808 research outputs found
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The Effects of LED Light Spectra and Intensities on Plant Growth
No full textLight is an electromagnetic radiation that occurs in a narrow range of over an extremely wide range of wavelengths, from gamma rays with wavelengths to radio waves measured in meters [...].
Introduction: Do machines dream of electric workers? New frontiers in the debate on technology, structure, and strategy
No full text4n
Et di questo il Vasari non ne fa mentione: sulle tracce del Pastura da Giulio Mancini agli studi moderni
No full textvicende storiografiche del pittore viterbese Antonio del Massaro detto il Pastur
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as Prebiotics: Innovation or Confirmation?
No full textThe International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), in its last consensus statement about prebiotics, defined polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as "candidate prebiotics" due to a lack of complete scientific evidence. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of microbiota to metabolize PUFAs, although the role of the resulting metabolites in the host is less known. Recent partial evidence shows that these metabolites can have important health effects in the host, reinforcing the concept of the prebiotic action of PUFAs, despite the data being mostly related to omega-6 linoleic acid and to lactobacilli taxon. However, considering that the symbionts in our gut benefit from the nutritional molecules that we include in our diet, and that bacteria, like all living organisms, cannot benefit from a single nutritional molecule, the concept of the "correct prebiotic diet" should be the new frontier in the field of gut microbiota research
A review of energy-based indicators for assessing sustainability and circular economy in the agri-food production
No full textAn agri-food production oriented towards sustainability and Circular Economy (CE) models is able to enable the resource efficiency and the reduction of environmental impacts. In this perspective, indicators for the sustainability assessment can play a relevant role. Although there is a growing literature investigating sustainability and CE indicators, there is a lack of studies that offer a detailed framework of key elements included in agri-food indicators. The aim of this study is to review the recent literature for identifying and analyzing energy-related indicators in the agri-food sector, providing a comprehensive overview of activities and specific inputs that are taken into account. The knowledge of such elements and their respective weight factor represent a relevant aspect for the transition towards a future sustainable agri-food production, having a direct effect on the environmental decision-making. The main results show that: 1) the energy-intensive activities mainly consist in the agricultural machinery movement and transport, 2) the fuel consumption is generally taken into account according to its origin (fossil or biological), 3) the rate of the used clean energy is always considered as a critical input. This outlined framework allowed the authors to draw relevant research results, such as the evidence that the lack of technology and alternative sources of energy, besides an inefficient subsidy system, may be the main obstacles towards sustainability, especially in some countries where the level of mechanization is still far from modern standards
State Estimation of Pest Populations subject to Intermittent Measurements
No full textThis paper introduces an observer-based scheme to estimate pest populations in agricultural fields. The proposed scheme describes the different stages of the life cycle of insects as a system of ODEs and it uses an Extended Kalman Filter with intermittent observations to provide a state estimation. This scheme aims at providing a general framework to formally combine physiologically-based models and field measurements, contrary to current best practices where both methodologies are used independently in parallel. The presented approach allows to apply this framework to a large number of species of agricultural interest and to take advantage from different counting systems. The improvement of the presented approach with respect to current best practices is demonstrated by means of numerical simulations based on the case of Drosophila suzukii.4s
Imaging Diagnostics Coupled with Non-Invasive and Micro-Invasive Analyses for the Restoration of Ethnographic Artifacts from French Polynesia
No full textIn this paper, two different objects from the ethnographic collection of the museum of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Rome), a Polynesian barkcloth (tapa) and a Polynesian headdress in feathers (pa’e ku’a), were investigated to characterize the materials, to
evaluate their state of conservation and address the restoration activities. Imaging methods such as multispectral imaging, 3D ultraviolet induced fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy have been integrated with analytical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier
transform infrared and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Imaging investigations allowed us to differentiate constitutive materials and study their distribution, such as the yellow dye in the tapa used to trace the geometrical pattern and the psittacofulvins responsible for the feathers’ colors in the headdress. The combination of molecular spectroscopy, supported by observation under a scanning electron microscope, allowed us to propose a characterization of the organic painting materials (Morinda citrifolia, Curcuma longa) used for the tapa, and of the type of feathers (from Vini kuhlii bird) and vegetal fibers (Cocos nucifera L.) used to realize the headdress, as well as enabling the identification of degradation products and microorganisms affecting the artifacts before restoration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detected the organic materials used as adhesives for the tapa and headdress: a polysaccharide, probably starch, for the tapa and a natural rubber from Cerbera manghas L. for the headdress. The results of the multi-analytic diagnostic campaign enabled the choice of proper restoration materials, compatible with the original ones, and helped us develop effective protocols for the artifacts’ conservation, such as laser cleaning of the feathers8n
Exogenous miRNAs from Moringa oleifera Lam. recover a dysregulated lipid metabolism
No full textA balanced diet is critical for human health, and edible plants play an important role in providing essential micronutrients as well as specific microRNAs (miRNAs) that can regulate human gene expression. Here we present the effects of Moringa oleifera (MO) miRNAs (mol-miRs) on lipid metabolism. Through in silico studies we identified the potential genes involved in lipid metabolism targeted by mol-miRs. To this end, we tested the efficacy of an aqueous extract of MO seeds (MOES), as suggested in traditional African ethnomedicine, or its purified miRNAs. The biological properties of MO preparations were investigated using a human derived hepatoma cell line (HepG2) as a model. MOES treatment decreased intracellular lipid accumulation and induced apoptosis in HepG2. In the same cell line, transfection with mol-miRs showed similar effects to MOES. Moreover, the effect of the mol-miR pool was investigated in a pre-obese mouse model, in which treatment with mol-miRs was able to prevent dysregulation of lipid metabolism.1