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Background and Aims Understanding the genetic basis of adaptation and plasticity in trees constitutes a knowledge gap. We linked dendrochronology and genomics [single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] for a widespread conifer (Pinus halepensis Mill.) to characterize intraspecific growth differences elicited by climate. Methods The analysis comprised 20-year tree-ring series of 130 trees structured in 23 populations evaluated in a common garden. We tested for genotype by environment interactions (G × E) of indexed ring width (RWI) and early- to latewood ratios (ELI) using factorial regression, which describes G × E as differential gene sensitivity to climate. Key Results The species’ annual growth was positively influenced by winter temperature and spring moisture and negatively influenced by previous autumn precipitation and warm springs. Four and five climate factors explained 10 % (RWI) and 16 % (ELI) of population-specific interannual variability, respectively, with populations from drought-prone areas and with uneven precipitation experiencing larger growth reductions during dry vegetative periods. Furthermore, four and two SNPs explained 14 % (RWI) and 10 % (ELI) of interannual variability among trees, respectively. Two SNPs played a putative role in adaptation to climate: one identified from transcriptome sequencing of P. halepensis and another involved in response regulation to environmental stressors. Conclusions We highlight how tree-ring phenotypes, obtained from a common garden experiment, combined with a candidate-gene approach allow the quantification of genetic and environmental effects determining adaptation for a conifer with a large and complex genome.

Background and objectives The Neonatal Assessment Manual scorE (NAME) was developed to assist in the clinical management of infants in the neonatal ward by assessing their body’s compliance and homogeneity. The present study begins its validation process. Methods An expert panel of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) professionals investigated the NAME face and content validity. Content validity was assessed through the content validity index (CVI). Construct validity was assessed using data collected from 50 newborns hospitalized in the NICU of “Vittore Buzzi” Children Hospital of Milan, Italy. Kendall’s τ and ordinal logistic regressions were used to evaluate the correlation between the NAME scores and infants’ gestational age, birth weight, post-menstrual age, weight at the time of assessment, and a complexity index related to organic complications. Results The CVIs for compliance, homogeneity, and the whole scale were respectively 1, 0.9, and 0.95. Construct validity analysis showed significant positive correlations between the NAME and infants’ weight and age, and a negative correlation between the NAME and the complexity index (τ = − 0.31 [95% IC: − 0.47, − 0.12], p = 0.016 and OR = 0.56 [95% IC: 0.32, 0.94], p = 0.034 for categorical NAME; τ = − 0.32 [95% IC: − 0.48, − 0.14], p = 0.005 for numerical NAME). Conclusions The NAME was well accepted by NICU professionals in this study and it demonstrates good construct validity in discriminating the infant’s general condition. Future studies are needed to test the NAME reliability and predictive capacity.

Le cure di routine nelle terapie intensive neonatali (TIN) si basano soprattuttosu procedure manuali. Negli ultimi anni, diversi studi hanno mostrato come il tocco influenzi lo sviluppo dei bambini, soprattutto se pretermine, ma mancano studi sulla palpazione come strumento di valutazione clinica. Pertanto, gli autori propongono il modello Neonatal Assessment Manual scorE (NAME), una procedura di valutazione basata sul tocco che potrebbe aiutare l'equipe delle TIN. Il NAME mira a valutare come il corpo del bambino si adatta a pressioni manuali gentili. Stimolando meccanorecettori a bassa soglia, queste pressioni possono indurre una complessa risposta neurologica che può alterare l'emodinamica e il ritmo respiratorio del bambino, così come il suo volume corporeo. L'operatore può avvertire questi cambiamenti tramite la percezione aptica e ottenere informazioni riguardanti lo sviluppo e le condizioni cliniche del bambino, in quanto la risposta corporea dipende da essi. Se futuri studi dovessero confermarne la validità e l'affidabilità nella pratica clinica, il NAME potrebbe diventare parte delle cure di routine neonatali.

Preterm birth significantly increases the risk of developing various long-term health problems and developmental disabilities. While touch is a crucial component of many perinatal care strategies, the neurobiological underpinnings are rarely considered. C-tactile fibers (CTs) are unmyelinated nerve fibers that are activated by low-force, dynamic touch. Touch directed specifically at CTs activates the posterior insular cortex, consistent with an interoceptive function, and has been shown to reduce heart rate and increase oxygen saturation. The current research compared the effect of five minutes of CT optimal velocity stroking touch versus five minutes of static touch on autonomic markers of preterm infants between 28 and 37 weeks gestational age. CT touch induces a higher increase in heart rate variability metrics related to the parasympathetic system, which persisted for a 5-minute post-touch period. Conversely, there was no such increase in infants receiving static touch. The present findings confirmed that CTs signal the affective quality of nurturing touch, thereby arguing an additional neurobiological substrate for the evident valuable impacts of neonatal tactile interventions and improving the effectiveness of such interventions.

Background and AimDrought is the main factor limiting Mediterranean forest ecosystem productivity. Root systems are responsible for water uptake but intraspecific variability in root morphology is poorly understood, mainly due to sampling complexity. The main aim of this study was to gain knowledge on the adaptive relevance of rooting traits for a widespread conifer using a non-invasive high-throughput technique.MethodsGround-Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize variability in coarse root features (frequency, depth, and diameter) among populations of the Mediterranean pine Pinus halepensis evaluated in a common garden. GPR records were analysed in relation to aboveground growth and also climate variables at origin of populations.ResultsGenotypic variability was detected for root traits among 56 range-wide populations categorized into 16 ecotypes. Root diameter of populations decreased eastward within the Mediterranean basin. Root frequency, but not depth and diameter, decreased following a northward gradient. Genotypic variation in root traits varied with climatic variables at origin such as summer to annual precipitation ratio, summer temperature and solar radiation. Particularly, root frequency increased with aridity, whereas root depth and diameter were maximum in ecotypes occupying the thermal midpoint of the species distribution range.Conclusion GPR is a high-throughput phenotyping tool that allows detection of intraspecific variation in root traits of Aleppo pine and its dependencies of eco-geographic characteristics at origin, thereby informing on the adaptive relevance of root systems for the species. It is also potentially suited for inferring population divergence in resource allocation above and belowground in forest genetic trials.

Background and Aim Drought is the main abiotic stress affecting Mediterranean forests. Root systems are responsible for water uptake, but intraspecific variability in tree root morphology is poorly understood mainly owing to sampling difficulties. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge on the adaptive relevance of rooting traits for a widespread pine using a non-invasive, high-throughput phenotyping technique. Methods Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize variability in coarse root features (depth, diameter and frequency) among populations of the Mediterranean conifer Pinus halepensis evaluated in a common garden. GPR records were examined in relation to aboveground growth and climate variables at origin of populations. Results Variability was detected for root traits among 56 range-wide populations categorized into 16 ecotypes. Root diameter decreased eastward within the Mediterranean basin. In turn, root frequency, but not depth and diameter, decreased following a northward gradient. Root traits also varied with climatic variables at origin such as the ratio of summer to annual precipitation, summer temperature or solar radiation. Particularly, root frequency increased with aridity, whereas root depth and diameter were maximum for ecotypes occupying the thermal midpoint of the species distribution range. Conclusion GPR is a high-throughput phenotyping tool that allows detection of intraspecific variation in root traits of P. halepensis and its dependencies on eco-geographic characteristics at origin, thereby informing on the adaptive relevance of root systems for the species. It is also potentially suited for inferring population divergence in resource allocation above- and belowground in forest genetic trials.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been successfully tested in the context of preterm infants. No studies, however, have been conducted to investigate the OMT immediate effects on physiological measurements, such as partial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of osteopathic treatment on SpO2 and HR values and to compare it with 10 min of static touch.Ninety-six preterm infants (41 male), aged 33.5 weeks (±4.3) with mean weight at birth of 2067gr (±929) were recruited from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Buzzi Hospital in Milan, and randomly allocated to two groups: OMT and Static Touch. Each protocol session consisted of: a) 5-min Pre-touch baseline recording, b) 10-min touch procedure, c) 5-min post-touch recording. Primary and secondary outcomes were, respectively, the baseline changes of HR and SpO2.The 2 × 2 repeated measure ANOVA for HR showed a statistically significant effect (F (1,94) = 5.34; p 0.02), revealing that the OMT group decreases the HR value at T2 (p = 0.006). In contrast, SpO2 analysis showed an increase of SpO2 value where the OMT group demonstrated higher values at T2 (p = 0.04).Results from the present study suggest that a single osteopathic intervention may induce beneficial effects on preterm physiological parameters.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03833635 - Date: February 7, 2019.

Background The delayed transition from gavage-to-nipple feeding is one of the most significant factors that may prolong hospital length of stay (LOS). Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been demonstrated to be effective regarding LOS reduction, but no investigations have documented its clinical validity for attaining oral feeding. Objectives To assess OMT utility regarding the timing of oral feeding in healthy preterm infants. Design Preliminary propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study. Setting Data were extrapolated from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Del Ponte Hospital in Varese, Italy, during the period between March 2012 and December 2013. Interventions Two propensity score-matched groups of healthy preterm infants aged 28+0 to 33+6 were compared, observing those supported with OMT until hospital discharge and control subjects. Main outcome measures Days from birth to the attainment of oral feeding was the primary endpoint. Body weight, body length, head circumference and LOS were considered as secondary endpoints. Results Seventy premature infants were included in the study as the control group (n = 35; body weight (BW) = 1457.9 ± 316.2 g; gestational age (GA) = 31.5 ± 1.73 wk) and the osteopathic group (n = 35; BW = 1509.6 ± 250.8 g; GA = 31.8 ± 1.64 wk). The two groups had analogous characteristics at study entry. In this cohort, we observed a significant reduction in TOF (-5.00 days; p = 0.042) in the osteopathic group with a greater effect in very low birth weight infants. Conclusions These data demonstrate the utility and potential efficacy of OMT for the attainment of oral feeding. Further adequately powered clinical trials are recommended.

The production of hydrogen by oxy-reforming is a process coupling steam reforming and catalytic partial oxidation allowing a balance of endothermic and exothermic reaction and smoothing the temperature profile. Nevertheless, deactivation of the catalyst by carbon formation is still an issue favored by low O/C and Steam/C ratio used in the process. The development of a catalyst for the oxy-reforming process started with the study of the synthesis by water-in-oil microemulsion of Ce0.5Zr0.5O2, to obtain high oxygen storage capacity, a property that helps the removal of eventually formed carbon. The studied synthesis was able to provide the desired Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 with a good stability with temperature, while classical coprecipitation gives Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 phase. The catalysts were impregnated with 2.7% of Rh and tested in oxy-reforming using low residence time and reaction conditions able to discriminate the differences in catalyst activity. The catalyst prepared using microemulsion CeZr showed higher conversion and stability when compared with the one synthesized by coprecipitation. In particular, differently from the coprecipitated sample, the carbon formation was not present in the one prepared by microemulsion. The activity and stability were linked to the characterization features of the mixed oxides and the impregnated catalysts.

Bioelectrical impedance vector-analysis (BIVA) describes cell-mass, cell function and hydration status of an individual or a group. The goal of the present investigation was to provide bioelectrical impedance data for 525 male road cyclists (155 professionals, 79 elite, 59 elite-youth, and 232 amateurs) at the time of their optimal performance level. Data were plotted on the resistance-reactance (R-Xc) graph to characterize cyclists group vectors using BIVA. Compared to the general male population, the mean vector position of the road cyclists indicates a higher body cell mass (BCM) and phase angle (p

This chapter aims to give an outlook on recent results concerning membranes for pure hydrogen separation, their combination with biomass processes for hydrogen production, and membrane reactors. Since hydrogen is emerging as a valuable chemical for fuel and chemical applications, membrane separation will play a critical role in its pure production. The description starts by considering the classical methane process and its extension to biogas, BioSNG and bioethanol, with a focus on the integration of membranes in processes that involve biomass feedstocks, e.g., gasification and aqueous phase reforming. A membrane catalytic reactor configuration is mainly treated to provide further advantages of higher conversions and yields owing to the hydrogen removal provided by the membrane. Some processes related to biofuel and wastewater are also described to evidence further applications. Finally, the possibilities of downsizing such processes and using modular micro-membrane reactors as an emerging technology for hydrogen production are discussed.

The production of second-generation fuels from biomass is entering a new stage focused on large projects and industrial initiatives. However, the uncertain scenario in terms of climate change commitment and burden share, fossil fuel price, and renewable legislation limits does not provide the best environment for a large-scale spread of new technologies; furthermore, this innovation still requires a real breakthrough in order to lead to a clearly enhanced efficiency and sustainability. There are different approaches driving the conversion of biomass bulk or its fraction into fuel: (i) the fermentation process to bioethanol and biomethane, (ii) the production of oxygenated liquid compounds by several treatment (pyrolysis, liquefaction, triglyceride extraction, etc.) followed by hydrotreating (HDT) to upgrade the bio-oil produced, and (iii) gasification or aqueous phase reforming (APR), which produces syngas and hydrocarbons or alcohols. Gasification uses an oxidizing agent (air, steam, oxygen, or a combination of these) for the high-temperature transformation of a carbonaceous feedstock into a gaseous energy carrier consisting of permanent, non condensable gases, mainly syngas. Subsequently, in a separate stage, the syngas obtained is transformed by Fischer–Tropsch (FT) reaction into diesel or other syngas fuel such as methanol dimethyl ether (DME) or C2+ alcohols. The APR reaction is an alternative pathway to gasification for the transformation of biomass and its main components (sugars, polyols, and even proteins) into several products such as hydrogen, hydrocarbon, and oxygenated molecules, with the main products depending on the reaction conditions, process configuration, and catalysts.The APR treatment is applied to a hydrolyzed biomass in water solutions at 225–300 ∘C in subcritical conditions.

This chapter aims to give an outlook on recent results concerning membranes for pure hydrogen separation, their combination with biomass processes for hydrogen production, and membrane reactors. Since hydrogen is emerging as a valuable chemical for fuel and chemical applications, membrane separation will play a critical role in its pure production. The description starts by considering the classical methane process and its extension to biogas, BioSNG and bioethanol, with a focus on the integration of membranes in processes that involve biomass feedstocks, e.g., gasification and aqueous phase reforming. A membrane catalytic reactor configuration is mainly treated to provide further advantages of higher conversions and yields owing to the hydrogen removal provided by the membrane. Some processes related to biofuel and wastewater are also described to evidence further applications. Finally, the possibilities of downsizing such processes and using modular micro-membrane reactors as an emerging technology for hydrogen production are discussed.