PIETRAGALLA PROJECT DATABASE - Base de données relationnelle pour la gestion de données de prospection et fouille du site archéologique de Monte Torretta di Pietragalla (https://fm01.db.huma-num.fr/fmi/webd/Pietragalla_Project)

http://lucanie-antique.pantheonsorbonne.f

Jubail Island protected areas 3 and 7 archaeological mission, late Islamic period and Iron Age lime production areas, 2021 Archaeological Report

As part of Jubail Island’s urban development process, the Jubail Island Investment Company appointed LEAD Development and Management Real Estate Consultants to investigate and develop the island’s archeological heritage. Following the advice of the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), which will supervise the project, the French company Eveha International was put in charge of the archeology work. Field work took place from September 26 to November 4, 2021. A team of 6 specialists and 19 part-time workers took part. Post-excavation work began immediately afterwards in order to submit the report by February 2022. The goals of the project were to: • identify and characterize the different anthropogenic settlements in Areas 3 and 7; • investigate the natural taphonomy and formation of a dune and multiple geophysical survey anomalies in Area 3. Area 3 is a 350 × 150 m area, southwest of the island and south of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway. It is made up of a north sector (JUB0010) and a south sector (JUB0022). Eleven archeological structures were fully excavated along the western edge and in the central part of JUB0010. These structures were heap-burning pits and constructed lime kilns, using coral and shells as raw materials, respectively. A new pedestrian survey to locate additional kilns identified ten more. Radiocarbon dating on two kilns determined that they date from the late Islamic period, and ceramic findings also indicate that this sector was generally occupied during that era. Preliminary studies were done on the burnt coral and shells. The geophysical anomalies and geomorphological context of Area 3 were studied using five trenches and multiple test trenches above the anomalies. We were able to create two main transects, mostly covering the JUB0022 dune area. Though not all the layers could be correlated, a global relative chronology of the deposits has already been provided. The geomorphological context of JUB0010 is distinct: a relatively flat surface on a rocky plateau. The rocky plateau is a mass of concretionized limestone formed above a 1- to 2-meter-thick sandstone layer. The JUB0022 sector, however, seems to be affected by the two main desert sand deposit processes: erosion and accumulation. In general, accumulation affects the southern part of the area explored, where a large dune has formed and the rocky plateau is nearly absent. Notably, several of the trenches in Area 3 are thought to include paleosols which could date back to the early Holocene, between 8.5 and 5 ky BP, a period when Neolithic populations were thriving in the Mesopotamian region. Seventeen of the 34 geophysical anomalies investigated consist of indurated sands; there are no anthropogenic settlements under the dune. Area 7 (sector JUB0027) features an area of rocky plateau measuring 1060 m², with three coral lime kilns. At least one of them was dated to the Iron Age I using radiocarbon dating. These archeological areas seem to consist of individual areas for cooperative lime production that took place on a small, artisanal—not industrial—scale, and for specific needs. Production seems to have been more developed during the late Islamic period than during the Iron Age. For now, evidence suggests that activity may have been intermittent given the lack of indicators of permanent settlement (dwellings, wells, etc.). Also, human groups have known and used this site as an efficient lime production area over a large period of time, given the time gap between Areas 7 and 3. Further investigations are needed to refine this hypothesis, especially in Protected Areas 1 and 2, thought to be late Islamic settlements. Possible dwellings and other mound structures with late Islamic period artifacts were observed during the DCT survey of these areas. The proximity of Areas 1 and 2 to Areas 3 and 7 is an interesting starting point. This is the first time that an artisanal area like this has been discovered and investigated in the Abu Dhabi island area. As we have seen with other sites over the Abu Dhabi islands, these structures can span a long period of time with similar architecture. To glean a better understanding of the time span and characteristics of occupation, every structure should be investigated and radiocarbon dated. This is why, to complete the investigation, per DCT request, we have suggested a reduced protective fence around Area 3. It encircles an area of 0.01 km², reducing it to 12.5% of the original Protected Area 3. The Jubail excavation included an extensive OSL sampling campaign, targeting layers surrounding suspected pedogenized levels, which should be further supported with evidence. We decided to do micromorphology column sampling as part of this campaign to better identify the type of deposits involved. The results will be analyzed in a later report due to delays in analysis. If the soil chronology and determination are confirmed, this data could very well expand on the data for the southwestern Arabian Peninsula regarding the green desert events. These investigations have painted a picture of previously unknown occupation of Jubail Island during the Iron Age and the late Islamic period. They shed light on a form of artisanal production not yet studied which, in view of the surrounding surveys, is part of a much larger occupation of the island that merits further investigation and promotion to the general public

L'espace funéraire et le site gallo-romain de la “ Barrière du Lot ” aux Martres-de-Veyre (Puy-de-Dôme) : fonds ancien et nouvelles données

International audienceLocated in the so-called “Barrière du Lot” in the Martres-de-Veyre district, the “Chaumes d’Allier” funerary area consists of a burial site which was excavated between 1851 and 1923. The exceptional state of preservation of the organic remains which were unearthed there (hair, coffins, pieces of clothing, funerary furniture) granted the site its world-wide reputation although, paradoxically, it remained somewhat overlooked as a whole. The recent discovery of unpublished archival materials relating to the 19th-century and early 20th-century excavations, together with an archeo-anthropological study of the documents found at the Bargoin Museum in Clermont-Ferrand, provide a brand-new spatial approach to this funeral site. By shedding new light on the terms and conditions which governed the exploration of the site, the unearthed archives also allow us to understand its importance by attracting our attention to a number of graves barely seen or documented. These new documents, coupled with the archeological data coming from recent preventive and planned operations, allow us, at last, to get a global understanding of the ancien site known as “Barrière du Lot”, which had been interpreted for more than a century as an “urban area”.Situé à la “ Barrière du Lot ” sur la commune des Martres-de-Veyre, l’espace funéraire des “ Chaumes d’Allier ” correspond à une aire sépulcrale fouillée entre 1851 et 1923. L’état de conservation hors du commun des vestiges organiques mis au jour (chevelures, cercueils, pièces vestimentaires, mobilier funéraire) a assuré la renommée mondiale de ce site resté paradoxalement méconnu dans sa globalité. La récente découverte d’archives inédites relatives aux investigations du XIXe et du début du XXe s., croisée avec une étude archéo-anthropologique de la documentation hébergée au musée Bargoin de Clermont-Ferrand, renouvelle intégralement l’approche spatiale de cette occupation funéraire. Jetant un éclairage inédit sur les modalités d'exploration du site, les archives exhumées, permettent également d’en mesurer l’importance en livrant pour la première fois un nombre de sépultures entrevues ou bien documentées. Cette nouvelle documentation, couplée aux données archéologiques issues d’opérations préventives et programmées récentes, autorise enfin à aborder la compréhension globale du site antique de la “ Barrière du Lot ”, interprété depuis plus d’un siècle comme une “ agglomération ”

Characterising techniques and marine resource exploitation for Iron Age and Late Islamic lime production on Jubail Island (Abu Dhabi): the 2021 archaeological investigations

International audienceAs part of Jubail Island’s development process, an archaeological intervention was undertaken by Eveha International in 2021, monitored by the Historic Environment Department at the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi. The scientific goals were to identify and characterise the archaeological settlements on Jubail Island and to define the site’s environmental context. Both Iron Age and late Islamic lime production were discovered through heap-burning kilns and constructed kilns, using coral and shells as raw material. The island was used for lime production over a long time period. No permanent settlements have been identified to date  and artefacts are few. The production seems to be opportunistic and intermittent in scale. Further research is needed to relate the late Islamic period production to the lifestyle shift of the nomadic population as they shed light on an unsuspected and underrated kind of lime production. That is part of a much larger occupation of the island and of the intricate socio-cultural history of Abu Dhabi’s development. Considering the surrounding surveys and Abu Dhabi historical development, it merits further investigation and promotion to the general public

Patient-Level, Institutional, and Temporal Variations in Use of Imaging Modalities to Confirm Pulmonary Embolism

International audienceBackground: The choice of the imaging modality for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) could be influenced by provider, patient or hospital characteristics, or over time. However, little is known about the choice of the diagnostic modalities in practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in the use of imaging modalities for patients with acute PE. Methods: Using the data from Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbolica (RIETE), a prospective international registry of patients with venous thromboembolism (March 2001–January 2019), we explored the imaging modalities used in patients with acute PE. The imaging modalities included computed tomography pulmonary angiography, ventilation/perfusion scanning, pulmonary angiography, a combination of these tests, or PE signs and symptoms plus imaging-confirmed proximal deep vein thrombosis but no chest imaging. Results: Among 38 025 patients with confirmed PE (53.1% female, age: 67.3±17 years), computed tomography pulmonary angiography was the dominant modality of diagnosis in all RIETE enrollees (78.2% [99% CI, 77.6–78.7]); including pregnant patients (58.9% [99% CI, 47.7%–69.4%]) and patients with severe renal insufficiency (62.5% [99% CI, 59.9–65.0]). A greater proportion of patients underwent ventilation/perfusion scanning in larger hospitals compared with smaller hospitals (13.1% versus 7.3%, P <0.001). The use of computed tomography pulmonary angiography varied between 13.3% and 98.3% across the countries, and its use increased over time (46.5% in 2002 to 91.7% in 2018, P <0.001). Conclusions: In a large multinational PE registry, variations were observed in the use of imaging modalities according to patient or institutional factors and over time. However, computed tomography pulmonary angiography was the dominant modality of diagnosis, even in pregnancy and severe renal insufficiency. The safety, costs, and downstream effects of these tests on PE-related and non-PE-related outcomes warrant further investigation

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present