Cenogramas, análisis bioclimático y muestreo en faunas de mamíferos: implicaciones para la aplicación de métodos de análisis paleoecológico

In this work we analyzed the problems derived from the potential species loss associated to the taphonomic processes occurring in fossil sites. We seek to resolve the possible utility of cenograms and bioclimatic analysis as methodologies applicable in Paleoecology. Supposedly, if species are deleted in a community, significant changes in its structure might appear, which would make these paleoecological techniques dysfunctional. The analysis has been carried out with the data of two modern mammalian communities, Barrow (Alaska) and Jaipur (India), on which we have deleted species randomly. Our results have allowed us to conclude that these methodologies are useful in Paleoecology, since they are functional with a satisfactory level of confidence, as long as the species loss is not excessively elevated (for communities with 20-40% of the original species).En este trabajo hemos analizado la problemática derivada de la posible pérdida de especies asociada a los procesos tafonómicos que se dan en los yacimientos de fósiles, para determinar la posible utilidad de los cenogramas y el análisis bioclimático como metodologías aplicables en Paleoecología. Podría suponerse que si eliminamos especies en una comunidad se podrían producir cambios significativos en su estructura que convertirían en no funcionales a estas metodologías. El análisis se ha llevado a cabo con los datos de dos comunidades de mamíferos actuales, Barrow (Alaska) y Jaipur (India), de las que hemos eliminado progresivamente especies de forma aleatoria. Los resultados obtenidos nos han permitido concluir que tanto los cenogramas como el análisis bioclimático son útiles en Paleoecología, ya que son funcionales con un nivel de confianza adecuado, siempre y cuando la pérdida de especies no sea excesivamente elevada (en comunidades con un 20-40% de las especies originales).La presente investigación ha sido parcialmente financiada por los proyectos PR1/06-14470-B (UCM) y CGL2006-01773/BTE (MEC) y por una ayuda de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid al Grupo de Investigación UCM-CAM 910607 sobre Evolución de Mamíferos y Paleoambientes Continentales Cenozoicos, dirigido por Marián Álvarez Sierra. Asimismo, el mencionado grupo de investigación ha financiado la presentación de estos resultados en las XXII Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología. M.H.F. disfruta de un contrato UCM del Programa «Ramón y Cajal» del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia.Peer reviewe

The host of the Type I SLSN 2017egm: A young, sub-solar metallicity environment in a massive spiral galaxy

Here we present an integral-field study of the massive, high-metallicity spiral NGC 3191, the host of SN 2017egm, the closest SLSN Type I to date. We use data from PMAS/CAHA and the public MaNGA survey to shed light on the properties of the SLSN site and the origin of star-formation in this non-starburst spiral galaxy. We map the physical properties different \ion{H}{II} regions throughout the galaxy and characterize their stellar populations using the STARLIGHT fitting code. Kinematical information allows to study a possible interaction with its neighbouring galaxy as the origin of recent star formation activity which could have caused the SLSN. NGC 3191 shows intense star-formation in the western part with three large SF regions of low metallicity. The central regions of the host have a higher metallicity, lower specific star-formation rate and lower ionization. Modeling the stellar populations gives a different picture: The SLSN region has two dominant stellar populations with different ages, the youngest one with an age of 2-10 Myr and lower metallicity, likely the population from which the SN progenitor originated. Emission line kinematics of NGC 3191 show indications of interaction with its neighbour MCG+08-19-017 at $\sim$45 kpc, which might be responsible for the recent starburst. In fact, this galaxy pair has in total hosted 4 SNe, 1988B (Type Ia), SN 2003ds (Type Ic in MCG+08-19-017), PTF10bgl (SLSN-Type II) and 2017egm, underlying the enhanced SF in both galaxies due to interaction. Our study shows that one has to be careful interpreting global host and even gas properties without looking at the stellar population history of the region. SLSNe seem to still be consistent with massive stars ($>$ 20 M$_\odot$) requiring low ($< 0.6Z_{\odot}$) metallicity and those environments can also occur in massive, late-type galaxies but not necessarily starbursts.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 13 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables. Abstract has been reduced to match arXiv form requirement

Spatially Resolved Star Formation Main Sequence of Galaxies in the Califa Survey

Cano-Díaz, M. et. al.The >main sequence of galaxies> - defined in terms of the total star formation rate ψ versus the total stellar mass M - is a well-studied tight relation that has been observed at several wavelengths and at different redshifts. All earlier studies have derived this relation from integrated properties of galaxies. We recover the same relation from an analysis of spatially resolved properties, with integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations of 306 galaxies from the CALIFA survey. We consider the SFR surface density in units of log(M yr Kpc) and the stellar mass surface density in units of log(M Kpc) in individual spaxels that probe spatial scales of 0.5-1.5 Kpc. This local relation exhibits a high degree of correlation with small scatter (σ = 0.23 dex), irrespective of the dominant ionization source of the host galaxy or its integrated stellar mass. We highlight (i) the integrated star formation main sequence formed by galaxies whose dominant ionization process is related to star formation, for which we find a slope of 0.81 ± 0.02; (ii) for the spatially resolved relation obtained with the spaxel analysis, we find a slope of 0.72 ± 0.04; and (iii) for the integrated main sequence, we also identified a sequence formed by galaxies that are dominated by an old stellar population, which we have called the retired galaxies sequence.Financial support: M.C.D. and S.F.S.: DGAPA-UNAM funding; CONACyT-180125 and PAPIIT IA-100815 projects. Z.S.: EU Marie Curie Career Integration Grant >SteMaGE> PCIG12-GA-2012-326466. Y.A.: RyC-2011-09461 and AYA2013-47742-C4-3-P projects from the Spanish MINECO and the SELGIFS programme, funded by the EU (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES-612701). C.J.W.: Marie Curie Career Integration Grant 303912. R.M.G.D.: AyA2014-57490-P and J.A. P12-FQM2828 grants. J.F.B.: AYA2013-48226-C3-1-P from the Spanish MINECO grant. L.G.: Millennium Science Initiative through grant IC120009, and by CONICYT through FONDECYT grant 3140566.Peer Reviewe

Comparación analítica de dos consolidantes comerciales aplicados en areniscas eocenas de monumentos de los siglos XVI y XIX en San Sebastián (norte de España)

The conservation of buildings in the Basque Country made of Eocene sandstone is somewhat problematical, because this type of rock is relatively unstable. This instability is due to the variable content of carbonate cement (0-28%) and the presence of K-feldspar grains (1-13%) which appear to have been dissolved by both diagenetic and environmental processes. We have compared the results of the application of two commercial consolidating products: Sicof SM 296 (product A) and Consistone FS-hA (product B), both ethylsilicates, on Eocene sandstones of the Oquendo Admiral House (16th century) and the Gipuzkoa Provincial Government Palace (19th century), which are both located in the city of San Sebastián (Province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Northern Spain). On the basis of different chemical and physical laboratory tests, together with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, product A seems to be more efficient in consolidating such Eocene sandstone materials, since it penetrates into the first 8 mm of the rock, occupies very homogeneously even the smallest pore spaces and leaves a certain degree of remaining porosity which allows ventilation of the rock. In contrast, product B seems to be more appropriate for larger pore-sized rocks, because it only penetrates into the first 3 mm of the Eocene sandstone samples due to the thin pores of the matter. Our results demonstrate that the suitability of a commercial product depends not only on its own chemical composition, but also on the textural and lithological features of the rock material upon which it is to be applied.La conservación de los edificios del País Vasco construidos con areniscas del Eoceno es problemática porque este tipo de roca es relativamente inestable debido a su contenido variable en cemento carbonatado (0-28%) y a la presencia de granos de feldespato potásico (1-13%) disueltos tanto por procesos diagenéticos como ambientales. Hemos aplicado dos consolidantes comerciales: Sicof SM 296 (producto A) y Consistone FS+A (producto B), ambos silicatos de etilo, sobre las areniscas de la Casa del Almirante Oquendo (siglo XVI) y el Palacio de la Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa (siglo XIX), ambos edificios en San Sebastián (País Vasco, norte de España). Los diferentes ensayos físicos y químicos junto con las observaciones al microscopio electrónico de barrido (SEM) revelan que el producto A es más eficiente para la consolidación de este tipo de areniscas, dado que penetra los primeros 8 mm de la roca, ocupa muy regularmente incluso los poros más pequeños y deja un cierto grado de porosidad remanente que permite la aireación de la roca. Por el contrario, el producto B parece más adecuado para rocas con mayor tamaño de poro, dado que sólo penetra los primeros 3 mm. Con ello, queda claro que la eficiencia de un consolidante comercial depende no sólo de su composición química, sino, en gran medida, de las características texturales y litológicas de la roca sobre la que se va a aplicar

Stability of the Horizontal Curvature of the LHC Cryodipoles During Cold Tests

The LHC will be composed of 1232 horizontally curved, 15 meter long, superconducting dipole magnets cooled at 1.9 K. They are supported within their vacuum vessel by three Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy (GFRE) support posts. Each cryodipole is individually cold tested at CERN before its installation and interconnection in the LHC 27 km circumference tunnel. As the magnet geometry under cryogenic operation is extremely important for the LHC machine aperture, a new method has been developed at CERN in order to monitor the magnet curvature change between warm and cold states. It enabled us to conclude that there is no permanent horizontal curvature change of the LHC dipole magnet between warm and cold states, although a systematic horizontal transient deformation during cool-down was detected. This deformation generates loads in the dipole supporting system; further investigation permitted us to infer this behavior to the asymmetric thermal contraction of the rigid magnet thermal shield during cool-down. Controlling the helium flow rate in the thermal shield of the cryomagnet enabled us to reduce the maximal deformation by a factor of approximately two, thus increasing significantly the mechanical safety margin of the supporting system during the CERN cold tests

Influence of Cold Gas Spray process conditions on the microstructure of Fe-based amorphous coatings

Fe-based amorphous metallic coatings were prepared by Cold Gas Spray process. Through this study, the effects of the process conditions such as spraying distance, gas pressure and temperature on the microstructure of as-sprayed coatings are evaluated. Microstructural studies show that the coatings can present a densely layered structure with porosity below 0.5% and thickness around 800 μm depending on the process conditions. Precipitation of nanocrystals in as-sprayed coatings is observed and present results show its dependence on the thermal and kinetic energy implicated in the process. In general, when gas temperature and pressure decreased, in the studied range, coatings displayed a dense and amorphous structure

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate PEGylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles mitigate striatal pathology and motor deficits in 3-nitropropionic acid intoxicated mice

AIM:To compare free and nanoparticle (NP)-encapsulated epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for the treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD)-like symptoms in mice. MATERIALS & METHODS: EGCG was incorporated into PEGylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid NPs with ascorbic acid (AA). HD-like striatal lesions and motor deficit were induced in mice by 3-nitropropionic acid-intoxication. EGCG and EGCG/AA NPs were co-administered and behavioral motor assessments and striatal histology performed after 5 days. RESULTS: EGCG/AA NPs were significantly more effective than free EGCG in reducing motor disturbances and depression-like behavior associated with 3-nitropropionic acid toxicity. EGCG/AA NPs treatment also mitigated neuroinflammation and prevented neuronal loss. CONCLUSION: NP encapsulation enhances therapeutic robustness of EGCG in this model of HD symptomatology. Together with our previous findings, this highlights the potential of EGCG/AA NPs in the symptomatic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Dissipation-driven generation of two-qubit entanglement mediated by plasmonic waveguides

We study the generation of entanglement between two distant qubits mediated by the surface plasmons of a metallic waveguide. We show that a V-shaped channel milled in a flat metallic surface is much more efficient for this purpose than a metallic cylinder. The role of the misalignments of the dipole moments of the qubits, an aspect of great importance for experimental implementations, is also studied. A careful analysis of the quantum-dynamics of the system by means of a master equation shows that two-qubit entanglement generation is essentially due to the dissipative part of the effective qubit-qubit coupling provided by the surface plasmons. The influence of a coherent external pumping, needed to achieve a steady state entanglement, is discussed. Finally, we pay attention to the question of how to get information experimentally on the degree of entanglement achieved in the system.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure