Environmental information system : II. soils of Mendoza river in digital format

EI Sistema de Información Ambiental (SIA), desarrollado por el Ministerio de Ambiente y Obras Publicas (Mendoza, Argentina) esta operando en los municipios de la provincia. En la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (UNCuyo), por convenio con dicho ministerio, se instaló una estación paralela del sistema con el objeto de disponer de un centro especializado para el manejo -mediante SIG- de la información agropecuaria, en conexión, complementación y apoyo con otros centros locales. Dentro de este marco, se incorporó al SIA un estudio completo sobre los suelos del área de influencia del río Mendoza. Y se rescató valiosa información sobre texturas y salinidad de cada punto de muestreo, desaprovechada en la versión original. Partiendo de 18 hojas catastrales en escala 1:25.000 se generaron en formato Arclnfo las siguientes coberturas: RMZCLSUE (río Mendoza clases de suelos), subdividido en 220 polígonos. La base de datos suministra información sobre perímetro, superficie, numero de identificación y clase de tud para riego del suelo en cada polígono, según normas del US Bureau of Reclamation. RMZPMSUE (río Mendoza puntos de data base muestreo de suelos), conteniendo 2.475 puntos. Para cada uno de ellos, la base de datos suministra información sobre: numero de identificación y textura y salinidad para dos profundidades de suelo (0 a 25 y 50 a 80 cm).An Environmental Information System (EIS) was developed in the Ministerio de Ambiente y Obras Publicas (Department of Environment and Public Works) of Mendoza, Argentina. It has valuable lot of information and it is being used by the most of the municipalities. A parallel EIS working station was installed in the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo) in order to develop a GIS specialized agricultural information center. Within this reference frame it was incorporated at the EIS, the most complete study of the Mendoza river soils. At the same time it was saved valuable information about soils texture and salinity. Starting from 18 cartographic sheets, scale 1:25000, it was generate in Arclnfo format the following coverages: RMZCLSUE (Mendoza river Soil Classes), subdivided in 220 polygons. The data base supply information about: perimeter, area in m2, user id and class of aptitude for irrigation soil in each polygon according, the US Bureau of Reclamation rules. RMZPMSUE (Mendoza river soil sample points), it hold 2.475 points. The supply information for each point about: user_id, texture and salinity for two levels (0 to 25 and 50 to 80 cm).Fil: Cappe, Osvaldo Emilio. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícol

Favoriser l'émergence de communautés de pratique pour le partage de connaissances : retour d'expérience à partir du cas e2v Grenoble.

L'objectif de la recherche exposée dans ce chapitre est de proposer des repères pour faciliter l'émergence de communautés de pratique dans une organisation, afin de faciliter le partage de connaissances issues de la pratique. Ces repères sont basés sur une recherche-action conduite au sein de l'entreprise de micro-électronique e2v Grenoble. Dans le cadre d'un projet de management des connaissances, la recherche a consisté à développer une méthode et à accompagner l'émergence de deux communautés : les chefs de projet et les experts scientifiques.Communautés de pratique, gestion de projet, management des connaissances

The Thalamocortical Projection Systems in Primate: An Anatomical Support for Multisensory and Sensorimotor Interplay

Multisensory and sensorimotor integrations are usually considered to occur in superior colliculus and cerebral cortex, but few studies proposed the thalamus as being involved in these integrative processes. We investigated whether the organization of the thalamocortical (TC) systems for different modalities partly overlap, representing an anatomical support for multisensory and sensorimotor interplay in thalamus. In 2 macaque monkeys, 6 neuroanatomical tracers were injected in the rostral and caudal auditory cortex, posterior parietal cortex (PE/PEa in area 5), and dorsal and ventral premotor cortical areas (PMd, PMv), demonstrating the existence of overlapping territories of thalamic projections to areas of different modalities (sensory and motor). TC projections, distinct from the ones arising from specific unimodal sensory nuclei, were observed from motor thalamus to PE/PEa or auditory cortex and from sensory thalamus to PMd/PMv. The central lateral nucleus and the mediodorsal nucleus project to all injected areas, but the most significant overlap across modalities was found in the medial pulvinar nucleus. The present results demonstrate the presence of thalamic territories integrating different sensory modalities with motor attributes. Based on the divergent/convergent pattern of TC and corticothalamic projections, 4 distinct mechanisms of multisensory and sensorimotor interplay are propose

The efficacy of single-trial multisensory memories.

This review article summarizes evidence that multisensory experiences at one point in time have long-lasting effects on subsequent unisensory visual and auditory object recognition. The efficacy of single-trial exposure to task-irrelevant multisensory events is its ability to modulate memory performance and brain activity to unisensory components of these events presented later in time. Object recognition (either visual or auditory) is enhanced if the initial multisensory experience had been semantically congruent and can be impaired if this multisensory pairing was either semantically incongruent or entailed meaningless information in the task-irrelevant modality, when compared to objects encountered exclusively in a unisensory context. Processes active during encoding cannot straightforwardly explain these effects; performance on all initial presentations was indistinguishable despite leading to opposing effects with stimulus repetitions. Brain responses to unisensory stimulus repetitions differ during early processing stages (-100 ms post-stimulus onset) according to whether or not they had been initially paired in a multisensory context. Plus, the network exhibiting differential responses varies according to whether or not memory performance is enhanced or impaired. The collective findings we review indicate that multisensory associations formed via single-trial learning exert influences on later unisensory processing to promote distinct object representations that manifest as differentiable brain networks whose activity is correlated with memory performance. These influences occur incidentally, despite many intervening stimuli, and are distinguishable from the encoding/learning processes during the formation of the multisensory associations. The consequences of multisensory interactions that persist over time to impact memory retrieval and object discrimination

Novel reporter for faithful monitoring of ERK2 dynamics in living cells and model organisms

Uncoupling of ERK1/2 phosphorylation from subcellular localization is essential towards the understanding of molecular mechanisms that control ERK1/2-mediated cell-fate decision. ERK1/2 non-catalytic functions and discoveries of new specific anchors responsible of the subcellular compartmentalization of ERK1/2 signaling pathway have been proposed as regulation mechanisms for which dynamic monitoring of ERK1/2 localization is necessary. However, studying the spatiotemporal features of ERK2, for instance, in different cellular processes in living cells and tissues requires a tool that can faithfully report on its subcellular distribution. We developed a novel molecular tool, ERK2-LOC, based on the T2A-mediated coexpression of strictly equimolar levels of eGFP-ERK2 and MEK1, to faithfully visualize ERK2 localization patterns. MEK1 and eGFP-ERK2 were expressed reliably and functionally both in vitro and in single living cells. We then assessed the subcellular distribution and mobility of ERK2-LOC using fluorescence microscopy in non-stimulated conditions and after activation/inhibition of the MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Finally, we used our coexpression system in Xenopus laevis embryos during the early stages of development. This is the first report on MEK1/ERK2 T2A-mediated coexpression in living embryos, and we show that there is a strong correlation between the spatiotemporal subcellular distribution of ERK2-LOC and the phosphorylation patterns of ERK1/2. Our approach can be used to study the spatiotemporal localization of ERK2 and its dynamics in a variety of processes in living cells and embryonic tissues

The duration of a co-occurring sound modulates visual detection performance in humans.

The duration of sounds can affect the perceived duration of co-occurring visual stimuli. However, it is unclear whether this is limited to amodal processes of duration perception or affects other non-temporal qualities of visual perception

The visual resourses in the territorial arrangement : I- Potrerillos (Mendoza, Argentina)

Se presenta la primera etapa del relevamiento de los recursos paisajísticos de la provincia de Mendoza, con el ajuste metodológico efectuado mediante una prueba piloto desarrollada sobre la Ruta Nac. N° 7, desde el Acceso sur en Luján de Cuyo (límite este) hasta Potrerillos inclusive (límite oeste). Los límites norte y sur están abarcados por el horizonte observable desde la ruta que atraviesa el área en sentido este-oeste. Se seleccionaron los puntos representativos mediante dos tipos de muestreo: sistemático y discrecional. En base a la catalogación de los recursos visuales se diseña una zonificación referencial general con miras al ordenamiento territorial y uso del suelo en distintas actividades de desarrollo futuro: turístico, reservas, residencial, agrícola, industrial. Se valora la calidad estética del paisaje aplicando, además, índices valorativos de la vulnerabilidad de los espacios a las actividades humanas (Índice de Naturalidad e Índice de Fragilidad), para obtener valores de la Calidad Visual Vulnerable del paisaje. Estos valores se grafican en planos que representan las distintas calidades alcanzadas y se complementa con una descripción de los puntos analizados, recomendaciones para el mejoramiento paisajístico a través de introducción o conducción de vegetación y fotografías documentales de las vistas analizadas.This paper presents the first stage of the inventory of visual or landscape resources of the province of Mendoza. The metodological adjustment was done in an area of the high basin of Mendoza river, along the route n° 7, from the South Access in Luján of Cuyo, to Potrerillos, as limits east and west. The observable horizons from the route crossing the area in east-west direction, are the nort and south limits. Representative points were chosen across these limits by means of sistematic and discretional sampling. By the cataloguing of the visual resources, a general reference zonification is designed for territorial arrangement and use of land in future development and activities such as touristic, reserves, residencial, agricultural, industrial. The landscape aesthetic quality is evaluated, applying in addition, vulnerability valoration indexes of the spaces to the human activities (Naturalness index and Fragility index) to achieve Landscape Vulnerable Visual Quality values. These values are plotted in charts that represents the different achieved qualities and are complemented with a description of analized points, recomendations for the lanscape improvements through vegetable introduction and management, and documental pictures of analized views.Fil: Codina, Ramón A.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Producción AgropecuariaFil: Manzano, Enrique R.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Producción AgropecuariaFil: Day, Mario.Fil: Passera, Carlos B.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ciencias BiológicasFil: Fioretti, Sonia B.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Producción AgropecuariaFil: Carrieri, Sergio A.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Producción AgropecuariaFil: Cappe, Osvaldo Emilio. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícol

Des animaux à l'épreuve de l'ethnographie : rencontre avec des loups et des chiens singuliers en pays gwich'in (Old Crow, Yukon)

A Old Crow, petite communauté de Vuntut Gwich’in située aux confins du Yukon, s’étend un vaste territoire à la population multiple et variée. Parmi eux se trouve un impitoyable stratège : le loup. Il est aussi difficile de suivre ses traces que celles qu’il laisse chez les humains qui le côtoient. Le loup se révèle alors de multiples manières, à condition que le chercheur s’éloigne de ses idées préconçues et qu’il adopte une certaine flexibilité. Flexibilité d’autant plus nécessaire que le principal intéressé, ici les loups, ne se montre pas. Nous nous retrouvons alors non seulement à faire l’ethnographie d’individus à l’altérité radicale, mais invisible qui plus est. En face, se trouve pourtant un autre, à l’altérité insoupçonnée : le chien. Réputé comme étant le fidèle ami de l’homme depuis des siècles, ce sont pourtant des chiens bien différents qui errent dans les allées d’Old Crow. Indépendants et opportunistes, ces chiens n’ont pas grandchose à voir avec ces animaux de compagnies qui occupent les foyers à travers l’Occident. Des chiens autrement chiens. Des loups autrement loups. Un terrain à la croisée des chemins, de l’humain à l’animal, du tangible à l’intangible. Ces animaux n’usent pas de mots, et pourtant cette expérience ethnographique nous plonge dans un univers sensible, riche de sens et d’informations, nous invitant ainsi à reconsidérer la place de ces animaux dans nos ethnographies

Reconstruction-based speech enhancement from robust acoustic features

This paper proposes a method of speech enhancement where a clean speech signal is reconstructed from a sinusoidal model of speech production and a set of acoustic speech features. The acoustic features are estimated from noisy speech and comprise, for each frame, a voicing classification (voiced, unvoiced or non-speech), fundamental frequency (for voiced frames) and spectral envelope. Rather than using different algorithms to estimate each parameter, a single statistical model is developed. This comprises a set of acoustic models and has similarity to the acoustic modelling used in speech recognition. This allows noise and speaker adaptation to be applied to acoustic feature estimation to improve robustness. Objective and subjective tests compare reconstruction-based enhancement with other methods of enhancement and show the proposed method to be highly effective at removing noise