"Fare male farsi male" project - Are cyberbullying and cyber victimisation associated with physical activity levels? a cross sectional study in a sample of Italian adolescents.

Background: The aim of this project is to study the prevalence of cyberbullies (CB) and cybervictims (CV) and cyberbully-victims(CBV) in Italian adolescent students and a possible correlation with physical activity (PA) levels and as potential protective factor. Methods: The Italian version of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIPQ) was used for categorized cyberbullies (CB) and cybervictims (CV). Six items of the IPAQ-A Italian version were considered to measure the PA levels. Results: 2112 questionnaires were collected, with response rate of 80.5%. The sample reported 9% was CV only, 5% was CB only, and 6% was cyberbully-victims (CBV). The factors that are significant associated to the CV students were: female gender (OR=1.7; 95%CI:1.18-2.35); stay at middle school (OR=1.56; 95%CI:1.01-2.44); spent more than 2 hours on IT devices (OR=1.63; 95%CI:1.08-2.47). The variables significant associated to the CB students were: gender male (OR=0.51 95%CI:0.320.80); spent more than 2 hours on IT devices (OR=2.37; 95%CI:1.32-4.26); tobacco use (OR=2.55; 95%CI:1.63-3.98); an inverse proportion with the number of days spent in vigorous physical activities (OR=0.82; 95%CI:0.68-0.98). The CBV students were significant associated with a male gender (OR=0.58; 95%CI:0.38-0.89) and tobacco consumption (OR=2.22; 95%CI:1.46-3.37). Conclusions: The physical activity at vigorous level seem to be related to less involvement in cyberaggression, so it is recommended that those responsible for training adolescents' favour this aspect. Research on effective prevention is insufficient and evaluation of policy tools for cyberbullying intervention is a nascent research field an any prevention or intervention program could consider this factor.

Xylella fastidiosa in Olive in Apulia: Where We Stand.

A dramatic outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa decimating olive was discovered in 2013 in Apulia, Southern Italy. This pathogen is a quarantine bacterium in the European Union (EU) and created unprecedented turmoil for the local economy and posed critical challenges for its management. With the new emerging threat to susceptible crops in the EU, efforts were devoted to gain basic knowledge on the pathogen biology, host, and environmental interactions (e.g., bacterial strain(s) and pathogenicity, hosts, vector(s), and fundamental drivers of its epidemics) in order to find means to control or mitigate the impacts of the infections. Field surveys, greenhouse tests, and laboratory analyses proved that a single bacterial introduction occurred in the area, with a single genotype, belonging to the subspecies pauca, associated with the epidemic. Infections caused by isolates of this genotype turned to be extremely aggressive on the local olive cultivars, causing a new disease termed olive quick decline syndrome. Due to the initial extension of the foci and the rapid spread of the infections, eradication measures (i.e., pathogen elimination from the area) were soon replaced by containment measures including intense border surveys of the contaminated area, removal of infected trees, and mandatory vector control. However, implementation of containment measures encountered serious difficulties, including public reluctance to accept control measures, poor stakeholder cooperation, misinformation from some media outlets, and lack of robust responses by some governmental authorities. This scenario delayed and limited containment efforts and allowed the bacterium to continue its rapid dissemination over more areas in the region, as shown by the continuous expansion of the official borders of the infected area. At the research level, the European Commission and regional authorities are now supporting several programs aimed to find effective methods to mitigate and contain the impact of X. fastidiosa on olives, the predominant host affected in this epidemic. Preliminary evidence of the presence of resistance in some olive cultivars represents a promising approach currently under investigation for long-term management strategies. The present review describes the current status of the epidemic and major research achievements since 2013.

Isolation and pathogenicity of Xylella fastidiosa associated to the olive quick decline syndrome in southern Italy.

In autumn 2013, the presence of Xylella fastidiosa, a xylem-limited Gram-negative bacterium, was detected in olive stands of an area of the Ionian coast of the Salento peninsula (Apulia, southern Italy), that were severely affected by a disease denoted olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS). Studies were carried out for determining the involvement of this bacterium in the genesis of OQDS and of the leaf scorching shown by a number of naturally infected plants other than olive. Isolation in axenic culture was attempted and assays were carried out for determining its pathogenicity to olive, oleander and myrtle-leaf milkwort. The bacterium was readily detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in all diseased olive trees sampled in different and geographically separated infection foci, and culturing of 51 isolates, each from a distinct OQDS focus, was accomplished. Needle-inoculation experiments under different environmental conditions proved that the Salentinian isolate De Donno belonging to the subspecies pauca is able to multiply and systemically invade artificially inoculated hosts, reproducing symptoms observed in the field. Bacterial colonization occurred in prick-inoculated olives of all tested cultivars. However, the severity of and timing of symptoms appearance differed with the cultivar, confirming their differential reaction.

Identification and characterization of citrus yellow vein clearing virus, a putative new member of the genus Mandarivirus.

Molecular features and genomic organization were determined for Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV), the putative viral causal agent of yellow vein clearing disease of lemon trees, reported in Pakistan, India, and more recently in Turkey and China. CYVCV isolate Y1 from Adana, Turkey, was used for deep sequencing analysis of the virus-induced small RNA fractions and for mechanical and graft inoculation of herbaceous and citrus indicator plants. A polyclonal antiserum was developed from CYVCV-Y1 purified from Phaseolus vulgaris and used in western blot assays to characterize the coat protein of CYVCV-Y1 and determine its serological relationship with related viruses. Contigs assembled from the Illumina sequenced short reads were used to construct the whole genome of Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV), consisting in a positive-sense RNA of 7,529 nucleotides and containing six predicted open reading frames. The CYVCV genome organization and size resembled that of flexiviruses, and search for sequence homologies revealed that Indian citrus ringspot virus (ICRSV) (Mandarivirus, Alphaflexiviridae) is the most closely related virus. However, CYVCV had an overall nucleotide sequence identity of ≈74% with ICRSV. Although the two viruses were similar with regard to genome organization, viral particles, and herbaceous host range, CYVCV caused different symptoms in citrus and was serologically distinct from ICRSV. Primer pairs were designed and used to detect the virus by conventional and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction on yellow vein clearing symptomatic field trees as well as graft- and mechanically inoculated host plants. Collectively, these data suggest that CYVCV is the causal agent of yellow vein clearing disease and represents a new species in the genus Mandarivirus.

First Report of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' Associated with Huanglongbing in Sweet Orange in Ethiopia.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a serious disease of citrus worldwide. Three different 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species are associated with HLB: 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus', 'Ca. L. africanus', and 'Ca. L. americanus' (1). 'Ca. L. africanus' and its vector, Trioza erytreae, are both heat sensitive, and when present, occur in citrus when temperatures remain below 30 to 32°C. In Africa, 'Ca. L. africanus' and T. erytreae have been reported in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Madagascar (1). Inspection of citrus trees in orchards and budwood sources in nurseries located in the warmer citrus-growing areas of Tigray and North Wollo in northern Ethiopia revealed nearly 100 trees with symptoms of leaf yellowing with a blotchy mottle pattern, dead branches, and decreased fruit quality and yield. Two symptomatic sweet orange budwood trees and three symptomatic orchard plants were sampled in April 2009, along with three healthy-looking sweet orange plants. DNA was extracted from 200 mg of desiccated leaf midribs using the CTAB method (4) and subjected to conventional PCR using the primer pairs A2/J5 (2) and OI2/23S1 (3) that amplify the ribosomal protein gene in the rplKAJL-rpoBC operon and the 16S/23S ribosomal intergenic regions, respectively, of 'Ca. L. africanus' and 'Ca. L. asiaticus'. Positive PCR reactions were obtained for all five symptomatic samples with both primer pairs. PCR amplicons of 703 bp (A2/J5) and 892 bp (OI2/23S) recovered from two of these samples were purified, cloned, and sequenced. BLAST analysis revealed that the nucleotide sequences we obtained for the ribosomal protein (GenBank Accessions Nos. GQ890155 and GQ890156) shared 100% identity with each other and 99% identity with sequences of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' from Brazil (DQ471904), Indonesia (AB480161), China (DQ157277), and Florida (CP001677). Similarly, the 16S/23S ribosomal intergenic sequences (GU296538 and GU296539) shared 100% identity with each other and 99% identity with homologous 'Ca. L. asiaticus' sequences from Brazil (DQ471903), Indonesia (AB480102), China (DQ778016), and Florida (CP001677) and contained two tRNA genes as occurs in 'Ca. L. asiaticus' but not in 'Ca. L. africanus' (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' in Africa. The presence of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' is a threat for warmer citrus-growing areas of Africa that are less favorable for 'Ca. L. africanus' and T. erytreae. In areas where 'Ca. L. asiaticus' was confirmed, symptomatic trees must be promptly eradicated and surveys to determine spread of the disease and its vectors are necessary. References: (1) J. M. Bove. J. Plant Pathol. 88:7, 2006. (2) A. Hocquellet et al. Mol. Cell. Probes 13:373, 1999. (3) S. Jagoueix et al. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 47:224, 1997. (4) M. G. Murray and W. F Thompson. Nucleic Acids Res. 8:4321, 1980.

Subcellular localization and immunodetection of movement proteins of olive latent virus 1.

Polyclonal sera raised to Escherichia coli-expressed movement proteins encoded by ORF 3 (p8K) and ORF 4 (p6K) of olive latent virus 1, were used for their immunodetection in infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants. In subfractionated locally infected tissues 4 days post inoculation (d.p.i.) that were analysed by Western blot, p8K was found in the fast-sedimenting fractions P1 and P30 containing membranous material and/or cell organelles and, likely, the fibrous structures mentioned below, but not in the soluble protein-containing supernatant. No p6K could be detected in these extracts. In locally inoculated leaves p8K began to accumulate from 2 d.p.i onwards reaching its peak at 4 d.p.i. Intracellular immunogold labelling of cells from locally and systemically infected tissues localized p8K primarily in fibrous inclusions made up of thin filaments with a helical structure present in the cytoplasm of locally and systemically infected cells. In systemic infections a light and scattered labelling was observed in the cytoplasm and near the cell wall. The specific serum to p6K did not label the fibrous structures and failed to recognize its antigen in systemically and locally infected tissues except at 4 d.p.i., when scattered labelling was observed in the cytoplasm and near plasmodesmata.