Meat yield of Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae): comparative assessment of the influence of sex, size and reproductive status

The present study assessed the influence of sex, size and reproductive status on the meat yield (soft tissues proportion) of the purple dye murex (Bolinus brandaris) from the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal). During one year of monthly sampling (October 2008-September 2009), average meat yield of B. brandaris was 40.5 +/- 6.1% (range: 25.8-56.1% wet weight), with no significant differences between sexes. Relationships established between specimen size and soft parts weight indicated that both shell length and total weight are excellent indicators of meat yield. Significant differences in meat yield between size classes further reinforced the trend of increasing meat yield during ontogeny. Meat yield exhibited significant monthly variation and a similar temporal trend in both sexes, which were directly related to the reproductive status. Meat yield of B. brandaris was compared with that of other muricid species and the marked influence of the reproductive status on meat yield prompted a comparative assessment of the spawning season and peak of three sympatric muricids (B. brandaris, Hexaplex trunculus and Stramonita haemastoma). Overall, these findings have implications at diverse levels, including the management, regulation and inspection of this fishing/ harvesting activity and the commercialization and consumption of this seafood product.postdoctoral grant [SFRH/BPD/26348/2006]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT - Portugal); Fisheries Operational Programme (PROMAR); European Fisheries Fund [EFF 2007-2013]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electroweak Corrections to the Top Quark Decay

We have calculated the one-loop electroweak corrections to the decay t-> bW+, including the counterterm for the CKM matrix elements V(tb). Previous calculations used an incorrect delta V(tb) that led to a gauge dependent amplitude. However, since the contribution stemming from delta V(tb) is small, those calculations only underestimate the width by roughly one part in 10^5.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Inelaticity in hadron-nucleus collisions from emulsion chamber studies

The inelasticity of hadron-carbon nucleus collisions in the energy region exceeding 100 TeV is estimated from the carbon-emulsion chamber data at Pamirs to be $= 0.65\pm 0.08$. When combined with the recently presented data on hadron-lead nucleus collisions taken at the same energy range it results in the $K\sim A^{0.086}$ mass number dependence of inelasticity. The evaluated partial inelasticity for secondary ($\nu > 1$) interactions, $K_{\nu >1} \simeq 0.2$, suggests that the second and higher interactions of the excited hadron inside the nucleus proceed with only slight energy losses.Comment: LaTeX file and 5 LaTeX files with figures, 11 pages altogether. Thoroughly rewritten and modified, one figure addded one removed. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Renormalization of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa Quark Mixing Matrix

We have investigated the present renormalization prescriptions of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix. When considering the prescription which is formulated with reference to the case of zero mixing we find it doesn't satisfy the unitary condition of the bare CKM matrix. After added a delicate patch this problem can be solved at one-loop level. In this paper We generalize this prescription to all loop levels and keep the unitarity of the bare CKM matrix, simultaneously make the amplitude of an arbitrary physical process involving quark mixing convergent and gauge independent. We also find that in order to keep the CKM counterterms gauge independent the unitarity of the bare CKM matrix must be preserved.Comment: has been revised, 8 pages, 1 figur

Electroweak 2 -> 2 amplitudes for electron-positron annihilation at TeV energies

The non-radiative scattering amplitudes for electron-positron annihilation into quark and lepton pairs in the TeV energy range are calculated in the double-logarithmic approximation. The expressions for the amplitudes are obtained using infrared evolution equations with different cut-offs for virtual photons and for W and Z bosons, and compared with previous results obtained with an universal cut-off.Comment: Revtex4, 17 pages, 7 figures. Some minor changes made, more refs adde

Herbicidal activity of volatiles from coriander, winter savory, cotton lavender, and thyme isolated by hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction

The volatiles from Coriandrum sativum L., Satureja montana L., Santolina chamaecyparissus L., and Thymus vulgaris L. were isolated by hydrodistillation (essential oil) and supercritical fluid extraction (volatile oil). Their effect on seed germination and root and shoot growth of the surviving seedlings of four crops (Zea mays L., Triticum durum L., Pisum sativum L., and Lactuca sativa L.) and two weeds (Portulaca oleracea L. and Vicia sativa L.) was investigated and compared with those of two synthetic herbicides, Agrocide and Prowl. The volatile oils of thyme and cotton lavender seemed to be promising alternatives to the synthetic herbicides because they were the least injurious to the crop species. The essential oil of winter savory, on the other hand, affected both crop and weeds and can be appropriate for uncultivated fields

NADP-Dependent Isocitrate Dehydrogenase from Arabidopsis Roots Contributes in the Mechanism of Defence against the Nitro-Oxidative Stress Induced by Salinity

NADPH regeneration appears to be essential in the mechanism of plant defence against oxidative stress. Plants contain several NADPH-generating dehydrogenases including isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), and malic enzyme (ME). In Arabidopsis seedlings grown under salinity conditions (100 mM NaCl) the analysis of physiological parameters, antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) and content of superoxide radical (O2  ∙−), nitric oxide (NO), and peroxynitrite (ONOO−) indicates a process of nitro-oxidative stress induced by NaCl. Among the analysed NADPH-generating dehydrogenases under salinity conditions, the NADP-ICDH showed the maximum activity mainly attributable to the root NADP-ICDH. Thus, these data provide new insights on the relevance of the NADP-ICDH which could be considered as a second barrier in the mechanism of response against the nitro-oxidative stress generated by salinity

Aplicabilidade de marcadores SSR em estudos genéticos em Gossypium Mustelinun Miers.

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Escenarios virtuales de aprendizaje y práctica docente universitaria

En el ámbito universitario cada vez son más numerosos los entornos virtuales de enseñanza y aprendizaje (EVEA) que se editan en plataformas de gestión institucional del tipo LMS. Sin embargo, existen planteos que interpelan a la universidad, como institución educativa de cara al futuro, que sostienen que ésta no puede abordar las exigencias de la sociedad del conocimiento sólo desde dichos entornos de gestión del aprendizaje. En el trabajo de investigación denominado "Escenarios virtuales de aprendizaje. Tensiones para la práctica docente en el ámbito universitario"1 se considera el concepto de escenarios de aprendizaje futuros (Salinas, 2016), el cual refiere a una combinación e integración de las posibilidades pedagógicas de los entornos personales (PLE), los sociales (Redes sociales) e institucionales (LMS) como alternativa a las prácticas de e-learning generalmente concentradas en los EVEA. El planteo central refiere a que el desarrollo de tales escenarios tensiona en distintas direcciones a la práctica docente y al contexto institucional en el cual se inscriben.Eje 4 - Mesa 8.Dirección de Educación a Distancia, Innovación en el aula y TI

Carbon stars in the X-shooter Spectral Library

We provide a new collection of spectra of 35 carbon stars obtained with the ESO/VLT X-shooter instrument as part of the X-shooter Spectral Library project. The spectra extend from 0.3$\mu$m to 2.4$\mu$m with a resolving power above $\sim$ 8000. The sample contains stars with a broad range of (J-K) color and pulsation properties located in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. We show that the distribution of spectral properties of carbon stars at a given (J-K) color becomes bimodal (in our sample) when (J-K) is larger than about 1.5. We describe the two families of spectra that emerge, characterized by the presence or absence of the absorption feature at 1.53$\mu$m, generally associated with HCN and C$_2$H$_2$. This feature appears essentially only in large-amplitude variables, though not in all observations. Associated spectral signatures that we interpret as the result of veiling by circumstellar matter, indicate that the 1.53$\mu$m feature might point to episodes of dust production in carbon-rich Miras.Comment: 29 pages, 21 figures, 9 tables, Accepted for publication in A&