Power‐Over‐Fiber Applications for Telecommunications and for Electric Utilities

Beyond telecommunications, optical fibers can also transport optical energy to powering electric or electronic devices remotely. This technique is called power over fiber (PoF). Besides the advantages of optical fiber (immunity to electromagnetic interferences and electrical insulation), the employment of a PoF scheme can eliminate the energy supplied by metallic cable and batteries located at remote sites, improving the reliability and the security of the system. Smart grid is a green field where PoF can be applied. Experts see smart grid as the output to a new technological level seeks to incorporate extensively technologies for sensing, monitoring, information technology, and telecommunications for the best performance electrical network. On the other hand, in telecommunications, PoF can be used in applications, such as remote antennas and extenders for passive optical networks (PONs). PoF can make them virtually passives. We reviewed the PoF concept, its main elements, technologies, and applications focusing in access networks and in smart grid developments made by the author’s research group

Acumulação de matéria seca e macronutrientes pelo sorgo sacarino

Samples of two varieties of sweet .sorghum (Brandes and Rio) grown on a Dark Red Latosol (Barra Bonita, SP) were collected and analysed (dry matter and macronutrient contents) at intervals of 20 days. Both varieties showed faster uptake of most of the nutrients between flower initiation and head formation. Variety Brandes, in said period, took up more nutrients per day than the other, although its cycle was longer.Foram colhidas amostras de plantas de dois cultivares de sorgo sacarino (Brandes e Rio), cultivados em um Latossol Roxo, de 20 em 20 dias, onde se analisou a acumulação de matéria seca, N, P, K, Ca, Mg e S. Ambos os cultivares apresentaram maior velocidade de absorção para a maioria dos nutrientes no período compreendido entre o aparecimento do primórdío da panícula e o florescimento, com algumas excessões. O cultivar Brandes apresentou maiores velocidades de absorção de nutrientes do que o cultivar Rio, nos períodos de máxima taxa de absorção, mesmo apresentando ciclo longo

Capacidade de absorção de nutrientes e eficiência nutricional do sorgo sacarino

Foi conduzido um experimento em casa de vegetação, utilizando dois cultivares de sorgo sacarino (Brandes e Rio), cultivados em soluções nutritivas completa e diluída. No final do ciclo as plantas foram colhidas, separadas em partes e foram analisadas N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn. De maneira geral os dois cultivares apresentaram capacidade de absorção de nutrientes semelhantes medida tanto em regime de fornecimento adequado como em soluções nutritivas diluídas, embora as produções de matéria seca total tenham sido diferentes na solução mais diluída. Com relação a produção de colmos verdes, o cultivar Brandes produziu mais em solução completa e menos em soluções diluídas do que o cultivar Rio, mas a produção de matéria seca de colmos do cultivar Rio, em casa de vegetação, sempre foi maior do que o do cultivar Brandes.Two sweet sorghum varieties, Brandes and Rio, were grown in full strenght and diluted nutrient solutions till completing the life cycle wherein mineral analyses were carried out. As a rule both varieties showed the same capacity to absorb nutrients in the two rates supplied. Dry matter yield, however was different in the dilute nutrient solution. The variety Brandes produced more fresh stalks in the full strength solution than Rio; under nutricional stress the yield was lower. Dry matter of stalks in the case of the variety Rio was consistently higher

Phosphate fertilization and phosphorus forms in an Oxisol under no-till

Em semeadura direta o fósforo (P) acumula-se na camada mais superficial do solo, mas os resíduos deixados na superfície liberam P e ácidos orgânicos, que podem melhorar a disponibilidade e a eficiência de fertilizantes como o superfosfato triplo e fosfatos naturais reativos. Neste estudo, a resposta da soja à adubação com P e as formas de P até 40 cm de profundidade do solo foram avaliadas após a aplicação de fosfatos em um sistema conduzido em semeadura direta há cinco anos. Os tratamentos consistiram de 0 ou 80 kg ha-1 P2O5 total, aplicados na superfície do solo como fosfato natural reativo (FNR) ou superfosfato triplo (SFT). Nas subparcelas foram aplicados, no sulco de semeadura, 80 kg ha-1 de P2O5, em diferentes combinações de FNR e SFT. Amostras de solo foram coletadas até 0.4 m, antes e depois do cultivo da soja (Glycine max L.), para fracionamento do P. As respostas ao FNR foram semelhantes às do SFT, com aumento das reservas de P em profundidade, mesmo em formas não-disponíveis como P-ocluso. Após a colheita da soja, os teores de P-ocluso diminuíram na camada mais superficial, mas foi observado um aumento nas formas solúvel, orgânica e P - total em toda a espessura de solo estudada. A melhor distribuição do P no solo, principalmente em formas solúvel e orgânica, resultou em maior produtividade da soja, mesmo quando o fertilizante foi aplicado na superfície do solo.Under no-till phosphorus (P) accumulates in a few centimeters of the topsoil layer. Plant residues left on the soil surface release P and organic acids, which may improve P availability and fertilizer efficiency, including both soluble (such as triple super phosphate) and less soluble sources (such as reactive natural phosphates). In this study, soybean response to P fertilizer and P forms in the top 40 cm of an Oxisol were evaluated after surface application of different phosphates in a 5-year-old no-till system. Treatments consisted of 0 or 80 kg ha-1 of total P2O5 applied on the soil surface, both as natural reactive phosphate (NRP) or triple super phosphate (TSP). In addition, 80 kg ha-1 of P2O5 were applied to subplots, in furrows below and beside the soybean (Glycine max L.) seeds, in different combinations of NRP and TSP. Soil samples were taken before and after the soybean growth, down to 0.40 m and soil phosphorus was chemically fractionated. The responses to NRP were similar to TSP, with an increase in P reserves at greater depths, even in non-available forms, such as P-occluded. After the soybean harvest, P-occluded levels were lower at the surface layer, but an increase was observed in the soluble, organic and total P down to 40 cm. An improved P distribution in soil depth, especially regarding the soluble and organic forms, resulted in higher soybean yields, even when the phosphates were applied to the soil surface

Towards a simple representation of chalk hydrology in land surface modelling

Abstract. Modelling and monitoring of hydrological processes in the unsaturated zone of chalk, a porous medium with fractures, is important to optimize water resource assessment and management practices in the United Kingdom (UK). However, incorporating the processes governing water movement through a chalk unsaturated zone in a numerical model is complicated mainly due to the fractured nature of chalk that creates high-velocity preferential flow paths in the subsurface. In general, flow through a chalk unsaturated zone is simulated using the dual-porosity concept, which often involves calibration of a relatively large number of model parameters, potentially undermining applications to large regions. In this study, a simplified parameterization, namely the Bulk Conductivity (BC) model, is proposed for simulating hydrology in a chalk unsaturated zone. This new parameterization introduces only two additional parameters (namely the macroporosity factor and the soil wetness threshold parameter for fracture flow activation) and uses the saturated hydraulic conductivity from the chalk matrix. The BC model is implemented in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) and applied to a study area encompassing the Kennet catchment in the southern UK. This parameterization is further calibrated at the point scale using soil moisture profile observations. The performance of the calibrated BC model in JULES is assessed and compared against the performance of both the default JULES parameterization and the uncalibrated version of the BC model implemented in JULES. Finally, the model performance at the catchment scale is evaluated against independent data sets (e.g. runoff and latent heat flux). The results demonstrate that the inclusion of the BC model in JULES improves simulated land surface mass and energy fluxes over the chalk-dominated Kennet catchment. Therefore, the simple approach described in this study may be used to incorporate the flow processes through a chalk unsaturated zone in large-scale land surface modelling applications. </jats:p

Rainfall intensity and Mepiquat Chloride persistence in cotton

In some regions where cotton is grown in Brazil rainfall amounts to about 2,000 mm per year, which imposes a great risk for Mepiquat Chloride (MP) to be washed from cotton leaves before being absorbed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the MC persistence when applied on cotton plants submitted to different rain intensities after spraying. The treatments were three MC rates: 0, 15.0 and 30.0 g a.i. ha-1 and four simulated rainfalls, applied 90 minutes after MC spraying: 5, 10, 20 and 40 mm, plus a treatment without rain. Cotton plants of the cv. Delta Opal were grown in 12 L pots filled with an Haplortox. The experimental design was consisted of complete randomized blocks, in a factorial scheme, with four replicates. The evaluated parameters were: plant height, number of reproductive branches, dry matter weight, reproductive structures, retention and leaf area. The higher the rainfall the lower the effectiveness of the plant growth regulator in controlling plant height. A simulated rainfall as low as 5 mm occurring 90 minutes after MC application was enough to wash some of the plant growth regulator from cotton leaves.Em parte das regiões onde se encontram as maiores áreas de algodão no Brasil atualmente, o índice pluviométrico está ao redor de 2.000 mm anuais, existindo risco de ocorrer lavagem do Cloreto de Mepiquat (CM) das folhas do algodoeiro antes de ser absorvido pelas plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a lavagem do CM aplicado no algodoeiro por diferentes laminas de chuva simulada. Os tratamentos constaram de três doses do regulador à base de cloreto de mepiquat: 0, 15.0 e 30.0 g ha-1 e quatro lâminas de chuva simulada: 5, 10, 20 e 40 mm, mais um tratamento sem chuva. Foram utilizados vasos de 12 litros de capacidade e a cultivar Delta Opal. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: altura de plantas, número de ramos reprodutivos, massa de matéria seca, retenção de estruturas reprodutivas e área foliar. Quanto maior a intensidade de chuva ocorrida após a aplicação do regulador maior foi o comprometimento da ação do produto, que repercutiu em interferência no crescimento das plantas. Chuvas de 5.0 mm, ocorridas 90 minutos após a aplicação do cloreto de mepiquat, já causaram prejuízo na ação do produto no crescimento do algodoeiro, sendo o efeito maior com o aumento da quantidade de chuva simulada

The effect of chalk representation in land surface modelling

Abstract. Modelling and monitoring of hydrological processes in the unsaturated zone of the chalk, which is a porous medium with fractures, is important to optimize water resources assessment and management practices in the United Kingdom (UK). However, efficient simulations of water movement through chalk unsaturated zone is difficult mainly due to the fractured nature of chalk, which creates high-velocity preferential flow paths in the subsurface. Complex hydrology in the chalk aquifers may also influence land surface mass and energy fluxes because processes in the hydrological cycle are connected via non-linear feedback mechanisms. In this study, it is hypothesized that explicit representation of chalk hydrology in a land surface model influences land surface processes by affecting water movement through the shallow subsurface. In order to substantiate this hypothesis, a macroporosity parameterization is implemented in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), which is applied on a study area encompassing the Kennet catchment in the Southern UK. The simulation results are evaluated using field measurements and satellite remote sensing observations of various fluxes and states in the hydrological cycle (e.g., soil moisture, runoff, latent heat flux) at two distinct spatial scales (i.e., point and catchment). The results reveal the influence of representing chalk hydrology on land surface mass and energy balance components such as surface runoff and latent heat flux via subsurface processes (i.e., soil moisture dynamics) in JULES, which corroborates the proposed hypothesis. </jats:p

Brachiaria As A Cover Crop To Improve Phosphorus Use Efficiency In A No-till Oxisol

Oxidic soils are phosphorus drains in soil; hence, P availability is a limiting factor in tropical, weathered Oxidic soils. It has been shown that some brachiarias grown as cover crops may increase soil available P to subsequent crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil P cycling and availability, as well as the response of soybean to soluble and natural reactive phosphates as affected by ruzi grass (Urochloa ruziziensis, R. Germ. and C.M. Evrard, Crin) grown as a cover crop in a no-till system. Experimental treatments consisted of the presence or absence of ruzi grass in combination with a control (0.0 P) and soluble and reactive rock phosphate broadcast on the soil surface in the winter (80 kg ha-1 P2O2), plus three rates of P applied to soybean furrows (0, 30, and 60 kg ha-1 of P2O5) at planting, in the form of triple superphosphate. Soybean was cropped in two seasons: 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Soil samples were taken before soybean planting (after desiccation of Brachiaria) at 0.00-0.05 and 0.05-0.10 m for soil available P. Total weight of dry matter and P accumulated in ruzi grass were determined, as well as soybean yields, P in soybean grains, and P use efficiency (PUE). The use of natural phosphate increased soil P availability. The highest yields were obtained with higher application rates of triple superphosphate in the planting furrow combined with broadcast rock phosphate. Broadcast application of Arad reactive phosphate increases and maintains soil available P, and this practice, associated with ruzi grass grown as a cover crop and the use of triple superphosphate applied to soybean furrows, results in higher use of P by soybeans. © 2016, Revista Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo. All rights reserved.4