Morphological And Morphometric Variations In Middle And Late Pleistocene Microtus Arvalis And Microtus Agrestis Populations: Chronological Insight, Evolutionary Trends And Palaeoclimatic And Palaeoenvironmental Inferences

Per aquesta tesi doctoral, les poblacions de M. arvalis i M. agrestis procedents de 13 jaciments de la Península Ibèrica, 14 de la Península italiana, nou de la Conca dels Càrpats, tres de Croàcia i dos de Bèlgica han estat analitzats des d'un punt de vista morfològic i morfomètric. Aquest estudi s'ha realitzat per tal d' accentuar similituds i diferències entre les poblacions d'ambdós especies, possibles patrons d'evolució comuns i la influència de les condicions climàtiques i ambientals sobre les seves variacions poblacionals. Comparant material de diferents cronologies i diferents procedències geogràfiques, s'han pogut refinar les atribucions cronològiques dels jaciments paleontològics i arqueològics de la regió mediterrània i identificar llinatges divergents, signes inicials d'especiació, esdeveniments de migració i desplaçament de poblacions. A més, es proposa l'ús d'un nou índex, Lagr / Larv, per quantificar les variacions entre si en la talla de M. agrestis i M. arvalis. Aquest índex ha demostrat ser un excel·lent indicador del nivell general d'humitat i permet detectar oscil·lacions i variacions en les condicions ambientals en l'entorn d'un jaciment determinat.Para esta tesis doctoral, las poblaciones de M. arvalis y M. agrestis del Pleistoceno Medio y Superior procedentes de 13 yacimientos de la Península Ibérica, 14 de la Península Italiana, nueve de la Cuenca de los Cárpatos, tres de Croacia y dos de Bélgica han sido analizadas desde una perspectiva morfológica y desde un punto de vista morfométrico. Este estudio se ha llevado a cabo con la finalidad de destacar las similitudes y diferencias entre las diferentes poblaciones de ambas especies, posibles patrones comunes de evolución y la influencia de las condiciones climáticas y ambientales en sus variaciones poblacionales. Comparando material de diferentes cronologías y diferente procedencia geográfica, ha sido posible refinar las atribuciones cronológicas de los yacimientos paleontológicos y arqueológicos de la región mediterránea e identificar linajes divergentes, muestras tempranas de especiación, eventos de migración y desplazamiento de poblaciones. Además, proponemos el uso de un nuevo índice, Lagr / Larv, para cuantificar las variaciones entre sí del tamaño de M. agrestis y M. arvalis. Este índice ha demostrado ser un excelente indicador del nivel general de humedad y, permite detectar oscilaciones y variaciones en las condiciones ambientales en los alrededores de un yacimiento determinado.For this PhD thesis, Middle and Late Pleistocene populations of M. arvalis and M. agrestis coming from 13 sites of the Iberian Peninsula,14 sites of the Italian Peninsula, nine of the Carpathian Basin, three of Croatia and two of Belgium were analysed from a morphological and morphometric point of view, in order to underlie similarities and differences among them, possible common patterns of evolution and the influence of climatic and environmental conditions on their variations. Comparing samples from different chronologies and different geographic provenance, it was possible to refine the chronological attributions of palaeontological and archaeological sites of the Mediterranean region and to identify divergent lineages, early signs of speciation, immigration events and displacement of populations. Furthermore, we propose the use of a new index, Lagr/Larv, to quantify the variations in size of M. agrestis and M. arvalis in relation to each other. This index proved to be an excellent indicator of the general humidity level and allow to detect oscillations and variations in the environmental conditions in the surroundings of a given sites

Paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on the small vertebrates from the Middle Paleolithic of Hohle Fels Cave, SW Germany

In this paper, we analyse the fish and small mammal assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic horizons of Hohle Fels Cave to reconstruct the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions faced by the Neanderthal groups who occupied the site. The fish assemblage indicates that the freshwater ecosystem around this site was characterized by a pre-mountain river system with the presence of permanent, oxygen-rich, and cold running waters. The results of the Habitat Weighting Method and the Bioclimatic Model applied to the small mammal assemblage, coupled with the new dates obtained for the Archaeological Horizon (AH) IX, allow us to identify two different climatic phases. One phase (AH X-XII) is more temperate possibly corresponding to the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5; the other (AH VI-IX) is colder and more arid corresponding to the end of MIS 4 through the beginning of MIS 3. Open environments with a relatively stable forest component dominated the landscape during this part of the Middle Paleolithic. These two climatic phases appear to correspond to different levels of occupational intensity by Neanderthals, with higher occupational intensity during mild climatic periods and lower intensity during cold, arid periods. Our climatic reconstruction and recent absolute dating, together with the recovery of a complete leaf point near the top of AH X, have important implications for the cultural stratigraphy and cultural chronology of the region. Archaeologist have traditionally viewed leaf points as key artefacts of the Blattspitzengruppe, a cultural complex attributed to the end of Middle Paleolithic; however, this stratigraphic, climatic, and chronological context indicates the need to revise this interpretation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synergic Effect of Nanolignin and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles into Poly(l-lactide) Bionanocomposites: Material Properties, Antioxidant Activity, and Antibacterial Performance

Binary and ternary poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) based nanocomposites, containing nanolignin (1% wt.) and different metal oxide nanoparticles (0.5% wt., Ag2O, TiO2, WO3, Fe2O3 and ZnFe2O4) were realized ..

Ancient DNA reveals interstadials as a driver of common vole population dynamics during the last glacial period

Aim Many species experienced population turnover and local extinction during the Late Pleistocene. In the case of megafauna, it remains challenging to disentangle climate change and the activities of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers as the main cause. In contrast, the impact of humans on rodent populations is likely to be negligible. This study investigated which climatic and/or environmental factors affect the population dynamics of the common vole. This temperate rodent is widespread across Europe and was one of the most abundant small mammal species throughout the Late Pleistocene. Location Europe. Taxon Common vole (Microtus arvalis). Methods We generated a dataset comprised of 4.2 kb long fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 148 ancient and 51 modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of the specimens that were not directly dated. Results We estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor of all last glacial and extant common vole lineages to be 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, which is earlier than most previous estimates. We detected several lineage turnovers in Europe during the period of high climate variability at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57-29 ka ago) in addition to those found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In contrast, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) even at high latitudes. Main Conclusions The main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last glacial period was the decrease in open habitat during the interstadials, whereas climate deterioration during the LGM had little impact on population dynamics. This suggests that the rapid environmental change rather than other factors was the major force shaping the histories of the Late Pleistocene faunas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AML1/ETO Oncoprotein Is Directed to AML1 Binding Regions and Co-Localizes with AML1 and HEB on Its Targets

A reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 8 and 21 generates the AML1/ETO oncogenic transcription factor that initiates acute myeloid leukemia by recruiting co-repressor complexes to DNA. AML1/ETO interferes with the function of its wild-type counterpart, AML1, by directly targeting AML1 binding sites. However, transcriptional regulation determined by AML1/ETO probably relies on a more complex network, since the fusion protein has been shown to interact with a number of other transcription factors, in particular E-proteins, and may therefore target other sites on DNA. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation and expression profiling were exploited to identify AML1/ETO-dependent transcriptional regulation. AML1/ETO was found to co-localize with AML1, demonstrating that the fusion protein follows the binding pattern of the wild-type protein but does not function primarily by displacing it. The DNA binding profile of the E-protein HEB was grossly rearranged upon expression of AML1/ETO, and the fusion protein was found to co-localize with both AML1 and HEB on many of its regulated targets. Furthermore, the level of HEB protein was increased in both primary cells and cell lines expressing AML1/ETO. Our results suggest a major role for the functional interaction of AML1/ETO with AML1 and HEB in transcriptional regulation determined by the fusion protein

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements