A comparative study of frontal bone morphology of Late Pleistocene fossil hominins from the territory of the former Soviet Union.

The major aim of the present work is to provide a re-assessment of the morphological and taxonomic affinities of several adult and juvenile fossils from the territory of the former Soviet Union that retain frontal bones. Nine fossils were analysed and compared with a sample of Late Pleistocene hominins and recent modern populations. Analytical techniques included traditional inter-landmark measurements, as well as a geometric morphometric toolkit for the 3D surfaces. The following patterns were found in the comparative sample: 1) the best differentiation in the frontal bone morphology exists between the 'modern' and 'archaic' groups of hominins, where the former is composed of recent and Upper Palaeolithic modem humans, and the latter incorporates Neanderthals and early modern humans from Africa and West Asia 2) Upper Palaeolithic humans from central and eastern Europe differ significantly from the pooled sample of the nine recent modern human populations 3) the morphology of the complete frontal bone discriminates between hominin groups better than the supraorbital relief 4) recent modern humans and Neanderthals display diverging growth trajectories in the shape of the frontal bone differences already exist at the earliest age stages represented here (2.5 years in Neanderthals) and increase towards adulthood. Within the above framework, all Sungir' fossils align with the recent modern human morphological variation. In contrast, the fossil frontal from Podkumok, North Caucasus, is associated with the Upper Palaeolithic sample of fossils. Satanay, Khvalynsk and Skhodnya frontal bones have an ambiguous morphological associations generally aligning with the modem morphology but demonstrating particular combination of features that sometimes make them closer to the 'archaic' fossils in the sample. The Teshik-Tash child is found to be similar to Neanderthals in the frontal bone morphology. However, it shows lesser degree of the development of the 'classical' Neanderthal morphology and deviates towards the early modern humans. The Starosel'e child did not demonstrate any affiliation with the 'archaic' morphological pattern in its frontal bone

Tyrosine hydroxylase of the brain and it’s regulation by glucocorticoids

Early life stress events can produce long-lasting changes in neurochemistry and behaviors related to monoamine systems, with increased risks of cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroendocrine, psychiatric disorders, generalized anxiety and depression in adulthood. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the key enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, also plays an important role in the activity of the noradrenergic system and may be a target for glucocorticoids during the perinatal programming of physiological functions and behavior. Administration of hydrocortisone or dexamethasone to female rats on day 20 of pregnancy and to 3-day-old neonatal pups significantly increased TH mRNA levels (real-time PCR) and enzyme activity as well as protein levels determined by ICH in the locus coeruleus. Moreover, our treatment led to increase in TH mRNA levels in 25- and 70-day-old animals, as well as an increase in enzyme activity in the brainstem and cerebral cortex of adult rats. The long-term changes in TH expression are limited by the perinatal period of development. Administration of hormones on day 8 of life was not accompanied by changes in TH mRNA levels or enzyme activity. Glucocorticoids use several mechanisms to bring about transactivation or transrepression of genes. The main mechanism includes direct binding of the hormone-activated GRs to glucocorticoid responsive elements (GREs) in the promoter region of genes. However, despite optimistic claims made the classical GRE was not found in the TH gene promoter. Protein – protein interactions between hormone-activated GR and other transcription factors, for example, AP-1, provide an additional mechanism for the effects of glucocorticoids on gene expression. An important feature of this mechanism is its dependence on the composition of proteins formed by AP-1. Hormone-activated GRs are able to enhance gene expression when AP-1 consists of the Jun / Jun homodimer, but do not do that when AP-1 appears as the Jun / Fos heterodimer. Furthermore, as has been shown recently, the GRE / AP-1 composite site is the major site of interaction of glucocorticoids with  the TH gene in the pheochromocytoma cell line. Ontogenetic variation in the expression of Fos and Jun family proteins, which affects their ratio, can be one of the reasons for the TH gene regulation by glucocorticoids at near-term fetuses and neonates. However, to date this hypothesis has been supported only by in vitro data, and the existence of this mechanism in in vivo conditions needs to be explored in further studies

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of chromium(VI) and iron (III) by H-point standard addition method

In this work the possibility of simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of chromium (VI) and iron (III) in alloys with help of the mixed organic reagent (diphenylcarbazide and 1,10-phenanthroline) is studied. We have applied Н-point standard addition method to determine concentrations of chromium (VI) and iron (III) from the mixture. The pure signals of complexes of chromium (VI) with diphenylcarbazide and iron (III) with the 1,10-phenanthroline and their calibration plots are previously carried out. We established the possibility of simultaneous determination of chromium (VI) and iron (III) in the different concentration ranges by Н-point standard addition method. Correctness of determination of concentration by means of the offered technique is proved by "added-found" method for a series of mixtures with different ratios of concentration of chromium (VI) and iron (III). It is founded that the error of determination of concentration doesn't exceed 33 %.

Conformational isomerism in 3,5,8-trioxabicyclo[5.1.0]octane and its diastereomeric 4-methyl derivatives. A combined IR, X-ray and ab initio study

IR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations have been applied to the title compounds. Bicyclic acetals were found to exist as mixture of chair and twist-boat conformations, a parent epoxide being in ternary equilibrium. X-ray data on 4-methyl (exo) derivative display a twist-boat form. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Diminished temperature and vegetation seasonality over northern high latitudes

Global temperature is increasing, especially over northern lands (>50° N), owing to positive feedbacks1. As this increase is most pronounced in winter, temperature seasonality (ST)—conventionally defined as the difference between summer and winter temperatures—is diminishing over time2, a phenomenon that is analogous to its equatorward decline at an annual scale. The initiation, termination and performance of vegetation photosynthetic activity are tied to threshold temperatures3. Trends in the timing of these thresholds and cumulative temperatures above them may alter vegetation productivity, or modify vegetation seasonality (SV), over time. The relationship between ST and SV is critically examined here with newly improved ground and satellite data sets. The observed diminishment of ST and SV is equivalent to 4° and 7° (5° and 6°) latitudinal shift equatorward during the past 30 years in the Arctic (boreal) region. Analysis of simulations from 17 state-of-the-art climate models4 indicates an additional STdiminishment equivalent to a 20° equatorward shift could occur this century. How SV will change in response to such large projected ST declines and the impact this will have on ecosystem services5 are not well understood. Hence the need for continued monitoring6 of northern lands as their seasonal temperature profiles evolve to resemble thosefurther south.Lopullinen vertaisarvioitu käsikirjoitu

Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for novel ecosystems

Arctic warming has been linked to observed increases in tundra shrub cover and growth in recent decades on the basis of significant relationships between deciduous shrub growth/biomass and temperature. These vegetation trends have been linked to Arctic sea ice decline and thus to the sea ice/albedo feedback known as Arctic amplification. However, the interactions between climate, sea ice and tundra vegetation remain poorly understood. Here we reveal a 50- year growth response over a >100,000 km2 area to a rise in summer temperature for alder (Alnus) and willow (Salix), the most abundant shrub genera respectively at and north of the continental treeline. We demonstrate that whereas plant productivity is related to sea ice in late spring, the growing season peak responds to persistent synoptic-scale air masses over West Siberia associated with Fennoscandian weather systems through the Rossby wave train. Substrate is important for biomass accumulation, yet a strong correlation between growth and temperature encompasses all observed soil types. Vegetation is especially responsive to temperature in early summer. These results have significant implications for modelling present and future Low Arctic vegetation responses to climate change, and emphasize the potential for structurally novel ecosystems to emerge fromwithin the tundra zone.Vertaisarviointia edeltävä käsikirjoitu

Controls on the composition and lability of dissolved organic matter in Siberia's Kolyma River basin

High-latitude northern rivers export globally significant quantities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the Arctic Ocean. Climate change, and its associated impacts on hydrology and potential mobilization of ancient organic matter from permafrost, is likely to modify the flux, composition, and thus biogeochemical cycling and fate of exported DOC in the Arctic. This study examined DOC concentration and the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) across the hydrograph in Siberia's Kolyma River, with a particular focus on the spring freshet period when the majority of the annual DOC load is exported. The composition of DOM within the Kolyma basin was characterized using absorbance-derived measurements (absorbance coefficienta330, specific UV absorbance (SUVA254), and spectral slope ratio SR) and fluorescence spectroscopy (fluorescence index and excitation-emission matrices (EEMs)), including parallel factor analyses of EEMs. Increased surface runoff during the spring freshet led to DOM optical properties indicative of terrestrial soil inputs with high humic-like fluorescence, SUVA254, and low SRand fluorescence index (FI). Under-ice waters, in contrast, displayed opposing trends in optical properties representing less aromatic, lower molecular weight DOM. We demonstrate that substantial losses of DOC can occur via biological (∼30% over 28 days) and photochemical pathways (>29% over 14 days), particularly in samples collected during the spring freshet. The emerging view is therefore that of a more dynamic and labile carbon pool than previously thought, where DOM composition plays a fundamental role in controlling the fate and removal of DOC at a pan-Arctic scale

High biolability of ancient permafrost carbon upon thaw

Ongoing climate warming in the Arctic will thaw permafrost and remobilize substantial terrestrial organic carbon (OC) pools. Around a quarter of northern permafrost OC resides in Siberian Yedoma deposits, the oldest form of permafrost carbon. However, our understanding of the degradation and fate of this ancient OC in coastal and fluvial environments still remains rudimentary. Here, we show that ancient dissolved OC (DOC, &gt;21,000 (14)Cyears), the oldest DOC ever reported, is mobilized in stream waters draining Yedoma outcrops. Furthermore, this DOC is highly biolabile: 34 +/- 0.8% was lost during a 14 day incubation under dark, oxygenated conditions at ambient river temperatures. Mixtures of Yedoma stream DOC with mainstem river and ocean waters, mimicking in situ mixing processes, also showed high DOC losses (14 days; 17 +/- 0.8% to 33 +/- 1.0%). This suggests that this exceptionally old DOC is among the most biolabile DOC in any previously reported contemporary river or stream in the Arctic.</p

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes