Infrared Thermography Monitoring of Durum and Common Wheat for Adaptability Assessing and Yield Performance Prediction.

Wheat is one of the most cultivated cereals thanks to both its nutritional value and its versatility to technological transformation. Nevertheless, the growth and yield of wheat, as well as of the other food crops, can be strongly limited by many abiotic and biotic stress factors. To face this need, new methodological approaches are required to optimize wheat cultivation from both a qualitative and quantitative point of view. In this context, crop analysis based on imaging techniques has become an important tool in agriculture. Thermography is an appealing method that represents an outstanding approach in crop monitoring, as it is well suited to the emerging needs of the precision agriculture management strategies. In this work, we performed an on-field infrared monitoring of several durum and common wheat varieties to evaluate their adaptability to the internal Mediterranean area chosen for cultivation. Two new indices based on the thermal data useful to estimate the agronomical response of wheat subjected to natural stress conditions during different phenological stages of growth have been introduced. The comparison with some productive parameters collected at harvest highlighted the correlation of the indices with the wheat yield (ranging between p < 0.001 and p < 0.05), providing interesting information for their early prediction.

Integrating Smart Greenhouse Cover, Reduced Nitrogen Dose and Biostimulant Application as a Strategy for Sustainable Cultivation of Cherry Tomato.

Fruit yield and quality of greenhouse tomatoes are strongly influenced by light conditions and nitrogen (N) availability, however, the interaction between these factors is still unclear. We evaluated the effects on cherry tomatoes of two tunnel plastic covers with different optical properties and three N doses, also in combination with a biostimulant treatment. We compared a diffuse light film (Film1) and a conventional clear film (Film2), and three N levels, corresponding to 50% (N50), 75% (N75) and 100% (N100) of the optimal dose, with and without a microbial plus a protein hydrolysed biostimulant, compared to a non-treated control. The three experimental treatments significantly interacted on several yield and quality parameters. In control plants (untreated with biostimulants), the early yield was higher at reduced N doses compared to N100, with greater increments under the diffusive Film1 compared to the clear Film2 (+57.7% and +37.0% vs. +31.7% and +16.0%, in N50 and N75 respectively). Film1 boosted the total fruit production at all the N rates and with or without biostimulants, compared to Film2, with stronger effects under sub-optimal N (+29.4% in N50, +21.2% in N75, and +7.8% in N100, in plants untreated with biostimulant). Total yield decreased with decreasing N levels, while it always increased with the application of biostimulants, which counterbalanced the detrimental effects of N shortage. Quality traits were mainly affected by the cover film and the biostimulant treatment. The diffusive film increased the content of carotenoids, lycopene and total phenols compared to the clear one, and the biostimulants increased texture, soluble solids, phenols and ascorbic acid compared to the untreated control. It is worth noting that in plants fertilized at 75% of the reference N dose, the biostimulants determined higher yield than the N100 untreated control, under both the covers (+48% in Film1 and +20% in Film2). In conclusion, the diffusive film improved the fruit yield and quality of greenhouse tomatoes in the spring-summer period, presumably avoiding plant stress due to high-intensity direct light. Reduced N rates limited the plant productivity, however, the biostimulant application was effective in compensating for the detrimental effects of sub-optimal supply of N synthetic fertilizers.

Active vs. Passive Thermal Imaging for Helping the Early Detection of Soil-Borne Rot Diseases on Wild Rocket [Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) D.C.].

Cultivation of wild rocket [Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) D.C.] as a baby-leaf vegetable for the high-convenience food chain is constantly growing due to its nutritional and taste qualities. As is well known, these crops are particularly exposed to soil-borne fungal diseases and need to be effectively protected. At present, wild rocket disease management is performed by using permitted synthetic fungicides or through the application of agro-ecological and biological methods that must be optimized. In this regard, the implementation of innovative digital-based technologies, such as infrared thermography (IT), as supporting systems to decision-making processes is welcome. In this work, leaves belonging to wild rocket plants inoculated with the soil-borne pathogens Rhizoctonia solani Kühn and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary were analyzed and monitored by both active and passive thermographic methods and compared with visual detection. A comparison between the thermal analysis carried out in both medium (MWIR)- and long (LWIR)-wave infrared was made and discussed. The results achieved highlight how the monitoring based on the use of IT is promising for carrying out an early detection of the rot diseases induced by the investigated pathogens, allowing their detection in 3-6 days before the canopy is completely wilted. Active thermal imaging has the potential to detect early soil-borne rotting diseases.

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Properties of Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis Tenuifolia L.) Grown under Different Plastic Films and with Different UV-B Radiation Postharvest Treatments.

Rocket species are rich in nutrients with well-known bioactive activity, but their content depends on several factors, such as plant-UV radiation interaction. In this work, we measured the production of nutritional elements in wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L.) leaves as a function of exposure to UV-B radiation by adopting a combined approach. The wild rocket plants were grown under three greenhouse cover films (A, B, and C) having different transmittivity to UV-B and the fresh-cut leaves were exposed to UV-B in postharvest for 45, 150, 330, and 660 s. The content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and the antioxidant activity were determined. Chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total phenolic content were significantly increased by the combination of Film C and treatment with UV-B for 45 s. The predominant phenolic compounds were kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and quercetin. Film C also elicited an increase in ascorbic acid (the most abundant antioxidant compound in the range 374-1199 per 100 g of dry matter) and antioxidant activity. These findings highlighted an increase in bioactive compound content in the wild rocket when it was cultivated under Film C (diffused light film with a tailored UV-B transmission dose) and treated with UV-B radiation for 45 s postharvest, corresponding to an energy dose of 0.2 KJ m-2.

Monitoring of the copper persistence on plant leaves using pulsed thermography.

Copper-based fungicides are largely used in agriculture in the control of a wide range of plant diseases. Applied on plants, they remain deposited on leaf surfaces and are not absorbed into plant tissues. Because of accumulation problems and their ecotoxicological profiles in the soil, their use needs to be monitored and controlled, also by using modern technologies to better optimize the efficacy rendering minimum the amount of copper per season used. In this work, we test a novel approach based on pulsed thermography to evaluate the persistence of the copper on plant leaves so that the time between two applications should be the minimum needs. We monitored the thermal response observed on different treatments of both grapevine and tobacco plants over a 3-week period. Our experimental results demonstrate that the new methodological approach based on pulsed thermography can be an effective tool to evaluate in real time the presence of copper on differently treated plants allowing a tentative quantification and, therefore, to optimize its use in the agricultural practices, according also to the European Regulation n. 1107/2009.

Irreversible accumulated SERS behavior of the molecule-linked silver and silver-doped titanium dioxide hybrid system.

In recent years, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of a molecule/metal-semiconductor hybrid system has attracted considerable interest and regarded as the synergetic contribution of the electromagnetic and chemical enhancements from the incorporation of noble metal into semiconductor nanomaterials. However, the underlying mechanism is still to be revealed in detail. Herein, we report an irreversible accumulated SERS behavior induced by near-infrared (NIR) light irradiating on a 4-mercaptobenzoic acid linked with silver and silver-doped titanium dioxide (4MBA/Ag/Ag-doped TiO2) hybrid system. With increasing irradiation time, the SERS intensity of 4MBA shows an irreversible exponential increase, and the Raman signal of the Ag/Ag-doped TiO2 substrate displays an exponential decrease. A microscopic understanding of the time-dependent SERS behavior is derived based on the microanalysis of the Ag/Ag-doped TiO2 nanostructure and the molecular dynamics, which is attributed to three factors: (1) higher crystallinity of Ag/Ag-doped TiO2 substrate; (2) photo-induced charge transfer; (3) charge-induced molecular reorientation.

Use of greenhouse-covering films with tailored UV-B transmission dose for growing 'medicines' through plants: rocket salad case.

BACKGROUND: The effects of ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation on plants are well known and have recently attracted a great deal of attention due to the production of large quantities of secondary metabolites, which are very beneficial for human health. Recent studies have demonstrated the possibility of exploiting UV-B radiation to induce metabolic changes in fruit, vegetables, and herbs. The role of UV-B rays in inducing secondary plant metabolites is enhanced by new plastic films, which, as a result of their optical properties, permit the necessary dosage of UV-B to be transmitted into the greenhouse to stimulate such metabolites without altering the harvest. RESULTS: The main goal of the present paper is to demonstrate that, by using a greenhouse plastic film with appropriate transmittance of UV-B for rocket salad cultivation, it is possible to increase the nutraceutical elements in comparison with the same species grown in absence of such radiation. Tests compared nutritional elements extracted from rocket salad grown under greenhouses covered with several plastic films differing in UV-B transmittance. We found that rocket salad grown under plastic with 27% UV-B transmittance exhibited very high luteolin and quercetin content in comparison with rocket salad cultivated under film blocking UV-B radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Our experimental results confirm the possibility of exploiting UV-B radiation in the correct amounts by appropriate greenhouse plastic covers, to produce natural 'medicines' using the plants and to satisfy increasing consumer demand for natural health-promoting food products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

SERS-based cascade amplification bioassay protocol of miRNA-21 by using sandwich structure with biotin-streptavidin system.

In our bioassay protocol, the Ag@4MBA@DNA-biotin probes were synthesized by linking biotin-modified DNA and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid-covered Ag nanoparticles, and the Si@Ag@anti-digoxin/digoxin-DNA substrate was fabricated by immune linking of digoxin-DNA and anti-digoxin immobilized on a Ag-coated wafer. Then, the probes, miRNA-21 and the substrate were constructed into a "sandwich structure" to detect the variation in the SERS signals with respect to miRNA-21 concentrations. Next, streptavidin and extra probes were alternately introduced to implement the cascade amplification of the SERS signal to increase the detection sensitivity. The results show that the limit of detection (LOD) with cascade amplification is remarkably improved from 97.81 pM to 38.02 fM, which is three orders of magnitude higher than the original data without cascade amplification. Furthermore, the SERS-based cascade amplification mechanism was analyzed and is attributed to the "hot spots effect" of the noble metal nanostructure. The biotin-streptavidin (B-S) system was introduced into the SERS detection platform, and the novel SERS-based cascade amplification bioassay protocol has significant creativity for the detection of nucleic acids.

Attitudinal variables and a possible mediating mechanism for vaccination practice in health care workers of a local hospital in L'Aquila (Italy).

Active immunization is an important concern for health care workers (HCWs) susceptible subjects and potential sources of infection for patients. However, the vaccine coverage for vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) is below recommended standards. The aims of the study were to estimate the hospitals' HCWs' susceptibility and vaccination coverage rates for VPDs and to analyze the role of HCWs' attitudes and knowledge as determinants of the immunization practices. A cross-sectional study enrolled 334 HCWs (physicians, nurses, others) at local hospital in L'Aquila (Italy). By means of an anonymous questionnaire, self-report data about history of disease and active vaccination for seasonal influenza, chickenpox, measles-mumps-rubella and hepatitis B were collected, as well as attitudes and knowledge about vaccination in HCWs. The employees showed high levels of susceptibility and insufficient vaccination coverage rates, particularly for influenza. Specific trends were detected for different VPDs across age strata and professional categories, not always consistent with literature. Overall, the level of knowledge about recommended vaccination for HCWs was low, in all categories. The active immunization status against influenza was found the most clearly associated with difference levels in 3 psychometric variables: personal responsibility, beliefs on usefulness and beliefs on risk of vaccination. A mediation mechanism was analyzed between these constructs, and an interesting indirect effect was highlighted for beliefs that could enhance the advantage of increased responsibility for HCWs. Further effort in research is needed to evaluate the black-box of longitudinal intervention studies (education, environmental changes, policies), to improve HCWs immunization.

Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes: epitaxial growth synthesis and surface-enhanced Raman scattering performance.

Novel Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes (NCs) were successfully prepared by the controlled epitaxial growth of Ag shells onto Au nanoellipsoids (NEs) in the presence of surfactants. The growth mechanism of the Au@Ag core-shell NCs was systematically investigated by analyzing their morphology, optical properties, and crystallography. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) characteristics and the electric field distribution of the Au@Ag core-shell NCs were studied using the finite element method (FEM) based on the plasmon hybridization theory. Compared with pure Ag NCs, the absorption spectrum of the Au@Ag core-shell NCs exhibits a red shift and a weak shoulder near 550 nm, and the notable enhancement of electric field occurs around the corners along the long-axis of the Au ellipsoidal core because of plasmonic resonant coupling. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the Au@Ag core-shell NCs labeled with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid molecules reveals that the bimetallic core-shell NCs possess efficient SERS activity with an enhancement factor EF = 2.27 × 10(6), thus confirming the possibility of using the Au@Ag core-shell NCs as a stable probe for SERS-based biosensing applications.

Controllable synthesis and SERS characteristics of hollow sea-urchin gold nanoparticles.

Hollow sea-urchin gold nanoparticles (HSU-GNPs) were successfully prepared through a novel one-step galvanic replacement strategy, and their corresponding optical properties was studied in detail. During the synthesis process, the sizes of the interior hollows of the HSU-GNPs could be changed by adjusting the amount of silver nitrate added into hydrogen tetrachloroaurate trihydrate solution. The absorption spectra of the HSU-GNPs showed that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peaks were red-shifted with increasing size of the interior hollows in the HSU-GNPs. When the added amount of silver nitrate was up to 6 µl, the LSPR peak of the synthesized HSU-GNP reached 726 nm as a maximum red-shift. Furthermore, the absorption spectra of the HSU-GNPs with different morphologies were theoretically simulated by the finite element method, which was consistent with the experimental results and explained the origin of the red-shift of the LSPR peaks. In addition, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the sea urchin gold nanoparticles were also investigated using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid as a Raman reporter molecule. Both the experimental and calculated results showed that the HSU-GNPs had stronger SERS enhancement than the solid sea-urchin gold nanoparticles. In particular, the HSU-GNPs prepared by adding 6 µl silver nitrate exhibited a maximum SERS enhancement factor, EF = 1.1 × 10(9), due to the LSPR peak at 726 nm which is near to the excitation wavelength, 785 nm. This feature is significant for designing a biosensor with a super-high sensitivity based on the morphology of the HSU-GNPs.

Highly sensitive immunoassay based on SERS using nano-Au immune probes and a nano-Ag immune substrate.

A super-high-sensitivity immunoassay based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was implemented using the nano-Au immune probes and nano-Ag immune substrate. Ultraviolet-visible extinction spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and SERS spectra were used to characterise the nano-Au immune probes and the nano-Ag immune substrate. The nano-Ag immune substrate was prepared by the in situ growth of Ag nanoparticles and the subsequent linkage of these nanoparticles with anti-apolipoprotein B on a silicon wafer. The nano-Ag immune substrate exhibited strong SERS activity, excellent reproducibility, and high biospecificity. The nano-Au immune probes were prepared by immobilising 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA) molecules as a Raman reporter and anti-apolipoprotein B onto the surfaces of Au nanoparticles. It was found that 4MBA induced the aggregation of Au nanoparticles, resulting in the generation of vast hot spots. Moreover, the nano-Au immune probes exhibited strong SERS activity and high biospecificity. A sandwich-type immunoassay structure consisting of the nano-Au immune probes and nano-Ag immune substrate was used to detect the concentration of apolipoprotein B, where the detection limit was as low as 2 fg/mL (3.878×10(-18) mol/L). Taken together, the experimental results indicate that the proposed immunoassay protocol has a great potential application in biological sensing and clinical diagnostics.

Localized surface plasmon resonance and surface enhanced Raman scattering responses of Au@Ag core-shell nanorods with different thickness of Ag shell.

The properties of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the core-shell bimetallic nanostructures, that is the monodisperse Au@Ag core-shell nanorods with different thickness of Ag shell, are theoretically and experimental researched. The UV-vis-NIR absorption spectra of the Au@Ag core-shell nanorods are measured and displayed their blue-shifts of the longitudinal plasmon resonance peaks with increasing of Ag concentrations in the colloidal solution. And the absorption spectra of the Au@Ag core-shell nanorods are simulated by the Finite Element Method (FEM), which are in agreement with the experimental measurements and reveal their LSPR mechanism as the varying structures. In addition, Rhodamine 6G, as a Raman reporter molecule, is used to investigate SERS of gold nanorods and Au@Ag core-shell nanorods. It is found that Au@Ag core-shell nanorods have better SERS responses, comparing with those of Au nanorods, and their SERS intensities are increased with the increases of the Ag shell thickness, which demonstrate that the chemisorptive bond effect and the morphology of the nanoparticle play key roles to the SERS signals. It is significant to design the biosensor based on the properties of Au@Ag core-shell nanorods.

Bragg extraction of light in 2D photonic Thue-Morse quasicrystals patterned in active CdSe/CdS nanorod-polymer nanocomposites.

In this paper two-dimensional (2D) photonic Thue-Morse quasicrystals (ThMo-PQCs) in active CdSe/CdS nanorod (NR) doped polymer nanocomposites are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Active PQCs and undoped lattices have been prepared in a one-step fabrication process by an electron beam lithography technique (EBL) and the effects on light extraction and emission directionality are studied experimentally. Vertical extraction of light was found to be strongly dependent on both the geometric parameters of the ThMo-PQCs and the presence of NR dopants. By changing the geometrical parameters of the photonic structures, the resonance peak could be tuned from a narrow bluish green emission at 543 nm up to a red-NIR emission at 711 nm with a full width at half-maximum of 22 nm which is in good agreement with Bragg's diffraction theory and free photon band structure. Angular resolved measurements revealed a directional profile in the far-field distribution with guided mode extraction in both doped and undoped PQCs and an enhancement as high as 6.5-fold in light extraction was achieved in the doped photonic structures. These experimental results indicate the critical role of the CdSe/CdS NRs in improving the light extraction efficiency of 2D ThMo-PQCs for solid-state lighting and lasing.

Novel hybrid organic/inorganic 2D quasiperiodic PC: from diffraction pattern to vertical light extraction.

Recently, important efforts have been dedicated to the realization of a fascinating class of new photonic materials or metamaterials, known as photonic quasicrystals (PQCs), in which the lack of the translational symmetry is compensated by rotational symmetries not achievable by the conventional periodic crystals. As ever, more advanced functionality is demanded and one strategy is the introduction of non-linear and/or active functionality in photonic materials. In this view, core/shell nanorods (NRs) are a promising active material for light-emitting applications. In this article a two-dimensional (2D) hybrid a 2D octagonal PQC which consists of air rods in an organic/inorganic nanocomposite is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The nanocomposite was prepared by incorporating CdSe/CdS core/shell NRs into a polymer matrix. The PQC was realized by electron beam lithography (EBL) technique. Scanning electron microscopy, far field diffraction and spectra measurements are used to characterize the experimental structure. The vertical extraction of the light, by the coupling of the modes guided by the PQC slab to the free radiation via Bragg scattering, consists of a narrow red emissions band at 690 nm with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 21.5 nm. The original characteristics of hybrid materials based on polymers and colloidal NRs, able to combine the unique optical properties of the inorganic moiety with the processability of the host matrix, are extremely appealing in view of their technological impact on the development of new high performing optical devices such as organic light-emitting diodes, ultra-low threshold lasers, and non-linear devices.PACS: 81.07.Pr Organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures, 81.16.-c Methods of nanofabrication and processing, 42.70.Qs Photonic band-gap materials.