Profitability of wine grape growing in the EU member states

The aim of this work is to examine the profitability of European Union wine grape growing by comparing some economic indicators extrapolated from information in the Farm Accountancy Data Network, data banks already widely used to analyse the income of European agricultural holdings. The results show that in recent years the profitability of European wine grape growing has grown overall, but to overcome the current economic crisis and face the challenge of “New World” wine producers, it is necessary to make an effort towards public intervention to increase the profitability of wine farms. In this context, the new reform of wine Common Market Organisation (2008) and new Common Agricultural Policy (2007–2013) aimed at improving the profitability of wine grape growing by reducing production costs, increasing added value of wine, promoting the participation of farmers in food quality schemes, etc.     

Grafting acrylate functionalities at the surface of carbon fibers to improve adhesion strength in carbon fiber–acrylate composites cured by electron beam

Acrylate functionalities were grafted at the surface of carbon fibers in order to improve the adhesion strength with an acrylate matrix cured by electron beam. An isocyanate bearing aliphatic urethane acrylate was used as a coupling agent. As revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the isocyanate groups reacted with carboxylic acids and hydroxyl groups located at the surface of the fiber, leading to a covalent bonding of the acrylate groups. The adhesion strength was measured by a micromechanical test derived from the pull-out test. A significant improvement of the interfacial shear strength was obtained (+91%) with an electron beam curing. For comparison, an isothermal cure by UV was also investigated and led to the same level of adhesion strength. The improvement was also proved by an increase in the 90° flexural strength of unidirectional composites (+38%). Grafting functionalities that were compatible with the radical mechanism of the polymerization of the matrix appeared to be a promising strategy for the improvement of the mechanical properties of carbon fiber–acrylate composites cured by electron beam.     

Evaluation of time measurement precision in the Counting Test Facility of the Borexino experiment

The Counting Test Facility, the prototype of the Borexino experiment installed at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, is an unsegmented liquid scintillator detector in which the spatial reconstruction of the events plays an important role. The event localization is performed through a time of flight technique, which exploits the time informations of the signals of the photomultipliers detecting the photons escaping from the 4 tons scintillation sphere in the center of the detector; thus the uncertainty affecting the time measurement of each anode output represents the ultimate limit on the achievable spatial resolution. This uncertainty has been evaluated through analytical and Monte Carlo calculations based on the actual characteristics of the photomultipliers and of the scintillator adopted for the detector. In this work we present in detail the model assumed to perform the calculations together with the main results obtained.     

Temperature dependence of the mechanical properties of EPDM rubber-polyethylene blends filled with aluminium hydrate particles

New flame-retardant electrical cables producing no toxic or corrosive gases and smokes when they are exposed to fire are now developed, in particular EPDM rubber-polyethylene blends filled with large amounts of aluminium hydrate particles. The aim of the present work is to study the mechanical behaviour of different filled EPDM-polyethylene blends as a function of temperature. In this first part, the characterization of the initial polymers (EPDM, polyethylene, silane-modified polyethylene) and their corresponding filled blends is presented. Electron microscopical observations reveal that the inorganic particles are embedded in the elastomer phase and consequently are well dispersed within the matrix. Thermal analysis performed by differential scanning calorimetry shows that the characteristics (melting temperatures, degree of crystallinity) of the initial polymers are only slightly affected either when they are mixed together or by the presence of filler. Finally, the variations of the dynamic mechanical moduli of filled blends with the filler volume fraction are in good agreement with the predictions of classical models. The main object of the second paper will be to describe the variation of the static mechanical properties of the blends with temperature and to evidence the causes of an unexpected phenomenon of brittleness which appears at about 70° C.     

White-coat resistant hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To identify women treated for endometrial carcinoma with increased risk for recurrent disease, to examine how and when recurrences are discovered, and to assess the clinical benefit of routine follow up investigations. DESIGN: Retrospective case analysis. SETTING: Hordaland county, Norway. POPULATION: All women treated for endometrial carcinoma in a demographically well defined area, in a 10-year period (1981-1990). METHODS: Data concerning patient characteristics and course of the disease were collected through review of the medical records, correspondence with the primary physician and from the Norwegian Cancer Registry. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: After curative surgical treatment 249 women diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma were followed for a median period of 9 years (range 4-16) or until death. Among these 249 radically treated patients, 47 had recurrent disease, 32 within the first two years. Ten of the recurrences were diagnosed at routine follow up, but only four were asymptomatic. In our follow up programme, one asymptomatic recurrence was detected for every 653 routine consultations. A low risk group, with FIGO Stage IA/IB or patient age below 60 years at primary operation was identified in multivariate recurrence-free survival analysis. No asymptomatic recurrences were found in this group. CONCLUSIONS: Low risk women should be considered for an alternative, less frequent follow up. The sensitivity for current practice of routine follow up in detecting asymptomatic recurrences is so low that other beneficial effects should be documented to defend the large resources spent on this programme.     

Étude de l'évaporation par convection forcée au‐dessus de corps tournants à symétrie de révolution dans un fluide au repos

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study of the vaporization over rotating bodies of revolution, which are subjected to a constant wall heat flux. The laminar boundary‐layer approach and the first stage of drying conditions are considered when writing the governing equations. Numerical results are presented for the disc and sphere geometries. The experimental procedure is based upon infrared thermography and pyrometry techniques which help to obtain some quantitative comparisons with the theoretical results for the case of the rotating disc.     

Superconducting properties of Nb0.75Zr0.25-Oxide-Nb0.75Zr0.25 tunnel junctions

We have fabricated symmetrical Nb_0.75Zr_0.25/Oxide/Nb_0.75Zr_0.25 tunnel junctions having cross type geometry. The superconducting films constituting the electrodes of the junctions were obtained by RF magnetron sputtering, and the tunnel barrier was grown by natural oxidization in air. From the current-voltage characteristics of the junctions, we have measured the temperature dependence of the energy gap of Nb_0.75Zr_0.25 and compared this dependence with BCS-theory results. The magnetic-field diffraction pattern of the Josephson current of the junctions allows us to evaluate the penetration depth of the superconducting films. We also estimate the surface impedance of the NbZr film by measuring the quality factor of the junctions. We discuss the results within the framework of the realization of superconducting tunnel devices and coatings for superconducting accelerating cavities.     

The shape and stability of wall-bound and wall-edge-bound drops and bubbles

The behavior of wall-bound drops and bubbles is fundamental to many natural and industrial processes. Key characteristics of such capillary systems include interface shape and stability for a variety of gravity levels and orientations. Significant solutions are in hand for axisymmetric pendent drops for a variety of uniform boundary conditions along the contact line with gravity acting normal to a planar wall. The special case of a wall-bound drop or bubble that is also pinned at an edge (i.e. a ‘wall-edge-bound’ drop) is considered here where numerical solutions are obtained for interface shape and stability as functions of drop volume, contact angle, fluid properties, and uniform gravity vector. For a semi-infinite zero-thickness planar wall (plate), a critical contact angle is identified below which wall-edge-bound drops are always stable. The critical contact angle is computed as a function of the gravity vector. The numerical procedure, which makes no account for contact angle hysteresis, predicts that such wall-edge-bound drops are unconditionally unstable for any gravity field with a component that is tangent to the wall while inwardly normal to the edge. Select experiments are conducted that support the conclusions drawn from the numerical results.     

Expression of lymphocyte subpopulations, cytokine serum levels and blood and urine trace elements in nickel sensitised women

In this study, 20 non-allergic and 20 non-atopic women sensitised only to nickel (Ni) showed similar levels of urine and serum Ni and serum chromium (Cr). On the contrary, serum copper, a marker of inflammation, was significantly higher in the Ni-sensitised group. Sensitised women also had higher values of blood B CD19+, CD5--CD19+ and B and natural killer CD3--CD25+ lymphocytes, but not alterations of some other lymphocyte subsets and serum cytokines. Urine Ni was correlated with "memory" CD4+-CD45RO+ lymphocytes in the non-allergic women and with T CD4+-CD45RO+ and CD3+-CD25+ cells in the atopic women; these subjects also showed a statistically significant correlation of serum Ni with B CD5+-CD19+ lymphocytes and serum IL-13. Moreover, serum Cr of both groups of women was positively or negatively correlated with activated HLA-DR+ cells and/or serum IL-5 and interferon gamma. These results (confirming in part those of a previous study on non-allergic men) suggest that both Ni and Cr are involved in mechanisms regulating the immune response and that allergy to these metals could be considered an alteration of their physiological role.