Competition may explain the fine-scale spatial patterns and genetic structure of two co-occurring plant congeners

1. The spatial distribution of individual plants within a population and the population’s genetic structure are determined by several factors, like dispersal, reproduction mode or biotic interactions. The role of interspecific interactions in shaping the spatial genetic structure of plant populations remains largely unknown. 2. Species with a common evolutionary history are known to interact more closely with each other than unrelated species due to the greater number of traits they share. We hypothesize that plant interactions may shape the fine genetic structure of closely related congeners. 3. We used spatial statistics (georeferenced design) and molecular techniques (ISSR markers) to understand how two closely related congeners, Thymus vulgaris (widespread species) and T. loscosii (narrow endemic) interact at the local scale. Specific cover, number of individuals of both study species and several community attributes were measured in a 10 × 10 m plot. 4. Both species showed similar levels of genetic variation, but differed in their spatial genetic structure. Thymus vulgaris showed spatial aggregation but no spatial genetic structure, while T. loscosii showed spatial genetic structure (positive genetic autocorrelation) at short distances. The spatial pattern of T. vulgaris’ cover showed significant dissociation with that of T. loscosii. The same was true between the spatial patterns of the cover of T. vulgaris and the abundance of T. loscosii and between the abundance of each species. Most importantly, we found a correlation between the genetic structure of T. loscosii and the abundance of T. vulgaris: T. loscosii plants were genetically more similar when they were surrounded by a similar number of T. vulgaris plants. 5. Synthesis. Our results reveal spatially complex genetic structures of both congeners at small spatial scales. The negative association among the spatial patterns of the two species and the genetic structure found for T. loscosii in relation to the abundance of T. vulgaris indicate that competition between the two species may account for the presence of adapted ecotypes of T. loscosii to the abundance of a competing congeneric species. This suggests that the presence and abundance of close congeners can influence the genetic spatial structure of plant species at fine scales.

Assessment of the effects of ozone exposure and plant competition on the reproductive ability of three therophytic clover species from Iberian pastures

Ozone (O3) phytototoxicity has been reported on a wide range of crops and wild Central European plantspecies, however no information has been provided regarding the sensitivity of plantspecies from dehesa Mediterranean therophytic grasslands in spite of their great plantspecies richness and the high O3 levels that are recorded in this area. A study was carried out in open-top chambers (OTCs) to assess the effects of O3 and competition on the reproductiveability of threecloverspecies: Trifolium cherleri, Trifolium subterraneum and Trifolium striatum. A phytometer approach was followed, therefore plants of these species were grown in mesoscosms composed of monocultures of four plants of each species, of threeplants of each species competing against a Briza maxima individual or of a single plant of each cloverspecies competing with threeB. maximaplants. Three O3 treatments were adopted: charcoal filtered air (CFA), non-filtered air (NFA) and non-filtered air supplemented with 40 nl l−1 of O3 (NFA+). The different mesocosms were exposed to the different O3 treatments for 45 days and then they remained in the open. Ozoneexposure caused reductions in the flower biomass of the threecloverspecies assessed. In the case of T. cherleri and T. subterraneum this effect was found following their exposure to the different O3 treatments during their vegetative period. An attenuation of these effects was found when the plants remained in the open. Ozone-induced detrimental effects on the seed output of T. striatum were also observed. The flower biomass of the cloverplants grown in monocultures was greater than when competing with one or threeB. maxima individuals. An increased flower biomass was found in the CFA monoculture mesocosms of T. cherleri when compared with the remaining mesocosms, once the plants were exposed in the open for 60 days. The implications of these effects on the performance of dehesa acid grasslands and for the definition of O3 critical levels is discussed

A prototype from the Solar Decathlon Competition becomes an educational building in sustanaible architecture

In 2008, the City Council of Rivas-Vaciamadrid (Spain) decided to promote the construction of “Rivasecopolis”, a complex of sustainable buildings in which a new prototype of a zero-energy house would become the office of the Energy Agency. According to the initiative of the City Council, it was decided to recreate the dwelling prototype “Magic-box” which entered the 2005 Solar Decathlon Competition. The original project has been adapted to a new necessities programme, by adding the necessary spaces that allows it to work as an office. A team from university has designed and carried out the direction of the construction site. The new Solar House is conceived as a “testing building”. It is going to become the space for attending citizens in all questions about saving energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction, having a permanent small exhibition space additional to the working places for the information purpose. At the same time, the building includes the use of experimental passive architecture systems and a monitoring and control system. Collected data will be sent to University to allow developing research work about the experimental strategies included in the building. This paper will describe and analyze the experience of transforming a prototype into a real durable building and the benefits for both university and citizens in learning about sustainability with the building

The analysis of the basketball coach speech during the moments of game and pause in relation to the performance in competition

In the area of the professional competition, the coach is a fundamental part in the management of a team and more concretely in the game planning. During the competition, the management of the times of pause and times out as well as the conduct of the coach during the same ones is an aspect to analyze in the sports performance. It is for this that it becomes necessary to know some of the behaviors that turn out to be more frequent by the coach and that are more related to a positive performance of his players. For it there has been realized a study of 7 cases of expert coaches in those that his verbal behavior has observed during 4 games. It has focused on the content of the information only to verbal level, on his meaning. The information that have been obtained in the study shows a major quantity of information elaborated during the pauses of the games and a major tactical content with regard to the moments of game. On the other hand, a relation exists between a major number of questions and a minor number of psychological instructions when the score is adverse, whereas in case of victory, a direct relation does not exist with any category. The rest of categories of the speech do not meet influenced directly for the result, for what it is not possible to consider a direct and immediate relation between the coach verbal behavior during the pauses and the result of the game, except in punctual moments.

Analysis of mode competition in a monolithic master- oscillator power‐amplifier emitting at 1.5 μm

The optical and radio-frequency spectra of a monolithic master-oscillator power-amplifier emitting at 1.5 ?m have been analyzed in a wide range of steady-state injection conditions. The analysis of the spectral maps reveals that, under low injection current of the master oscillator, the device operates in two essentially different operation modes depending on the current injected into the amplifier section. The regular operation mode with predominance of the master oscillator alternates with lasing of the compound cavity modes allowed by the residual reflectance of the amplifier front facet. The quasi-periodic occurrence of these two regimes as a function of the amplifier current has been consistently interpreted in terms of a thermally tuned competition between the modes of the master oscillator and the compound cavity modes.

Experiences and methodology in a multidisciplinary energy and architecture competition: Solar Decathlon Europe 2012

Solar Decathlon Europe is an international competition among universities which promotes interdisciplinary learning in engineering and architecture. Students from different disciplines participate in teams guided by several professors during a 29 month preparation period plus five weeks of on-site contest. The educational project involves designing, building and testing a solar energy house connected to the electrical grid with the strategy of maximizing self-consumption, supported by bioclimatic technologies and maintaining a low environmental footprint. It culminates in a on-site contest in which teams must assembly the house themselves, test it with ordinary real life tasks and finally disassembly it. The event has also a divulgative aim, trying to make students and visitors get interested in discovering the problems presented by real engineering and architecture applications. In addition, SDE covers R&D aspects in different fields such as energy efficiency, solar energy and bioclimatic architecture. This article presents the methodology followed during the SDE 2012 edition, in which more than 850 students participated. The obtained results show that the educational competition was a success according to the technical and professional ambitions of the students, most of them considering that their knowledge had increased in areas related to technical and multidisciplinary aspects.

Geometric Study of the Weak Equilibrium in a Weighted Case for a Two-Dimensional Competition Game

In this work, an improvement of the results presented by [1] Abellanas et al. (Weak Equilibrium in a Spatial Model. International Journal of Game Theory, 40(3), 449-459) is discussed. Concretely, this paper investigates an abstract game of competition between two players that want to earn the maximum number of points from a finite set of points in the plane. It is assumed that the distribution of these points is not uniform, so an appropriate weight to each position is assigned. A definition of equilibrium which is weaker than the classical one is included in order to avoid the uniqueness of the equilibrium position typical of the Nash equilibrium in these kinds of games. The existence of this approximated equilibrium in the game is analyzed by means of computational geometry techniques.

Uso del cálculo numérico CFD para el estudio de actuaciones de una motocicleta de competición = CFD analysis of a competition motorbike aerodynamic performance

Esta memoria pretende ilustrar el desarrollo del Proyecto de Fin de Carrera Uso del cálculo numérico CFD para el estudio de actuaciones de una motocicleta de competición de los alumnos Álvaro Ramos Cenzano y Mauro Botella Mompó. Se centra en el estudio de las fuerzas aerodinámicas ejercidas sobre una motocicleta de competición, en concreto de una Moto2 del campeonato de España de velocidad (CEV), por medio de programas de simulación. Los capítulos del 1 al 4, describen por qué surgió el Proyecto, los datos a tener en cuenta del reglamento oficial de Moto2 del CEV (centrándonos sobre todo en los aspectos que afectan a la Aerodinámica, como puede ser el carenado), y los objetivos que se pretenden hallar con este proyecto. Se hará una pequeña introducción a la aerodinámica general para después profundizar en la aerodinámica automovilística y sobretodo en la de las motocicletas. Pasando por el interés que tiene la aerodinámica a diferentes niveles (comercial y de competición), y su evolución a lo largo de la historia. Se analizarán los diferentes métodos de trabajo que se podrían usar para el estudio aerodinámico, centrándose sobre todo en la técnica de estudio informático por Dinámica de Fluidos Computacional o CFD. Dado que el proyecto está basado en unas motocicletas reales, surgirán una serie de problemas en el uso de los métodos numéricos que se irán solventando, intentando mantener la estructura lo más fiel posible a los modelos reales. Todos estos problemas y sus soluciones se detallarán con la intención de que puedan servir de ayuda para futuros estudios. Tras las simulaciones con los programas CFD correspondientes a los distintos modelos de motocicleta, se compararán los resultados para ayudar en la definición del modelo final. El proyecto concluirá con las conclusiones obtenidas por los alumnos.

Analyzing size-symmetric vs. size-asymmetric and intra-vs. inter-specific competition in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) mixed stands

In mixed stands, inter-specific competition can be lower than intra-specific competition when niche complementarity and/or facilitation between species prevail. These positive interactions can take place at belowground and/or aboveground levels. Belowground competition tends to be size symmetric while the aboveground competition is usually for light and almost always size-asymmetric. Interactions between forest tree species can be explored analyzing growth at tree level by comparing intra and inter-specific competition. At the same time, possible causes of niche complementarity can be inferred relating intra and inter-specific competition with the mode of competition, i.e. size-symmetric or sizeasymmetric. The aim of this paper is to further our understanding of the interactions between species and to detect possible causes of competition reduction in mixed stands of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) with other species: pine?beech, oak?beech and fir?beech. To test whether species growth is better explained by size-symmetric and/or size-asymmetric competition, five different competition structures where included in basal area growth models fitted using data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory for the Pyrenees. These models considered either size-symmetry only (Reineke?s stand density index, SDI), size-asymmetry only (SDI of large trees or SDI of small trees), or both combined. In order to assess the influence of the admixture, these indices were introduced in two different ways, one of which was to consider that trees of all species compete in a similar way, and the other was to split the stand density indices into intra- and inter-specific competition components. The results showed that in pine?beech mixtures, there is a slightly negative effect of beech on pine basal area growth while beech benefitted from the admixture of Scots pine; this positive effect being greater as the proportion of pine trees in larger size classes increases. In oak?beech mixtures, beech growth was also positively influenced by the presence of oaks that were larger than the beech trees. The growth of oak, however, decreased when the proportion of beech in SDI increased, although the presence of beech in larger size classes promoted oak growth. Finally, in fir?beech mixtures, neither fir nor beech basal area growth were influenced by the presence of the other species. The results indicate that size-asymmetric is stronger than size-symmetric competition in these mixtures, highlighting the importance of light in competition. Positive species interactions in size-asymmetric competition involved a reduction of asymmetry in tree size-growth relationships.

Evaluation of mission planning strategies of a robotic aerial vehicle for the AIRC international competition

The International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC) is an important event where teams from universities design flying autonomous vehicles to overcome the last challenges in the field. The goal of the Seventh Mission proposed by the IARC is to guide several mobile ground robots to a target area. The scenario is complex and not determinist due to the random behavior of the ground robots movement. The UAV must select efficient strategies to complete the mission. The goal of this work has been evaluating different alternative mission planning strategies of a UAV for this competition. The Mission Planner component is in charge of taking the UAV decisions. Different strategies have been developed and evaluated for the component, achieving a better performance Mission Planner and valuable knowledge about the mission. For this purpose, it was necessary to develop a simulator to evaluate the different strategies. The simulator was built as an improvement of an existing previous version.

Vivienda y Revolución. El Concurso entre Camaradas de la OSA, la Sección de Tipificación del Stroykom y la Casa Experimental de Transición Narkomfin (1926-1930) = Housing and Revolution. OSA’s Comradely Competition, Typification Section of the Stroykom and Narkomfin Experimental Transitional House (1926-1930)

La cuestión del asentamiento socialista en la URSS durante la década de 1920 estuvo caracterizada por el objetivo de definir y establecer un estado socialista en términos políticos, sociales y económicos. En este contexto de inestabilidad y cambio, un grupo de arquitectos pertenecientes a la Asociación de Arquitectos Contemporáneos, OSA, y liderado por Moisey Ginzburg, abordó el tema de la vivienda obrera asumiendo la responsabilidad y el compromiso por alcanzar un nuevo orden social. Su misión no consistió únicamente en solucionar el problema del alojamiento para los trabajadores en las grandes ciudades soviéticas, sino en redefinirlo como el marco adecuado para una sociedad sometida a un cambio sin precedentes que, al mismo tiempo y en un proceso dialéctico, debía contribuir a la construcción de esa nueva sociedad. La respuesta dada por la OSA trascendió el diseño inmediato bajo los estándares modernos establecidos en Occidente y tomó forma en un proceso de investigación que habría de prolongarse durante cinco años. Este trabajo, que culminó con la construcción y puesta en crisis de la Casa Narkomfin, se desarrolló en tres aproximaciones sucesivas. La primera, de carácter conceptual, consideró la participación ciudadana, así como de especialistas independientes, formalizándose en el Concurso entre Camaradas convocado por la OSA en 1926. La segunda aproximación al problema de la vivienda obrera se articuló a través de la investigación llevada a cabo por la Sección de Tipificación del Stroykom, esta vez desde premisas científicas y metodológicas. Finalmente, las conclusiones alcanzadas fueron transferidas a la práctica arquitectónica por medio de la construcción de seis Casas Experimentales de Transición, entre las que destacó la Casa Narkomfin. Este último acercamiento, de carácter empírico, ha sido tradicionalmente examinado por los expertos como un hecho aislado. Sin embargo, su estudio debe trascender necesariamente el genio del autor-creador en favor del proceso de investigación al que pertenece. En esta tesis, la Casa Narkomfin no se presenta sólo como el paradigma de vivienda soviética de vanguardia al que estamos acostumbrados, sino como un prototipo que recoge los principios y conclusiones alcanzados en las aproximaciones conceptuales y científicas precedentes. Únicamente desde este punto de vista cobra sentido la consideración de Ginzburg sobre su propio edificio como un medio propositivo y no impositivo: un proyecto concebido como una herramienta de transición hacia una sociedad más avanzada. ABSTRACT The question of mass housing in the USSR during the Twenties was marked by the drive to define and establish a socialist state in political, social and economic terms. In this context of instability and change, a group of architects gathered together under the Association of Contemporary Architects, OSA, led by Moisey Ginzburg, to address the issue of mass housing, thus taking on the responsibility and being committed to creating a new social order. Their quest not only involved solving the problem of housing for workers in large Soviet cities, but also redefining this solution as an appropriate framework for a society undergoing dramatic changes which, at the same time and in a dialectical process, would contribute to the creation of this new society. The solution provided by OSA transcended Modern standards of immediate design set by the West and was the result of a research process that would last five years. This work culminated in the construction of Narkomfin House and its self-criticism, developed in three successive approaches. The first was conceptual, being formalized in the Comradely Competition held by the OSA in 1926 and taking into account the participation of citizens and independent experts. The second approach to the problem of mass housing involved research developed by the Typification Section of the Stroykom, this time under scientific and methodological premises. Finally, the conclusions reached were put in practice with the construction of six Experimental Transitional Houses of which the most notable is Narkomfin House. This third empirical approach has traditionally been examined by scholars in isolation. However, its study must necessarily transcend the genius of the author-creator and involve the research process of which it is part. In this thesis, Narkomfin House is presented not only as the paradigm in Soviet housing avant-garde we are used to, but also as a prototype reflecting the principles and conclusions reached in the preceding conceptual and scientific approaches. Only from this point of view does Ginzburg’s understanding of his own building as a proactive and non-imposed environment make sense: a project conceived as a transition tool towards a more advanced society.

Approaches Regarding the Competition in Romanian Sugar Market

This paper proposes an economic instrument designed to assess the competitive nature of the sugar industry in Romania. In the first part of the paper is presented the theoretical background underlying index (HHI) and its calculation methodology. Then comes the results of a first application of this index for a total of 10 plants in the sugar industry, the robustness of these results is discussed. We believe HHI is a proactive tool that may prove useful competition authority, in its pursuit of continuous monitoring of various industries in the economy and in the internal decision-making on resource allocation institution (Peacock, and Prisecaru, 2013).The starting point of our research is to free competition in the European market with competitors much stronger than Romanian plants, plants that produce at a price lower than the domestic ones. In our study we will see if it is a concentration of production in factories around the strongest in Romania, concentration accompanied by the collapse of those who could not resist the market.The market concentration, competition policy, we will follow using the HHI index, for evaluation of impact analysis on existing trade, the number and size of competitors, protecting existing sales structures, avoiding disruptions in the competitive environment, etc.

A Vision-based Quadrotor Multi-robot Solution for the Indoor Autonomy Challenge of the 2013 International Micro Air Vehicle Competition

This paper presents a completely autonomous solution to participate in the Indoor Challenge of the 2013 International Micro Air Vehicle Competition (IMAV 2013). Our proposal is a multi-robot system with no centralized coordination whose robotic agents share their position estimates. The capability of each agent to navigate avoiding collisions is a consequence of the resulting emergent behavior. Each agent consists of a ground station running an instance of the proposed architecture that communicates over WiFi with an AR Drone 2.0 quadrotor. Visual markers are employed to sense and map obstacles and to improve the pose estimation based on Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and ground optical flow data. Based on our architecture, each robotic agent can navigate avoiding obstacles and other members of the multi-robot system. The solution is demonstrated and the achieved navigation performance is evaluated by means of experimental flights. This work also analyzes the capabilities of the presented solution in simulated flights of the IMAV 2013 Indoor Challenge. The performance of the CVG UPM team was awarded with the First Prize in the Indoor Autonomy Challenge of the IMAV 2013 competition.