Astrometry of mutual approximations between natural satellites. Application to the Galilean moons

Typically we can deliver astrometric positions of natural satellites with errors in the 50-150 mas range. Apparent distances from mutual phenomena, have much smaller errors, less than 10 mas. However, this method can only be applied during the equinox of the planets. We developed a method that can provide accurate astrometric data for natural satellites -- the mutual approximations. The method can be applied when any two satellites pass close by each other in the apparent sky plane. The fundamental parameter is the central instant $t_0$ of the passage when the distances reach a minimum. We applied the method for the Galilean moons. All observations were made with a 0.6 m telescope with a narrow-band filter centred at 889 nm with width of 15 nm which attenuated Jupiter's scattered light. We obtained central instants for 14 mutual approximations observed in 2014-2015. We determined $t_0$ with an average precision of 3.42 mas (10.43 km). For comparison, we also applied the method for 5 occultations in the 2009 mutual phenomena campaign and for 22 occultations in the 2014-2015 campaign. The comparisons of $t_0$ determined by our method with the results from mutual phenomena show an agreement by less than 1-sigma error in $t_0$, typically less than 10 mas. This new method is particularly suitable for observations by small telescopes.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures and 8 tables. Based on observations made at the Laborat\'orio Nacional de Astrof\'isica (LNA), Itajub\'a-MG, Brazi

Bacterial selection for biological control of plantdisease: criterion determination and validation.

This study aimed to evaluate the biocontrol potential of bacteria isolated from different plant species and soils. The production of compounds related to phytopathogen biocontrol and/or promotion of plant growth in bacterial isolates was evaluated by measuring the production of antimicrobial compounds (ammonia and antibiosis) and hydrolytic enzymes (amylases, lipases, proteases, and chitinases) and phosphate solubilization. Of the 1219 bacterial isolates, 92% produced one or more of the eight compounds evaluated, but only 1% of the isolates produced all the compounds. Proteolytic activity was most frequently observed among the bacterial isolates. Among the compounds which often determine the success of biocontrol, 43% produced compounds which inhibit mycelial growth of Monilinia fructicola, but only 11% hydrolyzed chitin. Bacteria from different plant species (rhizosphere or phylloplane) exhibited differences in the ability to produce the compounds evaluated. Most bacterial isolates with biocontrol potential were isolated from rhizospheric soil. The most ef?cient bacteria (producing at least ?ve compounds related to phytopathogen biocontrol and/or plant growth), 86 in total, were evaluated for their biocontrol potential by observing their ability to kill juvenile Mesocriconema xenoplax. Thus, we clearly observed that bacteria that produced more compounds related to phytopathogen biocontrol and/or plant growth had a higher ef?cacy for nematode biocontrol, which validated the selection strategy used

Reação de linhagens de feijoeiro de oito ciclos de seleção recorrente visando a resistência à Pseudocercospora griseola a dois isolados do patógeno.

A mancha angular incitada pelo fungo Pseudocercospora griseola é um dos principais problemas da cultura do feijoeiro em algumas regiões do Brasil. Visando a obter linhagens resistentes a esse patógeno, um programa de seleção recorrente vem sendo conduzido há alguns anos pela Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA) e Embrapa Arroz e Feijão. Esse trabalho visa avaliar o desempenho de linhagens obtidas nos diferentes ciclos seletivos, sob condições de casa de vegetação, com relação a dois isolados de P griseola

Orbit determination of Transneptunian objects and Centaurs for the prediction of stellar occultations

The prediction of stellar occultations by Transneptunian objects and Centaurs is a difficult challenge that requires accuracy both in the occulted star position as for the object ephemeris. Until now, the most used method of prediction involving tens of TNOs/Centaurs was to consider a constant offset for the right ascension and for the declination with respect to a reference ephemeris. This offset is determined as the difference between the most recent observations of the TNO and the reference ephemeris. This method can be successfully applied when the offset remains constant with time. This paper presents an alternative method of prediction based on a new accurate orbit determination procedure, which uses all the available positions of the TNO from the Minor Planet Center database plus sets of new astrometric positions from unpublished observations. The orbit determination is performed through a numerical integration procedure (NIMA), in which we develop a specific weighting scheme. The NIMA method was applied for 51 selected TNOs/Centaurs. For this purpose, we have performed about 2900 new observations during 2007-2014. Using NIMA, we succeed in predicting the stellar occultations of 10 TNOs and 3 Centaurs between 2013 and 2015. By comparing the NIMA and JPL ephemerides, we highlighted the variation of the offset between them with time. Giving examples, we show that the constant offset method could not accurately predict 6 out of the 13 observed positive occultations successfully predicted by NIMA. The results indicate that NIMA is capable of efficiently refine the orbits of these bodies. Finally, we show that the astrometric positions given by positive occultations can help to further refine the orbit of the TNO and consequently the future predictions. We also provide the unpublished observations of the 51 selected TNOs and their ephemeris in a usable format by the SPICE library.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&

Seleção in vitro de fungos endofíticos para o controle biológico de Botrytis cinera em Eucalyptus benthamii.

O Eucalyptus benthamii é uma das principais espécies de eucalipto plantadas na região Sul do Brasil, por sua resistência a geadas e por seu uso na produção florestal de madeira para fins energéticos. Na produção de mudas, uma das principais doenças ocorrentes em viveiros é o mofo-cinzento, causado pelo fungo Botrytis cinerea. Uma das alternativas para o controle dessa doença é o controle biológico com fungos endofíticos, os quais podem competir com os patógenos foliares de mudas de eucalipto. O objetivo deste trabalho foi isolar os fungos endofíticos provenientes de mudas de E. benthamii, identificá-los e selecioná-los para o controle de B. cinerea. Eles foram isolados do interior de tecidos vegetais desinfectados, identificados de acordo com critérios macro e micromorfológicos e classificados a partir de testes de controle biológico in vitro. Os resultados evidenciaram o potencial antagonista dos fungos Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. e Trichoderma sp. Nenhum desses fungos causou lesões em mudas de E. benthamii

Documentação fotográfica do desempenho silvicultural de espécies arbóreas na recuperação de áreas degradadas pela deposição de rejeitos finos da mineração de cobre.

O presente trabalho documenta fotograficamente o desempenho silvicultural de espécies arbóreas plantadas numa área degradada pela deposição de rejeitos finos da Mineração Caraíba situada no sertão baiano, em Jaguarari,BA. A primeira fase de seleção das espécies mais tolerantes às áreas de rejeito aconteceu no período de 1991 até 1995, sendo as espécies arbóreas/arbustivas testadas: algaroba (Prosopis juliflora), angico (Anadenanthera columbina),aroeira(Myracrod), entre outras