αs(mZ)\alpha_s(m_Z) from tau decays with matching conditions at three loops

Using the recent four-loop calculations of the QCD beta-function and the three-loop matching coefficients we study the induced error in $\alpha_s(m_Z)$ obtained from $\alpha_s(m_tau)$ due to the evolution procedure. We show that, when consistent matching and running is used at this order, these errors are pushed below 0.0005 in $\alpha_s(m_Z)$.Comment: Latex, 11 pp., 3 figures. Uses elsar

Effect of fungal endophytes on plant growth and nutrient uptake in Trifolium subterraneum and Poa pratensis as affected by plant host specificity

[EN[ The introduction of well-adapted species, such as Trifolium subterraneum (subclover) and Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), might enhance the forage yield and quality of dehesa pastures for feeding livestock. However, the climatic hardness and poor soils in these agrosystems may limit plant establishment and development. Since fungal endophytes have been found to alleviate the environmental stresses of their host, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of five isolates on forage yield, nutritive value, and plant mineral uptake after their inoculation in the two abovementioned plant species. Two experiments were established (under greenhouse and field conditions) using plants inoculated with two isolates in 2012/2013 (Epicoccum nigrum, Sporormiella intermedia) and three isolates in 2013/2014 (Mucor hiemalis, Fusarium equiseti, Byssochlamys spectabilis). Fusarium equiseti (E346) increased the herbage yield of T. subterraneum under greenhouse conditions, and B. spectabilis improved the forage quality of T. subterraneum by reducing fiber content and of P. pratensis by increasing crude protein. S. intermedia increased the mineral uptake of Ca, Cu, Mn, Pb, Tl, and Zn in subclover, and M. hiemalis increased the uptake of K and Sr in Kentucky bluegrass. These results evidence the potential of the studied fungal endophytes to enhance herbage yield and nutritional value of forage, although further studies should include all of the target forage species as certain host specificity in the effect was observed.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was funded by Project AGL2011-27454, granted by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (the former Ministry of Science and Innovation) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Potential of fungal endophytes isolated from pasture species in Spanish dehesas to produce enzymes under salt conditions

Producción CientíficaEndophytic fungi have been found to produce a wide range of extracellular enzymes, which are increasingly in demand for their industrial applications. Different by-products from the agrifood industry could be used as fungal growth substrates for the massive production of these enzymes, specifically as a way to revalorize them. However, such by-products often present unfavorable conditions for the microorganism’s growth, such as high salt concentrations. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential of eleven endophytic fungi—which were isolated from plants growing in a harsh environment, specifically, from the Spanish dehesas—for the purposes of the in vitro production of six enzymes (i.e., amylase, lipase, protease, cellulase, pectinase and laccase) under both standard and salt-amended conditions. Under standard conditions, the studied endophytes produced between two and four of the six enzymes evaluated. In most of the producer fungal species, this enzymatic activity was relatively maintained when NaCl was added to the medium. Among the isolates evaluated, Sarocladium terricola (E025), Acremonium implicatum (E178), Microdiplodia hawaiiensis (E198), and an unidentified species (E586) were the most suitable candidates for the massive production of enzymes by using growth substrates with saline properties (such as those found in the many by-products from the agrifood industry). This study should be considered an initial approach by which to further study the identification of these compounds as well as to develop the optimization of their production by directly using those residues.Junta de Extremadura y Fondo Social Europeo - (grant PD18037

Modelos empresariales en el crimen organizado

El modelo empresarial resalta las preocupaciones económicas como la causa principal del comportamiento delictivo organizado. La formación y el éxito de estos grupos criminales depende cada día más de su implementación, y están centrados en las consideraciones económicas más que en las consideraciones jerárquicas o culturales. Los mercados de estupefacientes, por ejemplo, han demostrado que su base se encuentra en “empresarios individuales y pequeñas organizaciones en lugar de burocracias masivas y centralizadas” que son de naturaleza “competitiva” más que “monopolística” (!dler, 1985). Precisamente este fenómeno también ha tenido efecto en la explotación de recursos naturales por parte de grupos criminales que han hecho parte del conflicto armado colombiano para financiarse. En este sentido, el presente documento pretende exponer algunos datos analizados frente a de qué manera el crimen organizado ha instrumentalizado distintos modelos empresariales para hacer eficiente, sostenible y sustentable su actividad económica. Para esto, se utiliza un análisis tipo panel para el periodo 1990 a 2012, con datos obtenidos del Rebel Contraband Dataset (2018) y con modelos de mínimos cuadrados ordinarios a nivel mundial y continental

O CRIME DE DESACATO E A SUA (IN)COMPATIBILIDADE COM A CONVENÇÃO AMERICANA SOBRE DIREITOS HUMANOS.

A presente pesquisa, desenvolvida com o método indutivo, indica que compete ao Poder Judiciário exercer a compatibilização vertical entre as leis do ordenamento jurídico interno com as disposições trazidas pelos tratados internacionais. Exige-se tal dever em decorrência do que dispõe o artigo 5º, §§ 2º e 3º, da CF/88. Dessarte, a mencionada consonância entre normas se perfaz por meio do controle de convencionalidade. Nesse norte, verifica-se que o Pacto de San José da Costa Rica é um tratado internacional do qual o Brasil faz parte desde 1992. Tal diploma normativo internacional, totalmente de cunho humanitário, visa o reconhecimento de garantias fundamentais, possuindo, em razão disso, caráter de norma supralegal, estando, hierarquicamente, abaixo da CF/88, mas acima das demais codificações. Nesse aspecto, constata-se que o crime de desacato, tipificado no art. 331 do CP, é incompatível com o art. 13 da Convenção Americana sobre Direitos Humanos, o qual assegura o livre exercício do direito de expressão. A par desse conflito, como resultado da pesquisa, demonstra-se que, em razão dessa incompatibilidade, o delito de desacato deve ser considerado atípico.Palavras-chave: controle de convencionalidade. Convenção Americana sobre Direitos Humanos. Crime de desacato

QCD Matching Conditions at Thresholds

The use of MS-like renormalization schemes in QCD requires an implementation of nontrivial matching conditions across thresholds, a fact often overlooked in the literature. We shortly review the use of these matching conditions in QCD and check explicitly that the prediction for $\alpha_s(M_Z)$, obtained by running the strong coupling constant from the $M_\tau$ scale, does not substantially depend on the exact value of the matching point chosen in crossing the $b$-quark threshold when the appropriate matching conditions are taken into account.Comment: 9 pages and 2 postscript figures added after the TeX file, LaTeX, CERN-TH.6899/9