Decision Support Systems for Weed Management

Editors: Guillermo R. Chantre, José L. González-Andújar.Weed management Decision Support Systems (DSS) are increasingly important computer-based tools for modern agriculture. Nowadays, extensive agriculture has become highly dependent on external inputs and both economic costs, as well the negative environmental impact of agricultural activities, demands knowledge-based technology for the optimization and protection of non-renewable resources. In this context, weed management strategies should aim to maximize economic profit by preserving and enhancing agricultural systems. Although previous contributions focusing on weed biology and weed management provide valuable insight on many aspects of weed species ecology and practical guides for weed control, no attempts have been made to highlight the forthcoming importance of DSS in weed management. This book is a first attempt to integrate 'concepts and practice' providing a novel guide to the state-of-art of DSS and the future prospects which hopefully would be of interest to higher-level students, academics and professionals in related areas

Suppression of Lolium multiflorum Lam. with Vicia villosa Roth combined with residual herbicides

Lolium multiflorum Lam. (raigrás anual) es una especie de maleza problemática, especialmente en los sistemas de labranza cero en el sur de Buenos Aires (Argentina). El aumento de los casos de resistencia a los herbicidas ha exacerbado el problema, requiriendo opciones de control alternativas basadas en un enfoque de manejo integrado de malezas (MIM). Los experimentos a campo se llevaron a cabo en el área sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires durante 2017-2019 con el fin de evaluar tanto el efecto supresor de Vicia villosa (vicia villosa) sobre raigrás cuando se combinan con herbicidas residuales y la tolerancia de la vicia villosa a tales herbicidas. La densidad de plantas y la biomasa al final del raigrás anual se redujeron del 2 al 98% en respuesta al cultivo de vicia villosa combinado con los tratamientos con herbicidas. Entre las mejores opciones químicas, se debe mencionar a pyroxasulfone, acetochlor y S-metolachlor, alcanzando valores de control de biomasa de raigrás del 97, 81 y 76%, respectivamente. La vicia villosa se vio parcialmente afectada por los herbicidas con una reducción del stand de implantación de ≤ 48%. No se observó ningún efecto significativo sobre la biomasa en el momento de terminación del cultivo, excepto con diflufenican y trifluralina. La inclusión de vicia villosa como cultivo de cobertura combinado con herbicidas residuales podría ser una práctica de MIM para la supresión de poblaciones de raigrás anual resistentes a los inhibidores de ACCase, ALS y EPSPS

A tissue-engineered scale model of the heart ventricle

Laboratory studies of the heart use cell and tissue cultures to dissect heart function yet rely on animal models to measure pressure and volume dynamics. Here, we report tissue-engineered scale models of the human left ventricle, made of nanofibrous scaffolds that promote native-like anisotropic myocardial tissue genesis and chamber-level contractile function. Incorporating neonatal rat ventricular myocytes or cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, the tissue-engineered ventricles have a diastolic chamber volume of ~500 μl (comparable to that of the native rat ventricle and approximately 1/250 the size of the human ventricle), and ejection fractions and contractile work 50–250 times smaller and 104–108 times smaller than the corresponding values for rodent and human ventricles, respectively. We also measured tissue coverage and alignment, calcium-transient propagation and pressure–volume loops in the presence or absence of test compounds. Moreover, we describe an instrumented bioreactor with ventricular-assist capabilities, and provide a proof-of-concept disease model of structural arrhythmia. The model ventricles can be evaluated with the same assays used in animal models and in clinical settings

The Heavenly Sanctuary/Temple Motif in the Hebrew Bible : Function and Relationship to the Earthly Counterparts

The present dissertation investigates the function of the heavenly sanctuary/temple and its relationship to the earthly counterparts, as reflected in forty-three passages of Hebrew Bible. Following an introductory chapter, the second chapter of this dissertation is devoted to a survey of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif in the ANE literature, as represented by Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ugaritic, and Egyptian texts. The investigation of these texts reveals that the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif was part of the worldview of the ANE, where the heavenly sanctuary was not only assumed as existing in heaven, but also as functioning in close relationship to the earthly counterparts. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are devoted to the exegesis of heavenly sanctuary/temple passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, according to the canonical divisions of the Hebrew Bible (namely Torah, Prophets, and Writings). This investigation reveals the pervasive presence of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif in the Hebrew Bible and provides a broad delineation of its function and relationship to the earthly counterparts. It has been found that the heavenly sanctuary temple functions as a place of divine activities where YHWH supervises the cosmos, performs acts of judgment (sometimes conceived as a two-stage activity in which the execution of the sentence was preceded by an investigative phase), hears the prayers of the needy, and bestows atonement and forgiveness upon the sinners. The perception also emerged of the heavenly sanctuary/temple as a place of worship, a meeting place for the heavenly council, and an object of attack by anti-YHWH forces, thus playing a pivotal role in the cosmic battle between good and evil. In terms of its relationship to the earthly counterparts, it becomes apparent that the heavenly sanctuary/temple was understood to operate in structural and functional correspondence to the earthly counterparts. Moreover, some texts reveal a dynamic interaction between heavenly and earthly sanctuaries/temples, inasmuch as the activities of one could affect the other. Chapter 6 presents a theological synthesis of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif based on the previous chapters. Some consideration is given to the similarities and differences between the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif as found in the Hebrew Bible and in its ANE background. Next, attention is devoted to some theological implications of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif for the notions of judgment, cosmic battle, and covenant. To conclude, the Hebrew Bible conceives of the heavenly sanctuary/temple in functional and structural correspondence with its earthly counterpart with both sanctuaries/temples operating in dynamic interaction