Effects of soil characteristics and leaf thinning on micronutrient uptake and redistribution in 'Cabernet Sauvignon'

This study investigated the uptake and distribution in grape tissues of the micronutrients copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn), in a 16 year-old 'Cabernet  Sauvignon' vineyard and their relationship with soil characteristics and management. The analysis was carried out in two plots with differences in vigour, grown in a calcareous soil. Two different management treatments (with and without leaf thinning after bloom) were applied in each plot. Partitioning and distribution of micronutrients (Cu, Zn and Mn) in petiole, seeds skin and flesh were evaluated from veraison to harvest. The relationship between micronutrients and grape parameters such as pH, total acidity and berry weight were also evaluated. Differences in nutrient concentration were found between the areas with differences in vigour, but concentration in petiole did not present good correlation with the soil fraction extracted with CaCl2+DTPA+Trietanolamine. The results showed that micronutrient concentrations varied in a different way between organs during ripening. Cu and Zn in petioles had higher concentrations at veraison than at harvest, while for Mn the concentrations were higher at the end of the cycle. Zn and Mn were within the acceptable levels, while Cu levels were above them. Mn and Zn were mainly concentrated in seeds and skins. Cu and Mn concentrations in petiole, skins and seeds were higher in the leaf tinning treatment, but the results were opposite for Zn. Zn and Cu in flesh increased with berry weight while Mn decreased. Acidity and pH affected Zn in skins and flesh and Mn in seeds

Characterizations of inequality orderings by means of dispersive orderings

The generalized Lorenz order and the absolute Lorenz order are used in economics to compare income distributions in terms of social welfare. In Section 2, we show that these orders are equivalent to two stochastic orders, the concave order and the dilation order, which are used to compare the dispersion of probability distributions. In Section 3, a sufficient condition for the absolute Lorenz order, which is often easy to verify in practice, is presented. This condition is applied in Section 4 to the ordering of generalized gamma distributions with different parameters

The proportional likelihood ratio order and applications

In this paper, we introduce a new stochastic order between continuous non-negative random variables called the PLR (proportional likelihood ratio) order, which is closely related to the usual likelihood ratio order. The PLR order can be used to characterize random variables whose logarithms have log-concave (log-convex) densities. Many income random variables satisfy this property and they are said to have the IPLR (increasing proportional likelihood ratio) property (DPLR property). As an application, we show that the IPLR and DPLR properties are sufficient conditions for the Lorenz ordering of truncated distributions

Characterizations of inequality orderings by means of dispersive orderings

The generalized Lorenz order and the absolute Lorenz order are used in economics to compare income distributions in terms of social welfare. In Section 2, we show that these orders are equivalent to two stochastic orders, the concave order and the dilation order, which are used to compare the dispersion of probability distributions. In Section 3, a sufficient condition for the absolute Lorenz order, which is often easy to verify in practice, is presented. This condition is applied in Section 4 to the ordering of generalized gamma distributions with different parameters

Parallel simulation of spiral waves in reacting and diffusing media

The propagation of the spiral waves in excitable media is governed by the non-linear reaction-diffusion equations. In order to solve these equations in the three-dimensional space, two methods have been implemented and parallelized on both shared- and distributed-memory computers. These implicit methods linearize the equations in time, following alternate directions in the first case (ADI), and using the Crank-Nicolson discretization in the second case. A linear system of algebraic equations has been obtained and it has been solved using direct methods in the ADI technique, while in the second case has been used the conjugated gradient (CG) method. An optimized version of the CG algorithm is presented here, in which the largest efficiency has been obtained

Optimization Strategy for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Irrigation Systems by Micro Hydropower: Practical Application

[EN] Analyses of possible synergies between energy recovery and water management are essential for achieving sustainable advances in the performance of pressurized irrigation networks. Nowadays, the use of micro hydropower in water systems is being analysed to improve the overall energy efficiency. In this line, the present research is focused on the proposal and development of a novel optimization strategy for increasing the energy efficiency in pressurized irrigation networks by energy recovering. The recovered energy is maximized considering different objective functions, including feasibility index: the best energy converter must be selected, operating in its best efficiency conditions by variation of its rotational speed, providing the required flow in each moment. These flows (previously estimated through farmers¿ habits) are compared with registered values of flow in the main line with very suitable calibration results, getting a Nash¿Sutcliffe value above 0.6 for different time intervals, and a PBIAS index below 10% in all time interval range. The methodology was applied to a Vallada network obtaining a maximum recovered energy of 58.18 MWh/year (41.66% of the available energy), improving the recovered energy values between 141 and 184% when comparing to energy recovery considering a constant rotational speed. The proposal of this strategy shows the real possibility of installing micro hydropower machines to improve the water¿energy nexus management in pressurized systems.This research was supported by the program to support the academic career of the faculty of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia 2016/2017 in the project "Maximization of the global efficiency in PATs in laboratory facility" of the first author. Besides, the authors wish to thank to the project REDAWN (Reducing Energy Dependency in Atlantic Area Water Networks) EAPA_198/2016 from INTERREG ATLANTIC AREA PROGRAMME 2014-2020 and CERIS (CEHIDRO-IST).Pérez-Sánchez, M.; Sánchez-Romero, F.; Ramos, HM.; López Jiménez, PA. (2017). Optimization Strategy for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Irrigation Systems by Micro Hydropower: Practical Application. Water. 9(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/w9100799S910Goonetilleke, A., & Vithanage, M. (2017). Water Resources Management: Innovation and Challenges in a Changing World. Water, 9(4), 281. doi:10.3390/w9040281Coelho, B., & Andrade-Campos, A. (2014). Efficiency achievement in water supply systems—A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 30, 59-84. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.09.010Nogueira Vilanova, M. R., & Perrella Balestieri, J. A. (2014). Energy and hydraulic efficiency in conventional water supply systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 30, 701-714. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.11.024McNabola, A., Coughlan, P., Corcoran, L., Power, C., Prysor Williams, A., Harris, I., … Styles, D. (2013). Energy recovery in the water industry using micro-hydropower: an opportunity to improve sustainability. Water Policy, 16(1), 168-183. doi:10.2166/wp.2013.164Lydon, T., Coughlan, P., & McNabola, A. (2017). Pump-As-Turbine: Characterization as an Energy Recovery Device for the Water Distribution Network. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 143(8), 04017020. doi:10.1061/(asce)hy.1943-7900.0001316Pasten, C., & Santamarina, J. C. (2012). Energy and quality of life. Energy Policy, 49, 468-476. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.06.051Kanakoudis, V., & Papadopoulou, A. (2014). Allocating the cost of the carbon footprint produced along a supply chain, among the stakeholders involved. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 5(4), 556-568. doi:10.2166/wcc.2014.101Kanakoudis, V., Tsitsifli, S., & Papadopoulou, A. (2012). Integrating the Carbon and Water Footprints’ Costs in the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC Full Water Cost Recovery Concept: Basic Principles Towards Their Reliable Calculation and Socially Just Allocation. Water, 4(1), 45-62. doi:10.3390/w4010045Kanakoudis, V. (2014). Three alternative ways to allocate the cost of the CF produced in a water supply and distribution system. Desalination and Water Treatment, 54(8), 2212-2222. doi:10.1080/19443994.2014.934117George, B., Malano, H., Davidson, B., Hellegers, P., Bharati, L., & Massuel, S. (2011). An integrated hydro-economic modelling framework to evaluate water allocation strategies I: Model development. Agricultural Water Management, 98(5), 733-746. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2010.12.004Huesemann, M. H. (2002). The limits of technological solutions to sustainable development. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 5(1), 21-34. doi:10.1007/s10098-002-0173-8Sitzenfrei, R., & von Leon, J. (2014). Long-time simulation of water distribution systems for the design of small hydropower systems. Renewable Energy, 72, 182-187. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2014.07.013Patelis, M., Kanakoudis, V., & Gonelas, K. (2016). Pressure Management and Energy Recovery Capabilities Using PATs. Procedia Engineering, 162, 503-510. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.094Patelis, M., Kanakoudis, V., & Gonelas, K. (2017). Combining pressure management and energy recovery benefits in a water distribution system installing PATs. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - Aqua, jws2017018. doi:10.2166/aqua.2017.018Fecarotta, O., Aricò, C., Carravetta, A., Martino, R., & Ramos, H. M. (2014). Hydropower Potential in Water Distribution Networks: Pressure Control by PATs. Water Resources Management, 29(3), 699-714. doi:10.1007/s11269-014-0836-3Gilron, J. (2014). Water-energy nexus: matching sources and uses. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 16(8), 1471-1479. doi:10.1007/s10098-014-0853-1Emec, S., Bilge, P., & Seliger, G. (2015). Design of production systems with hybrid energy and water generation for sustainable value creation. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 17(7), 1807-1829. doi:10.1007/s10098-015-0947-4Okadera, T., Chontanawat, J., & Gheewala, S. H. (2014). Water footprint for energy production and supply in Thailand. Energy, 77, 49-56. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.03.113Herath, I., Deurer, M., Horne, D., Singh, R., & Clothier, B. (2011). The water footprint of hydroelectricity: a methodological comparison from a case study in New Zealand. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(14), 1582-1589. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.05.007Baki, S., & Makropoulos, C. (2014). Tools for Energy Footprint Assessment in Urban Water Systems. Procedia Engineering, 89, 548-556. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.477Giugni, M., Fontana, N., & Ranucci, A. (2014). Optimal Location of PRVs and Turbines in Water Distribution Systems. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 140(9), 06014004. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000418Pérez-Sánchez, M., Sánchez-Romero, F. J., López-Jiménez, P. A., & Ramos, H. M. (2018). PATs selection towards sustainability in irrigation networks: Simulated annealing as a water management tool. Renewable Energy, 116, 234-249. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2017.09.060Corcoran, L., McNabola, A., & Coughlan, P. (2016). Optimization of Water Distribution Networks for Combined Hydropower Energy Recovery and Leakage Reduction. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 142(2), 04015045. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000566Ramos, H., & Borga, A. (1999). Pumps as turbines: an unconventional solution to energy production. Urban Water, 1(3), 261-263. doi:10.1016/s1462-0758(00)00016-9Ramos, H. M., Kenov, K. N., & Vieira, F. (2011). Environmentally friendly hybrid solutions to improve the energy and hydraulic efficiency in water supply systems. Energy for Sustainable Development, 15(4), 436-442. doi:10.1016/j.esd.2011.07.009Calibración de Modelos Hidrológicoshttp://www.imefen.uni.edu.pe/Temas_interes/modhidro_2.pdfD. N. Moriasi, J. G. Arnold, M. W. Van Liew, R. L. Bingner, R. D. Harmel, & T. L. Veith. (2007). Model Evaluation Guidelines for Systematic Quantification of Accuracy in Watershed Simulations. Transactions of the ASABE, 50(3), 885-900. doi:10.13031/2013.23153Kirkpatrick, S., Gelatt, C. D., & Vecchi, M. P. (1983). Optimization by Simulated Annealing. Science, 220(4598), 671-680. doi:10.1126/science.220.4598.671Samora, I., Franca, M. J., Schleiss, A. J., & Ramos, H. M. (2016). Simulated Annealing in Optimization of Energy Production in a Water Supply Network. Water Resources Management, 30(4), 1533-1547. doi:10.1007/s11269-016-1238-5Carravetta, A., del Giudice, G., Fecarotta, O., & Ramos, H. (2013). PAT Design Strategy for Energy Recovery in Water Distribution Networks by Electrical Regulation. Energies, 6(1), 411-424. doi:10.3390/en6010411Methodology for Energy Efficiency Analysis in Pressurized Irrigation Networks, Practical Applicationhttps://riunet.upv.es/bitstream/handle/10251/84012/RESUMEN.pdf?sequence=3Singh, P., & Nestmann, F. (2010). An optimization routine on a prediction and selection model for the turbine operation of centrifugal pumps. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 34(2), 152-164. doi:10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2009.10.004Pérez-Sánchez, M., Sánchez-Romero, F., Ramos, H., & López-Jiménez, P. (2016). Modeling Irrigation Networks for the Quantification of Potential Energy Recovering: A Case Study. Water, 8(6), 234. doi:10.3390/w8060234Pérez-Sánchez, M., Sánchez-Romero, F. J., Ramos, H. M., & López-Jiménez, P. A. (2017). Calibrating a flow model in an irrigation network: Case study in Alicante, Spain. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 15(1), e1202. doi:10.5424/sjar/2017151-10144Pérez-Sánchez, M., Sánchez-Romero, F., Ramos, H., & López-Jiménez, P. (2017). Energy Recovery in Existing Water Networks: Towards Greater Sustainability. Water, 9(2), 97. doi:10.3390/w9020097Fecarotta, O., Carravetta, A., Ramos, H. M., & Martino, R. (2016). An improved affinity model to enhance variable operating strategy for pumps used as turbines. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 54(3), 332-341. doi:10.1080/00221686.2016.114180

Análisis del grado de sensibilización del empresario ante el problema del empleo de trabajadores con discapacidad en la provincia de Cádiz

Proponemos en este trabajo un indicador para evaluar el grado de sensibilización del empresario ante el problema de la contratación de trabajadores con discapacidad en la provincia de Cádiz. A partir de los datos obtenidos a través de entrevistas personales a empresarios, llevamos a cabo un análisis de la varianza multifactorial y estudiamos la influencia sobre el indicador de factores como son el sector de actividad de la empresa, la existencia previa de trabajadores con discapacidad y el tamaño de la empresa, así como sus interaccione

Respuesta de material genético de Paulownia spp a tratamiento silvicultural, como estrategia para evaluar su adaptabilidad a condiciones climáticas de estepa espinosa Montano Bajo, Ecuador/Response of Paulownia spp genetic material to silviculture, as a s

El propósito de la investigación consistió en estudiar la respuesta de Paulownia elongata, P. fortunei y un híbrido (Paulownia fortunei x elongata) a un sistema de recepa y evaluar el desempeño de los brotes juveniles, como estrategia para confirmar su adaptabilidad a las condiciones bioclimáticas de estepa espinosa Montano Bajo. El ensayo se instaló en diciembre del 2 015, en una plantación clonal de dos años de edad, plantada por INIAP y ESPOCH en la granja Tunshi, Ecuador. Se establecieron 9 bloques por especie para un total de 27 parcelas experimentales, con 9 observaciones por parcela neta. El tratamiento silvicultural ejecutado fue poda de renovación/recepa, realizando un corte del tallo en bisel a dos centímetros de altura desde el suelo. Las variables evaluadas fueron: Días a la brotación, número de brotes por tocón, diámetro a la base del brote y altura del brote. Los tres materiales estudiados respondieron positivamente a la práctica silvicultural, 90% de tocones brotados a los 61 días de haber realizado el ensayo. A los 29 días de la recepa ya se encontraron brotes epicórmicos en las tres especies de Paulownia, presentando entre 1 y 13 brotes por tocón. En crecimiento dasométrico, P. fortunei experimentó el mayor promedio en altura (81,85 cm), seguida por P. elongata (70,51 cm) y Paulownia hibrido (65,53 cm), siendo 3,5 veces mayor a los promedios de altura y 4 veces mayor en diámetro a la altura de la base del tallo, de los reportados en el primer año de evaluación. Estos resultados avizoran probables comportamientos adecuados y adaptación como una especie forestal-agroforestal de interés para características similares del sitio de estudio. This study is aimed to evaluate the response Paulownia elongata, P. fortunei and hibrid (Paulownia fortunei x elongata) to renewal pruning system and evaluate to develop the juvenile sprout of plants as a strategy to assess its adaptability to the bioclimatic conditions of thorny steppe Montano Bajo, Ecuador. The essay was install in December, 2 015 in one clonal plantation two years old, establish by INIAP and ESPOCH in Tunshi farm, Ecuador. This was established in nine blocks per species for a total of 27 experimental plots with nine observations per net plot. The selviculture treatment executed was renewal pruning, making a bevel cut stem two feet high from the ground. The variables evaluated were: Days sprouting, number of sprouts per stump diameter at the base of the outbreak and height of the outbreak. The three materials studied responded positively to silvicultural practice and 90% of erupted stumps at 61 days responded to development essay. At 29 days from the development the recepa presented epicormics sprout in the three Paulownia species; P. fortunei experienced the greatest average height (81,85 cm), followed by P. elongata (70,51 cm) and hybrid Paulownia (65,53 cm), being 3,5 times greater than the average height and 4 times greater in diameter at the base than those reported in the first year evaluation, these results foresee probable behaviors adapted and adequate as a forestry-agroforestry species of interest from the site of study. Palabras clave: recepa, poda, silvicultura, dendroenergía. Keywords: recepa, pruning, silviculture, wood energy

Understanding CRISPR/Cas9: A Magnificent Tool for Plant Genome Editing

Nowadays, it is well known that archaea organisms as well as bacteria show an important range of defense mechanisms. Among others, a unique molecular system called CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) helps provide protection (adaptive guided immunity) athwart foreign nucleic acids, including plasmids and viral infections. As a typical immune response, CRISPR system is based on the acquisition of genetic records provided by infectious external agents, and in this sense, a high interference upon a new infection is unchained. In relation to plant research, less than 10 years ago, efforts to understand this peculiar mechanism and the possibility of being used in biotechnological processes have been focused on obtaining atavistic changes in different transformable vegetal specimens by inducing selective mutations into a reading frame that may be translated in a given moment (i.e., ORF; open reading frame). In light of the consideration that one common use of ORFs is to assist gene prediction processes, palindromic repeats are mostly based on the directed mutations via nonhomologous end joining. Although it is true that DNA-free editing techniques are now desirable for molecular crop breeding, CRISPR/Cas as a mutational regulatory system in plant biology may offer better complex genome rearrangements

The Extraordinary Nature of RNA Interference in Understanding Gene Downregulation Mechanism in Plants

Gene silencing (also known as ribonucleic acid [RNA] interference [RNAi] or interfering RNA) was first recognized in plants and is considered one of the most significant discoveries in molecular biology in the last several years. These short-chain ribonucleic acid molecules regulate eukaryotic gene expression. The phenomenon involves a process that promotes RNA transcripts degradation through complementarity between RNA molecules and RNAi transcripts, resulting in the reduction of their translation levels. There are two principal classes of regulatory RNA molecules: small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and microRNAs (miRNA). Both are generated from the cleavage of double-stranded self-complementary RNA hairpins by a DICER enzyme that belongs to the RNase III family. Small RNAs (of about 21–24 nucleotides in size) guide specific effector Argonaute protein to a target nucleotide sequence by complementary base pairing. Thereby, the effector protein complex downregulates the expression of RNA or DNA targets. In plants, cis-regulatory RNAi sequences are involved in defense mechanisms against antagonistic organisms and transposition events, while trans-regulatory sequences participate in growth-related gene expression. siRNA also performs neutral antiviral defense mechanisms and adaptive stress responses. This document is an attempt to scrutinize the RNAi nature in understanding gene downregulation mechanism in plants and some technical applications