Operating envelope charts for the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic wind tunnel

To take full advantage of the unique Reynolds number capabilities of the 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (0.3-m TCT) at the NASA Langley Research Center, it was designed to accommodate test sections other than the original, octagonal, three-dimensional test section. A 20- by 60-cm two-dimensional test section was installed in 1976 and was extensively used, primarily for airfoil testing, through the fall of 1984. The tunnel was inactive during 1985 so that a new test section and improved high speed diffuser could be installed in the tunnel circuit. The new test section has solid adaptive top and bottom walls to reduce or eliminate wall interference for two-dimensional testing. The test section is 33- by 33-cm in cross section at the entrance and is 142 cm long. In the planning and running of past airfoil tests in the 0.3-m TCT, the use of operating envelope charts have proven very useful. These charts give the variation of total temperature and pressure with Mach number and Reynolds number. The operating total temperature range of the 0.3-m TCT is from about 78 K to 327 K with total pressures ranging from about 17.5 psia to 88 psia. This report presents the operating envelope charts for the 0.3-m TCT with the adaptive wall tes t section installed. They were all generated based on a 1-foot chord model. The Mach numbers vary from 0.1 to 0.95

Effect of a commercial root growth enhancer on the turfgrass species "Lolium perenne" and the weed "Poa annua"

Se pretende comprobar si la aplicación de un enraizante durante la resiembra otoñal de la cespitosa “Lolium perenne” sobre las calles de los campos de golf conformados por “Cynodon dactylon”, favoreciese la competencia de “L. perenne” frente a Poa annua, mala hierba que germina precisamente en esta época. Se realizaron 2 ensayos iguales en cámara de crecimiento aplicando 10 dosis distintas del enraizante en ambas especies y se determinó al final del ensayo, tanto el crecimiento como el peso seco de la parte aérea y radical de ambas especies. Tan sólo en uno de los 2 ensayos el enraizante parece favorecer a la cespitosa frente a “P. annua” por lo que no puede concluirse categóricamente que el enraizante pueda ser un medio de control efectivo frente a la mala hierba.It is intended to check the performance of a root growth enhancer in order to promote “Lolium perenne” competiveness over “Poa annua”, during the overseeding cultural practice on “Cynodon dactylon” golf course fairway, as “P. annua” naturally germinates at the same time. Two equal laboratory experiments were conducted testing 10 doses of the root enhancer in both species. At the end of the experiments seedling growth and root and leaf dry weight were determined for both species. The tested product only promotes “L. perenne” competiveness in one experiment, therefore it cannot be concluded the root enhancer could be an effective weed control method

Using Hydrus 2-D to assess the emitters optimal position for Eggplants under surface and subsurface drip irrigation

The main objective of the work is to assess the emitters optimal position for Eggplant crop (Solanum melongena L.) in a sandy loam soil irrigated with surface or subsurface drip irrigation systems, by means of field measurements and simulations carried out with Hydrus-2D model. Initially, the performance of the model is evaluated on the basis of the comparison between simulated soil water contents (SWC) and the corresponding measured in two plots, in which laterals with coextruded emitters are laid on the soil surface (T0) and at 20 cm depth (T20), respectively. In order to choose the best position of the lateral, the results of different simulation runs, carried out by changing the installation depth of the lateral (5 cm, 15 cm and 45 cm) were compared in terms of ratio between actual transpiration and total amount of water provided during the entire growing season (WUE). Experiments were carried out, from April to June 2007, at Institut Sup\ue9rieur Agronomique de Chott M\ue9riem (Sousse, Tunisia). In the two plots, plants were spaced 0.40 m along the row and 1.2 m between the rows. Each plot was irrigated by means of laterals with coextruded emitters spaced 0.40 m and discharging a flow rate equal to 4.0 l h-1 at a nominal pressure of 100 kPa. In each plot, spatial and temporal variability of SWCs were acquired with a Time Domain Reflectometry probe (Trime-FM3), on a total of four 70 cm long access tubes, installed along the direction perpendicular to the plant row, at distances of 0, 20, 40 and 60 cm from the emitter. Irrigation water was supplied, accounting for the rainfall, every 7-10 days at the beginning of the crop cycle (March-April) and approximately once a week during the following stages till the harvesting (May-June), for a total of 15 one-hour watering. To run the model, soil evaporation, Ep, and crop transpiration, Tp were determined according to the modified FAO Penman-Monteith equation and the dual crop coefficient approach, whereas soil hydraulics and rooting system parameters were experimentally determined. Simulated SWCs resulted fairly close to the corresponding measured at different distances from the emitter and therefore the model was able to predict SWCs in the root zone with values of the Root Mean Square Error generally lower than 4%. This result is consequent to the appropriate schematization of the root distribution, as well as of the root water uptake. Simulations also evidenced the contribute of soil evaporation losses when laterals are installed from the soil surface to a 20 cm depth, whereas significant water losses by deep percolation occured at the highest installation depth. The values of WUE associated to the different examined installation depths tend to a very slight increase when the position of the lateral rises from 0 to 15 cm and start to decrease for the higher depths

Perfil fenólico de aceites de oliva vírgenes obtenidos de selecciones avanzadas en un programa de mejora

The evaluation of the phenolic composition in advanced selections in breeding programs constitutes the first approach for selecting genotypes with improved olive oil quality. In this work, the influence of genotype and ripening index on the phenolic profile of olive oils from advanced selections in comparison to their genitors was studied. Fruit samples were collected in genotypes from crosses between ‘Arbequina’ × ‘Picual’, ‘Picual’ × ‘Arbequina’ and ‘Frantoio’ × ‘Picual’ at five dates from 1st October to 26th November 2009. Characterization of the phenolic profile was performed by liquid–liquid extraction with 60:40 (v/v) methanol–water and subsequent chromatographic analysis with absorption and fluorescence detection in a sequential configuration. A dual effect of genotype and fruit ripening on the phenolic profile has been observed with more pronounced genetic influence in both total (34.73% and 20.45%, respectively) and individual phenols (16.99% to 49.25% and 1.58% to 23.77%, respectively). A higher degree of variability between genotypes at early ripening stages was also observed (p<0.05). The obtained results also allow identification of selections with high content of total and individual phenols. These results suggest a strategy based on early harvesting of fruits (at the first three ripening indexes) for better comparison and selection of genotypes in further crosses in olive breeding programs aiming at improving the quality of virgin olive oil.La evaluación de la composición fenolica en selecciones avanzadas en programas de mejora constituye el primer paso para la selección de genotipos cuyos aceites son de mejor calidad. Se ha estudiado la influencia del genotipo y del índice de madurez en el perfil fenólico del aceite de oliva de selecciones avanzadas en comparación con sus genitores. Se recogieron muestras de genotipos obtenidos de cruzamientos entre 'Arbequina' × 'Picual', 'Picual' × 'Arbequina' y 'Frantoio' × 'Picual' en cinco fechas entre el 1 de octubre y el 26 noviembre de 2009. Se realizó la caracterización del perfil fenólico por extracción líquido–líquido con metanol–agua al 60:40 (v/v) seguido de un análisis cromatográfico con detección por absorción y fluorescencia en una configuración secuencial. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron un mayor grado de variabilidad entre genotipos en las primeras etapas de maduración de los frutos (p<0.05), así como el efecto de la madurez de los frutos y del genotipo en el perfil fenólico, con una influencia genética más pronunciada tanto para fenoles totales (34.73% and 20.45%, respectivamente) como individuales (entre 16.99% y 49.25% y entre 1.58% y 23.77%, respectivamente). Los resultados obtenidos han permitido la identificación de selecciones con alto contenido en fenoles totales e individuales. Ambos resultados sugieren una estrategia basada en la evaluación de los fenoles totales e individuales en las primeras etapas de la maduración para comparar y seleccionar genotipos en programas de mejora por cruzamiento encaminados a mejorar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen

Effect of different saline Levels and Irrigation Regimes on agronomic parameters of potatoes crop under the semi-arid environment of Tunisia

In Tunisia, the scarcity of water for irrigation allows the use of low water quality. Deficit irrigation has shown successful results with a large number of crops in various countries. Field experiments, were carried out in Central TunIsia (10.5632°W; 35.9191°N; 19 m a.s.l) on a potatoes crop planted in a sandy loam soil, during the growing season 2015, from January 21 (plantation of tubers) to May 21 (harvesting). Objective of the work, was to assess four different irrigation management on the agronomic parameters of potatoes crop and Water use efficient. The experimental field were laid out in a randomized complete block design consisting of two different irrigation levels and two water qualities. Each plot received the same plant management and was irrigated by a subsurface drip irrigation system (SDI). The first plot irrigated with water characterized by electrical conductivity of 1.0 dS/ m T1 with 100% ET0, T2 with 50% ET0, the second plot was irrigated with water with a water of 4dS/m and was compound by T3 with 100% ET0 and T4 with 50% ET0. This study was aimed to investigate on the effect of salt stress or water stress and the combination salt water stress on some agronomics parameters of potatoes. Statistical analysis evidenced that the degree of salinity has a highly significant positive effect on the plant’s growth, leaf area, tuber yield and volume efficiency, and water use efficiency

Estimation of actual evapotranspiration of Mediterranean perennial crops by means of remote-sensing based surface energy balance models

Actual evapotranspiration from typical Mediterranean crops has been assessed in a Sicilian study area by using surface energy balance (SEB) and soil-water balance models. Both modelling approaches use remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes in a spatially distributed way. The first approach exploits visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and thermal (TIR) observations to solve the surface energy balance equation whereas the soil-water balance model uses only VIS-NIR data to detect the spatial variability of crop parameters. Considering that the study area is characterized by typical spatially sparse Mediterranean vegetation, i.e. olive, citrus and vineyards, alternating bare soil and canopy, we focused the attention on the main conceptual differences between one-source and two-sources energy balance models. Two different models have been tested: the widely used one-source SEBAL model, where soil and vegetation are considered as the sole source (mostly appropriate in the case of uniform vegetation coverage) and the two-sources TSEB model, where soil and vegetation components of the surface energy balance are treated separately. Actual evapotranspiration estimates by means of the two surface energy balance models have been compared vs. the outputs of the agro-hydrological SWAP model, which was applied in a spatially distributed way to simulate one-dimensional water flow in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Remote sensing data in the VIS and NIR spectral ranges have been used to infer spatially distributed vegetation parameters needed to set up the upper boundary condition of SWAP. Actual evapotranspiration values obtained from the application of the soil water balance model SWAP have been considered as the reference to be used for energy balance models accuracy assessment. <br><br> Airborne hyperspectral data acquired during a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council, UK) campaign in 2005 have been used. The results of this investigation seem to prove a slightly better agreement between SWAP and TSEB for some fields of the study area. Further investigations are programmed in order to confirm these indications

Assessment of a Chain Mower Performance for Weed Control under Tree Rows in an Alley Cropping Farming System

In the area under tree rows of alley cropping systems, coarse plant material as well as pruning material or stones may be present, so the use of a mower equipped with chains as cutting a tool could be advantageous. A mower designed for under-row weed control in orchards, equipped with an automatic tree-skipping mechanism, was modified by replacing blades with chains with the aim of evaluating its performance in an alley cropping system. A first trial was carried out in an open field to preliminarily compare the chain mower with the version equipped with blades in relation to different settings of working speed (1.6 and 2.4 km center dot h(-1)) and rotation speed of the cutting tool (1830 and 2500 rpm). Weed biomass reduction, weed cover reduction, weed height reduction, weed biomass regrowth, and clipping size were assessed. In a second trial, the performance of the mowers with different setting configurations was assessed in an alley cropping system under a more critical environmental condition for mowing, i.e., the presence of dew. Weed biomass reduction, weed cover reduction, weed height reduction, and the mowers' field capacity with different working speed settings were assessed. No major differences emerged between the mowers and the chain mower performance was comparable to that of the standard blade mower. The setting with the high working speed and high rotation speed of the cutting tool turns out to be the best compromise, obtaining a weed biomass reduction of 59.6%, a weed cover reduction of 40.9%, and a higher field capacity compared to the setting with the low working speed, with an increase of 47.9%

Estimation of actual evapotranspiration of Mediterranean perennial crops by means of remote-sensing based surface energy balance models.

Actual evapotranspiration from typical Mediterranean crops has been assessed in a Sicilian study area by using surface energy balance (SEB) and soil-water balance models. Both modelling approaches use remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes in a spatially distributed way. The first approach exploits visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR) and thermal (TIR) observations to solve the surface energy balance equation whereas the soil-water balance model uses only VIS-NIR data to detect the spatial variability of crop parameters. Considering that the study area is characterized by typical spatially sparse Mediterranean vegetation, i.e. olive, citrus and vineyards, alternating bare soil and canopy, we focused the attention on the main conceptual differences between one-source and two-sources energy balance models. Two different models have been tested: the widely used one-source SEBAL model, where soil and vegetation are considered as the sole source (mostly appropriate in the case of uniform vegetation coverage) and the two sources TSEB model, where soil and vegetation components of the surface energy balance are treated separately. Actual evapotranspiration estimates by means of the two surface energy balance models have been compared vs. the outputs of the agro-hydrological SWAP model, which was applied in a spatially distributed way to simulate one-dimensional water flow in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Remote sensing data in the VIS and NIR spectral ranges have been used to infer spatially distributed vegetation parameters needed to set up the upper boundary condition of SWAP. Actual evapotranspiration values obtained from the application of the soil water balance model SWAP have been considered as the reference to be used for energy balance models accuracy assessment. Airborne hyperspectral data acquired during a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council, UK) campaign in 2005 have been used. The results of this investigation seem to prove a slightly better agreement between SWAP and TSEB for some fields of the study area. Further investigations are programmed in order to confirm these indications

Uso della tecnica scintillometrica a supporto della stima dei consumi evapotraspirativi dell’olivo

L’uso razionale della risorsa idrica in agricoltura richiede, unitamente all’adozione di tecniche irrigue avanzate che assicurino la migliore efficienza degli interventi irrigui, l’individuazione dei tempi e dell’entità dei singoli interventi. Perché questi ultimi obiettivi siano raggiunti è necessario stimare con precisione i consumi di evapotraspirazione delle colture che, nell’ambiente mediterraneo, caratterizzato da un periodo vegetativo tipicamente non in fase con quello piovoso, si manifestano sotto condizioni di stress idrico. Nel presente lavoro è descritta un’applicazione a una piantagione di oliveto della tecnica scintillometrica, che permette una stima indiretta del flusso di calore latente attraverso l’equazione del bilancio energetico. Più in particolare, lo scintillometro è uno strumento ottico, che misura il flusso di calore sensibile dal sistema suolo-pianta sulla base degli effetti che tale flusso induce sull’indice di rifrazione della luce coerente emessa da un trasmettitore; misurando contemporaneamente la radiazione netta e il flusso di calore nel suolo, è possibile dedurre il flusso di evapotraspirazione come termine residuo dell’equazione che esprime il bilancio energetico di superficie. Sono in particolare presentati i risultati di un’indagine sperimentale effettuata nel corso della stagione irrigua 2007 nell’area di Castelvetrano, tipicamente vocata alla coltura dell’olivo. I dati di evapotraspirazione giornaliera ottenuti mediante la tecnica scintillometrica sono stati quindi confrontati con i corrispondenti valori stimati utilizzando il modello Agroidrologico SWAP, la cui applicazione ha richiesto una approfondita caratterizzazione biofisica dell’area di studio. I dati di evapotraspirazione giornaliera ottenuti mediante la tecnica scintillometrica sono stati confrontati con i corrispondenti valori stimati utilizzando sia il modello agroidrologico SWAP che la procedura semplificata proposta di recente dalla FAO che prevede l’adozione di un coefficiente colturale Kc,r che tiene conto delle eventuali condizioni di stress idrico

Attitudes toward the sars-cov-2 and influenza vaccination in the metropolitan cities of bologna and palermo, italy

Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is known to play a relevant role in thwarting the efforts toward reaching satisfactory influenza vaccination coverage, and has caused similar difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to describe the phenomenon and produce insights on the reasons behind VH. A survey was administered between December 2020 and February 2021 to adults living in the cities of Bologna and Palermo. Of the 443 subjects enrolled, 47.3% were likely to get the influenza vaccination, while 75.6% were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. The most frequent determinants that motivated the willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine were trust in the safety of vaccines and belief that the vaccine is an effective tool. As for people’s unwillingness to be vaccinated, being exposed to information that produced doubts about the vaccine and lack of trust in a newly developed vaccine were the most frequently involved determinants. Statistically significant positive associations were found between the willingness to be vaccinated and postgraduate education and the propensity towards influenza vaccination. A negative association with being over 40 years old and of female gender was also found. These results might have an impact in better understanding individual reasons behind VH, identifying which categories are more exposed to it and which strategies should be implemented