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  • 1
    In: Agriculture, MDPI AG, Vol. 10, No. 5 ( 2020-05-25), p. 189-
    Abstract: The establishment of permanent cover crops is becoming a common practice in vineyard floor management. Turfgrass science may provide species and techniques with a high potential for improving the sustainability of vineyard floor management. Based on this assumption, an experiment was carried out during 2018 and 2019 at the Donna Olimpia Vineyard, Bolgheri, Italy. The trial aimed at comparing an innovative floor management system based on a turf-type cultivar of bermudagrass mown with an autonomous mower with a conventional floor management system. Ground cover percentage, energy consumption, CO2 emissions, grapevine water status, leaf nitrogen content, fruit yield and must composition have been assessed in order to perform the comparison. The innovative vineyard floor management produced an almost complete ground cover (98%) at the end of the second growing season, with the resident species reduced to a small percentage (4%). Resident species growing under-trellis were efficiently controlled without herbicide applications. A lower primary energy consumption and a reduction in CO2 emissions were observed for the innovative management system compared to the conventional management system. Grapevine water status, leaf chlorophyll content, soil–plant analyses development (SPAD), fruit yields and must composition were similar between the different soil management systems. Based on results obtained in this trial, turf-type bermudagrass and innovative mowing machines may contribute to enhance the sustainability of vineyard floor management.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2077-0472
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2651678-0
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  • 2
    In: Agriculture, MDPI AG, Vol. 8, No. 10 ( 2018-10-02), p. 152-
    Abstract: Poor quality in turfgrass mowing is highlighted by the shredded leaf tips with necrotic tissues that give an unsightly brownish colour to the turf and may also lead to turf disease. Mowing quality is also typically assessed by visual rating, thus the score depends on the person doing the assessment. To make the evaluation of mowing quality not subjective, an innovative method was developed. The aim of the trial was to examine the effects of different mowing systems and two different nitrogen rates (100 and 200 kg ha−1) on two turfgrass species in order to test the new mowing quality calculation. Three different mowing systems were used: a battery-powered rotary mower set at 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm respectively and a gasoline-powered rotary mower set at full throttle. The battery-powered mower at low blade rpm produced a poorer mowing quality and turf quality than the gasoline-powered mower and battery-powered mower at high rpm, which produced a similar mowing quality and turf quality. Leaf tip damage level values showed a significant correlation with the results of the visual mowing quality assessment. Lower leaf tip damage level values (slightly above 1) corresponded to higher visual mowing quality scores (around 8).
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2077-0472
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2018
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2651678-0
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  • 3
    In: Agronomy, MDPI AG, Vol. 9, No. 5 ( 2019-05-06), p. 230-
    Abstract: Before the introduction of positioning technologies in agriculture practices such as global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), data collection and management were time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks. Today, due to the introduction of advanced technologies, precise information on the performance of agricultural machines, and smaller autonomous vehicles such as robot mowers, can be collected in a relatively short time. The aim of this work was to track the performance of a robot mower in various turfgrass areas of an equal number of square meters but with four different shapes by using real-time kinematic (RTK)-GNSS devices, and to easily extract data by a custom built software capable of calculating the distance travelled by the robot mower, the forward speed, the cutting area, and the number of intersections of the trajectories. These data were then analyzed in order to provide useful functioning information for manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners. The path planning of the robot mower was random and the turfgrass area for each of the four shapes was 135 m2 without obstacles. The distance travelled by the robot mower, the mean forward speed, and the intersections of the trajectories were affected by the interaction between the time of cutting and the shape of the turfgrass. For all the different shapes, the whole turfgrass area was completely cut after two hours of mowing. The cutting efficiency decreased by increasing the time, as a consequence of the increase in overlaps. After 75 minutes of cutting, the efficiency was about 35% in all the turfgrass areas shapes, thus indicating a high level of overlapping.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2073-4395
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2019
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2607043-1
    SSG: 23
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  • 4
    In: Agronomy, MDPI AG, Vol. 10, No. 4 ( 2020-04-10), p. 553-
    Abstract: Autonomous mowers are becoming increasingly common in public and private greenspaces. Autonomous mowers can provide several advantages since these machines help to save time and energy and prevent operators from possible injuries. Current autonomous mowers operate by following random trajectories within areas defined by a shallow-buried boundary wire that has the purpose to generate an electro-magnetic field. Once the electro-magnetic field is perceived by the autonomous mower, the machine will stop and change direction. Mowing along random trajectories is considered an efficient solution to manage areas with a variable number of obstacles. In agriculture, autonomous technologies are becoming increasingly popular since they can help to increase both the quantity and quality of agricultural products by reducing productive cost and improving the production process. Thus, even autonomous mowers may be useful to carry out some of the agricultural operations that are highly time consuming. In fact, some autonomous mowers designed and realized to work in vineyards and home vegetable gardens are already available on the market. The aim of this study was to compare the work capacity of six autonomous mowers that move along random trajectories in areas with a high number of obstacles to assess if these machines may be employed in some agricultural contexts. The six autonomous mowers were split in three groups based on their size (large, medium, and small) and were left to work in two areas with equal number of obstacles but different layouts. The first area (Site A) had a square shape and an extension of 23.04 m2, in order to keep the autonomous mowers enclosed inside it. The second area (Site B) had a square shape and an extension of 84.64 m2, in order to have a part of the area with no obstacles. The layout and the size of the two areas affected the autonomous mowers performances in different ways. The six autonomous mowers working on Site A obtained similar results and higher performances compared to the same mowers working on Site B. All the autonomous mowers proved to be able to mow more than 89% of Site A after 2 h and more than 98% of Site A after 5 h. On Site B small size autonomous mowers obtained the best results mowing more than 83% of the area with obstacles after 2 h and more than 98% of the area with obstacles after 5 h. However, specific work settings allowed larger autonomous mowers to improve their efficiency, obtaining similar results compared to smaller autonomous mowers.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2073-4395
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2607043-1
    SSG: 23
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  • 5
    In: Agronomy, MDPI AG, Vol. 8, No. 2 ( 2018-02-06), p. 15-
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2073-4395
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2018
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2607043-1
    SSG: 23
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  • 6
    In: Journal of Personalized Medicine, MDPI AG, Vol. 11, No. 6 ( 2021-06-02), p. 499-
    Abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease represents an increasing cause of chronic hepatic disease in recent years. This condition usually arises in patients with multiple comorbidities, the so-called metabolic syndrome. The therapeutic options are multiple, ranging from lifestyle modifications, pharmacological options, to liver transplantation in selected cases. The choice of the most beneficial one and their interactions can be challenging. It is mandatory to stratify the patients according to the severity of their disease to tailor the available treatments. In our contribution, we review the most recent pharmacological target therapies, the role of bariatric surgery, and the impact of liver transplantation on the NAFLD outcome.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2075-4426
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2021
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2662248-8
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  • 7
    In: Agriculture, MDPI AG, Vol. 9, No. 8 ( 2019-08-11), p. 178-
    Abstract: Turfgrass mowing is one of the most important operations concerning turfgrass maintenance. Over time, different mowing machines have been developed, such as reel mowers, rotary mowers, and flail mowers. Rotary mowers have become the most widespread mowers for their great versatility and easy maintenance. Modern rotary mowers can be equipped with battery-powered electric motors and precise settings, such as blade rpm. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the differences in power consumption of a gasoline-powered rotary mower and a battery-powered rotary mower. Each mower worked on two different turfgrass species (bermudagrass and tall fescue) fertilized with two different nitrogen rates (100 and 200 kg ha−1). The battery-powered mower was set at its lowest and highest blade rpm value, while the gasoline-powered mower was set at full throttle. From the data acquired, it was possible to see that the gasoline-powered mower had a much higher primary energy requirement, independent of the turf species. Moreover, comparing the electricity consumption of the battery-powered mower over time, it was possible to see that the power consumption varied according to the growth rate of both turf species. These results show that there is a partial waste of energy when using a gasoline-powered mower compared to a battery-powered mower.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2077-0472
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2019
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2651678-0
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  • 8
    In: Journal of Personalized Medicine, MDPI AG, Vol. 11, No. 7 ( 2021-07-19), p. 679-
    Abstract: Apathy is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by reduced motivation, initiative, and interest in daily life activities, and it is commonly reported in several neurodegenerative disorders. The study aims to investigate large-scale brain networks involved in apathy syndrome in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to a group of healthy controls (HC). The study sample includes a total of 60 subjects: 20 apathetic FTD and PD patients, 20 non apathetic FTD and PD patients, and 20 HC matched for age. Two disease-specific apathy-evaluation scales were used to measure the presence of apathy in FTD and PD patients; in the same day, a 3T brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with structural and resting-state functional (fMRI) sequences was acquired. Differences in functional connectivity (FC) were assessed between apathetic and non-apathetic patients with and without primary clinical diagnosis revealed, using a whole-brain, seed-to-seed approach. A significant hypoconnectivity between apathetic patients (both FTD and PD) and HC was detected between left planum polare and both right pre- or post-central gyrus. Finally, to investigate whether such neural alterations were due to the underlying neurodegenerative pathology, we replicated the analysis by considering two independent patients’ samples (i.e., non-apathetic PD and FTD). In these groups, functional differences were no longer detected. These alterations may subtend the involvement of neural pathways implicated in a specific reduction of information/elaboration processing and motor outcome in apathetic patients.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2075-4426
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2021
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2662248-8
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  • 9
    In: Brain Sciences, MDPI AG, Vol. 10, No. 6 ( 2020-06-18), p. 385-
    Abstract: Background: Functional motor conversion disorders are characterized by neurological symptoms unrelated to brain structural lesions. The present study was conducted on a woman presenting motor symptoms causing motor dysfunction, using advanced multimodal neuroimaging techniques, electrophysiological and neuropsychological assessment. Methods. The patient underwent fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with both task and resting-state paradigms and was compared with 11 healthy matched controls. To test differences in structural parameters, Bayesian comparison was performed. To test differences in functional parameters, a first- and second-level analysis was performed in task fMRI, while a seed-to-seed analysis to evaluate the connections between brain regions and identify intersubject variations was performed in resting-state fMRI. Results. FDG-PET showed two patterns of brain metabolism, involving the cortical and subcortical structures. Regarding the diffusion data, microstructural parameters were altered for U-shape fibers for the hand and feet regions. Resting-state analysis showed hypoconnectivity between the parahippocampal and superior temporal gyrus. Neurophysiological assessment showed no alterations. Finally, an initial cognitive impairment was observed, paralleled by an anxiety and mild depressive state. Conclusions. While we confirmed no structural alterations sustaining this functional motor disorder, we report microstructural changes in sensory–motor integration for both the hand and feet regions that could functionally support clinical manifestations.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2076-3425
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2651993-8
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  • 10
    In: Journal of Clinical Medicine, MDPI AG, Vol. 12, No. 15 ( 2023-08-03), p. 5104-
    Abstract: Hilar bile duct strictures are mostly caused by malignant lesions. The morphological appearance of perihilar cholangiocarcinomas in various imaging modalities have other malignant and even benign mimics, which pose challenges to an accurate diagnosis and treatment and drive to futile surgery. Herein, we present the case of a 50-year-old woman admitted with jaundice and abdominal pain, elevated bilirubin level, liver function tests and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level. Magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography (MR-CP) and the computed tomography with contrast enhancement revealed a suspected extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma of the common bile duct. Further spontaneous resolution of the scenario, confirmed by diagnostic assessment, changed the clinical hypothesis in favor of a non-oncological disease. Indeed, the multidisciplinary evaluation supported a diagnosis of transient cholangitis secondary to non-evident intrahepatic lithiasis rather than cholangiocarcinoma. After a 26-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic with normal tumor markers and laboratory data. Consecutive MR-CPs showed no suspicion of malignancy. This case report underlines the need for an accurate preoperative assessment in patients with suspected cholangiocarcinoma.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2077-0383
    Language: English
    Publisher: MDPI AG
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2662592-1
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