Extended-spectrum β-lactamases and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in enterobacterial clinical isolates in the paediatric hospital of Uruguay García Fulgueiras, Virginia; Bado, Inés; Mota, María Inés; Robino, Luciana; Cordeiro, Nicolás F.; Varela, Adriana; Algorta, Gabriela; Gutkind, Gabriel Osvaldo; Ayala, Juan A.; Vignoli, Rafael Objectives To analyse the prevalence of resistance to β-lactams and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in Enterobacteriaceae in the paediatric hospital of Uruguay. Methods A total of 368 enterobacterial isolates collected between 1 May and 30 November 2009 were studied for the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), qnr alleles and aac(6′)Ib by phenotypic and molecular methods. The genomic context and transferability of β-lactamase and qnr genes were examined by PCR and conjugation, respectively. Results The proportion of inpatients having an infection caused by ESBL-producing enterobacteria was 0.23% (16/7073) in paediatrics wards, 0.64‰ (3/4696) in the neonatology department and 0.03‰ (1/32 557) in the emergency department. ESBL-carrying enterobacteria constituted a total of 21.6% (16/74), 13% (3/23) and 0.37% (1/271) when samples were obtained from paediatrics wards, the neonatology department and the emergency department, respectively. Overall, CTX-M-2 (n = 7), CTX-M-9 (n = 3), CTX-M-8 (n = 2), CTX-M-15 (n = 1), SHV-5 (n = 5) and SHV-2 (n = 2) β-lactamases were detected. Thirteen out of 20 ESBL-producing isolates also carried the aac(6′)Ib gene, and the cr variant was detected in one of them. qnr alleles were detected in four isolates comprising two qnrA1 genes, a qnrB8-like variant and a new qnrB gene showing 26 amino acid differences from QnrB1. Conclusions The proportion of ESBL-producing enterobacteria in Uruguay's paediatric hospital during the study period was 2.3 per 1000 hospitalized patients. The number of different microorganisms detected, as well as the various EBSLs, suggests the occurrence of sporadic episodes instead of nosocomial outbreaks. Nevertheless, the presence of new resistance genes reinforces the necessity for permanent surveillance programmes.

Striatal signaling in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia: common mechanisms with drug abuse and long term memory involving D1 dopamine receptor stimulation Murer, Mario Gustavo; Moratalla, Rosario Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder caused by the degeneration of midbrain substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons that project to the striatum. Despite extensive investigation aimed at finding new therapeutic approaches, the dopamine precursor molecule, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (l-DOPA), remains the most effective and commonly used treatment. However, chronic treatment and disease progression lead to changes in the brain's response to l-DOPA, resulting in decreased therapeutic effect and the appearance of dyskinesias. l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) interferes significantly with normal motor activity and persists unless l-DOPA dosages are reduced to below therapeutic levels. Thus, controlling LID is one of the major challenges in Parkinson's disease therapy. LID is the result of intermittent stimulation of supersensitive D1 dopamine receptors located in the very severely denervated striatal neurons. Through increased coupling to Gα(olf), resulting in greater stimulation of adenylyl-cyclase, D1 receptors phosphorylate DARPP-32, and other protein kinase A targets. Moreover, D1 receptor stimulation activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase and triggers a signaling pathway involving mammalian target for rapamycin and modifications of histones that results in changes in translation, chromatin modification, and gene transcription. In turn, sensitization of D1 receptor signaling causes a widespread increase in the metabolic response to D1 agonists and changes in the activity of basal ganglia neurons that correlate with the severity of LID. Importantly, different studies suggest that dyskinesias may share mechanisms with drug abuse and long term memory involving D1 receptor activation. Here we review evidence implicating D1 receptor signaling in the genesis of LID, analyze mechanisms that may translate enhanced D1 signaling into dyskinetic movements, and discuss the possibility that the mechanisms underlying LID are not unique to the Parkinson's disease brain.

Low-Complexity Channel Prediction Using Approximated Recursive DCT Schmidt, Jorge Friedrich; Cousseau, Juan Edmundo; Wichman, Risto Ilari; Werner, Stefan We present a novel channel estimator/predictor for OFDM systems over time-varying channels using a recursive formulation of a basis expansion model (BEM) based on an approximated discrete cosine transform (DCT). We derive a recursive implementation of the approximated DCT-BEM for tracking time-varying channels based on a filter bank. The recursive approximated DCT-BEM structure is then used for long range channel prediction by proper scaling and time extrapolation of the filter bank. As the implicit BEM is time invariant we further simplify the implementation by employing a steady-state Kalman filter whose overall complexity is comparable to an LMS algorithm. The derived predictor outperforms, in terms of predictor range, previously proposed long range predictors that are based on autoregressive (AR) modeling of the time-varying channel. For a similar performance, in terms of MSE, the computational complexity of the proposed predictor is significantly lower than conventional sum-of-sinusoids (SOS) channel predictors as no channel delays nor Doppler frequencies need to be estimated.

Different evolutionary histories in two sympatric limpets of the genus Nacella (Patellogastropoda) in the South-western Atlantic coast de Aranzamendi, Maria Carla; Bastida, Ricardo Oscar; Gardenal, Cristina Noemi The phylogeography of two sympatric Magellanic limpets of the genus Nacella was studied. The historical and contemporary processes underlying their intraspecific patterns in Argentina were inferred using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene. Results indicate different evolutionary histories in the two species. A recent geographic and demographic expansion *11,000 years ago, with absence of current genetic structuring, is proposed for Nacella magellanica. In contrast, the phylogeographic pattern showed noticeable phylogenetic and geographic discontinuities in Nacella deaurata; slow continuous population size growth with current low levels of gene flow among its populations was also observed, indicating demographic equilibrium. The beginning of divergence between these closely related limpets was estimated at about 270,000 years ago with very little or none gene flow occurring after their splitting. These contrasting historic patterns could be related to distinctive responses to climate changes associated with Pleistocene glaciations, as a result of differences in their ecological traits.

Arqueología de los túneles de Palermo: El edificio del Departamento de Monumentos y Obras de artes (M.O.A.) Schavelzon Chavin, Daniel Gaston Para construir la primera Usina Eléctrica de la ciudad se eligió Palermo y sus parques por su sentido romántico y novedoso. La construcción era un gran edificio en una isla artificial, dos galpones y complejas galerías bajo tierra para el agua. Los cambios en la política sobre suministro eléctrico en la ciudad hizo que esta usina quedara fuera de uso, y desde inicios del siglo XX fue siendo abandonada y desapareciendo las instalaciones a la vez que luego cambiando de uso el sitio hasta quedar casi olvidado. Fueron canceladas y selladas sus circulaciones bajo tierra que desde hace años generaban intriga sobre su forma y función. Al abrirlas y explicarlas se encontró una oficina escondida donde se hacían seguramente arreglos del personal municipal no autorizados.; Por seu sentido romântico e inovador, Palermo e seus parques foram eleitos para a construção da primeira Usina Elétrica da cidade. A construção era um grande edifício em uma ilha artificial, com dois galpões e complexas galerias subterrâneas para as águas. Desde o início do século XX começou a ser abandonada devido às mudanças na politica sobre o abastecimento elétrico da cidade, que fez com que essa usina caísse em desuso. Suas instalações foram desaparecendo até a área ser esquecida. Foram canceladas e seladas as circulações subterrâneas que anos antes geravam intrigas sobre sua forma e sua função, ao abri-las e expô-las se encontrou uma oficina escondida, onde possivelmente a equipe municipal não autorizada fazia reparos.; Palermo and his romantic parks was elected as the site to build the first Electric Power Station at Buenos Aires. It was constructed as two main iron structures over an artificial island, with a complete network of tunnels to use the water from a small lake and stream in the neighbors. The system was dismantled at the beginnings of the XXth. Century and the confined underground tunnels open several question on his date and use when we find it in 1985. Now, an extensive study allow us to understand the history of this first Power Station, the use and dates of the tunnels and the find of an unknown underground office, used to non clear purpose by county personnel.

Construcción de una Prueba de Analogias Figurales; Construction of a Figural Analogies Test Blum, Germán Diego; Abal, Facundo Juan Pablo; Galibert, María Silvia; Attorresi, Horacio Felix Se presentan las características psicométricas de una Prueba de Analogías Figurales desde el marco de la Teoría Clásica de Tests. Se construyeron matrices de figuras de 2x2. Se utilizaron las reglas de relación de rotación, traslación, reflejo, distorsión del tamaño, distorsión de la forma, adición y sustracción para la elaboración de reactivos con una regla, dos reglas y tres reglas de relación. Participaron 475 estudiantes de Psicología de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, de los cuales 96 eran varones y 379 mujeres. El análisis de la consistencia interna brinda un índice altamente satisfactorio (α = .91), las correlaciones ítem-test corregidas puntúan todas por encima de .30 y se corrobora la unidimensionalidad de la Prueba por medio del análisis exploratorio. También se detecta una diferencia intergénero significativa en el puntaje total, a favor de los varones (p < .001). Entre otras cuestiones, se discuten las condiciones para graduar la dificultad del ítem y limitaciones potenciales.; This paper presents the psychometric characteristics of a Test of Figural Analogies from the Classical Test Theory perspective. 2x2 figural matrices were constructed. The rules of relation of rotation, displacement, reflection, size distortion, shape distortion, addition and subtraction were implemented to elaborate one rule-based, two rule-based and tree rule-based items. 475 Psychology students from the University of Buenos Aires participated, 96 of whom were males and 379 females. The internal consistency analysis provides a highly satisfactory score (α = .91), all item-test corrected correlations are above .30 and the Test’s unidimensionality was confirmed through the exploratory analysis. Student t test shows a significant between-gender difference in the total score, favouring men (p < .001). Among other issues, conditions for increasing items’ difficulty level are discussed as well as potential limitations.

Sobre la democracia, la agencia y el Estado: Algunas notas a partir de la teorización de Guillermo O’Donnell D'alessandro, Martin Omar El artículo revisa los principales argumentos del último libro del politólogo argentino Guillermo O’Donnell, que condensa gran parte de su trabajo intelectual de los últimos veinte años. O’Donnell propone una teoría de la democracia en la que tienen importancia las condiciones del Estado (particularmente su capacidad de garantizar derechos de manera universal) y la ciudadanía para un desarrollo satisfactorio del régimen democrático. El artículo relaciona estos contenidos con la obra previa de este autor, subdividiendo su trabajo intelectual y destacando algunos conceptos centrales de su pensamiento.; The article looks through the main arguments of the Argentine political scientist Guillermo O’Donnell’s last book, which abridges most of his work in the last twenty years. O’Donnell proposes a democratic theory within which state and citizenry conditions (particularly the state capacities to guarantee universal rights) are important to fulfill a satisfactory development of the democratic regime. The article relates these contents with O’Donnell’s previous work, underlining some central concepts of his whole thought.

Transcriptional characterization of wnt and notch signaling pathways in neuronal differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells Cardozo, Alejandra Johana; Gomez, Daniel Eduardo; Argibay, Pablo Francisco Since the nervous system has limited self-repair capability, a great interest in using stem cells is generated to repair it. The adipose tissue is an abundant source of stem cells and previous reports have shown the differentiation of them in neuron-like cells when cultures are enriched with growth factors involved in neurogenesis. Regarding this, it could be thought that a functional parallelismbetween neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASCs) exists. For this reason, we investigated the putative involvement ofNotch and Wnt pathways in neuronal differentiation of hASCs through real-time PCR. We found that both Wnt and Notch signaling are present in proliferating hASCs and that both cascades are downregulated when cells are differentiated to a neuronal phenotype. These results are in concordance with previous works where it was found that both pathways are involved in the maintenance of the proliferative state of stem cells, probably through inhibition of the expression of cell-fatespecific genes. These results could support the notion that hASCs differentiation into neuron-like cells represents a regulated process analogous to what occurs during neuronal differentiation of NSCs and could partially contribute to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in neuronal differentiation of adult human nonneural tissues.

Effect of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices on the false root-knot nematode Nacobbus aberrans in tomato plants Lax, Paola; Becerra, Alejandra Gabriela; Soteras, María Florencia; Cabello, Marta Noemí; Doucet, Marcelo Edmundo Information about the interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the false root-knot nematode Nacobbus aberrans (Thorne, 1935) Thorne & Allen, 1944 is scarce. The effect of Glomus intraradices Schenk & Smith on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cv. Platense inoculated with nematode juveniles from Lisandro Olmos (Argentina) was studied under greenhouse conditions. Six treatments with five replications were performed. After 80 days, nematode reproduction and percentage of AMF colonization in roots were estimated. Some plant growth parameters were also measured. In general, plants with AMF and AMF plus nematodes grew as well as the control without AMF and without nematodes. Furthermore, G. intraradices was beneficial in reducing nematode-induced damage in roots (lower number of galls) as well as in having a suppressive effect on parasite reproduction. This is the first study on the use of G. intraradices as a possible strategy in the control of N. aberrans in tomato.

The segmentation of the argentine education system: evidence from PISA 2009 Krüger, Natalia Soledad For decades, one of the main goals for policy makers throughout the world has been to provide equal educational opportunities. Nevertheless, many countries still face great challenges in this respect, especially considering equality in the distribution of resources. Since the early eighties, Argentina has focused the fact that the education system is segmented, i.e., divided into groups of institutions of differential quality in which students are distributed according to their socio-economic background. This means that schooling reproduces and reinforces existing patterns of social inequality. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the comprehension and the diagnosis of the current relevance of this phenomenon. Based on information from the PISA 2009 survey, the aim is to establish the degree of educational segmentation, evaluating the distribution of the schools physical, human, and social capitals, as well as the interaction of these resources with student characteristics. A cluster analysis is performed for visualising how these factors lead to the configuration of different school profiles. This may be a useful tool to assist in designing strategies to level the most disadvantaged schools, thus better mediating the impact of socio-economic background on educational success.

Growth and Development in Wild Owl Monkeys (Aotus azarai) of Argentina Huck, Marcos Andrés; Rotundo, Marcelo; Fernandez Duque, Eduardo Life history predicts that in sexually dimorphic species in which males are the larger sex, males should reach sexual maturity later than females (or vice versa if females are the larger sex). The corresponding prediction that in sexually monomorphic species maturational rates will differ little between the sexes has rarely been tested. We report here sex differences in growth and development to adulthood for 70 female and 69 male wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarai). In addition, using evidence from natal dispersal and first reproduction (mean: 74 mo) for 7 individuals of known age, we assigned ages to categories: infant, 0–6 mo; juvenile, 6.1–24 mo; subadult, 24.1–48 mo; adult >48 mo. We compared von Bertalanffy growth curves and growth rates derived from linear piecewise regressions for juvenile and subadult females and males. Growth rates did not differ between the sexes, although juvenile females were slightly longer than males. Females reached maximum maxillary canine height at ca. 2 yr, about a year earlier than males, and females’ maxillary canines were shorter than males’. Thus apart from canine eruption and possibly crown–rump length, the development of Azara’s owl monkeys conforms to the prediction by life history that in monomorphic species the sexes should develop at similar paces.

The influence of spectral power distribution on contrast sensitivity Arranz, Isabel; Matesanz, Beatriz; de la Rosa, Cristina; Menéndez, José; Issolio, Luis Alberto; Mar, Santiago; Aparicio, Juan Antonio The influence of lighting of different spectral power distribution on letter contrast sensitivity has been studied. The different spectral power distributions were obtained by filtering or dimming tungsten halogen lamps. Measurements were made on 20 young and healthy individuals (25 eyes) whose monocular contrast sensitivities were measured with a natural pupil. Sixteen combinations of test and surround luminance with high or low correlated colour temperatures were studied in such a way that the influence of test luminance, surround luminance or colour temperature of both visual fields could be independently studied. Both test luminance and surround luminance influenced contrast sensitivity but correlated colour temperature did not.

Influencia del nivel de almidón y celulosa en la dieta sobre el perfil metabólico y digestibilidad aparente en camarones penaeoideos; Influence of dietary starch and cellulose levels on the metabolic profile and apparent digestibility in penaeoid shrimp Velurtas, Susana María; Díaz, Ana Cristina; Fernandez Gimenez, Analia Veronica; Fenucci, Jorge Lino En el presente estudio se comparó el efecto de diferentes concentraciones de almidón/celulosa (30/0; 20/10; 10/20; 0/30) sobre la respuesta metabólica y la digestibilidad aparente en dos especies de peneidos, Artemesia longinaris y Pleoticus muelleri. Se utilizaron animales adultos a fin de obtener cantidades suficientes de hemolinfa y heces para los análisis. No hubo diferencias significativas en los niveles de metabolitos plasmáticos en P. muelleri, en cambio en A. longinaris se observó un incremento significativo de la glucosa, proteínas totales y colesterol en relación con el aumento del almidón en la dieta. Los coeficientes de digestibilidad aparente disminuyeron de 83,7% a 51,2% (A. longinaris) y de 71,9% a 7,6% (P. muelleri) a medida que los porcentajes de almidón en la dieta aumentaron. El cociente entre la actividad de amilasa y proteasa (A/P) se redujo en A. longinaris con los mayores porcentajes de almidón dietario; por el contrario, el cociente A/P en P. muelleri aumentó cuando la concentración fue más alta. Estos resultados demostraron que existe una estrecha relación entre los hábitos alimentarios y la fisiología digestiva de las dos especies estudiadas; sugiriendo un comportamiento más herbívoro para A. longinaris y más omnívoro para P. muelleri.; The present study compared the effect of different starch/cellulose ratios (30/0, 20/10, 10/20, 0/30) on the metabolic response and apparent digestibility in two species of penaeoids: Artemesia longinaris and Pleoticus muelleri. Adult animals were used in order to obtain sufficient quantities of haemolymph and faecal material for analysis. No significant differences were found in levels of plasma metabolites in P. muelleri, but in A. longinaris, a significant increase was observed in glucose, total protein, and cholesterol in correlation with increased dietary starch. The apparent digestibility coefficients decreased from 83.7% to 51.2% (A. longinaris) and from 71.9% to 7.6% (P. muelleri) as the dietary starch levels increased. The ratio of amylase activity to protease activity (A/P ratio) declined in A. longinaris when the percentage of dietary starch increased. In contrast, the A/P ratio for P. muelleri increased with higher starch concentrations. These results demonstrated a close relationship between the feeding habits and digestive physiology of the two species studied; they also suggest a more herbivorous behavior for A. longinaris and more omnivorous habits for P. muelleri.

Modern embalming, circulation of fluids, and the voyage through the human arterial system: Carl L. Barnes and the culture of immortality in America Podgorny, Irina By considering the work of American embalmer, lawyer, and physician Carl Lewis Barnes (1872-1927), this paper analyzes the emergence of modern embalming in America. Barnes experimented with and exhibited the techniques by which embalming fluids travelled into the most remote cavities of the human body. In this sense, modern embalmers based their skills and methods on experimental medicine, turning the anatomy of blood vessels, physiology of circulation, and composition of blood into a circuit that allowed embalming fluids to move throughout the corpse. Embalmers in the late 19th century took ownership of the laws of hydrodynamics and the physiology of blood circulation to market their fluids and equipment, thus playing the role of physiologists of death, performing and demonstrating physiological experiments with dead bodies.

Entropic upper bound on gravitational binding energy Vignat, C.; Plastino, Ángel Luis; Plastino, Ángel Ricardo We prove that the gravitational binding energy Ω of a self gravitating system described by a mass density distribution ρ(x) admits an upper bound B[ρ(x)] given by a simple function of an appropriate, non-additive Tsallis' power-law entropic functional Sq evaluated on the density ρ. The density distributions that saturate the entropic bound have the form of isotropic q-Gaussian distributions. These maximizer distributions correspond to the Plummer density profile, well-known in astrophysics. A heuristic scaling argument is advanced suggesting that the entropic bound B[ρ(x)] is unique, in the sense that it is unlikely that exhaustive entropic upper bounds not based on the alluded Sq entropic measure exit. The present findings provide a new link between the physics of self gravitating systems, on one hand, and the statistical formalism associated with non-additive, power-law entropic measures, on the other hand. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fomitopsis minutispora Rajchenb., a new record of Polyporales for the Chilean mycobiota; Fomitopsis minutispora Rajchenb., nuevo registro de Polyporales para la micobiota Chilena Sandoval, Pablo; Rajchenberg, Mario Se registra Fomitopsis minutispora Rajchenb. (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) por primera vez en Chile. Los basidiomas de la especie fueron hallados sobre troncos caídos, siempre en bosques con presencia del género Nothofagus en la Región de los Ríos. Se presenta una breve descripción, fotografías de la especie y una clave para diferenciar los políporos de basidiomas perennes y pileados más comunes en los bosques de Nothofagus de Chile.

Spectroelectrochemical evidence for the nitrosyl redox siblings NO +, NO., and NO- coordinated to a strongly electron-accepting FeII porphyrin: DFT calculations suggest the presence of high-spin states after reduction of the FeII-NO - complex Pellegrino, Juan; Hübner, Ralph; Doctorovich, Fabio; Kaim, Wolfgang Experimental and computational results for the electron-deficient porphyrin complex [Fe(NO)(TFPPBr8)] (1; TFPPBr8=2,3,7,8,12,13,17, 18-octabromo-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin) are reported with respect to its electron-transfer behavior. Complex 1 undergoes three one-electron processes: two reversible reductions and one irreversible oxidation. Spectroelectrochemical measurements (IR and UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy) of 14NO- and 15NO-containing material indicate that the first reduction to 1- occurs largely on the NO ligand to produce nitroxyl anion (NO-) character, as evident from the considerable change in νNO from 1715 to around 1550 cm-1. The second reduction to 12- does not result in a further shift of νNO to lower frequencies, but to a surprising high-energy shift to 1590 cm-1. This and the notable changes of the characteristic porphyrin vibrations as well as significant changes of the UV/Vis absorptions indicate a porphyrin-centered process; DFT calculations predict the shift of νNO to higher frequencies for the intermediate- and high-spin states of 12-. The oxidation of 1 is irreversible on the voltammetry timescale, but chemically reversible in spectroelectrochemical experiments, suggesting that the cationic form dissociates to the corresponding ferric porphyrin and NO. DFT calculations support the interpretation of the experimental results. En este trabajo se estudia el comportamiento redox del complejo {FeNO}7 con sustituyentes atractores de electrones, [Fe(NO)(TFPPBr8)]=1 (TFPPBr8=2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18- octabromo-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorofenil)porfirina) mediante experimentos de espectroelectroquímica y cálculos computacionales. El complejo 1 presenta tres procesos electroquímicos de un electrõn: dos reducciones reversibles y una oxidaciõn irreversible. El considerable cambio de νNO de 1715 cm-1 a ≈ 1550 cm-1 indica que la primera reducciõn a 1- involucra en gran medida al ligando NO. Para la segunda reducciõn a 12- se observa, sorprendentemente, un cambio de νNO a ≈ 1590 cm-1. Este pequeño corrimiento de νNO y los cambios notables de las vibraciones asociadas a modos de la porfirina, así como los cambios significativos en la banda UV/Vis de Soret, indican un proceso centrado en la porfirina; los cálculos DFT predicen el corrimiento de νNO a mayores frecuencias para los estados de spin intermedio y alto de 1 2-. En cuanto a la oxidaciõn de 1, la onda irreversible en la voltametría cíclica sugiere que la forma catiõnica 1 + se disocia dando la porfirina de hierro(III) y NO; sin embargo, en el experimento espectroelectroquímico el proceso resulta reversible, recuperándose la νNO de 1 al reducir. Los cálculos DFT apoyan la interpretaciõn de los resultados experimentales. All in a spin: IR and UV/Vis spectroelectrochemistry reveal that the oxidation and the first reduction of [Fe(NO)(TFPPBr8)] (TFPPBr8= 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octabromo-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin) mainly affect the FeNO moiety. In the two-electron-reduced form, the added electrons appear mainly located on the porphyrin, and DFT calculations suggest an intermediate- or high-spin state (see figure).

The use of actometry and electronic nose devices to assess the locomotor activity of two species of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) Heit, Guillermo Eugenio; Messina, Valeria Marisa; Mareggiani, Graciela Silvia; Cohen, Rosa Graciela; Carrizo, Paola The effect of odor signals on the locomotor activity of Cycloneda sanguinea and Harmonia axyridis was evaluated using two different actometric devices. The purpose of the analysis was to differentiate between the responses elicited by direct contact with the substrates and the responses that occurred if the coccinellids were exposed only to volatiles and had no direct substrate contact. The odor profile of the environmental volatiles (semiochemicals) in the bioassays was analyzed using an electronic nose (Modular Sensor System Moses II). The treatments used included volatiles emitted by pepper leaves (healthy or infested with Myzus persicae), M. persicae molts and honeydew, and healthy leaves treated with an artificial inducer of the systemic acquired response to herbivory (AISAR). The results suggest that a specific stimulus linked to aphid-host interaction would trigger a distinctive locomotor activity pattern in H. axyridis, with or without any contact with the aphids or the host plant. In contrast, C. sanguinea was not able to differentiate between volatiles from infested or uninfected pepper leaves or to distinguish these volatiles from clean filter paper (control). If C. sanguinea was in contact with aphid-infested pepper leaves (regardless of the previous prey density), it moved slowly and scanned the area exhaustively; H. axyridis showed significantly reduced locomotor activity when it was in contact with aphid-infested pepper leaves or aphid molts and honeydew, all reliable signals of the presence of a food source. In both species, treatment with Actigard (AISAR: Acibenzolar-S-methyl) failed to evoke the behavioral response observed in the treatment with aphid-infested pepper plants. The study also demonstrated that the E-nose can differentiate among blends of volatiles released from cut healthy or aphid-infested pepper leaves.

Performance of a multipurpose research electrochemical reactor Henquín, Eduardo Rubén; Bisang, Jose Maria This paper reports on a multipurpose research electrochemical reactor with an innovative design feature, which is based on a filter press arrangement with inclined segmented electrodes and under a modular assembly. Under bipolar connection, the fraction of leakage current is lower than 4%, depending on the bipolar Wagner number, and the current distribution is closely uniform. When a turbulence promoter is used, the local mass-transfer coefficient shows a variation of ±10% with respect to its mean value. The fluidodynamics of the reactor responds to the dispersion model with a Peclet number higher than 10. It is concluded that this reactor is convenient for laboratory research.

Fossil cocoons associated with a dinosaur egg from Patagonia, Argentina Genise, Jorge Fernando; Sarzetti, Laura Cristina Eight fossil (Cretaceous) insect cocoons were discovered within the infillings of a broken dinosaur egg of a clutch from a Patagonian locality. Cocoons are considered to be in situ based on detailed preservation of thin, delicate walls with surface texture, infillings that are similar to the surrounding rock matrix and the clustered distribution of cocoons in only one egg out of the clutch of five eggs. According to the shape, size, and thin wall with surface texture, the cocoons are interpreted as having been produced by wasps. The wasps may have been attracted to the egg because of the presence of scavenging insects feeding on the decaying organic matter, or they may have been attracted to spiders feeding on the scavenging insects. In either scenario, after attacking the insects or spiders inside the sand infillings of the egg, the wasp larvae produced the cocoons described herein. The presence of wasps, which are at the top of the scavenging food webs, suggests that a complex community of invertebrates would have developed around rotten dinosaur eggs.