Sensitivity Analysis of Composite Indicators through Mixed Model Anova

The paper proposes a new approach for analysing the stability of Composite Indicators. Starting from the consideration that different subjective choices occur in their construction, the paper emphasizes the importance of investigating the possible alternatives in order to have a clear and objective picture of the phenomenon under investigation. Methods dealing with Composite Indicator stability are known in literature as Sensitivity Analysis. In such a framework, the paper presents a new approach based on a combination of explorative and confirmative analysis aiming to investigate the impact of the different subjective choices on the Composite Indicator variability and the related individual differences among the statistical units as well.sensitivity analysis,composite indicators,analysis of variance,principal component analysis

Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction development for rapid detection of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus and comparison with other techniques

[EN] Background: Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a highly infectious tobamovirus that causes severe disease in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crops. In Italy, the first ToBRFV outbreak occurred in 2018 in several provinces of the Sicily region. ToBRFV outbreak represents a serious threat for tomato crops in Italy and the Mediterranean Basin. Methods: Molecular and biological characterisation of the Sicilian ToBRFV ToB-SIC01/19 isolate was performed, and a sensitive and specific Real-time RT-PCR TaqMan minor groove binder probe method was developed to detect ToBRFV in infected plants and seeds. Moreover, four different sample preparation procedures (immunocapture, total RNA extraction, direct crude extract and leaf-disk crude extract) were evaluated. Results: The Sicilian isolate ToB-SIC01/19 (6,391 nt) showed a strong sequence identity with the isolates TBRFV-P12-3H and TBRFV-P12-3G from Germany, Tom 1-Jo from Jordan and TBRFV-IL from Israel. The ToB-SIC01/19 isolate was successfully transmitted by mechanical inoculations in S. lycopersicum L. and Capsicum annuum L., but no transmission occurred in S. melongena L. The developed real-time RT-PCR, based on the use of a primer set designed on conserved sequences in the open reading frames3, enabled a reliable quantitative detection. This method allowed clear discrimination of ToBRFV from other viruses belonging to the genus Tobamovirus, minimising false-negative results. Using immunocapture and total RNA extraction procedures, the real-time RT-PCR and end-point RT-PCR gave the same comparable results. Using direct crude extracts and leaf-disk crude extracts, the end-point RT-PCR was unable to provide a reliable result. This developed highly specific and sensitive real-time RT-PCR assay will be a particularly valuable tool for early ToBRFV diagnosis, optimising procedures in terms of costs and time.Panno, S.; Ruiz-Ruiz, S.; Giovani Carusso, A.; Alfaro Fernández, AO.; Font San Ambrosio, MI.; Davino, S. (2019). Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction development for rapid detection of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus and comparison with other techniques. PeerJ. 7:1-20. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7928S1207Alkowni, R., Alabdallah, O., & Fadda, Z. (2019). Molecular identification of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in tomato in Palestine. Journal of Plant Pathology, 101(3), 719-723. doi:10.1007/s42161-019-00240-7Cambrón-Crisantos, J. M., Rodríguez-Mendoza, J., Valencia-Luna, J. B., Alcasio-Rangel, S., García-Ávila, C. D. J., López-Buenfil, J. A., & Ochoa-Martínez, D. L. (2018). Primer reporte de Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) en Michoacán, México. Revista Mexicana de Fitopatología, Mexican Journal of Phytopathology, 37(1). doi:10.18781/r.mex.fit.1810-5Davino, S., Miozzi, L., Panno, S., Rubio, L., Davino, M., & Accotto, G. P. (2012). Recombination profiles between Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus in laboratory and field conditions: evolutionary and taxonomic implications. Journal of General Virology, 93(12), 2712-2717. doi:10.1099/vir.0.045773-0Davino, S., Napoli, C., Dellacroce, C., Miozzi, L., Noris, E., Davino, M., & Accotto, G. P. (2009). Two new natural begomovirus recombinants associated with the tomato yellow leaf curl disease co-exist with parental viruses in tomato epidemics in Italy. Virus Research, 143(1), 15-23. doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2009.03.001Davino, S., Panno, S., Iacono, G., Sabatino, L., D’Anna, F., Iapichino, G., … Davino, M. (2016). Genetic variation and evolutionary analysis ofPepino mosaic virusin Sicily: insights into the dispersion and epidemiology. Plant Pathology, 66(3), 368-375. doi:10.1111/ppa.12582Ferriol, I., Rangel, E. A., Panno, S., Davino, S., Han, C. G., Olmos, A., & Rubio, L. (2015). Rapid detection and discrimination of fabaviruses by flow-through hybridisation with genus- and species-specific riboprobes. Annals of Applied Biology, 167(1), 26-35. doi:10.1111/aab.12204Fidan, H., Sarikaya, P., & Calis, O. (2019). First report of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus on tomato in Turkey. New Disease Reports, 39(1), 18-18. doi:10.5197/j.2044-0588.2019.039.018Hanssen, I. M., Lapidot, M., & Thomma, B. P. H. J. (2010). Emerging Viral Diseases of Tomato Crops. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®, 23(5), 539-548. doi:10.1094/mpmi-23-5-0539Jacobi, V., Bachand, G. ., Hamelin, R. ., & Castello, J. . (1998). Development of a multiplex immunocapture RT-PCR assay for detection and differentiation of tomato and tobacco mosaic tobamoviruses. Journal of Virological Methods, 74(2), 167-178. doi:10.1016/s0166-0934(98)00086-xLarkin, M. A., Blackshields, G., Brown, N. P., Chenna, R., McGettigan, P. A., McWilliam, H., … Higgins, D. G. (2007). Clustal W and Clustal X version 2.0. Bioinformatics, 23(21), 2947-2948. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btm404Levitzky, N., Smith, E., Lachman, O., Luria, N., Mizrahi, Y., Bakelman, H., … Dombrovsky, A. (2019). The bumblebee Bombus terrestris carries a primary inoculum of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus contributing to disease spread in tomatoes. PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0210871. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0210871Ling, K.-S., Tian, T., Gurung, S., Salati, R., & Gilliard, A. (2019). First Report of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Infecting Greenhouse Tomato in the United States. Plant Disease, 103(6), 1439. doi:10.1094/pdis-11-18-1959-pdnLuria, N., Smith, E., Reingold, V., Bekelman, I., Lapidot, M., Levin, I., … Dombrovsky, A. (2017). A New Israeli Tobamovirus Isolate Infects Tomato Plants Harboring Tm-22 Resistance Genes. PLOS ONE, 12(1), e0170429. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170429Menzel, W., Knierim, D., Winter, S., Hamacher, J., & Heupel, M. (2019). First report of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus infecting tomato in Germany. New Disease Reports, 39(1), 1-1. doi:10.5197/j.2044-0588.2019.039.001Panno, S., Caruso, A. G., & Davino, S. (2017). The nucleotide sequence of a recombinant tomato yellow leaf curl virus strain frequently detected in Sicily isolated from tomato plants carrying the Ty-1 resistance gene. Archives of Virology, 163(3), 795-797. doi:10.1007/s00705-017-3674-9Panno, S., Caruso, A. G., & Davino, S. (2019). First Report of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus on Tomato Crops in Italy. Plant Disease, 103(6), 1443-1443. doi:10.1094/pdis-12-18-2254-pdnPanno, S., Caruso, A. G., Troiano, E., Luigi, M., Manglli, A., Vatrano, T., … Davino, S. (2019). Emergence of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus in Italy: estimation of incidence and genetic diversity. Plant Pathology, 68(3), 601-608. doi:10.1111/ppa.12978Panno, S., Davino, S., Rubio, L., Rangel, E., Davino, M., García-Hernández, J., & Olmos, A. (2012). Simultaneous detection of the seven main tomato-infecting RNA viruses by two multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions. Journal of Virological Methods, 186(1-2), 152-156. doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2012.08.003Panno, S., Ferriol, I., Rangel, E. A., Olmos, A., Han, C.-G., Martinelli, F., … Davino, S. (2014). Detection and identification of Fabavirus species by one-step RT-PCR and multiplex RT-PCR. Journal of Virological Methods, 197, 77-82. doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2013.12.002Pelham, J. (1966). Resistance in tomato to tobacco mosaic virus. Euphytica, 15(2), 258-267. doi:10.1007/bf00022331Puchades, A. V., Carpino, C., Alfaro-Fernandez, A., Font-San-Ambrosio, M. I., Davino, S., Guerri, J., … Galipienso, L. (2017). Detection of Southern tomato virus by molecular hybridisation. Annals of Applied Biology, 171(2), 172-178. doi:10.1111/aab.12367Salem, N., Mansour, A., Ciuffo, M., Falk, B. W., & Turina, M. (2015). A new tobamovirus infecting tomato crops in Jordan. Archives of Virology, 161(2), 503-506. doi:10.1007/s00705-015-2677-

Stat.Edu’21 - New Perspectives in Statistics Education. Proceedings of the International Conference Stat.Edu’21

The volume collects the papers presented at the Conference “Stat.Edu’21 -New Perspectives in Statistics Education”. The Conference was held at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II (25-26 March 2021). The conference was the final event of the “ALEAS - Adaptive LEArning in Statistics”, an ERASMUS+ project (https://aleas-project.eu) developed in the period 2018-2021 to design and implement an Adaptive LEArning system able to offer personalised learning paths to students, with the purpose to provide them remedial advice to deal with the “statistics anxiety”. Stat.Edu’21 aimed at stimulating discussions, solicitations and contributions around the central theme of ALEAS, the development of adaptive learning systems in the field of Higher Education as a complementary tool for traditional courses and promote a community of practice in this field. The volume collects 12 papers reporting reflections and quantitative studies covering mainly three topics: the assessment of the effects of anxiety or more generally of a different attitude in the study of Statistics, tools and methods for the assessment of training paths and technology-based learning experiencesillustratorIl volume raccoglie i contributi presentati alla conferenza “Stat.Edu’21 -New Perspectives in Statistics Education”. La Conferenza è stata ospitata dal Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (25-26 marzo 2021). La conferenza è stata organizzata come evento finale del progetto ERASMUS+ “ALEAS - Adaptive LEArning in Statistics” (https://aleas-project.eu) che si è svolto dal 2018 al 2021. Il progetto ha avuto l’obiettivo di sviluppare e implementare un sistema di apprendimento adattivo che offra percorsi di apprendimento personalizzati agli studenti, con lo scopo ultimo di aiutare gli studenti a fronteggiare l’ansia statistica. Stat.Edu’21 ha stimolato riflessioni, discussioni e contributi sul tema di ALEAS e sullo sviluppo di sistemi di apprendimento adattivo in ambito universitario come strumenti complementari ai corsi tradizionali e contribuito lo scambio di buone pratiche. Il volume comprende 12 contributi che propongono riflessioni e studi quantitativi in particolare su 3 temi: la valutazione degli effetti dell’ansia o più generalmente lo studio di diverse attitudini nello studio della statistica, strumenti e metodi per la valutazione dei percorsi di insegnamento e le esperienze di apprendimento basate sulla tecnologia

Efficacy of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens SH2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens RH43 isolates against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in kiwifruit

The Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., are parasites of many crops and orchards, including kiwifruit trees. The Islamic Republic of Iran is among the leading kiwifruit producers in the world and M. incognita has been found as the dominant species responsible for severe loss of this crop. In order to evaluate the eff ectiveness of antagonistic bacteria on larval mortality, number of galls per plant and egg masses of nematode reduction, fifty local bacterial strains were isolated from root surrounding soils of kiwifruit plants in the northern production areas in Iran. Bacterial antagonists were characterized by morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular methods. Two representative strains, showing the best nematicidal activity, were identif ed as Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens (isolate Sh2) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (isolate Rh43). They increased the percentage of larval mortality to 56:38% and 54:28% respectively in assays in vitro and showed excellent performance also in vivo with consistent reduction of number of galls (67:31% and 55:63%, respectively) and egg mass (86:46% and 84:29%, respectively) in plants. This study indicates that Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens isolate Sh2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate Rh43 are good potential biocontrol agents for containing root-knot nematodes in kiwifruit trees.peer-reviewe

Resilient First-Generation College Students: A Multiple Regression Analysis Examining the Impact of Optimism, Academic Self-Efficacy, Social Support, Religiousness, and Spirituality on Perceived Resilience

First-generation college students (FGCS) have been identified as an at-risk population as evidenced by higher attrition rates, lower socio-economic backgrounds, and are less engaged in the college environment when compared to their college peers. Yet despite these stressors, many will graduate college demonstrating their resilience. This study examined optimism, academic self-efficacy, social support, religiousness, and spirituality as potential protective factors for FGCS who perceive themselves to be resilient. Two-way effects were examined in order to determine if any two-way combination of the five protective factors explored in this study explained more of the variance in perceived resilience of FGCS. Demographic variables were also taken into consideration. The study surveyed 249 FGCS from a small rural state university. The regression model revealed a significant positive relationship between the protective factors of academic self-efficacy, social support, and optimism on perceived resilience. FGCS who indicated having more social support, believed themselves to be optimistic and academically self-efficacious, also perceived themselves to be highly resilient. Furthermore, male FGCS reported higher perceived resiliency scores when compared to female FGCS. The implications, limitations, and the future direction of the research were discussed

Roteiro: nascimento, vida e obra narrativa

Neste artigo partimos do roteiro (guión) como pivô central para refletir sobre as obras audiovisuais. Nos últimos vinte anos, a tendência à revalorização do roteiro é um fato que pode ser comprovado pela crescente demanda por profissionais qualificados, pela difusão (em diversos países) do número de cursos, publicações, pelo surgimento e movimentações políticas de classes de roteiristas e o reconhecimento da necessidade de desenvolvimento de competências diante da multiplicidade de telas, desdobramento das tecnologias de produção e difusão da comunicação audiovisual. Faremos, para isso, uma revisão histórica do cinema nacional, levando em conta as “historias dos roteiristas” que falam por eles mesmo, ou seja, contam sua versão da história; levando em conta a proposta de uma construção histórica contemporânea sobre os roteiristas que estão atuando nesta fase, em que um novo paradigma sobre a importância do roteiro e deste profissional é desenhada.In this article we start from the concept of the script as a central point to arrive to a discussion about film production. For the last twenty years, the tendency to script`s appreciation is a fact that can be proved by: the increasing demand for qualified professionals, the course`s diffusion (in several countries), the publications about the subjetc, and by the creation and political achievement of screen writers organizations. The scripts appreciation can be proved either by the well known need of development os skills to face the media diversity, and the outspread of production and difusion of audiovisual communication technologies. We`ll do, for this, an historical revision of brazilian cinema, considering the "screen writers stories" who speak about themselves, and tell their own version of the screen history. This article proposes to lead to a contemporary historical construction considering the screen writers that work in this new era: the one that brings script and scrpt professionals in prominent place