To the Point. The Bone Tool Industry of the Ifri n´Etsedda, NE-Morocco

Der Artikel beschäftigt sich mit den epipaläolithischen und neolithischen Knochenartefakten der Fundstelle Ifri n´Etsedda, östliches Rif, Marokko. Seit 1995 wird die Region durch ein marokkanisch-deutsches Team archäologisch erforscht, wobei ein Schwerpunkt auf der Untersuchung des Übergangs von aneignender zu produzierender Wirtschaftsweise sowie den hiermit einhergehenden kulturellen Entwicklungen liegt. Innovationen wie Keramikproduktion, domestizierte Tiere und die Kultivierung von Getreiden und Hülsenfrüchten konnten im Rahmen des Projekte ab etwa 7.6 calBP nachgewiesen werden. Die Ifri n´Etsedda, ein kleines Abri nahe des Unterlaufes der Moulouya, ist eine der wichtigsten Fundstellen des östlichen Rif, da hier sowohl epipaläolithische als auch neolithische Ablagerungen untersucht werden können. Während die hier gefundene Keramik auf externe Einflüsse hindeutet, die während des Neolithikums auf die kulturellen Entwicklungen der Region eingewirkt haben, verweisen sowohl Knochenwerkzeuge als auch lithische Artefakte auf lokale, epipaläolithische Traditionen. Die Untersuchung der Knochenwerkzeuge ist daher entscheidend für ein besseres Verständnis von Kontinuität und Diskontinuität zwischen dem Übergang von aneignender zu produzierender Wirtschaftsweise im östlichen Rif. Trotz einer teilweise starken Fragmentierung und intensiver Überformung der Knochenartefakte konnten im Rahmen der vorliegenden techno-funktionalen Analyse, Informationen zu Aspekten der Rohstoffauswahl sowie Produktion, Nutzung und Instandhaltung der Geräte gewonnen werden. Daneben ermöglicht die Präsentation der Ergebnisse eine geographische Erweiterung des bestehenden Corpus an Studien zu epipaläolithischen und neolithischen Knochenartefakten aus Nordafrika, die sich bislang primär auf Fundstellen im heutigen Algerien, Tunesien, Libyen und Ägypten konzentrieren.This paper provides all bone artefacts recovered from the archaeological deposits of Ifri n’Etsedda, Eastern Rif, Morocco. Archaeological research has been carried out in the Eastern Rif since 1995 by a collaborative Moroccan-German research team. A major topic of the project is the transition from hunting-gathering to food production and related cultural developments. Innovations such as pottery, domesticated animals and the cultivation of cereals and pulses appeared around 7.6 ka calBP. Ifri n’Etsedda, a small shelter close to the lower reaches of the Moulouya river, is one of the most important sites in the area containing both Epipaleolithic as well as Neolithic deposits. While innovative technologies such as pottery production and cultivation indicate external influences during the Neolithic period, bone tools, similar to lithic artefacts, demonstrate local technologies of Epipaleolithic tradition. Therefore, the study of bone industries is crucial to understanding the nature of continuity and discontinuity between the hunting-gathering and agricultural populations in the Eastern Rif. The bone artefacts from Ifri n´Etsedda mainly consist of points. Despite their fragmentation and an intense transformation of the original bone, a techno-functional analysis provided information on raw material selection, production, use and maintenance. With the presentation of our results we intend to geographically extend the existing corpus of bone tool studies, which so far primarily focused on sites in present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, by adding our assemblage from the Moroccan Rif region, and thus make a contribution to the knowledge on Epipaleolithic and Neolithic bone industries in North Africa

Evaluation of a luminometric cell counting system in context of antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation

Antimicrobial resistance belongs to the most demanding medical challenges, and antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) is considered a promising alternative to classical antibiotics. However, the pharmacologic characterization of novel compounds suitable for aPDI is a tedious and time-consuming task that usually requires preparation of bacterial cultures and counting of bacterial colonies. In this study, we established and utilized a luminescence-based microbial cell viability assay to analyze the aPDI effects of two porphyrin-based photosensitizers (TMPyP and THPTS) on several bacterial strains with antimicrobial resistance. We demonstrate that after adaptation of the protocol and initial calibration to every specific bacterial strain and photosensitizer, the luminometric method can be used to reliably quantify aPDI effects in most of the analyzed bacterial strains. The interference of photosensitizers with the luminometric readout and the bioluminescence of some bacterial strains were identified as possible confounders. Using this method, we could confirm the susceptibility of several bacterial strains to photodynamic treatment, including extensively drug-resistant pathogens (XDR). In contrast to the conventional culture-based determination of bacterial density, the luminometric assay allowed for a much more time-effective analysis of various treatment conditions. We recommend this luminometric method for high-throughput tasks requiring measurements of bacterial viability in the context of photodynamic treatment approaches

Elusa. From Nabatean Trading Post to Late Antique Desert Metropolis: Results of the 2015−2020 Seasons

In Roman to late Byzantine times, Elusa (Hebrew: Haluza, Arabic: al-Khalasa) was the most important settlement in the Negev region and its only proper city. Identified in 1838 by E. Robinson, it was subsequently visited by numerous researchers. The most important investigations took place in the form of surveys and excavations from the 1970s until 2001, during which, among other things, the only theatre in the region and the city’s cathedral were uncovered. However, despite several research projects, very basic information on the city and its genesis, history and structure has been lacking until now. Since 2015, this has been the focus of an international cooperation project that is investigating these fundamental questions using a multi-method approach. The focus here is also on the role of the city in the region, as it appears as an economic, administrative, cultural and religious centre. Particular emphasis is placed on the city’s flourishing in light of its precarious natural location within the Negev Desert. The article reflects the combined findings of remote sensing, archaeological survey, geophysical prospection, targeted excavations, geochemical soil sampling and extensive find material analyses and thus provides an unprecedented insight into the character and development of ancient Elusa.In Roman to late Byzantine times, Elusa (Hebrew: Haluza, Arabic: al-Khalasa) was the most important settlement in the Negev region and its only proper city. Identified in 1838 by E. Robinson, it was subsequently visited by numerous researchers. The most important investigations took place in the form of surveys and excavations from the 1970s until 2001, during which, among other things, the only theatre in the region and the city’s cathedral were uncovered. However, despite several research projects, very basic information on the city and its genesis, history and structure has been lacking until now. Since 2015, this has been the focus of an international cooperation project that is investigating these fundamental questions using a multi-method approach. The focus here is also on the role of the city in the region, as it appears as an economic, administrative, cultural and religious centre. Particular emphasis is placed on the city’s flourishing in light of its precarious natural location within the Negev Desert. The article reflects the combined findings of remote sensing, archaeological survey, geophysical prospection, targeted excavations, geochemical soil sampling and extensive find material analyses and thus provides an unprecedented insight into the character and development of ancient Elusa

The stigma of suicide survivorship and related consequences: a systematic review

Background: Cconsiderable proportion of the population experiences major life disruptions after losing a loved one to suicide. Social stigma attached to suicide survivors adds to complications occurring in the course of suicide bereavement. Despite its known risks, stigma related to suicide survivors has been sparsely investigated. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo and PsyArticles, of studies indexed up through August 2015. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they addressed experiences of stigma in suicide survivors, compared them to other bereavement populations, or investigated stigmatizing attitudes within the public. The search was restricted to English-language studies. Results: 25 records matched inclusion criteria. Study designs were heterogeneous, making comparisons difficult. Results demonstrated that suicide survivors experience stigma in the form of shame, blame, and avoidance. Suicide survivors showed higher levels of stigma than natural death survivors. Stigma was linked to concealment of the death, social withdrawal, reduced psychological and somatic functioning, and grief difficulties. Only one study investigated stigmatizing attitudes towards suicide survivors among the general population. Limitations: Internal and external validity of the studies was restricted by a lack of valid measures and selection bias. Conclusions: More methodologically sound research is needed to understand the impact of stigma on suicide survivors\'' grief trajectories and to separate it from other grief aspects. Clinicians and grief-counselors as well as the public should be educated about the persistent stigma experienced by suicide survivors

Pots, plants and animals:broad-spectrum subsistence strategies in the Early Neolithic of the Moroccan Rif region

The transition from hunter-gathering to food-producing societies in the Mediterranean zone of north Africa was complex and variable, likely influenced by local ecological conditions as well as the socio-economic origins of the population. The adoption of domestic plants and animals was piecemeal, with hunting and gathering continuing as an important part of local subsistence strategies. Here, we investigate the timing and extent of the adoption of agricultural practices, namely herding and cultivation, in three diverse coastal and inland Early Neolithic sites in the Mediterranean Maghreb region, namely Ifri Oudadane, Ifri n’Etsedda and Hassi Ouenzga. Results from absorbed lipid residues extracted from 306 potsherds from these sites are correlated with information from faunal and archaeobotanical assemblages. Our findings suggest that agricultural practices, regarded as being of Neolithic origin, were never fully adopted in the Maghreb but rather that these farmer/foragers adopted a range of strategies including low-level food production (exploiting cereals and animal products, including meat and milk), gathering of wild plants and marine shellfish, and hunting both small and large sized game. These broad-spectrum farmer/foragers were clearly both flexible and resourceful and likely adapted their subsistence practices to maximise resource availability in an increasingly unpredictable environment

Exercise training induces depot-specific adaptations to white and brown adipose tissue

Exercise affects whole-body metabolism through adaptations to various tissues, including adipose tissue (AT). Recent studies investigated exercise-induced adaptations to AT, focusing on inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT), perigonadal WAT, and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT). Although these AT depots play important roles in metabolism, they account for only ∼50% of the AT mass in a mouse. Here, we investigated the effects of 3 weeks of exercise training on all 14 AT depots. Exercise induced depot-specific effects in genes involved in mitochondrial activity, glucose metabolism, and fatty acid uptake and oxidation in each adipose tissue (AT) depot. These data demonstrate that exercise training results in unique responses in each AT depot; identifying the depot-specific adaptations to AT in response to exercise is essential to determine how AT contributes to the overall beneficial effect of exercise11425439This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01-HL138738 and K01-DK105109 (to K.I.S.), R01-DK099511 (to L.J.G.), and 5P30 DK36836 (Joslin Diabetes Center DRC). The authors thank Nathan Makarewicz for editorial contribution

Relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness/muscular strength and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in brown adipose tissue after exposure to cold in young, sedentary adults

Humans have metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT). However, what is the relation between exercise or physical activity with this tissue remains controversial. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to examine whether cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength are associated with brown adipose tissue (BAT) volume and activity after exposure to cold in young, sedentary adults. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined in 119 young, healthy, sedentary adults (68% women, age 21.9 ± 2.1 years, body mass index 25 ± 4.8 kg/m2) via the maximum treadmill exercise test, and their muscular strength assessed by the handgrip strength test and the 1-repetition maximum bench and leg press tests. Some days later, all subjects were exposed to 2 h of personalized exposure to cold and their cold-induced BAT volume and activity determined by a combination of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography scan. Cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with neither the BAT volume nor BAT activity (P ≥ 0.05). However, handgrip strength with respect to lean body mass was positively (though weakly) associated with BAT activity as represented by the 18F-FDG mean standardised uptake value (SUV) (β = 3.595, R2 = 0.039, P = 0.031) and SUVpeak value (β = 15.314, R2 = 0.037, P = 0.035). The above relationships remained after adjusting for several confounders. No other associations were found. Handgrip strength with respect to lean body mass is positively associated with BAT activity (SUVmean and SUVpeak) in young adults after exposure to cold - but only weakly. Further studies are needed to reveal the relationship between muscular fitness and human BAT characteristics.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), Retos de la Sociedad (DEP2016-79512-R) and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/04365 and FPU14/04172), the Fundación Iberoamericana de Nutrición (FINUT), the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016 -Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES) - and Plan Propio de Investigación 2018 - Programa Contratos-Puente, and the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades (ERDF: SOMM17/6107/UGR)

Quo vadis, cold molecules? - Editorial review

We give a snapshot of the rapidly developing field of ultracold polar molecules abd walk the reader through the papers appearing in this topical issue