Jebel al-Mutawwaq: la evolución del estudio de un yacimiento de la Edad de Bronce Antiguo I en la estepa jordana

Jebel Mutawwaq is an exceptional place for the study of Early Bronze I in Middle East. It is a settlement constructed and suddenly left in this particular period (3500 - 3000 BC), without any later reoccupation. The recovered remains are a part of this proto-urban period that in this case it did not manage to consolidate. Its geographical situation, inside the Valley of Zarqa River, places it in a singular environment to other Jordan villages of this period as Jawa or Umm Hammad. The settlement is in addition a dolmens field with more than 1100 monuments located around the same mountain.El yacimiento de Jebel Mutawwaq es un lugar excepcional para el estudio de la Edad del Bronce Antiguo I en el Oriente Próximo. Es un poblado construido y abandonado repentinamente en ese periodo concreto (3500 – 3000 a.c.), sin que se haya reocupado posteriormente. Los restos recuperados forman parte de este periodo protourbano, que en este caso no se llegó a consolidar. Su situación geográfica dentro del valle del río Zarqa, le sitúa en un ambiente singular respecto a otros yacimientos transjordanos de este periodo como Jawa o Umm Hammad. El poblado cuenta además con un campo dolménico de más de 1100 monumentos alrededor de la misma montaña

Flint ‘figurines’ from the Early Neolithic site of Kharaysin, Jordan

During the Early Neolithic in the Near East, particularly from the mid ninth millennium cal BC onwards, human iconography became more widespread. Explanations for this development, however, remain elusive. This article presents a unique assemblage of flint artefacts from the Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (eighth millennium BC) site of Kharaysin in Jordan. Contextual, morphological, statistical and use-wear analyses of these artefacts suggest that they are not tools but rather human figurines. Their close association with burial contexts suggests that they were manufactured and discarded during mortuary rituals and remembrance ceremonies that included the extraction, manipulation and redeposition of human remains.This research is funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Project numbers: HAR2016-74999-P, PGC2018-096634-B-I00, RYC-2016-21108. The fieldwork is funded by the Palarq Foundation. J.S. was funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (European Commission GA 750460; H2020-MSCA-IF-2016). We also acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer reviewe

Development and validation of a clinical score to estimate progression to severe or critical state in Covid-19 pneumonia hospitalized patients

The prognosis of a patient with Covid-19 pneumonia is uncertain. Our objective was to establish a predictive model of disease progression to facilitate early decision-making. A retrospective study was performed of patients admitted with Covid-19 pneumonia, classified as severe (admission to the intensive care unit, mechanic invasive ventilation, or death) or non-severe. A predictive model based on clinical, analytical, and radiological parameters was built. The probability of progression to severe disease was estimated by logistic regression analysis. Calibration and discrimination (receiver operating characteristics curves and AUC) were assessed to determine model performance. During the study period 1,152 patients presented with Covid-19 infection, of whom 229 (19.9%) were admitted for pneumonia. During hospitalization, 51 (22.3%) progressed to severe disease, of whom 26 required ICU care (11.4); 17 (7.4%) underwent invasive mechanical ventilation, and 32 (14%) died of any cause. Five predictors determined within 24 hours of admission were identified: Diabetes, Age, Lymphocyte count, SaO2, and pH (DALSH score). The prediction model showed a good clinical performance, including discrimination (AUC 0.87 CI 0.81, 0.92) and calibration (Brier score = 0.11). In total, 0%, 12%, and 50% of patients with severity risk scores ≤5%, 6-25%, and >25% exhibited disease progression, respectively. A simple risk score based on five factors predicts disease progression and facilitates early decision-making according to prognosis.Carlos III Health Institute, Spain, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SPAIN) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)Instituto de Salud Carlos II

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Gestión de proyectos arqueológicos, turismo y redes sociales.

La evolución de la informática y el uso de internet como recurso para el Patrimonio Cultural han traído una renovación en los planteamientos básicos de los proyectos culturales. Desde el primer uso de la informática en la promoción cultural, con páginas estáticas y similares a los carteles fijos de las exposiciones, hemos llegado a las aplicaciones para móviles que permiten geolocalizar bienes en el plano de cualquier ciudad. Esta introducción de las nuevas tecnologías ha transformado los trabajos desde el mismo trabajo de búsqueda de fondos que permitan el desarrollo de las investigaciones hasta la nueva forma de presentación y divulgación de los resultados obtenidos. Conociendo la versatilidad de los recursos informáticos, las nuevas aplicaciones y previendo el futuro más cercano en este campo, sería oportuno que las reuniones profesionales, simposium y congresos se planteasen plasmar sus resultados en herramientas igual de modernas y que se sirvan de la facilidad de divulgación que ofrece internet. La creación de un SIG que vinculase un inventario de bienes con el espacio físico en que se encuentran sería una de las posibilidades que podríamos plantear.The evolution of computing and use of internet as a resource for heritage have brought Cultural Renewal in the basic approach of Cultural Projects. Since the start of the use of information on cultural promotion in static pages similar to fixed Posters Exhibition, we have reached the mobile applications that allow location of any city. This introduction of new technologies has transformed the working mode; from the search of funds to enable the development of research to the new form of presentation and divulgation of the results obtained. Knowing the versatility of the computer resources, the new applications and foreseeing the future closer in this field, would be appropriate for the meetings professionals, symposiums and conventions translate its results arise it is equally modern tools and to buy disclosure facility internet offers. To make a GIS, that would link inventory of patrimonial elements, with her localization to be one of the possibilities that we could raise.Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Área de Historia del ArteVersión del edito

The PPNB chipped stone industries from Kharaysin (Zarqa Walley, Jordan): preliminary insights

The preliminary study of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) chipped stone industries from Kharaysin (Zarqa Valley, North Jordan) sheds light on key aspects of lithic production during a period, the second half of the 9th millennium and the first quarter of the 8th millennium cal. BC, that remains poorly understood in the Southern Levant. The results help to fine-tune previous knowledge about the early stages of bidirectional blade technology (BBT) in the Southern Levant; a technology that constitutes one of the most, if not the most, significant and diagnostic elements of PPNB material culture records throughout the Levant and beyond (Cappadocia and Cyprus). In this sense, preliminary analysis indicates that BBT (‘predetermined-upsilon’ variant) was the main reduction sequence used for lithic production at PPNB Kharaysin, and high-quality flint types similar to the Huweijir-type flint were extensively used for that purpose. It has also been observed that different variants of core configuration and initial block management co-existed at the site, and that Jericho points and large sickle elements were the most common formal tools produced.Peer reviewe

Transforming the ancestors: early evidence of fire-induced manipulation on human bones in the Near East from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B of Kharaysin (Jordan)

Cremation is an unusual burial practice in the Neolithic of the Near East. At Kharaysin, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Jordan, we found a secondary burial with evidence of burnt human bones. This paper assesses (1) the intentionality of fire-induced alterations on human bones, (2) the pre-burning condition of the human remains, and (3) their significance within the burial customs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the Near East. Burial SU-815 was a secondary multiple burial with burnt and unburnt human remains from at least three adult individuals. Directly dated at 8010 ± 30 BP (7058–6825 cal BC), it corresponds to the Late Pre-Potttery Neolithic B (LPPNB). Macroscopic changes in human remains were analysed to investigate the circumstances of burning. Some bones were selected for mineralogical and compositional analysis through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Colour changes, fractures, cracking, and chemical changes on bones were identified as resulting from fire-induced alterations. Our results show that the bones were intentionally burnt when they were already skeletonised or almost dry. This intentional manipulation using fire happened after other burial practices took place. After burning, the bones were collected and transported to this burial during a final episode. Fire-induced manipulation or cremation was not a significant development of the habitual burial practice, but evidence from Kharaysin shows an innovation in handling the human remains. Therefore, this case provides new insight into the complexity and variability of burial customs within the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B in Southern Levant.The research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grant HAR2016-74999-P) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (European Commission, no. GA 750460; H2020-MSCA-IF-2016). This research was also funded by Palarq Foundation and Consejería de Educación CyL and FEDER BU291P18, BU022G18, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness CTQ2016-75023-C2-1-P, and Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities CTQ (QMC) RED2018-102471-T MultiMetDrugs Network and RTI2018-101923-J-I00.Peer reviewe

Tracing the early production and use of lime-plaster in Kharaysin PPNB site (Jordan)

Although the extensive use of lime plaster for architectural and other purposes is a characteristic hallmark of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) in the southern Levant, no obvious kilns have been identified in archaeological contexts yet. In this work we present details of archaeological pit-kiln structures used to lime-plaster production found in the Kharaysin PPNB site (Jordan). Geochemical, mineralogical and petrological characterization of the associated raw materials and products, lime-plaster floor and mortars, from the same site allowed the tracing of the early production and use of lime.Peer reviewe

Revealing early villages – Pseudo‐3D ERT geophysical survey at the pre‐pottery Neolithic site of Kharaysin, Jordan

Electric resistivity tomography (ERT) prospection conducted at the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic site at Kharaysin, Jordan, building on previous surface prospection and excavation, found a number of new sub‐surface anomalies. Subsequent excavations determined that the anomalies corresponded with the stone walls of habitation structures and possibly terrace walls. These features covered large areas of the site slope, inclusive of clustered settlement structures and frequent building superpositions indicative of multi‐phase occupation. Despite the generally arid conditions, the moist soil matrix allowed for the effective use of ERT. This article presents the integrated data of the archaeological excavation and the geophysical survey. As a test case it proves the utility of ERT in the identification of Pre‐Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) and Pre‐Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) sub‐surface anthropogenic features.The Kharaysin project is funded by the Spanish Institute of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture); the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, R + D Project: HAR2016‐74999‐P; the Palarq and Gerda Henkel Foundations. Thanks to archaeologist Robert Brukner for his professional academic editing services.Peer reviewe