Feeding emitters for microirrigation with a digestate liquid fraction up to 25% dilution did not reduce their performance

Irrigation with wastewater can strongly contribute to the reduction of water abstraction in agriculture with an especial interest in arid and semiarid areas. However, its use can have drawbacks to both soil and micro-irrigation systems, especially when the total solids in the wastewater are high, such as in digestate liquid fractions (DLF) from plant material. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the performances of a serpentine shaped micro-emitter injected with a hydrocyclone filtered DLF (HF-DLF) from corn + barley biomass and evaluate the traits of the liquid released within a 8-h irrigation cycle. HF-DLF was injected at 10%, 25%, and 50% dilution compared to tap water (at pH = 7.84) and the system performances were measured. No clogging was found, which likely depended on both the shape of the emitter and the high-pressure head (200 kPa). HF-DLF dilution at 10%, 25%, and 50% consisted in +1.9%, +3.5, and -4.9% amount of liquid released compared to the control. Fluid temperature during irrigation (from 9:00 to 17:00) did not explain the difference in the released amounts of liquid. In 10% HF-DLF % and 25% HF-DLF, a pH difference of + 0.321 ± 0.014 pH units compared to the control was found, and such difference was constant for both dilutions and at increasing the time. In contrast, 50% HF-DLF increased pH by around a half point and such difference increased with time. Similar differences among treatments were found for the total solids in the liquid. These results indicate that 50% HF-DLF was accumulating materials in the serpentine. These results suggest that a low diluted HF-DLF could directly be injected in irrigation systems with few drawbacks for the irrigation system and contribute to water conservation since such wastewater are available from the late spring to the early fall, when water requirements are high

MASTODINIA ED ESTROPROGESTINICI DI ULTIMA GENERAZIONE

Gli Autori riferiscono sugli effetti degli Estroprogestinici di ultima generazione (0,020 mg Etinilestradiolo + 0,150 mg desogestrel: SECURGIN-MENARINI) sul sintomo Mastodina. In un gruppo di 50 donne nullipare e' stata valutata l'intensita' della sintomatologia algica il mese prima del trattamento estroprogenistico e durante i tre mesi successivi. I risultati ottenuti evidenziano nel 79% dei casi una riduzione netta della mastodinia, una completa remissione della sintomatologia nel 15% mentre il 6% non ha ottenuto alcun giovamento

Role of digestate liquid fraction in the microirrigation system performance

The success of the use of wastewater in the irrigation depends on a wealth of factors. These include the amount of solids in the wastewater or its filtrate, the ability of the suspended material to form biofilms, the pressure of the water in the system, the type of filters and emitters, and age of the systems. Digestate from crop biomass and manure is increasingly being used, and its liquid fraction was indicated as a potential source for a wastewater irrigation. When used for irrigation purposes, information on the solid particles fractions, mostly salts, of these liquids in the irrigation systems are scarce. In case of low pressure (60 kPa) and low rate emitters (0.9 and 1.4 L h-1 emitter-1), high quality drip tapes showed a reduction of uniformity of distribution by 5.2 % on average depending on the activated sludge used as secondary effluent. In the present work, we studied the role of an increasing ratio between a hydrocyclone-filtered digestate liquid fraction and tap water on the performance of an irrigation system and water quality. Treatments included 3 diluition ratios (10 %, 25 %, and 50 % of total solution used for the irrigation) in contrast to tap water as control and measurements were taken at an hourly basis on an 8-h irrigation cycle, that simulates most of the irrigation cycles occurring in a broad range of crops. Hydrocyclone filtration scarcely affected the traits of the digestate liquid fraction used for the irrigation. Irrigation with hydrocyclone-filtered digestate liquid fraction injected in the system at 10 % and 25 % dilution did not affect the performance of the system nor the traits of the liquid fraction released by the emitters, whereas using 50% dilution of the HF-DLF consisted in a lower amount of liquid released and of an increasing pH of the dilution

“Time is on my side”. Disease trajectory of vulvodynia: a systematic review with a narrative synthesis

PurposeThe aim of this systematic review was to shed light on the disease-trajectory of vulvodynia and identify potential risk factors which may affect such trajectory.MethodsWe searched Pubmed to identify articles providing evidence on vulvodynia trajectory (i.e., remission, relapse or persistence rates) with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. A narrative approach was used for data synthesis.ResultsFour articles were included (total participants: 741 women with vulvodynia; 634 controls). At a 2-year follow-up, 50.6% of women reported remission, remission with relapse was observed in 39.7% and persistence throughout time occurred in 9.6%. A decrease in pain was observed in 71.1% of patients at a 7-year follow-up. Mean pain scores and depressive symptoms resulted lower at 2-year follow-up, whereas sexual function and satisfaction were increased. Factors associated with remission of vulvodynia were greater couple cohesion, decreased reporting of pain after intercourse and lower levels of worst pain. Risk factors for symptom persistence included marriage, more severe pain ratings, depression, pain with partner touch, interstitial cystitis, pain with oral sex, fibromyalgia, older age and anxiety. Recurrence was associated with: longer duration of pain, more severe ratings of the worst pain ever and pain described as provoked.ConclusionsSymptoms of vulvodynia seem to improve over time, regardless of treatment. This finding contains a key message for patients and their physicians, considering the deleterious consequences of vulvodynia on women's lives

Chemical analysis and antioxidant properties of orange-tree (Citrus sinensis L.) biomass extracts obtained via different extraction techniques

Orange orchards are typical Mediterranean crops and a major feature of the heritage of the Mediterranean basin, where they play an important environmental and economic role. Their high availability, low price, and potential industrial application make the development of new and valuable uses of the orange's biomass of high interest. This research was focused: (i) on recognition and mapping of orange cultivation in the Basilicata region; (ii) on the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of extracts; (iii) on identification of extractives' traits. To achieve these objectives, the anti-oxidative properties and chemical compounds of the extracts from orange orchard biomass were analyzed. Different extraction techniques were applied, including maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, and autoclaving. Results demonstrated the potential antioxidant activity of the bark and wood of orange-tree biomass, which has not been investigated before. The relative antioxidant capacity index showed that bark extracts were more effective than wood ones, and accelerated solvent extraction was the most effective process for recovering antioxidants. Chemical characterization by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) showed the presence of different natural compounds, including caffeic acid, alkaloids, and flavonoids. The development of innovative applications that use biomass derivatives could lead to their possible use in the market as a commodity for the chemical or cosmetic industries, giving new added value to the current use of biomass from agricultural practices. Through multi-criteria analysis it was possible to recognize the sustainability of these cropping models and their ecological function, using them for the preservation of environmental resources, environmental quality, and quality of life. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The "cIV Classification," a New Proposal for the Architectural Grading of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus

Objectives The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to prepare a reliable and easy-to-use architectural classification for vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) aimed at defining the morphological patterns of this condition. Materials and Methods An expert panel composed by 7 physicians with expertise in clinical care of vulvar conditions outlined the architectural criteria for the definition of VLS severity (phimosis of the clitoris, involvement of the interlabial sulci, narrowing of the vulvar introitus), identifying 5 grades to build up a classification. Thirteen physicians with 2-30 years expertise in vulvar diseases (nonexpert group) were asked to evaluate 3-5 pictures from 137 patients. Each physician individually assigned a grade to each case, according to the previously mentioned criteria. Interrater reliability was analyzed by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The reliability concerning the 2 classifications of each rater was analyzed by means of κ statistic. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability in vivo was analyzed by means of κ index. Results This study provides a new classification of VLS, based on defined anatomical criteria and graded into mutually exclusive progressive classes. The ICC analysis showed a substantial interrater reliability of the classification, ICC = 0.89 (0.87-0.91), both in the expert panel and in the nonexpert group (ICC = 0.92 and 0.87, respectively). An "almost perfect"intraobserver and interobserver reliability was achieved among physicians in vivo (κ = 0.93). Conclusions Our classification showed a high reliability. It is easy to use, and it can be applied in clinical practice and eventually, in the evaluation of regenerative and cosmetic surgery