A step forward in tropical anthracology: understanding woodland vegetation and wood uses in ancient Sri Lanka based on charcoal records from Mantai, Kirinda and Kantharodai

The aim of this study is to present the anthracological results from three archaeological sites located in the North, North West and South East of Sri Lanka. The study is based on the observation and analysis of 1689 charcoal fragments using for support the reference collection of South Indian wood at the Institute of Archaeology ( UCL), Inside Wood (2004-onwards) and several wood anatomy atlases. Mantai (200 BCE-850 CE), an urban site, has yielded 25 taxa with significant presence of cf. Cocos nucifera among other taxa. Kantharodai (400-170- BCE), an urban site, has yielded 19 taxa from arid zones (Fabaceae, Rubiaceae), mangroves (Rhizophoraceae) and dune zones (cf. Cocos nucifera). Kirinda (500–900 CE), a fishing settlement, has yielded 24 taxa including Fabaceae (Dalbergia, Acacia) and Rubiaceae, belonging to dry deciduous forest and open savannas. This collective data set allows for the identification of discernible patterns related to the use of ecological interfaces between the forest and the open plains, used and actively managed by humans, and the possibility to identify if this changed with an increase in maritime trade and/or changes in agriculture over time. This study provides evidence of the differences in the vegetation present as well as use of wood fuel and other specific uses of wood for each site examined. It also sheds new light on tropical anthracology regarding quantification and accuracy in taxa identification

Neanderthal selective hunting of reindeer? The case study of Abri du Maras (south-eastern France)

Fieldwork was supported by the Regional Office of Archaeology Rhône-Alpes, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Ardèche Department through several scientific programs. M.G.Chacon, F. Rivals and E. Allué research are funded by ‘CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya’. Thanks to Jean-Jacques Hublin, Annabell Reiner and Steven Steinbrenner from the Max Planck Institute (MPI-EVA) for analytical support (isotope analysis). We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive remarks on this manuscript. The English manuscript was edited by L. Byrne, an official translator and native English speaker.Peer reviewedPostprin

Modelo CBCRisk para determinar el riesgo de cáncer de mama contralateral en el cáncer de mama esporádico

Introducción La mayoría de los cánceres de mama (CM) se diagnostican en mujeres sin antecedentes familiares y no portadoras de mutaciones de riesgo. En las últimas décadas se ha producido un aumento de mastectomías profilácticas contralaterales (MPC) en estas pacientes. El CBCRisk es un modelo que calcula el riesgo absoluto de cáncer de mama contralateral (CMC) y pretende servir para el asesoramiento de pacientes con CM esporádico sobre la MPC. Método Análisis observacional retrospectivo de pacientes con un cáncer de mama esporádico sometidas a MPC durante 2017-2019. Análisis descriptivo, comparativo y de regresión logística univariante para identificar factores predictivos de LMAR y/o CMC oculto. Evaluación del modelo CBCRisk publicado en 2017 y distintos valores límite para la recomendación de MPC. Resultados Se seleccionaron 42 pacientes. Incidencia de LMAR y cáncer oculto (CO) menor que la descrita en la literatura (9, 52% LMAR, 2, 38% CO). Ninguna de las variables evaluadas alcanzó significación estadística para la predicción de lesiones. El valor de CBCRisk a cinco años medio en pacientes con hallazgos patológicos fue de 2, 08 (DE 0, 97), superior al CBCRisk medio del conjunto (1, 87 ± 0, 91) y del subgrupo de MPC sin hallazgos patológicos (1, 84 ± 0, 91). Solo el CBCRisk = 3 resultó significativo (p = 0, 04) para la predicción de hallazgos patológicos. Conclusión Las pacientes con CM esporádico deben ser adecuadamente informadas de los riesgos y beneficios estimados de la MPC. El CBCRisk puede ser útil para el asesoramiento de estas pacientes, pero precisa validación en cohortes más amplias y prospectivas. Introduction The great majority of breast cancer (BC) cases are diagnosed in women who have no known family history of the disease and are not carriers of any risk mutation. During the past few decades an increase in the number of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) has been produced in these patients. The CBCRisk model calculates the absolute risk of suffering from contralateral breast cancer (CBC); thus, it can be used to counselling patients with sporadic breast cancer. Method An observational, retrospective study including sporadic breast cancer patients treated with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy has been conducted between 2017 and 2019. A descriptive and comparative study with one variation of logistic regression has been carried out in order to identify predictive factors of occult tumors (OT) and medium/high risk damage (MHRD). Evaluation of the CBCRisk model published in 2017 and different limit values for the CPM recommendation. Results 42 patients were selected. Incidence of MHRD and OT was lower than that described in the literatura (9.52% MHRD, 2.38% OT). None of the evaluated variables reached statistical significance for predicting injuries. The average value of CBCRisk 5 years ahead found in patients with pathological findings was 2.08 (SD 0.97), higher than the average value of the whole group (1.87 ± 0.91) and the subgroup without pathological findings (1.84 ± 0.91). Only values = 3 for CBCRisk were considered statistically significant (p = 0.04) for the prediction of histological lesions. Conclusion Patients with sporadic breast cancer should be adequately informed about the estimated risks and benefits of undergoing a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. The CBCRisk may be useful for the counseling of these patients, but it requires validation in larger and prospective cohorts

The global Alzheimer's Association round robin study on plasma amyloid β methods

Introduction: Blood-based assays to measure brain amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition are an attractive alternative to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based assays currently used in clinical settings. In this study, we examined different blood-based assays to measure Aβ and how they compare among centers and assays. Methods: Aliquots from 81 plasma samples were distributed to 10 participating centers. Seven immunological assays and four mass-spectrometric methods were used to measure plasma Aβ concentrations. Results: Correlations were weak for Aβ42 while Aβ40 correlations were stronger. The ratio Aβ42/Aβ40 did not improve the correlations and showed weak correlations. Discussion: The poor correlations for Aβ42 in plasma might have several potential explanations, such as the high levels of plasma proteins (compared to CSF), sensitivity to pre-analytical sample handling and specificity, and cross-reactivity of different antibodies. Different methods might also measure different pools of plasma Aβ42. We, however, hypothesize that greater correlations might be seen in future studies because many of the methods have been refined during completion of this study

Atlas de las praderas marinas de España

Knowledge of the distribution and extent of seagrass habitats is currently the basis of management and conservation policies of the coastal zones in most European countries. This basic information is being requested through European directives for the establishment of monitoring programmes and the implementation of specific actions to preserve the marine environment. In addition, this information is crucial for the quantification of the ecological importance usually attributed to seagrass habitats due to, for instance, their involvement in biogeochemical cycles, marine biodiversity and quality of coastal waters or global carbon budgets. The seagrass atlas of Spain represents a huge collective effort performed by 84 authors across 30 Spanish institutions largely involved in the scientific research, management and conservation of seagrass habitats during the last three decades. They have contributed to the availability of the most precise and realistic seagrass maps for each region of the Spanish coast which have been integrated in a GIS to obtain the distribution and area of each seagrass species. Most of this information has independently originated at a regional level by regional governments, universities and public research organisations, which explain the elevated heterogeneity in criteria, scales, methods and objectives of the available information. On this basis, seagrass habitats in Spain occupy a total surface of 1,541,63 km2, 89% of which is concentrated in the Mediterranean regions; the rest is present in sheltered estuarine areas of the Atlantic peninsular regions and in the open coastal waters of the Canary Islands, which represents 50% of the Atlantic meadows. Of this surface, 71.5% corresponds to Posidonia oceanica, 19.5% to Cymodocea nodosa, 3.1% to Zostera noltii (=Nanozostera noltii), 0.3% to Zostera marina and 1.2% to Halophila decipiens. Species distribution maps are presented (including Ruppia spp.), together with maps of the main impacts and pressures that has affected or threatened their conservation status, as well as the management tools established for their protection and conservation. Despite this considerable effort, and the fact that Spain has mapped wide shelf areas, the information available is still incomplete and with weak precision in many regions, which will require an investment of major effort in the near future to complete the whole picture and respond to demands of EU directives.Versión del edito

Pattern of injury with a graded excitotoxic insult and ensuing chronic medial septal damage in the rat brain

Brain damage caused by an acute injury depends on the initial severity of the injury and the time elapsed after the injury. To determine whether these two variables activate common mechanisms, we compared the response of the rat medial septum to insult with a graded series of concentrations of a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) with the time-course effects of a low dose of AMPA. For this purpose we conducted a dose-response study at concentrations of AMPA between 0.27 and 10.8 nmol to measure atrophy of the septal area, losses of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons, astroglial and microglial reactions, and calcification. Cholinergic neurons, whose loss paralleled the degree of septal atrophy produced by AMPA, are more sensitive than GABAergic neurons to the injury produced by AMPA. At doses of AMPA above 2.7 nmol, calcification and the degree of microglial reaction increased only in the GABAergic region of the septal area, whereas atrophy and neuronal loss reached a plateau. We chose the 2.7-nmol dose of AMPA to determine how these parameters were modified between 4 days and 6 months after injection. We found that atrophy and neuronal loss increased progressively through the 6-month study period, whereas astrogliosis ceased to be observed after 1 month, and calcium precipitates were never detected. We conclude that septal damage does not increase with the intensity of an excitotoxic insult. Rather, it progresses continuously after the insult. Because these two situations involve different mechanisms, short-term paradigms are inappropriate for interpreting the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for long-term neurodegenerative processes

Forest management and agriculture practices at El Mirador cave

This chapter examines the landscape management strategies used by the inhabitants of El Mirador cave based on the use of micro- and macrobotanical proxies (phytoliths, pollen, wood charcoal and seeds). These analyses reveal the human impact on the immediate environment, as the people occupying the zone transformed the landscape by clearing forests to develop areas for cultivation and grazing. Anthracological and dendroanthracological evidence points to the exploitation of the local oak and mixed holm oak forest related to the agro-livestock activities carried out in the cave. The combined study of pollen, phytoliths and seed remains has provided evidence of the cultivation of mainly emmer and durum wheat, which would have been processed at or near the site, given the presence of crop by-products. Non-crop plants can also inform us of livestock feeding regimens, having otherwise arrived at the site as part of the animals’ fodder or as a product of grazing in crop stubble. Overall, the combination of these proxies demonstrates the anthropogenic nature of the modification of the surrounding landscape as a direct outcome of the cultivation of crops and animal husbandry practices, as would be anticipated in a subsistence strategy based on mixed farming systems.European Prehistor

A step forward in tropical anthracology: understanding woodland vegetation and wood uses in ancient Sri Lanka based on charcoal records from Mantai, Kirinda and Kantharodai

The aim of this study is to present the anthracological results from three archaeological sites located in the North, North West and South East of Sri Lanka. The study is based on the observation and analysis of 1689 charcoal fragments using for support the reference collection of South Indian wood at the Institute of Archaeology ( UCL), Inside Wood (2004-onwards) and several wood anatomy atlases. Mantai (200 BCE-850 CE), an urban site, has yielded 25 taxa with significant presence of cf. Cocos nucifera among other taxa. Kantharodai (400-170- BCE), an urban site, has yielded 19 taxa from arid zones (Fabaceae, Rubiaceae), mangroves (Rhizophoraceae) and dune zones (cf. Cocos nucifera). Kirinda (500–900 CE), a fishing settlement, has yielded 24 taxa including Fabaceae (Dalbergia, Acacia) and Rubiaceae, belonging to dry deciduous forest and open savannas. This collective data set allows for the identification of discernible patterns related to the use of ecological interfaces between the forest and the open plains, used and actively managed by humans, and the possibility to identify if this changed with an increase in maritime trade and/or changes in agriculture over time. This study provides evidence of the differences in the vegetation present as well as use of wood fuel and other specific uses of wood for each site examined. It also sheds new light on tropical anthracology regarding quantification and accuracy in taxa identification.1. Introduction 2. Biogeographical and archaeological context 3. Material and methods 4. Results 5. Discussion 5.1. Vegetation in Sri Lanka in historical times: arboreal cover and human impact on the landscape 5.2. Woody plant uses in Sri Lanka historical times 6. Conclusio