Modeling the growth, yield and N dynamics of wheat for decoding the tillage and nitrogen nexus in 8-years long-term conservation agriculture based maize-wheat system

C.M. Parihar Dipaka Ranjan Sena Prakash Chand Ghasal Shankar Lal Jat Yashpal Singh Saharawat Mahesh Gathala Upendra Singh Hari Sankar Nayak (2024, [Artículo])

Context: Agricultural field experiments are costly and time-consuming, and their site-specific nature limits their ability to capture spatial and temporal variability. This hinders the transfer of crop management information across different locations, impeding effective agricultural decision-making. Further, accurate estimates of the benefits and risks of alternative crop and nutrient management options are crucial for effective decision-making in agriculture. Objective: The objective of this study was to utilize the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis CERES-Wheat model to simulate crop growth, yield, and nitrogen dynamics in a long-term conservation agriculture (CA) based wheat system. The study aimed to calibrate the model using data from a field experiment conducted during the 2019-20-2020-21 growing seasons and evaluation it with independent data from the year 2021–22. Method: Crop simulation models, such as the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis CERES-Wheat (DSSAT v 4.8), may provide valuable insights into crop growth and nitrogen dynamics, enabling decision makers to understand and manage production risk more effectively. Therefore, the present study employed the CERES-Wheat (DSSAT v 4.8) model and calibrated it using field data, including plant phenological phases, leaf area index, aboveground biomass, and grain yield from the 2019-20-2020-21 growing seasons. An independent dataset from the year 2021–22 was used for model evaluation. The model was used to investigate the relationship between growing degree days (GDD), temperature, nitrate and ammonical concentration in soil, and nitrogen uptake by the crop. Additionally, the study explored the impact of contrasting tillage practices and fertilizer nitrogen management options on wheat yields. The experimental site is situated at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, representing Indian Trans-Gangetic Plains Zone (28o 40’N latitude, 77o 11’E longitude and an altitude of 228 m above sea level). The treatments consist of four nitrogen management options, viz., N0 (zero nitrogen), N150 (150 kg N ha−1 through urea), GS (Green seeker based urea application) and USG (urea super granules @150 kg N ha−1) in two contrasting tillage systems, i.e., CA-based zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT). Result: The outcomes exhibited favorable agreement between the model’s simulations and the observed data for crop phenology (With less than 2 days variation in 50% onset of flowering), grain and biomass yield (Root mean square error; RMSE 336 kg ha−1 and 649 kg ha−1, respectively), and leaf area index (LAI) (RMSE 0.28 & normalized RMSE; nRMSE 6.69%). The model effectively captured the nitrate-N (NO3−-N) dynamics in the soil profile, exhibiting a remarkable concordance with observed data, as evident from its low RMSE = 12.39 kg ha−1 and nRMSE = 13.69%. Moreover, as it successfully simulated the N balance in the production system, the nitrate leaching and ammonia volatilization pattern as described by the model are highly useful to understand these critical phenomena under both conventional tillage (CT) and CA-based Zero Tillage (ZT) treatments. Conclusion: The study concludes that the DSSAT-CERES-Wheat model has significant potential to assess the impacts of tillage and nitrogen management practices on crop growth, yield, and soil nitrogen dynamics in the western Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) region. By providing reliable forecasts within the growing season, this modeling approach can facilitate better planning and more efficient resource management. Future implications: The successful implementation of the DSSAT-CERES-Wheat model in this study highlights its applicability in assessing crop performance and soil dynamics. Future research should focus on expanding the model’s capabilities by reducing its sensitivity to initial soil nitrogen levels to refine its predictions further. Moreover, the model’s integration with decision support systems and real-time data can enhance its usefulness in aiding agricultural decision-making and supporting sustainable crop management practices.

Nitrogen Dynamics Mechanistic Crop Growth Models Crop Simulation CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA NITROGEN CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE WHEAT MAIZE CROP GROWTH RATE SIMULATION MODELS

Socio-spatial segregation of socio-environmental assets of public green spaces in the city of Durango, Mexico

Carlos Alejandro Custodio González Tania Ortiz Patricia Catalina Medina Pérez (2024, [Artículo, Artículo])

The current development model's accumulation logic has resulted in the emergence and consolidation of social processes like segregation, leading to differentiated access and availability of urban goods and services among social groups based on socioeconomic, ethnic, or societal standing. The current development model's accumulation logic has resulted in the emergence and consolidation of social processes like segregation, leading to differentiated access and availability of urban goods and services among social groups based on socioeconomic, ethnic, or societal standing. This disparity impacts employment levels, educational performance, urban decay, and environmental degradation. In this context, the article aims to examine the socio-spatial segregation in the access to socio-environmental amenities provided by public green spaces (EVP) in a medium-sized city, specifically Durango, Mexico. The analysis utilizes spatial analysis and statistical methods that involve five variables associated with EVPs: surface area, percentage, number, density, and the socioeconomic level of the population. A spatial pattern of segregation was identified through these variables, resulting in four clusters that impact how the city of Durango is inhabited, produced, reproduced, lived, and constructed.

sociospatial exclusion public space spatial autocorrelation spatial patterns spatial justice exclusión socioespacial espacio público autocorrelación espacial patrones espaciales justicia espacial CIENCIAS SOCIALES CIENCIAS SOCIALES

Using homosoils for quantitative extrapolation of soil mapping models

Andree Nenkam Alexandre Wadoux Budiman Minasny Alex McBratney Pierre C. Sibiry Traore Gatien Falconnier Anthony Whitbread (2022, [Artículo])

Cubist Digital Soil Mapping Model-Based Validation Soil Spatial Variation Soil-Forming Factors CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA LAND USE ORGANIC CARBON SOIL SURVEYS SPATIAL VARIATIONS

GENERATION OF LG VECTOR MODES WITH ULTRAHIGH STABILITY BASED ON COMPLEX AMPLITUDE MODULATION IN AN ON-AXIS CONFIGURATION

Gloria Elizabth Rodríguez García (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

"This thesis presents a novel technique for generating vector beams using complex amplitude modulation (CAM) in an on-axis configuration. The holograms used to generate the beams were created using the Mathlab software and displayed on a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM). The main goal of this research was to address both the purity and stability of the beams during generation and propagation, introducing a quantitative approach to assess their stability. As a proof-of-concept, Laguerre-Gaussian vector beams have been generated and characterized using Stokes polarimetry with the proposed experimental set up."

Structured light Laguerre-Gauss vector beams Stokes polarimetry Beam generation Spatial light modulators CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA FÍSICA ÓPTICA OPTICA FÍSICA OPTICA FÍSICA

Geospatial analysis of the distribution of empty spaces located in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas

Claudio Curzio HECTOR DE LA TORRE GUTIERREZ (2021, [Artículo, Artículo])

Reflect about urban empty spaces means looking around all these lots that are distributed in different geographical points of the cities and are characterized because they are still waiting to be built, therefore, they are vacant, and also these spaces are empty in the sense of not provide any function. In this sense, the objective of this article is to present a methodological proposal specially designed to study this type of urban elements from the particular point of view of urban geography and spatial analysis. Specifically, through a series of surveys, both digital and physical, the various urban voids located in the city of Nuevo Laredo were recorded, thereby creating a database that included a total of 3,836 case studies. In this way, using different types of statistical techniques and spatial models, it was possible to obtain and interpret the results, managing to identify exactly what were the main patterns and characteristics of said geographic distribution.

empty spaces urban vacant lots geo-spatial analysis urban geography border in Nuevo Laredo Vacíos urbanos lotes baldíos análisis geo-espacial geografía urbana frontera en Nuevo Laredo Geografía urbana economía urbana morfología urbana CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA

Variación espacio-temporal del ensamblaje de peces criptobentónicos y conspicuos en dos áreas naturales protegidas, Bahía de los Ángeles y Huatulco

Spatial and temporal variation of the assemblage of cryptobenthic and conspicuous reef fish in two protected natural areas, Bahía delos Ángeles and Huatulco

Rodrigo Daniel Chiriboga Ortega (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

Los peces arrecifales desempeñan roles ecológicos muy importantes manteniendo la salud de los arrecifes siendo limpiadores, recicladores de materia orgánica y además fuente de alimento entre eslabones de la cadena trófica. El presente trabajo busca describir el ensamblaje de peces arrecifales crípticos y conspicuos, y evaluar los patrones espaciales y temporales del ensamblaje de peces arrecifales en Bahía de Los Ángeles, Baja California (BLA) y el Parque Nacional Huatulco (PNH), Oaxaca. Utilizamos dos métodos de muestreo censos visuales y estaciones cerradas. Para evaluar a los peces conspicuos, se realizaron censos visuales empleando transectos de banda de 20x4 m. Para cuantificar la biodiversidad de peces crípticos, se realizaron estaciones cerradas (0.4 m2 ) en donde se utilizó aceite de clavo como anestésico para recolectar los peces arrecifales criptobentónicos (PACr). Las dos metodologías se realizaron en dos gradientes de profundidad (somero; < 5 m y profundo; > 5 m) y en dos estaciones (cálida y fría). Se realizaron curvas de acumulación de especies y un análisis del número efectivo de especies para describir la riqueza y diversidad de cada zona de estudio. Finalmente, para determinar patrones espacio temporales se realizaron análisis nMDS, PERMANOVAS y SIMPER. La riqueza total fue de 43 especies para BLA y 62 para el PNH representando el 80% y 79% del promedio de los estimadores no paramétricos respectivamente. Se aumentó el número de especies registradas a 94 para BLA y 209 para el PNH utilizando las estaciones cerradas. Se observaron diferencias significativas entre estaciones y profundidad en el ensamblaje de PACs de BLA, pero no para los PACr. En el PNH se observaron diferencias significativas para la riqueza y abundancia de los PACr y variación temporal de la biomasa de los PACs. En conclusión se demostró que el uso de métodos de muestreo complementarios mejora la calidad de los inventarios de especies y permite detectar variaciones espacio temporales en la estructura de la comunidad íctica.

Reef fishes perform important ecological roles in maintaining reef health by cleaning and recycling organic material, and by providing a source of food between trophic linkages. The thesis describes cryptic and conspicuous reef fish assemblages and estimates their spatial and temporal patterns of in two sites, Bahía de Los Ángeles (BLA) in the state of Baja California and Huatulco National Park (PNH), in the state of Oaxaca. We used two sampling methods: visual census using SCUBA (band transects of 4x20m) for conspicuous reef fish (PAC) and enclosed stations (0.4 m2) using clove oil to anesthetize and collect the cryptobenthic reef fish (PACr). Sampling was conducted at two depth strata (shallow; < 5 m and deep; > 5m) and during two seasons (warm and cold). We used species accumulation curves and analysis of effective number of species to describe the richness and diversity of reef fish. Finally, nMDS, PERMANOVAS and SIMPER were performed to determine spatial and temporal patterns. The total species richness was 43 species for BLA and 62 species for the PNH, representing 80% and 79%, respectively, of the average of the non-parametric estimators. The number of species increased to 94 for BLA and 209 for PNH using enclosed stations. Significant differences between seasons and depth strata were found for the PACs assemblage at the BLA site, but not for the PACr assemblage. At the PNH site, significant differences were found for the richness and abundance of the PACr assemblage for depth as well as for the seasonal variation of the biomass of the PACs assemblage. In conclusion we demonstrated that the use of complementary sampling methods improves the quality of species inventories and allows for the detection of both spatial and temporal variations in the structure of the reef fish community.

diversidad, peces arrecifales, criptobentónico, biomasa, espacio-temporal biodiversity, reef fishes, cryptobenthic, biomass, spatial-temporal CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS PECES Y FAUNA SILVESTRE DINÁMICA DE LAS POBLACIONES DINÁMICA DE LAS POBLACIONES

Control de sistemas usando aprendizaje de máquina

Systems control using machine learning

Jesús Martín Miguel Martínez (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

El aprendizaje por refuerzo es un paradigma del aprendizaje de máquina con un amplio desarrollo y una creciente demanda en aplicaciones que involucran toma de decisiones y control. Es un paradigma que permite el diseño de controladores que no dependen directamente del modelo que describe la dinámica del sistema. Esto es importante ya que en aplicaciones reales es frecuente que no se disponga de dichos modelos de manera precisa. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo implementar un controlador óptimo en tiempo discreto libre de modelo. La metodología elegida se basa en algoritmos de aprendizaje por refuerzo, enfocados en sistemas con espacios de estado y acción continuos a través de modelos discretos. Se utiliza el concepto de función de valor (Q-función y función V ) y la ecuación de Bellman para resolver el problema del regulador cuadrático lineal para un sistema mecánico masa-resorte-amortiguador, en casos donde se tiene conocimiento parcial y desconocimiento total del modelo. Para ambos casos las funciones de valor son definidas explícitamente por la estructura de un aproximador paramétrico, donde el vector de pesos del aproximador es sintonizado a través de un proceso iterativo de estimación de parámetros. Cuando se tiene conocimiento parcial de la dinámica se usa el método de aprendizaje por diferencias temporales en un entrenamiento episódico, que utiliza el esquema de mínimos cuadrados con mínimos cuadrados recursivos en la sintonización del crítico y descenso del gradiente en la sintonización del actor, el mejor resultado para este esquema es usando el algoritmo de iteración de valor para la solución de la ecuación de Bellman, con un resultado significativo en términos de precisión en comparación a los valores óptimos (función DLQR). Cuando se tiene desconocimiento de la dinámica se usa el algoritmo Q-learning en entrenamiento continuo, con el esquema de mínimos cuadrados con mínimos cuadrados recursivos y el esquema de mínimos cuadrados con descenso del gradiente. Ambos esquemas usan el algoritmo de iteración de política para la solución de la ecuación de Bellman, y se obtienen resultados de aproximadamente 0.001 en la medición del error cuadrático medio. Se realiza una prueba de adaptabilidad considerando variaciones que puedan suceder en los parámetros de la planta, siendo el esquema de mínimos cuadrados con mínimos cuadrados recursivos el que tiene los mejores resultados, reduciendo significativamente ...

Reinforcement learning is a machine learning paradigm with extensive development and growing demand in decision-making and control applications. This technique allows the design of controllers that do not directly depend on the model describing the system dynamics. It is useful in real-world applications, where accurate models are often unavailable. The objective of this work is to implement a modelfree discrete-time optimal controller. Through discrete models, we implemented reinforcement learning algorithms focused on systems with continuous state and action spaces. The concepts of value-function, Q-function, V -function, and the Bellman equation are employed to solve the linear quadratic regulator problem for a mass-spring-damper system in a partially known and utterly unknown model. For both cases, the value functions are explicitly defined by a parametric approximator’s structure, where the weight vector is tuned through an iterative parameter estimation process. When partial knowledge of the dynamics is available, the temporal difference learning method is used under episodic training, utilizing the least squares with a recursive least squares scheme for tuning the critic and gradient descent for the actor´s tuning. The best result for this scheme is achieved using the value iteration algorithm for solving the Bellman equation, yielding significant improvements in approximating the optimal values (DLQR function). When the dynamics are entirely unknown, the Q-learning algorithm is employed in continuous training, employing the least squares with recursive least squares and the gradient descent schemes. Both schemes use the policy iteration algorithm to solve the Bellman equation, and the system’s response using the obtained values was compared to the one using the theoretical optimal values, yielding approximately zero mean squared error between them. An adaptability test is conducted considering variations that may occur in plant parameters, with the least squares with recursive least squares scheme yielding the best results, significantly reducing the number of iterations required for convergence to optimal values.

aprendizaje por refuerzo, control óptimo, control adaptativo, sistemas mecánicos, libre de modelo, dinámica totalmente desconocida, aproximación paramétrica, Q-learning, iteración de política reinforcement learning, optimal control, adaptive control, mechanical systems, modelfree, utterly unknown dynamics, parametric approximation, Q-learning, policy iteration INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE LOS ORDENADORES INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL

Spatial Effects of Urban Transport on Air Pollution in Metropolitan Municipalities of Mexico

GERZAIN AVILES POLANCO Marco Antonio Almendárez Hernández Luis Felipe Beltrán Morales Alfredo Ortega Rubio (2022, [Artículo])

"The objective of this work was to estimate the local effects and spatial spillover effects of the number of vehicles, use of urban public transport, and population density on nitrogen oxide emissions for 405 metropolitan municipalities in Mexico in 2016. To this end, a Spatial Durbin Model was estimated. We found positive direct effects of the number of vehicles and population density and negative direct effects of the use of urban public transport. The number of vehicles in circulation had negative spillover effects on the nitrogen oxide emissions of neighboring municipalities. These results indicate that the design of public policy programs aimed at reducing air pollution in Mexico should be based on coordination across metropolitan municipalities."

private car transportation, air pollution, nitrogen oxide emissions, spatial spillover effects, metropolitan municipalities CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO METEOROLOGÍA CONTAMINACIÓN ATMOSFÉRICA CONTAMINACIÓN ATMOSFÉRICA

Assessing the Response of Nematode Communities to Climate Change-Driven Warming: A Microcosm Experiment

RUTH GINGOLD WERMUTH (2013, [Artículo])

Biodiversity has diminished over the past decades with climate change being among the main responsible factors. One consequence of climate change is the increase in sea surface temperature, which, together with long exposure periods in intertidal areas, may exceed the tolerance level of benthic organisms. Benthic communities may suffer structural changes due to the loss of species or functional groups, putting ecological services at risk. In sandy beaches, free-living marine nematodes usually are the most abundant and diverse group of intertidal meiofauna, playing an important role in the benthic food web. While apparently many functionally similar nematode species co-exist temporally and spatially, experimental results on selected bacterivore species suggest no functional overlap, but rather an idiosyncratic contribution to ecosystem functioning. However, we hypothesize that functional redundancy is more likely to observe when taking into account the entire diversity of natural assemblages. We conducted a microcosm experiment with two natural communities to assess their stress response to elevated temperature. The two communities differed in diversity (high [HD] vs. low [LD]) and environmental origin (harsh vs. moderate conditions). We assessed their stress resistance to the experimental treatment in terms of species and diversity changes, and their function in terms of abundance, biomass, and trophic diversity. According to the Insurance Hypothesis, we hypothesized that the HD community would cope better with the stressful treatment due to species functional overlap, whereas the LD community functioning would benefit from species better adapted to harsh conditions. Our results indicate no evidence of functional redundancy in the studied nematofaunal communities. The species loss was more prominent and size specific in the HD; large predators and omnivores were lost, which may have important consequences for the benthic food web. Yet, we found evidence for alternative diversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, such as the Rivets and the Idiosyncrasy Model. © 2013 Gingold et al.

aquaculture, article, bacterivore, benthos, biodiversity, biomass, climate, community dynamics, controlled study, ecosystem, environmental temperature, microcosm, nematode, nonhuman, population abundance, species diversity, species richness, taxonomy CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Contrasting spatial patterns in active-fire and fire-suppressed mediterranean climate old-growth mixed conifer forests

Danny L. Fry  (2014, [Artículo])

In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference forest sites can help management efforts to restore forests conditions that may be more resilient to future changes in disturbance regimes and climate. In this study, we characterize tree spatial patterns using four-ha stem maps from four old-growth, Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer forests, two with active-fire regimes in northwestern Mexico and two that experienced fire exclusion in the southern Sierra Nevada. Most of the trees were in patches, averaging six to 11 trees per patch at 0.007 to 0.014 ha-1, and occupied 27-46% of the study areas. Average canopy gap sizes (0.04 ha) covering 11-20% of the area were not significantly different among sites. The putative main effects of fire exclusion were higher densities of single trees in smaller size classes, larger proportion of trees (≥56%) in large patches (≥10 trees), and decreases in spatial complexity. While a homogenization of forest structure has been a typical result from fire exclusion, some similarities in patch, single tree, and gap attributes were maintained at these sites. These within-stand descriptions provide spatially relevant benchmarks from which to manage for structural heterogeneity in frequent-fire forest types.

article, climate, controlled study, ecosystem fire history, forest structure, geographic distribution, geographic mapping, land use, mathematical computing, mathematical model, Mexico, spatial analysis, taiga, United States, comparative study, conife CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA