Six dimensional solvmanifolds with holomorphically trivial canonical bundle

We determine the 6-dimensional solvmanifolds admitting an invariant complex structure with holomorphically trivial canonical bundle. Such complex structures are classified up to isomorphism, and the existence of strong K\"ahler with torsion (SKT), generalized Gauduchon, balanced and strongly Gauduchon metrics is studied. As an application we construct a holomorphic family $(M,J_a)$ of compact complex manifolds such that $(M,J_a)$ satisfies the $\partial\bar\partial$-Lemma and admits a balanced metric for any $a\not=0$, but the central limit neither satisfies the $\partial\bar\partial$-Lemma nor admits balanced metrics.Comment: 32 pages; to appear in IMR

Evaluation of an O2-Substituted (1–3)-β-D-Glucan, Produced by Pediococcus parvulus 2.6, in ex vivo Models of Crohn’s Disease

Efecte antiinflamatori de la malaltia de Crohn; Immunomodulació; Exopolisacàrids bacteriansEfecto antiinflamatorio de la enfermedad de Crohn; Inmunomodulacion; Exopolisacáridos bacterianosCrohn's disease anti-inflammatory effect; Immunomodulation; Bacterial exopolysaccharides1,3-β-glucans are extracellular polysaccharides synthesized by microorganisms and plants, with therapeutic potential. Among them, the O2-substituted-(1–3)-β-D-glucan, synthesized by some lactic acid bacteria (LAB), has a prebiotic effect on probiotic strains, an immunomodulatory effect on monocyte-derived macrophages, and potentiates the ability of the producer strain to adhere to Caco-2 cells differentiated to enterocytes. In this work, the O2-substituted-(1–3)-β-D-glucan polymers produced by GTF glycoyltransferase in the natural host Pediococcus parvulus 2.6 and in the recombinant strain Lactococcus lactis NZ9000[pNGTF] were tested. Their immunomodulatory activity was investigated in an ex vivo model using human biopsies from patients affected by Crohn’s disease (CD). Both polymers had an anti-inflammatory effect including, a reduction of Interleukine 8 both at the level of its gene expression and its secreted levels. The overall data indicate that the O2-substituted-(1–3)-β-D-glucan have a potential role in ameliorating inflammation via the gut immune system cell modulation.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (grant RTI2018-097114-B-I00), by the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, grant number PI12/00263, and by CIBERehd

Mid-Holocene Palaeoenvironment, Plant Resources and Human Interaction in Northeast Iberia: An Archaeobotanical Approach

MDPI accés obert UTPThe role of the adoption of farming economies in the transformation of mid-Holocene landscapes in Northeast Iberia is under discussion given that the Neolithization coincides with the cold climatic phase dated ca. 7500-7000 cal BP. The main aim of this paper is to assess whether human activities or climate were the main driver of vegetation changes during the Middle Holocene through the study of the archaeobotanical data from three case studies: Cova del Sardo, La Draga, and Coves del Fem. The application of diverse archaeobotanical techniques to the different plant remains provides a complete picture of the vegetation composition and plant uses. During the early Neolithic, settlement surroundings were intensively exploited for firewood, wood raw material, timber, and plant fibers. The resources were obtained mainly from deciduous and pine forests, de-pending on the site localization, but also from riparian zones. The diversity of plants exploited was high, not only trees but shrubs and herbs. Evidence of deforestation has been identified in the settlement surroundings in La Draga and Cova del Sardo. The combination of plant exploitation with other agropastoral activities favored the expansion of colonizing species and enhanced biodiversity at a local scale

Los objetos elaborados con fibras vegetales del Neolítico Antiguo de Coves del Fem, Ulldemolins (Tarragona)

Los objetos manufacturados con materias orgánicas raramente se conservan excepto bajo condiciones ambientales específicas, ya sea en medios de sequedad constante, en contextos anaeróbicos sumergidos, bajo congelación o por carbonización. Por ello, las técnicas de cestería y cordelería, así como las materias primas utilizadas están escasamente documentadas en el registro arqueológico del Neolítico peninsular. Se aporta aquí nueva información acerca de las técnicas cesteras y de cordelería, así como de las materias primas utilizadas en Coves del Fem (Ulldemolins, Tarragona). Estos restos fueron recuperados en una fosa adscribible al Neolítico antiguo. La cestería estudiada se encuentra manufacturada a través de la técnica de espiral cosida, mientras que en el caso de la cordelería se trata de un único fragmento torsionado. Se discute su funcionalidad en un contexto de hábitat en cueva, así como su tecnología y materias primas usadas, contextualizándolos con otros ejemplos de cestería de espiral cosida de la península ibérica.Plant-based artefacts are considered one of the first technologies used by human populations playing an important role in the daily life of all societies. Even though, they are made of perishable material which usually disappears in archaeological contexts except for some specific environmental conditions that permit their conservation as arid, anaerobic, waterlogged atmospheres or carbonization. Some examples of the f irst implements produced by organic materials are baskets and cords which are documented since the very beginning of human populations. Nevertheless, these fibre-based materials have been excluded from archaeological studies. The lack of knowledge in this vegetal technology is a consequence of the difficulty of organic material preservation and the non-suitable analysis and identification methodologies. Even they represent a living material culture as history and ethnography demonstrate, vegetal fibres were probably used for producing indispensable everyday objects and artefacts in the past. The aim of this paper is to provide new information about vegetal technology as basketry and cordage techniques, as well as the raw materials used in Neolithic chronologies in the North-East of the Iberian Peninsula. The materials analyzed in this study were recovered at the site of Coves del Fem (Ulldemolins, Tarragona) which is a rock shelter preserved thanks to the fallen rock blocks. Basketry and cordage fragments came from the archaeological fieldwork of 2019 and were recovered inside a pit in levels of the final Early Neolithic. They were preserved thanks to the carbonization and dehydration they were submitted to. Both basketry and cordage examples from Coves del Fem, were deeply described considering their morphology and technology, as well as the raw materials they were made of. The methodology consisted of describing the technique used and taking measures of the different fragments aiming to obtain information about the way the basket and the cord were made. The identification of raw materials was performed by observing cross, peridermal and longitudinal sections of samples using a transmitted optical microscope. Descriptions were based on microanatomical observation by comparing with reference modern material and specialized technical literature. The results showed the basketry assemblage was produced using the coiling technique and all the fragments belong to a single object. In the case of the cordage fragment, it was made by twisting the fibres which had been previously mechanically processed. The identification of raw materials revealed at least the use of sedges for basketry and non-identified herbaceous plants for making cordage. The functionality of the objects is discussed, and they are also contextualized with other Neolithic fibre productions examples from the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle East, both technologically and the chosen raw materials. In summary, fibre-based productions from Coves del Fem, along with the assemblage from the lake dwelling site of La Draga, fill the gap of this archaeological record from the Iberian Peninsula to Europe, demonstrating the long history of the technical skills related to plant exploitation

Productions and technical knowledge in the Early Neolithic in Catalonia

The development of the economic activities inherent to the establishment of Neolithic farming activities entails an increasing technical specialization. This is often visible through the exploitation of specific resources, the development of suitable techniques for the manufacture of consumption goods as well as new ways of using and consuming them. We briefly present the main features of the technical productions carried out by the first Neolithic populations in the northeast of Iberia, trying to characterize the technical knowledge spent on all of them and making their signs of specialization clear.[FR] Le développement des activités économiques inhérent à l’implantation des activités agricoles et d’élevage du Néolithique entraîne une spécialisation technique croissante. Cela se traduit souvent par l’exploitation de ressources spécifiques, le développement de techniques appropriées pour la fabrication de biens de consommation, et de nouvelles façons de les utiliser et de les consommer. Nous présentons brièvement les principales caractéristiques des productions techniques réalisées par les premières populations néolithiques du nord-est de la péninsule ibérique, en essayant de caractériser les connaissances techniques dépensées dans chacune d’elles et en mettant en évidence leurs indications de spécialisation

The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol)

Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; however, its perishable nature has prevented a thorough understanding of its diverse and complex uses. Sites with exceptional preservation of organic materials provide a unique opportunity for further research. The burial site of Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Iberia, uncovered during 19th-century mining activities, contained the best-preserved hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe, together with other unique organic artifacts associated with the first farming communities, such as sandals and a wooden hammer. We present 14 14C dates for the perishable artifacts (N = 76), situating the assemblage between the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 7500 to 4200 cal BCE). Our integrated analysis includes raw material determination and technological and chrono-cultural contextualization of this unique and important set of materials.This work was supported by the project “De los museos al territorio: actualizando el estudio de la Cueva de los Murciélagos de Albuñol (Granada)” (MUTERMUR) (Referencia CM/JIN/2021-009) financed by the program of Young Researchers of Comunidad de Madrid (directed by F.M.-S. as the principal investigator). J.S. is funded by Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC2019-028346) by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN). M.C. is funded by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC2019-026697-I) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN). R.P.H., M.H.-O., and A.P.P. are members of the research group 2021-SGR 00190 funded by the AGAUR. R.P.H. is an ICREA academia researcher. M.M.-S. was funded by the Beatriz Galindo program as Junior Distinguished Researcher (BG20/00076)Peer reviewe

The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter- gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol)

Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; however, its perish- able nature has prevented a thorough understanding of its diverse and complex uses. Sites with exceptional preservation of organic materials provide a unique opportunity for further research. The burial site of Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Iberia, uncovered during 19th-century mining activities, contained the best-pre- served hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe, together with other unique organic artifacts associated with the first farming communities, such as sandals and a wooden hammer. We present 14 14C dates for the perishable artifacts (N = 76), situating the assemblage between the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 7500 to 4200 cal BCE). Our integrated analysis includes raw material determination and technological and chrono-cul- tural contextualization of this unique and important set of materials.Peer reviewe

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of an O -2-Substituted (1-3)-β-D-Glucan Produced by Pediococcus parvulus 2.6 in a Caco-2 PMA-THP-1 Co-Culture Model

Bacterial β-glucans are exopolysaccharides (EPSs), which can protect bacteria or cooperate in biofilm formation or in bacterial cell adhesion. Pediococcus parvulus 2.6 is a lactic acid bacterium that produces an O -2-substituted (1-3)-β-D-glucan. The structural similarity of this EPS to active compounds such as laminarin, together with its ability to modulate the immune system and to adhere in vitro to human enterocytes, led us to investigate, in comparison with laminarin, its potential as an immunomodulator of in vitro co-cultured Caco-2 and PMA-THP-1 cells. O -2-substituted (1-3)-β-D-glucan synthesized by the GTF glycosyl transferase of Pediococcus parvulus 2.6 or that by Lactococcus lactis NZ9000[pGTF] were purified and used in this study. The XTT tests revealed that all β-glucans were non-toxic for both cell lines and activated PMA-THP-1 cells' metabolisms. The O -2-substituted (1-3)-β-D-glucan modulated production and expression of IL-8 and the IL-10 in Caco-2 and PMA-THP-1 cells. Laminarin also modulated cytokine production by diminishing TNF-α in Caco-2 cells and IL-8 in PMA-THP-1. All these features could be considered with the aim to produce function foods, supplemented with laminarin or with another novel β-glucan-producing strain, in order to ameliorate an individual's immune system response toward pathogens or to control mild side effects in remission patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease