Alternative analysis to perturbation theory

We develop an alternative approach to time independent perturbation theory in non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The method developed has the advantage to provide in one operation the correction to the energy and to the wave function, additionally we can analyze the time evolution of the system. To verify our results, we apply our method to the harmonic oscillator perturbed by a quadratic potential. An alternative form of the Dyson series, in matrix form instead of integral form, is also obtained.Comment: 12 pages, no figure

Especies de caza: procesos de extinción ocultos tras elevados tamaños de censo

Management of game species may involve a risk of alteration of their genetic properties. Local adaptations may be disrupted if artificially selected individuals from farms or those belonging to distant geographical areas are introduced to increase population density or trophy “quality”. In Spain, red deer (Cervus elaphus) from different European subspecies have been introduced to increase the size of trophies (antlers) of local populations. Legislation against these introductions is not effective for various reasons, and once the individuals are in the Iberian peninsula it is virtually impossible to prevent their spreading throughout the whole territory without a genetic tool to distinguish between autochthonous and foreign specimens. We have developed such a genetic test and propose a strategy to dissuade land–owners from importing foreign deer. Since deer are bred mainly for their antlers, our strategy is based on an agreement with the National Trophy Body in Spain which rejects trophies from foreign populations. Rejection decreases the value of the trophy so that it becomes more profitable to produce autochthonous deer. Using such a strategy at some critical step in the production or commercialization process may be a good model to apply in protecting genetic properties of exploited species.La gestión de las especies de caza puede conllevar riesgos de alteración de sus propiedades genéticas. Las adaptaciones locales pueden deteriorarse si ejemplares producidos mediante selección artificial en granjas o procedentes de áreas geográficas distantes, son introducidos para aumentar la densidad poblacional o la "calidad" de los trofeos de caza. En España, se han introducido ejemplares de ciervo ibérico (Cervus elaphus) procedentes de distintas subespecies europeas para aumentar así el tamaño de las cuernas (trofeos de caza) de las poblaciones autóctonas. La legislación contra este tipo de introducciones no es eficaz por diversos motivos y, una vez introducidos los ejemplares en la península ibérica, es prácticamente imposible prevenir su dispersión por todo el territorio sin contar con herramientas genéticas que permitan diferenciar los ejemplares autóctonos de los foráneos. Nosotros hemos desarrollado un test genético para este fin, y hemos propuesto una estrategia para disuadir a lospropietarios de llevar a cabo la importación de ejemplares foráneos. Puesto que los ciervos se crían fundamentalmente por su cornamenta como trofeo de caza, nuestra estrategia se ha basado en un acuerdo con la Junta Nacional de Homologación de Trofeos de Caza, para que ésta rechace los trofeos pertenecientes a ejemplares foráneos. Este rechazo reduce el valor de los ejemplares procedentes de otras poblaciones y favorece la producción de ciervo autóctono. Sugerimos que la utilización de estrategias de este tipo en puntos clave de procesos de producción o comercialización, puede ser un buen modelo a aplicar para proteger las propiedades genéticas de las especies sujetas a explotación por el hombre

Game species: extinction hidden by census numbers

Management of game species may involve a risk of alteration of their genetic properties. Local adaptations may be disrupted if artificially selected individuals from farms or those belonging to distant geographical areas are introduced to increase population density or trophy ‘quality’. In Spain, red deer (Cervus elaphus) from different European subspecies have been introduced to increase the size of trophies (antlers) of local populations. Legislation against these introductions is not effective for various reasons, and once the individuals are in the Iberian peninsula it is virtually impossible to prevent their spreading throughout the whole territory without a genetic tool to distinguish between autochthonous and foreign specimens. We have developed such a genetic test and propose a strategy to dissuade land-owners from importing foreign deer. Since deer are bred mainly for their antlers, our strategy is based on an agreement with the National Trophy Body in Spain which rejects trophies from foreign populations. Rejection decreases the value of the trophy so that it becomes more profitable to produce autochthonous deer. Using such a strategy at some critical step in the production or commercialisation process may be a good model to apply in protecting genetic properties of exploited species

On-site forest fire smoke detection by low-power autonomous vision sensor

Trabajo presentado a la VI International Conference on Forest Fire Research celebrada en Coimbra (Portugal) del 15 al 18 de noviembre de 2010.Early detection plays a crucial role to prevent forest fires from spreading. Wireless vision sensor networks deployed throughout high-risk areas can perform fine-grained surveillance and thereby very early detection and precise location of forest fires. One of the fundamental requirements that need to be met at the network nodes is reliable low-power on-site image processing. It greatly simplifies the communication infrastructure of the network as only alarm signals instead of complete images are transmitted, anticipating thus a very competitive cost. As a first approximation to fulfill such a requirement, this paper reports the results achieved from field tests carried out in collaboration with the Andalusian Fire-Fighting Service (INFOCA). Two controlled burns of forest debris were realized (www.youtube.com/user/vmoteProject). Smoke was successfully detected on-site by the EyeRISTM v1.2, a general-purpose autonomous vision system, built by AnaFocus Ltd., in which a vision algorithm was programmed. No false alarm was triggered despite the significant motion other than smoke present in the scene. Finally, as a further step, we describe the preliminary laboratory results obtained from a prototype vision chip which implements, at very low energy cost, some image processing primitives oriented to environmental monitoring.This work is funded by CICE/JA and MICINN (Spain) through projects 2006-TIC-2352 and TEC2009-11812 respectively.Peer Reviewe

Sperm chromatin dispersion by formaldehyde in Wistar rats

Formaldehyde (FA) is an environmental xenobiotic, which is genotoxic and carcinogenic to humans and animals; it induces DNA damage, mutations, and clastogenicity during critical cytogenetic events. FA-mediated oxidative stress is an important mechanism that has been associated with the induction of cytotoxic and genotoxic damage. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the dispersion of sperm chromatin and reproductive parameters induced by exposure to different concentrations of FA in Wistar rats. Compared to the percentage of sperm with fragmented DNA in the control group (18.10 ± 8.62%), the percentage of sperm with fragmented DNA increased following exposure to 5, 10, and 30 mg FA/kg body weight (29.60 ± 8.44, 85.20 ± 20.94 and 96.0 ± 7.87, respectively; P = 0.0001). Histopathological alterations were evident, especially in the seminiferous tubules. In conclusion, this study provides experimental evidence concerning the genotoxicity of FA, with particular reference to the decreased sperm concentration and motility and increased dispersion of DNA chromatin in rats

Bridging the Gap Between National and Ecosystem Accounting Application in Andalusian Forests, Spain

National accounting either ignores or fails to give due values to the ecosystem services, products, incomes and environmental assets of a country. To overcome these shortcomings, we apply spatially-explicit extended accounts that incorporate a novel environmental income indicator, which we test in the forests of Andalusia (Spain). Extended accounts incorporate nine farmer activities (timber, cork, firewood, nuts, livestock grazing, conservation forestry, hunting, residential services and private amenity) and seven government activities (fire services, free access recreation, free access mushroom, carbon, landscape conservation, threatened biodiversity and water yield). To make sure the valuation remains consistent with standard accounts, we simulate exchange values for non-market final forest product consumption in order to measure individual ecosystem services and environmental income indicators. Manufactured capital and environmental assets are also integrated. When comparing extended to standard accounts, our results are 3.6 times higher for gross value added. These differences are explained primarily by the omission in the standard accounts of carbon activities and undervaluation of private amenity, free access recreation, landscape and threatened biodiversity ecosystem services. Extended accounts measure a value of Andalusian forest ecosystem services 5.4 times higher than that measured using the valuation criteria of standard accounts

Effects of drying and pretreatment on the nutritional and functional quality of raisins

The close relationship between the consumption of fruits and health status stems from the nutritional and non-nutritional compounds found in fruits which play a key role in the prevention of different diseases. However, fruit processing and storage greatly affect fruit compounds. The aim of the present work was to study the influence of processing on the stability of macro and micronutrients present in grapes, with a view to recommending products that provide the highest nutritional quality and the best health conditions. The study focused on fruit dehydration treatments. Conventional and microwave-assisted air-drying processes were used to obtain raisins. Dehydration caused a decrease of all grape compounds studied excluding total phenols. Moreover, compared to conventional processing, microwave-assisted drying produced greater losses of ascorbic acid in the grape and increased pectin solubilization with a consequent change in texture. However the microwave-dehydrated samples showed higher antioxidant activity. © 2011 The Institution of Chemical Engineers.The translation of this paper was funded by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia.Carranza Concha, J.; Benlloch Tinoco, M.; Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez Navarrete, N. (2012). Effects of drying and pretreatment on the nutritional and functional quality of raisins. Food and Bioproducts Processing. 90(2):243-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2011.04.002S24324890

Imprisonment and internment: Comparing penal facilities North and South

Recent references to the ‘warehouse prison’ in the United States and the prisión-depósito in Latin America seem to indicate that penal confinement in the western hemisphere has converged on a similar model. However, this article suggests otherwise. It contrasts penal facilities in North America and Latin America in terms of six interrelated aspects: regimentation; surveillance; isolation; supervision; accountability; and formalization. Quantitatively, control in North American penal facilities is assiduous (unceasing, persistent and intrusive), while in Latin America it is perfunctory (sporadic, indifferent and cursory). Qualitatively, North American penal facilities produce imprisonment (which enacts penal intervention through confinement), while in Latin America they produce internment (which enacts penal intervention through release). Closely entwined with this qualitative difference are distinct practices of judicial involvement in sentencing and penal supervision. Those practices, and the cultural and political factors that underpin them, represent an interesting starting point for the explanation of the contrasting nature of imprisonment and internment

Males and Females Contribute Unequally to Offspring Genetic Diversity in the Polygynandrous Mating System of Wild Boar

The maintenance of genetic diversity across generations depends on both the number of reproducing males and females. Variance in reproductive success, multiple paternity and litter size can all affect the relative contributions of male and female parents to genetic variation of progeny. The mating system of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) has been described as polygynous, although evidence of multiple paternity in litters has been found. Using 14 microsatellite markers, we evaluated the contribution of males and females to genetic variation in the next generation in independent wild boar populations from the Iberian Peninsula and Hungary. Genetic contributions of males and females were obtained by distinguishing the paternal and maternal genetic component inherited by the progeny. We found that the paternally inherited genetic component of progeny was more diverse than the maternally inherited component. Simulations showed that this finding might be due to a sampling bias. However, after controlling for the bias by fitting both the genetic diversity in the adult population and the number of reproductive individuals in the models, paternally inherited genotypes remained more diverse than those inherited maternally. Our results suggest new insights into how promiscuous mating systems can help maintain genetic variation

Diversity, distribution and conservation of the terrestrial reptiles of Oman (Sauropsida, Squamata)

All authors: Salvador Carranza , Meritxell Xipell, Pedro Tarroso, Andrew Gardner, Edwin Nicholas Arnold, Michael D. Robinson, Marc Simó-Riudalbas, Raquel Vasconcelos, Philip de Pous, Fèlix Amat, Jiří Šmíd, Roberto Sindaco, Margarita Metallinou †, Johannes Els, Juan Manuel Pleguezuelos, Luis Machado, David Donaire, Gabriel Martínez, Joan Garcia-Porta, Tomáš Mazuch, Thomas Wilms, Jürgen Gebhart, Javier Aznar, Javier Gallego, Bernd-Michael Zwanzig, Daniel Fernández-Guiberteau, Theodore Papenfuss, Saleh Al Saadi, Ali Alghafri, Sultan Khalifa, Hamed Al Farqani, Salim Bait Bilal, Iman Sulaiman Alazri, Aziza Saud Al Adhoobi, Zeyana Salim Al Omairi, Mohammed Al Shariani, Ali Al Kiyumi, Thuraya Al Sariri, Ahmed Said Al Shukaili, Suleiman Nasser Al Akhzami.In the present work, we use an exceptional database including 5,359 records of 101 species of Oman’s terrestrial reptiles together with spatial tools to infer the spatial patterns of species richness and endemicity, to infer the habitat preference of each species and to better define conservation priorities, with especial focus on the effectiveness of the protected areas in preserving this unique arid fauna. Our results indicate that the sampling effort is not only remarkable from a taxonomic point of view, with multiple observations for most species, but also for the spatial coverage achieved. The observations are distributed almost continuously across the two-dimensional climatic space of Oman defined by the mean annual temperature and the total annual precipitation and across the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the multivariate climatic space and are well represented within 17 out of the 20 climatic clusters grouping 10% of the explained climatic variance defined by PC1 and PC2. Species richness is highest in the Hajar and Dhofar Mountains, two of the most biodiverse areas of the Arabian Peninsula, and endemic species richness is greatest in the Jebel Akhdar, the highest part of the Hajar Mountains. Oman’s 22 protected areas cover only 3.91% of the country, including within their limits 63.37% of terrestrial reptiles and 50% of all endemics. Our analyses show that large areas of the climatic space of Oman lie outside protected areas and that seven of the 20 climatic clusters are not protected at all. The results of the gap analysis indicate that most of the species are below the conservation target of 17% or even the less restrictive 12% of their total area within a protected area in order to be considered adequately protected. Therefore, an evaluation of the coverage of the current network of protected areas and the identification of priority protected areas for reptiles using reserve design algorithms are urgently needed. Our study also shows that more than half of the species are still pending of a definitive evaluation by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).This work was funded by grants CGL2012-36970, CGL2015-70390-P from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (cofunded by FEDER) to SC, the project Field study for the conservation of reptiles in Oman, Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Oman (Ref: 22412027) to SC and grant 2014-SGR-1532 from the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Departament d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya to SC. MSR is funded by a FPI grant from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (BES-2013-064248); RV, PT and LM were funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through post-doc grants (SFRH/BPD/79913/2011) to RV, (SFRH/BPD/93473/2013) to PT and PhD grant (SFRH/BD/89820/2012) to LM, financed by Programa Operacional Potencial Humano (POPH) – Quadro de Referência Estrategico Nacional (QREN) from the European Social Fund and Portuguese Ministerio da Educação e Ciência