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.

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.

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.

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.