Age and growth of Zapteryx brevirostris (Elasmobranchii: Rhinobatidae) in southern Brazil

Age and growth studies are fundamental to successful fisheries management. Zapteryx brevirostris (Muller & Henle, 1841) is distributed off the Brazilian continental shelf and this species is assessed as "Vulnerable" in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Thus, the objective of this study was to present previously unknown information about the age and growth of Z. brevirostris that can be used for its management, conservation, and fisheries. A total of 162 specimens were sampled, with total lengths (TL) varying between 35.7 cm and 56 cm. The vertebrae were embedded in resin, sectioned in cuts with 0.5 mm thickness and the growth bands of the vertebrae were read under a light microscope. In the studied area, Z. brevirostris ages were estimated from 4 to 10 years according to vertebrae patterns. The species reaches its maximum asymptotic size (Linf) around 56 cm (56 cm for females and 50.37 cm for males). This is the first estimate of age and growth for a species of the Zapteryx genus, and the results support the hypothesis that this ray requires future management conservation, particularly due to its slow growth rate and consequent susceptibility to overexploitation.Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES); Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) [IF/00253/2014

Connecting Disciplines and Tracing an Educated Imagination: Biennale of Sydney Pavilions Design Summer Studio

In January 2010 the Architecture Program of the Faculty of the Built Environment at the UNSW hosted a design summer studio: 'Biennale of Sydney Pavilions' open to approximately thirty Masters students of architecture and fine arts. The studio took place twice a week for four weeks with a total of 48 hours. The purpose of this studio was to give the students the opportunity of designing a pavilion for the 17th Biennale of Sydney visitors, already affected by the display of many artworks in the Biennale, with specific spaces limited to contemplation, thinking and meditation. The pavilion, intended as the point of interaction between art, architecture and the natural beauty of the Sydney Harbour, would offer to Biennale visitors a moment for pause and reflection. The aim of the studio was to cultivate in the students an 'educated design imagination' through the integration of multiple disciplines in order to approach the design in a holistic way. Accordingly, the disciplinary background of the four lecturers/tutors involved in this studio included Art, Architecture and Philosophical Aesthetics. The paper traces the vital role of these respective disciplines taught in the design studio and attempts to gauge to what extent the students will benefit from this multidisciplinary exposure. The term 'educated imagination' is borrowed from the Canadian scholar Northrop Frye's book The Educated Imagination, (1963)1, where he distinguishes the way the sciences and the arts construct imagination from opposite ends. Frye suggests that science begins with the world as it is and from a rational and intellectual approach science turns to imagination. On the other hand, 'art begins with the world we construct, not with the world we see. It starts with the imagination, and then works towards ordinary experience'

An Inquiry into the Design and Aesthetics of the Venice Biennale Pavilions

Margreiter's film Pavilion and McQueen's film Giardini exhibited respectively inside the Austrian Pavilion and the British Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale of Art, question the architecture of the pavilion in general in the constructed environment of the Giardini. Is the architecture used as a container of art or the architectural form, the container itself, to be interpreted as art? Their films are about the places in which they are shot and displayed: the pavilions themselves, the containers of art, which are transformed through the films into architectural sculpture/art objects. Arguably, Margreiter's and McQueen's film reveal the extent to which the modern language of architecture of the Venice pavilions, frozen in 'space' (within the boundary of the Giardini) and 'time' (still contemporary from the date of their realization), seem to conjure that particular primordial 'timelessness' which can be valued as one of the main attributes of contemporary architecture in general. These 'kaleidoscopic spaces' which are used to haunt our memory are used to stimulate the ontological role of imagination - creating a new experience of the universe via the pavilion

Four Poynting Theorems

The Poynting vector is an invaluable tool for analysing electromagnetic problems. However, even a rigorous stress-energy tensor approach can still leave us with the question: is it best defined as \Vec{E} \cross \Vec{H} or as \Vec{D} \cross \Vec{B}? Typical electromagnetic treatments provide yet another perspective: they regard \Vec{E} \cross \Vec{B} as the appropriate definition, because \Vec{E} and \Vec{B} are taken to be the fundamental electromagnetic fields. The astute reader will even notice the fourth possible combination of fields: i.e. \Vec{D} \cross \Vec{H}. Faced with this diverse selection, we have decided to treat each possible flux vector on its merits, deriving its associated energy continuity equation but applying minimal restrictions to the allowed host media. We then discuss each form, and how it represents the response of the medium. Finally, we derive a propagation equation for each flux vector using a directional fields approach; a useful result which enables further interpretation of each flux and its interaction with the medium.Comment: 8 pages. Updated slightly from EJP versio

Fast method for the determination of short-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (scl-PHAs) in bacterial samples by In Vial-Thermolysis (IVT)

none8siA new method based on the GC–MS analysis of thermolysis products obtained by treating bacterial samples at a high temperature (above 270 C) has been developed. This method, here named “In-Vial- Thermolysis” (IVT), allowed for the simultaneous determination of short-chain-length polyhydrox- yalkanoates (scl-PHA) content and composition. The method was applied to both single strains and microbial mixed cultures (MMC) fed with different carbon sources. The IVT procedure provided similar analytical performances compared to previous Py-GC–MS and Py- GC-FID methods, suggesting a similar application for PHA quantitation in bacterial cells. Results from the IVT procedure and the traditional methanolysis method were compared; the correlation between the two datasets was fit for the purpose, giving a R2 of 0.975. In search of further simplification, the rationale of IVT was exploited for the development of a “field method” based on the titration of thermolyzed samples with sodium hydrogen carbonate to quantify PHA inside bacterial cells. The accuracy of the IVT method was fit for the purpose. These results lead to the possibility for the on-line measurement of PHA productivity. Moreover, they allow for the fast and inexpensive quantification/characterization of PHA for biotechnological process control, as well as investigation over various bacterial communities and/or feeding strategies.mixedF. Abbondanzi; G. Biscaro; G. Carvalho; L. Favaro; P. Lemos; M. Paglione; C. Samorì; C. TorriF. Abbondanzi; G. Biscaro; G. Carvalho; L. Favaro; P. Lemos; M. Paglione; C. Samorì; C. Torr