Variability of morphological descriptors in Sicilian oat (Avena sativa L.) populations

Due to its rusticity and feasibility of use, oat (Avena sativa L.) represents a crucial agronomic and economic resource for many semiarid environments. Presently, the recourse to new commercial varieties has caused a dramatic lowering of areas covered with the traditional local genotypes, and a severe risk of genetic erosion is emerging. To deepen the knowledge about the autochthonous oat populations, an activity of collection and cataloging across semiarid cropping areas was carried out. Sixteen oat populations were collected from different areas of Sicily and put in a field study for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) in the experimental farm “Sparacia” (Cammarata, Italy). In both years and all populations, 21 morphological characters, related to different aspects of the whole plant or plant parts, were measured as described in the guidelines Community Plant Variety Office—Office Communautaire des Varietes Vegetales (CPVO-OCVV) (rif. CPVO-TP/020/2). Multivariate analysis (MA) was applied to assess the similarity/dissimilarity level among populations, also evaluating the relative discriminatory importance of each selected plant character. Although a strong variability between years did not allow perfect discrimination among genotypes, an association between oat groups emerged based on their prevalent utilization form. Among categorical characters, measurements on glumes and grain provided the best characterization of the populations in both years

Seismic risk of critical facilities in the Dominican Republic: case study of school buildings

Abstract The island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, is located in a subduction zone between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate. In addition, there are 13 geological faults in the interior of the island, some of which have shown the potential to generate earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and higher. Thus, the whole island is considered to be a high seismic risk region. In the past 100 years, several earthquakes have affected both parts of the island. In the case of the Dominican Republic, two earthquakes stand out: a magnitude 8.1 earthquake on August 4, 1946, north of the Samaná Province, which caused a tsunami, soil liquefaction, and the loss of about 100 lives, and a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on September 22, 2003, in the city of Puerto Plata, which caused significant damage for infrastructures. Among the observed effects, the partial and total collapse of several school buildings had a remarkable impact on local communities. In addition to the high seismic risk, a large part of the national infrastructure may exhibit high vulnerability to earthquakes because the seismic regulations had been the same for 32 years, namely from 1979 to 2011. During these three decades, thousands of structures were built nationwide, including essential facilities such as hospitals and schools. Considering that the current student population in public schools in the Dominican Republic is over 2 million, with the majority attending buildings that were designed with the 1979 seismic code and which proved to be highly vulnerable during the Puerto Plata earthquake, it is vital to take measures that reduce the risk and minimize potential earthquake damage to school buildings. In this context, the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) has undertaken recently a project with the main objective to assess the seismic vulnerability of 22 schools located in the San Cristóbal Province, in the south of the Dominican Republic. The latter schools were all built prior to the adoption of the current updated seismic code. This paper presents the results of the assessment of the Fernando Cabral Ortega School. Although only the results of a single RC building are presented, the response of such structure can be considered representative of a portfolio of existing schools in Dominican Republic

Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum L.) as a Novel Multipurpose Crop for Agriculture in Marginal Environments: A Review

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) is a versatile crop that has adapted to the broadly different soil and environmental conditions throughout all continents. To date, the fruits (\u201cseeds\u201d) of the plant are the only reliable source of silymarin, which, given its recognized therapeutic effects and its many present and potential uses, has led to a significant re-discovery and enhancement of the crop in recent years. Overall, although many studies have been carried out globally on the bioactivity, phytochemistry, and genetics of milk thistle, few and discontinuous research activity has been conducted on its basic agronomy as well as on the farm opportunities offered by the cultivation of this species. However, the multiple potential uses of the plant and its reduced need for external inputs suggest that milk thistle can perfectly fit among the most interesting alternative crops, even for marginal environments. The growing interest in natural medicine, the increasing popularity of herbal dietary supplements, and the multiple possibilities for livestock feeding are all arguments supporting the idea that in many rural areas, this crop could represent a significant tool for enhancing and stabilizing farm income. However, several issues still have to be addressed. The species retains some morphological and physiological traits belonging to non-domesticated plants, which make the application of some common agronomic practices challenging. Furthermore, the lack of reliable field data devoted to the definition of suitable cropping protocols represents a major constraint on the spread of this crop among farmers. This review has therefore focused on updating information on the main morphological and phytochemical traits of the crop and its agronomic characteristics and novel uses. Several gaps in technical knowledge have been addressed, and further goals for experimental activity have been outlined in order to guide farmers eager to cope with the cultivation of such a challenging and resource-rich crop

Shake table tests for the seismic fragility evaluation of hospital rooms

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Health care facilities may undergo severe and widespread damage that impairs the functionality of the system when it is stricken by an earthquake. Such detrimental response is emphasized either for the hospital buildings designed primarily for gravity loads or without employing base isolation/supplemental damping systems. Moreover, these buildings need to warrant operability especially in the aftermath of moderate-to-severe earthquake ground motions. The provisions implemented in the new seismic codes allow obtaining adequate seismic performance for the hospital structural components; nevertheless, they do not provide definite yet reliable rules to design and protect the building contents. To date, very few experimental tests have been carried out on hospital buildings equipped with nonstructural components as well as building contents. The present paper is aimed at establishing the limit states for a typical health care room and deriving empirical fragility curves by considering a systemic approach. Toward this aim, a full scale three-dimensional model of an examination (out patients consultation) room is constructed and tested dynamically by using the shaking table facility of the University of Naples, Italy. The sample room contains a number of typical medical components, which are either directly connected to the panel boards of the perimeter walls or behave as simple freestanding elements. The outcomes of the comprehensive shaking table tests carried out on the examination room have been utilized to derive fragility curves based on a systemic approach

Closing the loop of SIEM analysis to Secure Critical Infrastructures

Critical Infrastructure Protection is one of the main challenges of last years. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems are widely used for coping with this challenge. However, they currently present several limitations that have to be overcome. In this paper we propose an enhanced SIEM system in which we have introduced novel components to i) enable multiple layer data analysis; ii) resolve conflicts among security policies, and discover unauthorized data paths in such a way to be able to reconfigure network devices. Furthermore, the system is enriched by a Resilient Event Storage that ensures integrity and unforgeability of events stored

Therapeutic sequences in patients with grade 1−2 neuroendocrine tumors (NET): an observational multicenter study from the ELIOS group

Purpose: Many different treatments are suggested by guidelines to treat grade 1−2 (G1−G2) neuroendocrine tumors (NET). However, a precise therapeutic algorithm has not yet been established. This study aims at identifying and comparing the main therapeutic sequences in G1−G2 NET. Methods: A retrospective observational Italian multicenter study was designed to collect data on therapeutic sequences in NET. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was compared between therapeutic sequences, as well as the number and grade of side effects and the rate of dose reduction/treatment discontinuation. Results: Among 1182 patients with neuroendocrine neoplasia included in the ELIOS database, 131 G1–G2 gastroenteropancreatic, lung and unknown primary NET, unresectable or persistent/relapsing after surgery, treated with ≥2 systemic treatments, were included. Four main therapeutic sequences were identified in 99 patients: (A) somatostatin analogs (SSA) standard dose to SSA high dose (n = 36), (B) SSA to everolimus (n = 31), (C) SSA to chemotherapy (n = 17), (D) SSA to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) (n = 15). Median PFS of the second-line treatment was not reached in sequence A, 33 months in sequence B, 20 months in sequence C, 30 months in sequence D (p = 0.16). Both total number and severity of side effects were significantly higher in sequences B and C than A and D (p = 0.04), as well as the rate of dose reduction/discontinuation (p = 0.03). Conclusions: SSA followed by SSA high dose, everolimus, chemotherapy or PRRT represent the main therapeutic sequences in G1−G2 NET. Median PFS was not significantly different between sequences. However, the sequences with SSA high dose or PRRT seem to be better tolerated than sequences with everolimus or chemotherapy