Sites for Gamma-ray Astronomy in Argentina

We have searched for possible sites in Argentina for the installation of large air Cherenkov telescope arrays and water Cherenkov systems. At present seven candidates are identified at altitudes from 2500 to 4500 m. The highest sites are located at the Northwest of the country, in La Puna. Sites at 2500 and 3100 m are located in the West at El Leoncito Observatory, with excellent infrastructure. A description of these candidate sites is presented with emphasis on infrastructure and climatology.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of "4th Heidelberg International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2008

Insertion of the DNA for the 163-171 peptide of IL1beta enables a DNA vaccine encoding p185(neu) to inhibit mammary carcinogenesis in Her-2/neu transgenic BALB/c mice.

Insertion of the DNA for the 163–171 peptide of IL1β enables a DNA vaccine encoding p185 neu to inhibit mammary carcinogenesis in Her-2/neu transgenic BALB/c mic

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela, 4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range. The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200

Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory

In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200

Guest or pest? Spatio-temporal occurrence and effects on soil and vegetation of the wild boar on the Elba island

In areas where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars (Sus scrofa), occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. In these contexts, assessing spatio-temporal patterns of the introduced population is paramount to its management. Here, we studied wild boars in the Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests. While crop-raiding has been documented, no studies addressed the spatio-temporal occurrence, nor the impact of foraging on natural habitat. We surveyed the Western part of the island with three camera trapping surveys within one year. We found that the species' estimated occupancy probability was higher in summer-autumn (0.75±0.14) and winter-early spring (0.70±0.10) than in late spring-summer (0.53±0.15), whereas detection probability did not vary. Occupancy was significantly associated with elevation and vegetation cover, with preference for lower elevation and woodland. The lower site use of wild boars during spring-summer might reflect lower food availability in this season, and/or movements towards landfarms outside the sampled area. Detectability increased with proximity to roads during spring-summer and decreased with humans' relative abundance in the other periods. Moreover, boars were mainly nocturnal, with an overlap with human activity that decreased when human presence was higher. Combined, these suggest behavioural avoidance of human disturbance by boars. We also evaluated the impact of boars' foraging on the soil and vegetation and found that it was higher in pine plantations than other covers, however, it was not associated with variation in boars' occupancy across habitats. Our results indicate that the spatio-temporal activity of wild boars on Elba island appears driven by seasonal preferences for food-rich cover and avoidance of human disturbance. The lowered site use in months with lower resources could partially reflect increased proximity to settled and farmed areas, which may, in turn, trigger crop-raiding and hence the negative perception by residents