MY SIRR: Minimalist agro-hYdrological model for Sustainable IRRigation management—Soil moisture and crop dynamics

The paper introduces a minimalist water-driven crop model for sustainable irrigation management using an eco-hydrological approach. Such model, called MY SIRR, uses a relatively small number of parameters and attempts to balance simplicity, accuracy, and robustness. MY SIRR is a quantitative tool to assess water requirements and agricultural production across different climates, soil types, crops, and irrigation strategies. The MY SIRR source code is published under copyleft license. The FOSS approach could lower the financial barriers of smallholders, especially in developing countries, in the utilization of tools for better decision-making on the strategies for short- and long-term water resource management. Keywords: Irrigation management, Soil moisture, Crop dynamics, Agro-hydrolog

Development of guide lines for the calculation of carbon footprint of peaches and apricots produced in Metapontino area (Basilicata): the project IQuaSoPO

The present study is conducted in the framework of the project IQuaSoPO. financed by the regional funds for rural development of Basilicata Region (Italy). It is a three year project which aims to transfer good sustainable practices to local fruit producers. One of the main expected results of the project is to develop guidelines for the calculation of carbon footprint of peaches and apricots, in a life cycle perspective, referred to the productive and geographical specificities of Metapontino area. These guidelines will be used by the local producer to easily assess and communicate the environmental sustainability of their products, which, in this way, will gain added value on the market. Three experimental fields for the production of peaches and apricots in the area of Metaponto are involved in the transfer of knowledge process, about carbon management and water management sustainable practices, which can influence the entity of GHG emissions, by favouring the accumulation of important amounts of carbon and nitrogen in soil and in the perennial parts of peach tree (trunks, branches, roots). Examples of these sustainable management practices are: reduced tillage, soil grass cover, recycling of pruned materials within the field, deficit controlled irrigation, use of compost. In the framework of this study, the three pilot sites are used for inventory data collection, calculation of the carbon footprint, and development of the guidelines. The whole life cycle of the orchards is considered from the tree nursery stage (one or two years), through the establishment, the young, mature and decay stages, and the final destruction, for an average of 15 years. All the agricultural operations have been included in the accounting, in terms of energy consumption and machinery utilization: soil tillage, thinning, pruning, mulching, harvesting, fertilization, plant protection, irrigation, harvesting. Moreover, the life cycle of all the constituent materials of the orchard’s plant and cover structure has been considered (steel wire, cement and aluminum poles, cement blocks, irrigation pipes and water distribution final devices), as well as all the productive inputs’ life cycle (pests and fertilizers). Not just the production phase of the nitrogen fertilizers has been considered, but also the N2O emissions derived from their use. Two different functional units have been used: one kg of peaches/apricot produced and one hectare of cultivated field. The most innovative part of the present study consists in the integration of GHG fluxes occurring within soil-tree-atmosphere system, into the carbon footprint assessment: our aim is to estimate the soil carbon content change, in the considered time boundaries of the study (medium term perspective), related to soil respiration, plant growing, green and brown pruning decomposition, organic compost utilization, cover crop, through sampling activities at field, and using formulas from literature and different models recently emerging in the international scientific community. The guidelines for the carbon footprint calculation along the peach and apricots productive chain in Metapontino region are developed in accordance to the recently published standard ISO 14067; an innovative label for c-footprint communication could be introduced in order to improve the competitiveness of this products on national and international markets

Congenital long QT syndrome

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a hereditary cardiac disease characterized by a prolongation of the QT interval at basal ECG and by a high risk of life-threatening arrhythmias. Disease prevalence is estimated at close to 1 in 2,500 live births.The two cardinal manifestations of LQTS are syncopal episodes, that may lead to cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death, and electrocardiographic abnormalities, including prolongation of the QT interval and T wave abnormalities. The genetic basis of the disease was identified in the mid-nineties and all the LQTS genes identified so far encode cardiac ion channel subunits or proteins involved in modulating ionic currents. Mutations in these genes (KCNQ1, KCNH2, KCNE1, KCNE2, CACNA1c, CAV3, SCN5A, SCN4B) cause the disease by prolonging the duration of the action potential. The most prevalent LQTS variant (LQT1) is caused by mutations in the KCNQ1 gene, with approximately half of the genotyped patients carrying KCNQ1 mutations.Given the characteristic features of LQTS, the typical cases present no diagnostic difficulties for physicians aware of the disease. However, borderline cases are more complex and require the evaluation of various electrocardiographic, clinical, and familial findings, as proposed in specific diagnostic criteria. Additionally, molecular screening is now part of the diagnostic process.Treatment should always begin with beta-blockers, unless there are valid contraindications. If the patient has one more syncope despite a full dose beta-blockade, left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) should be performed without hesitation and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy should be considered with the final decision being based on the individual patient characteristics (age, sex, clinical history, genetic subgroup including mutation-specific features in some cases, presence of ECG signs - including 24-hour Holter recordings - indicating high electrical instability).The prognosis of the disease is usually good in patients that are correctly diagnosed and treated. However, there are a few exceptions: patients with Timothy syndrome, patients with Jervell Lange-Nielsen syndrome carrying KCNQ1 mutations and LQT3 patients with 2:1 atrio-ventricular block and very early occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias

Different Flour Microbial Communities Drive to Sourdoughs Characterized by Diverse Bacterial Strains and Free Amino Acid Profiles

This work aimed to investigate whether different microbial assemblies in flour may influence the microbiological and biochemical characteristics of traditional sourdough. To reach this purpose, members of lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, and yeasts were isolated from durum wheat flour. Secondly, the isolated microorganisms (Pediococcus pentosaceus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pantoea agglomerans, and Escherichia hermannii) were inoculated in doughs prepared with irradiated flour (gamma rays at 10 kGy), so that eight different microbial assemblies were obtained. Two non-inoculated controls were prepared, one of which (C-IF) using irradiated flour and the other (C) using non-irradiated flour. As shown by plate counts, irradiation of flour caused total inactivation of yeasts and a decrease of all the other microbial populations. However, acidification occurred also in the dough C-IF, due to metabolic activity of P. pentosaceus that had survived irradiation. After six fermentations, P. pentosaceus was the dominant lactic acid bacterium species in all the sourdoughs produced with irradiated flour (IF). Yet, IF-based sourdoughs broadly differed from each other in terms of strains of P. pentosaceus, probably due to the different microorganisms initially inoculated. Quantitative and qualitative differences of free amino acids concentration were found among the sourdoughs, possibly because of different microbial communities. In addition, as shown by culture-independent analysis (16S metagenetics), irradiation of flour lowered and modified microbial diversity of sourdough ecosystem

Variability of total soil respiration in a Mediterranean vineyard

Total soil respiration (TSR) is the major component of the CO2 global flux. The knowledge of the temporal-spatial variability of TSR allows for a better interpretation of a critical component of global greenhouse gas flux measurements. The objective of the research was to evaluate the TSR dynamic over a long measurement period in a vineyard in the South of Italy. A static home-made automatic system was used to measure TSR for a three year period. A portable gas analyser (Li-Cor 6400-09) was used to study TSR spatial variability. A non-invasive geophysical technique (Electromagnetic Induction – EMI) was applied to search for a significant relationship between apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), the EMI signal and TSR. Long-term measurements of TSR enabled to study its temporal dynamics. CO2 rates ranged from 0.78 to 43.7 g CO2 m–2 day–1. TSR increased during spring and decreased by 45–50% during the mid-summer. The daily trend of TSR showed differences between the seasons studied reporting a clearly variation among TSR measured on row and inter-row positions. The supplemental irrigation significantly affected (P < 0.001) CO2 soil effluxes which showed a weekly mean increase of 300%. Significant inverse relationships were found by interpolating TSR values and ECa (coefficient of correlation ranging from –0.43 to –0.83 at P < 0.001). The spatialisation of TSR at field scale was performed using the linear regression between TSR values and EMI signals. TSR spatialisation gave a more detailed view of CO2 emissions distribution within the vineyard. EMI technique could be a useful tool to compute accurately the global CO2 emissions which are a complex and hard to measure component of the agrosystem carbon balance

Treatment of Common Femoral Artery Lesions Involving the Superficial and Profunda Femoral Artery Bifurcation: Is the Snow Too Melted to Plow With New Endovascular Devices?

Surgical endarterectomy for common femoral artery bifurcation obstructive atherosclerotic disease repre- sents the "gold standard" therapy, with excellent long-term results and minimal complications. On the other hand, recent advances in endovascular therapy have led to a safer and similar effective results, with a potential reduction in hospital stays, quicker recovery to normal functional status, good short- and long-term clinical outcomes, and consequent lower morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous directional atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy are game-changer medical devices for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease related to complex and severely calcific atherosclerotic plaque encroaching the common femoral artery bifurcation segment. The application of these devices, technical execution, and clinical experience is reported in two exemplary cases