Environmental variability is a constant feature in arid and semiarid rangeland regions, being drought one of the main problems in extensive livestock production, with productive and economic impacts both at farm and regional scales. Regional monitoring of drought processes is a key and necessary tool, as a complement for active adaptive proposals and management, aimed at mitigation on production impacts. In this article, we propose a tool for drought monitoring in arid and semiarid areas, based on remote sensing data. The aim was to develop a monitoring system based on a spectral index, disaggregating regional biophysical heterogeneity into homogeneous units, by linking them to key decision moments associated with traditional livestock management in sheep farming systems from Northern Patagonia. Such integration allows bringing this tool closer to regional decision making, basically for local institutions and organizations, and give support with information for policy design and development related to adaptive livestock management. Finally, we discuss the scope of this tool and future challenges, regarding the development of early warning and drought mitigation systems in arid and semiarid regions.

La variabilidad ambiental es una característica de regiones pastoriles áridas y semiáridas, siendo la sequía uno de los principales problemas en sistemas ganaderos extensivos, con implicancias productivas y económicas tanto a escala predial como regional. El monitoreo regional de los procesos de sequía es una herramienta fundamental y necesaria, como complemento de propuestas y manejos adaptativos activos que busquen mitigar los impactos sobre la producción. En el presente artículo proponemos una herramienta para el monitoreo de sequías en zonas áridas y semiáridas, basada en datos provistos por sensores remotos. El objetivo fue desarrollar un sistema de monitoreo basado en un índice espectral, desagregando la heterogeneidad biofísica regional en unidades homogéneas, y relacionándola con los momentos clave de decisiones asociadas al manejo ganadero tradicional, en sistemas de producción ovina de Patagonia Norte. Esta integración permite acercar esta herramienta a la toma de decisiones a escala regional, fundamentalmente para instituciones y organizaciones locales, y colaborar con información en el diseño y desarrollo de políticas vinculadas al manejo ganadero adaptativo. Finalmente, discutimos los alcances de la herramienta y los desafíos futuros, asociados al desarrollo de sistemas de alerta temprana y mitigación de sequías en regiones áridas y semiáridas.

No mercado atual a qualidade é necessária na fabricação dos produtos. No mercado odontológico, as resinas compostas são cada vez mais utilizadas para substituir materiais tradicionais, como amalgama, nas restaurações estéticas e funcionais, apresentando boa estética e funcionalidade. A composição química destes materiais é variável e os resultados das reações químicas do processo de polimerização são bastante desconhecidos. O objetivo deste trabalho era medir a resistência do desgaste abrasivo de seis resinas compostas vendidas no mercado brasileiro polimerizadas com tempos de 10, 20 e 40 segundos. O método do disco retificado modificado para aplicações em odontologia foi usado para tornar esta proposta viável. Neste banco de ensaios um disco dinâmico, revestido por porcelana, desgasta um disco estático revestido do tipo de resina que se pretende avaliar, que foi polimerizada durante um tempo pré-estabelecido. Com a determinação do desgaste de material, num determinado tempo, determinava-se a agressividade (capacidade de um material para desgastar outro material) do disco dinâmico sobre o disco estático. Utilizando-se para isso um programa computacional (LabView). Posteriormente era feita a regressão linear dos valores obtidos e determinado o coeficiente angular, utilizado no cálculo de agressividade. Valores elevados de agressividade indicam uma maior agressão do disco dinâmico contra o disco estático. Os resultados mostraram um comportamento variável para cada material que foi polimerizado nos diferentes tempos de polimerização utilizado, mostrando que o método para fazer estudos de desgaste é prático e rápido para testar materiais novos antes da sua utilização.

In the current market an increasing quality is demanded to manufacture products. At the odontologic market the composed resins are becoming more and more used to replace old materials, like amalgamates in the aesthetic and functional restorations, since they present a better appearance and easier manuscript. The chemical composition of these materials varies and the results of the chemical reactions of polymerization processes are quite unknown. The aim of this work was to measure the resistance of the abrasive wear of six composed resins sold in Brazilian market when displayed to polymerization periods of 10, 20 and 40 seconds. The grinding disc method appropriated for odontology was used to make this process possible. For this a bank of assays in which a porcelain covered dynamic disc consumes a static disc recovered by the polymerized resin is used to demonstrate the method in a pre-established time. The abrasive wear was determined by the calculation of the aggressiveness (capacity of a material to consume another). This aggressiveness is determined by an initial graph of displacement for time, through the computational method (LabView program). After they have passed through a linear regression the results give as a possibility the angular coefficient, considered a parameter at the calculation of aggressiveness. Higher values of aggressiveness which means a higher aggression suffered by the resin disc indicate worse resistance to the abrasive consuming of this resin in relation to porcelain. The results showed a variable comportment for each material ahead the different polymerization time, which prove the importance in create a practical and fast analyses method to test new materials before their use.

One hundred and seventeen patients suffering systemic mycosis and AIDS were studied during 5 years in the Muñiz Hospital of Buenos Aires City. Seventy four of them presented cryptococcosis, 39 histoplasmosis and 4 both mycoses. The following specimens were studied for the diagnosis: skin and mucous membrane scrapings, bone marrow aspirations, bronchial secretions, biopsies of different organs, cerebral spinal fluid and blood cultures. Sera were also collected for serologic tests. A total of 203 samples from patients with histoplasmosis were studied, 46.3% of them showed H. capsulatum in microscopic examinations or in cultures, skin scraping was the most sensitive diagnostic method (94.7% of positive results), followed by biopsies (80%) and bone marrow cultures (42.1%). Specific antibodies were detected in 45.4% of the patients with histoplasmosis, using 2 different antigens and 3 types of serologic reactions (complement fixation test, immunodiffusion and counterimmunoelectrophoresis). A total of 413 samples from patients with cryptococcosis were examined, 69% of them confirmed the diagnosis. The mycologic study of CSF was the most sensitive method of study, since it registered positive results in 89.5%, followed by blood cultures (61.2%), skin scrapings (42.9%), and urine cultures (41.7%). Polisaccharyde antigens from C. neoformans in organic fluids were detected in almost all the cases. The aim of this study is to compare all the suitable diagnostic methods which can be used in systemic mycosis associated with AIDS in order to find the most rapid way of diagnosis.

Durante 5 años se estudiaron 117 pacientes con micosis sistémicas asociadas al SIDA: 74 criptococosis, 39 histoplasmosis y 4 con ambas enfermedades. Para el diagnóstico analizamos los siguientes materiales: escarificaciones de lesiones cutáneas o mucosas, aspirados de médula ósea, secreciones bronquiales, biopsias de diversos órganos, líquido cefalorraquídeo, hemocultivos y sueros para determinaciones serológicas. Fueron estudiadas en total 203 muestras de pacientes con histoplasmosis, el 46.3% de las mismas acusó la presencia de H. capsulatum. Las escarificaciones cutáneas exhibieron la mayor sensibilidad (94.7%), seguidas por las biopsias (80%) y los mielocultivos (42.1%). La demostración de anticuerpos circulantes por medio de 3 pruebas serológicas y con de 2 antígenos específicos dio resultados positivos en el 45.4% de los pacientes. Se estudiaron en total 413 especímenes de pacientes con criptococosis, la confirmación diagnóstica fue posible en el 69% de las muestras. El mayor rendimiento se obtuvo con el LCR (89.5%), le seguieron en sensibilidad los hemocultivos (61.2%), las escarificaciones cutáneas (42.9%) y los urocultivos (41.7%). La búsqueda de antígeno en los fluidos orgánicos fue positiva en casi todos los casos. La revisión que presentamos permitirá una búsqueda más racional y rápida de los métodos de diagnóstico en las micosis asociadas al SIDA.