Trends in the implementation of biopesticides in the Euro-Mediterranean region: a narrative literary review

This article explores the global commitment to achieving sustainable solutions for addressing hunger, emphasizing the urgent need to transform the agricultural sector in the face of escalating global population growth and threats to the food system. Despite commitments to reduce conventional pesticide use, the global market for these products is expanding. Biopesticides are a sustainable alternative with targeted action and ecological benefits. While the biopesticide market is growing, it remains a small segment within the overall expanding pesticide market. The study focuses on the Mediterranean region, specifically Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey, to investigate the structural challenges hindering the adoption of biopesticides. Technical issues, coupled with broader market dynamics involving producers, farmers, regulators, and consumers, contribute to the limited market presence of biopesticides in the region. Challenges such as knowledge gaps, market constraints, limited manufacturing plants, and registration complexities further impede biopesticide development, confining them to niche markets. Overcoming these challenges requires addressing issues of availability, affordability, and efficacy, alongside legislative barriers. The paper suggests potential roles for farmers, producers, and regulators as agents of change, acknowledging the complexity of devising concrete strategies to navigate the current impasse. The research proposes directions for facilitating change

Genomic Resources Development and Functional Characterization of Arundo Donax L. under Stress Conditions

Global warming is becoming a major threat for human and wildlife on Earth and scientists agree in considering anthropogenic greenhouse gasses emission as the main factor contributing to atmosphere and sea temperature increase. Arundo donax L. is the most promising species for second generation biofuel production in Mediterranean areas but up to now little was known about its genetics. In this study, we first explored the whole transcriptome of young shoot of Arundo donax under simulated drought stress through NGS technology. This allowed us to understand the general molecular mechanisms of early plant responses to osmotic stimulus. Through comparative analyses with major Poaceae species, we identified a set of 53 orthologs that can be considered as a core of evolutionary conserved genes important to mediate water stress responses in the family. Leveraging on the availability of this transcriptome, we developed a set of of reliable reference genes with high stability across different stress and/or tissues, to enable further functional studies in this species. We selected a candidate, named AdDWD1, that have the potential to play an important role in stress response by targeted protein degradation. Our results indicate that AdDWD1 is upregulated under osmotic and salt response in A. donax and its overexpression in Arabidopsis brought to a significant decrease in germination under salt and a growth retardation in ABA-containing media. Overexpression of AdDWD1 caused downregulation of DREB2A and SOS3, while it did not affect other stress-related genes, pinpointing a possible pathway-specific regulatory role of the gene. Taken together, these results suggest a strong relation of AdDWD1 with salt and osmotic stress response and an important role in the signalling pathway during early stress stages

Spectral Light Transmission Measure of Metal Screens for Glass Façades and Assessment of their Shading Potential

Abstract Metal mesh grids and perforated screens are used in new and renovated buildings as an external second skin for the building envelope; to enhance architecture design, to filter daylight and to reduce solar gains. Their effectiveness as shading devices depends on their geometry, texture and application. In the first part of the paper six types of shadings with similar transparencies, depending on geometry and openness factor of metal mesh grid and perforated screen, were investigated. Integrating sphere measurements were collected to obtain spectral optical properties of the shading devices. The optical properties were measured for incidence angles between normal and 60°with a step of 15°. The data collected were integrated to obtain visible and solar transmittance values in accordance with ISO 9050. In the second part of the paper a parametric study on spacing and thread dimension of metal mesh grids was done using Window 6.2 models to evaluate their shading potential, defining annual different shading profiles depending on shading geometry, latitude and orientation. A conventional office unit with a curtain wall facade with a metal mesh grid shading system was modeled in TRNSYS to evaluate the solar gain profiles and their effects on the energy balance of the office unit, under different weather conditions

Spectral Light Transmission Measure and Radiance Model Validation of an innovative Transparent Concrete Panel for Façades

Abstract This paper presents an approach to measure, characterize and simulate photometric performances of light transmission efficiency of an innovative transparent concrete panel for facades. The transparency was obtained by a texture of PMMA resin insertions in the fiber reinforced concrete panel. In the first part of the paper integrating sphere measurements were collected to derive spectral optical properties of the panel. The optical properties of a specimen were measured for incidence angles between normal and 60° and the spectral results were reported. The data collected during the measures were used to: create and validate a simplified Radiance model of the panel and to optimize simulation parameters to estimate properly the total internal reflections effects thought the PMMA resin insertions

Transparent Multilayer ETFE Panels for Building Envelope: Thermal Transmittance Evaluation and Assessment of Optical and Solar Performance Decay due to Soiling

AbstractThis paper is divided in two sections. The first section present the measurement and evaluation of soiling effects of spectral light and solar transmittance decay of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) membranes after three and six months of exposure in Milano city outdoor urban conditions, with different tilt and orientation. The obtained values where use to compute thermal and solar properties of a multilayer ETFE panel.The second section presents the results of an experimental campaign for measuring thermal transmittance of a non-pneumatic and non-cushion shape double layer ETFE sample panel realized with two membranes parallel to each other and tensioned on a frame. The thermal transmittance measurement reflects ISO 9869 measurement approach combined with the use of a thermographic camera to evaluate surface temperatures over the sample panel

Transparent multilayer ETFE panels for building envelope : thermal transmittance evaluation and assessment of optical and solar performance decay due to soiling.

Abstract This paper is divided in two sections. The first section present the measurement and evaluation of soiling effects of spectral light and solar transmittance decay of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) membranes after three and six months of exposure in Milano city outdoor urban conditions, with different tilt and orientation. The obtained values where use to compute thermal and solar properties of a multilayer ETFE panel. The second section presents the results of an experimental campaign for measuring thermal transmittance of a non-pneumatic and non-cushion shape double layer ETFE sample panel realized with two membranes parallel to each other and tensioned on a frame. The thermal transmittance measurement reflects ISO 9869 measurement approach combined with the use of a thermographic camera to evaluate surface temperatures over the sample panel

Effects of surface chemical modifications on the adhesion of metallic interfaces. An high-throughput analysis

Chemical interactions between two surfaces in contact play a crucial role in determining the mechanical and tribological behavior of solid interfaces. These interactions can be quantified via adhesion energy, that is a measure of the strength by which two surfaces bind together. Several works in literature report how the presence of chemisorbed atoms at homo- and heterogeneous solid-solid interfaces drastically change their proprieties. A precise evaluation of how different species at solid contacts modulates their adhesion would be extremely beneficial for a range of different technological fields: from metallurgy to nuclear fusion. In this work we have used and high-throughput approach to systematically explore the effects of the presence of non-metallic elements, at different concentrations, on the adsorption and adhesion energies of different homogeneous metallic interfaces. Together with the databases for the adsorption and the adhesion energies, we calculated several other properties such as the charge transferred at the interface, the d-band edge shift for the substrate the Bond order and the interfacial density redistribution for the hundreds of systems analyzed. These values were used to define different trends with respect to chemical and concentration parameters that could be useful for the development of engineered interfaces with selected properties. In particular we noticed how the substrate with low filling of d-band are the most prone to adsorb ad-atoms and how the adsorption of almost all non-metallic elements decreases the adhesion energy of solid interfaces, particularly in the case of Fluorine. Carbon and Boron were the only two ad-atoms species that showed an opposite trend increasing the adhesion energy instead

TEVAR for Iatrogenic Injury of the Distal Aortic Arch after Pacemaker Implantation

Introduction We report the endovascular treatment of aortic arch injury due to direct puncture during pacemaker implantation. Report After pacemaker implantation a 74-year-old woman showed a progressive decrease in haematocrit with elevation of cardiac troponin-I. Coronary angiography revealed the malposition of the catheters introduced through the aortic wall. The atrial lead was placed in the left circumflex coronary artery. Computed tomography scan confirmed distal aortic arch perforation. A Medtronic-Valiant stent–graft was implanted in the distal aortic arch while the two catheters were removed. A new VVI pacemaker was implanted and, 3 days later, the patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the dissected left circumflex artery. Four days later the patient was discharged. One-year computed tomography scan showed successful repair of the injured aorta. Discussion Endovascular stent grafting has emerged as a less invasive therapeutic alternative to treat traumatic or iatrogenic injuries of the distal aortic arch

Metal Mesh as Shading Devices and Thermal Response of an Office Building: Parametric Analysis

Windows are the most important part of the building façade to control solar gains, thermal losses and visual comfort. Office buildings usually have medium-high WWR (window to wall ratio value) and high internal gains (due to users, lighting and appliances). For this reason, they require a good balance between thermal and visible performances of transparent façades and shading control strategies to avoid overheating, optimizing daylighting aspects. A sensitivity analysis was assessed to evaluate primary energy use for heating, lighting and cooling for conventional Italian single office units equipped with static metal mesh shading devices with different geometries and openness factor values. Different location (Milan, Palermo), orientation (south and west) and WWR (33% and 100%) were analyzed. Hence shading devices alternatives as venetian blinds and sun control windows are proposed as a comparison