Alternative cropping and feeding options to enhance sustainability of mixed crop-livestock farms in Bangladesh

Timothy Joseph Krupnik Jeroen Groot (2024, [Artículo])

We investigated alternative cropping and feeding options for large (>10 cows), medium (5–10 cows) and small (≤4 cows) mixed crop – livestock farm types, to enhance economic and environmental performance in Jhenaidha and Meherpur districts – locations with increasing dairy production – in south western Bangladesh. Following focus group discussions with farmers on constraints and opportunities, we collected baseline data from one representative farm from each farm size class per district (six in total) to parameterize the whole-farm model FarmDESIGN. The six modelled farms were subjected to Pareto-based multi-objective (differential evolution algorithm) optimization to generate alternative dairy farm and fodder configurations. The objectives were to maximize farm profit, soil organic matter balance, and feed self-reliance, in addition to minimizing feed costs and soil nitrogen losses as indicators of sustainability. The cropped areas of the six baseline farms ranged from 0.6 to 4.0 ha and milk production per cow was between 1,640 and 3,560 kg year−1. Feed self-reliance was low (17%–57%) and soil N losses were high (74–342 kg ha−1 year−1). Subsequent trade-off analysis showed that increasing profit and soil organic matter balance was associated with higher risks of N losses. However, we found opportunities to improve economic and environmental performance simultaneously. Feed self-reliance could be increased by intensifying cropping and substituting fallow periods with appropriate fodder crops. For the farm type with the largest opportunity space and room to manoeuvre, we identified four strategies. Three strategies could be economically and environmentally benign, showing different opportunities for farm development with locally available resources.

Ruminant Feed Pareto-Based Optimization Farm Bioeconomic Model CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA RUMINANT FEEDING BIOECONOMIC MODELS MIXED CROPPING FARMS LIVESTOCK

Diseño de arreglos de antenas para entornos de 5G utilizando técnicas de simplificación en la red de alimentación

Design of antenna arrays for 5G environments using simplification techniques in the feeding network

ELIZVAN JUAREZ PACHECO (2023, [Tesis de doctorado])

En los últimos años, las redes de comunicaciones inalámbricas de quinta generación (5G) han tomado gran relevancia debido al crecimiento del número de usuarios móviles que se conectan a estas redes inalámbricas. Estas redes utilizan arreglos de antenas para generar haces de radiación directivos que pueden escanearse en una o múltiples direcciones en el espacio mediante el control de una red de alimentación. En una red de alimentación convencional cada elemento de antena se alimenta con un dispositivo amplificador y desfasador, lo que resulta en sistemas costosos y complejos de implementar. Por lo tanto, esta tesis de investigación propone nuevas técnicas de diseño que simplifican la red de alimentación al reducir el número de puertos de entrada y dispositivos desfasadores necesarios en el sistema de antenas. Las configuraciones propuestas consideran como requisitos de diseño el nivel de lóbulo lateral (SLL por sus siglas en inglés), rango de escaneo del haz principal y ancho de banda de operación adecuados para sistemas de 5G. Así, se introduce la técnica de bloques CORPS (Estructuras Periódicas de Radiación Coherente, en inglés) como una solución para simplificar la red de alimentación en arreglos lineales y planares. Esta técnica aprovecha la propiedad de interpolación de fase de las redes CORPS de una capa para generar los valores cofasales ideales necesarios para escanear el haz principal. Además, la aplicación de una excitación de amplitud de coseno alzado genera un haz de radiación con bajo SLL. Adicionalmente, se aplica la técnica de bloques CORPS en configuraciones con subarreglos para mejorar la reducción de desfasadores en comparación con la implementación individual de cada tecnología. Los resultados obtenidos mediante simulación electromagnética y mediciones experimentales validan los diferentes diseños propuestos. Todo esto contribuye al estado del arte al presentar diferentes diseños de arreglos de antenas que simplifican la red de alimentación manteniendo buenas características en el patrón de radiación en comparación con diseños tradicionales.

In recent years, fifth-generation wireless networks (5G) have become very relevant due to the exponential growth in the number of mobile users connecting to wireless networks. These networks employ antenna arrays to generate directional radiation beams that can be scanned in one or multiple directions in space by controlling a feeding network. In a conventional feeding network, each antenna element is fed with an amplifier and phase shifter device, which results in expensive and complex systems to implement. Therefore, this thesis proposes novel design techniques that simplify the feeding network by reducing the number of input ports and phase shifter devices required in the antenna system. The proposed configurations take into account requirements such as side lobe level (SLL), scanning range, and bandwidth appropriate for 5G systems. Thus, the CORPS (Coherent Radiation Periodic Structures) blocks technique is introduced as a solution to simplify the feeding network in linear and planar phased arrays. This technique takes advantage of the phase interpolation property of single-layer CORPS to generate the ideal cophasal values necessary for the main beam scanning. Furthermore, the application of a raised-cosine amplitude distribution generates a radiation beam with low SLL. Additionally, the CORPS blocks technique is applied in subarrays configurations to improve the phase shifters reduction compared to the individual implementation of each technology. The results obtained by electromagnetic simulation and experimental measurements validate the different proposed designs. This contributes to the state of the art by different designs of antenna arrays that simplify the feeding network while maintaining good radiation pattern characteristics when compared to traditional designs.

Arreglo de antenas, Red de alimentación, Quinta generación, Arreglo lineal, Arreglo planar Antenna array, Feeding network, Fifth Generation, Linear array, Planar array INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE LAS TELECOMUNICACIONES ANTENAS ANTENAS

Trophic ecology of Mexican Pacific harbor seal colonies using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

MARICELA JUAREZ RODRIGUEZ (2020, [Artículo])

There is limited information that provides a comprehensive understanding of the trophic ecology of Mexican Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) colonies. While scat analysis has been used to determine the diet of some colonies, the integrative characterization of its feeding habits on broader temporal and spatial scales remains limited. We examined potential feeding grounds, trophic niche width, and overlap, and inferred the degree of dietary specialization using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) in this subspecies. We analyzed δ13C and δ15N on fur samples from pups collected at five sites along the western coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Fur of natal coat of Pacific harbor seal pups begins to grow during the seventh month in utero until the last stage of gestation. Therefore pup fur is a good proxy for the mother's feeding habits in winter (∼December to March), based on the timing of gestation for the subspecies in this region. Our results indicated that the δ13C and δ15N values differed significantly among sampling sites, with the highest mean δ15N value occurring at the southernmost site, reflecting a well-characterized north to south latitudinal 15N-enrichment in the food web. The tendency identified in δ13C values, in which the northern colonies showed the most enriched values, suggests nearshore and benthic-demersal feeding habits. A low variance in δ13C and δ15N values for each colony (<1‰) and relatively small standard ellipse areas suggest a specialized foraging behavior in adult female Pacific harbor seals in Mexican waters. © 2020 Juárez-Rodríguez et al.

carbon, delta carbon 13, delta nitrogen 15, isotope, nitrogen, unclassified drug, carbon, nitrogen, Article, correlational study, feeding behavior, latitude, Mexico, nonhuman, organism colony, Pinnipedia, population abundance, species richness, troph BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA)