A structural intermediate between triisodontids and mesonychians (Mammalia, Acreodi) from the earliest Eocene of Portugal

A new mammal, Mondegodon eutrigonus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the earliest Eocene locality of Silveirinha, Portugal. This species shows dental adaptations indicative of a carnivorous diet. M. eutrigonus is referred to the order Acreodi and considered, along with the early Paleocene North American species Oxyclaenus cuspidatus, as a morphological intermediate between two groups of ungulate-like mammals, namely, the triisodontids and mesonychians. Considering that triisodontids are early to early-late Paleocene North American taxa, Mondegodon probably belongs to a group that migrated from North America towards Europe during the first part of the Paleocene. Mondegodon could represent thus a relict genus, belonging to the ante-Eocene European mammalian fauna. The occurrence of such a taxon in Southern Europe may reflect a period of isolation of this continental area during the Paleocene/Eocene transition. In this context, the non-occurrence of closely allied forms of Mondegodon in the Eocene North European mammalian faunas is significant. This strengthens the hypothesis that the mammalian fauna from Southern Europe is characterized by a certain degree of endemism during the earliest Eocene. Mondegodon also presents some striking similarities with an unnamed genus from the early Eocene of India which could represent the first Asian known transitional form between the triisodontids and mesonychians.     

SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in indoor and outdoor size-segregated aerosol samples

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We aimed to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor and outdoor size-segregated aerosol samples (PM10-2.5, PM2.5). Five outdoor daily...     

Fast Preparation of Flexible Wet-Resistant and Biodegradable Films From a Stable Suspension of Xylan/Chitosan Polyelectrolyte Complexes

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Novel hemicellulose-based films from polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) of chitosan and xylan from sugar cane bagasse were prepared and characterized. PEC...     

Evaluating surrogates of genetic diversity for conservation planning

Protected-area systems should conserve intraspecific genetic diversity. Because genetic data require resources to obtain, several approaches have been proposed for generating plans for protected-area systems (prioritizations) when genetic data are not available. Yet such surrogate-based approaches remain poorly tested. We evaluated the effectiveness of potential surrogate-based approaches based on microsatellite genetic data collected across the Iberian Peninsula for 7 amphibian and 3 reptilian species. Long-term environmental suitability did not effectively represent sites containing high genetic diversity (allelic richness). Prioritizations based on long-term environmental suitability had similar performance to random prioritizations. Geographic distances and resistance distances based on contemporary environmental suitability were not always effective surrogates for identification of combinations of sites that contain individuals with different genetic compositions. Our results demonstrate that population genetic data based on commonly used neutral markers can inform prioritizations, and we could not find an adequate substitute. Conservation planners need to weigh the potential benefits of genetic data against their acquisition costs.     

A tubular ceramic membrane coated with TiO2-P25 for radial addition of H2O2 towards AMX removal from synthetic solutions and secondary urban wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work aims to integrate several hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) activation mechanisms, photolysis (UVC irradiation), chemical electron transfer (TiO2-P25...     

Occurrence,impact, and elimination of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in soil,water, and air streams: advances and challenges in Ibero-American countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Assessing the effects of multivariate functional outlier identification and sample robustification on identifying critical PM2.5 air pollution episodes in Medellín,Colombia

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Identification of critical episodes of environmental pollution, both as a outlier identification problem and as a classification problem, is a usual...