Institutional thickening and innovation: reflections on the remapping of the Great Bear Rainforest

The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). © 2016 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) As a response to forest conflict, contemporary remapping refers to re-evaluations of resource values, new and diverse forms of governance among stakeholders, and compromises within patterns of land use that give greater emphasis to environmental and cultural priorities. This paper elaborates the processes of remapping by examining the role of institutional innovation in conflict resolution, with particular reference to the iconic Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. After years of conflict and protest, peace in the Great Bear Rainforest was heralded by an interim agreement in 2006, with final ratification likely in 2016. Conceptually, a four-legged stakeholder model identifies the main institutional interests and their interactions through learning and bargaining. New forms of governance were created to bring the stakeholders together in constructive dialogue and then to reach and implement acceptable bargains. Analytically, the paper examines how this agreement has worked in practice by reflecting on the emergence of novel institutions that integrate the interests of key stakeholders. The discussion identifies six bilateral negotiations between: industrial and environmental interests; federal and provincial governments and aboriginal peoples; government and environmental interests; government and industry; industry and aboriginal peoples; and environmental groups and local communities. The remapping process has produced a thickening architecture of institutions that remain experimental even as they seek to promote sustainability, resilience and legitimacy

Restoring Conjunctival Tolerance by Topical Nuclear Factor–κB Inhibitors Reduces Preservative-Facilitated Allergic Conjunctivitis in Mice

Purpose.: To evaluate the role of nuclear factor–κB (NF-κB) activation in eye drop preservative toxicity and the effect of topical NF-κB inhibitors on preservative-facilitated allergic conjunctivitis. Methods.: Balb/c mice were instilled ovalbumin (OVA) combined with benzalkonium chloride (BAK) and/or NF-κB inhibitors in both eyes. After immunization, T-cell responses and antigen-induced ocular inflammation were evaluated. Nuclear factor–κB activation and associated inflammatory changes also were assessed in murine eyes and in an epithelial cell line after BAK exposure. Results.: Benzalkonium chloride promoted allergic inflammation and leukocyte infiltration of the conjunctiva. Topical NF-κB inhibitors blocked the disruptive effect of BAK on conjunctival immunological tolerance and ameliorated subsequent ocular allergic reactions. In line with these findings, BAK induced NF-κB activation and the secretion of IL-6 and granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor in an epithelial cell line and in the conjunctiva of instilled mice. In addition, BAK favored major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II expression in cultured epithelial cells in an NF-κB–dependent fashion after interaction with T cells. Conclusions.: Benzalkonium chloride triggers conjunctival epithelial NF-κB activation, which seems to mediate some of its immune side effects, such as proinflammatory cytokine release and increased MHC II expression. Breakdown of conjunctival tolerance by BAK favors allergic inflammation, and this effect can be prevented in mice by topical NF-κB inhibitors. These results suggest a new pharmacological target for preservative toxicity and highlight the importance of conjunctival tolerance in ocular surface homeostasis.Fil: Guzman, Mauricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Sabbione, Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Gabelloni, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Vanzulli, Silvia. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Trevani, Analía Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Giordano, Mirta Nilda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Galletti, Jeremías Gastón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; Argentin

ChatGPT-4 as a Tool for Reviewing Academic Books in Spanish

This study evaluates the potential of ChatGPT-4, an artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI, as an editing tool for Spanish literary and academic books. The need for efficient and accessible reviewing and editing processes in the publishing industry has driven the search for automated solutions. ChatGPT-4, being one of the most advanced language models, offers notable capabilities in text comprehension and generation. In this study, the features and capabilities of ChatGPT-4 are analyzed in terms of grammatical correction, stylistic coherence, and linguistic enrichment of texts in Spanish. Tests were conducted with 100 literary and academic texts, where the edits made by ChatGPT-4 were compared to those made by expert human reviewers and editors. The results show that while ChatGPT-4 is capable of making grammatical and orthographic corrections with high accuracy and in a very short time, it still faces challenges in areas such as context sensitivity, bibliometric analysis, deep contextual understanding, and interaction with visual content like graphs and tables. However, it is observed that collaboration between ChatGPT-4 and human reviewers and editors can be a promising strategy for improving efficiency without compromising quality. Furthermore, the authors consider that ChatGPT-4 represents a valuable tool in the editing process, but its use should be complementary to the work of human editors to ensure high-caliber editing in Spanish literary and academic books.Comment: Preprint. Paper accepted in the 18\textsuperscript{th} Latin American Conference on Learning Technologies (LACLO 2023), 14 page

Computations on Fullerenes: Characterization, Reactivity and Growth

Aquesta Tesi titulada ‘Computations on Fullerenes: Characterization, Reactivity and Growth’ es focalitza amb els mecanismes de formació i caracterització de ful·lerens prèviament detectats als experiments. Són caixes tancades de carboni formades per hexàgons i dotze pentàgons. Hem col·laborat amb diferents grups experimentals, per tant, ens hem centrat en entendre i racionalitzar els seus experiments. Diferents models de formació de ful·lerens han estat proposats, però encara avui segueix sent un misteri. Els nostres estudis donen completament suport al mecanisme de creixement bottom-up proposat pel Prof. Kroto. Aquest mecanisme ha estat estudiat per càlculs estàtics de DFT i per dinàmica molecular de Car-Parrinello. Una exploració exhaustiva dels isòmers més favorables, així com les superfícies d’energia potencial associades a les insercions d’unitats C2 als ful·lerens i les topologies de les estructures involucrades, han ajudat al desenvolupament d’aquest projecte. Aquest procés d’inserció és exotèrmic/exergònic, i encara que les barreres d’energia lliure són elevades, es poden veure superades a la temperatura de formació de ful·lerens (2000 K). Els isòmers més abundants del Ti@C2n (2n=26-48) i Sc3N@C2n (2n=68-80) s’han relacionat mitjançant unitats C2 i, en alguns casos, alguna isomerització del tipus Stone-Wales. Respecte a la detecció i aïllament dels metal·loful·lerens endoèdrics, ens hem centrat en la seva caracterització. La cloració dels ful·lerens també ha estat estudiada, ja que ha sorgit com una poderosa eina en el món dels derivats de ful·lerens. Famílies de C2n (2n=50,60,66,68,etc.) han estat trobades com cloroful·lerens. Els nostres resultats prediuen que la cloració s’esdevé un cop es formada la caixa neutra a temperatures més baixes de 2000 K, mitjançant l’addició de radical lliure i tenint en compte les distribucions del HOMO i de la densitat d’spin. La majoria dels nostres projectes han estat d’acord amb els resultats experimentals.La Tesis titulada ‘Computations on Fullerenes: Characterization, Reactivity and Growth’ se focaliza con los mecanismos de formación y caracteritzación de fullerenos previamente detectados a los experimentos. Son cajas cerradas de carbono formadas por hexágonos y doce pentágonos. Hemos colaborado con diferentes grupos experimentales, por tanto, nos hemos centrado en entender y racionalizar sus experimentos. Diferentes modelos de formación han sido propuestos, pero todavía hoy sigue siendo un misterio. Nuestros estudios dan soporte al mecanismo de crecimiento bottom-up propuesto por el Prof. Kroto. Este mecanismo ha sido estudiado mediante cálculos estáticos de DFT i por dinámica molecular de Car-Parrinello. Una exploración exhaustiva de los isómeros más favorables, así como las superficies de energía potencial asociadas a las inserciones de unidades C2 a los fullerenos y las topologías de las estructures involucradas, han ayudado al desarrollo de este proyecto. Este proceso de inserción es exotérmico/exergónico, y todavía que las barreras de energía libre son elevadas, se pueden ver superadas a la temperatura de formación de fullerenos (2000 K). Los isómeros más abundantes del Ti@C2n (2n=26-48) y Sc3N@C2n (2n=68-80) se han relacionado mediante unidades C2 y, en algunos casos, alguna isomerización del tipo Stone-Wales. Respecto a la detección y aislamiento de los metallofullerenos endoédricos, nos hemos centrado en su caracteritzación. La cloración de los fullerenos también ha sido estudiada, ya que ha surgido como una poderosa herramienta en el mundo de los derivados de fullerenos. Familias de C2n (2n=50,60,66,68,etc.) han sido encontradas como clorofullerenos. Nuestros resultados predicen que la cloración se forma una vez es formada la caja neutra a temperaturas más bajas de 2000 K, mediante la adición de radical libre y teniendo en cuenta las distribuciones del HOMO y de la densidad de espín. La mayoría de nuestros proyectos han estado de acuerdo con los resultados experimentales.The Thesis titled ‘Computations on Fullerenes: Characterization, Reactivity and Growth’ is mainly focused on the formation mechanisms and characterization of fullerenes previously detected in experiments. These molecules are closed carbon cages formed by only hexagons and twelve pentagons. Most part of our research has been carried out in collaboration with different experimental groups, therefore we aimed to understand and rationalize their experiments. Although many hypothetical models have been proposed, the fullerene formation mechanism is still a mystery. Our studies rules out the bottom-up mechanism as a model of fullerene formation. We have explored this mechanism by means of static DFT and Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics calculations for series of different endohedral fullerenes. A comprehensive exploration of the most favourable isomers, potential energy surfaces associated with the successive C2 insertions and topologies of the involved structures, helped us to develop this project. The insertion of a C2 unit to already formed EMF is always an exothermic/exergonic process, and the free energy barriers for each step are attainable at temperature of fullerene formation (2000 K). The most abundant isomers of Ti@C2n (2n=26-48) and Sc3N@C2n (2n=68-80) are formally linked by direct C2 insertions and in a few cases by additional Stone-Wales transformations. Regarding the detection and isolation of endohedral metallofullerenes let us to perform a computational study of the rationalization and characterization of these isomers. Chlorination has emerged as a powerful tool in fullerene derivatives. Several C2n families (2n=50,60,66,68,etc.) have been found to show cages exohedrally chlorinated. According to our results, chlorination would take place at a temperature significantly lower than 2000 K by free radical addition considering the HOMO and the spin density distributions of the pristine cage and intermediates, once the lowest energy neutral isomers are formed. Most of our projects resulted in suitable and in agreement with experiments

Contribución al conocimiento en la dinámica de los gases de fermentación ruminal

Tesis para obtener el grado de Doctor en Biología en la Universidad Nacional de San LuisEl clima de la tierra enfrenta rápidos cambios que afectan tanto la composición de la atmósfera como el balance de la radiación solar, jugando un rol principal las actividades ganaderas. Basados en el análisis de ciclo de vida (LCA) realizado por Steinfeld y colaboradores (2006) se ha estimado que el sector emite 7.1 Gt de CO2eq (Giga toneladas de dióxido de carbono equivalente), lo que representa el 18% de las emisiones totales antropogénicas Este resultado está representado por 2.5 Gt CO2eq emitido por el suelo y cambio de uso del suelo; 0.4 Gt CO2eq en la producción del alimento; 1.9 Gt CO2eq a partir del metabolismo animal; 2.2 Gt CO2eq del manejo de estiércol y 0.03 Gt CO2eq en transporte. Los reportes de IPCC del 2007 indican que este sector emite entre 5.1 a 6.1 Gt de CO2eq*año-1. Por otro lado la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), difunde un informe aseverando que el sector ganadero genera más gases de efecto invernadero, el 18%, medidos en su equivalente en dióxido de carbono (CO2), que el sector del transporte (FAO, 2006). El comunicado destaca que la ganadería es, además, una de las principales causas de la degradación del suelo y de los recursos hídricos. El estudio concluye que la producción mundial de carne se duplicará de los 229 millones de toneladas, en 1999-2001, a 465 millones de toneladas, en 2050, y la de leche aumentará en ese período de 580 a 1.043 millones de toneladas. La principal causa será el crecimiento poblacional, de 6 mil millones de personas actuales, a más de 8 mil millones en 2030.Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San LuisFil: Guzman, María Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; Argentin

Adaptation and acclimatization to ocean acidification in marine ectotherms: an in situ transplant experiment with polychaetes at a shallow CO₂ vent system

Metabolic rate determines the physiological and life-history performances of ectotherms. Thus, the extent to which such rates are sensitive and plastic to environmental perturbation is central to an organism's ability to function in a changing environment. Little is known of long-term metabolic plasticity and potential for metabolic adaptation in marine ectotherms exposed to elevated pCO₂. Consequently, we carried out a series of in situ transplant experiments using a number of tolerant and sensitive polychaete species living around a natural CO₂ vent system. Here, we show that a marine metazoan (i.e. Platynereis dumerilii) was able to adapt to chronic and elevated levels of pCO₂. The vent population of P. dumerilii was physiologically and genetically different from nearby populations that experience low pCO₂, as well as smaller in body size. By contrast, different populations of Amphiglena mediterranea showed marked physiological plasticity indicating that adaptation or acclimatization are both viable strategies for the successful colonization of elevated pCO₂ environments. In addition, sensitive species showed either a reduced or increased metabolism when exposed acutely to elevated pCO₂. Our findings may help explain, from a metabolic perspective, the occurrence of past mass extinction, as well as shed light on alternative pathways of resilience in species facing ongoing ocean acidification

Forecasting Urban Expansion in the Seven Lakes Area in San Pablo City, Laguna, the Philippines Using the Land Transformation Model

Managing urban growth is essential to the conservation of the Seven Lakes ecosystem in San Pablo City, Laguna province in the Philippines. This study simulates potential conversion of agricultural lands to built-up areas using the land transformation model (LTM), which integrates geographical information systems (GIS) and an artificial neural network (ANN). Historical drivers of the expansion of built-up areas are identified and validated through the application of LTM to land cover maps from 1988 to 2015. Identified drivers include distance to roads, distance to trails, distance to the Seven Lakes, distance to existing built-up areas, slopes and population density per barangay. Results from the percent correct matrix (PCM) were 79.88 per cent for the 1988–2003 runs and 66.42 per cent for the 2003–2015 runs, while the Kappa statistic for both time periods was higher than 0.60, which indicates high levels of agreement. Forecasted scenarios were business-as-usual (BAU) growth, doubled growth and strict law implementation protecting the vicinity around the Seven Lakes and other natural areas. In the BAU scenario, urban expansion spread out along the road networks. The doubled growth scenario showed that further expansion will likely extend around the proximity of the lakes, which may adversely affect the livelihoods of the local fishing communities. As such, it was recommended that preventive measures, such as strict implementation of buffer zones coupled with regular monitoring, be taken to manage land use in the surrounding lake areas

Efecto de la inclusión de gluten feed húmedo sobre la producción in situ de gases ruminales

La agroindustria genera una gran variedad de alimentos de alto valor nutricional para la ganadería; estos son cada más utilizados por varios beneficios, por ejemplo, no genera competencia con el consumidor humano, genera menores costos y reducción del impacto ambiental de los residuos. El fluten feed (GF) es uno de estos subproductos derivado de la molienda húmeda de maíz con propiedades nutricionales que cumplen con varios de los requerimientos básicos de alimentación bovina, aunque sus características organolépticas pueden limitar su consumo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue proveer mayor comprensión de las interacciones de diferentes inclusiones de GF con los microorganismos ruminales a través de mediciones in situ de gases de fermentación, y cómo este proceso puede ser modulado a través de parámetros químicos de la dieta. Las comparaciones realizadas entre la interacción de inclusión de GF y la concentración de gases entéricos fueron altamente significativa (p<0,0001). La producción de CH4 abarcó un rango del 14,9 al 23,7% del volumen (%Vol.), mostrando un comportamiento cuadrático. El mejor ajuste de regresión se obtuvo con la digestibilidad (R2=0,58), mientras que la concentración de NH3 mostró un bajo coeficiente de determinación con la digestibilidad (R2= 0,11) y alta con la PB (R2=0,70). Los resultados con un 85% de inclusión de GF mostraron una ganancia diaria de 12,93 gr/KgPV0,7, no evidenciándose efectos negativos causados por sus altos niveles de sulfatos. El aprovechamiento de este subproducto se encuadra dentro de una estrategia de ganadería baja carbono al reducir los costos económicos de la dieta, aumentar la capacidad de producción y reducir los riesgos de contaminación ambiental.Agro-industry generates a wide variety of feed of high nutritional value for livestock, which are increasingly used according to several benefits, like lack of food competition with the human consumer, lower costs and reduced environmental impact of waste. Gluten feed is one these by-product derived from the wet milling of corn with nutritional properties that meet some of the basic bovine nutritional requirements, although its organoleptic characteristics may limit animal consumption. The objective of this work was to provide a better understanding the possible effects of different GF proportions in diets on ruminal microorganisms, evaluated through in situ measurements of fermentation gases, and how this last may be buffered through chemical parameters of the diet. The comparisons between the interaction of GF inclusion and the concentration of enteric gases were highly significant (p <0.0001). Methane production covered a range from 14.9 to 23.7% of the volume (% Vol.), showing a quadratic behavior. The best regression fit was obtained with digestibility (R2 = 0.58), while the concentration of NH3 showed a low coefficient of determination with digestibility (R2 = 0.11) and high with CP (R2 = 0.70). The results with 85% inclusion of GF showed a daily gain of 12.93 gr/KgPV0.75, not showing negative effects caused by its high levels of sulfates. The use of this by-product may be part of a low carbon livestock strategy, by reducing the economic costs of the diet, increasing the production capacity and reducing the risks of environmental contamination.EEA San LuisFil: Guzmán, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Guzmán, María Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Sager, Ricardo Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Sager, Ricardo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; Argentin