Anthropogenic Transformation at Angel Mounds: Construction, Chronology and Context for Mounds A and F

Investigations at Angel Mounds since 2005 have tackled a series of questions related to anthropogenic transformation, the built landscape and mound construction. During the 2013 NSF-sponsored research, investigations focused on Mound A’s lower platform and the reopening of Mound F. Results from these investigations revealed a series of use-surfaces on Mound A’s lower platform with evidence for burning episodes that were followed by reconstruction. Excavations on Mound F also revealed a burning episode associated with a structure on the “inner mound,” as well as a sub-mound structure and features demonstrating use of the space prior to mound construction

Warfare, Demography & Anthropogenic Transformation at Angel Mounds State Historic Site

poster abstractRecent investigations by the Department of Anthropology (IU School of Liberal Arts) and the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (IU-Bloomington) at Angel Mounds have greatly enhanced our understanding of this Mississippian period (AD 1050-1450) village located on the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana. During this timeframe, the Ohio Valley and adjoining regions witnessed an evolution in social complexity with the emergence of small-scale polities, population aggregation in fortified towns, and associated earthwork construction. Angel Mounds was established, grew in prominence, and was eventually abandoned. However, until recently, absolute ages from the site were sparse and the chronology of the town’s settlement, growth and abandonment was poorly understood. Similarly, chronological models for earthwork and fortification construction were non-existent. Our research has revealed that Angel Mounds began as a ceremonial center between AD 1100 and 1300 with few occupants. The residential population at Angel Mounds grew precipitously after AD 1300. By AD 1400, we estimate that as many as 1,000 people lived at Angel Mounds. Concurrently, a series of fortifications were erected at the site to protect the inhabitants from neighboring polities. Meanwhile, earthworks on site were “capped” and abandoned soon thereafter, which may reflect the sociopolitical disintegration of Angel Mounds. Depending on the type of agricultural production and environmental change with the onset of the Little Ice Age, these patterns have important implications for settlement longevities, the historical ecology of land-use, and population estimates in the Eastern Woodlands of North America by AD 1500. With support from the Nation Science Foundation, the next three years of investigations at Angel Mounds will continue to focus on population dynamics, earthwork construction and use, anthropogenic transformation of the landscape, and environmental change during the Medieval Warm and Little Ice Age

Chronology of a Fortified Mississippian Village in the Central Illinois River Valley

Geophysical survey and excavations from 2010–2016 at Lawrenz Gun Club (11CS4), a late pre-Columbian village located in the central Illinois River valley in Illinois, identified 10 mounds, a central plaza, and dozens of structures enclosed within a stout 10 hectare bastioned palisade. Nineteen radiocarbon (14C) measurements were taken from single entities of wood charcoal, short-lived plants, and animal bones. A site chronology has been constructed using a Bayesian approach that considers the stratigraphic contexts and feature formation processes. The village was host to hundreds of years of continuous human activity during the Mississippi Period. Mississippian activity at the site is estimated to have begun in cal AD 990–1165 (95% probability), ended in cal AD 1295–1450 (95% probability), and lasted 150–420 yr (95% probability) in the primary Bayesian model with similar results obtained in two alternative models. The palisade is estimated to have been constructed in cal AD 1150–1230 (95% probability) and was continuously repaired and rebuilt for 15–125 yr (95% probability), probably for 40–85 yr (68% probability). Comparison to other studies demonstrates that the bastioned palisade at Lawrenz was one of the earliest constructed in the midcontinental United States

Late-Holocene floodplain development, land-use, and hydroclimate–flood relationships on the lower Ohio River, US

Floodplain development, land-use, and flooding on the lower Ohio River are investigated with a 3100-year-long sediment archive from Avery Lake, a swale lake on the Black Bottom floodplain in southern Illinois, US. In all, 12 radiocarbon dates show that Avery Lake formed at 1130 BCE (3100 cal. yr BP), almost 3000 years later than previously thought, indicating that the Black Bottom floodplain is younger and more dynamic than previously estimated. Three subsequent periods of extensive land clearance were identified by changes in pollen composition, corresponding to Native American occupations before 1500 CE and the current Euro-American occupation beginning in the 18th century. Sedimentation rates prior to 1820 CE changed independently of land clearance events, suggesting natural as opposed to land-use controls. Comparison with high-resolution paleoclimate data from Martin Lake, IN, indicates that lower Ohio River flooding was frequent when cold-season precipitation originating from the Pacific/Arctic predominated when atmospheric circulation resembled positive Pacific North American (PNA) conditions and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was in a positive mean state (1130 BCE to 350 CE and 1150–1820 CE). Conversely, Ohio River flooding was less frequent when warm-season precipitation from the Gulf of Mexico prevailed during negative PDO- and PNA-like mean states (350 and 1150 CE). This flood dynamic appears to have been fundamentally altered after 1820 CE. We suggest that extensive land clearance in the Ohio River watershed increased runoff and landscape erosion by reducing interception, infiltration, and evapotranspiration, thereby increasing flooding despite a shift to negative PDO- and PNA-like mean states. Predicted increases in average precipitation and extreme rainfall events across the mid-continental US are likely to perpetuate current trends toward more frequent flood events, because anthropogenic modifications have made the landscape less resilient to changing hydroclimatic conditions

Failure to normalize lymphopenia following trauma is associated with increased mortality, independent of the leukocytosis pattern

INTRODUCTION: Following trauma and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the typical response is an elevation of the total complete blood count (CBC) and a reduction of the lymphocyte count. This leukocytosis typically returns to normal within 48 hours. The persistence of a leukocytosis following trauma is associated with adverse outcomes. Although lymphocyte anergy and dysfunction following trauma is associated with increased risk for infection and sepsis, there is a paucity of data regarding the impact of a persistence of a low lymphocyte count in trauma patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from trauma patients collected over the 5 years of September 2003 to September 2008. Patients were included if the injury severity score (ISS) was >/=15, and they survived at least 3 days. Demographic data, mechanism and injury severity score, mortality, and length of stay were collected from the medical record. Laboratory values for the first 4 hospital days were collected. Leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were extracted from the daily complete blood count (CBC). Patients were then grouped based on response (elevation/depression) of each component of the CBC, and their return, or failure thereof, to normal. Proportional hazards regression with time-varying covariates as well as Kaplan-Meier curves were used to predict risk of death, time to death and time to healthy discharge based on fluctuations of the individual components of the CBC. RESULTS: There were 2448 patients admitted over the 5 years included in the analysis. When adjusting for age, gender and ISS the relative risk of death was elevated with a persistent leukocytosis (2.501 (95% CI = 1.477-4.235)) or failure to normalize lymphopenia (1.639 (95% CI = 10.17-2.643)) within the first 4 days following admission. Similar results were seen when Kaplan-Meier curves were created. Persistent lymphopenia was associated with shortest time to death. Paradoxically in survivors persistent lymphopenia was associated with the shortest time to discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Persistently abnormal CBC responses are associated with a higher mortality following trauma. This is the first report noting that a failure to normalize lymphopenia in severely injured patients is associated with significantly higher mortality

Correlating Remote Sensing Data with the Abundance of Pupae of the Dengue Virus Mosquito Vector, Aedes aegypti, in Central Mexico

Using a geographic transect in Central Mexico, with an elevation/climate gradient, but uniformity in socio-economic conditions among study sites, this study evaluates the applicability of three widely-used remote sensing (RS) products to link weather conditions with the local abundance of the dengue virus mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti). Field-derived entomological measures included estimates for the percentage of premises with the presence of Ae. aegypti pupae and the abundance of Ae. aegypti pupae per premises. Data on mosquito abundance from field surveys were matched with RS data and analyzed for correlation. Daily daytime and nighttime land surface temperature (LST) values were obtained from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua cloud-free images within the four weeks preceding the field survey. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)-estimated rainfall accumulation was calculated for the four weeks preceding the field survey. Elevation was estimated through a digital elevation model (DEM). Strong correlations were found between mosquito abundance and RS-derived night LST, elevation and rainfall along the elevation/climate gradient. These findings show that RS data can be used to predict Ae. aegypti abundance, but further studies are needed to define the climatic and socio-economic conditions under which the correlations observed herein can be assumed to apply

Identification and mechanistic basis of non-ACE2 blocking neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients with deep RNA sequencing and molecular dynamics simulations

Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to cause disease and impair the effectiveness of treatments. The therapeutic potential of convergent neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) from fully recovered patients has been explored in several early stages of novel drugs. Here, we identified initially elicited NAbs (Ig Heavy, Ig lambda, Ig kappa) in response to COVID-19 infection in patients admitted to the intensive care unit at a single center with deep RNA sequencing (>100 million reads) of peripheral blood as a diagnostic tool for predicting the severity of the disease and as a means to pinpoint specific compensatory NAb treatments. Clinical data were prospectively collected at multiple time points during ICU admission, and amino acid sequences for the NAb CDR3 segments were identified. Patients who survived severe COVID-19 had significantly more of a Class 3 antibody (C135) to SARS-CoV-2 compared to non-survivors (15059.4 vs. 1412.7, p = 0.016). In addition to highlighting the utility of RNA sequencing in revealing unique NAb profiles in COVID-19 patients with different outcomes, we provided a physical basis for our findings via atomistic modeling combined with molecular dynamics simulations. We established the interactions of the Class 3 NAb C135 with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, proposing a mechanistic basis for inhibition via multiple conformations that can effectively prevent ACE2 from binding to the spike protein, despite C135 not directly blocking the ACE2 binding motif. Overall, we demonstrate that deep RNA sequencing combined with structural modeling offers the new potential to identify and understand novel therapeutic(s) NAbs in individuals lacking certain immune responses due to their poor endogenous production. Our results suggest a possible window of opportunity for administration of such NAbs when their full sequence becomes available. A method involving rapid deep RNA sequencing of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 or its variants at the earliest infection time could help to develop personalized treatments using the identified specific NAbs

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Probing the Repulsive Core of the Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction via the 4He(e,e'pN) Triple-Coincidence Reaction

We studied simultaneously the 4He(e,e'p), 4He(e,e'pp), and 4He(e,e'pn) reactions at Q^2=2 [GeV/c]2 and x_B>1, for a (e,e'p) missing-momentum range of 400 to 830 MeV/c. The knocked-out proton was detected in coincidence with a proton or neutron recoiling almost back to back to the missing momentum, leaving the residual A=2 system at low excitation energy. These data were used to identify two-nucleon short-range correlated pairs and to deduce their isospin structure as a function of missing momentum in a region where the nucleon-nucleon force is expected to change from predominantly tensor to repulsive. Neutron-proton pairs dominate the high-momentum tail of the nucleon momentum distributions, but their abundance is reduced as the nucleon momentum increases beyond ~500 MeV/c. The extracted fraction of proton-proton pairs is small and almost independent of the missing momentum in the range we studied. Our data are compared with ab-initio calculations of two-nucleon momentum distributions in 4He.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure