Effect of Greenhouse Film Cover on the Development of Fungal Diseases on Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in a Mediterranean Protected Crop

Greenhouses on the Mediterranean coast mainly use plastic materials as their cover. The influence of light exerted by these materials directly affects the crops by modifying the environment in which they develop. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the use of two plastic films in an experimental greenhouse on the development of fungal diseases in two spring–summer crop cycles: tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) from february to July 2021 and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) from February to July 2022. The study was carried out in Almeria (Spain) in a multispan greenhouse divided transversely into two sectors by a polyethylene sheet. A commercial film was installed in the east sector (90% of transmissivity and 55% diffusivity) and an experimental film was installed in the west sector (85% of transmissivity and 60% diffusivity). In addition, the effect of the yield and quality of the harvested fruit was determined. In this study, two diseases were established naturally on the crop: (i) powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) in both the tomato and the pepper crop cycles and (ii) early blight (Alternaria solani) in the tomato. The analyses of both diseases showed that the areas of the greenhouse that used the plastic cover, which presented a lower sunlight transmissivity, showed higher levels of disease than the areas that used the plastic cover that allowed greater transmissivity of light within the greenhouse, differing statistically in some phases of the crop. The marketable yield was 4.2% (for tomato) and 3.1% (for pepper) higher in the sector with the experimental film with high transmissivity. For both crops, the quality of the fruits did not show statistically significant difference

Measurement of the broadband complex permittivity of soils in the frequency domain with a low-cost vector network analyzer and an open-ended coaxial probe

The performance of a handheld Vector Network Analyzer (VNA), the nanoVNA, a low-cost, open-source instrument, was evaluated. The instrument measures the complex permittivity of dielectric media from 1-port reflection parameters in the 1 – 900 MHz bandwidth. We manufactured an open-ended coaxial probe using a SMA-N coaxial adapter to perform dielectric measurements. The accuracy of the nanoVNA was comparable to that of a commercial VNA between 1 and 500 MHz according to tests in reference organic liquids, while a lack of stability was found beyond 700 MHz. The self-manufactured open-ended coaxial probe was subjected to a Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis and its electromagnetic (EM) field penetration depth was determined to be 1.5 mm at 100 MHz, being reduced to 1.3 at 900 MHz and thus demonstrating a frequency-dependent support volume. The broadband complex permittivity of three mineral soils of varied textures was obtained for a range of bulk densities and water contents from dry to water-saturated conditions. The dielectric response of the soils approximated the well-known Topp et al. (1980) equation at high frequencies. At lower frequency however, higher permittivities were exhibited due to dielectric dispersion, which emphasizes the importance of EM-based soil moisture sensor operating frequency when considering sensor calibration or comparing the response of different sensors

Costs and benefits of automation for astronomical facilities

The Observatorio Astrof\'isico de Javalambre (OAJ{\dag}1) in Spain is a young astronomical facility, conceived and developed from the beginning as a fully automated observatory with the main goal of optimizing the processes in the scientific and general operation of the Observatory. The OAJ has been particularly conceived for carrying out large sky surveys with two unprecedented telescopes of unusually large fields of view (FoV): the JST/T250, a 2.55m telescope of 3deg field of view, and the JAST/T80, an 83cm telescope of 2deg field of view. The most immediate objective of the two telescopes for the next years is carrying out two unique photometric surveys of several thousands square degrees, J-PAS{\dag}2 and J-PLUS{\dag}3, each of them with a wide range of scientific applications, like e.g. large structure cosmology and Dark Energy, galaxy evolution, supernovae, Milky Way structure, exoplanets, among many others. To do that, JST and JAST are equipped with panoramic cameras under development within the J-PAS collaboration, JPCam and T80Cam respectively, which make use of large format (~ 10k x 10k) CCDs covering the entire focal plane. This paper describes in detail, from operations point of view, a comparison between the detailed cost of the global automation of the Observatory and the standard automation cost for astronomical facilities, in reference to the total investment and highlighting all benefits obtained from this approach and difficulties encountered. The paper also describes the engineering development of the overall facilities and infrastructures for the fully automated observatory and a global overview of current status, pinpointing lessons learned in order to boost observatory operations performance, achieving scientific targets, maintaining quality requirements, but also minimizing operation cost and human resources.Comment: Global Observatory Control System GOC

J-PLUS: The javalambre photometric local universe survey

ABSTRACT: TheJavalambrePhotometric Local UniverseSurvey (J-PLUS )isanongoing 12-band photometricopticalsurvey, observingthousands of squaredegrees of theNorthernHemispherefromthededicated JAST/T80 telescope at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ). The T80Cam is a camera with a field of view of 2 deg2 mountedon a telescopewith a diameter of 83 cm, and isequippedwith a uniquesystem of filtersspanningtheentireopticalrange (3500–10 000 Å). Thisfiltersystemis a combination of broad-, medium-, and narrow-band filters, optimallydesigned to extracttherest-framespectralfeatures (the 3700–4000 Å Balmer break region, Hδ, Ca H+K, the G band, and the Mg b and Ca triplets) that are key to characterizingstellartypes and delivering a low-resolutionphotospectrumforeach pixel of theobservedsky. With a typicaldepth of AB ∼21.25 mag per band, thisfilter set thusallowsforanunbiased and accuratecharacterization of thestellarpopulation in our Galaxy, itprovidesanunprecedented 2D photospectralinformationforall resolved galaxies in the local Universe, as well as accuratephoto-z estimates (at the δ z/(1 + z)∼0.005–0.03 precisionlevel) formoderatelybright (up to r ∼ 20 mag) extragalacticsources. Whilesomenarrow-band filters are designedforthestudy of particular emissionfeatures ([O II]/λ3727, Hα/λ6563) up to z < 0.017, theyalsoprovidewell-definedwindowsfortheanalysis of otheremissionlines at higherredshifts. As a result, J-PLUS has thepotential to contribute to a widerange of fields in Astrophysics, both in thenearbyUniverse (MilkyWaystructure, globular clusters, 2D IFU-likestudies, stellarpopulations of nearby and moderate-redshiftgalaxies, clusters of galaxies) and at highredshifts (emission-line galaxies at z ≈ 0.77, 2.2, and 4.4, quasi-stellarobjects, etc.). Withthispaper, wereleasethefirst∼1000 deg2 of J-PLUS data, containingabout 4.3 millionstars and 3.0 milliongalaxies at r <  21mag. With a goal of 8500 deg2 forthe total J-PLUS footprint, thesenumbers are expected to rise to about 35 millionstars and 24 milliongalaxiesbytheend of thesurvey.Funding for the J-PLUS Project has been provided by the Governments of Spain and Aragón through the Fondo de Inversiones de Teruel, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO; under grants AYA2017-86274-P, AYA2016-77846-P, AYA2016-77237-C3-1-P, AYA2015-66211-C2-1-P, AYA2015-66211-C2-2, AYA2012-30789, AGAUR grant SGR-661/2017, and ICTS-2009-14), and European FEDER funding (FCDD10-4E-867, FCDD13-4E-2685

Potential therapeutic applications of microbial surface-activecompounds

Numerous investigations of microbial surface-active compounds or biosurfactants over the past two decades have led to the discovery of many interesting physicochemical and biological properties including antimicrobial, anti-biofilm and therapeutic among many other pharmaceutical and medical applications. Microbial control and inhibition strategies involving the use of antibiotics are becoming continually challenged due to the emergence of resistant strains mostly embedded within biofilm formations that are difficult to eradicate. Different aspects of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm control are becoming issues of increasing importance in clinical, hygiene, therapeutic and other applications. Biosurfactants research has resulted in increasing interest into their ability to inhibit microbial activity and disperse microbial biofilms in addition to being mostly nontoxic and stable at extremes conditions. Some biosurfactants are now in use in clinical, food and environmental fields, whilst others remain under investigation and development. The dispersal properties of biosurfactants have been shown to rival that of conventional inhibitory agents against bacterial, fungal and yeast biofilms as well as viral membrane structures. This presents them as potential candidates for future uses in new generations of antimicrobial agents or as adjuvants to other antibiotics and use as preservatives for microbial suppression and eradication strategies

Early mobilisation in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a subanalysis of the ESICM-initiated UNITE-COVID observational study

Background Early mobilisation (EM) is an intervention that may improve the outcome of critically ill patients. There is limited data on EM in COVID-19 patients and its use during the first pandemic wave. Methods This is a pre-planned subanalysis of the ESICM UNITE-COVID, an international multicenter observational study involving critically ill COVID-19 patients in the ICU between February 15th and May 15th, 2020. We analysed variables associated with the initiation of EM (within 72 h of ICU admission) and explored the impact of EM on mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay, as well as discharge location. Statistical analyses were done using (generalised) linear mixed-effect models and ANOVAs. Results Mobilisation data from 4190 patients from 280 ICUs in 45 countries were analysed. 1114 (26.6%) of these patients received mobilisation within 72 h after ICU admission; 3076 (73.4%) did not. In our analysis of factors associated with EM, mechanical ventilation at admission (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.25, 0.35; p = 0.001), higher age (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98, 1.00; p ≤ 0.001), pre-existing asthma (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.73, 0.98; p = 0.028), and pre-existing kidney disease (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.71, 0.99; p = 0.036) were negatively associated with the initiation of EM. EM was associated with a higher chance of being discharged home (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.08, 1.58; p = 0.007) but was not associated with length of stay in ICU (adj. difference 0.91 days; 95% CI − 0.47, 1.37, p = 0.34) and hospital (adj. difference 1.4 days; 95% CI − 0.62, 2.35, p = 0.24) or mortality (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.7, 1.09, p = 0.24) when adjusted for covariates. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that a quarter of COVID-19 patients received EM. There was no association found between EM in COVID-19 patients' ICU and hospital length of stay or mortality. However, EM in COVID-19 patients was associated with increased odds of being discharged home rather than to a care facility. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04836065 (retrospectively registered April 8th 2021)

Study and Design of an Immersion Control System for Submarine Sensor Platforms

[Resumen] Las plataformas de sensores son utilizadas como focos de información de ciertos entornos específicos. En el ámbito de los sistemas marítimos y oceanográficos, estas plataformas permiten sensorizar ciertas propiedades del agua a partir de diversas variables, como es el caso del nivel de oxígeno, los niveles de turbidez, clorofila, salinidad, etc. Debido a las diferentes estratificaciones que se producen en este entorno a diferentes profundidades, es necesario realizar la medida a diferentes profundidades. Por ello, este proyecto se va a centrar en el diseño de un algoritmo de control con el fin de gestionar la profundidad de un objeto con capacidad de inmersión, permitiendo así, detener dicha arquitectura sumergible a una profundidad deseada. De manera progresiva se irá analizando el sistema de control, el cual permitirá gestionar la profundidad en función de la posición a la que se encuentren de los actuadores. Para ello, se abordarán diferentes puntos, como es el caso de las consideraciones y características constructivas del modelo, el estudio detallado del comportamiento de cada uno de los principales componentes de sistema, así como de la respuesta de las variables a estudiar. Además, dicho sistema de control se implementará en un microcontrolador con el fin de proporcionar las señales adecuadas en cada instante de tiempo, permitiendo así, que los actuadores introduzcan o desalojen un volumen determinado de agua y, por consiguiente, se logre alcanzar un adecuado y autónomo desplazamiento de la plataforma.[Abstract] Sensor platforms are used as sources of information for certain specific environments. In the field of maritime and oceanographic systems, these platforms make it possible to sensorize certain properties of the water based on various variables, such as the oxygen level, the levels of turbidity, chlorophyll, salinity, etc. Due to the different stratifications that occur in this environment at different depths, it is necessary to perform the measurement at different depths. Therefore, this project will focus on the design of a control algorithm to manage the depth of an object with immersion capacity, thus allowing the submersible architecture to be stopped at a desired depth. The control system will be progressively analyzed, which will allow the depth to be managed depending on the position of the actuators. For this, different points will be addressed, such as the considerations and constructive characteristics of the model, the detailed study of the behavior of each of the main components of the system, as well as the response of the variables to be studied. In addition, said control system will be implemented in a microcontroller to provide the appropriate signals at each instant of time, thus allowing the actuators to introduce or dislodge a specific volume of water and, consequently, achieve an adequate and autonomous platform movement.https://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.9788497498043

Professional quality of life, self‐compassion, resilience, and empathy in healthcare professionals during COVID‐19 crisis in Spain

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed healthcare professionals to suffering and stressful working conditions. The aim of this study was to analyze professional quality of life among healthcare professionals and its relationship with empathy, resilience, and self‐compassion during the COVID‐19 crisis in Spain. A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 506 healthcare professionals, who participated by completing an online questionnaire. A descriptive correlational analysis was performed. A multivariate regression analysis and a decision tree were used to identify the variables associated with professional quality of life. Empathy, resilience, and mindfulness were the main predictors of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout, respectively

Control of Subsea Profiling Platform Using Thrusters and Dynamic Ballast

[Resumen] La laguna del Mar Menor es una de las singularidades ecológicas más importantes del área mediterránea. Sin embargo, es un área donde confluyen muchas actividades económicas e industriales, haciendo así que la suma de los impactos de la minería, la agricultura y el desarrollo urbano alrededor de la laguna durante las últimas décadas, haya afectado considerablemente al ecosistema. Esta situación genera la motivación de este proyecto con el fin de contribuir a la recuperación del Mar Menor desde varios puntos de vista. Uno de ellos es el establecer modelos de comportamiento hidrodinámico para predecir episodios desfavorables que afectan a la laguna salada con el fin de minimizar su impacto. Para poder desarrollar estos modelos, es fundamental monitorizar de forma continua en diferentes puntos y profundidades los parámetros del agua cuya variación afecta al comportamiento general de la laguna. De este modo, surge el objetivo de este proyecto, el cual se centra en la gestión de la profundidad de plataformas de sensores sumergibles. Para ello se han desarrollado e implementado algoritmos de control utilizando un microcontrolador embebido en la propia plataforma. Estos algoritmos gestionan el ascenso y descenso de la plataforma sumergible mediante la variación del peso de la misma a través de actuadores tipo lastre combinados con impulsores dinámicos con el fin de estabilizar la plataforma a una determinada profundidad a la vez que se busca minimizar el consumo energético.[Abstract] The Mar Menor lagoon is one of the most important ecological singularities of the Mediterranean area. However, it is an area where many economic and industrial activities converge, so that the sum of the impacts of mining, agriculture and urban development around the lagoon during the last decades, has considerably affected the ecosystem. This situation generates the motivation for this project in order to contribute to the recovery of the Mar Menor from several points of view. One of them is to establish hydrodynamic behavior models to predict unfavorable episodes that affect the salt lagoon in order to minimize their impact. In order to develop these models, it is essential to continuously monitor at different points and depths the water parameters whose variation affects the overall behavior of the lagoon. Thus, the objective of this project arises, which focuses on the depth management of submersible sensor platforms. For this purpose, control algorithms have been developed and implemented using a microcontroller embedded in the platform itself. These algorithms manage the ascent and descent of the submersible platform by varying the weight of the platform through ballast type actuators combined with dynamic thrusters in order to stabilize the platform at a certain depth while minimizing energy consumption.https://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749841