Image politics and disturbing temporalities: on "sex change" operations in the early chilean dictatorship Carvajal, Fernanda This article analyzes the use of images in the press coverage on the first trans woman in Chile who managed to successfully change her legal gender in 1974, under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and who identified herself with the name of Marcia Alejandra. First, the author explains how sex change worked as a device in Chile during that period. Then, the author discusses a leaflet with photographs of Marcia Alejandra, configured according to the rhetoric of “before” and “after” her gender reassignment surgery, in order to analyze how these images published in the press disrupt our understanding of the political and medical narratives on the body that encode trans historicities, and even of a progressive temporality itself.

Ilustrar al hombre culto, formar al militante: un análisis de la colección El Pequeño Libro Socialista, 1933-1949; Illustrate the learned man, train the militant: an analyis of the El Pequeño Libro Socialista Collection, 1933-1949 Martinez Mazzola, Ricardo Hernan Este artículo estudia la colección El Pequeño Libro Socialista ( EPLS), la más sistemática serie de libros y folletos editada por el Partido Socialista en las décadas de 1930 y 1940. Traza una historia de EPLS, organizando una periodización que relaciona los cambios en la colección con las transformaciones de coyuntura política, con las diversas estrategias del PS, y con las condiciones materiales en las que se llevaban adelante las ediciones. Se reconstruye el lugar de la colección dentro de las publicaciones del PS, lo que permite avanzar en la definición de algunos rasgos de su política editorial. Se señala que EPLS no se limitó a la función de difusión hacia el público general, sino que, cada vez más, a formar a la militancia socialista.; This article studies the collection El Pequeño Libro Socialista (EPLS), the most systematic series of books and brochures published by the Partido Socialista in the 1930 and 1940s. It traces a history of EPLS, organizing a periodization that relates the changes in the collection with the transformations of political conjuncture, with the different strategies of the PS, and with the material conditions in which the editions were made. The place of the collection is reconstructed within the publications of the PS, which allows us to advance in the definition of some features of their editorial policy. EPLS was not limited to the function of dissemination to the general public but, increasingly, to form socialist militancy.

El Ejército Argentino actual: una elite sin poder Badaró, Máximo Carlos A partir del retorno de la democracia y con el fracaso de la última insurrección en 1990, esta fuerza perdió la preeminencia política que la había caracterizado desde los años '30. Minada por las sucesivas crisis económicas y los recortes presupuestarios, experimentó transformaciones internas que, sin embargo, no supusieron un proyecto integral de reforma.

El rol del limpieza en las cárceles bonaerenses: la construcción social de un orden ambivalente Ojeda, Natalia Soledad; Nogueira, Gonzalo Este trabajo describe, en clave etnográfica, cómo se representa el rol de “limpieza” en una cárcel del partido de San Martín. Para luego analizar, cómo se establece y organiza un tipo de ordenamiento social que permite la negociación y la autogestión en determinados aspectos de la vida carcelaria, siempre desde la interacción con agentes penitenciarios y otros detenidos (bajo un margen de acción posible bajo el control penitenciario.) Estas particulares formas de organizar la vida en el encierro, dan lugar a diversas configuraciones de sociabilidad, que expresan algunas características del funcionamiento de la cárcel contemporánea. De este modo la institución carcelaria se encuentra atravesada y trazada por las interacciones, negociaciones y los conflictos entre los diversos actores que coproducen un orden social determinado, aun reconociéndose la ostensible divergencia y asimetría de poder entre ellos, en tanto relaciones sociales, y bajo un marco de fuerte reducción y restricción individual.; This article describes, in an ethnographic key, how the role of “limpieza” is represented in a San Martín (Buenos Aires) prison. To analyze then, how a type of social order that allows negotiation and self-management in certain aspects of prison life is established and organized, always from the interaction with penitentiary agents and other detainees (under the possible scope of action under prison control). These particular ways of organizing life in the confinement, give rise to various configurations of sociability, which express some characteristics of the contemporary prison functioning. In this way the prison institution is traversed and traced by the interactions, negotiations and conflicts among the different actors that coproduce a determined social order, even recognizing the ostensible divergence and asymmetry of power between them, as a social relation, and under a framework of strong reduction and individual restriction.

Neurociencia cognitiva, desarrollo de software y educación: ¿La interfaz como puente? Smulski, Mariana Celeste Dos laboratorios de neurociencia emprendieron en colaboración una década atrás el desarrollo de un software de estimulación cognitiva llamado Mate Marote. La propuesta de este trabajo es abordar el desarrollo de este software en particular, reconstruyendo, caracterizando y analizando las condiciones que lo hicieron posible, los criterios, fines y modificaciones realizadas a lo largo de tiempo. Teniendo en cuenta que en este caso el software se presenta como un “puente” entre dos ámbitos tan distintos como el laboratorio y el aula, este artículo invita asimismo a problematizar la interfaz en tanto nexo que configura una escena de aplicación, tornando visible el entramado de actores, criterios e instituciones que allí confluyen.; Two neuroscience laboratories collaboratively undertook a decade ago the development of a cognitive stimulation software called Mate Marote. The proposal of this work is to address the development of this particular software, reconstructing, characterizing and analyzing the conditions that made it possible, the criteria, purposes and modifications over time. Taking into account that in this case the software is presented as a "bridge" between two areas as different as the laboratory and the classroom, this work also invites to problematize the interface as a nexus that configures an application context, making visible the network of actors, criteria and institutions that converge in its application scene.

De casas y de inseguridades: "Arreglos de protección" a través de las clases sociales en la ciudad de La Plata Segura, Ramiro Este ensayo desarrolla el concepto de "arreglos de protección", una relación socio-material entre la arquitectura de la casa, los objetos y las prácticas humanas, con el fin de avanzar en una nueva comprensión de la segregación social urbana. Partiendo del trabajo de campo etnográfico en La Plata, Argentina, comparo los arreglos de protección de los residentes de distintas clases sociales ante la necesidad común de obtener protección en un contexto evaluado como inseguro. Las similitudes y diferencias en los arreglos de protección entre clases permiten reflexionar sobre la relación entre configuración socioespacial de la ciudad, cultura material de la casa y experiencias de (des)protección e (in) seguridad. El artículo muestra que la segregación urbana y la inseguridad urbana se implican mutuamente. Por un lado, los procesos de segregación urbana colocan a los habitantes en condiciones de vida desiguales, así como ante diferentes experiencias de (in)seguridad. Por otro lado, los habitantes son agentes activos en busca de seguridad que, en un círculo poco virtuoso, generalmente profundiza la dinámica de la segregación urbana: erosión del espacio público, fortificación de casas, proliferación de muros y sistemas de vigilancia, y miedo creciente a la alteridad.

Abordaje multidimensional de violencias estatales punitivas y no punitivas sobre la población adolescente-juvenil: Aportes para dirimir la trascendente disyuntiva entre bajar o no la edad de punibilidad Guemureman, Silvia Teresa Los adolescentes y jóvenes candidatos al sistema pena concitan sobre sí una mirada estigmatizante. Socialmente son representados como sujetos de riesgo, y en tal carácter, se los dota de atributos de peligrosidad social, cuando no política. Una exhaustiva revisión de sus condiciones de vida, de su hacer y estar en el mundo, muestra que los indicadores de vulneración de derechos y de violencias que sufren superan ampliamente -léase esto en clave sociológica- las violencias que eventualmente algunos, y de ninguna manera la mayoría, perpetra. A fin de acompañar este razonamiento propongo, en primer lugar, reflexionar sobre las violencias, recuperando los fructíferos debates que nos hemos dado al interior de los colectivos de investigación. La conceptualización de la violencia estatal es un punto de llegada, luego de tensar el concepto de violencia, y luego de confrontarlo con otros conceptos dotados de sentidos en disputa, como las violencias institucionales. En segundo lugar, busco avanzar hacia la construcción de una matriz o sistema de indicadores sobre violencias estatales que permita actualizar en forma permanente la información referida a adolescentes y jóvenes, y brinde insumos para la toma de decisiones en materia de políticas públicas. Las políticas penales así como las políticas sociales son políticas públicas y, en tal carácter, productos del Estado.Este artículo brinda una primera radiografía con los datos más actuales disponibles, que incluyen datos sociodemográficos, de pobreza, empleo, cobertura sanitaria, tasas de mortalidad joven, tasas de escolaridad y terminalidad educativa, etc. Asimismo, el sistema de indicadores incluye dimensiones acerca de las violencias estatales de carácter punitivo, principalmente las perpetradas por los agentes del sistema penal en los distintos eslabones, desde las fuerzas de seguridad, hasta los espacios de encierro punitivo.

Building a Data Platform for Cross-Country Urban Health Studies: the SALURBAL Study Quistberg, D. Alex; Diez Roux, Ana V.; Bilal, Usama; Moore, Kari; Ortigoza, Ana; Rodriguez, Daniel A.; Sarmiento, Olga L.; Frenz, Patricia; Friche, Amélia Augusta; Caiaffa, Waleska Teixeira; Vives, Alejandra; Miranda, J. Jaime; Tisnés, Adela; the SALURBAL group Studies examining urban health and the environment must ensure comparability of measures across cities and countries. We describe a data platform and process that integrates health outcomes together with physical and social environment data to examine multilevel aspects of health across cities in 11 Latin American countries. We used two complementary sources to identify cities with ≥ 100,000 inhabitants as of 2010 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. We defined cities in three ways: administratively, quantitatively from satellite imagery, and based on country-defined metropolitan areas. In addition to “cities,” we identified sub-city units and smaller neighborhoods within them using census hierarchies. Selected physical environment (e.g., urban form, air pollution and transport) and social environment (e.g., income, education, safety) data were compiled for cities, sub-city units, and neighborhoods whenever possible using a range of sources. Harmonized mortality and health survey data were linked to city and sub-city units. Finer georeferencing is underway. We identified 371 cities and 1436 sub-city units in the 11 countries. The median city population was 234,553 inhabitants (IQR 141,942; 500,398). The systematic organization of cities, the initial task of this platform, was accomplished and further ongoing developments include the harmonization of mortality and survey measures using available sources for between country comparisons. A range of physical and social environment indicators can be created using available data. The flexible multilevel data structure accommodates heterogeneity in the data available and allows for varied multilevel research questions related to the associations of physical and social environment variables with variability in health outcomes within and across cities. The creation of such data platforms holds great promise to support researching with greater granularity the field of urban health in Latin America as well as serving as a resource for the evaluation of policies oriented to improve the health and environmental sustainability of cities.

Association between degree of anaplasia and degree of inflammation with the expression of COX-2 in feline injection site sarcomas Santelices Iglesias, Olga Andrea; Wright, Carolina; Duchene, A. G.; Risso, Miguel Atilio; Risso, Paula; Zanuzzi, Carolina Natalia; Nishida, Fabian; Lavid, A.; Confente, F.; Díaz, M.; Portiansky, Enrique Leo; Gimeno, Eduardo Juan; Barbeito, Claudio Gustavo Feline injection site sarcomas (FISSs) are mesenchymal neoplasms that develop at the sites of delivery of vaccines or other injectable products. Vaccine adjuvants can trigger an intense and persistent inflammatory response that may lead to neoplastic transformation. The proinflammatory role of cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 is well known and its overexpression has prognostic value in multiple neoplastic processes. One hundred and seventeen FISSs were evaluated for the degree of inflammation and anaplasia. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of COX-2 in these sarcomas. There was a significant association between the degree of inflammation and the expression of COX-2 by neoplastic cells. COX-2 expression was lower in tumours with higher degrees of anaplasia. These findings may be useful in predicting the sensitivity of FISSs to treatment with COX-2 inhibitors. The potential therapeutic use of such agents could then be restricted to tumours with lower degrees of anaplasia.

Efectos dinámicos de la corrosión de armaduras en vigas de hormigón reciclado Moro, Juan Manuel; Meneses, Romina Soledad; Ortega, Nestor Francisco La utilización de hormigones reciclados es una opción sustentable en la construcción. Sin embargo, este tipo de hormigones, presentan diferente comportamiento durable y mecánico que los elaborados en forma tradicional. En este trabajo se presenta un análisis dinámico de vigas de hormigón armado, expuestas a un proceso de corrosión acelerada de sus armaduras. Se efectuó la medición de las frecuencias naturales de vibración de las vigas, a medida que la corrosión avanzaba. Paralelamente, se efectuó un seguimiento del proceso de fisuración del recubrimiento. Se emplearon distintos tipos de hormigones, reemplazando el 50 % del agregado natural, por agregado reciclado con y sin tratamientos previos. Además, se varió la relación recubrimiento de hormigón/diámetro de las barras con el objeto de estudiar la influencia de distintos recubrimientos de las armaduras. Se observó un descenso en las frecuencias naturales en las vigas afectadas, apreciándose diferencias en la mayoría de los casos estudiados.; The use of recycled concrete is a sustainable option in construction. However, this type of concrete present different durable and mechanical behavior than conventional concrete. In this paper, was present a dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete beams exposed to an accelerated corrosion process of their reinforcements. The dynamic study consisted in measuring of natural frequencies vibration of the beams, as corrosion progressed. At the same time, were monitored the cracking process of the cover. Were used different types of concrete, replacing 50% of the natural coarse aggregate with previously treated and untreated recycled aggregate. Besides was varied the relationship of concrete cover / bar diameter in order to study the influence of different covers. Were found a decrease in natural frequencies of the affected beams, obtaining differences between most of the studied cases.

Libros en juego Bibliotecas populares y público infantil en el sudoeste bonaerense (Argentina, 1880-1930); Livros em jogo: bibliotecas populares e público infantil no Sudoeste de Buenos Aires (Argentina, 1920-1930); Game of books: popular libraries and child readership in Southwest Buenos Aires (Argentina, 1880-1930) Agesta, María de Las Nieves El presente artículo analiza dos bibliotecas populares del sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina) -la Bernardino Rivadavia de Bahía Blanca fundada en 1882 y la Domingo F. Sarmiento de Tres Arroyos inaugurada en 1899- y la creación de sus respectivas secciones infantiles en 1925 y 1928, en articulación con el fenómeno de expansión de la educación pública y de la formación de un público infantil en la provincia. A fines de los años veinte es posible constatar allí un proceso de diversificación y de ampliación de los grupos lectores que fue producto y, a la vez, incentivo para la labor de las bibliotecas y sus transformaciones. Estas instituciones introdujeron modificaciones a fin de responder a la creciente demanda y pretendieron, no sin conflictos, asumir un rol activo en la configuración del nuevo lectorado, tanto mediante la regulación de los comportamientos y de los espacios de lectura como de la experiencia y los gustos de los usuarios.; Este artigo analisa duas bibliotecas populares do sudoeste da província de Buenos Aires (Argentina) - a Bernardino Rivadavia de Bahía Blanca, fundada em 1882, e a Domingo F. Sarmiento de Tres Arroyos, inaugurada em 1899 - e a criação das respectivas seções infantis em 1925 e 1928, em articulação com o fenômeno de expansão da educação pública e a formação de um público infantil na província. No final dos anos 1920, é possível verificar um processo de diversificação e ampliação dos grupos de leitura que foi um produto e, ao mesmo tempo, um incentivo para o trabalho da biblioteca e suas transformações. Essas instituições introduziram modificações para responder à demanda crescente e pretendiam, não sem conflitos, assumir um papel ativo na configuração do novo leitorado, regulando tanto os comportamentos e os espaços de leitura quanto a experiência e os gostos dos usuários.; This article analyzes two popular libraries in the southwest province of Buenos Aires, Argentina-the Bernardino Rivadavia of Bahía Blanca Library, founded in 1882, and the Domingo F. Sarmiento de Tres Arroyos Library, inaugurated in 1899-and the creation of their respective children’s sections in 1925 and 1928. This paper looks at the formation of these children’s sections within the context of expanding public education and child readership in the province. By the end of the 1920s, a verifiable process of expansion and diversification of reading groups had unfolded that was both a product of, and, at the same time, an incentive for further library development and its related transformations. These institutions introduced modifications in order to respond to the growing demand and tried to play an active role in the configuration of a new readership, both by regulating behaviors and reading spaces as well as experience and tastes of the users.

Can forest pattern affect the distribution and abundance of Arhopalus rusticus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)? A landscape perspective in central Argentina Grilli, Mariano Pablo; Fachinetti, Romina Since 2006, Arhopalus rusticus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) has expanded its range in the pine production area of Córdoba Province (Argentina). In this paper, we analyse the effect of landscape pattern on the distribution and abundance of A. rusticus. Land cover was estimated using Landsat 8 scenes. Landscape was quantified by estimating the Total Class Area, which showed a positive relationship with A. rusticus abundance, and Mean Euclidean distance and Mean Shape index, which had a negative relationship. Since its arrival, Arhopalus rusticus has proved to be a successful invader, affected by the landscape pattern of the patches.

Construction and validation of the adolescent perceived risks and benefits of exposure to music from personal music players questionnaire; Construcción y validación del cuestionario de percepción de riesgos y beneficios de la exposición a reproductores personales de música para adolescentes Abraham, Mónica; Cupani, Marcos; Biassoni, Ester Cristina; Azpilicueta, Ana Estefanía Se ha encontrado evidencia de una asociación entre la participación en conductas de riesgo y la percepción de sus riesgos y beneficios. El uso de reproductores de música personales (RPM) es una de las actividades de ruido no ocupacional más comunes, especialmente entre los jóvenes. El objetivo del estudio fue desarrollar un cuestionario para evaluar las consecuencias positivas (beneficios) percibidas por los adolescentes y las consecuencias negativas (riesgos) de escuchar música en estos dispositivos. El proceso de construcción y validación ocurrió en 3 fases: desarrollo de batería de ítems; establecimiento de validez de contenido; estimación de validez de constructo, validez de criterio y consistencia interna, en una muestra accidental de 694 adolescentes de 2 colegios de Córdoba, Argentina. Los resultados de los análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio revelaron una estructura factorial de 2 dimensiones. En conjunto, ambos factores clasificaron correctamente al 64,6% y 74% de los adolescentes con alta y baja exposición a música a través de RPM. Este cuestionario puede ser utilizado para detectar adolescentes que presentan una escucha riesgosa y para desarrollar estrategias para promover conductas de protección.; Evidence has been found of an association between participation in risk behaviors and the perception of their risks and benefits. The use of personal music players (PMPs) is one of the most common non-occupational noise activities, especially among the young. The aim of the study was to develop a questionnaire to assess the positive consequences (benefits) perceived by adolescents and the negative consequences (risks) of listening to music on these devices. The construction and validation process occurred in 3 phases: item pool development; establishment of content validity; and estimation of construct validity, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency, with an accidental sample of 694 adolescents from 2 schools of Cordoba, Argentina. The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a 2-dimensional factorial structure. Together, both factors correctly classified 64.6% and 74% of adolescents with high and low exposure to music through PMPs. This questionnaire can be used to detect adolescents with risky listening and to develop strategies to promote protective behavior.

Prácticas de formación y laborales en comunicación social: itinerarios y experiencias Petrucci, Liliana Cecilia; Schaufler , Maria Laura Frente a la necesidad de relevar los diferentes sentidos de las prácticas que se juegan en el campo de la Comunicación Social, tanto profesionales como académicas, desde la interdisciplina entre las Ciencias de la Educación y los estudios en Comunicación Social, la indagación se centró en analizar las relaciones que atraviesan los diferentes saberes, lenguajes, constricciones institucionales y particularidades locales que inciden y singularizan las prácticas. En relación a dicho interés y en el marco de un estudio cualitativo, se realizaron 21 entrevistas en profundidad a estudiantes de la tecnicatura, la licenciatura y el profesorado en Comunicación Social y a los profesionales que se desempeñan en Paraná y Santa Fe, procurando, a la vez, atender a las diversas inserciones y experiencias profesionales. Complementariamente se realizaron entrevistas a docentes de algunas áreas/orientaciones de la carrera. Al hilo del significante “práctica”, se recorrieron las valoraciones de los trayectos curriculares y laborales que se retrazan, según las experiencias prácticas y se bosquejan como itinerarios entendidos como espacios, que distienden las pretensiones de correspondencia entre formación y apropiación

Milky Way demographics with the VVV survey: IV. PSF photometry from almost one billion stars in the Galactic bulge and adjacent southern disk Alonso-García, Javier; Saito, Roberto K.; Hempel, Maren; Minniti, Dante; Pullen, Joyce; Catelan, Márcio; Ramos, Rodrigo Contreras; Cross, Nicholas J. G.; Gonzalez, Oscar A.; Lucas, Philip W.; Palma, Tali; Valenti, Elena; Zoccali, Manuela The inner regions of the Galaxy are severely affected by extinction, which limits our capability to study the stellar populations present there. The Vista Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) ESO Public Survey has observed this zone at near-infrared wavelengths where reddening is highly diminished. Aims. By exploiting the high resolution and wide field-of-view of the VVV images we aim to produce a deep, homogeneous, and highly complete database of sources that cover the innermost regions of our Galaxy. Methods. To better deal with the high crowding in the surveyed areas, we have used point spread function (PSF)-fitting techniques to obtain a new photometry of the VVV images, in the ZY JHKs near-infrared filters available. Results. Our final catalogs contain close to one billion sources, with precise photometry in up to five near-infrared filters, and they are already being used to provide an unprecedented view of the inner Galactic stellar populations. We make these catalogs publicly available to the community. Our catalogs allow us to build the VVV giga-CMD, a series of color-magnitude diagrams of the inner regions of the Milky Way presented as supplementary videos. We provide a qualitative analysis of some representative CMDs of the inner regions of the Galaxy, and briefly mention some of the studies we have developed with this new dataset so far.

Inoculation strategies to improve persistence and implantation of commercial S. cerevisiae strains in red wines produced with prefermentative cold soak Maturano, Yolanda Paola; Lerena, Maria Cecilia; Mestre Furlani, María Victoria; Casassa, Luis Federico; Toro, Maria Eugenia; Vazquez, Fabio; Mercado, Laura Analia; Combina, Mariana Prefermentative cold soak is a winemaking technique aimed at enhancing aroma and colour extraction in red wines. This study aimed at evaluating implantation and persistence rates of commercial active dry yeast strains (ADY) in wines produced with cold soak using two different inoculation strategies. Cold soak was conducted at 4 ± 1 °C, 8 ± 1 °C and 12 ± 1 °C for 7 days. Two yeast strains (Lalvin ICV D254 and Lalvin Rhône 2056) were inoculated before and after cold soak. Implantation of Lalvin ICV D254 at the end of cold soak was higher when conducted at 8 °C and 4 °C, whereas it was undetectable (<5%) at 12 °C. Lalvin Rhône 2056 showed implantation percentages at the end of cold soak ranging from 40% to 100%, with higher percentages in cold soak conducted at 12 °C. Moderate persistence of ADY at the end of alcoholic fermentation was observed in all treatment inoculated before cold soak. In the treatments inoculated after cold soak, the persistence of Lalvin ICV D254 ranged from 12 to 38% whereas Lalvin Rhône 2056 was less than 5% at the end of alcoholic fermentation. Overall, persistence of both strains improved in inoculation before cold soak relative to inoculation after cold soak.

Biodegradation of microcystin-LR using acclimatized bacteria isolated from different units of the drinking water treatment plant Kumar, Pratik; Hegde, Krishnamoorthy; Brar, Satinder Kaur; Cledón, Maximiliano; Kermanshahi-pour, Azadeh; Roy-Lachapelle, Audrey; Galvez-Cloutier, Rosa Bacterial community isolated from different units of a Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) including pre-ozonation unit (POU), the effluent-sludge mixture of the sedimentation unit (ESSU) and top-sand layer water sample from the filtration unit (TSFU) were acclimatized separately in the microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR)-rich environment to evaluate MC-LR biodegradation. Maximum biodegradation efficiency of 97.2 ± 8.7% was achieved by the acclimatized-TSFU bacterial community followed by 72.1 ± 6.4% and 86.2 ± 7.3% by acclimatized-POU and acclimatized-ESSU bacterial community, respectively. Likewise, the non-acclimatized bacterial community showed similar biodegradation efficiency of 71.1 ± 7.37%, 86.7 ± 3.19% and 94.35 ± 10.63% for TSFU, ESSU and POU, respectively, when compared to the acclimatized ones. However, the biodegradation rate increased 1.5-folds for acclimatized versus non-acclimatized conditions. The mass spectrometry studies on MC-LR degradation depicted hydrolytic linearization of cyclic MC-LR along with the formation of small peptide fragments including Adda molecule that is linked to the reduced toxicity (qualitative toxicity analysis). This was further confirmed quantitatively by using Rhizobium meliloti as a bioindicator. The acclimatized-TSFU bacterial community comprised of novel MC-LR degrading strains, Chryseobacterium sp. and Pseudomonas fragi as confirmed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Biodegradation of microcystin-LR by in-situ bacterial community present in the drinking water treatment plant without formation of toxic by-product.

Early responses to Fe-deficiency distinguish Sorghum bicolor genotypes with contrasting alkalinity tolerance Luna, Dario Fernando; Saavedra Pons, Amalia Beatriz; Bustos, Dolores Angela; Taleisnik, Edith Soil alkalinity is a significant limitation to agricultural productivity and it is associated to several soil features, among them, Fe deficiencies. In this work, we explored the hypothesis that alkalinity tolerance in Sorghum bicolor is related to Fe-deficiency tolerance and its underlying mechanisms. An initial screening involving 8 sorghum genotypes identified two with contrasting growth responses to alkalinity (susceptible Minu II and more tolerant Silero INTA Pemán) that were subsequently studied under Fe-deprivation (-Fe) conditions. Sorghum sudanense (sudangrass) was included as control tolerant species for Fe deficiency. Growth in hydroponics and in soil indicated that responses to both alkaline and -Fe substrates followed parallel trends in the three genotypes: Minu II was the most sensitive, followed by Silero and sudangrass. Decreases in carbon fixation (A) and stomatal conductance were observed earlier in -Fe than in alkalinity, and the intensity in the three genotypes followed the same tendency as growth depressions. Calculations derived from the analysis of A as a function of internal CO2 concentration (A/Ci curves) indicated increased Ci concentration along with a decrease in the efficiency of phosphoenol pyruvate caboxylase activity in Minu II. Fast chlorophyll a fluorescence transients (OJIP-test) revealed decreased PSII connectivity in both Minu II and Silero under -Fe, but Minu II disclosed more damage to the oxygen evolving complex under alkalinity, while sudangrass was largely unresponsive. Expression of the genes for phytosiderophore (Phys) synthesis and transport genes was induced under both alkalinity and -Fe conditions in both S. bicolor genotypes, and more strongly in Silero than in Minu II. Lower induction of gene expression in Minu II may be related to its sensitivity to alkalinity conditions associated to reduced Fe availability, leading to alteration in photochemical and biochemical reactions involving Fe. Thus, our results provide support to the concept that susceptibility to Fe-deficiency and alkalinity conditions are associated in Sorghum bicolor and highlight some of the physiological traits that underlie this association.

Reconciliation of quantum local master equations with thermodynamics De Chiara, Gabriele; Landini, Gabriel; Hewgill, Adam; Reid, Brendan; Ferraro, Alessandro; Roncaglia, Augusto Jose; Antezza, Mauro The study of open quantum systems often relies on approximate master equations derived under the assumptions of weak coupling to the environment. However when the system is made of several interacting subsystems such a derivation is in many cases very hard. An alternative method, employed especially in the modeling of transport in mesoscopic systems, consists in using local master equations (LMEs) containing Lindblad operators acting locally only on the corresponding subsystem. It has been shown that this approach however generates inconsistencies with the laws of thermodynamics. In this paper we demonstrate that using a microscopic model of LMEs based on repeated collisions all thermodynamic inconsistencies can be resolved by correctly taking into account the breaking of global detailed balance related to the work cost of maintaining the collisions. We provide examples based on a chain of quantum harmonic oscillators whose ends are connected to thermal reservoirs at different temperatures. We prove that this system behaves precisely as a quantum heat engine or refrigerator, with properties that are fully consistent with basic thermodynamics.

Simple electrochemical detection method employing a hydrogel soft matrix: Application in tap water Martinez, María Victoria; Coneo Rodriguez, Rusbel; Bruno, Mariano Martín; Acevedo, Diego Fernando; Barbero, César Alfredo The proposed method implies the electrochemical detection of an analyte preloaded in a hydrogel. In order to evaluate the potential application of this method, arsenic detection in tap water was performed. Polymeric hydrogels bearing cationic groups poly(Nisopropyacrylamide)-co-3-(acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride were used to sorb arsenic ions, at basic pH, from thereal and synthetic stock samples. The concentration of arsenic was electrochemically determined using the loaded hydrogel and amodified glassy carbon electrode. Employing a cationic hydrogel, the peak current for the arsenic oxidation was ca. 8 times higherthan the peak current measured using poly(N-isopropyacrylamide), a neutral hydrogel, indicating a strong electrostatic interaction between the polymeric cationic groups and arsenite anions. By using this method, values of arsenic comparable to those measuredby Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy were obtained for tap water of small cities in Argentina. These results suggest that this new and easy method is suitable to sense a threshold limit of arsenic in real samples since the features of the hydrogel allow the arsenite loading into the matrix. Besides the cationic hydrogels could be employed to sampling on-field and to build a portable analysis system.