Semiarid Grassland and Winter Cereals for Lamb Production in Northeast Patagonia, Argentina

In northeastern Patagonia where grain crops often led to harvest failure, low yields and a high drought risk, a lamb production system was established. On a 10 years old agriculture wheat cropping was interrupted in 1996, allowing re-vegetation through exclusion of grazing. Natural grassland recovered, prevailing the species Stipa tenuis, Piptochaetium napostaense, Stipa ambigua. Part of the plot was sown to wheat grass (Thinopyrum ponticum). In 1999, to improve sheep feeding, oat (Avena sativa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) were sown for grazing during winter-spring season. In this system Corriedale sheep, Texel x australian Merino (TEMA) and Ile de France x Australian Merino (ILMA) crosses were tested. Fertility, prolificacy, lamb mortality and weaning were evaluated. No differences among genotypes (α= 0.05) were found. Weaned lamb weight per ewe was significantly higher in cross ewes (p\u3c 0.0035), while production efficiency showed no significant differences among genotypes (α= 0.05), because of the higher body live weight of the crosses (p\u3c 0.0001). Yields of 16.4; 19.4 and 20.2kg lamb hectare–1 for Corriedale, TEMA and ILMA respectively were calculated, which represent an increase of 18 and 23 %. These differences could become economically significant in the production system under study

Electrochemical synthesis of nano-cobalt hexacyanoferrate at a sol–gel-coated electrode templated with β-cyclodextrin

The paper describes the time-dependent evolution of the electrochemical deposition of cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCFe) on graphite foil electrode modified with electrochemically formed sol–gel film doped with β-cyclodextrin to impart porosity. With short-time electrodeposition, cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows a single redox couple typical of nano-sized clusters of CoHCFe, while at longer deposition times the CV’s shape evolves to the classical form of a bulk compound in which there are present two redox couples. The electrode modified with β-cyclodextrin (CD) included in the sol–gel film has an active surface that corresponds to pores created by CD stacks normal to the surface. Hence, the electrochemical formation of CoHCFe starts in these conductive pores; only at long deposition times do the clusters overlap to form moieties with the voltammetric characteristics of bulk CoHCFe

Ensaio do Túnel 2 do Sistema Cantareira de Adução de Água Para a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo – Resgate Histórico e Tecnológico

This article relates a work that was carried out between the end of the 1960's and the beginning of the 1970's, by the Chair of Fluid Mechanics (precursor of the Departamento de Hidráulica e Saneamento of the Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos – Universidade de São Paulo), with the objective of foreseeing the water flow rate at Tunnel 2 of the Cantareira Water Project for the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo. An original test using air circulation was carried out in the tunnel. Methods and techniques were developed in order to verify the flow rate and check its size, to guarantee 33 m3 /s of flow. The documents produced by the authors of the test were surveyed, organized chronologically and analyzed, seeking to infer the theoretical influences that had guided the methodologies, to describe the techniques and technologies and to analyze, in accordance with the document registers, the execution and the results reached by the tests.Este artigo resgata um trabalho realizado entre o final da década de 1960 e início da década de 1970, pela Cátedra de Mecânica dos Fluidos (precursora do Departamento de Hidráulica e Saneamento da Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos – Universidade de São Paulo), que teve como objetivo prever a vazão de água do Túnel 2 do Sistema Cantareira de Abastecimento de Água para a Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Nesta galeria foi realizado um ensaio original com circulação de ar, para o qual foram desenvolvidos métodos e técnicas a fim de verificar a vazão e auxiliar no seu dimensionamento, para garantir uma adução de 33 m3 /s. Mediante o levantamento, organização cronológica e análise dos documentos produzidos pelos autores do referido ensaio, resgatam-se as influências teóricas que nortearam as metodologias, as técnicas e tecnologias, e analisam-se, de acordo com os registros documentais, a execução e resultados alcançados pelos ensaios

The assessment of methods for protein structure prediction

Methods for protein structure prediction are flourishing and becoming widely available to both experimentalists and computational biologists. But, how good are they? What is their range of applicability and how can we know which method is better suited for the task at hand? These are the questions that this chapter tries to address, by describing automatic evaluation methods as well as the world-wide Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) initiative and focusing on the specific problems of assessing the quality of a protein 3D model

A semi-classical field method for the equilibrium Bose gas and application to thermal vortices in two dimensions

We develop a semi-classical field method for the study of the weakly interacting Bose gas at finite temperature, which, contrarily to the usual classical field model, does not suffer from an ultraviolet cut-off dependence. We apply the method to the study of thermal vortices in spatially homogeneous, two-dimensional systems. We present numerical results for the vortex density and the vortex pair distribution function. Insight in the physics of the system is obtained by comparing the numerical results with the predictions of simple analytical models. In particular, we calculate the activation energy required to form a vortex pair at low temperature.Comment: 19 page

Lazy AC-Pattern Matching for Rewriting

We define a lazy pattern-matching mechanism modulo associativity and commutativity. The solutions of a pattern-matching problem are stored in a lazy list composed of a first substitution at the head and a non-evaluated object that encodes the remaining computations. We integrate the lazy AC-matching in a strategy language: rewriting rule and strategy application produce a lazy list of terms.Comment: In Proceedings WRS 2011, arXiv:1204.531

Coordinating Pluggable Transceiver Control in SONiC-based Disaggregated Packet-Optical Networks

Effective control of pluggable transceivers in SONiC-based packet-optical nodes is demonstrated. A workflow for multi-layer recovery upon soft failure detection is validated, showing no traffic disruption and fast node-driven coordination between packet and optical operations

Quema controlada en una comunidad típica del Sudoeste Bonaerense

El fuego controlado reduce significativamente la cobertura de las especies leñosas y favorece el aumento de la cobertura de las gramíneas deseables e intermedias. Una sola quema controlada no afecta la densidad de las especies leñosas ni de las gramíneas forrajeras perennes.Fil: Pelaez, Daniel V.. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Giorgetti, Hugo D.. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Oscar A.. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Elia, Omar Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, Gustavo D.. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Andrioli, Romina Jessica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); ArgentinaFil: Blazquez, Francisco Ruben. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentin

Ajuste osmótico en Leymus cinereus cv. “Trailhead” bajo condiciones de campo

El ajuste osmótico se ha reconocido como una respuesta importante de adaptación a condiciones de estrés hídrico en las plantas superiores. Aunque Leymus cinereus cv. “Trailhead” tiene la reputación de ser una especie componente de los pastizales naturales con una alta tolerancia a la sequía, su capacidad para ajustarse osmóticamente no se ha demostrado bajo condiciones de campo. Este estudio examinó la ocurrencia o no de ajuste osmótico durante la primavera en plantas de Leymus cinereus cv. “Trailhead” que crecieron bajo condiciones de campo en una zona árida de Patagonia. Las plantas fueron examinadas por esta característica adaptativa luego de su implantación en el campo tres años antes. Se recolectaron láminas foliares de esta especie y se construyeron curvas presión-volumen. Los resultados mostraron que Leymus cinereus cv. “Trailhead” mantuvo la presión de turgencia aún cuando declinó el potencial hídrico, indicando la existencia de ajuste osmótico. Más aún, la presión de turgencia máxima se incrementó cuando el potencial hídrico fue máximo luego de un período de tres semanas. Esta respuesta es típica en plantas con una historia previa de ajuste osmótico como resultado de condiciones de estrés hídrico.Osmotic adjustment has been recognized to be an important adaptive response to water stress in higher plants. Although Leymus cinereus cv. ‘’Trailhead’’ is reputedly a very drought-tolerant rangeland plant, its ability to adjust osmotically in the field has not previously been reported. This study examined the either occurrence or not of osmotic adjustment in field-grown plants of Leymus cinereus cv. ‘’Trailhead’’ during late spring in an arid zone of Patagonia. Plants of this species had been established in the field three years before. With this purpose, leaf lamina of this species were collected and pressure-volume curves made. Results showed turgor maintenance in the face of declining leaf water potentials (i.e., osmotic adjustment) in the study species. Even more, maximum pressure at maximum leaf water potential was increased during a 3-week-period. This response is typical of plants with a previous history of osmotic adjustment as a result of water stress.Fil: Torres, Yanina Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomia. Laboratorio de Ecología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida; ArgentinaFil: Busso, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Oscar Alberto. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios. Chacra Experimental de Patagones; ArgentinaFil: Giorgetti, Hugo Dosindo. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios. Chacra Experimental de Patagones; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, H. D.. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Asuntos Agrarios. Chacra Experimental de Patagones; ArgentinaFil: Bentivegna, Diego Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida; Argentin

NMR Constraints Analyser: a web-server for the graphical analysis of NMR experimental constraints

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy together with X-ray crystallography, are the main techniques used for the determination of high-resolution 3D structures of biological molecules. The output of an NMR experiment includes a set of lower and upper limits for the distances (constraints) between pairs of atoms. If the number of constraints is high enough, there will be a finite number of possible conformations (models) of the macromolecule satisfying the data. Thus, the more constraints are measured, the better defined these structures will be. The availability of a user-friendly tool able to help in the analysis and interpretation of the number of experimental constraints per residue, is thus of valuable importance when assessing the levels of structure definition of NMR solved biological macromolecules, in particular, when high-quality structures are needed in techniques such as, computational biology approaches, site-directed mutagenesis experiments and/or drug design. Here, we present a free publicly available web-server, i.e. NMR Constraints Analyser, which is aimed at providing an automatic graphical analysis of the NMR experimental constraints atom by atom. The NMR Constraints Analyser server is available from the web-page http://molsim.sci.univr.it/constrain