Interpreting Rock-Cut Grave Cemeteries: the early medieval necropolis and enclosure of São Gens, Portugal

EXCAVATION AT SÃO GENS (Guarda district) in central Portugal has revealed an early medieval rock-cut grave cemetery and settlement, along with Roman and prehistoric evidence. The site presents an exceptionally rich palimpsest of archaeological monuments. This paper reviews the findings and seeks to address the problem of interpreting rock-cut grave cemeteries, by describing a spatial analytical methodology that draws on comparisons with early medieval cemeteries in England, as a means of enhancing the information deficit of such necropolises. In the light of these analyses, an interpretation of the São Gens site is offered in conclusion

Specific berenil–DNA interactions: an approach for separation of plasmid isoforms by pseudo–affinity chromatography

Small molecules, like some antibiotics and anticancer agents that bind DNA with high specificity can represent a relevant alternative as ligands in affinity processes for plasmid DNA (pDNA) purification. In the present study, pDNA binding affinities of berberine, berenil, kanamycin and neomycin were evaluated by a competitive displacement assay with ethidium bromide using a fluorimetric titration technique. The binding between pDNA and ethidium bromide was tested in different buffer conditions varying the type and the salt concentration, and was performed both in absence and in presence of the studied compounds. The results showed that the minor groove binder berenil has the higher pDNA binding constant. Chromatographic experiments using a derivatized column with berenil as ligand, showed a total retention of pDNA using 1.3 M ammonium sulphate in eluent buffer. A selective separation of supercoiled and open circular isoforms was achieved by further decreasing salt concentration to 0.6 M and then to 0 M. These results suggest a promising application of berenil as ligand for specific pDNA supercoiled (sc) isoform purification by pseudo-affinity chromatography.C. Caramelo-Nunes acknowledges a fellowship (SFRH/BD/64918/2009) from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)

Respiratory Morbidity and Exposure to Inhalable Particles in the City of Lisbon

Introdução: Os efeitos adversos das partículas em suspensão na saúde humana expressam-se sob efeitos agudos e crónicos, não existindo nenhum limiar abaixo do qual se considere que a exposição a partículas não origine efeitos na saúde da população. À semelhança de outras capitais europeias, a cidade de Lisboa apresenta elevados níveis de partículas, principalmente nas áreas de maior tráfego. Objectivo: Neste estudo procurou-se analisar os efeitos na saúde humana decorrentes da exposição ambiental a partículas em suspensão na atmosfera (PM10 e PM2.5). Metodologia: O estudo centrou-se nos efeitos das partículas inaláveis na saúde respiratória da população infanto-juvenil residente em Lisboa. Para o efeito, foram caracterizados os níveis de partículas (PM10 e PM2.5) em Lisboa e procedeu-se a uma avaliação da morbilidade respiratória, utilizando métodos indirectos relacionados com a procura e utilização dos serviços de saúde em situação de urgência, tendo como base os atendimentos da Urgência Pediátrica de um Hospital de Lisboa. Resultados: Verificou-se que um terço das urgências pediátricas hospitalares é de natureza respiratória, destacando-se quatro principais patologias: infecção aguda das vias aéreas superiores, infecção aguda das vias aéreas inferiores, asma e pneumonia. Os modelos estatísticos explicativos foram desenvolvidos com vista a aferir as variáveis ambientais mais relevantes para avaliar os impactes da poluição atmosférica por PM na saúde respiratória infantil, identificando-se um desfasamento temporal, de poucos dias, entre as ocorrências de elevadas concentrações de partículas e os efeitos respiratórios. Conclusão: Nestes modelos a temperatura mínima surge como importante variável explicativa, assim como as concentrações de partículas medidas em estações de fundo (mais representativas dos níveis de concentrações de PM de zonas residenciais) em detrimento das estações de tráfego. Foi evidente uma relação entre a zona de residência das crianças com problemas respiratórios atendidas na urgência e as áreas da cidade com maiores níveis de partículas

Mid‐Holocene site formation, diagenesis and human activity at the foothills of Serra da Estrela (Portugal)

UIDB/00749/2020 UIDP/00749/2020The Neolithic occupation of Penedo dos Mouros in the foothills of Serra da Estrela, Portugalʼs highest mountain, dates to the 5th to 4th millennia cal B.C. The siteʼs faunal assemblage is extremely rare in the regional prehistoric archaeological record, due to the acidity of the granitic geology. This underlines Penedo dos Mouros importance as a reference site for understanding early pastoralism in the region. Due to the insufficient survival of bone collagen for radiocarbon dating and the homogeneity of the stratigraphy, where most visible contacts are due to postdepositional processes, we chose micromorphology to address the reasons behind the bone preservation and to assess the stratigraphic integrity of the prehistoric deposit. Reworking of eroding saprolitic soils was a major factor in the sediment accumulation, with remains of short human occupation events. Possible evidence for clearance fires linked to the first occurrences of pastoralism practised in the region, creating open spaces for grazing, was identified. Post‐depositional carbonate cementation derived from ashes, identifiable at the microscopic scale, enabled bone preservation. Carbonate and spodic‐like features document water saturation once the sedimentation ceased. This sedimentary dynamic has broader geomorphological implications, such as an inferred post‐Neolithic incision of the stream valley adjacent to the site.publishersversionpublishe

Risk Factors for Mortality in Children Hospitalized With Severe Malaria in Northern Zambia: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Malaria remains a public health crisis in areas where it has resisted control efforts. In Nchelenge District, a high-transmission area in northern Zambia, malaria accounts for more than one-third of pediatric hospitalizations and nearly one-half of hospital deaths in children. To identify risk factors for death due to malaria, we conducted a retrospective, time-matched case-control study of 126 children hospitalized with malaria who died (cases) and 126 children who survived (controls). There were no differences in age, gender, hemoglobin concentration, or prevalence of severe anemia between cases and controls. Children who died were more likely to come from villages located at greater distances from the hospital than children who survived (median 13.5 versus 3.2 km). Each additional kilometer of distance from the hospital increased the odds of death by 4% (odds ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.07, P \u3c 0.01). Extent of anemia and admission during periods when blood was unavailable for transfusion were associated with early death (P £ 0.03). Delays in initiation of treatment of severe malaria contribute to the increased odds of death in children referred from more distant health centers, and might be mitigated by transportation improvements, capacity at rural health posts to administer treatment before transfer, hospital triage systems that minimize time to treatment, and reliable blood product stores at referral hospitals

Contexto arqueológico y cultural

UIDB/00749/2020 UIDP/00749/2020En el ámbito del proyecto de investigación IGAEDIS (Da civitas Igaeditanorum à Egitânia. A construção e evolução da cidade e a definição dos seus territórios da Época Romana até à doação dos Templários - séculos I a XII) se han realizado diferentes actuaciones arqueológicas en la actual aldea histórica de Idanha-a-Velha (Portugal). Además, la revisión de anteriores intervenciones, complementadas con la realización de dataciones absolutas, han permitido atribuir una cronología más temprana de la asignada hasta ahora a los dos “baptisterios” documentados en el yacimiento. Esta nueva lectura nos lleva a plantear un renovado marco de reflexión y crítica histórica, tanto de estas construcciones - piscinas bautismales - como del contexto en el que se insertan. Un ejercicio presentado en este trabajo de manera diacrónica, con el objetivo de mejorar el conocimiento sobre la evolución histórica de este sitio arqueológico entre los siglos IV-VIII.publishersversionpublishe

Caractérisation Spatiale Des Crevettes penaeidae Dans Le Lac Nokoué A So-Ava (Bénin)

Dans le lac Nokoué, premier pourvoyeur de crevettes marines au Bénin, les crevettes du genre Penaeidae sont les plus représentées. Le but de la présente étude est d’établir la cartographie de la répartition spatio-temporelle des populations de crevettes Penaeidae dans le lac Nokoué à Sô-Ava en vue de promouvoir la gestion durable de l’exploitation de l’écosystème des crevettes Penaeidae. Pour la préservation et la bonne gestion des biomasses de ces espèces de crevettes, il faut connaître leurs habitations puis la manière dont elles se répartissent dans le lac. La première partie de cette étude se focalise sur leur répartition géo-spatiale. A cet effet, nous avons fait recours à un outil intégrateur et interdisciplinaire que constituent les SIG. Un modèle conceptuel de base de données géohalieutiques a été proposé à partir des espèces de crevettes Penaeidae pêchées de janvier à avril 2012 et une analyse géostatistique à travers le krigeage a été réalisée. Le modèle de variogramme résultant de cette analyse présente un patron de distribution à tendance exponentielle sans effet de pépite. Les cartes de distribution des espèces de crevettes obtenues présentent de façon générale, un accroissement puis une décroissance des captures au cours de la période d’étude. Le pic est obtenu en avril 2012 où l’on observe jusqu’à 2,4 tonnes de crevettes pêchées. Pendant toute la période d’étude, nous avons noté des zones de concentration telles que Gbègodo (Houédo-Aguékon), Ganvié 2 (à l’ouest de Tohokomey) et Dakomey qui sont proches des berges (moins de 100 m). L’espèce Farfantepenaeus notialis concentre à elle seule en moyenne plus de 50 % des captures dans les différentes zones de concentration. L’exploitation du model conceptuel des données permettra en perspective, d’élaborer et de proposer des schémas et les normes de gestion durable des différentes espèces halieutiques en général, les crevettes du genre Penaeidae du lac Nokoué en particulier.mots-clés : Crevette Penaeidae, Lac Nokoué, variogramme, géostatistique, krigeageIn the lake Nokoué, first provider of marine prawns in Benin, the prawns of the Penaeidae are represented. The goal of this study is to understand the space time distribution of the genus Penaeidae prawn population in the lake Nokoué in Sô-Ava. For the safeguarding and the good management of the biomass of these watery species, it is necessary to know the pastern of their distribution in the lake. This first part of our study is focused on their géospace distribution. For this purpose, we used SIG recourse to an integrating and interdisciplinary tool. A geohalieutic database was built for Penaeidae prawn species caught from January to April 2012 that database allowed to carry out and a geo-statistics analysis through the krigeage was carried out. The model of variogramme resulting from this analysis showed exponential trend without effect of nugget. The distribution map of prawn species showed an increase then a decrease in the captures during the period. The peak was obtained in April 2012 at 2.4 tons of prawns. For all the study period we had noticed some zones of concentration which were close to the banks (less than 100 m). The species Farfantepenaeus notialis was found dominance with more than 50 % in all zones of concentration. The exploitation of the conceptual model of data will result in perspective, to develop and propose diagrams and the standards of sustainable management of the different fish species in general, the shrimps of the genus Penaeidae of Nokoué Lake in particular.Keywords : Penaeidae shrimps, Nokoué Lake, variogram, geostatistic, kriging

Metabolic instability of type 2 deiodinase is transferable to stable proteins independently of subcellular localization

Thyroid hormone activation is catalyzed by two deiodinases, D1 and D2. Whereas D1 is a stable plasma membrane protein, D2 is resident in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and has a 20-min half-life due to selective ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Here we have shown that stable retention explains D2 residency in the ER, a mechanism that is nevertheless over-ridden by fusion to the long-lived plasma membrane protein, sodium-iodine symporter. Fusion to D2, but not D1, dramatically shortened sodium-iodine symporter half-life through a mechanism dependent on an 18-amino acid D2-specific instability loop. Similarly, the D2-specific loop-mediated protein destabilization was also observed after D2, but not D1, was fused to the stable ER resident protein SEC62. This indicates that the instability loop in D2, but not its subcellular localization, is the key determinant of D2 susceptibility to ubiquitination and rapid turnover rate. Our data also show that the 6 N-terminal amino acids, but not the 12 C-terminal ones, are the ones required for D2 recognition by WSB-1