Lake and crannog : A 2500-year palaeoenvironmental record of continuity and change in NE Scotland

Acknowledgements Special acknowledgements go to Audrey Innes for her laboratory support, to Laura McHardie who originally extracted the core with Michael J. Stratigos. Thanks are owed to the Leys Estate and the then Estate Manager Thys Simpson for allowing access, help in taking the core and overall support for work in the former loch. Thanks to the Hunter Archaeological and Historical Trust who funded the fieldwork. The article was written as part of the Leverhulme Trust funded project ‘Comparative Kingship: the early Medieval kingdoms of Northern Britain and Ireland’ (Grant RG13876-10). Authors would like to thank the use of RIAIDT-USC analytical facilities. OLC is funded by JIN project (PID2019-111683RJ-I00) Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 de la Fundación BBVA. open access via Elsevier agreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Estimating albacore movement rates between the North Atlantic and the Mediterraneal from conventional tagging data

A tag attrition model is fit to albacore tag-recapture data in order to estimate albacore movement rates between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The estimated transfer rate from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean is not significantly different from zero, and the estimated annual transfer rate in the opposite direction, under the assumptions of the same catchability and reporting rates is 5,49%. Sensitivity tests to assumed reporting rates and relative catchabilities are performed, and observed lower recovery rates in the Mediterranean may suggest either a lower catchability or reporting rate in this area, that would give an even lower estimate of the transfer rate, which is also supported by information from later tag recaptures of fish tagged in the Mediterranean. The small impact of these transfer rates on stock assessment is discussed and a preliminary assessment of the amount of tagged fish needed in order to get accurate and precise estimates of these low transfer rates is also done by simulating different tagging scenarios.Un modèle de déperdition des marques est ajusté aux données de marquage-recapture du germon afin d’estimer les taux de déplacement du germon entre l’Atlantique et la Méditerranée. Le taux de transfert estimé de l’Atlantique à la Méditerranée n’est pas sensiblement différent de zéro, et le taux de transfert annuel estimé dans la direction opposée, en prenant comme postulat une capturabilité et des taux de soumission de données identiques, s’élève à 5,49%. On a réalisé des tests de sensibilité aux taux de soumission de données supposés et à la capturabilité relative. Les taux de récupération inférieurs observés en Méditerranée suggèrent éventuellement une capturabilité ou un taux de soumission de données plus faible dans cette zone, ce qui donnerait une estimation encore plus faible du taux de transfert. Cela est également appuyé par des informations provenant de récupérations tardives de marques de poissons marqués en Méditerranée. Le faible impact de ces taux de transfert sur l’évaluation du stock est discuté et une évaluation préliminaire du volume de poissons marqués nécessaire pour obtenir des estimations exactes et précises de ces faibles taux de transfert est également réalisée en simulant différents scénarios de marquage.Se ajusta un modelo de tasa de pérdida de marcas a los datos de marcado-recuperación de atún blanco con el fin de estimar las tasas de movimiento del atún blanco entre el Atlántico y el Mediterráneo. La tasa de transferencia estimada del Atlántico al Mediterráneo no se diferencia significativamente de cero, y la tasa de transferencia anual estimada en la dirección opuesta, bajo el supuesto de la misma tasa de capturabilidad y comunicación, es de 5,49%. Se realizaron pruebas de sensibilidad de las tasas de comunicación y capturabilidades relativas supuestas, y las tasas de recuperación inferiores observadas en el Mediterráneo pueden sugerir una tasa de capturabilidad o de comunicación más baja en esta zona, lo que proporcionaría una estimación aún más baja de transferencia, que se ve sustentada por la información de recuperaciones de marcas posteriores de peces marcados en el Mediterráneo. Se discute el bajo impacto de estas tasas de transferencia en la evaluación del stock y también se realiza una evaluación preliminar de la cantidad de peces marcados necesarios para obtener estimaciones precisas y exactas de estas bajas tasas de trasferencia mediante una simulación de diferentes escenarios de marcado

Holocene atmospheric dust deposition in NW Spain

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.Atmospheric dust plays an important role in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, particularly those that are nutrient limited. Despite that most dust originates from arid and semi-arid regions, recent research has shown that past dust events may have been involved in boosting productivity in nutrient-poor peatlands. We investigated dust deposition in a mid-latitude, raised bog, which is surrounded by a complex geology (paragneiss/schist, granite, quartzite and granodiorite). As proxies for dust fluxes, we used accumulation rates of trace (Ti, Zr, Rb, Sr and Y) as well as major (K and Ca) lithogenic elements. The oldest, largest dust deposition event occurred between ~8.6 and ~7.4 ka BP, peaking at ~8.1 ka BP (most probably the 8.2 ka BP event). The event had a large impact on the evolution of the mire, which subsequently transitioned from a fen into a raised bog in ~1500 years. From ~6.7 to ~4.0 ka BP, fluxes were very low, coeval with mid-Holocene forest stability and maximum extent. In the late Holocene, after ~4.0 ka BP, dust events became more prevalent with relatively major deposition at ~3.2–2.5, ~1.4 ka BP and ~0.35–0.05 ka BP, and minor peaks at ~4.0–3.7, ~1.7, ~1.10–0.95 ka BP and ~0.74–0.58 ka BP. Strontium fluxes display a similar pattern between ~11 and ~6.7 ka BP but then became decoupled from the other elements from the mid Holocene onwards. This seems to be a specific signal of the granodiorite batholith, which has an Sr anomaly. The reconstructed variations in dust fluxes bear a strong climatic imprint, probably related to storminess controlled by North Atlantic Oscillation conditions. Complex interactions also arise because of increased pressure from human activities.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Consiliencia networkFunding for Consolidation and Structuration of Research Unit

Use of lectins to characterise genetic variability and geographic differentiation in natural populations of Thunnus alalunga (Bonn. 1788)

New tools from cell and molecular biology can be used to implement the knowledge of fish biology and fisheries. In this sense, we suggest that the use of lectins can be an understandable procedure to study population structure of fishes. Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of nonimmune origin that agglutinate cells and/or precipitate complex carbohydrates. Several lectins behave like blood group antibodies and can be used as specific gene markers. We characterise blood groups of Thunnus alalunga worldwide populations under a population genetics point of view using lectins. Fishes from several populations of Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans were captured and 5 mL blood was obtained from each fish. Each fish was treated with 8 FITC-labelled lectins. The binding activity of the lectins was detected using a fluorescence assay. Several statistical procedures of populations genetics were employed to analyse genetic variability, geographic differentiation, and genetic distance showing that: i) there is genetic variability within Thunnus alalunga populations, ii) we detect highly significant heterogeneity among populations, and considerable geographic differentiation, iii) Mediterranean population is quite distant of North Atlantic population, iv) North and South Atlantic populations are extremely distant, v) Pacific population is the most distant from the others , vi) Gulf of Guinea and South Atlantic populations are distant, vii) Gulf of Guinea and North Atlantic are proximate, viii) Indian and South Atlantic populations are also proximate.De nouveaux moyens fournis par la biologie cellulaire et moléculaire peuvent servir à appliquer les connaissances sur la biologie et la pêche du poisson. A cet égard, nous suggérons que l'utilisation des lectines peut constituer un processus raisonnable pour étudier la structure des stocks de poisson. Les lectines sont des protéines ou des glycoprotéines d'origine non-immunitaire qui agglutinent les cellules et/ou précipitent les carbohydrates complexes. Plusieurs lectines se comportent comme des anticorps de groupes sanguins et peuvent servir de marqueurs génétiques spécifiques. Nous identifions les groupes sanguins des populations globales de Thunnus alalunga du point de vue de la génétique des populations au moyen de lectines. Des poissons de plusieurs stocks de la Méditerranée, de l'Atlantique, du Pacifique et de l'océan Indien ont été capturés, et 5 ml de leur sang a été prélevé. Chacun de ces poissons a été traité avec des lectines dénommées 8 FITC. L'activité agglutinante des lectines a été détectée au moyen de tests de fluorescence. Plusieurs processus statistiques de génétique des populations ont été employées pour analyser la variabilité générique, la différentiation géographique et l'écartement génétique, d'où: i) il existe une variabilité génétique su sein des populations de Thunnus alalunga, ii) nous détectons un degré très significatif d'hétérogénéité entre les populations, et une différentiation géographique considérable, iii) la population méditerranéenne se démarque assez de la population nordatlantique, iv) les populations du nord et du sud de l'Atlantique sont extrêmement distinctes, v) la population du Pacifique est celle qui se différencie le plus des autres, vi) les populations du golfe de Guinée et de l'Atlantique sud sont distinctes, vii) les populations du golfe de Guinée et de l'Atlantique nord sont proches, viii) les populations de l'océan Indien et de l'Atlantique sud sont également proches.Las nuevas herramientas de biología molecular y celular se pueden utilizar para implementar el conocimiento de la biología de los peces y de la pesca. En este sentido, proponemos la utilización de lectinas como procedimiento comprensible para estudiar la estructura de población de los peces. Las lectinas son proteínas o glucoproteínas de origen no inmune que aglutinan células o precipitan carbohidratos complejos. Muchas lectinas se comportan como anticuerpos de grupos sanguíneos y pueden utilizarse como marcadores genéticos específicos. Hemos identificado grupos sanguíneos de poblaciones de Thunnus alalunga de todo el mundo desde el punto de vista de genética de poblaciones mediante lectinas. Se capturaron peces de varias poblaciones del mar Mediterráneo y de los océanos Atlántico, Pacífico e Índico y se les extrajo 5 mL de sangre a cada uno. Se trató a cada pez con lectinas marcadas con FITC 8. La actividad aglutinante de la lectina se detectó utilizando fluorimetrías. Se emplearon varios procedimientos estadísticos de genética de poblaciones para analizar la variabilidad genética, diferenciación geográfica y distancia genética, que mostraron que: i) existe una variabilidad genética dentro de las poblaciones de Thunnus alalunga; ii) detectamos una heterogeneidad muy significativa entre las poblaciones y una considerable diferenciación geográfica; iii) la población mediterránea se distancia bastante de la población del Atlántico Norte, iv) las poblaciones del Atlántico norte y sur son extremadamente distantes; v) La población del Pacífico es la que presenta una mayor distancia con respecto a las demás; vi) las poblaciones del Atlántico Sur y del Golfo de Guinea son distantes; vii) las poblaciones del Golfo de Guinea y el Atlántico norte son próximas; viii) las poblaciones del Índico y el Atlántico sur también son próximas

Study on the migrations and stock structure of Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea based on conventional tag release-recapture experiences

In this paper a study on the migrations of albacore from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea is made, based on the information from conventional tag release-recapture experiences. Information on 643 recaptured fish from a total of 23,777 tagged fish has been analyzed. This information highlights the long distance movements of albacore, their transoceanic migrations and the possibility of an interchange of fish between the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean.Le présent document fait état d'une étude sur les migrations du germon de l'Atlantique nord et de la Méditerranée, d'après des informations provenant d'expériences de marquage et de recapture avec marques conventionnelles. L'information correspondant à 643 poissons recapturés sur un total de 23.777 poissons marqués a été analysée. Cette information révèle les déplacements du germon sur de grandes distances, ses migrations transocéaniques et l'éventualité d'échanges de poissons entre l'Atlantique nord et la Méditerranée.En este documento se hace un estudio de las migraciones del atún blanco del Atlántico norte y Mediterráneo en base a las informaciones procedentes de las experiencias de marcado-recaptura convencionales. Se ha analizado la información procedente de 643 peces recapturados de un total de 23.777 peces marcados. Con esta información se ponen de manifiesto los grandes movimientos del atún blanco, sus desplazamientos transoceánicos y la posibilidad de intercambio de peces entre el Atlántico norte y el Mediterráneo

Google Scholar Metrics evolution: an analysis according to languages

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1164-8In November 2012 the Google Scholar Metrics (GSM) journal rankings were updated, making it possible to compare bibliometric indicators in the ten languages indexed—and their stability—with the April 2012 version. The h-index and h-5 median of 1,000 journals were analysed, comparing their averages, maximum and minimum values and the correlation coefficient within rankings. The bibliometric figures grew significantly. In just seven and a half months the h-index of the journals increased by 15 % and the median h-index by 17 %. This growth was observed for all the bibliometric indicators analysed and for practically every journal. However, we found significant differences in growth rates depending on the language in which the journal is published. Moreover, the journal rankings seem to be stable between April and November, reinforcing the credibility of the data held by Google Scholar and the reliability of the GSM journal rankings, despite the uncontrolled growth of Google Scholar. Based on the findings of this study we suggest, firstly, that Google should upgrade its rankings at least semi-annually and, secondly, that the results should be displayed in each ranking proportionally to the number of journals indexed by language.Orduña Malea, E.; Delgado López-Cózar, E. (2014). Google Scholar Metrics evolution: an analysis according to languages. Scientometrics. 98(3):2353-2367. doi:10.1007/s11192-013-1164-8S23532367983Aguillo, & Isidro, F. (2012). Is Google Scholar useful for bibliometrics? A webometric analysis. Scientometrics, 91(2), 343–351.Brewington, B. E., & Cybenko, G. (2000). How dynamic is the Web? Computer Networks, 33(1–6), 257–276.Chen, X. (2010). Google Scholar’s dramatic coverage improvement five years after debut. Serials Review, 36(4), 221–226.Cho, Y. & Garcia-Molina, H. (2000). The evolution of the web and implications for an incremental crawler. Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on very large data bases, 200–209.Costas, R., & Bordons, M. (2007). The h-index: advantages, limitations and its relation with other bibliometric indicators at the micro level. Journal of Informetrics, 1(3), 193–203.de Winter, J. C. F., Zadpoor, A. A., & Dodou, D. (2013). The expansion of Google Scholar versus Web of Science: a longitudinal study. Scientometrics. doi: 10.1007/s11192-013-1089-2 .Delgado López-Cózar, E., & Cabezas-Clavijo, A. (2012). Google Scholar Metrics: an unreliable tool for assessing scientific journals. El profesional de la información, 21(4), 419–427.Delgado López-Cózar, E., & Cabezas-Clavijo, A. (2013). Ranking journals: could Google Scholar metrics be an alternative to journal citation reports and Scimago journal ranks. Learned publishing, 26(2), 101–114.Fetterly, D., Manasse, M., Najork, M. & Wiener, J. (2003). A large scale study of the evolution of web pages. Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on World Wide Web, 669–678.Harzing, A.-W. (2013). A preliminary test of Google Scholar as a source for citation data: a longitudinal study of Nobel prize winners. Scientometrics, 94(3), 1057–1075.Jacsó, P. (2012). Google Scholar Metrics for Publications—The software and content feature of a new open access bibliometric service. Online Information Review, 36(4), 604–619.Koehler, W. (2002). Web page change and persistence-4-year longitudinal web study. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(2), 162–171.Koehler, W (2004). A longitudinal study of Web pages continued a consideration of document persistence. Information Research, 9(2). http://informationr.net/ir/9-2/paper174.html . Accessed 1 Sep 2013.Kousha, K., & Thelwall, M. (2007). Google Scholar Citations and Google Web/URL citations: a multidiscipline exploratory analysis. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(7), 1055–1065.Leydesdorff, L. (2012). World shares of publications of the USA, EU-27, and China compared and predicted using the new Web of Science interface versus Scopus. El profesional de la información, 21(1), 43–49.Neuhaus, C., Neuhaus, E., Asher, A., & Wrede, C. (2006). The depth and breadth of Google Scholar: An empirical study. Libraries and the Academy, 6(2), 127–141.Orduña-Malea, E., Serrano-Cobos, J., & Lloret-Romero, N. (2009). Las universidades públicas españolas en Google Scholar: presencia y evolución de su publicación académica web. El profesional de la información, 18(5), 493–500.Orduña-Malea, E., Serrano-Cobos, J., Ontalba-Ruipérez, J.-A., & Lloret-Romero, N. (2010). Presencia y visibilidad web de las universidades públicas españolas. Revista española de documentación científica, 33(2), 246–278.Ortega, J. L., Aguillo, I. F., & Prieto, J. A. (2006). Longitudinal study of contents and elements in the scientific Web environment. Journal of Information Science, 32(4), 344–351.Payne, N., & Thelwall, M. (2007). A longitudinal study of academic webs: growth and stabilization. Scientometrics, 71(3), 523–539

Star-forming galaxies in SDSS: signs of metallicity evolution

Evolution of galaxies through cosmic time has been widely studied at high redshift, but there are a few studies in this field at lower redshifts. However, low-redshifts studies will provide important clues to the evolution of galaxies, furnishing the required link between local and high-redshift universe. In this work we focus on the metallicity of the gas in spiral galaxies at low redshift looking for signs of chemical evolution. We analyze the metallicity contents of star forming galaxies of similar luminosities at different redshifts, we studied the metallicity of star forming galaxies from SDSS-DR5 (Sloan Digital Sky Survey-Data Release 5), using different redshift intervals from 0.1 to 0.4. We used the public data of SDSS-DR5 processed with the STARLIGHT spectral synthesis code, correcting the fluxes for dust extinction, estimating metallicities using the R23 method, and analyzing the samples with respect to the [NII]6583/[OII]3727 line ratio. From a final sample of 207 galaxies, we find a decrement in 12+log(O/H) corresponding to the redshift interval 0.3 < z < 0.4 of ~0.1 dex with respect to the rest of the sample, which can be interpreted as evidence of the metallicity evolution in low-z galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Chemical abundances in M31 from HII regions

We have obtained multi-slit spectroscopic observations from 3700A to 9200A with LRIS at the Keck I telescope for 31 HII regions in the disk of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), spanning a range in galactocentric distance from 3.9 kpc to 16.1 kpc. In 9 HII regions we measure one or several auroral lines ([OIII]4363, [NII]5755, [SIII]6312, [OII]7325), from which we determine the electron temperature (Te) of the gas and derive chemical abundances using the 'direct Te-based method'. We analyze, for the first time in M31, abundance trends with galactocentric radius from the 'direct' method, and find that the Ne/O, Ar/O, N/O and S/O abundance ratios are consistent with a constant value across the M31 disc, while the O/H abundance ratio shows a weak gradient. We have combined our data with all spectroscopic observations of HII regions in M31 available in the literature, yielding a sample of 85 HII regions spanning distances from 3.9 kpc to 24.7 kpc (0.19 - 1.2 R25) from the galaxy center. We have tested a number of empirical calibrations of strong emission line ratios. We find that the slope of the oxygen abundance gradient in M31 is -0.023+/-0.002 dex/kpc, and that the central oxygen abundance is in the range 12+log(O/H) = 8.71 - 8.91 dex (i.e. between 1.05 and 1.66 times the solar value, for 12+log(O/H)_solar=8.69), depending on the calibration adopted. The HII region oxygen abundances are compared with the results from other metallicity indicators (supergiant stars and planetary nebulae). The comparison shows that HII region O/H abundances are systematically ~0.3 dex below the stellar ones. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of oxygen depletion onto dust grains and possible biases affecting Te-based oxygen abundances at high metallicity.Comment: 21 pages and 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Oxygen and nitrogen abundances of HII regions in six spiral galaxies

Spectroscopic observations of 63 HII regions in six spiral galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678) were carried out with the 6-meter telescope (BTA) of Russian Special Astrophysical Observatory with the Spectral Camera attached to the focal reducer SCORPIO in the multislit mode with a dispersion of 2.1A/pixel and a spectral resolution of 10A. These observations were used to estimate the oxygen and nitrogen abundances and the electron temperatures in HII regions through the recent variant of the strong line method (NS calibration). The parameters of the radial distribution (the extrapolated central intercept value and the gradient) of the oxygen and nitrogen abundances in the disks of spiral galaxies NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678 have been determined. The abundances in the NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, and NGC 7678 are measured for the first time. Galaxies from our sample follow well the general trend in the luminosity - central metallicity diagram for spiral and irregular galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA