A simple and cost-effective method for cable root detection and extension measurement in estuary wetland forests

This work presents the development of a low-cost method to measure the length cable roots of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) trees to define the boundaries of central part of the anchoring root system (CPRS) without the need to fully expose root systems. The method was tested to locate and measure the length shallow woody root systems. An ultrasonic Doppler fetal monitor (UD) and a stock of steel rods (SR) were used to probe root locations without removing sediments from the surface, measure their length and estimate root-soil plate dimensions. The method was validated by comparing measurements with root lengths taken through direct measurement of excavated cable roots and from root-soil plate radii (exposed root-soil material when a tree tips over) of five up-rooted trees with stem diameters (D130) ranging between 10 and 50 cm. The mean CPRS radius estimated with the use of the Doppler was directly correlated with tree stem diameter and was not significantly different from the root-soil plate mean radius measured from up-rooted trees or from CPRS approximated by digging trenches. Our method proved to be effective and reliable in following cable roots for large amounts of trees of both black and white mangrove trees. In a period of 40 days of work, three people were capable of measuring 648 roots belonging to 81 trees, out of which 37% were found grafted to other tree roots. This simple method can be helpful in following shallow root systems with minimal impact and help map root connection networks of grafted trees

La utilidad del cómic en la educación actual (Representación gráfica de la filosofía política)

Como es evidente nadie esperaba una crisis sanitaria tan grande como el Covid-19, ni sus devastadoras consecuencias, tanto a nivel colectivo, como individual. Esta crisis nos lleva a plantearnos si nuestra sociedad está preparada para depender a un nivel tan elevado de la tecnología, reemplazando actividades cotidianas como puede ser el trabajo presencial por teletrabajo mediante el uso de un ordenador y una cámara web para intentar continuar nuestra vida con “normalidad”. Los estudiantes, igual que los trabajadores, han tenido que adaptarse a unas circunstancias a las que no están acostumbrados mientras se hacían conscientes de la amenaza que suponía para la población un virus tan peligroso. Antes del Coronavirus, las actividades que se realizaban estaban orientadas a ayudar al alumnado a comprender nuevos puntos de vista sobre cosas que posiblemente no se habían cuestionado y dotarles de las herramientas necesarias para que pudieran fundamentar su pensamiento sobre una base sólida de conocimientos. Las metodologías que se empleaban en 1ro Bachillerato, eran la realización de comentarios de texto, disertaciones, la visualización de videos que facilitaran al alumnado entender lo que se pretende explicar, además de actividades para reforzar su capacidad discursiva y de razonamiento. Obviamente, para llevar a cabo estas tareas se debe contar con el respeto del grupo/clase para que colabore y genere un ambiente de compañerismo que permita trabajar correctamente. Con el Coronavirus, la situación es muy diferente, ya que no se puede trabajar de forma cooperativa (directamente), sino que necesitamos un ordenador para que los compañeros se comuniquen y eso puede entorpecer el aprendizaje, además de no poder prestar la atención personalizada que requeriría cada alumno en función de sus necesidades, obviando que el trabajo online puede resultar mucho más pesado y tedioso. La unidad didáctica en base a la que he elaborado este TFM corresponde a la rama de la filosofía política que cuestiona las ideas sobre el origen de las sociedades/ Estados que proponen entre otros, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rousseau y analiza los diferentes sistemas económicos que plantean autores como: Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, etc. El objetivo es que con el cómic los alumnos se cuestionen: ¿Qué es la sociedad?, ¿Porqué nos organizamos en sociedades?, ¿Cuál sería el modelo de Estado más adecuado para los seres humanos? En definitiva, que entiendan que forman parte de un modelo social y eso puede tener consecuencias positivas y negativas. <br /

Change in drivers of mangrove crown displacement along a salinity stress gradient

1. Crown displacement in trees is an adaptive response driven by neighbours that optimizes space use and reduces competition. But it can also be the result of wind force. Although morphological responses to neighbours have been well studied, the interplay between neighbours and wind in driving crown shape, and the implications for plant interactions remain poorly understood. However, it is crucial to predict such changes in vegetation structure and function under the scope of global change. We test the hypothesis that aboveground interactions are reduced with increasing soil stress and that wind becomes the main driver of crown shape in mangrove forests. 2. We investigated the effect of neighbours and wind intensity and direction on crown displacement of mangrove canopy and below canopy trees along a salinity gradient, and assessed crown asymmetry for three mangrove tree species, as well as the contribution of crown displacement on reducing crown‐projected area overlap and thus neighbourhood competition. 3. Results show that crown displacement of canopy trees is strongly influenced by winds at all salinities. At low salinities, competition for space accounted for 48% of crown displacement away from neighbours, compared to 49% found for the synthetized effects of wind and neighbours. While trees below the canopy displace their crowns away from their neighbours, no response to wind could be detected. This can be due to the wind protection conferred by a dense canopy stand related to bigger crowns that effectively reduce wind drag. At higher salinities, there was a reduction in canopy overlap due to crown displacement, which suggests reduced aboveground plant interactions with increasing soil stress. 4. While neighbourhood avoidance is a fundamental strategy for optimal light foraging, this study shows that wind strength and directionality are main drivers of crown shape with increasing stress and highlights their potential influence in plant interactions and forest structure, pointing to an increased susceptibility of trees to disturbances that should be further studied

Factors Determining Mortality of Adult Chaparral Shrubs in an Extreme Drought Year in California

We measured dieback and mortality in a chaparral shrub community at a chaparral/desert ecotone following four years of below-average rainfall. Ecotones are important systems in which to examine plant and community responses to extreme and prolonged drought conditions and the potential impact of global change on plant distributions and community composition. Following a particularly severe drought year, dieback and mortality were documented for seven co-dominant shrub species. We examined whether mortality was related to species ecology, leaf traits, or water relations. Dieback and mortality were greatest in two non-sprouting species. These species also had high xylem cavitation resistance and low specific leaf area compared to several sprouting species. Among two sprouting congeners, mortality was greater in the more shallowly rooted species, even though this species was more cavitation resistant. Across all species, those that were more resistant to cavitation had greater mortality. Evidently, high resistance to xylem cavitation does not prevent adult plant mortality at chaparral/desert ecotones. A series of extreme drought years could preferentially reduce or eliminate non-sprouting species from mixed chaparral populations, causing a shift in community structure and contributing to desertification

“Firmar-API Santa Cruz”, firma digital remota en sistemas informáticos de la provincia de Santa Cruz

Aquellos trámites para los cuales era necesario el uso del papel, co-mo por ejemplo llenar un formulario o completar una declaración jurada, hoy en día pueden ser realizados a través de medios electrónicos de una manera más ágil, eficiente, y empleando mucho menos tiempo.En la actualidad los documentos electrónicos o digitales son una herramienta fundamental, y como resultado de este avance, están reemplazando gradual-mente al papel.Es por ello que, en el marco del Plan de Modernización del Estado, la Secretaría de Modernización e Innovación Tecnológica de la Provincia de Santa Cruz, ha diseñado y construido una herramienta de software, “Firmar-API Santa Cruz”, aplicable a los sistemas informáticos de todos los organismos públicos de la provincia de Santa Cruz, mediante la cual se busca integrar el firmado digital remoto de documentos a los desarrollos realizados en cada institución, de una manera transparente para los usuarios como para los sistemas que implementan esta solución.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Susceptibility of Domestic Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) to Experimental Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.351/Beta Variant

A wide range of animal species are susceptible to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Natural and/or experimental infections have been reported in pet, zoo, farmed and wild animals. Interestingly, some SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as B.1.1.7/Alpha, B.1.351/Beta, and B.1.1.529/Omicron, were demonstrated to infect some animal species not susceptible to classical viral variants. The present study aimed to elucidate if goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) are susceptible to the B.1.351/Beta variant. First, an in silico approach was used to predict the affinity between the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351/Beta variant and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 from goats. Moreover, we performed an experimental inoculation with this variant in domestic goat and showed evidence of infection. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in nasal swabs and tissues by RT-qPCR and/or immunohistochemistry, and seroneutralisation was confirmed via ELISA and live virus neutralisation assays. However, the viral amount and tissue distribution suggest a low susceptibility of goats to the B.1.351/Beta variant. Therefore, although monitoring livestock is advisable, it is unlikely that goats play a role as SARS-CoV-2 reservoir species, and they are not useful surrogates to study SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed animals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Artificial Modifications of the Coast In Response to the \u3ci\u3eDeepwater Horizon\u3c/i\u3e Oil Spill: Quick Solutions or Long-Term Liabilities?

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatened many coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer of 2010. Mitigation strategies included the construction of barrier sand berms, the restriction or blocking of inlets, and the diversion of freshwater from rivers to the coastal marshes and into the ocean, in order to flush away the oil, on the premise that these measures could reduce the quantity of oil reaching sensitive coastal environments such as wetlands or estuaries. These projects result in changes to the ecosystems that they were intended to protect. Long-term effects include alterations of the hydrological and ecological characteristics of estuaries, changes in sediment transport along the coastal barrier islands, the loss of sand resources, and adverse impacts to benthic and pelagic organisms. Although there are no easy solutions for minimizing the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on coastal ecosystems, we recommend that federal, state, and local agencies return to the strategic use of long-term restoration plans for this region

Emprendedurismo académico en Paraguay : análisis preliminar de la propensión a la creación de empresas por parte de estudiantes de universidades públicas paraguayas

El objetivo general del proyecto fue contribuir con el fortalecimiento de la educación para emprendedores universitarios, con la intención de expandir la capacidad creativa y productiva nacional, mediante la promoción y desarrollo de capacidades en las personas y consecuentemente en las empresas. Los datos producidos y analizados permitieron un acercamiento al fenómeno de la intención a emprender de estudiantes de universidades públicas de Paraguay, logrando una caracterización de la población de estudio y su posterior clasificación según la tipología de propensión a emprender planteado por el modelo GEST, en donde se observaron 5 perfiles con necesidades de apoyos diferentes en las que las instituciones de educación superior pueden aportar para promover y concretar la creación de emprendimientos exitosos.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll