Farm waters run deep: a coupled positive multi-attribute utility programming and computable general equilibrium model to assess the economy-wide impacts of water buyback

Abstract Little is known about the economy-wide repercussions of water buyback, which may include relevant feedbacks on the output of economic sectors at a regional and supra-regional scale. Limited studies available rely on stand-alone Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models that represent competition for water explicitly, but this approach presents significant data and methodological challenges in areas where mature water markets are not in place –the case of most regions worldwide. To bridge this gap, this paper couples a microeconomic Positive Multi-Attribute Utility Programming (PMAUP) model that elicits the value and price share to water with a macroeconomic, regionally-calibrated CGE model for Spain. Methods are illustrated with a case study in the Murcia Region in southeastern Spain. Economy-wide feedbacks amplify income losses in Murcia's agriculture from −20.5% in the PMAUP model up to −33% in the coupled PMAUP-CGE model. Compensations paid to irrigators enhance demand in the region, but supply contraction in agriculture and related sectors lead to overall GDP losses (up to −2.1%) in most scenarios. The supply gap is partially filled in by other Spanish regions, which experience a GDP gain through a substitution effect (up to +.034%). In all scenarios, aggregate GDP for Spain decreases (up to −.023%)

Irrigation technology and water conservation: A review of the theory and evidence

Climate change, population growth, and economic development increase competition for water and exacerbate water scarcity- and drought-related losses (IPCC 2014), resulting in the identification of water crises as the greatest global societal threat (WEF 2019). Farming currently accounts for roughly 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals worldwide (FAO 2019) and often constitutes the least productive (i.e., lowest value) use of freshwater resources (Damania et al. 2017). In this context, providing safe, stable, and profitable food production while making incremental water available to alternative uses, including the environment, requires efficiency improvements in agricultural water management (UN 2015)

Rationalizing Systems Analysis for the Evaluation of Adaptation Strategies in Complex Human-Water Systems

Water resources management is a nontrivial process requiring a holistic understanding of the factors driving the dynamics of human-water systems. Policy-induced or autonomous behavioral changes in human systems may affect water and land management, which may affect water systems and feedback to human systems, further impacting water and land management. Currently, hydro-economic models lack the ability to describe such dynamics either because they do not account for the multifactor/multioutput nature of these systems and/or are not designed to operate at a river basin scale. This paper presents a flexible and replicable methodological framework for integrating a microeconomic multifactor/multioutput Positive Multi-Attribute Utility Programming (PMAUP) model with an eco-hydrologic model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The connection between the models occurs in a sequential modular approach through a common spatial unit, the “hydrologic-economic representative units” (HERUs), derived from the boundaries of decision-making entities and hydrologic responsive units. The resulting SWAT-PMAUP model aims to provide the means for exploring the dynamics between the behavior of socio-economic agents and their connection with the water system through water and land management. The integrated model is illustrated by simulating the impacts of irrigation restriction policies on the Río Mundo subbasin in south-eastern Spain. The results suggest that agents' adaptation strategies in response to the irrigation restrictions have broad economic impacts and subsequent consequences on surface and groundwater hydrology. We suggest that the integrated modeling framework can be a valuable tool to support decision-making in water resources management across a wide range of scales

Assessing inter-limb asymmetries in soccer players: magnitude, direction and association with performance

In this study, we aimed to analyze the magnitude and direction of interlimb asymmetries in ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), power (using iso-inertial devices), and a neuromuscular skill (change of direction). Secondarily, we aimed to determine the relationship between interlimb asymmetry scores for each test and also between these scores and the scores for the different performance tests. Sixteen semiprofessional male soccer players (age: 25.38 6.08 years; body height: 1.78 0.64 m; body mass: 79.5 14.9 kg) participated in this study. We calculated interlimb asymmetries using five tests: ankle dorsiflexion ROM, change of direction (COD 180º), and iso-inertial resistance tasks in the open (leg extension strength (LE), leg curl strength (LC)) and closed (crossover step (CRO)) kinetic chain. Our results showed that asymmetry magnitudes differed between all tests with highest interlimb asymmetries displayed during iso-inertial overloading. In addition, we observed that the direction of asymmetries varied depending on the test-specificity, and that the CRO asymmetries had a negative association with LE and CRO performance. These findings highlight the independent nature of asymmetries and that CRO could be an appropriate test to detect asymmetries related with the performance of soccer-specific actions (such as changes of direction). Practitioners are encouraged to use multiple tests to detect existing interlimb differences according to the specific characteristics of each sport

NGC 6705 a young α\alpha-enhanced Open Cluster from OCCASO data

The stellar [$\alpha$/Fe] abundance is sometimes used as a proxy for stellar age, following standard chemical evolution models for the Galaxy, as seen by different observational results. In this work we show that the Open Cluster NGC6705/M11 has a significant $\alpha$-enhancement [$\alpha$/Fe]$>0.1$ dex, despite its young age ($\sim$300 Myr), challenging the current paradigm. We use high resolution (R$>65,000$) high signal-to-noise ($\sim$70) spectra of 8 Red Clump stars, acquired within the OCCASO survey. We determine very accurate chemical abundances of several $\alpha$ elements, using an equivalent width methodology (Si, Ca and Ti), and spectral synthesis fits (Mg and O). We obtain [Si/Fe]=$0.13\pm0.05$, [Mg/Fe]=$0.14\pm0.07$, [O/Fe]=$0.17\pm0.07$, [Ca/Fe]=$0.06\pm0.05$ and [Ti/Fe]=$0.03\pm0.03$. Our results place these cluster within the group of young [$\alpha$/Fe]-enhanced field stars recently found by several authors in the literature. The ages of our stars have an uncertainty of around 50 Myr, much more precise than for field stars. By integrating the cluster's orbit in several non-axisymmetric Galactic potentials, we establish the M11's most likely birth radius to lie between 6.8-7.5 kpc from the Galactic center, not far from its current position. With the robust Open Cluster age scale, our results prove that a moderate [$\alpha$/Fe]-enhancement is no guarantee for a star to be old, and that not all $\alpha$-enhanced stars can be explained with an evolved blue straggler scenario. Based on our orbit calculations, we further argue against a Galactic bar origin of M11.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted in A&

Glucocorticoids improve acute dizziness symptoms following acute unilateral vestibulopathy.

Acute unilateral vestibulopathy (AUV) is characterized by acute vertigo, nausea, and imbalance without neurological deficits or auditory symptomatology. Here, we explore the effect of glucocorticoid treatment on the degree of canal paresis in patients with AUV, and critically, establish its relationship with dizziness symptom recovery. We recruited consecutive patients who were retrospectively assigned to one of the two groups according to whether they received glucocorticoid treatment (n = 32) or not (n = 44). All patients underwent pure-tone audiometry, bithermal caloric testing, MRI brain imaging, and were asked to complete a dizziness handicap inventory on admission to hospital and just prior to hospital discharge. In the treatment group, the canal paresis at discharge was significantly lower than in the control group (mean ± SD % 38.04 ± 21.57 versus 82.79 ± 21.51, p < 0.001). We also observed a significant reduction in the intensity of nystagmus in patients receiving glucocorticoid treatment compared to the non-treatment group (p = 0.03). DHI test score was significantly lower at discharge in the treatment group (mean ± SD % 23.15 ± 12.40 versus 64.07 ± 12.87, p < 0.001), as was the length of hospital stay (2.18 ± 1.5 days versus 3.6 ± 1.7 days, p = 0.002). Glucocorticoid treatment leads to acute symptomatic improvement, with a reduced hospital stay and reduction in the intensity of acute nystagmus. Our findings suggest that glucocorticoids may accelerate vestibular compensation via a restoration of peripheral vestibular function, and therefore has important clinical implications for the treatment of AUV

Morfología ovárica y foliculogénesis en Gymnotus carapo (Linnaeus, 1758)

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue el estudio de la morfología ovárica y la foliculogénesis de Gymnotus carapo, a fin de aportar información sobre su biología reproductiva, y que ésta sea de utilidad en el manejo de dicha especie como recurso pesquero. Se recolectaron 40 ejemplares hembras durante el periodo de febrero a diciembre del 2019 en ambientes naturales próximos a la Ciudad de Corrientes. Posteriormente a la captura fueron anestesiados con solución de lidocaína al 2% y sacrificados por sección medular. Los ovarios fueron aislados y fijados en formol al 10%; posteriormente fueron procesados para la técnica histológica convencional y coloreados con hematoxilina-eosina (H-E), tricrómica de Gomori y reacción histoquímica de PAS. Los preparados histológicos fueron analizados a través del microscopio óptico. Se pudo observar que la foliculogénesis en G. carapo es similar a la descrita para otros peces. El ovario y los ovocitos de G. carapo experimentan diferentes etapas de desarrollo: crecimiento primario, secundario, vitelogénesis y maduración durante el ciclo reproductivo, información que sienta base para estudios futuros sobre biología reproductiva. La información brindada en el presente trabajo es importante dado que aporta un estudio histológico detallado que describe la morfología ovárica y foliculogénesis en G. carapo y contribuye a la gestión y planificación de conservación de especies de importancia para el recurso pesquero

Reproducción con TRACE de un LOCA de tamaño intermedio en la instalación experimental PKL

[ES] El desarrollo de códigos termo-hidráulicos lleva muchos años avanzando debido a los esfuerzos invertidos en ellos. Mediante ellos, se reproduce el comportamiento ante accidentes y transitorios en reactores consiguiendo unos resultados cada vez más próximos a la realidad. Acuerdos entre la NRC y el CSN en el área de investigación en seguridad nuclear han dado como resultado el acceso del CSN a los códigos best-estimate en fase de desarrollo de la NRC, como el código TRACE. Con la previsión del uso del código TRACE en un futuro próximo para las simulaciones efectuadas en las actuales centrales nucleares, se están realizando numerosas series experimentales en diferentes instalaciones a escala de una planta comercial, que permiten obtener y comparar resultados reales para evaluar la capacidad del código. Este es el caso de PKL4, una instalación experimental a escala de un reactor comercial PWR de 1300MWe. Se ha llevado a cabo la simulación de un caso de pérdida de refrigerante por un orificio de tamaño intermedio (IBLOCA). El transitorio replica la reproducción de una rotura situada en la rama fría del lazo uno de la instalación, y tiene un tamaño del 17% respecto a esta. Los eventos que se producen debido a esta situación, tales como la activación de sistemas auxiliares de inyección de refrigerante, parada de bombas o decaimiento de potencia del núcleo, vienen dados a consecuencia de la despresurización en el circuito primario. Los resultados presentados en esta ponencia completan la simulación del transitorio y el análisis post-test de estos se centra en la comparación con las medidas reales. Con el presente trabajo, se contribuye a la evolución del código TRACE, constituyendo un paso hacia delante más en el testeo de sus capacidades.Los autores quieren agradecer la financiación de este trabajo, proveniente de los proyectos CAMP-OECD, al Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear en colaboración con la NRC.Blanco, D.; Berna, C.; Escrivá, A.; Muñoz-Cobo, JL.; Sánchez, M.; Pérez, J. (2019). Reproducción con TRACE de un LOCA de tamaño intermedio en la instalación experimental PKL. Sociedad Nuclear Española. 1-8. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180954S1

Unusual flexibility of mesophase pitch-derived carbon materials:an approach to the synthesis of graphene

Structural flexibility in a petroleum pitch-derived carbon material has been indirectly evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), immersion calorimetry and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements. Exposure of the carbon material to an organic solvent (e.g., n-nonane) gives rise to a large internal rearrangement, associated with a drastic re-ordering of the graphitic microdomains. These structural changes are also associated with a high flexibility of the internal porous network, as observed by inelastic neutron scattering measurements. The internal rearrangement and the structural flexibility could be responsible for the excellent performance of this kind of activated carbons in a wide variety of adsorption processes. Last but not least, the structural characteristics of these carbon materials composed of graphitic microdomains has been used to synthesize graphene “egg-like” flakes following a simple procedure based on exfoliation with organic solvents

Psychosocial factors related to physical activity in frail and prefrail elderly people

Background: Increased physical activity (PA) is a very important factor in a healthy aging lifestyle. Psychosocial factors have also a main role in the initiation and maintenance of this behavior, but nowadays its implications for frailty elderly people are unknown, therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the psychosociological variables of behavior change that influence the practice of (PA) in frail and prefrail elderly. Methods: A total of 103 frail and pre-frail elderly people (72 females) participated in this cross-sectional study, on the framework of the EXERNET-Elder3.0 project. Age ranged from 68–94 years (mean = 80.4 ± 5.9 years). Individualized face-to-face interviews according to the constructs of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) (decisional balance (DB) and self-efficacy (SE)], social support (SS) (family and friends) and outcome expectations (OE) were administered to all participants. Results: Significant differences were found in DB, perceived benefits (PBn), SE, family-related SS and OE as a function of stages of change (SoC) (p < 0.005), but no significant were found in perceived barriers (PBrr) (p = 0.259) and friends-related SS (p = 0.068). According to the Scheffé post-hoc test, those in advanced SoC (Action-Maintenance), scored higher than those in lower SoC (Precontemplation-Contemplation and Preparation). Conclusion: The scores obtained from the study variables differed according to the SoC, supporting the external validity for the use of the TTM in frailty elderly. Further research is needed to determine the impact of PBrr and friends-related SS on this people, as well as to identify the validity of this model in the long-term in this population