Holocene aeolian phases and human settlements along the Atlantic coast of southern Spain

A combined geomorphological, radiocarbon dating, archaeological and historical approach permits a refining of the age of the coastal dune systems related to estuaries in the Gulf of Cadiz. Three dune systems are distinguished in this paper. The oldest one, DI, which accumulated under prevailing WSW winds during the first millennium BC, overlays both the occupational horizons of Late Neolithic-Early Copper Age (fourth millennium BC) and the 'lithic workshop levels' (fourth to second millennia BC). The middle dune system, D2, containing both Roman and medieval remains, accumulated between the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries and the seventeenth century AD. The youngest D3 system is associated with the time of building of watchtowers in the seventeenth century AD but extends to the present; it is related to SW prevailing winds. We explain the absence of aeolian deposits prior to ~2700 cal. BP as the result of trapping of a large part of the sediment supply in the estuaries, which starved the neighbouring beaches and aeolian settings. Aeolian accumulation reached significant values when sedimentation in the coastal zone changed from being mainly aggradational in the estuaries (~6500~2700 cal. BP) to mainly progradational in spit barriers and related dunes (post ~2700 cal. BP). The present analysis of aeolian systems suggests a non-direct correlation, at least in some cases, between coastal progradation of spit barriers and aridity

dReDBox: Materializing a full-stack rack-scale system prototype of a next-generation disaggregated datacenter

Current datacenters are based on server machines, whose mainboard and hardware components form the baseline, monolithic building block that the rest of the system software, middleware and application stack are built upon. This leads to the following limitations: (a) resource proportionality of a multi-tray system is bounded by the basic building block (mainboard), (b) resource allocation to processes or virtual machines (VMs) is bounded by the available resources within the boundary of the mainboard, leading to spare resource fragmentation and inefficiencies, and (c) upgrades must be applied to each and every server even when only a specific component needs to be upgraded. The dRedBox project (Disaggregated Recursive Datacentre-in-a-Box) addresses the above limitations, and proposes the next generation, low-power, across form-factor datacenters, departing from the paradigm of the mainboard-as-a-unit and enabling the creation of function-block-as-a-unit. Hardware-level disaggregation and software-defined wiring of resources is supported by a full-fledged Type-1 hypervisor that can execute commodity virtual machines, which communicate over a low-latency and high-throughput software-defined optical network. To evaluate its novel approach, dRedBox will demonstrate application execution in the domains of network functions virtualization, infrastructure analytics, and real-time video surveillance.This work has been supported in part by EU H2020 ICTproject dRedBox, contract #687632.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Survival and long-term maintenance of tertiary trees in the Iberian Peninsula during the Pleistocene. First record of Aesculus L.

The Italian and Balkan peninsulas have been places traditionally highlighted as Pleistocene glacial refuges. The Iberian Peninsula, however, has been a focus of controversy between geobotanists and palaeobotanists as a result of its exclusion from this category on different occasions. In the current paper, we synthesise geological, molecular, palaeobotanical and geobotanical data that show the importance of the Iberian Peninsula in the Western Mediterranean as a refugium area. The presence of Aesculus aff. hippocastanum L. at the Iberian site at Cal Guardiola (Tarrasa, Barcelona, NE Spain) in the Lower– Middle Pleistocene transition helps to consolidate the remarkable role of the Iberian Peninsula in the survival of tertiary species during the Pleistocene. The palaeodistribution of the genus in Europe highlights a model of area abandonment for a widely-distributed species in the Miocene and Pliocene, leading to a diminished and fragmentary presence in the Pleistocene and Holocene on the southern Mediterranean peninsulas. Aesculus fossils are not uncommon within the series of Tertiary taxa. Many appear in the Pliocene and suffer a radical impoverishment in the Lower–Middle Pleistocene transition. Nonetheless some of these tertiary taxa persisted throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene up to the present in the Iberian Peninsula. Locating these refuge areas on the Peninsula is not an easy task, although areas characterised by a sustained level of humidity must have played an predominant role

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Holocene aeolian phases and human settlements along the Atlantic coast of southern Spain

A combined geomorphological, radiocarbon dating, archaeological and historical approach permits a refining of the age of the coastal dune systems related to estuaries in the Gulf of Cadiz. Three dune systems are distinguished in this paper. The oldest one, D1, which accumulated under prevailing WSW winds during the first millennium BC, overlays both the occupational horizons of Late Neolithic-Early Copper Age (fourth millennium BC) and the 'lithic workshop levels' (fourth to second millennia BC). The middle dune system, D2, containing both Roman and medieval remains, accumulated between the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries and the seventeenth century AD. The youngest D3 system is associated with the time of building of watchtowers in the seventeenth century AD but extends to the present; it is related to SW prevailing winds. We explain the absence of aeolian deposits prior to ~2700 cal. BP as the result of trapping of a large part of the sediment supply in the estuaries, which starved the neighbouring beaches and aeolian settings. Aeolian accumulation reached significant values when sedimentation in the coastal zone changed from being mainly aggradational in the estuaries (~6500-2700 cal. BP) to mainly progradational in spit barriers and related dunes (post ~2700 cal. BP). The present analysis of aeolian systems suggests a non-direct correlation, at least in some cases, between coastal progradation of spit barriers and aridity

Holocene aeolian dunes in the National and Natural Parks of Doñana (SW Iberia): Mapping, geomorphology, genesis and chronology

The dune fields of the National and Natural Parks of Doñana are considered one of the most outstanding dune fields in Western Europe. They are located at the west margin of the Guadalquivir river estuary. The accumulation of aeolian sands partly blocks the connection between the ample Guadalquivir River estuary and the Gulf of Cádiz in the Atlantic Ocean. The sand units form a large oval dome, the “Abalario Dome” which connects with the large Doñana Spit Bar where dune systems accumulated as well, at least in part coevally with the spit growth. The most frequent dune morphologies are parabolic or transverse. The degree of activity was classified as stable, semi-active and active. Most stable dunes concentrate on the Abalario Dome, whereas active dunes occur mainly on the Doñana spit bar. Relative chronology was established from the superposition of dune Systems and Subsystems deduced from photogeology coupled with field surveys, orthophotos, and oblique and 3D images. Sampling and radiogenic dating (Optically Stimulated Luminescence-OSL) allowed to date eight dune Systems named as Systems I to VII plus an additional CS, which is a laterally equivalent to part of S IV, V and VI. The proposed ages are: System I, age 11.1 38 to 9.5 ky BP, perhaps extending to 8.5 ky BP. System II, 8.2 to 6.1 ky BP. System III, 5.9 to 2.6 ky BP. 39 System IV, 2.6 to 1.6 ky BP. System V, 1.6 to 1.3 ky BP. System VI, 1.2 to 0.7 ky BP. System VII, 0.7 to 40 0.15 ky BP. The age of the Complex System is 2.2 to 0.15 ky BP. Additionally, it was concluded that genesis of the somewhat-different Complex System (CS) was related to the increased accumulation space created by movements (sliding) along the Mazagón and Torre del Loro faults following major regional seismic activity

Cartografía celeste y terrestre de la zona sur de la CAM

Realiza un estudio de la cartografía de la zona sur de la Comunidad de Madrid utilizando mapas topográficos y geológicos, brújula y planisferios, y cálculo de distancias. Los objetivos son: usar una metodología y terminología científica; observar y comprender la naturaleza; manejar diferentes instrumentos de medición: brújula, telescopio, binoculares, etc.; realizar cálculos estimados de distancias, volúmenes, densidades, etc.; elaborar y comprender diferentes gráficos; comprender diferentes fenómenos astronómicos: estaciones, climas, etc.; manejar mapas con diferentes escalas y saber interpretarlos; y localizar e identificar los planetas, estrellas y galaxias. Se realizan actividades en el aula: estudio de mapas, planisferios y cálculo de distancias, y extraescolares: salidas con brújulas, mapas y al planetario. Se evalúa el grado de consecución de los objetivos, el desarrollo de los contenidos y la participación del alumnado por medio de guiones de actividades, exposición oral de trabajos y observación diaria.Madrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Consejería de Educación y CulturaMadridMadrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Subdirección General de Formación del Profesorado. CRIF Las Acacias; General Ricardos 179 - 28025 Madrid; Tel. + 34915250893ES

DReDBox: Materializing a full-stack rack-scale system prototype of a next-generation disaggregated datacenter

Current datacenters are based on server machines, whose mainboard and hardware components form the baseline, monolithic building block that the rest of the system software, middleware and application stack are built upon. This leads to the following limitations: (a) resource proportionality of a multi-tray system is bounded by the basic building block (mainboard), (b) resource allocation to processes or virtual machines (VMs) is bounded by the available resources within the boundary of the mainboard, leading to spare resource fragmentation and inefficiencies, and (c) upgrades must be applied to each and every server even when only a specific component needs to be upgraded. The dRedBox project (Disaggregated Recursive Datacentre-in-a-Box) addresses the above limitations, and proposes the next generation, low-power, across form-factor datacenters, departing from the paradigm of the mainboard-as-a-unit and enabling the creation of function-block-as-a-unit. Hardware-level disaggregation and software-defined wiring of resources is supported by a full-fledged Type-1 hypervisor that can execute commodity virtual machines, which communicate over a low-latency and high-throughput software-defined optical network. To evaluate its novel approach, dRedBox will demonstrate application execution in the domains of network functions virtualization, infrastructure analytics, and real-time video surveillance. © 2018 EDAA

dReDBox: Materializing a full-stack rack-scale system prototype of a next-generation disaggregated datacenter

Current datacenters are based on server machines, whose mainboard and hardware components form the baseline, monolithic building block that the rest of the system software, middleware and application stack are built upon. This leads to the following limitations: (a) resource proportionality of a multi-tray system is bounded by the basic building block (mainboard), (b) resource allocation to processes or virtual machines (VMs) is bounded by the available resources within the boundary of the mainboard, leading to spare resource fragmentation and inefficiencies, and (c) upgrades must be applied to each and every server even when only a specific component needs to be upgraded. The dRedBox project (Disaggregated Recursive Datacentre-in-a-Box) addresses the above limitations, and proposes the next generation, low-power, across form-factor datacenters, departing from the paradigm of the mainboard-as-a-unit and enabling the creation of function-block-as-a-unit. Hardware-level disaggregation and software-defined wiring of resources is supported by a full-fledged Type-1 hypervisor that can execute commodity virtual machines, which communicate over a low-latency and high-throughput software-defined optical network. To evaluate its novel approach, dRedBox will demonstrate application execution in the domains of network functions virtualization, infrastructure analytics, and real-time video surveillance.This work has been supported in part by EU H2020 ICTproject dRedBox, contract #687632.Peer Reviewe