Functional Surfaces for Passive Fungal Proliferation Control: Effect of Surface Micro- and Nanotopography, Material, and Wetting Properties.

Fungal proliferation can lead to adverse effects for human health, due to the production of pathogenic and allergenic toxins and also through the creation of fungal biofilms on sensitive surfaces (i.e., medical equipment). On top of that, food spoilage from fungal activity is a major issue, with food losses exceeding 30% annually. In this study, the effect of the surface micro- and nanotopography, material (aluminum, Al, and poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA), and wettability against Aspergillus awamori is investigated. The fungal activity is monitored using dynamic conditions by immersing the surfaces inside fungal spore-containing suspensions and measuring the fungal biomass growth, while the surfaces with the optimum antifungal properties are also evaluated by placing them near spore suspensions of A. awamori on agar plates. Al- and PMMA-based superhydrophobic surfaces demonstrate a passive-like antifungal profile, and the fungal growth is significantly reduced (1.6-2.2 times lower biomass). On the other hand, superhydrophilic PMMA surfaces enhance fungal proliferation, resulting in a 2.6 times higher fungal total dry weight. In addition, superhydrophobic surfaces of both materials exhibit antifouling and antiadhesive properties, whereas both superhydrophobic surfaces also create an "inhibition" zone against the growth of A. awamori when tested on agar plates.

The Effects of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

The purpose of this literature review was to detect and study the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention programs, such as physical activities and sports, on children and adolescents with Developmental Motor Coordination Disorder (DCD) to improve their motor skills. The sample for this study consisted of 48 (100%) papers, specifically, 40 (83.5%) articles, 3 (6.2%) doctoral theses, 2 (4.1%) master's theses and 3 (6.2%) papers from conference proceedings from the year 2014 to 2022. To search the sample, the following terms were used: DCD or dyspraxia, physical activity programs, intervention, physical intervention, physical education, etc. The results for the existence of statistically significant results and internal validity of intervention programs using physical activities and sports in children and adolescents with DCD showed that a large number of intervention programs improved the children's motor skills as well as their daily functionality. In contrast, other interventions failed to improve dynamic and static balance. The negative result could be due either to the short duration of the interventions or to the improper suboptimal design-organization of the methodology of these programs-such as the heterogeneous intervention samples and the use of inappropriate and reliable assessment tools.

Intra-annual raw basal area increments (early-wood and late-wood) of Pinus nigra subsp. laricio Poiret trees from southern Italy at the pines׳ mesic to xeric distribution range.

This article contains tree rings data related to the research article entitled "An intra-stand approach to identify intra-annual growth responses to climate in Pinus nigra subsp. laricio Poiret trees from southern Italy" (Mazza et al., 2018). Most dendroclimatological studies on black pine have been conducted on the P. nigra subsp. nigra, while only few results on climate-growth relationships are available for other taxa such as P. nigra subsp. laricio, which has the narrowest distribution range of the collective species P. nigra. This data article provides tree rings data for the subsp. laricio at an intra-annual growth level, distinguishing early-wood (EW) and late-wood (LW), from an even aged forest stand from the Sila mountain area within the subspecies mesic to xeric distribution range.

Does upfront therapy with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC confer a survival benefit in patients with synchronous gastric peritoneal carcinomatosis when compared with patients with metachronous gastric peritoneal carcinomatosis?

Gastric cancer (GC) remains the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for 8% of the total cases and 10% of total deaths in 2008. Surgery remains the curative treatment option for GC and the main reason for treatment failure is peritoneal recurrence which, according to the literature, occurs in 40-60% of the cases, despite extensive surgery including D2 lymph node dissection. The hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) technique is increasingly used in the treatment of primary and digestive peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), in association with cytoreductive surgery (CRS). We retrospectively analyzed 14 patients with gastric peritoneal carcinomatosis (GPC) undergoing CRS/HIPEC in the last 10 years. Six patients already had GPC at the time of diagnosis (group A) and 8 developed metachronous GPC (group B). Treatment with CRS and HIPEC didn't seem to confer a survival benefit to patients with synchronous PC from gastric cancer.

What determines tree mortality in dry environments? A multi-perspective approach.

Forest ecosystems function under increasing pressure due to global climate changes, while factors determining when and where mortality events will take place within the wider landscape are poorly understood. Observational studies are essential for documenting forest decline events, understanding their determinants, and developing sustainable management plans. A central obstacle towards achieving this goal is that mortality is often patchy across a range of spatial scales, and characterized by long-term temporal dynamics. Research must therefore integrate different methods, from several scientific disciplines, to capture as many relevant informative patterns as possible. We performed a landscape-scale assessment of mortality and its determinants in two representative Pinus halepensis planted forests from a dry environment (~300 mm), recently experiencing an unprecedented sequence of two severe drought periods. Three data sources were integrated to analyze the spatiotemporal variation in forest performance: (1) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time-series, from 18 Landsat satellite images; (2) individual dead trees point-pattern, based on a high-resolution aerial photograph; and (3) Basal Area Increment (BAI) time-series, from dendrochronological sampling in three sites. Mortality risk was higher in older-aged sparse stands, on southern aspects, and on deeper soils. However, mortality was patchy across all spatial scales, and the locations of patches within "high-risk" areas could not be fully explained by the examined environmental factors. Moreover, the analysis of past forest performance based on NDVI and tree rings has indicated that the areas affected by each of the two recent droughts do not coincide. The association of mortality with lower tree densities did not support the notion that thinning semiarid forests will increase survival probability of the remaining trees when facing extreme drought. Unique information was obtained when merging dendrochronological and remotely sensed performance indicators, in contrast to potential bias when using a single approach. For example, dendrochronological data suggested highly resilient tree growth, since it was based only on the "surviving" portion of the population, thus failing to identify past demographic changes evident through remote sensing. We therefore suggest that evaluation of forest resilience should be based on several metrics, each suited for detecting transitions at a different level of organization.

The effect of rainfall and competition intensity on forest response to drought: lessons learned from a dry extreme.

We investigated forest responses to global warming by observing: (1) planted Pinus halepensis forests, (2) an aridity gradient-with annual precipitation (P) ranging from ~300 to ~700 mm, and (3) periods of wet and dry climate that included the driest period during at least the last 110 years. We examined: (1) how the length of climatic integration periods to which trees are most responsive varies in space and time, (2) the extent to which competition modulates growth decline during drought (2011) and subsequent recovery (2012) years. The temporal scale of rainfall that was most influential on growth shortened in progressing southward, and in the drier than in the wetter period. Long-term underground water storage, as reflected in the relationship of growth to multiple-year rainfall, remained significant up to the point where P ≈ 500 mm. Under drier conditions (P < 500 mm) in both space and time, influential rainfall scales shortened, probably reflecting a diminishing role of water storage. These drier locations are the first from which the species would be likely to retreat if global warming intensified. Competition appeared to set an upper limit to growth, while growth variation among individual trees increased as competition-intensity decreased. That upper limit increased in 2012 compared with 2011. The observed insensitivity of slow-growing trees to competition implies that mortality risk may be density independent, when even any potential for higher soil moisture availability in open stands is lost to evapotranspiration before it can benefit tree growth.

The olive mill wastewater as substrate for single cell oil production by Zygomycetes.

The conversion of olive mill wastewater (OMW) into high added value lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), in parallel with a significant phenolic removal by selected strains of Zygomycetes, is reported here for the first time. The growth of Mortierella isabellina, Mortierella ramanniana, Cunninghamella echinulata, Mucor sp., Thamnidium elegans and Zygorhynchus moelleri on solidified media was not significantly affected by the presence of OMW used in the growth medium up to 50% (v/v). Kinetic parameter values and conversion yields, estimated using a mathematical model which was fitted on the experimental data originated from submerged cultures, shows the ability of some Zygomycetes (i.e. T. elegans and Z. moelleri) to grow on OMW and accumulate storage material, i.e. lipids rich in PUFA, and these findings open new perspectives in OMW management and valorization. In liquid media containing OMW as sole carbon source, T. elegans and Z. moelleri produced 4.4 and 3.5g/L cell mass in surface (SC) and submerged (SMC) cultures, respectively, containing around 60% (w/w) of lipids. Oleic and palmitic acids were the predominant fatty acids. Gamma-linolenic acid was found in high percentages (up to 17.7%, w/w) in the lipid of Z. moelleri, in SMC with OMW as sole carbon source, while PUFA biosynthesis was not favored in SC.