Assessment of “Sugranineteen” Table Grape Maturation Using Destructive and Auto-Fluorescence Methods

The optimal harvesting of table grapes is commonly determined based on technological and phenolic indices analyzed over the course of its maturity. The classical techniques used for these analyses are destructive, time-consuming, and work for a limited number of samples that may not represent the heterogeneity of the vineyard. This study aimed to follow the ripening season of table grapes using non-destructive tools as a rapid and accurate alternative for destructive techniques. Grape samples were collected from a Sugranineteen vineyard during the ripening season to measure the basic maturity indices via wet chemistry, and total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids were evaluated by spectrophotometry. Fluorescent readings were collected from intact clusters with a portable optical sensor (Multiplex® 3, Force-A, France) that generates indices correlated to different maturity parameters. Results revealed strong relationships between the Multiplex® indices ANTH_RG and FERARI and the skin anthocyanin content, with R2 values equal to 0.9613 and 0.8713, respectively. The NBI_R index was also related to total anthocyanins (R2 = 0.8032), while the SFR_R index was linked to the titratable acidity (R2 = 0.6186), the sugar content (R2 = 0.7954), and to the color index of red grapes (CIRG) (R2 = 0.7835). Results demonstrated that Multiplex® 3 can be applied on intact clusters as an effective non-destructive tool for a rapid estimation of table grapes’ anthocyanin content

Phenols, volatiles and sensory properties of primitivo wines from the "Gioia Del Colle" PDO area

The aim of this study was to characterise the phenol, anthocyanin, volatile and sensory profiles of Primitivo wines. The wines were produced in three wineries located in the Gioia del Colle PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) area (Southern Italy - Apulia Region). The grapes came from three vineyards of different ages and were grown according to different training systems. The winemaking techniques applied also differed in some technological variables. The results obtained showed that all wines had a high alcohol content (15 to 16% v/v) and were rich in total phenols and proanthocyanidins. The anthocyanin profile was characterised by the prevalence of non-acylated forms, of which malvidin-3-O-monoglucoside accounted for 62 to 67% of the total anthocyanin, followed by the coumarate, acetate and caffeate forms. The volatile fraction was constituted mainly alcohols and esters, the latter having concentrations above the odour threshold. From a sensory point of view, all wines were judged positively, and presented high olfactory and gustatory persistence. The main odour attributes found were soft fruits, cherry and cloves

Exploración con biomicroscopio ocular : Técnicas y protocolo de intervención

Exploración con biomicroscopio ocular es un libro que puede ser utilizado desde los primeros semestres en los programas de Óptica y Optometría, por su manera clara y sencilla de explicar cada una de las partes del segmento anterior y las diferentes técnicas de iluminación a través del examen de biomicroscopía, entendiendo que éste examen es uno de los más importantes y necesarios para el manejo adecuado de la salud visual y ocular de nuestros pacientes. Es por ello que el libro inicia en su primer capítulo con el tema del “Rol social y profesional del contactólogo”, explicando el porqué debemos como profesionales de la salud visual capacitarnos y prepararnos para hacer de manera adecuada la atención primaria en salud visual. Continúa explicando las técnicas de iluminación paso por paso de manera sencilla y detallada, permitiendo de una manera clara y específica que el lector entienda el cómo utilizarlas de manera adecuada. Los demás capítulos profundizan en la descripción anatómica, fisiológica y patológica de las estructuras del segmento anterior. (del prólogo de Margarita María Ayala Cárdenas)Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

A Brain-Inspired Trust Management Model to Assure Security in a Cloud based IoT Framework for Neuroscience Applications

Rapid popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing permits neuroscientists to collect multilevel and multichannel brain data to better understand brain functions, diagnose diseases, and devise treatments. To ensure secure and reliable data communication between end-to-end (E2E) devices supported by current IoT and cloud infrastructure, trust management is needed at the IoT and user ends. This paper introduces a Neuro-Fuzzy based Brain-inspired trust management model (TMM) to secure IoT devices and relay nodes, and to ensure data reliability. The proposed TMM utilizes node behavioral trust and data trust estimated using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System and weighted-additive methods respectively to assess the nodes trustworthiness. In contrast to the existing fuzzy based TMMs, the NS2 simulation results confirm the robustness and accuracy of the proposed TMM in identifying malicious nodes in the communication network. With the growing usage of cloud based IoT frameworks in Neuroscience research, integrating the proposed TMM into the existing infrastructure will assure secure and reliable data communication among the E2E devices.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure increases hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in infants

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) is a worldwide health problem and it is considered a risk factor for pregnant women's and children's health, particularly for respiratory morbidity during the first year of life. Few significant birth cohort studies on the effect of prenatal TSE via passive and active maternal smoking on the development of severe bronchiolitis in early childhood have been carried out worldwide. METHODS: From November 2009 to December 2012, newborns born at ≥ 33 weeks of gestational age (wGA) were recruited in a longitudinal multi-center cohort study in Italy to investigate the effects of prenatal and postnatal TSE, among other risk factors, on bronchiolitis hospitalization and/or death during the first year of life. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred ten newborns enrolled at birth were followed-up during their first year of life. Of these, 120 (5.4%) were hospitalized for bronchiolitis. No enrolled infants died during the study period. Prenatal passive TSE and maternal active smoking of more than 15 cigarettes/daily are associated to a significant increase of the risk of offspring children hospitalization for bronchiolitis, with an adjHR of 3.5 (CI 1.5-8.1) and of 1.7 (CI 1.1-2.6) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the detrimental effects of passive TSE and active heavy smoke during pregnancy for infants' respiratory health, since the exposure significantly increases the risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis in the first year of lif

Risk factors for bronchiolitis hospitalization during the first year of life in a multicenter Italian birth cohort

BACKGROUND: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the main causes of respiratory infections during the first year of life. Very premature infants may contract more severe diseases and 'late preterm infants' may also be more susceptible to the infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors for hospitalization during the first year of life in children born at different gestational ages in Italy. METHODS: A cohort of 33-34 weeks gestational age (wGA) newborns matched by sex and age with two cohort of newborns born at 35-37 wGA and > 37 wGA were enrolled in this study for a three-year period (2009-2012). Hospitalization for bronchiolitis (ICD-9 code 466.1) during the first year of life was assessed through phone interview at the end of the RSV season (November-March) and at the completion of the first year of life. RESULTS: The study enrolled 2314 newborns, of which 2210 (95.5 %) had a one year follow-up and were included in the analysis; 120 (5.4 %) were hospitalized during the first year of life for bronchiolitis. Children born at 33-34 wGA had a higher hospitalization rate compared to the two other groups. The multivariate analysis carried out on the entire population associated the following factors with higher rates for bronchiolitis hospitalization: male gender; prenatal treatment with corticosteroids; prenatal exposure to maternal smoking; singleton delivery; respiratory diseases in neonatal period; surfactant therapy; lack of breastfeeding; siblings <10 years old; living in crowded conditions and/or in unhealthy households and early exposure to the epidemic RSV season. When analysis was restricted to preterms born at 33-34 wGA the following variables were associated to higher rates of bronchiolitis hospitalization: male gender, prenatal exposure to maternal smoking, neonatal surfactant therapy, having siblings <10 years old, living in crowded conditions and being exposed to epidemic season during the first three months of life. CONCLUSION: Our study identified some prenatal, perinatal and postnatal conditions proving to be relevant and independent risk factors for hospitalization for bronchiolitis during the first year of life. The combination of these factors may lead to consider palivizumab prophylaxis in Italy

The Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Estimates, Patterns, and Threats

The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Here we combined an extensive literature analysis with expert opinions to update publicly available estimates of major taxa in this marine ecosystem and to revise and update several species lists. We also assessed overall spatial and temporal patterns of species diversity and identified major changes and threats. Our results listed approximately 17,000 marine species occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. However, our estimates of marine diversity are still incomplete as yet—undescribed species will be added in the future. Diversity for microbes is substantially underestimated, and the deep-sea areas and portions of the southern and eastern region are still poorly known. In addition, the invasion of alien species is a crucial factor that will continue to change the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, mainly in its eastern basin that can spread rapidly northwards and westwards due to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Spatial patterns showed a general decrease in biodiversity from northwestern to southeastern regions following a gradient of production, with some exceptions and caution due to gaps in our knowledge of the biota along the southern and eastern rims. Biodiversity was also generally higher in coastal areas and continental shelves, and decreases with depth. Temporal trends indicated that overexploitation and habitat loss have been the main human drivers of historical changes in biodiversity. At present, habitat loss and degradation, followed by fishing impacts, pollution, climate change, eutrophication, and the establishment of alien species are the most important threats and affect the greatest number of taxonomic groups. All these impacts are expected to grow in importance in the future, especially climate change and habitat degradation. The spatial identification of hot spots highlighted the ecological importance of most of the western Mediterranean shelves (and in particular, the Strait of Gibraltar and the adjacent Alboran Sea), western African coast, the Adriatic, and the Aegean Sea, which show high concentrations of endangered, threatened, or vulnerable species. The Levantine Basin, severely impacted by the invasion of species, is endangered as well

Decline of pesticide residues in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.): Influence of globe covering on the harvesting time

A study was carried out on pesticide residues in artichokes treated with Pirimicarb, Chlorpyriphos-methyl, Penconazole and Fenarimol, representing the mostly used pesticides in the protection of this crop. The treatment was performed after covering with plastic films about 50% globes at different ripening stages. The residues detected 24 hours after treatment were lower than 0.05 mg/kg for the covered globes, whereas ranged from 0.32 to 2.70 mg/kg for the uncovered ones. The residues found in the covered samples were probably due to the migration of the active ingredients from the leaves to the globes. As far as the uncovered globes are concerned, residues were barely lower than the legal limits at the end of the pre-harvest interval. Covering of the globes does not compromise the product safety and allows the harvest from the first day after the treatment