Il settore dell'olivicoltura da tavola in Italia: situazione e prospettive

The Italian table olive industry is almost completely located in the southern regions: Sicily and Apulia together account for about 2/3 of the entire national production. ‘Nocellara del Belice’,‘Nocellara etnea’, ‘Bella di Cerignola’ and ‘Ascolana tenera’ are the leading cultivars together with a large number of other local traditional varieties, often utilised for a double purpose (table olives and oil production). Although Italy is nowadays largely dependent (for about 60%) onto import from other Countries (mainly Spain, Greece and Morocco) the domestic production has been declining in the last thirty years and currently accounts for about 3-4% of the total world production against a value of about 10% of the period 1980/85. Nevertheless, some interesting examples of specialized production concentrations are still represented by the producing areas of the ‘Nocellara del Belice’, ‘Bella di Cerignola’ (syn. ‘Bella della Daunia’) and ‘Ascolana tenera’ which recently received the DOP (protected designation of origin) recognition. In this paper, besides the overall review of the Italian varietal platform and a brief description of the main cultivars, the advantages and the opportunities offered by the application of specialized cultural techniques are discussed, with special emphasis on the positive role of a more appropriate and wide diffusion of irrigation (including RDI) and chemical fruit thinning. Potential of other cultural techniques such as fertilization, pruning and pest and disease control are also reviewed with reference to the possible role in fruit quality enhancement together with the needs for further development of the entire table olive industry and the R&D involved

Analysis of Distribution Transformer Physiological and Electrical Fault Detection - A Smart Grid Application

  Power grids transport electricity from the point of generation to the market. Power conversion from HV to LV and vice versa occurs in grids, also known as substations. These substations or power grids can be accessible or situated in remote locations. Transformers are used to convert power; they are an essential part of transmission and distribution networks. The method of grid monitoring and maintenance is essentially a very monotonous one. Monitoring the health of the transformers to maintain an uninterrupted power supply to the customers is difficult in such circumstances. Overvoltage, load currents, oil temperature, transformer oil level, and other parameters are monitored. The condition of the distribution transformer’s is evaluated in this article using real-time data from the transformer and specific sensors connected to Raspberry pi and artificial neural networks, are used to analyse the situation and make decisions regarding the health of the transformer. A model has been proposed for continuous monitoring consistent vigilance and swift actions against any faulty situations

Ambient fabrication of organic-inorganic hybrid Perovskite solar cells

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their high‐power conversion efficiency, simple fabrication, and low material cost. However, due to their high sensitivity to moisture and oxygen, high efficiency PSCs are mainly constructed in an inert environment. This has led to significant concerns associated with the long‐term stability and manufacturing costs, which are some of the major limitations for the commercialization of this cutting‐edge technology. Over the past few years, excellent progress in fabricating PSCs in ambient conditions has been made. These advancements have drawn considerable research interest in the photovoltaic community and shown great promise for the successful commercialization of efficient and stable PSCs. In this review, after providing an overview to the influence of an ambient fabrication environment on perovskite films, recent advances in fabricating efficient and stable PSCs in ambient conditions are discussed. Along with discussing the underlying challenges and limitations, the most appropriate strategies to fabricate efficient PSCs under ambient conditions are summarized along with multiple roadmaps to assist in the future development of this technology

Phenotypic Characterization According to the Feather Color of Indigenous Muscovy Ducks Bred in the Back Yard in Brazzaville, the Congo

. In Congo, waterfowl genetic resources are constituted by native population of Muscovy ducks that play an important role in food security. The present study aimed to identify and to characterize strains bred in the back yard in the households in Brazzaville. A sample of 154 households drawn over seven districts of Brazzaville was enrolled in the survey. Adults ducks found in the households were identified, pictured by a key of determination and then compared by using the multi resolution analysis image method. The survey recorded 13 strains in which four were considered as newly since they have never been reported elsewhere. These strains received temporally the name of the districts where they have been identified for the first time Makelékélé 1 (0.34%, n=6), Makélékélé 2 (0.11%, n =2), Poto poto 1 (0.28%, n=5) and in Poto poto 2 (0.11%, n=2). Finally, the survey reported nine classical strains such as black plumage, duclair, white, tortora, sepia, chocolate, lavender, grey and canizie. The apparent wide variation in plumage colors is an indication that the duck populations have not been ‘purified' through selective breeding. In the context of the valorization of poultry biodiversity, this work represents a step toward a better knowledge of the production abilities of local ducks breeds in Congo

Learning styles of medical students change in relation to time

Gurpinar E, Bati H, Tetik C. Learning styles of medical students change in relation to time. Adv Physiol Educ 35: 000-000; doi:10.1152/advan.00047.2011.-The aim of the present study was to investigate if any changes exist in the learning styles of medical students over time and in relation to different curriculum models with these learning styles. This prospective cohort study was conducted in three different medical faculties, which implement problem-based learning ( PBL), hybrid, and integrated curriculum models. The study instruments were Kolb's Learning Style Inventory ( LSI) and a questionnaire describing the students' demographic characteristics. Sample selection was not done, and all first-year students ( n = 547) were targeted. This study was designed in two phases. In the first year, the study instruments were delivered to the target group. The next year, the same instruments were delivered again to those who had fully completed the first questionnaire ( n = 525). Of these, 455 students had completed the instruments truly and constituted the study group. The majority of the students were assimilators and convergers in both the first and second years. A change in learning style was observed between 2 yr in 46.9% of the students in the integrated curriculum, in 49.3% of the students in the hybrid curriculum, and 56.4% of the students in the PBL curriculum. The least and most changes observed between the learning style groups were in assimilators and divergers, respectively. Curriculum models and other independent variables had no significant effect on the change between learning styles. The learning styles of medical students may change over time. Further followup studies in larger groups are needed to clarify this relation