Birds from sima del elefante, atapuerca, spain: Palaeoecological implications in the oldest human bearing levels of the iberian peninsula

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Early Pleistocene sites has a particular interest as it sheds light on how the arriving of the first Europeans occurred, as well as on the nature of the relation between these humans and the ecosystems. Bird remains are useful tools for this purpose, because they are commonly represented in the assemblages and most taxa still exist, allowing a direct comparison between past and extant birds associations. Here we analyse the bird remains from the Early Pleistocene levels of the Sima del Elefante site (1.1 to 1.5 million years old). Almost 10.000 remains belonging to at least 26 different taxa have been included. The assemblage is dominated by corvids and has a mixed origin, with cave-dwelling taxa dying in the cave and other taxa being accumulated by predators. The Sima del Elefante avian assemblage provides the oldest record of several taxa in the Iberian Peninsula (Haliaeetus albicilla, Corvus pliocaenus). Besides, here we report the oldest evidence of Imperial Eagle in the Iberian Peninsula, prior to the separation of the oriental and Iberian populations. The assemblage composition suggests that open environmental conditions were dominant, with minor presence of woodlands and water bodies, which is congruent with some previous approaches by other proxies. The first humans occupying the Iberian Peninsula inhabited under Mediterranean climate conditions, which gradually deteriorated, as reflected by the avian turnover recorded at the middle Pleistocene Atapuerca assemblages. © 2021 Universita degli Studi di Milano. All rights reserved

Multimodal analysis of advertising discourse during the lockdown due to COVID-19: Comparison of the communication strategies of financial services and automotive products in Spain

The goal of the following text is to analyze the changes in television advertising in the banking and automobile sectors, according to the social context. The hypothesis is that communication is significantly influenced by the situational context, causing differences between the advertising of the two sectors. A multimodal discourse analysis is used, comparing twenty commercials from the banking and automobile sectors in 2019 and 2020, the period during which the lockdown due to COVID-19 took place. Based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis tables were developed with which to analyze general data such as the value proposition or target audience of the advert, or other special data like the text (verb tenses, rhetorical figures…), the image and the sound used. The fact that context is decisive in communication is made evident, and since this is different in every sector, the communication strategy is clearly different as well. However, the points that the two sectors have in common are remarkable: these range from talking about brands and products, to speaking for and about people

First data of Neandertal bird and carnivore exploitation in the Cantabrian Region (Axlor; Barandiaran excavations; Dima, Biscay, Northern Iberian Peninsula)

Neandertals were top predators who basically relied on middle-to large-sized ungulates for dietary purposes, but there is growing evidence that supports their consumption of plants, leporids, tortoises, marine resources, carnivores and birds. The Iberian Peninsula has provided the most abundant record of bird exploitation for meat in Europe, starting in the Middle Pleistocene. However, the bird and carnivore exploitation record was hitherto limited to the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present the first evidence of bird and carnivore exploitation by Neandertals in the Cantabrian region. We have found cut-marks in two golden eagles, one raven, one Wolf and one lynx remain from the Mousterian levels of Axlor. The obtaining of meat was likely the primary purpose of the cut-marks on the golden eagle and lynx remains. Corvids, raptors, felids and canids in Axlor could have likely acted as commensals of the Neandertals, scavenging upon the carcasses left behind by these hunter-gatherers. This could have brought them closer to Neandertal groups who could have preyed upon them. These new results provide additional information on their dietary scope and indicate a more complex interaction between Neandertals and their environment

Los Batanes (Biescas, Spain), a roost site for horseshoe bats in the Pyrenees during the late Pleistocene

Los Batanes C4 is a cave-site in the Spanish Pyrenees, the minimum sediment calendar age was determined to be 15, 234 ± 223 cal BP by radiocarbon dating. The cave opens on the northern bank of an eastern tributary of the River Gállego, at an altitude of 1025 m. The small vertebrates recorded are mainly bats, in order of abundance Rhinolophus euryale, R. ferrumequinum, Myotis sp. and Miniopterus schreibersii. The association suggests that at the time of the accumulation the climate was reasonably similar to the current climate; we situate it within a period of local retreat of the ice-cover in the Gállego Valley during the Lateglacial. This is the highest record of these species of Rhinolophus in the Iberian Quaternary, showing that the R. euryale altitudinal range was similar to its extant range during the favourable periods of the Lateglacial. This could indicate that this taxon was relatively quick in spreading into higher regions whenever climate conditions allowed it

A simple approach to obtain hybrid Au-loaded polymeric nanoparticles with a tunable metal load

A new strategy to nanoengineer multi-functional polymer-metal hybrid nanostructures is reported. By using this protocol the hurdles of most of the current developments concerning covalent and non-covalent attachment of polymers to preformed inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are overcome. The strategy is based on the in situ reduction of metal precursors using the polymeric nanoparticle as a nanoreactor. Gold nanoparticles and poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid), PLGA, are located in the core and shell, respectively. This novel technique enables the production of PLGA NPs smaller than 200 nm that bear either a single encapsulated Au NP or several smaller NPs with tunable sizes and a 100% loading efficiency. In situ reduction of Au ions inside the polymeric NPs was achieved on demand by using heat to activate the reductive effect of citrate ions. In addition, we show that the loading of the resulting Au NPs inside the PLGA NPs is highly dependent on the surfactant used. Electron microscopy, laser irradiation, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy characterization techniques confirm the location of Au nanoparticles. These promising results indicate that these hybrid nanomaterials could be used in theranostic applications or as contrast agents in dark-field imaging and computed tomography

Bayesian latent class estimation of sensitivity and specificity parameters of diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis in chronically infected herds in Northern Ireland

Publication history: Accepted - 26 April 2018; Published online - 1 May 2018.In the European Union, the recommended ante-mortem diagnostic methods for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) include the single intradermal cervical comparative tuberculin (SICCT) test and the interferon-gamma (IFN- g) test as an ancillary test. The SICCT test has a moderate sensitivity (Se) and high specificity (Sp), while the IFN-g test has good Se, but a lower Sp than the SICCT test. A retrospective Bayesian latent class analysis was conducted on 71,185 cattle from 806 herds chronically infected with bTB distributed across Northern Ireland (NI) to estimate the Se and Sp of the common ante-mortem tests and meat inspection. Analyses were also performed on data stratified by farming type and herd location to explore possible differences in test performance given the heterogeneity in the population. The mean estimates in chronically infected herds were: (1) ‘standard’ SICCT: Se 40.5–57.7%, Sp 96.3–99.7%; (2) ‘severe’ SICCT: Se 49.0%–60.6%, Sp 94.4–99.4%; (3) IFN-g(bovine–avian) using a NI optical density (OD) cut-off difference of 0.05: IFN-g(B–A)NI: Se 85.8– 93.0%, Sp 75.6–96.2%; (4) IFN-g(bovine–avian) using a standard ‘commercial’ OD cut-off difference of 0.1: IFN-g(B–A)0.1: Se 83.1–92.1%, Sp 83.1–97.3%; and (5) meat inspection: Se 49.0–57.1% Se, Sp 99.1–100%. Se estimates were lower in cattle from dairy farms than from beef farms. There were no notable differences in estimates by location of herds. Certain population characteristics, such as production type, might influence the ability of bTB tests to disclose truly infected cases.This study is part of a larger project on the evaluation of the performance characteristics of the test in chronic bTB herds in NI from 2004 to 2010. It was financed by DAERA (E&I grant code 11/ 03/10)

Reviewing progress: 7 Year Trends in Characteristics of Adults and Children Enrolled at HIV Care and Treatment Clinics in the United Republic of Tanzania.

To evaluate the on-going scale-up of HIV programs, we assessed trends in patient characteristics at enrolment and ART initiation over 7 years of implementation. Data were from Optimal Models, a prospective open cohort study of HIV-infected (HIV+) adults (>=15 years) and children (<15 years) enrolled from January 2005 to December 2011 at 44 HIV clinics in 3 regions of mainland Tanzania (Kagera, Kigoma, Pwani) and Zanzibar. Comparative statistics for trends in characteristics of patients enrolled in 2005--2007, 2008--2009 and 2010--2011 were examined. Overall 62,801 HIV+ patients were enrolled: 58,102(92.5%) adults, (66.5% female); 4,699(7.5%) children.Among adults, pregnant women enrolment increased: 6.8%, 2005--2007; 12.1%, 2008--2009; 17.2%, 2010--2011; as did entry into care from prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs: 6.6%, 2005--2007; 9.5%, 2008--2009; 12.6%, 2010--2011. WHO stage IV at enrolment declined: 27.1%, 2005--2007; 20.2%, 2008--2009; 11.1% 2010--2011. Of the 42.5% and 29.5% with CD4+ data at enrolment and ART initiation respectively, median CD4+ count increased: 210cells/muL, 2005--2007; 262cells/muL, 2008--2009; 266cells/muL 2010--2011; but median CD4+ at ART initiation did not change (148cells/muL overall). Stavudine initiation declined: 84.9%, 2005--2007; 43.1%, 2008--2009; 19.7%, 2010--2011.Among children, median age (years) at enrolment decreased from 6.1(IQR:2.7-10.0) in 2005--2007 to 4.8(IQR:1.9-8.6) in 2008--2009, and 4.1(IQR:1.5-8.1) in 2010--2011 and children <24 months increased from 18.5% to 26.1% and 31.5% respectively. Entry from PMTCT was 7.0%, 2005--2007; 10.7%, 2008--2009; 15.0%, 2010--2011. WHO stage IV at enrolment declined from 22.9%, 2005--2007, to 18.3%, 2008--2009 to 13.9%, 2010--2011. Proportion initiating stavudine was 39.8% 2005--2007; 39.5%, 2008--2009; 26.1%, 2010--2011. Median age at ART initiation also declined significantly. Over time, the proportion of pregnant women and of adults and children enrolled from PMTCT programs increased. There was a decline in adults and children with advanced HIV disease at enrolment and initiation of stavudine. Pediatric age at enrolment and ART initiation declined. Results suggest HIV program maturation from an emergency response

Conditioning of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes using surface topography obtained with high throughput technology

Surface functionalization of polymers aims to introduce novel properties that favor bioactive responses. We have investigated the possibility of surface functionalization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets by the combination of laser ablation with hot embossing and the application of such techniques in the field of stem cell research. We investigated the response of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to topography in the low micrometer range. HiPSC-CMs are expected to offer new therapeutic tools for myocardial replacement or regeneration after an infarct or other causes of cardiac tissue loss. However, hiPSC-CMs are phenotypically immature compared to myocytes in the adult myocardium, hampering their clinical application. We aimed to develop and test a high-throughput technique for surface structuring that would improve hiPSC-CMs structural maturation. We used laser ablation with a ps-laser source in combination with nanoimprint lithography to fabricate large areas of homogeneous micron- to submicron line-like pattern with a spatial period of 3 µm on the PET surface. We evaluated cell morphology, alignment, sarcomeric myofibrils assembly, and calcium transients to evaluate phenotypic changes associated with culturing hiPSC-CMs on functionalized PET. Surface functionalization through hot embossing was able to generate, at low cost, low micrometer features on the PET surface that influenced the hiPSC-CMs phenotype, suggesting improved structural and functional maturation. This technique may be relevant for high-throughput technologies that require conditioning of hiPSC-CMs and may be useful for the production of these cells for drug screening and disease modeling applications with lower costs.Fil: Cortella, Lucas R. X.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cestari, Idágene A.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Lahuerta, Ricardo D.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Arana, Matheus C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Soldera, Marcos Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas; ArgentinaFil: Rank, Andreas. Technische Universität Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Lasagni, Andrés F.. Technische Universität Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Cestari, Ismar N.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi