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Assessment methods for land cover and land use change and interaction with climate change
No full textAnalysis of land use and land cover changes are fundamental for assessments related to climate and emission inventories. There are complex interactions between land use/cover changes and climate changes often linked by feedbacks that make it difficult to distinguish impacts from causes (Verburg et al., 2009).
Land use and land cover information mainly are from cartographic, census data and surveys data. Data comparison from different sources is often hampered by problems of uncertainty and inconsistency due to differences in definition of land use and land cover classification, temporal and spatial scale. An analysis of these inconsistencies could help to make more appropriate use of the data in climate change assessments.
Land use and land cover are not the same. The land use function of a land cover type needs to be known in order to understand changes in land cover (Pelorosso et al., 2009).
This study provides a method to compare data from different sources, a historical and a recent remote sensing-derived map, by homogenized them in order to reduce misleading changes and to assess spatial aggregation errors. This was done through a data integration procedure based on landscape metrics.
The results allowed the different dynamics of a wide area in central Italy to be identified, bringing to light divergences between the trends suggested by census and cartographic data.
The presented method could be used to assess and improve land use/cover changes analysis either if based only on land use census data or if based on land cover cartographic data
Spatial assessment of animal manure spreading and groundwater nitrate pollution
Full text linkNitrate concentration in groundwater has frequently been linked to non-point pollution. At the same time the
existence of intensive agriculture and extremely intensive livestock activity increases the potential for nitrate pollution
in shallow groundwater. Nitrate used in agriculture could cause adverse effects on human and animal health. In order
to evaluate the groundwater nitrate pollution, and how it might evolve in time, it is essential to develop control systems
and to improve policies and incentives aimed at controlling the amount of nitrate entering downstream water systems.
The province of Caserta in southern Italy is characterized by high levels of animal manure loading. A comparison
between manure nitrogen production and nitrate concentration in groundwater was carried out in this area, using
geostatistical tools and spatial statistics. The results show a discrepancy between modelling of nitrate leaching and monitoring
of the groundwater and, moreover, no spatial correlation between nitrogen production in livestock farms and
nitrate concentration in groundwater, suggesting that producers are not following the regulatory procedures for the
agronomic use of manure. The methodology developed in this paper could be applied also in other regions in which
European Union fertilization plans are not adequately followed
AREE POTENZIALMENTE CONVERTIBILI A COLTURE ENERGETICHE: CASO STUDIO DELLA REGIONE CAMPANIA
No full text
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Experimental tests on a new harvesting system for Burley tobacco
Full text linkThe globalization of the tobacco production has led to a drop in competitiveness
of the Italian tobacco on the world market. Burley is the
main variety of tobacco cropped in Campania region of Southern Italy.
Its leaves have to be sewn, in the curing phase. Aim of this work is to
show the results of the implementation of a new harvest machine prototype.
Basically, the machine used for Bright tobacco, totally mechanical
harvested, which doesn’t need to be sewn because it requires an
indirect-fire treatment into the curing furnaces. The machine was
modified in order to mechanize harvesting of Burley tobacco, and tested
on four cultivars of Burley tobacco under three different planting
layouts. The Burley tobacco leaves can be harvested mechanically by
pulling individual leaves off the stalk; leaves are then sorted and tied
in bundles prior to sewing. A mechanical burley tobacco harvesting
system was evaluated. This machine consists in realizing a leaves orientation
system based on the different weight between the leaf blade
and the stalk enhanced by an air flow. The measurements taken were
harvest timing, work capacity, and quality standards of the work carried
out. The results, in terms of user time, range from 6.67 h/ha to
7.80 h/ha while in terms of operational efficiency are between 88% and
89%. The average user capacity recorded for the four cultivars is equal
to 0.14 ha/h, a value far from the one recorded for the same harvesting
machine used for Bright tobacco (0.25 ha/h). The harvest timing
capacity, range from 0.51 t/h to 0.99 t/h. The work productivity goes
from 0.17 t to 0.33 t per hour of human unit respectively. The average
number of detached leaves, depending on the cultivar, has been
between 523 and 744. Concerning the leaf orientation, a general percentage
of 73% was achieved
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The environmental impact of buffalo manure in areas specialized in mozzarella production, southern Italy
Full text linkBuffalo livestock plays a central role in the regional economy in some areas of southern Italy, through the
production of mozzarella cheese. With about 250,000 heads per utilizable agricultural area (equal to 107,400 ha), livestock
husbandry is intensive. An important issue with regard to high animal density is manure management, an activity
determined by cost optimization and the laws governing environmental sustainability. According to community,
national and international rules (European Directive 91/676, Italian rules 152/99 and 258/00), nitrate leakage is considered
a pollution indicator related to breeding activities and must be kept within limits. Simulation studies were carried
out in the Italian province of Caserta to evaluate the impact of leakage on groundwater. Manure was also collected
from 35 livestock farms and the nitrogen content measured in the laboratory. The results showed an average content
of 2 kg/m3 of nitrogen, corresponding to 50 kg per animal and year, while the nitrate concentrations in the groundwater
were found to be lower than those predicted by simulation. The nitrogen content found in buffalo manure <60%
of the standard content produced by the bovine species (on average 83 kg nitrogen per adult animal per year). The fact
that the bovine species is used as the standard reference for legislation on nitrogen production explains the inconsistency
observed between the impact of buffalo livestock on the environment predicted by simulation and the nitrate concentration
measured in the groundwater. Although it would be out of line with current regulations, it would theoretically
be possible to increase the buffalo load on the territory without environmentally negative effects. Therefore, in
this context, the common referral points, i.e. the American Midwest Point Service and others usually consulted for the
assessment of livestock impact in terms of nutritional excretion and the risk of pollution for the environment, should
be revisited
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