Calculadora de plantas de compostaje en pilas dinámicas

La Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía, a través del II Plan Andaluz de Agricultura y Ecológica 2007-2013, dio apoyo financiero a almazaras andaluzas para la construcción y puesta en funcionamiento de plantas de compostaje, la mayor parte de las cuales ha utilizado el método de pilas dinámicas. A raíz de este impulso surgió la necesidad de crear una herramienta que permitiese realizar aproximaciones para futuros proyectos de este tipo, planteándose su elaboración en el III Plan Andaluz de la Producción Ecológica Horizonte 2020. La Calculadora de Plantas de Compostaje en Pilas Dinámicas se ha desarrollado como hoja de cálculo Excel, aprovechando tanto la potencia que ofrecen el conjunto de fórmulas de las que dispone como el entorno de programación Visual Basic asociado a esta. La herramienta permite el diseño de una mezcla adecuada de ingredientes para el compostaje, apoyándose, por un lado, en un método de cálculo adaptado a partir del establecido por la Universidad de Cornell (Richard, 1996) y, por otro, en valores predeterminados de carbono, nitrógeno, humedad y densidad de distintos ingredientes, procedentes de varios autores. Con el resultado obtenido, la aplicación permite dimensionar la superficie de una era de compostaje y un depósito para la recogida de lixiviados, utilizando, para este último, información sobre las máximas lluvias diarias del Ministerio de Fomento. Como proceso final de depuración y validación, la calculadora fue testada en la ETSIA de Sevilla.Junta de Andalucía (PAPE), Horizonte 202

Reliance on deep soil water in the tree species Argania spinosa

In South-western Morocco, water scarcity and high temperature are the main factors determining species survival. Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels is a tree species, endemic to Morocco, which is suffering from ongoing habitat shrinkage. Argan trees play essential local ecological and economic roles: protecting soils from erosion, shading different types of crops, helping maintain soil fertility and, even more importantly, its seeds are used by the local population for oil production, with valuable nutritional, medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The main objective of this study was to identify the sources of water used by this species and to assess the effect of water availability on the photosynthetic rate and stem water potential in two populations: one growing on the coast and a second one 10 km inland. Stem water potential, photosynthetic rate and xylem water isotopic composition (δ18O) were seasonally monitored during 2 years. Trees from both populations showed a similar strategy in the use of the available water sources, which was strongly dependent on deep soil water throughout the year. Nevertheless, during the wet season or under low precipitation a more complex water uptake pattern was found with a mixture of water sources, including precipitation and soil at different depths. No evidence was found of the use of either groundwater or atmospheric water in this species. Despite the similar water-use strategy, the results indicate that Argania trees from the inland population explored deeper layers than coastal ones as suggested by more depleted δ18O values recorded in the inland trees and better photosynthetic performance, hence suggesting that the coastal population of A. spinosa could be subjected to higher stress

Primera cita de Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (Amaranthaceae) en el Sur de la Península Ibérica (Sevilla, España)

We report the presence of the invasive alien species Alternanthera philoxeroides in the river Guadalquivir, in Seville (Spain, Southern Iberian Peninsula). This finding is the first record for Andalusia and it is added to the other two that have been already  published for the Iberian Peninsula.Se informa de la presencia de la especie exótica invasora Alternanthera philoxeroides en el río Guadalquivir, en Sevilla (España, S. de la Península Ibérica). El hallazgo corresponde a la primera cita para Andalucía y se añade a las otras dos que ya existían para la Península Ibérica

Analysis of late reconnections after pulmonary vein isolation: Impact of interlesion contiguity and ablation index

[Background] Interlesion distance and ablation index (AI) have been proposed as parameters of radiofrequency (RF) lesion durability. This study analyzes the relationship between RF parameters of automatically acquired lesion tags and late reconnections in repeat pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures.[Methods] One hundred fifty‐seven patients underwent contact force (CF)‐guided PVI with automatic acquisition of RF lesions. During follow‐up, 21 patients underwent a repeat PVI procedure. The relationship between RF parameters (power, CF, impedance drop, and AI) of the initial PVI procedure and reconnections observed at repeat PVI was analyzed. Visual gap was defined as the existence of a discontinuity between two RF lesions automatically acquired in the initial PVI procedure. Regional values of AI associated with lesion durability were identified.[Results] Twenty‐one patients were included. Three hundred thirty‐six segments and 2507 RF lesions were analyzed. The median interval between the initial and repeat PVI procedures was 17 (11‐24) months. All patients showed ≥1 reconnected segment. Sixty‐three segments (18.7%) were reconnected. Reconnected segments showed visual gaps more frequently than non‐reconnected segments (66.6% vs 17.6%; P < .001; negative predictive value 91.4%). The mean distance of visual gaps was 8 ± 2.8 mm. No differences were observed in power (31.4 ± 4.7 W vs 31 ± 4.1 W; P = .573), CF (14.4 ± 5.3 g vs 15.4 ± 5.4 g; P = .315), and impedance drop (6.9 ± 5.2 ohms vs 6.5 ± 3.8 ohms; P = .576) between reconnected and non‐reconnected segments. Among segments without visual gap, the minimum AI value was significantly higher in the non‐reconnected segments (325 ± 96.1 vs 204.7 ± 78.5; P < .001). No reconnections were observed in segments without visual gap and minimum AI ≥ 330/220 in anterior/posterior wall, respectively.[Conclusions] Contiguity between automatically acquired RF lesions and minimum AI value are the main determinants of long‐term PVI durability

Climatic conditions and herbivory effects on morphological plasticity of Argania spinosa

The main objective of this paper was to look into the morphological differentiation patterns and phenotypic plasticity in four populations of Argania spinosa with environmentally contrasted conditions. Mean response, magnitude and pattern of morphological intra- and inter-population plasticity indexes were measured and analyzed in order to identify which characters contribute the most to the acclimation of this species. Populations growing in the ecological optimum of the species presented the lowest plasticity, while those growing in the most stressed habitats showed an increased morphological variability. The study of four populations showed that human pressure seems to play an important function in the regulation of morphological characters. However, climatic conditions seem to play a significant role in the increase of morphological plasticity

Germination success and seedling development of Argania spinosa under different climatic conditions and browsing intensity

The present study assesses whether the germination and establishment success of Argania spinosa seeds are affected by the environmental conditions under which the mother plant has grown. Seeds from three populations with different climatic conditions and herbivory intensity were collected and sown in the laboratory after different treatments. Our study suggests that the seed germination process and initial stages of seedling growth are adaptive. Seeds from the population of Agadir with the highest herbivory pressure and high air relative humidity in summer (due to the proximity to the sea) were stimulated by acid treatment, and showed a lower root/stem ratio, which allows them to take advantage of the atmospheric water resources. Seeds from the Mountain population, where the most arid environmental conditions were found, produced early-germinating seeds with the highest root/stem ratio that would facilitate seedling establishment when the harshest environmental conditions appear in summer

Long-term outcomes of ventricular tachycardia substrate ablation incorporating hidden slow conduction analysis

[Background]: Ventricular tachycardia substrate ablation (VTSA) incorporating hidden slow conduction (HSC) analysis allows further arrhythmic substrate identification.[Objective]: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the elimination of HSC electrograms (HSC-EGMs) during VTSA results in better short- and long-term outcomes.[Methods]: Consecutive patients (N = 70; 63% ischemic; mean age 64 ± 14.6 years) undergoing VTSA were prospectively included. Bipolar EGMs with >3 deflections and duration <133 ms were considered as potential HSC-EGMs. Whenever a potential HSC-EGM was identified, double or triple ventricular extrastimuli were delivered. If a local potential showed up as a delayed component, it was annotated as HSC-EGM. Ablation was delivered at conducting channel entrances and HSC-EGMs. Radiofrequency time, ventricular tachycardia (VT) inducibility after VTSA, and VT/ventricular fibrillation recurrence at 24 months after the procedure were compared with data from a historical control group.[Results]: A total of 5076 EGMs were analyzed; 1029 (20.2%) qualified as potential HSC-EGMs, and 475 of them were tagged as HSC-EGMs. Scars in patients with HSC-EGMs (n = 43 [61.4%]) were smaller (32.2 [17–58] cm2 vs 85 [41–92.4] cm2; P = .006) and more heterogeneous (core/scar area ratio 0.15 [0.05–0.44] vs 0.44 [0.33–0.57]; P = .017); 32.4% of HSC-EGMs were located in normal voltage tissue. Patients undergoing VTSA incorporating HSC analysis required less radiofrequency time (15.6 [8–23.1] vs 23.9 [14.9–30.8]; P < .001) and had a lower rate of VT inducibility after VTSA (28.6% vs 52.9%; P = .003) than did the historical controls. Patients undergoing VTSA incorporating HSC analysis showed a higher 2-year VT/ventricular fibrillation–free survival (75.7% vs 58.8%; log-rank, P = .046) after VTSA.[Conclusion]: VTSA incorporating HSC analysis allowed further arrhythmic substrate identification (especially in the border zone and normal voltage areas) and was associated with increased VTSA efficiency and better short- and long-term outcomes

Clinical validation of automatic local activation time annotation during focal premature ventricular complex ablation procedures.

Current navigation systems incorporate algorithms for automatic identification of local activation time (LAT). However, data about their utility and accuracy in premature ventricular complex (PVC) ablation procedures are scarce. This study analyses the accuracy of an algorithmic method based on automatic annotation of the maximal negative slope of the unipolar electrogram within the window demarcated by the bipolar electrogram compared with conventional manual annotation during PVC ablation procedures. Forty patients with successful ablation of focal PVC in three centres were included. Electroanatomical activation maps obtained with the automatic system (WF-map) were compared with manual annotation maps (M-map). Correlation and concordance of LAT obtained with both methods were assessed at 3536 points. The distance between the earliest activation site (EAS) and the effective radiofrequency application point (e-RFp) were determined in M-map and WF-map. The distance between WF-EAS and M-EAS was assessed. Successful ablation sites included left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT; 55%), right ventricular outflow tract (40%), and tricuspid annulus (5%). Good correlation was observed between the two annotation approaches (r = 0.655; P  Good correlation was found between M-map and WF-map. Local activation time detection was systematically delayed in WF-map, especially in LVOT. Accurate identification of e-RFp was achieved with both annotation approaches