The National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires (Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires or UNNOBA hereafter) is a national university with head office and campus in Junín, Argentina. This city concentrates 80% of the activities, and nearly 2 out of 3 students take classes there. The university has also a campus in Pergamino city.The UNNOBA was created on December 16, 2002, as the composition between the Junín Regional University Center (CURJ), started in 1990, which reached 15,000 students, and the Pergamino Regional University Center (CRUP), established a year later, which had 2,600 students.The University may establish more branches in other locations of the influence area which covers the northwest of the province of Buenos Aires, southern Santa Fe and Córdoba and northeast of La Pampa.The university and the municipality of Junín, are the mainstays of the Buenos Aires Northwestern Technological Center (Polo Tecnológico del Noroeste Bonaerense) and the Regional Research Laboratory in Biofuels, both projects located in Junin. On the other hand, the Pergamino Biotechnology Center the School of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences (ECANA in Spanish) are being developed in Pergamino. It also has agreements with the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) and the Maiztegui National Human Viral Disease Institute (INEVH) of Pergamino..
Halomorphic soils, widespread in many regions globally, pose significant agricultural challenges due to their high salinity and sodicity. These conditions create unfavorable environments for crop cultivation, especially forage species. In this context, the demand for sodic- and salt-tolerant plants is rising as aridity intensifies worldwide. Lolium multiflorum Lam. (annual ryegrass), a cold-season forage grass, is recognized for its high nutritional value, palatability, and potential uses in medicinal applications and bioethanol production. The anatomical adaptations of ryegrass under sodic stress remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sodic soils on the leaf anatomy of L. multiflorum, focusing on micrometric parameters in the epidermis and cross-sections of leaves. The experiment was conducted with 35 genotypes of L. multiflorum grown in controlled conditions: one group in typical argiudol soils without restrictions and another in halomorphic soils with high pH (9.4) and electrical conductivity (3.74 dS/m). Leaf samples were collected and analyzed using light microscopy. Measurements included leaf thickness, mesophyll cell dimensions, epidermal thickness, stomatal size, and bulliform cell parameters. Results showed significant anatomical changes in plants grown in sodic soils. Notable findings included increased dimensions of bulliform and sheath cells linked to improved water conservation and stress adaptation. Conversely, the size of mesophyll and stomatal cells decreased, which aided in minimizing water loss while maintaining stomatal density and index, thereby ensuring sufficient gas exchange. These changes highlight the adaptive strategies of L. multiflorum to tolerate sodic conditions. This research contributes to understanding the morpho-anatomical adaptations that enhance plant resilience in challenging environments. Identifying anatomical traits associated with stress tolerance lays the groundwork for selecting and breeding genotypes suited to halomorphic soils. These insights are critical for developing sustainable agricultural practices and ensuring forage productivity in regions affected by soil salinity and sodicity. Ultimately, this study underscores the potential of L. multiflorum as a promising species for cultivation in degraded soils, offering a sustainable solution to the global challenge of increasing aridity and environmental stress.
Ten shallow lakes of a human-impacted region of Argentina (Pampa), selected across a gradient of temperature and moisture, were monthly monitored during three years. We analyzed the spatial–temporal changes in phytoplankton diversity (species richness and the local contribution to β-diversity—LCBD), and the role of the local environmental conditions and the spatial factors in structuring the communities. Lakes with extreme environmental conditions (high inorganic turbidity or high conductivity) showed lowest species richness and a distinctive composition that differs markedly from other lakes, which was evidenced by high LCBD driven by turnover. Lakes of the more impacted zones showed homogenization of the phytoplankton composition, sharing species typical of eutrophic systems, and blooms of harmful cyanobacteria. Temporal changes were associated to the combined effect of temperature and water level, registering species abundance peaks in warm periods, and decreases in total phytoplankton abundances associated to higher water levels. Local conditions—such as trophic status, turbidity, and conductivity—played a greater role in shaping phytoplankton communities than geographic position. These factors, together with temporal variability, were key drivers of community changes. The in-depth analysis of phytoplankton diversity and the main factors influencing its variability provide key information for the managements of these lakes.
En el siglo XXI, la transición energética justa que aspira a promover la sustentabilidad ambiental con inclusión social en América del Sur, se vuelve objeto de debate político. En la Argentina y Chile se expanden paulatinamente esquemas distribuidos en base a fuentes renovables para contrarrestar las deficiencias de los sistemas centralizados. Instalaciones de energía renovables distribuidas individuales, impulsadas por usuarios residenciales y productivos, se multiplican. A su vez, emerge la generación renovable comunitaria basada en proyectos locales con beneficios socioambientales y gestión compartida de la energía. Gobiernos locales/provinciales, ONG, vecinos y cooperativas de servicios traccionan este modelo alternativo. Entre ese entramado de actores, el objetivo del artículo es visibilizar y analizar la participación del cooperativismo en experiencias de generación comunitaria en territorios argentinos y chilenos, tendientes a contrarrestar injusticias del sistema convencional. La investigación se apoya en una metodología cualitativa, basada en análisis documental y la realización de entrevistas a informantes clave, para el estudio de casos. Las experiencias de generación fotovoltaica comunitaria estudiadas dan cuenta de esquemas de aprovisionamiento y gestión de la energía emergentes, que, traccionados por cooperativas en vínculo con otros actores territoriales, crean beneficios a grupos sociales vulnerables, contribuyendo a la justicia distributiva.
Subtype 3 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu3R) play neuroprotective roles and are involved in superior executive functions and memory in humans. However, this target has been scarcely studied in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our previous results showed that astroglial mGlu3R promoted the non-amyloidogenic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein and triggered amyloid-β (Aβ) clearance by astrocytes. Remarkably, mGlu3R is downregulated in hippocampi from aged PDAPP-J20 mice, whereas the truncated isoform of the receptor, mGlu3Δ4, is early accumulated. Indeed, mGlu3Δ4 inhibited mGlu3R protective function in astrocytes. In the present paper, we aimed to investigate mGlu3Δ4/mGlu3R expression in AD brains and to assess whether changes in these proteins can be detected in human biofluids during mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Bioinformatics analysis of transcriptomic data from human brains indicated that mGlu3R expression was reduced in amyloid plaque-associated areas and in AD astrocytes. At the protein level, mGlu3R immunostaining was lower within the plaque niche in hippocampal slices from PDAPP-J20 mice, whereas cultured glial cells from these mice expressed lower mGlu3R than non-transgenic mice as early as 2 months-old of age. Furthermore, mGlu3R protein levels determined by western blot inversely correlated with histopathology in human AD hippocampi. Interestingly, mGlu3R (but not mGlu3Δ4) protein was detectable by western blot in serum samples from MCI and control subjects. We showed that mGlu3R levels were significantly reduced in MCI serum compared to those of cognitively intact individuals. Moreover, its levels positively correlated with serum Aβ. Our results showed changes in mGlu3R expression in AD brains that might reflect early glial receptor dysfunction, whereas reduced serum mGlu3R levels may be associated with mild cognitive impairment that precedes AD.
Planting cover crops has been proposed as a keystone to restore ecosystem services in intensively cultivated agroecosystems. Cover crops increase primary production over time, positively impacting carbon storage, soil fertility and soil organisms. This plant cover can also alter litter decomposition processes through changes in biotic and abiotic conditions. However, most studies on cover crops for carbon turnover have focused on their legacy effects as litter inputs (“afterlife effects”). In contrast, the effects of living (green) cover crops on crash crop litter decomposition have rarely been quantified. We explored the effect of two cover crops (oat and oat-vetch mixture) on maize litter decomposition (1) under real field conditions in the Argentine Pampas, specifically with leaf litter decomposing on the surface and root litter slightly buried. Additionally, we placed buried leaf litterbags to (2) assess the effect of tillage management on carbon turnover and (3) evaluate litter quality effects independent of position. Finally, we manipulated cover crop biomass to (4) examine the impact of reduced sunlight exposure on litter decomposition. Our results show that cover crops improved soil biological properties and affected leaf and root maize litter decomposition differently. Soil microbial biomass and nitrogen retention increased under cover crops. Maize leaf litter decomposition also increased, while root litter tended to decrease. In addition, leaf litter aboveground decomposed faster than root litter belowground, but slower than buried leaf litter. There was no evidence that reduced sunlight exposure beneath plant cover affected litter mass remaining over time. Our study provides insight into the ecosystem services of cover crops, particularly their role in the first step of carbon turnover of crop litter. Identifying additional benefits of cover crops in highly intensified agroecosystems of the Pampas underscores their potential to balance high productivity with sustainable practices that support healthy biogeochemical cycles.
