First Report of a Branch Dieback of Olive Trees in Tunisia Caused by a Phoma sp.

From 2007 to 2008, a new dieback of branches of olive trees was observed in several orchards in central and southern Tunisia. The appearance of this new syndrome coincided with warm temperatures and frequent rainfall from February to April 2007. Affected trees were observed in seven commercial orchards; disease incidence ranged from 1 to 9% and affected trees were randomly distributed in each orchard. Symptoms included abundant dead branches and wilted leaves remained attached. Distinct brown areas appeared on the bark of current-year shoots as well as on larger branches. Cankers on branches that were >2 years old were difficult to detect but were conspicuous in current-year shoots. To determine the etiology of this new syndrome, a study was carried out on samples of affected branches collected from 2007 to 2008 from different areas of the country. Unidentified species of Chaetomium and Phoma were isolated from the margins of the cankers. Koch's postulates were performed with one isolate each of a Chaetomium sp. and a Phoma sp on 2-year-old olive trees, cv. Chemlali, grown in 13-cm-diameter pots containing a sand/lime/peat mixture. Stems were inoculated by placing 10 µl of conidial suspension (106 conidia/ml) on 1-cm-long longitudinal stem wounds that had been made with a sterile scalpel. Control plants were wounded, but inoculum was replaced with sterile distilled water. Three sets of 10 plants each were wound inoculated with each of the fungi on the same day. Inoculated plants were covered with a polyethylene plastic bag to retain moisture and incubated for 2 months at 30°C with a 12-h photoperiod. After 45 days, only branches inoculated with the Phoma isolate showed brown discoloration areas at the inoculation sites. A Phoma sp. was recovered from necrotic bark from each of the 10 inoculated plants. Conidia were hyaline, unicellular, slightly ellipsoidal, and 4.8 to 6.3 × 1.8 to 2.2 µm. To confirm the identification, DNA extraction was done with hyphae collected from a 7-day-old culture on PDA after incubation at 25°C (1). Fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4 (3) were used for amplification. Purified amplicons were directly sequenced using the ITS1 and ITS4 primers for the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA. A BLAST search of the GenBank database revealed 96% homology with Phoma sp. isolate (AJ972865.1) and 98% homology with Phoma medicaginis isolate (DQ026014.1). P. incompta has been reported as responsible for branch dieback of olive tree in Italy (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a canker disease of olive caused by a Phoma sp. in Tunisia. References: (1) S. R. Tendulkar et al. Biotechnol. Lett. 22:1941, 2003. (2) L. Tosi and A. Zazzerini. Petria 4:161, 1994. (3) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.

Water and sediment budgets unveiling contrasting hydro-sedimentary patterns in a mountainous Mediterranean catchment.

Mountain regions have a key role in the generation of runoff, and in the production and transfer of sediments to fluvial networks, especially in Mediterranean catchments where these processes are affected by marked changes in climate and land use (i.e. global change). This paper presents the water and the sediment budgets of the Ribera Salada (224 km2), a meso-scale Mediterranean forested catchment located in the Southern Pyrenees. Field monitoring follows an integrated basins scheme (five nested sub-catchments), where hydrological and sediment transport data were collected continuously over a two-year period (2012-2013). Precipitation was obtained using radar images, which allowed the elaboration of rainfall maps used to characterize the spatial distribution of rainfall across multiple scales. Results indicate that the catchment is hydrologically divided in two areas which show contrasting fluvial regimes: the upper part of the catchment is considered wet and has a constant flow regime, supplying the majority of the water, while the lower part is drier, with ephemeral tributaries and water losses into the alluvial aquifer of the main river channel. In contrast to water yield, most of the suspended sediment load (i.e. 80%) is supplied by the driest part of the catchment where sediment availability was greater and where there is a greater connectivity between sediment sources and the channel network. The sediment yield of the whole catchment and the respective sub-catchments sits in the lower bounds of values reported for the Mediterranean region, indicating the generally low intensity of hydrological and geomorphic processes in the area. Once more the sediment budget approach matched to sound hydrological data proves efficient to characterize sediment dynamics in river basins, with special interest in areas such as the Mediterranean mountain catchments, where the effects of global change appear to be more acute.

Endoscopic pneumatic balloon dilation in primary achalasia: predictive factors, complications, and long-term follow-up.

Pneumatic dilation (PD) has been widely used in the treatment of idiopathic achalasia with a 70-90% response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PD and its predictive factors by means of clinical assessment. In addition, we evaluated its safety and the need for subsequent surgical intervention. Fifty-six patients were treated with a Witzel dilator. The response was evaluated at medium (1-5 years) and long term (>5 years). Diverse possible predictive factors to response were analyzed. After the first PD, 85.7% of the 56 patients improved and passed from clinical stage II-III to clinical stage 0-I (P < 0.005). After the second dilation, 84.6% of the patients (13) passed to clinical stage 0-I (P < 0.05). Only patients who were not young (>40 years) avoided a second dilation and/or surgery (P < 0.001). During the first 5 years of follow-up, 80% of patients maintained their response; this percentage decreased to 58% after 10 years. PD therapy of achalasia is a safe technique, with few adverse effects (4% perforations and 10% gastroesophageal reflux). It offers a medium-term response of 80% and long-term response of around 60%. Age was the only predictive response factor.

Characterization and Pathogenicity of Fusicladium eriobotryae, the Fungal Pathogen Responsible for Loquat Scab.

To characterize the fungal pathogen responsible for loquat scab and establish differences in pathogenicity in loquat, eight strains identified as Fusicladium eriobotryae were isolated from either loquat leaves or fruit showing scab symptoms in Spain. Loquat plants belonging to the cv. Peluche were infected via a newly developed infection system that was based on spraying susceptible loquat plants with fungal spore suspensions, keeping the plants for 1 week in 100% humidity, and then transferring the plants to ambient relative humidity in greenhouses. Scab symptoms were analyzed and pathogenic characterization of all F. eriobotryae strains revealed different degrees of aggressiveness. Based on infection progression and severity of scab symptoms, strain ST1 was confirmed as the most aggressive in cultivars in the Mediterranean region. Strain ST1, which even caused chlorotic spots in loquat stems, is so aggressive it can be used to identify highly resistant cultivars using this in vivo system. Molecular characterization of internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA and, particularly, the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, clearly distinguished loquat strains from Venturia inaequalis. Moreover, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and microsatellite-primed polymerase chain reaction techniques were used to qualitatively discriminate between species and report the variations within fungal populations. Molecular variability was checked by comparing all the different strains and enabled the specific identification of F. eriobotryae. Although no association was observed between any pattern and phenotypic traits, such as aggressiveness, RAPD provided a specific profile that allowed fungal identification.

Video Object Segmentation without Temporal Information.

Video Object Segmentation, and video processing in general, has been historically dominated by methods that rely on the temporal consistency and redundancy in consecutive video frames. When the temporal smoothness is suddenly broken, such as when an object is occluded, or some frames are missing in a sequence, the result of these methods can deteriorate significantly. This paper explores the orthogonal approach of processing each frame independently, i.e., disregarding the temporal information. In particular, it tackles the task of semi-supervised video object segmentation: the separation of an object from the background in a video, given its mask in the first frame. We present Semantic One-Shot Video Object Segmentation (OSVOS$^\mathrm {S}$S), based on a fully-convolutional neural network architecture that is able to successively transfer generic semantic information, learned on ImageNet, to the task of foreground segmentation, and finally to learning the appearance of a single annotated object of the test sequence (hence one shot). We show that instance-level semantic information, when combined effectively, can dramatically improve the results of our previous method, OSVOS. We perform experiments on two recent single-object video segmentation databases, which show that OSVOS$^\mathrm {S}$S is both the fastest and most accurate method in the state of the art. Experiments on multi-object video segmentation show that OSVOS$^\mathrm {S}$S obtains competitive results.

First Report of Phellinus ferruginosus Causing Laminar Root Rot on Juniperus communis in Spain.

During 2004, the natural juniper forests of the Mediterranean mountain ranges of Castellón and Valencia provinces (Comunidad Valenciana, eastern Spain) were severely affected by wood decay. A 2-year drought was registered in the area, and analyzed soil samples had high rates of conductivity (as much as 1,400 µS/cm) in the vicinity of diseased stands. Disease patches occurred within a 2-ha area (with a density of 5 to 30 stands per hectare), and tree damage varied in these symptomatic stands ranging from having chlorotic foliage (10 to 20% of the total surface) to complete defoliation and death of entire stands. After removing dead trees, a white laminated rot was observed located at their bases, specifically on the collar of the roots and the branches in contact with the substrate. In addition to these symptoms, annual, poroid, resupinate, ferruginous-colored basidiocarps were found on 90% of the infected or dead trees in each stand surveyed. These basidiocarps were characterized by having a dimitic hyphal system without clamp-connections, hymenial and hyphal thick-walled setae. Basidiospores were thin-walled, smooth, oblong, and ranged in size from 5 to 7 × 3 to 3.5 µm (4 × 4 µm, extreme measures). On the basis of these features, fungal fruitbodies were preliminary characterized as belonging to Phellinus ferruginosus (Schrad.: Fr.) Pat. (= Fuscoporia ferruginosa (Schrad.) Murrill.). Besides morphological identifications, isolations from infected wood were obtained. Infected branches of Juniperus communis were transversely sectioned and fragmented in small chips (0.5 × 0.5 cm ) that were surface sterilized and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate. Emerging colonies were then transferred to PDA and malt agar plates and incubated at 26°C for 15 to 20 days with a 12-h photoperiod. Cultures also identified as P. ferruginosus had submerged hyphae with swellings, hyphal setae, and ochraceous, tawny-to-honey yellow colonies (3). To confirm pathogenicity, healthy 2-year-old J. communis seedlings (40 replicates) were artificially inoculated with P. ferruginosus (isolate PHE-05-S30). Inoculum was grown on millet grains colonized by the fungus under sterile conditions and subsequently dehydrated. Two grams of the millet grain were applied at the base of the stems and 2 grams were mixed with potting substrate. Pots were covered with plastic bags for 5 days and incubated at room temperature for an additional 25 days. After this period, P. ferruginosus was reisolated (90% recovery) from rotten pieces of wood placed on petri dishes containing PDA, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. In Europe, this fungus was previously reported to occur on living J. communis in southern Italy (1) and could be distinguished from other closely related Phellinus spp. (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of white laminated rot on Juniperus spp. caused by P. ferruginosus in Spain. References: (1) A. Bernicchia. Mycotaxon 75:241, 2000. (2) L. Ryvarden and R. L. Gilbertson. European Polypores. Part 2: Meripilus-Tyromyces. Synopsis Fungorum. Vol. 7. Fungiflora, Oslo, Norway, 1994. (3) J. A. Stalpers. Stud. Mycol. 16:1, 1978.

Rainfall, runoff and sediment transport in a Mediterranean mountainous catchment.

The relation between rainfall, runoff, erosion and sediment transport is highly variable in Mediterranean catchments. Their relation can be modified by land use changes and climate oscillations that, ultimately, will control water and sediment yields. This paper analyses rainfall, runoff and sediment transport relations in a meso-scale Mediterranean mountain catchment, the Ribera Salada (NE Iberian Peninsula). A total of 73 floods recorded between November 2005 and November 2008 at the Inglabaga Sediment Transport Station (114.5 km(2)) have been analysed. Suspended sediment transport and flow discharge were measured continuously. Rainfall data was obtained by means of direct rain gauges and daily rainfall reconstructions from radar information. Results indicate that the annual sediment yield (2.3 t km(-1) y(-1) on average) and the flood-based runoff coefficients (4.1% on average) are low. The Ribera Salada presents a low geomorphological and hydrological activity compared with other Mediterranean mountain catchments. Pearson correlations between rainfall, runoff and sediment transport variables were obtained. The hydrological response of the catchment is controlled by the base flows. The magnitude of suspended sediment concentrations is largely correlated with flood magnitude, while sediment load is correlated with the amount of direct runoff. Multivariate analysis shows that total suspended load can be predicted by integrating rainfall and runoff variables. The total direct runoff is the variable with more weight in the equation. Finally, three main hydro-sedimentary phases within the hydrological year are defined in this catchment: (a) Winter, where the catchment produces only water and very little sediment; (b) Spring, where the majority of water and sediment is produced; and (c) Summer-Autumn, when little runoff is produced but significant amount of sediments is exported out of the catchment. Results show as land use and climate change may have an important role in modifying the cycles of water and sediment yields in Mediterranean mountain catchments.

Effects of afforestation on runoff and sediment load in an upland Mediterranean catchment.

This paper assesses annual and seasonal trends in runoff and sediment load resulting from climate variability and afforestation in an upland Mediterranean basin, the Ribera Salada (NE Iberian Peninsula). We implemented a hydrological and sediment transport distributed model (TETIS) with a daily time-step, using continuous discharge and sediment transport data collected at a monitoring station during the period 2009-2013. Once calibrated and validated, the model was used to simulate the hydrosedimentary response of the basin for the period 1971-2014 using historical climate and land use data. Simulated series were further used to (i) detect sediment transport and hydrologic trends at different temporal scales (annual, seasonal); (ii) assess changes in the contribution of extreme events (i.e. low and high flows) and (ii) assess the relative effect of forest expansion and climate variability on trends observed by applying a scenario of constant land use. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall test indicated upward trends for temperature and decreasing trends (although non-significant) for precipitation. Downward trends occurred for annual runoff, and less significantly for sediment yield. Reductions in runoff were less intense when afforestation was not considered in the model, while trends in sediment yield were reversed. Results also indicated that an increase in the river's torrential behaviour may have occurred throughout the studied period, with low and high flow events gaining importance with respect to the annual contribution, although its magnitude was reduced over time.

First Recognition of Issatchenkia orientalis in Mature Citrus Fruits in Spain.

During the first four months of 2000, mature fruit of clementine cvs. Clemenules and Hernandina, mandarin cvs. Ortanique and Fortune, and orange cv. Navelina from several packinghouses located in Valencia Province were affected by a soft, watery, colorless or very light brown decay. The incidence of the decay was 5 to 12% in clementines and mandarins and 0.2 to 0.8% in oranges. A yeast was isolated consistently on potato-dextrose agar from affected tissues and from the juice of decayed fruits. Colonies of this yeast were butyrous, light cream in color, and smooth with a dry surface (or with a flattened center) and lobed margins with sparse, branched pseudohyphae. Some isolates that were light pink in color later turned cream colored. Yeast cells were ovoid to elongate, single or in pairs, with one or two buds at one end (multilateral budding). The cells were 1.1 to 5.7 µm × 3.2 to 12.8 µm. Ascospores were not observed. Fermentation and growth on carbon sources (several carbohydrates), growth on nitrogen sources (nitrate, cadaverine, L-lysine, etc.), requirement for vitamins, and growth at 40°C were used for identification. Based on the results of such tests and morphological characteristics, the fungus was identified as Issatchenkia orientalis Kudryavtsev (anamorph: Candida krusei (Castellani) Berkhout) (2). To satisfy Koch's postulates in pathogenicity tests, cells from pure cultures on agar or in orange juice were inoculated by hypodermic injection into the peel and flesh of oranges, clementines, mandarins, grapefruits, and lemons. After 10 to 20 days in a moist chamber at 24°C, a decay resembling symptoms that occurred in the packinghouse were observed in the inoculated fruits (1,3). The lemon fruits were the most affected. The fungus reisolated from decayed fruits was identical to the original isolates. This is the first report of this yeast as a decay of citrus produced in Europe. Climatic conditions (rainfall in spring and dry in summer and autumn) in citrus-growing areas in Spain, together with the presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, may have been factors in disease development. A similar decay is caused by Geotrichum candidum, and previously this may have been mistaken for decay caused by I. orientalis. References: (1) P. R. Harding. Plant Dis. Rep. 52:433, 1968. (2) C. D. Kurtzman. 1998. The Yeasts, A Taxonomic Study. 4th ed. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam. (3) K. V. Shankhapal and V. G. Hatwalne. Plant Dis. Rep. 60:237, 1976.

First Report of Leaf Blight on Sweet Persimmon Tree by Pestalotiopsis theae in Spain.

During July 1998, a leaf blight caused by Pestalotiopsis theae (Saw.) Stey. was observed at an incidence of 18 to 20% in sweet persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.fil.) orchards in Huelva Province (southwestern Spain). Symptoms appeared on leaves as large grayish brown circular ringspots. Usually, they were solitary, but occasionally, two to three spots occurred on an affected leaf. In severe cases, lesions developed on more than one-third of the leaf, resulting in defoliation. Small black acervular conidiomata were visible in the surface of spots. These conidiomata produced fusiform conidia that were straight or rarely curved, four five-celled euseptate, including three olivaceous or dark brown median cells, and hyaline apical and basal cells with appendages that were slightly constricted at septa. Conidiomata were up to 240 µm in diameter; conidiogenous cells were 6 to 13 × 1.2 to 2.8 µm; conidia were 24.7 × 7.8 µm; three median cells were 16.7 µm long; two to three apical appendages (rarely four) were 28.3 µm long; and straight basal appendage was 5.7 µm. P. theae was consistently isolated on potato dextrose agar from diseased leaves and conidiomata. To confirm pathogenicity, both mycelial plugs and a conidial suspension (1.5 × 106 conidia per ml) of the fungus were used as inocula. Young completely developed leaves from persimmon tree cvs. Sharon and Hanafuyu were inoculated in the laboratory and maintained in a moist chamber for 5 days. Lesions resembling symptoms that occurred in the field were observed on leaves after 5 days. Symptoms were not observed on control leaves inoculated with agar media or sprayed with water. The fungus reisolated from diseased leaves was identical to the original isolates. Based on the morphological characteristics of conidiomata and conidia as well as pathogenicity, the fungus was identified as P. theae (1). This is the first report of this fungus as a pathogen of D. kaki in Europe. Possibly the introduction of P. theae to Spain has been through young imported persimmon plants. Unusual climatic conditions (heavy rainfalls during 1997 in southwestern Spain) have been favorable for disease development. The hot and dry conditions that usually occur during flowering, growing, and maturation of persimmon fruits normally prevent dissemination of inoculum and infection of leaves. For these reasons, the wet areas of southwestern Spain could be more favorable for "grey blight" of persimmon trees. Reference: (1) T.-H. Chang et al. Korean J. Plant Pathol. 12:377, 1996.

GLC analysis of thiabendazole residues in citrus fruit.

Analysis of thiabendazole (TBZ) residues in citrus fruit is performed using a bonded phase, SE-54, fused-silica capillary column. The fungicide is extracted with hexane: ethyl acetate (90:10, v/v) at high pH and, after a short cleanup, determined by gas-liquid chromatography with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector (NPD). Recoveries through the method are always higher than 80% and the limit of detection is 0.01 mg/Kg. TBZ residues are determined in whole fruit, peel, and pulp of "Washington Navel" oranges and "Hernandina" clementines treated with 1500 mg/L fungicide. Residues found in these samples and their changes during storage are reported. TBZ analysis in samples with high residue levels (peel and whole fruit) is also carried out by direct determination in the crude extracts. Results obtained with this shorter method are similar to those of the former proposed method.

[Splenic infarction]. / Infarto esplénico.

A 53-year-old male suffered splenic infarction etiologically related to atrial fibrillation and non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The main clinical manifestations were a one-month history of epigastric and left upper quadrant pain, with tenderness to palpation in the later zone. Laboratory tests revealed a slight leucocytosis (14.700) with left shift and a marked increase in LDH concentration (945 IU). Abdominal CAT and arteriography established the diagnosis, Echography proved normal. Patient evolution was satisfactory with conservative medical treatment. We conclude that splenic infarction should be considered in all cases of acute or chronic pain in the left hypochondrium. The diagnosis is established by CAT, arteriography and hepatosplenic gammagraphy. Medical management is initially advocated, surgery being reserved for those cases involving complications or in which diagnosis is not clear. Emphasis is placed on the main etiological, clinical, diagnostic and management characteristics of splenic infarction.

[Non-aneurysmatic aortic dysphagia]. / Disfagia aortica no aneurismatica.

Esophageal compression by a vascular structure is a rare cause of dysphagia, the aberrant right subclavian artery being the most common congenital abnormality. Aortica dysphagia is usually observed in the elderly, especially in hypertensive women with cardiopathy and degenerative osteopathy. We report a 73-year-old woman with dysphagia, caused by a non-aneurysmatic aortic elongation, who presented progressive dysphagia, which ended in aphagia associated with heart failure. The diagnostic approach to these patients is discussed. The patient received cinitapride and, following treatment for heart failure, remains asymptomatic after a 3-year follow-up period, although manometric alterations persist.

Gas chromatographic determination of fenpropimorph residues in citrus fruit.

A rapid gas chromatographic method for determining fenpropimorph residues in citrus fruit is reported. The fungicide is extracted with hexane after pH adjustment of the fruit homogenate. A short liquid-liquid partitioning process is performed before gas chromatography on an OV-17 column with nitrogen-phosphorus specific detection. The limit of detection of the method was 0.01 mg/kg, based on a 25 g sample. Recovery was always higher than 70%. Fenpropimorph residues in "Washington Navel" oranges and "Hernandina" clementine fruits dipped in a 1500 mg/L fungicide solution were determined. The fungicide remains mainly in the peel, with levels less than 0.1 mg/kg in the pulp. Fungicide residues in the peel decrease during storage, mainly in Washington Navel peel, where values decreased from 5.2 to 2.8 mg/kg.

Epidermoid carcinoma of the colon. Description of a lesion located in the hepatic flexure.

A case of epidermoid carcinoma of the colon is described--the 25th such case reported in the literature. The pathogenesis, natural history, and treatment of the disease are reviewed.