Essential Oil of Cannabis sativa L: Comparison of Yield and Chemical Composition of 11 Hemp Genotypes

Cannabis sativa L. is an annual species cultivated since antiquity for different purposes. While, in the past, hemp inflorescences were considered crop residues, at present, they are regarded as valuable raw materials with different applications, among which extraction of the essential oil (EO) has gained increasing interest in many fields. The aim of the present study is the evaluation of the yield and the chemical composition of the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from eleven hemp genotypes, cultivated in the same location for two consecutive growing seasons. The composition of the EOs was analyzed by GC–MS, and then subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Sesquiterpenes represented the main class of compounds in all the EOs, both in their hydrocarbon and oxygenated forms, with relative abundances ranging from 47.1 to 78.5%; the only exception was the Felina 32 sample collected in 2019, in which cannabinoids predominated. Cannabinoids were the second most abundant class of compounds, of which cannabidiol was the main one, with relative abundances between 11.8 and 51.5%. The statistical distribution of the samples, performed on the complete chemical composition of the EOs, evidenced a partition based on the year of cultivation, rather than on the genotype, with the exception of Uso-31. Regarding the extraction yield, a significant variation was evidenced among both the genotypes and the years of cultivation.     

Initial propagation of support in thin-film flow

We study the behaviour for small time of interfaces connected with supports of strong solutions of one-dimensional thin-film equation with compactly supported initial functions. In some sense, sharp upper estimates of interfaces are obtained for initial functions with arbitrary asymptotic behaviour near the boundary of their supports.     

On the exponential behaviour of stochastic evolution equations for non-Newtonian fluids

We investigate the exponential long-time behaviour of the stochastic evolution equations describing the motion of a non-Newtonian fluids excited by multiplicative noise. Some results on the exponential convergence in mean square and with probability one of the weak probabilistic solution to the stationary solutions are given. We also prove an interesting result related to the stabilization of these stochastic evolution equations.     

Nonlocal higher order evolution equations

In this article, we study the asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the nonlocal operator u _t (x, t) = (?1) ^n?1 (J * Id ? 1) ⁿ (u(x, t)), x ∈ ? ^N , which is the nonlocal analogous to the higher order local evolution equation v _t = (?1) ^n?1(Δ) ⁿ v. We prove that the solutions of the nonlocal problem converge to the solution of the higher order problem with the right-hand side given by powers of the Laplacian when the kernel J is rescaled in an appropriate way. Moreover, we prove that solutions to both equations have the same asymptotic decay rate as t goes to infinity.     

Shape memory behaviour of annealed Ti48.5Ni(51.5− x )Cu x (x = 6.2–33.5) thin films

The shape memory behaviour of (Ni,Cu)-rich Ti–Ni–Cu thin films (Ti_48.9Ni_44.9Cu_6.2, Ti_48.5Ni₄₀Cu_11.5, Ti_48.6Ni_35.9Cu_15.5, Ti_48.3Ni_28.4Cu_23.3, Ti_48.3Ni_23.9Cu_27.8 and Ti_48.5Ni₁₈Cu_33.5) annealed at 773, 873 and 973 K for 1 h was investigated. The films with 6.2, 11.5–15.5 and 23.3–33.5 at% Cu showed a single-stage deformation due to a B2 ? B19′ transformation, a two-stage deformation due to the B2 ? B19 ? B19′ transformation and a single-stage deformation due to the B2 ? B19′ transformation, respectively. The martensitic transformation start temperature (M _s) increased with increasing Cu content and then levelled off for more than 15 at% Cu, indicating a high Ms temperature of 345 K. Temperature hystereses were almost 15 K for all films with more than 10 at% Cu. The critical stress for slip increased with increasing Cu content and increased significantly for the Ti_48.5Ni₁₈Cu_33.5 film, whereas the maximum recoverable strain significantly decreased for the Ti_48.5Ni₁₈Cu_33.5 film. With decreasing annealing temperature, the critical stress for slip increased, but the M _s temperature decreased. It was found that films with 11.5 at% Cu or more, annealed at 873 K, showed a high martensitic transformation temperature and a high critical stress for slip.     

Critical behavior and magnetic relaxation dynamics of Nd0.4Sr0.6MnO3 nanoparticles

Detailed DC and AC magnetic properties of chemically synthesized Nd_0.4Sr_0.6MnO₃ with different particle size (down to 27?nm) have been studied in details. We have found ferromagnetic state in the nanoparticles, whereas the bulk Nd_0.4Sr_0.6MnO₃ is known to be an A-type antiferromagnet. A Griffiths-like phase has also been identified in the nanoparticles. Further, critical behaviour of the nanoparticles has been studied around the second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition region (|(T?T _C)/T _C|???0.04) in terms of modified Arrott plot, Kouvel–Fisher plot and critical isotherm analysis. The estimated critical exponents (β, γ, δ) are quite different from those predicted according to three-dimensional mean-field, Heisenberg and Ising models. This signifies a quite unusual nature of the size-induced ferromagnetic state in Nd_0.4Sr_0.6MnO₃. The nanoparticles are found to be interacting and do not behave like ideal superparamagnet. Interestingly, we find spin glass like slow relaxation of magnetization, aging and memory effect in the nanometric samples. These phenomena have been attributed to very broad distribution of relaxation time as well as to inter-particle interaction. Experimentally, we have found out that the dynamics of the nanoparticle systems can be best described by hierarchical model of spin glasses.     

Broad-band dielectric spectroscopy of tetragonal PLZT x /40/60

The dielectric behaviour of tetragonal PLZT x/40/60 ceramics doped with lanthanum (x?=?5,?12 and 15%) has been investigated at 100–10¹⁴?Hz. Dielectric, THz and infrared spectra were measured from 500 to 20?K. For x?≥?12 relaxor ferroelectric behaviour was observed. All three samples showed an additional relaxational mode below phonons. Analysis of the phonon modes for ferroelectric PLZT 5/40/60 is presented together with the complete dielectric behaviour.     

Optical study of the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition in chromium oxide Cr2O3

Abstract

Optical effects of the first and second order with respect to the order parameter (1 is antiferromagnetic vector) have been studied in Cr₂O₃ around its phase transition at T_N = 306 K from the antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic state. The magnetic linear birefringence is characterized by a rather large magnitude Δn _sp ? 10^?3 and by a large contribution of fluctuations of the order parameter to the birefringence. The study of the nonreciprocal optical rotation induced by an electric field has shown that the phase transition has a well defined first-order character. This result is also supported by the observation of a nonlinear (quadratic in the electric field) nonreciprocal rotation in a narrow temperature region ΔT = 0.15 K around T_N . The temperature variation of the order parameter l(T) below T_N is well described by a power low l where τ^β = (T_N - T)/T_N and β = 0.355. We also observed a very reproducible effect of the rotation of the optical indicatrix in opposite directions for two types of antiferromagnetic domains. The possible explanation of this effect could be related to the so-called gyrotropic birefringence, an effect related to k_il_i terms in the dielectric permeability.     

DEA-based predictors for estimating fleet size changes when modelling the introduction of rights-based management

The introduction of individual transferable quotas (ITQs) into a fishery is going to change not only the amount of catch a fleet can take, but often also changes the fleet structure, particularly if total allowable catches are decreased. This can have an impact on the economic, social and environmental outcomes of fisheries management. Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) modelling approaches are recognised as the most appropriate method for assessing impacts of management, but these require information as to how fleets may change under different management systems. In this study, we test the applicability of data envelopment analysis (DEA) based performance measures as predictors of how a fishing fleet might change under the introduction of ITQs and also at different levels of quota. In particular, we test the assumption that technical efficiency and capacity utilisation are suitable predictors of which boats are likely to exit the fishery. We also consider scale efficiency as an alternative predictor. We apply the analysis to the Torres Strait tropical rock lobster fishery that is transitioning to an ITQ-based management system for one sector of the fishery. The results indicate that capacity utilisation, technical efficiency and scale efficiency are reasonable indicators of who may remain in the fishery post ITQs. We find that the use of these measures to estimate the impacts of lower quota levels provides consistent fleet size estimates at the aggregate level, but which individual vessels are predicted to exit is dependent on the measure used.