350 research outputs found
Yield, quality, antioxidants and elemental composition of peanut as affected by plant density and harvest time
With the perspective of reintroducing peanut cultivation in southern Italy about six decades
after its dismissal, research was carried out with the aim to identify the best performing farming management in terms of yield and quality. In this respect, the effect of the factorial combination between four
plant densities (6.1, 7.8, 10.3, and 12.1 plants m-2) and two harvest times (100 and 110 days after planting) was assessed on pod and seed yield, as well as on seed quality, antioxidant activity, and elemental
composition. The later harvest time determined a 26.9% dry weight increase, but a 14.3% decrease in the
number of seeds per pod. Plant density significantly influenced all the yield and growth indices except
for mean seed weight. Yield and growth of each plant were best affected by the lowest plant density,
whereas the opposite trend was recorded for the same parameters referred to the surface area unit. The
density of 12.1 plants m-2 resulted in a 32% reduction in pods per plant compared to 6.1 plants m-2, but
had the greatest effect on seed production per m2
. The leaf area index was the highest with the density of
12.1 plants m-2. The total dry weight increased by 1.7-fold from 6.1 to 12.1 plants m-2. Compared to the
first harvest time, in the second one the protein content decreased by 6.8%, and total polyphenols and
antioxidant activity decreased by 11.2% and 7.6%, respectively. The second harvest time led to a depletion of N, P, and Mg, by 6.8%, 6.2%, and 6.8%, respectively, and a 7.1% Ca increase. The reintroduction
of peanut cultivation in southern Italy is a realistic goal, though further studies regarding the crop system
management are needed
Inflammatory and antioxidant pattern unbalance in "clopidogrel-resistant" patients during acute coronary syndrome.
Background. In acute coronary syndrome (ACS), inflammation and redox response are associated with increased residual platelet
reactivity (RPR) on clopidogrel therapy. We investigated whether clopidogrel interaction affects platelet function and modulates
factors related to inflammation and oxidation in ACS patients differently responding to clopidogrel. Material andMethods. Platelet
aggregation was measured in 29 ACS patients on dual (aspirin/clopidogrel) antiplatelet therapy. Nonresponders (NR) were defined
as RPR ≥70% by ADP. Several inflammatory and redox parameters were assayed and platelet proteome was determined. Results.
Eight (28%) out of 29 ACS patients resulted NR to clopidogrel. At 24 hours, the levels of Th2-type cytokines IL-4, IFN, andMCP-1
were higher in NR, while blood GSH (r-GSHbl) levels were lower in NR than responders (R). Proteomic analysis evidenced an
upregulated level of platelet adhesion molecule, CD226, and a downregulation of the antioxidant peroxiredoxin-4. In R patients
the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 decreased, while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-1Ra increased. Conclusions. In patients with
high RPR on clopidogrel therapy, an unbalance of inflammatory factors, platelet adhesion molecules, and circulatory and platelet
antioxidantmolecules was observed during the acute phase. Proinflammatory milieu persists in nonresponders for a long time after
the acute event while antioxidant blood factors tend to conform to normal responsiveness
Heme-Oxygenase and Kidney Transplantation: A Potential for Target Therapy?
Kidney transplantation is a well-established therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. While a significant improvement of short-term results has been achieved in the short-term, similar results were not reported in the long-term. Heme-oxygenase (HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in heme catabolism, converting heme to iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin. Heme-oxygenase overexpression may be observed in all phases of transplant processes, including brain death, recipient management, and acute and chronic rejection. HO induction has been proved to provide a significant reduction of inflammatory response and a reduction of ischemia and reperfusion injury in organ transplantation, as well as providing a reduction of incidence of acute rejection. In this review, we will summarize data on HO and kidney transplantation, suggesting possible clinical applications in the near future to improve the long-term outcomes
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TAO Conceptual Design Report: A Precision Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum with Sub-percent Energy Resolution
The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a
satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A
ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core
of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be
measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum
for future reactor neutrino experiments, and to provide a benchmark measurement
to test nuclear databases. A spherical acrylic vessel containing 2.8 ton
gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator will be viewed by 10 m^2 Silicon
Photomultipliers (SiPMs) of >50% photon detection efficiency with almost full
coverage. The photoelectron yield is about 4500 per MeV, an order higher than
any existing large-scale liquid scintillator detectors. The detector operates
at -50 degree C to lower the dark noise of SiPMs to an acceptable level. The
detector will measure about 2000 reactor antineutrinos per day, and is designed
to be well shielded from cosmogenic backgrounds and ambient radioactivities to
have about 10% background-to-signal ratio. The experiment is expected to start
operation in 2022
Contribution to the floristic knowledge of eastern Irpinia and Vulture-Melfese area (Campania and Basilicata, southern Italy)
In order to improve the floristic knowledge of the Italian territory, we report the inventory of the taxa
collected during the annual field trip of the working group for Floristics, Systematics and Evolution of
the Italian Botanical Society held in 2015 in eastern Irpinia and Vulture-Melfese area (South Italy). The
investigated territories are located in southern Apennines, along the border between the Campania and
Basilicata administrative regions. These areas are scarcely known in terms of vascular flora. The floristic
samplings were performed in 19 sites selected as representative of the local environmental diversity as
regards to climate, litho-morphology and land-use.
The research led to the identification of 4,137 specimens of vascular plants, belonging to 815 species
and subspecies, 399 genera, and 85 families. Among these taxa, 42 were endemic to Italy, 38 were included
in the IUCN Red List of the Italian Flora, 28 were alien and 5 were cryptogenic in Campania and/
or Basilicata administrative regions. Two taxa, Aquilegia coerulea (casual alien, native to North America)
and Lolium ×boucheanum (native), were found to be new for Italy. On the basis of the available floristic
literature the first one is also to be considered new for the European flora. At regional scale, we have found
18 taxa new for the Campania and 15 new for the Basilicata region. Finally, 10 taxa were confirmed for
Campania. Data obtained during this study, confirmed the important role of a collaborative approach
among botanists and the great relevance of these territories for plant diversity
Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding
eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the Pierre Auger
Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum
confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above
eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law with
index followed by
a smooth suppression region. For the energy () at which the
spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence
of suppression, we find
eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger
Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers.
These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of
the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray
energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30
to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of
the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is
determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated
using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due
to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components.
The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of
the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the
AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air
shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy
-- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy
estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the
surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator
scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent
emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for
the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at
least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy
We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio
emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate
energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of
15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV
arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling
quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from
state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our
measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric
energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with
our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector
against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI.
Supplemental material in the ancillary file
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