Modifications in Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Properties of Nebbiolo (Vitis vinifera L.) Grape Berries Induced by Mixed Virus Infection

Modifications in grape quality parameters induced by mixed infection with GFLV and GFkV, GLRaV-1and GVA, and GLRaV-3 and GVA in three Nebbiolo clones were compared against healthy plants of thesame clones in two experimental vineyards in Piemonte, northwest Italy. The aim of the study was toevaluate the effect of virus infection on the mechanical properties of the berry skin and the whole berry asassessed by texture analysis tests, and on the amount and quality of berry skin phenols. Differences wereobserved in grapevine vigour, yield and juice composition, depending on the viral status of the plants. Theanthocyanin profile of the vines infected with GFV and GFkV and those infected with GLRaV-1 and GVAshowed a lower percentage of the more stable tri-substituted malvidin-3-glucoside and a higher percentageof cyanidin and peonidin-3-glucosides. Texture analysis showed that the viruses may increase berry-skinthickness and reduce phenol extractability. These effects carry practical implications for wine quality

Lifting restrictions on coherence loss when characterizing non-transparent hypersonic phononic crystals

Abstract Hypersonic phononic bandgap structures confine acoustic vibrations whose wavelength is commensurate with that of light, and have been studied using either time- or frequency-domain optical spectroscopy. Pulsed pump-probe lasers are the preferred instruments for characterizing periodic multilayer stacks from common vacuum deposition techniques, but the detection mechanism requires the injected sound wave to maintain coherence during propagation. Beyond acoustic Bragg mirrors, frequency-domain studies using a tandem Fabry–Perot interferometer (TFPI) find dispersions of two- and three-dimensional phononic crystals (PnCs) even for highly disordered samples, but with the caveat that PnCs must be transparent. Here, we demonstrate a hybrid technique for overcoming the limitations that time- and frequency-domain approaches exhibit separately. Accordingly, we inject coherent phonons into a non-transparent PnC using a pulsed laser and acquire the acoustic transmission spectrum on a TFPI, where pumped appear alongside spontaneously excited (i.e. incoherent) phonons. Choosing a metallic Bragg mirror for illustration, we determine the bandgap and compare with conventional time-domain spectroscopy, finding resolution of the hybrid approach to match that of a state-of-the-art asynchronous optical sampling setup. Thus, the hybrid pump–probe technique retains key performance features of the established one and going forward will likely be preferred for disordered samples

Assessment of Natural Resources Use for Sustainable Development - DPSIR Framework for Case Studies in Portsmouth and Thames Gateway, U.K.

This chapter reports on the uses of the DPSIR framework to assess the sustainability of the intertidal environments within the two UK case study areas, Portsmouth and Thames Gateway. It focuses on statutory conservation areas dominated by intertidal habitats. Two are located in Portsmouth (Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours) and four in the Thames Gateway (Benfleet Marshes, South Thames Estuary, Medway Estuary and the Swale in the Thames Gateway). Based on the reduction of a number of pressures and impacts observed in recent decades and the improvement of overall environmental quality, all six SSSIs are considered to be sustainable in the short and medium term. In the future, it is possible that the impacts of climate change, especially sea-level rise, might result in further reduction in the area and/or quality of intertidal habitats. Further integration between conservation and planning objectives (both for urban development and management of flood risk) at local level is needed to support the long-term sustainability of intertidal habitats

Winegrape berry skin thickness determination: comparison between histological observation and texture analysis determination.

We analyzed the relation between the assessment of grape berry skin thickness by means of histology sections and instrumental mechanical properties measurements. Berry skin of Vitis vinifera L. cultivar Corvina vineyards from Valpolicella Valpantena zone (Verona, Italy) were tested, evidencing a strong correlation between the two thickness determination methods. The middle or equatorial berry skin portion was found to be the less variable in instrumental skin thickness determination. In addition, unlike other studies, no correlation between the skin thickness and cell layers number was found