Satisfaction, Professional Mobility and Leadership in Academic-Scientific Organizations

The research work has been done in the field of social and organizational psychology. It is aim to analyze the factors which influence the levels of satisfaction and achievement reached by those working for scientific organizations and their relationship with professional mobility （Andrews, Aichholzer, Cole, Mittermeir, Stole-Heiskanen, UNESCO--United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 1971） [1]. A stratified sample was taken from universities and different disciplines, based on a population of teachers from the Cuyo region （N = 355 R ＋ D-Research ＆ Development Units） （5% error margin）. At this first stage, the research teachers were from Universidad Nacional de Cuyo （N = 53 Research Units）： one chief or director and members. Quantitative techniques were used （two questionnaires）. The results show that researchers＇ satisfaction at different levels is connected with professional mobility and disciplinary fields. Regarding leadership, and considering professional mobility, a general feeling of satisfaction emerges among researchers, regardless of their disciplinary field.

Rehabilitation of degraded areas in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina: Effects of environmental conditions and plant functional traits on performance of native woody species

Degradation processes affect a vast area of arid and semi-arid lands around the world and damage the environment and people′s health. Degradation processes are driven by human productive activities that cause direct and indirect effects on natural resources, such as species extinction at regional scale, reduction and elimination of vegetation cover, soil erosion, etc. In this context, ecological rehabilitation is an important tool to recover key aspects of the degraded ecosystem. Rehabilitation trials rely on the use of native plant species with characteristics that allow them to obtain high survival and growth rates. The aim of this work was to assess the survival and growth of native woody species in degraded areas of northeastern Patagonia and relate them to plant functional traits and environmental variables. We observed high early and late survival rates, and growth rates in Prosopis flexuosa DC. var. depressa F.A. Roig and Schinus johnstonii F.A. Barkley, and low values in Condalia microphylla Cav. and Geoffroea decorticans(Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart. Early survival rates were positively associated with specific leaf area(SLA) and precipitation, but negatively associated with wood density, the maximum mean temperature of the warmest month and the minimum mean temperature of the coldest month. Late survival rates were positively associated with SLA and soil organic matter, but negatively associated with plant height and precipitation. The temperature had a positive effect on late survival rates once the plants overcame the critical period of the first summer after they were transplanted to the field. Prosopis flexuosa and S. johnstonii were the most successful species in our study. This could be due to their functional traits that allow these species to acclimatize to the local environment. Further research should focus on C. microphylla and G. decorticans to determine how they relate to productive conditions, acclimation to environmental stress, auto-ecology and potential use in ecological rehabilitation trials.

Bats and marsupials as indicators of endemism in the Yungas forest of Argentina

Several studies have characterized the Yungas as a separate biogeographic unit, mainly based in floristic components. However, these characterizations were mainly qualitative and did not include faunal groups. The Yungas have been assumed as a region with rich floral and faunal diversity, but without testing how well they are described by animal distributions. Our study consists of a formal analysis of endemism based on distribution of small mammals in the southernmost portion of the Yungas. This area is biogeographically very interesting because the Yungas are comprised of discontinuous fragments of forests that extend into temperate arid and semiarid habitats. As a first approximation, we contrasted a group of volant species （bats） versus a group of non-volant species （marsupials）. Our results show that small mammals are efficient indicators of endemism in Yungas. Eighty percent of the species of small marsupials included in the analysis supported the identified areas as being zones of endemism. Regarding bats, almost 55 percent of the species supported a designation of endemism. The results also show that the areas we considered are congruent with the botanical definition of the Yungas of northwestern Argentina and their subdivisions, an assumption that had not been previously tested with a formal quantitative method. We also found that non-volant species are better indicators of endemism than volant ones at regional scales, but volant species are better indicators than was previously thought.

Genetic Analysis of Tomato Fruit Ripening at Polypeptide Profiles Level through Quantitative and Multivariate Approaches

Multivariate analysis became essential in functional and structural Genomics because of the large quantity of biological data provided by these new research areas. Diallel mating design was widely applied to analyze the heritability of quantitative traits but it was recently used for approaching to the inheritance patterns of other levels of gene expression such as transcript profiles. Investigating the inheritance pattern of total polypeptide profiles with a diallel design remains as a vacancy subject. The objective of the present research was to infer the inheritance of total polypeptides profiles from tomato pericarp tissue at four different ripening stages in a diallel mating design including five recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and their ten second cycle hybrids (SCH). To achieve this objective, a multivariate analysis was applied to identify eventual inheritance patterns through a data mining approach and then univariate analyses were used to verify these patterns. Mainly dominance and also overdominance, though in a minor percentage, contributed to the gene actions involved in their genetic basis. Multivariate analysis was efficient in identifying inheritance patterns of total polypeptide profiles through a data mining approach, and univariate analyses largely verified the identified gene actions.

Comparative Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of M^ILn^IIITiO4 Ion-exchanged Phases,with M^I： Na, H, K

In this paper, a comparative study of the XRD characterization and FTIR spectroscopic behavior of some M^ILn^IIITiO4 phases with M^I： Na, H, K and Ln^III, the trivalent lanthanides elements： Sm, Eu, Er and Yb is reported. The H and K- oxides were obtained by ion-exchange from NaLnTiO4. These ternary oxides belong to the K2NiF4 structural type, with the M^I and Ln^III cations distributed in an ordered way on the K-sub lattice. The FTIR spectra of the materials were analyzed by comparison with structurally related materials. A close relationship with the parent NaLnTiO4 was found.

Behavior of Hydrogen and Nitrogen in Tungsten, as Divertor Wall of a Fusion Reactor

The analysis of the interaction of hydrogen, nitrogen （and their isotopes） with tungsten is important, since this material is a strong candidate to form the first wall of fusion reactors for both magnetic and inertial confinement, and these atoms have a very sensitive （desired and unwanted） interaction with it. For this purpose, we study the effects and electronic state densities of atomic hydrogen and nitrogen in pure tungsten, in order to analyze some important properties such as the density of states of the system. Focusing on this application, this work is a preliminary study of the behavior of atoms of hydrogen and nitrogen, on a surface of tungsten on the three sites of the cell： top, hollow and bridge. We use a program simulation based on the DFT （density functional theory） implemented in the Open-Source Code Quantum Espresso, in order to obtain the adsorption energy and the density of states of the systems.

Plant cover as an estimator of above-ground biomass in semi-arid woody vegetation in Northeast Patagonia,Argentina

The quantification of carbon storage in vegetation biomass is a crucial factor in the estimation and mitigation of CO2 emissions.Globally,arid and semi-arid regions are considered an important carbon sink.However,they have received limited attention and,therefore,it should be a priority to develop tools to quantify biomass at the local and regional scales.Individual plant variables,such as stem diameter and crown area,were reported to be good predictors of individual plant weight.Stand-level variables,such as plant cover and mean height,are also easy-to-measure estimators of above-ground biomass(AGB)in dry regions.In this study,we estimated the AGB in semi-arid woody vegetation in Northeast Patagonia,Argentina.We evaluated whether the AGB at the stand level can be estimated based on plant cover and to what extent the estimation accuracy can be improved by the inclusion of other field-measured structure variables.We also evaluated whether remote sensing technologies can be used to reliably estimate and map the regional mean biomass.For this purpose,we analyzed the relationships between field-measured woody vegetation structure variables and AGB as well as LANDSAT TM-derived variables.We obtained a model-based ratio estimate of regional mean AGB and its standard error.Total plant cover allowed us to obtain a reliable estimation of local AGB,and no better fit was attained by the inclusion of other structure variables.The stand-level plant cover ranged between 18.7%and 95.2%and AGB between about 2.0 and 70.8 Mg/hm^(2).AGB based on total plant cover was well estimated from LANDSAT TM bands 2 and 3,which facilitated a model-based ratio estimate of the regional mean AGB(approximately 12.0 Mg/hm^(2))and its sampling error(about 30.0%).The mean AGB of woody vegetation can greatly contribute to carbon storage in semi-arid lands.Thus,plant cover estimation by remote sensing images could be used to obtain regional estimates and map biomass,as well as to assess and monitor the impact of land-use change on the carbon balance,for arid and semi-arid regions.

New records of bats from the northern region of the Peruvian Amazon

The northern Amazon Basin in Peru is one of the most diverse areas for small mammals in the world.In this work,I present information related to the diversity of bat species in the Amazonian region of Iquitos,Peru,where nearly 60%of the 152 bat species known to Peru recorded.Unlike in previous investigations in this area,bat surveys were designed to detect species living in urban and rural areas.The results have added a new bat species（Eumops delticus）to the Peruvian fauna,eight new species for the region around Iquitos（Peropteryx macrotis,Peropteryx pallidoptera,Anoura caudifer,Lionycteris spurrelli,Vampyrum spectrum,Thyroptera lavali,Cynomops planirostris,and Molossus coibensis）,and a new species for Northeast Peru（Eumops maurus）.

Alternatives of Small-Scale Biorefineries for the Integrated Production of Xylitol from Sugarcane Bagasse

Small-scale biorefinery from sugarcane bagasse offers new possibilities to the sugar and ethanol industries.The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a small-scale biorefinery for the production of xylitol from sugarcane bagasse.The liquid fraction from the autohydrolysis treatment was selected as the source of sugars for xylitol and two scenarios were analyzed for the residual solid:ethanol or pellet production.A technical-economic analysis of alternatives was applied.The internal rate of return(IRR)was used to compare the selected proposals.The highest IRR values were obtained when processing 70,000 dry tons per year of bagasse.The results showed promising prospects for a small-scale biorefinery with capacities above 20,000 dry tons per year(xylitol and pellets),and above 50,000 dry tons per year(xylitol and ethanol).

Optimization of Proteins Recovery Process from Cheese Whey

The process to obtain a protein-containing ingredient from the remaining whey of Argentinean ＂Cuatriolo＂ cheese production was studied. In order to optimize the protein recovery, physical and chemical treatments were investigated. Two protocols with different sequences of application of heating step and acid addition were assayed in the presence and absence of fat and CaCl2. The results were evaluated by the yield, water retention and particle size. The results showed that the highest yield of the process （76.6%） and an increase in water retention （39.8 w/w） were achieved when the acid was added after boiled and incubated for 30 min at 90 ℃. In these working conditions, the presence of calcium shows a lower yield of recovery （72.8 %） and this behaviour correlates with a smaller particle size. Additionally, the presence of fat reduces the particle size and decreases the performance of the process （69.4%）. Thus, the yield of protein recovery is related to the particle size of the aggregates, i.e., the recovery of proteins increases when increase the particle size. The simultaneous presence of fat and CaCI2 increases the amount of water retained in the aggregated protein （47.62 w/w）. In conclusion, the process of aggregation in whey protein should take into account both the design of suitable protocol and the presence of fat and additives.

Analysis of Failure of Unsaturated Soils

In this work, an analysis of failure condition in partially saturated soils using the extended Macari Runesson Sture Lade model is presented. The elastoplastic constitutive model is based on an extension of the well-know MRS Lade model by Sture et al., whereby the suction and effective stress tensor are introduced as an additional independent and dependent stress components, respectively. The condition for discontinuous bifurcation in partially saturated porous media and the localized failure predictions of the proposed material formulation for different suctions are also analyzed and discussed. The localization analysis with this model demonstrates that an increment of the suction is related to a destabilizing effect of the discontinuous bifurcation so the localized failure can be diffuse or continuous.

Three-dimensional acoustic propagation model for shallow waters based on an indirect boundary element method

This work has a two-fold purpose.On the one hand,the theoretical formulation of a three-dimensional(3D)acoustic propagation model for shallow waters with a constant sound speed is presented,based on the boundary element method(BEM),which uses a half-space Green function instead of the more conventional free-space Green function.On the other hand,a numerical implementation is illustrated to explore the formulation in simple idealized cases,controlled by a few parameters,which provides necessary tests for the accuracy and performance of the model.The half-space Green's function,which has been previously used in scattering and diffraction,adds terms to the usual expressions of the integral operators without altering their continuity properties.Verifications against the wavenumber integration solution of the Pekeris waveguide suggest that the model allows an adequate prediction for the acoustic field.Likewise,numerical experiments in relation to the necessary mesh size for the description of the water-marine sediment interface lead to the conclusion that a transmission loss prediction with acceptable accuracy can be obtained with the use of a limited mesh around the desired evaluation region.

Future Changes in Drought Characteristics over Southern South America Projected by a CMIP5 Multi-Model Ensemble

The impact of climate change on drought main characteristics was assessed over Southern South America. This was done through the precipitation outputs from a multi-model ensemble of 15 climate models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). The Standardized Precipitation Index was used as a drought indicator, given its temporal flexibility and simplicity. Changes in drought characteristics were identified by the difference for early (2011-2040) and late (2071-2100) 21st century values with respect to the 1979-2008 baseline. In order to evaluate the multi-model outputs, model biases were identified through a comparison with the drought characteristics from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre database for the baseline period. Future climate projections under moderate and high-emission scenarios showed that the occurrence of short-term and long-term droughts will be more frequent in the 21st century, with shorter durations and greater severities over much of the study area. These changes in drought characteristics are independent on the scenario considered, since no significant differences were observed on drought changes. The future changes scenario might be even more dramatic, taking into account that in most of the region the multi-model ensemble tends to produce less number of droughts, with higher duration and lower severity. Therefore, drought contingency plans should take these results into account in order to alleviate future water shortages that can have significant economic losses in the agricultural and water resources sectors of Southern South America.

Survey on Simulation for Mobile Ad-Hoc Communication for Disaster Scenarios

Mobile ad-hoc communication is a demonstrated solution to mitigate the impact of infrastructure failures during large-scale disasters. A very complex issue in this domain is the design validation of software applications that support decision-making and communication during natural disasters. Such disasters are irreproducible, highly unpredictable, and impossible to scale down, and thus extensive assessments cannot be led in situ. In this context, simulation constitutes the best approach towards the testing of software solutions for natural disaster responses. The present survey reviews mobility models, ad-hoc network architectures, routing protocols and network simulators. Our aim is to provide guidelines for software developers with regards to the performance evaluation of their applications by means of simulation.