Evaluation of the impact of various agricultural practices on nitrate leaching under the root zone of potato and sugar beet using the STICS soil–crop model

The quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Northern Spain) is characterised by a shallow water table mainly fed by drainage water, and thus constitutes a vulnerable zone in regards to nitrate pollution. Field studies were performed with a potato crop in 1993 and a sugar beet crop in 2002 to evaluate their impact on nitrate leaching. The overall predictive quality of the STICS soil–crop model was first evaluated using field data and then the model was used to analyze dynamically the impacts of different crop management practices on nitrate leaching. The model was evaluated (i) on soil nitrate concentrations at different depths and (ii) on crop yields. The simulated values proved to be in satisfactory agreement with measured values. Nitrate leaching was more pronounced with the potato crop thanwith the sugar beet experiment due to i) greater precipitation, ii) lower N uptake of the potato crop due to shallow root depth, and iii) a shorter period of growth. The potato experiment showed that excessive irrigation could significantly increase nitrate leaching by increasing both drainage and nitrate concentrations. The different levels of N-fertilization examined in the sugar beet study had no notable effects on nitrate leaching due to its high N uptake capacity. Complementary virtual experiments were carried out using the STICS model. Our study confirmed that in vulnerable zones agricultural practices must be adjusted, that is to say: 1) N-fertilizer should not be applied in autumn before winter crops; 2) crops with low N uptake capacity (e.g. potatoes) should be avoided or should be preceded and followed by nitrogen catch crops or cover crops; 3) the nitrate concentration of irrigation water should be taken into account in calculation of the N-fertilization rate, and 4) Nfertilization must be precisely adjusted in particular for potato crops

Eliminación de nitratos por desnitrificación en la zona no saturada del suelo en un humedal del cinturón Peri-Urbano de Vitoria-Gasteiz

Los cambios de usos del suelo y la intensificación de la agricultura en el acuífero cuaternario de Vitoria-Gasteiz llevaron a la desaparición de los humedales. Acciones recientes de restauración en el área peri-urbana han llevado a su recuperación. La restauración de estas zonas húmedas ha contribuido a la disminución de nitratos de las aguas subterráneas. Las concentraciones en NO3 -, superiores a 50 mg NO3 -/L en las aguas fluyentes hacia la zona húmeda, son inferiores a 10 mg NO3 -/L en los alrededores del humedal. Se ha medido el potencial de desnitrificación de los suelos en la zona no saturada mediante en método de bloqueo con acetileno en tres perfiles de suelo adyacentes al humedal a tres profundidades representativas del suelo del depósito aluvial. Los valores máximos de desnitrificación se observan en los horizontes superficiales ricos en materia orgánica (32,0 – 36,2 g MO/kg suelo) con tasas de desnitrificación que varían entre 18,7 y 20,3 mg N/día*kg de suelo. Los contenidos en materia orgánica disminuyen en profundidad (4,3 – 5,7 g MO/kg suelo en el horizonte B2 entre 70 y 100 cm de profundidad). En este horizonte se han medido las tasas de desnitrificación mas bajas con valores que varían entre 0,1 y 1,1 mg N/día*kg de suelo

Aplicación del modelo stics para la determinación de la lixiviación de nitratos bajo cultivo de remolacha azucarera en la zona no saturada del suelo

Se ha aplicado el modelo STICS a los datos de una parcela experimental de remolacha azucarera situada en la localidad de Matauko, dentro de la Zona Vulnerable del acuífero cuaternario de Vitoria-Gasteiz. En dicha parcela se aplicaron seis tratamientos diferentes y se estudió la lixiviación de nitratos en cuatro de las aplicaciones. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido comparar los resultados del modelo con los obtenidos en el campo. Se han modelizado cuatro de los tratamientos aplicados en la parcela, simulando a nivel diario el balance de agua y de nitrógeno (kg N/ha) en suelo y planta. Los resultados del modelo coinciden bien con los experimentales, sobre todo en los momentos de episodios claros de infiltración, y en la evolución de la concentración en nitratos, con una notable disminución en las concentraciones en la parte final del periodo considerado

Multi-Objective Optimisation-Based Tuning of Two Second-Order Sliding-Mode Controller Variants for DFIGs Connected to Non-Ideal Grid Voltage

In this paper, a posteriori multi-objective optimisation (MOO) is applied to tune the parameters of a second-order sliding-mode control (2-SMC) scheme commanding the grid-side converter (GSC) of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) subject to unbalanced and harmonically distorted grid voltage. Two variants (i.e., design concepts) of the same 2-SMC algorithm are assessed, which only differ in the format of their switching functions and which contain six and four parameters to be adjusted, respectively. A single set of parameters which stays valid for nine different operating regimes of the DFIG is also sought. As two objectives, related to control performances of grid active and reactive powers, are established for each operating regime, the optimisation process considers 18 objectives simultaneously. A six-parameter set derived in a previous work without applying MOO is taken as reference solution. MOO results reveal that both the six- and four-parameter versions can be tuned to overcome said reference solution in each and every objective, as well as showing that performances comparable to those of the six-parameter variant can be achieved by adopting the four-parameter one. Overall, the experimental results confirm the latter and prove that the performance of the reference parameter set can be significantly improved by using either of the six- or four-parameter versions.This research was co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness—project codes DPI2015-64985-R and RTI2018-096904-B-I00—and FEDER Funds, EU. The authors from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU are with the “Intelligent Systems and Energy (SI+E)” research group, funded by UPV/EHU—research grant GIU16/54—and the Basque Government—research grant IT1256-19

The production of construction and demolition waste material and the use of recycled aggregates in Havana, Cuba

En este trabajo se realiza un análisis de la generación de Residuos Sólidos Urbanos (RSU) y de Residuos de Construcción y Demolición (RCD) para el período de 1999 a 2010 en la Habana Cuba, y se define su posible uso en la fabricación de áridos reciclados para la producción de mortero y hormigón. Para la definición de las posibles aplicaciones de los RCD como agregados en la producción de mortero y hormigón, se decidió comenzar por el análisis de las características de los residuos, así como el estudio de las tecnologías actuales disponibles en la provincia para su tratamiento. Basándose en los resultados experimentales obtenidos, fue posible determinar que los agregados finos reciclados de composición mixta, obtenidos de edificios colapsados ¿¿o demoliciones, cumplieron con las regulaciones cubanas y en consecuencia podrían ser utilizados en la fabricación de mortero de albañilería. El agregado grueso reciclado procedente de elementos de plantas de prefabricados podría ser utilizado en la producción de hormigón estructural para entornos de agresividad media y baja, dependiendo del porcentaje de agregado natural sustituido.Postprint (published version

Loss of myocardial LIF receptor in experimental heart failure reduces cardiotrophin-1 cytoprotection. A role for neurohumoral agonists?

OBJECTIVES: Cardiomyocyte loss is involved in the transition from compensatory left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to heart failure (HF). Our aim was to investigate the status of the leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR)/gp130 survival pathway and its cytoprotective activity in intact cardiac tissue and in cardiomyocytes obtained from adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with LVH (non-failing SHR) and from aged SHR with overt HF (failing SHR). METHODS: Cardiac morphometry was assayed by planimetry in an image analysis system. mRNA and protein expression were quantified by real time RT-PCR and Western blotting. Receptors were localized by immunocytochemistry. Trypan blue staining, TUNEL, and MTT cell viability assays were employed to study the cytoprotective activity of cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) in isolated caridomyocytes. RESULTS: Compared to non-failing SHR, failing SHR exhibited enhanced myocardial cell death (p<0.01) demonstrated by the increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase-3 activation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) fragmentation. Failing SHR had a 7-fold diminished expression (p<0.01) of LIFR, no changes in gp130, and 1.6-fold increased myocardial expression (p<0.01) of CT-1. In cardiomyocytes isolated from non-failing SHR, recombinant CT-1 inhibited apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death induced by angiotensin II or hydrogen peroxide. LIFR protein was entirely absent in cardiomyocytes isolated from failing SHR, which were resistant to the cytoprotective effects of CT-1. Finally, stimulation of non-failing SHR cardiomyocytes with angiotensin II, aldosterone, norepinephrine or endothelin-1 significantly decreased (p<0.01) LIFR expression. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that loss of CT-1-dependent survival mechanisms may contribute to the increase of cell death associated with HF in SHR. Neurohumoral activation may contribute to this alteration via suppression of LIFR

Biochemical Diagnosis of Hypertensive Myocardial Fibrosis

A substantial increase in fibrillar collagen has been observed in the left cardiac ventricle of animals and humans with arterial hypertension. Hypertensive myocardial fibrosis is the result of both increased collagen types I and III due to the fact that its synthesis by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts is stimulated and its extracellular collagen degradation unchanged or decreased extracellular collagen degradation. Hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic factors may be involved in the disequilibrium between collagen synthesis and degradation that occurs in hypertension. As shown experimentally and clinically, an exaggerated rise in fibrilar collagen content promotes abnormalities of cardiac function, contributes to the decrease in coronary reserve and facilitates alterations in the electrical activity of the left ventricle. Although microscopic examination of cardiac biopsies is the most reliable method for documenting and measuring myocardial fibrosis, the development of non-invasive methods to indicate the presence of myocardial fibrosis in hypertensive patients would be useful. We have therefore applied a biochemical method based on the measurement of serum peptides derived from the tissue formation when synthesized and degradation of fibrillar collagens to monitor the turnover of these molecules in rats with spontaneous hypertension and patients with essential hypertension

The proinflammatory mediator CD40 ligand is increased in the metabolic syndrome and modulated by adiponectin

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that the CD40/CD40 ligand (CD40L) system is up-regulated in the metabolic syndrome (MS) and modulated by adiponectin (AN). The objectives were: 1) to compare plasma and monocyte CD40L in patients with MS and controls and its association with clinical and biochemical parameters, 2) to investigate platelets as a source of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), and 3) to analyze the effects of AN on CD40/CD40L. METHODS: Plasma sCD40L and AN were measured in 246 controls and 128 patients with MS by ELISA. Monocyte CD40/CD40L expression and platelet CD40L content and release were compared in patients with MS and controls. Monocytes and endothelial cells were cultured with AN and CD40/CD40L expression determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Patients with MS had higher sCD40L and lower AN levels than controls (0.89 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.76 +/- 0.07 ng/ml and 10.10 +/- 0.65 vs. 12.99 +/- 0.80 microg /ml, P < 0.05). Monocyte CD40/CD40L expression was higher (P < 0.05) in patients than controls (CD40: 1.31 +/- 0.31 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.14 arbitrary units; CD40L: 1.24 +/- 0.85 vs. 0.43 +/- 0.14 pg/microg protein). No differences were observed on CD40L content between resting platelets from patients with MS and controls (7.7 +/- 3.5 vs. 7.2 +/- 2.2 pg/microg protein). Stimulated platelets from patients with the MS released more (P < 0.05) sCD40L than controls (582 +/- 141 vs. 334 +/- 60% change vs. nonstimulated platelets). AN reduced CD40L mRNA and protein expression in monocytes from MS patients and endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced sCD40L and cellular CD40L expression in the MS suggests that CD40L is of pathophysiological relevance in MS. Also, a new antiinflammatory effect of AN is described through the modulation of the CD40/CD40L system

What happens when they think they are right? Error awareness analysis of sentence comprehension deficits in aphasia

Background: Comprehension of non-canonical sentences is frequently characterised by chance level performance in people with aphasia (PWA). Chance level performance has been interpreted as guessing, but online data does not support this rendering. It is still not clear whether the incorrect sentence processing is guided by the compensatory strategies that PWA might employ to overcome linguistic difficulties. Aims: We aim to study to what extent people with non-fluent aphasia are aware of their sentence comprehension deficits. Methods & Procedures: This study combined offline and online data to investigate the effect of word order and error-awareness on sentence comprehension in a group of PWA and non-brain damaged (NBD) participants. The offline tasks involved auditory sentence picture-matching immediately followed by a confidence rating (CR). Participants were asked to judge the perceived correctness of their previous answer. Online data consisted of eye-tracking. Outcomes & Results: Replicating previous findings, PWA had significantly worse comprehension of Theme-Agent order compared to Agent-Theme order sentences. Controls showed ceiling level sentence comprehension. CR was a poor predictor of response accuracy in PWA, but moderate-good in NBD. A total of 6.8% of judgements were classified as “guessing” by PWA. Post hoc gaze data analysis indicated that CR was a predictor of the fixation pattern during the presentation of the linguistic stimuli. Conclusions: Results suggest that PWA were mostly unaware of their sentence comprehension errors and did not consciously employ strategies to compensate for their difficulties