Study on the suitable lighting design of Beato Angelico’s artworks displayed at the National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa (Italy)

The lighting design of exhibition space has a great impact on visual and colour perception and different lighting arrangements can create very different visual impression of artworks and, if not carefully designed, compromise the enjoyment of the viewers. This study involved the design of a new lighting solution for two of Beato Angelico’s artworks displayed at the National Museum of San Matteo (Pisa, Italy). Multiple test lighting configurations were designed using different LED luminaires and different settings of the luminaires. The test lighting configurations were evaluated by a restricted group of observers through a survey in order to individuate the most suitable solution, able to enhance the two artworks simultaneously and to provide a good visual experience for museum visitors

Semiochemicals, semiophysicals and their integration for the development of innovative multi-modal systems for agricultural pests’ monitoring and control

4openInternationalSemiochemicals are informative molecules emitted by living organisms that affect the behavior of receivers. As herbivorous insects are primarily thought to depend on olfaction and taste for their intra- and interspecific communication, semiochemicals have been widely studied for pest management applications. However, given that pest behavior does not rely on just one communication modality, stimuli of physical nature, such as light, sounds and vibrations, can also be used to manipulate insect-insect or insect-plant interactions. Moreover, stimuli of different natures can be combined in a multi-modal pest management program to increase the overall efficacy. Besides the widespread use of both chemical and physical signals in multimodal insect communication, the integration of stimuli has hardly been implemented for hardly any crop. This review introduces the term semiophysicals as opposed to semiochemicals and focuses on pest behavioral manipulation by discussing three main approaches; i) manipulation of pest orientation through attractive/repellent stimuli, ii) inhibition or promotion of specific pest behaviors and iii) interference with intraspecific communication through disruptive stimuli. For each approach, we provide examples of use of both semiochemicals and semiophysicals. Lastly, we describe the case study of the vineyard agroecosystem in the Trento province, where a multi-pest management program has been successfully developed, and we discuss future perspectives.openNieri, R.; Anfora, G.; Mazzoni, V.; Rossi Stacconi, M.V.Nieri, R.; Anfora, G.; Mazzoni, V.; Rossi Stacconi, M.V

Phylogenetic Evidence for the Existence of Multiple Strains of Rickettsia parkeri in the New World

Free PMC Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5881050/The bacterium Rickettsia parkeri has been reported to infect ticks of the "Amblyomma maculatum species complex" in the New World, where it causes spotted fever illness in humans. In South America, three additional rickettsial strains, namely, Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum, have been isolated from the ticks Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma nodosum, and Amblyomma parvitarsum, respectively. These three strains are phylogenetically closely related to R. parkeri, Rickettsia africae, and Rickettsia sibirica Herein, we performed a robust phylogenetic analysis encompassing 5 genes (gltA, ompA, virB4, dnaA, and dnaK) and 3 intergenic spacers (mppE-pur, rrl-rrf-ITS, and rpmE-tRNAfMet) from 41 rickettsial isolates, including different isolates of R. parkeri, R. africae, R. sibirica, Rickettsia conorii, and strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum. In our phylogenetic analyses, all New World isolates grouped in a major clade distinct from the Old World Rickettsia species (R. conorii, R. sibirica, and R. africae). This New World clade was subdivided into the following 4 clades: the R. parkerisensu stricto clade, comprising the type strain Maculatum 20 and all other isolates of R. parkeri from North and South America, associated with ticks of the A. maculatum species complex; the strain NOD clade, comprising two South American isolates from A. nodosum ticks; the Parvitarsum clade, comprising two South American isolates from A. parvitarsum ticks; and the strain Atlantic rainforest clade, comprising six South American isolates from the A. ovale species complex (A. ovale or Amblyomma aureolatum). Under such evidences, we propose that strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum are South American strains of R. parkeriIMPORTANCE Since the description of Rickettsia parkeri infecting ticks of the "Amblyomma maculatum species complex" and humans in the New World, three novel phylogenetic close-related rickettsial isolates were reported in South America. Herein, we provide genetic evidence that these novel isolates, namely, strains Atlantic rainforest, NOD, and Parvitarsum, are South American strains of R. parkeri. Interestingly, each of these R. parkeri strains seems to be primarily associated with a tick species group, namely, R. parkerisensu stricto with the "Amblyomma maculatum species group," R. parkeri strain NOD with Amblyomma nodosum, R. parkeri strain Parvitarsum with Amblyomma parvitarsum, and R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest with the "Amblyomma ovale species group." Such rickettsial strain-tick species specificity suggests a coevolution of each tick-strain association. Finally, because R. parkerisensu stricto and R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest are human pathogens, the potential of R. parkeri strains NOD and Parvitarsum to be human pathogens cannot be discarded.This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (grant 2011/51979-1 to F.A.N.-B.) and by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior CAPES/PROEX 1841/2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Smile esthetic evaluation of mucogingival reconstructive surgery

To assess the difference in smile esthetic impact of Coronally Advanced Flap (CAF) with or without the adjunct of a collagen matrix (CMX) used as root coverage procedures. Subjects with esthetic demands showing multiple upper gingival recessions of at least 2 mm, without interproximal attachment loss and cervical abrasion no more than 1 mm were recruited and randomized to CAF plus CMX or CAF alone. The Smile Esthetic Index (SEI) was adopted to quantify the quality of the smile recorded at baseline and 12 months after treatment for each treatment group. In addition, between group difference in the SEI was calculated. 24 Patients were treated and analysed. At baseline, mean gingival recession depths were 2.3 ± 0.7 mm for Test group and 2.6 ± 1.0 mm for Control group. After 1 year, the residual recession depth was 0.3 ± 0.4 mm in the CAF + CMX group and 0.6 ± 0.3 mm in the control group. The SEI at baseline was 8.1 ± 1.0 and 7.9 ± 0.7 for Test and Control group, respectively. The between groups difference at 12 months in SEI was 0.4 (95% C.I. − 0.0 to 0.8, P = 0.0697). Twelve months after treatment, CAF + CMX provided a similar SEI compared to CAF alone and the adjunct of a collagen matrix did not show a different impact on the smile esthetic appearance

Ants modulate stridulatory signals depending on the behavioural context

Insect societies require an effective communication system to coordinate members’ activities. Although eusocial species primarily use chemical communication to convey information to conspecifics, there is increasing evidence suggesting that vibroacoustic communication plays a significant role in the behavioural contexts of colony life. In this study, we sought to determine whether stridulation can convey information in ant societies. We tested three main hypotheses using the Mediterranean ant Crematogaster scutellaris: (i) stridulation informs about the emitter’caste; (ii) workers can modulate stridulation based on specific needs, such as communicating the profitability of a food resource, or (iii) behavioural contexts. We recorded the stridulations of individuals from the three castes, restrained on a substrate, and the signals emitted by foragers workers feeding on honey drops of various sizes. Signals emitted by workers and sexuates were quantitatively and qualitatively distinct as was stridulation emitted by workers on different honey drops. Comparing across the experimental setups, we demonstrated that signals emitted in different contexts (restraining vs feeding) differed in emission patterns as well as certain parameters (dominant frequency, amplitude, duration of chirp). Our findings suggest that vibrational signaling represents a flexible communication channel paralleling the well-known chemical communication system

The effect of the sterile insect technique on vibrational communication: the case of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

The painted bug, Bagrada hilaris, is an agricultural pest in its original areas (Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East), and it has recently been recorded as an invasive species in southwestern part of the US, Chile, Mexico, and two islands in the Mediterranean basin. Its polyphagous diet causes severe damage to economically important crops. The control of this pest is primarily achieved by means of synthetic pesticides, which are often expensive, ineffective, and harmful to the ecosystem. Recent physiological bioassays to assess its potential control through the sterile insect technique demonstrated that mating between untreated females and males irradiated at doses of 64 and 100 Gy, respectively, resulted in 90% and 100% sterility of the eggs produced by the females. In this study, the mating abilities of virgin males irradiated at 60 and 100 Gy with virgin females were measured through a study of short-range courtship mediated by vibrational communication. The results indicate that males irradiated at 100 Gy emit signals with lower peak frequencies, mate significantly less than unirradiated males do, and do not surpass the early stages of courtship. Conversely, males irradiated at 60 Gy present vibrational signal frequencies that are comparable to those of the control and successfully mated males. Our findings suggest that B. hilaris individuals irradiated at 60 Gy are good candidates for the control of this species, given that they retain sexual competitiveness regardless of their sterility, through an area-wide program that incorporates the sterile insect technique

Radioligand therapy (RLT) as neoadjuvant treatment for inoperable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a literature review

In the last 10 years, several literature reports supported radioligand therapy (RLT) in neoadjuvant settings for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). Indeed, primary tumor shrinkage has been frequently reported following RLT in unresectable or borderline resectable PanNETs. Moreover, RLT-induced intratumoral modifications facilitate surgery, both on primary tumor and metastasis, having a great impact on progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and quality of life (QoL). However, prospective controlled investigations are necessary to confirm preliminary data and to define the best RLT scheme and the ideal patient that, in a multidisciplinary approach, should be referred to neoadjuvant RLT