The main objective of this study was to analyse the changes of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities shown by bird assemblages at two contrasting vegetational types in Southern Mexico. Our main hypothesis was that we would find a higher diversity in Tropical Dry Forest (TDF) than in Oak Woodland (OW) due to a monotonic decrease in diversity with altitude. During eleven months, we surveyed both vegetation types to record bird species and abundances. We established points and simultaneously carried out 5-minutes count and soundscape recordings. We quantified our sampling effort by means of the sample coverage and calculated Hill numbers to express alpha and beta diversities. Contrary to our expectations, in terms of alpha taxonomic and functional diversities, the OW had consistently higher values than the TDF. After accounting for abundance data, we found a marked decrease in phylogenetic and taxonomic beta diversity, but an increase in functional diversity compared to the presence/absence matrix. The low beta phylogenetic diversity combined with the high beta functional diversity suggests that a small set of closely related species could have evolved in the dry slopes of the area, and by the action of niche differentiation developed different functional traits. The high functional beta diversity indicates a high complementarity between the avifaunas of each vegetation type, which is relevant in terms of conservation.

We report a new stratigraphic section in the Argentine Precordillera (Zanja Honda, west of Pachimoco, San Juan Province), recording the Silurian-Devonian transition. It corresponds to particular siliciclastics of the uppermost 75 m of the Los Espejos Formation (LEF) exhibiting coquines at the base, noduliferous dark siltstones above, then greenish-brown sandstones, and subsequently, a reddish, massive, fine-grained sandstone interval. The overlying shaly lower interval of the Talacasto Formation records the homalonotid trilobite Burmeisteria notica (Clarke, 1913a), indicating the Lochkovian-Pragian interval. Brachiopods and trilobites of the basal coquinites are typical of the upper Silurian of the LEF elsewhere. However, Slovinograptus Urbanek, 1997, the youngest graptolite from southwestern Gondwana, indicates the Silurian-Devonian transition in the basal coquine. The dalmanitid Pachimocaspis pachimocensis new genus new species comes from this and other undoubted Silurian underlying coquinites. The brachiopod and trilobite associations disappear in the overlying dark nodular siltstone interval, replaced by an earliest Lochkovian Orthostrophia meridionalis Benedetto in Benedetto et al., 1992 brachiopod association and a monospecific Pachimocaspis pachimocensis n. gen. n. sp. Thus, we recognize a neat faunal turnover around the Silurian-Devonian boundary as in other southern South American localities. We refer to Pachimocaspis pachimocensis n. gen. n. sp. pygidia from the Silurian-Devonian of Bolivia and the lowest Pragian of the Talacasto Formation from Las Aguaditas locality in the Precordillera Basin. Pachimocaspis pachimocensis n. gen. n. sp. lacks the typical pygidial dalmanitid morphology, exhibiting instead a subelliptical shape with no caudal spine. Also, thoracic pleural tips are variably blunt along the thorax in contrast with the evenly spinose dalmanitid morphology. The morphology of this taxon challenges its systematic position in regarding Silurian-Devonian subfamilies from high paleolatitudes, resembling instead extra-Gondwanic, early Silurian synphoriines.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/df0b0726-a8e9-4c30-bf1d-217c54467609

Volcanic monitoring in Antarctica provides dual benefits by facilitating the study of highly volcanically active yet underexplored regions and by serving as an essential tool for maintaining the safety of both national and international Antarctic bases. Deception Island, one of the most volcanically active areas on the Antarctic continent, is now equipped with an enhanced monitoring system, modernized by the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN), which assumed its management in September 2020, pursuant to a protocol established between the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda and Ministry of Science and Innovation. In order to meet the challenging conditions of the polar region, six permanent stainless-steel shelters have been installed over the course of the last four Spanish Antarctic campaigns. Each shelter is outfitted with batteries, solar panels, Wi-Fi and data acquisition systems for seismic and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. This monitoring network also comprises a station dedicated to measuring temperature within a thermal located where there is the anomaly on the island, a visual surveillance camera, seven seismic stations and six GNSS stations. All data collected are transmitted in real time to IGN headquarters in Madrid through Gabriel de Castilla Base, operated by the Spanish Army. Due to the growing volume of recorded data, it became necessary to upgrade transmission systems, leading to the installation of a next-generation satellite telemetry system during the 2023–2024 campaign. All seismic information is continuously and immediately analysed by the IGN’s National Seismic Network and is stored at the National Polar Data Center, housed within the Marine Technical Unit of the Spanish National Research Council, in accordance with the guidelines of the Spanish Polar Committee. The establishment of this infrastructure on Deception Island delivers a robust operational model that can be replicated in other polar settings, thereby contributing to the advancement of volcanic monitoring across the continent.

Before a binary system enters into a common envelope (CE) phase, accretion from the primary star onto the companion star through Roche Lobe overflow (RLOF) will lead to the formation of an accretion disk, which may generate jets. Accretion before and during the CE may alter the outcome of the interaction. Previous studies have considered different aspects of this physical mechanism. Here we study the properties of an accretion disk formed via 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the RLOF mass transfer between a 7 M$_{\odot}$, red supergiant star and a 1.4 M$_{\odot}$, neutron star companion. We simulate only the volume around the companion for improved resolution. We use a 1D implicit mesa simulation of the evolution of the system during 30 000 yr between the on-set of the RLOF and the CE to guide the binary parameters and the mass-transfer rate, while we simulate only 21 yr of the last part of the RLOF in 3D using an ideal gas quasi-isothermal equation of state. We expect that a pre-CE disk under these parameters will have a mass of $\sim 5\times 10^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$ and a radius of $\sim40\ R_\odot$ with a scale height of $\sim 5\ R$$_{\odot}$. The temperature profile of the disk is shallower than that predicted by the formalism of Shakura and Sunyaev, but more reasonable cooling physics would need to be included. We stress test these results with respect to a number of physical and numerical parameters, as well as simulation choices, and we expect them to be reasonable within a factor of a few for the mass and 15% for the radius. We also contextualise our results within those presented in the literature, in particular with respect to the dimensionality of simulations and the adiabatic index. We discuss the measured accretion rate in the context of the Shakura and Sunyaev formalism and debate the viscous mechanisms at play, finishing with a list of prospects for future work.

We introduce a versatile high-repetition-rate solid tape target system suitable for relativistic laser-plasma driven secondary sources. We demonstrate the operation and stability monitoring based on a petawatt laser focused at 1 Hz. Experiments were carried out at the VEGA-3 laser system of the Centro de Láseres Pulsados facility where results for different tape materials and thicknesses are presented. Experimental proton spectra were recorded by a Thomson parabola spectrometer and a time-of-flight detector. In addition, non-invasive detectors, such as a target charging monitor and ionization chamber detectors, were tested as metrology for the stability of the source. Degradation of the proton signal at high-repetition-rate operation was observed and it was solved by online optimization of the relative focus position of the target and laser beam parameters. We report the use of the tape target for bursts of 1000 shots at 1 Hz with mean cut-off energies of about 10 MeV in optimized interaction conditions.

Refluxing chromium (III) acetate with a Na+-montmorillonite suspension gives rise to the intercalation of linear Cr(III) polyhydroxo-acetate oligomers. Thermally stable chromia pillared mont-morillonite materials are obtained upon calcination under ammonia up to 625°C, and basal expansions up to 6 Å are maintained. The porous materials retain high surface areas (366–464 m2 g−1), a micropore volume of 0.1 cm3 g−1 and narrow pore size distributions centered between 7.5 and 12 Å. The most thermally stable materials in air were those prepared under ammonia at 625°C, containing NH4+ as the exchangeable ion.

Astigmatism and myopia are two common ocular refractive errors that can impact daily life, including learning and productivity. Current knowledge suggests that the etiology of these conditions is the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Studies in populations of European ancestry have demonstrated a higher concordance of refractive errors in monozygotic (MZ) twins compared to dizygotic (DZ) twins. However, there is a lack of studies on genetically informative samples of multi-ethnic ancestry. This study aimed to estimate the genetic contribution to astigmatism and myopia in the Mexican population. A sample of 1399 families, including 243 twin pairs and 1156 single twins, completed a medical questionnaire about their own and their co-twin’s diagnosis of astigmatism and myopia. Concordance rates for astigmatism and myopia were estimated, and heritability and genetic correlations were determined using a bivariate ACE Cholesky decomposition method, decomposed into A (additive genetic), C (shared environmental) and E (unique environmental) components. The results showed a higher concordance rate for astigmatism and myopia for MZ twins (.74 and .74, respectively) than for DZ twins (.50 and .55). The AE model, instead of the ACE model, best fitted the data. Based on this, heritability estimates were .81 for astigmatism and .81 for myopia, with a cross-trait genetic correlation of rA = .80, nonshared environmental correlation rE = .89, and a phenotypic correlation of rP = .80. These results are consistent with previous findings in other populations, providing evidence for a similar genetic architecture of these conditions in the multi-ethnic Mexican population.

The recovery of a new partial cranium of Decennatherium rex Ríos et al. 2017 bearing two anterior and two posterior ossicones from the Late Miocene deposits of the site Batallones-10 (MN-10, Cerro de los Batallones, Madrid Basin) sheds light on the complex variability of the cranial appendages of these extinct giraffids. The special features of the anterior ossicones of BAT10’18-C6-40, each formed by two bosses and separated by a septum increase the range of morphological variability found in the anterior ossicones of giraffids. Posterior ossicone variability has already been described in several sivatherine taxa as Sivatherium maurusium (Harris, 1974) but anterior ossicone variability has never been discussed for four-ossicone taxa. This new specimen accounts for the third morphotype found in D. rex anterior ossicones. BAT10’18-C6-40 is identified as an adult D. rex male on the basis of the development of the posterior ossicones. These are large and already show the first large bump which in this taxon is always located on the middle of the dorsal surface at a similar height on the right and left ossicones which agrees with Solounias (1988) who stated that these small irregular protuberances have a somewhat fixed position, suggesting a genetic basis. This new specimen represents a new example of cranial variability in D. rex, and makes it the extinct giraffid with the largest anterior ossicone variability found so far.

TwinsMX is a national twin registry in Mexico recently created with institutional support from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It aims to serve as a platform to advance epidemiological and genetic research in the country and to disentangle the genetic and environmental contributions to health and disease in the admixed Mexican population. Here, we describe our recruitment and data collection strategies and discuss both the progress to date and future directions. More information about the registry is available on our website: https://twinsmxofficial.unam.mx/ (content in Spanish).

Triclosan (TCS) adsorption behavior by a modified zeolite with Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) was evaluated factoring in pH, contact time, and TCS initial concentration in a batch system. Natural clinoptilolite-type zeolite from Sonora, Mexico was conditioned with a sodium chloride solution, and, subsequently, modified with CTAB. All the zeolites were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and the Zero Point Charge (pHZPC). It was found that the morphological and structural properties of natural zeolite were not affected after treatment with cationic surfactant. Furthermore, adsorption process efficiency was enhanced by the presence of CTAB, obtaining TCS maximum adsorption capacity at an optimal pH of 9.0. In this context, the positively charged surface of the modified zeolite and the anionic triclosan species present were decisive. Kinetics data were well adjusted to a pseudo-second order model with a TCS adsorption capacity of 1.430 ± 0.051 mg g-1 at an equilibrium time of 18 h. Isotherm results were best adjusted to the Langmuir model with a qmax = 2.027 mg g-1 using an initial Co concentration of 18.0 mg L-1, and reaching an equilibrium Ce concentration of 0.559 mg L-1. The mechanism for the adsorption of TCS by CTAB-modified zeolite was proposed to be electrostatic attractions between the group of partial positive charge of CTAB and the anionic species of triclosan. Consequently, CTAB-modified zeolites could be used as effective adsorbents for triclosan removal.

The need to achieve a uniform distribution of concentrated solar flux in the photovoltaic, thermal or any other receivers is a common problem; therefore, the optical characterization of the concentration system is necessary to determinate the physical characteristics of the receptors. In this work, a parabolic dish concentrator of 1.65x1.65 m2, developed by research from the University of Arizona, is optically characterized under normal operating conditions, also known as environmental conditions that refer to non-controlled conditions as solar radiation, environmental temperature and wind velocity that could affect slightly, by thermal and mechanical efforts, the distribution profiles of the concentrated solar radiation. The set used for the evaluation consisted of the parabolic mirror and Chilled Lambertian Flat Surface installed in the focal point on the optical axis of the mirror. The evaluation was divided into two parts: a theoretical part that consist on using ray tracing simulation and an experimental part that corresponds to image analysis. The used methodology in this work has been stablish in many researches, so this is a reliable method. The global optical error was 2.3 mrad under normal operating conditions.