Histological Change in Cucumber Tissue and Cellulase Activity of Plectosphaerella melonis Strain 502

2022

In the last ten years, many countries around the world recorded a new disease of the Cucurbitaceae, the agent of which was P. melonis. The ability of P. melonis 502 to form intracellular mycelium in the epidermal and parenchymal tissues of roots was shown. Leading tissues (xylem and phloem) did not colonize, which indicates the impossibility of plant vessel clogging and shows the fungus’s biochemical effects on plants, which causes the process of pathogenesis. P. melonis 502 is able to develop in a wide range of pH values, while the pH-optimum is 8.5. P. melonis 502 is able to adjust the pH of the medium to the optimal value—8.5. We also showed that cellulase enzyme synthesis de…

Looking for the exotic X0(2866) and its JP=1+ partner in the B¯0→D(*)+K−K(*)0 reactions

2022

Alcohol and Nicotine Use among Adolescents: An Observational Study in a Sicilian Cohort of High School Students

2022

In recent years, the mode of alcoholic intake known as binge drinking (BD) has become a common practice, especially among adolescents who, due to socio-environmental motives, tend to reach a rapid state of drunkenness. This drunkeness leads to alterations in brain areas responsible for executive functions and cognitive processes, as well as to the genesis of factors that predispose to lasting addiction. Likewise, nicotine leads to a comparable degree of addiction. On this basis, the aim of this research was to evaluate, on a cohort of 349 high school students (15–17 years old) in the province of Palermo, the following: (I) the drinking model of alcoholic beverages; (II) the use of nic…

Impact of Amino-Functionalization on the Response of Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to External Stimuli

2022

It is shown that amino-functionalization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with the comonomer N,N-diethyl glycidyl amine (DEGA) triggers the emergence of extraordinary stimuli responsiveness and phase behavior of PEG. In dependence of the solution pH, tapered PEG-co-PDEGA exhibits a highly cooperative two-step inverse phase transition with respect to temperature. The polymer forms dispersed metastable nanoglobules in the medically relevant temperature range around human body temperature. Independently, cloud points can be adjusted between 40 and 90 °C via the pH of the solution. Changing the polymer architecture to a block structure, in pronounced contrast, the polymer exhibits a gradual growt…

Spanish cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire in running women

2022

AbstractPelvic floor dysfunctions are a wide range of disorders in the gynaecological, lower urinary and gastrointestinal tracts that affect the structure and/or function of the pelvic organs. The objective of this study was to carry out a cross-cultural adaptation and a psychometric analysis of the Spanish version of the Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire. Observational study divided into two main phases: (1) translation and cross-cultural adaptation and (2) psychometric tests. Women runners from all over the Spanish territory, from different federations, clubs and levels were recruited. Participants: 424 female runners, native Spanish, over 18 years of age and who had been practicing r…

Non-IFRS and changes in accounting institutions : Lessons from Nokia

2022

We analyse the lessons learned from Nokia to illustrate the changing focus in accounting and organisational practices that affect the perceptions of relevant accounting work and the key measures of success. In the course of an analysis covering 25 years, the introduction of management accounting innovations was first emphasised regarding managerial relevance but were later replaced by financial accounting emphasis and innovations (e.g. non-IFRS reporting). Our data includes public reports, newspaper articles and 21 interviews made between 1996 and 2019. We present a framework for analysing shifts in the focus of accounting. Our case analysis on changing accounting practices, on shifting pe…

Longitudinal and situational associations between math anxiety and performance among early adolescents

2022

Studies have found math anxiety and achievement to be related from the beginning of formal schooling, but the knowledge regarding the direction of the relationship is vague. The purpose of the present study was to study this relationship. We investigated math anxiety from two points of view: trait and state anxiety. In the first substudy, we investigated the longitudinal relationship between math anxiety and performance from sixth to seventh grade (n = 848) with cross-lagged modeling. In the second substudy, we investigated the situational relationship of anxiety and performance by giving the participants (n = 149) challenging and nonchallenging math tasks adapted to their skill level, and …

Combined kinetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, N-antigenemia and virus-specific antibodies in critically ill adult COVID-19 patients

2022

Combined kinetic analysis of plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, Nucleocapsid (N)-antigenemia and virus-specific antibodies may help ascertain the role of antibodies in preventing virus dissemination in COVID-19 patients. We performed this analysis in a cohort of 71 consecutive critically ill COVID-19 patients (49 male; median age, 65 years) using RT-PCR assay, lateral flow immunochromatography method and receptor binding domain (RBD) and N-based immunoassays. A total of 338 plasma specimens collected at a median of 12 days after symptoms onset were available for analyses. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and N-antigenemia were detected in 37 and 43 specimens from 26 (36.5%) and 30 (42.2%) patients, respectively.…

How Important Are Genes to Achieve Longevity?

2022

Several studies on the genetics of longevity have been reviewed in this paper. The results show that, despite efforts and new technologies, only two genes, APOE and FOXO3A, involved in the protection of cardiovascular diseases, have been shown to be associated with longevity in nearly all studies. This happens because the genetic determinants of longevity are dynamic and depend on the environmental history of a given population. In fact, population-specific genes are thought to play a greater role in the attainment of longevity than those shared between different populations. Hence, it is not surprising that GWAS replicated associations of common variants with longevity have been few, if an…

Where do you live? North versus Central-South differences in relation to Italian patients with oral lichen planus: a cross-sectional study from the S…

2022

Abstract Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an immune-mediated inflammatory chronic disease of the oral mucosa, with different patterns of clinical manifestations which range from keratotic manifestations (K-OLP) to predominantly non-keratotic lesions (nK-OLP). The aim of the study was to analyze the differences in the clinical, psychological profile and symptoms between Italian patients of the North and Central-South with K-OLP and nK-OLP. Methods 270 K-OLP and 270 nK-OLP patients were recruited in 15 Italian universities. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Total Pain Rating Index (T-PRI), Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and for Anxiety (HAM-D and HAM-A), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality In…

Biological adaptation in light of the Lewontin–Williams (a)symmetry

2022

Neo-Darwinism characterises biological adaptation as a one-sided process, in which organisms adapt to their environment but not vice versa. This asymmetric relationship – here called Williams’ asymmetry – is called into question by Niche Construction Theory, which emphasises that organisms and their environments often mutually affect each other. Here we clarify that Williams’ asymmetry is specifically concerned with (quasi-) directed modifications towards phenotypes that increase individual fitness. This directedness – which drives the adaptive fit between organism and environment – entails far more than the mere presence of cause-effect relationships. We argue that difficulties with invoki…

Microbiological analysis and metagenomic profiling of the bacterial community of an anthropogenic soil modified from typic haploxererts

2022

This work aimed to characterize the microbial communities of an anthropogenic soil originating from application of pedotechniques to Vertisols in a Mediterranean environment. Bare soil profiles were sampled at three depths (0–10 cm, 10–30 cm, and 30–50 cm) and compared with the original soil not transformed at the same depths. The anthropogenic soils were characterized by a higher CaCO3 concentration (360–640 g/kg) than control soil (190–200 g/kg), while an opposite trend was registered for clay, where control soil showed a higher concentration (465 g/kg on average) than anthropogenic soil (355 g/kg on average). Organic carbon content was much higher in the unt…

CONSORT compliance in randomized surgical trials assessing the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effectiveness of preoperative drug management of patie…

2022

Investigate methodological quality of clinical trials in mandibular third molar surgery and its compliance with the consort statement. An electronic search was performed in five journal websites, chose the five scientific journals with the greatest impact factor in oral and maxillofacial surgery according to the SCImago Journal Rank. The compliance of studies with the CONSORT statement was assessed. Also, the risk of bias of each study was evaluated. Twenty-nine studies were included. The average CONSORT compliance score was 25.50 (79.68%). Most studies were performed in the Americas (n = 14, 48.3%) and Asia (n = 10, 34.5%). Parallel-group (n=15, 51.7%) and split-mouth RCTs (n=11, 38%) were…

Grouping behaviour impacts on the parasitic pressure and squamation of sharks

2022

The evolution of grouping behaviour involves a complex trade-off of benefits and costs. Among the latter, an increase in the risk of parasitic transmission is a well-documented phenomenon that has likely promoted the evolution of defensive mechanisms in aquatic vertebrates. Here, we explore the relationship between grouping behaviour, parasitic richness (∼parasitic pressure), and the evolution of potential defensive traits in the squamation of sharks through phylogenetic, standard and zero-inflation regression models. Our results demonstrate that sharks that frequently aggregate show increased parasitic pressure, which may constitute an agent of selection. Accordingly, their squamation is c…

H-KPP : Hypervisor-Assisted Kernel Patch Protection

2022

We present H-KPP, hypervisor-based protection for kernel code and data structures. H-KPP prevents the execution of unauthorized code in kernel mode. In addition, H-KPP protects certain object fields from malicious modifications. H-KPP can protect modern kernels equipped with BPF facilities and loadable kernel modules. H-KPP does not require modifying or recompiling the kernel. Unlike many other systems, H-KPP is based on a thin hypervisor and includes a novel SLAT switching mechanism, which allows H-KPP to achieve very low (≈6%) performance overhead compared to baseline Linux.

Monitoring the Starvation–Survival Response of Edwardsiella piscicida and E. tarda in Freshwater Microcosms, at Various Temperatures

2022

Edwardsiella piscicida is an important fish pathogen responsible for economic losses in global aquaculture, and E. tarda is also a human zoonotic pathogen. In this study, the survival of E. piscicida and E. tarda strains kept in filtered and sterilized lake water microcosms was investigated during a 20-week period at 7 °C, 15 °C and 25 °C, as well as its pathogenicity retention during a starvation period. E. tarda V43.2 stayed culturable for 6 weeks at 7 °C, 9 weeks at 25 °C and 12 weeks at 15 °C. Both E. piscicida strains (V12.1 and V57.2) stayed culturable even longer, for at least 12 weeks at 7 °C, 15 °C and 25 °C under the same starvation conditions. …

Planting Date and Different N-Fertilization Rates Differently Modulate Agronomic and Economic Traits of a Sicilian Onion Landrace and of a Commercial…

2022

The onion is one of the most widespread bulb vegetables worldwide. Onion cultivation is common in Sicily, as is the use of local genotypes. Cultivation practices are of particular interest in optimizing yield, quality, and profits. The aim of this study was to assess the agronomic response of a Sicilian landrace (Bianca Calda di Comiso, coded L1) and a commercial variety (Bianca di Maggio, coded V1) to different planting dates and N fertilization rates. An economic appraisal was also performed. The two genotypes were assessed using an experimental split-split-plot design with four levels of nitrogen rates (0, 80, 160, and 220 kg N ha−1) and two different planting dates (8 October 2005…

Energy and Environmental Assessment of a Hybrid Dish-Stirling Concentrating Solar Power Plant

2022

Although the 2019 global pandemic slowed the growing trend of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, it has since resumed its rise, prompting world leaders to accelerate the generation of electricity from renewable sources. The study presented in this paper is focused on the evaluation of the energy and environmental benefits corresponding to the hypothesis of hybridizing a dish-Stirling plant installed on the university campus of Palermo (Italy). These analyses were carried out by means of dynamic simulations based on an accurate energy model validated with the experimental data collected during the measurement campaign that occurred during the period of operation of the reference plant. As…

Student teachers’ views of their own musical skills to teach the National Core Curriculum in Finland

2022

As in many other countries, Finnish primary school teacher education has reduced substantially the amount of music studies during recent decades. From the perspective of the National Core Curriculum, there is a reason to reflect on teacher education and primary school student teachers’ skills to teach music. The present study investigates 392 student teachers’ musical skills in five different teacher training programmes in Finland. The data, mainly based on students’ self-assessment, was collected through a quantitative questionnaire. The results reveal significant shortcomings of music education in teacher training. For example, many key content areas such as singing or composing, are addr…

Multidimensional frailty and quality of life: data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

2022

Abstract Purpose Frailty has been found to be associated with poor quality of life (QoL) in older people, but data available are limited to cross-sectional studies. We therefore aimed to assess the association between multidimensional frailty, determined by Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), with mortality and good QoL expectancy (GQoLE) in a large representative sample of older adults, over 10 years of follow-up. Methods In the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, using the data from 2004–2005 and 2014–2015, MPI was calculated using a weighted score of domains of comprehensive geriatric assessment, i.e., number of difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL…

N-Acetylcysteine for the Management of Non-Acetaminophen Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Adults: A Systematic Review

2022

Introduction: Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a rare adverse reaction to drugs and other xenobiotics. DILI has different grades of severity and may lead to acute liver failure (ALF), for which there is no effective therapy. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been occasionally tested for the treatment of non-acetaminophen drug-induced ALF. However, limited evidence for its efficacy and safety is currently available. Our aim was to elucidate the benefit and safety of NAC in DILI and evaluate its hepatoprotective effect.Methods: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the management and prevention focused on NAC in idiosyncratic DILI. The main outcomes included mortality due to …

Barriers and Facilitators to Toddlers' Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as Perceived by Teachers, Principals and Parents: A Challenge …

2022

The aim of our study was to explore the barriers and facilitators that teachers, principals, and parents face when adapting to COVID-19 pandemic scenario in terms of promoting toddlers’ physical activity (PA). Thirty-four (20 teachers and principals, and 14 parents) semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted from October 2020 to March 2021. The socioecological model has enabled the identification of barriers and facilitators, some of which are related to the pandemic and others which are not. The main results suggest that upon reopening the ECEC institutions, regarding environmental barriers, educators mentioned the impact on the use of space, and parents, the modification of dai…

Metabolic Reprogramming of Innate Immune Cells as a Possible Source of New Therapeutic Approaches in Autoimmunity.

2022

Immune cells undergo different metabolic pathways or immunometabolisms to interact with various antigens. Immunometabolism links immunological and metabolic processes and is critical for innate and adaptive immunity. Although metabolic reprogramming is necessary for cell differentiation and proliferation, it may mediate the imbalance of immune homeostasis, leading to the pathogenesis and development of some diseases, such as autoimmune diseases. Here, we discuss the effects of metabolic changes in autoimmune diseases, exerted by the leading actors of innate immunity, and their role in autoimmunity pathogenesis, suggesting many immunotherapeutic approaches.

Flood processes and morphological changes in aggradational ephemeral rivers. Reconstruction of the October 1957 flood in the Rambla Castellarda (Spai…

2022

During the latter half of the twentieth century, Mediterranean ephemeral rivers underwent a profound metamorphosis. Fluvial adjustment processes narrowed the channels, simplified their planform pattern and notably reduced sediment availability. Today, this makes it extremely difficult to analyse the behaviour of this type of river in former aggradational contexts, such as those seen at the middle part of the twentieth century. For this reason, this paper addresses a reconstruction and analysis of the 1957 flood that occurred in the Rambla Castellarda, a tributary of the Turia river. The research is based, among other sources, on a series of extraordinary, high-precision aerial photographs c…

Developing liver spheroids for elucidating the role of colorectal cancer-derived smallextracellular vesicles in the pre-metastatic niche formation

2022

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common tumor in the world frequently associated with liver metastasiscausing unfavorable prognosis. A recent study performed in our laboratory has demonstrated that CRC small extracellular vesi-cles (SEVs) induce an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocytes (heps) driving them to actively participate inthe pre-metastatic niche formation, probably contributing to form a liver fibrotic microenvironment. Since 2D cell cultures par-tially reflect the structural complexity of the in vivo microenvironment to give more power to our functional model, we switchedto use hepatocyte spheroids (HeSPHs), which can give us more proper…

High-flow nasal oxygen versus conventional oxygen therapy in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild hypoxaemia: a randomised controlled trial

2022

RationaleIn patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild hypoxaemia, the clinical benefit of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) remains unclear. We aimed to examine whether HFNO compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT) could prevent escalation of respiratory support in this patient population.MethodsIn this multicentre, randomised, parallel-group, open-label trial, patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤92% who required oxygen therapy were randomised to HFNO or COT. The primary outcome was the rate of escalation of respiratory support (ie, continuous positive airway pressure, non-invasive ventilation or invasive mechanical ventilation) within 28 days. Among…

Early sowing can boost grain production by reducing weed infestation in organic no‐till wheat

2022

Conservative tillage techniques have several agro-ecological benefits for organic farming. The application of these techniques, however, can create quite a few challenges due to the increased weed competition. Here, we report the results of an organic field experiment in which the responses of wheat and weeds to no tillage (NT) were evaluated compared with conventional tillage (CT). We also tested the hypothesis that, under NT, moving up the sowing date, compared with using the ordinary sowing date for the study area, can result in increased competitiveness of the crop against weeds. Two wheat genotypes, a modern variety and an ancient landrace, were tested.Substantial reductions in grain y…

The Implications Of The Foot Health Status In Parkinson Patients : A Case-Control Study

2022

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects bothhealth of the feet, as to gait patterns. This study aimed to find out about footproblems and their impact on self-perceived quality of life and related to foothealth in Parkinson's patients compared to a group of healthy subjects and tomeasure it with Spanish Podiatry Health Questionnaire (PHQ-S). It is about acase–control study in a sample of Parkinson's patients n=62, healthy controlsn=62. The PHQ-S was reported, it describes perception the subject has ineach of podiatric 6 dimensions consulted, assessing appreciation of health sta-tus of interviewee's feet and a self-rated the foot health score on the visual ana-lo…

Updating strategies for distance based classification model with recursive least squares

2022

Abstract. The idea is to create a self-learning Minimal Learning Machine (MLM) model that is computationally efficient, easy to implement and performs with high accuracy. The study has two hypotheses. Experiment A examines the possibilities of introducing new classes with Recursive Least Squares (RLS) updates for the pre-trained self learning-MLM model. The idea of experiment B is to simulate the push broom spectral imagers working principles, update and test the model based on a stream of pixel spectrum lines on a continuous scanning process. Experiment B aims to train the model with a significantly small amount of labelled reference points and update it continuously with (RLS) to reach ma…

New technologies can support data collection on endangered shark species in the Mediterranean Sea

2022

In the last 50 yr, shark populations showed steep declines in the Mediterranean Sea. The IUCN lists most Mediterranean species as threatened (55%), while considering 27.5% of them Data Deficient. Here, sharks are currently one of the rarest and more elusive groups of animals, and data from fisheries and scientific monitoring still insufficiently support robust abundance and distribution assessments. New technologies can fill this data gap by linking people and scientists through new monitoring strategies. SharkPulse, an international collaborative project, aims at creating a large world database of shark occurrence records by mining images on the web, social networks, and private archives. …

Heat inactivation of fetal bovine serum increases protein contamination of extracellular vesicles

2022

Introduction: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released in cell cultures are influenced by the cell culture conditions, such as the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS). FBS contains EVs and it is usually depleted of EVs by ultracentrifugation (UC) and/or heat inactivated (HI). Several studies have evaluated the effect of different UC protocols for FBS by evaluating both cells and EVs. However, less is known about the effect of HI on the cells and the released EVs. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of HI on EV purity. Methods: To determine the effect of heat inactivation, three different protocols were applied based on different combinations of: 1) UC at 118,000 × g for 18h …

Improving Estimates Accuracy of Voter Transitions. Two New Algorithms for Ecological Inference Based on Linear Programming

2022

The estimation of RxC ecological inference contingency tables from aggregate data is one of the most salient and challenging problems in the field of quantitative social sciences, with major solutions proposed from both the ecological regression and the mathematical programming frameworks. In recent decades, there has been a drive to find solutions stemming from the former, with the latter being less active. From the mathematical programming framework, this paper suggests a new direction for tackling this problem. For the first time in the literature, a procedure based on linear programming is proposed to attain estimates of local contingency tables. Based on this and the homogeneity hypot…

Revision of the Eurasian species of Aegilips Haliday, 1835 (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Anacharitinae)

2022

The knowledge of Aegilips in Eurasia is updated. One new species is described: Aegilips insularis Mata-Casanova and Pujade-Villar sp. nov., from Portugal (Madeira). The genus is also cited for the first time in the Indomalayan region with specimens of A. atricornis found in Northern India and Pakistan. Aegilips curvipes Giraud, 1860, Aegilips gemellus Belizin, 1961, Aegilips laevis (Hedicke, 1914), Aegilips montanus Belizin, 1951 and Aegilips punctatus Belizin, 1951 are synonymized with A. nitidulus (Dalman, 1823). Aegilips vena Fergusson, 1985 is synonymized with Aegilips zaitzevi Kovalev, 1974. Aegilips notatus Belizin, 1951, and Aegilips punctulatus Hedicke, 1928 are designated as incert…

Responsible cognitive digital clones as decision-makers: A design science research study

2022

This study uses a design science research methodology to develop and evaluate the Pi-Mind agent, an information technology artefact that acts as a responsible, resilient, ubiquitous cognitive clone – or a digital copy – and an autonomous representative of a human decision-maker. Pi-Mind agents can learn the decision-making capabilities of their “donors” in a specific training environment based on generative adversarial networks. A trained clone can be used by a decision-maker as an additional resource for one’s own cognitive enhancement, as an autonomous representative, or even as a replacement when appropriate. The assumption regarding this approach is as follows: when someone was forced t…

Créativité et expressivité: le cas des "diminutifs" espagnols.

2022

Toute unité lexicale peut être considérée comme subjective, puisque les langues ne font jamais que contraindre l’individu à certains modes d’interprétations lors de sa production discursive. Mais cette subjectivité langagière collective n’est pas la subjectivité individuelle dont fait preuve l’énonciateur procédant à une création lexicale. Dans le cadre de la langue espagnole, il est un cas de dérivation d’une grande productivité : la formation diminutive. La richesse de celle-ci s’observe à ...

The Photocycle of Bacteriophytochrome Is Initiated by Counterclockwise Chromophore Isomerization.

2022

Photoactivation of bacteriophytochrome involves a cis–trans photoisomerization of a biliverdin chromophore, but neither the precise sequence of events nor the direction of the isomerization is known. Here, we used nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations on the photosensory protein dimer to resolve the isomerization mechanism in atomic detail. In our simulations the photoisomerization of the D ring occurs in the counterclockwise direction. On a subpicosecond time scale, the photoexcited chromophore adopts a short-lived intermediate with a highly twisted configuration stabilized by an extended hydrogen-bonding network. Within tens of picoseconds, these hydrogen bonds break, allowing the c…