Supranumerary Barrels Develop in the Somatosensory Cortex of Mice, After the Implantation of the Vibrissal Follicle Parts Containing Large Numbers of Receptors

In the mouse whiskerpad there is a group of vibrissal follicles arranged in five rows, which are topologically represented in the contralateral somatosensory cortex by the barrelfield

Consumo de plantas pioneras por murciélagos frugívoros en una localidad de la orinoquía colombiana

English: Feeding behavior plays a major role as a resource partitioning strategy within assemblages of fruit bats. Although Colombia is one of the most diverse countries in terms of bat diversity, the influence of phenology of consumed resources on bat diets in local ensembles is still poorly known. In this study, we analyze trophic structure of a fruit bat assemblage in a locality of Colombian Orinoco, and we evaluate its relationship with fruiting patterns of four tree species (Cecropia peltata, C. sciadophylla, Ficus schultesii, and F. gomelleira) and two shrub species (Piper arboreum and P. obliquum), all of them representing focal dietary resources of Neotropical fruit bats. The analysis of 191 dietary records of 20 species shows that vertical stratification constitutes the main mechanism for resource partitioning among the studied bat ensemble. This mechanism is independent of the fructification patterns of the evaluated plants. Bats fed mainly on plants with continuous fructification patterns and spatially homogenous distributions. Therefore, categories based on the preference of plants with different fructification strategies do not explain the consumption patterns of the studied ensemble. Spanish: El comportamiento alimentario cumple un papel principal en la estrategia de partición de recursos dentro de los ensambles de murciélagos frugívoros. A pesar de que Colombia es uno de los países con mayor riqueza de este grupo de fauna, la influencia de la fenología de los recursos consumidos sobre las dietas de las especies en los ensambles locales aún está pobremente estudiada. En este trabajo analizamos la estructura trófica de un ensamble de murciélagos frugívoros en una localidad de la Orinoquía colombiana y evaluamos su relación con los patrones de fructificación de cuatro especies de árboles (Cecropia peltata, C. sciadophylla, Ficus schultesii y F. gomelleira) y dos especies de arbustos (Piper arboreum y P. obliquum), los cuales constituyen elementos dietarios focales en la dieta de murciélagos frugívoros neotropicales. El análisis de 191 registros dietarios de 20 especies muestra que la estratificación vertical constituye el principal mecanismo en la estrategia de partición de recursos del ensamble de murciélagos frugívoros estudiado. Este mecanismo es independiente de los patrones de fructificación de las plantas evaluadas. Los murciélagos centraron su dieta en plantas con patrones de fructificación continuos y distribuciones espacialmente homogéneas. Por lo tanto, el uso de categorías de forrajeo basadas en la preferencia de plantas con diferentes estrategias de fructificación no explica los patrones de consumo encontrados en el ensamble estudiado

Routh reduction and the class of magnetic Lagrangian systems

In this paper, some new aspects related to Routh reduction of Lagrangian systems with symmetry are discussed. The main result of this paper is the introduction of a new concept of transformation that is applicable to systems obtained after Routh reduction of Lagrangian systems with symmetry, so-called magnetic Lagrangian systems. We use these transformations in order to show that, under suitable conditions, the reduction with respect to a (full) semi-direct product group is equivalent to the reduction with respect to an Abelian normal subgroup. The results in this paper are closely related to the more general theory of Routh reduction by stages.Comment: 23 page

Probing the Structure of Halo Nuclei

Our understanding of halo nuclei has so far relied on high-energy scattering and reactions, but a number of uncertainties remain. I discuss in general terms the new range of observables which will be measured by experiments around the Coulomb barrier, and how some details of the reaction mechanisms still need to be clarified.Comment: Proceedings of FUSION97 conference (March 1997), South Durras, Australia. Submitted to J. Physics G: special issue `Heavy ion collisions at near barrier energies'. No figures; uses IOPConf.sty (included

Maximizing the Conditional Expected Reward for Reaching the Goal

The paper addresses the problem of computing maximal conditional expected accumulated rewards until reaching a target state (briefly called maximal conditional expectations) in finite-state Markov decision processes where the condition is given as a reachability constraint. Conditional expectations of this type can, e.g., stand for the maximal expected termination time of probabilistic programs with non-determinism, under the condition that the program eventually terminates, or for the worst-case expected penalty to be paid, assuming that at least three deadlines are missed. The main results of the paper are (i) a polynomial-time algorithm to check the finiteness of maximal conditional expectations, (ii) PSPACE-completeness for the threshold problem in acyclic Markov decision processes where the task is to check whether the maximal conditional expectation exceeds a given threshold, (iii) a pseudo-polynomial-time algorithm for the threshold problem in the general (cyclic) case, and (iv) an exponential-time algorithm for computing the maximal conditional expectation and an optimal scheduler.Comment: 103 pages, extended version with appendices of a paper accepted at TACAS 201

Anatomy of flower and fruit of Vassobia breviflora (Solanaceae) in the south of the southern Yungas (Argentina)

Solanaceae es una familia con aproximadamente 2400 especies de distribución cosmopolita. Vassobia breviflora es la única especie del género presente en Argentina. El objetivo de este trabajo fue revisar y caracterizar la anatomía de la flor y fruto de V. breviflora a partir de muestras recolectadas en poblaciones de las Yungas del noroeste argentino. Se aplicaron técnicas anatómicas convencionales. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de las estructuras de la flor, el fruto y la semilla no difirieron de lo previamente reportado respecto de la organización estructural descripta para otras especies de Solanaceae. No obstante, por primera vez, describimos el androceo, el fruto, la semilla, pedicelo floral y frutal, cinco tipos de tricomas y cinco tipos de estomas en el perianto. Encontramos diferencias en la forma del tejido de transmisión y del tipo de óvulo respecto de lo previamente descripto. Además, localizamos el parénquima y las células epidérmicas secretoras del nectario. En el contexto de la familia Solanaceae, discutimos la función y valor diagnóstico de las estructuras descriptas.Solanaceae is a family with nearly 2400 species of cosmopolitan distribution. Vassobia breviflora is the only species of the genus present in Argentina. The goal of this work was to review and characterize the anatomy of the flower and fruit of V. breviflora from samples collected in populations of Yungas in the argentine Northwest. Conventional anatomical techniques were applied. The results showed that most flower, fruit and seed structures did not differ from those previously reported regarding the structural organization described for other species of the Solanaceae family. However, for the first time, we described the androecium, fruit, seed, floral and fruit pedicels, five types of tricomes and five types of stomata in the perianth. We found some differences in the shape of the transmission tissue and in the type of ovule with respect to that previously reported. Also, we located the parenchyma and the epidermic secretory cells of the nectary. In the context of the family Solanaceae, we discussed the function and diagnostic value of the described structures.Fil: Bernacki, F. G.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Albornoz, P. L.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Valoy, M.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Ordano, Mariano Andrés. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Assessing Psychosocial Work Environments of Coaches in Spain and Their Relationships With Mental Health, Behavioral Stress Symptoms, and Burnout

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychosocial work environments (PWE) among a sample of coaches in comparison to the reference values of the Spanish general workforce, as well as to explore the relationship between PWE and mental health, behavioral stress symptoms, and burnout. A representative sample (n=1481) of Spanish coaches (18.1% women, Mage=32.98, SD=11.60) completed a battery of questionnaires. Results showed that, in comparison to the general workforce, coaches showed statistically significant differences in most of the PWE areas assessed. The emotional demands experienced by coaches are a risk for health, while trust regarding management and recognition are positive features in their PWE. Coaches’ emotional demands were associated with low mental health scores and higher levels of behavioral stress symptoms and burnout, whereas social community at work and role clarity were protective factors for health. Practical implications to provide more favorable work environments for coaches are discussed

On the realization of Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics

The aim of this paper is to give a simple, geometric proof of Wigner's theorem on the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics that clarifies its relation to projective geometry. Although several proofs exist already, it seems that the relevance of Wigner's theorem is not fully appreciated in general. It is Wigner's theorem which allows the use of linear realizations of symmetries and therefore guarantees that, in the end, quantum theory stays a linear theory. In the present paper, we take a strictly geometrical point of view in order to prove this theorem. It becomes apparent that Wigner's theorem is nothing else but a corollary of the fundamental theorem of projective geometry. In this sense, the proof presented here is simple, transparent and therefore accessible even to elementary treatments in quantum mechanics.Comment: 8 page

Modelo arquitectónico desde la vista de información para apoyar la interoperabilidad de herramientas software que soportan la mejora de procesos de software

(Eng) Diverse software tools that support the software process improvement (SPI) not interoperate between them, that is to say, the exchange of information between the different tools is deficient, making it difficult to sequence and automatic re-use of information of SPI initiatives. In this article we present an architectural model from the information view to support the interoperability of software tools that support the stages of diagnosing the process and formulating improvements. The model establishes architecture that describes the type of information that can be exchanged these tools, as well as the structure of the data, their possible values, its semantics, and the restrictions imposed on the use and interpretation of such information. The architectural model is composed of a set of schemas, raised in conceptual form, which can be used by organizations that wish to develop software tools to interoperate, which provide support in a comprehensive way to diagnosing the process and formulating improvements of the SPI cycle. These schemas were evaluated using the qualitative method Focus Group.(Spa) La gran mayoría de herramientas software que soportan la mejora de procesos de software (SPI) no interoperan entre ellas, es decir, el intercambio de información entre las diferentes herramientas es deficiente, lo que dificulta la secuencia y reutilización automática de la información de las iniciativas de SPI. En este artículo presentamos un modelo arquitectónico desde la vista de información para apoyar la interoperabilidad de las herramientas software que soportan las etapas de Diagnóstico de procesos y Formulación de mejoras. El modelo establece la arquitectura que describe el tipo de información que pueden intercambiar estas herramientas, así como la estructura de los datos, sus posibles valores, su semántica, y las restricciones impuestas sobre la utilización e interpretación de dicha información. El modelo arquitectónico está constituido por un conjunto de esquemas planteados de forma conceptual, el cual puede ser utilizado por organizaciones que deseen desarrollar herramientas software que interoperen entre sí, las cuales brinden soporte de manera integral al Diagnóstico y Formulación del ciclo de SPI. Estos esquemas fueron evaluados utilizando el método cualitativo Focus Group