Albayzin 2010 Evaluation campaign: speaker diarization

In this paper we present the evaluation results for the task of speaker diarization in broadcast news domain as part of the Albayzin 2010 evaluation campaign of language and speech technologies. The evaluation data was a subset of the Catalan broadcast news database recorded from the 3/24 TV channel. Six competing systems from five different universities were submitted for the Albayzin 2010: Speaker diarization session and the lowest diarization error rate obtained was 30.4%.Postprint (published version

Relacion edad cronologica y osea segun el metodo de Lamparski en pacientes de 6 a 17 anos de edad, atendidos en el Programa de Especializacion en Ortodoncia y Ortopedia Dentofacial de la Universidad de Talca entre los anos 2005 al 2009

76 p.Se realizó un estudio comparativo de corte transversal, aplicando el método de determinación de maduración ósea de Lamparski. La población a estudiar corresponde a pacientes de 6 a 17 años del Programa de Especialización en Ortopedia y Ortodoncia Dentofacial de la Universidad de Talca, atendidos entre los años 2005 al 2009, con sus respectivas fichas clínicas y radiografías de perfil. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la maduración ósea aplicando el método de Lamparski. La muestra se obtuvo del universo de pacientes de 6 a 17 años que contaban con telerradiografía. Se digitalizaron todas las radiografías y se procedió a la calibración intra e interoperador. Luego de realizar el diagnóstico de la totalidad de las radiografías, se procedió a comparar los resultados de la muestra, con los propuestos por Lamparski. Se procedió al análisis estadístico mediante el Coeficiente de concordancia de Lin y el método de Bland y Altman. Los resultados obtenidos indican que hay un bajo grado de concordancia entre la edad cronológica y la edad estimada por el método de Lamparski. En conclusión los resultados obtenidos en este estudio indican que la edad ósea diagnosticada por Lamparki para cada estadio no es aplicable a la muestra

Monitoring land cover change of the dryland forest landscape of Central Chile (1975–2008)

Las figuras que contiene el documento se localizan al final del mismo.Land cover and its configuration in the landscape are crucial components in the provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Mediterranean regions, natural landscapes mostly covered by evergreen vegetation have been to a large extent transformed into cultural landscapes since long time ago. We investigated land cover changes in Central Chile using multi-temporal satellite imagery taken in 1975, 1985, 1999 and 2008. The major trends in this highly dynamic landscape were reduction of dryland forest and conversion of shrubland to intensive land uses such as farmland. The average net annual deforestation rate was −1.7%, and shrubland reduction occurred at an annual rate of −0.7%; agriculture, urban areas and timber plantations increased at annual rates of 1.1%, 2.7% and 3.2%, respectively, during the 1975–2008 period. Total forest and shrubland loss rates were partly offset by passive revegetation. However, most of the areas that were passively revegetated remained as shrubland and did not turn into forests due to a low capacity of forest recovery. This resulted in a progressive loss and degradation of dryland forest over the entire region. Overall, the documented land cover changes increase provisioning services such as crops, cattle, and timber that are characteristic of cultural landscapes in the area but may cause an irreversible loss of biodiversity and a depletion of other ecological services provided by forests and shrubland. The implications for conservation of this area and the need for territorial planning and adapted land-use strategies are discussed

Novel HIPIMS deposited nanostructured CrN/NbN coatings for environmental protection of steam turbine components

To increase efficiency, modern steam plants are pushing their operational regime from super-critical (600°C/300 bar) to ultra- super-critical (740/760°C/350 bar) stretching existing turbine materials to their limits. The focus is on new generation functional materials and technologies which complement the inherent properties of existing materials. Current work proposes a novel High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) deposition technology, for the first time, for deposition of a ceramic based CrN/NbN coating with a nanoscale multilayer structure (bi-layer thickness ∆ = 1.9 nm) with superior adhesion ( LC2= 80N) to protect low Chromium P92 steel widely used in steam power plants. Thermodynamic calculations predict the equilibrium phases and aggressive gaseous compounds generated by the interaction of steam with the coating. CrN/NbN coated P92 steel samples oxidised at 600°C in a high pressure (50 bar) 100% steam atmosphere for up to 1000 h reveal the coating's superior oxidation resistance and protective mechanisms, especially against the detrimental effect of Hydrogen. High temperature (650°C) Tensile Strength, Low Cycle Fatigue and Creep tests confirm that, unlike other state-of-the-art PVD technologies, HIPIMS is not detrimental to the mechanical properties of the substrate material. Water droplet erosion tests confirm no measurable weight loss after 2.4x106 impacts

Widening the gene pool of sexual tetraploid bahiagrass: Generation and reproductive characterization of a sexual synthetic tetraploid population

The improvement of bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum Flüggé, has been inhibited by reduced levels of genetic diversity in sexual tetraploid germplasm. A few experimental sexual tetraploid genotypes (ESTGs) have been generated by chromosome doubling, but these plants typically exhibit low vigor. The objectives of this work were to generate and characterize the ploidy level, mode of reproduction, and fertility of a novel 308 individual sexual synthetic tetraploid population (SSTP) developed by intercrossing 29 sexual F1 hybrids originated by hybridizing several naturally occurring apomictic tetraploids from diverse origin with a few ESTGs. Ploidy levels were determined using flow cytometry, and reproductive modes were evaluated by a molecular assay with apospory-linked markers and embryo sac observations. The tetraploid level and the sexual mode of reproduction remained stable after two cycles of recombination during the generation of the SSTP. Fertility was evaluated based on seed set under self- and open pollination during 3 yr. The SSTP exhibited in average 30.2 and 15.2% seed set under open and self-pollina-tion, respectively, showing a predominantly cross-pollination behavior with variable levels of self-fertility. There were no differences in terms of fertility between the SSTP and the ESTG. The novel tetraploid population behaves as sexual and cross-pollinated, and it is expected to allow a more efficient genetic improvement under the proposed breeding approaches.Fil: Zilli, Alex Leonel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Acuña, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Schulz, R. R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Brugnoli, Elsa Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Guidalevich, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Quarin, Camilo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, Eric Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentin

Identification of Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes isolated from the uterus of dairy cows using routine bacteriological testing and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Background: Uterine disorders are common postpartum diseases in dairy cows. In practice, uterine treatment is often based on systemic or locally applied antimicrobials with no previous identification of pathogens. Accurate on-farm diagnostics are not available, and routine testing is time-consuming and cost intensive. An accurate method that could simplify the identification of uterine pathogenic bacteria and improve pathogen-specific treatments could be an important advance to practitioners. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether a database built with uterine bacteria from European dairy cows could be used to identify bacteria from Argentinean cows by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Uterine samples from 64 multiparous dairy cows with different types of vaginal discharge (VD) were collected between 5 and 60 days postpartum, analyzed by routine bacteriological testing methods and then re-evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy (n = 27). Results: FTIR spectroscopy identified Escherichia coli in 12 out of 14 samples and Trueperella pyogenes in 8 out of 10 samples. The agreement between the two methods was good with a Kappa coefficient of 0.73. In addition, the likelihood for bacterial growth of common uterine pathogens such as E. coli and T. pyogenes tended to increase with VD score. The odds for a positive result to E. coli or T. pyogenes was 1.88 times higher in cows with fetid VD than in herdmates with clear normal VD. Conclusions: We conclude that the presence of E. coli and T. pyogenes in uterine samples from Argentinean dairy cows can be detected with FTIR with the use of a database built with uterine bacteria from European dairy cows. Future studies are needed to determine if FTIR can be used as an alternative to routine bacteriological testing methods.Fil: Jaureguiberry, María. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Teriogenología. Cátedra de Reproducción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Madoz, Laura Vanina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Teriogenología. Cátedra de Reproducción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Giuliodori, Mauricio Javier. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas. Cátedra de Fisiología; ArgentinaFil: Wagener, Karen. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; AustriaFil: Prunner, Isabella. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; AustriaFil: Grunert, Tom. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; AustriaFil: Ehling Schulz, Monika. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; AustriaFil: Drillich, Marc. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; AustriaFil: de la Sota, Rodolfo Luzbel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Teriogenología. Cátedra de Reproducción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Argentina: Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential National Map. National Report. Version 1.0. Year: 2021

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key factor affecting soil physical fertility, as it improves several soil properties such as infiltration, structural stability, porosity, aeration and structure. It also improves soil chemical fertility since C is part of the soil organic matter, which constitutes the main reservoir of nutrients for crops (nitrogen, sulfur, zinc, among others). SOC is positively correlated with soil microbial biomass that acts on nutrient cycling and metabolization processes of toxic molecules. The total SOC stock in topsoil (0-30cm) is about 19.7 Pg C (FAO-ITPS GSOC map, 2018). Thus, due to the size of the soil carbon pool, even small increments in the net soil C storage may represent a substantial C sink potential. Although agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) contribute to an important share of Argentina GHG emissions (135.53 MtCO2eq, 37% of total country GHG emissions; SAyDS, 2019), increasing ASOC stocks through judicious land use and sustainable soil management (SSM) practices may represent an important strategy to reduce and mitigate GHG emissions. In Argentina, the total productive area is about 157 million hectares (INDEC, 2021). Agricultural área (croplands) is about 40 (forty) million hectares, predominantly under no tillage system (91% agricultural area; AAPRESID, 2020). Soybean is the main product (45 million tons in 17 million hectares), followed by corn (44 million tons in 6.3 million hectares), wheat (17 million tons in 6.5 million hectares), barley (4.1 million tons in 0.1 million hectares) and sunflower (2.7 million tons in 1.3 million hectares).The rest of the area (over 124 Million hectares) is occupied with grasslands and shrublands dedicated to livestock production, and other agricultural uses. In the last decade’s agricultural land increased and SOC content decayed. This process of land use change was explained by increasing soybean monoculture and displacing livestock area, reducing SOC content (Lavado & Taboada, 2009). There has been an intense expansion of agriculture at the expense of grasslands, native forests and other natural resources in semiarid, sub-humid and subtropical regions of the country (Volante et al., 2012). Currently, soils of the Chaco-Pampean region exhibit SOC levels between 40-70% of the contents of virgin soils (Alvarez & Steinbach, 2009; Sainz Rozas et al., 2011; Milesi Delaye et al., 2013). Several farming practices may be used to restore or diminish the SOC loss, reduce soil erosion, sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and improve the soil quality (Poffenbarger et al., 2020). Among these practices, the inclusion of cover crops (CC) during winter has been postulated as one of the most promising activities (Ruis & Blanco-Canqui, 2017). The inclusion of CC showed average SOC sequestration rates of 0.45 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03), in Argentina (Alvarez et al., 2017; Beltran et al., 2018; Romaniuk et al., 2018). Increasing nutrient availability, crop growth and residue returns by increasing fertilizer use showed an increment of SOC around 0.18 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03) (Duval et al., 2020; Restovich et al., 2019). The inclusion of cycles with perennial pastures in crop rotations showed average SOC sequestration rates of 0.76 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03), exhibiting the greatest potential to increase SOC stocks (Costantini et al., 2016; Gil et al., 2016). Sustainable soil management (SSM) practices (FAO, 2020) such as the above mentioned practices have demonstrated potential to increase SOC stocks in different agricultural systems in Argentina, and thus sequester atmospheric CO2 as SOC to mitigate GHG emissions. However, SOC sequestration from these practices show highly variable sequestration rates, depending on edapho-climatic conditions, land use and management, among other factors. It is therefore relevant to identify which regions, soils, climates and systems have a greater potential to increase SOC stocks, in order to establish priorities for research and implementation of private and public policies. In this Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key factor affecting soil physical fertility, as it improves several soil properties such as infiltration, structural stability, porosity, aeration and structure. It also improves soil chemical fertility since C is part of the soil organic matter, which constitutes the main reservoir of nutrients for crops (nitrogen, sulfur, zinc, among others). SOC is positively correlated with soil microbial biomass that acts on nutrient cycling and metabolization processes of toxic molecules. The total SOC stock in topsoil (0-30cm) is about 19.7 Pg C (FAO-ITPS GSOC map, 2018). Thus, due to the size of the soil carbon pool, even small increments in the net soil C storage may represent a substantial C sink potential. Although agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) contribute to an important share of Argentina GHG emissions (135.53 MtCO2eq, 37% of total country GHG emissions; SAyDS, 2019), increasing ASOC stocks through judicious land use and sustainable soil management (SSM) practices may represent an important strategy to reduce and mitigate GHG emissions. In Argentina, the total productive area is about 157 million hectares (INDEC, 2021). Agricultural área (croplands) is about 40 (forty) million hectares, predominantly under no tillage system (91% agricultural area; AAPRESID, 2020). Soybean is the main product (45 million tons in 17 million hectares), followed by corn (44 million tons in 6.3 million hectares), wheat (17 million tons in 6.5 million hectares), barley (4.1 million tons in 0.1 million hectares) and sunflower (2.7 million tons in 1.3 million hectares).The rest of the area (over 124 Million hectares) is occupied with grasslands and shrublands dedicated to livestock production, and other agricultural uses. In the last decade’s agricultural land increased and SOC content decayed. This process of land use change was explained by increasing soybean monoculture and displacing livestock area, reducing SOC content (Lavado & Taboada, 2009). There has been an intense expansion of agriculture at the expense of grasslands, native forests and other natural resources in semiarid, sub-humid and subtropical regions of the country (Volante et al., 2012). Currently, soils of the Chaco-Pampean region exhibit SOC levels between 40-70% of the contents of virgin soils (Alvarez & Steinbach, 2009; Sainz Rozas et al., 2011; Milesi Delaye et al., 2013). Several farming practices may be used to restore or diminish the SOC loss, reduce soil erosion, sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and improve the soil quality (Poffenbarger et al., 2020). Among these practices, the inclusion of cover crops (CC) during winter has been postulated as one of the most promising activities (Ruis & Blanco-Canqui, 2017). The inclusion of CC showed average SOC sequestration rates of 0.45 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03), in Argentina (Alvarez et al., 2017; Beltran et al., 2018; Romaniuk et al., 2018). Increasing nutrient availability, crop growth and residue returns by increasing fertilizer use showed an increment of SOC around 0.18 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03) (Duval et al., 2020; Restovich et al., 2019). The inclusion of cycles with perennial pastures in crop rotations showed average SOC sequestration rates of 0.76 tC/ha/yr (± 0.03), exhibiting the greatest potential to increase SOC stocks (Costantini et al., 2016; Gil et al., 2016). Sustainable soil management (SSM) practices (FAO, 2020) such as the above mentioned practices have demonstrated potential to increase SOC stocks in different agricultural systems in Argentina, and thus sequester atmospheric CO2 as SOC to mitigate GHG emissions. However, SOC sequestration from these practices show highly variable sequestration rates, depending on edapho-climatic conditions, land use and management, among other factors. It is therefore relevant to identify which regions, soils, climates and systems have a greater potential to increase SOC stocks, in order to establish priorities for research and implementation of private and public policies.Fil: Frolla, Franco Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; ArgentinaFil: Angelini, Marcos Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; Argentina. Wageningen University. Soil Geography and Landscape group; Holanda. International Soil Reference and Information Centre. World Soil Information; HolandaFil: Beltran, Marcelo Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Peralta, Guillermo Ezequiel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Di Paolo, Luciano E. Global Soil Partnership Secretariat - FAO; ItaliaFil: Rodriguez, Dario Martin. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Schulz, Guillermo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Pascale Medina, Carla. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Alianza Sudamericana de Suelos; Argentin

Identification of Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes isolated from the uterus of dairy cows using routine bacteriological testing and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Background: Uterine disorders are common postpartum diseases in dairy cows. In practice, uterine treatment is often based on systemic or locally applied antimicrobials with no previous identification of pathogens. Accurate on-farm diagnostics are not available, and routine testing is time-consuming and cost intensive. An accurate method that could simplify the identification of uterine pathogenic bacteria and improve pathogen-specific treatments could be an important advance to practitioners. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether a database built with uterine bacteria from European dairy cows could be used to identify bacteria from Argentinean cows by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Uterine samples from 64 multiparous dairy cows with different types of vaginal discharge (VD) were collected between 5 and 60 days postpartum, analyzed by routine bacteriological testing methods and then re-evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy (n = 27). Results: FTIR spectroscopy identified Escherichia coli in 12 out of 14 samples and Trueperella pyogenes in 8 out of 10 samples. The agreement between the two methods was good with a Kappa coefficient of 0.73. In addition, the likelihood for bacterial growth of common uterine pathogens such as E. coli and T. pyogenes tended to increase with VD score. The odds for a positive result to E. coli or T. pyogenes was 1.88 times higher in cows with fetid VD than in herdmates with clear normal VD. Conclusions: We conclude that the presence of E. coli and T. pyogenes in uterine samples from Argentinean dairy cows can be detected with FTIR with the use of a database built with uterine bacteria from European dairy cows. Future studies are needed to determine if FTIR can be used as an alternative to routine bacteriological testing methods.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria