Innovative solutions for the wine sector: the role of startups

The economic globalisation has opened new pathways for commerce and triggered a logistical revolution, which in turn has produced enormous technological innovations. In this context, the role of startups is becoming increasingly crucial since they are positioning themselves as innovation enablers among large and small companies. Between these innovations, IoT, Big Data Analytics and Blockchain can be used in various domains, among which the logistics of the whole wine supply chain. Here we will consider some of the issues and needs that arise in this market sector, showing how Wenda, a startup born in Bologna in February 2015 that works to improve sustainability and traceability in Food & Beverage supply chains, has been able to leverage IoT, Big Data Analytics and Blockchain to empower the wine supply chain with solutions that enable wine traceability throughout the distribution and the after-buying-in preservation and commercialisation phases

The Effect of Learning Organization Environment and Innovative Work Behavior Under the Moderation Role of Employee Engagement in Public Sector Organization

The main objective of the study is to explore the impact of learning organization environment on innovative work behavior. The study results show that learning organization environment explained a significant relation with innovative work behavior also with the mediator variable that is employee engagement. Convenience sampling is used as the sampling strategy. This survey is based on questionnaire and data is collected from 140 managers of Public sector organizations located in Faisalabad. To analyses the data, SPSS version 23.0 is used. To check the relationship between the variables correlation analysis is used and to checks the effect between variables linear regression analysis is used. Thus, all the hypotheses showed significant results. Keywords: Learning Organization environment, innovative work behavior, employee engagemen

Onset and evolution of dysphagia in Huntington’s Disease

Background Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor disturbances, cognitive decline and behaviour changes. Dysphagia is a well-recognized feature in advanced HD stage that leads to malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia, the latter representing the first causes of death in HD. However, no data are available about the onset of dysphagia during the disease course and the correlation between dysphagia severity and disease progression. Aim The aim of the study was to characterize dysphagia in patients with HD from early to advanced stages of the disease. Methods Dysphagia was investigated in 43 patients with HD by fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing (FEES). FEES recordings were de-identified and assessed by a blinded judge. Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS), Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS), and Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale (YALE) were used to rate dysphagia severity, swallowing safety, and swallowing efficacy, respectively. For disease severity, all patients were assessed with the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and were classi\ufb01ed as early-stage, moderate-stage or advanced stage HD based on Shoulson-Fahn stages. Results FEES was well tolerated in all the subjects. Data showed that 30% of early-stage patients with HD already exhibit dysphagia (DOSS 645). Prevalence of dysphagia noticeably increased to 90% in the moderate stage of the disease, while reached 100% in the advanced stage. PAS scores progressively worsened with the disease stage. On the contrary, YALE scores remained stable in the various stages of disease and showed a greater amount of residue in the valleculae compared to pyriform sinus. A Total Motor Score of the UHDRS >37 correctly identified patients with dysphagia with 82% sensitivity and 73% specificity. Conclusion This study provides a better understanding of dysphagia onset and development in HD and may guide the definition of clinical care standard for dysphagia recognition and management, aimed at reducing nutritional and pulmonary complications

Plasticity of the Anemonia viridis microbiota in response to different levels of combined anthropogenic and environmental stresses

Despite their recognized primary importance, marine coastal ecosystems around the globe are currently under threat, being subject to continuous local and global anthropogenic stressors. In this frame, understanding the response of coastal habitat-forming species to multiple stressors and their resilience is fundamental for the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems. In the present study, to provide some glimpses in this direction, we explored the response of the Anemonia viridis-associated microbiota to the combined anthropogenic stressors, which typically affect touristic hotspots at Mediterranean coastal sites. To this aim, two case studies have been carried out, the first in the Riccione coastal site (Italy, Center Mediterranean) and the second at Cap de Creus (Spain, North-western Mediterranean), where the A. viridis microbiota was assessed under the conditions of both high and low anthropogenic pressure. According to our findings, the A. viridis microbiota showed a relevant degree of plasticity in response to combined anthropogenic and environmental stressors, with changes that also mirrored variations in the surrounding seawater, thus indicating a close connection with the environment, from which potential symbiotic partners are selected. However, this potentially adaptive process also has a limitation, as observed in the highly anthropogenic impact site of Cap de Creus, where A. viridis-associated microbiota appeared completely unstructured, as demonstrated by an increased dispersion according to the Anna Karenina principle. This raises the question about the resilience of the A. viridis-associated microbiota under combined climate and anthropogenic threats, as well as of the anthropogenic factors driving the observed dysbiosis changes

Refinement of the NISECI ecological index reference conditions for Italian freshwater fish communities in the eastern Emilia-Romagna region

Following the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/CE (WFD), each member state of the European Union must monitor compliance of its rivers with ecological quality standards through biological quality indicators. The New Italian Index of the Ecological State of Fish Communities (NISECI) was developed in 2017 for the assessment of fish communities, as directed by the WFD in Italian freshwater habitats. According to the WFD, the general reference conditions (GRCs) of NISECI must be refined on a regional scale through new calculation of its metrics and sub-metrics. In the present study we used environmental and ichthyological data from 457 fish samplings distributed among 299 sampling sites within 84 different water bodies collected from 1995 to 2012 to develop: 1) new lists of expected species for six homogeneous zones identified in the Reno basin (Italy) and in the eastern regional basins of the Emilia-Romagna region; and 2) the threshold values for their species-specific abundance. Results were set as refined reference conditions (RRCs) for two of the metrics used in the application of the NISECI index in the study area (i.e. X1, relating to indigenous species and X2,b, for the abundance of expected species). The RRCs were tested by applying NISECI to 24 monitoring sites of the regional surface water monitoring network (i.e., ARPAE) and comparing the results with the application of NISECI using the GRCs. Furthermore, the analytical power of the refined NISECI was evaluated by relating the findings to three expertbased blind assessments of fish community ecological status. The results confirmed an increase in refined NISECI values and its higher consistency with expert-based assessment, supporting the validity of the presented method for RRC development and its potential for application in other regions

Conservation status of Apis mellifera ruttneri inferred from whole genome sequences

Apis mellifera ruttneri is the native honey bee subspecies from the Maltese islands (Malta, Comino and Gozo). This African-lineage subspecies is adapted to the harsh environmental conditions and to the limited forage season of these islands. For many years, it was considered highly hybridized, due to the large and sustained importation of foreign subspecies, especially A. m. ligustica, perceived by many beekeepers as superior or for commercial reasons. Recent studies based on morphometry and mitochondrial DNA have suggested the occurrence of A. m. ruttneri, particularly in the main island. Conservation initiatives and a breeding program have been developed, but to date its conservation status is not fully known. As part of the MEDIBEES project, here, over 50 A. m. ruttneri georeferenced colonies collected from across Malta, as well as 50 several reference subspecies (A. m. ligustica, A. m. siciliana, A. m. iberiensis, A. m. sahariensis, and A. m. intermissa) were whole genome sequenced. The population structure and admixture were assessed from genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms using model and distance based-methods. The results show varying levels of admixture proportions of A. m. ruttneri with C-lineage honey bees across Malta but also a shared ancestry with the honey bees of north Africa, consistent with the putative natural colonization from Africa in ancient times.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ecological and social factors influence interspecific pathogens occurrence among bees

The interspecific transmission of pathogens can occur frequently in the environment. Among wild bees, the main spillover cases are caused by pathogens associated with Apis mellifera, whose colonies can act as reservoirs. Due to the limited availability of data in Italy, it is challenging to accurately assess the impact and implications of this phenomenon on the wild bee populations. In this study, a total of 3372 bees were sampled from 11 Italian regions within the BeeNet project, evaluating the prevalence and the abundance of the major honey bee pathogens (DWV, BQCV, ABPV, CBPV, KBV, Nosema ceranae, Ascosphaera apis, Crithidia mellificae, Lotmaria passim, Crithidia bombi). The 68.4% of samples were positive for at least one pathogen. DWV, BQCV, N. ceranae and CBPV showed the highest prevalence and abundance values, confirming them as the most prevalent pathogens spread in the environment. For these pathogens, Andrena, Bombus, Eucera and Seladonia showed the highest mean prevalence and abundance values. Generally, time trends showed a prevalence and abundance decrease from April to July. In order to predict the risk of infection among wild bees, statistical models were developed. A low influence of apiary density on pathogen occurrence was observed, while meteorological conditions and agricultural management showed a greater impact on pathogen persistence in the environment. Social and biological traits of wild bees also contributed to defining a higher risk of infection for bivoltine, communal, mining and oligolectic bees. Out of all the samples tested, 40.5% were co-infected with two or more pathogens. In some cases, individuals were simultaneously infected with up to five different pathogens. It is essential to increase knowledge about the transmission of pathogens among wild bees to understand dynamics, impact and effects on pollinator populations. Implementing concrete plans for the conservation of wild bee species is important to ensure the health of wild and human-managed bees within a One-Health perspective