A new Viola (Violaceae) from the Argentinian Andes

Viola beati, a hitherto unknown species of V. sect. Andinium (Violaceae) is described and illustrated. It is an inconspicuous, diminutive, perennial forb currently known from only one locality in NW Argentina. We draw attention to its morphology, ecology, rarity and endemism. The differences between V. beati and its apparently only close relative, V. singularis J. M. Watson & A. R. Flores, are defined

Evaluación de la calidad biológica del suelo en un Sistema Agroforestal de especies maderables nativas (Pilón y Almendro) con Heliconias y un Bosque Secundario, en la zona de Limón. Costa Rica

Debido a que poco se conoce sobre la calidad biológica del suelo en los sistemas agroforestales de especies maderables nativas y flores tropicales como las heliconias, se consideró importante realizar el presente estudio, con el objetivo de evaluar la calidad biológica del suelo en un sistema agroforestal (SAF) con heliconias y compararlo con un bosque secundario (BS), con el fin de determinar el efecto del sistema agroforestal en el suelo. Este fue efectuado en la Finca Capinal S.A, ubicada en Guácimo de Limón, Costa Rica; donde se realizó un muestreo sistemático al azar, en ambos sitios (1.5 ha cada uno), de las propiedades químicas (micro y macro nutrientes y materia orgánica), físicas (textura, densidad aparente y porcentaje de porosidad), biológicas (biomasa y número de lombrices) y bioquímicas (biomasa microbiana) del suelo. Para el análisis de los datos se realizó un Análisis de Comparación Estadística de Muestras Múltiples y ANOVA, mediante la utilización del programa StatGraphics. La cantidad de MO encontrada en los suelos de la Finca Capinal (6,43% para el BS y 5,76% SAF), se encuentra dentro del rango normal para suelos Inceptisoles de la zona (5,0-7,4%), con niveles más altos en el BS. Con respecto a la densidad de lombrices, no se presentaron diferencias significativas; sin embargo, el BS reflejo una mayor población (28,9% más), lo que tiene relación con un mayor cantidad de MO. La actividad microbiana fue mayor en el BS (5,18 % superior al SAF) y mantiene una correlación positiva con el contenido de MO y la densidad de lombrices. Considerando lo anterior y la falta de significancia estadística entre sistemas (BS y SAF), se concluye que ambos sitios presentan calidades biológicas del suelo similares

Estado del Arte en Cambio Climático, Agricultura y Seguridad Alimentaria en Costa Rica

El cambio climático ha provocado numerosos efectos en el medio rural de Costa Rica; es por esto que el Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería de Costa Rica (MAG) en colaboración con el Programa de Investigación de CGIAR en Cambio Climático, Agricultura y Seguridad Alimentaria (CCAFS) en América Latina y con apoyo del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (CAC) presentan el “Estado del Arte en Cambio Climático, Agricultura y Seguridad Alimentaria en Costa Rica”, que incluye el marco gubernamental y actores involucrados en torno a esta temática. El documento evidencia, los múltiples esfuerzos que en acciones de mitigación frente al calentamiento global viene realizando Costa Rica, convirtiéndolo en país líder en la región de América Central. Buena parte de los avances han sido obtenidos en el sector agropecuario

Mineral content and volatile profiling of Prunus avium L. (sweet cherry) y-Products from Fundão Region (Portugal)

Large amounts of Prunus avium L. by-products result from sweet cherry production and processing. This work aimed to evaluate the mineral content and volatile profiling of the cherry stems, leaves, and flowers of the Saco cultivar collected from the Fundão region (Portugal). A total of 18 min erals were determined by ICP-MS, namely 8 essential and 10 non-essential elements. Phosphorus (P) was the most abundant mineral, while lithium (Li) was detected in trace amounts. Three different preparations were used in this work to determine volatiles: hydroethanolic extracts, crude extracts, and aqueous infusions. A total of 117 volatile compounds were identified using HS-SPME/GC MS, distributed among different chemical classes: 31 aldehydes, 14 alcohols, 16 ketones, 30 esters, 4 acids, 4 monoterpenes, 3 norisoprenoids, 4 hydrocarbons, 7 heterocyclics, 1 lactone, 1 phenol, and 2 phenylpropenes. Benzaldehyde, 4-methyl-benzaldehyde, hexanal, lilac aldehyde, and 6-methyl 5-hepten-2-one were the major volatile compounds. Differences in the types of volatiles and their respective amounts in the different extracts were found. This is the first study that describes the mineral and volatile composition of Portuguese sweet cherry by-products, demonstrating that they could have great potential as nutraceutical ingredients and natural flavoring agents to be used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Desarrollo de un programa de mentorías de matemáticas para los alumnos de grado de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales

Programa de mentorías por parte de alumnos de cursos superiores a alumnos de primer curso del Grado en Economía en asignaturas de matemáticas que les permita mejorar su motivación y los resultados logrados

High-resolution seasonal and decadal inventory of anthropogenic gas-phase and particle emissions for Argentina

This work presents the integration of a gas-phase and particulate atmospheric emission inventory (AEI) for Argentina in high spatial resolution (0.025×0.025; approx. 2.5km×2.5 km) considering monthly variability from 1995 to 2020. The new inventory, called GEAA-AEIv3.0M, includes the following activities: Energy production, fugitive emissions from oil and gas production, industrial fuel consumption and production, transport (road, maritime, and air), agriculture, livestock production, manufacturing, residential, commercial, and biomass and agricultural waste burning. The following species, grouped by atmospheric reactivity, are considered: (i) greenhouse gases (GHGs)-CO2, CH4, and N2O; (ii) ozone precursors-CO, NOx (NO+NO2), and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs); (iii) acidifying gases-NH3 and SO2; and (iv) particulate matter (PM)-PM10, PM2.5, total suspended particles (TSPs), and black carbon (BC). The main objective of the GEAA-AEIv3.0M high-resolution emission inventory is to provide temporally resolved emission maps to support air quality and climate modeling oriented to evaluate pollutant mitigation strategies by local governments. This is of major concern, especially in countries where air quality monitoring networks are scarce, and the development of regional and seasonal emissions inventories would result in remarkable improvements in the time and space chemical prediction achieved by air quality models. Despite distinguishing among different sectoral and activity databases as well as introducing a novel spatial distribution approach based on census radii, our high-resolution GEAA-AEIv3.0M shows equivalent national-wide total emissions compared to the Third National Communication of Argentina (TNCA), which compiles annual GHG emissions from 1990 through 2014 (agreement within ±7.5%). However, the GEAA-AEIv3.0M includes acidifying gases and PM species not considered in TNCA. Temporal comparisons were also performed against two international databases: Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) and EDGAR HTAPv5.0 for several pollutants; for EDGAR it also includes a spatial comparison. The agreement was acceptable within less than 30% for most of the pollutants and activities, although a >90% discrepancy was obtained for methane from fuel production and fugitive emissions and >120% for biomass burning. Finally, the updated seasonal series clearly showed the pollution reduction due to the COVID-19 lockdown during the first quarter of year 2020 with respect to same months in previous years. Through an open-access data repository, we present the GEAA-AEIv3.0M inventory as the largest and more detailed spatial resolution dataset for the Argentine Republic, which includes monthly gridded emissions for 12 species and 15 stors between 1995 and 2020.Fil: Puliafito, Salvador Enrique. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bolanõ Ortiz, Tomás R.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María; ChileFil: Fernandez, Rafael Pedro. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Berná, Lucas L.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia. Tecnología e Innovación Productiva. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica; ArgentinaFil: Pascual Flores, Romina María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Urquiza, Josefina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Noreña, Ana Isabel. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Tames, María Florencia. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; Argentin

Anisotropic Resistivity Surfaces Produced in ITO Films by Laser‐Induced Nanoscale Self‐organization

Highly anisotropic resistivity surfaces are produced in indium tin oxide (ITO) films by nanoscale self‐organization upon irradiation with a fs‐laser beam operating at 1030 nm. Anisotropy is caused by the formation of laser‐induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) extended over cm‐sized regions. Two types of optimized structures are observed. At high fluence, nearly complete ablation at the valleys of the LIPSS and strong ablation at their ridges lead to an insulating structure in the direction transverse to the LIPSS and conductive in the longitudinal one. A strong diminution of In content in the remaining material is then observed, leading to a longitudinal resistivity ρL ≈ 1.0 Ω·cm. At a lower fluence, the material at the LIPSS ridges remains essentially unmodified while partial ablation is observed at the valleys. The structures show a longitudinal conductivity two times higher than the transverse one, and a resistivity similar to that of the pristine ITO film (ρ ≈ 5 × 10−4 Ω·cm). A thorough characterization of these transparent structures is presented and discussed. The compositional changes induced as laser pulses accumulate, condition the LIPSS evolution and thus the result of the structuring process. Strategies to further improve the achieved anisotropic resistivity results are also provided.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Spanish Research Agency (AEI, Ministry of Research and Innovation), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (grant numbers TEC2017-82464-R, PID2019-109603RA-I00, and PID2019-110430GB-C21), the “Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento de la Junta de Andalucía” (PAIDI-2020 projects P18-RT-3480 and -6079). The authors also acknowledge the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas for the “Intramural Project” (201850E057). C.L.-S. acknowledges the funding of the University of Seville through the “VI Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia de la US” (VI PPIT-US). M.M.-M. acknowledges the postdoctoral Juan de la Cierva Incorporación grant (IJCI-2017-33317)) of the same ministry. C.F. thanks the support from the European Commission through the Marie Curie Global Fellowship grant number 844977. V.L.-F. thanks the support from European Commission/Junta de Andalucía Talent-Hub Program

Relationship Between Osteoporosis and Marginal Bone Loss in Osseointegrated Implants: A 2-Year Retrospective Study

Background: Fitting implants in osteoporotic patients has raditionally been controversial, and there is little scientific evidence relating osteoporosis to marginal bone loss (MBL). The aims of this study are as follows: 1) to evaluate the possibility of a correlation between osteoporosis, as measured by the mandibular cortical index (MCI), and MBL and 2) to assess how various systemic diseases, periodontitis, and placement of implants in regenerated bone are correlated with MBL and MCI. Methods: This retrospective study examines 212 implants inserted in 67 patients. To take a possible cluster failure into account, an implant for each patient was selected (n = 67 implants). MBL was assessed. Osteoporosis was evaluated using the MCI. Both MBL and MCI were assessed from panoramic radiographs. x2 test was performed (Haberman post hoc test). Significance was P <0.05. Results: When the total sample implant (N = 212) was evaluated, a significant association was found between the presence of osteoporosis and MCI (P <0.001) and between the presence of diabetes mellitus and MCI (P <0.01). Significant associations were also found between MBL and placement of implants in regenerated sites (P <0.001) and between MBL and a previous history of periodontitis (P <0.05). When the sample is evaluated only in selected implants (one per patient, n = 67), significant differences appear to relate only to the MBL with the placement of implants in regenerated bone sites (P <0.001). Conclusions: Osteoporosis (as evaluated by MCI) does not pose a risk for the development of greater MBL. Parameters adversely affecting the development of increased MBL are a previous history of periodontitis and especially the placement of implants at sites of bone regeneration

Viola gelida, a new, rare and vulnerable rosulate species from the high Andes of Atacama Region, Chile

Se provee la descripción para Viola gelida, conocida sólo de dos sitios cercanos en el desierto seco y frío de gran altura. Se identifican las características que distinguen su estrecha relación con Viola exsul y otros parientes cercanos. Además, se discute el contexto de su descubrimiento en un estudio de impacto ambiental obligatorio

Longitudinal distribution and lateral pattern of megalopal settlement and juvenile recruitment of Carcinus maenas (L.) (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the Mira River Estuary, Portugal

Settlement is a critical process in the life history of crabs, and thus affecting the abundance, distribution and structure of estuarine communities. The spatial pattern of settlement of megalopae of the shore crab Carcinus maenas along a longitudinal estuarine gradient (Mira River Estuary, Portugal) was examined, as well as its effects on the juvenile population. To measure megalopal settlement, four replicate collectors were deployed in six equally spaced stations along the estuarine axis. Juveniles were collected on the same locations with a quadrat randomly deployed on the substrate. To assess fine-scale megalopal settlement within a curved region of the estuary, replicate collectors were deployed on both margins along Moinho da Asneira curve. Megalopae settled differently along the six longitudinal points, with a tendency to attenuate their settlement upstream. Within the curved region, megalopae preferentially settled on the left margin collectors, probably due to the weaker velocity speeds felt on this margin. Concerning the overall juvenile density, there were significant differences among the stations distributed along the estuary, but they did no reflect a longitudinal dispersion attenuation pattern. Size-frequency distribution of the juvenile population showed that the average size is higher on the left margin. Recruits (carapace length between 1.0 mm and 3.4 mm) were more abundant on the upstream stations. Density of early juveniles (3.4 mme6.5 mm) and juveniles (6.5 mme10 mm) was more stable throughout the estuary axis than that of recruits. This distribution pattern may result from tidal excursion processes or mechanisms to avoid biotic interactions, such as predation and competition