Purification of alginate improves its biocompatibility and eliminates cytotoxicity in matrix for bone tissue engineering Torres, María Luz; Fernandez, María José; Dellatorre, Fernando Gaspar; Cortizo, Ana María; Oberti, Tamara Gisela There is a growing interest about using natural polymers from renewable sources as biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering. In the present work, alginates were extracted from Undaria pinnatifida, a brown sea weed invasive in Argentinian coast. The isolated alginate was structurally characterized by IR and 1H NMR spectroscopies, intrinsic viscosity and TGA. For comparison purposes, commercial sodium alginate was purified and characterized using the same protocol as for raw material. Toxicity and biocompatibility of sodium alginate obtained from algae were studied using a murine macrophage-like cell line (RAW 264.7) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC), respectively. The presence of impurities inhibited both RAW 264.7 and bone marrow stromal cell proliferation and increased nitric oxide production from macrophages, while inhibited osteoblastic differentiation of BMSC. All these effects were reverted by the purification of alginate. In conclusion, alginate purification improves biocompatibility and osteo-induction while decreases its toxicity.

Changes in forest diversity over a chronosequence of fluvial islands Brumnich, Federico; Marchetti, Zuleica Yael; Pereira, María Soledad The high environmental heterogeneity of large fluvial systems is reflected by the co-existence of contrasting plant communities and landforms. The main objective of this study was to assess the forest diversity changes in islands of the Middle Paraná River (Argentina) in order to discuss an integrative question: how synchronized are the major changes in the features of islands and forests? Persistence age, elevation and flood regime of 11 main channel islands were determined. Variables related to the vascular plant community and the tree stand structure of forests were also measured in 400 m2 plots. Islands were classified as young or old (YIs or OIs), according to their persistence age, which ranged from two to 108 years. Both island classes differed in their elevation but not in the proportion of low water phase. Only three out of nine tree species were dominant: Tessaria integrifolia and Croton urucurana (restricted to YIs and OIs, respectively), and Salix humboldtiana (distributed in both island classes). Alpha diversity was positively correlated with the age of the YIs and reach the highest value in the oldest island forest. Beta diversity was mainly due to processes of species replacement which differentiate floodplain forests. Gamma diversity reached 101 species, being the perennial herbs aclear majority. The stand structure and the complete floristic composition were significantly different between YIs and OIs, with three and seven indicator species of each island class, respectively. Considering integrative models ofsuccession, our findings suggest that the biogeomorphic phase, recognised by the fluvial biogeomorphic model, prevailed in the whole range of island persistence ages. Therefore, it seems that the increase in forest diversity in a large river is restricted to spatial refugia defined by major hydrogeomorphic shifts.

Evaluation of a modified hydrocyclone as electrochemical reactor for processing of two-phase (gas-liquid) systems Colli, Alejandro Nicolás; Fornes, Juan Pablo; González Pérez, Omar; Bisang, Jose Maria A standardised hydrocyclone is examined as analternative reactor for the electrochemical processing of two-phase systems.Experimental measurements and computational predictions of residence timedistributions demonstrate an appropriate hydrodynamics of the equipment. A mainpeak near the mean residence time was detected revealing that a fluid by-pass ordead regions are absent and the Peclet number, obtained by correlation of theexperimental data, was higher than 9. Mass-transfer measurements made by usinga segmented, or a grooved or a smooth cathode corroborate the good performanceof the cylindrical body of the hydrocyclone. The presence of the gas phase has littleinfluence on the residence time distribution as well as on the mass-transferbehaviour of this device. Sulphurdioxide reduction to colloidal sulphur was used as a test reaction to check theperformance of the reactor. The best results were obtained at a cathodicpotential of -0.5 V, against a saturated calomelelectrode, where hydrogen evolution is not possible as a cathodic side reaction.Thus, a 56% current efficiency with a specific energy consumption of 20.4 kWh kg-1 and a space time yield of 10.4 kg m-3 h-1 were attainedunder a two-phase flow of 5% SO2 in nitrogen. The sulphur particles obtainedfrom the spigot present an average size of 6.7 ìm being those carried by theoverflow stream smaller, both of them of high purity.

Upgrading the nutritional value of rice bran by Solid-State fermentation with pleurotus sapidus Omarini, Alejandra Beatriz; Labuckas, Diana Ondina; Zunino, María Paula; Pizzolitto, Romina Paola; Fernández Lahore, Marcelo; Barrionuevo, Luis Damian; Zygadlo, Julio Alberto Solid-state fermentation (SSF) of rice bran (RB) employing the edible fungus Pleurotus sapidus was investigated as a process strategy to improve the nutritional quality of this low-cost and abundant substrate. During fermentation, samples were withdrawn at different time intervals (4, 6, and 10 days) and further analyzed. Established methods were deployed to monitor the changes in nutritional composition (carbohydrates, proteins, ash, and lipids). Additionally, changes in fatty acid composition was studied as a function of culture progress. Results showed that the SSF of rice bran increased total carbohydrates from 36.6% to 50.2%, total proteins from 7.4% to 12.8%, and ash from 7.6% to 11.5%. However, the total lipid content was reduced from 48.5% to 27.8%. The fatty acid (FA) composition of RB included mainly oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids. Upon fermentation with P. sapidus, small differences were found: linoleic acid and oleic acid content were increased by 0.4% and 1.1%, respectively, while palmitic acid content was reduced by 0.8%. This study demonstrated an improvement in the nutritional quality of RB after fermentation with P. sapidus, since protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and specific FA components were increased. As a whole, our results indicate that fermented rice bran could be used as a high-quality animal feed supplement.

Sobre algunas derivas de la narrativa salteña reciente Sosa, Carlos Hernán A partir de la década del 2000, en el campocultural salteño al igual que otros ámbitos del país, se observa la labor deformaciones culturales, cuyas prácticas socioculturales modifican sensiblemente las tradiciones locales en materia de producción y circulación literarias. En este sentido, me interesa detenerme en la producción narrativa de algunos autores representativos, con el propósito de puntualizar en estrategias discursivas visibles en el corpus literario que alteran las tradiciones narrativas previas; en materia de opciones temáticas, de géneros literarios "menores" recuperados y la incorporación de aportes provenientes de las diversas formas de la cultura popular. El estudio de estas transformaciones resulta útil para evaluar la incidencia que dejan estas producciones en la narrativa salteña actual, y permite seguir pensando los distintos entramados que articulan el campo cultural salteño con otros centros con los cuales se establecen zonas de contacto (con aristas epigonales y polémicas).

Eficiencia Energética: un estudio del marco habilitante en Argentina Zabaloy, María Florencia El progreso económico y social de una economía se encuentra íntimamente ligado a la disponibilidad de recursos energéticos, su calidad, su precio y a las consecuencias que generan sobre el medio ambiente, entre otros. El acceso a la energía es tan relevante para la vida humana que se la ha considerado en los Objetivos del Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de Naciones Unidas del año 2015, en particular en el ODS 7 que establece: “Garantizar el acceso a una energía asequible, segura, sostenible y moderna para todos”. Las políticas de Eficiencia energética (EE) juegan un rol clave en alcanzar dicho objetivo, ya que permiten disminuir la demanda energética, mejorar la seguridad de abastecimiento y reducir el impacto ambiental del consumo energético. En este contexto, el objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar cuáles han sido las condiciones de entorno, las barreras y los instrumentos que han permitido el desarrollo de las políticas de EE en el sector residencial en la Argentina. Como conclusión se encuentra que las barreras económico-financieras son muy fuertes y a su vez las condiciones macro-económicas no muestran un buen desempeño. Por otro lado, existen numerosas barreras institucionales y condiciones de borde institucionales que dificultan el desarrollo de medidas de EE.

The hidden value of artisanal fisheries in Honduras Canty, Steven; Funes, Manuela; Box, Stephen; Zylich, Kyrstn; Derrick, Brittany; Divovich, Esther; Lindop, Alasdair; Pauly, Daniel; Zeller, Dirk Declining fisheries catches are a global trend, with management failing to keep pace with growth in fishing effort and technological advances. The economic value of Honduras’ catches was estimated within the industrial and artisanal sectors. Catches were found to be 2.9 times greater than the official statistics between 1950 and 2015. The merging of industrial and artisanal catch data masked the decline in indus‐ trial catches and hid the strong growth of artisanal fisheries. In 1996, annual artisanal fisheries landed catches surpassed the industrial fishery sector, and in 2000, the an‐ nual net value of artisanal fisheries eclipsed the value of the industrial fisheries. These data highlight the importance of artisanal fisheries in Honduras and challenge the long‐held belief that the industrial sector contributes more to the national economy. The global paucity of fisheries data highlights the need for comprehensive strategies to collect more detailed and accurate fisheries data.

Volver a las exequias de Paine Güor: Análisis sociocultural del kalkutun o agresión mágica entre los rankülche de mediados del siglo XIX; Back to the funerals of Paine Güor. Socio-cultural analysis of the kalkutun or magical aggression among mid-19th century rankülche Garcia Insausti, Joaquin Tomas Según el relato de Santiago Avendaño, como parte de las exequias del cacique rankülche Paine-Güor, fueron asesinadas treinta y tres mujeres por ser brujas o viudas. En un análisis pionero, Alberto Rex González interpretó el sacrificio de una de las viudas del cacique como un caso de suttee, indicador del nivel de complejización sociopolítica alcanzado por las sociedades indígenas pampeanas. En este trabajo pretendemos releer estos acontecimientos con la intención de indagar acerca de las causas que permitirían explicar el asesinato masivo de brujas, aspecto que según González solamente poseía un significado ritual como parte del funeral. A tal fin, conceptualizaremos las nociones nativas sobre la agresión mágica para dar cuenta de los sentidos y obligaciones sociales implicados en el contexto específico vivido por los rankülche durante la década de 1840, además de examinar el único caso análogo de ejecución de brujos a gran escala registrado en la región pampeana.; According to Santiago Avendaño’s account, as part of the funeral of rankülche’s chief Paine-Güor, thirty-three women were executed because they were witches or widows. In a groundbreaking analysis, Alberto Rex González interpreted the sacrifice of one of the chief’s widows as a case of suttee, an indicator of the political organization level achieved by the pampean indigenous societies. In this paper we intend to re-read these events to clarify the causes that could explain the mass murder of witches, which according to Gonzalez only had a ritual meaning as part of the funeral. To this end, we conceptualize the native notions about magical aggression in order to account for the senses and social obligations involved in the specific context of 1840’s rankülche society, and also examine the only analogous case of large-scale execution of witches recorded in the pampean region.

Afectividad, fe religiosa y militancia contestataria en las ramas especializadas de Acción Católica en Bahía Blanca (1967-1975) Dominella, Virginia Lorena El artículo aborda los cruces entre religión, política y afectividad en las experiencias de los integrantes de la Juventud Universitaria Católica, la Juventud Obrera Católica y la Juventud Estudiantil Católica en Bahía Blanca en el período 1967-1975. Se interroga sobre el papel que desempeñaron las emociones en las trayectorias militantes de estos jóvenes; en particular, el lugar del amor en la sociabilidad católica y en el paso a la militancia contestataria. En este sentido, reflexiona en torno a los siguientes interrogantes: ¿qué rol jugaron diversos tipos de amor en la militancia eclesial y en el activismo social y político de los actores? ¿Cómo se moldeó el vínculo de amistad al interior de los grupos cristianos? ¿Qué significados asignaban al amor y de qué manera edificaban relaciones de pareja los jucistas, jocistas y jecistas? ¿Cómo funcionó el amor en relación a la política y frente a los desafíos que ésta planteaba?.; The article addresses the intersections of religion, politics and affectivity in experiences of the members of Juventud Universitaria Católica, Juventud Obrera Católica and Juventud Estudiantil Católica in Bahía Blanca, from 1967 through 1975. The role that the emotions of the militant trajectories of these young people had is questioned; particularly, the role of love in the catholic socialisation and how did it lead to an anti-establishment militancy. In this sense, it reflects over the following questions: what role the diverse types of love in the ecclesiastic militancy and the social and political activism of the parties played? How was the friendship bond formed on the inside of the Christian groups? Which meanings were assigned to love and how partnerships were built by the Jucists, Jocists and Jecists? How did love work in relation to politics and facing the challenges presented by it?.

Petrografía y geoquímica de traquibasaltos y traquiandesitas basálticas de las Vulcanitas Corona Chico y del Complejo Volcánico Barril Niyeu, noroeste de la Meseta de Somuncurá, provincia de Río Negro Asiain, Lucia Montserrat; Gargiulo, Maria Florencia; Bjerg, Ernesto Alfredo; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Reitinger, Johann En esta contribución se documentan las características petrográficas y geoquímicas de coladas lávicas expuestas en el sector noroeste de la Meseta de Somuncurá, correspondientes a la unidad Vulcanitas Corona Chico y a la facies básica del Complejo Volcánico Barril Niyeu (Superunidad Quiñelaf), ambas adjudicadas por varios autores al evento volcánico post-plateau. Las coladas lávicas estudiadas poseen predominantemente textura afírica seriada a microporfírica con microfenocristales de olivino y plagioclasa, en una pasta integrada por plagioclasa, olivino, clinopiroxeno, minerales opacos y apatito. Químicamente estas rocas se clasifican como traquibasaltos y traquiandesitas basálticas de la suite alcalina sódica, con señal geoquímica similar a OIB y con anomalía relativa positiva de Ba. Sobre la base de trabajos de relevamiento de campo, estudios petrográficos y los primeros datos geoquímicos de roca total para la unidad Vulcanitas Corona Chico presentados en esta contribución, se propone ampliar la caracterización de estaunidad informal, incorporando coladas de lava ampliamente distribuidas en el sector noroccidental de la meseta. Asimismo, se plantea homogeneizar y simplificar la nomenclatura de las unidades volcánicas referidas al evento post-plateau en el sector noroccidental de la meseta. De este modo, teniendo en cuenta que el evento post-plateau presenta variaciones composicionales, se recomienda hacer referencia a las unidades volcánicas utilizando nombres formacionales o de complejos volcánicos según corresponda, limitando eluso de los términos plateau y post-plateau únicamente para indicar la temporalidad de tales eventos volcánicos.; Petrography and geochemistry of trachy-basalts and basaltic trachy-andesites of Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the Barril Niyeu Volcanic Complex from the northwestern Meseta de Somuncurá, Río Negro province. The petrographic and geochemical characteristics of exposed lava flows in the northwest sector of Meseta de Somuncurá, corresponding to the Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the basic facies of the Barril Niyeu Volcanic Complex (Quiñelaf Superunit), are presented in this contribution. Both, the Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the Barril Niyeu Complex, were attributed by several authors to the post-plateau volcanic event. Their dominant texture is aphyric seriate to microporphyric with olivine and plagioclase microphenocrysts in a groundmass of plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, opaque minerals and apatite. Accordingly with their chemical features, these rocks classify as trachy-basalts and basaltic trachy-andesites of the sodic alkaline suite, with OIB-type geochemical signature and a relative positive anomaly in Ba. Based on field data, petrography and the first whole-rock geochemical data of the Vulcanitas Corona Chico presented in this contribution, it is proposed to expand the definition of this informal unit incorporating some of the lava flows from the northwestern part of Meseta de Somuncurá. Likewise, it is proposed to homogenize and simplify the nomenclature of the post-plateau units in the northwestern sector of the Meseta. Therefore, considering that the post-plateau event shows compositional variations, it is recommended to refer to the volcanic units using their formational or volcanic complex names, limiting the use of plateau and post-plateau only to indicate the temporality of these volcanic events.

The dietary lipid content affects the tissue gene expression of muscle growth biomarkers and the GH/IGF System of pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) juveniles Gomez Requeni, Pedro; Kraemer, Mauricio Nestor; Canosa, Luis Fabian Gene expression of growth hormone receptors (GHRs), insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), myostatin (MSTN) and myogenin (MyoG) was analyzed in juveniles pejerrey fed with graded levels of lipids (L): 6% (L6), 10% (L10), 25% (L25). After 14 weeks, no changes were found in liver GHR-I GHR-II and IGF-II mRNA levels whereas IGF-I decreased in L10 and L25. Muscle GHR-I gene expression increased in L25 whereas GHR-II, IGF-II and MyoG were higher in L6. IGF-I and MSTN expression was not affected by the different diets. Adipose IGF-I mRNA levels decreased in L10. Correlations between body weight and members of GH/IGF system in liver and skeletal muscle were found only in L10 group. Correlations found in L10 group between both liver and skeletal muscle GHR-I and IGF-I were lost in either L6 or L25 groups. Thus, fish fed with apparently unbalanced dietary lipid contents (6% and 25%) exhibit a compensatory regulation of systemic and local components of the GH/IGF axis. Furthermore, the marked inhibition of muscle MyoG gene expression in L25 might limit excessive lipid deposition and fish growth. Our data suggest that a dietary lipid contents of 10% would promote a particular adjustment of the endocrine and autocrine/paracrine GH/IGF system, stimulating body growth and perhaps muscle hyperplasia. On the other hand, a higher dietary lipid content would uncouple the GH/IGF system, reducing hepatic IGF-I, while slightly increasing hepatic GHR-I, probably to prompt lipolysis.

A Receding Horizon Framework for Autonomy in Unmanned Vehicles Murillo, Marina Hebe; Sanchez, Guido Marcelo; Genzelis, Lucas Manuel; Deniz, Nestor Nahuel; Giovanini, Leonardo Luis In this article we present a unified framework based on receding horizon techniques that can be used to design the three tasks (guidance, navigation and path-planning) which are involved in the autonomy of unmanned vehicles. This tasks are solved using model predictive control and moving horizon estimation techniques, which allows us to include physical and dynamical constraints at the design stage, thus leading to optimal and feasible results. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework, we have used Gazebo simulator in order to drive a Jackal unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) along a desired path computed by the path-planning task. The results we have obtained are successful as the estimation and guidance errors are small and the Jackal UGV is able to follow the desired path satisfactorily and it is also capable to avoid the obstacles which are in its way.

Multiple model approach for robust state estimation in presence of model uncertainty and bounded disturbances Deniz, Nestor Nahuel; Murillo, Marina Hebe; Sanchez, Guido Marcelo; Genzelis, Lucas Manuel; Giovanini, Leonardo Luis In the present work, an optimization-based algorithm for state estimation under model uncertainty and bounded disturbances is presented. In order to avoid to solve a non-convex optimization problem, model and state estimation problems are divided into two convex formulations which are solved within a fixed-point iteration scheme with standard available solvers. Guaranty of robust global stability is given for the case of bounded disturbances and uncertainty, and convergence to the true system and vector state are given for the case of vanishing disturbances.

Simultaneous state estimation and control for nonlinear systems subject to bounded disturbances Deniz, Nestor Nahuel; Murillo, Marina Hebe; Sanchez, Guido Marcelo; Genzelis, Lucas Manuel; Giovanini, Leonardo Luis In this work, we address the problem to solve simultaneously state estimation and control of nonlinear systems under bounded disturbances using a moving horizon approach. Besides, necessary and sufficient conditions to guaranty the existence of a feasible solution are given, as well as stability results. The problem is posed as an optimization-based formulation which simultaneously estimates the optimal state trajectory and computes the future control actions to steer the system to a desired region of operation. Besides, computations of the length of the window required to neglect the effects of the initial conditions of the estimator part and the window length necessary to steer the state of the system to the desired operation region despite the disturbances are given.

Errancia y finalidad: variaciones del viaje odiseico en dos novelas latinoamericanas contemporáneas; Wandering and finality: variations of the odysseus voyage in two latin-american novels Guerra, Juan José Este trabajo analiza las transfiguraciones del viaje odiseico en las novelas Los pasos perdidos, de Alejo Carpentier, y Los detectives salvajes, de Roberto Bolaño. Luego de hacer un repaso de las apropiaciones más relevantes de la figura de Ulises en la tradición universal, se plantea que en esas dos novelas existe una disyuntiva entre el viaje como proceso simbólico que dota de sentido al itinerario y el viaje como mera errancia que constituye un fin en sí misma.; This work analyzes the transfigurations of the odysseous journey in the novels Los pasos perdidos, by Alejo Carpentier, and Los detectives salvajes, by Roberto Bolaño. After exploring the most relevant appropriations of the figure of Ulysses in the universal tradition, it is argued that in these two novels there is a disjunction between the journey as a symbolic process that gives meaning to the itinerary and the journey as mere wandering that constitutes an end in itself.

Violencia política y disciplinamiento social durante la última dictadura militar argentina. Modalidades represivas en Bahía Blanca, Argentina (1976-1977); Political Violence and Social Disciplining during the Last military Dictatorship in Argentina. Forms of Repression in Bahía Blanca, Argentina (1976-1977); Violência política e disciplinamento social durante a última ditadura militar argentina. Modalidades repressivas em Bahía Blanca, Argentina (1976-1977) Montero, María Lorena Desde una lógica situada, este artículo analiza las características que asumieron las modalidades represivas en una subdivisión del V Cuerpo de Ejército que durante la última dictadura militar argentina tenía asiento en la ciudad de Bahía Blanca. Para abordar las modalidades represivas dominantes en la Subzona 51 se distinguirán espacios punitivos, niveles de violencia registrados y formas de articulación entre dimensiones legales e ilegales y secretas y visibles de la represión a escala local. Dicho análisis permite reconstruir un mapa represivo complejo cuyos puntos nodales estaban configurados por los Centros Clandestinos de Detención y Exterminio, lugares transitorios de encierro y tortura, ámbitos de ?blanqueamiento? y dependencias castrenses en general. Esos espacios no sólo estaban unidos entre sí, sino que formaban parte de una trama que incluía a las fuerzas represivas que actuaban en las calles de la ciudad y en instituciones específicas como las dependientes del Servicio Penitenciario Bonaerense.; From a perspective that recognizes the local articulation of processes of national scope, this article analyses the characteristics of the forms of repression in a subdivision of the 5th Army Corps, headquartered in Bahía Blanca (Argentina) during the last military dictatorship in Argentina. To approach the dominant repressive practices in subarea 51, in this paper, we will distinguish punitive spaces, the levels of violence recorded, and the forms of articulation between legal and illegal, and secret and visible dimensions of local-scale-repression. The analysis serves to reconstruct a complex repressive map whose nodal points were configured by the Clandestine Detention and Extermination Centers operating as transitory locations for confinement and torture and sites for "blanqueamiento" and military bodies in general. These spaces were connected to each other, and they formed part of a plot that involved the repressive forces that had an impact in the city's streets and in specific institutions such as those that depended on the Buenos Aires Prison Service. The heterogeneous corpus of this study (made up by burocratic records of State agencies, memoirs of the victims and newspaper articles) will be addressed based on the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods.; Desde uma perspectiva que reconhece as articulações locais dos processos que tiveram alcance nacional, este artigo analisa as características que assumiram as modalidades repressivas em uma subdivisão do V Corpo de Exército que durante a última ditadura militar argentina estavam localizados na cidade de Bahía Branca (Argentina). Para abordar as práticas repressivas dominantes na Subzona 51 distinguiram-se espaços punitivos, níveis de violência registrados e formas de articulação entre dimensiones legais e ilegais e secretas e visíveis da repressão a escala local. Tal análise permite reconstruir um mapa repressivo complexo cujos pontos nodais estavam configurados pelos Centros Clandestinos de Detenção e Extermínio, lugares transitórios de confinamento e tortura, âmbitos de branqueamento e dependências castrenses em geral. Esses espaços não só estavam unidos entre si, mas formavam parte de uma trama que incluía as forças repressivas que agiam nas ruas da cidade e em instituições específicas como as dependentes do Serviço Penitenciário Bonaerense. O heterogéneo corpus desta pesquisa (integrado por registros burocráticos das agências estatais, memórias dos retaliados e artigos jornalísticos) será abordado a partir da integração de métodos quantitativos e qualitativos.

Pectin Hydrolysates from Different Cultivars of Pink/Red and White Grapefruits (Citrus Paradisi [macf.]) as Culture and Encapsulating Media for Lactobacillus Plantarum la Cava, Enzo Luciano Marcelo; Gerbino, Oscar Esteban; Sgroppo, Sonia Cecilia; Gomez Zavaglia, Andrea Citrus pectin hydrolysates (Citrus paradisi [Mafc.]) from “Foster,” “Red Shambar,” “Tangelo Orlando,” and “Citrumelo Swingle” cultivars were obtained by partial chemical hydrolysis and their properties as culture media (sole carbon/nutrient source) and encapsulating agents of Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114 were evaluated. The concentration of neutral sugars was maximal after 2‐hour hydrolysis. All hydrolysates were rich in glucose >xylose >galactose >galacturonic acid >mannose >arabinose. “Citrumelo Swingle” cultivar was the one with the highest concentration of xylose. After 24 hr of fermentation with L. plantarum CIDCA 83114, bacterial viability increased from 6.76 ± 0.14 to almost 9 log CFU/mL, and lactic acid concentration, from 2.63 ± 0.41 to 7.82 ± 0.15 mmol/L in all hydrolysates. Afterwards, bacteria were entrapped in pectate‐calcium beads by ionotropic gelation. Bacterial viability did not significantly decrease after freeze‐drying and storage the beads at 4 °C for 45 days.

Establishment and characterization of a novel tissue-specific dna construct and culture system with potential for avian bioreactor generation Pérez Sáez, Juan Manuel; Bussmann, Leonardo Edmundo; Bussmann, Ursula Agnes Transgenic chickens are of great interest for the production of recombinant proteins in their eggs. However, the use of constitutive strong promoters or the tissue-specific ovalbumin promoter for the generation of the transgenic chickens have different drawbacks that have to be overcome in order to make chicken bioreactor an efficient production system. This prompted us to investigate the use of an alternative tissue-specific promoter, the vitellogenin promoter, which could overcome the difficulties currently found in the generation of chicken bioreactors. In the present work we establish and characterize a DNA construct consisting of a fragment of the 5´-flanking region of the chicken vitellogenin II gene cloned in a reporter vector. This construct is capable of showing the ability of the promoter to drive expression of a reporting gene in a tissue-specific manner and in a way that closely resembles physiologic regulation of vitellogenin, making it an ideal candidate to be used in the future for generation of avian bioreactors. Besides, we validate an in vitro culture system to test the performance of the DNA construct under study that could be used as a practical tool before generating any transgenic chicken. These results are important since they provide the proof of concept for the use of the vitellogenin promoter for future genetic modification of chickens bioreactors with improved characteristics in terms of quality of the recombinant protein produced.

Microbial community composition and network analyses in arid soils of the Patagonian Monte under grazing disturbance reveal an important response of the community to soil particle size Marcos, Magalí Silvina; Bertiller, Monica Beatriz; Olivera, Nelda Lila The effects of livestock grazing on soil microbial communities are not fully understood in arid regions, where water limitations can have significant consequences on soil health and biological processes. Neither are understood the effects of livestock grazing on the interactions among members of the microbial communities. Here, we used high-throughput amplicon sequencing and co-occurrence network analyses to study changes in microbial community composition and networks in soil from plant-patches and inter-patches under sheep grazed and non-grazed conditions within an arid region of Patagonia. In addition, we analyzed soil and vegetation properties that could be influencing the observed microbial patterns. We detected over 2,000 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in soils from plant-patches and a similar number in inter-patches, which abundance shifted between the non-grazed and the grazed sites. Among them, members of the Actinomycetales, Solirubrobacterales, Pedosphaerales and Rhizobiales were present. We further found that connections among them in the network analysis were significantly affected by soil texture. Moreover, soil particle size explained between 24.7% and 31.9% of the variance in microbial community composition. Positive network connections increased from 57.8% in the non-grazed site to 88.6% in the grazed site. This may suggest either an increase in cooperative associations within the community, as a strategy to survive under the stressful conditions imposed by grazing, or a selection of microorganisms with similar niche requirements. We further concluded that members of the Actinomycetales and Rhizobiales seem to have a keystone role in the soil communities from this arid ecosystem.

Richness and distribution of Araneidae (Araneae) from Iberá Marshlands, Corrientes, Argentina Zanone, Ivo; Avalos, Gilberto El Iberá está entre los sistemas de humedales más importantes del Neotrópico. Abarca tres provincias fitogeográficas, según Carnevali: Chaco, Espinal y Paranaense. Araneidae está entre las familias de arañas más diversas del mundo. Aquí analizamos la abundancia y riqueza de Araneidae de los Esteros del Iberá usando diez localidades diferentes, considerando las diferencias de ambientes como sabana, bosque, pirizal, y plantaciones de Eucaliptus y Pinus, cubriendo las tres provincias fitogeográficas. Se recolectaron 1296 individuos distribuidos en 22 géneros y 82 especies. La más abundante fue Metazygia gregalis, con 143 individuos; Eustala mostró la mayor riqueza, con 13 especies. La provincia Paranaense mostró la riqueza mayor. Se aportan 12 nuevos registros para Argentina y 15 para la Corrientes. Siendo un área tan rica, sugerimos que la gestión tienda a la conservación de los Esteros del Iberá y realzando la promoción de la heterogeneidad espacial natural.; Iberá is among the most important wetland systems in the Neotropics. It covers three phytogeographic provinces, accordingto Carnevali: Chaco, Espinal and Paranaense. Araneidae is one of the most diverse spider families in the world. Here we analysethe abundance and richness of Araneidae of the Iberá wetland using ten different locations, considering different environmentssuch as savanna, woodlands, pirizal and Eucaliptus and Pinus plantations, covering the three phytogeographic provinces. We found1296 individuals, belonging to 22 genera and 82 species. The most abundant spider was Metazygia gregalis, with 143 individuals,and Eustala showed the highest richness, with 13 species. Paranaense province had the highest species richness. 12 new recordsare given for Argentina and 15 for Corrientes. Being such a rich area, we suggest conservation management in the reserve shouldaim at promoting natural spatial heterogeneity.