1,721,137 research outputs found
The molecular composition of humus carbon: Recalcitrance and reactivity in soils
No full textSoil organic C (SOC) is the largest terrestrial reservoir in the biosphere, accounting for 1500–1770 Pg, as compared to C stocks of vegetation (450–
650 Pg) (IPCC, 2013). Although humus C represents from 60% to 80% of
SOC, its dynamics still remain poorly understood after nearly a century of
study, due to the multiplicity of factors that affect stabilization of humic matter. Industrial agricultural practices accelerate the decline of humus content
in soil, and, consequently, the reduction of soil fertility, biodiversity, and soil
structural stability (Fontaine et al., 2007; Reeves, 1997), while enhancing
greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from soil (Smith et al., 2014). Because it
is the specific molecular composition of the soil Humeome that significantly
affects SOC storage dynamics (Woo et al., 2014), soil basal respiration (Fang
et al., 2005), and humus-plant relationships (Canellas and Olivares, 2014), a
rigorous identification of the molecular structure of the components of soil humus C is necessary, if any technological control of its content and dynamics
can ever be introduced
Materiali dell’età del bronzo provenienti da Visco (Palmanova): un possibile castelliere di pianura?
No full text
Antichi paesaggi del Friuli protostorico: popolamento e ambiente nella pianura friulana dell'età del bronzo
No full textLo studio analizza il paesaggio della pianura udinese tra il fiume Tagliamento e il sistema Torre-Isonzo durante il II millennio a.C., col fine di metterne in luce le modalità di popolamento. L'indagine è stata realizzata utilizzando un'ampia gamma di tecniche proprie della moderna archeologia dei paesaggi che hanno compreso ricognizioni di superficie, sondaggi geognostici e lo studio di contesti di materiali inediti provenienti da scavi non sistematici e raccolte di superficie. L'utilizzo di diverse applicazioni statistico-spaziali e l'integrazione di tutti dati disponibili su una piattaforma G.I.S. hanno permesso di proporre nuove linee interpretative sui processi di popolamento in atto nel periodo in esam
Hydroponic cultivation: life cycle assessment of substrate choice
No full textPurpose Nowadays, hydroponic cultivation represents a widely used agricultural methodology. The purpose of this paper is to study comparatively on hydroponic substrates. This study is highlighting the best substrate to be involved in hydroponic systems, considering its costs and its sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Seven substrates were evaluated: rock wool, perlite, vermiculite, peat, coconut fibres, bark and sand. Life cycle assessment (life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and life cycle costing (LCC)) was applied to evaluate the environmental and economic impact. Through the results of the impacts, the carbon footprint of each substrate was calculated. Findings Perlite is the most impacting substrate, as highlighted by LCIA, followed by rock wool and vermiculite. The most sustainable ones, instead, are sand and bark. Sand has the lower carbon footprint (0.0121 kg CO2 eq.); instead, bark carbon footprint results in one of the highest (1.1197 kg CO2 eq.), while in the total impact analysis this substrate seems to be highly sustainable. Also for perlite the two results are in disagreement: it has a high total impact but very low carbon footprint (0.0209 kg CO2 eq.) compared to the other substrates. From the LCC analysis it appears that peat is the most expensive substrate (euro6.67/1,000 cm(3)), while sand is the cheaper one (euro0.26/1,000 cm(3)). Originality/value The LCA and carbon footprint methodologies were applied to a growing agriculture practice. This study has highlighted the economic and environmental sustainability of seven substrates examined. This analysis has shown that sand can be the best substrate to be involved in hydroponic systems by considering its costs and its sustainability
Electromagnetic Analysis and CAD Modelling of an RF-ID System
No full textRadio Frequency Identification (RF-ID) is a key technology in today’s logistics and
industrial scenarios, used for labelling and tagging items in warehouses and industrial production. In
order to avoid unexpected faulty behaviours, some working conditions and setup parameters of RF-ID
systems need to be carefully checked. To this aim, both measurements and numerical simulations can
advantageously be performed. In this paper, some key working conditions are described and analyzed
in terms of coupling between the reader device and RF-ID tags. In particular, the reading range in space
of a standard inductive coupling 13.56 MHz RF-ID system is analyzed by using numerical simulations
of scattering parameters and computer aided design (CAD) modelling. The purpose is to present an
example suggesting how to efficiently perform such a kind of analysis in order to verify the
effectiveness of a RF-ID system setup
Bronze Age monumental earthworks of the Friuli Plain (NE Italy): from LiDAR-based morphometric analysis to the reconstruction of settlement patterns and organization
Full text linkIn this study, we use high-resolution data from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions to comprehensively analyse late prehistoric earthwork structures in the alluvial plain of Friuli (NE Italy). By comparing LiDAR-derived models with direct topographic surveys of the structures carried out in the past we provide a detailed overview of the main characteristics of the structures. The new documentation, including Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), profiles and 3D models of the preserved structures, refines the topographic information collected by previous scholars and offers new insights into the development of sophisticated building techniques by Bronze Age communities. Additionally, by converting earthwork volumes into energetics and combining workforce investment analysis with other archaeological proxies-particularly site size and distribution-we have supported the analysis of settlement patterns and organization. Assuming 100 hypothetical full-time workers, the construction of burial mounds would have required from 1 week to 2 months; phase 3 monumental embankments at Sedegliano, Savalons, and Galleriano forts would have taken 4-10 months while 2.5-4 years at Udine. The Udine mound would have demanded up to 28 times the labour needed for other forts' embankments, requiring approximately 11 years to complete and likely necessitating additional workforce from nearby settlements. This approach reveals the emergence of a defined hierarchical settlement system in the Friuli plain during the Recent Bronze Age, with the fort of Udine serving as a top-order settlement within a polity of smaller ones, akin to those recognized in the nearby regions of the Po Plain
- …
