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Abstract The increasing amount of weeds surviving herbicide represents a very serious problem for crop management. The interaction between microbial community of soil and herbicide resistance, along with the potential evolutive consequences, are still poorly known and need to be investigated to better understand the impact on agricultural management. In our study, we analyzed the microbial composition of soils in 32 farms, located in the Northern Italy rice-growing area (Lombardy) with the aim to evaluate the relationship between the microbial composition and the incidence of resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibiting herbicides in Echinochloa species. We observed that the coverage of weeds survived herbicide treatment was higher than 60% in paddy fields with a low microbial biodiversity and less than 5% in those with a high microbial biodiversity. Fungal communities showed a greater reduction in richness than Bacteria. In soils with a reduced microbial diversity, a significant increase of some bacterial and fungal orders (i.e. Lactobacillales, Malasseziales and Diaporthales) was observed. Interestingly, we identified two different microbial profiles linked to the two conditions: high incidence of herbicide resistance (H-HeR) and low incidence of herbicide resistance (L-HeR). Overall, the results we obtained allow us to make hypotheses on the greater or lesser probability of herbicide resistance occurrence based on the composition of the soil microbiome and especially on the degree of biodiversity of the microbial communities.

Abstract Background Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common neoplasia with multiple variants. One of these extremely rare and poorly described variants is PTC with fibromatosis-like stroma (PTC-FMS), a peculiar entity distinguished by its predominant mesenchymal component. This paper reviews the literature, discusses the diagnostic challenges, and the clinical and surgical implications of this type of tumor which has fewer than 30 cases reported in the literature. Case presentation We reported a case of PTC-FMS found in a 41-year-old Italian woman, who came to our Institute with a recent growth in the form of a mass on the neck. Further immunohistochemical examination showed β-catenin aberrant staining both in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the mesenchymal cells. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and received radioactive iodine (RAI) 2 months after surgery. Conclusion Given the possibility of recurrence of PTC-FMS and the ineffectiveness of RAI therapy, complete surgical resection represents the main treatment for this type of tumor. Despite the fact that the specific nature of these lesions has yet to be determined, guidelines for classical PTC should be followed.

Resumen En este trabajo se pretende mostrar e intentar categorizar los distintos testimonios de vida brindados por creyentes evangélicos conversos. En la ciudad de Montevideo se entrevistaron, a través del enfoque teórico-metodológico de la religiosidad vivida (lived religion), a 11 personas que en algún punto de su vida se convirtieron al evangelismo y que - en algún momento de la entrevista - compartieron estas historias de conversión y de-conversión, en general atravesadas por puntos de inflexión, cambios de vida y de un “antes y después” del cristianismo. Se busca también ver el potencial del acto de dar testimonio de este cambio de vida, no sólo como una herramienta para captar posibles conversos sino también como un medio por el cual se refuerzan las nuevas identidades religiosas a nivel personal y grupal en sus vidas cotidianas. Como principales resultados, se destacan, por un lado, el encontrar en las narrativas de los sujetos dos motivos principales por los cuales se produce la conversión o revinculación, así como otros elementos destacados por formar parte del proceso de reforzamiento del vínculo con su Iglesia y sus nuevas identidades religiosas. Por el otro, se encuentra que el acto de dar testimonio funciona efectivamente como un recurso positivo de validación para los creyentes.

In 2000, Carliss Baldwin and Kim Clark published "Design Rules: The Power of Modularity," a book that introduced new ways of understanding and explaining the architecture of complex systems This Special Issue of Industrial and Corporate Change celebrates this seminal work, the research it has inspired, and the insights that these collective efforts have generated. In this introductory essay, we review the impact of "Design Rules" across numerous fields, including organization theory, competitive strategy, industry structure, and innovation management. We offer perspectives on key themes that emerge from contributions in this issue, including the alignment between organizational and technical designs ("mirroring"), the dynamics of industry evolution, and the role that individuals play in shaping and responding to system designs. We close by highlighting opportunities to apply the theory in Design Rules to new phenomena and puzzles that have emerged in the past 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model the conditions under which firms should enter the market with modular products that support multiple standards instead of an integral product that supports a single standard. Product modularity enables firms to broaden their portfolios and increase their chances of investing in the "right" technologies early in a technology cycle. Entry with integral products instead occurs later in the cycle. We test the model's predictions on a sample of the Local Area Network industry entrants during the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several mechanisms involved in weed herbicide resistance are unknown, particularly those acting at the epigenetic level, such as the capacity of small-non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) to target messenger RNAs of genes involved in herbicide detoxification. The transcription of these sncRNAs is stimulated by epigenetic factors, thereby affecting gene expression. This study was carried out in order to evaluate, for the first time in Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. (barnyardgrass), the capacity of miRNAs to regulate the expression of genes associated with bispyribac-sodium detoxification. The expression profiles of eight miRNAs with a high degree of complementarity (≥80%) with mRNAs of genes involved in herbicide detoxification (CYP450, GST and eIF4B) were determined by qRT-PCR before and after herbicide spraying. Five of the miRNAs studied (gra-miR7487c, gma-miR396f, gra-miR8759, osa-miR395f, ath-miR847) showed an increased expression after herbicide application in both susceptible and resistant biotypes. All the miRNAs, except gra-miR8759, were more highly expressed in the herbicide-resistant biotypes. In specimens with increased expression of miRNAs, we observed reduced expression of the target genes. The remaining three miRNAs (ata-miR166c-5p, ath-miR396b-5p and osa-miR5538) showed no over-expression after herbicide treatment, and no difference in expression was recorded between susceptible and resistant biotypes. Our results represent a first overview of the capacity of miRNAs to regulate the expression of genes involved in bispyribac-sodium detoxification in the genus Echinochloa. Further research is required to identify novel miRNAs and target genes to develop more focused and sustainable strategies of weed control.

Literature presents several examples of surgical techniques for the treatment of carpometacarpal osteoarthritis. In our study we used a modified Ceruso’s suspended arthroplasty technique. In this study, 53 patients from 2011 to 2017 underwent arthroplasty with trapezius excision and suture suspension between abductor pollicis longus and flexor carpi radialis. The average age at surgery was 69, the participants were 43 women and 10 men. The average total operation time was 59 minutes. The modified CMC suspension arthroplasty technique provides excellent results compared with those in the literature.

Management of intra-articular heel fractures is controversial. The main goals of surgical treatment are restoring subtalar articular congruence and width, height, form and alignment of the heel. The gold standard is considered Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF), a complex technique with a high rate of complications. External Fixation (EF) could be a good alternative. In this study were identified 37 fractures in 35 patients (24 patients underwent ORIF and EF was performed in 13 cases) and the outcomes of the two techniques were compared. The mean surgical time for ORIF was 107.8 minutes, while for EF was 88.61 minutes and the ORIF group presented a higher rate of complications, despite of similar results in the mean postoperative AOFAS Ankle and Hindfoot Scale scores (73.31/100 points in the ORIF group and 75.40/100 points in the EF group). Fast learning curve, short surgery time and low complications rate make EF an alternative to ORIF in treating intraarticular heel fractures.

Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. (barnyardgrass) is one of the most noxious weeds infesting Italian rice fields. It is characterized by high genetic intraspecific variability and has developed resistance to several classes of herbicides. The aim of our study was to assess, for the first time in Italy, the genetic diversity in E. crus-galli from differently managed rice fields in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy) using eight specific SSR markers. To this purpose, an amplification protocol was optimized, testing different DNA concentrations, PCR mixtures, and temperatures. A total of 48 alleles were identified in 144 samples. SSR fingerprint analysis using R 3.6.3 software (poppr, polysat, and StAMPP) allowed us to handle SSRs as codominant and polyploid data. The results suggested that genetic richness and diversity were high. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that genetic variation exists mainly between agronomic managements (47.23%) and among populations (37.01%). Hierarchical clustering and PCoA were in concordance with the identification of four distinct genetic groups. Our results confirm that SSR markers represent a valuable and affordable tool for the assessment of E. crus-galli genetic diversity and would grant useful information to plan more targeted, effective, and sustainable control strategies against barnyardgrass. The improved methodology applied here allowed us to assess the genetic variability of an allo-hexaploid species without information loss and biased results.

Background: Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) requires accurate pre- and intraprocedural measurements, and multimodality imaging is an essential tool for guiding the procedure. Two-dimensional (2D TOE) and three-dimensional (3D TOE) transoesophageal echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography (CCT), and conventional cardiac angiography (CCA) are commonly used to evaluate left atrial appendage (LAA) size. However, standardized approaches in measurement methods by different imaging modalities are lacking. The aims of the study were to evaluate the LAA dimension and morphology in patients undergoing LAAC and to compare data obtained by different imaging modalities: 2D and 3D TOE, CCT, and CCA. Methods: A total of 200 patients (mean age 70 ± 8 years, 128 males) were examined by different imaging techniques (161 2D TOE, 103 3D TOE, 98 CCT, and 200 CCA). Patients underwent preoperative CCT and intraoperative 2D and 3D TOE and CCA. Results: A significant correlation was found among all measurements obtained by different modalities. In particular, 3D TOE and CCT measurements were highly correlated with an excellent agreement for the landing zone (LZ) dimensions (LZ diameter: r = 0.87; LAA depth: r = 0.91, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Head-to-head comparison among imaging techniques (2D and 3D TOE, CCT, and CCA) showed a good correlation among LZ diameter measurements obtained by different imaging modalities, which is a parameter of paramount importance for the choice of the LAAC device size. LZ diameters and area by 3D TOE had the best correlation with CCT.