Effects of foliar fertilization of a biostimulant obtained from chicken feathers on maize yield

Due to the important contribution that it makes to human nutrition, maize is one of the most widely-consumed cereals in the world. There is, therefore, high demand for fertilizers that will maintain maize production at both high yield and quality levels. The objective of this work was to study the effect of foliar fertilization using a biostimulant, obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis from chicken feathers, on the productivity and quality of maize crops (Zea mays, L. cv PR32W86 Pioneer), located in Trujillanos (Extremadura, Spain), over two consecutive seasons. Foliar biostimulant/biofertilizer was applied three times each season and at two rates (3.6 and 7.2 l ha−1). At the higher rate and for both seasons, foliar fertilization significantly increased the leaf concentrations of macro- and micronutrients, while grain protein content and yield increased by 26% and 14%. These results suggest that the foliar use of this biostimulant could be of great interest to the farmer for improving both maize crop yield and quality.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad CTM2015-64354-C3-1-RMinisterio de Economia y Competitividad CTM2015-64354-C3-3-RJunta de Andalucía RNM-2011-788

Effects of Sport Teaching on Students' Enjoyment and Fun: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The methodology used in sport teaching influences not only the students' technical and tactical learning, but also psychological and social dimensions such as enjoyment. We aimed to analyze the effects of interventions using conventional and non-conventional sport teaching methodology on students' enjoyment/fun, through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The search was carried out following the PRISMA Statement in the databases of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Eric and PsycInfo. A total of 1,481 documents were obtained, with the addition of 5 more which were identified in the reference lists of the articles found in the databases. Eleven articles were considered to meet the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis yielded a moderate effect size of 0.72, and a 95% CI from 0.48 to 0.96 in favor of non-conventional teaching methods, highlighting the model of sports education. Nevertheless, the heterogeneity of the interventions was large and the quality of the evidence, according to GRADE, was very low. In conclusion, the use of non-conventional models in sport teaching with the aim of increasing the enjoyment/fun of boys and girls is advised. These suggestions could be useful for teachers and sport coaches to increase the enjoyment/fun of their trainees during sport practice

Perspectives and evaluation of teaching by university lecturers as a model of high quality

La universitat actual ha de qüestionar el seu objecte i sentit per adequar-se als nous reptes que la societat global li exigeix. Aquest debat afecta el què, el com i el per a què han de produir-se modificacions del que hi era una tradició, i com afecten aquests canvis als docents investigadors i alumnes, sobretot pel que fa a què han d'aprendre -sentit del coneixement-, en què i com han de modificar la seva pràctica i, consegüentment, quina formació és necessària per a adquirir o millorar les seves competències professionals i les seves qualitats personals. Les directrius emeses per l'European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education -ENQA- (2005) són un punt de partida, però insuficients quan en la universitat espanyola falta una carrera professional dels docents investigadors.La Universidad actual tiene que cuestionar su objeto y sentido para adecuarse a los nuevos retos que la sociedad global le exige. Este debate afecta al qué, cómo y para qué deben producirse modificaciones de lo que en ella era una tradición, y cómo afectan estos cambios a los docentes investigadores y alumnos, sobre todo en cuanto a qué deben aprender -sentido del conocimiento-, en qué y cómo han de modificar su práctica y, consecuentemente, qué formación es necesaria para adquirir o mejorar sus competencias profesionales y sus cualidades personales. Las directrices emitidas por la European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education -ENQA- (2005) son un punto de partida, pero insuficientes cuando en la universidad española falta una carrera profesional de los docentes investigadores.Universities today must question their objectives and ability to adapt to the new challenges of the global society. Debate centres on how and why universities must be modified, and how changes will affect researchers and students, particularly insofar as learning is concerned, in what areas and in which ways teaching practices should be modified. This leads to the question on what training is necessary to acquire or improve professional competitiveness, as well as the individual's qualities, procedures and resources. The directives issued in 2005 by the European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) are a beginning, but they are insufficient in the Spanish university system, which lacks a professional career for education researchers

Influence of Different Vinification Techniques on Volatile Compounds and the Aromatic Profile of Palomino Fino Wines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of vinification techniques on volatile compounds and sensory profiles in young Palomino fino white wines. Four winemaking techniques (pellicular maceration, supra-extraction and use of commercial yeast strains and of beta-glycosidase enzymes) were implemented to enhance the aromatic quality of wines elaborated from this neutral variety of grape. Volatile compound content, aromatic profile (OAVs) and sensorial analysis were determined. The results showed that all the vinification techniques studied led to an increase in volatile compounds compared to the control wine. Likewise, an influence of the vineyard and must extraction method on these compounds was observed. However, the greatest changes in aroma activity and sensory profile were a result of the pellicular maceration and supra-extraction techniques. The latter was differentiated by the highest content of terpenes and, consequently, the highest odour activity values of floral series. In addition, the supra-extraction was a very selective technique since it extracted terpenes and aromatic precursors, but not the acids responsible for the fatty characteristic, such as octanoic acid. In terms of sensory profile, the supra-extraction technique improved the intensity of the Palomino fino white wine and its aromatic quality with a previously not-determined floral character

Las industrias de salazones del litoral onubense : los casos de "El Eucaliptal" (Punta Umbría), y "El Cerro del Trigo" (Doñana, Almonte)

Una de las actividades que mejor definen la economía de época romana en el Golfo de Cádiz es la industria relacionada con la producción y comercialización de salsas de pescado (salazones). Según los testimonios arqueológicos, los orígenes de esta producción se remontan a momentos prerromanos en ámbitos geográficos relacionados con el comercio gaditano. Dado el escaso número de este tipo de instalaciones conocidas en la costa onubense durante el período romano, donde hasta la fecha sólo existían escasas referencias bibliográficas, se presentan en este trabajo los nuevos yacimientos dedicados a la producción de salazones descubiertos en prospecciones y excavaciones por el Área de Arqueología de la Universidad de Huelva, y se hace hincapié en una mayor abundancia de este tipo de instalaciones, que fenómenos geomorfológicos recientes, principalmente los donares, impiden valorar en su verdadera dispersión._____________________________One of the activities which better define the economy of Roman period in the Gulf of Cadiz is the industry related to the production and marketing sauce of fish (fish-salting). According to the archaeological testimonies, the origins of this production go back to preroman moments, in areas related to the Cadiz trade. In view of the scanty number of this type of facilities know in Huelva coast during the Roman period, where up to the date only scanty bibliographical references existed, there appear in this work the new deposits dedicated to the production of saltings discovered in explorations and excavations for the Area of Archaeology of the University of Huelva. And it is emphisized a bigger abundance of this type of factories, which geomorphological phenomenon, principally the littoral dunes system, prevent valuing at its real dispersion

Modelagem da temperatura do ar para o estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Spatial modelling of air temperature (maximum, mean and minimum) of the State of São Paulo (Brazil) was calculated by multiple regression analysis and ordinary kriging. Climatic data (mean values of five or more years) were obtained from 256 meteorological stations distributed uniformly over the State. The correlation between the climatic dependent variables, with latitude and altitude as independent variables was significant and could explain most of the spatial variability. The coefficients of determination (P < 0.05) varied in the range of 0.924 and 0.953, showing that multiple regression analysis is an accurate method for the modelling of air temperature for the State of São Paulo. Finally, these regression equations were used together with the kriged maps of the residual errors to build 15 digital maps of air temperature using a 0.5 km2 Digital Elevation Model in a Geographic Information System.Foram utilizadas técnicas de análise de regressão linear múltipla e krigagem ordinária para a modelagem espacial das temperaturas máximas, mínimas, médias do Estado de São Paulo (Brasil). Os dados climáticos foram obtidos de 256 estações climatológicas distribuídas na totalidade do Estado. O período mínimo das séries climáticas utilizadas foi de cinco anos. Os resultados das análises de regressão apresentaram uma boa correlação entre as variáveis dependentes analisadas (temperaturas médias, máximas e mínimas) com a latitude, e a altitude como variáveis independentes. Os coeficientes de determinação (P < 0,05) variam entre 0,924 e 0,953 indicando que a regressão múltipla é um método preciso de estimativa da temperatura do ar no Estado de São Paulo. As equações de regressão obtidas foram utilizadas, em conjunto com mapas dos resíduos interpolados por krigagem, para a elaboração de 15 mapas de temperatura do ar sobre um modelo de elevação digital de 0,5 km2 de resolução espacial com a ajuda de geoprocessamento.S

Use of Neural Networks for Tsunami Maximum Height and Arrival Time Predictions

Operational TEWS play a key role in reducing tsunami impact on populated coastal areas around the world in the event of an earthquake-generated tsunami. Traditionally, these systems in the NEAM region have relied on the implementation of decision matrices. The very short arrival times of the tsunami waves from generation to impact in this region have made it not possible to use real-time on-the-fly simulations to produce more accurate alert levels. In these cases, when time restriction is so demanding, an alternative to the use of decision matrices is the use of datasets of precomputed tsunami scenarios. In this paper we propose the use of neural networks to predict the tsunami maximum height and arrival time in the context of TEWS. Different neural networks were trained to solve these problems. Additionally, ensemble techniques were used to obtain better results.This work was funded by “Innovative ecosystem with artificial intelligence for Andalusia 20205” project of CEI Andalucía Tech and University of Málaga, UMA-CEIATECH-05. The numerical results presented in this work were performed with the computational resources provided by the Spanish Network for Supercomputing (RES) grants AECT-2020-1-0009 and AECT-2020-2-0001. Finally, this research has been partially supported by the Spanish Government research project MEGAFLOW (RTI2018-096064-B-C21), ChEESE project (EU Horizon 2020, grant agreement N. 823844), and eFlows4HPC project (funded by the EuroHPC JU under contract 955558 and the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Superhydrophobic supported Ag-NPs@ZnO-nanorods with photoactivity in the visible range

In this article we present a new type of 1D nanostructures consisting of supported hollow ZnO nanorods (NRs) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs). The 3D reconstruction by high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) electron tomography reveals that the Ag NPs are distributed along the hollow interior of the ZnO NRs. Supported and vertically aligned Ag-NPs@ZnO-NRs grow at low temperature (135 °C) by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition on heterostructured substrates fabricated by sputtered deposition of silver on flat surfaces of Si wafers, quartz slides or ITO. The growth mechanisms of these structures and their wetting behavior before and after visible light irradiation are critically discussed. The as prepared surfaces are superhydrophobic with water contact angles higher than 150°. These surfaces turn into superhydrophilic with water contact angles lower than 10° after prolonged irradiation under both visible and UV light. The evolution rate of the wetting angle and its dependence on the light characteristics are related to the nanostructure and the presence of silver embedded within the ZnO NRs. ÂEuropean Union NMP3-CT-2006- 032583Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT2010-21228, MAT2010-18447, CSD2008-00023Junta de Andalucía P09-TEP-5283, CTS-518