Development of a New Control Algorithm for Automatic Irrigation Scheduling in Soilless Culture

In soilless culture, water and nutrients must be frequently and precisely applied due to the reduced volume and low water holding capacity of the substrate. For this reason, irrigation scheduling is an important and difficult task. The use of an irrigation control tray with two electrodes (level sensor) is a simple way for controlling irrigation. Irrigation operation is triggered when the water level in the tray decreases below a preset level. This is a simple on-off control but inflexible because it requires periodic manually calibrations. This work aims at developing a more efficient control system for the irrigation management of soilless culture. The control system is based on a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) algorithm and it allows for fully automatic operation with a minimum set of variables in order to reduce the cost of the equipment. The results obtained demonstrate that the PID control algorithm can efficiently be used to control irrigation in soilless culture. The calculated average daily leaching fractions fit reasonably well to the target values. Nevertheless, some improvements of the control algorithm are required to reduce the variability of the calculated leaching fractions during the initial stage of crop development

Equipements culturels et handicap mental

Ce guide destiné aux professionnels de la culture propose un ensemble d\u27informations et de préconisations pour faciliter l\u27accès des personnes handicapées mentales aux lieux de culture. Il s\u27efforce d\u27apporter des solutions concrètes pour aider à la conception de projets à partir de la spécificité culturelle de chaque établissement. Il recense également les bonnes pratiques et savoir-faire observés au sein de structures culturelles ayant développé des protocoles d\u27accueil ou des dispositifs adaptés en direction de ces publics

Aplicación de las técnicas de teledetección y SIG a la determinación y análisis de mapas de evapotranspiración

[ES] La estimación de la evapotranspiración es esencial en los sistemas de riego, en el cálculo de pérdidas de agua en embalses, en la estimación de balances hídricos, en las predicciones de escorrentía, así como en estudios climatológicos y meteorológicos. Las nuevas técnicas denominadas teledetección y sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) permiten el cálculo de la distribución espacial de este parámetro. Un nuevo modelo racional, SEBAL (Bastiaanssen, 1995), basado en la ecuación de conservación de la energía, ha sido aplicado en el estudio que se presenta. En este modelo se ha reducido el número de relaciones empíricas, además de presentar otras ventajas. El modelo ha sido calibrado y validado en una zona localizada en el Valle del Guadalquivir (España), a partir de una imagen del satélite Landsat-TM5 y de información climática. Posteriormente, el modelo ha sido utilizado con una resolución menor que la original por medio de un procedimiento de agregación de la imagen TM original. Este cambio en la resolución fue adoptado al objeto de comprobar la posible utilización de otras clases de imagen de satélite (por ejemplo, el NOAA). La evapotranspiración y otras variables obtenidas por teledetección se relacionan con ciertas características superficiales, por medio del uso de mapas de cultivos, suelos y mapas digitales de elevación del área de estudio.Se agradece a M. Menenti y W.G.M. Bastiaanssen del Department of Water Management in Arid Zones (DLO-Winand Staring Centre, Wageningen. The Netherlands) y sus colaboradores, todos los comentarios y material proporcionado para determinar la ET usando imágenes Landsat.Reca Cardeña, J.; Medina, JL.; Camacho, EF.; López, R.; Roldán Cañas, J. (1999). Aplicación de las técnicas de teledetección y SIG a la determinación y análisis de mapas de evapotranspiración. Ingeniería del Agua. 6(1):63-68. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.1999.2778SWORD636861Bastiaanssen, W.G.M. y M. Menenti (1989). Surface reflectance and surface temperature in relation with soil type and regional energy fluxes. In: A.F. Bouwman (ed.). Soils and the greenhouse effect. John Wiley & Sons. Chichester, Reino Unido. 541 -549.Bastiaanssen, W.G.M. (1995). Regionalization of surface flux densities and moisture indicators in composite terrain. A remote sensing approach under clear skies in Mediterranean climates. Doctoral thesis, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen. Holanda. 273 pp.Camacho, E. (1991). Estudio de recursos agrarios del término municipal de Aguilar de la Frontera. Sin publicar.ERDAS Imagine 8.2. User ManualESRI. (1990). Understanting GIS. The ARC/INFO Method. Esri. New York.ILWIS 1.4 User Manual (1993). The Integrated Land and Water Information System. ITC. Enschede, HolandaMedina, J.L; E. Camacho; R. López Luque. y J. Reca. (1996). Determinación de la ET con empleo de imágenes Landsat-TM5 y su agregación a resolución NOAA-AVHRR. (Aguadulce, Almería, 11-13 de junio de 1996).Medina Minuesa, J.L. (1996). Determinación y análisis de la evapotranspiración a nivel regional mediante teledetección y sistemas de información geográfica. Trabajo Profesional Fin de Carrera, ETSIAM, Córdoba.Medina J.L; E. Camacho; J. Reca; R. López y J. Roldán. (1998). Determination and analysis of regional evapotranspiration in Southern Spain based on remote sensing and GIS. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 23(4):427-432.Menenti, M., W.G.M. Bastiaanssen, D. van Eick y M.A. Abd El Karim (1989). Linear relationship between surface reflectance and temperature and their application to map evaporation of groundwater. in: Adv. Space Research. Volumen 9, No 1, 165-176.Price, J.C. (1980). The potential of remotely sensed thermal infrared data to infer surface soil moisture and evaporation. Water Resour. Res., 16, 787-795.Roerink, G. (1994). The impact of satellite sensor resolution on the regional evaporation statistics in large-scale irrigation schemes. A case study in the Mendoza Province, Argentine. Interne medeling 312. DLO Windand Staring Centre, Wageningen. Holanda.Reca, J.; J. Roldán; M. Alcaide y E. Camacho (1996). Perspectivas de la teledetección en zonas regables. Riegos y Drenajes XXI. 89:34-39

A Model for Solving the Optimal Water Allocation Problem in River Basins with Network Flow Programming When Introducing Non-Linearities

[EN] The allocation of water resources between different users is a traditional problem in many river basins. The objective is to obtain the optimal resource distribution and the associated circulating flows through the system. Network flow programming is a common technique for solving this problem. This optimisation procedure has been used many times for developing applications for concrete water systems, as well as for developing complete decision support systems. As long as many aspects of a river basin are not purely linear, the study of non-linearities will also be of great importance in water resources systems optimisation. This paper presents a generalised model for solving the optimal allocation of water resources in schemes where the objectives are minimising the demand deficits, complying with the required flows in the river and storing water in reservoirs. Evaporation from reservoirs and returns from demands are considered, and an iterative methodology is followed to solve these two non-network constraints. The model was applied to the Duero River basin (Spain). Three different network flow algorithms (Out-of-Kilter, RELAX-IVand NETFLO) were used to solve the allocation problem. Certain convergence issues were detected during the iterative process. There is a need to relate the data from the studied systems with the convergence criterion to be able to find the convergence criterion which yields the best results possible without requiring a long calculation time.We thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia, CICYT) for funding the projects INTEGRAME (contract CGL2009-11798) and SCARCE (program Consolider-Ingenio 2010, project CSD2009-00065). We also thank the European Commission (Directorate-General for Research & Innovation) for funding the project DROUGHT-R&SPI (program FP7-ENV-2011, project 282769). And last, but not least, to the Fundacion Instituto Euromediterraneo del Agua with the project "Estudio de Adaptaciones varias del modelo de optimizacion de gestiones de recursos hidricos Optiges".Haro Monteagudo, D.; Paredes Arquiola, J.; Solera Solera, A.; Andreu Álvarez, J. (2012). A Model for Solving the Optimal Water Allocation Problem in River Basins with Network Flow Programming When Introducing Non-Linearities. Water Resources Management. 26(14):4059-4071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-012-0129-7S405940712614Ahuja R, Magnanti T, Orlin J (1993) Network flows: theory, algorithms and applications. Prentice Hall, New YorkAndreu J, Capilla J, Sanchís E (1996) AQUATOOL, a generalized decision-support system for water resources planning and operational management. J Hydrol 177:269–291Bersetkas D (1985) A unified framework for primal-dual methods in minimum cost network flows problems. Math Program 32:125–145Bersetkas D, Tseng P (1988) The relax codes for linear minimum cost network flow problems. Ann Oper Res 13:125–190Bersetkas D, Tseng P (1994) RELAX-IV: A faster version of the RELAX code for solving minimum cost flow problems. Completion Report under NSFGrant CCR-9103804. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, BostonChou F, Wu C, Lin C (2006) Simulating multi-reservoir operation rules by network flow model. ASCE Conf Proc 212:33Chung F, Archer M, DeVries J (1989) Network flow algorithm applied to California aqueduct simulation. J Water Resour Plan Manag 115:131–147Ford L, Fulkerson D (1962) Flows in networks. Princeton University Press, PrincetonFredericks J, Labadie J, Altenhofen J (1998) Decision support system for conjunctive stream-aquifer management. J Water Resour Plan Manag 124:69–78Harou JJ, Medellín-Azuara J, Zhu T et al (2010) Economic consequences of optimized water management for a prolonged, severe drought in California. Water Resour Res 46:W05522Hsu N, Cheng K (2002) Network Flow Optimization Model for Basin-Scale Water Supply Planning. J Water Resour Plan Manag 128:102–112Ilich N (1993) Improvement of the return flow allocation in the Water Resources Management Model of Alberta Environment. Can J Civ Eng 20:613–621Ilich N (2009) Limitations of network flow algorithms in river basin modeling. J Water Resour Plan Manag 135:48–55Kennington JL, Helgason RV (1980) Algorithms for network programming. John Wiley and Sons, New YorkKhaliquzzaman, Chander S (1997) Network flow programming model for multireservoir sizing. J Water Resour Plan Manag 123:15–21Kuczera G (1989) Fast Multireservoir Mulltiperiod Linear Programming Models. Water Resour Res 25:169–176Kuczera G (1993) Network linear programming codes for water-supply headworks modeling. J Water Resour Plan Manag 119:412–417Labadie J (2004) Optimal operation of multireservoir systems: state-of-the-art review. J Water Resour Plan Manag 130:93–111Labadie J (2006) MODSIM: river basin management decision support system. In: Singh W, Frevert D (eds) Watershed models. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 569–592Labadie J, Baldo M, Larson R (2000) MODSIM: decision support system for river basin management. Documentation and user manual. Dept. Of Civil Engineering, CSU, Fort CollinsManca A, Sechi G, Zuddas P (2010) Water supply network optimisation using equal flow algorithms. Water Resour Manag 24:3665–3678MMA (2000) Libro blanco del agua en España. Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Secretaría general Técnica, Centro de PublicacionesMMA (2008) Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero. Memoria 2008. http://www.chduero.es/Inicio/Publicaciones/tabid/159/Default.aspx . Last accessed 25 June 2012Perera B, James B, Kularathna M (2005) computer software tool REALM for sustainable water allocation and management. J Environ Manag 77:291–300Rani D, Moreira M (2010) Simulation-optimization modeling: a survey and potential application in reservoir systems operation. Water Resour Manag 24:1107–1138Reca J, Roldán J, Alcaide M, López R, Camacho E (2001a) Optimisation model for water allocation in deficit irrigation systems I. Description of the model. Agric Water Manag 48:103–116Reca J, Roldán J, Alcaide M, López R, Camacho E (2001b) Optimisation model for water allocation in deficit irrigation systems II. Application to the Bembézar irrigation system. Agric Water Manag 48:117–132Sechi G, Zuddas P (2008) Multiperiod hypergraph models for water systems optimization. Water Resour Manag 22:307–320Sun H, Yeh W, Hsu N, Louie P (1995) Generalized network algorithm for water-supply-system optimization. J Water Resour Plan Manag 121:392–398Wurbs R (1993) Reservoir-system simulation and optimization models. J Water Resour Plan Manag 119:455–472Wurbs R (2005) Modeling river/reservoir system management, water allocation, and supply reliability. J Hydrol 300:100–113Yamout G, El-Fadel M (2005) An optimization approach for multi-sectoral water supply management in the greater Beirut area. Water Resour Manag 19:791–812Yates D, Sieber J, Purkey D, Hubert-Lee A (2005) WEAP21 – a demand-, priority-, and preference-driven water planning model. Part 1: model characteristics. Water Int 30:487–500Zoltay V, Vogel R, Kirshen P, Westphal K (2010) Integrated watershed management modeling: generic optimization model applied to the Ipswich river basin. J Water Resour Plan Manag 136:566–57

Watson Brake, A Middle Archaic Mound Complex in Northeast Louisiana

Middle Archaic earthen mound complexes in the lower Mississippi valley are remote antecedents of the famous but much younger Poverty Point earthworks. Watson Brake is the largest and most complex of these early mound sites. Wry extensive coring and stratigraphic studies, aided by 25 radiocarbon dates and six huninescence dates, show that minor earthworks were begun here at ca. 3500 B.C. in association with an oval arrangement of burned rock middens at the edge of a stream terrace. The full extent of the first earthworks is not yet known. Substantial moundraising began ca. 3350 B.C. and continued in stages until some time after 3000 B.C. when the site was abandoned. All 11 mounds and their connecting ridges were occupied between building bursts. Soils,formed on some of these temporary surfaces, while lithics. fire-cracked rock. and,fired clay/loam objects became scattered throughout the mound fills. Faunal and floral remains from a basal midden indicate all-season occupation, supported by broad-spectrum foraging centered on nuts, fish, and deer All the overlying fills are so acidic that organics have not survived. The area enclosed by the mounds was kept clean of debris, suggesting its use as ritual space. The reasons why such elaborate activities first occurred here remain elusive. However some building bursts covary with very well-documented increases in El Nino/Southern Oscillation events. During such rapid increases in ENSO frequencies, rainfall becomes extremely erratic and unpredictable. It may be that early moundraising was a communal response to new stresses of droughts and flooding that created a suddenly more unpredictable food base

Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach

A pressurized irrigation network may operate in two ways, namely, on demand and organized under operating sectors. In the first case, the user decides when to irrigate, and the pumping station has to meet the discharge and pressure head requirements of the group of users that is demanding water at any time. In the second case, the operating hydrants at a given moment are previously established, which permits identification of scenarios related to lesser energy consumption. In this work, a new model was developed that identifies such scenarios. The optimization process is carried out by means of simulated annealing (SA). The model was applied to an example and the result obtained was compared with the same network operating on demand and sectorized using the criterion of hydrant elevation with respect to the pumping station. The scenario adopted for SA saved 11.8% and 15.5% in energy consumption compared with the two other scenarios, and decreased the installed power requirement by 38.3% and 21.6%, respectively.García Prats, A.; Guillem Picó, S.; Martínez Alzamora, F.; Jiménez Bello, MA. (2012). Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 138(7):613-624. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000452S613624138

Linear and multivalent PEGylation of the tobacco mosaic virus and the effects on its biological properties

Plant virus-based nanoparticles (VNPs) offer a bioinspired approach to the delivery of drugs and imaging agents. The chemical addressability, biocompatibility, and scalable manufacturability of VNPs make them a promising alternative to synthetic delivery platforms. However, VNPs, just like other proteinaceous or synthetic nanoparticles (NPs), are readily recognized and cleared by the immune system and mechanisms such as opsonization and phagocytosis. Shielding strategies, such as PEGylation, are commonly used to mitigate premature NP clearance. Here, we investigated polyethylene glycol (PEG) coatings on the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), which was used as a model nanocarrier system. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of linear and multivalent PEG coatings at varying chain lengths on serum protein adsorption, antibody recognition, and macrophage uptake. Linear and multivalent PEGs of molecular weights 2,000 and 5,000 Da were successfully grafted onto the TMV at ≈ 20%–60% conjugation efficiencies, and the degree of cross-linking as a function of PEG valency and length was determined. PEGylation resulted in the modulation of TMV–macrophage interactions and reduced corona formation as well as antibody recognition. Linear and multivalent PEG 5,000 formulations (but not PEG 2,000 formulations) reduced α-TMV antibody recognition, whereas shorter, multivalent PEG coatings significantly reduced α-PEG recognition—this highlights an interesting interplay between the NP and the PEG itself in potential antigenicity and should be an important consideration in PEGylation strategies. This work provides insight into the PEGylation of VNPs, which may improve the possibility of their implementation in clinical applications

Hematopoietic stem cell mobilization with the reversible CXCR4 receptor inhibitor plerixafor (AMD3100)—Polish compassionate use experience

Recent developments in the field of targeted therapy have led to the discovery of a new drug, plerixafor, that is a specific inhibitor of the CXCR4 receptor. Plerixafor acts in concert with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to increase the number of stem cells circulating in the peripheral blood (PB). Therefore, it has been applied in the field of hematopoietic stem cell mobilization. We analyzed retrospectively data regarding stem cell mobilization with plerixafor in a cohort of 61 patients suffering from multiple myeloma (N = 23), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (N = 20), or Hodgkin’s lymphoma (N = 18). At least one previous mobilization attempt had failed in 83.6% of these patients, whereas 16.4% were predicted to be poor mobilizers. The median number of CD34+ cells in the PB after the first administration of plerixafor was 22/μL (range of 0–121). In total, 85.2% of the patients proceeded to cell collection, and a median of two (range of 0–4) aphereses were performed. A minimum of 2.0 × 106 CD34+ cells per kilogram of the patient’s body weight (cells/kg b.w.) was collected from 65.6% of patients, and the median number of cells collected was 2.67 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg b.w. (0–8.0). Of the patients, 55.7% had already undergone autologous stem cell transplantation, and the median time to neutrophil and platelet reconstitution was 12 and 14 days, respectively. Cases of late graft failure were not observed. We identified the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and previous radiotherapy as independent factors that contributed to failure of mobilization. The current report demonstrates the satisfactory efficacy of plerixafor plus G-CSF for stem cell mobilization in heavily pre-treated poor or predicted poor mobilizers

Genome, Functional Gene Annotation, and Nuclear Transformation of the Heterokont Oleaginous Alga \u3ci\u3eNannochloropsis oceanica\u3c/i\u3e CCMP1779

Unicellular marine algae have promise for providing sustainable and scalable biofuel feedstocks, although no single species has emerged as a preferred organism. Moreover, adequate molecular and genetic resources prerequisite for the rational engineering of marine algal feedstocks are lacking for most candidate species. Heterokonts of the genus Nannochloropsis naturally have high cellular oil content and are already in use for industrial production of high-value lipid products. First success in applying reverse genetics by targeted gene replacement makes Nannochloropsis oceanica an attractive model to investigate the cell and molecular biology and biochemistry of this fascinating organism group. Here we present the assembly of the 28.7 Mb genome of N. oceanica CCMP1779. RNA sequencing data from nitrogen-replete and nitrogendepleted growth conditions support a total of 11,973 genes, of which in addition to automatic annotation some were manually inspected to predict the biochemical repertoire for this organism. Among others, more than 100 genes putatively related to lipid metabolism, 114 predicted transcription factors, and 109 transcriptional regulators were annotated. Comparison of the N. oceanica CCMP1779 gene repertoire with the recently published N. gaditana genome identified 2,649 genes likely specific to N. oceanica CCMP1779. Many of these N. oceanica–specific genes have putative orthologs in other species or are supported by transcriptional evidence. However, because similarity-based annotations are limited, functions of most of these species-specific genes remain unknown. Aside from the genome sequence and its analysis, protocols for the transformation of N. oceanica CCMP1779 are provided. The availability of genomic and transcriptomic data for Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779, along with efficient transformation protocols, provides a blueprint for future detailed gene functional analysis and genetic engineering of Nannochloropsis species by a growing academic community focused on this genus