Unplanned pregnancies and reproductive health among women with bipolar disorder Marengo, Eliana; Martino, Diego Javier; Igoa, Ana; Scápola, María; Fassi, Guillermo; Baamonde, Mariana Urtueta; Strejilevich, Sergio Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate reproductive health and level of planning of pregnancies among women with bipolar disorder (BDW). Methods 63 euthymic women, with bipolar disorder type I, II or not otherwise specified diagnosis, were included and were matched with a control group of 63 healthy women. Demographic and clinical data, structured reproductive health measures and planning level of pregnancies were obtained and compared between groups. Results Lower level of planning of pregnancies and higher frequency of unplanned pregnancies were found among BDW. Women with bipolar disorder reported history of voluntary interruption of pregnancies more frequent than women from control group. Current reproductive health care showed no differences between groups. Limitations Data based on self-report of participants and retrospective nature of some collected measures may be affected by information bias. The pregnancy planning measure has not been validated in this population before. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the sample study limit generalization of these findings. Conclusions Adverse reproductive events, as unplanned pregnancies and elective interruption of pregnancies, may be more frequent among BDW. Clinician must be aware of the reproductive health during treatment of young BDW and take measures to improve better family planning access.

TacoFlow: optimizing SAT program verification using dataflow analysis Cuervo Parrino, Bruno; Galeotti, Juan Pablo; Garbervetsky, Diego David; Frias, Marcelo Fabian In previous work, we presented TACO, a tool for efficient bounded verification. TACO translates programs annotated with contracts to a SAT problem which is then solved resorting to off-the-shelf SAT-solvers. TACO may deem propositional variables used in the description of a program initial states as being unnecessary. Since the worst-case complexity of SAT (a known NP problem) depends on the number of variables, most times this allows us to obtain significant speed ups. In this article, we present TacoFlow, an improvement over TACO that uses dataflow analysis in order to also discard propositional variables that describe intermediate program states. We present an extensive empirical evaluation that considers the effect of removing those variables at different levels of abstraction, and a discussion on the benefits of the proposed approach.

Familial hemiplegic migraine type-1 mutated cav2.1 calcium channels alter inhibitory and excitatory synaptic transmission in the lateral superior olive of mice González Inchauspe, Carlota María Fabiola; Pilati, Nadia; Di Guilmi, Mariano Nicolás; Urbano Suarez, Francisco Jose; Ferrari, Michel D.; Maagdenberg, Arn M. J. M. van den; Forsythe, Ian D.; Uchitel, Osvaldo Daniel CaV2.1 Ca2+ channels play a key role in triggering neurotransmitter release and mediating synaptic transmission. Familial hemiplegic migraine type-1 (FHM-1) is caused by missense mutations in the CACNA1A gene that encodes the α1A pore-forming subunit of CaV2.1 Ca2+ channels. We used knock-in (KI) transgenic mice harbouring the pathogenic FHM-1 mutation R192Q to study inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission in the principle neurons of the lateral superior olive (LSO) in the auditory brainstem. We tested if the R192Q FHM-1 mutation differentially affects excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, disturbing the normal balance between excitation and inhibition in this nucleus. Whole cell patch-clamp was used to measure neurotransmitter elicited excitatory (EPSCs) and inhibitory (IPSCs) postsynaptic currents in wild-type (WT) and R192Q KI mice. Our results showed that the FHM-1 mutation in CaV2.1 channels has multiple effects. Evoked EPSC amplitudes were smaller whereas evoked and miniature IPSC amplitudes were larger in R192Q KI compared to WT mice. In addition, in R192Q KI mice, the release probability was enhanced compared to WT, at both inhibitory (0.53±0.02 vs. 0.44±0.01, P=2.10-5, Student's t-test) and excitatory synapses (0.60±0.03 vs. 0.45±0.02, P=4 10-6, Student's t-test). Vesicle pool size was diminished in R192Q KI mice compared to WT mice (68±6 vs 91±7, P=0.008, inhibitory; 104±13 vs 335±30, P=10-6, excitatory, Student's t-test). R192Q KI mice present enhanced short-term plasticity. Repetitive stimulation of the afferent axons caused short-term depression (STD) of E/IPSCs that recovered significantly faster in R192Q KI mice compared to WT. This supports the hypothesis of a gain-of-function of the CaV2.1 channels in R192Q KI mice, which alters the balance of excitatory/inhibitory inputs and could also have implications in the altered cortical excitability responsible for FHM pathology.

Detection of thiourea from electrorefining baths using silver nanoparticles-based sensors Pedre, Ignacio; Battaglini, Fernando; Delgado, Gladis Judith Labrada; Sánchez Loredo, María Guadalupe; González, Graciela Alicia A novel and easy-to-use colorimetric thiourea (TU) sensor based on immobilized polyvinylpyrrolidone-stabilized silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) is reported. The new sensor is aimed for its direct application in copper electrorefinery baths. Quantitative analysis was carried out by adding different thiourea amounts into a synthetic bath and monitoring the absorption changes of the surface plasmon resonance band (SPRB) by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. A linear correlation between the absorbance change and thiourea concentration was obtained, ranging from 0.125 mg/L to 1 mg/L. Our technique has the advantage of working in acidic and high ionic concentrated solutions as those used in electrorefinery baths. The influence of the nanoparticles synthesis conditions on the thiourea sensing was analyzed; particularly, the effect of using different silver concentrations and the same amount of borohydride ions as reducing agent ([Ag+]/[BH4 -] ratios of 2:1, 8:1, 10:1 and 20:1 during the synthesis). The proposed system provides a simple, economical, easy-to-handle and rapid measurement tool for monitoring hydrometallurgical processes for optimizing the reconditioning of thiourea solutions, reducing its environmental impact.

σ-Ideals in distributive pseudocomplemented residuated lattices Celani, Sergio Arturo In this paper we shall introduce the notion of σ- ideals in the variety of pseudocomplemented residuated lattices.We shall also give some characterizations of the stonean pseudocomplemented residuated lattices.

Feasibility study of a hybrid subcritical fission system driven by Plasma-Focus fusion neutrons Clausse, Alejandro; Soto, Leopoldo; Friedli, Carlos; Altamirano, Luis A feasibility analysis of a hybrid fusion–fission system consisting of a two-stage spherical subcritical cascade driven by a Plasma Focus device is presented. The analysis is based on the one-group neutron diffusion equation, which was appropriately cast to assess the neutronic amplification of a spherical configuration. A design chart was produced to estimate the optimum dimensions of the fissile shells required to achieve different levels of neutron amplification. It is found that cascades driven by Plasma Focus of tens of kJ are feasible. The results were corroborated by means of Monte Carlo calculations.

Sedimentología e Icnología de deltas fluvio-dominados afectados por descargas hiperpícnicas de la Formación Lajas (Jurásico Medio), Cuenca Neuquina, Argentina Canale, Nerina; Ponce, Juan Jose; Carmona, Noelia Beatriz; Drittanti, Daniel; Olivera, Daniela Elizabeth; Martinez, Marcelo Adrian; Bournod, Constanza Naimé En las áreas de Portada Covunco y Sierra de la Vaca Muerta, la Formación Lajas representa una sucesión deltaica fluvio-dominada integrada por depósitos de prodelta y frente deltaico, afectados por descargas hiperpícnicas y reelaborados por acción de oleaje (normal y de tormenta). Los depósitos de prodelta muestran una marcada geometría tabular con alternancia entre fangolitas y areniscas finas con abundante contenido de materia orgánica y desarrollo de una icnofacies de Cruziana empobrecida. Los depósitos de frente deltaico, integrados por fangolitas, areniscas finas a gruesas y conglomerados finos, presentan cuerpos de geometría tabular con desarrollo de las icnofacies de Skolithos y Glossifungites, esta última relacionada a la avulsión de lóbulos deltaicos. La progradación normal del sistema deltaico muestra intervalos estratigráficos integrados por cuerpos lenticulares y tabulares de espesor variable asignados a canales y lóbulos hiperpícnicos. Internamente estos depósitos presentan un pasaje transicional y recurrente entre diferentes estructuras sedimentarias con marcadas variaciones texturales, múltiples superficies de reactivación interna, y abundante contenido de materia orgánica. Los sistemas de canales hiperpícnicos muestran dimensiones y estilos de relleno diferentes. Al pie de las zonas de mayor gradiente, las descargas hiperpícnicas generaron canales mayores con relleno agradacional, mientras que en posiciones de menor gradiente del sistema, se desarrollaron canales de alta sinuosidad. En las zonas donde el flujo hiperpícnico perdió confinamiento se produjo la acumulación de sistemas de lóbulos hiperpícnicos. La presencia de niveles de conglomerados afectados por acción de oleaje coronando los arreglos, marcan los planos de pausa en la sedimentación, en los cuales se desarrollaron ventanas de colonización para el establecimiento de la fauna bentónica.; There are few recognized examples of fluvial-dominated deltaic systems affected by hyperpycnal discharges. The development of predictive models in those systems are essential to understand the distribution of sedimentary facies and for determining the location of the main sandy bodies, which constitute the potential hidrocarbon reservoirs. In Portada Covunco and Sierra de la Vaca Muerta areas (Neuquén, Argentina), the Lajas Formation constitutes an excellent example of a deltaic fluvio-dominated succession consisting of prodelta and deltaic front deposits, affected by hyperpycnal discharges and reworked by wave action (storm and normal wave action). Prodelta deposits show a strongly tabular geometry alternating between mudstones and fine sandstones with abundant organic matter and development of an impoverished Cruziana ichnofacies. Deltaic-front deposits are integrated by mudstones, fine to coarse sandstones and fine conglomerates showing tabular geometries and development of the Skolithos and Glossifungites ichnofacies, the later related to deltaic lobe avulsión. Normal progradation of this deltaic system shows stratigraphic intervals consisting of tabular and lenticular bodies of variable thicknesses assigned to hyperpycnal-channel and lobe systems. Internally, these deposits show transitional and recurrent passages between different sedimentary structures with marked textural variations, multiple internal reactivation surfaces and abundant organic matter content. Hyperpycnal channels systems have different dimensions and fill patterns. At the foot of the areas with the greatest gradients, hyperpycnal discharges produced mayor channels with aggradational fill, whereas in areas with lower gradients, high sinuosity channels developed. Hyperpycnal lobes were accumulated in areas where hyperpycnal flows lost confinement. The presence of conglomeratic levels affected by wave action on top of the lobe deposits indicates pauses in sedimentation during which colonization windows could develope, allowing the establishment of the benthic fauna.

The composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the roots of a ruderal forb is not related to the forest fragmentation process Grilli, Gabriel; Urcelay, Roberto Carlos; Galetto, Leonardo; Davison, John; Vasar, Martii; Saks, Úlle; Jairus, Teele; Ópik, Maarja Land-use changes and forest fragmentation have strong impact on biodiversity. However, little is known about the influence of new landscape configurations on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community composition. We used 454 pyrosequencing to assess AMF diversity in plant roots from a fragmented forest. We detected 59 virtual taxa (VT; phylogenetically defined operational taxonomic units) of AMF – including 10 new VT – in the roots of Euphorbia acerensis. AMF communities were mainly composed of members of family Glomeraceae and were similar throughout the fragmented landscape, despite variation in forest fragment size (i.e. small, medium and large) and isolation (i.e. varying pairwise distances). AMF communities in forest fragments were phylogenetically clustered compared with the global, but not regional and local AMF taxon pools. This indicates that non-random community assembly processes possibly related to dispersal limitation at a large scale, rather than habitat filtering or biotic interactions, may be important in structuring the AMF communities. In this system, forest fragmentation did not appear to influence AMF community composition in the roots of the ruderal plant. Whether this is true for AMF communities in soil and the roots of other ecological groups of host plants or in other habitats deserves further study.

La pesca marítima en la Argentina (1989-2013): un caso de (neo)extractivismo y acumulación por desposesión Gómez Lende, Sebastián Orden global y acumulación por desposesión son, en la actualidad, fenómenos y procesos íntimamente conectados: transportada a los lugares por las empresas globales, y encarnada por la lógica del mercado mundial, esa racionalidad hegemónica opera como un elemento de perturbación y desestructuración allí donde se instala. Los usos extractivos del territorio, en tanto que protagonistas privilegiados de la actual fase u oleada de acumulación por desposesión, instauran un nuevo orden de prioridades funcional a los intereses del capital globalizado, el cual lleva la lógica de "economía de enclave" a su más alto nivel y le arrebata a las sociedades nacionales sus recursos más valiosos. A la luz de ese sistema de ideas, este trabajo estudia el proceso de reestructuración de la pesca marítima en la Argentina durante el período 1989-2013, analizando para ello la reorganización de la legislación que rige al sector, el grado de concentración del capital, el nivel de extranjerización de la flota, el destino de la producción y los conflictos suscitados entre los distintos agentes intervinientes en la actividad, para dar cuenta de sus graves implicancias respecto de la capacidad biológica de renovación del recurso, su escasez en el mercado interno y las condiciones laborales del sector.

Systematic revision of Late Triassic marine gastropods from Central Perú: considerations on the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic faunal turnover; Revisión sistemática de los gastrópodos marinos del Triásico superior de Perú Central: consideraciones sobre el recambio faunístico en límite Triásico tardío/Jurásico temprano Ferrari, Silvia Mariel The Late Triassic/Early Jurassic boundary is marked by a mass extinction event which had an important effect on the marine benthic communities on a global scale. In the Andean region of South America, however, the impact of this phenomenon on the earliest Mesozoic marine invertebrate associations has not been evaluated thus far. The present contribution is a systematic revision of the Late Triassic marine benthic gastropod faunas from the Pucará Group of Central Perú, giving a detailed characterization of 18 species and an updated systematic assigment of representatives of the genera Chartroniella, Phymatifer, Ptychomphalina, Paracerithium, Rhabdocolpus and Omphaloptycha. This research includes a comparison of the Peruvian fauna with their related counterparts from the Early Jurassic of Argentina and the Early/Middle Jurassic of New Zealand. This approach attempts to interpret the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic faunal turnover after the end Triassic crisis and establishes a palaeobiogeographical scheme for the gastropod faunal exchange in the Southern Hemisphere across the palaeo-Pacific seaway during the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic.; El límite Triásico tardío/Jurásico temprano está marcado por un evento de extinción en masa que tuvo un efecto importante en las comunidades marinas bentónicas a escala global. Sin embargo, el impacto de dicho fenómeno sobre las asociaciones de invertebrados marinos del Mesozoico temprano en la región andina de América del Sur no ha sido evaluado hasta el momento. La presente contribución es una revisión sistemática de la fauna de gastrópodos marinos bentónicos procedentes del grupo Pucará en Perú Central, en la que se da una caracterización morfológica detallada de 18 especies y una asignación sistemática actualizada de representantes de los géneros Chartroniella, Phymatifer, Ptychomphalina, Paracerithium, Rhabdocolpus y Omphaloptycha. Este trabajo incluye una comparación de las faunas peruanas con faunas similares correspondientes al Jurásico temprano de Argentina y al Jurásico temprano/medio de Nueva Zelanda. Asimismo, el presente enfoque apunta a interpretar, el recambio faunístico que tuvo lugar en el límite Triásico tardío/Jurásico temprano después de la gran crisis de finales del Triásico, y a establecer un esquema paleobiogeográfico para los gastrópodos en el Hemisferio Sur a lo largo del corredor Paleo-Pacífico.

Comparación morfométrica entre lagunas de la planicie aluvial del río Paraná Medio y La Lomada Norte (Corrientes, Argentina); Comparação morfométrica entre lagunas da planície aluvial do médio rio Paraná e a Lomada Norte (Corrientes, Argentina); Morphometric comparison of lakes on the alluvial plain of the Paraná Medio River and the Lomada Norte (Corrientes, Argentina) Contreras, Félix Ignacio; Paira, Aldo Raul El desarrollo de la línea de costa (DL) es una medida morfométrica que permite conocer cuantitativamente la forma de la cubeta. El objetivo de este trabajo es comparar el DL de un grupo de lagunas que, aunque se encuentran en una misma región, son geológica y geomorfológicamente distintas. Para ello, se midieron 925 lagunas,correspondientes a la totalidad de cuerpos leníticos de la Lomada Norte, y 1.500 lagunas de la llanura aluvial del río Paraná Medio. Los resultados demostraron que en las primeras existe un predominio de lagunas circulares que evolucionan a formas más complejas, mientras que en las segundas, en su mayoría, son lagunas de forma alargada evolucionando a ovales o circulares.; O desenvolvimento da linha de costa (DL ) é uma medida morfométrica que permite conhecer quantitativamente a forma da bacia. O objetivo deste trabalho é comparar o DL de um grupo de lagunas que, embora se encontrem numa mesma região, são geológica e geomorfologicamente diferentes. Para isso, mediram-se 925 lagunas, correspondentes à totalidade de corpos leníticos da Lomada Norte, e 1.500 lagunas da planície aluvial do rio Paraná Médio. Os resultados demonstraram que, nas primeiras, existe um predomínio de lagunas circulares que evoluem a formas mais complexas, enquanto nas segundas, em sua maioria, são lagunas de forma alongada, que evoluem a ovais ou circulares.; Shoreline development (DL ) is a morphometric measure that provides quantitative knowledge of the shape of a basin. The objective of this project was to compare the DL of a group of shallow lakes, which despite being located in the same region, present geological and geomorphological differences. To that effect, we measured 925 shallow lakes corresponding to the totality of lenticular (lentiform) bodies of the Lomada Norte and 1500 fluvial lakes of the alluvial plain of the Parana Medio river. The results showed that circular lakes evolving into more complex forms predominate in the former, while in the latter, the majority are elongated lakes evolving into oval or circular shapes.

Separation versus diffusion in a two species system De Masi, Anna; Ferrari, Pablo Augusto We consider a finite number of particles that move in ZZ as independent random walks. The particles are of two species that we call aa and bb. The rightmost aa-particle becomes a bb-particle at constant rate, while the leftmost bb-particle becomes aa-particle at the same rate, independently. We prove that in the hydrodynamic limit the evolution is described by a nonlinear system of two PDE’s with free boundaries.

Flexible-structured systems made of ceramic fibers containing Pt-NaY zeolite used as CO oxidation catalysts Cecchini, Juan Pablo; Banus, Ezequiel David; Leonardi, Sabrina Antonela; Zanuttini, Miguel Angel Mario; Ulla, Maria Alicia del H.; Milt, Viviana Guadalupe Catalytic ceramic papers were developed by incorporating Pt-NaY zeolite to ceramic papers. The necessary mechanical strength was enhanced by the addition of natural borate compounds, which confer elasticity and resistance similar to those obtained using colloidal suspensions, which are the most commonly used binders. Pt-NaY zeolite was incorporated into ceramic papers either during the papermaking process or by spraying a zeolitic suspension on ceramic papers. The partial encapsulation of the faujasite by the sintering of the borate compound during the calcination step made catalytic ceramic papers less active toward the CO oxidation reaction than the corresponding traditional systems (Pt-NaY zeolite coated onto cordierite monoliths or the powder Pt-NaY faujasite). Light-off curves indicated that the activity of Pt-NaY zeolite was preserved when incorporating the zeolitic component by spray, in which case the CO oxidation reaction ran away at ca. 130 °C, and the total CO conversion was achieved at 150 °C, maintaining 100 % CO conversion for more than 90 h.

Biochemical changes in certain enzymes of Lysapsus limellium (Anura: Hylidae) exposed to chlorpyrifos Attademo, Andres Maximiliano; Peltzer, Paola; Lajmanovich, Rafael Carlos; Cabagna Zenklusen, Mariana Cristina; Junges, Celina Maria; Lorenzatti, Eduardo Antonio; Aró, Carolina; Grenón, Paula Different enzyme biomarkers (AChE: acetylcholinesterase, CbE: carboxylesterase, GST: glutathione-Stransferase, CAT: catalase) were measured in digestive tissues of Lysapsus limellum frogs collected from a rice field (RF: chlorpyriphos sprayed by aircraft) and a non-contaminated area (RS: reference site), immediately (24 h) and 168 h after aerial spraying with chlorpyrifos (CPF). CPF degradation was also searched in water samples collected from RF and RS, and found that insecticide concentration was reduced toE6.78% of the original concentration in RF at 168 h. A significant reduction of AChE and CbE activities was detected in L. limellum from RF in stomach and liver at 24 and 168 h, and in intestine only at 24 h, with respect to RS individuals. CAT activity decreased in intestine of L. limellum from RF 24 h and 168 h after exposure to CPF, whereas GST decreased in that tissue only at 24 h. In stomach and liver, a decrease was observed only at 168 h in both CAT and GST. The use of biomarkers (AChE, CbE, GST, and CAT) provides different lines of evidences for ecotoxicological risk assessment of wild frog populations at sites contaminated with pesticides.

Transit timing variation analysis in southern stars: the case of WASP-28 Petrucci, Romina Paola; Jofre, Jorge Emiliano; Melita, Mario Daniel; Gomez, Mercedes Nieves; Mauas, Pablo Jacobo David We present four new transit observations of the exoplanet WASP-28b observed between 2011 August and 2013 October. Employing another 11 transits available in the literature we compute new ephemeris and redetermine the physical parameters of the star and the exoplanet. Considering 3 yr of observations, we find no periodic transit timing variations (TTVs) or long-term variations of the inclination of the orbit, i, or the depth of the transit, k, that could be attributable to the presence of another planetary-mass body in the system. We also study the relations between i and k with different factors that characterize the light curves. The fits suggest a possible weak correlation between k with the red noise factor, β, and the photometric noise rate, PNR, and a weak anticorrelation between i and PNR, although more points are needed to confirm these trends. Finally, the kinematic study suggests that WASP-28 is a thin-disc star.

Helium abundance difference within globular clusters: NGC 2808 Cacciari, C.; Pasquini, L.; Valenti, E.; Käufl, H. U.; Mauas, Pablo Jacobo David Multiple populations have been recently detected in most Galactic globular clusters, even with no significant spread in metallicity. Unusual features of the observed colourmagnitude diagrams can be explained by differences in the He content of the stars belonging to the sub-populations. We report on empirical evidence of He abundance spread in a few globular clusters, with particular attention to NGC 2808, where He abundance variation has been measured in a pair of otherwise identical red giant stars using the HeI 1083 nm line.A quantitative estimate of this difference has been derived by appropriate chromospheric modelling, in very good agreement with stellar evolution requirements.

Statistical study of magnetic cloud erosion by magnetic reconnection Ruffenach, A.; Lavraud, B.; Farrugia, C.J.; Demoulin, P.; Dasso, Sergio Ricardo; Owens, M. J.; Sauvaud, J. A.; Rouillard, A. P.; Lynnyk, A.; Foullon, C.; Savani, N. P.; Luhmann, J. G.; Galvin, A. B. Several recent studies suggest that magnetic reconnection is able to erode ubstantial amounts of the outer magnetic flux of interplanetary magnetic clouds (MCs) as they propagate in the heliosphere. We quantify and provide a broader context to this process, starting from 263 tabulated interplanetary coronal mass ejections, including MCs, observed over a time period covering 17 years and at a distance of 1 AU from the Sun with Wind (1995–2008) and the two STEREO (2009–2012) spacecraft. Based on several quality factors, including careful determination of the MC boundaries and main magnetic flux rope axes, an analysis of the azimuthal flux imbalance expected from erosion by magnetic reconnection was performed on a subset of 50 MCs. The results suggest that MCs may be eroded at the front or at rear and in similar proportions, with a significant average erosion of about 40% of the total azimuthal magnetic flux. We also searched for in situ signatures of magnetic reconnection causing erosion at the front and rear boundaries of these MCs. Nearly ~30% of the selected MC boundaries show reconnection signatures. Given that observations were acquired only at 1 AU and that MCs are large-scale structures, this finding is also consistent with the idea that erosion is a common process. Finally, we studied potential correlations between the amount of eroded azimuthal magnetic flux and various parameters such as local magnetic shear, Alfvén speed, and leading and trailing ambient solar wind speeds. However, no significant correlations were found, suggesting that the locally observed parameters at 1 AU are not likely to be representative of the conditions that prevailed during the erosion which occurred during propagation from the Sun to 1 AU. Future heliospheric missions, and in particular Solar Orbiter or Solar Probe Plus, will be fully geared to answer such questions.

A single algorithm to retrieve turbidity from remotely-sensed data in all coastal and estuarine waters Dogliotti, Ana Inés; Ruddick, K. G.; Nechad, B.; Doxaran, D.; Knaeps, E. Ocean color remote sensing has been shown to be a useful tool to map turbidity (T) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration in turbid coastal waters. Different algorithms to retrieve T and/or SPM from water reflectance already exist, however there are important questions as to whether these algorithms need to be calibrated specifically for different regions. In the present work the potential generality of a semi-empirical single band turbidity retrieval algorithm using the near infrared (NIR) band at 859 nm in highly turbid waters is assessed. For completeness the use of 645 nm in medium to low turbidity waters is also proposed. Radiative transfer simulations and in situ measurements from various European and South American coastal and shallow estuarine environments characterized by high concentrations of suspended sediments are analyzed. Reflectance and turbidity measurements were performed in the southern North Sea (SNS) and French Guyana (FG) coastal waters, and Scheldt (SC), Gironde (GIR) and Río de la Plata (RdP) estuaries. Simulations showed that uncertainty for turbidity estimation associated with different particle types and bidirectional effects is typically less than 6%. When applied to field data from the five different sites, the semi-analytical algorithm performed well: turbidity estimates were within 12% and 22% of in situ values. A good performance was also found when the entire database was analyzed (n = 106) with a mean relative error of 13.7% and bias of 4.8%. The good performance of the algorithm for all these regions, despite differences in sediment characteristics, and the results of the radiative transfer simulations suggest the global applicability of the algorithm to map turbidity up to 1000 FNU. Consequently regional algorithms to retrieve SPM concentration from reflectance can be designed by combining this global algorithm to retrieve T from water reflectance with a regional relationship to convert T to SPM. This has the very practical advantage that the measurements needed to calibrate the latter T/SPM conversion for any new region are much easier and cheaper than in situ reflectance measurements.

A complete radio study of SNR G15.4+0.1 from new GMRT observations Supán, Jorge Leonardo; Castelletti, Gabriela Marta; Joshi, B. C.; Surnis, M. P.; Supanitsky, Alberto Daniel Aims. The supernova remnant (SNR) G15.4+0.1 is considered to be the possible counterpart of the γ-ray source HESS J1818−154. With the goal of getting a complete view of this remnant and understanding the nature of the gamma-ray flux, we conducted a detailed radio study that includes the search for pulsations and a model of the broadband emission for the SNR G15.4+0.1/HESS J1818−154 system. Methods. Low-frequency imaging at 624 MHz and pulsar observations at 624 and 1404 MHz towards G15.4+0.1 were carried out with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We correlated the new radio data with observations of the source at X-ray and infrared wavelengths from XMM-Newton and Herschel observatories, respectively. To characterize the neutral hydrogen (HI) medium towards G15.4+0.1, we used data from the Southern Galactic Plane Survey. We modelled the spectral energy distribution (SED) using both hadronic and leptonic scenarios. Results. From the combination of the new GMRT observations with existing data, we derived a continuum spectral index alpha = -0.62 +- 0.03 for the whole remnant. The local synchrotron spectra of G15.4+0.1, calculated from the combination of the GMRT data with 330 MHz observations from the Very Large Array, tends to be flatter in the central part of the remnant, accompanying the region where the blast wave is impinging molecular gas. No spectral index trace was found indicating the radio counterpart to the pulsar wind nebula proposed from X-ray observations. In addition, the search for radio pulsations yielded negative results. Emission at far-infrared wavelengths is observed in the region where the SNR shock is interacting with dense molecular clumps. We also identified HI features forming a shell that wraps most of the outer border of G15.4+0.1. Characteristic parameters were estimated for the shocked HI gas. We found that either a purely hadronic or leptonic model is compatible with the broadband emission known so far.

Comparison of nitrogen fertilizer demand for wheat production between humid and semi-arid portions of the Argentinean Pampas using a mass balance method Romano, Nicolás F.; Alvarez, Roberto; Bono, Alfredo A.; Steinbach, Haydee S. The Argentinean Pampa is an important grain production region in which nitrogen (N) availability restricts wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield. We performed 46 experiments in the Semi-arid Pampa for evaluating soil N supplying capacity using a mass balance approach. The information generated was combined with published results from 58 experiments performed in the Humid Pampa. Average rainfall was 50% lower under semi-arid conditions and soils had half of the clay + silt and total N contents than those of humid environments. Wheat yield under humid scenarios doubled the yield attained under semi-arid ones, and N and rainfall use efficiencies were also higher. A model could be fitted with good performance for estimating N-supplying capacity from mineral and organic soil pools (R2 = 0.53–0.93), absorbed N (R2 = 0.70) and yield (R2 = 0.57). This methodology can be used for estimating fertilizer needs under defined climate- and site-specific scenarios. For the average yields, rainfall and soil conditions of the experimental networks, targeted N supply (soil mineral + fertilizer N) was estimated as 160 kg N ha−1 in the Humid Pampa and 50 kg N ha−1 in the Semiarid Pampa. Current N rates applied by farmers need to be increased under humid conditions and overfertilization occurs under semi-arid ones.