Draft Genome Sequences of Type Strain Sediminibacterium salmoneum NJ-44T and Sediminibacterium sp. C3, a Novel Strain Isolated from Activated Sludge

The genus Sediminibacterium comprises species present in diverse natural and engineered environments. Here, we report for the first time the genome sequences of the type strain Sediminibacterium salmoneum NJ-44T (NBRC 103935) and the strain Sedi- minibacterium sp. strain C3 (BNM541), isolated from activated sludge, a valuable model for the study of substrate-dependent autoaggregation.Fil: Ayarza, Joaquín M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Figuerola, Eva Lucia Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Erijman, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; Argentin

Finite-difference approximation of wave equation: a study case of the SIMA velocity model

Synthetic seismograms enable to model the theoretical seismic response of the Earth interior due to different structural features and changes in the physical properties of crust and mantle. This approximation provides a best understanding of the real seismic data recorded in field experiments. In this paper, we are showing the development and application of a new scheme based on a multi-order explicit finite-difference algorithm for acoustic waves in a 2D heterogeneous media. The results of the modeling are compared with the seismic data acquired within the SIMA project providing new insight about the internal structure of the subsurface allowing improving the velocity model obtained in previous works.Peer Reviewe

Evaluation of the Atlas of Honduras (Atlas Mitch)

In October 1998, the Seeds of Hope project contributed to the production of 2,000 copies of the “Mitch Atlas”, containing fundamental maps on population, land use, roads, rivers, topography, and soils. The Atlas was freely distributed to institutions for post-Hurricane Mitch emergency response and reconstruction. Two years later, the Seeds of Hope project conducted an impact assessment of the Atlas in order to gauge the role of geographic information on decision-making. The results of this impact assessment are presented in this report. The methods used to assess the impact of the Atlas combined case study analysis and descriptive statistics. We interviewed 20 Atlas users and received 43 completed questionnaires. Based on user responses, the Atlas of Honduras made a significant contribution to disaster response, agricultural development, and natural resource management in Honduras. Overall, 97.7% of the respondents said they thought the Atlas was a useful tool, and 84.8% thought the Atlas was the best compilation of geographic information available in Honduras. Seventy four percent of the respondents found the Atlas easy to use, and 90.5% used the Atlas interface itself, rather than copying the data to be used with their own GIS software. This indicates that the interface itself was well designed. The Atlas was used for a range of applications, from basic mapping to more strategic planning, predominantly within the agricultural and natural resources management sectors. Nearly all those who participated in this evaluation indicated that the Atlas improved the quality and efficiency of decision-making. However, a number of Atlas users mentioned that the Atlas was one of a range of tools and information sources, so they were reluctant to assert that the Atlas had a direct impact on their decision-making. The Atlas was instrumental in raising awareness of the value of geographic information and need to share information. With the Atlas now 2 years old, 100% of the users sampled expressed an interest in having an updated version produced, and 92.7% said they would be willing to contribute to it. 88.1% of the sampled users said they expect to use geographic information frequently in the next five years, indicating that geographic information will have a prominent role in the future

Lithospheric image of the Central Iberian Zone(Iberian Massif) using global-phase seismic interferometry

This paper presents the lithospheric structure of Central Iberia on the basis of seismic interferometry of teleseismic dat

FROM THE ATLAS TO THE RIF A CRUSTAL SEISMIC IMAGE ACROSS MOROCCO

The velocity structure of the crust and the geometry of the Moho across Morocco has been the main target of two recently acquired wide-angle seismic reflection transects. One is the SIMA experiment which provided seismic constraints beneath the Atlas Mountains and the second has been the RIFSEIS experiment which sampled the RIF orogen. Jointly these controlled source wide-angle seismic reflection data results in an almost 700 km, seismic profile going from the the Sahara craton across the High and Middle Atlas and Rif Mountain till the Gibraltar-Arc (Alboran). Current work on the interpretation of the seismic data-set is based on forward modeling, ray-tracing, as well as low fold wide-angle stacking. The data has resulted in a detailed crustal structure and velocity model for the Atlas Mountains and a 700 km transect revealing the irregular topography of the Moho beneath these two mountain orogens. Results indicate that the High Atlas features a moderate crustal thickness and that shortening is resolved at depth through a crustal root where the Saharan crust under-thrusts below the Moroccan crust, defining a lower crust imbrication which locally places the Moho boundary at, approximately, 40 km depth. The P-wave velocity model is characterized, in averaged, by relatively low velocities. These low deep crustal velocities together with other geophysical observables such as: conductivity estimates derived from Mt measurements; moderate Bouguer gravity anomaly; surface exposures of recent alkaline volcanics; lead the interpretation to propose that partial melts are currently emplaced in the deep crustal levels and in the upper mantle. The Moho discontinuity defines a crust which is in average relatively thin beneath the Atlas which is almost a 4000 m high orogenic belt. The resulting model supports existence of mantle upwelling as a possible mechanism that contributes, significantly, to maintain the High Atlas topographyPeer Reviewe

Retos de la ganadería para reducir la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero y adaptarse a los impactos de corto y largo plazo del cambio climático

El presente artículo tiene como objetivos describir las causas y las consecuencias del cambio climático a nivel global y en el contexto del país y presentar de forma resumida el resultado de la actividad pecuaria en la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero. La última sección del artículo está dedicada a proponer y discutir algunas estrategias de investigación para reducir la emisión de estos gases en los diferentes sistemas de producción pecuaria y mejorar su capacidad de adaptación a eventos extremos como exceso de lluvias, sequía, heladas e incidencia de plagas y enfermedades

Seismic structure and composition of the southern central Iberian crust: The ALCUDIA wide angle seismic reflection transect

The authors thank the Associated Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their thoroughly valuable suggestions and comments that improved the manuscript. Seismic data were collected in 2012 with funding provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants: CGL2004-04623/BTE, CGL2007-63101/BTE, CGL2011-24101, CSD2006-00041). Instrumentation was provided by the IRIS-PASSCAL instrument center, Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The seismic data, including experiment geometry are stored in the IRIS-PASSCAL facilities and can be accessed through the IRIS-PASSCAL data management center. I.P. is funded by the Spanish Government and the Universidad de Salamanca with a Beatriz Galindo grant (BEGAL 18/00090). S.A. Ehsan is funded by the European Commission grant Marie Curie Actions (264517-TOPOMOD-FP7-PEOPLE-2010-ITN). We thank Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana for providing the logistic help and an academic crew for data acquisition. GMT was used to prepare some of the figures shown in the paper.The nature of the crust beneath central Iberia was estimated by a wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction transect, ALCUDIA-WA, which sampled the southern half of the Variscan Central Iberian Zone, covered in the north by the Cenozoic Tajo Basin. The shot gathers recorded by vertical component sensors revealed well defined P- and S-wave phases. These arrivals were modeled by an iterative forward approach providing 2D crustal models showing variations in the velocity distribution with upper crustal P- and S-wave velocities increasing northwards. The lower crust P-wave velocities are homogeneous along the profile while the S-wave velocities slightly increase northwards. The Moho is placed at 32 km depth in the southern edge of the profile, deepening northward down to 35 km beneath the Tajo Basin. The Poisson's ratio, calculated from P- and S-wave velocities, varies along the profile at upper crustal depths. The highest values are located below the Mora and Pedroches batholiths. These resulting physical properties can serve to constrain the crustal composition by comparing them with laboratory measurements on rock samples. Our results suggest that the upper crust in the southern and central segments of the ALCUDIA profile is made up of low-grade metasedimentary rocks, while the northern segment is dominated by igneous rocks, in agreement with the surface geology. Separated by a sharp boundary located between 12 km (south) and 18 km (north) depth, the lower crust is more homogeneous and shows low Poisson’ ratios compatible with a rather felsic composition. However, outstanding lamination described in coincident vertical incidence data indicates some degree of intercalation with mafic components.Spanish Government CGL2004-04623/BTE CGL2007-63101/BTE CGL2011-24101 CSD2006-00041Spanish GovernmentEuropean Commission BEGAL 18/00090Universidad de Salamanca BEGAL 18/00090European Commission grant Marie Curie Actions 264517-TOPOMOD-FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IT

Impact of the recent advances in the analysis of microbial communities on the control of the wastewater treatment process

Una de las funciones principales de la biotecnología ambiental es ocuparse del estudio de comunidades microbianas que proveen servicios esenciales para la sociedad. Más allá de las similitudes que presenta con la microbiología industrial y la agrícola, la biotecnología ambiental presenta peculiaridades, tales como los objetivos de proceso, las características de la biomasa y el tipo y modo de alimentación (sustratos), que la distinguen claramente de las otras disciplinas relacionadas. En este artículo se reseñan recientes avances en la ecología microbiana, la ecofisiología, la genómica y la ingeniería de procesos, para ilustrar cómo la integración de los nuevos conocimientos permite superar las limitaciones del análisis microbiológico clásico para entender, predecir y optimizar el funcionamiento de los procesos de tratamiento de efluentes.One of the main functions of environmental biotechnology is to address the study of microbial communities that provide essential services to society. Beyond the similarities with industrial and agricultural microbiology, the unique features exhibited by environmental biotechnology, such as process objectives, biomass characteristics and type and mode of feeding (substrates), allow a clear distinction from the other related disciplines. Recent advances in microbial ecology, ecophysiology, genomics and process engineering are herein reviewed to illustrate how the integration of the new knowledge can help overcome the shortcomings of classic microbiological analyses to understand, predict and optimize the performance of wastewater treatment.Fil: Erijman, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Figuerola, Eva Lucia Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero, Leandro Demián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Ayarza, Joaquín M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentin