Carbon Farming practices assessment: Modelling spatial changes of Soil Organic Carbon in Flanders, Belgium.

Carbon sequestration in soils is a strategy to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable soil management. Since the European Union (EU) stimulates the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere, the necessity to explore innovative approaches to sequester carbon in agricultural landscapes is becoming urgent. Carbon Farming (CF) has emerged as a promising program to mitigate climate change in agriculture but there is still a lack of agreement on which tools can be used to calculate Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) dynamics in this context. Using the RothC model a spatial analysis of SOC in the agricultural parcels of Flanders, Belgium was performed. Two among the various CF practices were simulated: a use of cover crops (CC) and the most common crop rotations adopted in the area, enriched with the use of cover crops. The performances of the model were evaluated and compared to other studies in areas with similar climate and environments. The selected CF practices can mitigate the carbon emissions from agricultural soils up to 60 % of the current projections. The most sensitive variables in the RothC model that affect the final total SOC, and thus determining the model outcome, are the Business As Usual (BAU) carbon inputs and the initial carbon content. For these variables the Pearson Correlation Coefficient with the change in SOC reached values of -0.78 and -0.50 respectively. To achieve net carbon sequestration in the agricultural soils of Flanders, Belgium, more effective solutions need to be evaluated. Furthermore, a larger amount and accessibility of data are required to reach better modelling performances.

Feasibility study of saffron cultivation using a semi-saline water by managing planting date, a new statement.

In the current study the possibility of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) cultivating using semi-saline water was investigated at different planting dates. The salinity of irrigation water and soil were 2.9 and 5.8 dS m-1, respectively. The results showed that saffron had an acceptable potential for cultivation using semi-saline water in saline soils. The early planting dates went through the developmental stages faster, meaning saffron corms sown in early October sprouted earlier, flowers appeared faster and fully flowering occurred earlier. Nevertheless, plant senescence was the same in all planting dates. The highest percentage of corms sprouting and flowering were obtained in the early October planting dates in both years, which were matched with canopy temperature distribution. The highest flowers weight as well as stigma fresh and dry weight were obtained on the 13 October planting date within the 3 years study reaching the maximum values during the third year. Electrolyte leakage was higher in the last planting date, while photosynthesis pigments were more in early to mid-October planting dates. These effects might be related to damage of freezing temperature to physiological processes. Shoot dry weight and water productivity were the highest in early October planting dates. The shoot biomass on October 13 planting date was enough to be considered as a new forage source in semi-saline conditions. It seems that cultivation of saffron with semi-saline water is possible by considering a proper planting date, adequate leaching requirement and accurate irrigation management.

[Cardiac auscultation in children]. / L'auscultazione cardiaca nel bambino.

Cardiac auscultation permits to distinguish between the innocent heart murmurs and pathologic murmurs; characteristics of pathologic murmurs include a holosystolic or diastolic murmur, maximal murmur intensity at the upper left sternal border and increased intensity when the patient stands. Murmurs should be described by their timing in the cardiac cycle, intensity, shape, pitch, location, radiation, and response to dynamic maneuvers. When the medical history and physical examination support the diagnosis of innocent heart murmur, neither further investigation nor referal is indicated. On the contrary, echocardiography is recommended for patients with any other abnormal physical examination findings that increase the likelihood of structural heart disease. In this review we discuss the definition and classification of murmurs, how to evaluate it.

Characterization of irritable bowel syndrome and constipation in children with allergic diseases.

Allergy is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation. We investigated whether allergic patients are more prone to constipation or IBS. In a multicenter study, two groups of outpatient children aged 3-13 years were included. In group 1, children with allergic symptoms were enrolled. Group 2 consisted of nonallergic children. In both groups, the assessment of IBS and constipation was carried out using a questionnaire based on the Rome criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders. All children were examined and underwent skin prick tests (SPT) to foods and aeroallergens. The allergic group (n=196) and controls (n=127) were comparable with respect to sex, age, and anthropometric parameters. IBS was found in 6.6% of the allergic children and in 6.3% of the controls (p=0.581). The frequency of constipation was similar in the two groups. In allergic children, positive SPTs to food and self-reported reactions to food were associated with IBS. Our results show that evaluation of constipation comorbidity is not required in allergic children. In allergic children with positive SPT to foods attention may be paid to IBS symptoms.

Reactivity and stability of mycelium-bound carboxylesterase from Aspergillus oryzae.

The reactivity and thermostability of a novel mycelium-bound carboxylesterase from lyophilized cells of Aspergillus oryzae are explored in organic solvent. Ethanol acetylation was selected as reference esterification reaction. High carboxylesterase activity cells were used as biocatalyst in batch esterification tests at 12.5 < S(o) < 125 mmol L(-1), 5.0 < X(o) < 30 g L(-1), 0.49 < log P < 4.5 and 30 < T < 80 degrees C, as well as in residual activity tests after incubation at 40 < T < 90 degrees C. The starting rates of product formation were used to estimate with the Arrhenius model the apparent activation enthalpies of the enzymatic reaction (29-33 kJ mol(-1)), the reversible unfolding (56-63 kJ mol(-1)), and the irreversible denaturation (22 kJ mol(-1)) of the biocatalyst.