Optimal photoperiod for indoor cultivation of leafy vegetables and herbs

In Vertical Farms with Artificial Lighting (VFALs), optimal light management is a crucial determinant of both economic and environmental viability. Applications of LED technologies to plant cultivation are still recent, and research has to date mainly targeted the definition of optimal spectral and light intensity features. On the other hand, despite the relevant implications on production costs, literature on optimal photoperiod management is to date limited. Indeed, the number of hours per day correlates with the total light supplied to the crop \u2013 expressed as Daily Light Integral (DLI) \u2013 and the associated energetic costs. The present study aims at defining how photoperiods of 16 h d-1 (DLI= 14.4 mol m-2 d-1), 20 h d-1 (DLI= 18 mol m-2 d-1) and 24 h d-1 (DLI= 21.6 mol m-2 d-1)of light affect growth performances and resource use efficiency in leafy vegetables and herbs, represented by lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.). Plants were cultivated indoor under a red (R) and blue (B) LED light (RB=3, photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD)= 250 mmol m-2 s-1). Photoperiod variations\u2019 effects differed according to the considered plant species. In lettuce and chicory, the adoption of a DLI of 14.4 mol m-2 d-1 at 16 h d-1 photoperiod resulted in a greater plants fresh biomass and leaf area, which also contributed to generally obtain higher energy use efficiency (fresh biomass per unit of electricity input), light use efficiency (dry biomass per unit of light input) and, in chicory, also water use efficiency (fresh biomass per liter of water consumed). Contrarily, although photoperiod variations did not affect basil and rocket growth parameters (e.g., fresh biomass and leaf area) and the plant capacity to transform resources (e.g., water use efficiency and light use efficiency), energy use efficiency in basil also presented a downward trend in response to growing DLI. Accordingly, the adoption of a DLI of 14.4 mol m-2 d-1 at 16 h d-1 photoperiod resulted to be the optimal option among the ones tested in the presented research

Assessment of existing steel frames: Numerical study, pseudo-dynamic testing and influence of masonry infills

Most of existing steel multi-storey frames in Europe have been designed before the introduction of modern seismic design provisions, hence they often exhibit low performance under earthquake loads due to their low lateral resistance and energy dissipation capacity. In addition, such structures often include rigid and brittle masonry infill walls that highly influence their lateral response and distribution of damage pattern. However, current procedures for the assessment of existing steel buildings in Europe, included in the Eurocode 8 – Part 3 (EC8–3), do not provide adequate guidance for the assessment of ‘weak’ steel frame with masonry infill walls. Moreover, most of available modelling approaches of masonry infills formerly developed for reinforced concrete (RC) structures do not properly represent the behaviour of infill walls in steel frames. An improved numerical has to be provided to satisfactorily mimic infill walls' behaviour in steel moment frames. To this end, an experimental and theoretical study was carried out within the framework of HITFRAMES (i.e., HybrId Testing of an Existing Steel Frame with Infills under Multiple EarthquakeS) SERA project. This paper firstly presents the limitations of current EC8–3 by conducting a code-based assessment on a case study steel moment frame using pushover analysis. Three different single strut models, widely used for simulating the presence of masonry infills in RC structures, are considered for the numerical analyses. The paper also presents the results of pseudo-dynamic (PsD) tests performed on a large-scale 3D steel frame with masonry infills. The capability of the different masonry infill models is successively evaluated by comparisons between numerical and experimental results. On the basis of the obtained results, recommendations on how to potentially improve the single strut model for masonry infills surrounded by steel frames are also provided

IFI16 reduced expression is correlated with unfavorable outcome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults. Its clinical course is typically indolent; however, based on a series of pathobiological, clinical, genetic, and phenotypic parameters, patient survival varies from less than 5 to more than 20 years. In this paper, we show for the first time that the expression of the interferon-inducible DNA sensor IFI16, a member of the PYHIN protein family involved in proliferation inhibition and apoptosis regulation, is associated with the clinical outcome in CLL. We studied 99 CLLs cases by immunohistochemistry and 10 CLLs cases by gene expression profiling. We found quite variable degrees of IFI16 expression among CLLs cases. Noteworthy, we observed that a reduced IFI16 expression was associated with a very poor survival, but only in cases with ZAP70/CD38 expression. Furthermore, we found that IFI16 expression was associated with a specific gene expression signature. As IFI16 can be easily detected by immunohistochemistry or flow cytometry, it may become a part of phenotypic screening in CLL patients if its prognostic role is confirmed in independent series