Technical efficiency of meat sheep production systems in Spain

Preprin

Prevalence of impairments, disabilities, handicaps and quality of life in the general population: a review of recent literature

International audienc

The lowest hanging fruit: Beneficial gene knockouts in past, present, and future crop evolution

It is now well-documented that gene knockout (loss-of-function) alleles have played a prominent role in crop evolution during domestication, diversification, and improvement. This includes dramatic examples from the very origins of agriculture to the monumental yield increases of the Green Revolution. Recent advances in the generation of whole genome sequence data and functional investigations into the molecular genetic basis of crop traits continue to reveal the existence of considerable beneficial loss of function in crop species. These discoveries now inspire contemporary efforts to use targeted gene knockouts powered by modern gene editing tools to accelerate crop breeding. Here we trace the history and future of loss of function as a powerful mechanism of crop evolution and review the reasons gene knockouts might have been particularly important in past crop evolution and why they continue to be a “lowest hanging fruit” for directing crop evolution through molecular breeding in pursuit of more productive, resilient, and nutritious crops

Domain Wall Junction in N=2 Supersymmetric QED in four dimensions

An exact solution of domain wall junction is obtained in N=2 supersymmetric (SUSY) QED with three massive hypermultiplets. The junction preserves two out of eight SUSY. Both a (magnetic) Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) term and complex masses for hypermultiplets are needed to obtain the junction solution. There are zero modes corresponding to spontaneously broken translation, SUSY, and U(1). All broken and unbroken SUSY charges are explicitly worked out in the Wess-Zumino gauge in N=1 superfields as well as in components. The relation to models in five dimensions is also clarified.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, comments on zero modes added, a few references adde

Salinity, nutrient and chlorophyll a vertical variations in the Ebro River plume

Four water sampling campaigns in the Ebro River Plume were carried out, in spring, summer and autumn of 1999 and winter of 2000. In these campaigns salinity, nutrient and chlorophyll spatial distributions in the water column of river plume area were studied (where salinity values increase with depth). The sampling within the first meter of water column was carried out with a specifically designed device (SWAS). This device was designed by Dr. Jean Jacques Naudin to sample in the Rhone River Plume, although some modifications were introduced in the equipment to adapt it to Ebro River Plume conditions in order to obtain a very high vertical resolution in the sampling of the upper water column. Water samples could be acquired simultaneously at eight different depths (0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 m) plus another additional at 5.0 meters. Salinity, concentration of ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, reactive soluble phosphorus (RSP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), total phosphorus (TP), ortosilicic acid and chlorophyll were measured in each water sample. The results of sample analysis allowed to obtain salinity profiles of this surface layer, clearly showing the reduced thickness of river plume when the sea is under low energetic conditions, with a sharp rise of salinity in the first centimeters of water column. Some discontinuities in this pattern were identified, specially when wind blew from the sea, introducing waters of higher salinity and temperature in the upper part of the water column. In most of the sampling stations, nutrient profiles showed a generally decreasing trend of their concentrations with the water depth, although several deviations of this pattern could be observed. These deviations were not due to freshwater load variations and many of them took place in the first 20 centimeters of water column. Since these variations in nutrient concentrations are not apparently related to freshwater loads and/or chlorophyll level changes, the origin of these variations could be planktonic organisms motions in this thin layer and activity changes due to these movements.Romero Gil, I.; Falco Giaccaglia, SL.; Rodilla Alamá, M.; Sierra, J.; González Del Rio Rams, J.; Mösso, C. (2006). Salinity, nutrient and chlorophyll a vertical variations in the Ebro River plume. Journal of Coastal Research. SI39:1828-1832. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/36178S18281832SI3

Spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Cullera Bay

[EN] The Júcar River, characterized by a very irregular freshwater flow, discharges into the Spanish Mediterranean coastal waters. However, the flow at its mouth is usually insignificant due to the overexploitation of upstream water. Under normal conditions, the final stretch of the river (downstream from the Cullera weir) is nurtured only by water released from the weir and small discharges from lateral irrigation channels. During periods of heavy rain, however, a significant amount of water flows through the Cullera weir. An analysis of data acquired during several field campaigns in Cullera Bay clearly reveals a zonal distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll-a within the bay: a southern area of continental influence, located near the mouth of the Júcar River; a region affected by karst filtrations and minor freshwater inputs, located to the north of the bay around Cullera Cape; and a third zone in between, characterized by higher salinities. Spatial salinity distribution is indicative of the spatial distribution of some of the nutrients discharged by the river, particularly nitrite, nitrate, orthosilicic acid and total phosphorus (TP), since it has been shown that their behavior is inverse to that of salinity. However, neither soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) nor ammonium, which are mainly affected by biological activity, show this type of behavior. Five different conditions/scenarios were identified during the overall sampling period based on the time-series analysis of wind parameters, rainfall, freshwater flow, salt-wedge thickness at the measuring station on the river, and by comparing the average surface salinity at the sea stations with the values obtained at the coastal stations.This study was financed by the European Union as a part of the ECOSUD project ("Estuaries and Coastal Areas. Basis and Tools for a More Sustainable Development". Reference no. ICA4-CT-2001-10027), AQUAS project ("Water quality and sustainable aquaculture. Links and implications". Reference no. INCO-CT-2005-015105) and by a Special Action by the Spanish Science and Technology Ministry, "Bases y herramientas para el desarrollo sostenible de zonas costeras y estuarinas" (Reference no. REN2001-5510-E).Falco Giaccaglia, SL.; Hermosilla Gómez, Z.; Romero Gil, I.; Martínez Guijarro, MR.; Sierra, J.; Mösso, C.; Mestres, M. (2007). Spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Cullera Bay. Journal of Coastal Research. SI47:40-47. https://doi.org/10.2112/1551-5036-47.sp1.40S4047SI4

Eutrophication of sediments in the Cullera bay: composition and abundance of macrobenthos

Nutrient retention in estuaries and semi-enclosed bays is a principal contributing factor to the relatively high production of these marine systems. Cullera bay occasionally presents serious environmental problems owing to discharge of the Jucar freshwater, sewage from a marine outfall and nutrients release of the sediment. This study examine the macrobenthos in order to evaluate their composition and abundance in anthropogenically impacted coastal sediments and waters. A total of five field campaigns were carried out during years 2002-2003, but, in this paper, we shown the results of the first campaign. The macrobenthos was collected at twelve stations along three transects using a type of Peterson grab, but only we have used the bivalve molluscs because they represent most benthic biomass. To evaluate the influence of environmental factors on the bivalves, we took undisturbed sediment and bottom-water samples at fourteen stations. In water samples we have studied salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll a and suspended solids, and granulometry, organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorous in sediment samples. In general exists a high organic matter accumulated in sediments of the bay that increases with depth. The concentration of nutrients of the waters are low, however, the concentration of chlorophyll a suggests a eutrophic character of the shallowest zones. Although bivalve density do not show a clear pattern with every parameters measured, we find some relationships between most abundant bivalves (Donax spp. and Spisula subtruncata) and depth, chlorophyll a of waters and granulometry and nutrients of sediments.Rodilla Alama, M.; Martí Martínez, E.; Falco Giaccaglia, SL.; González Del Rio Rams, J.; Sierra, J.; Sánchez-Arcilla, A. (2006). Eutrophication of sediments in the Cullera bay: composition and abundance of macrobenthos. Journal of Coastal Research. SI 39:1843-1847. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/3617718431847SI 3

Chlorophyll a and phytoplankton maximum at the halocline of Ebro River estuary

The Ebro River flows into the Mediterranean coast of Spain and its last stretch behaves most of the time as a highly stratified estuary. Four field campaigns were carried out during years 1999-2000 to study water quality within the estuary. In this paper, the results of two of these field campaigns are shown. These results are based on the development of a new sampling technique, which allows obtaining samples at the halocline with a high resolution. As a consequence, concentration peaks for different nutrients (ammonium, phosphorus, and orthosilicic acid), chlorophyll and some phytoplankton groups could be observed at the interface area. In the summer samplings, chlorophyll peaks showed two different patterns at the halocline along the estuary. At the stations located close to the estuary head, these peaks were always found in the shallower zone of the interface, above of the observed peaks of ammonium, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and orthosilicic acid. This chlorophyll accumulation in the shallower zone seems to come from surface layer phytoplankton settling, being temporally retained there due to the sharp increase of fluid density. The second pattern is observed close to the mouth, where chlorophyll peaks spatially coincide with those of nutrients or even are located below these, suggesting a growing zone due to nutrient abundance. Phytoplankton counts confirm this hypothesis since peaks of multicellular prokaryotes, diatoms and chlorophyceae are observed at the halocline, with greater densities in the freshwater layer than in the saltwater one, indicating that this accumulation comes from the surface layer. Nevertheless other groups such as unicellular prokaryotes and cryptophyceae presenting larger concentration at the halocline deeper layer than in the shallower one seem to employ the interface as a proliferation zone taking advantage of the more favourable nutritive conditions due to mineralization occurring there.Falco, S.; Romero Gil, I.; Rodilla, M.; Sierra, J.; González Del Rio Rams, J.; Mösso, C.; Pérez Baliero, MDC. (2006). Chlorophyll a and phytoplankton maximum at the halocline of Ebro River estuary. Journal of Coastal Research. SI 39:526-530. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/36176S526530SI 3

Bacteriological quality of the seawater in Cullera Bay, Spain

Localizada en el Mediterráneo español, la Bahía de Cullera está influenciada por las descargas del Río Júcar y por un emisor submarino que descarga sus aguas residuales justo en la desembocadura del río. En el marco del proyecto ECOSUD se llevaron a cabo cinco campañas de muestreo entre julio de 2002 y abril de 2003, en 11 estaciones distribuidas a lo largo de la costa y en el emisor submarino, para determinar la distribución espaciotemporal de la calidad bacteriológica (coliformes fecales, Escherichia coli y enterococos) del agua de mar con la finalidad de detectar posibles áreas peligrosas para usos recreativos y de baño de las playas de la bahía, según los estándares determinados por la Comisión Ambiental Europea. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que, en general, la zona costera de Bahía Cullera mantiene una buena calidad en sus aguas de baño. Sin embargo, la influencia de las descargas tanto del emisario submarino como del Río Júcar tiene un impacto en la zona costera, donde el aumento de la concentración bacteriológica disminuye la calidad de las aguas, sobretodo en los meses de verano cuando la actividad turística es intensa. El aporte adicional de fuentes esporádicas de contaminación en la zona del Cabo Cullera ocasiona un incremento por encima del valor máximo permisible de concentración de bacterias (2000 UFC 100 mL¿1 para coliformes fecales, 200 UFC 100 mL¿1 para enterococos y 500 UFC 100 mL¿1 para E. coli). Además, tomando en cuenta que el patrón de corrientes está controlado por el régimen estacional de los vientos, la zona norte podría llegar a ser una futura fuente adicional de bacterias contaminantes a las zonas de la playa, que hasta hoy mantienen una buena calidad de agua.Cullera Bay, located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, is influenced by the Júcar River outflow and by an sewage outfall that discharges wastewaters in the vicinity of the river mouth. Within the framework of the ECOSUD project, five sampling campaigns were conducted between July 2002 and April 2003 at 11 stations distributed along the coast of the bay and in the area of the sewage pipe, in order to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of bacteria (faecal coliforms, enterococci and Escherichia coli) in the seawater and thus detect possible dangerous zones for recreational use of the beaches, based on the guidelines established by the European Environmental Commission. In general, Cullera Bay was found to have good water quality; however, the discharges from both the river and sewage outfall affect the coastal zone, the increase in bacterial concentration diminishing the quality of the bathing waters, especially during the summer months when tourism peaks. Moreover, as a result of additional inputs of sporadic sources of pollution in the area of Cape Cullera, the maximum permissible values established for faecal coliforms (2000 CFU 100 mL¿1), enterococci (200 CFU 100 mL¿1) and E. coli (500 CFU 100 mL¿1) were exceeded. Considering that the currents are driven by seasonal winds, the northern area could eventually become an additional source of contaminating bacteria to the beaches that currently have good water qualityCupul-Magaña, L.; Mösso Aranda, C.; Sánchez-Arcilla, A.; Sierra-Pedrico, J.; Fermán-Almada, J.; Romero Gil, I.; Falco Giaccaglia, SL. (2006). Distribución bacteriológica en el agua de mar en la Bahía Cullera, España. Ciencias Marinas. 32(2):311-318. doi:10.7773/cm.v32i21.1058S31131832

The influence of topography on wind-induced hydrodynamics in Cullera bay

[EN] Cullera Bay is an example of a multi-source polluted coastal environment. The water quality in the bay is highly affected by pressure from major agricultural and industrial activities in the river basin. Fresh water is taken from the river and later returned, loaded with pesticides and fertilizers. Partially treated wastewater from riverbank towns and industries is discharged into the lower reaches of the river. This mechanism contributes to river pollution. The dramatic increase in Cullera's population during the summer tourist season and the limited capacity of the local water treatment plant also make it difficult to dispose of domestic wastewater, some of which is discharged untreated into the river or directly into the sea through a marine outfall. This freshwater input from the Júcar River and the marine outfall produces a highly polluted estuarine plume in the coastal region (with significant salinity gradients and complex spatial patterns), which is highly influenced by the hydrodynamics of the bay. Because of the discharge from the Júcar River, the sewage from the marine outfall and the particular geomorphological features of Cullera Bay, this plume may play a significant role in defining and supporting different aspects of the socioeconomic environment in neighboring areas, especially those related to water quality. However, the mean water quality in the bay does not depend only on the surface circulation pattern but also on the overall marine circulation in the water body, where the local bathymetry has more relative influence. Therefore, it is important to have the tools and capabilities needed to monitor and characterize the actual pollutant dispersion drivers (wind and hydrodynamics) to assess their influence at local and regional levels. This paper presents the characterization of the wind field and circulation pattern in Cullera Bay using data acquired during seven field campaigns. The analysis shows that there is strong seasonal behavior in the wind field, ranging from daily breeze patterns to persistent offshore winds. Although the wind field varies greatly throughout the year, the overall pattern mainly consists of daily breezes. However, the hydrodynamic field has proved to be very complex and, with a few exceptions, poorly correlated with the wind-field pattern. This poor correlation may be due to a nonhomogeneous wind field in Cullera Bay caused by a nearby mountainous barrier. Despite the complexity of the hydrodynamic field in each campaign, the overall analysis of the nearshore current pattern shows a strong ¿boundary condition¿ influence that mainly follows the isobaths rather than the wind field. The influence of the topography on the wind and currents may have significant implications for quantifying the relative importance of pollutant sources that harm the quality of the water in Cullera Bay.The European Community funded this study as a part of the ECOSUD project, ‘‘Estuaries and Coastal Areas. Basis and Tools for a More Sustainable Development’’ (reference no. ICA4-CT-2001-10027) and the AQUAS project (‘‘Water quality and sustainable aquaculture. Links and implications’’. Reference no. INCO-CT-2005-015105). It was also funded by a special initiative of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, ‘‘Bases y herramientas para el desarrollo sostenible de zonas costeras y estuarinas’’ (reference no. REN2001-5510-E) and the project ‘‘Desarrollo y optimizacio´n de te´cnicas para gestionar los vertidos de aguas residuales de emisarios submarinos (ARTEMISA)’’ (Reference no. REN2003-07585-C02-01/MAR).Mösso, C.; Sierra, J.; Mestres Ridge, M.; Cupul, L.; Falco Giaccaglia, SL.; Rodilla Alamá, M.; Sánchez-Arcilla, A.... (2007). The influence of topography on wind-induced hydrodynamics in Cullera bay. Journal of Coastal Research. SI 47:17-30. doi:10.2112/1551-5036-47.sp1.17S1730SI 4