Glyptodonts (Xenarthra, Cingulata) are one of the most amazing Cenozoic South American mammals, with some terminal forms reaching ca. two tons. The Paleogene record of glyptodonts is still poorly ...known, although some of their diversification is observable in Patagonian Argentina. Since the early and middle Miocene (ca. 19–13 Ma), two large clades can be recognized in South America. One probably has a northern origin (Glyptodontinae), while the other one, called the “austral clade”, is interpreted to have had an austral origin, with the oldest records represented by the “Propalaehoplophorinae” from the late early Miocene of Patagonian Argentina. In this scenario, the extra-Patagonian radiations are still poorly known, despite their importance for understanding the late Miocene and Pliocene diversity. Here, we carry out a comprehensive revision of late Miocene (Chasicoan Stage/Age) glyptodonts of central Argentina (Buenos Aires and San Juan provinces). Our results show that, contrary to what is traditionally assumed, it was a period of very low diversity, with only one species recognized in this region,
Kelenkura castroi
gen et sp. nov
.
Our phylogenetic analysis shows that this species represents the sister taxon of the remaining species of the “austral clade”, representing the first branch of the extra-Patagonian radiation. Additionally,
K. castroi
is the first taxon showing a “fully modern” morphology of the caudal tube.
The extinct euphractine Prozaedyus was recognized remarking the evident morphological resemblance of the dorsal carapace with the extant piche or pygmy armadillo Zaedyus pichiy. From a phylogenetic ...viewpoint, Prozaedyus has been interpreted as an early diverging Euphractinae restricted, at the moment, to the late Oligocene and early mid Miocene levels (Deseadan to Laventan SALMAs) of southern South America (Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia). We report here a specimen (MSJ-317) coming from the late Miocene (Loma de Las Tapias Formation; ~9 Ma, Chasicoan Stage/Age) of western Argentina (San Juan Province), which represents a new species of Prozaedyus. The specimen includes an almost complete skull with complete dental series, some articulated fragments of the dorsal carapace and several isolated fixed and mobile osteoderms. Absence of teeth in the premaxillae, ornamentation pattern of fixed osteoderms, and presence of small foramina in the posterior and lateral margins of both mobile and fixed osteoderms, are characters that allow its inclusion within the genus Prozaedyus. Differences with the other known species of this genus include smaller size (~35–40%), cranial characters (e.g. position of the infraorbital foramen, palatine suture, morphology of the occipital condyles), and ornamentation pattern of mobile osteoderms. The phylogenetic analysis carried out support its relation as a sister group of the other Prozaedyus species, revealing an ancient divergence for the new taxon, occurred before that of the late Oligocene-early mid Miocene forms, and a distant phylogenetic position from Zaedyus pichiy. This new finding represents the youngest record of the genus, extending its biochron several millions of years, and provides novel information on the poorly know post-Santacrucian forms. Additionally, the cranial anatomy of the new species suggests a carnivore/omnivore habit, similar to extant euphractine armadillos but contrary to the insectivore habit proposed for the other Prozaedyus species.
•The biochron of the genus Prozaedyus extends to the late Miocene.•Prozaedyus represents the most basal lineage among Euphractinae armadillos.•Older known species of Prozaedyus represent more derived forms.•New most modern species of Prozaedyus retain more plesiomorphic characters.•First well characterized Prozaedyus species out of Patagonia area.
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•Low cost and rapid prototyping of 3D-printed hybrid-carbon electrodes (3DP-H-CE).•Carbon nanotube/carbon black/polylactic acid filament for electrochemical systems.•3DP-H-CE is ...activated by a simple, reproducible, and cheap process.•Performance of activated 3DP-H-CE is better than 3D-printed graphene electrodes.•Feasibility of using 3DP-H-CE in point-of-care platforms for the detection of dopamine.
In this work we present miniaturized, fully integrated, 3D-printed, hybrid-carbon-based electrodes fabricated using a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printer. This work is significant because it is the first time that a hybrid carbon-nanotube/carbon black/polylactic acid (CNT/CB/PLA) filament material has been employed in the fabrication of an electrochemical sensing system. The integrated 3D-printed hybrid-carbon electrode is composed of two parts: a non-conductive acrylonitrile butadiene styrene substrate and a conductive CNT/CB/PLA three-electrode array (comprising working, counter, and pseudo-reference electrodes). The 3D-printed electrodes were activated in a simple and cost-effective two-step process, a chemical step followed by an electrochemical step, leading to a heterogeneous electron transfer constant of 5.02 × 10-4 cm s−1. As a proof of concept, the 3D-printed electrodes were used to detect dopamine with a limit of detection of 1.45 μM. The simplicity, portability, low cost (0.11 USD per electrode), and rapid fabrication (3.7 min) of these fully integrated, 3D-printed, hybrid-carbon-based electrodes indicate that they can be employed as true point-of-care 3D-printed electrochemical sensing systems. We believe that our work paves the way for the development of new conductive nanocomposite PLA filaments for the fabrication of 3D-printed hybrid electrodes with improved performance.
A new anablepid (Cyprinodontiformes) from the Late Miocene of Puchuzum locality, San Juan Province, Argentina is described here. The collected specimens include male and female individuals showing ...marked sexual dimorphism and represented different ontogenetic stages. The fossils show a unique combination of characters reveals a new genus and species, Sanjuanableps calingasta. The phylogenetic analysis allowed to identify a monophyletic clade including Anableps, Tucmanableps and Sanjuanableps, which constitutes the sister group of other anablepids. During the Late Miocene, Sanjuanableps possibly formed monospecific shoals in shallow ponds of salty water in semiarid environments.
•The new species is represented by a large number of female and male individuals.•The new species appears to be related to the genus Anableps.•The finding indicates that part of the history of some anablepids is not directly related with the Paranian marine transgression.
The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of aged plates of Inconel 600 welded to Inconel 600 plates in the as-received condition was studied using the slow strain rate test (SSRT) in two sodium ...containing electrolytes at 25 and 80 °C. The aged plate was used to simulate damage by the operation service. Electrochemical noise (EN) was used to monitor the SCC. The plates were gas metal arc welded (GMAW) employing ERNiCrMo-3 and ER310 filler wires along with 95% Ar + 3% N2 + 2% O2 and 97% Ar + 3% N2 as the shielding gas, respectively. The microstructure of the welded joints was characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results of the SCC revealed that when sodium thiosulfate was used, the loss in plasticity was higher in the NiCrMo-3 joint with around a 20 percent decrease. Conversely, in the 310 welds, the loss in plasticity was higher in the sodium hydroxide, which diminished by 12 percent. A few secondary microcracks were observed in the transversal section in specimens of both welds. The results of the EN showed an increase in the potential and current when the sample reached the tensile strength and then decreased when the neck was formed; these changes indicate that some events occurred during the SSRT. The EN data showed two types of corrosion: general corrosion for NiCrMo-3 and mixed corrosion for the 310 welded joint in both environments. Electrochemical polarization was also employed to understand the mechanism of SCC.
Fetal or intrauterine growth restriction (FGR or IUGR) is a concerning health issue not only due to its implications in mortality and morbidity of neonates but also because of its long-term ...consequences on health and disease risk of the individuals. Its main cause is an insufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen by maternal (malnutrition or hypobaric hypoxia) or placental factors (placental insufficiency) during late gestation, when the requirements of fetus are higher. The availability of reliable animal models would be highly useful for the future development of diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic strategies. Most of the studies using animal models have been performed in rodents, while the use of large animals (sheep and swine) has been scarce. The objective of the current review is to offer an overview on the possibilities of using large animals for conducting translational research on IUGR related to inadequate maternal conditions and/or placental dysfunction.
We record
Tantilla flavilineata
Smith & Burger, 1950, for the first time in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It was previously considered endemic to a small region of the state of Oaxaca. With this ...record, we extend the known distribution 100 km north-northwestward in a straight line. We also provide scales counts and description of the coloration in life of a female specimen. The geographic distribution of
T. flavilineata
appears to be restricted to mid-elevations in various oak woodlands which have been limited in area by agriculture. More information on its natural history, ecology, and geographic distribution is needed to develop conservation strategies for this rare snake.
El enfoque actual sobre Educación Inclusiva, el cual plantea contemplar la diversidad de todos los estudiantes del sistema para poder dar respuestas adecuadas a cada uno desde las propuestas áulicas ...e institucionales. El proyecto propone implementar el uso de la aplicación tecnológica Kinems como herramienta en la construcción de contextos pedagógicos heterogéneos concebidos para una educación diversa. Este tipo de herramienta sirve para fomentar, mediante el juego y el movimiento, la inclusión del niño/a en el mundo simbólico, así como también promover el desarrollo de habilidades sociales, comunicacionales, funciones ejecutivas, cognitivas, motrices y sensoriales. En una primera etapa, la investigación se focalizará en el trastorno de espectro autista de alto funcionamiento, analizando las posibilidades de transferencia tecnológica a escue- las especiales que trabajen con niños con esta u otras dificultades de aprendizaje. Los niños con TEA, como también otros niños que no padecen este trastorno, presentan una afinidad por las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) y su aplicación es de gran ayuda para fomentar, mediante juegos, la inclusión del niño en el universo simbólico teniendo como punto principal el valor del juego enunciado por Jean Piaget en su Teoría Estructuralista. Se plantea la implementación de Kinems ya que ofrece modalidades naturales de interacción del usuario y parece ser muy beneficioso para la población con el trastorno mencionado en edades tempranas debido a la combinación de actividades físicas con tareas de entrenamiento cognitivo.
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