Neuroanatomy of the crocodylomorph Portugalosuchus azenhae from the late cretaceous of Portugal

We present the first detailed braincase anatomical description and neuroanatomical study of Portugalosuchus azenhae, from the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Portugal. This eusuchian crocodylomorph was originally described as a putative Crocodylia and one of the oldest representatives of this clade; however, its phylogenetic position remains controversial. Based on new data obtained from high resolution Computed Tomography images (by micro-CT scan), this study aims to improve the original description of this taxon and also update the scarce neuroanatomical knowledge of Eusuchia and Crocodylia from this time interval, a key period to understand the origin and evolution of these clades. The resulting three-dimensional models from the CT data allowed a detailed description of its well-preserved neurocranium and internal cavities. Therefore, it was possible to reconstruct the cavities of the olfactory region, nasopharyngeal ducts, brain, nerves, carotid arteries, blood vessels, paratympanic sinus system and inner ear, which allowed to estimate some neurosensorial capabilities. By comparison with other crocodylomorphs, these analyses showed that Portugalosuchus, back in the Cenomanian, already displayed an olfactive acuity, sight, hearing and cognitive skills within the range of that observed in other basal eusuchians and crocodylians, including extant species. In addition, and in order to test its disputed phylogenetic position, these new anatomical data, which helped to correct and complete some of the original observations, were included in one of the most recent morphology-based phylogenies. The position of Portugalosuchus differs slightly from the original publication since it is now located as a "thoracosaurid" within Gavialoidea, but still as a crocodylian. Despite all this, to better contrast these results, additional phylogenetic analyses including this new morphological character coding together with DNA data should be performed

La despoblación de la España Interior

Cualesquiera que sean los objetivos con los que se realice una aproximación al fenómeno de la despoblación, y antes de comprometer un juicio sobre las políticas más adecuadas para su abordaje, es necesario conocer el alcance del mismo y su incidencia territorial a partir de un análisis, principalmente descriptivo, de las variables demográficas y económicas más relevantes. El propósito de estas páginas es doble. En primer lugar, acotar la dimensión temporal y geográfica del proceso de despoblación en España, y en segundo lugar, ponderar su intensidad en términos demográficos y económicos, anotando algunos factores que permitan realizar un diagnóstico de la situación actual y una tipología de los territorios afectados

Antirotaviral activity of dairy byproducts enriched in fractions from hyperimmune bovine colostrum: the effect of thermal and high hydrostatic pressure treatments

Nowadays, rotaviruses remain a major health burden, especially in developing countries, and strategies complementary to vaccination are needed. In this view, dairy fractions have attracted great scientific interest, due to their high content of bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of whey and buttermilk enriched in proteins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) against rotavirus. The enriched fractions were spray-dried and subsequently tested for their neutralizing activity against the bovine rotavirus WC3 strain in vitro, using differentiated Caco-2/TC7 cells. The highest antirotaviral activity was observed when whey and buttermilk were enriched in purified immunoglobulin G (IgG), showing complete rotavirus neutralization at concentrations of 3 and 6 mg mL−1 for whey and buttermilk, respectively. Additionally, the use of a crude immunoglobulin fraction also gave satisfactory results. The inhibitory activities of all samples significantly decreased after the application of heat, except for the IgG-enriched buttermilk which showed a slight increase of activity following the application of short-time treatments (75 or 85 °C for 20 s). This sample also showed a significant increase of activity (13%) after the application of low-intensity high hydrostatic pressure treatment (400 MPa for 5 min). The maximum loss of bioactivity was observed at 600 MPa for 10 min (31 and 20% for whey- and buttermilk-based formulas, respectively). This study provides relevant information on the potential of whey, buttermilk, and HBC to be part of functional products as complementary strategies to combat rotavirus infections

A new plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic of Portugal and the early radiation of Plesiosauroidea

A new plesiosaur partial skeleton, comprising most of the trunk and including axial, limb, and girdle bones, was collected in the lower Sinemurian (Coimbra Formation) of Praia da Concha, near São Pedro de Moel in central west Portugal. The specimen represents a new genus and species, Plesiopharos moelensis gen. et sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis places this taxon at the base of Plesiosauroidea. Its position is based on this exclusive combination of characters: Presence of a straight preaxial margin of the radius; transverse processes of mid-dorsal vertebrae horizontally oriented; ilium with sub-circular cross section of the shaft and subequal anteroposterior expansion of the dorsal blade; straight proximal end of the humerus; and ventral surface of the humerus with an anteroposteriorly long shallow groove between the epipodial facets. In addition, the new taxon has the following autapomorphies: Iliac blade with less expanded, rounded and convex anterior flank; highly developed ischial facet of the ilium; apex of the neural spine of the first pectoral vertebra inclined posterodorsally with a small rounded tip. This taxon represents the most complete and the oldest plesiosaur species in the Iberian Peninsula. It is also the most complete, best preserved, and oldest marine vertebrate in the region and testifies to the incursion of marine reptiles in the newly formed proto-Atlantic sea, prior to the Atlantic Ocean floor spreading in the Early Cretaceous.publishersversionpublishe

A new crocodylomorph related ootaxon from the late Maastrichtian of the Southern Pyrenees (Huesca, Spain)

Crocodylomorph eggs and eggshells are known as old as the Late Jurassic and are frequent components of most multiootaxic eggshell assemblages. Classified within the oofamily Krokolithidae, thei histo- and ultrastructures are conservative throughout geological time, characterised by inverted-trapezoid-shaped shell units that grow from highly spaced basal knobs and present a diagnostic tabular ultrastructure. Here, we report 327 eggshell fragments from a new fossil site from the Maastrichtian of the Southern Pyrenees, Veracruz 1, and erect a new oogenus and oospecies, Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. characterised by crocodyloid morphotype and a prominent rugosocavate ornamentation. Eggshells from the slightly older locality of Blasi 2b, previously reported as aff. Krokolithidae, are also assigned to this new ootaxon. Different crocodylomorph taxa coexisted during the Late Cretaceous of the Tremp Basin, hindering the attribution of Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. to a single clade. Nevertheless, allodaposuchid eusuchians were dominant in this ecosystem, and are the most probable producers of Pachykrokolithus excavatum oogen. et oosp. nov. eggs

A new vertebrate assemblage from the matute formation of the Cameros Basin (Ágreda, Spain): implications for the diversity during the jurassic/cretaceous boundary

Altres ajuts: Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.The Ribota site (Ágreda, Soria, Spain) is a new locality in the Matute Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian) composed of several carbonate layers, outstandingly rich in macrovertebrate remains. Fossils show an unusual replacement of the original bioapatite by quartz, and are found as positive reliefs protruding from lacustrine limestone beds. This type of conservation has allowed the identification of around one hundred vertebrate bone accumulations in an outcrop of more than 10 hectares. Osteichthyans (articulated partial skeletons, cranial material, and isolated postcranial bones and scales), crocodylomorphs (disarticulated cranial material, isolated teeth, vertebrae and osteoderms), turtles (partial carapaces and plastra, but also isolated plates) and pterosaurs (cranial and appendicular elements) have been identified. Around 80 specimens have been collected and a preliminary study of part of the collection (35 specimens) has allowed the identification of at least 5 different taxa: Halecomorphi indet., Neoginglymodi indet., Goniopholididae indet., Testudinata indet., and Pterodactyloidea indet. This new site represents one of the few sites from this time interval preserved in a fully lacustrine environment, so these vertebrate assemblages are unique and composed of different animals that presumably lived around and within the lake. They are dominated by aquatic and amphibian vertebrates and was formed by attrition in this lacustrine environment, possibly far from the lake shoreline. These macrovertebrate assemblages provide new data about the diversity in the faunal ecosystems from the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition of the Iberian Basin Rift System

Reconstruyendo el mundo perdido de los dinosaurios

El interés por los vertebrados fósiles es cada vez mayor, y raro es el día que no surge alguna noticia de un nuevo descubrimiento, especialmente en dinosaurios. Los investigadores en Paleontología nos dedicamos a reconstruir los ecosistemas del pasado y conocer su evolución. El grupo Aragosaurus es un equipo de investigación de la Facultad de Ciencias integrado en el Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA) en el que se incluyen investigadores de otras universidades españolas. Una de nuestras líneas de trabajo son los vertebrados fósiles del Mesozoico, un periodo de tiempo comprendido entre los 250 y 65 millones de años (Ma), y que es conocido como la era de los dinosaurios. Estos animales se integraban en ecosistemas tan complejos como los actuales. Reconstruimos su Paleobiología basándonos en estudios filogenéticos, anatómicos y biomecánicos de los huesos, además de las evidencias de su actividad orgánica conservadas en pisadas fosilizadas (icnitas) y cáscara de huevo.Además de los dinosaurios también estudiamos el resto de los vertebrados fósiles que formabanlos ecosistemas del Mesozoico como son los tiburones y otros peces, cocodrilos, reptiles voladores, mamíferos, anfibios y lagartos. Nuestro objetivo global es aportar información para reconstruir el mundo perdido de los dinosaurios. Fruto del interés social por estas investigacioneses la frecuencia con la que han aparecido reseñas de prensa con los resultados del trabajo de investigación de nuestro grupo en los últimos meses. Queremos compartir con los lectores de conCIENCIAS un resumen de los descubrimientos más singulares y significativos ordenados demás antiguos a más modernos. Fil: Canudo, José Ignacio. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Badiola, Ainara. Universidad del País Vasco, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología; Países BajosFil: Barco, José Luis. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Castanera, Diego. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Cruzado Caballero, Penélope. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Ester. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Díaz, Ignacio. Universidad de la Rioja, Facultad de Ciencias, Estudios Agroalimentarios e Informática; ArgentinaFil: Gasca, José Manuel. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Moreno Azanza, Miguel. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Parrilla, Jara. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Puértolas Pascual, Eduardo. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Ruiz Omeñaca, José Ignacio. Museo Jurásico de Asturias; EspañaFil: Vila, Bernat. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Cuenca, Gloria. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Ciencias; Españ

A New Crocodylian from the Late Maastrichtian of Spain: Implications for the Initial Radiation of Crocodyloids

The earliest crocodylians are known primarily from the Late Cretaceous of North America and Europe. The representatives of Gavialoidea and Alligatoroidea are known in the Late Cretaceous of both continents, yet the biogeographic origins of Crocodyloidea are poorly understood. Up to now, only one representative of this clade has been known from the Late Cretaceous, the basal crocodyloid Prodiplocynodon from the Maastrichtian of North America.The fossil studied is a skull collected from sandstones in the lower part of the Tremp Formation, in Chron C30n, dated at -67.6 to 65.5 Ma (late Maastrichtian), in Arén (Huesca, Spain). It is located in a continuous section that contains the K/P boundary, in which the dinosaur faunas closest to the K/P boundary in Europe have been described, including Arenysaurus ardevoli and Blasisaurus canudoi. Phylogenetic analysis places the new taxon, Arenysuchus gascabadiolorum, at the base of Crocodyloidea.The new taxon is the oldest crocodyloid representative in Eurasia. Crocodyloidea had previously only been known from the Palaeogene onwards in this part of Laurasia. Phylogenetically, Arenysuchus gascabadiolorum is situated at the base of the first radiation of crocodyloids that occurred in the late Maastrichtian, shedding light on this part of the cladogram. The presence of basal crocodyloids at the end of the Cretaceous both in North America and Europe provides new evidence of the faunal exchange via the Thulean Land Bridge during the Maastrichtian

La España despoblada: similitudes y diferencias territoriales

Este artículo analiza el fenómeno de la despoblación en España acotando su dimensión temporal y geográfica, así como sus vínculos con los factores económicos que en buena parte lo determinan. La España despoblada no es, sin embargo, un todo uniforme. El análisis realizado identifica tres grupos de provincias: una España despoblada que decrece, una España despoblada que se estanca y una España despoblada que remonta. De ello deriva la necesidad de diseñar políticas adaptadas a la realidad de cada situació

Study of the Behavior of a Bell-Shaped Colonic Self-Expandable NiTi Stent under Peristaltic Movements

Managing bowel obstruction produced by colon cancer requires an emergency intervention to patients usually in poor conditions, and it requires creating an intestinal stoma in most cases. Regardless of that the tumor may be resectable, a two-stage surgery is mandatory. To avoid these disadvantages, endoscopic placement of self-expanding stents has been introduced more than 10 years ago, as an alternative to relieve colonic obstruction. It can be used as a bridge to elective single-stage surgery avoiding a stoma or as a definitive palliative solution in patients with irresectable tumor or poor estimated survival. Stents must be capable of exerting an adequate radial pressure on the stenosed wall, keeping in mind that stent must not move or be crushed, guaranteeing an adequate lumen when affected by peristaltic waves. A finite element simulation of bell-shaped nitinol stent functionality has been done. Catheter introduction, releasing at position, and the effect of peristaltic wave were simulated. To check the reliability of the simulation, a clinical experimentation with porcine specimens was carried out. The stent presented a good deployment and flexibility. Stent behavior was excellent, expanding from the very narrow lumen corresponding to the maximum peristaltic pressure to the complete recovery of operative lumen when the pressure disappears