An in situ shelly fauna from the lower Paleozoic Zapla diamictite of northwestern Argentina: implications for the age of glacial events across Gondwana

A shelly fauna from the upper part of the Zapla glacial diamictite includes thelingulate brachiopod Orbiculoidea radiata Troedsson, the rhynchonelliforms Dalmanella cf. testudinaria (Dalman) and Paromalomena sp., the bivalve Modiolopsis? sp., and the trilobite Dalmanitina subandina Monaldi and Boso. Both taphonomic and paleoecologic data indicate a lack of transport reflecting the original community. The assemblage is closely comparable to the widespread latest Ordovician Hirnantia-Dalmanitina fauna. The Hirnantian age of the Zapla diamictite is further corroborated by the record of the northern Gondwana chitinozoans Spinachitina cf. oulebsiri Paris and Desmochitina minor typicaEisenack. The graptolites and chitinozoans from the overlying Lipeón Formation indicate that the postglacial transgression took place in the earliest Llandovery (P. acuminatus Biozone). According to the tectonosedimentary evidence, the Early Silurian age of the Cancañiri and San Gabán diamictites of north-central Bolivia and south Peru based on their palynological record is more likely the age of posglacial gravity flows and not that of the glaciation. We support the hypothesis that the weakly lithified glacigenic deposits ofHirnantian age were reworked and redistributed by high-energy marine processes during the postglacial transgression and then transported to the adjacent deep-marine trough. Ironrich horizons have been recognized in many basins of southern South America reflecting eustatic and paleoclimatic fluctuations. Most of them formed during the early stages of the postglacial transgression at the Ordovician/Silurian transition and are associated with low sedimentation rates and condensed intervals. The mild maritime postglacial climate, the increasing atmospheric CO2, and possibly the presence of incipient vegetated areas led toextensive weathering of glacigenic sediments supplying iron into the marine system to form ferruginous deposits. The sea level fall related to the peak of glaciation is recorded by both paleovalley incision and a sharp subaerial to subglacial unconformity. The transgressive systems tract starts with fluvio-estuarine deposits within incised valleys followed by widespread deposition of subtidal to open marine organic-rich shales onlapping regionally the basement rocks. The recognition of key stratigraphic markers (e.g. sequence boundary, flooding surface, ferruginous beds), alongside reliable micro and macropaleontological evidence allow a more accurate correlation between the Central Andean Basin of Peru, Bolivia and NW Argentina, the W Puna region, the Paraguayan and Brazilian sectors of the Paraná Basin, the Precordillera Basin of W Argentina, and the Cape Basin of South Africa.Fil: Benedetto, Juan Luis Arnaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Halpern, Karen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: de la Puente, Graciela Susana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Geología y Petróleo; ArgentinaFil: Monaldi, Cesar Ruben. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; Argentin

Aplicación de un proceso de curtido de pieles bovinas sin cromo utilizando oxazolidina en combinación con Caelsalpinia spinosa (tara)

Publicación a texto completo no autorizada por el autorEstablece la relación de las propiedades físico mecánicas con el proceso de curtido de pieles bovinas sin cromo utilizando oxazolidina en combinación con Caelsalpinia spinosa (Tara), establecer la relación de las pruebas sensoriales con el proceso de curtido de pieles bovinas sin cromo y determinar el comportamiento funcional del cuero en la confección de portafolios que podrán ser eco etiquetados como productos libres de cromo. Para realizar la evaluación de una curtición con diferentes niveles de Caelsalpinia spinosa (12, 15 y 18%) en combinación con 5% de oxazolidina, destinados a la confección de marroquinería, se utilizaron 15 pieles vacunas distribuidas en 3 tratamientos, con 10 repeticiones cada uno. Los resultados para las pruebas físicas de los cueros de la tercera etapa de investigación fueron resistencia a la tracción los valores más altos se reportaron en el tratamiento T2 con respuestas de 2214,49 N/cm2, para el porcentaje de elongación los resultados más altos se reportaron en los cueros del tratamiento T1, con resultados de 94,38% y para la resistencia al desgarro los resultados más altos se reportaron en el tratamiento T2 (tara), con valores medios de 109,05 N. Con esto se concluyó que la curtición con oxazolidina, combinada con Caelsalpinia spinosa, permite obtener pieles curtidas excelentes propiedades físicas, sensoriales y una elevada estabilidad frente a los procesos de fabricación y el paso del tiempo, ya que consigue evitar la presencia especialmente de cromo III, tanto en los residuos líquidos como sólidos, para reducir considerablemente el impacto ambiental.Tesi

Mapping erosion risk at the basin scale in a Mediterranean environment with opencast coal mines to target restoration actions

34 páginas, 9 figurasRiver basin restoration and management is crucial for assuring the continued delivery of ecosystem services and for limiting potential hazards. Human activity, whether directly or indirectly, can induce erosion processes and drastically change the landscape and alter vital ecological functions. Mapping erosion risk before future restoration-management projects will help to reveal the priority areas and develop a hierarchy ordered according to need. For this purpose, we used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) erosion model. We also applied a novel technique called GPVI (Genetic Programming Vegetation Index) in the Martín River basin in NE Spain (2,112 km2), which has a large coalfield located in the southern part of the basin. Approximately two-thirds (69%) of the area of the Martín basin presents low and medium soil loss rates, and one-third (31%) of the area presents high (18%), very high (10%), and irreversible (3%) erosion rates. The southern part of the basin is the most degraded and is strongly influenced by the topography. This work allows us to locate areas prone to erosional degradation processes to help create a buffer around the river and locate “spots” in need of restoration. We also checked the error estimation of the methodology because our soil maps do not include rock and bare rock areas. The usefulness of applying RUSLE for predicting degraded areas and the consequent directing of soil conservation–restoration actions at the basin scale is demonstrated. We highly recommend a field survey of the selected areas to prove the goodness of the model estimations.This work is part of the research and assistance agreement between Endesa S.A. and CSICPyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC). Funding for this study was provided by Endesa S.A. A special acknowledge is given to Endesa Centro Minero Andorra (Teruel). Thanks are given to, J. M. Garcia Ruiz, S. Begueria, E. Nadal, E. Moran-Tejera, and J.J. Jimenez for reviewing and general advises during the development of this work, M. P. Errea, J. Zabalza, L. C. Alatorre for assistance with GIS analysis, M. Angulo for R factor map, M. Pazos with statistical analysis, and F. Reverberi for laboratory work. M. Trabucchi was in receipt of grant from JAE-CSIC (Ref. I3P-BPD-2006).Peer reviewe

Segregated distribution of Liriope tetraphylla, Aglaura hemistoma and Nausithoe punctata (cnidaria) in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

In order to study the segregated distribution of the three most abundant jellyfish species in the southern Gulf of Mexico, a total of 85 stations were sampled during an oceanographic cruise from 19 May to 18 June 2006. Trawling took place from surface to a maximum depth of 200 m, using a Bongo net with a 61 cm mouth diameter and 333 and 500 µm mesh sizes. Temperature and salinity were recorded. Samples were preserved in 4% formalin, neutralized with sodium borate, and changed to 70% ethylic alcohol after 24 hours for conservation. The jellyfish data were standardized to 100 m3 of filtered water. A total of 10,610 jellyfish were collected from the 333 µm mesh size net, of which eight species represented 88.49% of the total density: Aglaura hemistoma, Liriope tetraphylla, Nausithoe punctata, Clytia hemisphaerica, Persa incolorata, Obelia spp., Clytia folleata and Eutima gracilis. The former three species are the subject of this study. The results obtained indicate that the high density areas of these three species have a segregated distribution. Segregation values (White’s index) recorded between pairs of specie were very high: L. tetraphylla - A. hemistoma, 0.88; L. tetraphylla - N. punctata, 0.86 and A. hemistoma - N. punctata, 0.84. The spatial distribution of the high density areas of these species fits well with the three hydrodynamically different areas: A. hemistoma in Campeche Bank, L. tetraphylla on the Campeche and Tabasco shelves and N. punctata in Campeche Bay. This spatial distribution pattern corresponds to their main habitat and reproductive habits of the species, as well as the influence of the hydrodynamics that dominate each area.Fil: Flores Coto, Cesar. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Puente Tapia, Francisco Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Sanvicente Añorve, Laura. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Fernández Alamo, Mariana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

Estimación de erosión de suelos utilizando sensores remotos y programación genética

Los índices de vegetación (IVs) son ampliamente utilizados para extraer información de la vegetación a partir de imágenes satelitales. Los modelos de erosión, como la "Ecuación Universal Revisada de la Pérdida de Suelo" (RUSLE) usan IVs como insumo para estimar el factor de cobertura vegetal (C). El factor C es uno de los más importantes porque cuantifica la cobertura que actúa como capa protectora entre el suelo y los elementos atmosféricos. Sin embargo los IVs encontrados en el estado-delarte arrojan pobres resultados, ya que la mayoría de éstos están diseñados para detectar vegetación verde y no vegetación seca; la cual es también un importante factor que contribuye al desempeño del factor C. El propósito de esta investigación es desarrollar un método basado en programación genética para sintetizar IVs que estén mejor correlacionados con el factor C. Los resultados experimentales ilustran la eficiencia de este método y su efecto en el cálculo de erosión en una zona geográfica real. Los índices sintetizados obtienen una mejor aproximación al factor C obtenido en campo que cuando se utilizan los índices reportados en el estado-del-arte.Palabra(s) Clave(s): erosión por agua, índices de vegetación, programación genética, percepción remota, RUSLE

Determinación de un portafolio de títulos estadounidenses para un inversor peruano, basado en un modelo predictivo de indicadores económicos adelantados

El presente trabajo pretende abarcar dos temas claramente diferenciados. El primero de ellos es proyectar a través de un modelo predictivo las probabilidades de recesión que tendrá Estados Unidos y el PBI que tendrá hacia el tercer trimestre del presente año. Para desarrollar dicho modelo predictivo se han utilizado los Indicadores Económicos Adelantados Norteamericanos que son publicados en forma mensual por la institución del Conference Board

Remediación ambiental de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes mediante el uso de nanomateriales biofabricados para su adsorción: Revisión sistemática

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo general definir los aspectos más relevantes de la remediación ambiental de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes mediante el uso de nanomateriales biofabricados para su adsorción; Utilizando como metodología un tipo de investigación básica, el diseño narrativo agrega 26 artículos al estudio. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que los contaminantes más degradados fueron colorantes con un 58%, pesticidas con un 19%, contaminantes vegetales con un 15%, combustibles con un 4% y contaminantes farmacéuticos con un 1%. Porque la industria textil es una de las prácticas que mayor aprovechamiento hace del agua, contaminando así los cuerpos de agua. Las funciones de los nanomateriales biofabricados contra contaminantes orgánicos persistentes presentan función fotocatalítica; Esto se debe a que la fotocatálisis que utiliza fotocatalizadores como nanomateriales biofabricados se considera una técnica esperanzadora para biodegradar y controlar la contaminación de diversos recursos como el agua, el suelo y el aire. Finalment

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Perceived Quality of Palliative Care in Nursing Homes

The Nursing Homes End-of-life Programme (NUHELP) was developed in 2017 and is based on quality standards of palliative care, but it was not implemented due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: To describe perceptions among staff at nursing homes and primary health care (PHC) centres regarding the relevance, feasibility, and degree of achievement of quality standards for palliative care in nursing homes and to determine the differences in these perceptions before and after the pandemic. Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Professionals at eight nursing homes and related PHC centres who participated in NUHELP development assessed 42 palliative care standards at two time points (2018 and 2022). The Mann–Whitney U test was applied to analyse differences in the scores between these two times and between perceptions at nursing homes and at PHC centres. Results: The study population consisted of 58 professionals in 2018 and 50 in 2022. The standard regarding communication with persons affected by the death of a family member was considered less relevant (p = 0.05), and that concerning the culturally sensitive and dignified treatment of the body was less fully achieved (p = 0.03) in 2022 than in 2018. Social support (p = 0.04), sharing information among the care team (p = 0.04), patient participation (p = 0.04) and information about the treatment provided (p = 0.03) were all more poorly achieved in 2022 than in 2018. The perceptions of nursing home and PHC workers differed in several respects. Conclusions: Professional intercommunication and social support should be reinforced, and residents should be more actively involved in decision-making.Consejeria de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucia (Fundacion Publica Andaluza Progreso y Salud) AP-0105-201