Evaluation of Landscape Quality in Valencia's Agricultural Gardens : a Method Adapted to Multifunctional, Territorialized Agrifood Systems (MTAS)

Multifunctional agrifood systems with noteworthy roots in a territory are the result of a historical yet dynamic specialization. They are present in the place's knowledge, social connections, collective action, the organization of institutions, innovation and capital. These systems are seen in the landscape, which becomes a resource as well as cultural and environmental heritage. In this regard, it is necessary to study the significance of the many aspects of heritage and landscape in agrifood systems to suitably manage and appreciate them as a territorial resource. This study develops and applies a quantitative method with various criteria to enable the landscape values of multifunctional, territorialized agrifood systems (MTAS in Spanish) to be evaluated, paying attention to essential matters such as the process of heritage recognition and the quality of their landscapes. To do so, a method designed by the authors for evaluating landscapes has been adapted to the peculiarities that define such systems, made up of criteria such as representativeness, authenticity, ecological integrity, vulnerability, accessibility and historical, social and symbolic values. The method has been applied to an exemplary Mediterranean landscape, the agricultural gardens of Valencia, which combine features of MTAS in metropolitan and coastal flatland contexts

Application of a method to assess hydraulic heritage as regards diversion dams in the Júcar river basin. A decision-making tool

The Mediterranean area is distinctive for its acute water deficit. This scarcity of water has led to the gradual construction of historical, sustainable irrigation systems of significant cultural and scenic value. It is essential to identify and evaluate these systems and their hydraulic assets in order to come up with proposals aimed at managing and conserving them. In this study, a method is used to assess the hydraulic heritage in ninety three (93) weirs or diversion dams located in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, following a proposal by the Júcar River Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar). It is a quantitative method using various criteria that also takes into account the participation of social agents. Its application has enabled these water-damming works to be classified according to the interest in them in terms of heritage. A public administration's use of the method confirms that it is an effective evaluation instrument to prioritise activities involving management and appreciation of these assets

Suppression Trial through an Integrated Vector Management of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) Based on the Sterile Insect Technique in a Non-Isolated Area in Spain

In recent years, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1984) has expanded its distribution globally due to its high ecological plasticity. This expansion has increased the population’s susceptibility to contracting diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, among others, which are transmitted by this mosquito species. In the absence of effective control methods, the application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) is proposed as part of an integrated vector management (IVM) program. From 2007 to 2020, this strategy has been tested in a non-isolated mosquito population urban area of 45 ha, representative of the municipalities of the Valencian region (Spain). The population levels of adult females and eggs collected in the traps have been reduced by 70–80% compared to the control area, demonstrating its efficacy in reducing mosquito populations. This work analyzes the impact of the migration of the wild mosquito population from the peri-urban area to the urban core.This research was funded by La Conselleria de Agricultura, Desarrollo Rural, Emergencia Climática of the Valencian region (Spain).Ciencias Experimentale

Sterile Insect Technique in an Integrated Vector Management Program against Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus in the Valencia Region (Spain): Operating Procedures and Quality Control Parameters

The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) is an invasive species responsible for the transmission of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. The rapid expansion of this species globally is the result of a lack of effective control methods. In this context, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is an emerging tool for controlling mosquito populations. The Agriculture Department of the Valencian Region (Spain) is promoting a pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of the sterile insect technique as part of an integrated vector management program against Ae. albopictus. From 2018 to 2020, sterile male releases were carried out in two pilot sites, releasing more than 15 million sterile males over 80 ha. The present work describes the laboratory studies carried out to evaluate the performance of irradiated males to assess the feasibility of the SIT before release in the field, as well as the production and quality control parameters obtained in rearing activities. The obtained values in terms of production and quality control and the proposed rearing methodology can be useful for designing a medium-scale mosquito-rearing pipeline.Ciencias Experimentale

Selective precipitation of calcium ion from seawater desalination reverse osmosis brine

The near zero liquid discharge (NZLD) approach, by recovering water and dissolved valuable salts, is the most attractive clean solution for the valorisation of brines from seawater desalination reverse osmosis (SWD-RO) plants. In this perspective, a key aspect is calcium removal/recovery, to avoid scaling problems in the successive advanced separation units for recovering other valuable salts. In this work sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7), carbonate (Na2CO3) and hydrogencarbonate (NaHCO3) were tested as calcium precipitation reagents. Different pH, temperature, ionic strength and reagent molar ratio were tested to maximize the Ca2+ precipitation and minimize the Mg2+ loss. Aqueous solutions containing Ca and Mg ions with/without all major seawater electrolytes were used. The chemical basis of the precipitation processes were discussed based on the effective ion surface density (e.g. Slater rule), ion hydration and Eigen association process of the precipitate formation in the complex multicomponent brine. PhreeqC and Medusa equilibrium numerical codes were applied on some experimental data of the precipitation processes providing a good agreement between calculated and experimental values. Ca2+ removal efficiency higher than 90% coupled with an Mg2+ loss below 7% was obtained at 60 °C and controlled pH, by using NaHCO3. These results are very promising in view of designing a process for brines valorisation, thus mitigating the environmental problems related to SWD-RO brines disposal.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Molecular mechanisms of tungstate-induced pancreatic plasticity: a transcriptomics approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sodium tungstate is known to be an effective anti-diabetic agent, able to increase beta cell mass in animal models of diabetes, although the molecular mechanisms of this treatment and the genes that control pancreas plasticity are yet to be identified. Using a transcriptomics approach, the aim of the study is to unravel the molecular mechanisms which participate in the recovery of exocrine and endocrine function of streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats treated with tungstate, determining the hyperglycemia contribution and the direct effect of tungstate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats were treated orally with tungstate for five weeks. Treated (STZ)-diabetic rats showed a partial recovery of exocrine and endocrine function, with lower glycemia, increased insulinemia and amylasemia, and increased beta cell mass achieved by reducing beta cell apoptosis and raising beta cell proliferation. The microarray analysis of the pancreases led to the identification of three groups of differentially expressed genes: genes altered due to diabetes, genes restored by the treatment, and genes specifically induced by tungstate in the diabetic animals. The results were corroborated by quantitative PCR. A detailed description of the pathways involved in the pancreatic effects of tungstate is provided in this paper. Hyperglycemia contribution was studied in STZ-diabetic rats treated with phloridzin, and the direct effect of tungstate was determined in INS-1E cells treated with tungstate or serum from untreated or treated STZ-rats, observing that tungstate action in the pancreas takes places via hyperglycemia-independent pathways and via a combination of tungstate direct and indirect (through the serum profile modification) effects. Finally, the MAPK pathway was evaluated, observing that it has a key role in the tungstate-induced increase of beta cell proliferation as tungstate activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway directly by increasing p42/p44 phosphorylation and indirectly by decreasing the expression of raf kinase inhibitor protein (Rkip), a negative modulator of the pathway.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, tungstate improves pancreatic function through a combination of hyperglycemia-independent pathways and through its own direct and indirect effects, whereas the MAPK pathway has a key role in the tungstate-induced increase of beta cell proliferation.</p

Caracterización petrográfica y petrofísica de la roca encajante de la Cueva del Rull (Vall d'Ebo, Alicante)

La Cueva del Rull se encuentra en el sector nororiental de la Cordillera Bética, en el denominado Prebético Externo de Alicante (Azema 1977). Regionalmente, la zona de estudio está dominada por la dinámica compresiva de los materiales calizos existentes (Cretácico Superior) afectados, desde el Mioceno Medio y durante el Mioceno Superior, por diversos movimientos tectónicos a partir de los cuales se origina la Depresión de la Vall d'Ebo. Esta fosa tectónica, cuyos bordes norte y sur quedan delimitados por fallas normales con dirección aproximada E-O, está rellena por materiales rudíticos de edad Mioceno Superior, predominantemente conglomeráticos, de espesor variable (decenas a más de 100 metros), localmente plegados y depositados sobre margas de facies “tap” (margas mal estratificadas de carácter arcillo-limoso, desagregadas y de color blanquecino en superficie, cuya edad se atribuye al Mioceno Medio).Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el proyecto CGL2011-25162 del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. C. Pla cuenta con una beca predoctoral del MEC correspondiente a dicho Proyecto

Experimental relationship between water permeability and capillarity imbibition in porous rocks

The movement of fluid through porous systems in rocks has been widely studied in several fields of research such as ground water, petroleum engineering, engineering geology, soil physics and building materials.This research was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2011-25162). A pre-doctoral research fellowship was awarded to C. Pla for this project

Comparison of primary models to predict microbial growth by the plate count and absorbance methods

The selection of a primary model to describe microbial growth in predictive food microbiology often appears to be subjective. The objective of this research was to check the performance of different mathematical models in predicting growth parameters, both by absorbance and plate count methods. For this purpose, growth curves of three different microorganisms (Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli) grown under the same conditions, but with different initial concentrations each, were analysed. When measuring the microbial growth of each microorganism by optical density, almost all models provided quite high goodness of fit (r(2) > 0.93) for all growth curves. The growth rate remained approximately constant for all growth curves of each microorganism, when considering one growth model, but differences were found among models. Three-phase linear model provided the lowest variation for growth rate values for all three microorganisms. Baranyimodel gave a variation marginally higher, despite a much better overall fitting. When measuring the microbial growth by plate count, similar results were obtained. These results provide insight into predictive microbiology and will help food microbiologists and researchers to choose the proper primary growth predictive model.This research was financially supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of the Spanish Government and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through Projects AGL2010-19775 and AGL2013-48993-C2-1-R.Pla-Ferrando, L.; Oltra Crespo, S.; Esteban, M.; Andreu, S.; Palop, A. (2015). Comparison of primary models to predict microbial growth by the plate count and absorbance methods. BioMed Research International. 2015:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/365025S114201

Response to ENGEO7253 Discussion of: “Predicting water permeability in sedimentary rocks from capillary imbibition and pore structure” by D. Benavente et al., Engineering Geology (2015) [doi: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2015.06.003]

The authors would like to express their thanks to C. Hall and A. Hamilton for their interest, clarifications and suggestions about our paper, mainly in the analysis of wettability effects on capillary imbibition. They theoretically supported the permeability, porosity and capillary imbibition relations and elegantly demonstrated some of the empirical equations obtained in our paper. They also proposed using low surface-tension liquids to avoid wettability effects on permeability estimations. This discussion is an excellent opportunity to present additional comments and results and to clarify certain aspects of our paper that may not have been clear enough. Thus, we here highlight that our scaling relations assume that rocks present a homogenous porous medium and the saturation state of the wetted zone in capillary imbibition test is the same as the saturation state in the saturated permeability test. As Hall and Hamilton's Discussion points out, this is not generally true since the mean liquid content of the wetted zone in imbibition is below saturation as a result of air-trapping