Carbon Fluxes in Sustainable Tree Crops: Field, Ecosystem and Global Dimension

Carbon (C) budget at cropping systems has not only agronomic but also environmental relevance because of their contribution to both emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Ideally, sustainable orchards are expected to remove atmospheric CO2 at a rate greater than that of the emissions because of (i) optimized biology of the system and (ii) reduced on-site/offsite inputs sourced by the technosphere. However, such a computation might produce inconsistent results and in turn biased communication on sustainability of the cropping systems because C accounting framework(s) are used under unclear context. This study examined the sustainability of orchards in terms of impact on GHGs focusing its significance at the field, ecosystem and global dimension analyzing some operational aspects and limitations of existing frameworks (e.g., net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB), life cycle assessment (LCA)). Global relevance of sustainable orchard was also discussed considering the C sequestration at cropland as instructed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The uniqueness of olive tree lifespan duration and C sequestration is discussed within the Product Environmental Footprint of agrifood product. The paper also highlighted overlapping components among the NECB, LCA and IPCC frameworks and the need for an integrated C accounting scheme for a more comprehensive and detailed mapping of sustainability in agriculture

Postharvest regulated deficit irrigation in peach tree in a Mediterranean environment: effect on vegetative growth and yield

The aim of this paper was to verify the possibility to reduce irrigation water requirements by applying regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) during phenological stages less sensitive to water deficit. The effects of two different levels of RDI were studied in a peach orchard (cv Springcrest). From bud break to harvest, irrigation was managed by applying 100% ETc, while from harvest to early autumn, irrigation was equivalent to 100%, 50% and 25% ETc. During the trial, no significant reductions in yield or quality were found for the 50% ETc treatment, whereas about 1,000, 1,800 and 2,400 m3 ha-1 of water were saved in the first, the second and the third year. The 25% treatment did reduce quality and yield significantly. Under scarce water supply conditions, a clear benefit can be obtained through the use of 50% RDI during the post-harvest period, especially for early harvest peache

Digital Dermoscopy Monitoring: Is it Time to Define a Quality Standard?

n/

Variability of total soil respiration in a Mediterranean vineyard

Total soil respiration (TSR) is the major component of the CO2 global flux. The knowledge of the temporal-spatial variability of TSR allows for a better interpretation of a critical component of global greenhouse gas flux measurements. The objective of the research was to evaluate the TSR dynamic over a long measurement period in a vineyard in the South of Italy. A static home-made automatic system was used to measure TSR for a three year period. A portable gas analyser (Li-Cor 6400-09) was used to study TSR spatial variability. A non-invasive geophysical technique (Electromagnetic Induction – EMI) was applied to search for a significant relationship between apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), the EMI signal and TSR. Long-term measurements of TSR enabled to study its temporal dynamics. CO2 rates ranged from 0.78 to 43.7 g CO2 m–2 day–1. TSR increased during spring and decreased by 45–50% during the mid-summer. The daily trend of TSR showed differences between the seasons studied reporting a clearly variation among TSR measured on row and inter-row positions. The supplemental irrigation significantly affected (P < 0.001) CO2 soil effluxes which showed a weekly mean increase of 300%. Significant inverse relationships were found by interpolating TSR values and ECa (coefficient of correlation ranging from –0.43 to –0.83 at P < 0.001). The spatialisation of TSR at field scale was performed using the linear regression between TSR values and EMI signals. TSR spatialisation gave a more detailed view of CO2 emissions distribution within the vineyard. EMI technique could be a useful tool to compute accurately the global CO2 emissions which are a complex and hard to measure component of the agrosystem carbon balance

Analysis and Mitigation of AC Losses in High Performance Propulsion Motors

In this paper, the AC copper losses in classical random windings are investigated and mitigated using several techniques across a range of permanent magnet synchronous motor designs. At high operating frequencies, AC copper losses can represent a substantial share of the total loss in electrical machines, thus, reducing the machine's overall performance, and increasing the thermal loading. Recently, different approaches for modelling AC copper losses have been proposed. This paper utilises simulation software to quantify the expected AC losses in six different propulsion motor designs. The motor designs are then modified to reduce the AC winding losses through the implementation of five different methods. Using two-dimensional finite element analysis, the magnetisation direction, magnet to airgap ratio, copper stranding, magnetic wedges and the motor slot openings are modified to reduce AC losses. The paper considers distributed, fractional, slot and concentrated windings, and the results show promising reductions across these different winding configurations

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis following paracetamol ingestion in a child

N/

Innovation in grapevine water status monitoring and drought adaptation: leaf angle and temperature regulation

Increase of frequency, duration, and intensity of drought and heatwave and related water and heat crops stress are among the principal effects of climate change. This paper reports: (i) the effect of calcite particle film (CaPF) as a mitigation strategy against heat stress in well-watered (WW) or in drought-stress (D) conditions; and (ii) response of leaf angle variation to stomatal conductance changes induced by drought stress of Aleatico grapevine cultivar. Results have showed that CaPF, under WW conditions, reduced leaf temperature, and increased gas exchange, but, under very severe water stress, CaPF treatment was ineffective. Leaf angle ranged from 70° (WW vines) to 100° (drought stressed vines) and showed a good fit (R2 =0.81) with stomatal conductance within the range of 0.25 – 0.05 mol m-2 s–1 proving it might be a reliable proxy of vine water status

Calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment compared with tacrolimus ointment for the treatment of erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp: A split-lesion comparison

N/

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms and cardiovascular damage in hypertensive subjects: an Italian case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in regulation of endothelial function and in the control of blood pressure. However, the results from some studies on the association between three clinically relevant eNOS gene polymorphisms (G894T, T786C and intron 4b/a) and essential hypertension are unclear. We designed a case-control study to evaluate the influence of eNOS polymorphisms on target organ damage in 127 hypertensives and 67 normotensives. Clinical evaluation, biochemical parameters, Urinary Albumin Excretion (UAE) and echocardiogram were performed to characterize target organ damage. eNOS polymorphism were recognized by PCR method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of eNOS genotypes was similar in hypertensives and normotensives but 4aa was present in the 2.5% of hypertensives and completely absent in normotensives. Subjects with 4bb, G894T, and T786C genotypes showed an increased prevalence of target organ damage. Moreover prevalence of G894T and introne 4 variants was significantly higher in hypertensives than in normotensives both with cardiovascular damage. Logistic regression analysis didn't show any association between eNOS polymorphisms, Body Mass Index (BMI), hypertension, gender and cardiovascular damage. Only the age (OR 1.11; IC 95% 1.06–1.18) was predictive of cardiovascular damage in our population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results seem to indicate a lack of association with eNOS variants and cardiovascular damage onset.</p