Indirect Evaporative Cooling Combined with Dehumidification in a MVHR System for Radiant Cooling

Abstract This work investigates a possible application of an integrated heat recovery system with an indirect evaporative cooling section (IEC) into the air extraction and a dehumidification device into air delivery. System operation is then simulated in different climatic conditions and the energy consumptions are compared with the energy required by the same system without the IEC section

The Impact of Globalisation and Increased Trade Liberalisation on European Regions: Carpi and Prato case studies

The following two studies are included in the studies commissioned by the European Commission – DG REGIO as part of the preparatory work for the “Fifth report on economic and social cohesion”. The full report on “EU regions vulnerable to globalisation and increased trade: "The impact of globalisation and increased trade liberalisation on European regions" coordinated by IGEAT – ULB, Politecnico di Milano and UMS Riate in 2008 can be found in the following web page: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information/studies/index_en.cfm#

The involvement of indoleacetic acid in paradormancy and sylleptic shoot development of grafted peach trees and hybrid rootstoks.

The physiological mechanisms controlling the induction of lateral branching, which is part of the expression of growth vigour, were investigated in two hybrid rootstocks (GF 677 and Mr.S. 2/5) widely used in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivation that were grafted to a nectarine scion (cv. 'Big Top'). As expected, field-grown rootstocks showed different degrees of vigour and also induced distinct patterns of growth on the scion. The higher the rootstock vigour, the greater the number and length of lateral shoots developed by the scion. Hence, the growth vigour affected paradormancy and we hypothesized that auxin, which is known to suppress axillary bud development following bud break when transported basipetally along the shoot, might mediate rootstock-induced branching in the top of the tree. The role of indole-3-acetic acid as a hormonal signal in lateral branching was assessed by analysing its concentration in apical and axillary buds collected from growing shoots, both intact and at different times after apex removal. Shoot pruning was used as a means to force axillary buds to overcome paradormancy, assuming that their responses would reflect their intrinsic capacity of resuming growth. The development of lateral buds of both grafted scions and intact rootstocks was positively correlated with the respective auxin concentration and following shoot apex removal the relationships became stronger. Therefore, auxin may be responsible for mediating the expression of growth vigour. The invigorating effect of a rootstock would then be dependent on its ability of inducing high auxin levels in axillary buds. The hormone would act directly within bud tissues to stimulate their growth following bud break

Hormonal Regulation in Different Varieties of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. Exposed to Short Acute UV-B Irradiation

Increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) due to global change can affect plant development and metabolism. Quinoa tolerates extreme conditions including high UV levels. However, the physiological mechanisms behind its abiotic stress tolerance are unclear, especially those related to UV-B. We previously demonstrated that 9.12 kJ m−2 d−1 may induce UV-B-specific signaling while 18.24 kJ m−2 d−1 promotes a UV-B-independent response. Here, we explored the effects of these UV-B doses on hormonal regulation linked to plant morphology and defense among diverse varieties. Changes in fluorescence parameters of photosystem II, flavonoids and hormones (indoleacetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA)) were surveyed under controlled conditions. Here, we showed that the sensitivity to short acute UV-B doses in varieties from different habitats is influenced by their parental lines and breeding time. UV-B sensitivity does not necessarily correlate with quinoa’s geographical distribution. The role of flavonoids in the UV-B response seems to be different depending on varieties. Moreover, we found that the extent of changes in JA and SA correlate with UV-B tolerance, while the increase of ABA was mainly related to UV-B stress.Peer reviewe

Hormonal Regulation in Different Varieties of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. Exposed to Short Acute UV-B Irradiation

Increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) due to global change can affect plant development and metabolism. Quinoa tolerates extreme conditions including high UV levels. However, the physiological mechanisms behind its abiotic stress tolerance are unclear, especially those related to UV-B. We previously demonstrated that 9.12 kJ m−2 d−1 may induce UV-B-specific signaling while 18.24 kJ m−2 d−1 promotes a UV-B-independent response. Here, we explored the effects of these UV-B doses on hormonal regulation linked to plant morphology and defense among diverse varieties. Changes in fluorescence parameters of photosystem II, flavonoids and hormones (indoleacetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA)) were surveyed under controlled conditions. Here, we showed that the sensitivity to short acute UV-B doses in varieties from different habitats is influenced by their parental lines and breeding time. UV-B sensitivity does not necessarily correlate with quinoa’s geographical distribution. The role of flavonoids in the UV-B response seems to be different depending on varieties. Moreover, we found that the extent of changes in JA and SA correlate with UV-B tolerance, while the increase of ABA was mainly related to UV-B stress

Hormonal Regulation in Different Varieties of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. Exposed to Short Acute UV-B Irradiation

Increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) due to global change can affect plant development and metabolism. Quinoa tolerates extreme conditions including high UV levels. However, the physiological mechanisms behind its abiotic stress tolerance are unclear, especially those related to UV-B. We previously demonstrated that 9.12 kJ m−2 d−1 may induce UV-B-specific signaling while 18.24 kJ m−2 d−1 promotes a UV-B-independent response. Here, we explored the effects of these UV-B doses on hormonal regulation linked to plant morphology and defense among diverse varieties. Changes in fluorescence parameters of photosystem II, flavonoids and hormones (indoleacetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA)) were surveyed under controlled conditions. Here, we showed that the sensitivity to short acute UV-B doses in varieties from different habitats is influenced by their parental lines and breeding time. UV-B sensitivity does not necessarily correlate with quinoa’s geographical distribution. The role of flavonoids in the UV-B response seems to be different depending on varieties. Moreover, we found that the extent of changes in JA and SA correlate with UV-B tolerance, while the increase of ABA was mainly related to UV-B stress

Gibberellins modulate auxin responses during tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit development

In tomato, auxin and gibberellins (GAs) interact with each other to drive fruit growth and development. While the role of auxin in directing GA biosynthesis and signal is already known, very little information has been obtained about GA-mediated control of auxin signalling and response. Interestingly, we show that gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) is able to modify the expression of several auxin signalling genes in the partial auxin-insensitive diageotropica (dgt) mutant, suggesting that GAs may override the control of DGT on auxin signal. Procera (pro) mutation, which confers a constitutively active GA signal, enhances the effects of exogenous auxin, indicating that PRO may act as a negative effector of auxin responses in fruits. Indeed, transcript modulation of some auxin/indole acetic acid and auxin response factor genes in auxin-treated dgt/pro fruits suggests that PRO controls their expression possibly bypassing DGT. It was also shown that GA biosynthesis, in response to auxin treatment, is largely controlled by DGT. It is therefore conceivable that the DGT-mediated increase of active GAs in auxin-treated or pollinated fruits would promote PRO degradation, which in turn activates part of the auxin signalling cascade.Fil: Mignolli, Francesco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Vidoz, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Picciarelli, Piero. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Mariotti, Lorenzo. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Itali

Singlet-Doublet Dark Matter Freeze-in: LHC displaced signatures versus cosmology

We study the Singlet-Doublet dark matter model in the regime of feeble couplings, where the dark matter abundance is obtained via the freeze-in mechanism. As a consequence of the small couplings, the heavier particles in the model are long-lived with decay length at typical scales of collider experiments. We analyse the collider signatures of the model, characterised by displaced $h$ and $Z$ bosons plus missing momentum, employing current LHC searches for displaced vertices and missing energy to significantly constrain the parameter space of the model. We also take into account the cosmological bounds relevant for our light dark matter candidate arising from Lyman-$\alpha$ forest constraints. Our analysis emphasises the interplay between displaced signatures at the LHC and cosmology for dark matter candidates whose relic abundance is obtained through the freeze-in mechanism.Comment: 42 pages, 14 figures; v2: minor discussions, clarifications, and references adde

Removal of micro-pollutants from urban wastewater by constructed wetlands with Phragmites australis and Salix matsudana

This study assessed the ability to remove micro-pollutants from wastewater using herbaceous species (Phragmites australis L.) and trees (Salix matsudana Koidz.) in constructed wetland (CW) systems. The targets of the study were as follows: (i) pharmaceuticals like diclofenac, ketoprofen, and atenolol; (ii) 4-n-NP (4-n-nonylphenol) and the ethoxylated derivatives monoethoxylated nonylphenol (NP1EO) and diethoxylated nonylphenol (NP2EO); (iii) triclosan, a bactericide used in personal care products. The 12 CW systems, filled with clay and gravel, were irrigated with wastewater from municipal area of Pagnana (Tuscany, Italy) and influent and effluent water samples analyzed periodically by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The removal efficiency of CWs planted with willow and common red ranged from 8.4 up to 100%, with the higher removal efficiency for triclosan. On the contrary, the removal efficiency of NPs and NPEOs appears lower than pharmaceuticals. Data demonstrated that P. australis efficiently removed NP, diclofenac, and atenolol, while S. matsudana preferentially removed NP1EO, NP2EO, ketoprofene, and triclosan. A specific selection of plants used in CWs could be exploited for the removal of specific xenobiotics from wastewater