Carlos Rojas: su primera obra narrativa (1957-1962)

En las obras narrativas de este primer período de Carlos Rojas se encuentran ya algunos de los elementos básicos de su novelística posterior, como la temática sobre la condición humana, Europa y sus valores, el carácter destructivo del poder y el mal. Igualmente hallamos los componentes de la actitud de Rojas ante la novela: la independencia y autocrítica, el criterio personal en la manera de concebir la novela, el ensayo constante de nuevas formas, la fusión de lo cerebral y lo vital, la conjugación de los elementos de la realidad visible y de la invisible en un «realismo total» y la búsqueda de la transcendencia que apunta a niveles metafísicos y religiosos.In Carlos Rojas' first period narrative works were already some of the basic elements of his later personality, as the theme of the human condition, Europe and its values, the destructive nature of power and evil. Equally, we find the components of Rojas' attitude before the novel: the independence and self-criticism, the personal discretion in the way of conceiving the novel, the constant test of new forms, the merger of the cerebral and vital, the combination of the elements of visible reality and invisible in a "total realism" and the search for the transcendence that aims at metaphysical and religious levels

Microbial control of seawater by microfiltration

ABSTRACT: Recent scientific literature presents seawater as a potential aid to solve a variety of health diseases in animals and human beings because by means of its mineral and trace elements content. In Colombia, Nicaragua and Spain it is collected in a natural way from de shore and drunk; however, this can represent a health risk because of the problems related to chemical and microbiological contamination. Microbial control of seawater allows the improvement of its microbiological quality. Objective: to compare the efficiency of three microbial control methods: microfiltration, solar exposition and quarantine. Methodology: 30 samples were collected in 20-liter high density polyethylene containers in three different places in the Colombian Atlantic coast. Results: 15 samples out of 30 showed the presence of bacteria such as E. coli and halophiles bacteria like Vibrio and Aeromonas. Microfiltration through ceramic filters of 0.5 µm produces disinfection in 100% of the samples but the quarantine for five months and solar disinfection are effective in 66 and 21% respectively. The latter requires certain weather conditions to achieve disinfection and it only allows managing small quantities of water. Dicussion: Considering chemical contamination in some places which cannot be controlled through disinfection methods, the collection of water offshore in clean places is suggested and then microfiltration treatment should be performed.RESUMEN: El agua de mar refinada aparece en la literatura científica reciente como una potencial ayuda terapéutica en el tratamiento de varias enfermedades en humanos y animales por su contenido de minerales y oligoelementos. En Colombia, Nicaragua y España se utiliza de forma natural por recogida de la orilla e ingesta; sin embargo, esto puede representar un riesgo para la salud por los problemas de contaminación microbiológica y química. Los tratamientos de control microbiano del agua de mar permiten mejorar su calidad microbiológica. Objetivo: comparar la eficiencia de tres métodos de control microbiano: microfiltración, exposición solar y cuarentena. Metodología: se recolectaron 30 muestras de agua de mar en recipientes de polietileno de alta densidad con capacidad de 20 litros, en tres lugares diferentes de la costa atlántica colombiana. Resultados: de 30 muestras recolectadas, 15 resultaron con enterobacterias como E. coli y bacterias halófilas como Vibrio y Aeromonas. La microfiltración a través de cerámica de 0,5 µm produce una desinfección de 100% de las muestras, mientras que la cuarentena por cinco meses y la desinfección solar son efectivas en 66 y 21% respectivamente. Esta última requiere de ciertas condiciones climáticas para alcanzar la desinfección y solo permite el manejo de pequeños volúmenes. Discusión: Respecto de la contaminación química en ciertos lugares, que no es controlable por los métodos de desinfección, se recomienda recoger el agua en altamar, en lugares limpios, y realizar la microfiltración

The 2011 submarine volcanic eruption in El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Forty years after the Teneguía Volcano (La Palma, 1971), a submarine eruption took place off the town of La Restinga, south of El Hierro, the smallest and youngest island of the Canarian Archipelago. Precursors allowed an early detection of the event and its approximate location, suggesting it was submarine. Uncertainties derived from insufficient scientific information available to the authorities during the eruption, leading to disproportionate civil protection measures, which had an impact on the island's economy-based primarily on tourism-while residents experienced extra fear and distress. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, The Geologists' Association & The Geological Society of London.Peer Reviewe

The 2011 submarine volcanic eruption in El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Forty years after the Teneguía Volcano (La Palma, 1971), a submarine eruption took place off the town of La Restinga, south of El Hierro, the smallest and youngest island of the Canarian Archipelago. Precursors allowed an early detection of the event and its approximate location, suggesting it was submarine. Uncertainties derived from insufficient scientific information available to the authorities during the eruption, leading to disproportionate civil protection measures, which had an impact on the island's economy-based primarily on tourism-while residents experienced extra fear and distress. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, The Geologists' Association & The Geological Society of London.Peer Reviewe

Evidence for Spatial Separation of Galactic Dust Components

We present an implementation of a Bayesian mixture model using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) techniques to search for spatial separation of Galactic dust components. Utilizing intensity measurements from \Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI), we apply this model to high-latitude Galactic dust emission. Our analysis reveals a strong preference for a spatially-varying two-population dust model in intensity, with each population being well characterized by a single-component dust spectral-energy distribution (SED). While no spatial information is built into the likelihood, our investigation unveils spatially coherent structures with high significance, pointing to a physical origin for the observed spatial separation. These results are robust to our choice of likelihood and of input data. Furthermore, they are favored over a single-component dust model by Bayesian evidence calculations. Incorporating \IRAS 100\,$\mu m$ to constrain the Wein-side of the blackbody function, we find the dust populations differ at the $2.5\sigma$ level on the spectral index ($\beta_d$) vs. temperature $(T_d)$ plane. The presence of a multi-population dust has implications for component separation techniques frequently employed in the recovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Ap

Relationships between egg-recognition and egg-ejection in a grasp-ejector species

Brood parasitism frequently leads to a total loss of host fitness, which selects for the evolution of defensive traits in host species. Experimental studies have demonstrated that recognition and rejection of the parasite egg is the most common and efficient defence used by host species. Egg-recognition experiments have advanced our knowledge of the evolutionary and coevolutionary implications of egg recognition and rejection. However, our understanding of the proximate mechanisms underlying both processes remains poor. Egg rejection is a complex behavioural process consisting of three stages: egg recognition, the decision whether or not to reject the putative parasitic egg and the act of ejection itself. We have used the blackbird (Turdus merula) as a model species to explore the relationship between egg recognition and the act of egg ejection. We have manipulated the two main characteristics of parasitic eggs affecting egg ejection in this grasp-ejector species: the degree of colour mimicry (mimetic and non-mimetic, which mainly affects the egg-recognition stage of the egg-rejection process) and egg size (small, medium and large, which affects the decision to eject), while maintaining a control group of non-parasitized nests. The behaviour of the female when confronted with an experimental egg was filmed using a video camera. Our results show that egg touching is an indication of egg recognition and demonstrate that blackbirds recognized (i.e., touched) non-mimetic experimental eggs significantly more than mimetic eggs. However, twenty per cent of the experimental eggs were touched but not subsequently ejected, which confirms that egg recognition does not necessarily mean egg ejection and that accepting parasitic eggs, at least sometimes, is the consequence of acceptance decisions. Regarding proximate mechanisms, our results show that the delay in egg ejection is not only due to recognition problems as usually suggested, given that experimental eggs are not touched significantly more often. Thus, the delay in egg ejection is mainly the consequence of a delay in the decision to eject, probably triggered by mechanical constraints imposed by eggs that are harder to eject (i.e. larger). Our results offer important information on the relationships between recognition and ejection and contribute to a better understanding of host defences against brood parasites.Financial support was provided by the Junta de Andalucía (research project CVI-6653). JDI is funded by a postdoctoral contract (TAHUB-104) from the “Andalucía Talent Hub” program (co-funded by the European's Union Seventh Framework Program Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (COFUND) and the regional Government of Andalucía)

Could a Factor That Does Not Affect Egg Recognition Influence the Decision of Rejection?

Rejection of the parasitic egg is the most important defence of hosts against brood parasites. However, this response is variable among and within species, and egg discrimination is not always followed by egg rejection. Low risk of parasitism and high risk of rejection costs may lead to the acceptance of the parasitic egg even if it has been previously recognized. The main aim of this paper is to answer a relevant question: can a single egg trait provoke the acceptance of an experimental egg previously recognized as foreign? Increased egg mass should hamper the ejection of an egg that has been discriminated because ejection of a heavy egg may imply higher rejection costs for hosts. We have tested this prediction by experimentally parasitizing natural nests of Common Blackbirds (Turdus merula) with non-mimetic model eggs of different mass (heavy, normal-weight, and light) while controlling for potential confounding factors such as egg size and colour. Our results showed that blackbirds more frequently accepted heavy eggs, even when previously recognized. This differential acceptance may be related to insufficient motivation to assume the higher costs that the ejection of a heavy egg could impose.Financial support has been provided by the Consejería Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucia (research project CVI-6653)

Revista del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Alimentación del meloncillo Herpestes ichneumon y de la gineta Genetta genetta en la Reserva Biológica de Doñana, S.O. de la Península Ibérica.Determinación de la edad en Rana perezi Seoane, 1885. Aplicación al análisis del crecimiento somático de poblaciones.Influencias ambientales en la variación del tamaño, forma y peso de los huevos de la collalba rubia (Oenanthe hispanica L.)Características de un coro de sapos corredores (Bufo calamita) en el sureste de España.Estrategias alimentarias del ciervo (Cervus elaphus L.) en Montes de ToledoDistribución de los quirópteros de la provincia de Orense (Noroeste de España).Ecología trófica del lince ibérico en Doñana durante un periodo secoDesarrollo larvario de la rana común (Rana perezi) (anura: ranidae) en charcas temporales del noroeste de la Península Ibérica.Régimen alimenticio del mirlo común (Turdus merula) en el sureste de la Península Ibérica durante el periodo otoño-invierno.Reproducción del gorrión molinero (Passer montanus) en las Islas Canarias.Relación entre la cobertura vegetal y la distribución de nidos en las colonias de pagaza piconegraPeer reviewe

Tunable Energy-Transfer Process in Heterometallic MOF Materials Based on 2,6-Naphthalenedicarboxylate: Solid-State Lighting and Near-Infrared Luminescence Thermometry

Trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln3+) are used to prepare a plethora of coordination compounds, with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) being among the most sought-after in recent years. The porosity of Ln-MOFs is often complemented by the luminescence imparted by the metal centers, making them attractive multifunctional materials. Here, we report a class of three-dimensional (3D) MOFs obtained from a solvothermal reaction between 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (H2NDC) and lanthanide chlorides, yielding three types of compounds depending on the chosen lanthanide: [LnCl(NDC)(DMF)] for Ln3+ = La3+, Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Sm3+ (type 1), [Eu(NDC)1.5(DMF)]·0.5DMF (type 2), and [Ln2(NDC)3(DMF)2] for Ln3+ = Tb3+, Dy3+, Y3+, Er3+, Yb3+ (type 3). Photoluminescent properties of selected phases were explored at room temperature. The luminescence thermometry capability of Yb3+-doped Nd-MOF was fully investigated in the 15-300 K temperature range under 365 and 808 nm excitation. To describe the optical behavior of the isolated MOFs, we introduce the total energy-transfer balance model. Therein, the sum of energy-transfer rates is considered along with its dependence on the temperature - the sign, magnitude, and variation of this parameter - permitting to afford a thorough interpretation of the observed behavior of the luminescent species of all materials presented here. The combination of novel theoretical and experimental studies presented herein to describe energy-transfer processes in luminescent materials can pave the way toward the design of MOF-based chemical and physical sensors working in an optical range of interest for biomedical applications.Fil: Gomez, Germán Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Marin, Riccardo. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Carneiro Neto, Albano N.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Botas, Alexandre M. P.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Ovens, Jeffrey. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Kitos, Alexandros A.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Bernini, Maria Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Carlos, Luís D.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Soler Illia, Galo Juan de Avila Arturo. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Nanosistemas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Murugesu, Muralee. University of Ottawa; Canad