Modelling growth/no growth interface of Zygosaccharomyces bailii in simulated acid sauces as a function of natamycin, xanthan gum and sodium chloride concentrations Zalazar, Aldana Lourdes; Gliemmo, María Fernanda; Soria, Marcelo; Campos, Carmen Adriana Probabilistic microbial modelling using logistic regression was used to predict the growth/no growth (G/NG) interfaces of Zygosaccharomyces bailii in simulated acid sauces as a function of natamycin, xanthan gum (XG) and sodium chloride concentrations. The growth was assessed colorimetrically by using 2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone as detection reagents. The logistic regression model successfully predicted G/NG probability. The detection reagents used allowed the evaluation of G/NG interfaces in opaque systems with an excellent agreement with the plate count method. Natamycin concentration of 12 mg/L was needed to inhibit Z. bailii growth independently of the presence of XG and/or NaCl. Addition of 3.00 and 6.00% of NaCl exerted an antagonistic effect on natamycin action. Furthermore, addition of 0.25 and 0.50% XG decreased natamycin and/or NaCl action. However, an increased in XG concentration to 1.00% decreased yeast growth. Mentioned results highlighted the importance of the correct selection of stress factors applied to inhibit Z. bailii growth.

Husks of Zea mays as a potential source of biopolymers for food additives and materials? development. Bernhardt, Dana Cecilia; Ponce, Nora Marta Andrea; Basanta, Maria Florencia; Stortz, Carlos Arturo; Rojas, Ana Maria Luisa Maize husks, an agricultural and industrial residue generated in a large volume,were investigated as a potential source of useful biopolymers. Thus, theirchemical composition was firstly studied, after which two biopolymer productswere obtained and characterized. Maize husks were dried and milled, obtaining a210 mm-main particle size powder (MHP). It contained carotenes (4 mg/100 g),and exhibited antioxidant capacity (z195 mg ascorbic acid/100 g MHP) comingalso from extractable coumaric and cinnamic acids-derivatives (14 mg/100 g). A31% of the MPH was water-soluble at room temperature, mainly constituted byfructose, glucose, and sorbitol of mesophylls? intracellular origin. The waterinsoluble fiber (WIF, z70%), which showed antioxidant capacity (z25e33 mgascorbic acid/100 g WIF), was almost entirely constituted by the cell wallbiopolymers or alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) of the MPH, mostlyarabinoxylans (z26%) crosslinked by ferulic residues (18.6 mg/100 g MPH),and cellulose (26%). Low levels of pectins (5.5%) and lignin (7%) were found.Hence, a 1.25%-sulfur nanocellulose (NCC) was directly obtained with sulfuric acid (15 mV Zeta-potential; 147 C onset of thermal-degradation) without thenecessity of previous delignification. On the other hand, a water solublearabinoxylan enriched fraction (AX-EF) with pseudoplastic behavior in water andsensibility to calcium ions (z3 Pa,s initial Newtonian-viscosity) was isolated byalkaline hydrolysis of diferulate bridges. Despite a 56% of crystallinity, NCCshowed the highest water absorption capacity when compared to that of the AXEFand AIR. Maize husks constitute an important source of biopolymers fordevelopment of materials and food additives/ingredients with relevant hydrationand antioxidant properties.

El kirchnerismo y sus estrategias políticas en Argentina: Desde la transversalidad hasta Unidad Ciudadana; The Kirchnerism and its political strategies in Argentina: From "transversality" to "Citizen Unity" Retamozo, Martin; Trujillo Salazar, Lucia Paola Este artículo analiza las diferentes estrategias políticas del kirchnerismo desde su asunción en 2003 hasta las elecciones legislativas de 2017. El estudio muestra cómo las diferentes estrategias “transversalidad” “Concertación Plural” “Partido Justicialista” “Unidos y Organizados” y “Unidad Ciudadana” obedecen a específicos modos de entender aspectos centrales como la representación política, el sistema político y la relación entre los actores políticos en diferentes momentos del ciclo político.; This article analyzes the diverse political strategies of “Kirchnerismo” from his presidential inauguration in 2003 until the legislative elections in 2017. The study shows how the different strategies: "transversality", "Plural Concertation", "Justicialist Party", "United and Organized", and "Citizen Unity" obey different ways of understanding the political representation, the political system and the relationship between political actors at different moments of the political cycle.

Effect of storage conditions on the physicochemical characteristics of edible films based on whey protein concentrate and liquid smoke Piccirilli, Gisela Noemi; Soazo, Marina del Valle; Perez, Leonardo Martin; Delorenzi, Nestor Jorge; Verdini, Roxana Andrea In this study, whey protein concentrate-based edible films incorporated with 10% w/w of liquid smoke were prepared by casting and stored at 8 °C and 25 °C. The effect of storage conditions on physicochemical stability of films was studied. Light transmission, transparency, color, total content of carbonyl derivatives, browning index, moisture content, solubility, thickness, mechanical properties, SEM micrographs and FTIR spectra were evaluated after 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of storage. Thickness and transparency did not change after 28 days of storage at any storage condition. Tensile strength and total difference color increased when storage was performed at 25 °C. Moisture content decreased after 7 days of storage for both storage conditions, but the effect was much more significant at 25 °C. Solubility decreased after 7 days of storage at 25 °C and after 28 days of storage at 8 °C. The main changes observed at 25 °C were caused by the loss of moisture and by the progress of the Maillard reaction. In general, the physicochemical characteristics of films were better preserved at 8 °C, indicating that films can be used to package foods that are stored under refrigeration conditions.

Modulation of hepatic MRP3/ABCC3 by xenobiotics and pathophysiological conditions: Role in drug pharmacokinetics Ghanem, Carolina Inés; Manautou, Jose E. Liver transporters play an important role in the pharmacokinetics and disposition of pharmaceuticals, environmental contaminants, and endogenous compounds. Among them, the family of ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters is the most important due to its role in the transport of endo- and xenobiotics. The ABCC sub-family is the largest one, consisting of 13 members that include the cystic fibrosis conductance regulator (CFTR/ABCC7); the sulfonylurea receptors (SUR1/ABCC8 and SUR2/ABCC9) and the multidrug resistanceassociated proteins (MRPs). The MRP-related proteins can collectively confer resistance to natural, synthetic drugs and their conjugated metabolites, including platinum-containing compounds, folate anti-metabolites, nucleoside and nucleotide analogs, among others. MRPs can be also catalogued into “long” (MRP1/ABCC1, -2/C2, -3/C3, -6/C6, and -7/C10) and “short” (MRP4/C4, -5/C5, -8/C11, -9/C12, and -10/C13) categories. While MRP2/ABCC2 is expressed in the canalicular pole of hepatocytes, all others are located in the basolateral membrane. In this review, we summarize information from studies examining the changes in expression and regulation of the basolateral hepatic transporter MPR3/ABCC3 by xenobiotics and during various pathophysiological conditions. We also focus, primarily, on the consequences of such changes in the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and/or toxicity of different drugs of clinical use transported by MRP3.

Stereo matching through squeeze deep neural networks Caffaratti, Gabriel Dario; Marchetta, Martin G.; Forradellas, Raymundo Quilez Visual depth recognition through Stereo Matching is an active field of research due to the numerous applications in robotics, autonomous driving, user interfaces, etc. Multiple techniques have been developed in the last two decades to achieve accurate disparity maps in short time. With the arrival of Deep Leaning architectures, different fields of Artificial Vision, but mainly on image recognition, have achieved a great progress due to their easier training capabilities and reduction of parameters. This type of networks brought the attention of the Stereo Matching researchers who successfully applied the same concept to generate disparity maps. Even though multiple approaches have been taken towards the minimization of the execution time and errors in the results, most of the time the number of parameters of the networks is neither taken into consideration nor optimized. Inspired on the Squeeze-Nets developed for image recognition, we developed a Stereo Matching Squeeze neural network architecture capable of providing disparity maps with a highly reduced network size without a significant impact on quality and execution time compared with state of the art architectures. In addition, with the purpose of improving the quality of the solution and get solutions closer to real time, an extra refinement module is proposed and several tests are performed using different input size reductions.

Neurite atrophy and apoptosis mediated by PERK signaling after accumulation of GM2-ganglioside Virgolini, María José; Feliziani, Constanza; Cambiasso, Maria Julia; Lopez, Pablo; Bollo, Mariana Ines GM2-gangliosidosis, a subgroup of lysosomal storage disorders, is caused by deficiency of hexosaminidase activity, and comprises the closely related Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases. The enzyme deficiency prevents normal metabolization of ganglioside GM2, usually resulting in progressive neurodegenerative disease. The molecular mechanisms whereby GM2 accumulation in neurons triggers neurodegeneration remain unclear. In vitro experiments, using microsomes from Sandhoff mouse model brain, showed that increase of GM2 content negatively modulates sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) (Pelled et al., 2003). Furthermore, Ca2+ depletion in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), which tends to restore homeostasis in the ER; however, if cellular damage persists, an apoptotic response is initiated. We found that ER GM2 accumulation in cultured neurons induces luminal Ca2+ depletion, which in turn activates PERK (protein kinase RNA [PKR]-like ER kinase), one of three UPR sensors. PERK signaling displayed biphasic activation; i.e., early upregulation of cytoprotective calcineurin (CN) and, under prolonged ER stress, enhanced expression of pro-apoptotic transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). Moreover, GM2 accumulation in neuronal cells induced neurite atrophy and apoptosis. Both processes were effectively modulated by treatment with the selective PERK inhibitor GSK2606414, by CN knockdown, and by CHOP knockdown. Overall, our findings demonstrate the essential role of PERK signaling pathway contributing to neurodegeneration in a model of GM2-gangliosidosis.

Aspects of lameness in pasture based dairy systems Hund, Alexandra; Chiozza Logroño, Joaquin; Ollhoff, Rudiger Daniel; Kofler, Johann Pasture-based dairy systems are implemented all over the world. Access to pasture is perceived to be advantageous for animal welfare in western societies. However, the benefits of grazing on lameness are not uniformly verifiable. This is related to the challenges that grazing cows face which are different from zero-grazing systems to some extent, but may nevertheless be deleterious. The distribution of lesion types comparing housed and pastured cattle differs between studies. This may be caused by differences in how strongly certain risk factors apply in these studies. Major risk factors for lameness in grazing cattle are related to the risk of trauma, for example from long walking distances and lack of track maintenance, and cow factors such as the adaptability of certain breeds to the grazing lifestyle. The consequences of lameness are similar to zero-grazing cattle and negatively affect animal welfare and productivity.

División, objeto y abstracción de las ciencias especulativas según Francisco Suárez Mendoza, José María Felipe Durante los últimos decenios del siglo XX la filosofía de Francisco Suárez fue considerada parte integrante de un movimiento escolástico comúnmente mencionado como escuela tomista. La perspectiva de abordaje, según el mote impuesto, colocaba la posición especulativa del Dr. Eximio más próxima al dominico Tomás de Aquino de acuerdo con los siguientes matices: a. en el ámbito epistémico la figura del Aquinate eclipsaba ampliamente aquella de Suárez, promoviendo una auténtica desconsideración de sus tesis originales; b. el jesuita español fundaba, igual que Tomás de Aquino, la división de las ciencias especulativas en el acto intelectual de abstracción; c. la diferencia entre ambas concepciones metafísicas no implicaba necesariamente una comprensión epistémica distinta. Ahora bien, contra estas interpretaciones aparece en el siglo XXI otra lectura, donde se acentúa la diferencia decisiva de la filosofía del jesuita del siglo XVI, quien, en letras medievales, escribe y piensa en permanente tensión entre la herencia de la filosofía antigua y medieval por una parte, y una neo-escolástica de aires renacentistas por la otra. De acuerdo con ello, si bien su pensamiento discurre por una tradición aristotelizante del saber, la comprensión de las ciencias se asienta, a diferencia de Tomás de Aquino, en clave objetiva. Sobre esta premisa, el siguiente estudio abordará con exclusividad la originalidad epistémica de Suárez según la división de las ciencias especulativas y reales, mostrando el orden, el principio y las relaciones entre las ciencias física, matemática y metafísica.; During the last decades of the twentieth century, Francisco Suárez’s philosophy was part of a scholastic movement commonly referred to as Thomistic School. The approach perspective, as it is commonly known, placed the speculative position of Sua - rez closer to the one of the Dominican St. Thomas Aquinas, according to the following nuances: a. in the epistemic sphere, the figure of St. Thomas widely overshadowed that of Suarez, which promoted an authentic disregard of his original thesis; b. like Thomas Aquinas, the Spanish Jesuit founded the division of speculative sciences in the intellectual act of abstraction; c. the difference between both metaphysical ideas did not necessarily imply a different epistemic understanding. However, in the 21 st century, there appears another text which emphasizes the crucial difference of the Jesuit’s philosophy of the 16 th century, who, in medieval letters, writes and thinks in permanent tension between the inheritance of the ancient and medieval philosophy on the one hand, and a neo-scholasticism with Renaissance airs on the other. There - fore, although his thinking goes through an Aristotelian tradition of knowledge, the understanding of science is based on an objective base, unlike Thomas Aquinas. Based on this premise, the following research work will exclusively deal with the epistemic originality of Suarez, following the division of speculative and real sciences, and in this way, which shows the order, the principle, and the existing relations between the physical, mathematical and metaphysical sciences.

Dynamics of frequency-swept nuclear spin optical pumping in powdered diamond at low magnetic fields Zangara, Pablo René; Dhomkar, Siddharth; Ajoy, Ashok; Liu, Kristina; Nazaryan, Raffi; Pagliero, Daniela; Suter, Dieter; Reimer, Jeffrey A.; Pines, Alexander; Meriles, Carlos A. A broad effort is underway to improve the sensitivity of NMR through the use of dynamic nuclear polarization. Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond offer an appealing platform because these paramagnetic defects can be optically polarized efficiently at room temperature. However, work thus far has been mainly limited to single crystals, because most polarization transfer protocols are sensitive to misalignment between the NV and magnetic field axes. Here we study the spin dynamics of NV− 13 C pairs in the simultaneous presence of optical excitation and microwave frequency sweeps at low magnetic fields. We show that a subtle interplay between illumination intensity, frequency sweep rate, and hyperfine coupling strength leads to efficient, sweep-direction-dependent 13 C spin polarization over a broad range of orientations of the magnetic field. In particular, our results strongly suggest that finely tuned, moderately coupled nuclear spins are key to the hyperpolarization process, which makes this mechanism distinct from other known dynamic polarization channels. These findings pave the route to applications where powders are intrinsically advantageous, including the hyperpolarization of target fluids in contact with the diamond surface or the use of hyperpolarized particles as contrast agents for in vivo imaging.

El Niño Débil en la revista argentina El Monitor de la Educación Común, 1908-1929; The “Debilitated Child” in Argentinian magazine El Monitor de la Educación Común, 1908 - 1929 Da Silva, Maria Lucila El presente trabajo aborda un corpus compuesto por 39 artículos publicados en la revista El Monitor de la Educación Común con el objetivo de rastrear las particularidades que asumió la noción Niño Débil a principios del siglo XX. Esta noción fue ampliamente difundida en Argentina durante ese período, sin embargo no existió un criterio único acerca de su significado específico ni de sus características clínicas. Tomando como punto de partida el marco teórico propuesto por Michel Foucault, se intenta trazar un mapa de las estrategias de administración de sujetos-cuerpo que integraron esta noción. Como principal hallazgo se señala que la noción Niño Débil actualiza una estrategia que, si bien no es homogénea, tiene como finalidad volver productivos los cuerpos infantiles; no sencillamente formar futuros obreros. Además, se sostiene que las relaciones de saber-poder no pueden ser leídas simplemente en función de una partición de la esfera social en dos espacios excluyentes (dentro de la norma - fuera de la norma). Por el contrario, lo que se desarrolla aquí pretende ilustrar cómo la normalización es una tecnología que posee dominios diversos; y que es capaz de articular y actuar a múltiples niveles.; This work addresses a corpus of 39 articles published in El Monitor de la Educación Común magazine, with the aim of trailing the peculiarities the expression “Debilitated Child” assumed at the beginning of the twentieth century. This concept was disseminated in Argentina during that period, however, there was no agreement about it meaning or it clinical characteristics. Into the theoretical framework of M. Foucault, the goal is to draw a map of the strategies of administration of subjects - bodies inside this term. As main thesis, we point that “debilitated children” notion updates a strategy which purpose is to make the children bodies become productive, and no just create “future” workers. Moreover, that savoir-pouvoir relations cannot be read simply as inside the norm-outside the norm. To the contrary, this study pretends to show how the normalization is a technology that has multiple domains, and is able to act at multiple levels.

Kinetics of corneal leukocytes by intravital multiphoton microscopy Seyed-Razavi, Yashar; Lopez, Maria J.; Mantopoulos, Dimosthenis; Zheng, Lixin; Massberg, Steffen; Sendra, Victor German; Harris, Deshea L.; Hamrah, Pedram Corneal immune privilege is integral in maintaining the clear avascular window to the foreign world. The presence of distinct populations of corneal leukocytes (CLs) in the normal cornea has been firmly established. However, their precise function and kinetics remain, as of yet, unclear. Through intravital multiphoton microscopy (IV-MPM), allowing themeans to accumulate critical spatial and temporal cellular information, we provide details for long-term investigation of CL morphology and kinetics under steady state and following inflammation. Significant alterations in size and morphology of corneal CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) were noted following acute sterile inflammation, including cellvolume(4364.4±489.6 vs. 1787.6±111.0mm3,P<0.001)andsphericity (0.82±0.01 vs. 0.42± 0.02,P<0.001) comparedwith steady state. Furthermore, IV-MPManalyses revealed alterations in both theCD11c+DC and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC)-II+ mature antigen-presenting cell population kinetics during inflammation, including track displacement length (CD11c: 16.57±1.41 vs. 4.64±0.56 μm, P < 0.001;MHC-II: 9.03± 0.37 vs. 4.09±0.39,P<0.001) andvelocity (CD11c: 1.91±0.07μm/minvs. 1.73±0.1302μm/min; MHC-II: 2.97±0.07 vs. 1.62 ± 0.08, P < 0.001) compared with steady state. Our results reveal in vivo evidence of sessile CL populations exhibiting dendritic morphology under steady state and increased velocity of spherical leukocytes following inflammation. IV-MPMrepresents a powerful tool to study leukocytes in corneal diseases in context.

Neuroimmune and inflammatory signals in complex disorders of the central nervous system Liberman, Ana Clara; Trias, Emiliano; Da Silva Chagas, Luana; Trindade, Pablo; Dos Santos Pereira, Marissol; Refojo, Damian; Hedin Pereira, Cecilia; Serfaty, Claudio A. An extensive microglial-astrocyte-monocyte-neuronal cross talk seems to be crucial for normal brain function, development, and recovery. However, under certain conditions neuroinflammatory interactions between brain cells and neuroimmune cells influence disease outcome and brain pathology. Microglial cells express a range of functional states with dynamically pleomorphic profiles from a surveilling status of synaptic transmission to an active player in major events of development such as synaptic elimination, regeneration, and repair. Also, inflammation mediates a series of neurotoxic roles in neuropsychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative diseases. The present review discusses data on the involvement of neuroinflammatory conditions that alter neuroimmune interactions in four different pathologies. In the first section of this review, we discuss the ability of the early developing brain to respond to a focal lesion with a rapid compensatory plasticity of intact axons and the role of microglial activation and proinflammatory cytokines in brain repair. In the second section, we present data of neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disorders and discuss the role of reactive astrocytes in motor neuron toxicity and the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In the third section, we discuss major depressive disorders as the consequence of dysfunctional interactions between neural and immune signals that result in increased peripheral immune responses and increase proinflammatory cytokines. In the last section, we discuss autism spectrum disorders and altered brain circuitries that emerge from abnormal long-term responses of innate inflammatory cytokines and microglial phenotypic dysfunctions.

Nuestro tiempo interior Manucha, Walter Ariel Fernando La cronobiología nos brinda herramientas de conocimientos actuales sobre complejos mecanismos ancestrales internos de regulación que sincronizados con señales externas, nos permiten mantener en constante equilibrio a nuestras funciones vitales y por lo tanto nuestra salud. De forma complementaria, la cronobiología nos permite comprender la estrecha relación existente entre el desarrollo de muchas enfermedades como consecuencia del desajuste del reloj biológico interno. En adición, la ciencia médica actual ha incorporado estos nuevos paradigmas para mejorar el diagnóstico, tratamiento y hasta la prevención de enfermedades prevalentes como las menos frecuentes.

Ecological Intensification: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice Kleijn, David; Bommarco, Riccardo; Fijen, Thijs P. M.; Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro; Potts, Simon G.; Van Der Putten, Wim H. There is worldwide concern about the environmental costs of conventional intensification of agriculture. Growing evidence suggests that ecological intensification of mainstream farming can safeguard food production, with accompanying environmental benefits; however, the approach is rarely adopted by farmers. Our review of the evidence for replacing external inputs with ecosystem services shows that scientists tend to focus on processes (e.g., pollination) rather than outcomes (e.g., profits), and express benefits at spatio-temporal scales that are not always relevant to farmers. This results in mismatches in perceived benefits of ecological intensification between scientists and farmers, which hinders its uptake. We provide recommendations for overcoming these mismatches and highlight important additional factors driving uptake of nature-based management practices, such as social acceptability of farming.

¿Cómo se cuenta una vida? Apuntes de lectura Giordano, Hector Alberto Los apuntes de lectura reunidos en este trabajo remiten a un conjunto de obras literarias identificadas con distintas formas de escribir la vida: diarios, biografías, perfiles biográficos, memorias, confesiones. Fueron tomados durante el curso de una investigación grupal cuyo tema quedó definido en los siguientes términos: “Cómo se cuenta una vida. Escritura e intimidad en la literatura latinoamericana contemporánea”. Cada apunte envuelve –señala o entredice– posibles desarrollos argumentativos que se pondrán a prueba próximamente en la composición de ensayos críticos...

Luminescent features in double-track type II waveguides made in Er/Yb:LiNbO3 by Ultrafast Laser Inscription Biasetti, Demian Arístide; Torchia, Gustavo Adrian; Cantelar, Eugenio This work reports the first double-track type II waveguides fabricated by Ultrafast Laser Inscription (ULI) in a z-cut crystal of Er0.5% Yb0.5%LiNbO3. The light-guiding properties were explored and it was found that both polarization modes, TE and TM, are supported at a wavelength of 1550nm. Also, a thorough spectroscopic characterization of these structures was performed. All luminescence bands of active ions and their corresponding lifetimes were measured and scanning confocal µ-photoluminescence maps were developed. Slight shifts and broadening were found, relative to the bulk, for some specific emission peaks in waveguides. Particularly, Yb3+ ions luminescence within a region up to 2 µm from to where the laser struck during ULI processing, exhibited changes of their positions, heights and widths.The contribution of ULI to the ion environment distortions could be detected by confocal microscopy and could be decoupled from multi-site effects. This procedure can be taken as a quality control tracking of waveguides fabricated by ULI, if one considers variations in micromachining parameters (energy per pulse, speed of writing, repetition rate or pulse duration) as well as in concentration ratios of Er/Y b , or even annealing treatments. Although spectral modifications were resolved, the bulk spectra of these ions are essentially preserved in the waveguide core and surroundings. Therefore, this gives rise to explore these Er/Y b co-doped waveguides as active photonics devices, considering the rich spectra of Er3+ ions: green, red and NIR (1550nm) emissions and the doping with Yb3+ ions to improve its effiency.

Human occupation strategies and related environmental-climate during the middle and late Holocene in central Pampas of Argentina Messineo, Pablo Geronimo; Tonello, Marcela Sandra; Stutz, Silvina Maria; Tripaldi, Alfonsina; Scheifler, Nahuel Alberto; Pal, Nélida Marcela; Sánchez Vuichard, Guillermina; Navarro, Diego The main objective of this work is to generate and integrate interpretations of human occupation strategies and inferences of the environmental-climatic conditions in the central Pampas during the middle and late Holocene. We present a novel archeological-geological-paleoecological analysis in the area of the Cabeza de Buey lake, placed in an aeolian landscape. During the middle Holocene, two events of human occupations were recognized at Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 archeological site. Both events present a small amount of lithic materials, a low diversity of tools and activities developed with them (principally hard material), and the hunting and primary processing of artiodactyls. These evidences suggest a locus of specific activity associated with an ephemeral human settlement under climate conditions drier than present and the presence of small, brackish, and shallow water bodies. For the late late Holocene, the hunter-gatherer occupation has a higher depositional rate of lithic assemblage, stones with diverse origins, presence of pottery fragments, a great lithic tool diversity, knapping techniques, and activities developed with these tools (processing wood, bone, hide, non-woody plant, and soft material). These evidences reveal an occupation with a higher degree of recurrence represented by a locus of multiple activities associated with a more stable landscape, such as an environment of dunes fixed by grass vegetation, and the establishment of a permanent water body. The different environmental characteristics for the middle and late Holocene in this area promoted that human groups develop two different patterns of mobility, settlement and use of space.

Sol-gel synthesis and electrical characterization of doped-carbon decorated mixed conductor ceramics Terny, Cintia Soledad; Vega Castillo, Jesus Eduardo; de la Rubia, María Ángeles; de Frutos, José; Frechero, Marisa Alejandra New mixed composite conductors of compositions: Li3V2−x [Cu]x (PO4)3/C and Li3V2−x [Nb]x(PO4)3/C (x = 0.1; 0.2 and 0.3) have been synthesized by the sol-gel method using Citric and Oxalic acids as a primary carbon source and Carbon Black or Carbon Nano-Fibers as secondary carbon sources. The combination of these carbon forms with the Nb doped-polyanion material boosts their electrical behavior up to 10−3 S.m−1 that is two orders of magnitude higher than the Li3V2(PO4)3/C at a room temperature. SEM, TEM and Micro-Raman Spectroscopy evidence that Carbon Nano-Fiber blend is better conductor than Carbon Black blend, which is also revealed by complex conductivity spectra. The conductivity behavior of Nb-doped ceramic is better than the Cudoped one. The obtained niobium composites have a much more stable structure compared to the copper ones because the niobium atoms fit well in the vanadium position, whereas copper atoms are expelled from the structured.

A piezoelectric energy harvester for rotating environment using a linked E-shape multi-beam Ramirez, Jose Miguel; Gatti, Claudio David; Machado, Sebastián Pablo; Febbo, Mariano This paper analyzes the effects of rotational motion on the performance of an innovative piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) operating in a very low rotation speed (0.5 to 3 Hz) environment. The rotational energy harvester (REH) consists of two E-shape multiple beams system joined with a rigid beam. The harvester has masses attached and a MFC (Macro Fiber Composite) 2814 P2 piezoelectric sheet mounted on one of the multiple beams. The REH is mounted on a rigid plate that rotates at constant angular speed and has the possibility to adjust the hub distance with respect to the axis of rotation. One of the key points of the design is to have very low natural frequencies and the lowest possible physical volume. For the evaluation of the electro-mechanical response, a nonlinear one-dimensional finite element formulation is used. The proposed numerical approach is validated through Abaqus commercial software models and experimental tests. The performance assessment is done investigating the influence of the hub distance, the rotation speed, the centrifugal force, the softening effect and the electrical resistance over the output voltage and the power generation. Regarding harvester performance, promising results are obtained since the maximum output electric power is 200 μW in a very low frequency interval at R = +0.03 m, for a physical volume of 140 cm 3 . In this sense, our proposal provides a prototype to power wireless autonomous monitoring systems of wind turbines of 30 kW.