Geodiversity in Pampas: Geomorphology and conservation of coastal dunes landscapes

En este trabajo se realiza una aproximación a la geodiversidad y el estado de conservación de la costa pampeana de Buenos Aires mediante el desarrollo de un estimador indirecto cualitativo, basado en variables geomorfológicas. Se analizaron imágenes de satélite y se efectuó reconocimiento en campo para la definición de paisajes según el patrón geomorfológico. Las variables de delimitación y caracterización utilizadas fueron: orientación y forma de la línea de costa; forma, textura y arreglo espacial de la vegetación; cantidad, disposición espacial y tipos de geoformas según el agente modelador y la dinámica; signos del estado dinámico del borde costero. Se calculó el porcentaje relativo de superficie correspondiente a áreas urbanas, rurales, forestales y en estado nativo, y se estimó el área protegida legalmente. Finalmente se elaboró un índice de diversidad geomorfológica, un índice de geodiversidad y otro de nivel de protección de la geodiversidad para cada paisaje. Se trabajó con la Región Costera Oriental y la Región Costera Austral (RCO y RCA) por poseer los principales campos de dunas. Éstas se subdividieron en paisajes: orientales norte y sur, y australes este, centro-este, centro, centro-oeste y oeste, respectivamente. Las regiones se diferenciaron por su orientación y extensión, pero principalmente por la calidad de los campos de dunas presentes. Se encontró que la casi totalidad de la RCO presenta modificaciones antropogénicas, y que la RCA posee la mayor parte de la geodiversidad, aunque se encuentra desprotegida legalmente en su gran mayoría. El porcentaje de área modificada por acción antrópica parece disminuir hacia el sudoeste, mostrando un patrón opuesto al de la geodiversidad, que aumenta hacia el sudoeste.Neste trabalho realiza-se um estudo à geodiversidade e ao estado de conservação da costa pampeana de Buenos Aires com o desenvolvimento de um estimador indirecto qualitativo, baseado em variáveis geomorfológicas. Analizaram-se imagens de satélite e efectuaram-se reconhecimentos de campo para a definição de paisagens segundo o padrão geomorfológico. As variáveis de delimitação e caracterização utilizadas foram: orientação e forma da linha de costa; forma, textura e arranjo espacial da vegetação; quantidade, disposição espacial e tipos de geoformas segundo o agente modelador e a dinâmica; evidências do estado dinâmico da borda costeira. Calculou-se a percentagem relativa correspondente a áreas urbanas, rurais, florestais e o estado original, e estimou-se a área protegida legalmente. Finalmente, elaborou-se um índice de diversidade geomorfológica, um índice de geodiversidade e outro do nível de protecção da geodiversidade para cada paisagem. Trabalhou-se com a Região Costeira Oriental e a Região Costeira Austral (RCO e RCA) porque possuem os principais campos dunares. Estas subdividiram-se em paisagens: orientais norte e sul, e austral este, centro-este, centro, centro-oeste e oeste, respectivamente. As regiões diferenciaram-se pela sua orientação e extensão, mas principalmente pela qualidade dos campos dunares presentes. Verificouse que a quase totalidade da RCO apresenta modificações antrópicas e que a RCA posui a maior parte da geodiversidade, embora se encontre desprotegida legalmente na sua grande maioria. A percentagem de área modificada pela acção antrópica parece diminuir para sudoeste, mostrando um padrão oposto da geodiversidade, que aumenta para sudoesteThis work presents an approach to the geodiversity and the conservation of the Pampas coast conservation in Buenos Aires, by means of the development of a qualitative indirect estimator based on geomorphological variables. Satellite images and field samples were analyzed in order to define the landscapes according to the geomorphological pattern. Demarcation and characterization variables used were: coastline shape and orientation; form, texture and spatial arrangement of vegetation; geoforms type, quantity, and spatial arrangement according to the agent modeler and the dynamics; evidence of the dynamic state of the coastline - retreating, accretion or stationary. The relative percentage of surface corresponding to urban, rural, forest and native areas was calculates and the total area legally protected was determined. Three indexes were developed for each landscape to estimate: geomorphology, geodiversity and geodiversity preservation. The work analyzes the Oriental Coastal Region and the Austral Coastal Region (RCO and RCA respectively) because they enclose the main dune fields. These regions were subdivided in landscapes: Oriental North and South, and Austral East, Center - East, Centre, Centre-West and West. Regions differed by their orientation and extension, but mainly by the quality of the present dune fields. It was found that almost the totality of the RCO presents anthropogenic modifications, and the RCA has the largest part of geodiversity, although its major surface is legally unprotected. The percentage of area modified by human action appears to decrease towards the Southwest, showing a pattern opposite to geodiversity, which increases towards the Southwest.Fil: Montserrat, A. L.. No especifíca;Fil: Codignotto, Jorge Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geologico Minero Argentino; Argentin

Off-axis vortices in trapped Bose condensed gases: angular momentum and frequency splitting

We consider non centered vortices and their arrays in a cylindrically trapped Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature. We study the kinetic energy and the angular momentum per particle in the Thomas Fermi regime and their dependence on the distance of the vortices from the center of the trap. Using a perturbative approach with respect to the velocity-field of the vortices, we calculate to first order the frequency shift of the collective low-lying excitations due to the presence of an off-center vortex or a vortex array, and compare these results with predictions which would be obtained by the application of a simple sum-rule approach, previously found to be very successful for centered vortices. It turns out that the simple sum-rule approach fails for off-centered vortices.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures. Perturbative approach adde

Detection of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) allergens in processed foods by immunoassay: Influence of selected target protein and ELISA format applied

Direct competitive and sandwich ELISA formats developed to determine Ara h1 and Ara h2 proteins were applied in the detection of peanut in model biscuits prepared with a commercial peanut butter as ingredient. The sandwich format for Ara h2 protein could detect the addition of 2.5% peanut butter, whereas the same format for Ara h1 could not detect 5% added peanut. Direct competitive formats for Ara h1 and Ara h2 proteins could detect the addition of 1% and 0.05% peanut butter, respectively. Therefore, competitive format for Ara h2 was selected to be evaluated by four laboratories, obtaining adequate results in term of repeatability and reproducibility. Results obtained indicate that processing decreased the level of extracted proteins and underestimated the amount of Ara h1 and Ara h2 proteins, the effect being more severe for Ara h1. The selection of the target protein and the ELISA format applied greatly influence the detection of peanut in processed foods

Compensation of inorganic acid interferences in ICP-OES and ICP-MS using a Flow Blurring® multinebulizer

A new and easy method has been proposed for compensation of inorganic acid matrix effects in ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The method consists on an on-line standard addition calibration using a Flow Blurring® multinebulizer (FBMN-based system). Experimental conditions of the FBMN-based system are optimized for both ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Under optimized conditions recovery values obtained in the analysis of synthetic acid samples were close to 100% for HNO3 and HCl (with acid concentrations of up to 15% (w w-1)) and H2SO4 (up to 10% (w w-1)) for both plasma-based spectrochemical techniques. The applicability of the proposed method has been evaluated analyzing two whole milk powders, certified reference material and a commercial product, showing excellent recovery values. Compared with other calibration strategies and experimental setups used, the on-line standard addition calibration using the FBMN-based system is faster, easier to handle and significantly reduces reagents and sample consumption.The authors express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects n. CTQ2008 06730-C02-01 and PHB-2010-0018-PC), to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior in Brazil (Grant CAPES-DGU 243/11), and the Regional Government of Valencia (Spain) (projects n. ACOMP/2009/144 and ACOMP/2010/047) for financial support. The authors gratefully acknowledge OneNeb® (Division of Ingeniatrics Tecnologías S.L.) for the FBMN prototype provided. M.A.A. thanks the University of Alicante for his PhD fellowship. This work is part of the Ph.D. degree of M.A.A

Exploring the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in a secondary bifurcation

We present new experimental results on the quenching dynamics of an extended thermo-convective system (a network array of approximately 100 convective oscillators) going through a secondary subcritical bifurcation. We characterize a dynamical phase transition through the nature of the domain walls (1D-fronts) that connect the basic multicellular pattern with the new oscillating one. Two different mechanisms of the relaxing dynamics at the threshold are characterized depending on the crossing rate $\mu=\left.\frac{d\varepsilon}{dt}\right|_{\varepsilon=0}$ of the quenched transition. From the analysis of fronts, we show that these mechanisms follow different correlation length scales $\xi \sim \mu^{-\sigma}$. Below a critical value $\mu_c$, a slow response dynamics yields a spatiotemporal coherent front with weak coupling between oscillators. Above $\mu_c$, for rapid quenches, defects are trapped at the front with a strong coupling between oscillators, similarly to the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in quenched phase transitions. These defects, pinned to the fronts, yield a strong decay of the correlation length

Frozen dynamics and synchronization through a secondary symmetry-breaking bifurcation

We show evidence of the frozen dynamics (Kibble-Zurek mechanism) at the transition one-dimensional (1D) front of an extended 1D array of convective oscillators that undergo a secondary subcritical bifurcation. Results correspond to a global synchronization process from nonlocal coupling between the oscillating units. The quenched dynamics exhibits defect trapping at the synchronization front according to the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, predicted for condensed matter systems. A stronger subcriticality prevents the fronts from freezing defects during the quenched transitions. A synchronization model of supercritical oscillating units is proposed to explain differentiation mechanisms in morphogenesis above a critical crossing rate when the frequency of the individual oscillators becomes coherent. The phases of such oscillators are spatially coupled through a Kuramoto-Battogtokh term that leads to the experimentally observed subcriticality. As a consequence, we show that the Kibble-Zurek mechanism overcomes non-locality of a geometrical network above a critical crossing rate

Therapeutic education and functional readaptation in obese patients on a waiting list for total knee replacement. A case-control study

Background Studies show patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) on waiting list for total knee replacement (TKR) underused conservative treatment, did not adhere to clinical guidelines on knee OA management, and potentially had earlier surgery and a higher risk of revisions. Therapeutic education and functional readaptation (TEFR) plus conventional therapy in waiting list patients improved function and adherence. TKR patients are often obese, negatively influencing TKR results, many patients are dissatisfied after TKR, and around 14% of TKR are inappropriate..

Health care and societal costs of the management of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Spain: a descriptive analysis

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition in childhood (5.3% to 7.1% worldwide prevalence), with substantial overall financial burden to children/adolescents, their families, and society. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with ADHD in Spain, estimate the associated direct/indirect costs of the disorder, and assess whether the characteristics and financial costs differed between children/adolescents adequately responding to currently available pharmacotherapies compared with children/adolescents for whom pharmacotherapies failed. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis conducted in 15 health units representative of the overall Spanish population. Data on demographic characteristics, socio-occupational status, social relationships, clinical variables of the disease, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments received were collected in 321 children and adolescents with ADHD. Direct and indirect costs were estimated over one year from both a health care system and a societal perspective. Results: The estimated average cost of ADHD per year per child/adolescent was €5733 in 2012 prices; direct costs accounted for 60.2% of the total costs (€3450). Support from a psychologist/educational psychologist represented 45.2% of direct costs and 27.2% of total costs. Pharmacotherapy accounted for 25.8% of direct costs and 15.5% of total costs. Among indirect costs (€2283), 65.2% was due to caregiver expenses. The total annual costs were significantly higher for children/adolescents who responded poorly to pharmacological treatment (€7654 versus €5517; P = 0.024), the difference being mainly due to significantly higher direct costs, particularly with larger expenses for non-pharmacological treatment (P = 0.012). Conclusions: ADHD has a significant personal, familial, and financial impact on the Spanish health system and society. Successful pharmacological intervention was associated with lower overall expenses in the management of the disorde