein presented, starting from the original introduction by ballast waters and the actual westward migration in inland waters of Latium and Tuscany. In addition, the threat to biodiversity is also discussed, considering the blue crab aggressiveness toward both vertebrates and invertebrates, which may limit the distribution of native freshwater fish and macrofauna.Massimiliano Scalici, Stefania Chiesa , Giorgio Mancinelli, Pietro Maria Rontani, Andrea Voccia, Francesco Nonnis MarzanoScalici, Massimiliano; Chiesa, Stefania; Mancinelli, Giorgio; Maria Rontani, Pietro; Voccia, Andrea; Nonnis Marzano, Francesc

Pattern-based design applied to cultural heritage knowledge graphs

Ontology Design Patterns (ODPs) have become an established and recognised practice for guaranteeing good quality ontology engineering. There are several ODP repositories where ODPs are shared as well as ontology design methodologies recommending their reuse. Performing rigorous testing is recommended as well for supporting ontology maintenance and validating the resulting resource against its motivating requirements. Nevertheless, it is less than straightforward to find guidelines on how to apply such methodologies for developing domain-specific knowledge graphs. ArCo is the knowledge graph of Italian Cultural Heritage and has been developed by using eXtreme Design (XD), an ODP- and test-driven methodology. During its development, XD has been adapted to the need of the CH domain e.g. gathering requirements from an open, diverse community of consumers, a new ODP has been defined and many have been specialised to address specific CH requirements. This paper presents ArCo and describes how to apply XD to the development and validation of a CH knowledge graph, also detailing the (intellectual) process implemented for matching the encountered modelling problems to ODPs. Relevant contributions also include a novel web tool for supporting unit-testing of knowledge graphs, a rigorous evaluation of ArCo, and a discussion of methodological lessons learned during ArCo development

Model studies on the synthesis of madangamine alkaloids. Assembly of the macrocyclic rings

Using simplified model derivatives, the assembly of the macrocyclic rings of madangamines, including the 13- and 14-membered D rings of madangamines C-E, the all-cis-triunsaturated 15-membered D ring of madangamine A, and the (Z,Z)-unsaturated 11-membered E ring common to madangamines A-E, has been studied

Rotational barriers of biphenyls having heavy heteroatoms as ortho-substituents: experimental and theoretical determination of steric effects

The free energies of activation for the aryl-aryl rotation of 17 biphenyl derivatives, bearing a heavy heteroatom (S, Se, Te, P, Si, Sn) as ortho substituent, have been measured by variable temperature NMR. These numbers, so called B values, represent a meaningful measure of the steric hindrance exerted by the selected substituents. DFT computations match quite satisfactorily the experimental barriers and the ground state geometries as well (determined, in two cases, by X-ray diffraction). The present values extend the available list of B values and thus provide an enlarged basis for the compilation of the space requirements of standard substituents, based solely on experimental determinations

Preparation of substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines by Pd(II)-catalyzed NH2-directed insertion of Michael acceptors into C-H bonds followed by NH2-conjugated additions

3,3-Disubstituted tetrahydroisoquinolines are prepared in one step from Michael acceptors and 2-phenylethylamines under Pd catalysis and Ag2CO3 as an oxidant. Presumably, activation of an ortho C-H bond of the aromatic ring with Pd(II) is directed by the primary amine to form a palladacycle. Insertion of the olefin, subsequent conjugated addition of the amine, and reductive elimination of Pd(0) affords the expected products. Silver carbonate is not necessary when 2-phenylethylamines are converted previously to N-benzoyloxy-2-phenylethylamines

Prognosis and Interplay of Cognitive Impairment and Sarcopenia in Older Adults Discharged from Acute Care Hospitals

Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment are associated with an increased risk of negative outcomes, but their prognostic interplay has not been investigated so far. We aimed to investigate the prognostic interaction of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment concerning 12-month mortality among older patients discharged from acute care wards in Italy. Our series consisted of 624 patients (age = 80.1 ± 7.0 years, 56.1% women) enrolled in a prospective observational study. Sarcopenia was defined following the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria. Cognitive impairment was defined as age- and education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score < 24 or recorded diagnosis of dementia. The study outcome was all-cause mortality during 12-month follow-up. The combination of sarcopenia and cognitive ability was tested against participants with intact cognitive ability and without sarcopenia. Overall, 159 patients (25.5%) were identified as having sarcopenia, and 323 (51.8%) were cognitively impaired. During the follow-up, 79 patients (12.7%) died. After adjusting for potential confounders, the combination of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment has been found associated with increased mortality (HR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.05-4.13). Such association was also confirmed after excluding patients with dementia (HR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.06-4.17), underweight (HR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.03-3.91), high comorbidity burden (HR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.09-6.32), and severe disability (HR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.10-5.73). The co-occurrence of sarcopenia and cognitive impairment may predict 1-year mortality in older patients discharged from acute care hospitals

Globalization effects on the reports of non-endemic parasitosis in Italy

Protozoa and helminths are responsible for several intestinal parasite infections (IPIs). Generally, helminth infections are very unsafe but scarcely reported in high-income countries, while protozoa and helminth co-infections are usually reported in children living in inadequate hygienic-sanitary conditions and in rural areas. However, the impact of growing globalization, intense travelling, international adoptions and high levels of immigrants and refugees has significantly incremented the incidence of orofecal parasitosis in non-endemic areas. Although most IPs clear without treatment when population, even children, emigrate from endemic to different geographical areas, some IPIs such as strongyloidiasis may persist for decades as subclinical infections or as low-grade disease with nonspecific clinical manifestations, unless to reappear under impairment conditions. Herein we report an unusual case of Giardia lamblia and Trichuris spp. chronic asymptomatic co-infection in a healthy adopted Romanian child, living in a Central Italy rural area, and a hidden case of Strongyloides stercoralis in an adopted Burundian child, resident in South Italy, long misdiagnosed as a recurrent undefined dermatitis. Our report suggests the need to review primary care practitioner guidelines and children’s hospital procedures for appropriate IPIs screening and follow-up, hence providing new screening and prevention strategies, in agreement with international guidelines