Methods for the Quantification of Resistance of Apple Genotypes to European Fruit Tree Canker Caused by Neonectria ditissima

European fruit tree canker, caused by Neonectria ditissima, is an important disease of pome fruit worldwide. Apple cultivars differ in their levels of susceptibility to N. ditissima. In order to design an effective plant resistance test, we examined the effectiveness of two resistance parameters: infection frequency and lesion growth. Both parameters were evaluated in parallel tests using 10 apple cultivars in three experimental years, applying seminatural infection of leaf scars (infection frequency) or inoculation of artificial wounds (lesion growth). We compared six parameters for lesion growth, of which a new parameter, lesion growth rate (LGR), appeared to be the best with respect to reproducibility and statistical significance. LGR is defined as the slope of the regression of lesion size versus time. The slope was estimated for each lesion, employing a common start date and a lesion-specific end date determined by the girdling of the lesion. The two parameters (infection frequency and LGR) were examined in separate experiments and in three successive years, and provided complementary information and resulted in reproducible conclusions on the relative resistance levels to N. ditissima of the tested cultivars. The presented methods can be used to develop strategies for the control of European fruit tree canker (e.g., in the breeding of new apple cultivars with high levels of resistance to N. ditissima).

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Incidence of major pome fruit tree viruses and viroids in commercial pear orchards in China and in Pyrus betulifolia seedlings

Plant Pathology ◽

10.1111/ppa.13375 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lei Ma ◽

Qi Zeng ◽

Wenting Huang ◽

Shengyuan Wang ◽

Yi Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Tree ◽

Pome Fruit

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Clowns Benefit Children Hospitalized for Respiratory Pathologies

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1093/ecam/neq064 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Mario Bertini ◽

Elena Isola ◽

Giuseppe Paolone ◽

Giuseppe Curcio

Keyword(s):

Statistical Significance ◽

Systolic Pressure ◽

Therapeutic Modality ◽

Control Group ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Before And After ◽

Two Parameters ◽

Therapeutic Settings ◽

Experimental Group

The study aims at evaluating health-generating function of humor therapy in a hospital ward hosting children suffering from respiratory pathologies. The main scope of this study is to investigate possible positive effects of the presence of a clown on both the clinical evolution of the on-going disease, and on some physiological and pain parameters. Forty-three children with respiratory pathologies participated in the study: 21 of them belonged to the experimental group (EG) and 22 children to the control group (CG). During their hospitalization, the children of the EG interacted with two clowns who were experienced in the field of pediatric intervention. All participants were evaluated with respect to clinical progress and to a series of physiological and pain measures both before and after the clown interaction. When compared with the CG, EG children showed an earlier disappearance of the pathological symptoms. Moreover, the interaction of the clown with the children led to a statistically significant lowering of diastolic blood pressure, respiratory frequency and temperature in the EG as compared with the control group. The other two parameters of systolic pressure and heart frequency yielded results in the same direction, without reaching statistical significance. A similar health-inducing effect of clown presence was observed on pain parameters, both by self evaluation and assessment by nurses. Taken together, our data indicate that the presence of clowns in the ward has a possible health-inducing effect. Thus, humor can be seen as an easy-to-use, inexpensive and natural therapeutic modality to be used within different therapeutic settings.

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Post-Endodontic Treatment Flare-Up of Patients Treated By General Dentists and Endodontic Specialists

Open Access Journal of Dental Sciences ◽

10.23880/oajds-16000315 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed Sarhan Alzahrani

Keyword(s):

Postoperative Pain ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Lesion Size ◽

Endodontic Treatment ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Preoperative Pain ◽

Patient Factors ◽

Chi Square ◽

Dental Practitioners ◽

General Dentists

Objective: This study aims to determine post-endodontic flare-up incidence for patients treated by endodontic specialists and general dental practitioners. Methods: The investigators measured the postoperative pain using a visual analog scale after 24 and 48 hours for patients treated endodontically by specialists and general dentists. The patient factors and operative variables were documented for every patient. The data was then analyzed using SPSS. A Chi-square test was used to evaluate a relationship between categorical variables, where a P < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance. Results: In total, 143 participants were included in this study (male: n=62, 43.3%; and female: n=81, 56.7%). The incidence of post-endodontic treatment flare-ups was 14.8%. The incidence of 48 hours postoperative pain was higher (29%) with the endodontic specialists compared to the general practitioners. The factors that were associated with a higher postoperative flare-up include; patient age, smoking, preoperative pain, and periapical lesion size. Conclusion: Post-endodontic flare-up incidence in this study was within the reported range of flare-up. Patient factors are associated with the occurrence of the postoperative flare-up more than the operative factors.

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The application of RT-PCR assay for the detection of Apple stem pitting virus and Apple stem grooving virus in four apple cultivars

Plant Protection Science ◽

10.17221/4816-pps ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 38 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 13-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J.K. Kundu

Keyword(s):

Mixed Infection ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Pome Fruit ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Apple Stem Grooving Virus ◽

Apple Stem ◽

Apple Cultivars ◽

Apple Stem Pitting Virus ◽

Stem Pitting

The reverse transcription polymerace chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was successfully used for the detection of Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV) and Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) in four apple cultivars of a 25 years old orchard. These two main pome fruit viruses were detected frequently in all tested apple cultivars. ASGV and ASPV occurred in as many as 16 trees (in the cultivar Spartan) and 13 trees (in the cultivar Idared) out of 20 tested trees, respectively. Mixed infection by ASGV and ASPV was found in all tested cultivars (as many as 9 out of 20 tested trees of the cultivar Spartan).

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How Significant Was the 1877/78 El Niño?

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-19-0650.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (11) ◽

pp. 4853-4869 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Boyin Huang ◽

Michelle L’Heureux ◽

Zeng-Zhen Hu ◽

Xungang Yin ◽

Huai-Min Zhang

Keyword(s):

El Niño ◽

El Nino ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Large Uncertainty ◽

Acceptance Criterion ◽

El Niño Event ◽

Uncertainty Estimates ◽

Ensemble Mean ◽

Two Parameters ◽

Ensemble Analysis

AbstractPrevious research has shown that the 1877/78 El Niño resulted in great famine events around the world. However, the strength and statistical significance of this El Niño event have not been fully addressed, largely due to the lack of data. We take a closer look at the data using an ensemble analysis of the Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature version 5 (ERSSTv5). The ERSSTv5 standard run indicates a strong El Niño event with a peak monthly value of the Niño-3 index of 3.5°C during 1877/78, stronger than those during 1982/83, 1997/98, and 2015/16. However, an analysis of the ERSSTv5 ensemble runs indicates that the strength and significance (uncertainty estimates) depend on the construction of the ensembles. A 1000-member ensemble analysis shows that the ensemble mean Niño-3 index has a much weaker peak of 1.8°C, and its uncertainty is much larger during 1877/78 (2.8°C) than during 1982/83 (0.3°C), 1997/98 (0.2°C), and 2015/16 (0.1°C). Further, the large uncertainty during 1877/78 is associated with selections of a short (1 month) period of raw-data filter and a large (20%) acceptance criterion of empirical orthogonal teleconnection modes in the ERSSTv5 reconstruction. By adjusting these two parameters, the uncertainty during 1877/78 decreases to 0.5°C, while the peak monthly value of the Niño-3 index in the ensemble mean increases to 2.8°C, suggesting a strong and statistically significant 1877/78 El Niño event. The adjustment of those two parameters is validated by masking the modern observations of 1981–2017 to 1861–97. Based on the estimated uncertainties, the differences among the strength of these four major El Niño events are not statistically significant.

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A Geometric Method for Determining Shape of Bird Eggs

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/119.4.1179 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 119 (4) ◽

pp. 1179-1186 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Douglas E. Baker

Keyword(s):

Statistical Significance ◽

Acceptance Rate ◽

Analytic Description ◽

Shape Description ◽

New Approach ◽

Curve Fit ◽

Normal Bird ◽

Bird Eggs ◽

Precise Quantification ◽

Two Parameters

Abstract Precise quantification of the oval of a bird egg can provide a powerful tool for the analysis of egg shape for various biological problems. A new approach to the geometry of a bird egg oval is presented here using a simple algebraic equation to fit all normal bird egg shapes. Only two parameters are needed in the equation for complete shape description of an egg oval to quantify the equation's capacity for curve fitting all species and shapes of bird egg ovals. The equation was fitted to egg silhouettes from a sample of 250 different bird egg species containing one egg per species. Standard regression analysis was used to fit the equation to each egg profile. The 99% CI for the curve fit acceptance rate was calculated to determine the equation's statistical significance for all species of bird eggs. Compared to the power series multiequation models (Preston 1968, Todd and Smart 1984), the equation used here is the simplest analytic description of a bird egg oval.

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The Use of Statistical Tests to Calibrate the Black-Scholes Asset Dynamics Model Applied to Pricing Options with Uncertain Volatility

Journal of Probability and Statistics ◽

10.1155/2012/931609 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lorella Fatone ◽

Francesca Mariani ◽

Maria Cristina Recchioni ◽

Francesco Zirilli

Keyword(s):

Statistical Tests ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Asset Price ◽

Real Data ◽

Dynamics Model ◽

Stochastic Dynamical Systems ◽

Pricing Options ◽

Black Scholes ◽

Uncertain Volatility ◽

Two Parameters

A new method for calibrating the Black-Scholes asset price dynamics model is proposed. The data used to test the calibration problem included observations of asset prices over a finite set of (known) equispaced discrete time values. Statistical tests were used to estimate the statistical significance of the two parameters of the Black-Scholes model: the volatility and the drift. The effects of these estimates on the option pricing problem were investigated. In particular, the pricing of an option with uncertain volatility in the Black-Scholes framework was revisited, and a statistical significance was associated with the price intervals determined using the Black-Scholes-Barenblatt equations. Numerical experiments involving synthetic and real data were presented. The real data considered were the daily closing values of the S&P500 index and the associated European call and put option prices in the year 2005. The method proposed here for calibrating the Black-Scholes dynamics model could be extended to other science and engineering models that may be expressed in terms of stochastic dynamical systems.

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Pathogenic Penicillium spp. on Apple and Pear

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-07-13-0710-re ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 98 (5) ◽

pp. 590-598 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Johannes Petrus Louw ◽

Lise Korsten

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Marketing Channels ◽

Penicillium Expansum ◽

Pome Fruit ◽

Export Markets ◽

The Third ◽

New Information ◽

Apple Cultivars ◽

Penicillium Spp

Numerous Penicillium spp. have been associated with postharvest fruit spoilage. This study investigates pathogenicity and aggressiveness of selected Penicillium spp. previously isolated from South African and European Union fruit export chains. Penicillium expansum was the most aggressive and P. crustosum the second most aggressive on all apple cultivars (‘Royal Gala’, ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Topred’, and ‘Cripps Pink’) and two pear cultivars (‘Packham's Triumph’ and ‘Forelle’) tested. P. digitatum was the most aggressive on ‘Beurre Bosc’, ‘Beurre Hardy’, and ‘Sempre’ (‘Rosemarie’) pear cultivars and the third most aggressive on Granny Smith and Cripps Pink apple cultivars. To our knowledge, this is the first report where P. digitatum has been described as aggressive on certain pome fruit cultivars. These pear cultivars are also the most commonly associated with decay on the export markets, resulting in considerable end-market losses. P. brevicompactum was detected as pathogenic on pear but was not further evaluated in the study. P. solitum covered a broader cultivar range, expressed higher disease incidence, and was more aggressive (larger lesions) on pear cultivars than on apple cultivars. This study provides new information on host specificity and the importance of pathogenic Penicillium spp. isolated from various environments in the shipping and marketing channels.

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Occurrence and Records of Old Varieties of Pome Fruit in the Tišnov Region

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis ◽

10.11118/actaun201664010053 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 53-61

Author(s):

Libor Dokoupil

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Fruit Tree ◽

Pome Fruit ◽

Apple Variety ◽

Crown Diameter ◽

Growth Properties ◽

Pear Trees ◽

High Age ◽

Sensory Evaluations

The objective of the study was to record the incidence of old varieties of pome fruit in some localities and to evaluate their growth properties and health status; at the same time to evaluate the endangered and oldest apple and pear trees. Samples were taken continuously and after short storage sensory evaluations were carried out. The focus was on fruit tree orchards, home fruit gardens, farmsteads, alleys, trees along roads and field orchards in cadastres of some communities of the Lomnice, Tišnov and Nedvědice regions. We recorded the growth parameters – volume of crown, diameter of the tree trunk, data of the health status and our own classification and pomological description of the variety. The apple variety ‘Velník’ reached an age of 200 years in Křížovice; the variety ‘Kanefl’ in Křížovice 150 years. Old pear varieties on seedy rootstocks reach a high age. The age of the pear variety ‘Václavka’ in Zvole was over 200 years and of the variety ‘Neznámka’ in Žernůvka it was 195 years.

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Relative Susceptibility of Selected Apple Cultivars to Fruit Rot Caused by Botryosphaeria obtusa

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.39.2.303 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 303-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Alan R. Biggs ◽

Stephen S. Miller

Keyword(s):

Field Data ◽

Fruit Rot ◽

Black Rot ◽

Current Standard ◽

Relative Susceptibility ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Golden Delicious ◽

Botryosphaeria Obtusa ◽

Apple Cultivars ◽

Lesion Growth

Twenty-three apple (Malus ×domestica) cultivars were tested in the field and laboratory for their relative susceptibility to the black rot pathogen, Botryosphaeria obtusa. Wounded fruit were inoculated in the field at 2 to 3 weeks preharvest with mycelium from 14- to 21-day-old cultures. In the laboratory, detached fruit were inoculated similarly. Fruit were rated for relative susceptibility to the fungus by determining disease severity of attached fruit in the field based on lesion growth (mm/degree-day) and detached fruit in laboratory inoculations of wounded fruit (mean lesion diameter after 4 days). Based on the laboratory and field data from two growing seasons, cultivars were classified into three relative susceptibility groups—most susceptible: `Orin', `Pristine', and Sunrise'; moderately susceptible: `Suncrisp', `Ginger Gold', `Senshu', `Honeycrisp', `PioneerMac', `Fortune', NY75414, `Arlet', `Golden Supreme', `Shizuka', `Cameo', `Sansa', and `Yataka'; and least susceptible: `Creston', `Golden Delicious', `Enterprise', `Gala Supreme', `Braeburn', `GoldRush', and `Fuji'. Compared to previous cultivar rankings, the results of the present study indicate that no new apple cultivars from the first NE-183 planting show greater resistance to Botryosphaeria obtusa than current standard cultivars.

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