Canopy-applied silicon is an effective strategy for reducing sweet cherry cracking

Fruit cracking caused by rainfall prior to harvest, a major problem in sweet cherry production, is being exacerbated by climate change. Currently, pre-harvest spraying with calcium salt solutions is the prevalent technique to reduce fruit cracking in cherry orchards not covered by plastic roofs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of canopy-applied silicon in the reduction of sweet cherry cracking under different field conditions. Four field trials were conducted on mature trees of the cultivars Van, New Star, and Emperor Francis. Treatments included water (control), calcium chloride, and sodium silicate. Multiple sprays (three) were applied weekly from fruit onset of color to approximately 1 week before harvest. The results showed that under conditions conducive to cracking, sodium silicate reduced the percentage of cracked fruits to a similar or larger extent than calcium chloride. This study highlights how canopy-applied silicon sources may effectively contribute to reducing cherry cracking, acting as an alternative technique to other preventive methods

Cardiovascular Reasons for Access to a Tertiary Oncological Emergency Service: The CARILLON Study

Background: The prevalence of acute cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in cancer patients is steadily increasing and represents a significant reason for admission to the emergency department (ED). Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study, enrolling consecutive patients with cancer presenting to a tertiary oncological ED and consequently admitted to the oncology ward. Two groups of patients were identified based on main symptoms that lead to ED presentation: symptoms potentially related to CVD vs. symptoms potentially not related to CVD. The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence of symptoms potentially related to CVD in this specific setting and to evaluate the prevalence of definite CV diagnoses at discharge. Secondary endpoints were new intercurrent in-hospital CV events occurrence, length of stay in the oncology ward, and mid-term mortality for all-cause. Results: A total of 469 patients (51.8% female, median age 68.0 [59.1–76.3]) were enrolled. One hundred and eighty-six out of 469 (39.7%) presented to the ED with symptoms potentially related to CVD. Baseline characteristics were substantially similar between the two study groups. A discharge diagnosis of CVD was confirmed in 24/186 (12.9%) patients presenting with symptoms potentially related to CVD and in no patients presenting without symptoms potentially related to CVD (p < 0.01). During a median follow-up of 3.4 (1.2–6.5) months, 204 (43.5%) patients died (incidence rate of 10.1 per 100 person/months). No differences were found between study groups in terms of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–1.12), new in-hospital CV events (HR: 1.03, 95% CI 0.77–1.37), and length of stay (p = 0.57). Conclusions: In a contemporary cohort of cancer patients presenting to a tertiary oncological ED and admitted to an oncology ward, symptoms potentially related to CVD were present in around 40% of patients, but only a minority were actually diagnosed with an acute CVD

Prospects of fatty acid profile and bioactive composition from lipid seeds for the discrimination of apple varieties with the application of chemometrics

The extracted oils from four apple seed varieties (Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Pyrus Malus and Golden Delicious) from Pakistan were investigated for their fatty acid profiles and lipid biactives by GC-MS. The oil contents in the seeds of the apple varieties ranged from 26.8-28.7%. The results revealed that linoleic acid (40.5-49.6%) was the main fatty acid in the Royal Gala, Red Delicious and Pyrus Malus seeds, and oleic acid (38.7-45.5%) was the main fatty acid in the Golden Delicious seeds. Palmitic acid (6.1-7.4%) and stearic acid (2.0-3.1%) were the dominant saturated fatty acids, besides the small amount of palmitoleic, heptadecanoic, linolenic, archidic, eicosanoic, and behenicacids. Sterols, tocopherols, hydrocarbons and some other minor components were also identified from the unsaponifiable lipid fraction. The variation among the results of both fatty acids and lipid bioactives for the four different varieties was assessed by principal component analysis, discriminant analysis and cluster analyses. The results conclude that both oil fractions could be applied as a useful tool to discriminate among the apple seed varieties.<br><br>Se ha estudiado el perfil de ácidos grasos y lípidos biactivos mediante GC-MS del aceite extraído de semillas de cuatro variedades de manzanas de Pakistán (Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Pyrus Malus y Golden Delicious). El contenido de aceite en las semillas de las variedades de manzanas estudiadas oscilaron desde 26,8 hasta 28,7%. Los resultados mostraron que el ácido linoleico (40.5-49.6%) fue el principal ácido graso de las semillas de las variedades Royal Gala, Red Delicious y Pyrus Malus, y el ácido oleico (38,7-45,5%) fue el principal ácido graso de Golden Delicious. Los ácidos palmítico (6.1-7.4%) y esteárico (2,0-3,1%) fueron los ácidos grasos saturados predominantes, las semillas contenían también pequeñas cantidades de palmitoleico, heptadecanoico, linolénico, araquídico, eicosanoico, y behénico. Esteroles, tocoferoles, hidrocarburos, y otros componentes menores también fueron identificados a partir de la fracción insaponificable. La variación de los resultados de ambos, ácidos grasos y lípidos bioactivos, de cuatro variedades diferentes se evaluó mediante análisis de componentes principales, análisis discriminante y análisis de cluster. Los resultados concluyen que las dos fracciones lipídicas de semillas de manzanas podrían aplicarse como una herramienta útil para distinguir variedades

Using Eye-Tracking to Measure Areas of Interest in Digital Advertising

In digital advertising, companies might design their piece without thorough consideration of what areas of interest attract the consumers’ attention. This research measures the preferences of digital advertising by measuring students’ eye movements. This methodological contribution consists of recruiting students at Sacred Heart University and exposing them to pieces of digital advertising from the 2016 Webby Awards. By using eye-tracking technology, students’ areas of interest will be measured using metrics such as, point of gaze; saccade order; heat maps; opacity maps; and areas of interest (AOIs). The participants will look at each digital ad on a monitor for several seconds while the eye-tracking device records metrics. A desktop base eye-tracking tool will be used alongside an online-base survey tool. This is a non-intrusive research method of understanding which areas of a digital ad are relevant to participants. The practical contribution of this research is that digital agencies and marketers can optimize the design, look, and feel of their digital advertising by using eye-tracking technologies to measure the consumers’ reactions to these pieces. Keywords: eye-tracking, eye-tracking technology, eye movement, digital advertising, advertising measurements, areas of interest, point of gaze, Webby Awards, Sacred Heart Universit