An in-depth review of t-SNE with applications

In this project we have reviewed a dimension-reduction technique named t-Stochastic Neighbour Embedding (t-SNE). This technique has produced a huge impact in the machine learning community due to its capabilities and its flexibility to reduce the dimensionality of a dataset. It has become a direct competitor of classical, linear, dimensionreduction techniques such as principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling. Following the original paper of Van der Maaten and Hinton (2008) in Journal of Machine Learning Research we have implemented a pedagogic version of t-SNE algorithm that allowed us to explain the technique in detail. Our version gives outcomes that are comparable to the state-of-the-art implementation. We have studied t-SNE in synthetic data with different patterns and have applied t-SNE to a variety of real datasets. In this process, we have analysed the main benefits and drawbacks of t-SNE. All the code developed in this project is openly available in the following GitHub repository: https://github.com/100346868/TSNEIngeniería en Tecnologías de Telecomunicació

Electrical installation of storage of chemical products equipped with photovoltaic solar panels on deck for self-consumption

El presente proyecto tiene por objeto el diseño y construcción de la instalación eléctrica de nave de almacenamiento de productos químicos dotado de placas solares fotovoltaicas en cubierta para autoconsumo, en el Polígono Industrial el Tiro, en Murcia. SotySolar ha elaborado el primer "Informe sobre la Situación del Auto-consumo Solar Residencial y Comercial en España". Las principales conclusiones del informe destacan que: Los costes de instalación solar se han reducido un 76% en el periodo 2010-2017. En el año 2017, los consumidores pagaron de media 2,6 euros por vatio de potencia instalada si hablamos de costes brutos y lograron una amortización promedio de tan solo 7,5 años. Los costes van desde 2,2 euros a 3,8 euros para las instalaciones realizadas con equipos de alta eficiencia. Estos datos reflejan que el consumidor ahorrará miles de euros empleando el sistema de autoconsumo solar, debido a que periodo de retorno de la inversión es muy inferior a la vida media de la instalación fotovoltaica. Esto justifica el que en aquellas industrias cuyos procesos no demanden gran cantidad de energía, éstas puedan optar por aprovechar las cubiertas de sus naves y demás espacios disponibles para poder ser electricamente auto-suficientes.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería IndustrialUniversidad Politécnica de Cartagen

Risk of Leaching in Soils Amended by Compost and digestate from Municipal Solid Waste

New European directives have proposed the direct application of compost and digestate produced from municipal solid wastes as organic matter sources in agricultural soils. Therefore information about phosphorus leaching from these residues when they are applied to the soil is increasingly mportant. Leaching experiments were conducted to determine the P mobility in compost and digestate mixtures, supplying equivalent amounts to 100 kg P ha?1 to three different types of soils. The tests were performed in accordance with CEN/TS 14405:2004 analyzing the maximum dissolved reactive P and the kinetic rate in the leachate. P biowaste fractionation indicated that digestate has a higher level of available P than compost has. In contrast, P losses in leaching experiments with soil-compost mixtureswere higher than in soil-digestate mixtures. For bothwastes, therewas no correlation between disolved reactive P lost and the water soluble P.The interaction between soil and waste, the long experimentation time, and the volume of leachate obtained caused the waste?s wettability to become an influential parameter in P leaching behavior. The overall conclusion is that kinetic data analysis provides valuable information concerning the sorption mechanism that can be used for predicting the large-scale behavior of soil systems

Valoración cultural y paisajística de conjuntos poblacionales rurales: comarca del Altiplano (Murcia/Sureste de España)

Los asentamientos humanos rurales forman parte del patrimonio cultural y paisajístico de Europa, y su valoración objetiva es fundamental para establecer programas de recuperación y desarrollo, constituyendo el objetivo fundamental de este trabajo. Para ello, se estableció una metodología cuantitativa basada en el análisis, mediante ecuaciones ponderadas, de dos áreas o coronas, una interior y otra exterior, de los núcleos poblacionales, que permitía obtener un valor numérico global denominado “valor cultural y paisajístico”. Esta metodología fue aplicada a una selección de 9 asentamientos humanos rurales de la comarca murciana del Altiplano. Los asentamientos que mostraron valores más altos albergaban elementos con mayor valoración arquitectónica y natural, destacando Fuente del Pino, por su huerta tradicional y la presencia de elementos arquitectónicos significativos, y Santa Ana del Monte, por estar situado en un enclave natural protegido y contar con un antiguo convento. Por el contrario, Casas de Pinillos, situado en una zona esteparia con intensa transformación agrícola, fue el asentamiento que presentó un valor más bajo.  Por tanto, el abordaje objetivo, mediante ecuaciones, de la valoración cultural y paisajística de los conjuntos poblacionales rurales permite una aproximación sencilla, pero a la vez muy robusta, sobre su potencialidad de desarrollo, que está abierta a posibles modificaciones y mejoras en función del grado de profundización requerido

Short-term water stress responses of grafted pepper plants are associated with changes in the hormonal balance

Phytohormones play an important role in regulating the plant behavior to drought. In previous studies, NIBER® pepper rootstock showed tolerance to drought in terms of production and fruit quality compared to ungrafted plants. In this study, our hypothesis was that short-term exposure to water stress in young, grafted pepper plants would shed light on tolerance to drought in terms of modulation of the hormonal balance. To validate this hypothesis, fresh weight, water use efficiency (WUE) and the main hormone classes were analyzed in self-grafted pepper plants (variety onto variety, V/V) and variety grafted onto NIBER® (V/N) at 4, 24, and 48h after severe water stress was induced by PEG addition. After 48h, WUE in V/N was higher than in V/V, due to major stomata closure to maintain water retention in the leaves. This can be explained by the higher abscisic acid (ABA) levels observed in the leaves of V/N plants. Despite the interaction between ABA and the ethylene precursor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), in relation to stomata closure is controversial, we observed an important increase of ACC at the end of the experiment in V/N plants coinciding with an important rise of the WUE and ABA. The maximum concentration of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid after 48h was found in the leaves of V/N, associated with their role in abiotic stress signaling and tolerance. Respect to auxins and cytokinins, the highest concentrations were linked to water stress and NIBER®, but this effect did not occur for gibberellins. These results show that hormone balance was affected by water stress and rootstock genotype, where NIBER® rootstock displayed a better ability to overcome short-term water stress

Vivir y rodar. Conversaciones con Alfonso Albacete

Proyecto I+D+i "Cine y televisión 1986-1995: modernidad y emergencia de la cultura global" (CSO2016-78354-P). Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Gobierno de España

β-carotene and Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein differentially modulate feeding behaviour, mortality and physiology of European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis)

Maize with enhanced β-carotene production was engineered to counteract pervasive vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. Second-generation biofortified crops are being developed with additional traits that confer pest resistance. These include crops that can produce Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) insecticidal proteins. Currently, it is unknown whether β-carotene can confer fitness benefits through to insect pests, specifically through altering Ostrinia nubilalis foraging behaviour or development in the presence of Bt insecticidal toxin. Therefore the effects of dietary β-carotene plus Bt insecticidal protein on feeding behaviour, mortality, and physiology in early and late instars of O. nubilalis larvae were investigated. The results of two-choice experiments showed that irrespective of β-carotene presence, at day five 68%-90% of neonates and 69%-77% of fifth-instar larvae avoided diets with Cry1A protein. Over 65% of neonate larvae preferred to feed on diets with β-carotene alone compared to 39% of fifth-instar larvae. Higher mortality (65%-97%) in neonates fed diets supplemented with β-carotene alone and in combination with Bt protein was found, whereas <36% mortality was observed when fed diets without supplemented β-carotene or Bt protein. Diets with both β-carotene and Bt protein extended 25 days the larval developmental duration from neonate to fifth instar (compared to Bt diets) but did not impair larval or pupal weight. Juvenile hormone and 20-hydroxyecdysone regulate insect development and their levels were at least 3-fold higher in larvae fed diets with β-carotene for 3 days. Overall, these results suggest that the effects of β-carotene and Bt protein on O. nubilalis is dependent on larval developmental stage. This study is one of the first that provides insight on how the interaction of novel traits may modulate crop susceptibility to insect pests. This understanding will in turn inform the development of crop protection strategies with greater efficacy.This work was partially supported through an Agrotecnio Fellowship and the AGL2017-84127-R project from the Spanish R&D Agency (Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología)

Root-to-Shoot Hormonal Communication in Contrasting Rootstocks Suggests an Important Role for the Ethylene Precursor Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid in Mediating Plant Growth under Low-Potassium Nutrition in Tomato

Selection and breeding of rootstocks that can tolerate low K supply may increase crop productivity in low fertility soils and reduce fertilizer application. However, the underlying physiological traits are still largely unknown. In this study, 16 contrasting recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between domestic and wild tomato species (Solanum lycopersicum × Solanum pimpinellifolium) have been used to analyse traits related to the rootstock-mediated induction of low (L, low shoot fresh weight) or high (H, high shoot fresh weight) vigor to a commercial F1 hybrid grown under control (6 mM, c) and low-K (1 mM, k). Based on hormonal and ionomic composition in the root xylem sap and the leaf nutritional status after long-term (7 weeks) exposure low-K supply, a model can be proposed to explain the rootstocks effects on shoot performance with the ethylene precursor aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) playing a pivotal negative role. The concentration of this hormone was higher in the low-vigor Lc and Lk rootstocks under both conditions, increased in the sensitive HcLk plants under low-K while it was reduced in the high-vigor Hk ones. Low ACC levels would promote the transport of K vs. Na in the vigorous Hk grafted plants. Along with K, Ca, and S, micronutrient uptake and transport were also activated in the tolerant Hk combinations under low-K. Additionally, an interconversion of trans-zeatin into trans-zeatin riboside would contribute to decrease ACC in the tolerant LcHk plants. The high vigor induced by the Hk plants can also be explained by an interaction of ACC with other hormones (cytokinins and salicylic, abscisic and jasmonic acids). Therefore, Hk rootstocks convert an elite tomato F1 cultivar into a (micro) nutrient-efficient phenotype, improving growth under reduced K fertilization.This research has received funding from the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (project AGL2014-59728-R) and from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 289365 (project ROOTOPOWER).USD 2,116.5 APC fee funded by the EC FP7 Post-Grant Open Access PilotPeer reviewe

CAX1a TILLING Mutations Modify the Hormonal Balance Controlling Growth and Ion Homeostasis in Brassica rapa Plants Subjected to Salinity

Salinity is a serious issue for crops, as it causes remarkable yield losses. The accumulation of Na+ a ects plant physiology and produces nutrient imbalances. Plants trigger signaling cascades in response to stresses in which phytohormones and Ca2+ are key components. Cation/H+ exchangers (CAXs) transporters are involved in Ca2+ fluxes in cells. Thus, enhanced CAX activity could improve tolerance to salinity stress. Using the TILLING (targeting induced local lesions in genomes) technique, three Brassica rapa mutants were generated through a single amino acidic modification in the CAX1a transporter. We hypothesized that BraA.cax1a mutations could modify the hormonal balance, leading to improved salinity tolerance. To test this hypothesis, the mutants and the parental line R-o-18 were grown under saline conditions (150 mM NaCl), and leaf and root biomass, ion concentrations, and phytohormone profile were analyzed. Under saline conditions, BraA.cax1a-4 mutant plants increased growth compared to the parental line, which was associated with reduced Na+ accumulation. Further, it increased K+ concentration and changed the hormonal balance. Specifically, our results show that higher indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellin (GA) concentrations in mutant plants could promote growth under saline conditions, while abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, and jasmonic acid (JA) led to better signaling stress responses and water use e ciency. Therefore, CAX1 mutations directly influence the hormonal balance of the plant controlling growth and ion homeostasis under salinity. Thus, Ca2+ signaling manipulation can be used as a strategy to improve salinity tolerance in breeding programs.PAI program (Plan Andaluz de Investigación, Grupo de Investigación) AGR282National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia German Research Foundation (DFG) FPU14/0185

Ectopic overexpression of the cell wall invertase gene CIN1 leads to dehydration avoidance in tomato

Drought stress conditions modify source–sink relations, thereby influencing plant growth, adaptive responses, and consequently crop yield. Invertases are key metabolic enzymes regulating sink activity through the hydrolytic cleavage of sucrose into hexose monomers, thus playing a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the physiological role of invertases during adaptation to abiotic stress conditions is not yet fully understood. Here it is shown that plant adaptation to drought stress can be markedly improved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by overexpression of the cell wall invertase (cwInv) gene CIN1 from Chenopodium rubrum. CIN1 overexpression limited stomatal conductance under normal watering regimes, leading to reduced water consumption during the drought period, while photosynthetic activity was maintained. This caused a strong increase in water use efficiency (up to 50%), markedly improving water stress adaptation through an efficient physiological strategy of dehydration avoidance. Drought stress strongly reduced cwInv activity and induced its proteinaceous inhibitor in the leaves of the wild-type plants. However, the CIN1-overexpressing plants registered 3- to 6-fold higher cwInv activity in all analysed conditions. Surprisingly, the enhanced invertase activity did not result in increased hexose concentrations due to the activation of the metabolic carbohydrate fluxes, as reflected by the maintenance of the activity of key enzymes of primary metabolism and increased levels of sugar-phosphate intermediates under water deprivation. The induced sink metabolism in the leaves explained the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, delayed senescence, and increased source activity under drought stress. Moreover, CIN1 plants also presented a better control of production of reactive oxygen species and sustained membrane protection. Those metabolic changes conferred by CIN1 overexpression were accompanied by increases in the concentrations of the senescence-delaying hormone trans-zeatin and decreases in the senescence-inducing ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the leaves. Thus, cwInv critically functions at the integration point of metabolic, hormonal, and stress signals, providing a novel strategy to overcome drought-induced limitations to crop yield, without negatively affecting plant fitness under optimal growth conditions.España Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación AT2009-0038 and AGL2011-2799