An innovative agro-forestry supply chain for residual biomass : physicochemical characterisation of biochar from olive and hazelnut pellets

Concerns about climate change and food productivity have spurred interest in biochar, a form of charred organic material typically used in agriculture to improve soil productivity and as a means of carbon sequestration. An innovative approach in agriculture is the use of agro-forestry waste for the production of soil fertilisers for agricultural purposes and as a source of energy. A common agricultural practice is to burn crop residues in the field to produce ashes that can be used as soil fertilisers. This approach is able to supply plants with certain nutrients, such as Ca, K, Mg, Na, B, S, and Mo. However, the low concentration of N and P in the ashes, together with the occasional presence of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cd, Se, Al, etc.), has a negative effect on soil and, therefore, crop productivity. This work describes the opportunity to create an innovative supply chain from agricultural waste biomass. Olive (Olea europaea) and hazelnut (Corylus avellana) pruning residues represent a major component of biomass waste in the area of Viterbo (Italy). In this study, we evaluated the production of biochar from these residues. Furthermore, a physicochemical characterisation of the produced biochar was performed to assess the quality of the two biochars according to the standards of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC). The results of this study indicate the cost-effective production of high-quality biochar from olive and hazelnut biomass residues

Sizing of community energy storage system for the provision of primary frequency regulation

This paper deals with the sizing of community-based battery energy storage systems aimed at providing primary frequency regulation support while achieving the goal of local self-consumption maximization. The proposed approach aims to increase the joint flexibility services to distribution and transmission networks. Managing multiple resources to provide coordinated services at different voltage levels is a prominent topic in modern power systems since it allows sustainable integration of a large share of renewables. The system's sizing procedure requires identifying the control strategy the battery is supposed to follow. In this regard, a new approach is proposed based on a two-step control procedure for coordinating the needs of the local resources and the transmission system. The sizing approach incorporates the proposed control which permits properly including the income derived from both the services, the costs to be sustained in case of unavailability of adequate energy reserve and those due to battery ageing. The sizing formulation is included in a probabilistic procedure that considers planning uncertainties

An Expanding Role for Nuclear Factor κB in Muscle Stem Cells: Implications for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal disease characterized by progressive skeletal muscle degeneration. Inhibition of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κ B (NF-κB), and more specifically the p65 subunit, significantly improves the phenotype of mdx mice, a murine DMD model. However, the ubiquity of NF-κB stands as an obstacle to clinical translation. In this dissertation, we explore the roles of NF-κB/p65 in the regenerative capacity of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) with the goal of identifying alternative approaches to DMD treatment. We found that both cell proliferation and myogenic potential were increased in MDSCs lacking one allele of p65 (p65+/-). In wild type MDSCs, in vitro pharmacologic inhibition of the upstream activating kinase, IKKβ, increased myotube formation in a dose-dependent manner. When transplanted into mdx hind limb muscle, p65+/- MDSCs resulted in significantly larger engraftments. Furthermore, engraftments in cardiotoxin (CTX) injured muscle were associated with reduced local host necrosis and inflammation. Not only were p65+/- MDSCs found to be more resistant to oxidative stress, but we found that p65 depletion improved the anti-inflammatory capacity of MDSCs in vitro and in vivo via upregulation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Moreover, accelerated regeneration in p65 haploinsufficient mdx mice (mdx;p65+/-) coincided with HGF upregulation. Intraperitoneal injection of a musculotropic adeno-associated virus carrying shRNA targeting HGF reversed the phenotypic improvements of mdx;p65+/- mice, increasing both muscle inflammation and necrosis. These data implicate NF-κB/p65 in muscle stem cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and growth factor gene expression, further underlining the danger of broadly targeting such an important pathway. Finally, this research has also identified HGF as a downstream effector of NF-κB/p65 inhibition in mdx mice. Thus, delivery of HGF or activation of its receptor, MET, may represent a new approach to reduce chronic inflammation and preserve muscle fiber integrity in DMD

Plethysmography system to monitor the jugular venous pulse: A feasibility study

Cerebral venous outflow is investigated in the diagnosis of heart failure through the monitoring of jugular venous pulse, an indicator to assess cardiovascular diseases. The jugular venous pulse is a weak signal stemming from the lying internal jugular vein and often invasive methodolo-gies requiring surgery are mandatory to detect it. Jugular venous pulse can also be extrapolated via the ultrasound technique, but it requires a qualified healthcare operator to perform the exami-nation. In this work, a wireless, user-friendly, wearable device for plethysmography is developed to investigate the possibility of monitoring the jugular venous pulse non-invasively. The proposed device can monitor the jugular venous pulse and the electrocardiogram synchronously. To study the feasibility of using the proposed device to detect physiological variables, several measurements were carried out on healthy subjects by considering three different postures: supine, sitting, and upright. Data acquired in the experiment were properly filtered to highlight the cardiac oscillation and remove the breathing contribution, which causes a considerable shift in the amplitude of signals. To evaluate the proper functioning of the wearable device for plethysmography, a comparison with the ultrasound technique was carried out. As a satisfactory result, the acquired signals resemble the typical jugular venous pulse waveforms found in literature

Neutrino-nucleus cross sections for oscillation experiments

Neutrino oscillations physics is entered in the precision era. In this context accelerator-based neutrino experiments need a reduction of systematic errors to the level of a few percent. Today one of the most important sources of systematic errors are neutrino-nucleus cross sections which in the hundreds-MeV to few-GeV energy region are known with a precision not exceeding 20%. In this article we review the present experimental and theoretical knowledge of the neutrino-nucleus interaction physics. After introducing neutrino oscillation physics and accelerator-based neutrino experiments, we overview general aspects of the neutrino-nucleus cross sections, both theoretical and experimental views. Then we focus on these quantities in different reaction channels. We start with the quasielastic and quasielastic-like cross section, putting a special emphasis on multinucleon emission channel which attracted a lot of attention in the last few years. We review the main aspects of the different microscopic models for this channel by discussing analogies and differences among them.The discussion is always driven by a comparison with the experimental data. We then consider the one pion production channel where data-theory agreement remains very unsatisfactory. We describe how to interpret pion data, then we analyze in particular the puzzle related to the impossibility of theoretical models and Monte Carlo to simultaneously describe MiniBooNE and MINERvA experimental results. Inclusive cross sections are also discussed, as well as the comparison between the $\nu_\mu$ and $\nu_e$ cross sections, relevant for the CP violation experiments. The impact of the nuclear effects on the reconstruction of neutrino energy and on the determination of the neutrino oscillation parameters is reviewed. A window to the future is finally opened by discussing projects and efforts in future detectors, beams, and analysis

Overview of important micronutrients supplementation in preterm infants after discharge : A call for consensus

Preterm infants have a lower level of nutrient body stores and immature body systems, resulting in a higher risk of malnutrition. Imbalanced complementary feeding could lead to further risk of nutritional deficits and excesses. However, evidence on their nutritional requirements following hospital discharge is limited. When planning complementary feeding, appropriate micronutrient intake should be considered for their critical role in supporting various body functions. This narrative review summarizes the need for iron, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) supplementation in preterm infants during complementary feeding. Regarding iron and vitamin D, the scientific community is reaching an agreement on supplementation in some categories of prematures. On the contrary, there is still not enough evidence to detail possible recommendations for LCPUFAs, zinc, calcium and phosphorus supplementation. However, these micronutrients are paramount for preterms’ health: LCPUFAs can promote retinal and brain development while calcium and phosphorus supplementation is essential to prevent preterms’ metabolic bone disease (MBD). Waiting for a consensus on these micronutrients, it is clear how the knowledge of the heterogeneity of the prematures population can help adjust the nutritional planning regarding the growth rate, comorbidities and comprehensive clinical history of the preterm infant

Physics potential of a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment using a J-PARC neutrino beam and Hyper-Kamiokande

39 pages, 26 figures, submitted to PTE

Inhibition of NF-κB improves the stress resistance and myogenic differentiation of MDSPCs isolated from naturally aged mice

A decline in the regenerative capacity of adult stem cells with aging is well documented. As a result of this decline, the efficacy of autologous stem cell therapies is likely to decline with increasing donor age. In these cases, strategies to restore the function of aged stem cells would have clinical utility. Globally, the transcription factor NF-κB is up-regulated in aged tissues. Given the negative role that NF-κB plays in myogenesis, we investigated whether the age-related decline in the function of muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells (MDSPCs) could be improved by inhibition of NF-κB. Herein, we demonstrate that pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of NF-κB activation increases myogenic differentiation and improves resistance to oxidative stress. Our results suggest that MDSPC “aging” may be reversible, and that pharmacologic targeting of pathways such as NF-κB may enhance the efficacy of cell-based therapies