This paper describes the methodology of the compatibility criteriaEn and the methodology of repeatabilityand reproducibility (R&R) throught the average and range method. With this paperwe will use the methodology R&R for the evaluation of the compatibility criteriabetween the staff of the laboratories, where independent measurements are not insured.

A minimal model for predator-prey interaction in a composite environment is presented and analysed. We first consider free migrations between two patches for both interacting populations, and then the particular cases where only one-directional migration is allowed and where only one of the two populations can migrate. Our findings indicate that in all cases the ecosystem can never disappear entirely, under the model assumptions. The predator-free equilibrium and the coexistence of all populations are found to be the only feasible stable equilibria. When there are only one-directional migrations, the abandoned patch cannot be repopulated. Other equilibria then arise, with only prey in the second patch, coexistence in the second patch, or prey in both patches but predators only in the second one. For the case of sedentary prey, with predator migration, the prey cannot thrive alone in either of the two environments. However, predators can survive in a prey-free patch due to their ability to migrate into the other patch, provided prey is present there. If only the prey can migrate, the predators may be eliminated from one patch or from both. In the first case, the patch where there are no predators acts as a refuge for the survival of the prey.

In this work we report on the growth of cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanocrystals by thermolysis, starting from a metal thiolate in a (i) solventless way, (ii) by a novel route in tryoctilphosphine oxide (TOPO), and (iii) by direct synthesis in a polystyrene matrix. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that the nanocrystals fabricated by the different methods are under optimized growth conditions single crystals of zincblende structure and of regular spherical shape. The average size was estimated to be between 2.0-3.0 nm with a size dispersion that depends on the synthesis route and is in the range between 10% and 20%. The XPS results indicate that for the nanoparticles obtained via solventless strategy the sulfur is present both as bonded to the metal atom and to the organic residue, while in the TOPO synthesized nanoparticles the sulfur signal has only one component associated to the metal-sulfide bond. The photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) analysis of CdS crystals clearly evidences the typical emissions of nanosized zincblende CdS monocrystalline particles. Furthermore, the optical spectroscopy data indicate that the size distribution of the Cdsulfide - TOPO nanoparticles seems to be generally larger than that ones grown directly in polymer matrix. For all the CdS samples, the metal-sulfide nanocrystals exhibit a trap-related radiative transition at about 2eV that can be attributed to the hole-electron recombination at particle surface defect-center.

Loligo gahi and Loligo sanpaulensis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda), two squid species presently under exploitation in the south-west Atlantic, are sympatric in coastal waters of northern Patagonia. In the present study, the morphometry of both species' northern Patagonian populations was analysed and compared. Relationships between the morphometric variables and mantle length, the standard measure of size for squids, are allometric in most cases. Weight and fin length show different rates of growth relative to mantle length in males and females of both species. Fin length, fin width and mantle length are the best morphometric variables to discriminate the mantle/fin complexes. Free rachis length, gladius length and gladius width are the most useful to separate both species' pens. The best discrimination of the tentacles is provided by the diameter of the central and marginal suckers and the number of teeth on the three largest sucker rings. Discriminant functions are provided to allow the classification of individuals from both species and the identification of pens and tentacle clubs found in predators digestive contents.

In order to study the rate of intestinal absorption and hepatic uptake of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), six growing pigs, mean body weight 65 kg, were fitted with a permanent fistula in the duodenum and with three catheters in the portal vein, carotid artery and hepatic vein respectively. Two electromagnetic flow probes were also set up, one around the portal vein and one around the hepatic artery. A mixture of octanoic and decanoic acids, esterified as medium-chain triacylglycerols, together with maltose dextrine and a nitrogenous fraction was continuously infused for 1 h into the duodenum. Samples of blood were withdrawn from the three vessels at regular intervals for 12 h and further analysed for their non-esterified octanoic and decanoic acid contents. The concentration of non-esterified octanoic and decanoic acids in the portal blood rose sharply after the beginning of each infusion and showed a biphasic time-course with two maximum values, one after 15 min and a later one between 75 and 90 min. Only 65 % of octanoic acid infused into the duodenum and 54 % of decanoic acid were recovered in the portal flow throughout each experiment. The amounts of non-esterified MCFA taken up per h by the liver were close to those absorbed from the gut via the portal vein within the same periods of time, showing that the liver is the main site of utilization of MCFA in pigs. These results have been discussed with a special emphasis laid on the possible mechanisms of the biphasic time-course of MCFA absorption and the incomplete recovery in the portal blood of the infused fatty acids.