22 research outputs found
Supplementary Materials for U-Th dating of carbonate crusts reveals Neanderthal origin of Iberian cave art
Materiales suplementarios al artículo de Science 2018 sobre las dataciones de arte rupestre en la Península Ibérica mediante U-TH
Ballistic matter waves with angular momentum: Exact solutions and applications
An alternative description of quantum scattering processes rests on
inhomogeneous terms amended to the Schroedinger equation. We detail the
structure of sources that give rise to multipole scattering waves of definite
angular momentum, and introduce pointlike multipole sources as their limiting
case. Partial wave theory is recovered for freely propagating particles. We
obtain novel results for ballistic scattering in an external uniform force
field, where we provide analytical solutions for both the scattering waves and
the integrated particle flux. Our theory directly applies to p-wave
photodetachment in an electric field. Furthermore, illustrating the effects of
extended sources, we predict some properties of vortex-bearing atom laser beams
outcoupled from a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate under the influence of
gravity.Comment: 42 pages, 8 figures, extended version including photodetachment and
semiclassical theor
Combined Raman spectroscopic and Rietveld analyses as a useful and nondestructive approach to studying flint raw materials at prehistoric archaeological sites
Artículo sobre análisis de espectroscopía
Investigating Gamma-Ray Lines from Dark Matter with Future Observatories
We study the prospects for studying line features in gamma-ray spectra with
upcoming gamma-ray experiments, such as HESS-II, the Cherenkov Telescope Array
(CTA), and the GAMMA-400 satellite. As an example we use the narrow feature at
130 GeV seen in public data from the Fermi-LAT satellite. We found that all
three experiments should be able to confidently confirm or rule out the
presence of this 130 GeV feature. If it is real, it should be confirmed with a
confidence level higher than 5 sigma. Assuming it to be a spectral signature of
dark matter origin, GAMMA-400, thanks to a projected energy resolution of about
1.5% at 100 GeV, should also be able to resolve both the \gamma\gamma-line and
a corresponding Z\gamma- or H\gamma-feature, if the corresponding branching
ratio is comparable to that into two photons. It will also allow to distinguish
between a gamma-ray line and the similar feature resulting from internal
bremsstrahlung photons.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
Total synthesis of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid clivonine
Two syntheses of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid clivonine (1) are described. Both employ previously reported 7-arylhydrindane 6 as an intermediate but differ in the method employed for subsequent introduction of what becomes the ring-B lactone carbonyl carbon (C7). The synthesis featuring a Bischler–Napieralski reaction for this transformation constitutes the first asymmetric synthesis of natural (+)-clivonine. Crystal structures for compounds (±)-13, (±)-16, (−)-20 and (±)-28 are also reported
Herbal medicine in the Marquesas Islands
Ethnopharmacological relevance: This manuscript reports data on medicinal plants used in Marquesas Islands traditional medicine. The subject is interesting due to the extreme geographical isolation of this archipelago and the scarcity of data on this subject. The hypothesis of the authors was that traditional knowledge in this area should be consequently largely preserved. The usual ethnobotanical collection of use/symptom was completed by an additional quantitative ethnobotany analysis providing two indices: the relative frequency of plant uses for a given affliction (RF) and the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). Materials and methods: Our ethnopharmacological study was carried out between 2009 and 2012 in several parts of the archipelago by collecting the accurate names of the medicinal plants, their uses, the methods of preparation of the remedies and the associated traditional nosology. Two methods were applied: ex situ focus groups with scientists and local association partners, using fresh plant specimens, dried specimens, and photographs, guided by an outline of simple questions, and in situ semi-structured interviews of informants during walk in the woods or homegarden sampling. Results: 96 plant species were pointed out as medicine for which we collected 1774 use reports; 77 of these species cited by more than 1 informant are listed with their frequency of use. Three species account for one-third of use reports: Cocos nucifera (coconut), Gardenia taitensis (tiare Tahiti) and Microsorum grossum. Native species (either indigenous or endemic) represent only one quarter of all used species. The Polynesian introductions (plants introduced during Polynesian migrations) represent 42% of the Marquesan medicinal plants. On the other hand, one-third are modern introductions, introduced, for most of them, less than 200 years ago. Diseases are analyzed according to Marquesan concepts. In the present study, a special attention was focused on the descriptions of the local diseases. Their translation in French was discussed and verified in focus groups involving both scientists and Marquesan language specialists from the "Academie des Marquises". 40 plant species showed a high frequency of citation for a given affliction (RF >20). Despite the complex nosology the ICF to Marquesan traditional illness categories showed generally high ICF values, suggesting their strong coherence. Conclusions: An overview of the Marquesan pharmacopoeia, linked with ethnomedicinal practices, is presented in this paper. Marquesan traditional medicine survived until now despite the culture shock faced by the Marquesan population switching to numerous introduced plants commonly found in their close environment and easily gathered. Marquesan herbal medicine appears to draw its inspiration from a common Polynesian root. However further investigations on Marquesan nosologies are necessary to appreciate the originality of the Marquesan pharmacopoeia. Finally, the crossing of ICF and RF indices shows that 36 species have at least one significant use (frequencies > 20%) with high ICF value ( > 0.5). This suggests that some key phytochemica
The paleolithic site Sima de las Palomas de Teba, Southern Spain. Site formation processes and chronostratigraphy.
Abstract (The Palaeolithic site Sima de las Palomas de Teba, Southern Spain –Site formation processes and chronostratigraphy): The rockshelter sequence consists of 6 m thick stone-rich silty clay loam including several archaeological levels with artefacts of Mousterian affinity, bone and charcoal. Stratigraphy and site formation processes were characterised by sedimentological, geochemical and micromorphological investigations. Sediments were dated using IRSL and OSL and the time of the last heating of burnt silex using TL. At the base of the sequence, sediment units 10 and 9 are in-situ deposits recording intensive occupation. Luminescence dating places these layers either before 33 ka (IRSL, OSL) or before 43 ka (TL).The occupation ends with a rockfall (unit 8), followed by archaeologically sterile sediments (unit 7). Mousterian occupation is again documented in scattered artefacts of units 6 to 4 which might be affected by reworking. IRSL age estimates indicated sediment deposition before 15 ka. The sequence ends with a dung rich Holocene layer including a fragment of a human mandible dated to 4032 ± 39 BP. Overall, the sequence represents an important new site for studying the presence of Neanderthals in Southern Spain
Human Occupation during the Late Pleniglacial at Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)
During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, abrupt climate changes created highly variable paleoenvironments inhabited by human populations across the Iberian Peninsula. Pollen and sedimentary analyses from deep-sea cores off Portugal provide records of regional-scale paleoenvironmental responses to the climate shifts that punctuated this period. Archaeological assemblages offer a regional and local-scale understanding of human- environment interactions during this period. One site in particular, Lapa do Picareiro, has yielded a continuous, stratified sedimentary sequence that provides a diachronic record for MIS 2 human occupation and environmental change. Here, we present archaeological data from the Late Gravettian through Solutrean occupations (Levels U-O) in order to show how local-scale, assemblage-level variability may or may not help our understanding of human-environment interactions and culture change during this period when we try to fit them into the traditional techno- typological framework. Lithic artifact assemblages record the technological changes associated with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), including the Gravettian-Solutrean transition. Age control is provided by 23 radiocarbon dates from Levels U-O. The spatial distribution of artifacts, animal bones and charcoal concentrations shows a relatively high degree of assemblage integrity. The taphonomic study of the faunal remains informs on local paleoenvironments and human diet choice during the LGM. The combined results are used here to understand human responses to long-term environmental change in central Portugal
New evidence for the Mousterian and Gravettian at Rio Secco Cave, Italy
The dearth of evidence for late Neanderthals in Europe reduces our ability to understand the demise of their species and the impact of the biological and cultural changes that resulted from the spread of anatomically modern humans. In this light, a recently investigated cave in the northern Adriatic region at the border between the Italian Alps and the Great Adriatic Plain provides useful data about the last Neanderthals between 46·0 and 42·1 ky cal b.p. Their subsistence is inferred from zooarchaeological remains and patterns in Middle Palaeolithic lithic technology. Unexpected evidence of the ephemeral use of the cave during the early Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian period shows a change in lithic technology