Strategies for remediating polluted soils

Editors: F. A. López, F. Puertas, F. J. Alguacil and A. Guerrero.-- 4 pages, 1 figure.For several years, a group of researchers from several institutions has been evaluating strategies for remediating soils polluted with heavy metals and inorganic compounds (such as salts that separate into their anions and metals). Both these substances may be taken up as mineral nutrients of the plants growing in these soils.This study was funded by the Programa IADES of the Comunidad de Madrid.Peer reviewe

Analysis of Moon impact flashes detected during the 2012 and 2013 Perseids

We present the results of our Moon impact flashes detection campaigns performed around the maximum activity period of the Perseid meteor shower in 2012 and 2013. Just one flash produced by a Perseid meteoroid was detected in 2012 because of very unfavourable geometric conditions, but 12 of these were confirmed in 2013. The visual magnitude of the flashes ranged between 6.6 and 9.3. A luminous efficiency of 1.8 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ has been estimated for meteoroids from this stream. According to this value, impactor masses would range between 1.9 and 190 g. In addition, we propose a criterion to establish, from a statistical point of view, the likely origin of impact flashes recorded on the lunar surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on March 11, 201

Amorphous CNx layers from neon electron cyclotron resonance plasmas with N2 and CH4 as precursors

© The Electrochemical Society, Inc. 2000. All rights reserved. Except as provided under U.S. copyright law, this work may not be reproduced, resold, distributed, or modified without the express permission of The Electrochemical Society (ECS). The archival version of this work was published in Journal of The Electrochemical Society. Barbadillo, L., Hernández, M. J., Cervera, M. and J. Piqueras. Amorphous CNx layers from neon electron cyclotron resonance plasmas with N2 and CH4 as precursors. Journal of The Electrochemical Society 147.10 (2000): 3864-386

‘Dinosaur-bird’ macroevolution, locomotor modules and the origins of flight

S.M.N. is supported by a FPI-UAM 2019 predoctoral grant from the Autonomous University of Madrid. This research was partially funded by project CGL2013-42643P from MINECO (Spain) and PGC2018-094955-A100 from MICIU (Spain). This work is a contribution of the CIPb-UAM research group and the PMMV team (Paleoclimatology, Macroecology and Macroevolution of Vertebrates) as part of the UCM-910607 research group. We thank to all the organizing committee of the 4th International Meeting of Early-stage Researchers in Palaeontology for inviting us to participate in the Special Issue “Young Solutions to Old Issues: Discoveries in Palaeontology Research”. Funding Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Natu

Reproductive inequalities in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum: looking beyond "crowding" effects

Background: At present, much research effort has been devoted to investigate overall (average) responses of parasite populations to specific factors, e.g., density-dependence in fecundity or mortality. However, studies on parasite populations usually pay little attention to individual variation (inequality) in reproductive success. A previous study on the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum in franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, revealed no overall intensity-dependent, or microhabitat effects, on mass and fecundity of worms. In this study, we investigated whether the same factors could influence mass inequalities for this species of acanthocephalan.Methods: A total of 10,138 specimens of C. cetaceum were collected from 10 franciscana dolphins accidentally caught in Buenos Aires Province between 1988-1990. To investigate mass inequalities, all the specimens were sexed, and females were classified according to their developmental stage and weighted. Additionally, the relationship between biomass and fecundity (estimated as the number of acanthors) was investigated for some females. Inequalities in fecundity and biomass were assessed using standard methods, i.e. the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient (G).Results: We found a modest, but highly significant linear relationship between mass and fecundity. The G was very low (0.314) compared with that from other helminth species. G values were significantly lower in gravid females, which presumably exhibit a slow rate of growth. Also, G values significantly increased with total intensity, but only for gravid females, and the effect was more predictable considering only the number of gravid females.Conclusions: Apparently, competition between reproducing females increases inequality without producing crowding effects. Although the mechanism whereby this occurs is unclear, gravid females, at higher intensities, expanded their distribution and occupied gut chambers with contrasting environmental conditions, which might result in greater variability in body size. The observed inequalities are not expected to strongly influence the population genetics of C. cetaceum, but they reveal subtle individual effects beyond an overall population impact.Fil: Aznar Avendaño, Francisco Javier. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Hernández Orts, Jesús Servando. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". - Provincia de Río Negro. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni". Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos "Almirante Storni"; ArgentinaFil: Vélez Rubio, Gabriela Manuela. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Fernández, Luis M.. Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation; Estados UnidosFil: Muriel, Nadia T.. No especifíca;Fil: Raga, Juan Antonio. Universidad de Valencia; Españ