Citizen science reveals the distribution of the invasive harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis Pallas) in Argentina

The harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) was introduced in numerous countries around the world as a biological control agent but nowadays it is considered as a pest itself. It is a highly invasive species that has negative impacts on native biodiversity, may affect some crops, and causes a nuisance to humans. Despite its relevance worldwide, the invasion by H. axyridis in South America has received little attention. Here we used a citizen science approach to study the distribution of H. axyridis in Argentina where the species was intentionally introduced in 1986. We also informally tested and evaluated the preferences for different methods for reporting records: iNaturalist website, Google form, email, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Most records were reported through WhatsApp and iNaturalist. We found that H. axyridis is widely distributed in Argentina but there are large gaps, particularly in arid regions. The invasion seems to be recent in the south of the country. Citizen science is a valuable tool for mapping invasive alien species in a large country like Argentina, and will help to monitor the continuous expansion of H. axyridis

Presencia y distribución temporal del complejo de orugas cortadoras (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) en pasturas de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) del área fisiográfica Oriental de la provincia de La Pampa, Argentina

The aim or this study was to investigate the presence of larvae of cutworms, identify the species in which they belonged, and establish which was their active period in pastures or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in two different subregions of the Eastem physiographic area of La Pampa Province in Argentina. Samplings were carried out during years 2001 and 2002 in the districts of Maraco, Trenel, and Capital. Two plots of alfalfa were revised each year. Five stations were delimited in each plot and 20 to 40 plants were sheeted in each station and in them the crown, the adjacent litter and the first five centimetres depth of soil were revised. Larvae of cutworms were collected manually and identified in the lab. They were keep in a breeding box, with artificial diet until adult emergence. Results suggest that five cutworms complex includes four species of Noctuidae, I.e., Agrotis gypaetina Guen6e, Agrotis maiefida Guenee, Peridroma saucia (Huber) and Euxoa bilitura Guenee. The two last species were sporadicly recorded and in low density whereas the two first species were most abundant, detected from July-August, when they had reached 2 mm long and by the end of October they measured 40- 45 mm long. The active period of the larva - i.e., they feed and thus can damage crops - was August to November.Del presente estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar la presencia de larvas de orugas cortadoras, identificar las especies y establecer el periodo activo en pasturas de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) en campos ubicados en dos subregiones del área fisiográfica Oriental de la provincia de La Pampa, Argentina. Los muestreos se realizaron quincenalmente durante los años 2001 y 2002 en campos de los departamentos Maraco, Trenel y Capital. En cada zona de muestreo se revisaron dos lotes de alfalfa por año. en los que se demarcaron 5 sitios y so seleccionaron entre 20 y 40 plantas de las que se revis6 la corona, la broza adyacente y k>s primeros 5 cm de profundidad del suelo. Las larvas de orugas cortadoras se recolectaron en forma manual y se llevaron al laboratorio para su identificaron. Se mantuvieron en una cámara de cría, con dieta artificial, hasta la emergencia de los adultos. Los resultados indican que el complejo de orugas cortadoras está compuesto por cuatro especies de la familia Noctuidae: Agrolis gypaetirta Guenee, Agrotis malefida Guenee. Peridroma sauda (Hubner) y Euxoa bilitura Guenee. Las dos especies ultimas se encontraron esporádicamente y en bajas densidades mientras que, las de las primeras especies fueron más abundantes, detectables a partir de julio-agosto, cuando alcanzaron 2 mm de longitud y para finales de octubre median 40 - 45 mm. El periodo activo de las larvas, es decir, cuando se alimentan y pueden producir daño, fue agosto-noviembre

Evaluación del comportamiento productivo a la fertilización de dos clones de ajo (Allium sativum L.) en la provincia de La Pampa

The garlic (Alium sativum L.), it is a species belonging to the family of the Allied. Argentina is one of the principal producing countries and the second world exporter of garlic, after China, the major quantity is exported from January to June, To evaluate the culture, in not traditional zones as La Pampa, it is a valuable contribution, where environmental factors conjugate not alone but also characteristics of soil, quality of water, managing of culture, workforce, and response to fertilization, plagues, diseases, crop, yields and marketing. The aim of the work was to evaluate the productive behavior of two clowns of garlic, "Chinese" and "Colorado" and his response to the fertilization with sulphate of ammonium in one and two applications. The plantation was realized in the garden of the Facultad de Agronomía, UNLPam, April 15, 2005, in a design of complete blocks at random by 4 repetitions, the experimental unit consisted of a plot of two lines of 5 m. Of length, to 0.60 m between lines, with two lines of bordure. There were fertilized by sulphate of ammonium 30/7 in the treatments 1 (the only application) and 2, and 30/9 in the treatment 2 (double application) because of 50 kg.ha-1 every time. The values were compared by means of ANOVA, and Tukey's test with a = 0,05. Bearing in mind the weight of dry clean garlic, the results indicate that both clowns answered favorably to the double fertilization, obtaining significant differences between treatments, obtaining major production with double fertilization, with regard to the unique fertilization, and in turn the plots with an alone fertilization produced more in weight that the plots witness without fertilizing. Also significant differences between clowns were obtained. The results reveal the major yield of the "Chinese" clown in the different treatments respect of the clown "Colorado".El Ajo (Allium sativum L), es una especie perteneciente a la familia de las Aliáceas. Argentina es uno de los principales países productores y el segundo exportador mundial de ajo, después de China, el período de exportación se extiende de enero a junio. Evaluar el cultivo en zonas no tradicionales como La Pampa, es un aporte valioso, donde se conjugan no solo factores ambientales sino también características de suelo, calidad de agua, manejo de cultivo, mano de obra, respuesta a fertilización, plagas, enfermedades, cosecha, rendimientos y comercialización. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar el comportamiento productivo de dos clones de ajo, "Chino" y "Colorado" y su respuesta a la fertilización con sulfato de amonio en una y dos aplicaciones. La plantación se realizó en la huerta de la Facultad de Agronomía de la UNLPam, el 15 de Abril de 2005, en un diseño de bloques completos al azarcón 4 repeticiones, la unidad experimental consistió en una parcela de dos líneas de 5 m. de largo, a 0,60 m entre líneas, con dos líneas de bordura. Se fertilizó con sulfato de amonio el 30/7 en los tratamientos 1 (única aplicación) y 2, y el 30/9 en el tratamiento 2 (doble aplicación) a razón de 50 kg.ha-1 cada vez. Los valores de los resultados fueron comparados mediante ANOVA, y test de Tukey con a = 0,05. Teniendo en cuenta el peso de ajo seco limpio, los resultados indican que ambos clones respondieron favorablemente a la doble fertilización, obteniendo diferencias significativas entre tratamientos, obteniendo mayor producción con doble fertilización, con respecto a fertilización única, y a su vez las parcelas con una sola fertilización produjeron más en peso que las parcelas testigo sin fertilizar. También se obtuvieron diferencias significativas entre clones. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto el mayor rendimiento del clon "Chino" en los distintos tratamientos respecto del clon "Colorado"

Intranasal peptide-induced tolerance and linked suppression: consequences of complement deficiency.

A role for complement, particularly the classical pathway, in the regulation of immune responses is well documented. Deficiencies in C1q or C4 predispose to autoimmunity, while deficiency in C3 affects the suppression of contact sensitization and generation of oral tolerance. Complement components including C3 have been shown to be required for both B-cell and T-cell priming. The mechanisms whereby complement can mediate these diverse regulatory effects are poorly understood. Our previous work, using the mouse minor histocompatibility (HY) model of skin graft rejection, showed that both C1q and C3 were required for the induction of tolerance following intranasal peptide administration. By comparing tolerance induction in wild-type C57BL/6 and C1q-, C3-, C4- and C5-deficient C57BL/6 female mice, we show here that the classical pathway components including C3 are required for tolerance induction, whereas C5 plays no role. C3-deficient mice failed to generate a functional regulatory T (Treg) -dendritic cell (DC) tolerogenic loop required for tolerance induction. This was related to the inability of C3-deficient DC to up-regulate the arginine-consuming enzyme, inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos-2), in the presence of antigen-specific Treg cells and peptide, leading to reduced Treg cell generation. Our findings demonstrate that the classical pathway and C3 play a critical role in the peptide-mediated induction of tolerance to HY by modulating DC function

First light of the VLT planet finder SPHERE. I. Detection and characterization of the sub-stellar companion GJ 758 B

GJ758 B is a brown dwarf companion to a nearby (15.76 pc) solar-type, metal-rich (M/H = +0.2 dex) main-sequence star (G9V) that was discovered with Subaru/HiCIAO in 2009. From previous studies, it has drawn attention as being the coldest (~600K) companion ever directly imaged around a neighboring star. We present new high-contrast data obtained during the commissioning of the SPHERE instrument at the VLT. The data was obtained in Y-, J-, H-, and Ks-bands with the dual-band imaging (DBI) mode of IRDIS, providing a broad coverage of the full near-infrared (near-IR) range at higher contrast and better spectral sampling than previously reported. In this new set of high-quality data, we report the re-detection of the companion, as well as the first detection of a new candidate closer-in to the star. We use the new 8 photometric points for an extended comparison of GJ758 B with empirical objects and 4 families of atmospheric models. From comparison to empirical object, we estimate a T8 spectral type, but none of the comparison object can accurately represent the observed near-IR fluxes of GJ758 B. From comparison to atmospheric models, we attribute a Teff = 600K $\pm$ 100K, but we find that no atmospheric model can adequately fit all the fluxes of GJ758 B. The photometry of the new candidate companion is broadly consistent with L-type objects, but a second epoch with improved photometry is necessary to clarify its status. The new astrometry of GJ758 B shows a significant proper motion since the last epoch. We use this result to improve the determination of the orbital characteristics using two fitting approaches, Least-Square Monte Carlo and Markov Chain Monte Carlo. Finally, we analyze the sensitivity of our data to additional closer-in companions and reject the possibility of other massive brown dwarf companions down to 4-5 AU. [abridged]Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Post conjunction detection of β\beta Pictoris b with VLT/SPHERE

With an orbital distance comparable to that of Saturn in the solar system, \bpic b is the closest (semi-major axis $\simeq$\,9\,au) exoplanet that has been imaged to orbit a star. Thus it offers unique opportunities for detailed studies of its orbital, physical, and atmospheric properties, and of disk-planet interactions. With the exception of the discovery observations in 2003 with NaCo at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), all following astrometric measurements relative to \bpic have been obtained in the southwestern part of the orbit, which severely limits the determination of the planet's orbital parameters. We aimed at further constraining \bpic b orbital properties using more data, and, in particular, data taken in the northeastern part of the orbit. We used SPHERE at the VLT to precisely monitor the orbital motion of beta \bpic b since first light of the instrument in 2014. We were able to monitor the planet until November 2016, when its angular separation became too small (125 mas, i.e., 1.6\,au) and prevented further detection. We redetected \bpic b on the northeast side of the disk at a separation of 139\,mas and a PA of 30$^{\circ}$ in September 2018. The planetary orbit is now well constrained. With a semi-major axis (sma) of $a = 9.0 \pm 0.5$ au (1 $\sigma$), it definitely excludes previously reported possible long orbital periods, and excludes \bpic b as the origin of photometric variations that took place in 1981. We also refine the eccentricity and inclination of the planet. From an instrumental point of view, these data demonstrate that it is possible to detect, if they exist, young massive Jupiters that orbit at less than 2 au from a star that is 20 pc away.Comment: accepted by A&

Optimización del transporte de caudales en el marco de la vinculación entre FAMAF-UNC y Tarjeta Naranja SA

Aprovechando el vínculo institucional establecido entre Naranja y FAMAF-UNC, formalizado desde fines de 2018, desde la empresa se planteó la necesidad de optimizar el envío de camiones de la empresa. transportadora de caudales para retirar las recuadaciones de efectivo acumuladas en las más de 180 sucursales de la empresa distribuidas en todo el territorio del país. En primera instancia, el requerimiento fue de minimizar el costo logístico y luego de minimizar el costo total incorporando también el costo financiero de los montos inmovilizados en las sucursales. Se proveyó una solución empleando programación lineal y una implementación en Python basada en un solver open source. Se lograron tiempos de procesamiento de minutos para reemplazar una tarea, manual que requería decenas de horas-persona de trabajo mensuales.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

In-depth study of moderately young but extremely red, very dusty substellar companion HD206893B

Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Reproduced with permission from Astronomy & Astrophysics. © 2018 ESO.The substellar companion HD206893b has recently been discovered by direct imaging of its disc-bearing host star with the SPHERE instrument. We investigate the atypical properties of the companion, which has the reddest near-infrared colours among all known substellar objects, either orbiting a star or isolated, and we provide a comprehensive characterisation of the host star-disc-companion system. We conducted a follow-up of the companion with adaptive optics imaging and spectro-imaging with SPHERE, and a multiinstrument follow-up of its host star. We obtain a R=30 spectrum from 0.95 to 1.64 micron of the companion and additional photometry at 2.11 and 2.25 micron. We carried out extensive atmosphere model fitting for the companions and the host star in order to derive their age, mass, and metallicity. We found no additional companion in the system in spite of exquisite observing conditions resulting in sensitivity to 6MJup (2MJup) at 0.5" for an age of 300 Myr (50 Myr). We detect orbital motion over more than one year and characterise the possible Keplerian orbits. We constrain the age of the system to a minimum of 50 Myr and a maximum of 700 Myr, and determine that the host-star metallicity is nearly solar. The comparison of the companion spectrum and photometry to model atmospheres indicates that the companion is an extremely dusty late L dwarf, with an intermediate gravity (log g 4.5-5.0) which is compatible with the independent age estimate of the system. Though our best fit corresponds to a brown dwarf of 15-30 MJup aged 100-300 Myr, our analysis is also compatible with a range of masses and ages going from a 50 Myr 12MJup planetary-mass object to a 50 MJup Hyades-age brown dwarf...Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio