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This work is aimed at the experimental characterisation of air quality and thermal profile within an electric vehicle cabin, measuring at the same time the HVAC system energy consumption. Pollutant concentrations in the vehicle cabin are measured by means of a low-cost system of sensors. The effects of the HVAC system configuration, such as fresh-air and recirculation mode, on cabin air quality, are discussed. It is shown that the PM concentrations observed in recirculation mode are lower than those in fresh-air mode, while VOC concentrations are generally higher in recirculation than in fresh-air mode. The energy consumption is compared in different configurations of the HVAC system. The novelty of this work is the combined measurement of important comfort parameters such as air temperature distribution and air quality within the vehicle, together with the real time energy consumption of the HVAC system. A wider concept of comfort is enabled, based on the use of low-cost sensors in the automotive field.

Malta, a country renowned for its honey, has not been extensively mentioned in studies based on honey. In addition to many parameters, the collection period affects honey quality, precisely due to the different floral composition that exists during a certain season. Therefore, the significance of this study refers to the provision of data on honey from Malta collected during the autumn, spring, and summer seasons. Melissopalynological analysis, determination of physicochemical parameters, and the use of analytical chromatographic methods enabled detailed analysis of this honey. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided the differentiation of Maltese honey depending on the harvest season. Lotus pollen, followed by Eucalyptus, predominated in all honey samples. Characteristic compounds for summer honey were pinocembrin, galangin, kaempferol, chrysin, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid and maltotriose, while quercetin 3-O-galactoside, ferulic acid, ellagic acid, protocatechuic acid, luteolin 7-O-glucoside and melibiose were specific for autumn honey. A higher amount of p-coumaric acid, genistein, catechin, as well as the content of many sugars were found in spring samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first scientific work dealing with a detailed chemical analysis of Maltese honey

A review of: Fritjof Capra and Ugo Mattei, The Ecology of Law: Toward a Legal System in Tune with Nature and Community, Oakland, CA, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2015, ISBN: 978-162-656206-6, 216 [...]

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The rising interest in medicinal plants has brought several species of the genus Echinacea to the attention of many scientists. Echinacea angustifolia, E. pallida, and E. purpurea are the most important for their immunological properties, well known and widely used by the native Americans. The three species are easily distinguishable on the basis of their morphological characteristics, but it would be difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish them in commercial preparations of ground, dry plant parts of E. purpurea (the most valuable species for chemotherapeutic properties) mixed with the other two species. Species-specific molecular markers could be useful to address this issue. In the present work, using fresh material collected from cultivated Echinacea spp., AFLP analysis was used to discriminate the three species and to detect species-specific DNA fragments. By using 14 primer combinations it was possible to detect a total of 994 fragments, of which 565 were polymorphic. Overall, 89 fragments were unique to E. purpurea, 32 to E. angustifolia, and 26 to E. pallida. E+CAC/M+AAT or E+CAC/M+AGC alone provided 13, 9, and 4 or 7, 5, and 5 specific fragments for E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, respectively. A validation trial to confirm the results was carried out on bulked samples of 23 accessions covering most of the genetic diversity of the three species. The results are discussed in terms of practical applications in the field of popular medicine, detecting frauds, and implications for the genus Echinacea. Key words: Echinacea pallida, E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, AFLP, species identification, commercial frauds. L'interet croissant pour les plantes medicinales a attire l'attention de plusieurs chercheurs sur le genre Echinacea. Les especes E. angustifolia, E. pallida et E. purpurea sont les plus importantes pour leurs proprietes immunologiques, bien connues et largement utilisees par les amerindiens. Les trois especes sont faciles a distinguer sur la base de leurs caracteristiques morphologiques, mais il serait difficile, voire impossible, de les distinguer au sein de preparations commerciales composees de parties seches broyees de FE. purpurea (la plus prisee des especes pour ses proprietes chimiotherapeutiques), melees avec celles provenant des deux autres especes. Des marqueurs moleculaires permettant de distinguer les especes seraient utiles dans ce cas. Dans le present travail, a partir de materiel frais d'echinacees cultivees, des marqueurs AFLP ont ete employes pour differencier les trois especes et pour detecter des amplicons specifiques des chacune. A l'aide de 14 combinaisons d'amorces, 994 amplicons ont ete detectes au total, dont 565 etaient polymorphes. Globalement, 89 amplicons etaient uniques a FE. purpurea, 32 a PE. angustifolia et 26 a FE. pallida. Les combinaisons E+CAC/M+AAT et E+CAC/M+AGC ont permis, a elles seules, de fournir respectivement 13, 9 et 4 ou 7, 5 et 5 marqueurs specifiques des especes E. purpurea, E. angustifolia et E. pallida. Un travail de validation pour confirmer ces resultats a ete mene sur des echantillons melanges de 23 accessions couvrant l'essentiel de la diversite genetique au sein de ces trois especes. Les resultats sont discutes en fonction des applications pratiques dans le domaine des medecines douces, de la detection des fraudes et des implications pour le genre Echinacea. Mots-cles : Echinacea pallida, E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, AFLP, identification des especes, fraudes commerciales., [Traduit par la Redaction] Introduction The genus Echinacea Moench (Compositae) is native to the prairies of North America, from which it spreads from southern Canada to Texas and Georgia, but [...]

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a species native to the Mediterranean basin and one of the most widely distributed perennial forage legumes. It is found in cultivated fields as well as in natural pastures of the Mediterranean and temperate regions of Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, South and North America, Australia, and New Zealand. It is a potential species for marginal, salty, and degraded areas. The genetic variation present in 11 populations of L. corniculatus collected in natural pastures in Italy was assessed by using four amplified fragment length polymorphisms and five simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, which were previously identified in L. japonicum. The amount of within-population variation was high, but the among-populations variation was higher, allowing discrimination among accessions. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms and SSRs markers provided an almost equal measure of the variation, although the latter provided a better characterization in terms of F-statistic [F.sub.ST] and [rho] (estimate of population differentiation in autotetraploids) and indicated that the selfing rate in the species was higher than expected. The matrices of SSR genetic distances and the geographic distances of the collection sites were highly correlated. The information on the genetic structure of the populations is briefly discussed in terms of breeding perspectives.

Crossover genotype x location (GL) interaction may be exploited by site-specific breeding and cultivar recommendations for distinct subregions. Turf quality and density of 110 elite cultivars belonging to four species [perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and red fescue (Festuca rubra L. subsp, rubra, litoralis, and commutata)] were assessed at five locations scattered across the Italian peninsula and its main islands. The 110 cultivars were evaluated for (i) assessing the extent of GL interaction and its implications on cultivar selection and recommendation; (ii) comparing additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) vs. joint regression modeling of GL effects; (iii) verifying the consistency between species of site similarity for GL effects; and (iv) defining test locations for the Italian national evaluation program and for local breeding programs. The trials were arranged in a Group Block Design with three replicates, grouping cultivars within species. Genotype x location interaction occurred for all traits (P < 0.05) except turf density in tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. The selected, one-dimensional AMMI model always outperformed the joint regression model for predictive accuracy as estimated by the mean square value of the relevant GL interaction parameter. Wide crossover GL interaction was observed for turf quality among top-ranking cultivars of red rescue and Kentucky bluegrass, justifying site-specific recommendations. Variation of top-ranking cultivars across sites also occurred for turf density in red fescue and perennial ryegrass. Site similarity for GL effects was largely inconsistent across species. However, specific adaptation either to cooler, wetter sites or warmer, drier sites emerged for cultivars of red fescue, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue. Site-specific breeding may be valuable especially for red fescue, exploiting the trend toward specific adaptation of its subspecies., TURFGRASS SEED TRADE is a consolidated sector of modern agriculture because of the importance of turfgrass germplasm to establish recreational and sport field areas on the one hand and grassy [...]