Plant Traits and Phylogeny Predict Soil Carbon and Nutrient Cycling in Mediterranean Mixed Forests

Soil functioning is closely linked to the interactions between biological communities with the physical environment. Yet, the impact of plant community attributes on metabolic processes promoting soil nutrient cycling remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that the plant community acts as a regulating agent of nutrient mobilization in soils according to the phylogenetic and morpho-functional traits of plant species of which it is composed. Rhizosphere soils were collected in autumn and spring under 32 tree and shrub species in two Mediterranean mixed forests (four plots in each) located in southern Spain, and nine soil enzymatic activities related to C, N and P mobilization were assessed. Phylogeny and morpho-functional traits of plant species were recorded and their imprint in soil enzymatic activities across forests was determined. The results showed a plant phylogenetic signal for N mobilization in both forests, while it varied across forests for non-labile C and P mobilization. The plant phylogenetic signals were primarily driven by lineages that diversified through the Miocene, about 25 Myr ago. In addition, leaf traits and plant’s mycorrhizal type explained soil enzymatic activities independently from phylogeny. C and P mobilization increased under ectomycorrhizal plants, whilst enhanced N mobilization did occur under arbuscular mycorrhizal ones. The plant community composition led to a different carbon and nutrient mobilization degree, which in turn was mediated by distinct microbial communities mirroring differentiated resource-acquisition strategies of plants. Our results highlight the role of plant traits and mycorrhizal interactions in modulating carbon and nutrient cycling in Mediterranean mixed forest soils.CRUE-CSIC Springer Natur

Impact response of advance combat helmet pad systems

Combat helmets are designed to protect against ballistic threats and fragments of explosive devices. There are numerous types of helmet comfort foams available. However, pad systems have not been evaluated in combat helmets to understand to what extent they mitigate head accelerations. In this work, different pad systems are studied to analyze the ballistic performance of combat helmets using a Hybrid III dummy equipped with longitudinal accelerometers at the head and a neck simulator. The tests are conducted with 9 mm Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) projectiles according to the performance requirements III-A of the NIJ 0106.01 standard. This experimental methodology allows the evaluation of brain and neck injuries. The thicker bicomponent polyurethane foams and the honeycomb configuration provided the best results in terms of mitigating brain damage due to accelerations applying different criteria (PLA, WSTC, HIC). However, it was concluded that there is no cervical injury or cranial fracture risk for any of the cases studied.The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain and the FEDER program under Projects DPI2017-88166-R and PID2020-118946RB-I00 for the financial support of the work. M. Rodriguez-Millan acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Universities, the National Program for the Promotion of Talent, and its Employability in Research and Development and Innovation (R&D&I), National Mobility Subprogram of the National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021–2023, for the professor’s mobility program (PRX21/00329). It has to thank the funding for APC: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Read and Publish Agreement CRUECSIC 2023).Publicad

Experimental and numerical analyses of ballistic resistance evaluation of combat helmet using Hybrid III headform

Combat helmets are the primary system for protecting the head against ballistic impacts. Generally, combat helmets have been evaluated using a ballistic plasticine head surrogate based on international standards. More realistic human head models have recently been introduced to assess combat helmet performance considering biomechanical requirements. In this work, the Hybrid III dummy head and neck has been introduced to evaluate the performance of the combat helmet against the ballistic impact of live ammunition at different impact locations, considering two different thicknesses of the padding system. A numerical model including a helmet and a Hybrid III head and neck, is developed and validated with our experimental data. The results reveal the influence of the location, where the rear impact leads to the highest risk of brain damage. The effect of pad thickness is closely related to the energy absorbed by the helmet, the backface deformation (BFD), the contact force and the acceleration measured on the head.The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain and FEDER program under Project RTC-2015-3887-8 and Project DPI2017-88166-R for the financial support of the work. M Rodriguez-Millan acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Universities, National Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability in R&D&I, National Mobility Subprogram of the National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021-2023, for the professor's mobility program (PRX21/00329)

PREDICCIÓN DE LAS NECESIDADES HÍDRICAS CON UNA SEMANA DE ANTELACIÓN MEDIANTE TELEDETECCIÓN Y METEOROLOGÍA EN LA FINCA EXPERIMENTAL DEL CENTER PARA CULTIVOS DE MAÍZ

[ES] Determinar las necesidades hídricas que los cultivos demandarán a corto plazo juega un papel fundamental en la gestión de explotaciones agrícolas de regadío. De su precisión depende la obtención de mejores rendimientos productivos, económicos y medioambientales. La experiencia llevada a cabo en la finca experimental de la DGDRPF – CENTER del MAGRAMA, obtuvo la predicción de las necesidades hídricas con una semana de antelación durante todo el periodo de monitorización. Basados en la ecuación del coeficiente de cultivo único (Kc), de la metodología FAO56, se predijo la evapotranspiración del cultivo (ETc) en parcelas de maíz en regadío. Para ello, se emplearon técnicas meteorológicas que predijeron la evapotranspiración de referencia (ETo), y técnicas de teledetección basadas en secuencias temporales de índices de vegetación (IV) mediante las cuales se predijo el Kc. Los resultados obtenidos produjeron una ligera sobre estimación de la ETc a final de campaña (8%). Paralelamente, los riegos aplicados fueron validados externamente mediante el empleo de sondas de humedad. En resumen, la experiencia proporcionó resultados adecuados con un bajo número de recursos. Así, la programación del riego se realizó mediante la combinación de técnicas de teledetección y meteorológicas.Garrido-Rubio, J.; González Gómez, L.; Arellano Alcazar, I.; Madurga Del Cura, C.; Navarro Comalrena De Sobregrau, M.; López Tapia, J.; Calera Belmonte, A. (2015). PREDICCIÓN DE LAS NECESIDADES HÍDRICAS CON UNA SEMANA DE ANTELACIÓN MEDIANTE TELEDETECCIÓN Y METEOROLOGÍA EN LA FINCA EXPERIMENTAL DEL CENTER PARA CULTIVOS DE MAÍZ. En XXXIII CONGRESO NACIONAL DE RIEGOS. Valencia 16-18 junio de 2015. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/CNRiegos.2015.1496OC

What is the duration of untreated psychosis worldwide? - A meta-analysis of pooled mean and median time and regional trends and other correlates across 369 studies.

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has been associated with poor mental health outcomes. We aimed to meta-analytically estimate the mean and median DUP worldwide, evaluating also the influence of several moderating factors. This PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant meta-analysis searched for non-overlapping individual studies from inception until 9/12/2022, reporting mean ± s.d. or median DUP in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), without language restrictions. We conducted random-effect meta-analyses, stratified analyses, heterogeneity analyses, meta-regression analyses, and quality assessment (PROSPERO:CRD42020163640). From 12 461 citations, 369 studies were included. The mean DUP was 42.6 weeks (95% confidence interval (CI) 40.6-44.6, k = 283, n = 41 320), varying significantly across continents (p < 0.001). DUP was (in descending order) 70.0 weeks (95% CI 51.6-88.4, k = 11, n = 1508) in Africa; 48.8 weeks (95% CI 43.8-53.9, k = 73, n = 12 223) in Asia; 48.7 weeks (95% CI 43.0-54.4, k = 36, n = 5838) in North America; 38.6 weeks (95% CI 36.0-41.3, k = 145, n = 19 389) in Europe; 34.9 weeks (95% CI 23.0-46.9, k = 11, n = 1159) in South America and 28.0 weeks (95% CI 20.9-35.0, k = 6, n = 1203) in Australasia. There were differences depending on the income of countries: DUP was 48.4 weeks (95% CI 43.0-48.4, k = 58, n = 5635) in middle-low income countries and 41.2 weeks (95% CI 39.0-43.4, k = 222, n = 35 685) in high income countries. Longer DUP was significantly associated with older age (β = 0.836, p < 0.001), older publication year (β = 0.404, p = 0.038) and higher proportion of non-White FEP patients (β = 0.232, p < 0.001). Median DUP was 14 weeks (Interquartile range = 8.8-28.0, k = 206, n = 37 215). In conclusion, DUP is high throughout the world, with marked variation. Efforts to identify and intervene sooner in patients with FEP, and to promote global mental health and access to early intervention services (EIS) are critical, especially in developing countries

Molecular structure and biodegradation kinetics of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonates in sea water.

The present paper describes the results of the application of the biodegradation test proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) “Biodegradability in sea water” Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) 835.3160, to Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS), the synthetic surfactant with the highest consumption volume on a world-wide basis. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been employed for the separation and quantification of the different homologues and isomers of the surfactant. Water from the Bay of Cádiz (South–West of the Iberian peninsula) has been used as test medium. The results indicate how both lag and t50 time shows a significant linear relationship with the length of the alkyl chain of the homologue; the effect of this is that the homologues of longer chain length not only begin to degrade first but also degrade at a faster rate. Regarding the isomeric composition, it is observed that as the percentage of biodegradation increases, there is an increase in the proportion of internal isomers, in comparison with the isomeric relationships of the original test substanc