Los primeros objetos de adorno personal de la prehistoria reciente del poblado de Los Castillejos en Las Peñas de los Gitanos (Montefrío, España)

In this article, we present the results of the analysis of ornaments from the Los Castillejos population at the Las Peñas de los Gitanos site (Montefrío, Spain). These objects were recovered during archaeological excavations undertaken between 1991 and 1994. The items belong to stratigraphic phases 1 through to 19 and range from the Early Neolithic (5400 BC) to the Middle Chalcolithic (2550 BC). We carried out morpho-typological studies, raw material characterization, and traceology. On this basis, six morphological categories were defined. In turn, this has allowed us to date the manufacture of each of these types, and thereby to indirectly correct the dating of similar items found at other Andalusian sites lacking a fixed stratigraphic sequence. For example, this data permits us to suggest that many of these megalithic tombs were in use from the Final Neolithic onwards. Local raw materials were predominantly used in the manufacture of these items, although the presence of an ivory ornament demonstrates that the site was a part of Mediterranean exchange networks. We have mainly highlighted the final stages of manufacture as well as repair processes; we have also proposed way in which these ornaments might have been worn.En este trabajo exponemos los resultados de los análisis de los adornos del poblado de Los Castillejos en Las Peñas de los Gitanos (Montefrío, España) hallados durante las intervenciones arqueológicas realizadas entre 1991 y 1994. Se incluyen los hallazgos de las fases estratigráficas 1 a 19, pertenecientes a un arco temporal que va del Neolítico Antiguo (5400 a.C.) hasta el Calcolítico Pleno (2550 a.C.). Se ha llevado a cabo el estudio morfo-tipológico, la caracterización de la materia prima y el análisis traceológico. Se han establecido seis categorías morfológicas cuya cronología se ha clarificado, lo que ha permitido definir los momentos de fabricación y uso de cada una de ellas e, indirectamente, corregir atribuciones cronológicas de algunos materiales pertenecientes a yacimientos andaluces sin secuencia estratigráfica. Por ejemplo, se ha podido proponer que muchos sepulcros megalíticos estuvieron en uso por lo menos desde el Neolítico Final. La materia prima es principalmente local pero la presencia de un adorno en marfil muestra que el poblado estaba incluido en las redes de intercambio del Mediterráneo. Se han identificado, principalmente, las últimas fases de manufactura y procesos de reparación y se han propuesto las diferentes maneras de llevar los adornos

Use-wear analysis on the Early Neolithic blades from Castillejos de Montefrío (Granada)

El asentamiento de Castillejos de Montefrío constituye un yacimiento de primer orden para poder comprender el proceso de neolitización y el desarrollo de las primeras comunidades agricultoras y pastoras a lo largo de varios milenios en el sur peninsular. Aunque son muchas las publicaciones y los proyectos de investigación que se han generado a partir de la evidencia arqueológica recogida en este asentamiento, en el presente trabajo mostramos los resultados del análisis traceológico realizado sobre conjunto significativo de láminas –fundamentalmente aquellas que sin estar retocadas presentan huellas de uso– documentado en los niveles pertenecientes cronológicamente al Neolítico Antiguo. La información obtenida de estos estudios revela la importancia de este tipo de utillaje, así como ciertos aspectos sobre las prácticas económicas de estas comunidades prehistóricas.Castillejos de Montefrío (Granada) is an openair site located on the South of the Iberian Peninsula. This settlement is one of the most important sites to understand the neolithization process and the development of first farming societies for several millennia. In this paper we present the results of the use-wear analyses made on a selection of the flint blades (most of them without retouch) from the Early Neolithic levels. Our purpose, through the Traceology, is to recognize some activities developed in the settlement and provide some information about the site function. The results obtained show the importance of this kind of tools and reveal some economical aspects of the first farmers communities settled down in this region.European Research Council ERC-AdG-23056

Automatic Positional Accuracy Assessment of Imagery Segmentation Processes: A Case Study

There are many studies related to Imagery Segmentation (IS) in the field of Geographic Information (GI). However, none of them address the assessment of IS results from a positional perspective. In a field in which the positional aspect is critical, it seems reasonable to think that the quality associated with this aspect must be controlled. This paper presents an automatic positional accuracy assessment (PAA) method for assessing this quality component of the regions obtained by means of the application of a textural segmentation algorithm to a Very High Resolution (VHR) aerial image. This method is based on the comparison between the ideal segmentation and the computed segmentation by counting their differences. Therefore, it has the same conceptual principles as the automatic procedures used in the evaluation of the GI's positional accuracy. As in any PAA method, there are two key aspects related to the sample that were addressed: (i) its size-specifically, its influence on the uncertainty of the estimated accuracy values-and (ii) its categorization. Although the results obtained must be taken with caution, they made it clear that automatic PAA procedures, which are mainly applied to carry out the positional quality assessment of cartography, are valid for assessing the positional accuracy reached using other types of processes. Such is the case of the IS process presented in this study

To den or not to den. Contributions to the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena 4 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin)

Venta Micena (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, Spain) is an Early Pleistocene locality renowned for the richness and quality of its palaeontological record. VM is spread over an area of 2.5 km2, where several exposed fossil outcrops are visible amidst its gorges and ravines. The best known of these sites, VM3, has been interpreted as a hyaena den. In addition, a new site, named VM4, has recently been the focus of fieldwork and taphonomic studies. The publication by Luz on et al. (2021) pointed out that VM4 presents a more complex history than VM3. First, two different sub-levels were identified: VM4-I and VM4-II. Secondly, the preliminary taphonomic analysis showed conspicuous differences with regard to VM3. Nevertheless, such interpretation has been challenged by Palmqvist et al. (2022) who proposed that VM3 and VM4 are both the result of a single depositional process, entailing the selective transport of skeletal parts by the giant extinct hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris back to its den. Using well-preserved faunal elements whose depositional context and provenance are reliable, in this paper we show that: 1) there are two clearly defined sub-levels in VM4 with some shared taphonomic characteristics as well as some notable differences; 2) VM3 and VM4 exhibit enough divergence to support differences in site formation processes; 3) The interpretation of both VM4-I and VM4-II is more consistent with their characterisation as open-air sites in which multiple agents and depositional processes contributed to its formation, rather than with hyaena dens. Nevertheless, excavations are still in progress at VM4 and therefore any results and interpretations ought to be considered as provisional.Consejeía de Cultura de la Junta de Andalucia through the General Research Project Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecologico a partir de los depositos Plio-pleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza BC.03.032/17Inside the Artefacts & Ecofacts" Excellence Unit (University of Granada) HUM-607 PID 2021.125098NB.I00 MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDERUna manera de hacer Europa ProyExcel_00274 2021 SGR 01238Agencia de Gestio D'Ajuts Universitaris de Recerca Agaur (AGAUR) Generalitat de CatalunyaNational Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia PRE2020-094482 CEX2019-000945-M-20-1Spanish GovernmentArchaeometrical Studies. Inside the Artefacts & Ecofacts" Excellence Unit (University of Granad

Designing a goal-oriented smart-home environment

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10796-016-9670-x[EN] Nowadays, systems are growing in power and in access to more resources and services. This situation makes it necessary to provide user-centered systems that act as intelligent assistants. These systems should be able to interact in a natural way with human users and the environment and also be able to take into account user goals and environment information and changes. In this paper, we present an architecture for the design and development of a goal-oriented, self-adaptive, smart-home environment. With this architecture, users are able to interact with the system by expressing their goals which are translated into a set of agent actions in a way that is transparent to the user. This is especially appropriate for environments where ambient intelligence and automatic control are integrated for the user’s welfare. In order to validate this proposal, we designed a prototype based on the proposed architecture for smart-home scenarios. We also performed a set of experiments that shows how the proposed architecture for human-agent interaction increases the number and quality of user goals achieved.This work is partially supported by the Spanish Government through the MINECO/FEDER project TIN2015-65515-C4-1-R.Palanca Cámara, J.; Del Val Noguera, E.; García-Fornes, A.; Billhard, H.; Corchado, JM.; Julian Inglada, VJ. (2016). Designing a goal-oriented smart-home environment. Information Systems Frontiers. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-016-9670-xS118Alam, M. R., Reaz, M. B. I., & Ali, M. A. M. (2012). A review of smart homes: Past, present, and future. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C: Applications and Reviews, 42(6), 1190–1203.Andrushevich, A., Staub, M., Kistler, R., & Klapproth, A. (2010). Towards semantic buildings: Goal-driven approach for building automation service allocation and control. In 2010 IEEE conference on emerging technologies and factory automation (ETFA) (pp. 1–6) IEEE.Ayala, I., Amor, M., & Fuentes, L. (2013). Self-configuring agents for ambient assisted living applications. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 17(6), 1159–1169.Cetina, C., Giner, P., Fons, J., & Pelechano, V. (2009). Autonomic computing through reuse of variability models at runtime: The case of smart homes. Computer, 42(10), 37–43.Cook, D. J. (2009). Multi-agent smart environments. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments, 1(1), 51–55.Dalpiaz, F., Giorgini, P., & Mylopoulos, J. (2009). An architecture for requirements-driven self-reconfiguration. In Advanced information systems engineering (pp. pp 246–260). Springer.De Silva, L. C., Morikawa, C., & Petra, I. M. (2012). State of the art of smart homes. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 25(7), 1313–1321.Huhns, M., & et al. (2005). Research directions for service-oriented multiagent systems. IEEE Internet Computing, 9, 69–70.Iftikhar, M. U., & Weyns, D. (2014). Activforms: active formal models for self-adaptation. In SEAMS, (pp 125–134).Kucher, K., & Weyns, D. (2013). A self-adaptive software system to support elderly care. Modern Information Technology, MIT.Lieberman, H., & Espinosa, J. (2006). A goal-oriented interface to consumer electronics using planning and commonsense reasoning. In Proceedings of the 11th international conference on Intelligent user interfaces (pp. 226–233).Liu, H., & Singh, P. (2004). ConceptNet—a practical commonsense reasoning tool-kit. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 211–226.Loseto, G., Scioscia, F., Ruta, M., & Di Sciascio, E. (2012). Semantic-based smart homes: a multi-agent approach. In 13th Workshop on objects and Agents (WOA 2012) (Vol. 892, pp. 49–55).Martin, D., Burstein, M., Hobbs, J., Lassila, O., McDermott, D., McIlraith, S., Narayanan, S., Paolucci, M., Parsia, B., Payne, T., & et al (2004). OWL-S: Semantic markup for web services. W3C Member Submission, 22, 2007–2004.Matthews, R. B., Gilbert, N. G., Roach, A., Polhill, J. G, & Gotts, N. M. (2007). Agent-based land-use models: a review of applications. Landscape Ecology, 22(10), 1447–1459.Molina, J. M., Corchado, J. M., & Bajo, J. (2008). Ubiquitous computing for mobile environments. In Issues in multi-agent systems (pp 33–57). Birkhäuser, Basel.Palanca, J., Navarro, M., Julian, V., & García-Fornes, A. (2012). Distributed goal-oriented computing. Journal of Systems and Software, 85(7), 1540–1557. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2012.01.045 .Rao, A., & Georgeff, M. (1995). BDI agents: From theory to practice. In Proceedings of the first international conference on multi-agent systems (ICMAS95) (pp. 312–319).Reddy, Y. (2006). Pervasive computing: implications, opportunities and challenges for the society. In 1st International symposium on pervasive computing and applications (p. 5).de Silva, L., & Padgham, L. (2005). Planning as needed in BDI systems. International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling.Singh, P. (2002). The public acquisition of commonsense knowledge. In Proceedings of AAAI Spring symposium acquiring (and using) linguistic (and world) knowledge for information access

Ser o no ser y estar o no estar en Internet.

Objective: To reflect the situation of the websites of the hospital libraries in Spain in 2003. Material and methods: The websites of the hospital libraries have been located through C-17 directory, various hospital directories and searching Google, Altavista and Alltheweb. It has been applied the questionnaire of evaluation of websites with pondered punctuation by Lluís Codina. Visibility indicators have been obtained as well as accessibility according TAW. Results: From the C-17 catalogue have been retrieved 176 hospital libraries, of which 13 have a website; we added to these other 19 websites found through other directories and search engines. Of those 32 websites, 2 were not active; the remaining 30 were analyzed. Five of them passed the Codina's test of level I. In the TAW priority level 1, the problems detected automatically oscillated between 0 and 77. Conclusions: The results show the low number of hospital libraries with websites on the internet. The websites quality should be improved following the recommendations of the checkup lists to evaluate digital resources on the internet. The scarce visibility of these webs, hinders greatly its localization. On the other hand, the low accessibility rate of these webs blocks their visualization to handicapped people

Análisis estadístico de las dataciones radiocarbónicas de la Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real)

Among the 80 radiocarbon dates available for Motilla del Azuer site, the 70 datings included in this work come mostly from short life plant samples and human and faunal remains. It is intended to perform various statistical studies on the aforementioned dates as Sum of probabilities and Bayesian analyzes (using Calib, BCal and OxCal software), in order to better define the occupation sequence of the site and obtain a more detailed chronological framework for environmental and socioeconomic changes that took place during the occupation of the settlement. The results show a first and episodic Chalcolitic occupation in the site, separated from the foundation of the Bronze Age fortification by a well-defined hiatus. The occupation of the Motilla del Azuer from the Early Bronze Age to an advanced time of the Late Bronze Age is continuous and is marked by several phases of reconstruction and expansion of the fortification that also affect the well and hydraulic structures located in the eastern courtyard of the fortified enclosure. From the analysis of these data it is clear that the published periodization for Motilla del Azuer site is valid and shows, within a framework of progressive and strong social hierarchy, that the succession of different climatic episodes was a crucial factor in the development of a specific settlement system in La Mancha during the Bronze Age.Las 70 dataciones radiocarbónicas, de las 80 realizadas en la Motilla del Azuer, incluidas en este trabajo proceden en su mayoría de muestras vegetales de vida corta y de restos humanos y faunísticos. Se pretende realizar diversos análisis estadísticos de las citadas dataciones como suma de probabilidades y análisis bayesianos (a partir de los programas Calib, BCal y OxCal), a fin de definir mejor la secuencia de ocupación del yacimiento y obtener un marco cronológico más detallado para situar en el tiempo los cambios ambientales y socioeconómicos que tuvieron lugar a lo largo de la ocu- pación del asentamiento. Los resultados muestran una primera ocupación calcolítica del yacimiento de escasa entidad separada de la fundación de la fortificación de la Edad del Bronce por un hiatus bien definido. La ocupación de la Motilla del Azuer desde el Bronce Antiguo hasta un momento avanzado del Bronce Tardío es continua y viene marcada por diversas fases de reconstrucción y ampliación de la fortificación que afectan también al pozo y a las estructuras hidráulicas situadas en el patio oriental del recinto fortificado. Del análisis de estos datos se desprende que la periodización publicada para la Motilla del Azuer es válida y muestra, en un marco de progresiva y fuerte jerarquización social, que la sucesión de diferentes episodios climáticos fue un factor crucial en el desarrollo de un sistema de asentamiento específico en La Mancha durante la Edad del Bronce

As above, so below: deposition, modification, and reutilization of human remains at Marmoles cave (Cueva de los Marmoles: Southern Spain, 4000–1000 cal BCE)

The deposition and manipulation of human remains in natural caves are well known for the Neolithic of Southern Iberia. The cultural meaning of these practices is however still largely unclear. Cueva de los Marmoles (CM, Priego-Córdoba) is one of the most important cave contexts from Southern Spain, which returned a large number of commingled skeletal remains suggesting its funerary use from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. Here we discuss CM from a chronological and cultural perspective based on new radiocarbon, anthropological, and taphonomic analyses. These include the estimation of the minimum number of individuals, the exploration of fragmentation patterns characterizing different skeletal regions, and the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of modifications to the remains of possible anthropic origin. Radiocarbon data point at a funerary use of CM between the 5th–2nd millennium cal. BCE. MNI estimates reveal the presence of at least 12 individuals (seven adults and five nonadults). The low representation of elements from hands and feet suggests that individuals were placed in the cave while partially decomposed. Anthropic traces on the remains (fresh fractures, modification of marrow canal, scraping marks) hint at their intentional fragmentation, cleaning from residual soft tissues, and in some cases reutilization. These practices are well-exemplified by the recovery of one «skull cup» and of two long bones used as tools. These data align with those from other cave contexts from the same geographic region, suggesting the presence, especially during the Neolithic period, of shared ideologies centered on the human body

Branes on Generalized Calibrated Submanifolds

We extend previous results on generalized calibrations to describe supersymmetric branes in supergravity backgrounds with diverse fields turned on, and provide several new classes of examples. As an important application, we show that supersymmetric D-branes in compactifications with field strength fluxes, and on SU(3)-structure spaces, wrap generalized calibrated submanifolds, defined by simple conditions in terms of the underlying globally defined, but non-closed, 2- and 3-forms. We provide examples where the geometric moduli of D-branes (for instance D7-branes in 3-form flux configurations) are lifted by the generalized calibration condition. In addition, we describe supersymmetric D6-branes on generalized calibrated 3-submanifolds of half-flat manifolds, which provide the mirror of B-type D-branes in IIB CY compactifications with 3-form fluxes. Supersymmetric sets of such D-branes carrying no homology charges are mirror to supersymmetric sets of D-branes which are homologically non-trivial, but trivial in K-theory. As an additional application, we describe models with chiral gauge sectors, realized in terms of generalized calibrated brane box configurations of NS- and D5-branes, which are supersymmetric but carry no charges, so that no orientifold planes are required in the compactification.Comment: 40 pages, 3 figures, references adde

A Transcriptomic Approach to Search for Novel Phenotypic Regulators in McArdle Disease

McArdle disease is caused by lack of glycogen phosphorylase (GP) activity in skeletal muscle. Patients experience exercise intolerance, presenting as early fatigue and contractures. In this study, we investigated the effects produced by a lack of GP on several genes and proteins of skeletal muscle in McArdle patients. Muscle tissue of 35 patients and 7 healthy controls were used to identify abnormalities in the patients' transcriptomic profile using low-density arrays. Gene expression was analyzed for the influence of variables such as sex and clinical severity. Differences in protein expression were studied by immunoblotting and 2D electrophoresis analysis, and protein complexes were examined by two-dimensional, blue native gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE). A number of genes including those encoding acetyl-coA carboxylase beta, m-cadherin, calpain III, creatine kinase, glycogen synthase (GS), and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 1 (SERCA1), were found to be downregulated in patients. Specifically, compared to controls, GS and SERCA1 proteins were reduced by 50% and 75% respectively; also, unphosphorylated GS and SERCA1 were highly downregulated. On BN-PAGE analysis, GP was present with GS in two muscle protein complexes. Our findings revealed some issues that could be important in understanding the physiological consequences of McArdle disease: (i) SERCA1 downregulation in patients could result in impaired calcium transport in type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers, leading to early fatigability during exercise tasks involving type II fibers (which mostly use glycolytic metabolism), i.e. isometric exercise, lifting weights or intense dynamic exercise (stair climbing, bicycling, walking at a very brisk pace), (ii) GP and GS were found together in two protein complexes, which suggests a new regulatory mechanism in the activity of these glycogen enzymes