The second Feng-Rao number for codes coming from telescopic semigroups

In this manuscript we show that the second Feng-Rao number of any telescopic numerical semigroup agrees with the multiplicity of the semigroup. To achieve this result we first study the behavior of Ap\'ery sets under gluings of numerical semigroups. These results provide a bound for the second Hamming weight of one-point Algebraic Geometry codes, which improves upon other estimates such as the Griesmer Order Bound

Bio-Based Coatings for Food Metal Packaging Inspired in Biopolyester Plant Cutin.

Metals used for food canning such as aluminum (Al), chromium-coated tin-free steel (TFS) and electrochemically tin-plated steel (ETP) were coated with a 2-3-µm-thick layer of polyaleuritate, the polyester resulting from the self-esterification of naturally-occurring 9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic (aleuritic) acid. The kinetic of the esterification was studied by FTIR spectroscopy; additionally, the catalytic activity of the surface layer of chromium oxide on TFS and, in particular, of tin oxide on ETP, was established. The texture, gloss and wettability of coatings were characterized by AFM, UV-Vis total reflectance and static water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The resistance of the coatings to solvents was also determined and related to the fraction of unreacted polyhydroxyacid. The occurrence of an oxidative diol cleavage reaction upon preparation in air induced a structural modification of the polyaleuritate layer and conferred upon it thermal stability and resistance to solvents. The promoting effect of the tin oxide layer in such an oxidative cleavage process fosters the potential of this methodology for the design of effective long-chain polyhydroxyester coatings on ETP

Polyester films obtained by noncatalyzed melt-condensation polymerization of aleuritic (9,10,16-Trihydroxyhexadecanoic) acid in air

To mimic nontoxic and fully biodegradable biopolymers like the plant cutin, polyester films from a natural occurring fatty polyhydroxyacid like aleuritic (9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic) acid have been prepared by noncatalyzed melt-polycondensation at moderate temperature (150°C) directly in air. The course of the reaction has been followed by infrared spectroscopy, 13C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction and well differentiated stages are observed. First, a high conversion esterification reaction leads to an amorphous rubbery, infusible, and insoluble material whose structure is made out of ester linkages mostly involving primary hydroxyls and partially branched by minor esterification with secondary ones. Following the esterification stage, the cleavage of vicinal secondary hydroxyls and further oxidation to carboxylic acid is observed at the near surface region of films. New carboxylic groups created also undergo esterification and generate cross-linking points within the polymer structure. Additionally, and despite the harsh preparation conditions used, very little additional side reaction like peroxidation and dehydration are observed. Results demonstrate the feasibility of polyester films fabrication from a reference fatty polyhydroxyacid like aleuritic acid by noncatalyzed melt-polycondensation directly in air. The methodology can potentially be extended to similar natural occurring hydroxyacids to obtain films and coatings to be used, for instance, as nontoxic and biodegradable food packaging materialPeer reviewe

Low molecular weight ϵ-caprolactone-pcoumaric acid copolymers as potential biomaterials for skin regeneration applications

ϵ-caprolactone-p-coumaric acid copolymers at different mole ratios (ϵ-caprolactone:p-coumaric acid 1:0, 10:1, 8:1, 6:1, 4:1, and 2:1) were synthesized by melt-polycondensation and using 4-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid as catalyst. Chemical analysis by NMR and GPC showed that copolyesters were formed with decreasing molecular weight as p-coumaric acid content was increased. Physical characteristics, such as thermal and mechanical properties, as well as water uptake and water permeability, depended on the mole fraction of pcoumaric acid. The p-coumarate repetitive units increased the antioxidant capacity of the copolymers, showing antibacterial activity against the common pathogen Escherichia coli. In addition, all the synthesized copolyesters, except the one with the highest concentration of the phenolic acid, were cytocompatible and hemocompatible, thus becoming potentially useful for skin regeneration applications

The Palaeozoic basement of the Andean Frontal Cordillera at 34º S (Cordón del Carrizalito, Mendoza Province, Argentina): Geotectonic implications

The Cordón del Carrizalito is located in the southern sector of the Andean Frontal Cordillera. In this area, the Andean basement is composed of meta-sedimentary rocks (Las Lagunitas Formation) of Ordovician age. In addition, no- or very low grade metamorphism and less deformed rocks also occur in the study area. We call these rocks Selerpe series, whose characteristics are comparable to other series, late Carboniferous in age, described in nearby areas. The Las Lagunitas Formation is affected by west-verging folds, developed under low-grade metamorphic conditions. These structures can be attributed to the Chanic orogeny (Late Devonian – early Carboniferous). The Selerpe series and Las Lagunitas Formation are deformed by east-verging thrusts and folds developed in narrow bands and generated in the absence or under very low metamorphic conditions. These structures always deform the Chanic structures, and are attributed to the Gondwanan deformation (San Rafael orogeny, late Carboniferous – Permian in age). The Chanic structures of the study area can be placed in the western branch and in the hinterland of the Chanic orogen, which was developed as a result of the accretion of the Chilenia terrane at the west Gondwana margin during Late Devonian and early Carboniferous. The eastern branch of this orogen is located in the Andean Precordillera. The Permo-Triassic cover, deformed by the Andean orogenic cycle (Mesozoic – Cenozoic), rests unconformably on the Palaeozoic basement rocks.En el Cordón del Carrizalito, situado en el sector meridional de la Cordillera Frontal de los Andes, afloran metasedimentos ordovícicos pertenecientes a la Formación Las Lagunitas y otro conjunto de rocas menos deformadas, en ausencia de metamorfismo o con metamorfis­mo de muy bajo grado, que hemos denominado serie de Selerpe. Esta última es litoestratigráficamente comparable a series del Carbonífero superior descritas en áreas próximas. La Formación Las Lagunitas está afectada por pliegues apretados, vergentes al oeste y desarrollados bajo condiciones de metamorfismo de bajo grado. Estas estructuras pueden ser atribuidas a la orogenia Chánica (Devónico Superior - Car­bonífero inferior). La deformación Gondwánica, atribuida a la orogenia San Rafael, (Carbonífero superior – Pérmico), afecta tanto a la serie de Selerpe como a la Formación Las Lagunitas y se caracteriza por cabalgamientos y pliegues vergentes al este y generados en ausencia de metamorfismo o bajo condiciones metamórficas de muy grado bajo. Las estructuras chánicas de la zona estudiada se encuentran en las zonas internas de la rama occidental del orógeno del mismo nombre. Estas estructuras se desarrollaron como resultado de la acreción del terreno de Chilenia al margen occidental del antiguo continente de Gondwana durante el Devónico Superior – Carbonífero inferior. La rama oriental del orógeno Chánico se sitúa en la Precordillera andina. La cobertera permo-triásica, deformada durante el Mesozoico y Cenozoico por el ciclo orogénico Andino, se apoya discordantemente sobre las rocas del basamento paleozoico

Reconstruction of the late quaternary glacial geology on King George Island, South Shetland Islands: First steps of a geoscientific project

King George Island (Isla 25 de Mayo) is the largest one of the South Shetland Islands (SShI). This archipelago is located approximately 120 km NW of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Bransfield Strait (Mar de la Flota). The SShI are located just south of the Antarctic Convergence Zone in a key location for investigating glacial and climatic fluctuations relative to both the Southern Hemisphere and the rest of Antarctica. The geomorphology and glacier geology of the SShI (Sugden and John 1973, Hall 2003 and 2007, Del Valle et al. 2007, Strelin 2010, Simms et al. 2011) constitutes a fragmentary record. Despite the deglaciation, inland ice free areas are scarce and are strongly affected by the thaw with the consequent destruction of previous geoforms. The few obtained radiocarbon ages on land exposures have poor stratigraphic control being necessary to consider the problems of pollution and the reservoir effect that affect them. Based on geochemical and sedimentological proxies and radiocarbon dating in sedimentary cores obtained from bays, some glaciers advances and warm periods have been inferred for the middle and late Holocene, among them are those corresponding to the Medieval Climate Optimum and the Little Ice Age (LIA) (Yoon et al. 2000 and 2004, Hass et al. 2010, Monien et al. 2011). It should be noted that for some glaciological reconstructions based on organic radiocarbon dating on marine sediments the ages are still questionable. Often it does not exist yet a clear criteria of correlation that allow to link between glaciterrestrial sediments and glacimarine ones. The study of the glacial, periglacial and coastal marine record of King George Island has a particular importance to enhance the knowledge of its paleoenvironmental evolution since the Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3). There is no precision on the beginning and end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), nor on the rhythm of the deglaciation post-LGM, known as Termination 1, both for coastal and marine areas, as well as offshore areas from King George Island. In the same way, it´s not known if there was a glacial advance linked with the Antarctic Cold Reversal clearly detectable in Antarctic ice cores or sediment deposits in southern Patagonian exposures (Strelin et al. this congress). The way in which the deglaciation continued during the early Holocene, the peak of the Holocene marine transgression (Strelin et al. this Congress), the later chronology of the Neoglacial advances, including the LIA, and the warmer periods that separate them are as well topics to deepen. The objective of this project is to study and date the geomorphological and glaciterrestrial evidences linked to the glacial history in the area of South Shetland Islands, since MIS 3, correlate them with bathymetric records and proxies from marine cores and discuss its link with other sectors of the Antarctic Peninsula, particularly with James Ross Islan

Tristimulus weight functions to calculate musts color coordinates from 10-nm bandwidth spectral data

Color measurement of red musts is affected by errors due to the instrument architecture. The influence of bandwidth in color coordinates errors is studied and a set of weighting functions for the color coordinates calculation, from 10 nm spectral data, is proposed