Hot-Moments of Soil CO2 Efflux in a Water-Limited Grassland

The metabolic activity of water-limited ecosystems is strongly linked to the timing and magnitude of precipitation pulses that can trigger disproportionately high (i.e., hot-moments) ecosystem CO2 fluxes. We analyzed over 2-years of continuous measurements of soil CO2 efflux (Fs) under vegetation (Fsveg) and at bare soil (Fsbare) in a water-limited grassland. The continuous wavelet transform was used to: (a) describe the temporal variability of Fs; (b) test the performance of empirical models ranging in complexity; and (c) identify hot-moments of Fs. We used partial wavelet coherence (PWC) analysis to test the temporal correlation between Fs with temperature and soil moisture. The PWC analysis provided evidence that soil moisture overshadows the influence of soil temperature for Fs in this water limited ecosystem. Precipitation pulses triggered hot-moments that increased Fsveg (up to 9000%) and Fsbare (up to 17,000%) with respect to pre-pulse rates. Highly parameterized empirical models (using support vector machine (SVM) or an 8-day moving window) are good approaches for representing the daily temporal variability of Fs, but SVM is a promising approach to represent high temporal variability of Fs (i.e., hourly estimates). Our results have implications for the representation of hot-moments of ecosystem CO2 fluxes in these globally distributed ecosystems

Student leadership at the university : an explanatory model

The exercise of leadership in the educational area and its diverse forms of being reflected in practice continue to arouse interest at the time of designing and developing research that reveals the characteristics that a leader must have in order to be considered a competent university leader, that is, a college student who carries out activities and a leadership position on his or her campus. In this sense, the present work aims to analyze the profile of the student leader to generate an explanatory model, being answered by means of a series of questions. Next, a cross-sectional study of university students at the University of Santo Tomás is carried out, obtaining statistical-descriptive data that indicate the mean scores in relation to each of the dimensions of the sociodemographic factors of this research. In addition, gender and age are identified as study factors that coincide with other research, as well as the qualities, expectations and formation of the student leader. In the present study, female gender is significant in relation to leadership practice, and age does not show significant differences between the groups. Finally, it is concluded by determining as key the role of students who exercise leadership in the University. In addition, it should be noted that the present research is derived from the Doctoral Thesis entitled: “Student leadership at the University Santo Tomás de Bucaramanga: Pedagogical proposal”, defended at the University of Granada, Spain. Funded by Proyecto de investigación, Colombia. Code: 2008/12058.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluación de las habilidades en programación de los estudiantes del grado en Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad de Alicante: un estudio empírico

En este trabajo analizamos las habilidades como programadores de los alumnos de cuarto curso del grado en Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad de Alicante con el propósito de identificar carencias comunes en su formación que no hayan sido abordadas adecuadamente en el transcurso de la titulación. Para tal fin, presentamos una prueba de evaluación de habilidades en programación y mostramos los resultados obtenidos en ella por 88 estudiantes. Un análisis de los resultados por itinerario muestra diferencias significativas dependiendo de la especialidad cursada.In this work the abilities as programmers of the fourthyear students (almost graduates) of the Computer Engineering degree at University of Alicante is analysed, with the aim of identifying deficiencies in their training. A test to evaluate the programming skills of the students is introduced in this paper, and the results obtained by 88 students are presented. An analysis of the results by specialisation stream shows significant differences depending on the specialisation taken by the students.Este trabajo ha sido posible gracias a la red docente 4099 subvencionada por la edición 2017–2018 del Programa I3CE de Investigación en Docencia Universitaria del Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universitat d’Alacant

Las mujeres y la historia de Europa

Este capítulo sobre las mujeres y la historia de Europa se inscribe en la corriente de Historia de las mujeres que se ha venido caracterizando por un enfoque privilegiado hacia las protagonistas femeninas del proceso histórico, pero cuya pretensión va más allá: dar identidad sexual a la historia

Comportamiento de patrones de cerezo en las condiciones edafoclimáticas de la Región de Murcia

En este trabajo se expone la influencia que ejercen los patrones Adara, Mariana 2624, Mayor, MaxMa 14, Santa Lucia GF 64, Gisela 5, Gisela 6, Piku 1, Piku 3 y Piku4 en el crecimiento vegetativo, producción y calidad del fruto de la variedad de cerezo NewStar. Este ensayo se ha realizado en un suelo pesado, calcáreo y con alto contenido en arcilla ubicado en el término municipal de Jumilla. Se han encontrado diferencias significativas para parámetros como el vigor, producción, tamaño del fruto, contenido en solidos solubles y firmeza. Las mayores producciones acumuladas fueron para patrones vigorosos como son Mariana 2624, Mayor y Adara. Los patrones de menor vigor como Gisela 5 y Piku 1, presentaron una tendencia excesiva al enanismo. Aquellos patrones peor adaptados a las condiciones edafoclimáticas del ensayo como Gisela 5, Gisela 6, SL 64, Mayor y Piku 1 presentaron mayor porcentaje de mortandad.A los componentes del Grupo Cerezo I+D. Este trabajo forma parte del proyecto INIA RTA:2006‐ 00057‐00‐00 y ha sido cofinanciado por el proyecto PO07‐027. Este trabajo ha sido realizado en el marco de la Acción Cost FA 1104

BRIEF UPDATE ON THE SATELLITE TAGGING OF ATLANTIC SWORDFISH

This paper provides a brief update of the study on habitat use for swordfish, developed within the working plan of the Swordfish Species Group of ICCAT. A total of 9 miniPAT tags have been deployed by observers on Portuguese and Spanish vessels and the Uruguayan research cruise in the North and South Atlantic. Data from eight tags/specimens are available, four specimens suffered from post-release mortality and one individual tag pop-up date has not occurred yet. These preliminary results showed swordfish moved in several directions, travelling considerable distances. Swordfish spent most of the daytime in deeper waters, being closer to the surface during night-time. The main plan for the next phase of the project is to continue the tag deployment during 2020 in several regions of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean SeaEn prens

UPDATE ON THE SATELLITE TAGGING OF ATLANTIC AND MEDITERRANEAN SWORDFISH

This paper provides an update of the study on habitat use for swordfish, developed within the working plan of the Swordfish Species Group of ICCAT. A total of 26 miniPAT tags have been deployed so far in the North (n=13) and South Atlantic (n=9) and the Mediterranean (n=4). Data from eight tags was analysed for horizontal and vertical habitat use. These preliminary results showed swordfish moved in several directions, travelling considerable distances in both the North and South stocks. Swordfish spent most of the daytime in deeper waters with a mean of 540.8 m, being closer to the surface during nighttime (mean=78.3 m). The deepest dive recorded was of 1480 m. Regarding temperature, swordfish inhabited waters with temperatures ranging from 3.9ºC to 30.5ºC with a mean of 11.3ºC during daytime and 21.7ºC during nighttime. The main plan for the next phase of the project is to continue the tag deployment during 2022 in several regions of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Currently 11 tags are with the participating CPCs and nine tags are still to be attributed.En prens

Phenotypic and Genomic Comparison of Klebsiella pneumoniae Lytic Phages: vB_KpnM-VAC66 and vB_KpnM-VAC13

[Abstract] Klebsiella pneumoniae is a human pathogen that worsens the prognosis of many immunocompromised patients. Here, we annotated and compared the genomes of two lytic phages that infect clinical strains of K. pneumoniae (vB_KpnM-VAC13 and vB_KpnM-VAC66) and phenotypically characterized vB_KpnM-VAC66 (time of adsorption of 12 min, burst size of 31.49 ± 0.61 PFU/infected cell, and a host range of 20.8% of the tested strains). Transmission electronic microscopy showed that vB_KpnM-VAC66 belongs to the Myoviridae family. The genomic analysis of the phage vB_KpnM-VAC66 revealed that its genome encoded 289 proteins. When compared to the genome of vB_KpnM-VAC13, they showed a nucleotide similarity of 97.56%, with a 93% of query cover, and the phylogenetic study performed with other Tevenvirinae phages showed a close common ancestor. However, there were 21 coding sequences which differed. Interestingly, the main differences were that vB_KpnM-VAC66 encoded 10 more homing endonucleases than vB_KpnM-VAC13, and that the nucleotidic and amino-acid sequences of the L-shaped tail fiber protein were highly dissimilar, leading to different three-dimensional protein predictions. Both phages differed significantly in their host range. These viruses may be useful in the development of alternative therapies to antibiotics or as a co-therapy increasing its antimicrobial potential, especially when addressing multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens.This study was funded by grants PI19/00878 awarded to M. Tomás within the State Plan for R+D+I 2013-2016 (National Plan for Scientific Research, Technological Development and Innovation 2008–2011) and co-financed by the ISCIII-Deputy General Directorate for Evaluation and Promotion of Research—European Regional Development Fund “A way of Making Europe” and Instituto de Salud Carlos III FEDER, Spanish Network for the Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI, RD16/0016/0001, RD16/0016/0006 and RD16/CIII/0004/0002) and by the Study Group on Mechanisms of Action and Resistance to Antimicrobials, GEMARA (SEIMC, http://www.seimc.org/ accessed on 1 February 2021) and project PID2020-112835RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033, and project SEJIGENT/2021/014 funded by Conselleria d’Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital (Generalitat Valenciana). M. Tomás was financially supported by the Miguel Servet Research Programme (SERGAS and ISCIII). O. Pacios, L. Fernández-García and M. López were financially supported by the grants IN606A-2020/035, IN606B-2021/013 and IN606B-2018/008, respectively (GAIN, Xunta de Galicia). I. Bleriot was financially supported by pFIS program (ISCIII, FI20/00302). P. Domingo-Calap was financially supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract RYC2019-028015-I funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033, ESF Invest in your futureGeneralitat Valenciana; SEJIGENT/2021/014Xunta de Galicia; IN606A-2020/035Xunta de Galicia; IN606B-2021/013Xunta de Galicia; IN606B-2018/00

Ecosystem CO2 release driven by wind occurs in drylands at global scale

Subterranean ventilation is a non-diffusive transport process that provokes the abrupt transfer of CO2-rich air (previously stored) through water-free soil pores and cracks from the vadose zone to the atmosphere, under high-turbulence conditions. In dryland ecosystems, whose biological carbon exchanges are poorly characterized, it can strongly determine eddy-covariance CO2 fluxes that are used to validate remote sensing products and constrain models of gross primary productivity. Although subterranean ventilation episodes (VE) may occur in arid and semi-arid regions, which are unsung players in the global carbon cycle, little research has focused on the role of VE CO2 emissions in land–atmosphere CO2 exchange. This study shows clear empirical evidence of globally occurring VE. To identify VE, we used in situ quality-controlled eddy-covariance open data of carbon fluxes and ancillary variables from 145 sites in different open land covers (grassland, cropland, shrubland, savanna, and barren) across the globe. We selected the analyzed database from the FLUXNET2015, AmeriFlux, OzFlux, and AsiaFlux networks. To standardize the analysis, we designed an algorithm to detect CO2 emissions produced by VE at all sites considered in this study. Its main requirement is the presence of considerable and non-spurious correlation between the friction velocity (i.e., turbulence) and CO2 emissions. Of the sites analyzed, 34% exhibited the occurrence of VE. This vented CO2 emerged mainly from arid ecosystems (84%) and sites with hot and dry periods. Despite some limitations in data availability, this research demonstrates that VE-driven CO2 emissions occur globally. Future research should seek a better understanding of its drivers and the improvement of partitioning models, to reduce uncertainties in estimated biological CO2 exchanges and infer their contribution to the global net ecosystem carbon balance.Publishe

On the estimation of three-dimensional porosity of insect-proof screens

The two-dimensional estimation is the approach to porosity par excellence in the literature of insect-proof screens for their geometric characterisation and estimation of their aerodynamic parameters. However, this is not an accurate estimation, since the geometry of insect-proof screens consists of interlaced threads that create a three-dimensional woven structure, leading to different thicknesses and overlapping of threads. This paper suggests a mathematical approach to reconstruct computationally the 3D structure of the screens and to estimate the volumetric porosity, relying solely on easily measurable quantities such as diameter of threads, spacing of threads and thickness. The results on the application to 20 + 6 insect-proof screens in this work evidence that the suggested approach outperforms the standard two-dimensional modelling. These results also support experimental observations in the relationship between porosity and pressure drop not explainable by the two-dimensional approach. To increase the reliability on the analysis of porosity, the propagation of experimental uncertainty has been also included in the comparison between brand new and old&washed insect-proof screens. A software (Poro3D v1.0) using the methodology developed in this work can be downloaded as supplementary material to this manuscript to instantly obtain both 3D and 2D porosities, as well as the reconstruction of 3D geometries