Interactions of vanadates with carbohydrates in aqueous solutions

The interaction between the vanadate ion (VO3-, i.e. vanadium (V)) and the carbohydrates sucrose, glucose and fructose has been studied in aqueous solutions (pH [approximate]6, 298.15 K) using measurements of diffusion coefficients, electrical conductivity, Raman and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. With sucrose and glucose, indications of hydrolysis of the anion in the absence of the sugars came from a decrease in the diffusion coefficient with increasing concentration. Significant effects on the diffusion coefficients were observed in the presence of sucrose and glucose, suggesting interactions between the carbohydrates and vanadate ion. Support for this came from electrical conductivity measurements, where there were indications of formation of oligomeric species. These were found to depend on the carbohydrate used: confirmation of oligomer formation came from Raman spectroscopy, where it was possible to identify these species, and see their dependence on the particular carbohydrate used. Information on the interactions between the carbohydrates glucose or sucrose and vanadate came from 51V and 1H NMR spectroscopy, where the dominant species appeared to be a 2:2 complex with glucose, possessing trigonal bipyramidal centres, whereas with sucrose it is suggested that octahedral species are formed. Studies with fructose were complicated by competing oxidation of this carbohydrate and reduction of vanadium (V).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TGS-4CTN53R-3/1/7da9099617b4eef5113ec0db3254629

Analysis of the pathogenic potential of nosocomial Pseudomonas putida strains

Pseudomonas putida strains are ubiquitous in soil and water but have also been reported as opportunistic human pathogens capable of causing nosocomial infections. In this study we describe the multilocus sequence typing of four P. putida strains (HB13667, HB8234, HB4184 and HB3267) isolated from in-patients at the Besançon Hospital (France). The four isolates (in particular HB3267) were resistant to a number of antibiotics. The pathogenicity and virulence potential of the strains was tested ex vivo and in vivo using different biological models: human tissue culture, mammalian tissues and insect larvae. Our results showed a significant variability in the ability of the four strains to damage the host; HB13667 did not exhibit any pathogenic traits, HB4184 caused damage only ex vivo in human tissue cultures, and HB8234 had a deleterious effect in tissue culture and in vivo on rat skin, but not in insect larvae. Interestingly, strain HB3267 caused damage in all the model systems studied. The putative evolution of these strains in medical environments is discussed

Filling the Gap: New Precise Early Cretaceous Radioisotopic Ages from the Andes

Two tuffs in the Lower Cretaceous Agrio Formation, Neuquén Basin, provided U–Pb zircon radioisotopic ages of 129.09 ± 0.16 Ma and 127.42 ± 0.15 Ma. Both horizons are well constrained biostratigraphically by ammonites and nannofossils and can be correlated with the ‘standard’ sequence of the Mediterranean Province. The lower horizon is very close to the base of the Upper Hauterivian and the upper horizon to the Hauterivian/Barremian boundary, indicating that the former lies at c. 129.5 Ma and the latter at c. 127 Ma. These new radioisotopic ages fill a gap of over 8 million years in the numerical calibration of the current global Early Cretaceous geological time scale

El desarrollo de la geología en la Universidad de Buenos Aires

La enseñanza de la geología en la Universidad de Buenos Aires comenzó en 1865 con Pellegrino Strobel, al que siguieron Juan Ramorino y Eduardo Aguirre. Este último fue el primer profesor de geología argentino hasta su retiro en 1906. En ese año Enrique Hermitte lo reemplaza e inicia una nueva etapa en la enseñanza. Hermitte formó a los primeros geólogos en el país, dirigiendo las tesis doctorales de Franco Pastore (1914), Juan J. Nágera (1915) y Edelmira Mórtola (1921). Un fuerte impulso al inicio de la investigación geológica fue la llegada a la Universidad de Juan Keidel y posteriormente de Pablo Groeber. Un importante cambio en la calidad de las tesis se evidenció en el trabajo doctoral de Horacio J. Harrington en 1933, la primera tesis de excelente nivel científico. En esos años Harrington propuso una nueva currícula para la carrera, y posteriormente como director del Instituto de Geología de la Universidad, junto con Armando Leanza como profesor, fue uno de los más destacados geólogos argentinos de esos años. El golpe militar en 1955 marca una importante discontinuidad y el inicio de una nueva etapa. Se modernizó el plan de estudios y se introdujeron una serie de cambios en la enseñanza y el equipamiento del flamante Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, liderados por Félix González Bonorino. La Geología estuvo caracterizada por una educación más sólida en diferentes especialidades y con profesores formados en el exterior y extranjeros, que enseñaron disciplinas poco desarrolladas en el país. Esto fue arrasado con la Noche de los Bastones Largos que derivó en un largo período de opacidad entre 1966-1983, con algunas excepciones como el desarrollo del paleomagnetismo por Daniel Valencio y sus discípulos. En esa época se destacan el afianzamiento del Laboratorio de Paleomagnetismo y la creación del Instituto de Geología Isotópica, que produjo por varios años las primeras dataciones sistemáticas del país bajo la dirección de Enrique Linares. Se analizan y describen los protagonistas de los diferentes períodos, destacando a aquellas figuras que con sus aportes a través de los años permitieron consolidar al Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas de la Universidad de Buenos Aires La última etapa comienza con la vuelta a la democracia que, con concursos docentes abiertos sin restricciones, permitió alcanzar el presente desarrollo

Proposal and Description of a Test System with Wind, Hydro and Fossil Fuel Power Plants for Static Analyses

This article presents and describes a 229 bus test system that includes wind, hydro and fossil fuel power plants. It represents the Northeast subsystem of the Brazilian Interconnected Power System (BIPS). The test system supplies a load of 4.17 GW, being 13% powered by wind farms, which is the current wind power penetration level of the BIPS. The data comprehends different load levels based on the typical load behavior and typical capacity factors of wind, hydro and fossil fuel plants, as well as the capacity of transmission and sub-transmission lines, transformers, and the adopted structure for the test system. The data is compiled considering models and operating scenarios of the BIPS, and allow performing studies of static voltage stability, sensitivity of voltage stability margin considering the wind farms, and multi-objective optimization considering market constraints. The results of the simulations with the test system indicate the consistency of their data structure and its applicability to different studies of electric power systems.Comment: In proceedings of the 11th Bulk Power Systems Dynamics and Control Symposium (IREP 2022), July 25-30, 2022, Banff, Canad

Analysis of the pathogenic potential of nosocomial Pseudomonas putida strains

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00871Pseudomonas putida strains are ubiquitous in soil and water but have also been reported as opportunistic human pathogens capable of causing nosocomial infections. In this study we describe the multilocus sequence typing of four P. putida strains (HB13667, HB8234, HB4184, and HB3267) isolated from in-patients at the Besançon Hospital (France). The four isolates (in particular HB3267) were resistant to a number of antibiotics. The pathogenicity and virulence potential of the strains was tested ex vivo and in vivo using different biological models: human tissue culture, mammalian tissues, and insect larvae. Our results showed a significant variability in the ability of the four strains to damage the host; HB13667 did not exhibit any pathogenic traits, HB4184 caused damage only ex vivo in human tissue cultures, and HB8234 had a deleterious effect in tissue culture and in vivo on rat skin, but not in insect larvae. Interestingly, strain HB3267 caused damage in all the model systems studied. The putative evolution of these strains in medical environments is discussed.Work in this study was supported by the ERANET Pathogenomics Program through the ADHERS-Signature Project (reference: BIO2008-04419-E)Peer reviewe

Gender equality in the information systems and tecnhonology fields: a comprehensive diagnosis at the school of engineering of the University of Minho

Gender equality in academia and science has been a central theme in several scientific studies around the world. Over the last few years, there has been an extensive literature production on the explicit and implicit processes that drive gender inequalities and make them persist over time. In contexts of increasing mobility, globalization and cultural change, it is urgent that science and education policies, defined in the context of Universities and their human resources (including teaching, non-teaching staff as well as students), recognize the existence of gender inequalities and promote effective measures for its eradication, in a collective and participatory approach. Despite the production of literature attesting the existence of gender inequalities in academia, which documents processes of segregation and discrimination that affect the various participants of the organization as well as a set of methodological proposals to overcome them, it has not proved sufficient to change the reality of practices in teaching and research institutions Since gender inequality is a transversal problem and holds implications for the University as a whole, and individually for the people that compose it, this study documents the initial measures implemented at Engineering School, as part of Project EQUAL_IST- Gender Equality Plan for Information Sciences and Technology Research Institutions, which is being carried out by teams in several European countries, and aims, mainly, to study and intervene in the advancement of gender equality in the area of Technology and Information systems.This work was partly funded by FCT –Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: "Project UID/CTM/00264/2019 of2C2T –Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia Têxtil,; “Project UID/CEC/00319/2019” and COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007560; project UID/CCI/00736/2013

La precordillera neuquina sur en el contexto de Los Andes Norpatagónicos

Dentro del segmento del retroarco andino comprendido entre los 38º 30' y los 40º S se pueden diferenciar dos dominios estructurales, uno interno y otro externo, correspondiendo cada uno de ellos a sectores de la faja plegada y corrida con vergencia opuesta y estilos estructurales diferenciados. Esta configuración contrastante es el resultado parcial de una distribución heterogénea de los depocentros mesozoicos, los cuales se desarrollaron mayormente al este del río Aluminé. La Precordillera neuquina sur se enmarca en el dominio externo. Su génesis se explica a partir de sucesivos pulsos contraccionales acaecidos desde el Jurásico. Las relaciones entre los depósitos sinorogénicos terciarios y los principales rasgos estructurales del área, y el análisis de las series volcánicas cretácicas-paleógenas y la identificación de un control estructural en su emplazamiento, han permitido caracterizar y definir los principales eventos contraccionales andinos. El primero y más significativo tuvo lugar durante el Cretácico Superior, asociado a una expansión del arco volcánico hacia el este. El último de ellos, desarrollado entre el Mioceno Tardío y el Plioceno Temprano, ha sido bien acotado temporalmente sobre la base de controles tectonoestratigráficos, permitiendo definir un modelo en el que el alzamiento final de los principales elementos topográficos del sector entre los 11 y los 4,3 Ma originó una serie de depocentros intermontanos donde se depositaron las secuencias sinorogénicas y sintectónicas neógenas. Ambos eventos estuvieron separados por una etapa caracterizada por una actividad tectónica de tipo extensional, la cual se expresó en el desarrollo de las cuencas de Cura Mallín y Collón Cura. En el ámbito de esta última, importantes espesores de sucesiones volcanosedimentarias se acumularon bajo un control estructural entre los 33 y los 18 Ma.The southern Neuquén Precordillera in the context of the Patagonian Andes.- Within the Andean retro-arc between 38º 30' and 40ºS two structural domains can be identified. They correspond to sectors of the fold and thrust belt with opposite vergence and different structural styles. This contrasting configuration is partially related to a heterogeneous distribution of a suite of fault bounded Mesozoic depocenters, which mostly developed east of the course of the Aluminé river in the early stages of the Neuquén basin. The Southern Neuquén Precordillera is developed within the external portion of the fold and thrust belt. Its genesis is related to a series of contractional events which occurred since Jurassic times. The field relationships between the Tertiary synorogenic deposits and the Andean structures, and the analysis of the Cretaceous-Paleogene volcanic series, allowed us to define and characterize the main contractional phases that affected this Andean segment. The most significant event took place during upper Cretaceous times, related to an eastward expansion of Late Cretaceous to Eocene arc-related sequences. On the basis of tectonostratigraphic controls we define the last event between upper Miocene – lower Pliocene times. The recognition and interpretation of the main structures and spatial and temporal distribution of the Tertiary sequences allowed us to establish a tectonic model in which the final uplift of the principal topographic features of the area between 11 and 4,3 Ma originated a series of intermontaneous depocenters where synorogenic and syntectonic sequences were accumulated. Both intervals of compression and shortening are separated by a period of extensional activity that affected the arc and inner retro-arc sectors between the Oligocene and the middle Miocene, resulting in the development of the Cura Mallín and Collón Cura basin at the latitudes of the study area. Within the Collón Cura basin, up to 700 meters of volcanosedimentary successions of the Auca Pan Formation accumulated between 33 and 18 Ma contemporaneously with the extensional activity.Fil: García Morabito, Ezequiel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Laboratorio de Tectónica Andina del Instituto de Estudios Andinos Don Pablo Groeber; Argentina.Fil: García Morabito, Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Ramos, Víctor A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Laboratorio de Tectónica Andina del Instituto de Estudios Andinos Don Pablo Groeber; Argentina.Fil: Ramos, Víctor A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Vallés, Jorge M. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina