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Traditional olive groves are generally characterized by low planting density, considerable age of the trees, large size of the canopies and alternate fruit productions so that a rejuvenation pruning is highly required. In this context, pruning residues are usually burned by the farmers. The present paper is finalized to assess the production of biomass from rejuvenation pruning of a traditional olive orchard in Southern Italy and to characterize it in order to evaluate its potential energetic value according to dimensional classes. A four-year study was carried out to evaluate the effect of rejuvenation pruning on the olive trees. In particular, an intense pruning by immediately selecting the final primary branches of the canopy was applied in ‘Carolea’ cultivar in 2019 and shreddable and non-shreddable removed materials were separately collected and weighted per tree in each year of experimentation. Pruning material was also analyzed according to dimensional classes in order to evaluate the possibility for energetic use. Results showed that the amount of removed material was very high in the first year of pruning with a ratio around 1.0 for shreddable and non-shreddable fractions. Pruning intensity strongly decreased during the following years with a prevalence of shreddable material and a very low pruning time requirement for tree. The energy characteristics of olive pruning residues recorded significant differences only for the sample with diameter < 20 mm (shreddable foliage) confirming the suitability of the bigger fraction (> 20 mm) to be used for the production of olive pruning pellets for domestic use (boilers even with low thermal powers) respecting the limits of class B of EN ISO 17225-2. In conclusion, while shreddable pruning material was the prevalent fraction and it can be useful to improve the soil organic matter content if maintained in the olive orchard, non-shreddable fraction can offer an interesting source for energy production. In particular, it can represent a secondary source of income for the farm to recover the cost incurred for the rejuvenation pruning of the traditional olive orchard or to design interesting alternative agricultural energetic supply chains., Proceedings of the 30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 9-12 May 2022, Online, pp. 249-253

Instantaneous measurements of pressure and wave flux in stratified incompressible flows are presented for the first time using combined time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) and synthetic schlieren (SS). Corrections induced by variations of the refractive index in this strongly density-stratified fluid are also considered. The test case investigated here is a three-dimensional geometry consisting of a Gaussian ring-type topography forced by an oscillating tide representative of geophysical applications. Density and pressure are reconstructed from SS or PIV in combination with linear theories and combined SS-PIV. We perform a direct comparison between the experimental results and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the same flow conditions and control parameters. In particular, we show that the estimated velocity or density and the hence wave flux from linear theory solely based on SS or PIV can be flawed in regions of focusing internal waves. We also show that combined measurements of SS and PIV are capable of circumventing these limitations and accurately reproduce the results computed from the DNS.

Objective. The Registry for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Italy (RIDI) Study Group was established to coordinate the registries of type 1 diabetes in Italy. This report is based on 3,606 children younger than 15 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and prospectively registered during 1990-1999 by nine centers, covering > 35% of the Italian population. Research design and methods. Registries were pooled in four geographic macro-areas: north, central, south and insular. The completeness of registration was assessed by the capture-recapture method. Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate temporal trend in incidence. Results. Large variation in incidence were confirmed not only between Sardegna and the mainland but also among peninsular areas. In Sardegna, there was an excess of boys (the boy-to-girl incidence ratio was 1.4). The overall incidence showed average increases of 3.6% (p

The genetic diversity of 71 Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi strains isolated from different host species and from diverse geographical regions was determined by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (f-AFLP) analysis. The study was carried out using three different selective primer combinations. Strains of P. syringae pv. syringae, P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, P. syringae pv. glycinea, P. syringae pv. tagetis and P. amygdali were also included as outgroups. Based on cluster analysis of f-AFLP data, all P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi strains showed a high degree of similarity, grouping in a cluster and forming a taxon clearly separate from outgroup strains. AFLP analyses failed to support placing strains of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi, P. syringae pv. phaseolicola and P. syringae pv. glycinea in the same species. Strains of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi formed subclusters that correlated with the host species. Strains identified within these subclusters were related to the geographical region where the strains were isolated. Strains of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi from olive were divided into two subclusters. Strains from oleander were differentiated from those from ash and were divided into two additional subclusters, distinct from olive strains. Three strains isolated from jasmine showed a high level of similarity among them but, at a lower Dice similarity coefficient, were linked to a subcluster including olive strains. Finally, two strains isolated from privet were similar to strains from olive and were included in the same subcluster.

The Registry for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Italy (RIDI) Study Group was established to coordinate the registries of type 1 diabetes in Italy. This report is based on 3,606 children younger than 15 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and prospectively registered during 1990-1999 by nine centers, covering35% of the Italian population.Registries were pooled in four geographic macro-areas: north, central, south, and insular. The completeness of registration was assessed by the capture-recapture method. Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate temporal trend in incidence.Large variations in incidence were confirmed not only between Sardegna and the mainland but also among peninsular areas. In Sardegna, there was an excess of boys (the boy-to-girl incidence ratio was 1.4). The overall incidence showed average increases of 3.6% (P0.001) and 3.7% (P0.001) per year in peninsular Italy and in Sardegna, respectively. Significant increases in incidence rates were found in boys aged 10-14 years (6.7%, 95% CI 0.5-13.3) and in girls aged 5-9 years (6.6%, 0.5-13.1) living in the southern area. The incidence rate also increased in boys aged 10-14 years (5.0%, 0.3-10) and in girls aged 0-4 years (4.9%, 0.8-9.1) living in Sardegna.Italy is a country with large geographical variations in incidence rates of type 1 diabetes. However, the rates are evenly increasing both in the mainland and Sardegna, suggesting that similar environmental factors are operating over populations that have different genetic backgrounds.

The estimates of potential biomass production from pruning in olive often follow generic indications not considering varietal differences, training and pruning systems. The main limitation to the valorization of pruning concerns the collection-logistics chain which requires precise starting data, often linked to specific production areas. Traditional groves still represent the majority of the Italian olive cropping systems. Information about intensity and type of rejuvenation pruning is still lacking for these orchards and data from different climatic conditions are important for further planification of new power plants for energy valorization. This study evaluates the biomass produced from two rejuvenation pruning intensities (i.e. intense and light) in five Italian cropping systems in two consecutive years. In the first year, the amount of removed material per tree was correlated to the initial canopy volume within treatment so that the biomass produced with intense pruning in the cultivars with bigger tree size passed 30 t ha-1. In both years, shreddable material was the prevalent fraction (>50%) in the tested cultivars and for both pruning treatments. Even adopting the lowest calorific value of 14.4 MJ kg-1 of dry matter, the energy potential appears promising for a possible economic valorization of the biomass., Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 273-278

Genetic variation among isolates of Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum (Pch) and P. aleophilum (Pal), two hyphomycetous fungi involved in the development of symptoms of esca and in a decline of young grapevines, was studied in eight Italian grapevine growing regions. Genetic variation was estimated by analysis of amplification profiles obtained in RAPD- and RAMS-PCR experiments (RAPD = Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA; RAMS = Random Amplified Micro- or Mini-Satellites). The genetic divergence between the two species suggests their assignment to two different genera. Within each species, a low level of polymorphism was found; however a higher degree of genetic variation was found with RAPD than with RAMS experiments, and more with Pal than with Pch isolates. No relationship was found for either species between the clustering of isolates in statistically defined groups and the geographic origin of those isolates. A low level of genetic disequilibrium was found in Pch and Pal, suggesting that sexual reproduction may occur in both fungi.

Paulownia species are fast growing trees native to China, which are being grown in managed plantings in several European countries for the production of wood and biomasses. In 2018, wilting, stunting, leaf yellowing, and collapse, as a consequence of root and crown rot, were observed in around 40% of trees of a 2-year-old planting of Paulownia elongata × P. fortunei in Calabria (Southern Italy). Two species of Phytophthora were consistently recovered from roots, basal stem bark, and rhizosphere soil of symptomatic trees and were identified as Ph. nicotianae and Ph. palmivora on the basis of both morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA ITS sequences. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled by reproducing the symptoms on potted paulownia saplings transplanted into infested soil or stem-inoculated by wounding. Both Phytophthora species were pathogenic and caused root rot and stem cankers. Even though P. palmivora was the only species recovered from roots of naturally infected plants, in pathogenicity tests through infested soil P. nicotianae was more virulent. This is the first report of Phytophthora root and crown rot of a Paulownia species in Europe. Strategies to prevent this emerging disease include the use of healthy nursery plants, choice of well-drained soils for new plantations, and proper irrigation management.

Gli Gnawa formano un gruppo etnico composto principalmente dai discendenti degli schiavi neri giunti in Marocco dall'Africa sub-sahariana tra il XVI° e il XX° secolo. Alcuni di loro, prendendo a modello gli ordini sufi, hanno dato vita ad una confraternita religiosa che si dedica a pratiche rituali peculiari, tra le quali spicca la lila (letteralmente, la 'notte'), un rito sincretico in cui la fede islamica si combina con elementi tipici dei culti di origine sub-sahariana (come il ricorso alla trance e alla possessione spiritica). Nel corso del rituale notturno vengono infatti invocate sette 'famiglie di spiriti' (mhalate), ognuna delle quali è contraddistinta da una propria 'divisa musicale' (mlouk), da un determinato colore, da una particolare essenza e soprattutto da un alimento o una pietanza preferiti che vengono preparati e disposti con grande cura all'interno della mida (vassoio-altare sacro) e poi distribuiti, seguendo un preciso ordine liturgico (treq): alle famiglie dei 'Bianchi' (jilala) e dei 'Verdi' (rijallah) alle quali appartengono i santi dell'Islam, ad esempio, vengono riservati latte e datteri, 'cibi celesti' più volte citati nel Corano. Ai 'Neri', i pericolosi spiriti della foresta (rijal al ghaba), invece, vengono offerte carne e zamita, farina d'orzo abbrustolita, rigorosamente senza sale. In occasioni speciali, inoltre, per rafforzare il legame tra gli adepti del culto e i loro spiriti (djinn), viene servito agli iniziati l'halu, una pietanza a base di carne e zucchero in quanto si ritiene che lo zucchero, al contrario del sale, attiri gli spiriti. Nelle pratiche rituali degli Gnawa, dunque, il cibo si carica di simboli e significati pregnanti e si configura come uno strumento fondamentale per entrare in contatto con il mondo invisibile e per stabilire con esso una relazione di reciproco e proficuo scambio: nutrendo gli spiriti infatti si guadagna la loro protezione e benedizione (baraka).