Energy efficiency in long-term Mediterranean cropping systems with different management intensities

Optimising the implementation of energy used in agriculture is an important objective in the “Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package” adopted by the European Union. Therefore, studying the management of different cropping systems represents a good method to optimise input requirements, yield and net energy supply. The aim of this study is to compare the energy use of a 12-year rainfed cropping system, located in Tuscany, Italy. The system is cultivated under two different management intensities: a conventional system (CS) and a low input system (LIS) for a six-year crop rotation that included sugar beet, durum wheat, sorghum, sunflower, and durum wheat. In the sixth year, the soil was set-aside. The results showed that crop yield and energy yield were not significantly affected by management intensities, whereas energy efficiency of the low input system increased significantly, by about 30%. Future research should include more crops and locations to obtain further information about the range of energy parameters and their long-term trends. Furthermore, could be interesting to evaluate the overall reduction of environmental impacts and production costs that could occur limiting the use of chemicals and adopting conservative soil tillage strategies.     

The uncapacitated hub location problem in networks under decentralized management

We propose a new hub location model defined by the minimization of costs. The main contribution of this work is to permit the analysis of a hub-and-spoke network operated under “decentralized management”. In this type of network, various transport companies act independently, and each makes its route choices according to its own criteria, which can include cost, time, frequency, security and other factors, including subjective ones. Therefore, due to the diversity of the various companies’ criteria, one can expect that between each origin–destination pair, a fraction of the flow will be carried through hubs and a fraction will be carried by the direct route. to resolve this problem, it becomes necessary to determine the probability that any network user will choose the hub route for each trip to be made (or for each load to be carried). We present an integer programming formulation, subject the new model to experiments with an intermodal general cargo network in Brazil and address questions regarding the solution of the problem in practice.     

High capacity cable's role in once and future grids

High temperature superconducting (HTS) cables cooled to 77 K are starting to be tested and could soon be carrying a lot more current through the same old underground city pipes. If superconducting transmission cables can be made to work compatibly with other emerging high-temperature superconducting technologies then it may be possible to layout grids in innovative ways and to position generators closer to customers without having to step voltage up and down. Conventional underground cables normally incorporate fluid, such that the use of liquid-nitrogen coolant in superconducting cables is not such a departure as it might at first seem. The main immediate challenge in developing superconducting cables is to acquire operational experience. Only by working with live-networks and with the users of network equipment will it be possible to evaluate compatibility with existing components, system reliability, maintenance and total system costs. Two basic types of superconducting cable designs are emerging. In one the HTS conductor is enclosed in a cryogenic environment, which in turn is covered by conventional room temperature dielectric. In the other, a cryogenic-dielectric design, two concentric HTS conductors are used transmit electricity. These designs are discussed as are superconducting tapes for 77 K operation, cooling and insulation, joints and terminations, and testing parameters     

Estimation of Regional Myocardial Blood Flow Using Computed Tomography: A Stochastic Formulation

Previously, we have presented a deterministic formulation for estimation of regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) using X-ray computed tomography (CT) [1]. Quantitation of RMBF with the deterministic theory requires computing the zeroth and first moments of extrapolated myocardial contrast enhancement (CT numbers versus time) curves. This extrapolation is a potential source of error in the presence of recirculation, especially in myocardial regions with reduced flows. In the present paper, a stochastic approach for parameter estimation is undertaken, which renders an optimal RMBF estimate based upon the least squares error criteria. Random measurement errors are minimized, curve extrapolation is avoided, and the accuracy of RMBF estimates is predicted. The advantages of the stochastic versus the deterministic approach are demonstrated in the results obtained from the in vivo estimation of RMBF in normal and acutely ischemic myocardium of dogs.     

Survivors of the Sixties: Comparative psychosocial and political development of former Berkeley student activists.

Compared 30 former Berkeley free speech movement activists with 28 student government contemporaries and a cross-section of the 1964–1965 student body (n?=?25) along the dimensions of self- and ideal-self constructions, locus of control, political beliefs and behavior, occupational choice, and moral development. Mean age of all Ss was 34.2 yrs. Though their personality (e.g., scores on Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale) and political activism (e.g., Politico-Economic Conservatism Scale) profiles were not distinctive, former activists were more likely to endorse leftist convictions, to work in human service and creative occupations, to earn lower annual incomes, and to demonstrate principled moral reasoning than were the comparison groups. Though free speech movement activists appear to have made important life transitions 15 yrs following their arrests, they still remained a distinct social and political cohort. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term evaluation of biomass production and quality of two cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) cultivars for energy use

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) is an herbaceous species indicated as one of the most suitable energy crop for southern European countries. The aim of this work was to outline the productivity of two cardoon cultivars, Bianco Avorio (BA) and Gigante di Romagna (GR), over 11 years of cultivation in rain fed field conditions in the temperate climate of Central Italy. The quantitative and qualitative aspects of its biomass (calorific value, ultimate and proximate analyses, ash composition) as well as its energy balance (energy efficiency, net energy yield) have been determined. Crop dry yield was not different between the two cultivars and it was rather stable with a mean value (averaged from year 3 to 11) of 14 and 13 t ha^?1 for GR and BA respectively. Furthermore the biomass dry matter content was higher in BA than GR (51% vs 42%). The chemical analysis of cardoon biomass showed a similar composition in both cultivars with good calorific value (15 MJ kg^?1) but with an ash content (13.9% d.w.) higher than other herbaceous energy crops. The total energy input was higher in the establishing than in the following years, however from the planting year onward, both cardoon crops were characterised by a positive energy balance. Even if its mean net energy is lower than other perennial energy crops (182 GJ ha^?1 year^?1), cardoon can be easily propagated by seed with important advantages for crop management and production costs.The results confirmed cardoon's good biomass yield and favourable energy balance even in cultivation systems characterised by limited water input. Moreover future works are necessary in order to improve cardoon biomass quality and to evaluate the possibility of using it in blends with other biomass sources.     

Modifications induced by acylphosphatase in the functional properties of heart sarcolemma Na+,K+ pump

When hepatic stellate cells (Ito cells, fat-storing cells) were incubated with adrenomedullin, they underwent relaxation as monitored by the silicone-rubber membrane method; 43%, 65% and 87% of stellate cells relaxed 5, 10 and 20 min, respectively, after addition of 10(-6) M adrenomedullin. Adrenomedullin also triggered the dissociation of F-actin and induced transformation of stellate cells to dendritic cell-like structure. When incubated with 10(-6) M of adrenomedullin for 30 min, cellular levels of cAMP increased from the basal value of 10.2 +/- 1.4 to 107 +/- 2.8 pmol/2 x 10(5) cells without affecting cGMP levels. The reaction occurred dose-dependently and was inhibited by an antagonist of calcitonin gene-related peptide. Adrenomedullin had negligible effects on DNA and protein synthesis in proliferating stellate cells. Thus, adrenomedullin is a potent relaxing peptide to hepatic stellate cells and may contribute to the regulation of sinusoidal microcirculation.     

An Improved Correction of Distorted Indicator-Dilution Curves

Venoarterial indicator dilution curves are distorted by non-ideal injection and by the monitoring system. An improved method of correcting these curves is developed assuming that a linear model of perfect mixers in series can be fitted to the physiologic system response as well as to the subsystem responses.