Checklist of the Pleistocene marine molluscs of Praínha and Lagoínhas (Santa Maria Island, Azores).

A critical review of the reported Pleistocene species of and Lagoinhas (Santa Maria Island, Azores) is provided, new data increasing the marine molluscan fauna to 95 taxa (80 Gastropoda and 15 Bivalvia). Six of the reported taxa are considered dubious records (5 Gastropoda, 1 Bivalvia). The stratigraphic sequence of Praia Formosa is composed of two main units, about 2-4 meters above present-day sea level. In the lower unit, Patella ulyssiponensis dominates the fossil assemblage of the basal calcareous conglomerate while Myoforceps arustatus (Dillwyn, 1817) dominates the assemblage associated to a calcareous algae mat. Above a non-depositional hiatus surface, a sandy beach deposit mainly composes the upper unit. Its fossil assemblages are dominated by large amounts of Eruilin castanea (Montagu, 1803) and, in a less extent, Lucinella diwricntn (Linnaeus, 1758) and Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843). The stratigraphic sequence of Lagoinhas, located 7.4 m above present-day sea level, is also composed of two units. A basal conglomerate is fossilized by or passes laterally to a calcareous algae mat, dominated by Myoforceps aristatus and with abundant Calliostoma pecimens. As at Prainha, these lower units are covered by a highly fossiliferous sandy bach deposit, though thinner, in which Ervlie castanea is the dominant species. Some species with Caribbean or West African affinities, the "Strombus bubonius accompanying fauna" (Garcia-Talavera, 1990), were found in the lower layers. The upper layer malacofauna is mainly related to the Mediterranean faunas, similarly to what happens nowadays (Ávila, 2000)

Luria lurida (Gastropoda), a new record for the Pleistocene of Santa Maria, Azores

The cypraeid gastropod Luria lurida (Linnaeus, 1758) is reported for the first time from Pleistocene deposits at the Prainha site, on the island of Santa Maria, Azores archipelago

An upgrade on the rabbit model of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy: shorter protocol, reduced mortality, and higher incidence of overt dilated cardiomyopathy

Current protocols of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy in rabbits present with high premature mortality and nephrotoxicity, thus rendering them unsuitable for studies requiring long-term functional evaluation of myocardial function (e.g., stem cell therapy). We compared two previously described protocols to an in-house developed protocol in three groups: Group DOX2 received doxorubicin 2 mg/kg/week (8 weeks); Group DAU3 received daunorubicin 3 mg/kg/week (10 weeks); and Group DAU4 received daunorubicin 4 mg/kg/week (6 weeks). A cohort of rabbits received saline (control). Results of blood tests, cardiac troponin I, echocardiography, and histopathology were analysed. Whilst DOX2 and DAU3 rabbits showed high premature mortality (50% and 33%, resp.), DAU4 rabbits showed 7.6% premature mortality. None of DOX2 rabbits developed overt dilated cardiomyopathy; 66% of DAU3 rabbits developed overt dilated cardiomyopathy and quickly progressed to severe congestive heart failure. Interestingly, 92% of DAU4 rabbits showed overt dilated cardiomyopathy and 67% developed congestive heart failure exhibiting stable disease. DOX2 and DAU3 rabbits showed alterations of renal function, with DAU3 also exhibiting hepatic function compromise. Thus, a shortened protocol of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy as in DAU4 group results in high incidence of overt dilated cardiomyopathy, which insidiously progressed to congestive heart failure, associated to reduced systemic compromise and very low premature mortality

Analizadores de red de bajo coste

El uso masivo de dispositivos electrónicos, tanto en entornos domésticos como industriales, tiene un impacto directo e inmediato en la creciente y compleja red de distribución eléctrica a la que se conectan. De aquí la necesidad de analizar la calidad de la señal eléctrica y su energía asociada en la propia red e instalaciones afectadas. Por otra parte, la evolución exponencial de microcontroladores y micro PC´S y su aplicación al procesado de señales, convierte a estos dispositivos en candidatos excepcionales para cubrir la mencionada necesidad del análisis de la calidad eléctrica. Esta es justamente la propuesta que se hace en este trabajo. La detección de las perturbaciones eléctricas de mayor incidencia en la calidad de la señal de red se puede realizar de diferentes formas. En este caso, se propone el uso de una potente herramienta matemática como es la Transformada Wavelet (TW), con una contrastada aplicabilidad en este campo. Su traducción a nivel de programación mediante un complejo algoritmo es implementada en dispositivos de bajo coste, particularmente en Arduino y Raspberry Pi. A partir de este algoritmo es posible la detección, análisis y clasificación de distintas perturbaciones eléctricas de forma más intuitiva. Se ha diseñado un sistema capaz de adquirir y analizar la señal de la tensión eléctrica y monitorizar dichos resultados, demostrando la aptitud de estos sistemas de bajo coste para dicho análisis.The massive use of electronic devices, both in domestic and industrial environments, has a direct and immediate impact on the electrical network in which they are connected. This fact generates the need for a power quality analysis in the electrical distribution network and affected installations. On the other hand, the exponential evolution of microcontrollers and micro PC'S and their application to signal processing, makes these devices exceptional candidates to cover the aforementioned power quality analysis. This is precisely the proposal made in this work. The detection of electrical disturbances with greater incidence in power quality can be made in different ways. In this case, the use of a powerful mathematical tool such as the Wavelet Transform (WT), with a proven applicability in this field, is proposed. Its translation at the programming level through a complex algorithm is implemented in low cost devices, particularly in Arduino and Raspberry Pi. From this algorithm it is possible to detect, analyze and classify different electrical disturbances in a more intuitive way. A system capable of acquiring and analyzing the voltage signal, as well as monitoring the results, has been designed, showing the capacity of these low cost devices for such analysis.Plan Propio de la Universidad de Sevilla Proyecto: 2017/0000096

On the use of numerical models to predict/mitigate indoor radon levels in highly contaminated areas

The publication of the EURATOM directive BSS 2013/59 [1] has increased considerably the interest on radon studies in all EU countries. Certainly each member state has to establish a national action plan addressing long-term risks from radon exposures in dwellings, buildings with public access and workplaces for any source of radon ingress, whether from soil, building materials or water. The complexity generated by the number of parameters and processes affecting radon generation in the source, transport in source media, entry into dwellings, and its accumulation in the different rooms of the dwelling, makes the development of numerical models a very challenging exercise that might take also into account that the detailed information of the building-soil interface in an existing dwelling is normally not available. A new project funded by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Board (CSN) started in 2020. Its main goal is to establish and validate a numerical tool to predict and mitigate indoor radon levels in new and existing buildings in general, but paying special attention to the case of areas contaminated due to NORM industrial activities. Such a numerical tool might be of interest for Radiation Protection authorities to manage highly contaminated areas. In particular, 2 different numerical modelling strategies will be adapted to real sites and compared. The RAGENA [2] code, which was developed in the late 90s, will be updated with the last findings from experimental studies. This code allows modelling all radon sources and processes affecting radon accumulation indoors from a dynamic point of view in a very simple way, but lacks from spatial resolution. On the other hand, a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model recently developed in Spain [3] numerically solves radon transport equation by finite elements with a good spatial resolution. The project focuses also on the experimental characterization of real sites. In this talk we will introduce the project, discuss the main features of both modelling approaches and describe in more detail the current status of the RAGENA code updating

Geology and paleontology of Tresjuncos (Cuenca, Spain), a new diatomaceous deposit with Konservat-Lagerstätte characteristics from the European late Miocene.

Purpose A new Iberian Konservat-Lagersta¨tte discovered in Tresjuncos (Cuenca, Spain) is described and interpreted based on geological and paleontological information. Methods The samples were studied using conventional mineralogical (powder X-ray diffraction), petrographic (optical and scanning electron microscopy) and geochemical (X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry) techniques. Results Based upon geological context, stratigraphy, lithology, sedimentology and origin of the rocks, we describe and interpret the new fossil site as originated in a lacustrine environment. The micromammals found in the Tresjuncos 1 outcrop suggest that the main site is Turolian in age (uppermost Miocene), continental chronological unit MN13. The fossils are preserved in laminates comprising rhythmic, millimeterscale alternations of diatomites and calcareous diatomites. An analysis of the lake paleobiota includes amphibians, crustaceans, insects, plants, and diatoms. The diatoms are dominated by Cyclotella iris. The whole assemblage is indicative of a planktic community developed in somewhat alkaline waters. An extremely well preserved premetamorphic Pelobates (Pelobatidae) tadpole was discovered; it is remarkable because of its gigantic size. Its digestive tract predominantly contains the rare diatom Navicula halionata var directa, likely associated with the shore vegetation in which it presumably lived and fed. The arthropods form a typical lacustrine aquatic assemblage, lacking fish. This assemblage is made up of small filtering crustaceans and of both predator and nonpredator insects of diverse sizes. Conclusions The available evidence on Tresjuncos shows the extraordinary potential for paleontological information that can be expected from this new Konservat-Lagersta¨tte, which constitutes a significant finding that improves our understanding of continental late Miocene Mediterranean environments

The recycling of chromitites in ophiolites from southwestern North America

Podiform chromitites occur in mantle peridotites of the Late Triassic Puerto Nuevo Ophiolite, Baja California Sur State, Mexico. These are high-Cr chromitites [Cr# (Cr/Cr + Al atomic ratio = 0.61–0.69)] that contain a range of minor- and trace-elements and show whole-rock enrichment in IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru). That are similar to those of high-Cr ophiolitic chromitites crystallised from melts similar to high-Mg island-arc tholeiites (IAT) and boninites in supra-subduction-zone mantle wedges. Crystallisation of these chromitites from S-undersaturated melts is consistent with the presence of abundant inclusions of platinum-group minerals (PGM) such as laurite (RuS)-erlichmanite (OsS), osmium and irarsite (IrAsS) in chromite, that yield T ≈ T model ages peaking at ~ 325 Ma. Thirty-three xenocrystic zircons recovered from mineral concentrates of these chromitites yield ages (2263 ± 44 Ma to 278 ± 4 Ma) and Hf-O compositions [ɛ(t) = − 18.7 to + 9.1 and O values < 12.4‰] that broadly match those of zircons reported in nearby exposed crustal blocks of southwestern North America. We interpret these chromitite zircons as remnants of partly digested continental crust or continent-derived sediments on oceanic crust delivered into the mantle via subduction. They were captured by the parental melts of the chromitites when the latter formed in a supra-subduction zone mantle wedge polluted with crustal material. In addition, the Puerto Nuevo chromites have clinopyroxene lamellae with preferred crystallographic orientation, which we interpret as evidence that chromitites have experienced high-temperature and ultra high-pressure conditions (< 12 GPa and ~ 1600 °C). We propose a tectonic scenario that involves the formation of chromitite in the supra-subduction zone mantle wedge underlying the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 250 Ma ago, deep-mantle recycling, and subsequent diapiric exhumation in the intra-oceanic basin (the San Hipólito marginal sea) generated during an extensional stage of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 221 Ma ago. The T ages at ~ 325 Ma record a partial melting event in the mantle prior to the construction of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc, which is probably related to the Permian continental subduction, dated at ~ 311 Ma.Funding for this research was provided through the CONACyT research project number 155662 and internal budget of the Instituto de Geología (UNAM) to AC, the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-17596 to JMGJ, and by the project CGL2015-65824-P granted by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” to JAP. Additional funding for chromite microanalyses were provided by the DGAPA-UNAM postdoctoral fellowship to VC. This is also a contribution from the ARC National Key Centre for Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents ( www.es.mq.edu.au /GEMOC) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. The SHRIMP facility lab and technical staff at Curtin University are also thanked for their support in the data acquisition. We also thank to Carlos Linares (Petrology Laboratory of the, UNAM, Mexico) for his help with the EMPA analyses on chromite. Michelangelo Martini, Luis Abel Jiménez-Galindo and all the personnel at the Fishermen's Cooperative Society at Bahía Tortugas (Baja California Sur) are wholeheartedly thanked for their kind assistance during our fieldwork

Monitoring of the spatial and temporal variation of radon in an inhabited house, subjected to an underground source of radon from a well. Case study of Valsequillo in Gran Canaria..

Radon, a radioactive gas, is a recognized health hazard and a significant concern in residential environments. In this presentation, as part of a national radon project funded by the Nuclear Safety Council of Spain (CSN), a residential house in Valsequillo in Gran Canaria Island, Spain, was chosen for comprehensive radon monitoring. This study employed passive radon detectors as well as active radon detectors, to obtain long-term and real-time radon concentration data. Passive radon detectors were strategically placed in different rooms of the selected house and changed every three months to collect long-term radon concentration data. Active radon detectors were used to capture real-time measurements and provide a more detailed analysis of radon levels. Radon measurements were taken in the soil at a depth of one meter to evaluate radon emissions from the ground. Meteorological variables, including temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, were recorded to characterize the local weather conditions. A comprehensive terrain characterization was performed, considering soil composition, permeability, and geological formations. The terrain characterization contributed to understanding the geological factors affecting radon levels in the area. The house was built on a characteristic terrain of superimposed lava flows, pyroclasts and mantles of volcanic breccias from the second eruptive cycle of the island of Gran Canaria (Roque Nublo Cycle), which form very thick packages (hundreds of meters). Regarding lithology, in the area there are basanitic-nephelitic, basaltic and olivinic-pyroxene lavas. The house is located on one of the slopes of the Barranco de San Miguel very close to the Protected Area of the Barranco de Los Cernícalos belonging to the Special Natural Reserve of Los Marteles. The area has a cold dry semi-arid climate, little influenced by the trade winds, with relatively little rainfall, more than 400 mm per year, and an average annual temperature of less than 20 degrees. The soil where the house is built is characterized by low radon levels, around 20 kBq/m3, and medium-high soil permeability. Despite what has been described, the house presents medium-high values of radon, in different rooms throughout the house and measured over time

Parameters monitorization in a Pilot House to provide data for indoor radon simulation and prediction purposes.

The Council Directive BSS 2013/59/Euratom establishes the Basic Safety Standards (BSS) that implies obligation to develop a regulatory framework to actively work to reduce radon exposure for workers and the public, and to reduce the reference level for the annual mean activity concentration in air to a maximum value of 300 Bq/m3 (REF). To fulfil the regulation guidelines, it is necessary to determine the critical parameters that affect to radon concentration indoor, which could allow carry out remedial actions. The study presented is performed within the framework of a national research project whose main objective is to study the validity of simulation tools for radon in air levels in closed rooms, which allow the analysis of different scenarios to develop action criteria. One of the experimental study cases for the set up and validation of developed models is the so-called Pilot House, located in the former uranium mine managed by the Spanish Uranium Company (ENUSA), based in Saelices el Chico (Salamanca, Spain). It is a module designed which pretends to reproduce the typological characteristics of a Spanish house (continental territory) using common materials for this construction type. In this presentation we will show the selection of parameters studied that could affect to indoor radon concentration in the Pilot House, the measurements methodology, the data collection system, and the time series obtained. It is therefore shown the time series of indoor radon concentration, radon concentration in soil, the meteorological parameters, And the differential air pressures measured at different points both inside and outside the pilot house, including those inside the soil around the building. Those time series will be the base for the radon simulation models available

Overview and new advances of RADSIM, a research project for the generation and validation of numerical models for the prediction of radon entry into buildings based on a characterization of the terrain and a typological definition of construction in Spain.

This presentation will address the progress of the RADSIM project whose purpose is to study the feasibility of numerical modelling to predict the entry of radon into buildings and its accumulation inside from a detailed characterization of the terrain and a typological definition of the building. The project is carried out in two locations, the Experimental Module of the Natural Radiation Laboratory (LNR) located at the ENUSA facilities in Saelices El Chico (Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca) and a dwelling on the island of Gran Canaria. Both sites are located in areas at risk of radon according to the mapping of the Nuclear Safety Council of Spain. The location of the sites makes it possible to cover different types of geology (continental and oceanic islands) and a greater variety of climatic zones. The two sites have been completely characterized in their radiologi