Abstract The Continental African abelisauroid theropod dinosaur fossil record from the Jurassic-Cretaceous periods is becoming increasingly better understood, and offers great insight into the evolution and biogeography of this long-lived group of carnivores. Abelisauroidea is among the most familiar groups of theropod dinosaurs from Gondwana, with fossil records in South America, Australia, India and Africa, along with Europe. The objective of the present study is to review the fossil record of abelisauroids in continental Africa. Based on the literature and records from the online databases “The Paleobiology Database” and “The Theropod Database”, we review the distribution of these theropods in Africa and comment on their evolution. The African continent is a major region of importance when it comes to 26 Abelisauroidea fossil findings, including records of both major subdivisions of the clade: the Abelisauridae and Noasauridae families. The oldest Abelisauroidea fossil record found in Africa dates from the Late Jurassic, while the final records date from the end of the Cretaceous. This indicates that clade was the longest surviving lineage of the large theropods of Africa, and they filled a variety of ecological roles, including apex predators, at the end of the Cretaceous, when tyrannosaurids occupied similar niches in the northern continents.

Abstract Titanosaurs are one of the most common dinosaurs found in Cretaceous outcrops, especially in Brazil. In this article we describe a proximal portion of an ulna (Paleo-UFG/V-0039) which was found isolated Paleo-UFG/V-0039 comes from a sandstone outcrop, with fine to medium granulation, of the Marília Formation (Bauru Group) that appears irregularly in the municipality of Gurinhatã, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The occurrence described here is the first dinosaur osteological remains documented in this municipality. Although incomplete, Paleo-UFG/V-0039 could be identified as an indeterminate lithostrotian titanosaur whose morphology is similar to some appendicular elements of European species than South American ones. However, the incompleteness of the specimen has difficult complex interpretations. Finally, Paleo-UFG/V-0039 highlights the importance of the Gurinhatã outcrops and other sites in this region for future discoveries.

We herein present an experiment where the concentrations of tartrazine, sunset yellow and amaranth in samples containing these three food dyes are determined by system of equations (SE) and classical least squares (CLS) multivariate calibration methods using light absorption data. Firstly, concentrations are obtained by means of the well-known SE method, that is, by solving a set of three linear equations in which the Beer-Lambert’s proportionality coefficients are obtained from analytical curves. Then, it is shown that the CLS method is a natural extension to SE, with an arbitrarily large number of equations. Nevertheless, within the CLS method, the unknown coefficients are found using mixtures with known concentrations of each dye. In order to introduce the students to the basics of algorithms and numerical computations, data treatment is performed in a command-line fashion using a freely available software. Advantages of multivariate calibration models over univariate ones are made clear, and the performance of the CLS and SE methods is compared based on the root-mean-square error.

RESUMEN La región del sur del estado de Goiás, en el centro de Brasil, tiene un registro extenso e informativo de la biota fósil. Particularmente, en los últimos cinco años ha habido un gran aumento en los hallazgos de fósiles, lo que ha permitido una mayor comprensión de la fauna y la flora de esta región durante el Cretácico tardío. En este artículo, proporcionamos una síntesis actualizada de la biota del Cretáceo del sur del estado de Goiás, basada en el registro de plantas, gastropodos, tortugas, cocodrilianos, titanosaurios y dinosaurios terópodos.

ABSTRACT The southern Goiás state region of Central Brazil has an extensive and informative record of fossil biota. Particularly over the last five years, there has been a great increase in fossil finds, which has enabled a greater understanding of this region's fauna and flora during the Late Cretaceous. In this article, we provide an updated synthesis of the biota from the Cretaceous of the southern Goiás state, the record of plants, gastropods, turtles, crocodilians, titanosaurs, and theropod dinosaurs.

Data coming from meteorological radars is of the utmost importance for the diagnosis and monitoring of precipitation systems and their possible associated severe phenomena. The echoes caused by objectives that are not meteorological introduce errors in the information. Therefore, it is necessary to detect their presence before using this data. This paper presents four supervised classification techniques based on different models which seek to give an answer to this problem. In addition, as an important part of this work, resampling techniques were implemented on the training set in order to further asses the results. Resampling methods are an indispensable tool in modern statistics. Those techniques provide additional information about the model of interest by repeatedly drawing samples from then data. Based on data from a C-band Dual-PolarizationDoppler weather radar located in Anguil and from a previous expert's manual classification, four supervised classification methods with different degrees of flexibility in their structure were implemented: Lineal Model, Quadratic Model, Logistic Model and Bayes Naive Model. Finally, the results of each of them were assessed and compared. Although difficulties were encountered in classifying boundary zones between classes, the results obtained were adequate, showing the best performance in the least flexible model, the linear one. It is considered necessary to keep working in this line of research in order to include more cases in the analysis and allow a better inference on the results.

Los datos provenientes de los radares meteorológicos son de suma importancia para el diagnóstico y monitoreo de los sistemas que producen precipitación y sus posibles fenómenos severos asociados. Los ecos causados por objetivos no meteorológicos introducen errores en la información por lo que es necesario detectar la presencia de los mismos previo a la utilización de los datos. Este trabajo presenta cuatro técnicas de clasificación supervisada basadas en diferentes modelos estadísticos que buscan dar una respuesta a este problema. Asimismo como parte importante de este trabajo, se aplicaron técnicas de remuestreo estadísticas sobre los datos de entrenamiento, las que permitieron hacer un análisis más completo sobre los resultados. En la actualidad, las técnicas de remuestreo son herramientas fundamentales en la estadística moderna. Las mismas, a partir de simulaciones sobre los datos, permiten obtener información adicional sobre los modelos planteados. Para este trabajo se realizó un estudio de caso con datos provenientes del radar meteorológico Doppler banda C de doble polarización ubicado en la Estación Experimental Agropecuaria INTA Anguil (La Pampa). Partiendo de la clasificación manual de un experto, se aplicaron cuatro métodos de clasificación supervisada de diferentes grados de flexibilidad en su estructura: Modelo lineal, Modelo Cuadrático, Modelo Logístico y Modelo de Bayes Naive. Luego se compararon los resultados y se evaluó el desempeño de cada uno de ellos. Si bien se encontraron dificultades a la hora de clasificar las zonas de frontera entre clases, los resultados obtenidos fueron adecuados,mostrando el mejor desempeño el modelo menos flexible, el modelo lineal. Se considera necesario seguir avanzando en esta línea de investigación a fin de incorporar una mayor cantidad de casos y tener una mayor significancia de los resultados.

Abstract Over the last few decades, the systematics and evolution of carcharodontosaurids, a group of large predatory dinosaurs, from North Africa have been better understood mainly due the discovery of new species. We review this record here and discuss its importance for understanding the evolution and ecology of these dinosaurs. North Africa has one of the best records of carcharodontosaurid species. These species show dietary specializations and paleogeographic distributions similar to other top predatory theropods such as Abelisauridae and Spinosauridae. However, carcharodontosaurids have a wider distribution than other large theropods. The middle Cretaceous of North Africa was characterized by the niche overlap between large predators. This evidence increases our understanding of the evolution of Carcharodontosauridae in a highly competitive region, a conjuncture rarely reported for large top predators.

This work presents the characteristics of a high-resolution numerical forecast system using the BRAMS model version 4.2 designed for the forecast of storms in the Pampa region which is processed on daily basis at the National Meteorological Service of Argentina (NMS). The forecast system is described by showing a case study and a first evaluation of its quality. In particular, the results of rainfall forecasts are presented with an operational verification scheme which implies the application of adequate methodologies for high-resolution forecasts. We discuss the availability of remote sensing data with higher spatial and temporal resolutions than the ones usually used. Finally, the results of rainfall probabilistic forecasts are shown and we examine the advantages of this tool as a value-added product giving the incorporation of the uncertainty associated to the numerical simulations of the atmosphere.

Este trabajo presenta las características del sistema de pronostico numérico en alta resolución basado en el modelo BRAMS en su versión 4.2, diseñado para el pronostico de tormentas en la región pampeana y que se procesa en forma experimental en el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN). Se realiza una descripción del sistema de pronostico mostrando un caso de estudio y una primera evaluación de la calidad del mismo. En particular, se presentan los resultados de la verificación operativa de los pronósticos aplicando metodologías adecuadas para pronósticos en alta resolución. Se hace hincapié en la necesidad de utilizar información provista por sensores remotos que cuenten con una mayor resolución espacial y temporal que las utilizadas habitualmente. Asimismo, se muestran los resultados de la aplicación de la metodología de los pronósticos probabilisticos a la precipitación y se examinan las ventajas de su utilización dada la incorporación de la incertidumbre asociada a las simulaciones numéricas de la atmósfera.

During the August 23 and 24, 2005 a severe cyclone developed on the La Plata River, producing sustained winds of about 80 to 100 km h-1 on the Uruguayan coast, where damage was extensive. In the first 12 hours of development (9 to 21 LT) was characteristic of the explosive cyclogenesis. Gust winds of 174 and 110 km h-1 were recorded at Carrasco (Uruguay) and Aeroparque (Argentina) stations, respectively, between 18 and 21 LT, August 23, while the system was moving quickly to the southeast. The aim of this study is to find the physical mechanisms leading to the rapid development and intensity of this system. This study shows great influence vertical velocities associated with widespread convection in the region. Linked to these vertical velocity, mass convergence coupled with the vorticity (divergence term in the equation of the vorticity tendency) at low levels leads to the strong deepening.

Durante los días 23 y 24 de agosto de 2005 un intenso ciclón se desarrolló sobre el Río de la Plata. Los vientos sostenidos sobre la costa uruguaya superaron los 80 km h-1 por más de dos horas, alcanzado un valor máximo de 100 km h-1, produciendo cuantiosos daños materiales. En las primeras doce horas de desarrollo (9 a 21 HOA) la ciclogénesis tuvo característica explosiva. En Carrasco (Uruguay) y Aeroparque (Argentina) las ráfagas máximas alcanzaron los 174 y 110 km h-1 respectivamente, entre las 18 y 21 hs HOA del 23 de agosto, mientras el sistema se desplazaba rápidamente al sudeste. El objetivo de este trabajo es encontrar los mecanismos físicos que condujeron al rápido desarrollo y la intensidad de este sistema. Este estudio muestra gran influencia de las velocidades verticales asociadas a la convección generalizada que ocurrió sobre el centro-este de Argentina. Relacionada a estas velocidades verticales, la convergencia de masa unida a la vorticidad (término de la divergencia en la ecuación de la tendencia de la vorticidad) en niveles bajos llevan a la rápida profundización.

During the morning hours on October 21 2008, three convective lines developed over the Buenos Aires province, and were captured by the meteorological radars located at Ezeiza and Pergamino. The spatial structure and temporal evolution of the reflectivity field of these convective systems present the attributes of the particular convective system referred to as a “bow-echo”. Ezeiza doppler radar images, captured winds stronger than 20 m.s-1 behind these arc lines, a phenomenon that frequently characterizes the presence of a bow-echo. The main objective of this study is to understand the synoptic weather conditions accompanying the occurrence of these bow echo events to enhance the weather forecasting of these systems. On this particular case the specific humidity field over the northern part of the Buenos Aires province (q≥ 12-14 g.kg-1) and also the environmental vertical wind shear values below 700 hPa meet the required conditions to develop a bow-echo event, although the available surface level CAPE values do not promote this event.

Durante la madrugada del día 21 de Octubre de 2008 se desarrollaron tres líneas convectivas en la provincia de Buenos Aires, captadas por los radares meteorológicos de las localidades de Ezeiza y Pergamino. La estructura espacial y evolución temporal del campo de reflectividad de estos sistemas, configuración de línea en arco, responde al modo convectivo conocido con el nombre de “bow-echo”. La imagen doppler del radar de Ezeiza registró un fenómeno típico en la parte posterior de estas líneas en arco: los vientos intensos mayores a 20 m.s-1. El objetivo principal de este estudio es comprender las condiciones sinópticas que acompañaron la ocurrencia de estos sistemas para poder contribuir al pronóstico de su ocurrencia. En este evento las condiciones de humedad especifica en la zona del norte de la provincia de Buenos Aires (q≥ 12-14 g.kg-1), así como la de cortante vertical del viento por debajo del nivel de 700 hPa (Us>15 m.s-1) coinciden en indicar al entorno como favorable al desarrollo del mismo, aunque no así los valores disponibles de CAPE evaluados para parcelas que se elevan desde superficie.

The first computational implementation that automates the procedures involved in the calculation of infrared intensities using the charge-charge flux-dipole flux model is presented. The atomic charges and dipoles from the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) model was programmed for Morphy98, Gaussian98 and Gaussian03 programs outputs, but for the ChelpG parameters only the Gaussian programs are supported. Results of illustrative but new calculations for the water, ammonia and methane molecules at the MP2/6-311++G(3d,3p) theoretical level, using the ChelpG and QTAIM/Morphy charges and dipoles are presented. These results showed excellent agreement with analytical results obtained directly at the MP2/6-311++G(3d,3p) level of theory.

In this paper a methodology for the computation of Raman scattering cross-sections and depolarization ratios within the Placzek Polarizability Theory is described. The polarizability gradients are derived from the values of the dynamic polarizabilities computed at the excitation frequencies using ab initio Linear Response Theory. A sample application of the computational program, at the HF, MP2 and CCSD levels of theory, is presented for H2O and NH3. The results show that high correlated levels of theory are needed to achieve good agreement with experimental data.