Personalization in Europe

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Strigolactone may interact with gibberellin to control apical dominance in pea (Pisum sativum)

The role of strigolactones as plant growth regulators has been demonstrated through research on biosynthesis and signaling mutant plants and through the use of GR24, a synthetic analog of this class of molecules. Strigolactone mutants show a bushy phenotype and GR24 application inhibits the growth of axillary buds in these mutants, thus restoring the phenotype of a wild plant, which is characterized by a stronger apical dominance. In this work, we tested the effectiveness of this chemical on pea (Pisum sativum) plants following apex removal, which disrupts apical dominance and leads to axillary bud outgrowth. Moreover, we searched for relationships between the response to the strigolactone and gibberellin metabolism by applying GR24 to both climbing and dwarf peas, the latters being mutants for gibberellin biosynthesis. The results suggest that the endogenous level of the bioactive gibberellin GA1 might modulate the response of decapitated pea plants to GR24, by changing bud sensitivity to the applied strigolactone

Gas turbine size optimization in a hybrid system considering SOFC degradation

The coupling of a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a gas turbine has been proven to result in extremely high efficiency and reduced emissions. The presence of the gas turbine can improve system durability compared to a standalone SOFC, because the turbomachinery can supply additional power as the fuel cell degrades to meet the power request. Since performance degradation is an obstacles to SOFC systems commercialization, the optimization of the hybrid system to mitigate SOFC degradation effects is of great interest. In this work, an optimization approach was used to innovatively study the effect of gas turbine size on system durability for a 400 kW fuel cell stack. A larger turbine allowed a bigger reduction in SOFC power before replacing the stack, but increased the initial capital investment and decreased the initial turbine efficiency. Thus, the power ratio between SOFC and gas turbine significantly influenced system economic results

Hormonal signals involved in the regulation of cambial activity, xylogenesis and vessel patterning in trees

The radial growth of plant stem is based on the development of cribro-vascular cambium tissues. It affects the transport efficiency of water, mineral nutrients and photoassimilates and, ultimately, also plant height. The rate of cambial cell divisions for the assembly of new xylem and phloem tissue primordia and the rate of differentiation of the primordia into mature tissues determine the amount of biomass produced and, in the case of woody species, the wood quality. These complex physiological processes proceed at a rate which depends on several factors, acting at various levels: growth regulators, resource availability and environmental factors. Several hormonal signals and, more recently, further regulatory molecules, have been shown to be involved in the induction and maintenance of cambium and the formation of secondary vascular tissues. The control of xylem cell patterning is of particular interest, because it determines the diameter of xylem vessels, which is central to the efficiency of water and nutrient transport from roots to leaves through the stem and may strongly influence the growth in height of the tree. Increasing scientific evidence have proved the role of other hormones in cambial cell activities and the study of the hormonal signals and their crosstalking in cambial cells may foster our understanding of the dynamics of xylogenesis and of the mechanism of vessel size control along the stem. In this article, the role of the hormonal signals involved in the control of cambium and xylem development in trees and their crosstalking are reviewed

Techno-economic analysis for the integration of a power to fuel system with a CCS coal power plant

In this paper, an analysis of the integration of a carbon capture unit and a power to fuel system for methanol synthesis with a coal power plant is presented from the energetic, environmental and economic standpoints. The study is carried out in three different sections. In the first part, the impact of the integration of a carbon capture system (CCS ) and of a power to fuel plant (PtF) for methanol production is investigated in terms of plant average efficiency, fuel consumption,CO2 emissions. In the second part, the annual fixed and variable costs of the power plant, and the annual cost of electricity (COE) are assessed for different plant configurations. Additionally, future scenarios are analyzed considering the impact of European policies on the CO2 emission\u2019s cost, defined by the European Emission Trading System (ETS). Finally, an economic feasibility analysis of the power to fuel plant is performed and the methanol production is evaluated. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the impact of the most affecting parameters (electrical energy cost, the methanol selling price and the capital cost of the electrolyzer) in terms of Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

Hormonal responses to water deficit in cambial tissues of Populus alba L.

Changes of the concentration of bioactive gibberellins and abscisic acid in the cambial region of white poplar (Populus alba L.) were investigated in one-year-old plants, to highlight how these phytohormone signals are modulated in response to water deficit. Plants were cultivated in pots outdoor and, at the time of maximum cambial growth (T0), irrigation was withdrawn for 8 d, inducing a mild water deficit, thus mimicking a condition that is recurrent in mediterranean climates when white poplar attains its maximum growth rate. The water deficit was suspended by resuming irrigation (Tmax), throughout a recovery period of two weeks (Trec). Cambial tissues were sampled at T0, Tmax and Trec. Significant changes of leaf and stem relative water content, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, transpiration, carbon assimilation, stem shrinkage and leaf number were induced by soil water shortage, which also negatively affected cambium development. Nevertheless, these responses were almost fully reversed following the resumption of irrigation. Water deficit induced the accumulation of large amounts of abscisic acid in cambial tissues, but the hormone was brought back to pre-stress levels after the recovery period. With regard to bioactive gibberellins, GA1 was several fold more abundant than GA4 and reached the greatest level in the plants recovering from the water status imbalance. The possible functions of gibberellins and abscisic acid in the response of cambial tissues to water deficit are discussed in view of the known physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of action of these hormonal signals

Modular Middleware for Gestural Data and Devices Management

In the last few years, the use of gestural data has become a key enabler for human-computer interaction (HCI) applications. The growing diffusion of low-cost acquisition devices has thus led to the development of a class of middleware aimed at ensuring a fast and easy integration of such devices within the actual HCI applications. The purpose of this paper is to present a modular middleware for gestural data and devices management. First, we describe a brief review of the state of the art of similar middleware. Then, we discuss the proposed architecture and the motivation behind its design choices. Finally, we present a use case aimed at demonstrating the potential uses as well as the limitations of our middleware

Should reduction of increased short-term blood pressure variability be a target of antihypertensive therapy?

It has long been known that blood pressure (BP) is characterized by marked short-term fluctuations occurring within a 24-h period and also by long-term oscillations occurring over more prolonged periods of time. An increased short-term blood pressure variability (BPV) appears to importantly contribute to target organ damage and to the enhanced cardiovascular risk of hypertensive patients, over and above the effect of an increase in mean BP levels. Reducing 24-h mean BP is the main aim of antihypertensive therapy, but initial data are available that additional cardiovascular protection can be achieved by reducing BPV. However, to definitively prove the prognostic role of short-term BPV and the need for its control by treatment, evidence is still needed from intervention trials aimed at demonstrating that by reducing BPV through administration of antihypertensive drugs, a reduction in organ damage and in the rate of cardiovascular events can be obtained