Linearity and Scaling of a Statistical Model for the Species Abundance Distribution

We derive a linear recursion relation for the species abundance distribution in a statistical model of ecology and demonstrate the existence of a scaling solution

System Dynamics Modeling for Supporting Drought-Oriented Management of the Jucar River System, Spain

[EN] The management of water in systems where the balance between resources and demands is already precarious can pose a challenge and it can be easily disrupted by drought episodes. Anticipated drought management has proved to be one of the main strategies to reduce their impact. Drought economic, environmental, and social impacts affect different sectors that are often interconnected. There is a need for water management models able to acknowledge the complex interactions between multiple sectors, activities, and variables to study the response of water resource systems to drought management strategies. System dynamics (SD) is a modeling methodology that facilitates the analysis of interactions and feedbacks within and between sectors. Although SD has been applied for water resource management, there is a lack of SD models able to regulate complex water resource systems on a monthly time scale and considering multiple reservoir operating rules, demands, and policies. In this paper, we present an SD model for the strategic planning of drought management in the Jucar River system, incorporating dynamic reservoir operating rules, policies, and drought management strategies triggered by a system state index. The DSS combines features from early warning and information systems, allowing for the simulation of drought strategies, evaluating their economic impact, and exploring new management options in the same environment. The results for the historical period show that drought early management can be beneficial for the performance of the system, monitoring the current state of the system, and activating drought management measures results in a substantial reduction of the economic impact of droughts.The data used in this study was obtained from the references included. We acknowledge the European Research Area for Climate Services consortium (ER4CS) and the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion for their financial support to this research under the INNOVA project (Grant Agreement: 690462; PCIN-2017-066). This study has also been partially funded by the ADAPTAMED project (RTI2018-101483-B-I00) from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (MICIU) of Spain.Rubio-Martin, A.; Pulido-Velazquez, M.; Macian-Sorribes, H.; Garcia-Prats, A. (2020). System Dynamics Modeling for Supporting Drought-Oriented Management of the Jucar River System, Spain. Water. 12(5):1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051407S119125Mishra, A. K., & Singh, V. P. (2010). A review of drought concepts. Journal of Hydrology, 391(1-2), 202-216. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.07.012Momblanch, A., Paredes-Arquiola, J., Munné, A., Manzano, A., Arnau, J., & Andreu, J. (2015). Managing water quality under drought conditions in the Llobregat River Basin. 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Drought Management Plans in the European Union. The Case of Spain. Water Resources Management, 26(6), 1537-1553. doi:10.1007/s11269-011-9971-2Pedro-Monzonís, M., Solera, A., Ferrer, J., Estrela, T., & Paredes-Arquiola, J. (2015). A review of water scarcity and drought indexes in water resources planning and management. Journal of Hydrology, 527, 482-493. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.05.003Zaniolo, M., Giuliani, M., Castelletti, A. F., & Pulido-Velazquez, M. (2018). Automatic design of basin-specific drought indexes for highly regulated water systems. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 22(4), 2409-2424. doi:10.5194/hess-22-2409-2018Carmona, M., Máñez Costa, M., Andreu, J., Pulido-Velazquez, M., Haro-Monteagudo, D., Lopez-Nicolas, A., & Cremades, R. (2017). Assessing the effectiveness of Multi-Sector Partnerships to manage droughts: The case of the Jucar river basin. Earth’s Future, 5(7), 750-770. doi:10.1002/2017ef000545PALLOTTINO, S., SECHI, G., & ZUDDAS, P. (2005). 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Evaluating Municipal Water Conservation Policies Using a Dynamic Simulation Model. Water Resources Management, 24(13), 3371-3395. doi:10.1007/s11269-010-9611-2Apperl, B., Pulido-Velazquez, M., Andreu, J., & Karjalainen, T. P. (2015). Contribution of the multi-attribute value theory to conflict resolution in groundwater management – application to the Mancha Oriental groundwater system, Spain. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 19(3), 1325-1337. doi:10.5194/hess-19-1325-2015Macian-Sorribes, H., & Pulido-Velazquez, M. (2017). Integrating Historical Operating Decisions and Expert Criteria into a DSS for the Management of a Multireservoir System. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 143(1), 04016069. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000712Escriva-Bou, A., Pulido-Velazquez, M., & Pulido-Velazquez, D. (2017). Economic Value of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Water Management in Spain’s Jucar Basin. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 143(5), 04017005. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000735Pulido-Velazquez, M. A., Sahuquillo-Herraiz, A., Camilo Ochoa-Rivera, J., & Pulido-Velazquez, D. (2005). Modeling of stream–aquifer interaction: the embedded multireservoir model. Journal of Hydrology, 313(3-4), 166-181. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.02.026Sahuquillo, A. (1983). An eigenvalue numerical technique for solving unsteady linear groundwater models continuously in time. Water Resources Research, 19(1), 87-93. doi:10.1029/wr019i001p00087Estrela, T., & Sahuquillo, A. (1997). Modeling the Response of a Karstic Spring at Arteta Aquifer in Spain. Ground Water, 35(1), 18-24. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.1997.tb00055.xAndreu, J., Capilla, J., & Sanchís, E. (1996). AQUATOOL, a generalized decision-support system for water-resources planning and operational management. Journal of Hydrology, 177(3-4), 269-291. doi:10.1016/0022-1694(95)02963-xHaro-Monteagudo, D., Solera, A., & Andreu, J. (2017). Drought early warning based on optimal risk forecasts in regulated river systems: Application to the Jucar River Basin (Spain). Journal of Hydrology, 544, 36-45. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.11.022Howitt, R. E. (1995). Positive Mathematical Programming. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 77(2), 329-342. doi:10.2307/1243543Malard, J. J., Inam, A., Hassanzadeh, E., Adamowski, J., Tuy, H. A., & Melgar-Quiñonez, H. (2017). Development of a software tool for rapid, reproducible, and stakeholder-friendly dynamic coupling of system dynamics and physically-based models. Environmental Modelling & Software, 96, 410-420. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.06.053Vidal-Legaz, B., Martínez-Fernández, J., Picón, A. S., & Pugnaire, F. I. (2013). Trade-offs between maintenance of ecosystem services and socio-economic development in rural mountainous communities in southern Spain: A dynamic simulation approach. Journal of Environmental Management, 131, 280-297. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.09.03

Effective elastic thickness in the Central Andes. Correlation to orogenic deformation styles and lower crust high-gravity anomaly

Global studies have assessed the importance of elastic thickness (Te) on orogenic evolution, showing that the style and nature of upper crustal shortening are influenced by the inherited lithospheric strength. Thus, pioneer works have identified that the upper crustal deformation style in the easternmost sector of the Central Andes in South America are related to the elastic thickness (Te). There, the thick-skinned and pure-shear style of Santa Bárbara system was initially related to the existence of low Te values. In contrast, the thin-skinned and simple-shear style of deformation in the Subandean system involves high Te values. However, more recent Te studies in the Central Andes present conflicting results which lead to question this straightforward relation. Results from these studies show a strong dependence on the applied methodology hampering the general understanding of the lithospheric thermo-mechanical state of the Central Andes. To contribute to this issue, we perform a high-resolution Te map, using forward modeling by solving flexural equation of infinite plate model in two dimensions. To achieve this, the crust-mantle interface was calculated using a high-resolution gravity anomaly dataset which combines satellite and terrestrial data, and an average density contrast. Additionally, the gravity anomaly and the foreland basin depth in the Central Andes were best predicted by considering that lower crustal rocks fill the space deflected downward in the plate model. The obtained Te values show an inverse correlation with previous heat flow studies, and a strong spatial correlation with the styles and mechanisms of deformation in the easternmost sector of the Central Andes. In the Santa Bárbara system Te values less than 10 km predominate, whereas in the Subandean system high Te values were observed. Such high values correlate with the orogenic curvature and with an shallower gravity Moho zone, which breaks the regional trend of the Central Andes. This shallower gravity Moho is linked to a high-gravity anomaly located in the east part of the Eastern Cordillera and Subandean system. These results are also correlated with a high-velocity zone in the upper mantle previously found by receiver functions studies. This correlation could indicate changes in the properties of the lower crustal rocks that justify the shallower gravity Moho zone and explain in part the highest Te values.Fil: Garcia, Hector Pedro Antonio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gianni, Guido Martin. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lupari, Marianela Nadia. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Marcos Ariel. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Soler, Santiago Rubén. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Lince Klinger, Federico Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Oligocene to present shallow subduction beneath the southern Puna plateau

The southern Puna plateau is a conspicuous example of a high-elevation orogenic plateau in a non-collisional setting. This orogenic sector is currently located above an anomalously shallow subduction segment, in which timing and relation to upper-plate tectonics have been widely overlooked. This subduction segment, here referred to as the southern Puna shallow subduction (SPSS), is characterized by a ~200 km wide shallow area located at ~300 km from the trench at a depth of ~100–120 km and dipping 10–12° to the east. To determine the onset of the SPSS and its link to the tectonic and magmatic activity in this region, we analyzed the tectonomagmatic record of the southern Puna plateau from preexisting datasets. Also, we present a new approach based on global subduction data that provides a straightforward methodology to extract potential paleo-slab angles from the bedrock arc record. This analysis reveals that a pronounced eastward arc-front migration and magmatic broadening took place at ~26 Ma and was preceded by ~4 Ma of reduced magmatic activity, which we link to the inception of the SPSS. As expected in shallow subduction settings, a change to basement-cored distributed deformation south of 25°S in the southern Puna plateau coincides with the beginning of shallow subduction. Also, the SPSS is coincident with the enigmatic post-Eocene intraplate deformation of the Otumpa Hills located at ~950 km from the trench. We suggest that this succession of events is not fortuitous and that the development of the SPSS impacted directly the overriding plate since the Oligocene contributing to the building of one of the largest topographies (>3 km) and thickest orogenic crusts (~70–60 km) on Earth. The shallow subduction would have acted jointly with Cenozoic changes in plate kinematics and climate enhancing Andean orogenesis at studied latitudes.Fil: Gianni, Guido Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Hector Pedro Antonio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Pesce, Agustina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Lupari, Marianela Nadia. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: González, Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Giambiagi, Laura Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentin

T35: a small automatic telescope for long-term observing campaigns

The T35 is a small telescope (14") equipped with a large format CCD camera installed in the Sierra Nevada Observatory (SNO) in Southern Spain. This telescope will be a useful tool for the detecting and studying pulsating stars, particularly, in open clusters. In this paper, we describe the automation process of the T35 and show also some images taken with the new instrumentation.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in the special issue "Robotic Astronomy" of Advances of Astronom

Flux-Enabled Exploration of the Role of Sip1 in galactose yeast metabolism

13C metabolic flux analysis (13C MFA) is an important systems biology technique that has been used to investigate microbial metabolism for decades. The heterotrimer Snf1 kinase complex plays a key role in the preference Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibits for glucose over galactose, a phenomenon known as glucose repression or carbon catabolite repression. The SIP1 gene, encoding a part of this complex, has received little attention, presumably, because its knockout lacks a growth phenotype. We present a fluxomic investigation of the relative effects of the presence of galactose in classically glucose-repressing media and/or knockout of SIP1 using a multi-scale variant of 13C MFA known as 2-Scale 13C metabolic flux analysis (2S-13C MFA). In this study, all strains have the galactose metabolism deactivated (gal1Δ background) so as to be able to separate the metabolic effects purely related to glucose repression from those arising from galactose metabolism. The resulting flux profiles reveal that the presence of galactose in classically glucose-repressing conditions, for a CEN.PK113-7D gal1Δ background, results in a substantial decrease in pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) flux and increased flow from cytosolic pyruvate and malate through the mitochondria toward cytosolic branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis. These fluxomic redistributions are accompanied by a higher maximum specific growth rate, both seemingly in violation of glucose repression. Deletion of SIP1 in the CEN.PK113-7D gal1Δ cells grown in mixed glucose/galactose medium results in a further increase. Knockout of this gene in cells grown in glucose-only medium results in no change in growth rate and a corresponding decrease in glucose and ethanol exchange fluxes and flux through pathways involved in aspartate/threonine biosynthesis. Glucose repression appears to be violated at a 1/10 ratio of galactose-to-glucose. Based on the scientific literature, we may have conducted our experiments near a critical sugar ratio that is known to allow galactose to enter the cell. Additionally, we report a number of fluxomic changes associated with these growth rate increases and unexpected flux profile redistributions resulting from deletion of SIP1 in glucose-only medium

ClusterCAD: a computational platform for type I modular polyketide synthase design

ClusterCAD is a web-based toolkit designed to leverage the collinear structure and deterministic logic of type I modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) for synthetic biology applications. The unique organization of these megasynthases, combined with the diversity of their catalytic domain building blocks, has fueled an interest in harnessing the biosynthetic potential of PKSs for the microbial production of both novel natural product analogs and industrially relevant small molecules. However, a limited theoretical understanding of the determinants of PKS fold and function poses a substantial barrier to the design of active variants, and identifying strategies to reliably construct functional PKS chimeras remains an active area of research. In this work, we formalize a paradigm for the design of PKS chimeras and introduce ClusterCAD as a computational platform to streamline and simplify the process of designing experiments to test strategies for engineering PKS variants. ClusterCAD provides chemical structures with stereochemistry for the intermediates generated by each PKS module, as well as sequence- and structure-based search tools that allow users to identify modules based either on amino acid sequence or on the chemical structure of the cognate polyketide intermediate. ClusterCAD can be accessed at https://clustercad.jbei.org and at http://clustercad.igb.uci.edu

Frequency and predictors of thrombus inside the guiding catheter during interventional procedures: an optical coherence tomography study

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is able to identify thrombus. We detect the frequency of thrombus inside the guiding catheter by OCT and its relationship with clinical and procedural factors. We screened 77 patients who underwent OCT pullbacks. Only patients with visible guiding catheter were finally included (35) and divided into thrombus (21) or no-thrombus group (14). Patients within thrombus group were mostly males (100 vs. 71 %, p = 0.05), with acute coronary syndrome (76 vs. 36 %, p = 0.02) and received more frequently percutaneous coronary intervention (86 vs. 43 %, p = 0.01) as compared to other group. A second dose of heparin was more frequently administered in thrombus than in other group (86 vs. 50 %, p = 0.01). Time between first heparin administration and OCT pullback (41[28–57] vs. 20 min [10–32], p = 0.001), time elapsed from second heparin administration and OCT pullback (29 [19–48] vs. 16 min [12–22], p = 0.002) and total procedural time (47 [36–69] vs. 31 min [26–39], p = 0.005) were longer in thrombus compared to other group. At multivariate analysis, total procedural time and time between first heparin administration and OCT pullback were only predictors of intra-catheter thrombus (HR 0.6 [0.3–0.9], p = 0.03 and HR 1.9 [1.1–3.2], p = 0.02, respectively). Thrombus inside guiding catheter may be a frequent finding in long interventional procedure. Future studies are warranted to determine its clinical impact