The Problem of Truth in the Classical Analysis of Knowledge

In this article I propose a new problem for the classical analysis of knowledge (as justified true belief) and all analyses belonging to its legacy. The gist of my argument is that truth as a condition for a belief to be knowledge is problematic insofar there is no definition of truth. From this, and other remarks relating to the possibility of defining truth (or lack thereof) and about what truth theories fit our thoughts about knowledge, I conclude that as long as truth is unquestioningly taken as a condition of knowing, knowledge can never be defined in a way that could satisfy our intuitions about it

Cover crops can mitigate effects on grape pathogen dispersal

Different kind of ground covers has been indicated as an efficient way to limit rain-splashed dispersal of disease-causing spores in several crops, but not in vineyards. In the CORE Organic Cofund project BIOVINE cover crops are tested to reduce both splash- and air-borne diseases

“Integration of plant resistance, cropping practices, and biocontrol agents for enhancing disease management, yield efficiency, and biodiversity in organic European vineyards – VineMan.org” - FINAL PROJECT REPORT

The Project aimed at improving disease control, which is one of the main and most difficult tasks in organic viticulture, integrating plant resistance against pathogens, cropping practices, use of weather-driven disease models, and use of biocontrol agents (BCAs). All these aspects were firstly considered separately in each WP by the competent partners, then efforts were made to develop innovative vineyard management strategies that consider all these aspects. All plants have an innate immunity against pathogenic fungi and oomycetes that is triggered by pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Repeated application of these molecules or their structural analogues can activate and enhance the innate defence response against a following infection by pathogens. During the project, 85 substances were tested, 26 were able to induce a pH-shift or demonstrated to have some cytotoxic activities, 11 were further analysed in pathogen-leaf-disc assays and demonstrated to reduce downy mildew sporulation. One substance achieved promising results also in field experiments. Different methods for manipulating vegetative growth, canopy density, and fruit exposure were evaluated as a means for making the microclimate less favourable to pathogens and more ideal for the ripeness of the grapes. The first leaves of each shoot were removed at pre-flowering (ELR) and at pre-veraison, and compared to control vines in Italian, Spanish and Austrian vineyards. ELR was effective in reducing bunch sensitivity to grey mould by reducing bunch compactness and increasing berry skin thickness. Both treatments did not affect the titratable acidity of the musts, while ELR increased the tartaric acid suggesting the possibility to obtain more balanced wines by preserving acidity. Above-bunch-zone leaf removal applied at pre- and post-veraison was also tested on potted vines and compared to untreated vines. The results are very promising in that defoliation was effective in temporarily delaying technological maturity without affecting bunch colour and the content of phenoles. Other treatments, such as anti-transiprant application and “cutting off parts of bunches” were also tested. Existing models for predicting plant disease outbreaks/epidemics were evaluated for their ability to support decision-making about crop protection, based on the presence of favorable environmental conditions and/or biological information concerning the disease and/or the host plant. Mechanistic, weather-driven models for downy and powdery mildews were implemented in a web-based platform provided by Horta s.r.l., able to produce decision-aids for crop protection in organic viticulture. Fitness and efficacy of biocontrol agents, representing formulations of bacteria and fungi already registered in Europe, were evaluated in relation to grape pest and disease control under organic practices. Strain-specific detection systems were developed and tested in controlled and natural conditions. Experiments in controlled and natural conditions were performed to test the compatibility of different BCAs and inorganic fungicides for mixed or sequential application and it was demonstrated that sulphur can enhance the efficacy of the product SerenadeTM. Two innovative management strategies were designed, evaluated through an ex-ante assessment, and tested in different experimental vineyards set up in Italy, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. A first “risk-adverse strategy” is based on the combination of: i) fall treatments with the hyperparasite Ampelomyces spp. for the reduction of the overwintering chasmothecia of Erysiphe necator, ii) the web-portal with models for the prediction of downy and powdery mildews to schedule copper and sulphur treatments at label dose during the season; iii) use of BCAs for the control of grey mold. A second “risk-seeking strategy” is based only on: i) low-dose copper and sulphur applications according to the models and ii) early leaf removal for the control of grey mould. In general, the use of epidemiological models allowed a significant reduction of fungicides, with a consequent reduction of the costs for disease management and the ecotoxicity risk, as well as an increased social acceptability of the vineyard management. Finally, to test whether the innovative management strategies can increase overall numbers of species inhabiting the grapevines, appropriate culture-depended and culture-independent methods were implemented and applied on samples form the experimental vineyard in Slovenia. Unfortunately, the applied methods could not show that the different management strategies had a significant effect on the fungal species profiles, but very interesting fungal species were detected and the retrieved culture collection represents an important resource for future studies

How to improve disease control in European organic viticulture

Organic agriculture and, in particular, organic viticulture have grown considerably in the last decade, nonetheless organic farming still has a huge potential for innovation and improved solutions. The research project VineMan.org (www.vineman-org.eu) aims at improving disease control, which is one of the main and most difficult tasks in oganic viticulture, by integrating plant resistance against fungal pathogens, vineyard management practices, and the use of biological control agents according to optimized outbreak forecasting systems

Metal-Promoted Heterocyclization: A Heterosynthetic Approach to Face a Pandemic Crisis

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has drastically changed our everyday life and the life of scientists from all over the world. In the last year, the scientific community has faced this worldwide threat using any tool available in order to find an effective response. The recent formulation, production, and ongoing administration of vaccines represent a starting point in the battle against SARS-CoV-2, but they cannot be the only aid available. In this regard, the use of drugs capable to mitigate and fight the virus is a crucial aspect of the pharmacological strategy. Among the plethora of approved drugs, a consistent element is a heterocyclic framework inside its skeleton. Heterocycles have played a pivotal role for decades in the pharmaceutical industry due to their high bioactivity derived from anticancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory capabilities. In this context, the development of new performing and sustainable synthetic strategies to obtain heterocyclic molecules has become a key focus of scientists. In this review, we present the recent trends in metal-promoted heterocyclization, and we focus our attention on the construction of heterocycles associated with the skeleton of drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

Adrenomedullin inhibits angiotensin II-induced contraction in human aortic smooth muscle cells

The vasodilating peptide adrenomedullin (AM) has been reported to regulate vascular tone as well as proliferation and differentiation of various cell types in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Our study was designed to investigate the effect of AM on Ang II-induced contraction on human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) in vitro, evaluating the signal pathways involved. Our findings indicated that AM was able to inhibit HASMC Ang II-induced contraction (IC50 19 nM). AM stimulated cAMP production in a dose-dependent fashion as well. SQ 22.536, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, and KT5720, a PKA inhibitor, blunted the AM effect, suggesting that it was mediated by the activation of the cAMP transduction pathway. Our results suggest that AM plays a role in the regulation of HASMC contraction by antagonizing the Ang II effects and may be involved in conditions of altered regulation of the blood vessels. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Time-space dynamics of income segregation: a case study of Milan's neighbourhoods

Traditional approaches to urban income segregation focus on static residential patterns, often failing to capture the dynamic nature of social mixing at the neighborhood level. Leveraging high-resolution location-based data from mobile phones, we capture the interplay of three different income groups (high, medium, low) based on their daily routines. We propose a three-dimensional space to analyze social mixing, which is embedded in the temporal dynamics of urban activities. This framework offers a more detailed perspective on social interactions, closely linked to the geographical features of each neighborhood. While residential areas fail to encourage social mixing in the nighttime, the working hours foster inclusion, with the city center showing a heightened level of interaction. As evening sets in, leisure areas emerge as potential facilitators for social interactions, depending on urban features such as public transport and a variety of Points Of Interest. These characteristics significantly modulate the magnitude and type of social stratification involved in social mixing, also underscoring the significance of urban design in either bridging or widening socio-economic divides