Perfectly coated surfaces are an essential quality feature in the automotive and consumer goods industries. They are the result of an optimized, controlled coating process. Because entire assemblies ...could be rejected if Out-of-Specification (OOS) parts are installed, this has a severe economic impact. This paper presents a novel, line-integrated multi-camera system with intelligent algorithms for anomaly detection on small KTL-coated aluminum parts. The system also aims to automatize the previously used human inspection to a sophisticated and automated vision system that efficiently detects defects and anomalies on coated parts.
High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is characterized by severe pulmonary hypertension and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid changes indicative of inflammation. It is not known, however, whether the ...primary event is an increase in pressure or an increase in permeability of the pulmonary capillaries.
We studied pulmonary hemodynamics, including capillary pressure determined by the occlusion method, and capillary permeability evaluated by the pulmonary transvascular escape of 67Ga-labeled transferrin, in 16 subjects with a previous HAPE and in 14 control subjects, first at low altitude (490 m) and then within the first 48 hours of ascent to a high-altitude laboratory (4559 m). The HAPE-susceptible subjects, compared with the control subjects, had an enhanced pulmonary vasoreactivity to inspiratory hypoxia at low altitude and higher mean pulmonary artery pressures (37 +/- 2 versus 26 +/- 1 mmHg, P<0.001) and pulmonary capillary pressures (19 +/- 1 versus 13 +/- 1 mmHg, P < 0.001) at high altitude. Nine of the susceptible subjects developed HAPE. All of them had a pulmonary capillary pressure >19 mm Hg (range 20 to 26 mmHg), whereas all 7 susceptible subjects without HAPE had a pulmonary capillary pressure < 19 mm Hg (range 14 to 18 mm Hg). The pulmonary transcapillary escape of radiolabeled transferrin increased slightly from low to high altitude in the HAPE-susceptible subjects but remained within the limits of normal and did not differ significantly from the control subjects.
HAPE is initially caused by an increase in pulmonary capillary pressure.
Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) are applied more and more in the aircraft industry as well as in the automobile industry. The principal reason is the highly mechanical load capacity along ...with the low density. Moreover, the corrosion resistance plus the damping behavior of the material can be utilized fully in highly stressed structures. However, the concept of manufacture CFRP-parts close to the final contour does not substitute the need of cutting them. The different properties of fiberand matrix-material constitute an ambitious challenge while cutting CFRP using a laser beam. This paper deals with elementary analysis of the laser remote cutting process and the gas assisted laser cutting of CFRP.
•Intercropping with different N levels were tested on cauliflower followed by lettuce.•With 75 kg N ha−1, N uptake and growth of the intercropped cauliflower were maximized.•Under no N supply, both ...cauliflower growth and N uptake were hampered by clover intercrop.•Lettuce growth and N uptake were enhanced by the preceding intercropping system.
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) requires large amounts of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to produce high yields. The intercropping of cauliflower with a leguminous species may help farmers to reduce N fertilizer rates, production costs and environmental pollution. Moreover, the recycling of crop residues can contribute to the nutritional support of subsequent crops in a rotation. In this study, cauliflower was cultivated in year one either alone or intercropped with annual clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.), using four N fertilization rates: 0, 75, 150, and 300 kg N ha−1 (referred to as N0, N1, N2, and N3 respectively). Following crop residue incorporation in year two, iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata (L.) Janchen) was cropped on the same field without the supply of N fertilizer to assess the effect of cauliflower and clover residues as well as of residual N fertilizer rates on the growth and N uptake of lettuce.
The presence of clover did not affect the marketable yields of the intercropped cauliflower, which were similar to the cauliflower sole-cropped. The N1 and N2 fertilizer rates maximized both growth and N uptake of the intercropped cauliflower, while with the N3, crop development was limited. In the N0 plot, the legume competed for N and depressed growth and N absorption of cauliflower. The sole-cropped cauliflower was, on the contrary, unaffected by the N fertilizer rates. The iceberg lettuce cultivated in succession benefited from the presence of clover in plots N1 and N2. When succeeded to the sole-cropped cauliflower, however, the iceberg lettuce produced less biomass and absorbed less N. Results from this study suggest that the intercropping system cauliflower-clover can be a sustainable tool to optimize N input and reduce N fertilizer requirements for the successive crop.
Objective: Despite modern diagnostic methods and appropriate treatment, pleural empyema remains a serious problem. Our purpose was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the video-assisted ...thoracoscopic surgery in the management of nontuberculous fibrinopurulent pleural empyema after chest tube drainage treatment had failed to achieve the proper results.
Methods: We present a prospective selected single institution series including 45 patients with pleural empyema who underwent an operation between March 1993 and December 1996. Mean preoperative length of conservative management was 37 days (range, 8–82 days). All patients were assessed by chest computed tomography and ultrasonography and underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement of the empyema and postoperative irrigation of the pleural cavity.
Results: In 37 patients (82%), video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement was successful. In 8 cases, decortication by standard thoracotomy was necessary. There were no complications during video-assisted thoracic operations. The mean duration of chest tube drainage was 7.1 days (range, 4–140 days). At follow-up (n = 35) with pulmonary function tests, 86% of the patients treated by video-assisted thoracic operation showed normal values; 14% had a moderate obstruction and restriction without impairment of exercise capacity, and no relapse of empyema was observed.
Conclusions: Video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement represents a suitable treatment for fibrinopurulent empyema when chest tube drainage and fibrinolytics have failed to achieve the proper results. In an early organizing phase, indication for video-assisted thoracic operation should be considered in due time to ensure a definitive therapy with a minimally invasive intervention. For pleural empyema in a later organizing phase, full thoracotomy with decortication remains the treatment of choice. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:234-8)
Der Kartoffelanbau ist für Südtirol von entscheidender Bedeutung und stellt besonders für die Pustertaler Landwirtschaft eine wichtige Einkommensquelle dar. Die Pustertaler Saatbaugenossenschaft ...lagert und verkauft den Großteil der im Land angebauten Saat- und Speisekartoffeln. Die Genossenschaft bietet eine Auswahl von 25 verschiedenen Kartoffelsorten, die sorgfältig geerntet und bis ins Frühjahr optimal gelagert werden. In den letzten Jahren wurde eine vorzeitige Keimung auf gewissen Partien beobachtet, die möglicherweise auf eine überhöhte Stickstoffdüngung im Anbau zurückzuführen sein könnte. Aus diesem Grund wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Versuchszentrum Laimburg ein vierjähriger Versuch (2016-2019) durchgeführt, um den Einfluss von verschiedenen Stickstoff-(N)-Gaben im Anbau auf die Lagerfähigkeit von sechs verschiedenen Kartoffel-Sorten zu untersuchen. Außerdem wurden zwei unterschiedliche Methoden zur frühzeitigen Vorhersage von erhöhten N-gedüngten Kartoffel-Partien geprüft. Obwohl in manchen Jahren bei einigen Sorten die übergedüngten Stickstoff-Varianten von einer höheren Keimungsintensität der Kartoffeln während der Lagerung gekennzeichnet waren, haben unsere Ergebnisse gezeigt, dass die Keimungsintensität nach der Lagerung eher von einer Kombination verschiedener Faktoren, wie Sortenanfälligkeit, Witterung und Düngung in unterschiedlichem Maße beeinflusst wird. Die Auswahl der angebauten Kartoffelsorten, eine maßgeschneiderte Anbaupraxis und die Kenntnisse über deren Lagerfähigkeit ermöglichen die optimale Vermarktung dieser wichtigen Einkommensquelle, ohne großen Einbußen entgegen zu gehen.
Potato cultivation is of paramount importance for South Tyrol and represents especially for the agriculture in Pusteria valley an important source of income. The ‘Pustertaler Saatbau’cooperative stores and sells the majority of seed and regular potatoes grown in the province. The cooperative offers a selection of 25 different potato cultivars, carefully harvested and optimally stored until spring. Recently, premature germination has been observed on certain lots, possibly due to excessive nitrogen fertilisation. Therefore, a four-year trial (2016-2019) was carried out in collaboration with the Laimburg Research Centre to investigate the influence of different nitrogen (N) treatments on the storability of six different potato cultivars. In addition, two different methods for early prediction of excess use of N-fertilisation on potato lots were tested. Although in some years the over-fertilised potato cultivars were characterised by higher germination intensity during storage, our results showed that germination intensity is more likely to be influenced by a combination of factors, such as cultivar susceptibility, seasonality, weather and fertilisation. The potato cultivar selection, tailor-made cultivation practices and knowledge of their storability potential, enable the optimal marketing of this important source of income without facing unpleasant losses.
La coltivazione delle patate è di fondamentale importanza per l'Alto Adige e rappresenta un'importante fonte di reddito soprattutto per la Val Pusteria. La Cooperativa Produttori Sementi immagazzina e vende la maggior parte delle patate da semina e da tavola coltivate nella provincia. La cooperativa offre una selezione di 25 diverse cultivar di patate che vengono raccolte con cura e conservate in modo ottimale fino alla primavera successiva. Negli ultimi anni, in alcuni lotti è stata osservata una germinazione prematura, presumibilmente causata da una eccessiva concimazione azotata durante la coltivazione. Per questa ragione, in collaborazione con il Centro di Sperimentazione Laimburg, è stata condotta una sperimentazione quadriennale (2016-2019) per studiare l'influenza di diverse applicazioni di azoto (N), durante la coltivazione, sulla conservabilità di sei diverse cultivar di patate. Inoltre, sono stati testati due diversi metodi per il riconoscimento precoce di lotti sovraconcimati. Sebbene in alcuni anni le cultivar sovraconcimate con azoto siano state caratterizzate da una maggiore intensità di germinazione durante la conservazione, i nostri risultati hanno dimostrato che l'intensità di germinazione dopo conservazione è maggiormente influenzata da una combinazione di fattori, come la suscettibilità varietale, la stagionalità, il clima e la concimazione. La selezione delle cultivar di patate, le “buone” pratiche agricole e la conoscenza del loro potenziale di conservabilità, consentono di commercializzare in modo ottimale questa importante fonte di reddito senza incorrere in spiacevoli perdite.
Potato cultivation is of paramount importance for South Tyrol and represents especially for the agriculture in Pusteria valley an important source of income. The ‘Pustertaler Saatbau’cooperative ...stores and sells the majority of seed and regular potatoes grown in the province. The cooperative offers a selection of 25 different potato cultivars, carefully harvested and optimally stored until spring. Recently, premature germination has been observed on certain lots, possibly due to excessive nitrogen fertilisation. Therefore, a four-year trial (2016-2019) was carried out in collaboration with the Laimburg Research Centre to investigate the influence of different nitrogen (N) treatments on the storability of six different potato cultivars. In addition, two different methods for early prediction of excess use of N-fertilisation on potato lots were tested. Although in some years the over-fertilised potato cultivars were characterised by higher germination intensity during storage, our results showed that germination intensity is more likely to be influenced by a combination of factors, such as cultivar susceptibility, seasonality, weather and fertilisation. The potato cultivar selection, tailor-made cultivation practices and knowledge of their storability potential, enable the optimal marketing of this important source of income without facing unpleasant losses.
Up to 75% of nitrogen (N) taken up during cauliflowers production is allocated to leaves, which are left as crop residues after harvest. The inclusion of cauliflower, cultivated alone or intercropped ...with legumes, in rotation schemes, is a promising tool to optimize N availability to subsequent crops. This original study assessed, for the first time in South Tyrol, Italy, the effect of removal or soil incorporation of cauliflower and clover residues on the growth and N uptake of subsequent lettuce. In 2015, cauliflower was sole-cropped or intercropped with clover, under different N regimes (N0, N1, N2, N3 = 0, 75, 150, 300 kg N ha
−1
). Cauliflower and clover residues were either removed or incorporated in the soil in 2016. The effects of the residual fertility left by the N fertilizer, the two cropping systems, and the crop residues were assessed on the yield and N uptake of two subsequent lettuce crops. Isotopic
15
N-labeled cauliflower residues were additionally used to quantify the N contribution of cauliflower residues to lettuce growth. During the first lettuce crop, residues incorporation was the only factor increasing lettuce yields (+41%) and N uptake (+58%). The residual effect of N1 and N2 rates increased the lettuce N uptake when clover residues were incorporated. During the second lettuce crop, residues incorporation increased lettuce yields (+26%) and N uptake (+44%). On average, 64% and 35% of the lettuce N amounts, in the first and second cycles, respectively, derived from cauliflower residues, and accounted for 38% of the total N contained in cauliflower residues (214 kg N ha
−1
). Results from this experiment, uncommon for the examined species, demonstrate that incorporation of cauliflower and clover residues provides an excellent source of N for lettuce. Incorporating residues of the preceding cauliflower crop, alone or intercropped with clover, before establishing the lettuce crop, substantially reduce the N fertilization needs of subsequent lettuce crops.
To constrain the effect of composition and temperature on the elasticity of glasses and super‐cooled liquids, acoustic velocities of samples in the pseudoternary system anorthite‐diopside‐forsterite ...(An‐Di‐Fo) were measured by Brillouin spectroscopy. Both the longitudinal and shear wave velocities were measured in the glassy state and into the region of super‐cooled liquids. The glass transformation temperatures (Tg) inferred from the Brillouin measurements are equal to those obtained by earlier viscosity and thermal expansion measurements on the same samples, within the limits of experimental uncertainties. The variation of the elastic properties with temperature is approximately linear, both for the glassy state (below Tg) and in the super‐cooled liquid state (above Tg). The temperature derivative of vibrational contributions to Young's (E), bulk (KS), and shear (G) modulus is approximately 6–12 times greater for super‐cooled liquids than for glasses. In the glassy state the elastic moduli and their temperature derivatives are described by ideal mixing of molar properties of oxides. The pronounced variations with composition in the elastic and anelastic properties above the glass transformation can be related to changes in configurational contributions. The configurational contribution for chemically complex glasses (mixtures of the An‐Di‐Fo end‐members) does not affect the overall compressibility at lower temperatures, whereas at higher temperatures they dominate the temperature derivatives of the moduli. In the super‐cooled liquid state the temperature dependence of the vibrational elastic moduli for simple end‐member compositions (An, Di) is much higher than for complex compositions. On the other hand, the configurational contribution to compressibility is higher for complex compositions than extrapolated from end‐member compositions. Therefore the density and elastic properties of complex melts in the basaltic anorthite‐diopside‐forsterite‐system cannot be easily approximated from the behavior of pure anorthite or diopside samples. Our results indicate that with increasing temperature, configurations with a higher bond strength were preferentially occupied. Isothermal relaxation times, varying between ≈0.01 and ≈1 s at 950°C, show a minimum for intermediate anorthite‐diopside‐compositions and are related to the maximum in configurational entropy.
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