Identification of Cinnabar by non-Destructive Techniques on a Human Mandible from Carrer Paris Chalcolithic Hypogeum (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)

The Carrer Paris site is located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona, Spain). It is a Chalcolithic hypogeum dated between 3800-4100 BP with more than 60 individuals distributed in four burial levels. We study the remains of Individual 5 from burial level II. It is an adult skeleton, preserved in anatomical position and buried with Campaniform pottery. During the excavation, we identified red pigment on the mandibular symphysis region of the individual 5. In this work we present the preservation state and conservation methodology to restore the individual 5 cranium and mandible. At the same time, we present the results of the pigment composition analyzed by non-destructive methods. These analyses were conducted directly on the pigments and the bone surface with environment electronic microscopy (ESEM-EDS) X-ray micro-diffraction (µ-DRX) before the conservation treatments. The objective of the analysis was to characterize the pigments, the bone and the clays to apply the best methodology to conserve the pieces. The combination of both techniques allows us to analyze the area of interest without removing samples. These analyses were performed directly, without affecting the bone and pigments and assuring the integral preservation of the objects. The results reach us new data on the use of pigment in funerary rituals during the Chalcolithic.L’hypogée du Chalcolithique de la Rue Paris (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Espagne) a été daté entre 3800 et 4100 BP. Les restes anthropologiques fouillés étaient distribués sur quatre niveaux et dépassaient les 60 individus. Ceux étudiés ici proviennent du deuxième niveau d’inhumation et appartiennent à un squelette adulte (individu 5), préservé en connexion anatomique et inhumé avec de la céramique campaniforme. Au cours de la fouille, des restes de matière colorante rouge ont été identifiés sur la région de la symphyse mentonnière. Dans ce travail sont présentés l’état de conservation et la méthodologie de restauration du crâne et de la mandibule de l’individu 5. De même, sont présentés les résultats des analyses non destructices faites directement sur les matières colorantes et l’os. Les analyses ont été réalisées avant la restauration du crâne et de la mandibule à l’aide d’un microscope électronique à balayage environnemental (ESEM-EDS) et micro-diffraction de rayons X (µ-DRX). L’objectif des analyses est la caractérisation des pigments, de l’os et du sédiment afin de choisir la meilleure méthodologie à appliquer pour la conservation des pièces. La combinaison de ces techniques favorise l’analyse des zones d’intérêt sans la prise d’échantillons. Ces analyses ont été faites directement sans abîmer l’os ni les pigments et, en conséquence, la préservation intégrale des objets est assurée. Les résultats obtenus apportent une information importante à propos de l’utilisation de quelques matières colorantes dans les rituels funéraires au Chalcolithique

The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

Exposure to news grows less fragmented with an increase in mobile access

The abundance of media options is a central feature of today’s information environment. Many accounts, often based on analysis of desktop-only news use, suggest that this increased choice leads to audience fragmentation, ideological segregation, and echo chambers with no cross-cutting exposure. Contrary to many of those claims, this paper uses observational multiplatform data capturing both desktop and mobile use to demonstrate that coexposure to diverse news is on the rise, and that ideological self-selection does not explain most of that coexposure. We show that mainstream media outlets offer the common ground where ideologically diverse audiences converge online, though our analysis also reveals that more than half of the US online population consumes no online news, underlining the risk of increased information inequality driven by self-selection along lines of interest. For this study, we use an unprecedented combination of observed data from the United States comprising a 5-y time window and involving tens of thousands of panelists. Our dataset traces news consumption across different devices and unveils important differences in news diets when multiplatform or desktop-only access is used. We discuss the implications of our findings for how we think about the current communication environment, exposure to news, and ongoing attempts to limit the effects of misinformation

Spatiotemporal Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Characterisation of Infectious Bursal Disease Viruses Based on the VP2 Hyper-Variable Region

<div><p>Background</p><p>Infectious bursal disease is a highly contagious and acute viral disease caused by the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV); it affects all major poultry producing areas of the world. The current study was designed to rigorously measure the global phylogeographic dynamics of IBDV strains to gain insight into viral population expansion as well as the emergence, spread and pattern of the geographical structure of very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) strains.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>Sequences of the hyper-variable region of the VP2 (HVR-VP2) gene from IBDV strains isolated from diverse geographic locations were obtained from the GenBank database; Cuban sequences were obtained in the current work. All sequences were analysed by Bayesian phylogeographic analysis, implemented in the Bayesian Evolutionary Analysis Sampling Trees (BEAST), Bayesian Tip-association Significance testing (BaTS) and Spatial Phylogenetic Reconstruction of Evolutionary Dynamics (SPREAD) software packages. Selection pressure on the HVR-VP2 was also assessed. The phylogeographic association-trait analysis showed that viruses sampled from individual countries tend to cluster together, suggesting a geographic pattern for IBDV strains. Spatial analysis from this study revealed that strains carrying sequences that were linked to increased virulence of IBDV appeared in Iran in 1981 and spread to Western Europe (Belgium) in 1987, Africa (Egypt) around 1990, East Asia (China and Japan) in 1993, the Caribbean Region (Cuba) by 1995 and South America (Brazil) around 2000. Selection pressure analysis showed that several codons in the HVR-VP2 region were under purifying selection.</p><p>Conclusions/Significance</p><p>To our knowledge, this work is the first study applying the Bayesian phylogeographic reconstruction approach to analyse the emergence and spread of vvIBDV strains worldwide.</p></div

Estimated substitution rates and tMRCA for the Cuban IBDV strains.

<p>Estimated substitution rates and tMRCA for the Cuban IBDV strains.</p

Analysis of amino acids of the HVR-VP2 region of Cuban IBDV strains.

<p><b>Panel (A)</b> Amino acid entropy rates plot, x-axis: amino acid position; y-axis: entropy. The measure of entropy (Hi) for each position of amino acid was obtained using DAMBE software. The position with the highest value of entropy is indicated. <b>Panel (B)</b> Difference between non-synonymous and synonymous rates (dN-dS). Codon-specific nonsynonymous (dN) and synonymous (dS) substitution rates were obtained via a website (WEBSNAP); position 299 was denoted. <b>Panel (C)</b> Amino acid sequence alignment of the Cuban field strains of IBDV. Those residues under purifying selection as detected by SLAC and FEL analyses are indicated with black arrows. The secondary structure that belongs to each residue of the alignment is also denoted: β indicates β-sheets (in sky blue), λ indicates loops (in dark blue) and α indicates α-helices (in orange). The residue at position 299 is highlighted using a black rectangle. <b>Panel (D)</b> X-ray crystal structures of a monomer of VP2, crystal structure <i>2DF7</i> was downloaded from Protein Data Bank; only the monomer A was used for clarity. Chimera software v1.6.2 was used for visualisation. Residues Y206 and T350, respectively indicating the beginning and end of HVR, are shown. The HVR is annotated using the same colours as panel (C): β-sheets in sky blue, loops in dark blue and α-helices in orange. The remaining domains (S and B) are denoted in yellow. The β-hairpin AA′ involved in the stabilisation of the trimer conformation of VP2 (Coulibaly et al., 2005) is indicated. The distance between residues 299 and 194 is shown.</p

Sequences of Cuban IBDV strains used in the current study.

*<p>Previously obtained and submitted at GenBank.</p

Temporal dynamics of spatial vvIBDV diffusion.

<p>A) Temporal dynamics of spatial vvIBDV diffusion globally; only rates supported by a BF of >5 were considered significant. The map was reconstructed using the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth (public domain: <a href="http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/clickmap/" target="_blank">http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/clickmap/</a>), this panel is similar but not identical to the original image, and is therefore for illustrative purposes only (whole video included as Video S1). B) Most probable route for the arrival of vvIBDV to Cuba with a BF of >20 was considered significant. The map was directly taken from the output file of the spread software.</p

Inferred routes of spread of vvIBDV in Cuba.

<p>A) For the years of 1993–1995, B) 1998 and C) 2001. Only rates supported by a BF of >3 were considered significant. The maps were reconstructed using OpenStreetMap (<a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/" target="_blank">http://www.openstreetmap.org/</a>), this figure is similar but not identical to the original image, and is therefore for illustrative purposes only.</p

Phylogeny-trait association tests of the phylogeographic structure of vvIBDV using BaTS.

<p>Phylogeny-trait association tests of the phylogeographic structure of vvIBDV using BaTS.</p