Roaring high and low: composition and possible functions of the Iberian stag's vocal repertoire

We provide a detailed description of the rutting vocalisations of free-ranging male Iberian deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus, Hilzheimer 1909), a geographically isolated and morphologically differentiated subspecies of red deer Cervus elaphus. We combine spectrographic examinations, spectral analyses and automated classifications to identify different call types, and compare the composition of the vocal repertoire with that of other red deer subspecies. Iberian stags give bouts of roars (and more rarely, short series of barks) that are typically composed of two different types of calls. Long Common Roars are mostly given at the beginning or at the end of the bout, and are characterised by a high fundamental frequency (F0) resulting in poorly defined formant frequencies but a relatively high amplitude. In contrast, Short Common Roars are typically given in the middle or at the end of the bout, and are characterised by a lower F0 resulting in relatively well defined vocal tract resonances, but low amplitude. While we did not identify entirely Harsh Roars (as described in the Scottish red deer subspecies (Cervus elaphus scoticus), a small percentage of Long Common Roars contained segments of deterministic chaos. We suggest that the evolution of two clearly distinct types of Common Roars may reflect divergent selection pressures favouring either vocal efficiency in high pitched roars or the communication of body size in low-pitched, high spectral density roars highlighting vocal tract resonances. The clear divergence of the Iberian red deer vocal repertoire from those of other documented European red deer populations reinforces the status of this geographical variant as a distinct subspecies

Heterozygosity decrease in wild boar mating system. A case of outbreeding avoidance?

In sexually reproducing organisms, the specific combinations of parental alleles can have important consequences on offspring viability and fitness. Accordingly, genetic relationship between mates can be used as a criterion for mate choice. Here, we used microsatellite genetic markers to estimate the genetic relationship between mating pairs in the wild boar, Sus scrofa. Males, females and foetuses proceeding from Portugal, Spain and Hungary were genotyped using 14 microsatellite markers. The genetic relationship between mates was estimated using different measures of foetus heterozygosity. We found that the observed heterozygosity of foetuses was lower than that expected under random mating. This result occurred mainly when Sd2 (relatedness of parental genomes) was used as the heterozygosity measure. After simulations, we concluded that the observed low heterozygosity was possibly due to outbreeding avoidance. Outbreeding avoidance based on genetically different genomes might play an important role in species evolution and its genetic conservation

The Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) Instruments Aboard the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Spacecraft

This paper describes the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) instruments aboard the RBSP spacecraft from an instrumentation and engineering point of view. There are four magnetic spectrometers aboard each of the two spacecraft, one low-energy unit (20–240 keV), two medium-energy units (80–1200 keV), and a high-energy unit (800–4800 keV). The high unit also contains a proton telescope (55 keV–20 MeV). The magnetic spectrometers focus electrons within a selected energy pass band upon a focal plane of several silicon detectors where pulse-height analysis is used to determine if the energy of the incident electron is appropriate for the electron momentum selected by the magnet. Thus each event is a two-parameter analysis, an approach leading to a greatly reduced background. The physics of these instruments are described in detail followed by the engineering implementation. The data outputs are described, and examples of the calibration results and early flight data presented

Fixation of a double-coated titanium-hydroxyapatite focal knee resurfacing implant A 12-month study in sheep

SummaryObjectiveFocal cartilage lesions according to International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade 3–4 in the medial femoral condyle may progress to osteoarthritis. When treating such focal lesions with metallic implants a sound fixation to the underlying bone is mandatory. We developed a monobloc unipolar cobalt-chrome (Co-Cr) implant with a double coating; first a layer of commercially pure titanium (c.p.Ti) on top of which a layer of hydroxyapatite (HA) was applied. We hypothesised that such a double coating would provide long-lasting and adequate osseointegration.Design (materials and methods)Unilateral medial femoral condyles of 10 sheep were operated. The implants were inserted in the weight-bearing surface and immediate weight-bearing was allowed. Euthanasia was performed at 6 (three animals) or 12 months (six animals). Osseointegration was analysed with micro-computer tomography (CT), light microscopy and histomorphometric analyses using backscatter scanning electron microscopy (B-SEM) technique.ResultsAt 6 months one specimen out of three showed small osteolytic areas at the hat and at 12 months two specimens out of six showed small osteolytic areas at the hat, no osteolytical areas were seen around the peg at any time point. At both time points, a high total bone-to-implant contact was measured with a mean (95% confidence interval – CI) of 90.6 (79–102) at 6 months and 92.3 (89–95) at 12 months, respectively.ConclusionsA double coating (Ti + HA) of a focal knee resurfacing Co-Cr implant was presented in a sheep animal model. A firm and consistent bond to bone under weight-bearing conditions was shown up to 1 year

Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

TRIO: Turbulent Response in Oxygen

This project was designed to build on the results from the successful launch of the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) mother-daughter (instrumented and chemical-release) payload (21.126) that was launched in October 2000 from the White Sands Missile Range. The overall science objective was to investigate the evolution of the atmospheric response. at altitudes between 80 and 120 km, to the presence of unstable regions with vertical scales of the order of 1 to 10 km. TRIO was designed to use Na lidar measurements from the MAUUMALT observation on MAUI with a launch of a payload from Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), located on Kauai. During this project, Aerospace participated in a Mission Initiation Conference. put together a science requirements document. performed a site visit to PMRF. prepared a CDR document. and developed a production and calibration procedure for one of the payload instruments. the 3-channel photometer. Unfortunately. NASA decided to terminate the program because of unforeseen (by NASA) range costs. This CDR document represents our view of this project at termination and provides a roadmap to perform this experiment should it be proposed again

Conferencia: Escolarización, identidad y formación docente

Quiero proponerles hoy retomar algunos rasgos que conocemos y vincularlos con otros nuevos, para pensar cuáles fueron los modos en que históricamente se fueron configurando las identidades docentes; luego paso más adelante, quisiera discutir con ustedes cómo esas identidades clásicas de la docencia argentina se ponen hoy en tensión y se enfrentan con nuevos dilemas.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Grassroots Agency: Participation and Conflict in Buenos Aires Shantytowns seen through the Pilot Plan for Villa 7 (1971–1975)

open access articleIn 1971, after more than a decade of national and municipal policies aimed at the top-down removal of shantytowns, the Buenos Aires City Council approved the Plan Piloto para la Relocalización de Villa 7 (Pilot Plan for the Relocation of Shantytown 7; 1971–1975, referred to as the Pilot Plan hereinafter). This particular plan, which resulted in the construction of the housing complex, Barrio Justo Suárez, endures in the collective memory of Argentines as a landmark project regarding grassroots participation in state housing initiatives addressed at shantytowns. Emerging from a context of a housing shortage for the growing urban poor and intense popular mobilizations during the transition to democracy, the authors of the Pilot Plan sought to empower shantytown residents in novel ways by: 1) maintaining the shantytown’s location as opposed to eradication schemes that relocated the residents elsewhere, 2) formally employing some of the residents for the stage of construction, as opposed to “self-help” housing projects in which the residents contributed with unpaid labor, and 3) including them in the urban and architectural design of the of the new housing. This paper will examine the context in which the Pilot Plan was conceived of as a way of re-assessing the roles of the state, the user, and housing-related professionals, often seen as antagonistic. The paper argues that residents’ fair participation and state intervention in housing schemes are not necessarily incompatible, and can function in specific social and political contexts through multiactor proposals backed by a political will that prioritizes grassroots agency