A Case Report of a Mediastinal Fistula with Liver Abscesses as a Complication of Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

We report a case of mediastinal fistula with liver abscesses detected by thoracic and abdominal computed tomography as a complication of aortic valve replacement surgery

Determination of Evapotranspiration and Annual Biomass Productivity of a Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.)] Orchard in a Semiarid Environment

A micrometeorological approach based on the surface energy balance was adopted to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes and crop coefficient data from an irrigated cactus pear [Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.)] orchard under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Highfrequency temperature readings were taken above the canopy top to get sensible heat flux values (HSR) using the surface renewal technique. These values were compared against eddy covariance sensible heat fluxes (HEC) for calibration. Latent heat flux (or evapotranspiration, ET) was obtained by solving the daily energy balance equation. Measurements of soil hydraulic components were integrated with the analysis of the surface energy fluxes and crop development in terms of phenology and aboveground biomass accumulation. Microlysimeters were used to compute evaporation rates, allowing the separation of daily transpiration from ET data. Ecophysiological measurements were carried to estimate dry weight accumulation and partitioning. Cactus pear evapotranspired a total of approximately 286 and 252 mm of water during the two monitored growing seasons, respectively. Average daily values of crop (ETc) and reference (ET0) evapotranspiration were in the order of 2.5 and 5.0 mm, respectively, with a corresponding value of the mean crop coefficient of approximately 0.40. The annual dry mass fixed per single tree was 38.8 1.3 kg, with a total production of 12.9 t ha 121, which is comparable to many C3 and C4 plants and resulted in a water use efficiency (WUE) of 4.6 and 4.4 gDMkgH2O 121 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The stem area index (SAI) was 3.5

Giovanni Michelucci: i Nuovi Istituti di Matematica e Geometria

Il volume descrive il progetto più interessante realizzato a Bologna dall'architetto pistoiese Giovanni Michelucci (1891-1990) negli anni 1955-1965: i Nuovi Istituti di Matematica e Geometria, attuale sede del Dipartimento di Matematica in piazza di Porta San Donato. Raccoglie gli studi degli autori svolti per le rispettive Tesi di Dottorato

Dal vivo della ferita. Corpi sensibili, corpo sociale e azione teatrale

Due esperienze teatrali imperniate su “corpi sensibili” quali quelli di pazienti psichiatrici e di detenuti, rispettivamente Lenz Fondazione di Parma e Compagnia della Fortezza di Volterra, mostrano come i “corpi istituzionali” possano diventare luoghi di trasformazione personale e sociale. Two theatrical experiences centered on "sensitive bodies" such as those of psychiatric patients and prisoners, respectively Lenz Fondazione of Parma and Compagnia della Fortezza of Volterra, show how the "institutional bodies" can become places of personal and social transformation

Determination of Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient of Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) with an Energy Balance Technique

A micrometeorological approach based on surface renewal technique was adopted to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes and crop coefficient data from an irrigated cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) orchard under Mediterranean climatic conditions. High-frequency temperature readings were taken above the canopy top in order to get surface renewal sensible heat flux values (HSR). These values were compared against eddy covariance sensible heat fluxes (HEC) for calibration. Latent heat flux (or evapotranspiration, ET) was obtained as the residual of the energy balance equation using HSR. In field measurements of biophysical crop features, physiological characteristic and soil hydraulic components were integrated with the analysis of the surface energy fluxes. Microlysimeters were used to compute evaporation rates, allowing the separation of transpiration from ET data. During the irrigation season, evapotranspiration from the cactus pear orchard was 330 mm of water producing 16,210 kg of dry matter ha-1 for a biomass water productivity: WPb = kg biomass m-2 per kg H2O m-2 = 6.6 710-3. The water use efficiency (WUE) was 204 kg H2O kg-1 dry matter. The low value of WPb, relative to other CAM plants, suggests an opportunity to improve the use of irrigation water

An accessibility planning tool for network transit oriented development: SNAP

In the academic debate regarding the influences between urban form, built environment and travel patterns, a specific idea that has taken hold is that more compact urban development around railway stations, often referred to as Transit Oriented Development (TOD), contributes to the control of vehicle travel and to more sustainable metropolitan systems. According to this general principle this work proposes a GIS accessibility tool for the design of polycentric transit oriented scenario: SNAP - Station Network Accessibility Planning tool. In the first part the state of the art on Transit Oriented Development policies in Europe is presented with a focus on three study cases. In the second part the SNAP tool is described, with remarks to the approach, the methodology and the used indicators. Furthermore the paper discusses an application to the metropolitan area of Naples

CO2 fluxes of Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. trees in relation to water status

Gas exchange pattern in O. ficus-indica(OFI), refers to the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM); trees have nocturnal stomata opening, so net CO2 uptake and water loss occur during the cooler part ofthe 24-hour cycle. Succulent cladodes skip severe periods of drought through their water storer tissue (parenchyma). To study carbon fluxes in stress and no stress conditions, an experiment was carried out on 3-year-old irrigated and non-irrigated OFI potted trees; whole tree gas exchange was measured continuously with a balloon system made up by a portable Infrared Gas Analyzer. Continuous measurements(nighttime) during the summer season were useful to assess differences in carbon uptake under stress and no stress conditions. There was a gradual increment (5 μmol m2 s-1in June, 7 μmol m2 s-1 in July and 8.8 μmol m2 s-1 in August) in terms of CO2 uptake in irrigated trees from June to August 2010. The uptake was lower in stressed trees than in irrigated ones in each measurements date. Measurements carried out on non-irrigated trees showed carbon gain even 60 days after irrigation was stopped, with less than 2% of soil water content, far below the wilting point. Considering an average of 6.9 μmol CO2 m2 s-1, for well watered trees, from June to August, and a stem area index (SAI) of 2, a daily amount of 21.8 kg ha-1 d-1 of CO2 was accumulated in irrigated trees in that period, corresponding to a carbon assimilation of 0.54 T ha-1

Progettazione e impianto dell'oliveto

The establishment of new olive orchards represents the main way to renovate the olive sector in Italy, because they allow high yields and mechanization of cultural practices, particularly harvesting. The design of an olive orchard implies several important choices (area, cultivar, training system, planting density, orientation of the rows, type of trees) which must be made in relation to several factors, such as farm size, type of product that the grower wants to obtain (commercial target), system to mechanize harvesting, kind of cultivation (conventional, integrated or organic). The application of correct techniques for the preparation of the site, disposal of excessive water, execution of basal fertilization, kind of breaking ploughing to use, execution of the plantation, along with the application of correct cultural practices in the first year after planting, allow to create the best conditions for a fast and intense growth of the trees. All the choices and techniques related to new olive orchards are here reviewed to provide growers and experts a quick, easy-to-read, guide.Realizzato nell'ambito del progetto "Ricerca ed Innovazione per l'Olivicoltura Meridionale", finanziato dal MiPAA