736 research outputs found
Reply to Bortolini et al.
No full textThe availability of new mtDNA data from central Africa has allowed Bortolini et al. (2004 [in this issue]) to evaluate two alternative scenarios, formulated by Salas et al. (2004), regarding the source of the L3g mtDNAs carried from Africa to America by the Atlantic slave trade. Bortolini et al. proposed that the American L3g haplotypes have an Atlantic African provenance, rather than a direct eastern African origin, and that their most likely source was Cameroon or the neighboring regions.
We can safely rule out the Atlantic coast of western Africa as an important source for American L3g, since this haplogroup has not been detected at present in a large sample (>1,200 mtDNAs) that includes individuals from, among other places, Cabo Verde, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Some diffusion into northern Africa (Egypt, with signatures in Sudan and Nubia) as well as into the Middle East (Syria, Israel, and Palestine) has been detected, probably reflecting the haplogroup’s greater antiquity in eastern Africa
Effect of Seed-Beds on the Cultivation of Radicchio (Cichorium intybus L., Rubifolium Group)
No full textThe use of raised beds (i.e., ridged soil layers) to cultivate vegetables can improve soil quality, crop performance, water use and even reduce soil erosion. Although those advantages are well known and documented in the literature for many vegetable species, Radicchio, a particular variety of chicory, is usually cultivated in flat seed-beds and, therefore, the achievable benefits of raised beds for this vegetable are not yet known. The possibility to grow plants of Radicchio on raised beds is here evaluated by comparing the most important yield performances indicators deriving from the adoption of this practice (grown plants percentage, average head weight, marketable yields, and net incomes) with the same indicators recorded with a conventional practice making use of flat seed-beds. The results evidenced that raised beds for Radicchio had a statistically significant effect on the average head weight (+55.45 g plant-1 with 15-cm beds) with significant increases of field yields (up to +30.6%) and net incomes (up to +29.7%) on the trials with flat seed-beds. The experiment showed that the production of chicory can take an economical advantage from the use of raised seed-beds and, therefore, this system is preferable to the traditional cultivation practice
Evaluation of Sustainable Weeding Methods for the Control of Spontaneous Flora in Urban Areas
No full textWhen not properly managed or eliminated, spontaneous plants may cause more or less serious damage in an urbanized environment. Weed control should be a priority in urban green management, both public and private, but the treatments need more attention towards the environment and people. Following the current Italian laws regarding the use of herbicides in green spaces, a study on alternative methods to the traditional application of glyphosate is proposed. Specifically, the goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of weeds control of four different methods to find the best solution. The experimental tests took place in two paths of the Montecchia Golf course (Selvazzano, Italy). Two bioherbicides and two physical treatments were tested and compared with no treated plots (control): acetic acid (Urban WeedTM), pelargonic acid (Finalsan® Plus), flame weeding, and mechanical scraper. After each treatment, photos were taken to evaluate the trend of weed repopulation in each plot. The images were processed using CANOPEO, a Matlab® plugin, to obtain a percentage coverage value for each plot. Considering cost analysis and the effectiveness of weeds control, acetic acid has proved to be the best alternative solution to traditional weed control with glyphosate
Bortolini, E. (in press), A trait-based analysis of structural evolution in prehistoric monumental burials of eastern Arabia, in Williams K. and Gregoricka, L. (eds) ,
No full textThe research on Early Bronze Age (ca 3100-2000 BC) eastern Arabia (encompassing Oman and United Arab Emirates) has since its very beginning been interwoven with the study of the thousands of monumental burials that were built and used during the third millennium BC. Despite our knowledge of early Bronze Age settlements and subsistence activities being increasingly and profoundly expanded - these monumental stone buildings and their content are still the most widespread potential source of information on the past of the region.
After evidence of these funerary activities was first uncovered, it started being investigated according to the chronological typology developed by Karen Frifelt (1975a). This comprised Jemdet-Nasr graves (3000 BC), beehive-graves (early third millennium BC, later grouped into Hafit graves with Jemdet-Nasr ones), Umm an-Nar graves (early to late third millennium BC), Wadi Suq graves (ca 2000-1300 BC) and Iron Age graves (ca 1st millennium BC). More recent studies have greatly improved our understanding of the complex funerary practices that can be encountered in this context. Nevertheless, the basic typological subdivision proposed by Frifelt has been maintained as a general reference. Types became broader parameters, stretched in order to encompass the emerging variability of the archaeological record. Today, third millennium BC tombs are commonly divided into Hafit-type and Umm an-Nar-type graves (Cleuziou and Tosi 2007 among others). This subdivision is anyway conventional, as many past and current debates focus on the issue of potentially transitional structural forms (Potts 2012, Williams and Gregoricka 2013, and in this volume). The present work follows this line of enquiry and tries for the first time to produce a tentative phylogenetic tree of eastern Arabian prehistoric monumental tombs dated to the period 3100-2000 BC. Main objectives are: a) to build a systematic description of monumental burials by focussing on variation in the same diagnostic elements over time and space rather than on fixed aggregates of characters (types); b) to experiment with a flexible and theory-laden framework that can benefit from the addition of newly generated data; c) to explicitly link variability in monumental burials to mechanisms of cultural change and transmission; and d) to explore formal models of tomb structural change over time, so that novel hypotheses can be formulated and then tested in following studies, to ultimately address issues of continuity/discontinuity in this particular archaeological record
L. Boltanski, Della critica (Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino, 2014), Quaderni di teoria sociale 16, 2016.
No full textRecensione del volume di L. Boltanski, Della critica (Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino, 2014
Assessing Carbon Footprint and Offsetting in Golf Course Maintenance: A Case Study of Colli Berici Golf Club, Italy
No full textThe maintenance operations typically carried out on a golf course were analysed, taking the Colli Berici Golf Club, located in the province of Vicenza (Italy), as a case study, and verifying their sustainability in terms of carbon offsetting. With regard to the quantities of CO2 sequestered, only tree vegetation was considered. The data resulting from these activities made it possible to apply the i-Tree Eco model. The results showed a sequestration of 341.65 Mg/year of carbon dioxide, of which more than 90% was sequestered by vegetation in forest areas, mainly by Ostrya carpinifolia and Castanea sativa. These results were compared with the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in carrying out the green management practices. After analysing the machines used, the hours of annual operation and their fuel consumption, the carbon dioxide emitted was calculated to be 19.9 Mg/year. In particular, cutting operations are responsible for almost 80% of the total emissions. Also of interest is the 4.9% of emissions related to bunker management. Roughs and fairways are the areas that contribute the most to emissions with the 30.5% and 31.9% of the total, respectively. Greens and collars also have a high figure, as they are affected not only by grass cutting, but also by all turf renewal operations. This first analysis, although partial, highlights that on this golf course characterised by extensive tree vegetation, results showed a surplus of CO2 sequestered of more than 320 Mg/year compared to emissions. The results also indicate that grass cutting of roughs and fairways is the operation on which to focus the most efforts to make maintenance more sustainable, for example by considering the introduction of differentiated grass management in some areas and/or autonomous lawn mowers for cutting grass on fairways
Low- and high-frequency irrigation of ‘Rosso di Treviso’ Radicchio
No full textRadicchio (Cichorium intybus L., group rubifolium) is a plant widely cultivated in Italy to sell the leafy heads. Veneto is one of the Italian regions with the largest share of Radicchio cultivation. Radicchio ‘Rosso di Treviso’ is one of the more cultivated varieties, but scientific knowledge about the most appropriate irrigation management is still limited. The study focuses on the effect of two irrigation scheduling criteria on Radicchio yield and on the number of marketable plants, in a field experiment carried out from 2013 to 2017 in a commercial farm in Veneto (northeast Italy). Mini-sprinkler system was set to provide water from the transplanting for most of the cropping period, with a low-frequency schedule, and a high-frequency schedule that doubled the number of interventions but halved the water volumes applied each time. The total volumes of water applied each year were the same in both treatments. At harvest, 7 sample areas were randomly harvested and (i) marketable yield, (ii) average head weight, and (iii) number of marketable plants were measured. Overall, the high-frequency schedule produced 26.5 t ha‐1 of marketable Radicchio heads, while the low-frequency schedule 23.6 t ha‐1, significant variability was found between years. The greater productivity was mainly the result of a greater number of marketable plants, while the average head weight was not significantly different between the treatments. This suggests that a greater irrigation interval can create less favorable conditions for radicchio yield, increasing the number of underweight, rotten and missing plants. Farmers should take into account the possibility to increase irrigation frequency if the eventual higher management cost does not offset the gain in radicchio productivity
Hydrological behaviour of rain gardens and plant suitability: A study in the Veneto plain (north-eastern Italy) conditions
No full textSince spring 2011 the roof of a building on the Agripolis Campus of the University of Padova (Italy) has been used as a drainage area for two rain gardens with a circular area of about 10% and 20% of the drainage area respectively. To improve soil infiltration, the topsoil was removed up to the depth of 1 m and filled with a mix of 50% sand, 25% compost and 25% of the existing topsoil. Herbaceous perennials were selected and planted to test their adaptability to different soil water conditions in the rain garden. To evaluate the capacity of each rain garden to manage stormwater runoff a simplified water balance was done, estimating actual evapotranspiration using the WUCOLS method. From autumn 2012 runoff volumes were collected just from one pitch of the roof, and directed only into the smaller rain garden that became equal to 15% of the new roof drainage area. We thus had the possibility to test the functionality of rain gardens with three different percentages of roof drainage area: 10, 15 and 20%, even if in different periods. Results are presented relating to a four-year experimental period. Regarding hydrological behaviour, the input water volumes caused a slight overflow only during a few rainfall events. Consequently, the results showed a high capacity to manage stormwater runoff and also in the smaller rain garden almost the total roof runoff volumes infiltrated into the soil. As regards plants, the results indicated that the growth is affected by their position in the rain garden, from the wettest condition in the centre to the driest at the perimeter, except for Hemerocallis hybrida that showed great adaptability in all positions. Aster novi-belgii, Echinacea purpurea, Iris pseudacorus, Molinia caerulea and Rudbeckia fulgida also showed good adaptation, even if not in all rain garden zones, with highly aesthetic results. Lythrum salicaria and Saponaria officinalis plants appeared to be unsuitable for rain gardens. The results of the experiment have shown that, in the Veneto plain environment, rain gardens with a size of 10–15% of the roof drainage area can ensure both the sustainable management of stormwater runoff and a high aesthetic functionality
The experimental and educational rain gardens of the Agripolis Campus (north-east Italy): Preliminary results on hydrological and plant behavior
No full textIn most urbanized areas stormwater runoff, flowing on impervious surfaces, can increase the risk of floods and overload of drainage systems. Landscape designers may contribute to the mitigation of the problem by incorporating appropriate solutions in the design of green spaces. Rain gardens are green infrastructures that can contribute to more sustainable urban development. Since 2011, an experiment has been carried out at the University of Padova with the aim to assess the use of rain gardens for a sustainable management of the stormwater runoff. Two circular rain gardens with herbaceous perennials, differently sized and equipped with TDR soil moisture sensors, were designed and built to intercept equal amounts of runoff draining from a building roof with an area of 215 m2. The experiment consisted of testing the capacity of intercepting runoff caused by storm of different magnitude, in measuring the dynamics of water in the topsoil after the rainfall events and in evaluating the growth and aesthetic quality of the different plant species used. Input and output water volumes were measured and actual ET was estimated using WUCOLS Landscape Coefficient Methods. Results of the preliminary phase showed that both the rain gardens were able to satisfactorily manage the roof runoff, which was taken off the urban drainage system, with a good aesthetic result
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