Perspective for Aquaponic Systems: (Omic) Technologies for Microbial Community Analysis

Aquaponics is the combined production of aquaculture and hydroponics, connected by a water recirculation system. In this productive system, the microbial community is responsible for carrying out the nutrient dynamics between the components. The nutrimental transformations mainly consist in the transformation of chemical species from toxic compounds into available nutrients. In this particular field, the microbial research, the "Omic" technologies will allow a broader scope of studies about a current microbial profile inside aquaponics community, even in those species that currently are unculturable. This approach can also be useful to understand complex interactions of living components in the system. Until now, the analog studies were made to set up the microbial characterization on recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS). However, microbial community composition of aquaponics is still unknown. "Omic" technologies like metagenomic can help to reveal taxonomic diversity. The perspectives are also to begin the first attempts to sketch the functional diversity inside aquaponic systems and its ecological relationships. The knowledge of the emergent properties inside the microbial community, as well as the understanding of the biosynthesis pathways, can derive in future biotechnological applications. Thus, the aim of this review is to show potential applications of current "Omic" tools to characterize the microbial community in aquaponic systems

Asset management innovation for rigid pavements

Today, the new pavement management tools encourage preventive action, whereas more traditional approaches focus on acting on observed damage. An adequate initial evaluation is essential to properly manage pavement maintenance. In this regard, nondestructive tests such as deflection tests make it possible to obtain first-hand information without altering the condition of the pavement, and their use is becoming increasingly more common. This paper presents a study of the structural evaluation of rigid pavements based on measured deflections. Several aspects are identified which will make it possible to improve these procedures. A 62-kilometre stretch a motorway in Mexico has been used as a case study. A campaign of on-site measurements was carried out using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD). The deflection values were used in several iterative methods with calculation programs and manual analytical methods, comparing the results obtained. The elastic moduli of the pavement layers were determined. These are the main parameters for calculating the remaining life of the structure, which facilitate decision-making around pavement management. The results obtained in this study emonstrate the usefulness of back-calculation methods for analysing the structural condition of rigid pavements as an initial stage in the development of pavement management systems. The conclusions validate the use of back-calculation programs in the structural analysis of rigid pavements, by comparing the results obtained with manual analytical methods

Scenario-based sensitivity analysis of energy dynamic-behavior in residential buildings with radiant floors

This paper addresses the problem of thermal energy efficiency in domestic buildings. As opposed to classic optimal approach, a sensitivity analysis and comparison have been performed to evaluate both comfort and consumption of different heating scheduling, corresponding to different user-oriented scenarios, which allows to derive basic operating rules. Also continuous and discontinuous heating strategies are compared. The various scenarios are evaluated for different building thermal properties and different climatic conditions, under a classic mixed PID and hysteresis control scheme. The case study here considered is a house heated through a radiant floor system. A new index of assessment of user?s comfort is also proposed. This paper explores the importance of heating scheme in terms of comfort and energy saving and highlights the importance of the decision maker point of view when deciding the most appropriate heating strategy. An optimal control strategy is also implemented (model-based predictive control) for comparison

Energy Consumption Modeling by Machine Learning from Daily Activity Metering in a Hospital

Hospitals are large buildings that consume a great amount of energy mostly due to their continuous energy consumption needs, high consumer medical equipment, and special requirements of thermal and air conditions. Reliable dynamic simulation is a chimera because of the complex design and behavior of these buildings. Therefore, monitoring-based methods arise as a plausible alternative. Its main drawback, however, is the lack of enough data to generate statistically robust models. The paper faces this problem thanks to the helpful contribution of a collaborative hospital which was able to generate daily data of electrical energy consumption for a period of six years. Besides, thirteen variables that summarize the daily activity of the hospital are also included. The results show how machine learning techniques generate models that accurately predict the electrical energy consumption based on weather conditions and activity measurements. The obtained results are useful for the design of more specific energy saving strategies, a more efficient economic investment for energy retrofitting of existing buildings and a better management of economic energy cost in large-scale buildings

Nuevo indicador de sostenibilidad en infraestructuras de puentes de carreteras. Aplicación del método de decisión multicriterio = A novel sustainability indicator for highway bridge infrastructure by multi-criteria decision making method

Las infraestructuras civiles suponen un importante impacto ambiental en el entorno, pudiendo representar un cambio sustancial tanto económico como social en la zona. La propuesta de un indicador de sostenibilidad para infraestructuras civiles constituye aún un desafío y precisa de un enfoque basado en el ciclo de vida, manteniendo criterios de facilidad de uso tanto por ingenieros como por administraciones públicas. Este estudio propone un índice de evaluación de la sostenibilidad ambiental para infraestructuras de puentes de carretera y realiza una comparación de las metodologías existentes. ----------ABSTRACT---------- Civil infrastructures involve a significant environmental impact on the surroundings and can represent a substantial economic and social change in the area. Proposing a sustainability indicator for civil infrastructures is still a challenge and requires a life cycle approach, maintaining criteria of ease of use by both engineers and public administrations. This study explores an environmental sustainability assessment index for road bridge infrastructures, establishing an exhaustive comparison between existing methodologies

Price Forecasting and Span Commercialization Opportunities for Mexican Agricultural Products

Decision-making based on data analysis leads to knowing market trends and anticipating risks and opportunities. These allow farmers to improve their production plan as well as their chances to get an economic success. The aim of this work was to develop a methodology for price forecasting of fruits and vegetables using Queretaro state, MX as a case study. The daily prices of several fruits and vegetables were extracted, from January 2009 to February 2019, from the National System of Market Information. Then, these prices were used to compute the weekly average price of each product and their span commercialization in Q4 and over the median of historical data. Moreover, product characterization was performed to propose a methodology for future price forecasting of multiple agricultural products within the same mathematical model and it resulted in the identification of 18 products that fit the Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model. Finally, future price estimation and validation was performed to explain the product price fluctuations between weeks and it was found that the relative error for most of products modeled was less than 10%, e.g., Hass avocado (7.01%) and Saladette tomato (8.09%). The results suggest the feasibility for the implementation of systems to provide information for better decisions by Mexican farmers

Differential Response to Water Deficit in Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Growing in Two Types of Soil Under Different Irrigation Regimes

Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world; its production for the food and pharmaceutical industries has been increasing worldwide. The economic importance of this crop is due, in part, to the nutraceutical properties derived from its secondary metabolism. Drought is the main environmental factor that affects crop production. Nevertheless, studies involving water deficit have considered short-term responses to sharp water deficit rather than long-term acclimation processes through moderate and gradually increasing water deficits, which omitted the dynamics and profile of the secondary metabolism that are part of the plant’s defence system against this stress factor. The present study aimed to identify the different mechanisms that chili pepper plants use to cope with drought stress using a progressive decrease and increase of water availability, conditions that commonly occur for crops in open fields. Four treatments were applied as follows: gradual water deficit (GWD), initial waterlogging with gradual water deficit (IWGD), sudden water deficit with gradual recovery (SWDR), and no deficit of water (NDW). These conditions should represent a more real situation similar to that faced by plants in the agricultural environment. In order to evaluate the response mechanisms associated with these water deficits, changes in phenological variables, proline accumulation, and the gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in chili pepper plants growing on land under different irrigation regimes in two contrasting soil types in areas where chili pepper plants are cultivated in central Mexico. The variables evaluated showed a differentiated response of the mechanisms in plants growing under different levels of water deficit. Given the differential response observed for the gene expression and morphological and biochemical variables studied in chili pepper plants against different water regimes, in this work, this may have implications for more efficient use of water in crops with high nutraceutical content, in addition to prospects for using products derived from secondary metabolism in the pharmaceutical industry

A Review of Methods for Sensing the Nitrogen Status in Plants: Advantages, Disadvantages and Recent Advances

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Nanoparticles as Potential Antivirals in Agriculture

Viruses are estimated to be responsible for approximately 50% of the emerging plant diseases, which are difficult to control, and in some cases, there is no cure. It is essential to develop therapy practices to strengthen the management of these diseases caused by viruses in economically important crops. Metal nanoparticles (MeNPs) possess diverse physicochemical properties that allow for them to have a wide range of applications in industry, including nanomedicine and nano-agriculture. Currently, there are reports of favorable effects of the use of nanoparticles, such as antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral effects, in animals and plants. The potential antiviral property of MeNPs makes them a powerful option for controlling these histological agents. It is crucial to determine the dosage of NPs, the application intervals, their effect as a biostimulant, and the clarification of the mechanisms of action, which are not fully understood. Therefore, this review focuses on discussing the ability of metal nanoparticles and metal oxides to control viruses that affect agriculture through an exhaustive analysis of the characteristics of the particles and their interaction processes for a possibly beneficial effect on plants

Perspective for Aquaponic Systems: “Omic” Technologies for Microbial Community Analysis

Aquaponics is the combined production of aquaculture and hydroponics, connected by a water recirculation system. In this productive system, the microbial community is responsible for carrying out the nutrient dynamics between the components. The nutrimental transformations mainly consist in the transformation of chemical species from toxic compounds into available nutrients. In this particular field, the microbial research, the “Omic” technologies will allow a broader scope of studies about a current microbial profile inside aquaponics community, even in those species that currently are unculturable. This approach can also be useful to understand complex interactions of living components in the system. Until now, the analog studies were made to set up the microbial characterization on recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS). However, microbial community composition of aquaponics is still unknown. “Omic” technologies like metagenomic can help to reveal taxonomic diversity. The perspectives are also to begin the first attempts to sketch the functional diversity inside aquaponic systems and its ecological relationships. The knowledge of the emergent properties inside the microbial community, as well as the understanding of the biosynthesis pathways, can derive in future biotechnological applications. Thus, the aim of this review is to show potential applications of current “Omic” tools to characterize the microbial community in aquaponic systems