La regulación de los servicios de electricidad en Argentina y Brasil (1890-1962)

El artículo analiza la evolución de la regulación del sector eléctrico en Argentina y Brasil entre 1890 y 1960. Desde la instalación de las primeras usinas eléctricas a fines del siglo diecinueve hasta los años treinta, el control de las empresas concesionarias estuvo a cargo de las autoridades municipales en ambos países. No obstante, la similar estructura de los sistemas eléctricos en Argentina y en Brasil, la participación del estado en la regulación de este sector estratégico para el desarrollo económico, se produjo en diferentes coyunturas. Como resultado de la crisis de 1930, el gobierno brasileño transformó los principios jurídicos que reglamentaban la gestión de la electricidad aplicando un criterio de regulación discrecional; mientras que el estado argentino intervino una década más tarde, nacionalizando las empresas. Mediante la comparación de las trayectorias regulatorias en ambos países, se identifican las divergencias en las políticas eléctricas y su impacto en los sistemas eléctricos en los años de la segunda posguerra.

New records and human parasitism by Ornithodoros mimon (Acari: Argasidae) in Brazil

The bat tick Ornithodoros mimon Kohls, Clifford & Jones is currently known by only few reports in Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, and the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. Here, we expand the distribution of O. mimon in Brazil to the states of Minas Gerais (southeastern region), Goiás (central-western), Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte (northeastern). Ticks were collected on human dwellings, where there had been repeated complains of tick bites on persons during the night. Tick bites were generally followed by intense inflammatory reactions that lasted for several weeks at the bite site. Bats and opossums were reported to inhabit the attic of the infested houses. In addition, a free-ranging opossum (Didelphis albiventris Lund) trapped in Rio Grande do Norte was found infested by argasid larvae. Based on morphological and/or molecular analysis, all ticks were identified as O. mimon. From one of the sites (Tiradentes, state of Minas Gerais), 20 field-collected nymphs were tested by a battery of polymerase chain reaction protocols targeting tick-borne microorganisms of the genera Babesia, Hepatozoon, Rickettsia, Borrelia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Coxiella; no tick specimen was found infected by any of these microorganism genera. The current study expands northwards the distribution of O. mimon, which has been shown to be very harmful to humans because of the intense inflammatory response that usually occurs after tick bites.

Tectonics and kinematics of curved mountain belts: examples from the Andes and the Alps

Curved mountain belts have always fascinated geologists and geophysicists because of their peculiar structural setting and geodynamic mechanisms of formation. The need of studying orogenic bends arises from the numerous questions to which geologists and geophysicists have tried to answer to during the last two decades, such as: what are the mechanisms governing orogenic bends formation? Why do they form? Do they develop in particular geological conditions? And if so, what are the most favorable conditions? What are their relationships with the deformational history of the belt? Why is the shape of arcuate orogens in many parts of the Earth so different? What are the factors controlling the shape of orogenic bends? Paleomagnetism demonstrated to be one of the most effective techniques in order to document the deformation of a curved belt through the determination of vertical axis rotations. In fact, the pattern of rotations within a curved belt can reveal the occurrence of a bending, and its timing. Nevertheless, paleomagnetic data alone are not sufficient to constrain the tectonic evolution of a curved belt. Usually, structural analysis integrates paleomagnetic data, in defining the kinematics of a belt through kinematic indicators on brittle fault planes (i.e., slickensides, mineral fibers growth, SC-structures). My research program has been focused on the study of curved mountain belts through paleomagnetism, in order to define their kinematics, timing, and mechanisms of formation. Structural analysis, performed only in some regions, supported and integrated paleomagnetic data. In particular, three arcuate orogenic systems have been investigated: the Western Alpine Arc (NW Italy), the Bolivian Orocline (Central Andes, NW Argentina), and the Patagonian Orocline (Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina). The bending of the Western Alpine Arc has been investigated so far using different approaches, though few based on reliable paleomagnetic data. Results from our paleomagnetic study carried out in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin, located on top of Alpine nappes, indicate that the Western Alpine Arc is a primary bend that has been subsequently tightened by further ~50° during Aquitanian-Serravallian times (23-12 Ma). This mid-Miocene oroclinal bending, superimposing onto a pre-existing Eocene nonrotational arc, is the result of a composite geodynamic mechanism, where slab rollback, mantle flows, and rotating thrust emplacement are intimately linked. Relying on our paleomagnetic and structural evidence, the Bolivian Orocline can be considered as a progressive bend, whose formation has been driven by the along-strike gradient of crustal shortening. The documented clockwise rotations up to 45° are compatible with a secondary-bending type mechanism occurring after Eocene-Oligocene times (30-40 Ma), and their nature is probably related to the widespread shearing taking place between zones of differential shortening. Since ~15 Ma ago, the activity of N-S left-lateral strike-slip faults in the Eastern Cordillera at the border with the Altiplano-Puna plateau induced up to ~40° counterclockwise rotations along the fault zone, locally annulling the regional clockwise rotation. We proposed that mid-Miocene strike-slip activity developed in response of a compressive stress (related to body forces) at the plateau margins, caused by the progressive lateral (southward) growth of the Altiplano-Puna plateau, laterally spreading from the overthickened crustal region of the salient apex. The growth of plateaux by lateral spreading seems to be a mechanism common to other major plateaux in the Earth (i.e., Tibetan plateau). Results from the Patagonian Orocline represent the first reliable constraint to the timing of bending in the southern tip of South America. They indicate that the Patagonian Orocline did not undergo any significant rotation since early Eocene times (~50 Ma), implying that it may be considered either a primary bend, or an orocline formed during the late Cretaceous-early Eocene deformation phase. This result has important implications on the opening of the Drake Passage at ~32 Ma, since it is definitely not related to the formation of the Patagonian orocline, but the sole consequence of the Scotia plate spreading. Finally, relying on the results and implications from the study of the Western Alpine Arc, the Bolivian Orocline, and the Patagonian Orocline, general conclusions on curved mountain belt formation have been inferred.

El Niño southern oscillation and its effect on fog oases along the Peruvian and Chilean coastal deserts

Fog oases, locally named Lomas, are distributed in a fragmented way along the western coast of Chile and Peru (South America) between ~6°S and 30°S following an altitudinal gradient determined by a fog layer. This fragmentation has been attributed to the hyper aridity of the desert. However, periodically climatic events influence the ‘normal seasonality’ of this ecosystem through a higher than average water input that triggers plant responses (e.g. primary productivity and phenology). The impact of the climatic oscillation may vary according to the season (wet/dry). This thesis evaluates the potential effect of climate oscillations, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), through the analysis of vegetation of this ecosystem following different approaches: Chapters two and three show the analysis of fog oasis along the Peruvian and Chilean deserts. The objectives are: 1) to explain the floristic connection of fog oases analysing their taxa composition differences and the phylogenetic affinities among them, 2) to explore the climate variables related to ENSO which likely affect fog production, and the responses of Lomas vegetation (composition, productivity, distribution) to climate patterns during ENSO events. Chapters four and five describe a fog-oasis in southern Peru during the 2008-2010 period. The objectives are: 3) to describe and create a new vegetation map of the Lomas vegetation using remote sensing analysis supported by field survey data, and 4) to identify the vegetation change during the dry season. The first part of our results show that: 1) there are three significantly different groups of Lomas (Northern Peru, Southern Peru, and Chile) with a significant phylogenetic divergence among them. The species composition reveals a latitudinal gradient of plant assemblages. The species origin, growth-forms typologies, and geographic position also reinforce the differences among groups. 2) Contradictory results have emerged from studies of low-cloud anomalies and the fog-collection during El Niño (EN). EN increases water availability in fog oases when fog should be less frequent due to the reduction of low-clouds amount and stratocumulus. Because a minor role of fog during EN is expected, it is likely that measurements of fog-water collection during EN are considering drizzle and fog at the same time. Although recent studies on fog oases have shown some relationship with the ENSO, responses of vegetation have been largely based on descriptive data, the absence of large temporal records limit the establishment of a direct relationship with climatic oscillations. The second part of the results show that: 3) five different classes of different spectral values correspond to the main land cover of Lomas using a Vegetation Index (VI). The study case is characterised by shrubs and trees with variable cover (dense, semi-dense and open). A secondary area is covered by small shrubs where the dominant tree species is not present. The cacti area and the old terraces with open vegetation were not identified with the VI. Agriculture is present in the area. Finally, 4) contrary to the dry season of 2008 and 2009 years, a higher VI was obtained during the dry season of 2010. The VI increased up to three times their average value, showing a clear spectral signal change, which coincided with the ENSO event of that period.

Egemonia, socialismo e democrazia nell’occidente periferico. Gli studi gramsciani di Aricó e Portantiero tra Argentina e Messico.

La ricerca si propone di mostrare come il pensiero gramsciano sia stato riferimento prioritario di due intellettuali argentini in esilio in Messico dal 1976 al 1983: Juan Carlos Portantiero e José Maria Aricó. In quel periodo incentrarono le loro elaborazioni teorico-politiche sull’analisi della relazione tra Stato, società civile, democrazia e socialismo, partendo da una prospettiva gramsciana. Il fallimento della guerra di movimento in Argentina nei primi anni settanta li condusse a riflettere su strategie alternative di transizione al socialismo, il cui punto focale fu il concetto di "Egemonia". A partire dal 1975 indirizzarono la ripresa del pensiero di Gramsci alla creazione di un progetto politico adatto ad un contesto sempre più "occidentale", caratterizzato dalla presenza di una "società civile complessa", in cui risultava necessario combattere "guerre di posizione" e non "guerre di movimento". La prospettiva che connotò questo approccio alle riflessioni gramsciane rappresenta il culmine di un percorso che iniziarono negli anni ’50, quando sorsero i primi studi del pensiero gramsciano in Argentina. Sin da allora, Aricó e Portantiero si occuparono di Gramsci insieme al dirigente del PC argentino Agosti e continuarono a farlo anche durante gli anni sessanta e i primi anni settanta sulla rivista Pasado y Presente. Fu, però, nel periodo dell’esilio che ne ripresero il pensiero considerandolo nella sua totalità, a partire dagli scritti giovanili sino ai Quaderni del Carcere, rielaborandolo in maniera originale e costruendo una propria proposta di cammino verso socialismo nell' "occidente periferico" dell'Argentina, influenzati dall'azione del Partito Comunista Italiano.

Detection and molecular characterization of viruses infecting Actinidia spp.

Kiwifruit (genus Actinidia) is an important horticultural crop grown in the temperate regions. The four world’s largest producers are China, Italy, New Zealand and Chile. More than 50 species are recognized in the genus but the principal species in cultivation are A. deliciosa and A. chinensis. In Italy, as well as in many other countries, the kiwifruit crop has been considered to be relatively disease free and then no certification system for this species has been developed to regulate importation of propagation plant material in the European Union. During the last years a number of fungal and bacterial diseases have been recorded such as Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. Since 2003, several viruses and virus-like diseases have been identified and more recent studies demonstrated that Actinidia spp can be infected by a wide range of viral agents. In collaboration with the University of Auckland we have been detected thirteen different viral species on kiwifruit plants. During the three years of my PhD I worked on the characterization of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Pelargonium zonate spot virus (PZSV). The determination of causal agents has been based on host range, symptom expression in the test plant species and morphological properties of the virus particles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and using specific oligonucleotide primers in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Both viruses induced several symptoms on kiwifruit plants. Moreover with new technologies such as high-throughput sequencing we detected additional viruses, a new member of the family Closteroviridae and a new member of the family Totiviridae. Taking together all results of my studies it is clear that, in order to minimize the risk of serious viral disease in kiwifruit, it is vital to use virus-free propagation material in order to prevent the spread of these viruses.

Recurrent voluminous sector collapses at Volcán Barú, Panama

Two volcanic debris avalanche deposits (VDADs), both attributed to sector collapse at Volcán Barú, Panama, have been identified after an investigation of deposits that covered more than a thousand square kilometers. The younger Barriles Deposit is constrained by two radiocarbon ages that are ~9 ka; the older Caisán Deposit is at or beyond the radiocarbon range, >43,500 ybp. The total runout length of the Caisán Deposit was ~50 km and it covers 1190 km2. The Barriles Deposit extended to about 45 km and covered an area of 966 km2, overlapping most of the Caisán. The VDADs are blanketed by pyroclastic deposits and contain a predominance of andesitic material likely representing volcanic dome rock which accumulated above the active vent at Barú before collapsing. Despite heavy vegetation in the field area, over 4000 individual hummocks were digitized from aerial photography. Statistical analysis of hummock locations and geometries depict flow patterns of highly- fragmented material reflecting the effects of underlying topography and also help to define the limit of Barriles’ shorter termination. Barriles and Caisán are primarily unconfined, subaerial volcanic deposits that are among the world’s most voluminous. Calculated through two different geospatial processes, thickness values from field measurements and inferences yield volumes >30 km23 for both deposits. VDADs of comparable scale come from Mount Shasta, USA; Socompa, Chile/Argentina; and Shiveluch, Russia. Currently, the modern edifice is 200-400m lower than the pre-collapse Barriles and Caisán summits and only 16-25% of the former edifice has been replaced since the last failure.

Promoting Local Innovations: A tool for adaptation to climate change and sustainable development in Mountains

Throughout their history mountain communities have had to adapt to changing environmental and socio-economic conditions. They have developed strategies and specialized knowledge to sustain their livelihoods in a context of adverse climatic events and constant change. As negotiations and discussions on climate change emphasize the critical need for locally relevant and community owned adaptation strategies, there is a need for new tools to capitalize on this local knowledge and endogenous potential for innovation. The toolkit Promoting Local Innovation (PLI) was designed by the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern, Switzerland, to facilitate a participatory social learning process which identifies locally available innovations that can be implemented for community development. It is based on interactive pedagogy and joint learning among different stakeholders in the local context. The tried-and-tested tool was developed in the Andean region in 2004, and then used in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) climate change adaptation projects in Thailand, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Chile. These experiences showed that PLI can be used to involve all relevant stakeholders in establishing strategies and actions needed for rural communities to adapt to climate change impacts, while building on local innovation potential and promoting local ownership

Estilos de desarrollo, ideología e Intervención antrópica en Misiones (Argentina): Un análisis multidimensional y comparativo. 16H201

Esta es una continuación del Programa ECIS (Estudio Comparativo de los Impactos Sociales de los Grandes Proyectos de Desarrollo), constituído a partir del 2005 en el Programa de Ecología Humana (PEH). Los ejes convocantes para esta nueva etapa, son, en primer lugar, la compleción del análisis del Proyecto Yacyretá, que en el período anterior concretó la publicación de un volumen. Una segunda vertiente remite a la ideología de los movimientos sociales opuestos a la construcción de represas y a la concepción de desarrollo explícitas o implícitas en sus propuestos y su comparación con otros movimientos ecologistas (Córdoba). Asimismo, nos proponemos realizar estudios de campo de las prácticas agrícolas de los colonos asentados en áreas de la provincia incluidas en el proyecto de "corredor verde", con el objeto de analizar su compatibilidad o no con los modelos de "explotación sustentable" que se vienen manejando, así como analizar otros desarrollos recientes en el agro misionero. Finalmente, se contemplan estudios comparativos sobre desarrollo socioeconómico de minorías en la Patagonia argentina.

Physalis viscosa : un nuevo hospedero de Leveillula taurica en Argentina

Leveillula taurica (Lév.) Salm. es un hongo patógeno que se encuentra actualmente en expansión en nuestro país y en particular en la provincia de Mendoza. Physalis viscosa (camambú) es una especie muy difundida en Argentina. La misma es principalmente una maleza que crece espontáneamente en numerosos cultivos de interés económico y en sus alrededores. El hallazgo de L. taurica sobre una especie tan difundida fue el motivo de su estudio. Los síntomas característicos observados fueron parches cuneiformes amarillos en la cara adaxial de las hojas y en correspondencia con los mismos, en la abaxial se presentó un afelpado blanquecino formado por las fructificaciones asexuales del patógeno. El estudio etiológico realizado mediante la histopatología de los órganos afectados y la morfometría del patógeno confirmó la presencia del hongo parásito obligado Leveillula taurica (Lév.) Salm., en su forma anamórfica Oidiopsis taurica Sal. [= Oidiopsis sicula (Scal)]. La enfermedad en el camambú se ha difundido en forma importante en la provincia de Mendoza desde su primer hallazgo en el departamento de Tupungato en 1996. Se encuentra presente desde diciembre hasta mayo. Este prolongado período puede representar una importante fuente de inóculo para cultivos susceptibles al patógeno. La presente constituye la primera cita, no sólo a nivel nacional sino también mundial, de L. taurica sobre Physalis viscosa.

Memoria, soledad y frontera en la lírica de la Patagonia

En medio de un cronotopos particular; el imaginario poético patagónico vive en permanente búsqueda de la armonía tratando de construir aquello que, sin negar lo utópico, reafirme su identidad. En este trabajo se intenta demostrar que la lírica patagónica actual ha podido sortear los obstáculos que le impuso el peso de lo referencial canonizado y restaurar otro orden de la realidad. Para ello, recupera y proyecta desde lo uno y lo diverso y preserva a la región de los innumerables cansancios del siglo. Desafía a la imaginación para que ofrezca resistencia a la idea de la Patagonia como último confín.

Tres nuevas citas de trips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) para la Argentina y clave de los géneros de la familia Thripidae presentes en el país

Tres especies de trips se citan por primera vez para la Argentina. Scirtothrips inermis y Scolothrips pallidus se recolectaron sobre Viburnum tinus en la provincia de Mendoza. La primera de ellas es fitófaga y potencial plaga de citrus y la segunda es una especie benéfica y preda ácaros. También se registra por primera vez Thrips trehernei sobre Taraxacum officinale en Buenos Aires. Se elabora una clave para los géneros de la familia Thripidae en la Argentina. Asimismo, se presentan claves para las especies de los géneros Thrips y Scirtothrips en Argentina.

Revelando el origen de la variedad de vid ‘Bonarda’ cultivada en Argentina a través del empleo de marcadores moleculares microsatélites

‘Bonarda’ es una variedad de vid que en Argentina se cultiva principalmente en las provincias de Mendoza y San Juan, representa el segundo cepaje tinto en superficie nacional cultivada y es considerada con gran potencial para la elaboración de vinos tintos de alta calidad. Existe incertidumbre respecto a su origen en el país. La descripción ampelográfica de la ‘Bonarda’ cultivada en Argentina remarca gran nivel de similitud con la variedad italiana ‘Bonarda Piemontesa’ y con la variedad francesa ‘Corbeau’. En un trabajo previo, basado en el uso de marcadores moleculares, se demostró que ‘Bonarda’ se diferencia de ‘Bonarda Piamontesa’ y es idéntica a ‘Corbeau’. El objetivo de este trabajo fue confirmar la identidad de esta variedad empleando un gran número de loci microsatélites de tal manera de cubrir -en lo posible- la mayor parte del genoma. Se analizaron 17 accesiones de ‘Bonardas’ procedentes de distintos puntos geográficos de las provincias de Mendoza y San Juan, y de la variedad francesa ‘Corbeau’. Para las reacciones de PCR se usaron 13 loci microsatélites. Todas las accesiones de ‘Bonarda’ fueron idénticas entre sí e idénticas a la variedad francesa Corbeau, por lo que se concluye que se trata de la misma variedad. Se propone que la variedad ‘Bonarda’ cultivada en Mendoza y San Juan sea denominada ‘Bonarda-Argentina’, para diferenciarla de las italianas, pero a sabiendas, con un alto nivel de confianza, que corresponde a la variedad noble francesa ‘Corbeau’.

Índices de calidad de sitio de Populus nigra ‘Italica’ en plantaciones lineales en el noroeste de Chubut

En el noroeste del Chubut, los álamos se encuentran establecidos en cortinas de protección en predios de pastoreo o donde se cultivan pasturas y forrajes en secano. El Populus nigra ‘Italica’ es el clon más difundido en plantaciones lineales, ubicadas en diferentes calidades de sitio. No existen antecedentes sobre crecimiento en altura e Índice de Sitio en la zona. Se seleccionaron ocho sitios de muestreo, donde fueron apeados 24 árboles dominantes, a los que se les realizó análisis fustal. Con los pares de datos de edad-altura, resultantes del análisis de fuste de los árboles muestra, se ajustó el modelo de Chapman-Richards mediante técnicas de regresión no lineal. Se construyó una familia de curvas de crecimiento en altura, según la metodología de curva guía. Las curvas de Índice de Sitio, basadas en altura y edad, se construyeron mediante deducción matemática a partir de la función de crecimiento en altura, tomándose como edad de referencia 25 años a la altura del pecho. Se definieron cinco calidades de sitio, con un rango de 4 metros, con Índices de Sitio comprendidos entre 19 y 35 m.

Propiedades químicas del suelo en bosques de Nothofagus antarctica y Austrocedrus chilensis afectados por fuego

Este estudio tuvo por objetivo caracterizar la fertilidad química del suelo superficial nueve meses después de la ocurrencia de fuegos en dos tipos de formaciones del bosque andino patagónico: Nothofagus antarctica y Austrocedrus chilensis. El área de estudio se centró en un sector de suelos de ceniza volcánica que fue afectado por el incendio denominado La Colisión (Chubut, Argentina, febrero 2008) y posteriormente cubierto por ceniza volcánica proveniente del volcán Chaitén (mayo 2008). Se tomaron muestras compuestas de suelo mineral a dos profundidades (0-5 cm y 5-10 cm) en un sector de bosque de N. antarctica y un sector de bosque de A. chilensis, considerando tres niveles de afectación por fuego (control no quemado, poco quemado, muy quemado). En las muestras más superficiales (i.e., 0-5 cm) hubo aumentos significativos de pH y conductividad eléctrica, y disminución de los contenidos de materia orgánica, nitrógeno total, CIC y sodio, como consecuencia del fuego. Las muestras de 5-10 cm evidenciaron disminución de materia orgánica y nitrógeno total y aumento de azufre. El mayor contenido de azufre en los bosques quemados y el aumento observado de fósforo en suelos alofanizados con bajo grado de afectación por fuego, podrían ser beneficiosos para la recuperación de la vegetación.