Le peuplement moustérien du Proche-Orient

Localisation des sites Paléolithique moyen d’Israël ayant livré des restes humains Dans cet article, nous examinerons l’apport des fouilles effectuées sur le territoire israélienainsi que des études sur les fossiles humains du Levant. Au cours des trente dernières années, les découvertes en Israël de populations fossiles humaines a donné lieu à un débat important concernant le statut des Néanderthaliens dans cette région ainsi que leur rapport à l’Homme moderne. À partir d’une discussion des..

The Mousterian Populations of the Near East

Localization of Middle Palaeolithic sites in Israel with human remains This article deals with the contribution of archeological excavations in Israel, as well as of studies of human fossils in the Near East. Over the last thirty years, discoveries of human fossil remains in Israel have given rise to a major debate concerning the status of Neanderthals in this region and their relationship to modern Man. After describing these discoveries of human fossil remains in Israel, I will present the..

Solar Photovoltaic Optimal Tilt Angles in Public Building

Abstract The reduction of the consumption of fossil fuels that cause climate change and the encouragement of the use of cleaner renewable sources, appears to be a fundamental objective for achieving the climate aims agreed in Paris. Moreover, the sustainability of the implementation of solutions for energy efficiency in public administration buildings has played a fundamental role in recent years, strengthened also by the regulatory context of energy and environmental policies of European countries. The research fits into this context and it intends to promote a methodology that is able to evaluate the economic and environmental performance of a photovoltaic system applied in a school located in Italy when only the roof inclination angle changes. The economic and environmental performances are evaluated respectively through Life Cycle Cost Analysis and the avoided CO2 emissions. The results show that although the case study does not present the optimal roof inclination angle, there are economic and environmental advantages. Furthermore, the research notes that, considering the characteristics of the photovoltaic system concerned, the optimal roof inclination angle is equal to 40 degrees from an economic and environmental point of view. This methodology could easily support the decision-making process of designers and administrators to make the energy upgrading choices for the promotion of renewable sources. It was applied to a case study, that is a school located in Italy, in the Abruzzo region, in the province of L'Aquila, but it could be easily replicated in other existing public buildings in different locations

Neanderthals versus Modern Humans: Evidence for Resource Competition from Isotopic Modelling

During later MOIS3, in Europe two populations were present, autochthonous Neanderthals and modern humans. Ecological competition between these two populations has often been evoked but never demonstrated. Our aim is to establish whether resource competition occurred. In this paper, in order to examine the possibility of ecological competition between these two populations, 599 isotopic data were subjected to rigorous statistical treatment and analysis through mixing models. The aim of this paper was to compare dietary strategies of Neanderthals and modern humans over time. Our conclusions suggest that Neanderthals and modern humans shared dietary habits in the particular environmental context of MOIS3 characterised in Europe by climatic deterioration. In this environmental context, the resource competition between Neanderthals and modern humans may have accelerated the disappearance of the Neanderthal population

Profili epidemiologici nell'ambito della biometeorologia e della bioclimatologia medica

In questo contributo saranno proposti diversi profili epidemiologici per differenti eventi biometeorologici a carattere estremo. Sono inoltre presi in considerazione i soggetti a rischio ed i molteplici fattori di protezione. Inoltre sono analizzati nel dettaglio le origini e il successivo sviluppo delle diverse politiche d\u2019igiene e sanit\ue0 pubblica applicate dai singoli Paesi. Nell\u2019 intervento ci si sofferma su talune valutazioni epidemiologiche desunte dall\u2019International Disaster Database del CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters), proponendosi di stimare in modo dettagliato l\u2019esatta dimensione dei fenomeni, in termini quantitativi, con riferimento a diversi indicatori epidemiologici, in particolare sugli indicatori di mortalit\ue0 e morbilit\ue0 legate agli eventi meteorologici

Statistical investigation on the relation between car accidents and warm katabatic winds

The possible relationship between warm katabatic winds and human health and behaviour is analyzed; notwithstanding popular belief which is very positive about it, the connection has not been previously analyzed with the proper methods. We use a statistical model to address this question and our data suggest that the effects of warm katabatic winds in the Po Valley (Italy) can indeed be detected in the increase of car accidents

Revisiting the Question of Neandertal Regional Variability: a View from the Rhône Valley Corridor

We compared the dental assemblage of the Rhône Valley corridor (RVC) with that of European Neandertals dating to MOIS 7–4 using two linear measurements and three indices. To test if the RVC population was significantly different from Western European Neandertals, we preformed a multi-tiered approached. First, we tested for the normality of the variables using a Shapiro-Wilks test. If the variables were normal, a stepwise Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) (using Mahalanobis distances) was performed for the normally distributed variables. DFA uses correlation metrics to address weight combinations of variables and emphasizes between group variation while minimizing within group variation. Results show that there is no distinction between the RVC population and other Neandertals except for the Crown Module index of the upper canine. However, the presence of a single significant result does not provide evidence for a local RVC variant within the Neandertal population. These results are supported by evidence from archaeological analysis of this region. We propose that the high genetic control for dental size and shape may account for the reduced ability to distinguish between subpopulation groups based on dental dimensions in groups with small effective size such as the Neandertals

Fever with spontaneous gingival bleeding: A diagnostic challenge

A previously healthy 4-year-old girl was admitted to our institution with fever and painless spontaneous gingival bleeding, persisting over a week, without evident lesions or trauma. She was born in Italy and had always lived in Palermo. She had never travelled internationally. Lab oratory testing showed a negative swab test for Sars-CoV2 and a tri linear pancytopenia with neutropenia (0.6 × 103/mm3), lymphopenia (1.17 × 103/mm3), thrombocytopenia (115 × 103/mm3) and anemia (Hb 7.1 g/dL, RBC 3.48 × 103/mm3, Hct 21.2%, RDW-CV 23.4%, RDW SD 51,6 fL). Other laboratory findings showed hyponatremia (130 mmol/dL), hypocalcemia (8.7 mmol/dL), hypoalbuminemia (3.5 g/dL), increase of LDH (267 IU/L), C-reactive protein (1.64 mg/dL) and alka line phosphatase levels (190 IU/L). On physical examination she appeared in pain, pale, with hyperemic pharynx without plaque or pu rulent secretion and hypertrophic bleeding gingiva (see Fig. 1). There was notable cervical lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly (1 cm below the costal margin), and splenomegaly (3 cm below the costal margin). An abdominal ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen (15.6 × 6.6 cm) and ascites. Additional history revealed the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, treated with six doses of Amphotericin B liposomal (administered for first 5 days plus one dose on the 10th day) seven months earlier. A subsequent leishmania polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay on blood and gingival brush confirmed the diagnosis of a leishmaniasis relapse. A comprehensive immunological evaluation including an HIV test excluded any primary or acquired immunodeficiency disease. Treatment with amphotericin B was administered over 10 days, leading to a full recovery. Visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum is endemic in the Mediterranean region. Mucocutaneus lesions are extremely rare with this species and usually affect immunosuppressed patients. In children leishmaniasis relapse with atypical mucosal involvement represent a rarity. Clinical follow up and periodic PCR tests (performed at 3-6-9-12 months after treatment) should be considered for early recognition of a relapse