Bedrock and soil geochemistry influence the content of chemical elements in wild edible mushrooms (Morchella group) from South Italy (Sicily)

Chemical elements in the samples of wild edible mushrooms of the Morchellagroup collected from different unpolluted Sicilian sites was analyzed by the ICP-MS (method) to detect the content of their minerals and determine whether soil geology and geochemistry can influence the chemical composition in fungi. Results showed that the mushroom samples mainly contained a high concentration of K and P and a wide variety of minor and trace elements (V, Mo, Pb, Ce, Cs, Zr), including heavy metals. Statistical analysis showed that the mushrooms differed in their content of minor and trace elements based on the geological/geographic site of origin. Comparison with other studies showed differences in the content detected in the Sicilian morels with those collected from other geographical sites. Conversely, dif-ferent fungal species collected from similar geological sites in Sicily showed different patterns of accumulation of the elements confirming that bioconcentration in fungi is species- and site-dependent

Leptocorticium gloeocystidiatum sp. nov. (Basidiomycota), a new corticioid fungus from Sicily, Italy

A new corticioid species, Leptocorticium gloeocystidiatum is described from Sicily, Italy. It is characterized by a resupinate, buff-coloured basidiome and microscopically by the presence of filiform leptocystidia, gloeocystidia, dendrohyphidia, and small ellipsoid, smooth basidiospores, non-reacting in Melzer's reagent. The species is compared with closest relatives. A key to the accepted species of Leptocorticium is provided

Three rare lignicolous fungi from Sicily (S Italy)

Sarcodontia crocea (Schwein.) Kotl., Oligoporus mappa (Overh. & Lowe) Gilbn. & Ryvarden and Inonotus rickii (Pat.) D.A. Reid. are reported for the first time from Sicily (southern Italy). Ecological and distributive features on the three relevant species are also here provided

First record of Eichleriella leucophaea (Basidiomycota) from Italy

Eichleriella leucophaea Bres., a wood inhabiting heterobasidiomycete, is recorded for the first time in Italy. Fruiting body occurred on branch of Quercus ilex L. Description, distributional and ecological data of this uncommon taxon are here provided

Two Rare Northern Entoloma Species Observed in Sicily under Exceptionally Cold Weather Conditions

The biology and ecology of many Entoloma species is still poorly known as well as their geographical distribution. In Italy, there are no studies on the influence of weather on fungal abundance and richness and our knowledge on the ecology and distribution of Entoloma species needs to be improved. The discovery of two Entoloma species in Sicily (southern Italy), reported in the literature as belonging to the habitat of north European countries, was the basis leading to the assumption that anomalous climatic conditions could stimulate the growth of northern entolomas in the southernmost Mediterranean regions. The results of this study show that the presence of northern Entoloma species in Sicily is not influenced by the Mediterranean type of vegetation, by edaphic or altitudinal factors but by anomalous climatic trends of precipitations and temperatures which stimulate the fructification of basidiomata in correspondence with a thermal shock during autumn

Three rare lignicolous fungi from Sicily (S Italy)

Sarcodontia crocea (Schwein.) Kotl., Oligoporus mappa (Overh. & Lowe) Gilbn. & Ryvarden and Inonotus rickii (Pat.) D.A. Reid. are reported for the first time from Sicily (southern Italy). Ecological and distributive features on the three relevant species are also here provided

Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Phlebia in Italy

The presence of two corticioid taxa belonging to the genus Phlebia (Basidiomycota), collected from Sicily, Italy is reported. A macro- and micromorphological descriptions of P. acanthocystis and P. nothofagi added of ecological and distributional data are here provided. P. acanthocystis is reported as new for Italy.

Amaurodon mustialaënsis (Basidiomycota, Thelephoraceae) new to Italy

Amaurodon mustialaënsis is reported for the first time from Italy. Based on Italian specimens, a brief description, microscopical and macroscopical photographs, ecological and distributional data of this rare taxon are presented.

Advanced Video-Based Processing for Low-Cost Damage Assessment of Buildings under Seismic Loading in Shaking Table Tests

This paper explores the potential of a low-cost, advanced video-based technique for the assessment of structural damage to buildings caused by seismic loading. A low-cost, high-speed video camera was utilized for the motion magnification processing of footage of a two-story reinforcedconcrete frame building subjected to shaking table tests. The damage after seismic loading was estimated by analyzing the dynamic behavior (i.e., modal parameters) and the structural deformations of the building in magnified videos. The results using the motion magnification procedure were compared for validation of the method of the damage assessment obtained through analyses of conventional accelerometric sensors and high-precision optical markers tracked using a passive 3D motion capture system. In addition, 3D laser scanning to obtain an accurate survey of the building geometry before and after the seismic tests was carried out. In particular, accelerometric recordings were also processed and analyzed using several stationary and nonstationary signal processing techniques with the aim of analyzing the linear behavior of the undamaged structure and the nonlinear structural behavior during damaging shaking table tests. The proposed procedure based on the analysis of magnified videos provided an accurate estimate of the main modal frequency and the damage location through the analysis of the modal shapes, which were confirmed using advanced analyses of the accelerometric data. Consequently, the main novelty of the study was the highlighting of a simple procedure with high potential for the extraction and analysis of modal parameters, with a special focus on the analysis of the modal shape’s curvature, which provides accurate information on the location of the damage in a structure, while using a noncontact and low-cost method

Oral contraceptives in the prevention of endometrioma recurrence: does the different progestins used make a difference?

Objective The primary aim of the study was to analyze the endometrioma recurrence rate in patients who under- went laparoscopic excision followed by postoperative long- term regimen of oral contraceptives (OCs). Materials and methods 168 patients who underwent a conservative laparoscopic surgery for endometrioma, dur- ing the period between September 2009 and August 2010 in three university hospitals were studied. A long-term OCs therapy was offered to all women following surgery. Patients were randomly divided into three groups accord- ing to different progestins used (desogestrel, gestodene, dienogest). Women who refused a postoperative hormonal therapy served as control. Follow-up visits and transvaginal scan were planned at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. All patients who showed an ultrasound persistence of the endometrioma at 1 month follow-up were excluded from clinical analysis. Results Of the 168 patients, 131 completed the 24 months follow-up. Endometrioma recurrence was found in 21 (12.5 %) of all patients, it was unilateral in 17 cases while bilateral in 4 cases. The rate of recurrent endome- trioma was statistically significant in non-users compared to the long-term OCs treated patients. Conclusion The current data suggest the usefulness of long-term OCs regimen after conservative surgery for the prevention of ovarian endometrioma recurrence. As a sta- tistical significant difference could not be observed between OCs groups, further study on the individual mol- ecules is required in order to really understand the effect of each of them