Search results for "Gradation"
showing 10 items of 1275 documents
Water-saving techniques for restoring desertified lands: some lessons from the field
2022
Nature-based solutions can significantly contribute to restoration projects in areas affected by desertification processes, where they are necessary for reversing land degradation. Currently, one innovative solution is The Cocoon™, which has been designed as a new ecotechnology for improving seedling establishment. The Cocoon consists of a doughnut-shaped container made of recycled cardboard that provides water and shelter at least during the first year of a seedling, which is the most critical for plant establishment. To determine the effectiveness of this ecotechnology under different conditions, the Cocoon was tested on a variety of soils, climates, vegetation, and land uses. Six plantin…
Influence of photo-oxidation on the performance and soil degradation of oxo- and biodegradable polymer-based items for agricultural applications
2021
Abstract The examination of the aging behavior of polymers, blends, composites, items, etc. under different environmental conditions is a priority issue for assessing the possible applications and establishing the lifetime. In agriculture, plastic items (mulch films, irrigation tubes, etc.) are widely used and subjected to solar UV exposure that can induce photo-oxidation on macromolecular chains. Therefore, weathering under outdoor conditions and accelerated degradation tests are performed for simulating aging processes during the lifetime of materials and select appropriate stabilizers to be used. In the last decades, oxo- and biodegradable polymers have been investigated and used in agri…
Monitoring Soil Salinisation as a Strategy for Preventing Land Degradation: A Case Study in Sicily, Italy
2010
Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the water shortage. In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good quality water is expanding irrigation with saline-sodic waters, thus enhancing the risk of secondary salinization and sodification. Adequate management practices are urgently needed for sustainable use of saline/sodic waters. This chapter illustrates how the Geonics EM-38 probe was used for monitoring salinization in a Sicilian area where irrigation with saline water is increasingly practiced, and the risk of salinisa…
Proteomic Analyses Reveal an Acidic Prime Side Specificity for the Astacin Metalloprotease Family Reflected by Physiological Substrates
2011
Astacins are secreted and membrane-bound metalloproteases with clear associations to many important pathological and physiological processes. Yet with only a few substrates described their biological roles are enigmatic. Moreover, the lack of knowledge of astacin cleavage site specificities hampers assay and drug development. Using PICS (proteomic identification of protease cleavage site specificity) and TAILS (terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates) degradomics approaches >3000 cleavage sites were proteomically identified for five different astacins. Such broad coverage enables family-wide determination of specificities N- and C-terminal to the scissile peptide bond. Remarkably, me…
Development of an lbuprofen-Releasing Biodegradable PLA/PGA Electrospun Scaffold for Tissue Regeneration
2009
Our aim was to develop a biodegradable fibrous dressing to act as a tissue guide for in situ wound repair while releasing Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation in wounds and reduce pain for patients on dressing changes. Dissolving the acid form of Ibuprofen (from 1% to 10% by weight) in the same solvent as 75% polylactide, 25% polyglycolide (PLGA) polymers gave uniformly loaded electrospun fibers which gave rapid release of drug within the first 8 h and then slower release over several days. Scaffolds with 10% Ibuprofen degraded within 6 days. The Ibuprofen released from these scaffolds significantly reduced the response of fibroblasts to major pro-inflammatory stimulators. Fibroblast attachment…
Direct chromatographic study of the enantioselective biodegradation of ibuprofen and ketoprofen by an activated sludge
2018
[EN] The quantification of the enantiomeric fraction (EF) during the biodegradation process is essential for environmental risk assessment. In this paper the enantioselective biodegradation of ibuprofen, IBU, and ketoprofen, KET, two of the drugs most consumed, was evaluated. Biodegradation experiments were performed in batch mode using a minimal salts medium inoculated with an activated sludge (collected from a Valencian Waste Water Treatment Plant) and supplemented with the racemate of each compound. The inoculum activity was verified using fluoxetine as reference compound. The experimental conditions used (analyte concentration and volume of inoculum) were chosen according to OECD guidel…
Augmented Reality Applications in the Transition Towards the Sustainable Organization
2016
Business companies are increasingly aware that the world where they operate in is facing increasing environmental, economic and social challenges, thus there is a trend in most companies to align their processes and services with a sustainability agenda. Customers, shareholders, financial partners, governmental agencies, NGOs, globalization and internationalization of environmental and social standards exert new pressures on them to do so. Industry is widely recognized as being essential for wealth creation and development, although it is at times considered a source of environmental degradation and social concerns. Thus, industry must play an important role for the transition towards the s…
Thermal degradation of long-chain polyunsatured fatty acids during deodorization of fish oil
2006
International audience; Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) of the n-3 series, particularly eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid, have specific activities especially in the functionality of the central nervous system. Due to the occurrence of numerous methylene-interrupted ethylenic double bonds, these fatty acids are very sensitive to air (oxygen) and temperature. Non-volatile degradation products, which include polymers, cyclic fatty acid monomers (CFAM) and geometrical isomers of EPA and DHA, were evaluated in fish oil samples obtained by deodorization under vacuum of semi-refined fish oil at 180, 220 and 250 °C. Polymers are the major degradation products g…
Miscibility and properties of linear poly(l-lactide)/branched poly(l-lactide) copolyester blends
2006
Abstract Polymer blends consisting of linear poly( l -lactide) (PLLA) and different proportions of dendritic PLLA-based copolyesters ( hb -PLLA) characterized by different degrees of branching (DB) were obtained in melt. The solid-state properties of poly( l -lactide)s and their blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and stress–strain measurements. DSC and DMA methods proved miscibility of PLLA/ hb -PLLA blends for the studied composition range. AFM indicated that no phase separation occurs in PLLA/ hb -PLLA blends and that PLLA and hb -PLLA cocrystallize in one single lamellae type. The mechanica…
The (Evolving) vineyard’s age structure in the valencian community, Spain. A new demographic approach for rural development and landscape analysis
2019
Vineyards have assumed a key role as rural landmarks in recent decades. Investigating vineyard dynamics and contexts may reveal various economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of rural landscapes, which can be linked to land-use changes and major soil degradation processes, including soil erosion. As a contribution to rural landscape studies, the purpose of this work is to investigate the spatial distribution of vineyard plots in the Valencian community, located in the eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula, focusing on the final product, the type of vineyard and how long each vineyard has been settled over time. The work provides a comprehensive analysis of a wine-growing landscape, c…