Nutritional relationships in bitter pit-affected fruit and the feasibility of Vis-NIR models to determine calcium concentration in Fuji apples.

Fuji is among the most cultivated apples worldwide but affected by the disorder bitter pit (BP). Calcium deficiency plays an important role on fruit susceptibility to BP. The objectives of this study were to determine nutritional relationships in BP-affected fruit and to verify if Vis-NIR models can predict Ca concentration in Fuji apples. Fruit was harvested during 2018 season from two different orchards with historical high BP incidence. Seven hundred and fifty apples were stored at 0 ?C for 150 days plus 10 days at 20 ?C for BP assessments. After storage, 20 fruit with BP symptoms (BP+) and 20 healthy fruit (BP?) were assessed individually for mineral concentration. Vis-NIR evaluation involved a spectra range from 285 to 1200 nm to predict Ca concentration from ?Fuji? powder enriched Ca solutions. In each orchard, healthy apples had significantly higher Ca concentration than apples with BP. The K/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios were significantly lower in healthy fruit compared with BP? affected fruit. The relationship B/Ca proved to be significant in BP fruit. Although Ca interaction with organic substances and/or cellular structures could influence NIR spectra in fresh fruit, our results showed that Vis-NIR models could not be used to direct prediction of fruit Ca concentration

Activation of the SIGRIS monitoring system for ground deformation mapping during the Emilia 2012 seismic sequence, using COSMO-SkyMed InSAR data

On May 20, 2012, at 02:03 UTC, a moderate earthquake of local magnitude, ML 5.9 started a seismic sequence in the central Po Plain of northern Italy (Figure 1) [Scognamiglio et al. 2012, this volume]. The mainshock occurred in an area where seismicity of comparable magnitude has neither been recorded nor reported in the historical record over the last 1,000 years [Rovida et al. 2011]. The aftershock sequence evolved rapidly near the epicenter, with diminishing magnitudes until May 29, 2012, when at 07:00 UTC a large earthquake of ML 5.8 occurred 12 km WSW of the mainshock, starting a new seismic sequence in the western area (Figure 1); a total of seven earthquakes with ML >5 occurred in the area between May 20 and June 3, 2012 (Figure 1). The details of the seismic sequence can be found in the report by Scognamiglio et al. [2012]. Immediately after the mainshock, the Italian Department of Civil Protection (Dipartimento di Protezione Civile; DPC) requested the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana; ASI) to activate the Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation (COSMOSkyMed) to provide Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) coverage of the area. COSMO-SkyMed consists of four satellites in a 16-day repeat-pass cycle, with each carrying the same SAR payload [Italian Space Agency 2007]. In the current orbital configuration, within each 16- day cycle, image pairs with temporal baselines of 1, 3, 4 and 8 days can be formed from the images acquired by the four different sensors. Combined with the availability of a wide range of electronically steered antenna beams with incidence angles ranging from about 16° to 50° at near-range [E-geos 2012], this capability allows trade-offs between temporal and spatial coverage to be exploited during acquisition planning. A joint team involving the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV; National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) and the Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell'Ambiente (IREA-CNR; Institute for the Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment) was activated to generate InSAR-based scientific products to support the emergency management. In this framework, the ASI and DPC requested that INGV activated the Spacebased Monitoring System for Seismic Risk Management (SIGRIS) [Salvi et al. 2010]. SIGRIS consists of a hardware/ software infrastructure that is designed to provide the DPC with value-added information products in the different phases of the seismic cycle. During earthquake emergencies, its goal is to rapidly provide decision-support products, such as validated ground-displacement maps and seismic source models. This study reports the details of the activation of the SIGRIS system in the case of the Emilia sequence. It provides a description of the COSMO-SkyMed datasets and processing procedures, as well as selected interferometric results for the coseismic and post-seismic ground deformation. Fault modeling results for the seismic sources of the largest earthquakes, and a more detailed discussion of the observed ground deformations are reported in Pezzo et al. [2012]

Rachis browning and water loss description during postharvest storage of ‘Krissy’ and ‘Thompson Seedless’ table grapes

Rachis browning is a serious symptom of water loss affecting the quality of table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) during storage. It has been evaluated subjectively based on a color scale or by image analysis, while water loss, which is considered as the main factor behind this problem, is mostly measured on basis of whole-cluster weight loss, with only few studies focusing on the rachis exclusively. Our main objective was to compare the sensitivity to water loss and rachis browning of ‘Krissy’ and ‘Thompson Seedless’ cultivars under different storage conditions and using different methods of evaluation (NIR spectrometry, image analysis, colorimeter, weight loss from initial weight and relative water content). The rachises were evaluated during 3 d subjected to a combination of temperatures (0 °C or 20 °C), relative humidity (Saturated or reduced RH), and previous storage at 0 °C for 0 (HT, Harvest Time) and 30 days (ST, Storage Time). NIR spectra (896−2500 nm) were collected, and Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) models were calculated to test the correlation between the spectra and the measurements from other evaluation techniques. Results showed that ‘Krissy’ is more sensitive to dehydration symptoms than ‘Thompson Seedless’. Saturated RH combined with low temperature (0 °C) are the most suitable to reduce rachis browning and water loss during the 3 d of storage at both HT and ST. The decrease in RWC (Relative Water Content) coincided with an increase in rachis browning throughout storage. Additionally, results provided six NIRS-based prediction models for browning severity (R2 = 0.82 and 0.84), hue color (R2 = 0.68 and 0.72) and water loss (R2 = 0.63 and 0.90) in rachises of ‘Krissy’ and ‘Thompson Seedless’, respectively. These results demonstrate that the NIRS can be a suitable non-destructive method to quantify a range of rachis browning severity produced under different storage conditions

Immunological alterations in individuals exposed to metal(loid)s in the Panasqueira mining area, Central Portugal

Environmental studies performed in Panasqueira mine area (central Portugal) identified high concentrations of several metal(loid)s in environmental media, and individuals environmentally and occupationally exposed showed higher levels of As, Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb and Zn in blood, urine, hair and nails when compared to unexposed controls. To evaluate the presence of immunological alterations attributable to environmental contamination, we quantified neopterin, kynurenine, tryptophan, and nitrite concentrations in plasma, and analysed the percentage of several lymphocytes subsets, namely CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, CD19+ B-cells, and CD16+56+ natural killer (NK) cells in a group of individuals previously tested for metal(loid) levels in different biological matrices. The environmentally exposed group had significantly lower levels of %CD8+ and higher CD4+/CD8+ ratios, whereas the occupationally exposed individuals showed significant decreases in %CD3+ and %CD4+, and significant increases in %CD16+56+, when compared to controls. Analysed biomarkers were found to be influenced by age, particularly neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (Kyn/Trp) with significantly higher levels in older individuals, and %CD3+, %CD8+ and %CD19+ with significantly lower values in older individuals. Males environmentally exposed showed significantly lower values of %CD19+ when compared to control females. The concentration of Pb in toenails was associated to the level of neopterin, kynurenine and Kyn/Trp ratio (all direct), and the concentration of Mn in blood to the level of %CD8+, %CD19+ (both inverse) and CD4+/CD8+ ratio (direct). Overall our results show that the metal(loid) contamination in Panasqueira mine area induced immunotoxic effects in exposed populations, possibly increasing susceptibility to diseases.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the grant SFRH/BD/47781/2008 and the project PTDC/SAU-ESA/102367/2008, and by the European Commission (ERA NET — New INDIGO Program, NanoLINEN project, PIM2010ENI-00632). The work of Roberto Zoffoli, Valentina Dall'Armi, and Stefano Bonassi was supported by grants funded by the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC)

Genotoxic effect of exposure to metal(loid)s. A molecular epidemiology survey of populations living and working in Panasqueira mine area, Portugal

Previous studies investigating the exposure to metal(loid)s of populations living in the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal found a higher internal dose of elements such as arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese, molybdenum and zinc in exposed individuals. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the extent of genotoxic damage caused by environmental and occupational exposure in individuals previously tested for metal(loid) levels in different biological matrices, and the possible modulating role of genetic polymorphisms involved in metabolism and DNA repair. T-cell receptor mutation assay, comet assay, micronucleus (MN) test and chromosomal aberrations (CA) were performed in a group of 122 subjects working in the Panasqueira mine or living in the same region. The modifying effect of polymorphisms in GSTA2, GSTM1, GSTP1, GSTT1, XRCC1, APEX1, MPG, MUTYH, OGG1, PARP1, PARP4, ERCC1, ERCC4, and ERCC5 genes was investigated. Significant increases in the frequency of all biomarkers investigated were found in exposed groups, however those environmentally exposed were generally higher. Significant influences of polymorphisms were observed for GSTM1 deletion and OGG1 rs1052133 on CA frequencies, APEX1 rs1130409 on DNA damage, ERCC1 rs3212986 on DNA damage and CA frequency, and ERCC4 rs1800067 on MN and CA frequencies. Our results show that the metal(loid) contamination in the Panasqueira mine area induced genotoxic damage both in individuals working in the mine or living in the area. The observed effects are closely associated to the internal exposure dose, and are more evident in susceptible genotypes. The urgent intervention of authorities is required to protect exposed populations

Biomonitoring of several toxic metal(loid)s in different biological matrices from environmentally and occupationally exposed populations from Panasqueira mine area, Portugal

In the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal, some environmental media show higher metal(loid) concentrations when compared with the local geochemical background and the values proposed in the literature for these environmental media. In order to evaluate the effect of the external contamination on selected indexes of internal dose, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, Si, and Zn were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry in blood, urine, hair and nail samples from individuals environmentally (N = 41) and occupationally exposed (N = 41). A matched control group (N = 40) was also studied, and data from the three groups were compared. Results obtained agreed with those reported by environmental studies performed in this area, pointing to populations living nearby and working in the mine being exposed to metal(loid)s originated from mining activities. Arsenic was the element with the highest increase in exposed populations. The concentration of other elements such as Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, and Zn was also increased, although at a lesser extent, specifically in the individuals environmentally exposed and in females. These findings confirm the need for competent authorities to act as soon as possible in this area and implement strategies aimed to protect exposed populations and the entire ecosystem.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through Grants SFRH/BD/47781/2008, SFRH/BD/63343/2009, and SFRH/BPD/26689/2006, and project PTDC/SAU-ESA/102367/2008. The work of Stefano Bonassi, Valentina Dall’Armi, and Roberto Zoffoli was supported by a grant funded by the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC)