Use of camera trapping in determining Iberian lynx population parameters: The use area and its limitations

Below are the results of the survey of the Iberian lynx obtained with camera-trapping between 2000 and 2007 in Sierra Morena. Two very important aspects of camera-trapping concerning its efficiency are also analyzed. The first is the evolution along years according to the camera-trapping type used of two efficiency indicators. The results obtained demonstrate that the most efficient lure is rabbit, though it is the less proven (92 trap-nights), followed by camera-trapping in the most frequent marking places (latrines). And, we propose as a novel the concept of use area as a spatial reference unit for the camera-trapping monitoring of non radio-marked animals is proposed, and its validity discussed.

Use of Java Cards in a telematic voting system.

This paper presents a general view of the telematic voting system developed by its authors, with a special emphasis on the important role that smart cards play in this scenario. The use of smart cards as basic pieces for providing secure cryptographic operations in this type of voting scheme is justified. The differences and advantages of Java Cards in comparison with the ?classical? smart cards (those that completely conform to the ISO/IEC 7816 standard) are also discussed. As an example, the paper describes one of the applets implemented in the voting Java Card as part of the general telematic voting application.

Use of Feynman diagrams in large-scale neural networks with nonlinear behaviour

A new proposal to the study of large-scale neural networks is reported. It is based on the use of similar graphs to the Feynman diagrams. A first general theory is presented and some interpretations are given. A propagator, based on the Green's function of the neuron, is the basis of the method. Application to a simple case is reported.

Resilience in Cloud Computing for Critical Systems. Resilience, Dependability, Reliability in the use of Cloud Computing in Critical Systems in Public Organizations.

La informática se está convirtiendo en la quinta utilidad (gas, agua, luz, teléfono) en parte debido al impacto de Cloud Computing en las mayorías de las organizaciones. Este uso de informática es usada por cada vez más tipos de sistemas, incluidos Sistemas Críticos. Esto tiene un impacto en la complejidad internad y la fiabilidad de los sistemas de la organización y los que se ofrecen a los clientes. Este trabajo investiga el uso de Cloud Computing por sistemas críticos, centrándose en las dependencias y especialmente en la fiabilidad de estos sistemas. Se han presentado algunos ejemplos de su uso, y aunque su utilización en sistemas críticos no está extendido, se presenta cual puede llegar a ser su impacto. El objetivo de este trabajo es primero definir un modelo que pueda representar de una forma cuantitativa las interdependencias en fiabilidad y interdependencia para las organizaciones que utilicen estos sistemas, y aplicar este modelo en un sistema crítico del campo de sanidad y mostrar sus resultados. Los conceptos de “macro-dependability” y “micro-dependability” son introducidos en el modelo para la definición de interdependencia y para analizar la fiabilidad de sistemas que dependen de otros sistemas. ABSTRACT With the increasing utilization of Internet services and cloud computing by most organizations (both private and public), it is clear that computing is becoming the 5th utility (along with water, electricity, telephony and gas). These technologies are used for almost all types of systems, and the number is increasing, including Critical Infrastructure systems. Even if Critical Infrastructure systems appear not to rely directly on cloud services, there may be hidden inter-dependencies. This is true even for private cloud computing, which seems more secure and reliable. The critical systems can began in some cases with a clear and simple design, but evolved as described by Egan to "rafted" networks. Because they are usually controlled by one or few organizations, even when they are complex systems, their dependencies can be understood. The organization oversees and manages changes. These CI systems have been affected by the introduction of new ICT models like global communications, PCs and the Internet. Even virtualization took more time to be adopted by Critical systems, due to their strategic nature, but once that these technologies have been proven in other areas, at the end they are adopted as well, for different reasons such as costs. A new technology model is happening now based on some previous technologies (virtualization, distributing and utility computing, web and software services) that are offered in new ways and is called cloud computing. The organizations are migrating more services to the cloud; this will have impact in their internal complexity and in the reliability of the systems they are offering to the organization itself and their clients. Not always this added complexity and associated risks to their reliability are seen. As well, when two or more CI systems are interacting, the risks of one can affect the rest, sharing the risks. This work investigates the use of cloud computing by critical systems, and is focused in the dependencies and reliability of these systems. Some examples are presented together with the associated risks. A framework is introduced for analysing the dependability and resilience of a system that relies on cloud services and how to improve them. As part of the framework, the concepts of micro and macro dependability are introduced to explain the internal and external dependability on services supplied by an external cloud. A pharmacovigilance model system has been used for framework validation.

Analysis and Potential of Use of Biomass Energy in Canary Islands, Spain

Biomass has always been associated with the development of the population in the Canary Islands as the first source of elemental energy that was in the archipelago and the main cause of deforestation of forests, which over the years has been replaced by forest fossil fuels. The Canary Islands store a large amount of energy in the form of biomass. This may be important on a small scale for the design of small power plants with similar fuels from agricultural activities, and these plants could supply rural areas that could have self-sufficiency energy. The problem with the Canary Islands for a boost in this achievement is to ensure the supply to the consumer centers or power plants for greater efficiency that must operate continuously, allowing them to have a resource with regularity, quality and at an acceptable cost. In the Canary Islands converge also a unique topography with a very rugged terrain that makes it greater difficult to use and significantly more expensive. In this work all these aspects are studied, giving conclusions, action paths and theoretical potentials.

Midday measurements of leaf water potential and stomatal conductance are highly correlated with daily water use of Thompson Seedless grapevines

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between midday measurements of vine water status and daily water use of grapevines measured with a weighing lysimeter. Water applications to the vines were terminated on August 24th for 9 days and again on September 14th for 22 days. Daily water use of the vines in the lysimeter (ETLYS) was approximately 40 L vine−1 (5.3 mm) prior to turning the pump off, and it decreased to 22.3 L vine−1 by September 2nd. Pre-dawn leaf water potential (ΨPD) and midday Ψl on August 24th were −0.075 and −0.76 MPa, respectively, with midday Ψl decreasing to −1.28 MPa on September 2nd. Leaf g s decreased from ~500 to ~200 mmol m−2 s−1 during the two dry-down periods. Midday measurements of g s and Ψl were significantly correlated with one another (r = 0.96) and both with ETLYS/ETo (r = ~0.9). The decreases in Ψl, g s, and ETLYS/ETo in this study were also a linear function of the decrease in volumetric soil water content. The results indicate that even modest water stress can greatly reduce grapevine water use and that short-term measures of vine water status taken at midday are a reflection of daily grapevine water use

LiDAR simulation in modelled orchards to optimise the use of terretrial laser scanners and derived vegetative measures

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology is beginning to have an impact on agriculture. Canopy volume and/or fruit tree leaf area can be estimated using terrestrial laser sensors based on this technology. However, the use of these devices may have different options depending on the resolution and scanning mode. As a consequence, data accuracy and LiDAR derived parameters are affected by sensor configuration, and may vary according to vegetative characteristics of tree crops. Given this scenario, users and suppliers of these devices need to know how to use the sensor in each case. This paper presents a computer program to determine the best configuration, allowing simulation and evaluation of different LiDAR configurations in various tree structures (or training systems). The ultimate goal is to optimise the use of laser scanners in field operations. The software presented generates a virtual orchard, and then allows the scanning simulation with a laser sensor. Trees are created using a hidden Markov tree (HMT) model. Varying the foliar structure of the orchard the LiDAR simulation was applied to twenty different artificially created orchards with or without leaves from two positions (lateral and zenith). To validate the laser sensor configuration, leaf surface of simulated trees was compared with the parameters obtained by LiDAR measurements: the impacted leaf area, the impacted total area (leaves and wood), and th impacted area in the three outer layers of leaves.

Feasibility assessment of the interactive use of a Monte Carlo algorithm in treatment planning for intraoperative electron radiation therapy

This work analysed the feasibility of using a fast, customized Monte Carlo (MC) method to perform accurate computation of dose distributions during pre- and intraplanning of intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) procedures. The MC method that was implemented, which has been integrated into a specific innovative simulation and planning tool, is able to simulate the fate of thousands of particles per second, and it was the aim of this work to determine the level of interactivity that could be achieved. The planning workflow enabled calibration of the imaging and treatment equipment, as well as manipulation of the surgical frame and insertion of the protection shields around the organs at risk and other beam modifiers. In this way, the multidisciplinary team involved in IOERT has all the tools necessary to perform complex MC dosage simulations adapted to their equipment in an efficient and transparent way. To assess the accuracy and reliability of this MC technique, dose distributions for a monoenergetic source were compared with those obtained using a general-purpose software package used widely in medical physics applications. Once accuracy of the underlying simulator was confirmed, a clinical accelerator was modelled and experimental measurements in water were conducted. A comparison was made with the output from the simulator to identify the conditions under which accurate dose estimations could be obtained in less than 3 min, which is the threshold imposed to allow for interactive use of the tool in treatment planning. Finally, a clinically relevant scenario, namely early-stage breast cancer treatment, was simulated with pre- and intraoperative volumes to verify that it was feasible to use the MC tool intraoperatively and to adjust dose delivery based on the simulation output, without compromising accuracy. The workflow provided a satisfactory model of the treatment head and the imaging system, enabling proper configuration of the treatment planning system and providing good accuracy in the dosage simulation.

On the Use of Matrix-Free Shift-Invert Strategies For Global Flow Instability Analysis

A novel time-stepping shift-invert algorithm for linear stability analysis of laminar flows in complex geometries is presented. This method, based on a Krylov subspace iteration, enables the solution of complex non-symmetric eigenvalue problems in a matrix-free framework. Validations and comparisons to the classical exponential method have been performed in three different cases: (i) stenotic flow, (ii) backward-facing step and (iii) lid-driven swirling flow. Results show that this new approach speeds up the required Krylov subspace iterations and has the capability of converging to specific parts of the global spectrum. It is shown that, although the exponential method remains the method of choice if leading eigenvalues are sought, the performance of the present method could be dramatically improved with the use of a preconditioner. In addition, as opposed to other methods, this strategy can be directly applied to any time-stepper, regardless of the temporal or spatial discretization of the latter.

Agricultural use of organic wastes as source of nitrogen and phosphorus: risks and opportunities

El nitrógeno (N) y el fósforo (P) son nutrientes esenciales en la producción de cultivos. El desarrollo de los fertilizantes de síntesis durante el siglo XX permitió una intensificación de la agricultura y un aumento de las producciones pero a su vez el gran input de nutrientes ha resultado en algunos casos en sistemas poco eficientes incrementando las pérdidas de estos nutrientes al medio ambiente. En el caso del P, este problema se agrava debido a la escasez de reservas de roca fosfórica necesaria para la fabricación de fertilizantes fosfatados. La utilización de residuos orgánicos en agricultura como fuente de N y P es una buena opción de manejo que permite valorizar la gran cantidad de residuos que se generan. Sin embargo, es importante conocer los procesos que se producen en el suelo tras la aplicación de los mismos, ya que influyen en la disponibilidad de nutrientes que pueden ser utilizados por el cultivo así como en las pérdidas de nutrientes de los agrosistemas que pueden ocasionar problemas de contaminación. Aunque la dinámica del N en el suelo ha sido más estudiada que la del P, los problemas importantes de contaminación por nitratos en zonas vulnerables hacen necesaria la evaluación de aquellas prácticas de manejo que pudieran agravar esta situación, y en el caso de los residuos orgánicos, la evaluación de la respuesta agronómica y medioambiental de la aplicación de materiales con un alto contenido en N (como los residuos procedentes de la industria vinícola y alcoholera). En cuanto al P, debido a la mayor complejidad de su ciclo y de las reacciones que ocurren en el suelo, hay un mayor desconocimiento de los factores que influyen en su dinámica en los sistemas suelo-planta, lo que supone nuevas oportunidades de estudio en la evaluación del uso agrícola de los residuos orgánicos. Teniendo en cuenta los conocimientos previos sobre cada nutriente así como las necesidades específicas en el estudio de los mismos, en esta Tesis se han evaluado: (1) el efecto de la aplicación de residuos procedentes de la industria vinícola y alcoholera en la dinámica del N desde el punto de vista agronómico y medioambiental en una zona vulnerable a la contaminación por nitratos; y (2) los factores que influyen en la disponibilidad de P en el suelo tras la aplicación de residuos orgánicos. Para ello se han llevado a cabo incubaciones de laboratorio así como ensayos de campo que permitieran evaluar la dinámica de estos nutrientes en condiciones reales. Las incubaciones de suelo en condiciones controladas de humedad y temperatura para determinar el N mineralizado se utilizan habitualmente para estimar la disponibilidad de N para el cultivo así como el riesgo medioambiental. Por ello se llevó a cabo una incubación en laboratorio para conocer la velocidad de mineralización de N de un compost obtenido a partir de residuos de la industria vinícola y alcoholera, ampliamente distribuida en Castilla-La Mancha, región con problemas importantes de contaminación de acuíferos por nitratos. Se probaron tres dosis crecientes de compost correspondientes a 230, 460 y 690 kg de N total por hectárea que se mezclaron con un suelo franco arcillo arenoso de la zona. La evolución del N mineral en el suelo a lo largo del tiempo se ajustó a un modelo de regresión no lineal, obteniendo valores bajos de N potencialmente mineralizable y bajas contantes de mineralización, lo que indica que se trata de un material resistente a la mineralización y con una lenta liberación de N en el suelo, mineralizándose tan solo 1.61, 1.33 y 1.21% del N total aplicado con cada dosis creciente de compost (para un periodo de seis meses). Por otra parte, la mineralización de N tras la aplicación de este material también se evaluó en condiciones de campo, mediante la elaboración de un balance de N durante dos ciclos de cultivo (2011 y 2012) de melón bajo riego por goteo, cultivo y manejo agrícola muy característicos de la zona de estudio. Las constantes de mineralización obtenidas en el laboratorio se ajustaron a las temperaturas reales en campo para predecir el N mineralizado en campo durante el ciclo de cultivo del melón, sin embargo este modelo generalmente sobreestimaba el N mineralizado observado en campo, por la influencia de otros factores no tenidos en cuenta para obtener esta predicción, como el N acumulado en el suelo, el efecto de la planta o las fluctuaciones de temperatura y humedad. Tanto el ajuste de los datos del laboratorio al modelo de mineralización como las predicciones del mismo fueron mejores cuando se consideraba el efecto de la mezcla suelo-compost que cuando se aislaba el N mineralizado del compost, mostrando la importancia del efecto del suelo en la mineralización del N procedente de residuos orgánicos. Dado que esta zona de estudio ha sido declarada vulnerable a la contaminación por nitratos y cuenta con diferentes unidades hidrológicas protegidas, en el mismo ensayo de campo con melón bajo riego por goteo se evaluó el riesgo de contaminación por nitratos tras la aplicación de diferentes dosis de compost bajo dos regímenes de riego, riego ajustado a las necesidades del cultivo (90 ó 100% de la evapotranspiración del cultivo (ETc)) o riego excedentario (120% ETc). A lo largo del ciclo de cultivo se estimó semanalmente el drenaje mediante la realización de un balance hídrico, así como se tomaron muestras de la solución de suelo y se determinó su concentración de nitratos. Para evaluar el riesgo de contaminación de las aguas subterráneas asociado con estas prácticas, se utilizaron algunos índices medioambientales para determinar la variación en la calidad del agua potable (Índice de Impacto (II)) y en la concentración de nitratos del acuífero (Índice de Impacto Ambiental (EII)). Para combinar parámetros medioambientales con parámetros de producción, se calculó la eficiencia de manejo. Se observó que la aplicación de compost bajo un régimen de riego ajustado no aumentaba el riesgo de contaminación de las aguas subterráneas incluso con la aplicación de la dosis más alta. Sin embargo, la aplicación de grandes cantidades de compost combinada con un riego excedentario supuso un incremento en el N lixiviado a lo largo del ciclo de cultivo, mientras que no se obtuvieron mayores producciones con respecto al riego ajustado. La aplicación de residuos de la industria vinícola y alcoholera como fuente de P fue evaluada en suelos calizos caracterizados por una alta capacidad de retención de P, lo cual en algunos casos limita la disponibilidad de este nutriente. Para ello se llevó a cabo otro ensayo de incubación con dos suelos de diferente textura, con diferente contenido de carbonato cálcico, hierro y con dos niveles de P disponible; a los que se aplicaron diferentes materiales procedentes de estas industrias (con y sin compostaje previo) aportando diferentes cantidades de P. A lo largo del tiempo se analizó el P disponible del suelo (P Olsen) así como el pH y el carbono orgánico disuelto. Al final de la incubación, con el fin de estudiar los cambios producidos por los diferentes residuos en el estado del P del suelo se llevó a cabo un fraccionamiento del P inorgánico del suelo, el cual se separó en P soluble y débilmente enlazado (NaOH-NaCl-P), P soluble en reductores u ocluido en los óxidos de Fe (CBD-P) y P poco soluble precipitado como Ca-P (HCl-P); y se determinó la capacidad de retención de P así como el grado de saturación de este elemento en el suelo. En este ensayo se observó que, dada la naturaleza caliza de los suelos, la influencia de la cantidad de P aplicado con los residuos en el P disponible sólo se producía al comienzo del periodo de incubación, mientras que al final del ensayo el incremento en el P disponible del suelo se igualaba independientemente del P aplicado con cada residuo, aumentando el P retenido en la fracción menos soluble con el aumento del P aplicado. Por el contrario, la aplicación de materiales orgánicos menos estabilizados y con un menor contenido en P, produjo un aumento en las formas de P más lábiles debido a una disolución del P retenido en la fracción menos lábil, lo cual demostró la influencia de la materia orgánica en los procesos que controlan el P disponible en el suelo. La aplicación de residuos aumentó el grado de saturación de P de los suelos, sin embargo los valores obtenidos no superaron los límites establecidos que indican un riesgo de contaminación de las aguas. La influencia de la aplicación de residuos orgánicos en las formas de P inorgánico y orgánico del suelo se estudió además en un suelo ácido de textura areno francosa tras la aplicación en campo a largo plazo de estiércol vacuno y de compost obtenido a partir de biorresiduos, así como la aplicación combinada de compost y un fertilizante mineral (superfosfato tripe), en una rotación de cultivos. En muestras de suelo recogidas 14 años después del establecimiento del experimento en campo, se determinó el P soluble y disponible, la capacidad de adsorción de P, el grado de saturación de P así como diferentes actividades enzimáticas (actividad deshidrogenasa, fosfatasa ácida y fosfatasa alcalina). Las diferentes formas de P orgánico en el suelo se estudiaron mediante una técnica de adición de enzimas con diferentes substratos específicos a extractos de suelo de NaOH-EDTA, midiendo el P hidrolizado durante un periodo de incubación por colorimetría. Las enzimas utilizadas fueron la fosfatasa ácida, la nucleasa y la fitasa las cuales permitieron identificar monoésteres hidrolizables (monoester-like P), diésteres (DNA-like P) e inositol hexaquifosfato (Ins6P-like P). La aplicación a largo plazo de residuos orgánicos aumentó el P disponible del suelo proporcionalmente al P aplicado con cada tipo de fertilización, suponiendo un mayor riesgo de pérdidas de P dado el alto grado de saturación de este suelo. La aplicación de residuos orgánicos aumentó el P orgánico del suelo resistente a la hidrólisis enzimática, sin embargo no influyó en las diferentes formas de P hidrolizable por las enzimas en comparación con las observadas en el suelo sin enmendar. Además, las diferentes formas de P orgánico aplicadas con los residuos orgánicos no se correspondieron con las analizadas en el suelo lo cual demostró que éstas son el resultado de diferentes procesos en el suelo mediados por las plantas, los microorganismos u otros procesos abióticos. En este estudio se encontró una correlación entre el Ins6P-like P y la actividad microbiana (actividad deshidrogenasa) del suelo, lo cual refuerza esta afirmación. Por último, la aplicación de residuos orgánicos como fuente de N y P en la agricultura se evaluó agronómicamente en un escenario real. Se estableció un experimento de campo para evaluar el compost procedente de residuos de bodegas y alcoholeras en el mismo cultivo de melón utilizado en el estudio de la mineralización y lixiviación de N. En este experimento se estudió la aplicación de tres dosis de compost: 1, 2 y 3 kg de compost por metro lineal de plantación correspondientes a 7, 13 y 20 t de compost por hectárea respectivamente; y se estudió el efecto sobre el crecimiento de las plantas, la acumulación de N y P en la planta, así como la producción y calidad del cultivo. La aplicación del compost produjo un ligero incremento en la biomasa vegetal acompañado por una mejora significativa de la producción con respecto a las parcelas no enmendadas, obteniéndose la máxima producción con la aplicación de 2 kg de compost por metro lineal. Aunque los efectos potenciales del N y P fueron parcialmente enmascarados por otras entradas de estos nutrientes en el sistema (alta concentración de nitratos en el agua de riego y ácido fosfórico suministrado por fertirrigación), se observó una mayor acumulación de P uno de los años de estudio que resultó en un aumento en el número de frutos en las parcelas enmendadas. Además, la mayor acumulación de N y P disponible en el suelo al final del ciclo de cultivo indicó el potencial uso de estos materiales como fuente de estos nutrientes. ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients in crop production. The development of synthetic fertilizers during the 20th century allowed an intensification of the agriculture increasing crop yields but in turn the great input of nutrients has resulted in some cases in inefficient systems with higher losses to the environment. Regarding P, the scarcity of phosphate rock reserves necessary for the production of phosphate fertilizers aggravates this problem. The use of organic wastes in agriculture as a source of N and P is a good option of management that allows to value the large amount of wastes generated. However, it is important to understand the processes occurring in the soil after application of these materials, as they affect the availability of nutrients that can be used by the crop and the nutrient losses from agricultural systems that can cause problems of contamination. Although soil N dynamic has been more studied than P, the important concern of nitrate pollution in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones requires the evaluation of those management practices that could aggravate this situation, and in the case of organic wastes, the evaluation of the agronomic and environmental response after application of materials with a high N content (such as wastes from winery and distillery industries). On the other hand, due to the complexity of soil P cycle and the reactions that occur in soil, there is less knowledge about the factors that can influence its dynamics in the soil-plant system, which means new opportunities of study regarding the evaluation of the agricultural use of organic wastes. Taking into account the previous knowledge of each nutrient and the specific needs of study, in this Thesis we have evaluated: (1) the effect of the application of wastes from the winery and distillery industries on N dynamics from the agronomic and environmental viewpoint in a vulnerable zone; and (2) the factors that influence P availability in soils after the application of organic wastes. With this purposes, incubations were carried out in laboratory conditions as well as field trials that allow to assess the dynamic of these nutrients in real conditions. Soil incubations under controlled moisture and temperature conditions to determine N mineralization are commonly used to estimate N availability for crops together with the environmental risk. Therefore, a laboratory incubation was conducted in order to determine the N mineralization rate of a compost made from wastes generated in the winery and distillery industries, widely distributed in Castilla-La Mancha, a region with significant problems of aquifers contamination by nitrates. Three increasing doses of compost corresponding to 230, 460 and 690 kg of total N per hectare were mixed with a sandy clay loam soil collected in this area. The evolution of mineral N in soil over time was adjusted to a nonlinear regression model, obtaining low values of potentially mineralizable N and low constants of mineralization, indicating that it is a material resistant to mineralization with a slow release of N, with only 1.61, 1.33 and 1.21% of total N applied being mineralized with each increasing dose of compost (for a period of six months). Furthermore, N mineralization after the application of this material was also evaluated in field conditions by carrying out a N balance during two growing seasons (2011 and 2012) of a melon crop under drip irrigation, a crop and management very characteristic of the area of study. The mineralization constants obtained in the laboratory were adjusted to the actual temperatures observed in the field to predict N mineralized during each growing season, however, this model generally overestimated the N mineralization observed in the field, because of the influence of other factors not taken into account for this prediction, as N accumulated in soil, the plant effect or the fluctuations of temperature and moisture. The fitting of the laboratory data to the model as well as the predictions of N mineralized in the field were better when considering N mineralized from the soil-compost mixture rather than when N mineralized from compost was isolated, underlining the important role of the soil on N mineralization from organic wastes. Since the area of study was declared vulnerable to nitrate pollution and is situated between different protected hydrological units, the risk of nitrate pollution after application of different doses compost was evaluated in the same field trial with melon under two irrigation regimes, irrigation adjusted to the crop needs (90 or 100% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc)) or excedentary irrigation (120% ETc). Drainage was estimated weekly throughout the growing season by conducting a water balance, samples of the soil solution were taken and the concentration of nitrates was determined. To assess the risk of groundwater contamination associated with these practices, some environmental indices were used to determine the variation in the quality of drinking water (Impact Index (II)) and the nitrates concentration in the groundwater (Environmental Impact Index (EII)). To combine environmental parameters together with yield parameters, the Management Efficiency was calculated. It was observed that the application of compost under irrigation adjusted to the plant needs did not represent a higher risk of groundwater contamination even with the application of the highest doses. However, the application of large amounts of compost combined with an irrigation surplus represented an increase of N leaching during the growing season compared with the unamended plots, while no additional yield with respect to the adjusted irrigation strategy is obtained. The application of wastes derived from the winery and distillery industry as source of P was evaluated in calcareous soils characterized by a high P retention capacity, which in some cases limits the availability of this nutrient. Another incubation experiment was carried out using two soils with different texture, different calcium carbonate and iron contents and two levels of available P; to which different materials from these industries (with and without composting) were applied providing different amounts of P. Soil available P (Olsen P), pH and dissolved organic carbon were analyzed along time. At the end of the incubation, in order to study the changes in soil P status caused by the different residues, a fractionation of soil inorganic P was carried out, which was separated into soluble and weakly bound P (NaOH-NaCl- P), reductant soluble P or occluded in Fe oxides (CBD-P) and P precipitated as poorly soluble Ca-P (HCl-P); and the P retention capacity and degree of P saturation were determined as well. Given the calcareous nature of the soils, the influence of the amount of P applied with the organic wastes in soil available P only occurred at the beginning of the incubation period, while at the end of the trial the increase in soil available P equalled independently of the amount of P applied with each residue, increasing the P retained in the least soluble fraction when increasing P applied. Conversely, the application of less stabilized materials with a lower content of P resulted in an increase in the most labile P forms due to dissolution of P retained in the less labile fraction, demonstrating the influence of organic matter addition on soil P processes that control P availability in soil. As expected, the application of organic wastes increased the degree of P saturation in the soils, however the values obtained did not exceed the limits considered to pose a risk of water pollution. The influence of the application of organic wastes on inorganic and organic soil P forms was also studied in an acid loamy sand soil after long-term field application of cattle manure and biowaste compost and the combined application of compost and mineral fertilizer (triple superphosphate) in a crop rotation. Soil samples were collected 14 years after the establishment of the field experiment, and analyzed for soluble and available P, P sorption capacity, degree of P saturation and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase). The different forms of organic P in soil were determined by using an enzyme addition technique, based on adding enzymes with different substrate specificities to NaOH-EDTA soil extracts, measuring the hydrolyzed P colorimetrically after an incubation period. The enzymes used were acid phosphatase, nuclease and phytase which allowed to identify hydrolyzable monoesters (monoester-like P) diesters (DNA-like P) and inositol hexakisphosphate (Ins6P-like P). The long-term application of organic wastes increased soil available P proportionally to the P applied with each type of fertilizer, assuming a higher risk of P losses given the high degree of P saturation of this soil. The application of organic wastes increased soil organic P resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis, but no influence was observed regarding the different forms of enzyme hydrolyzable organic P compared to those observed in the non-amended soil. Furthermore, the different forms of organic P applied with the organic wastes did not correspond to those analyzed in the soil which showed that these forms in soil are a result of multifaceted P turnover processes in soil affected by plants, microorganisms and abiotic factors. In this study, a correlation between Ins6P-like P and the microbial activity (dehydrogenase activity) of soil was found, which reinforces this claim. Finally, the application of organic wastes as a source of N and P in agriculture was evaluated agronomically in a real field scenario. A field experiment was established to evaluate the application of compost made from wine-distillery wastes in the same melon crop used in the experiments of N mineralization and leaching. In this experiment the application of three doses of compost were studied: 1 , 2 and 3 kg of compost per linear meter of plantation corresponding to 7, 13 and 20 tonnes of compost per hectare respectively; and the effect on plant growth, N and P accumulation in the plant as well as crop yield and quality was studied. The application of compost produced a slight increase in plant biomass accompanied by a significant improvement in crop yield with respect to the unamended plots, obtaining the maximum yield with the application of 2 kg of compost per linear meter. Although the potential effects of N and P were partially masked by other inputs of these nutrients in the system (high concentration of nitrates in the irrigation water and phosphoric acid supplied by fertigation), an effect of P was observed the first year of study resulting in a greater plant P accumulation and in an increase in the number of fruits in the amended plots. In addition, the higher accumulation of available N and P in the topsoil at the end of the growing season indicated the potential use of this material as source of these nutrients.

Benchmarking of calculation schemes in Apollo2 and COBAYA3 for VVER lattices

This paper presents solutions of the NURISP VVER lattice benchmark using APOLLO2, TRIPOLI4 and COBAYA3 pin-by-pin. The main objective is to validate MOC based calculation schemes for pin-by-pin cross-section generation with APOLLO2 against TRIPOLI4 reference results. A specific objective is to test the APOLLO2 generated cross-sections and interface discontinuity factors in COBAYA3 pin-by-pin calculations with unstructured mesh. The VVER-1000 core consists of large hexagonal assemblies with 2mm inter-assembly water gaps which require the use of unstructured meshes in the pin-by-pin core simulators. The considered 2D benchmark problems include 19-pin clusters, fuel assemblies and 7-assembly clusters. APOLLO2 calculation schemes with the step characteristic method (MOC) and the higher-order Linear Surface MOC have been tested. The comparison of APOLLO2 vs.TRIPOLI4 results shows a very close agreement. The 3D lattice solver in COBAYA3 uses transport corrected multi-group diffusion approximation with interface discontinuity factors of GET or Black Box Homogenization type. The COBAYA3 pin-by-pin results in 2, 4 and 8 energy groups are close to the reference solutions when using side-dependent interface discontinuity factors.

Use of alternative fuels obtained from renewable sources in brayton cycles

Analysis and simulation of the behaviour of gas turbines for power generation using different nonconventional fuels obtained from different renewable sources are presented. Three biomass-tobiofuel processes are considered: anaerobic digestion of biomass (biogas), biomass gasification (synthesis gas) and alcoholic fermentation of biomass and dehydration (bioethanol), each of them with two different biomass substrates (energy crops and municipal solid waste) as input. The gas turbine behaviour in a Brayton cycle is simulated both in an isolated operation and in combined cycle. The differences in gas turbine performance when fired with the considered biofuels compared to natural gas are studied from different points of view related with the current complex energetic context: energetic and exergetic efficiency of the simple/combined cycle and CO2 emissions. Two different tools have been used for the simulations, each one with a different approach: while PATITUG (own software) analyses the behaviour of a generic gas turbine allowing a total variability of parameters, GT-PRO (commercial software) is more rigid, albeit more precise in the prediction of real gas turbine behaviour. Different potentially interesting configurations and its thermodynamic parameters have been simulated in order to obtain the optimal range for all of them and its variation for each fuel.

Use of alternative fuels obtained from renowable sources in Brayton cycles

Analysis and simulation of the behaviour of gas turbines for power generation using different nonconventional fuels obtained from different renewable sources are presented. Three biomass-tobiofuel processes are considered: anaerobic digestion of biomass (biogas), biomass gasification (synthesis gas) and alcoholic fermentation of biomass and dehydration (bioethanol), each of them with two different biomass substrates (energy crops and municipal solid waste) as input. The gas turbine behaviour in a Brayton cycle is simulated both in an isolated operation and in combined cycle. The differences in gas turbine performance when fired with the considered biofuels compared to natural gas are studied from different points of view related with the current complex energetic context: energetic and exergetic efficiency of the simple/combined cycle and CO2 emissions. Two different tools have been used for the simulations, each one with a different approach: while PATITUG (own software) analyses the behaviour of a generic gas turbine allowing a total variability of parameters, GT-PRO (commercial software) is more rigid, albeit more precise in the prediction of real gas turbine behaviour. Different potentially interesting configurations and its thermodynamic parameters have been simulated in order to obtain the optimal range for all of them and its variation for each fuel.

The Economic Value of Residential Land in Historical Areas: An Application of the Residual Method to the Secondary Market

Land value bears significant weight in house prices in historical town centers. An essential aim for regulating the mortgage market, particularly in the financial and property crisis that countries such as Spain are undergoing, is to have at hand objective procedures for its valuation, whatever the conditions (location, construction, planning). Of all the factors contributing to house price make-up, the land is the only one whose value does not depend on acquisition cost, but rather on the location-time binomial. That is to say, the specific circumstances at that point and at the exact moment of valuation. For this reason, the most commonly applied procedure for land valuation in town centers is the use of the residual method: once the selling price of new housing in a district is known, the other necessary costs and expenses of development are deducted, including those of building and the developer’s profit. The value left is that of the land. To apply these procedures it is vital to have figures such as building costs, technical fees, tax costs, etc. But, above all, it is essential to obtain the selling price of the new housing. This is not always feasible, on account of the lack of newbuild development in this location. This shortage of information occurs in historical town cities, where urban renewal is slight due to the heritage-protection policies, and where, nevertheless there is substantial activity in the secondary market. In these circumstances, as an alternative for land valuation in consolidated urban areas, we have the adaptation of the residual method to the particular characteristics of the secondary market. To these ends, there is the proposal for the appreciation of the dwelling which follows, in a backwards direction, the application of traditional depreciation methods proposed by the various valuation manuals and guidelines. The reliability of the results obtained is analyzed by contrasting it with published figures for newly-built properties, according to different rules applied in administrative appraisals in Spain and the incidence of an eventual correction due to conservation state.