Trees and water: smallholder agroforestry on irrigated lands in Northern India

Trees / Populus deltoids / Agroforestry / Afforestation / Reforestation / Models / Water use / Water balance / Evapotranspiration / Precipitation / Remote sensing / Irrigation requirements / India

Fertilización de alfalfa en suelos de la región semiárida Argentina

The objetive of the present study which was carried out in the south of Córdoba is the evaluation of the response of alfalfa production to N, P and S fertilization in simple and mixes applications. The experiment consists in cross-banded applications of N, P and S at rates  of 34.5; 65 and 37.5 Kg respectively, resulting in the folIowing treatments: NPA, NP, N, P, S and Control. Dry matter production was measured in three cuts of 1 m2 portions of the pasture.  There was no statistically significant yield response to fertilization in any treatment. Further analysis showed that rainfall was very deficient in the period, possibly limiting alfalfa growth and yield response to fertilization. A very marked relation between dry matter production and soil moisture content was encountered, indicating that moisture was the limiting growth factor.Director: Ing. Agr. Elke Noellemeyer. Cátedra de Edafología, Manejo, y Conservación y Fertilidad del suelo. Facultad de Agronomía. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa

Urban dwellers’ adaptive capacity as a socio-psychological process: Insights from Lima, Peru

This study examines the adaptive capacity of urban dwellers in the face of a changing climate dealing with water insecurity. It builds on the case of Lima residents’ responses to the extreme events brought by the 2017 El Niño Costero, used here as a temporal analogue. Our novel, process-oriented approach to framing adaptive capacity integrates elements from both environmental behavior and new institutionalism literatures. Based on interviews with Lima residents, policymakers, and stakeholders as well as on a qualitative document analysis of national and city policies we identify and characterize the socio-psychological processes that are critical to understanding why individuals adopt (or not) different adaptive strategies. We show how governance and social institutions (from municipal regulations to gender roles) influenced residents’ perceived vulnerability and how this, in turn, structured their coping actions during the El Niño Costero episode. We further demonstrate that ways in which individuals deploy coping mechanisms structure their future adapting paths through practices that privilege the status quo while deferring risks in time and space. In this context, the interrelation of residents’ cognitive processes with evolving social norms lead to five strategies for dealing with climate change. The discussion reflects on the need to address institutionalized social inequalities that permeate Lima’s daily urban life in order to enhance the adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable, and on the relationship between residents and authorities on the pathway to urban resilience

Micro- and Nanopatterned Silk Substrates for Antifouling Applications

A major problem of current biomedical implants is the bacterial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation, which seriously affects their functioning and can lead to serious post-surgical complications. Intensive efforts have been directed toward the development of novel technologies that can prevent bacterial colonization while requiring minimal antibiotics doses. To this end, biocompatible materials with intrinsic antifouling capabilities are in high demand. Silk fibroin, widely employed in biotechnology, represents an interesting candidate. Here, we employ a soft-lithography approach to realize micro- and nanostructured silk fibroin substrates, with different geometries. We show that patterned silk film substrates support mammal cells (HEK-293) adhesion and proliferation, and at the same time, they intrinsically display remarkable antifouling properties. We employ Escherichia coli as representative Gram-negative bacteria, and we observe an up to 66% decrease in the number of bacteria that adhere to patterned silk surfaces as compared to control, flat silk samples. The mechanism leading to the inhibition of biofilm formation critically depends on the microstructure geometry, involving both a steric and a hydrophobic effect. We also couple silk fibroin patterned films to a biocompatible, optically responsive organic semiconductor, and we verify that the antifouling properties are very well preserved. The technology described here is of interest for the next generation of biomedical implants, involving the use of materials with enhanced antibacterial capability, easy processability, high biocompatibility, and prompt availability for coupling with photoimaging and photodetection techniques

S-acylation of the Wnt receptor Frizzled-5 by zDHHC5 controls its cellular localization and synaptogenic activity in the rodent hippocampus

Proper localization of receptors for synaptic organizing factors is crucial for synapse formation. Wnt proteins promote synapse assembly through Frizzled (Fz) receptors. In hippocampal neurons, the surface and synaptic localization of Fz5 is regulated by neuronal activity, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here, we report that all Fz receptors can be post-translationally modified by S-acylation and that Fz5 is S-acylated on three C-terminal cysteines by zDHHC5. S-acylation is essential for Fz5 localization to the cell surface, axons, and presynaptic sites. Notably, S-acylation-deficient Fz5 is internalized faster, affecting its association with signalosome components at the cell surface. S-acylation-deficient Fz5 also fails to activate canonical and divergent canonical Wnt pathways. Fz5 S-acylation levels are regulated by the pattern of neuronal activity. In vivo studies demonstrate that S-acylation-deficient Fz5 expression fails to induce presynaptic assembly. Our studies show that S-acylation of Frizzled receptors is a mechanism controlling their localization and function

Long-Term Remission Achieved by Ponatinib and Donor Lymphocytes Infusion in a Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patient in Molecular Relapse After Allogenic Stem Cell Transplant and Dasatinib: A Case Report

Currently, the prognosis of Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) patients relapsing after an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) remains poor, with few therapeutic options available. Here we present the case of a 32 years old patient with dasatinib-resistant post-transplant molecular relapse of ALL, who received, as second-line therapy, the combination of ponatinib and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). The therapy was safe and the patient achieved a sustained minimal residual disease negative disease, still ongoing after 22 months, which was accompanied by several changes in the immune populations distribution within the bone marrow (i.e., the increase in the CD8/CD4 lymphocytes ratio). Our report provides evidence of the efficacy of the third generation TKI inhibitor ponatinib in combination with DLI as second line therapy for Ph+ ALL relapsing after an allo-SCT

Banco para emulación de turbinas eólicas

En este trabajo se propone la implementación de un banco de ensayos para sistemas de generación eléctrica (generadores eléctricos, incluyendo sus controles y cargas) de uso en turbinas eólicas. Este banco de ensayos permite emular la dinámica de una turbina conectada al generador. Esto se consigue a través del control de par de una Máquina de Corriente Continua (M CQ en función de un perfil de viento predeterminado. El control de par se realiza a través de la simulación en tiempo real de la característica y de la dinámica de la turbina (incluyendo inercia, rozamiento, etc ). El objetivo de este banco es realizar ensayos de rendimiento y determinar la respuesta dinámica del control de diferentes tipos de generadores.Tema: Energía eólica, geotermia y otras energías no convencionales.Asociación Argentina de Energía Sola

Banco para emulación de turbinas eólicas

En este trabajo se propone la implementación de un banco de ensayos para sistemas de generación eléctrica (generadores eléctricos, incluyendo sus controles y cargas) de uso en turbinas eólicas. Este banco de ensayos permite emular la dinámica de una turbina conectada al generador. Esto se consigue a través del control de par de una Máquina de Corriente Continua (M CQ en función de un perfil de viento predeterminado. El control de par se realiza a través de la simulación en tiempo real de la característica y de la dinámica de la turbina (incluyendo inercia, rozamiento, etc ). El objetivo de este banco es realizar ensayos de rendimiento y determinar la respuesta dinámica del control de diferentes tipos de generadores.Tema: Energía eólica, geotermia y otras energías no convencionales.Asociación Argentina de Energía Sola

Banco para emulación de turbinas eólicas

En este trabajo se propone la implementación de un banco de ensayos para sistemas de generación eléctrica (generadores eléctricos, incluyendo sus controles y cargas) de uso en turbinas eólicas. Este banco de ensayos permite emular la dinámica de una turbina conectada al generador. Esto se consigue a través del control de par de una Máquina de Corriente Continua (M CQ en función de un perfil de viento predeterminado. El control de par se realiza a través de la simulación en tiempo real de la característica y de la dinámica de la turbina (incluyendo inercia, rozamiento, etc ). El objetivo de este banco es realizar ensayos de rendimiento y determinar la respuesta dinámica del control de diferentes tipos de generadores.Tema: Energía eólica, geotermia y otras energías no convencionales.Asociación Argentina de Energía Sola

Exploring the potential for nitrogen fertilizer use mitigation with bundles of management interventions

Mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer use is essential to maintain high-yielding cropping systems that presently provide food for nearly half of humanity. Simultaneously, it causes a range of detrimental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, and contamination of drinking water. There is growing recognition of the need to balance crop production with the impacts of fertilizer use. Here we provide a global assessment of the potential to reduce mineral fertilizer use through four interventions: capping surpluses, enhancing manure cycling to cropland, cultivation of off-season green manures, and cycling of human excreted N to cropland. We find that the combined potential of these interventions is a reduction in global N fertilizer use by 21-52%. The availability of interventions is spatially heterogeneous with most cropland having three to four interventions available with alternative N sources tending to be more abundant on cropland already receiving fertilizer. Our assessment highlights that these locally in part already practiced interventions bear great opportunities to mitigate synthetic N use and dependency globally. Yet, their limited adoption underpins the need for cross-sectoral policies to overcome barriers to their implementation and agronomic research on their robust scaling