First record of a population of Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) in Argentina

The Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri), native to India, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, is considered one of the most invasive bird species. It has been recorded in 37 countries, in some of which it was originally introduced as a pet. It has become an agricultural pest and a threat to native birds in many countries. In South America, populations of this species were only known to exist in Venezuela and the Caribbean Islands. We report the finding of a small reproductive population of Rose-ringed parakeets in the city of Corrientes, in northeastern Argentina. We provide information on its observed feeding patterns and interactions with two other species of birds. We suggest monitoring the species and its population trends, as well as starting an awareness campaign of the dangers to native fauna posed by invasive alien species.Fil: Chatellenaz, Mario Luis. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Thomann, Maria Luz. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentin

Corrugated single layer templates for molecules: From h -BN nanomesh to graphene based quantum dot arrays

Functional nano-templates enable self-assembly of otherwise impossible arrangements of molecules. A particular class of such templates is that of sp 2 hybridized single layers of hexagonal boron nitride or carbon (graphene) on metal supports. If the substrate and the single layer have a lattice mismatch, superstructures are formed. On substrates like rhodium or ruthenium these superstructures have unit cells with ∼3-nm lattice constant. They are corrugated and contain sub-units, which behave like traps for molecules or quantum dots, which are small enough to become operational at room temperature. For graphene on Rh(111) we emphasize a new structural element of small extra hills within the corrugation landscape. For the case of molecules like water it is shown that new phases assemble on such templates, and that they can be used as "nano-laboratories” where many individual processes are studied in parallel. Furthermore, it is shown that the h-BN/Rh(111) nanomesh displays a strong scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence contrast within the 3 nm unit cell which is a way to address trapped molecules and/or quantum dot

Nuevos registros de Macropsalis forcipata, Cyanocorax caervlevs y Pyrodervs scvtatvs (aves: Aprimulgidae, Corvidae y Cotingidae) en el nordeste de la Provincia de Corrientes, Argentina

El Distrito de los Campos de la Provincia Fitogeográfica Paranaense (Cabrera, 1976), comprende el sur de Misiones y nordeste de Corrientes. Este Distrito, con 401 especies de aves, es una de las áreas con mayor riqueza ornitológica de Argentina (Giraudo y Povedano, 2004). Se hacen presentes en Corrientes numerosas especies que tienen aquí su límite austral de distribución, y no se encuentran en otras áreas de la provincia (Darrieu  Camperi, 1996). Dado que este Distrito es uno de los más modificados por acción antrópica en las últimas décadas, resulta imperativo que se tomen medidas tendientes a conservar su biodiversidad. En este sentido, el conocimiento de la distribución geográfica de las especies es de vital importancia, no sólo por el conocimiento en sí, sino porque brinda información útil para la conservación de las mismas. Por esto, se dan a conocer aquí nuevos registros de tres especies de aves en predios pertenecientes a la Empresa Las Marías S.A., en el departamento Santo Tomé, nordeste de la provincia de Corrientes

Avifauna of San Cayetano Provincial Park, Corrientes province, Argentina

El Parque Provincial San Cayetano está ubicado en el noroeste de la provincia de Corrientes, Argentina, en el Distrito Oriental de la Provincia Fitogeográfica Chaqueña. Durante cuatro años se inventarió su avifauna. Se registraron 179 especies de aves, que constituyen el 36% de la avifauna de Corrientes, y el 17% de las aves de Argentina. Los hábitats con mayor riqueza específica fueron el bosque (99 especies), el palmar-matorral (86 especies) y los esteros y lagunas (47 especies). El 82% de las aves fueron residentes y 17% fueron migrantes. Se constató la reproducción de 127 especies (71% del total). Se registraron dos especies amenazadas a nivel nacional, el loro hablador (Amazona aestiva) y el batitú (Bartramia longicauda). A pesar de su reducida superficie, este parque posee importancia por ser el único en el triángulo noroeste de la provincia, y proteger a una muestra de la vegetación y las aves del Chaco Húmedo.The San Cayetano Provincial Park is located in the northwest of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, in the Oriental District of the Chaco Phytogeographic Province. For four years, we carried out an inventory of its avifauna. We registered 179 species of birds, which constitute 36% of the birds of Corrientes, and 17% of the birds of Argentina. The habitats with the highest specific richness were forests (99 species), palmar-scrub (86 species), and swamps and lagoons (47 species); 82% of the birds were residents and 17% were migrants. The reproduction of 127 species was confirmed (71% of the total). Two species considered threatened in Argentina were registered, Turquoise-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) and Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). Despite its small size, this park has great importance because it is the only one in the northwest triangle of the province, which protects a typical sample of vegetation and birds of the Humid Chaco.Fil: Chatellenaz, Mario Luis. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; ArgentinaFil: Thomann, Maria Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; Argentin

Consensus Paper: Radiological Biomarkers of Cerebellar Diseases

Hereditary and sporadic cerebellar ataxias represent a vast and still growing group of diseases whose diagnosis and differentiation cannot only rely on clinical evaluation. Brain imaging including magnetic resonance (MR) and nuclear medicine techniques allows for characterization of structural and functional abnormalities underlying symptomatic ataxias. These methods thus constitute a potential source of radiological biomarkers, which could be used to identify these diseases and differentiate subgroups of them, and to assess their severity and their evolution. Such biomarkers mainly comprise qualitative and quantitative data obtained from MR including proton spectroscopy, diffusion imaging, tractography, voxel-based morphometry, functional imaging during task execution or in a resting state, and from SPETC and PET with several radiotracers. In the current article, we aim to illustrate briefly some applications of these neuroimaging tools to evaluation of cerebellar disorders such as inherited cerebellar ataxia, fetal developmental malformations, and immune-mediated cerebellar diseases and of neurodegenerative or early-developing diseases, such as dementia and autism in which cerebellar involvement is an emerging feature. Although these radiological biomarkers appear promising and helpful to better understand ataxia-related anatomical and physiological impairments, to date, very few of them have turned out to be specific for a given ataxia with atrophy of the cerebellar system being the main and the most usual alteration being observed. Consequently, much remains to be done to establish sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of available MR and nuclear medicine features as diagnostic, progression and surrogate biomarkers in clinical routine

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Corrugated single layer templates for molecules: From h-BN nanomesh to graphene based quantum dot arrays

Functional nano-templates enable self-assembly of otherwise impossible arrangements of molecules. A particular class of such templates is that of sp2 hybridized single layers of hexagonal boron nitride or carbon (graphene) on metal supports. If the substrate and the single layer have a lattice mismatch, superstructures are formed. On substrates like rhodium or ruthenium these superstructures have unit cells with ∼3-nm lattice constant. They are corrugated and contain sub-units, which behave like traps for molecules or quantum dots, which are small enough to become operational at room temperature. For graphene on Rh(111) we emphasize a new structural element of small extra hills within the corrugation landscape. For the case of molecules like water it is shown that new phases assemble on such templates, and that they can be used as “nano-laboratories” where many individual processes are studied in parallel. Furthermore, it is shown that the h-BN/Rh(111) nanomesh displays a strong scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence contrast within the 3 nm unit cell which is a way to address trapped molecules and/or quantum dots