Applications of Carbon Dots for the Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2

The photocatalytic and electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 has the potential to provide valuable products, such as chemicals or fuels of interest, at low cost while maintaining a circular carbon cycle. In this context, carbon dots possess optical and electrochemical properties that make them suitable candidates to participate in the reaction, either as a single component or forming part of more elaborate catalytic systems. In this review, we describe several strategies where the carbon dots participate, both with amorphous and graphitic structures, in the photocatalysis or electrochemical catalysis of CO2 to provide different carbon-containing products of interest. The role of the carbon dots is analyzed as a function of their redox and light absorption characteristics and their complementarity with other known catalytic systems. Moreover, detailed information about synthetic procedures is also reviewed

A Light Calibration System for the ProtoDUNE-DP Detector

A LED-based fiber calibration system for the ProtoDUNE-Dual Phase (DP) photon detection system (PDS) has been designed and validated. ProtoDUNE-DP is a 6x6x6 m3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber currently being installed at the Neutrino Platform at CERN. The PDS is based on 36 8-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and will allow triggering on cosmic rays. The system serves as prototype for the PDS of the final DUNE DP far detector in which the PDS also has the function to allow the 3D event reconstruction on non-beam physics. For this purpose an equalized PMT response is desirable to allow using the same threshold definition for all PMT groups, simplifying the determination of the trigger efficiency. The light calibration system described in this paper is developed to provide this and to monitor the PMT performance in-situ.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Hyaenids, felids and canids as bone accumulators: Does the natural history of extant species support zooarchaeological inferences?

Mammalian carnivores may be important agents of prehistoric bone accumulations. Taphonomic analyses of bone assemblages used for specific assignment usually include information on feeding, breeding, denning and even defecating ecology of extant species. Here, we review literature for the Hyaenidae, Felidae and Canidae families of carnivores, focusing on the ecological and behavioural traits that are commonly used as criteria to assign bone accumulations to specific carnivores, and whether these correspond to the present behaviour and ecology of extant species. We found a total of 93 records where 12 species (9 extant species) of these families were considered as bone accumulators in archaeozoological sites. Hyaenidae was the group most often cited, followed by Felidae and Canidae. Crocuta crocuta was by far the species most often cited as a bone accumulator. Most bone deposits assigned to carnivores (84.9%) were found in underground cavities, and to a lesser extent in non-cave deposits (15.1%). The use assigned to the sites was mainly as a den (29.5%) or breeding den (29.5%), followed by prey depot (16.2%), feeding shelter (12.4%), and to a lesser extent a hunting place (7.6%), with some remarkable differences among families. Coprolites were also found in 53.8% of cases. The behaviour of present hyenas may be similar to that of prehistoric ones as they commonly use underground dens, defecate inside of them and frequently accumulate prey remains. On the other hand, even though present canids are more often recorded than felids using underground dens and accumulating prey, the latter are more often recorded as prehistoric bone accumulators than the former. The behaviour of only one present species of canid (V. vulpes) and other a felid (P. pardus) matches the one presumed for prehistoric individuals of such species in relation to bone and scat accumulation. The role of the remaining species as bone and scat accumulator agents in prehistoric sites remains questionable due to differences in their present behaviour. Therefore, many assignments of bone accumulation to specific carnivores are based on assumptions, which did not coincide with the present natural history of the species. Our review also highlights the absence of records of small species as prehistoric bone accumulators.We thank Cuauhtemoc Ch avez and Ana Carolina Srbek for their unpublished information on jaguars. HRV is a beneficiary of a PhD scholarship “Severo Ochoa” from the Regional Government of Principality of Asturias, and AMG was supported by the Predoctoral Fellowship PRE2018-086102

Laying the Foundations for a Human-Predator Conflict Solution: Assessing the Impact of Bonelli's Eagle on Rabbits and Partridges

BACKGROUND: Predation may potentially lead to negative effects on both prey (directly via predators) and predators (indirectly via human persecution). Predation pressure studies are, therefore, of major interest in the fields of theoretical knowledge and conservation of prey or predator species, with wide ramifications and profound implications in human-wildlife conflicts. However, detailed works on this issue in highly valuable--in conservation terms--Mediterranean ecosystems are virtually absent. This paper explores the predator-hunting conflict by examining a paradigmatic, Mediterranean-wide (endangered) predator-two prey (small game) system. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimated the predation impact ('kill rate' and 'predation rate', i.e., number of prey and proportion of the prey population eaten, respectively) of Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata on rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa populations in two seasons (the eagle's breeding and non-breeding periods, 100 days each) in SE Spain. The mean estimated kill rate by the seven eagle reproductive units in the study area was c. 304 rabbits and c. 262 partridges in the breeding season, and c. 237 rabbits and c. 121 partridges in the non-breeding period. This resulted in very low predation rates (range: 0.3-2.5%) for both prey and seasons. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The potential role of Bonelli's eagles as a limiting factor for rabbits and partridges at the population scale was very poor. The conflict between game profitability and conservation interest of either prey or predators is apparently very localised, and eagles, quarry species and game interests seem compatible in most of the study area. Currently, both the persecution and negative perception of Bonelli's eagle (the 'partridge-eating eagle' in Spanish) have a null theoretical basis in most of this area

Indication for the disappearance of reactor electron antineutrinos in the Double Chooz experiment

The Double Chooz Experiment presents an indication of reactor electron antineutrino disappearance consistent with neutrino oscillations. A ratio of 0.944 $\pm$ 0.016 (stat) $\pm$ 0.040 (syst) observed to predicted events was obtained in 101 days of running at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant in France, with two 4.25 GW$_{th}$ reactors. The results were obtained from a single 10 m$^3$ fiducial volume detector located 1050 m from the two reactor cores. The reactor antineutrino flux prediction used the Bugey4 measurement as an anchor point. The deficit can be interpreted as an indication of a non-zero value of the still unmeasured neutrino mixing parameter \sang. Analyzing both the rate of the prompt positrons and their energy spectrum we find \sang = 0.086 $\pm$ 0.041 (stat) $\pm$ 0.030 (syst), or, at 90% CL, 0.015 $<$ \sang $\ <$ 0.16.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, (new version after PRL referee's comments

Revista de Vertebrados de la Estación Biológica de Doñana

Clave preliminar de las escamas de los peces de agua dulce de España, a nivel de familiaExito reproductor del Buitre leonado (Gyps fulvus) en NavarraAlimentación del Gavilán (Accipiter nisus) en la Isla de TenerifeEl Verdecillo (Serinus serinus): Tendencias en la estación de nidificación, en el tamaño del huevo y en la supervivencia.las batidas como método de censo en especiesde caza mayor: aplicación al caso del Jabalí (Sus scrofa L.) en la provincia de Burgos (Norte de España)La adquisición de madurez sexual en el camaleón común (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)Nuevas citas de Hemidactylus turcicus en la provincia de CáceresLa focha común (Fulica atra) en la isla de Gran Canaria: nueva especie nidificante en el archipiélago CanarioTraslado de huevos en incubación por la urraca (Pica pica)Predación de Falco peregrinus sobre Oryctolagus cuniculusCuatro nuevas especies de aves para Bolivia.Sobre la utilización de nidos de golondrina común abandonados.Parasitismo múltiple del críalo (Clamator glandarius)Predación del topo de rio (Galemys pyrenaicus, Geoffroy 1811) por parte de la lechuza común (Tyto alba, Scopoli 1769)Predación del zorro (Vulpes vulpes) sobre un pollo de buitre leonado (Gyps fulvus).Vulpes vulpes L. criando en una colonia de marmota (Marmota marmota L.) en el pirineo de LéridaObservaciones sobre la incidencia de Rattus (Fischer, 1803) en los cultivos ibéricos de caña de azúcaSituación actual de la jutiita de la tierra Capromys sanfelipensis (Rodentia, Mammalia)Notas sobre la intraducción y expansión de la ardilla común en Sierra Nevada, sureste de EspañaPeer reviewe