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To assess the spatial and temporal dynamics of carbon (C) at regional scale induced by land use and soil type, we performed a simulation study, based on a bio-physical model (RothC10N) combined with a spatially explicit database including soil, land use and climate. RothC10N was linked to GIS and outputs were interpolated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) to estimate the C stocks and CO 2 emissions in the Mediterranean area of Foggia province in Southern Italy. The typical cropping systems of the area, i.e. arable rainfed (ACR) and irrigated crops (ACI) (cereals in rotation with irrigated tomato), vines (VIN), olives (OLI), and grasslands (GL) were considered. RothC10N simulations showed that OLI and VIN were able to store a considerable amount of C. Conversely, arable crops led to a reduction which was higher when the rotation included the irrigated tomato. The transition from arable to permanent crops (A2P) showed higher SOC stock increases than that from permanent to arable (P2A). The CO 2 -C released to the atmosphere was higher in ACI, P2A, and VIN, and lower in OLI and GL. Overall, in the year 2013 the total soil C stock in agricultural land across the province of Foggia was 19 Tg C, while the total GHG emission was 16.9 Tg CO 2 -C. The proposed methodology has proved to be effective to estimate the C stocks and emissions in the Mediterranean area and can be applied to assess the effect of specific land uses and land use change. Main land management recommendations to prevent soil organic C decline in the study area are: conservation tillage of arable lands, improvement of crop rotations, e.g. from continuous wheat to cropping systems including alfalfa or other legume crops, retention of crop residues into the field, rational use of irrigation for the summer crop, use of cover crops during the winter season to replace fallow periods, and supply of organic fertilizers (compost or manure). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Starting from late May 2012, the Emilia region (Northern Italy) was severely shaken by an intense seismic sequence, originated from a ML 5.9 earthquake on May 20th, at a hypocentral depth of 6.3km, with thrust-type focal mechanism. In the following days, the seismic rate remained high, counting 50 ML ≥2.0 earthquakes a day, on average. Seismicity spreads along a 30km east–west elongated area, in the Po river alluvial plain, in the nearby of the cities Ferrara and Modena. Nine days after the first shock, another destructive thrust-type earthquake (ML 5.8) hit the area to the west, causing further damage and fatalities. Aftershocks following this second destructive event extended along the same east-westerly trend for further 20km to the west, thus illuminating an area of about 50km in length, on the whole. After the first shock struck, on May 20th, a dense network of temporary seismic stations, in addition to the permanent ones, was deployed in the meizoseismal area, leading to a sensible improvement of the earthquake monitoring capability there. A combined dataset, including three-component seismic waveforms recorded by both permanent and temporary stations, has been analyzed in order to obtain an appropriate 1-D velocity model for earthquake location in the study area. Here we describe the main seismological characteristics of this seismic sequence and, relying on refined earthquakes location, we make inferences on the geometry of the thrust system responsible for the two strongest shocks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Two different geostatistical methods, OK and RK, allowed to map soil characters. [•] Maps are used for agricultural and environmental assessment and for regional planning. [•] Maps estimated both by OK and RK showed similar accuracy for all the variables. [•] Spatializing soil variables provide decision makers with a useful reference tool. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Within the program of holographic renormalization, we discuss the computation of three-point correlation functions along RG flows. We illustrate the procedure in two simple cases. In an RG flow to the Coulomb branch of N=4 SYM theory we derive a compact and finite expression for the three-point function of lowest CPOs dual to inert scalars. In the GPPZ flow, that captures some features of N=1 SYM theory, we identify two new logarithmically divergent counterterms and compute the three-point function with insertion of two inert scalars and one active scalar that mixes with the stress tensor. By amputating the external legs at the mass poles we extract the finite and scheme independent trilinear couplings of the corresponding superglueballs. Finally we outline the procedure for computing three-point functions with insertions of the stress tensor as well as of (broken) R-symmetry currents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Graphical abstract Highlights • NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) was successfully water-based synthesized. • The nano-sized NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) particles possess rod-like shape and narrow size distribution. • The NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) matrix displays enhanced elimination of methyl blue in aqueous solution. Abstract Nano-sized NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) particles were conveniently synthesized in aqueous solution at ambient temperature with a widely applicable mixing method, and the morphology and character were examined with a series of techniques. XRD patterns and TEM images showed that the obtained NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) material possessed rod-like shape, which is different from those obtained from N, N-dimethyl formamide (DMF). This nano-sized NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) matrix displayed enhanced efficiency for adsorptive elimination of methyl blue molecules in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of systematic compost addition or cover cropping throughout the agricultural land of the Foggia province (Southern Italy) on the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and the CO 2 -C emissions were predicted over a period of 20 years (1994–2013). Therefore, the bio-physical model RothC10N was used in combination with spatially explicit input data including soil types, soil textures, land use and climate. Actual crop successions and crop types on a grid with a resolution of 30-arc sec (1 km at the equator) were included in the input data. Compost application and cover cropping were not adopted as a general input to all soils and land use classes, but according to applicability in the particular cropping systems, therefore representing a realistic input scenario under given soil use practices in the area. The results of the modelling process were spatialized with regression kriging, using soil maps, land use maps and satellite images as co-variates. While the control scenario led to a SOC depletion of 0.81 Tg and a total CO 2 -C emission of 21.1 Tg over 20 years in the Foggia province, systematic compost addition could reduce the loss of SOC to 0.56 Tg C while slightly increasing CO 2 -C emissions to 21.6 of Tg C. Cover cropping led to an overall SOC accumulation of 0.61 Tg and cumulated CO 2 -C emissions of 24.6 of Tg. Cover cropping therefore represents the most promising tool for carbon sequestration in the Foggia province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the Apennines thrust-and-fold belt is related to heterogeneous process of subduction and continental delamination that generates extension within the mountain range and compression on the outer front of the Adria lithosphere. While normal faulting earthquakes diffusely occur along the mountain chain, the sparse and poor seismicity in the compressional front does not permit to resolve the ambiguity that still exists about which structure accommodates the few mm/yr of convergence observed by geodetic data. In this study, we illustrate the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence that is the most significant series of moderate-to-large earthquakes developed during the past decades on the compressional front of the Apennines. Accurately located aftershocks, along with P-wave and Vp/Vs tomographic models, clearly reveal the geometry of the thrust system, buried beneath the Quaternary sediments of the Po Valley. The seismic sequence ruptured two distinct adjacent thrust faults, whose different dip, steep or flat, accounts for the development of the arc-like shape of the compressional front. The first shock of May 20 (Mw 6.0) developed on the middle Ferrara thrust that has a southward dip of about 30°. The second shock of May 29 (Mw 5.8) ruptured the Mirandola thrust that we define as a steep dipping (50–60°) pre-existing (Permo-Triassic) basement normal fault inverted during compression. The overall geometry of the fault system is controlled by heterogeneity of the basement inherited from the older extension. We also observe that the rupture directivity during the two main-shocks and the aftershocks concentration correlate with low Poisson ratio volumes, probably indicating that portions of the fault have experienced intense micro-damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Here we performed a SOC distribution model in soil with different occupation. • We performed a comparison of two different SOC mapping technics. • The morphology and soil texture play the major role on SOC distribution. • Our introduction of variables related to SOC improve the interpolation results. • Soil organic carbon sequestration is the best under soil with dense vegetation. Soils of semi-arid climates undergo organic carbon loss, which in turn affects their agricultural potential. Geostatistics is often used as an interpolation tool to thoroughly describe SOC spatial distribution. To focus on soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion, the Tiffech watershed (Northeast of Algeria), an economically important agricultural area, was chosen due to intensive agricultural practices, decline of forests and occurrence of erosion. The present study aimed to predict the spatial variation of SOC in Tiffech watershed using geostatistics and a Geographical Information System (GIS) software, comparing the performance of two geostatistical methods—Ordinary Kriging (OK) and Regression Kriging (RK)—also assessing the role of auxiliary variables in improving the prediction accuracy and highlighting the role of land cover in SOC storage. The SOC content in Tiffech soils was determined on 42 soil samples from the surface layer (0–10 cm) collected all over the study area and the results were used to estimate SOC density in non-sampled locations. The prediction efficiency of the two methods was evaluated by calculating the Mean Error (ME), the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the Root Mean Square Standardized Error (RMSSE). The interpolation results showed that SOC distribution in the study area was correlated to the topography, the clay index, and general landscape features. SOC content increased northwards in the area, ranging from 0.53 to 6.9 kg·m−2 in relation to land use. As expected, maps figured a good conservation status of SOC stocks in areas with dense vegetation; conversely poor SOC contents were estimated where land degradation factors take place. Cross-validation results showed an outperformance in the interpolation accuracy of RK on OK after the introduction of environmental variables, with an RMSE value of 0.02 versus 0.81. This suggests a higher efficiency of RK in predicting SOC content across the Tiffech area in comparison with OK, confirming that introducing some auxiliary data correlated to the target variable in SOC estimation, considerably improved the interpolation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]