Designing on subjective tolerance to approximated piano reproductions

Results from three experiments are presented, showing that the perceived acoustic and vibrotactile quality of a reproduced piano does not require models simulating every aspect of the original instrument with great accuracy. It was found that high-quality loudspeaker array passive listening at the pianist's position admits distortions of the sound field. Furthermore, pianists during playing seem to compensate for errors in the auditory scene description. Finally, they are particularly sensitive to the existence of vibrotactile feedback on their fingers meanwhile tolerant about the precision with which this feedback is reproduced. Based on these results we are currently working on a lightweight portable physics-based digital piano design, that should improve upon the experience a pianist with no keyboards at hand makes when interacting with a touch-screen piano software running on smartphones and laptops

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Plasma activated water for an eco sustainable management and defense of agricultural crops

Al giorno d'oggi una delle principali sfide è quella di muoversi verso un'agricoltura eco-sostenibile, in grado di preservare la produzione alimentare attraverso un uso limitato di sostanze chimiche. Attualmente, il sostentamento alimentare globale è raggiunto, quasi esclusivamente, mediante un'agricoltura intensiva basata principalmente sulla monocoltura delle colture più redditizie. Questo approccio riduce drasticamente la biodiversità promuovendo, nelle piante, il manifestarsi di svariati stress di origine abiotica e biotica generalmente controllati mediante un cospicuo impiego di pesticidi. Per promuovere una gestione eco-sostenibile delle malattie delle piante e fornire una metodologia totalmente innovativa, è stata applicata, in campo ed in laboratorio, una nuova tecnologia basata sull'utilizzo di acqua attivata dal plasma (PAW). Questa soluzione, caratterizzata dalla presenza al suo interno di specie reattive dell'ossigeno e dell'azoto in ambiente acido, è stata impiegata con l’obiettivo di migliorare le risposte di difesa delle piante. I risultati, ottenuti su diverse piante (pervinche-viti) e condizioni di crescita (vitro-vivo), indicano l’abilità di PAW nel migliorare le risposte di difesa delle piante sia a livello trascrizionale che post-trascrizionale. Questo stimolo, indotto dalla presenza di forme reattive di ossigeno e azoto in soluzione, genera inoltre la sintesi di importanti composti antiossidanti impiegati nell’industria farmaceutica. Infine, l’applicazione di PAW direttamente in campo ha evidenziato come queste proprietà, dimostrate in laboratorio, abbiano portato ad una riduzione di piante positive alla presenza di fitoplasmi e all’aumento dei loro parametri quantitativi di resa.Nowadays one of the main challenges is moving towards an eco-sustainable agriculture, able to preserve the food production through a limited chemicals use. Currently, a global food sustenance is achieved by intensive agriculture mainly based on economic crops monoculture. This approach drastically reduces the biodiversity increasing yield losses due to biotic and abiotic stress and leads to massive use of pesticides. To ensure yield stability and to promote an eco-sustainable management of plant diseases, a new technology based on plasma activated water (PAW), characterized by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in acid environment, was applied to enhance plant resistance responses. Our results, obtained on different plants (periwinkles- grapevines) and growth conditions (vitro-vivo), indicate that PAW enhances plant defence responses at both, transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, leading likely to the synthesis of anti-oxidant compounds employed in the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, in vineyards these effects resulted on reduction of phytoplasma-positive plants and on increasing of quantitative yield parameters

TROPICSAFE: WP1: Grapevine yellows Italy

This dataset contains the underlying data of the following publication: Y. Zambon, A. Canel, A. Bertaccini, N. Contaldo, 2018. Molecular diversity of phytoplasmas associated with grapevine yellows disease in North-Eastern Italy. Phytopathology, 108:2, 206-214. DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-07-17-0253-R In particular, the results obtained from a 3-year survey in different vineyards located in Treviso province (Italy) were presented in tables and figures. The tables 1-3 contain the number of grapevine and insect samples positive to phytoplasma presence and the molecular characterization of these prokaryotes on different genes. Lineages corresponding to different restriction profiles are shown, supporting the findings of a number of variants of different phytoplasmas among both, plants and insects. Table 4 contains the list of GenBank accession number of the sequences used in phylogenetic analyses in comparison with sequences obtained in the survey and listed in table 2

Molecular diversity of phytoplasmas associated with grapevine yellows disease in north-eastern Italy

A 3-year survey was conducted in Northern Italy to verify the presence and diversity of phytoplasmas in selected vineyards showing symptoms of severe yellows. Symptomatic and asymptomatic grapevines were sampled, and insects were collected using yellow sticky traps. The phytoplasmas detected in grapevine samples were different according to the years: "flavescence dor\ue9e" (16SrV-C/D) was detected together with other phytoplasmas such as 16SrXII-A ('Candidatus Phytoplasma solani'- related, bois noir), 16SrI-B ('Ca. P. asteris'-related, aster yellows), 16SrX-B ('Ca. P. prunorum'-related, European stone fruit yellows), and 16SrV-A ('Ca. P. ulmi'-related, elm yellows). Moreover, phytoplasmas belonging to 16SrVII-A ('Ca. P. fraxini'-related) and 16SrVI ('Ca. P. Trifolii'-related) subgroups were also identified. Identification of phytoplasmas was also carried out from insects and showed the presence of some of these phytoplasmas in Scaphoideus titanus and Orientus ishidae: 16SrXII-A, 16SrVII, and 16SrVI phytoplasmas were detected in specimens of both species, while 16SrXII-A and 16SrI-B phytoplasma strains were identified in Orientus ishidae and Hyalesthes obsoletus, and 16SrX-B in S. Titanus. Direct sequencing of selected amplicons obtained from 16S rRNA, rp, and tuf genes from grapevine and insect samples confirmed the phytoplasma identification. The 16SrVII-A and 16SrVI phytoplasmas were never detected before in grapevine, S. Titanus and Orientus ishidae in Europe and their epidemiological importance is being monitored

Phytoplasmas detected in insects and spontaneous vegetation near vineyards with yellows diseases in Italy

Surveys in and nearby vineyards in some Italian provinces were carried out to detect alternative host plants and possible insect vectors of phytoplasmas detected in grapevines. Aster yellows is the prevalent phytoplasma detected in both beside the 16SrXII-A and 16SrV-C phytoplasmas. Moreover other phytoplasmas belonging to diverse ribosomal groups were identified indicating a relevant epidemiological role of spontaneous vegetation and possible new insect vectors in the grapevine yellows

Phytoplasmas detected in insects and spontaneous vegetation near vineyards with yellows diseases in Italy

Surveys in and nearby vineyards in some Italian provinces were carried out to detect alternative host plants and possible insect vectors of phytoplasmas detected in grapevines. Aster yellows is the prevalent phytoplasma detected in both beside the 16SrXII-A and 16SrV-C phytoplasmas. Moreover other phytoplasmas belonging to diverse ribosomal groups were identified indicating a relevant epidemiological role of spontaneous vegetation and possible new insect vectors in the grapevine yellow

Early onset hereditary neuronopathies: an update on non-5q motor neuron diseases

Hereditary motor neuropathies (HMN) were first defined as a group of neuromuscular disorders characterized by lower motor neuron dysfunction, slowly progressive length-dependent distal muscle weakness and atrophy, without sensory involvement. Their cumulative estimated prevalence is 2.14/100.000 and, to date, around 30 causative genes have been identified with autosomal dominant, recessive, and X-linked inheritance. Despite the advances of next generation sequencing, more than 60% of patients with HMN remain genetically uncharacterised. Of note, we are increasingly aware of the broad range of phenotypes caused by pathogenic variants in the same gene and of the considerable clinical and genetic overlap between HMN and other conditions, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2; axonal), spinal muscular atrophy with lower extremities predominance (SMA-LED), neurogenic arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), and juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Considering that most HMN present during childhood, in this review we primarily aim to summarise key clinical features of paediatric forms, including recent data on novel phenotypes, to help guide differential diagnosis and genetic testing. Secondly, we describe newly identified causative genes and molecular mechanisms, and discuss how the discovery of these is changing the paradigm through which we approach this group of conditions

Neurosurgery in times of a pandemic: a survey of neurosurgical services during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Veneto region in Italy

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and of the subsequent lockdown on the neurosurgical services of the Veneto region in Italy compared to the previous 4 years. Methods: A survey was conducted in all 6 neurosurgical departments in the Veneto region to collect data about surgical, inpatient care and endovascular procedures during the month of March for each year from 2016 to 2020. Safety measures to avoid infection from SARS-CoV-2 and any COVID-19 cases reported among neurosurgical patients or staff members were considered. Results: The mean number of neurosurgical admissions for the month of March over the 2016-2019 period was 663, whereas in March 2020 admissions decreased by 42%. Emergency admissions decreased by 23%. The average number of neurosurgical procedures was 697, and declined by 30% (range -10% to -51% in individual centers). Emergency procedures decreased in the same period by 23%. Subarachnoid hemorrhage and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage both decreased in Veneto-by 25% and 22%, respectively. Coiling for unruptured aneurysm, coiling for ruptured aneurysm, and surgery for ruptured aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation diminished by 49%, 27%, and 78%, respectively. Endovascular procedures for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) increased by 33% in 2020 (28 procedures in total). There was a slight decrease (8%) in brain tumor surgeries. Neurosurgical admissions decreased by 25% and 35% for head trauma and spinal trauma, respectively, while surgical procedures for head trauma diminished by 19% and procedures for spinal trauma declined by 26%. Admissions and surgical treatments for degenerative spine were halved. Eleven healthcare workers and 8 patients were infected in the acute phase of the pandemic. Conclusions: This multicenter study describes the effects of a COVID-19 outbreak on neurosurgical activities in a vast region in Italy. Remodulation of neurosurgical activities has resulted in a significant reduction of elective and emergency surgeries compared to previous years. Most likely this is a combined result of cancellation of elective and postponable surgeries, increase of conservative management, increase in social restrictions, and in patients' fear of accessing hospitals. Curiously, only endovascular procedures for AIS have increased, possibly due to reduced physical activity or increased thrombosis in SARS-CoV-2. The confounding effect of thrombectomy increase over time cannot be excluded. No conclusion can be drawn on AIS incidence. Active monitoring with nasopharyngeal swabs, wearing face masks, and using separate pathways for infected patients reduce the risk of infection