The mineralization of commercial organic fertilizers at 8°C temperature

In organic production only organic fertilizers and soil conditioners can be used to supply the soil with nitrogen. The mineralization of these products is slow and so there can be problems with the supply of nitrogen, when the demand of the plants is high. The supply of nitrogen from organic products depends on the speed of their mineralization which is primarily influenced by the composition and formulation of their raw material. In apple production in the Alps-region especially during spring problems with nitrogen supply are common. In that period, the weather conditions are sometimes bad, the temperature in the soil is low and mineralization starts slowly - apple trees demand more nitrogen than the soil can deliver. To compensate the demand of the apple tree organic growers can not use mineral fertilizers but only organic fertilizers and soil conditioners whose mineralization rate is often unknown. There is a strong need in organic fruit production to receive more information about the behaviour of fertilizers in the soil especially concerning their N-release under different conditions. To acquire that information, incubation experiments under controlled conditions (temperature, type of soil, humidity of the soil) were carried out in the laboratory to determine the mineralization-rate of different organic fertilizers and soil conditioners which are available in our region

The mineralization of commercial organic fertilizers at 8°C temperature

Abstract In organic production only organic fertilizers and soil conditioners can be used to supply the soil with nitrogen

MODEL-CALCULATIONS OF CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS .2. INTRAMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS AND DOUBLE-BOND PYRAMIDALIZATION IN POLYCYCLIC ALKENES

A new method for calculation of rotational barrier and interaction energies is proposed based on introduction of hybrid atomic orbitals in ab-initio calculation

Pannello di tamponamento prefabbricato in calcestruzzo armato con rete bilanciata in fibra di carbonio

The recent effect of the new technical standards – D.M. 14/01/2008, has led to a significant revision of the Italian approach to its precast building systems. Even more significant is the revision of the concrete panels with thermal break, which are increasingly popular after the publication of the decrees D.Lgs. 192/05, D.Lgs. 311/06, D.P.R. 59/09. In this contex, Ruredil S.p.A. has developed and patented a construction system that uses a balanced net of carbon fiber as reinforcement of external slab, therefore achievable thinness, to the benefit of weight, of resulting seismic actions, of insulating capacity whith the same overall thickness of the panel. The inserts used for the realization of the thermal break, and then for the hanging and connecting the external brought slab by the inner layer structure, are of the type standard version, but it was necessary to resolve issues related to the connection of these inserts whith a small slab thickness. In the article the authors describe the system and the project, give an account of experiments carried out on the real panels, of techniques and production problems, of the tests performed on prototypes in the laboratoryof the Faculty of Architecture of the IUAV University in Venice, under the guard of professor Angelo Di Tommaso. Under the structural profile, the studied and performed panel consist of an internal inner layer, insulated by sintered expanded polystyrene, characterized by a very small thickness slab, armed with a balanced net of carbon fiber, and by a careful study in order to reduce the size of the structural ribs, made possible thanks to less weight of the article, up to halff that of traditional panels, also aimed to maximize the proportion of insulation in the total area of the panel; the brought slab, external to insulating layer which constitutes the thermal break, has the same caractheristics as that of the inner layer. The so realized panel results easily developing and allows major cost savings while maintaining all the characteristics of durability, carrying capacity, workability and finishing that characterize the concrete panels. Lightness, leading to a consequent reduction of the seismic actions, also allows for economies in the structures and foundations. The panel is also to have characteristics of eco-compatibility, as it involves a general reduction in use of equipment and a reduction of transport, with consequent reductions in energy consumption and atmospheric emissions associated with production of raw materials and components for transport

A time of flight system based on low-pressure multiwire proportional counters for accelerator mass spectrometry

SIGLEITItal

Computer Aided Rehabilitation of Water Networks (CARE-W), EU 5 Framework Program (contract EVK1-CT-2000-00053)

The challenges for urban water distribution have a huge financial dimension. Although they do what they can, many cities and countries do not have the economic capability cope with their problems. They are therefore chasing international funds such as EU structural funds, World Bank etc. This situation is a challenge regarding the fulfilment of the UN Millennium goals for water. Also in the highest developed countries in financial terms the network ageing is considered as a major challenge into 21 century, and sustainable levels of renovation and corresponding decision criteria is under discussion. Also in these countries the willingness to invest in networks is probably less than the actual need. A minimum ambition should be not to expel the financial burden of water network management to our children and grandchildren generations, and it is the responsibility of researchers to demonstrate consequences of to-days practises. The contribution of research community can be very important to cope with the problems, by demonstrating the best ways to approach the situation, new technologies and optimization techniques. These approaches can optimise the necessary expenditure of resources to improve the urban water situation for the less favorized regions. This is the background for the extensive joint efforts that has been carried out by 16 research centres and 20 cities Europe-wide and also including Australia, namely the CARE-W project. Intermediate results have been presented in several international conferences, including the IWA World Congresses in Paris, Hamburg, Melbourne and Marrakech. CARE-W is now finished as EU research projects, but it continue swith application and implementation world-wide. The main goals for CARE-W have been to support cities in achieving the right urban water rehabilitation project using the right technology at the right time. The research team had as its vision to support a move from re-active approach to the networks to a pro-active approach. This means leaving the strategy of repairing damages to avoid the damages by preventive rehabilitation, in other words to move from crisis handling to risk based network management. Avoiding damages means saving money. On the other side and there will be a risk of wrong selection of projects and waste of investment capital. To avoid this, better knowledge about the network performance is needed. This can be obtained by a systematic analysis of the relevant factors of network performance based on a systematic collection and processing of urban network information. The information may need to be more extensive than practise in cities, but the main idea is to make the data collection and processing more intelligent. The network manager of CARE-W acts as the operating system and connect tools to GIS platform and databases. It is also managing the data flow (input and results) between the tools. The tools of the system are summarized as follows: Objective 1: Status, trends, investments, customer related performance: PI tool on investment and condition for drinking water systems; Objective 2: Failure forecasting: Tool based on failure history (breaks, leaks) analyzed by stochastic method (Proportional Hazard model); Objective 3: Hydraulic network and hydraulic reliability model (consequences when pipe stop working); Objective 4: Socio-economic impact (impact to customer) : Integrated in ranking methodology Objective 5: Long-term investment strategies: Based on life distribution statistics and service life expectation; Objective 6: Selection and ranking of projects: Multi-criteria analysis technique based on weighting (Electre tri). CARE-W is now being implemented in many cities in Europe and abroad; it is used for validating existing or developing new master plans and in the daily management of the urban water

Nosocomial Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in pediatric patients: a multi-center prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on the incidence of nosocomial Rotavirus infections (NRVI) in pediatric hospitals and on their economic impact. The goals of this study were: to evaluate the incidence of NRVI in various Italian pediatric wards during the course of two peak RV seasons; to investigate possible risk factors for NRVI; to estimate the costs caused by NRVI. METHODS: prospective cohort study. POPULATION: All the children under 30 months of age who were admitted without any symptom or diagnosis of gastroenteritis in the pediatric hospitals of Florence, Naples, Brescia and Ancona, Italy, during the winter-spring periods 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Serial RV rapid tests and clinical monitoring were carried out on the cohort. Telephone interviews were performed from 3 to 5 days after discharge. RESULTS: 520 out of 608 children completed the study (85.6%). The overall incidence of NRVI was 5.3% (CI95% 3.6-7.5), (7.9 per 1,000 days of hospital stay, CI 95% 5.3-11.3). The average duration of hospital stay was significantly longer for children who had NRVI (8.1 days, SD 5.4) than for non-infected children (6.4 days, SD 5.8, difference 1.7 days, p = 0.004). The risk of contracting NRVI increased significantly if the child stayed in hospital more than 5 days, RR = 2.8 (CI95% 1.3-6), p = 0.006. In Italy the costs caused by NRVI can be estimated at 8,019,155.44 Euro per year. 2.7% of the children hospitalized with no gastroenteritis symptoms tested positive for RV. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a relevant incidence of NRVI, which can increase the length of the children's stay in hospital. Limiting the number of nosocomial RV infections is important to improve patients' safety as well as to avoid additional health costs

Nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis in pediatric patients:a multi-center prospective cohort study.

Abstract Background Few data are available on the incidence of nosocomial Rotavirus infections (NRVI) in pediatric hospitals and on their economic impact. The goals of this study were: to evaluate the incidence of NRVI in various Italian pediatric wards during the course of two peak RV seasons; to investigate possible risk factors for NRVI; to estimate the costs caused by NRVI. Methods prospective cohort study. Population: all the children under 30 months of age who were admitted without any symptom or diagnosis of gastroenteritis in the pediatric hospitals of Florence, Naples, Brescia and Ancona, Italy, during the winter-spring periods 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Serial RV rapid tests and clinical monitoring were carried out on the cohort. Telephone interviews were performed from 3 to 5 days after discharge. Results 520 out of 608 children completed the study (85.6%). The overall incidence of NRVI was 5.3% (CI95% 3.6-7.5), (7.9 per 1,000 days of hospital stay, CI 95% 5.3-11.3). The average duration of hospital stay was significantly longer for children who had NRVI (8.1 days, SD 5.4) than for non-infected children (6.4 days, SD 5.8, difference 1.7 days, p = 0.004). The risk of contracting NRVI increased significantly if the child stayed in hospital more than 5 days, RR = 2.8 (CI95% 1.3-6), p = 0.006. In Italy the costs caused by NRVI can be estimated at 8,019,155.44 Euro per year. 2.7% of the children hospitalized with no gastroenteritis symptoms tested positive for RV. Conclusions Our study showed a relevant incidence of NRVI, which can increase the length of the children's stay in hospital. Limiting the number of nosocomial RV infections is important to improve patients' safety as well as to avoid additional health costs.</p