Search results for " Interception"

Planting Systems for Modern Olive Growing: Strengths and Weaknesses

2021

The objective of fully mechanizing olive harvesting has been pursued since the 1970s to cope with labor shortages and increasing production costs. Only in the last twenty years, after adopting super-intensive planting systems and developing appropriate straddle machines, a solution seems to have been found. The spread of super-intensive plantings, however, raises serious environmental and social concerns, mainly because of the small number of cultivars that are currently used (basically 2), compared to over 100 cultivars today cultivated on a large scale across the world. Olive growing, indeed, insists on over 11 million hectares. Despite its being located mostly in the Mediterranean countr…

Are remote sensing evapotranspiration models reliable across South American ecoregions?

2021

Many remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (RSBET) algorithms have been proposed in the past decades and evaluated using flux tower data, mainly over North America and Europe. Model evaluation across South America has been done locally or using only a single algorithm at a time. Here, we provide the first evaluation of multiple RSBET models, at a daily scale, across a wide variety of biomes, climate zones, and land uses in South America. We used meteorological data from 25 flux towers to force four RSBET models: Priestley–Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL), Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), Penman–Monteith Mu model (PM-MOD), and Penman–Monteith Nagler model (PME-VI).…

Direction-dependent activation of the insular cortex during vertical and horizontal hand movements

2016

International audience; The planning of any motor action requires a complex multisensory processing by the brain. Gravity - immutable on Earth - has been shown to be a key input to these mechanisms. Seminal fMRI studies performed during visual perception of falling objects and self-motion demonstrated that humans represent the action of gravity in parts of the cortical vestibular system; in particular, the insular cortex and the cerebellum. However, little is known as to whether a specific neural network is engaged when processing non-visual signals relevant to gravity. We asked participants to perform vertical and horizontal hand movements without visual control, while lying in a 3T-MRI sc…

Influence of row orientation on the canopy temperature of Sicilian vineyards

2021

Row orientation can have significant effects on grape quality as it directly affects the exposure of the fruits with indirect consequences on wine quality. In this study, a Flir i7 thermal camera was used to measure the temperature of both canopy sides of a ‘Sauvignon blanc’ vineyard trained to vertical shoot position and with north-south (NS) and east-west (EW) row orientations. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) measurements using a 0.8-m sensor bar were taken along with the thermal imaging camera measurements. Considering both row orientations, south and east canopy sides were those that intercepted the greatest radiant energy during the day, 57.7 and 47.5%, respectively. The EW r…

Simplified Model to Predict Runoff Generation Time for Well-Drained and Vegetated Soils

2016

The study of generation process of subsurface stormflow, typical of well-drained and high permeable soils, can be theoretically carried out by applying the continuity and the motion equations with the appropriate boundary conditions. However, difficulties and uncertainness on determining soil hydraulic properties and soil physics heterogeneities let this way not always feasible. In a different way, processes dynamic can be derived by the local scale through a coarse graining procedure, allowing to preserve medium motion character, while hydraulic fluctuation of the motion are lost. Following an approach as this, in this paper a simplified model to predict the runoff generation time, the so-…

A critical analysis of corruption and anti-corruption policies in Italy

2020

Purpose This study aims to critically analyse the Law 9 January 2019, n. 3, on “Measures to fight crimes against the public administration and on the transparency of political parties and movements” (so-called bribe-destroyer law). Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on reports, legal scholarship and other open-source data to examine a legislative innovation for the corruption in Italy in relation to the general guarantees of the trial process and with the controversial paradigm of the national perception index of bribery. Findings The Italian legislative initiative that will be examined is innovative in nature and goes beyond the constitutional and conventional principles on proc…

Ecohydrological modelling of flow duration curve in Mediterranean river basins

2013

Abstract Flow duration curve provides an important synthesis of the relevant hydrological processes occurring at the basin scale, and, although it is typically obtained from field observations, different theoretical approaches finalized to its indirect reconstruction have been developed in recent years. In this study a recent ecohydrological model for the probabilistic characterization of base flows is tested through its application to a study catchment located in southern Italy, where long historical series of daily streamflow are available. The model, coupling soil moisture balance with a simplified scheme of the hydrological response of the basin, provides the daily flow duration curve. …

Proposal for a computer-assisted analysis of lawful interceptions of communication

2016

This paper presents the potential for the analysis of texts when applied to interceptions carried out with the help of next-generation software. In order to do this, after a brief explanation of some of the main procedures, the article presents the results of an investigation into text data extracted from wiretapping and in-person conversations found in judicial documents. The amount of data, obtained through wiretapping and the use of bugs, has made it possible to gather important information about the dynamics that characterise how criminal organisations work. The use of wiretaps and bugs are, therefore, vital tools without which it would undoubtedly not have been possible to achieve the …

Parameterizing the "grassland" module in the multispecific model FlorSys

2013

EAEcolDurCT1; The multispecies model FlorSys can predict the effects of cropping systems on the dynamics of weed communities in annual crops ; however, it is not configured to predict the fate of weeds in permanent cover such as grasslands. We realized the simulation of a weed seed rain in controlled conditions to estimate the percentage of weed seeds intercepted by a grass cover. Parameters of this linear model will be used to develop a new sub model in FlorSys to be able to simulate weed dynamics in temporary grasslands. We used twelve weed species selected on the basis of specific morphological characteristics and observations made in the experimental set up of SOERE ACBB (Observatory En…

Effects of canopy covering on yield and quality of ‘Nero d’Avola’ (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in hot-arid climate condition

The impact of climate change on grapevine ecophysiology and vineyard management is predicted to be a serious problem in the next years. In fact, it has an influence on the fruit-set, yield, and in modulating decoupling between technological and phenolic ripening. Thus, it is essential to identify costeffective and easy-to-implement solutions to deal with the issue. For this purpose, the present study aims to test different shade treatments (ST) applied directly to the canopy of ′Nero d’Avola′ cultivar (Vitis vinifera L.), trying to limit the excess of light and heat that, usually occur in hot-arid climate areas as in Sicily. Two ST were imposed during the 2020 vegetative season from fruit s…