Mammalian turnover as an indicator of climatic and anthropogenic landscape modification: A new Meghalayan record (Late Holocene) in northern Iberia

Acknowledgements AB.M-A. developed part of this research as part of the ERC Consoli- dator Grant (SUBSILIENCE ref. 818299). We thank J.A. Delgado for his technical work on studying macromammal assemblage. Financial sup- port was provided by the Bilbao Port Authority (Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao) within the project “Estabilizaci´on del sector occidental de la Cantera de Punta Lucero en el Puerto de Bilbao”. We are also grateful to Juan Manuel L´opez-García and the anonymous reviewer for their sug- gestions and comments that strongly improved the manuscript.Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111476The Punta Lucero III cave is a natural trap where abundant vertebrate remains were accumulated during the Meghalayan (Late Holocene). To better understand the paleoenvironmental conditions in which this record was accumulated, the micromammal assemblage, comprising a minimum number of 1396 individuals belonging to 19 taxa, was studied using the Mutual Ecogeographic Range and the Habitat Weighting Method. Throughout ~2600 years, the micromammal community's quick turnover reflected a shift from patchy forests and humid meadows to open, shrubbier grasslands. The Late Holocene Thermal Maximum's humid and mild climatic conditions underwent a cooling and aridification phase, coeval with the Iron Age Cold Epoch. These concluded in a slight temperature rising, coeval with the Roman Warm Period. Macromammals experienced a shift from wild populations to domestic herds. Therefore, this work discusses a broader context for this mammalian turnover from a human cultural perspectiveERC Consolidator Grant (SUBSILIENCE ref. 818299)Bilbao Port Authority (Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao)Estabilización del sector occidental de la Cantera de Punta Lucero en el Puerto de Bilba

Effects of neurosteroids on a model membrane including cholesterol: A micropipette aspiration study

Amphiphilic molecules supposed to affect membrane protein activity could strongly interact also with the lipid component of the membrane itself. Neurosteroids are amphiphilic molecules that bind to plasma membrane receptors of cells in the central nervous system but their effect on membrane is still under debate. For this reason it is interesting to investigate their effects on pure lipid bilayers as model systems. Using the micropipette aspiration technique (MAT), here we studied the effects of a neurosteroid, allopregnanolone (3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone or Allo) and of one of its isoforms, isoallopregnanolone (3β,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone or isoAllo), on the physical properties of pure lipid bilayers composed by DOPC/bSM/chol. Allo is a well-known positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptor activity while isoAllo acts as a non-competitive functional antagonist of Allo modulation. We found that Allo, when applied at nanomolar concentrations (50-200 nM) to a lipid bilayer model system including cholesterol, induces an increase of the lipid bilayer area and a decrease of the mechanical parameters. Conversely, isoAllo, decreases the lipid bilayer area and, when applied, at the same nanomolar concentrations, it does not affect significantly its mechanical parameters. We characterized the kinetics of Allo uptake by the lipid bilayer and we also discussed its aspects in relation to the slow kinetics of Allo gating effects on GABAA receptors. The overall results presented here show that a correlation exists between the modulation of Allo and isoAllo of GABAA receptor activity and their effects on a lipid bilayer model system containing cholesterol

Temporal Trends in Cardiovascular Hospital Discharges Following a Mass Chlorine Exposure Event in Graniteville, South Carolina

Background: On January 6, 2005, a train derailed in Graniteville, South Carolina, releasing nearly 60,000 kg of toxic chlorine gas. The disaster left nine people dead and was responsible for hundreds of hospitalizations and outpatient visits in the subsequent weeks. While chlorine gas primarily affects the respiratory tract, a growing body of evidence suggests that acute exposure may also cause vascular injury and cardiac toxicity. Here, we describe the incidence of cardiovascular hospitalizations among residents of the zip codes most affected by the chlorine gas plume, and compare the incidence of cardiovascular discharges in the years leading up to the event (2000–2004) to the incidence in the years following the event (2005–2014). Methods: De-identified hospital discharge information was collected from the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office for individuals residing in the selected zip codes for the years 2000 to 2014. A quasi-experimental study design was utilized with a population-level interrupted time series model to examine hospital discharge rates for Graniteville-area residents for three cardiovascular diagnoses: hypertension (HTN), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and coronary heart disease (CHD). We used linear regression with autoregressive error correction to compare slopes for pre- and post-spill time periods. Data from the 2000 and 2010 censuses were used to calculate rates and to provide information on potential demographic shifts over the course of the study. Results: A significant increase in hypertension-related hospital discharge rates was observed for the years following the Graniteville chlorine spill (slope 8.2, p \u3c 0.001). Concurrent changes to CHD and AMI hospital discharge rates were in the opposite direction (slopes −3.2 and −0.3, p \u3c 0.01 and 0.14, respectively). Importantly, the observed trend cannot be attributed to an aging population. Conclusions: An unusual increase in hypertension-related hospital discharge rates in the area affected by the Graniteville chlorine spill contrasts with national and state-level trends. A number of factors related to the spill may be contributing the observation: disaster-induced hypertension, healthcare services access issues, and, possibly, chlorine-induced susceptibility to vascular pathologies. Due to the limitations of our data, we cannot determine whether the individuals who visited the hospital were the ones exposed to chlorine gas, however, the finding warrants additional research. Future studies are needed to determine the etiology of the increase and whether individuals exposed to chlorine are at a heightened risk for hypertensive heart disease

A combinatorial proof of the Removal Lemma for Groups

Green [Geometric and Functional Analysis 15 (2005), 340--376] established a version of the Szemer\'edi Regularity Lemma for abelian groups and derived the Removal Lemma for abelian groups as its corollary. We provide another proof of his Removal Lemma that allows us to extend its statement to all finite groups. We also discuss possible extensions of the Removal Lemma to systems of equations

Mammalian turnover as an indicator of climatic and anthropogenic landscape modification: A new Meghalayan record (Late Holocene) in northern Iberia

The Punta Lucero III cave is a natural trap where abundant vertebrate remains were accumulated during the Meghalayan (Late Holocene). To better understand the paleoenvironmental conditions in which this record was accumulated, the micromammal assemblage, comprising a minimum number of 1396 individuals belonging to 19 taxa, was studied using the Mutual Ecogeographic Range and the Habitat Weighting Method. Throughout ~2600 years, the micromammal community's quick turnover reflected a shift from patchy forests and humid meadows to open, shrubbier grasslands. The Late Holocene Thermal Maximum's humid and mild climatic conditions underwent a cooling and aridification phase, coeval with the Iron Age Cold Epoch. These concluded in a slight temperature rising, coeval with the Roman Warm Period. Macromammals experienced a shift from wild populations to domestic herds. Therefore, this work discusses a broader context for this mammalian turnover from a human cultural perspective.AB.M-A. developed part of this research as part of the ERC Consolidator Grant (SUBSILIENCE ref. 818299). We thank J.A. Delgado for his technical work on studying macromammal assemblage. Financial support was provided by the Bilbao Port Authority (Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao) within the project “Estabilizaci´on del sector occidental de la Cantera de Punta Lucero en el Puerto de Bilbao”. We are also grateful to Juan Manuel López-García and the anonymous reviewer for their suggestions and comments that strongly improved the manuscript

Validation of the Actical Activity Monitor in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Purpose: This study was designed to validate the Actical activity monitor in middle-aged and older adults of varying body composition to develop accelerometer thresholds to distinguish between light and moderate intensity physical activity (PA). Methods: Nonobese 45 to 64 yr (N = 29), obese 45 to 64 yr (N = 21), and ≥65 yr (N = 23; varying body composition) participants completed laboratory-based sitting, household, and locomotive activities while wearing an Actical monitor and a portable metabolic measurement system. Non-linear regression analysis was used to identify activity count (AC) cut-points to differentiate between light intensity (\u3c3 METs) and moderate intensity (≥3 METs) PA. Results: Using group-specific algorithms, AC cut points for 3 METs were 1634, 1107, and 431 for the obese 45 to 64 yr group, nonobese 45 to 64 yr group, and ≥65 yr group, respectively. However, sensitivity and specificity analysis revealed that an AC cut-point of 1065 yielded similar accuracy for detecting an activity as less than or greater than 3 METs, regardless of age and body composition. Conclusion: For the Actical activity monitor, an AC cut-point of 1065 can be used to determine light and moderate intensity PA in people ≥45 years of age