Thinning Effect of C Sequestration along an Elevation Gradient of Mediterranean Pinus spp. Plantations

Forests are key elements in mitigating the effects of climate change due to the fact of their carbon sequestration capacity. Forest management can be oriented to optimise the carbon sequestration capacity of forest stands, in line with other productive objectives and the generation of ecosystem services. This research aimed to determine whether thinning treatments have a positive influence on the growth patterns of some of the main Mediterranean pine species and, therefore, on their Carbon (C) fixation capacity, both in terms of living biomass and soil organic carbon. The results obtained show that C sequestration capacity (biomass and SOC) increased at higher thinning intensities due to the induced alterations in tree growth patterns. We observed almost a 1.5-fold increase in P. nigra and P. sylvestris, respectively, and over a two-fold increase in P. pinaster under heavy thinning treatments; SOC stocks were affected by the intensity of the thinning treatments. These results can contribute to improving silvicultural practices aimed at C sequestration in forest plantations located in dry areas of the Mediterranean.

Characterisation of Hyaluronic Acid Blends Modified by Poly(N-Vinylpyrrolidone)

The viscosity behaviour and physical properties of blends containing hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) were studied by the viscometric technique, steady shear tests, tensile tests and infrared spectroscopy. Viscometric and rheological measurements were carried out using blends of HA/PVP with different HA weight fractions (0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1). The polymer films and HA/PVP blend films were prepared using the solution casting method. The study of HA blends by viscometry showed that HA/PVP was miscible with the exception of the blend with high HA content. HA and its blends showed a shear-thinning flow behaviour. The non-Newtonian indices (n) of HA/PVP blends were calculated by the Ostwald–de Waele equation, indicating a shear-thinning effect in which pseudoplasticity increased with increasing HA contents. Mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elongation at the break, were higher for HA/PVP films with wHA = 0.5 compared to those with higher HA contents. The elongation at the break of HA/PVP blend films displayed a pronounced increase compared to HA films. Moreover, infrared analysis confirmed the existence of interactions between HA and PVP. The blending of HA with PVP generated films with elasticity and better properties than homopolymer films.

Helmholtz Versus Haute Couture: How Horizontal Stripes and Dark Clothes Make You Look Thinner

In Helmholtz’s illusion, a square with horizontal stripes appears taller than an identical square with vertical stripes. This effect has also been observed in experiments with human stimuli, where a human figure wearing a dress with horizontal stripes appears thinner than a drawing clad in vertical stripes. These findings do not agree with the common belief that clothes with horizontal stripes make someone appear wider, neither do they disentangle whether the horizontal or vertical stripes account for the thinning effect. In the present study, we focused on the effect of horizontal stripes in clothes comparing horizontal stripes against no-stripes (not against vertical; Experiments 1 and 2), using photos of a real-life female model, and controlling for the average luminance of the stripes (Experiment 2). Results showed that horizontal stripes and lower luminance have—independently—a small-to-moderate thinning effect on the perceived size of the body, and the effect is larger when the two variables are combined. In Experiment 3, we further show that the thinning effect due to the luminance of the dress is enhanced when the general background gets darker.

Plant Growth Regulators in Flowering Alternation of the Fuji Suprema Apple Tree

Aims: Research on alternate bearing in apple trees is usually focused on chemical thinning techniques, but in recent decades synthetic bioregulators have proven to be effective in promoting or inhibiting floral induction in apple trees. However, the results can be variable since some cultivars are prone to alternation, as Fuji and its clones. The objective of the present study was to observe the effect of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), Ethephon, and their combinations in the formation of flowering buds avoiding flowering alternation, in Cv, Fuji Suprema. Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were carried out in southern Brazil, municipality of Caçador / SC, during the cycles from 2014 to 2019, in the cultivar Fuji Suprema / Marubakaido / M9, with 12 years old. Methodology: Several variables were evaluated such as flowering return, fruit set, yield, number of fruits per plant, average fresh fruit mass, and biennial bearing index (BBI). Results: The results were variable and showed that NAA and Ethephon had little effect on reducing flowering alternation when applied during the vegetative phase of the Fuji Suprema apple tree. After years of high productivity, there was a decrease in the yield, even in the treatments of NAA and Ethephon. Ethephon or its combination with NAA has a thinning effect, but without influence on the return of flowering.

Shear-Thinning Effect of the Spinning Disc Mixer on Starch Nanoparticle Precipitation

Spinning disc technology is capable of achieving intensified micromixing within thin liquid films created through large shear rates, typically of the order of 103 s−1, generated by means of fast disc surface rotation. In this study the effect of the high shear on solvent–antisolvent mixing and starch nanoparticle precipitation is reported. Rheological studies of starch solutions at 2% w/v and 4% w/v have demonstrated their shear-thinning behaviour at the large shear rates experienced on the spinning disc surface. The effect of such high shear rate on starch nanoparticle precipitation is investigated alongside solute concentration and several other operating parameters such as flow rate, disc rotational speed, and solvent/antisolvent ratio. A reduction in nanoparticle size has been observed with an increase in starch concentration, although agglomeration was found to be more prevalent amongst these smaller particles particularly at larger flow rates and disc rotational speeds. Micromixing time, estimated on the basis of an engulfment mechanism, has been correlated against shear rate. With fast micromixing of the order of 1 ms observed at higher shear rates, and which are practically unaffected by the starch concentrations used, micromixing is not thought to be influential in determining the particle characteristics highlighted in this work.

Metamitron in the chemical thinning of ‘PS 10711’ peach trees

Chemical thinning of fruits may be an alternative practice to hand thinning. Hand thinning must be performed in a short time during the fruiting stage, but lack of manpower and the onerous costs of the operation make it increasingly difficult to employ it at the right time and at the ideal intensity. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different concentrations of metamitron as a chemical thinner on ‘PS 10711’ peach trees. The experiment was carried out during two harvests in an orchard in the municipality of Eldorado do Sul, in the Central Depression region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Treatments consisted of the application of metamitron at the concentrations of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg L-1; hand thinning; and no thinning. The fruits were thinned chemically and by hand 40 days after the peach trees were in full bloom. Fruit abscission, fruit set, number of fruits, production per tree and fruit quality were evaluated. Metamitron has a thinning effect on the peaches of cultivar PS 10711. The metamitron concentrations of 100 and 200 mg L-1 result in less fruit abscission as compared with hand thinning. The thinning effect of metamitron alters production per tree, but does not interfere with fruit quality.