Effects of innovative long-term soil and crop management on topsoil properties of a mediterranean soil based on detailed water retention curves

The effectiveness of conservation agriculture (CA) and other soil management strategies implying a reduction of tillage has been shown to be site-dependent (crop, clime and soil), and thus any new soil and crop management should be rigorously evaluated before its implementation. Moreover, farmers are normally reluctant to abandon conventional practices if this means putting their production at risk. This study evaluates an innovative soil and crop management (including no-tillage, cover crops and organic amendments) as an alternative to conventional management for rainfed cereal cropping in a calcareous soil in a semi-arid Mediterranean climatic zone of Navarra (Spain), based on the analysis of soil water retention curves (SWRCs) and soil structure. The study was carried out in a small agricultural area in the municipality of Garínoain (Navarre, Spain) devoted to rainfed cereal cropping. No other agricultural area in the whole region of Navarre exists where soil and crop management as proposed herein is practiced. Climate is temperate Mediterranean, and the dominant soil is Fluventic Haploxerept. Within the study area there is a subarea devoted to the proposed soil and crop management (OPM treatment), while there is another subarea where the soil and crop management is conventional in the zone (CM treatment). OPM includes no-tillage (18 years continuous) after conventional tillage, crop rotation, use of cover crops and occasional application of organic amendments. CM involves continuous conventional tillage (chisel plow), mineral fertilization, no cover crops and a lower diversity of crops in the rotation. Undisturbed soil samples from the topsoil and disturbed samples from the tilled layer were collected for both systems. The undisturbed samples were used to obtain the detailed SWRCs in the low suction range using a HYPROP©device. From the SWRCs, different approaches found in the literature to evaluate soil physical quality were calculated. The pore-size distribution was also estimated from the SWRCs. Disturbed samples were used in the laboratory to assess soil structure by means of an aggregate-size fractionation and to perform complementary analysis from which other indicators related to soil functioning and agricultural sustainability were obtained. The approaches evaluated did not show clear differences between treatments. However, the differences in soil quality between the two forms of management were better observed in the pore size distributions and by the analysis of the size distribution and stability of soil aggregates. There was an overabundance of macropores under CM, while the amount of mesopores (available water) and micropores were similar in both treatments. Likewise, more stable macroaggregates were observed in OPM than in CM, as well as more organic C storage, greater microbial activity, and biomass. The proposed management system is providing good results regarding soil physical quality and contributing also to the enhancement of biodiversity, as well as to the improvement in water-use efficiency. Finally, our findings suggest that the adoption of the proposed practice would not result in a loss in yields compared to conventional management.This study was partially supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Government of Spain) via research project CGL2015-64284-C2-1-R and PID2020-112908RB-I00 funded by 568 MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa”

Biological and synthetic approaches to inhibiting nitrification in non-tilled Mediterranean soils

Background: The increasing demand for food production has led to a tenfold increase in nitrogen (N) fertilizer use since the Green Revolution. Nowadays, agricultural soils have been turned into high-nitrifying environments that increase N pollution. To decrease N losses, synthetic nitrification inhibitors (SNIs) such as 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) have been developed. However, SNIs are not widely adopted by farmers due to their biologically limited stability and soil mobility. On the other hand, allelopathic substances from root exudates from crops such as sorghum are known for their activity as biological nitrification inhibitors (BNIs). These substances are released directly into the rhizosphere. Nevertheless, BNI exudation could be modified or even suppressed if crop development is affected. In this work, we compare the performance of biological (sorghum crop) and synthetic (DMPP) nitrification inhibitors in field conditions. Results: Sorghum crop BNIs and DMPP prevented an increase in the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) without affecting the total bacterial abundance. Both nitrification inhibitors maintained similar soil NH4+ content, but at 30 days post-fertilization (DPF), the sorghum BNIs resulted in higher soil NO3− content than DMPP. Even so, these inhibitors managed to reduce 64% and 96%, respectively, of the NO3−-N/NH4+-N ratio compared to the control treatment. Similar to soil mineral N, there were no differences in leaf δ15N values between the two nitrification inhibitors, yet at 30 DPF, δ15N values from sorghum BNI were more positive than those of DMPP. N2O emissions from DMPP-treated soil were low throughout the experiment. Nevertheless, while sorghum BNIs also maintained low N2O emissions, they were associated with a substantial N2O emission peak at 3 DPF that lasted until 7 DPF. Conclusions: Our results indicate that while sorghum root exudates can reduce nitrification in field soil, even at the same efficiency as DMPP for a certain amount of time, they are not able to prevent the N pollution derived from N fertilization as DMPP does during the entire experiment.This project was funded by the Spanish Government (RTI2018-094623-B-C22 MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Basque Government (IT-932-16). Adrián Bozal-Leorri holds a Grant from the Basque Government (PRE-2020-2-0142). Mario Corrochano-Monsalve holds a Grant from the Ministry of Economy and Business of the Spanish Government (BES-2016-076725)

Evaluation of a crop rotation with biological inhibition potential to avoid N2O emissions in comparison with synthetic nitrification inhibition

Agriculture has increased the release of reactive nitrogen to the environment due to crops' low nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) after the application of nitrogen-fertilisers. Practices like the use of stabilized-fertilisers with nitrification inhibitors such as DMPP (3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate) have been adopted to reduce nitrogen losses. Otherwise, cover crops can be used in crop-rotation-strategies to reduce soil nitrogen pollution and benefit the following culture. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) could be a good candidate as it is drought tolerant and its culture can reduce nitrogen losses derived from nitrification because it exudates biological nitrification inhibitors (BNIs). This work aimed to evaluate the effect of fallow-wheat and sorghum cover crop-wheat rotations on N2O emissions and the grain yield of winter wheat crop. In addition, the suitability of DMPP addition was also analyzed. The use of sorghum as a cover crop might not be a suitable option to mitigate nitrogen losses in the subsequent crop. Although sorghum–wheat rotation was able to reduce 22% the abundance of amoA, it presented an increment of 77% in cumulative N2O emissions compared to fallow–wheat rotation, which was probably related to a greater abundance of heterotrophic-denitrification genes. On the other hand, the application of DMPP avoided the growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and maintained the N2O emissions at the levels of unfertilized-soils in both rotations. As a conclusion, the use of DMPP would be recommendable regardless of the rotation since it maintains NH4+ in the soil for longer and mitigates the impact of the crop residues on nitrogen soil dynamics.This work was supported by the Spanish Government (RTI2018-094623-B-C21 and C22 MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and the Basque Government (IT-932-16). Dr. Adrián Bozal-Leorri held a grant from the Basque Government (PRE-2020-2-0142). Dr. Mario Corrochano-Monsalve held a grant from the Ministry of Economy and Business of the Spanish Government (BES-2016-076725)

[Cognitive impairment and associated factors in older adults in Mexico]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment in the elderly and its relation with sociodemographic and health factors in the Mexican population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the first wave data of the National Aging and Health Study, collected in 2001 in Mexico, subjects 65 years or older and who had completed a cognitive assessment were selected. Subjects were classified according to two groups: with and without cognitive impairment, based on the cutoff point corresponding to the 10th percentile of the total cognitive assessment score, adjusted for age and educational level. All subjects with cognitive impairment that also had difficulty with one of the activities of daily living were classified as a third group: with cognitive impairment and functional dependency. Prevalence rates were calculated, and an association with demographic and health variables was established through regression analysis. RESULTS: Seven percent of the population had cognitive impairment while 3.3% had both conditions. The probability of cognitive impairment was not significantly associated with any demographic or health variables. Cognitive impairment and functional dependency indicated an association with gender, age, marital status, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of cognitive impairment and its relation with chronic disease frequently observed in the Mexican elderly suggest the need to increase early identification of both conditions in the population.

Biological and synthetic approaches to inhibiting nitrification in non‑tilled Mediterranean soils

[EN] Background: The increasing demand for food production has led to a tenfold increase in nitrogen (N) fertilizer use since the Green Revolution. Nowadays, agricultural soils have been turned into high-nitrifying environments that increase N pollution. To decrease N losses, synthetic nitrification inhibitors (SNIs) such as 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) have been developed. However, SNIs are not widely adopted by farmers due to their biologically limited stability and soil mobility. On the other hand, allelopathic substances from root exudates from crops such as sorghum are known for their activity as biological nitrification inhibitors (BNIs). These substances are released directly into the rhizosphere. Nevertheless, BNI exudation could be modified or even suppressed if crop development is affected. In this work, we compare the performance of biological (sorghum crop) and synthetic (DMPP) nitrification inhibitors in field conditions. Results: Sorghum crop BNIs and DMPP prevented an increase in the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) without affecting the total bacterial abundance. Both nitrification inhibitors maintained similar soil NH4+ content, but at 30 days post-fertilization (DPF), the sorghumBNIs resulted in higher soil NO3- content than DMPP. Even so, these inhibitors managed to reduce 64% and 96%, respectively, of the NO3--N/NH4+-N ratio compared to the control treatment. Similar to soil mineral N, there were no differences in leaf delta N-15 values between the two nitrification inhibitors, yet at 30 DPF, delta N-15 values from sorghum BNI were more positive than those of DMPP. N2O emissions from DMPP-treated soil were low throughout the experiment. Nevertheless, while sorghum BNIs also maintained low N2O emissions, they were associated with a substantial N2O emission peak at 3 DPF that lasted until 7 DPF. Conclusions: Our results indicate that while sorghum root exudates can reduce nitrification in field soil, even at the same efficiency as DMPP for a certain amount of time, they are not able to prevent the N pollution derived from N fertilization as DMPP does during the entire experiment. Graphic AbstractThis project was funded by the Spanish Government (RTI2018-094623-B-C22 MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Basque Government (IT-932-16). Adrian Bozal-Leorri holds a Grant from the Basque Government (PRE-2020-2-0142). Mario Corrochano-Monsalve holds a Grant from the Ministry of Economy and Business of the Spanish Government (BES-2016-076725)

Trajectory Clustering for the Classification of Eye-Tracking Users With Motor Disorders

[Abstract] This paper presents a pilot study completed in the framework of the INTERAAC project. The aim of the project is to develop a new human-computer interaction (HCI) solution based on eye-gaze estimation from webcam images for people with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord injury that are otherwise unable to use a keyboard or mouse. In this study, we analyzed cursor trajectories recorded during the experiment and validated that users with different diseases can be automatically classi ed in groups based on trajectory metrics. For the clustering, Ward's method was used. The metrics are based on speed and acceleration statistics from full fi ltered tracks. The results show that the participants can be grouped into two main clusters. The main contribution of this work is the evaluation of the clustering techniques applied to eye-gaze trajecto- ries for the automatic classi cation of users diseases based on a real experiment carried with the help of three clinical partners in Spain.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, under the call Retos-Colaboración 2015 of the the National Programme for Research Aimed at the Challenges of Society 2009-2016 (RTC-2015-4327-1)https://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749808

Trophic position of dolphins tracks recent changes in the pelagic ecosystem of the Macaronesian region (NE Atlantic)

14 pages, 6 figures, 1 table.-- Open accessDolphins play a key role in marine food webs as predators of mid-trophic-level consumers. Because of their mobility and relatively long life span, they can be used as indicators oflarge-scale changes in the ecosystem. In this study, we calculated the trophic position (TP) of 5 dolphin species from the Canary, Madeira and Azores Islands using bulk and compound-specific stable isotope ratios from muscle tissue to assess trophic adaptations to recent changes in the availability of feeding resources. Dolphin TP values were then compared with those of 7 other species of cetaceans from this region. Analysis of stable nitrogen isotopes in amino acids of the common dolphin indicated non-significant effects of changes in the basal resources of the food web and thus supported the use of bulk samples for TP estimations. Dolphins occupied an intermediate TP (mean: 3.91 to 4.20) between fin (3.25) and sperm whales (4.95). Species-specific TP were equivalent among islands. However, TP increased for the common dolphin and decreased for the bottlenose dolphin (the latter also becoming more oceanic) between 2000 and 2018 in the Canary Islands. These results suggest different impacts of recent changes in the oceanography and in the pelagic food web of the Macaronesian region on the trophic ecology of dolphin speciesThis study was supported in part by the projects QLOCKS (PID2020-115620RB-I00), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Spain), MISTIC SEAS 2 (‘Applyinga subregional coherent and coordinated approach to the monitoring and assessment of marine biodiversity in Macaronesia for the second cycle of the MSFD’), funded by the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission (Grant Agreement No. 11.0661/2017/750679/SUB/ENV.C2), MISTIC SEAS 3 (‘Developing a coordinated approach for assessing Descriptor 4 via its linkages with D1 and other relevant descriptors in the Macaronesian subregion’), funded by the Directorate General Environment of the European Commission (Grant Agreement No. 110661/2018/794676/SUB/ENV.C2), RACAM (Rede de Arrojamentos de Cetáceos do Arquipélago da Madeira), implemented by the Madeira Whale Museum and funded by the Machico Municipality and projects MARCET (MAC/1.1b/149) and MARCET II (MAC/2.6c/392), both co-financed by EU Programme INTERREG MAC 2014−2020, and through the Commission (28-5307) for ‘Technical scientific advice for the protection of the marine environment: assessment and monitoring of marine strategies, monitoring of marine protected areas of state competence (2018−2021)’ of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Demographic Challenge (MITECO). Data collection in the Azores was supported by FCT and FRCT through TRACE-PTDC/MAR/74071/2006, MAPCET-M2.1.2/F/012/2011, IF/00943/2013/CP1199/CT0001 (FEDER, COMPETE, QREN, POPH, ESF, Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education, Azores 2020 Operational Programme). M.A.S. was funded by SUMMEREU-H2020 GA 817806. M.A.S. and R.P. were funded by OP AZORES 2020, through the EU Fund 01-0145-FEDER-000140. Okeanos is funded by FCT (UIDB/05634/2020) and by the Regional Government of the Azores (M1.1.A/REEQ.CIENTÍFICO UI&D/2021/010). J.G. was supported by the Spanish National Programme Juan de la Cierva-Formación (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 FJC2019-040016-I). This work acknowledges the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) to the Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC)Peer reviewe

Educar para los nuevos Medios. Claves para el desarrollo de la competencia mediática en el entorno digital

Educar es una de las labores más complejas, intensas y, a la vez, más maravillosas que puede acometer una persona. Ser docente es una tarea ilusionante. En un mundo en el que la información es cada vez más importante por la rapidez con que se produce y consume, la variedad de recursos con que se difunde constituye un reto en el papel de los educadores y educadoras. La educación para la comunicación, a través de los nuevos medios, requiere de habilidades y estrategias específicas e implica prácticas innovadoras. Este texto ofrece claves para desarrollar la competencia mediática necesaria para entender, usar y comunicar en el entorno digital. Desde el concepto de competencia mediática y la escuela prosumidora se muestran experiencias y planteamientos en distintos niveles educativos y contextos curriculares que ofrecen pistas para educar a la ciudadanía. Esta alfabetización aúna la perspectiva de la experiencia de docente receptor y consumidor, atendiendo a la recepción crítica de la información, la selección y administración de la misma, el reconocimiento de valores e ideologías y la gestión emocional, junto a la elaboración y creación de contenidos

Regulatory sites for splicing in human basal ganglia are enriched for disease-relevant information

Genome-wide association studies have generated an increasing number of common genetic variants associated with neurological and psychiatric disease risk. An improved understanding of the genetic control of gene expression in human brain is vital considering this is the likely modus operandum for many causal variants. However, human brain sampling complexities limit the explanatory power of brain-related expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and allele-specific expression (ASE) signals. We address this, using paired genomic and transcriptomic data from putamen and substantia nigra from 117 human brains, interrogating regulation at different RNA processing stages and uncovering novel transcripts. We identify disease-relevant regulatory loci, find that splicing eQTLs are enriched for regulatory information of neuron-specific genes, that ASEs provide cell-specific regulatory information with evidence for cellular specificity, and that incomplete annotation of the brain transcriptome limits interpretation of risk loci for neuropsychiatric disease. This resource of regulatory data is accessible through our web server, http://braineacv2.inf.um.es/