Composition and depth of Extensive Green Roof substrate affect the growth of two Mediterranean plant species under different irrigation conditions

Recently, the design of new substrates capable of sustain an adequate plant development in Green Roof systems under Mediterranean climatic conditions is a challenge due to the unfavorable hot and dry conditions. The use of suitable lightweight substrates which can promote an adequate plant growth and maintenance over time is an important achievement as well as the plant species selection. The most commonly used plants in Green Roof systems are the Crassulacean since they are perfectly fitted to drought conditions. In this sense, the use of herbaceous and shrub endemic Mediterranean species could provide an added value in green roof designing under semi‐arid conditions. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the growth of two endemic species (Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke and Lagurus ovatus L.) in two different substrate types with two different depths. To be precise, one substrate was made of a mixture of compost and crushed bricks (CB) (1:4; v:v), and the other one was made of compost‐soil‐bricks (CSB) (1:1:3; v:v:v). Physichochemical, biochemical as well as microbiological properties were evaluated in both substrates in order to study its suitability as plant growth basis. The results showed that both substrates showed adequate physichochemical properties to promote plant growth, but the CSB mixture presented better biochemical and microbiological properties than CB, allowing a suitable environment for microbial and plant development. Furthermore, both plant species had higher coverage and grater SPAD values in CSB than in CB mixture, and this growing was higher above deeper substrates (10 cm) than on 5 cm‐substrate depth, being this parameter more significant for plant development than substrate composition.The authors thank the INNPACTO project (IPT‐ 2011‐1017‐310000) by funding from the relevant trial

Aplicación de las Nuevas Tecnologías GPS-GPRS para el estudio del comportamiento y mejora de la producción de la raza de lidia

La dehesa es un ecosistema agroforestal único que aúna un óptimo rendimiento económico con una menor incidencia en el medio. En la Península Ibérica hay unas 500.000 hectáreas de dehesas concentradas en Andalucía, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha y Madrid. La raza de Lidia es, dentro de las razas autóctonas, por su rusticidad y adaptación, una de las que mejor aprovechan y conservan la dehesa. Las condiciones de cría en grandes fincas (400-500 hectáreas de media), el espacio por cabeza (entre una y seis hectáreas por animal), la movilidad que le da su menor tamaño con respecto a otras razas y su crecimiento en libertad con mínima presencia humana la ha hecho indispensables para el mantenimiento del ecosistema de la dehesa. Con este trabajo pretendemos aplicar una tecnología innovadora como es el GPS-GPRS a la monitorización de la etología del ganado de la raza de Lidia durante todos los periodos de su vida y especialmente en aquellos momentos en los que el animal se ve sometido a diferentes prácticas de manejo. Para ello, se implementará la tecnología de GPS que permite el posicionamiento relativo de un objetivo mediante la captación de la señal de diferentes satélites específicos, lo que proporcionará información precisa sobre: el desplazamiento del ganado en un periodo determinado, las distancias recorridas, el territorio pastoreado, las áreas más querenciosas, su ritmo circadiano, las pautas de comportamiento, etc. Así mismo, el dispositivo incorporará sensores de parámetros biológicos como la temperatura ó el ritmo cardíaco, etc. La implementación de este sistema permitirá, a través del posicionamiento, realizar la óptima gestión de los recursos pastables de la dehesa, permitiendo ahorrar costes en alimentación, infraestructuras y personal, y ofrecer, en un futuro cercano, una atractiva herramienta al ganadero para realizar el control remoto de sus reses

Charge disproportionation in YNiO3_{3} : ESR and susceptibility study

We present a study of the magnetic properties of YNiO$_{3}$ in the paramagnetic range, above and below the metal-insulator (MI) transition. The dc susceptibility, $\chi_{dc}$ (measured up to 1000 K) is a decreasing function of T for $T >$150 K (the N\'{e}el temperature) and we observe two different Curie-Weiss regimes corresponding to the metallic and insulator phases. In the metallic phase, this behaviour seems to be associated with the small ionic radius of Y% $^{3+}$. The value of the Curie constant for T$<$ T$_{MI}$ allows us to discard the possibility of Ni$^{3+}$ localization. An electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum is visible in the insulator phase and only a fraction of the Ni ions contributes to this resonance. We explain the ESR and $\chi _{dc}$ behaviour for T $<$ T$_{MI}$ in terms of charge disproportionation of the type 2Ni$$ Ni$^{2+}$+Ni$^{4+},$ that is compatible with the previously observed structural transition across T$_{MI}$.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Detection and analysis of tumour biomarkers to strengthen the diagnosis of acute and chronic leukaemias

AbstractMolecular markers in leukaemia are essential to diagnose, establish prognosis factors and determine the correct treatment of patients; therefore, it is imperative to include molecular biology studies, so that, combined with cytomorphology and immunophenotyping studies, they constitute the differential diagnosis of these neoplasias. It is extremely important to implement a panel of molecular markers that allows us to detect oncogenes derived from chromosomal translocations, genes derived from epigenetic alterations and drug-resistant genes.A panel of molecular markers that included 11 genes derived from chromosomal translocations BCR-ABL major and minor breakpoints, E2A-PBX1, MLL-AF4, TEL-AML1, PML-RARα, AML1-ETO was standardised; cancer testis antigens (CTA) derived from NY-ESO1 and MAGE-A3 epigenetic alterations and multi-drug-resistant genes ABCB1 and ABCG2. 30 patients diagnosed with leukaemia from Mexico's General Hospital (Hospital General de Mexico) were included. They suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML); bone marrow mononuclear cells were used, from which RNA was extracted for the synthesis of cDNA and RT-PCR for each of the markers. In acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), BCR-ABL biomarkers expressed under 30% (3/10), E2A-PBX1 10% (1/10), ABC-B1 80% (8/10), and ABC-G2 60% (6/10). Patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) expressed 30% PML-RARα (3/10), 40% ABC-B1 (4/10), and 10% ABC-G2 (1/10). Lastly, in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), BCR-ABL was over 100% (10/10), ABC-B1 20% (2/10), and ABC-G2 50% (5/10). The presence of transcripts from chimeric genes minor BCR-ABL and E2A-PBX1 in ALL; PML-RARα in AML; and major BCR-ABL in CML, confirms the importance that the panel of molecular markers has in strengthening the diagnosis and prognosis of these conditions

Interplay of superexchange and orbital degeneracy in Cr-doped LaMnO3

We report on structural, magnetic and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) investigations in the manganite system LaMn_{1-x}Cr_{x}O_{3} (x<=0.5). Upon Cr-doping we observe a reduction of the Jahn-Teller distortion yielding less distorted orthorhombic structures. A transition from the Jahn-Teller distorted O' to the pseudocubic O phase occurs between 0.3<x<0.4. A clear connection between this transition and the doping dependence of the magnetic and ESR properties has been observed. The effective moments determined by ESR seem reduced with respect to the spin-only value of both Mn^{3+} and Cr^{3+} ions

Development of a dynamic energy-partitioning model for enteric methane emissions and milk production in goats using energy balance data from indirect calorimetry studies

[EN] The main objective of this study was to develop a dynamic energy balance model for dairy goats to describe and quantify energy partitioning between energy used for work (milk) and that lost to the environment. Increasing worldwide concerns regarding livestock contribution to global warming underscore the importance of improving energy efficiency utilization in dairy goats by reducing energy losses in feces, urine and methane (CH4). A dynamic model of CH(4)emissions from experimental energy balance data in goats is proposed and parameterized (n= 48 individual animal observations). The model includes DM intake, NDF and lipid content of the diet as explanatory variables for CH(4)emissions. An additional data set (n= 122 individual animals) from eight energy balance experiments was used to evaluate the model. The model adequately (root MS prediction error,RMSPE) represented energy in milk (E-milk;RMSPE = 5.6%), heat production (HP;RMSPE = 4.3%) and CH(4)emissions (E-CH4; RMSPE = 11.9%). Residual analysis indicated that most of the prediction errors were due to unexplained variations with small mean and slope bias. Some mean bias was detected for HP (1.12%) and E-CH4(1.27%) but was around zero for E-milk (0.14%). The slope bias was zero for HP (0.01%) and close to zero for E-milk (0.10%) and E-CH4(0.22%). Random bias was >98% for E-CH4, HP and E-milk, indicating non-systematic errors and that mechanisms in the model are properly represented. As predicted energy increased, the model tended to underpredict E-CH(4)and E-milk. The model is a first step toward a mechanistic description of nutrient use by goats and is useful as a research tool for investigating energy partitioning during lactation. The model described in this study could be used as a tool for making enteric CH(4)emission inventories for goats.This study was supported by LOW CARBON FEED Project reference LIFE2016/CCM/ES/000088.Fernández Martínez, CJ.; Hernando, I.; Moreno-Latorre, E.; Loor, J. (2020). Development of a dynamic energy-partitioning model for enteric methane emissions and milk production in goats using energy balance data from indirect calorimetry studies. Animal. 14:s382-s395. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731120001470Ss382s39514Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) 1997. The nutrition of goats. Nutrition Abstract and Reviews (Series B) 67, 776–861.Aguilera, J. F., Prieto, C., & FonollÁ, J. (1990). Protein and energy metabolism of lactating Granadina goats. British Journal of Nutrition, 63(2), 165-175. doi:10.1079/bjn19900104Bannink, A., France, J., Lopez, S., Gerrits, W. J. J., Kebreab, E., Tamminga, S., & Dijkstra, J. (2008). 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KL Blaxter ), pp. 441–443. Academic Press, London, UK.Criscioni, P., Marti, J. V., Pérez-Baena, I., Palomares, J. L., Larsen, T., & Fernández, C. (2016). Replacement of alfalfa hay ( Medicago sativa ) with maralfalfa hay ( Pennisetum sp.) in diets of lactating dairy goats. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 219, 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2016.05.020Ellis, J. L., Kebreab, E., Odongo, N. E., McBride, B. W., Okine, E. K., & France, J. (2007). Prediction of Methane Production from Dairy and Beef Cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 90(7), 3456-3466. doi:10.3168/jds.2006-675Statistical data base Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOSTAT) 2018. FAO Statistical data base Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. Retrieved on 25 June 2018 from http://faostat.fao.org/FERNÁNDEZ, C., LÓPEZ, M. C., & LACHICA, M. (2015). Low-cost mobile open-circuit hood system for measuring gas exchange in small ruminants: from manual to automatic recording. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 153(7), 1302-1309. doi:10.1017/s0021859615000416Fernández, C., Martí, J. V., Pérez-Baena, I., Palomares, J. L., Ibáñez, C., & Segarra, J. V. (2018). Effect of lemon leaves on energy and C–N balances, methane emission, and milk performance in Murciano-Granadina dairy goats. Journal of Animal Science, 96(4), 1508-1518. doi:10.1093/jas/sky028Fernández, C. (2018). Dynamic model development of enteric methane emission from goats based on energy balance measured in indirect open circuit respiration calorimeter. Global Ecology and Conservation, 15, e00439. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00439Fernández, C., Pérez-Baena, I., Marti, J. V., Palomares, J. L., Jorro-Ripoll, J., & Segarra, J. V. (2019). Use of orange leaves as a replacement for alfalfa in energy and nitrogen partitioning, methane emissions and milk performance of murciano-granadina goats. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 247, 103-111. doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2018.11.008Fernández, C., Gomis-Tena, J., Hernández, A., & Saiz, J. (2019). An Open-Circuit Indirect Calorimetry Head Hood System for Measuring Methane Emission and Energy Metabolism in Small Ruminants. Animals, 9(6), 380. doi:10.3390/ani9060380Grainger, C., & Beauchemin, K. A. (2011). Can enteric methane emissions from ruminants be lowered without lowering their production? Animal Feed Science and Technology, 166-167, 308-320. doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.04.021Howarth, R. (2015). Methane emissions and climatic warming risk from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas development: implications for policy. Energy and Emission Control Technologies, 45. doi:10.2147/eect.s61539Hristov, A. N., Kebreab, E., Niu, M., Oh, J., Bannink, A., Bayat, A. R., … Yu, Z. (2018). Symposium review: Uncertainties in enteric methane inventories, measurement techniques, and prediction models. Journal of Dairy Science, 101(7), 6655-6674. doi:10.3168/jds.2017-13536Ibáñez, C., López, M. C., Criscioni, P., & Fernández, C. (2015). Effect of replacing dietary corn with beet pulp on energy partitioning, substrate oxidation and methane production in lactating dairy goats. Animal Production Science, 55(1), 56. doi:10.1071/an13119Institute Nationale Recherche Agronomique (INRA) 2017. Feeding system for ruminants. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, the Netherlands.Jørgensen, S. E. (2015). New method to calculate the work energy of information and organisms. Ecological Modelling, 295, 18-20. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.09.001Kebreab, E., Johnson, K. A., Archibeque, S. L., Pape, D., & Wirth, T. (2008). Model for estimating enteric methane emissions from United States dairy and feedlot cattle1. Journal of Animal Science, 86(10), 2738-2748. doi:10.2527/jas.2008-0960Knapp, J. R., Laur, G. L., Vadas, P. A., Weiss, W. P., & Tricarico, J. M. (2014). Invited review: Enteric methane in dairy cattle production: Quantifying the opportunities and impact of reducing emissions. Journal of Dairy Science, 97(6), 3231-3261. doi:10.3168/jds.2013-7234Lin, L. I.-K. (1989). A Concordance Correlation Coefficient to Evaluate Reproducibility. Biometrics, 45(1), 255. doi:10.2307/2532051López, M. C., Estellés, F., Moya, V. J., & Fernández, C. (2014). Use of dry citrus pulp or soybean hulls as a replacement for corn grain in energy and nitrogen partitioning, methane emissions, and milk performance in lactating Murciano-Granadina goats. Journal of Dairy Science, 97(12), 7821-7832. doi:10.3168/jds.2014-8424López, M. C., & Fernández, C. (2013). Energy partitioning and substrate oxidation by Murciano-Granadina goats during mid lactation fed soy hulls and corn gluten feed blend as a replacement for corn grain. Journal of Dairy Science, 96(7), 4542-4552. doi:10.3168/jds.2012-6473Martí JV, Pérez-Baena I and Fernández C 2012. 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The European Solar Telescope

The European Solar Telescope (EST) is a project aimed at studying the magnetic connectivity of the solar atmosphere, from the deep photosphere to the upper chromosphere. Its design combines the knowledge and expertise gathered by the European solar physics community during the construction and operation of state-of-the-art solar telescopes operating in visible and near-infrared wavelengths: the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope, the German Vacuum Tower Telescope and GREGOR, the French Télescope Héliographique pour l'Étude du Magnétisme et des Instabilités Solaires, and the Dutch Open Telescope. With its 4.2 m primary mirror and an open configuration, EST will become the most powerful European ground-based facility to study the Sun in the coming decades in the visible and near-infrared bands. EST uses the most innovative technological advances: the first adaptive secondary mirror ever used in a solar telescope, a complex multi-conjugate adaptive optics with deformable mirrors that form part of the optical design in a natural way, a polarimetrically compensated telescope design that eliminates the complex temporal variation and wavelength dependence of the telescope Mueller matrix, and an instrument suite containing several (etalon-based) tunable imaging spectropolarimeters and several integral field unit spectropolarimeters. This publication summarises some fundamental science questions that can be addressed with the telescope, together with a complete description of its major subsystems

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362