Non-linear Autoregressive Neural Networks to Forecast Short-Term Solar Radiation for Photovoltaic Energy Predictions

Nowadays, green energy is considered as a viable solution to hinder CO2 emissions and greenhouse effects. Indeed, it is expected that Renewable Energy Sources (RES) will cover 40% of the total energy request by 2040. This will move forward decentralized and cooperative power distribution systems also called smart grids. Among RES, solar energy will play a crucial role. However, reliable models and tools are needed to forecast and estimate with a good accuracy the renewable energy production in short-term time periods. These tools will unlock new services for smart grid management. In this paper, we propose an innovative methodology for implementing two different non-linear autoregressive neural networks to forecast Global Horizontal Solar Irradiance (GHI) in short-term time periods (i.e. from future 15 to 120min). Both neural networks have been implemented, trained and validated exploiting a dataset consisting of four years of solar radiation values collected by a real weather station. We also present the experimental results discussing and comparing the accuracy of both neural networks. Then, the resulting GHI forecast is given as input to a Photovoltaic simulator to predict energy production in short-term time periods. Finally, we present the results of this Photovoltaic energy estimation discussing also their accuracy

Water relations and mesophyll anatomy in almond leaves

Instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEi) is a measure made at the leaf scale, which can be used as a criterion for estimating WUE in breeding programs. To study the WUEi in different almond (Prunus dulcis) genotypes, we measured stomatal conductance (gS), assimilation rate (A), transpiration, internal concentration of CO2 (Ci), and leaf hydraulic conductance normalized to leaf area in five mixed crosses of almond trees. For all measured parameters we observed the most significant differences between ‘Johnston’ × ‘Lauranne’ and ‘Nonpareil’ × ‘Lauranne’. Nevertheless, ‘Carmel’ × ‘Tarraco’ showed the highest WUEi among the five crosses. The significant correlations among gS, A, and Ci indicated that A was probably limited by both stomatal and non-stomatal parameters that might be affected by genotype variations. In another experiment, we selected three cultivars of a new set of almond cultivars (Nonpareil, Carmel, and Masbovera) in four replicates for measuring gS at field capacity. Meanwhile, using a cryo-scanning electron microscopic (SEM) method, we prepared some images from the internal structures of leaves collected from the same cultivars of almond trees. Results showed that ‘Masbovera’ leaves, in which post-venous hydraulic distance (Dm) was higher compared with ‘Carmel’ and ‘Nonpareil’, represented significantly lower values of gS rather than the two other cultivars. Comparing mesophyll anatomy and gS between these cultivars demonstrated that Dm and the density of mesophyll cells might indirectly affect gS in almond leaves. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that water relations, WUEi, and leaf anatomy in almond trees differed among genotypes.Vahid Rahimi Eichi, Stephen D. Tyerman, and Michelle G. Wirthensoh

Exploring the potential for top-dressing bread wheat with ammonium chloride to minimize grain yield losses under drought

The frequency and severity of drought is predicted to rise in many parts of the world. Considering that drought is the main constraint on rain-fed wheat crop production, both agronomic and genetic measures have been taken to minimize yield losses under drought. Beyond its role as a micronutrient, chloride also acts as an osmoticum, implicated in the regulation of stomatal aperture. This study explores the potential for chloride fertilization of Australian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to minimize grain yield losses caused by drought stress. For this, two drought-tolerant commercial genotypes (Mace and Gladius) and a well-studied drought-tolerant genotype used in wheat breeding (RAC875) were treated with ammonium chloride, potassium chloride, or ammonium bicarbonate, the latter two treatments served as controls for chloride and ammonium, respectively. Plants were grown under either a watered or water-restricted (drought) regime. The genotype RAC875 was found to accumulate leaf chloride at a significantly higher level than the other genotypes under optimal growth conditions. Under drought conditions, top-dressing RAC875 plants with ammonium chloride resulted in up to a 2.5-fold increase in grain number and this effect was not seen when plants were top-dressed with either of the control fertilizers. The ammonium chloride treatment also minimized losses of grain yield in RAC875 plants grown under drought. Treatment effects were accompanied by an increase in stomatal conductance. These results collectively suggest that the compound fertilizer ammonium chloride can improve drought tolerance of wheat.Farzana Kastury, Vahid Rahimi Eichi, Akiko Enju, Mamoru Okamoto, Sigrid Heuer and Vanessa Melin

Understanding the interactions between biomass, grain production and grain protein content in high and low protein wheat genotypes under controlled environments

Grain protein content (GPC) is a key quality attribute and an important marketing trait in wheat. In the current cropping systems worldwide, GPC is mostly determined by nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. The objectives of this study were to understand the diffrences in N response between high and low GPC wheat genotypes, and to assess the value of biomass growth analysis to assess the differences in N response. Six wheat genotypes from a range of high to low GPC were grown in low, medium and high N, under glasshouse conditions. This experiment was designed around non-destructive estimation of biomass using a high throughput image-based phenotyping system. Results showed that Spitfire and Mace had higher grain N% than Gazelle and QAL2000, and appeared to demand more N to grow their biomass. Moreover, at low N, Spitfire grew faster and achieved the maximum absolute growth rate earlier than high N-treated plants. High grain N% genotypes seem able to manage grain N reserves by compromising biomass production at low N. This study also indicated the importance of biomass growth analysis to show the differences in the N responsiveness of high and low GPC wheat.Vahid Rahimi Eichi, Mamoru Okamato, Stephan M. Haefele, Nathaniel Jewell, Chris Brien, Trevor Garnett and Peter Langridg

Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Rationale and Study Design of the Largest Global Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis.

This article describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ). This is the largest international collaboration to date that will develop algorithms to predict trajectories and outcomes of individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and to advance the development and use of novel pharmacological interventions for CHR individuals. We present a description of the participating research networks and the data processing analysis and coordination center, their processes for data harmonization across 43 sites from 13 participating countries (recruitment across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America), data flow and quality assessment processes, data analyses, and the transfer of data to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) for use by the research community. In an expected sample of approximately 2000 CHR individuals and 640 matched healthy controls, AMP SCZ will collect clinical, environmental, and cognitive data along with multimodal biomarkers, including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, fluid biospecimens, speech and facial expression samples, novel measures derived from digital health technologies including smartphone-based daily surveys, and passive sensing as well as actigraphy. The study will investigate a range of clinical outcomes over a 2-year period, including transition to psychosis, remission or persistence of CHR status, attenuated positive symptoms, persistent negative symptoms, mood and anxiety symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. The global reach of AMP SCZ and its harmonized innovative methods promise to catalyze the development of new treatments to address critical unmet clinical and public health needs in CHR individuals