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Soil treatments with formulated plant biomasses or waste materials can be an effective alternative to green manure crops for a sustainable management of root-knot nematode infestations. The suppressive performance of soil amendments with three commercial formulations of defatted seed meal from Brassica carinata, dry biomass of Medicago sativa and pressed pulp from Beta vulgaris was comparatively evaluated on the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita both on potted and field tomato (cv. Regina) trials. Products were applied at rates of 10, 20, 30 or 40 g/kg and 20 and 40 T/ ha soil in pots and field, respectively. Soil non treated or treated with the nematicide Oxamyl were used as controls in both experiments. Amendments in potted soil significantly reduced M. incognita infestation on tomato roots compared to both the untreated control and treatment with Oxamyl, also increasing tomato plant growth up to the 30 g/kg soil rate. At the end of the field tomato crop, soil population density of M. incognita resulted significantly reduced by all the tested treatments, whereas tomato yield was significantly higher than the untreated control only at the lowest amendment rate. Soil amendments with the materials tested in this study demonstrated to be a potential additional tool for a satisfactory and safe management of root-knot nematodes.

In this paper, a family of nonlinear congruential generators (NLCGs) based on the digitized Renyi map is considered for the definition of hardware-efficient pseudorandom number generators (PRNGs), and a theoretical framework for their study is presented. The authors investigate how the nonlinear structure of these systems eliminates some of the statistical regularities spoiling the randomness of sequences generated with linear techniques. In detail, in this paper, a necessary condition that the considered NLCGs must satisfy to have maximum period length is given, and a list of such maximum period PRNGs for period lengths up to [2.sup.31] - 1 is provided. Referring to the NIST800-22 statistical test suite, two PRNG examples are presented and compared to well-known PRNGs based on linear recurrencies requiring a similar amount of resources for their implementation. Index Terms--Digital circuits, nonlinear systems, random number generators (RNGs), sequences.

In this brief, a family of discretized one-dimensional chaotic maps derived from the Sawtooth map is analyzed to evaluate its suitability for the integrated implementation of low-complexity digital pseudorandom bit generators (PRBGs). The proposed PRBGs, classifiable as nonlinear congruential generators, are investigated in terms of period length, statistical properties of the generated sequences, hardware complexity, and are compared with traditional PRBGs. Index Terms--Digital integrated circuits, discretized chaotic maps, pseudorandom bit generators (PRBGs).

Soil treatments with formulated plant biomasses or waste materials can be an effective alternative to green manure crops for a sustainable management of root-knot nematode infestations. The suppressive performance of soil amendments with three commercial formulations of defatted seed meal from Brassica carinata, dry biomass of Medicago sativa and pressed pulp from Beta vulgaris was comparatively evaluated on the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita both on potted and field tomato (cv. Regina) trials. Products were applied at rates of 10, 20, 30 or 40 g/kg and 20 and 40 T/ ha soil in pots and field, respectively. Soil non treated or treated with the nematicide Oxamyl were used as controls in both experiments. Amendments in potted soil significantly reduced M. incognita infestation on tomato roots compared to both the untreated control and treatment with Oxamyl, also increasing tomato plant growth up to the 30 g/kg soil rate. At the end of the field tomato crop, soil population density of M. incognita resulted significantly reduced by all the tested treatments, whereas tomato yield was significantly higher than the untreated control only at the lowest amendment rate. Soil amendments with the materials tested in this study demonstrated to be a potential additional tool for a satisfactory and safe management of root-knot nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors discuss a low-cost distributed monitoring system for structural crack monitoring in monumental architecture. The proposed solution is suitable for monitoring widely extended areas like the Siena’s ancient city walls. The prototype sensing system, based on Hall sensor technology, has been developed and characterized to reach a displacement resolution in the order of tens of micrometers. The distributed measures are transmitted to a server using a wireless communication network based on a mesh topology. The server receives, collects, post-processes and stores the data in a database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrostatic detection of gas path debris has been proposed in literature as a tool to monitor mechanical component faults along the combustion gas path of turbo-machines. In this paper we discuss the general theoretical characterization of a debris detection monitoring system based on electrostatic sensors and charge amplifiers. We first provide the analytical expression of the time-varying charge induced by the moving debris on the sensor surface. After introducing a simplified electric model of the charge amplifier, we discuss the effects of the amplifier bandwidth on the shape of the output voltage signal. Theoretical results have been validated with experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassicaceae Burnett ( syn. Cruciferae A. L. de Jussieu) include many important economic plants used as edibile or ornamental. They are commonly known as the “mustard” plant family due to the sharp, potent flavour of their main metabolites, the glucosinolates (GLSs) which contain sulfur. Glucosinolates coexist in vivo with glycosylated thioglucosidases, myrosinase(s), responsible of their hydrolysis with the production of bioactive cognate isothiocyanates (ITC). GLSs and ITCs function as defence bioactive metabolites against plant pathogens, insects and herbivores. The present review paper focus on GLSs role as bionematicides. The current knowledge on the efficacy of these phytochemicals against the most common phytoparasitic nematodes affecting crops of agriculture importance such as tomato, potato and grapevine is reported. Data from our ongoing research on the in vitro biocidal activity of glucosinolate extracts, and their main components, against the virus-vector nematode Xiphinema index Thorne & Allen and the carrot cyst nematode Heterodera carotae Jones are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicago sativa L., alfalfa, is the most known plant species within the Medicago genus. The plant has been extensively studied for its content of saponins, mainly consisting of triterpene glycosides of medicagenic acid, possessing several biological properties including a biocidal activity on different soil microorganisms. Phytoparasitic nematodes are responsible for heavy economic damages to numerous agricultural crops and, due to their large distribution, they are among the most difficult crop pests to control. Attention on environmental safety and human and animal health has led to the progressive dismission of many synthetic formulations for the control of those pests and to the search of alternative strategies, including the use of natural metabolites from plants. Saponins from M. sativa may be good candidates for natural nematicide formulations, as in our in vitro studies the saponin mixtures from M. sativa tissues have been found effective in vitro against the virus-vector nematode Xiphinema index, the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and the potato cyst parasite, Globodera rostochiensis. A structure-activity relationship among saponins and related prosapogenins and sapogenin, respectively, has also been analyzed. The nematicidal efficacy differed among the three assayed nematode species, G. rostochiensis being the most susceptible to the active compounds from alfalfa. The in vitro results were also confirmed by experiments in potting mixes infested by M. incognita or G. rostochiensis and amended with dry top and root material from M. sativa, and in field trials on M. incognita and carrot cyst nematode Heterodera carotae with M. sativa pelleted meal. All amendments reduced root and soil population densities of target nematode species compared to non-treated and chemical controls, with a general improvement of plant growth and yield performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suppressiveness of soil amendments with different rates of composted biowaste materials, olive pomace, municipal green wastes, sewage sludge and spent mushroom substrate, was evaluated against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on tomato in potting mixtures. Soil amendments were applied at 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 g kg soil, according to a randomized block design with five replications for each treatment. Sixty days after tomato transplanting, nematode population density on plant roots and in soil and root gall infestation were assessed on each root system, and plant top and root weight were also recorded. Soil pH, dry and organic matter content, total and ammoniacal nitrogen were analyzed at the same time. Olive pomace-based composts resulted in the highest nematode suppression (73-97 %, according to the rate) and significantly reduced gall formation on tomato roots. Olive-waste compost affected positively tomato growth only in combination with sheep wool wastes, but it caused phytotoxicity when mixed with chicken manure and urea. Soil amendments with composted mushroom substrate also provided a consistent nematode suppression and a significant increase of plant growth, whereas composted municipal green wastes were more suppressive and positively affected tomato growth when combined with sewage sludge. Soil chemical parameters were scarcely affected by compost amendments, as organic matter was significantly increased only by the olive pomace-derived composts and nitrogen content only at the highest rate of the five composts. Data from the experiment confirmed the potential of compost amendments for sustainable management of root-knot nematodes both in field and greenhouse container media, though their technical effectiveness and economic convenience are strictly dependent on a correct proportion and local availability of raw materials used in the composting process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a probabilistic feedback technique to maximize the throughput of a generic True Random Bit Generator (TRBG) circuit, under a given constraint on the entropy, is discussed. In the proposed solution, the throughput of the device is dynamically and adaptively varied by an on-line entropy detector, such to obtain, with an arbitrary confidence level, an entropy greater than a given worst-case value. The approach, which has a general validity, introduces a method for making maximum use of the TRBG random bit generation capabilities, maximizing the generation throughput while preserving its entropy. It is different from the classical "open loop" TRBG design approach, in which the circuit parameter variability determines an uncertainty about the actual entropy of the device, with the proposed techniques the TRBG generation speed is varied under a given constraint on the entropy. The method can be applied to all those integrated TRBG circuits proposed in the literature and based on the uniform sampling of, e.g., random physical processes or chaotic dynamical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A mixture of 1,3-dicloropropene 60.5%w/w and chloropicrin 33.3%w/w (Telone C35 EC) may be registered in Italy for soil drip fumigation. Five experiments on greenhouse tomatoes in Northern, Central and Southern Italy compared the effectiveness of this mixture in comparison with methyl bromide to find the optimum application rate in soils infested by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis lycopersici, Sclerotium rolfsii, Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita. Its efficacy against F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis lycopersici and M. incognita was confirmed when applied to soils at 100, 200, 300 and 400lha−1 (132.4, 268.4, 402.6 and 536.8kgha−1) under gas-tight films with 15–45mm of application water (900–1200mg Telone C35 EC l−1). In sandy soils, with slight F. radicis lycopersici infections and with heavy nematode (M. incognita) attacks, the mixture, drip applied at 900mgl−1 during late summer (fumigation: late summer; transplant: late-summer/autumn; last harvest: early spring), performed well up to 132.4kgha−1 (100lha−1). In sandy loam soils with slight F. radicis lycopersici infections and severe infections of F. lycopersici and galling nematodes (M. javanica), 268.4kgha−1 (200lha−1) of the mixture applied at 900mgl−1 as a drip provided yields similar to those of methyl bromide treated plots both in spring and summer cycles. In sandy loam soils, the diseases (F. lycopersici, F. radicis lycopersici) were controlled at rates ⩾268.4kgha−1 (containing 90kgha−1 of chloropicrin), but the mixture was ineffective against Sclerotium rolfsii occasionally observed in sandy loam soils. In both sandy and sandy loam soils, no significant relationships were found between the rates of mixture applied (132.4, 268.4, 402.6 and 536.8kgha−1) and the degree of nematode infestation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract. A hatchability level of 72% of eggs in Heterodera carotae cysts was notsignificantly affected by keeping the cysts in water at up to 40 C for 2 h, but percentage hatch was strongly reduced by keeping the cysts for 2 h in water at 47.5, 50 and 52.5 C. Keeping soil with cysts of H. carotae with a hatchability before treatment of 27% at temperatures between 32.5 and 45 C for 2 and 4 h did not affect percentage hatch of the eggs in these cysts but longer exposures increased it in two ways and decreased it in one way. This resulted in a positive correlation between percentage hatch and length of exposure up to a smaller maximum hatch the higher the temperature. At still longer exposures percentage hatch was negatively correlated with length of exposure. Whether the decrease is due to mortality of the eggs or, partly, to reversible inactivation remains to be investigated. In contrast to hatching tests with root diffusate, probably almost all eggs will hatch in the field under a host crop. Therefore, only the adverse effect of the heat treatments on hatching is ofpracticalimportance for the estimation of the effect of solarization. To separate it from the effects that increased percentage hatch in the tests, a model was made of the interaction of the separate effects. It was based on linear relationships between log duration of exposure to different temperatures and probit relative increase and decrease of hatching rates, and linear relationships between treatment temperature and log length of exposure required to obtain a given effect of one of the two increasing effects and of the decreasing effect of the treatments. The coefficient of variation of hatchabilities that were affected by the increasing but not by the decreasing effect of the treatments, relative to those predicted by the model, was 7.1% against 7.8% after treatments that had no effect on percentage hatch, whereas the relationship between log length of exposure and probit percent reduction of hatchability by the treatments was linear. The relationship between probit hatchability ( h ) due to the decreasing affect of the treatments and temperature ( T ) during t hours is probit h = a b log t dTr - T in which T is a reference temperature. For T - 10 T r r T = 45 C, a = 11.047, b = 1.44 and d = 0.637 for H. carotae . A good r T r approximation of this relationship is log h= k l t dTr - T with k = 2.453, - T T r l = 0.03735 and d = 0.637. These relationships probably also apply, with T r other parameter values, to other nematode species. To calculate the effect of fluctuating temperatures t dTr - T is replaced in the equations by T Sigma (t dTr - T). T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Economic crises may cause physical and mental health outcomes, especially when the budget destined to welfare and social protection is cut. Objectives: To assess the impact of the Great Recession on hospitalization in acute psychiatric inpatient units (APIUs) in Italy. The potential buffering mechanism played by social protection was investigated, as well Methods: The association betweenmacroeconomic indicators (unemployment and long-termunemployment rates, and real gross domestic product per capita) and rates of discharge for psychiatric disorders in Italy between 2005 and 2017 was investigated by means of fixed effects panel regressions. Per capita expenditure onsocial services and benefits delivered by single and associated municipalities was included to test the role exerted by social protection as potential moderator of the association. Data source: Italian National Institute of Statistics. Results: Following the Great Recession, hospitalization due to All Psychiatric Disorders, Alcohol Use Disorders and Mood Disorders increased in the male Italian population. In the female sample, only Alcohol Use Disorder increased. With respect to other diagnostic groups, no significant associations stemmed out from the analysis. Social protection was able to buffer the negative mental health outcomes of the Great Recession with macro-regional features, namely in the North-East, in Central Italy, and in the Islands. Conclusions: Increased hospital admissions in APIUs occurred in Italy as a consequence of the economic crisis. Social protection was able to buffer the negative mental health outcomes of the crisis in the Italian regions reporting higher mean expenditure in the social expenditure indicator considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transpulmonary pressure (P L ) calculation requires esophageal pressure (P ES ) as a surrogate of pleural pressure (Ppl), but its calibration is a cumbersome technique. Central venous pressure (CVP) swings may reflect tidal variations in Ppl and could be used instead of P ES , but the interpretation of CVP waveforms could be difficult due to superposition of heartbeat-induced pressure changes. Thus, we developed a digital filter able to remove the cardiac noise to obtain a filtered CVP (f-CVP). The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of CVP and filtered CVP swings (ΔCVP and Δf-CVP, respectively) in estimating esophageal respiratory swings (ΔP ES ) and compare P L calculated with CVP, f-CVP and P ES; then we tested the diagnostic accuracy of the f-CVP method to identify unsafe high P L levels, defined as P L >10 cmH 2 O. Twenty patients with acute respiratory failure (defined as PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio below 200 mmHg) treated with invasive mechanical ventilation and monitored with an esophageal balloon and central venous catheter were enrolled prospectively. For each patient a recording session at baseline was performed, repeated if a modification in ventilatory settings occurred. P ES , CVP and airway pressure during an end-inspiratory and -expiratory pause were simultaneously recorded; CVP, f-CVP and P ES waveforms were analyzed off-line and used to calculate transpulmonary pressure (P L CVP, P L f-CVP, P L P ES , respectively). Δf-CVP correlated better than ΔCVP with ΔP ES (r = 0.8, p = 0.001 vs. r = 0.08, p = 0.73), with a lower bias in Bland Altman analysis in favor of P L f-CVP (mean bias - 0.16, Limits of Agreement (LoA) -1.31, 0.98 cmH 2 O vs. mean bias - 0.79, LoA - 3.14, 1.55 cmH 2 O). Both P L f-CVP and P L CVP correlated well with P L P ES (r = 0.98, p < 0.001 vs. r = 0.94, p < 0.001), again with a lower bias in Bland Altman analysis in favor of P L f-CVP (0.15, LoA - 0.95, 1.26 cmH 2 O vs. 0.80, LoA - 1.51, 3.12, cmH 2 O). P L f-CVP discriminated high P L value with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.99 (standard deviation, SD, 0.02) (AUC difference = 0.01 [-0.024; 0.05], p = 0.48). In mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure, the digital filtered CVP estimated ΔP ES and P L obtained from digital filtered CVP represented a reliable value of standard P L measured with the esophageal method and could identify patients with non-protective ventilation settings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Activity of azadirachtin on phytoparasitic nematodes has been documented for some decades, but the relationship between its nematicidal efficacy and crop cycle length has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an azadirachtin-based nematicide, for controlling the infestation of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita , on the short- and long-cycle crops, lettuce and tomato, respectively. Experiments on lettuce and tomato were carried out in a greenhouse infested by M. incognita , including non-treated soil, or treated with the nematicide fluopyram, as controls. In the experiment on the short-cycle lettuce crop, the azadirachtin product effectively suppressed M. incognita infestation and increased crop yield, without significant differences from fluopyram. In the tomato crop, both azadirachtin and fluopyram were not able to control nematode infestation, but resulted in significantly higher yields. Data from this study indicated that azadirachtin can be a valid alternative to fluopyram and other nematicides, for root-knot nematode control in short-cycle crops. Integration of azadirachtin with a synthetic nematicide or nematode-suppressive agronomical techniques, should be more suitable to long-cycle crops.

The nematicidal activity of garlic extracts is known on root-knot nematodes but never investigated on the grapevine nematode Xiphinema index . In this study, the nematicidal activity of a commercial garlic extract formulate (GEF) was assessed on X. index , both in vitro and in a pot assay. In the in vitro assays, mixed specimens of X. index were exposed to a 0-4 mL L -1 range of GEF concentrations, checking nematode immotility and mortality after 2, 4 or 8 h. In the experiments on potted grapevines, plants cultivated in soil infested by X. index were irrigated twice at a 15-day interval with 0.05, 0.2 and 0.5 mL L -1 solutions of GEF, including nontreated soil as a control. An almost complete mortality of X. index specimens occurred after a 2 h exposure to a 2 mL L -1 GEF concentration, while an 8 h exposure to even the 0.0312 and 0.0156 mL L -1 solutions resulted in about 50% and 30% mortality, respectively. Soil treatment with a 0.5 mL L -1 GEF solution significantly reduced the population of X. index and increased the grapevine root growth compared to nontreated soil or soil treated with the lower dosages. Results of this study indicated that garlic-based nematicides could be an effective tool for X. index management in organic and integrated vineyards.

Environmental concerns raised by synthetic nematicides are encouraging integrated management strategies based on their combination with non-chemical control tools, such as biocontrol agents and/or organic amendments. In this study, the combination of the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) with a commercial formulation of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum (TH) and an organic fertilizer (OF) was investigated in two consecutive tomato crops for its effect on the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and plant growth and yield. The application of 1,3-D was only performed on the first crop, while TH and OF were provided to both crops. Almost all treatments significantly reduced nematode infestation in both crops, though the greatest nematicidal effect was caused by a combination of the three products. The treatment with 1,3-D limited its nematicidal efficacy to the first crop only. Fumigant integration with TH and OF also resulted in the greatest increases of plant growth and yield. Therefore, the integrated management of root-knot nematodes with a soil fumigant, a bionematicide as T. harzianum and a source of organic matter demonstrated effective nematode suppression though limiting the number of chemical applications.

The content of nematicidal metabolites such as saponins, flavonoids and tannins in sulla ( Hedysarum coronarium L.) suggests its potential nematicidal activity. In this study, the biocidal activity of 62.5-1000 μg mL -1 concentrations of flavonoid and tannin fractions from sulla was assessed in in vitro assays on the infective juveniles ( J2 ) of the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita , while the suppressive effects of soil amendments with 10-40 g kg -1 soil rates of sulla biomass were investigated on potted tomato infested by M. incognita . The content of total nitrogen, carbon, flavonoids, tannins and saponins of sulla experimental material was also determined. After a 96-h exposure, more than 80% of the M. incognita J2 were killed even by a 125 µg mL -1 concentration of the flavonoid extract, while mortality peaked at 89% only at the 1000 µg mL -1 concentration of the tannin solution. Soil incorporation with sulla biomass significantly reduced the M. incognita densities both on tomato roots and in the soil, compared to either the non-treated control and chemical treatment with Fluopyram. The data confirmed the nematicidal potential of sulla, mainly due to its content of flavonoids and tannins, suggesting its suitability as green manure or a soil amendment for sustainable RKN management.

In this paper, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)-based digital architecture for the measurement of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) oscillating frequency of transient responses, i.e., in QCM-D (QCM and Dissipation) applications, is presented. The measurement system is conceived for operations in liquid, with short QCM transient responses due to the large mechanical load. The proposed solution allows for avoiding the complex processing systems typically required by the QCM-D techniques and grants frequency resolutions better than 1 ppm. The core of the architecture is a reciprocal digital frequency meter, combined with the preprocessing of the QCM signal through mixing operations, such as a step-down of the input frequency and reducing the measurement error. The measurement error is further reduced through averaging. Different strategies are proposed to implement the proposed measurement solution, comprising an all-digital circuit and mixed analog/digital ones. The performance of the proposed architectures is theoretically derived, compared, and analyzed by means of experimental data obtained considering 10 MHz QCMs and 200 μs long transient responses. A frequency resolution of about 240 ppb, which corresponds to a Sauerbrey mass resolution of 8 ng/cm 2 , is obtained for the all-digital solution, whereas for the mixed solution the resolution halves to 120 ppb, with a measurement time of about one second over 100 repetitions.

The antibiotic and nematocidal activities of extracts from two coastal lichen species collected on Lampedusa Island (Sicily), Ramalina implexa Nyl. and Roccella phycopsis Ach., were tested. Methyl orsellinate, orcinol, (+)-montagnetol, and for the first time 4-chlororcinol were isolated from Roccella phycopsis . (+)-Usnic acid was obtained from Ramalina implexa . The crude organic extract of both lichen species showed strong antibiotic activity against some bacterial species and nematocidal activity. Among all the pure metabolites tested against the infective juveniles (J2) of the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloydogine incognita , (+)-usnic acid, orcinol, and (+)-montagnetol had significant nematocidal activity, comparable with that of the commercial nematocide Velum ® Prime, and thus they showed potential application in agriculture as a biopesticide. On the contrary, methyl orsellinate and 4-chlororcinol had no nematocidal effect. These results suggest that the substituent pattern at ortho -para-position in respect to both hydroxyl groups of resorcine moiety, which is present in all metabolites, seems very important for nematocidal activity. The organic extracts of both lichens were also tested against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Both extracts were active against Gram-positive species. The extract of Ramalina implexa showed, among Gram-negative species, activity against Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii , while that from Roccella phycopsis was effective towards all test strains, with the exception of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity of (+)-usnic acid, methyl orsellinate, and (+)-montagnetol is already known, so tests were focused on orcinol and 4-chlororcinol. The former showed antibacterial activity against all Gram positive and Gram-negative test strains, with the exception of A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae , while the latter exhibited a potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive test strains and among Gram-negative strains, was effective against A. baumannii and K. pneumonia . These results suggest, for orcinol and 4-chlororcinol, an interesting antibiotic potential against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.

Essential oils (EOs) from lavandin are known for a large spectrum of biological properties but poorly and contrastingly documented for their activity against phytoparasitic nematodes. This study investigated the toxicity of EOs from three different lavandin cultivars, Abrialis, Rinaldi Cerioni, and Sumiens, either to juveniles ( J2 ) and eggs of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and to infective stages of the lesion nematode Pratylenchus vulnus . The suppressive activity of treatments with EOs from the three lavandin cultivars in soil infested by M. incognita was also investigated in a greenhouse experiment on potted tomato. The compositional profiles of tested EOs were also analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Linalool was the major component of all the three EOs, as accounting for about 66%, 48%, and 40% of total EO from cv Rinaldi Cerioni, Sumiens, and Abrialis, respectively. Linalool acetate was the second most abundant compound in the EOs from cv Abrialis (18.3%) and Sumiens (14.9%), while significant amounts of camphor (11.5%) and 1,8-cineole (12.1%) were detected in cv Rinaldi Cerioni and Sumiens EOs, respectively. The mortality of M. incognita&nbsp;J2 peaked 82.0%, 95.8%, and 89.8% after a 24 h treatment with 100 mg·mL -1 solutions of cv Abrialis, Rinaldi Cerioni, and Sumiens EOs, respectively. Infective specimens of P. vulnus were largely more sensitive than M. incognita&nbsp;J2 , as there were peak mortality rates of 65.5%, 67.7%, and 75.7% after 4 h of exposure to Abrialis, Rinaldi Cerioni, and Sumiens EO, respectively. All three lavandin EOs significantly affected also M. incognita egg hatchability, which reduced to 43.6% after a 48 h egg mass exposure to a 100 µg·mL -1 solution of cv Rinaldi Cerioni EO. Soil treatments with the three lavandin EOs strongly reduced, according to a dose-effect relationship, density of M. incognita eggs, and J2 both on tomato roots and in soil, as well as significantly reduced gall formation on tomato roots. Finally, almost all soil treatments with the lavandin EOs also resulted in a positive impact on tomato plant growth.

This paper aims to thoroughly investigate the potential of ion current measurements in the context of combustion process monitoring in gas turbines. The study is targeted at characterizing the dynamic behavior of a typical ion-current measurement system based on a spark-plug. Starting from the preliminary study published in a previous work, the authors propose a refined model of the electrode (spark plug), based on the Langmuir probe theory, that incorporates the physical surface effects and proposes an optimized design of the conditioning electronics, which exploits a low frequency AC square wave biasing of the electrodes and allows for compensating some relevant parasitic effects. The authors present experimental results obtained in the laboratory, which allow for the evaluation of the validity of the model and the interpreting of the characteristics of the measurement signal. Finally, measurements carried out in the field on an industrial combustor are presented. The results confirm that the charged chemical species density sensed by the proposed measurement system and related to the mean value of the output signal is an indicator of the 'average' combustion process conditions in terms e.g., of air/fuel ratio, whereas the high frequency spectral component of the measured signal can give information related to the turbulent regime and to the presence of pressure pulsations. Results obtained with a prototype system demonstrated an achievable resolution of about 5 Pa on the estimated amplitude, even under small biasing voltage (22.5 V) and an estimated bandwidth of 10 kHz.

Introduction: Caregivers of patients with early-onset dementia (EOD) experience high levels of burden, which is known to be affected by caregivers' psychological features as well as by patients' and caregivers' demographical and social variables. Although potential clinical, demographical, and social determinants have been separately examined, it is not known how they reciprocally interact., Methods: Ninety-two consecutive patient-caregiver dyads were recruited from the Cognitive Neurology Clinics of Modena, Northern Italy. Caregivers were asked to fill in questionnaires regarding their burden, psychological distress, and family economic status. Data were analyzed with multivariable regression models and then entered in a mediation model., Results: Caregiver burden was positively related to female caregiver sex, spousal relationship to the patient, severity of patient's behavioral symptoms, diagnostic delay, and financial distress of the family. It was negatively related to disease duration, patient's education, region of birth, caregiver age, number of caregiver's days off work, number of offspring, and caregiver perception of patient's quality of life. While the effect of caregiver age, diagnostic delay, and of proxies of family or social network directly impacted on caregiver's burden, the effect of patient's disease duration, being a wife caregiver, financial distress, and number of caregiver's days off work was entirely mediated by the level of caregiver psychological distress., Conclusions: Both direct actions (such as increasing social networks and shortening diagnostic delay) and indirect actions aimed at reducing psychological distress (such as increasing the number of caregiver's days off work and financial support) should be planned to reduce caregiver's burden., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Root-knot disease caused by Meloidogyne incognita leads to significant crop yield losses that may be aggravated by the association with pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Biological agents can be effectively used against the complex disease of root-knot nematode and pathogenic fungi. In this study, 35 bacterial strains were analyzed for their in vitro nematicidal, antagonistic and growth stimulation activities. Based on results from the in vitro assays, grow-box experiments on tomato and cucumber were carried out with the strain BZR 86 of Bacillus velezensis applied at different concentrations. Effects of B. velezensis BZR 86 on the development of root-knot disease were evaluated by recording root gall index, number of galls and number of eggs in egg masses. Application of B. velezensis BZR 86 noticeably decreased the development of root-knot disease on tomato and cucumber plants, as well as significantly increased growth and biomass of cucumber plants in accordance with bacterial concentration. This study seems to demonstrate that strain B. velezensis BZR 86 could be an additional tool for an environmentally safe control of root-knot disease on horticultural crops.

Sulla ( Hedysarum coronarium L.) is a biennal forage legume originated from the Mediterranean basin and used for animal feeding due to its high forage quality and palatability. Several species of Hedysarum have been considered for their nutritional, pharmaceutical, and biological properties, and different applications have been reported, both for human consumption and animal nutrition. Although a systematic investigation of the chemical constituents of Hedysarum spp. has been performed in order to provide chemotaxonomic evidences for the genus and to support the pharmacological application of several species within the genus, few data are available on the chemical constituents of H. coronarium , and only the content of condensed tannins and flavonoids in leaves has been previously reported. In the present paper, results from a detailed chemical analysis of the extracts from the leaves and flowers of H. coronarium grown wild in southern Italy are presented. Identification of the main specialized metabolites within the chemical classes of flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and saponins, is described, including considerations on their content in the two plant organs. Information acquired from this study expands the knowledge on H. coronarium as a source of valuable phytochemicals for different applications in human and animal health and nutrition.

Essential oils (EOs) can be a large source of new food-safe and healthy nematicidal products, due to their strong activity on crop pathogens and pests, including phytoparasitic nematodes, as well as to their low environmental persistence. This review summarizes the results from our 10-year studies on chemical features and nematicidal properties of 16 EOs with different botanical origins and compositions, i.e., the EOs from Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae), Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. and Cinnamomum verum J. Presl. (Lauraceae), Citrus aurantium L., Cinnamomum. sinensis L. Osbeck and Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae), Eucalyptus citriodora Hook, Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Marry et Perry (Myrtaceae), Mentha piperita L., Monarda didyma L., Monarda. fistulosa L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus satureioides Cosson (Lamiaceae), Pelargonium asperum Ehrh ex Willd (Geraniaceae) and Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae). All these EOs were chemically characterized and tested in vitro and/or in vivo for their activity against the phytoparasitic species Meloidogyne incognita Kofoid et White (Chitw.), Pratylenchus vulnus Allen et Jensen and Xiphinema index Thorne et Allen. Toxicity bioassays were conducted by exposing 2nd stage juveniles ( J2 ) of M. incognita , mixed-age specimens of P. vulnus and adult females of X. index to 2-100 μg mL -1 concentrations of EOs or EO's major constituents for 4-96 h and checking mortality effect after a further 24-72 h permanence in water. Egg hatchability bioassays consisted in exposing (24-48 h) M. incognita egg masses to 500-1000 mg mL -1 EO solutions followed by a 5-week hatching test in water. The in vivo experiments were undertaken in sandy soil strongly infested by M. incognita and treated with different doses of EOs, applied either in water solution or by fumigation. The effects of the treatments on nematode infestation on tomato and in soil were checked at the end of each experiment. Structure-activity relationships, as suggested by the different chemical compositions of tested EOs, were also highlighted. In agreement with literature data, our studies indicated that most of the tested EOs are highly suitable for the formulation of new safe nematicides, though still retarded by the lack of efficient stabilization processes and standardized EOs' components and extraction techniques.

Soil amendments with plant materials from Medicago species are widely acknowledged for a suppressive effect on plant-parasitic nematodes but their impact on beneficial components of soil nematofauna is still unknown. A study on potted tomato was carried out to investigate the short-time effects on the overall nematofauna of dry biomasses from six different Medicago species, i.e., M. sativa , M. heyniana , M. hybrida , M. lupulina , M. murex and M. truncatula , incorporated to natural soil at 10, 20, or 40 g kg -1 soil rates. All amendments resulted in a significant decrease of the total nematofauna biomass, whereas total abundance was significantly reduced only by M. heyniana , M. hybrida , and M. lupulina biomasses. Almost all the Medicago amendments significantly reduced the relative abundance of plant-parasites and root fungal feeders. All amendments significantly increased the abundance of bacterivores, whereas fungivores significantly increased only in soil amended with M. heyniana , M. lupulina and M. sativa plant materials. Mesorhabditis and Rhabditis were the most abundant genera of bacterivores, whereas Aphelenchoides and Aphelenchus prevailed among the fungivores. Predators were poorly influenced by all the tested Medicago biomasses, whereas the abundance of omnivores was negatively affected by M. heyniana and M. lupulina . Values of the Maturity Index and Sum Maturity Index were reduced by treatments with M. heyniana , M. hybrida , M. lupulina and M. sativa plant materials, whereas most of the tested amendments decreased values of the Channel Index while increasing those of the Enrichment Index. Enrichment and bacterivore footprints raised following soil addition with Medicago biomasses, whereas composite and fungivore footprints were significantly reduced. According to their overall positive effects on soil nematofauna, amendments with Medicago plant materials or their formulated derivatives could represent an additional tool for a sustainable management of plant-parasitic nematodes.

Here, we propose a novel application of a low-cost robust gravimetric system for public place access monitoring purposes. The proposed solution is intended to be exploited in a multi-sensor scenario, where heterogeneous information, coming from different sources (e.g., metal detectors and surveillance cameras), are collected in a central data fusion unit to obtain a more detailed and accurate evaluation of notable events. Specifically, the word "notable" refers essentially to two event categories: the first category is represented by irregular events, corresponding typically to multiple people passing together through a security gate; the second category includes some event subsets, whose notification can be interesting for assistance provision (in the case of people with disabilities), or for statistical analysis. The employed gravimetric sensor, compared to other devices existing in the literature, exhibits a simple scalable robust structure, made up of an array of rigid steel plates, each laid on four load cells. We developed a tailored hardware and software to individually acquire the load cell signals, and to post-process the data to formulate a classification of the notable events. The results are encouraging, showing a remarkable detectability of irregularities (95.3% of all the test cases) and a satisfactory identification of the other event types.

In this study, the relationship between nematicidal activity and chemical composition of ten essential oils (EOs) from different plant species was investigated both in in vitro assays on juveniles ( J2 ) and eggs of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and in experiments on tomato in soil infested by M. incognita . Nematode J2 were exposed for 4, 8 or 24 h to 0.78-100 μg mL -1 concentrations of each EO, whereas 24, 48 or 96 h exposures to 250, 500 and 1000 μg mL -1 solutions were tested on M. incognita egg masses. Treatments with 50, 100 or 200 μg kg soil rates of each EO were applied in the experiment on potted tomato. The highest nematicidal potential resulted for the C. verum EO, as highly toxic to both M. incognita J2 and eggs and strongly suppressive on nematode multiplication on tomato roots. The infestation of M. incognita on tomato roots was also strongly reduced by the EOs from E. citriodora and S. aromaticum , both highly toxic to M. incognita J2 but less active on nematode eggs. Adversely, R. graveolens EO strongly inhibited the egg hatch but was limitedly toxic to the infective J2 . Chemical composition of the EOs was determined by GC-FID and GC-MS. The ten EOs showed a very different chemical composition in terms of major phytochemicals, with one or two dominant components totally amounting up to 85%. The structure-activity relationship based on the main phytochemicals identified in the assayed EOs and their nematicidal effects on M. incognita was also discussed. Results from this study confirmed that the selection of suitable EO raw materials can lead to the formulation on new effective nematicidal products.

Content of bioactive saponins of Medicago species suggests that they may also exert, as previously demonstrated on M. sativa , nematicidal properties exploitable for the formulation of new products for sustainable phytoparasitic nematode management. This study was addressed to highlight the bioactivity of saponins from five different Medicago species still poorly known for their biological efficacy, i.e., M. heyniana, M. hybrida, M. lupulina , M. murex and M. truncatula , against the plant parasitic nematodes Meloidogyne incognita , Xiphinema index and Globodera rostochiensis . The bioactivity of the extracts from the five Medicago species was assessed by in vitro assays on the juveniles ( J2 ) and eggs of M. incognita and G. rostochiensis and the adult females of X. index . The suppressiveness to M. incognita of soil treatments with the Medicago plant biomasses was also investigated in a tomato experiment. The nematicidal activity of the five Medicago species was reported and discussed in relation to their phytochemical profile.

The aim of this work is to investigate the gas sensing performance of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-based conductive sensors operating at low-medium temperatures (<250 °C). The investigated sensing films consists of an SWCNT network obtained by drop-casting a SWCNT suspension. Starting from this base preparation, different sensing devices were obtained by decorating the SWCNT network with materials suitable for enhancing the sensitivity toward the target gas. In particular, in this paper, nano-particles of gold and of TiO 2 were used. In the paper, the performance of the different sensing devices, in terms of response time, sensitivity toward NO 2 and cross-sensitivity to O 2 , CO and water vapor, were assessed and discussed. Sensors based on decorated SWCNT films showed high performance; in particular, the decoration with Au nano-particles allows for a large enhancement of sensitivity (reaching 10%/1 ppm at 240 °C) and a large reduction of response time. On the other hand, the addition of TiO 2 nanoparticles leads to a satisfactory improvement of the sensitivity as well as a significant reduction of the response time at moderate temperatures (down to 200 °C). Finally, the suitability of using Au decorated SWCNTs-based sensors for room temperature sensing is demonstrated., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest

In this paper, the gas sensing properties of metal oxide nano-powder composites are studied and modeled. The gas sensing properties of mixtures of two different metal oxide nanoparticles, prepared via low-cost routes, are investigated. The responses to both an oxidizing (NO₂) and a reducing gas (CO) are analyzed. The tested composites are obtained by mixing a different percentage of a p-type metal oxide, Co₃O₄, with moderate responses to NO₂ at about 200 °C and to CO at high temperature (above 260 °C), with n-type Al-doped ZnO, which is characterized by a large but unstable response towards NO₂ around 160 °C and a moderate response towards CO around 200 °C. In the oxides mixtures, p-n heterojunctions are formed by the juxtaposition of an n-type and a p-type grain in contact. Consequently, the electronic conductivity is modified and the obtained composite materials show novel characteristics with respect to the base materials. This indicates that predicting the behavior of the composites from those of their components is not possible and it suggests that the hetero-junction behavior has to be studied to understand the sensing properties of the composite materials. The obtained results indicate that the composites containing a significant amount of hetero-junctions exhibit a stable response to NO₂ at room temperature and significant responses towards CO at 160 °C.

Nanostructured Indium(III) oxide (In₂O₃) films deposited by low temperature pulsed electron deposition (LPED) technique on customized alumina printed circuit boards have been manufactured and characterized as gas sensing devices. Their electrical properties have monitored directly during deposition to optimize their sensing performance. Experimental results with oxidizing (NO₂) as well as reducing (CO) gases in both air and inert gas carriers are discussed and modeled.

This study was aimed to investigate the activity of the Asteraceae species Taraxacum officinale against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Leaf and root extracts of T. officinale were tested in vitro at a range of 62.5-1000 and 250-1000 μg mL -1 concentrations on nematode juveniles and eggs, respectively, whereas treatments with 10-40 g kg -1 soil rates of dry leaf and root T. officinale biomass were applied to soil infested by M. incognita in greenhouse experiments on potted tomato. Peak 36 and 50% juvenile mortality and 14.8 and 23.8% egg hatchability reduction were recorded at the maximum concentration of leaf and root extracts, respectively. Soil treatments with T. officinale leaf and root material strongly suppressed nematode multiplication and gall formation on tomato roots and significantly increased plant growth. Chicoric acid and 3-O- and 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid were found to be the main components of leaf and root extract, respectively, and proved, as the total hydroalcoholic extracts from T. officinale leaf and root material, for an antioxidant activity. Data from this study indicate the suitability of plant materials from T. officinale for a potential formulation of nematicidal products to include in sustainable nematode management strategies.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake. Data on Table 1 under TR and TL column have been interchanged: that is compounds 1-12 and their amounts refer to TL; compounds 1-8 and related amounts refer to TR (see Fig. 1).

Purpose: During economic recession people with mental health problems have higher risk of losing their job. This paper analyses the issue by considering the Italian rates of unemployment amongst individuals with and without mental health problems in 2005 and 2013, that is prior and during the economic crisis., Methods: We used data from the National surveys on "Health conditions and use of health services" carried out by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) for the years 2005 and 2013. The surveys collected information on the health status and socioeconomic conditions of the Italian population. Self-reported unemployment status was analysed amongst individuals with and without reported mental health problems. In addition, descriptive statistics were performed in order to detect possible differences in the risk of unemployment within different regional contexts characterised by different socio-economic conditions., Results: The recession determined increased disparities in unemployment rates between people with and without mental health problems. Regardless to the presence of mental health problems, young people were more likely to be unemployed. Among people who reported mental health problems, males were more likely to be unemployed than females. People with low education level were more likely to be unemployed, particularly during the recession and in presence of mental health problems. Changes in unemployment rates due to the crisis showed different patterns across different regions of the Country., Conclusions: These analyses confirm that in periods of economic crisis people with mental health problems are at risk of experiencing exclusion from labour market. In addition, the impact is even worse within the group with low education and younger age. These findings emphasise the importance of specific interventions aimed at promoting labour market participation and reintegration for people with mental health problems.

Background: The Great Recession has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health. Italy has not been spared from the financial crisis with severe societal and mental health consequences. In addition, a strong earthquake hit the province of Modena, Italy, in 2012, that is, amid the crisis., Aims: In this study, we explored and investigated the possible additional impact of concurrent events such as economic crisis and a natural disaster., Methods: Our analysis elaborated data from two local surveys, ICESmo2 (2006) and ICESmo3 (2012), and a national survey carried out in 2013 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)). A regression model was adopted to distinguish the effect of the crisis and the earthquake., Results: Our analysis confirmed the negative effect of the economic crisis on psychological wellbeing, but within the province of Modena such an effect resulted as even stronger compared with the rest of Italy, particularly within those areas struck by the earthquake., Conclusion: Being hit by a combination of two major negative events might have a significantly increased negative effect on psychological health. The higher repercussion observed is not only attributable to the occurrence of a natural disaster but can be reasonably related to the additional effect of unemployment on psychological dimensions., (© The Author(s) 2016.)