Monitorización de una excavación arqueológica usando fotogrametría y modelos digitales del terreno (MDT). El caso de estudio de Barranco León, Orce (Granada, España)

In this paper, we describe and discuss emergent digital technologies employed for monitoring the excavations at the archaeological site of Barranco León (Granada, Spain) between 2017 and 2020. The method entails the following material requirements: a total station, a conventional camera, a computer and a software that integrates photogrammetry algorithms; in terms of human resources, the presence of an engineer for the first day of the excavation to set up the methodological process and trained excavation staff to perform said method on a daily basis is necessary. Here we present the daily workflow for monitoring archaeological excavations introduced at the site, followed by an estimation of the costs and a summary of the results obtained. The method introduced here is based on the height difference of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) computed on successive days using photogrammetric techniques. It is a non-invasive method, which requires less than 8% of the economic resources of the excavation and can be carried out in less than 15 minutes. This allows the excavation director to have an accurate and visual idea of the excavation process in order to make appropriate decisions. In addition, from the results obtained in the method (differences in DEM of every two days), other derived results can be obtained such as the exact location of the archaeological remains extracted based on their size. These features highlight the relevance and applicability of this approach to a wide range of archaeological sites.En este artículo, describimos y discutimos las tecnologías digitales emergentes utilizadas para la monitorización de las excavaciones del yacimiento arqueológico de Barranco León (Granada, España) entre las campañas de 2017 y 2020. El método implica el uso de los siguientes recursos materiales: una estación total, una cámara de fotos convencional, un ordenador y un programa que integre algoritmos de fotogrametría; referente a los recursos humanos, es necesaria la presencia de un ingeniero durante el primer día de la excavación para establecer el proceso metodológico y un excavador entrenado para llevar a cabo dicho método diariamente. Aquí, presentamos un flujo de trabajo diario para la monitorización de la excavación de un yacimiento arqueológico, seguido de una estimación de los costos y un resumen de los resultados obtenidos. El método presentado se basa en la diferencia de altura de los modelos digitales del terreno (MDT) calculados en sucesivos días utilizando técnicas fotogramétricas. Es un método no invasivo, que requiere menos del 8% del coste total de la excavación y se puede llevar a cabo en menos de 15 minutos. Esto permite que el director de la excavación tenga una visión precisa y una idea visual del proceso de excavación para tomar las decisiones adecuadas. Además, a partir de los resultados obtenidos en el método (diferencias en MDT de cada dos días), se pueden obtener otros resultados derivados como la ubicación exacta de los restos arqueológicos extraídos en función de su tamaño.Junta de Andalucia BC.03.032/17FEDER 2020 Operative Program Research Project A-HUM-016-UGR1

DIMORFISMO SEXUAL EN UNA POBLACIÓN ARQUEOLÓGICA MUSULMANA DEL SUR DE LA PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA

Sexual dimorphism is a key issue in Biology, including Human Biology, because is considered as a response to several factors. An initial step to the sexual dimorphim establishment is sex assignation, a hard work (sometimes impossible) in paleontological and archaeological contexts. In order to avoid this problem, some techniques have been performed to estimate sexual dimorphims from unknonw sex populations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sexual dimorphism of an archeological population by the means of different techniques (coeficient of variation, method of moments and ratio between male and female means) and to draw some inferences about the sociobiological context of the individuals buried in La Torrecilla cemetery (Arenas del Rey, Granada, Spain).El dimorfismo sexual es una cuestión clave en Biología, incluida la humana, puesto que se considera como respuesta a múltiples factores. Un paso previo fundamental para el establecimiento del dimorfismo sexual es la asignación de sexo, tarea ardua, y a veces imposible, en contextos paleontológicos y arqueológicos. Para solventar este problema se ha recurrido a técnicas que permiten estimar el dimorfismo sexual en poblaciones de sexo desconocido. Los objetivos de este estudio son evaluar el dimorfismo sexual de una población arqueológica a partir de diferentes técnicas (coeficiente de variación, método de los momentos y razón entre los promedios de machos y hembras) y extraer algunas inferencias sobre el modo de vida de los individuos enterrados en la necrópolis de La Torrecilla (Arenas del Rey, Granada, España)

Palynological investigations in the Orce Archaeological Zone, Early Pleistocene of Southern Spain

Palynological investigations in the Orce Archaeological Zone (OAZ) (Guadix-Baza Basin, Granada, Spain), Venta Micena 1 (VM1), Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3) are presented. This archaeological region is connectedwith the first Homo populations inWestern Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene. The VM1 pollen record is characterized by Ephedra, and to a lesser extent, Pinus, Juniperus and evergreen Quercus, occassionally accompanied by Olea, Genisteae, Erica, deciduous Quercus, Alnus, Castanea, Fraxinus, Salix and Phillyrea. BL is dominated by Juniperus, Olea, Pinus, Poaceae, and evergreen Quercus. FN3 is characterized by an openMediterraneanwoodland dominated by evergreen Quercus, Pinus, Juniperus and Olea, accompanied by deciduous Quercus, Castanea, Populus, Salix, Ulmus, Fraxinus, Pistacia, Phillyrea, Genisteae, Erica, Cistus, and Ephedra fragilis. Relic Tertiary taxa inOAZ include Carya, Pterocarya, Eucommia, Zelkova, andJuglans. The Early Pleistocene OAZ vegetation is amosaic of different landscapes embracing mesophytes, thermophytes, xerophytes, xerothermophytes, and Mediterranean elements. These finds are compared with former pollen analyses in the region and beyond within the Iberian Peninsula.General Research Project "Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecologico a partir de los depositos Pliopleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza. Zona Arqueologica de la cuenca de Orce" - General Direction of Historical and Documental Heritage (Junta d BC.03.032/17FEDER/Ministry of Science and Innovation -Agencia Estatal de Investigacion, Fundacion Seneca PID20191049449GB-I00 20788/PI/18Proyecto LifeWatch ERIC-SUMHAL LIFEWATCH2019-09-CSIC-13MICINN through European Regional Development Fund (SUMHAL, POPE 20142020) LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-13project "Environment of early hominins outside Africa: the Guadix-Baza Basin" by the Leakey Foundation National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia PRE2020094482 CEX2019-000945-M-20-1Spanish Governmen

Unravelling Hominin Activities in the Zooarchaeological Assemblage of Barranco León (Orce, Granada, Spain)

Little is known about the subsistence practices of the first European settlers, mainly due to the shortage of archaeological sites in Europe older than a million years. This article contributes to the knowledge of the subsistence of the first Europeans with new zooarchaeology and taphonomic data from the Palaeolithic site of Barranco León (Orce, Granada, Spain). We present the results of the analysis of the faunal assemblages retrieved in the context of new excavations undertaken between 2016 and 2020. We have followed a standard methodology for the identification and quantification of species, mortality profiles, skeletal representation and taphonomic analysis. With regard to the taphonomic evidence, we have documented the extent of rounding, abrasion and other alterations. Finally, we examined traces from the activities of carnivores and hominins that led to the accumulation and alteration of the bone assemblages. Results indicate that the archaeo-paleontological deposits from Barranco León present a dual-patterned mixed taphonomic origin. The first phase primarily involved waterborne processes (BL-D1), which led to the accumulation of lithic raw materials, a few archaeological stone tools, and some faunal remains with percussion and cutmarks. The second phase (BL-D2) contains several stone tools associated with faunal remains with more anthropogenic alterations, such as cutmarks and percussion marks. After analysing the Barranco León zooarchaeological assemblage, the present study concludes that hominins had access to the meat and within-bone nutrients of animals of diverse sizes. However, the specific carcass acquisition mechanisms that hominins followed are less certain because the presence of tooth marks suggests that carnivores also played a role in the accumulation and modification of the Barranco León faunal assemblage.CRUE-CSIC agreement Springer NatureJunta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte: Orce Research Project `Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecologico a partir de los depositos pliopleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza: zona arqueologica de la Cuenca de Orce (Grana BC.03.032/17Spanish Government PRE2019-089411 RTI2018-099850-B-I00University of SalamancaArts and Humanities Research Council through a Baillie Gifford AHRC Scholarship (OOC-DTP program) at the University of Oxford AH/R012709/1National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia PRE2020-094482European Union-NextGenerationEU 2021URV-MS-03Ministry of Universities and Recovery, Transformation and Resilience PlanGeneralitat de Catalunya 2017SGR-859 2017SGR-1666Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the `Maria de Maeztu' program for Units of Excellence CEX2019-000945-MSpanish Government CEX2019-000945-M-20-

Assessing Emotional Distress in Adolescents: Psychometrics of the Spanish Version of the Social Emotional Distress Scale-Secondary

Background The Social Emotional Distress Scale-Secondary (SEDS-S) is a short measure designed for comprehensive school-based mental health screening, particularly for using very brief self-reported measures of well-being and distress. Whereas prior studies have shown validity and reliability evidence for the English version, there is a lack of literature about its psychometric properties for Spanish-speaking youths. Objective To examine the psychometric properties of the SEDS-S in a large sample of Spanish adolescents, providing evidence of its reliability, structure, convergent and discriminant validity, longitudinal and gender measurement invariance, and normative data. Methods Participants were 5550 adolescents aged 12–18 years old. Test–retest reliability was examined using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients, and evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was measured using Pearson’s correlation. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine structure validity, while multigroup and longitudinal measurement invariance analysis was conducted for longitudinal and gender latent structure stability. Results The CFA supported a unidimensional latent structure, which was also observed to be invariant between gender groups and over time. The scale showed evidence of reliability, with coefficients above .85. In addition, the SEDS-S score was positively related to measures assessing distress and negatively related to measures assessing well-being, thereby providing convergent/discriminant validity of the total scores. Conclusion This study provides the first evidence of the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the SEDS-S for assessing emotional distress among adolescents, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Furthermore, findings indicated that SEDS-S could be a suitable assessment tool for screening and program evaluation purposes at different contexts beyond the school setting

A comparison of the dental status and treatment needs of older adults with and without chronic mental illness in Sevilla, Spain

Objectives: To study the dental status and treatment needs of institutionalized older adults with chronic mental illness compared to a non-psychiatric control sample. Study Design: The sample size was 100, in which 50 were psychogeriatric patients (study group; SG) classified according to DSM-IV, with a mean age of 69.6 ± 6.7 years, and 50 non-psychiatric patients (control group; CG), with a mean age of 68.3 ± 6.9 years. Clinical oral health examinations were conducted and caries were recorded clinically using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth Index (DMFT). Results were analyzed statistically using the Student"s t-test or analysis of variance. Results: Caries prevalence was 58% and 62% in SG and CG, respectively. DMFT index was 28.3 ± 6.6 in SG and 21.4 ± 6.07 in CG (p < 0.01). Mean number of decayed teeth was higher in SG (3.1) compared to CG (1.8) (p=0.047). Mean number of missing teeth were 25.2 and 16.4 in SG and CG respectively (p<0.05). DMFT scores were higher in SG in all the age groups (p < 0.01). Mean number of teeth per person needing treatment was 3.4 in SG and 1.9 in CG (p= 0.037). The need for restorative dental care was significantly lower in the SG (0.8 teeth per person) than in the CG (1.7 teeth per person) (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Institutionalized psychiatric patients have significantly worse dental status and more dental treatment needs than non-psychiatric patients

To den or not to den. Contributions to the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene site of Venta Micena 4 (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin)

Venta Micena (Orce, Guadix-Baza Basin, Spain) is an Early Pleistocene locality renowned for the richness and quality of its palaeontological record. VM is spread over an area of 2.5 km2, where several exposed fossil outcrops are visible amidst its gorges and ravines. The best known of these sites, VM3, has been interpreted as a hyaena den. In addition, a new site, named VM4, has recently been the focus of fieldwork and taphonomic studies. The publication by Luz on et al. (2021) pointed out that VM4 presents a more complex history than VM3. First, two different sub-levels were identified: VM4-I and VM4-II. Secondly, the preliminary taphonomic analysis showed conspicuous differences with regard to VM3. Nevertheless, such interpretation has been challenged by Palmqvist et al. (2022) who proposed that VM3 and VM4 are both the result of a single depositional process, entailing the selective transport of skeletal parts by the giant extinct hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris back to its den. Using well-preserved faunal elements whose depositional context and provenance are reliable, in this paper we show that: 1) there are two clearly defined sub-levels in VM4 with some shared taphonomic characteristics as well as some notable differences; 2) VM3 and VM4 exhibit enough divergence to support differences in site formation processes; 3) The interpretation of both VM4-I and VM4-II is more consistent with their characterisation as open-air sites in which multiple agents and depositional processes contributed to its formation, rather than with hyaena dens. Nevertheless, excavations are still in progress at VM4 and therefore any results and interpretations ought to be considered as provisional.Consejeía de Cultura de la Junta de Andalucia through the General Research Project Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecologico a partir de los depositos Plio-pleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza BC.03.032/17Inside the Artefacts & Ecofacts" Excellence Unit (University of Granada) HUM-607 PID 2021.125098NB.I00 MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDERUna manera de hacer Europa ProyExcel_00274 2021 SGR 01238Agencia de Gestio D'Ajuts Universitaris de Recerca Agaur (AGAUR) Generalitat de CatalunyaNational Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia PRE2020-094482 CEX2019-000945-M-20-1Spanish GovernmentArchaeometrical Studies. Inside the Artefacts & Ecofacts" Excellence Unit (University of Granad

Walking among Mammoths. Remote Sensing and Virtual Reality Supporting the Study and Dissemination of Pleistocene Archaeological Sites: The Case of Fuente Nueva 3 in Orce, Spain

D.B. and S.T. are grateful for support from the Spanish government Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICINN-FEDER) code CGL2016-80975-P, Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) code 2017 SGR 859 and CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. S.T. is also beneficiary of the Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano (Italy). J.M.J.-A. belongs to the Research Group HUM-607, Junta de Andalucía. The authors would like to thank the editor of this volume and the reviewers for their useful and accurate comments, which have undoubtedly improved previous versions of this paper.Remote sensing is a useful tool for the documentation of archaeological sites. The products derived from a photogrammetric project applied to archaeology such as orthophotos and three-dimensional virtual reconstruction (3DVR), allow for detailed study of the Fuente Nueva 3 site in Orce. In our study of the Fuente Nueva 3 site in Orce, we used 3DVR intensively to map out the morphometric features of mammoth tusks exposed on the surface and a geological fault affecting the site’s deposits. To do so, we used imagery captured since 2017 in order to follow the evolution of ongoing excavations during each subsequent field season. We also integrated the 3DVR model in a videogame environment, to create a virtual reality (VR) that allows a VR navigation experience around the scenario using a head mounted display like Oculus Rift. The main features of this VR experience are: (1) It is ideal for the diffusion of archaeological contents since it permits an attractive presentation mode thanks to stereo visualization and realistic immersion sensations; (2) it provides a high level of detail all along the navigation experience, without incurring any damage to the archaeological remains; (3) it allows users to observe more details than they would in an in situ visit to the site; (4) it makes it possible to convert an archaeological site into portable heritage, opening up the possibility to extend visits to vulnerable groups: specifically those with reduced mobility. Our results show that using VR should permit enhancements to a visitor’s experience and contribute to the socio-economic development of the town of Orce, one of the Spanish municipalities with the lowest income.Junta de Andalucia BC.03.032/17FEDER 2010 Operative Program Research Project A-HUM-016-UGR1

Towards a Middle Pleistocene terrestrial climate reconstruction based on herpetofaunal assemblages from the Iberian Peninsula : state of the art and perspectives

This paper has been mainly funded by the University of Reading and also by projects CGL2016-80000-P (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) and 2017SGR-859 (Generalitat de Catalunya).The pattern of the varying climatic conditions in southern Europe over the last million years is well known from isotope studies on deep-ocean sediment cores and the long pollen records that have been produced for lacustrine and marine sedimentary sequences from Greece, Italy and the Iberian margin. However, although relative glacial and interglacial intensities are well studied, there are still few proxies that permit quantitative terrestrial temperature and precipitation reconstruction. In this context, fauna-based climate reconstructions based on evidence preserved in archaeological or palaeontological sites are of great interest, even if they only document short windows of that climate variability, because (a) they provide a range of temperature and precipitation estimates that are understandable in comparison with present climate; (b) they may allow the testing of predicted temperature changes under scenarios of future climate change; and (c) quantitative temperature and precipitation estimates for past glacials and interglacials for specific regions/latitudes can help to understand their effects on flora, fauna and hominids, as they are directly associated with those cultural and/or biological events. Moreover such reconstructions can bring further arguments to the discussion about important climatic events like the Mid-Bruhnes Event, a climatic transition between moderate warmths and greater warmths during interglacials. In this paper we review a decade of amphibian- and reptile-based climate reconstructions carried out for the Iberian Peninsula using the Mutual Ecogeographic Range method in order to present a regional synthesis from MIS 22 to MIS 6, discuss the climate pattern in relation to the Mid-Bruhnes Event and the thermal amplitude suggested by these estimates and finally to identify the chronological gaps that have still to be investigated.PostprintPeer reviewe

Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of GHRH antagonists in prostate cancer

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and its receptors have been implicated in the progression of various tumors. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that GHRH antagonists inhibit the growth of several cancers. GHRH antagonists, JMR-132 and JV-1-38 inhibit the growth of androgen-independent prostate tumors. Here we investigated the involvement of GHRH antagonists in proliferative and apoptotic processes. We used non-tumoral RWPE-1 and tumoral LNCaP and PC3 human prostatic epithelial cells, as well as an experimental model of human tumor PC3 cells. We evaluated the effects of JMR-132 and JV-1-38 antagonists on cell viability and proliferation in the three cell lines by means of MTT and BrdU assays, respectively, as well as on cell cycle and apoptotic process in PC3 cells. The expression levels of PCNA, p53, p21, CD44, Cyclin D1, c-myc, Bax and Bcl2 were determined in both in vivo and in vitro models by means of Western-blot and RT-PCR. GHRH antagonists suppressed cell proliferation and decreased the levels of the proliferation marker, PCNA, in the three cell lines and in PC3 tumor. GHRH antagonists led to an increase of cells in S-phase and a decrease in G1 and G2/M phases, and induced S-phase arrest and increase of apoptotic cells. The effects of GHRH-antagonists on cell cycle could be due to the changes observed in the expression of p21, p53, Bax, Bcl2, CD44, Cyclin D1, c-myc and caspase 3. Present results confirm and extend the role of GHRH antagonists as anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic molecules in prostate cancer.Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Manch