On a nonlocal moving frame approximation of traveling waves

The profiles of traveling wave solutions of a 1-d reaction-diffusion parabolic equation are transformed into equilibria of a nonlocal equation, by means of an appropriate nonlocal change of variables. In this new formulation both the profile and the propagation speed of the traveling waves emerge as asymptotic limits of solutions of a nonlocal reaction-diffusion problem when time goes to infinity. In this Note we make these results rigorous analyzing the well-posedness and the stability properties of the corresponding nonlocal Cauchy problem. We also analyze its restriction to a finite interval with consistent boundary conditions. For large enough intervals we show that there is an asymptotically stable equilibrium which approximates the profile of the traveling wave in R. This leads to efficient numerical algorithms for computing the traveling wave profile and speed of propagation

Approximating travelling waves by equilibria of non-local equations

We consider an evolution equation of parabolic type in R having a travelling wave solution. We study the effects on the dynamics of an appropriate change of variables which transforms the equation into a non-local evolution one having a travelling wave solution with zero speed of propagation with exactly the same profile as the original one. This procedure allows us to compute simultaneously the travelling wave profile and its propagation speed avoiding moving meshes, as we illustrate with several numerical examples. We analyze the relation of the new equation with the original one in the entire real line. We also analyze the behavior of the non-local problem in a bounded interval with appropriate boundary conditions. We show that it has a unique stationary solution which approaches the traveling wave as the interval gets larger and larger and that is asymptotically stable for large enough intervals

Source apportionment and Elemental Composition of Atmospheric total Suspended Particulates (TSP) Over the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia

This work presents a comprehensive study on concentrations and elemental composition of total suspended atmospheric particulates for a semi-urban site on the Red Sea coast, and on-board a research vessel, which collected off-shore samples along the Red Sea. We conducted one of the most extended measurement campaigns of atmospheric particulates ever for the region, with continuous measurements over 27 months. The overall mean concentrations (± st. dev.) of TSP were 125 ± 197 µg m−3 for the permanent semi-urban site, and 108 ± 193 µg m−3 for the off-shore mobile site. The region is frequently severely impacted by both localised and widespread dust storms, which on occasion, can increase atmospheric particulate concentrations to levels above mg m−3 (> 1000 µg m−3). Median concentrations were not as variable between seasons, indicating a stable, permanent presence of atmospheric particulates independent of the time of year. The primary chemical elements contributing to particulate mass were Na, Ca, S, Al and Fe. We employed Positive Matrix Factorisation (EPA PMF v5.0.14) to identify different major sources of particulates, which were crustal, marine, fuel oil combustion/secondary sulphate and mixed anthropogenic. The crustal source was characterised by tracers Al, Fe, K, Mg and Sn, and was present to some extent in the other identified sources due to the permanent presence of dust particles in the atmosphere. The fuel oil combustion/secondary sulphate source was identifiable by the almost exclusive presence of S, and to a lesser extent V, emitted from oil combustion as primary emissions and also secondary sulphate formation following the release of S to the atmosphere. A mixed anthropogenic source was characterised by Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu and Pb, emitted from traffic, industry, power generation and water desalination. This study highlights that the natural sources of particulates in this desert region give rise to frequent episodes of extremely poor air quality, and this problem is compounded by significant emissions of anthropogenic pollution, which has an impact across the entire Red Sea basin. Further stringent measures should be adopted to improve air quality across the region and prevent long-term damage to the health of the local population and ecosystems.En prens

ICA UNICA: épocas para el control de malezas

La papa forma parte de la veinte especies que alimentan el 90% de la población mundial v ocupa el cuarto lugar después del trigo. del arroz y del maíz. En los últimos años se han incrementado las hectáreas sembradas en más de 17 millones en el mundo. de las cuales el 5% corresponde a Sudamérica. EI cultivo de la papa se destaca en la actividad agropecuaria nacional por los aspectos relacionados en forma directa con su explotación por la variada cantidad de actividades que se generan en torno a este producto

Airborne Prokaryote and Virus Abundance Over the Red Sea

Aeolian dust exerts a considerable influence on atmospheric and oceanic conditions negatively impacting human health, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions like Saudi Arabia. Aeolian dust is often characterized by its mineral and chemical composition; however, there is a microbiological component of natural aerosols that has received comparatively little attention. Moreover, the amount of materials suspended in the atmosphere is highly variable from day to day. Thus, understanding the variability of atmospheric dust loads and suspended microbes throughout the year is essential to clarify the possible effects of dust on the Red Sea ecosystem. Here, we present the first estimates of dust and microbial loads at a coastal site on the Red Sea over a 2-year period, supplemented with measurements from dust samples collected along the Red Sea basin in offshore waters. Weekly average dust loads from a coastal site on the Red Sea ranged from 4.6 to 646.11 μg m−3, while the abundance of airborne prokaryotic cells and viral-like particles (VLPs) ranged from 77,967 to 1,203,792 cells m−3 and from 69,615 to 3,104,758 particles m−3, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first estimates of airborne microbial abundance in this region. The elevated concentrations of resuspended dust particles and suspended microbes found in the air indicate that airborne microbes may potentially have a large impact on human health and on the Red Sea ecosystem.En prens

Estrategia aplicada para focalizar conceptos importantes en cursos cortos multidisciplinares: encuesta didáctica previa y posterior

La formación complementaria a la enseñanza universitaria permite a los estudiantes aumentar y ampliar el conocimiento en un determinado campo profesional. La formación complementaria se basa en la generación del conocimiento de un tema específico en un entorno multidisciplinar donde participan estudiantes de diversas carreras. La estrategia docente para estimular el interés de todo el alumnado de carácter multidisciplinar resulta de especial interés para poder alcanzar la generación de conocimiento durante el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. En el curso de formación complementaria de “Ecoefficients Materials” llevado a cabo en el marco del curso de primavera “What are you made of? Board of European Students of Technology (BEST)- 2014” se realizó una encuesta breve antes de comenzar el curso para evaluar el conocimiento del alumnado sobre los conceptos principales a desarrollar en el curso. Una vez acabado el curso se completó nuevamente la misma encuesta comprobando que los conocimientos de los conceptos principales incrementaron en todos los casos (entre un 4,5% a un 18,2%). La estrategia docente de utilizar una breve encuesta previa y posteriormente al dictado del curso permitió focalizar la atención del alumnado de áreas multidisciplinares en los conceptos principales, mejorando así la eficacia del proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje

Severe Deoxygenation Event Caused by the 2011 Eruption of the Submarine Volcano Tagoro (El Hierro, Canary Islands)

The shallow, near-shore submarine volcano Tagoro erupted in October 2011 at the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve, south of El Hierro island. The injection of lava into the ocean had its strongest episode during November 2011 and lasted until March 2012. During this time, in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen were carried out, using a continuous oxygen sensor constantly calibrated with water samples. A severe deoxygenation was observed in the area, particularly during October-November 2011, which was one of the main causes of the high mortality observed among the local marine ecosystem. The measured O2 concentrations were as low as 7.71 µmol kg-1, which represents a -96% decrease with respect to unaffected waters. The oxygen depletion was found in the first 250 m of the water column, with peaks between 70-120 m depth. The deoxygenated plume covered an area of at least 464 km2, distributed particularly south and south-west of the volcano, with occasional patches found north of the island. The oxygen levels were also monitored through the following years, during the degassing stage of the volcano, when oxygen depletion was no longer observed. Additionally, during the eruption, an island-generated anticyclonic eddy interacted with the volcanic plume and transported it for at least 80 km, where the O2 measurements still showed a -8% decrease after mixing and dilution. This feature draws attention to the permanence and transport of volcanic plumes far away from their source and long after the emission.En prens

Enhanced Viral Activity in the Surface Microlayer of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans

The ocean surface microlayer (SML), with physicochemical characteristics different from those of subsurface waters (SSW), results in dense and active viral and microbial communities that may favor virus–host interactions. Conversely, wind speed and/or UV radiation could adversely affect virus infection. Furthermore, in polar regions, organic and inorganic nutrient inputs from melting ice may increase microbial activity in the SML. Since the role of viruses in the microbial food web of the SML is poorly understood in polar oceans, we aimed to study the impact of viruses on prokaryotic communities in the SML and in the SSW in Arctic and Antarctic waters. We hypothesized that a higher viral activity in the SML than in the SSW in both polar systems would be observed. We measured viral and prokaryote abundances, virus-mediated mortality on prokaryotes, heterotrophic and phototrophic nanoflagellate abundance, and environmental factors. In both polar zones, we found small differences in environmental factors between the SML and the SSW. In contrast, despite the adverse effect of wind, viral and prokaryote abundances and virus-mediated mortality on prokaryotes were higher in the SML than in the SSW. As a consequence, the higher carbon flux released by lysed cells in the SML than in the SSW would increase the pool of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and be rapidly used by other prokaryotes to grow (the viral shunt). Thus, our results suggest that viral activity greatly contributes to the functioning of the microbial food web in the SML, which could influence the biogeochemical cycles of the water columnEn prensa

Dysregulation of photosynthetic genes in oceanic Prochlorococcus populations exposed to organic pollutants

The impact of organic pollutants on oceanic ecosystem functioning is largely unknown. Prochlorococcus, the most abundant known photosynthetic organism on Earth, has been suggested to be especially sensible to exposure to organic pollutants, but the sub-lethal effects of organic pollutants on its photosynthetic function at environmentally relevant concentrations and mixtures remain unexplored. Here we show the modulation of the expression of two photosynthetic genes, rbcL (RuBisCO large subunit) and psbA (PSII D1 protein), of oceanic populations of Prochlorococcus from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans when exposed to mixtures of organic pollutants consisting of the non-polar fraction of a seawater extract. This mixture included most persistent organic pollutants, semivolatile aromatic-like compounds, and the unresolved complex mixture of hydrocarbons. Prochlorococcus populations in the controls showed the expected diel cycle variations in expression of photosynthetic genes. However, exposure to a complex mixture at concentrations only 2-fold above the environmental levels resulted in a decrease of expression of both genes, suggesting an effect on the photosynthetic function. While organic pollutant effects on marine phytoplankton have been already demonstrated at the cellular level, this is the first field study showing alterations at the molecular level of the photosynthetic function due to organic pollutants.Versión del edito

Viewing the Steklov eigenvalues of the Laplace operator as critical Neumann eigenvalues

We consider the Steklov eigenvalues of the Laplace operator as limiting Neumann eigenvalues in a problem of boundary mass concentration. We discuss the asymptotic behavior of the Neumann eigenvalues in a ball and we deduce that the Steklov eigenvalues minimize the Neumann eigenvalues. Moreover, we study the dependence of the eigenvalues of the Steklov problem upon perturbation of the mass density and show that the Steklov eigenvalues violates a maximum principle in spectral optimization problems.Comment: This is a preprint version of a paper that will appear in the Proceedings of the 9th ISAAC Congress, Krak\'ow 201