Role of early experience in the development of preference for low-quality food in sheep

Domestic ruminant selectivity induces floristic changes in pasturelands, risking sustainability and limiting the subsequent availability of susceptible plant species. Development of preferences for species of lower nutritional quality may help to overcome those problems. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that early experience of sheep with a low-quality food (LQF) in a nutritional enriched context increases preference for LQF in adulthood. We predicted a higher proportional consumption of LQF in experienced lambs (EL) than in inexperienced lambs (IL) in choice situations involving LQF and alternative foods. Additionally, we determined intake of LQF by EL and IL at different levels of high-quality food (HQF) availability. From 60 to 210 days of age, EL were fed in separated feed bunks mature oat hay (LQF) simultaneously with sunflower meal (SM) and corn grain (CG), whereas IL were fed alfalfa hay (HQF) simultaneously with SM and CG. After exposure, EL and IL were offered LQF in free choice situations involving alternative foods, and also at five levels of HQF availability (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0% of ad libitum intake). Proportional consumption of LQF was lower or similar in EL than IL. Intake of LQF was also lower or similar in EL than IL at all levels of HQF availability, except when the LQF was the only food available. Our results did not support the hypothesis that early experience with a LQF in a nutritional enriched context increases preference for LQF in adulthood. On the contrary, experience with LQF diminished subsequent preference for LQF in adulthood. It is proposed that, in the conditions of our study, continuous comparison between the LQF and the high-quality supplements (CG and SM) during the early exposure period lead to devaluation of LQF by EL through a simultaneous negative contrast effect.Fil: Catanese, Francisco Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Distel, Roberto Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Iglesias, R. M.. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Villalba, J. J.. State University of Utah; Estados Unido

Determinación del eje de la carretera y la distancia de visibilidad utilizando datos GPS y herramientas SIG

Hoy en día, tanto en el proceso de diseño de las carreteras como en el análisis del funcionamiento de las ya construidas, se está dando cada vez más importancia a la seguridad vial. Entre los distintos aspectos que se consideran se encuentra la distancia de visibilidad. Por otra parte, uno de los problemas que aparecen en la práctica al tratar de analizar carreteras en servicio es la falta de datos de la geometría del eje que estén actualizados y tengan la precisión requerida. En esta comunicación se presenta un procedimiento para determinar el eje de la carretera mediante información GPS y calcular la distancia de visibilidad aplicando herramientas SIG. El procedimiento se ha aplicado a un tramo de carretera convencional de doble sentido de circulación. El método propuesto puede ser especialmente útil en aquellas carreteras en servicio y de las que, por no contar con la información sobre su trazado (original o posteriores modificaciones), no es posible utilizar los programas de diseño de carreteras para el cálculo de la distancia de visibilidad.Nowadays road safety aspects are very important, both for the designing process and for the analysis of already built roads. Sight distance is one of the most important road safety aspects to consider. On the other hand, the geometric definition of already built roads is one of the most difficult issues that arise in practice. This road geometry must be accurate and up to date. In this paper, a procedure to determine the alignment of a road using a GPS and to calculate sight distances using GIS tools is presented. Also, the use of this procedure in a two-lane rural road is described. The proposed method can be especially useful for those roads whose design data are not available because, on them, road design software could not be used for sight distance calculation

Spatial and temporal analysis (2009–2020) of the biological parameters, abundance and distribution of Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868) in the Western Mediterranean

Trachurus mediterraneus is captured as by catch by the fishing fleet in the Spanish Mediterranean and usually landed as the global category of Trachurus spp., consequently there is a prominent lack of biological data on this species. The knowledge of the spatial and temporal evolution of its distribution, abundance and main biological parameters is essential to achieve a proper management and sustainable exploitation. Data collected in the MEDiterranean International Acoustic Survey (MEDIAS) 2009–2020 time series, carried out in July, has been analyzed to determine the evolution of the main ecological aspects of T. mediterraneus in two GFCM management units: Northern Spain (GSA06) and Northern Alboran Sea (GSA01). The results suggest a possible neritic distribution of T. mediterraneus, mainly concentrated at depths less than 60 m in GSA01 and up to 105 m in GSA06, as well as the existence of significant differences in abundance and length frequency distributions among GSAs. Furthermore, preliminary results regarding T. mediterraneus age and growth seemed to indicate a faster growth during the first two years in GSA01 than in GSA06. In both areas, potential changes in the life history traits of this species were evidenced, with a decreasing trend in the size at first maturity and condition factor over the years. Finally, five persistent distribution areas were located along the study area, highlighting Málaga Bay as a possible recruitment ground. The relevance of this study lies in the growing need for robust and current biological data of intermediate species in the marine food web and it contributes to the global purpose of achieving an integrated management of fishery resources.Versión del editor1,58

Incidents control in radiotherapy oncology

Primer pla de l'escut del monarca del s. XVI, conservat i ubicat a la porta de la UB. Mesura 1,60 x 2,20 metre si és de pedra sorrenca

Fossil group origins V. The dependence of the luminosity function on the magnitude gap

In nature we observe galaxy aggregations that span a wide range of magnitude gaps between the two first-ranked galaxies of a system ($\Delta m_{12}$). There are systems with gaps close to zero (e.g., the Coma cluster), and at the other extreme of the distribution, the largest gaps are found among the so-called fossil systems. Fossil and non-fossil systems could have different galaxy populations that should be reflected in their luminosity functions. In this work we study, for the first time, the dependence of the luminosity function parameters on $\Delta m_{12}$ using data obtained by the fossil group origins (FOGO) project. We constructed a hybrid luminosity function for 102 groups and clusters at $z \le 0.25$. We stacked all the individual luminosity functions, dividing them into bins of $\Delta m_{12}$, and studied their best-fit Schechter parameters. We additionally computed a relative luminosity function, expressed as a function of the central galaxy luminosity, which boosts our capacity to detect differences, especially at the bright end. We find trends as a function of $\Delta m_{12}$ at both the bright and faint ends of the luminosity function. In particular, at the bright end, the larger the magnitude gap, the fainter the characteristic magnitude $M^\ast$. We also find differences at the faint end. In this region, the larger the gap, the flatter the faint-end slope $\alpha$. The differences found at the bright end support a dissipationless, dynamical friction-driven merging model for the growth of the central galaxy in group- and cluster-sized halos. The differences in the faint end cannot be explained by this mechanism. Other processes, such as enhanced tidal disruption due to early infall and/or prevalence of eccentric orbits, may play a role. However, a larger sample of systems with $\Delta m_{12} > 1.5$ is needed to establish the differences at the faint end.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Physiological responses of coccolithophores to abrupt exposure of naturally low pH deep seawater

Upwelling is the process by which deep, cold, relatively high-CO2, nutrient-rich seawater rises to the sunlit surface of the ocean. This seasonal process has fueled geoengineering initiatives to fertilize the surface ocean with deep seawater to enhance productivity and thus promote the drawdown of CO2. Coccolithophores, which inhabit many upwelling regions naturally ‘fertilized’ by deep seawater, have been investigated in the laboratory in the context of ocean acidification to determine the extent to which nutrients and CO2 impact their physiology, but few data exist in the field except from mesocosms. Here, we used the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (north Atlantic Ocean) Observatory to retrieve seawater from depths with elevated CO2 and nutrients, mimicking geoengineering approaches. We tested the effects of abrupt natural deep seawater fertilization on the physiology and biogeochemistry of two strains of Emiliania huxleyi of known physiology. None of the strains tested underwent cell divisions when incubated in waters obtained from 1,000 m, artificial upwelling using shallower waters may not be a suitable approach for promoting carbon sequestration for some locations and assemblages, and should therefore be investigated on a site-by-site basis

Fossil Groups Origins III. The relation between optical and X-ray luminosities

This study is part of the FOssil Groups Origin (FOGO) project which aims at carrying out a systematic and multiwavelength study of a large sample of fossil systems. Here we focus on the relation between the optical luminosity (Lopt) and X-ray luminosity (Lx). Out of a sample of 28 candidate fossil systems, we consider a sample of 12 systems whose fossil classification has been confirmed by a companion study. They are compared with the complementary sample of 16 systems whose fossil nature is not confirmed and with a subsample of 102 galaxy systems from the RASS-SDSS galaxy cluster survey. Fossil and normal systems span the same redshift range 0<z<0.5 and have the same Lx distribution. For each fossil system, the Lx in the 0.1-2.4 keV band is computed using data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey. For each fossil and normal system we homogeneously compute Lopt in the r-band within the characteristic cluster radius, using data from the SDSS DR7. We sample the Lx-Lopt relation over two orders of magnitude in Lx. Our analysis shows that fossil systems are not statistically distinguishable from the normal systems both through the 2D KS test and the fit of the Lx-Lopt relation. The optical luminosity of the galaxy system does strongly correlate with the X-ray luminosity of the hot gas component, independently of whether the system is fossil or not. We conclude that our results are consistent with the classical "merging scenario" of the brightest galaxy formed via merger/cannibalism of other group galaxies, with conservation of the optical light. We find no evidence for a peculiar state of the hot intracluster medium.Comment: A&A, 12 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, typos corr. and paper re-numbe

Chirping compact stars: gravitational radiation and detection degeneracy with binary systems A conceptual pathfinder for space-based gravitational-wave observatories

Compressible, Riemann S-type ellipsoids can emit gravitational waves (GWs) with a chirp-like behavior (hereafter chirping ellipsoids, CELs). We show that the GW frequency-amplitude evolution of CELs (mass $\sim 1$~M$_\odot$, radius $\sim10^3$~km, polytropic equation of state with index $n\approx 3$) is indistinguishable from that emitted by double white dwarfs (DWDs) and by extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) composed of an intermediate-mass (e.g.~$10^3~M_\odot$) black hole and a planet-like (e.g.~$10^{-4}~M_\odot$) companion, in a specific frequency interval within the detector sensitivity band in which the GWs of all these systems are quasi-monochromatic. We estimate that for reasonable astrophysical assumptions, the rates in the local Universe of CELs, DWDs and EMRIs in the mass range considered here, are very similar, posing a detection-degeneracy challenge for space-based GW detectors. The astrophysical implications of this CEL-binary detection degeneracy by space-based GW-detection facilities, are outlined.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Fossil Groups Origins III. Characterization of the sample and observational properties of fossil systems

(Abridged) Fossil systems are group- or cluster-sized objects whose luminosity is dominated by a very massive central galaxy. In the current cold dark matter scenario, these objects formed hierarchically at an early epoch of the Universe and then slowly evolved until present day. That is the reason why they are called {\it fossils}. We started an extensive observational program to characterize a sample of 34 fossil group candidates spanning a broad range of physical properties. Deep $r-$band images were taken for each candidate and optical spectroscopic observations were obtained for $\sim$ 1200 galaxies. This new dataset was completed with SDSS DR7 archival data to obtain robust cluster membership and global properties of each fossil group candidate. For each system, we recomputed the magnitude gaps between the two brightest galaxies ($\Delta m_{12}$) and the first and fourth ranked galaxies ($\Delta m_{14}$) within 0.5 $R_{{\rm 200}}$. We consider fossil systems those with $\Delta m_{12} \ge 2$ mag or $\Delta m_{14} \ge 2.5$ mag within the errors. We find that 15 candidates turned out to be fossil systems. Their observational properties agree with those of non-fossil systems. Both follow the same correlations, but fossils are always extreme cases. In particular, they host the brightest central galaxies and the fraction of total galaxy light enclosed in the central galaxy is larger in fossil than in non-fossil systems. Finally, we confirm the existence of genuine fossil clusters. Combining our results with others in the literature, we favor the merging scenario in which fossil systems formed due to mergers of $L^\ast$ galaxies. The large magnitude gap is a consequence of the extreme merger ratio within fossil systems and therefore it is an evolutionary effect. Moreover, we suggest that at least one candidate in our sample could represent a transitional fossil stage.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&