Vocal caricatures reveal signatures of speaker identity

What are the features that impersonators select to elicit a speaker’s identity? We built a voice database of public figures (targets) and imitations produced by professional impersonators. They produced one imitation based on their memory of the target (caricature) and another one after listening to the target audio (replica). A set of naive participants then judged identity and similarity of pairs of voices. Identity was better evoked by the caricatures and replicas were perceived to be closer to the targets in terms of voice similarity. We used this data to map relevant acoustic dimensions for each task. Our results indicate that speaker identity is mainly associated with vocal tract features, while perception of voice similarity is related to vocal folds parameters.Wetherefore show the way in which acoustic caricatures emphasize identity features at the cost of loosing similarity, which allows drawing an analogy with caricatures in the visual space.Fil: López, Sabrina. Dynamical Systems Lab, IFIBA-Physics dept, University of Buenos Aires, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, CABA 1428EGA, ArgentinaFil: Riera, Pablo. Acoustics and Sound Perception Lab, Universidad of Quilmes, Roque Saénz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires B1876BXD, ArgentinaFil: Assaneo, María Florencia. Dynamical Systems Lab, IFIBA-Physics dept, University of Buenos Aires, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, CABA 1428EGA, ArgentinaFil: Eguía, Manuel. Acoustics and Sound Perception Lab, Universidad of Quilmes, Roque Saénz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires B1876BXD, Argentin

Purchasing preferences and attitudes towards local food and farmers' markets: a case study of the Carrboro Farmers' Market credit, debit and EBT Truck Bucks marketing campaign

Markets have historically been places for the intersection of goods, agriculture, immigration patterns, and urban growth. Today, farmers' markets embody many different interests: curiosity about different kinds of foods, small-scale farming, sustainable agriculture, affordable and accessible food, and meeting places where communities build interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this master's thesis is three-fold: (1) to review literature on perceptions and purchasing behavior as they relate to local food and farmers' markets, (2) to provide an overview of the 2010 communications campaign marketing for the Credit, Debit and EBT program for the Carrboro Farmers' Market and (3) to provide a set of communications-based marketing recommendations and lessons-learned from the campaign. This Case Study of the 2010 Carrboro Farmers' Market Credit, Debit and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)/SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Program examines literature on consumer motivations and interests of customers who purchase local or regional food, and will identify potential drivers behind purchasing behaviors of present and potential new customers for the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Communications and public relations recommendations are provided for future iterations of marketing efforts for the Credit, Debit and EBT program at the Carrboro Farmers' Market

Las competencias digitales y propuesta de un programa “Conociendo la tecnología” en docentes de una unidad educativa del Cañar, Ecuador 2022

El presente estudio denominado “Las competencias digitales y propuesta de un programa “Conociendo la tecnología” en docentes de una Unidad educativa del Cañar, Ecuador 2022” cuyo objetivo fue determinar el nivel de competencias digitales en docentes de una Unidad educativa del Cañar, Ecuador 2022. El estudio se enmarcó en el enfoque cuantitativo con diseño de investigación no experimental, de tipo básico y alcance descriptivo/propositivo. La muestra del estudio ascendió a 30 educadores de una Unidad educativa del Cañar, a quienes se les aplicó un cuestionario como instrumento de recolección de datos, mismo que alcanzó un nivel de confiabilidad según coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach de 0.966 para el dispositivo de competencias digitales. Tras analizar los hallazgos se pudo concluir que el nivel de competencias digitales en los educadores de una Unidad educativa del Cañar. en su mayoría es alto, según refirieron el 70% de estos mientras que un 23,3% consideró que su dominio de estas competencias era intermedio y tan sólo un 6,7% consideró que no tenían dominio alguno de las competencias digitale

Content of cardiolipi n of the membrane and sensitivit y to cationic surfactants in Pseudomonas putida

Aims: To establish the role of cardiolipin (CL) of the membrane in response to the presence of tetradecyltrimethylammonium in Pseudomonas putida A (ATCC 12633). Methods and Results: Two ORFs of Ps. putida A (ATCC 12633), which in Ps. putida KT2440 encode the putative CL synthase genes cls and cls2, were cloned, sequenced and mutated. Only the double mutant lacking cls and cls2 showed a reduction of the CL content, 83% lower than the amount produced by the wild-type. Accompanying this change was a 40% decrease in the content of unsaturated fatty acid. Consequently, the membrane of the mutant was more rigid than the one of the parental strain, as observed using fluorescence polarization techniques. The mutant strain showed reduced viability in the presence of tetradecyltrimethylammonium. The incorporation of exogenous CL into its membrane relieved sensitivity to the cationic detergent. Conclusions: Pseudomonas Putida cells with low levels of CL die in the presence of tetradecyltrimethylammonium, because they cannot counter the fluidizing effect of the cationic surfactant. Significance and Impact of the Study: The modification in the membrane phospholipids composition allows knowing the adaptation strategy of Ps. putida when these bacteria are exposed to cationic surfactant.Fil: López, G. A.. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Heredia, Romina Marisa. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Boeris, Paola Sabrina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Lucchesi, Gloria Ines. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

Creencias sobre la relación familia-escuela de docentes y futuros docentes

[Abstract] Teachers’ and trainee teachers’ beliefs have been capturing the attention of researchers for the last few decades but beliefs about family-school relationships are not often addressed. Our aim was to compare teachers and trainee teachers’ beliefs about familyschool relationships and their self-efficacy to relate with families. Participants were 133 teachers and 194 trainee teachers. We used the Beliefs about Family-School Relationships questionnaire comprised of 22 items that explore beliefs about collaboration, subordination (families should accept the teacher’s authority), delegation (families leaving education to the professionals), and self-efficacy to relate with families. Participants felt highly able to relate with families and support collaboration beliefs, but trainee teachers believed more in collaboration than qualified teachers did. Preschool teachers and trainee teachers believed more in collaboration and less in subordination and delegation compared to primary teachers and trainee teachers. These results have implications for teachers’ undergraduate training and lifelong learning about family-school collaboration.[Resumen] En las últimas décadas, los investigadores han estudiado las creencias de los docentes en ejercicio y en formación, pero se han ocupado menos de las creencias sobre la relación familia-escuela. El objetivo de este trabajo era comparar las creencias sobre la relación familiaescuela y la auto-eficacia para relacionarse. Participaron 133 profesores y 194 futuros docentes. Se usó el Cuestionario de Creencias sobre las Relaciones Familia-Escuela, que consta de 22 ítems que exploran las creencias sobre colaboración, subordinación (las familias deberían aceptar la autoridad del docente), delegación (las familias se despreocupan de la educación), y la auto-eficacia para relacionarse con las familias. Los participantes se sentían altamente capaces y apoyaban la colaboración, pero los futuros docentes creían más en la colaboración que los docentes en ejercicio. Los profesores y los futuros docentes de educación infantil creían más en la colaboración y menos en la subordinación y la delegación, comparados con los profesores y futuros docentes de educación primaria. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones para la formación inicial y continua de los docentes con respecto a la colaboración familia-escuela

Benchmarking tertiary water treatments for the removal of micropollutants and pathogens based on operational and sustainability criteria

In a context of increasing water scarcity, it is essential to ensure an integrated watershed management, savings in the consumption of water as a finite resource and improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants to guarantee the quality of treated effluents. Therefore, advanced technologies for tertiary wastewater treatment have been widely studied in recent decades. These treatments have been reviewed over the years mainly providing comparisons from a technical perspective. However, there is a lack of a holistic evaluation considering environmental and economic aspects together with the aforementioned technical aspects. In this review, treatment alternatives for micropollutant and pathogen abatement have been identified based on technologies implemented on a large scale (ozonation, ultraviolet treatment, adsorption on activated carbon or membrane filtration) as well as those treatments in the process of implementation, such as electrochemical, Fenton-based or photocatalytic techniques. Thus, a systematic bibliographic search was performed considering works applying pilot and full-scale equipment, leaving lab-scale results out of the analysis. The description of each process allowed the identification of the technical feasibility, operating costs and associated environmental impacts, providing a comparative assessment that will help decision-making in the development and application of the different technologies. The benchmarking results reveal that the selected treatment should be chosen based on the source and specific pollutants present in the wastewater, as there is no single solution for the treatment of micropollutants and pathogens. In addition, recommendations are presented for the publication of reliable process-related data to facilitate comparison between different technologies and treatment scenarios.This research was supported by HP-NANOBIO (PID2019-111163RB-I00) and SPOTLIGHT (PDC2021-121540-I00) projects, granted by Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationS

Liposomal Lactoferrin Exerts Antiviral Activity against HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 Pseudoviruses In Vitro

A limited number of effective therapies are currently available to treat human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses, which are responsible for nearly a third of global cases of the common cold. The possibility of new emerging coronaviruses demands powerful new antiviral strategies. Lactoferrin is a well-known protein that possesses anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, and it has previously shown antiviral activity against several viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. To increase this antiviral activity, here we present bovine liposomal lactoferrin. Liposomal encapsulation of the compound was proven to increase permeability, bioavailability, and time release. In the present work, we compare the antiviral activity of free and liposomal bovine lactoferrin against HCoV229E and SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in human primary bronchial epithelial cells, and we demonstrated that the liposomal form exerts a more potent antiviral activity than its free form at non-cytotoxic dose

Diferentes efectos de la protección frente al marisqueo en las poblaciones de dos especies de lapas en una reserva marina de reciente creación

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of protection from extractive activities on the population structure of two limpets of commercial interest, Patella ulyssiponensis and Patella candei crenata. We evaluated the status of these populations in La Palma Marine Protected Area (MPA), Canary Islands, and in comparable unprotected areas in the lower intertidal zone of the same island. We showed that the density of P. ulyssiponensis depended greatly on the level of protection, whereas the effects of protection on the density of P. candei crenata were less clear and only differences between sites were found. These results are probably linked to the different habitat affinities of the two species studied and demonstrate the need to tailor conservation strategies in MPAs to individual species for appropriate management of local shellfish resources.Este estudio tiene por objetivo evaluar el efecto de la protección frente a actividades extractivas sobre la estructura poblacional de las especies de lapas de interés marisquero, Patella ulyssiponensis y Patella candei crenata. Para ello, se evaluó el estado de sus poblaciones en el intermareal inferior de localidades situadas tanto dentro de la Reserva Marina de La Palma (islas Canarias) como en zonas no protegidas de características similares. Se observó que la densidad de P. ulyssiponensis depende en gran medida del nivel de protección, mientras que en el caso de P. candei crenata el efecto de la protección sobre la densidad no fue tan claro, observándose diferencias sólo entre localidades. Estos resultados probablemente se relacionan con las distintas afinidades de hábitat entre las especies estudiadas, lo que indica la necesidad de proteger áreas más heterogéneas que incluyan una variedad de hábitat adecuada para la diversidad de especies de una región, asegurando una correcta regulación y conservación de los recursos marisqueros

Análisis de variabilidad genética en plantas regeneradas in vitro de buffelgrass mediante marcadores moleculares ISSR

Genetic variability can be generated through in vitro culture via somaclonal variation. This tool can be potentially useful in a breeding program involving apomictic buffelgrass genotypes. The aim of this work was to evaluate inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) as molecular markers to detect genetic variation in in vitro buffelgrass regenerated plants. Six plants regenerated from in vitro anther culture, via somatic embryogenesis were used, as well as the anther donor genotype (RN 51) as control. Of a total of 26 ISSR primers tested, 22 amplified, detecting 12% polymorphism with a divergence between 5 and 24% from RN 51. Amplification products were observed with the primers containing di-, tri- or tetra-nucleotide sequences, with or without additional nucleotides at the 3′ end. The most informative primers were those containing the repetitive sequences GACAn, AGn or GAn. Moreover, the regenerants transplanted at field conditions differed in morphological characteristics among them and with respect to RN 51. This study confirms that ISSR are useful to identify genetic variability in in vitro regenerated buffelgrass plants.El cultivo in vitro permite generar variabilidad genética mediante variación somaclonal. Este fenómeno puede ser potencialmente útil en un programa de mejora en genotipos apomícticos de buffelgrass. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar inter secuencias simples repetidas (ISSR) como marcadores moleculares en la detección de variación genética en plantas regeneradas in vitro de buffelgrass. Se utilizaron seis plantas regeneradas mediante el cultivo in vitro de anteras, vía embriogénesis somática, y el genotipo dador de anteras (NR 51) como control. De un total de 26 cebadores ISSR probados, 22 de ellos amplificaron, detectando un 12% de polimorfismo con una divergencia del 5 al 24% con respecto al material NR 51. Se observaron productos de amplificación con los cebadores que contienen secuencias di-, tri- o tetra-nucleótidos, con o sin nucleótidos adicionales en el extremo 3′. Los cebadores más informativos fueron aquellos que contenían secuencias repetitivas GACAn, AGn o GAn. Conjuntamente, las plantas trasplantadas a campo manifestaron características morfológicas diferentes entre ellas y con respecto al NR 51. El presente estudio confirma que el empleo de ISSR permite identificar variabilidad genética en plantas regeneradas in vitro de buffelgrass.Fil: Carloni, Edgardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: López Colomba, Eliana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: Ribotta, Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: Quiroga, Mariana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: Tommasino, Exequiel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: Griffa, Sabrina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)Fil: Grunberg, Karina. Buenos Aires (Argentina). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)