When 14C dates fall beyond the limits of uncertainty : an assessment of anomalies in Western Mediterranean Bronze Age 14C series

The aim of this article is to bring to light a serious problem affecting radiocarbon dates produced at least from 2009 onwards by the AMS Leibniz laboratory at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität (Kiel, Germany). Archaeological observations and cross-checkings between several laboratories confirm that in a significant number of dates, clear deviations of the results from chronological schemes based on stratigraphical sequences and hundreds of measurements have occurred, which usually implies an aging of the 14C value

Descoberta una imponent fortificació de fa 4.200 anys

Investigadors de la UAB han descobert una imponent fortificació de fa 4.200 anys, única en l'Europa continental. Les seves característiques són inèdites en l'Edat del Bronze, amb murs de tres metres d'ample y, una entrada monumental. La muralla protegia una ciutat de 4 hectàrees situada sobre un turó. Amb elements arquitectònics que plantegen la intervenció de gent amb coneixements militars procedent d'Orient, el seu model remet a les antigues civilitzacions del Mediterrani. La troballa replanteja el que es coneix sobre l'origen de les desigualtats econòmiques i polítiques a Europa, la formació de l'estament militar i el paper de la violència en la formació de tradicions identitàries.Investigadores de la UAB han descubierto una imponente fortificación de hace 4.200 años, única en la Europa continental. Sus características son inéditas en la Edad del Bronce, con muros de tres metros de ancho y una entrada monumental. La muralla protegía una ciudad de 4 hectáreas situada sobre una colina. Con elementos arquitectónicos que plantean la intervención de gente con conocimientos militares procedente de Oriente, su modelo remite a las antiguas civilizaciones del Mediterráneo. El hallazgo replantea lo que se conoce sobre el origen de las desigualdades económicas y políticas en Europa, la formación del estamento militar y el papel de la violencia en la formación de tradiciones identitarias.UAB researchers have discovered an impressive 4,200-year-old fortification in Totana, Murcia, unique in continental Europe. Similar characteristics have not been observed in other constructions of the Bronze Age, with three-metre thick walls and a monumental entrance. The wall protected a city measuring 4 hectares located on top of a hill. With architectural elements reminiscent of people with Eastern styled military skills, its model is typical of ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean. The discovery poses new questions about what is known of the origin of economic and political inequalities in Europe, the formation of the military and the role violence played in the formation of identities

Argaric Sociology : Sex and Death

The detailed, rich and diverse Argaric funerary record offers an opportunity to explore social dimensions that usually remain elusive for prehistoric research, such us social rules on kinship rights and obligations, sexual tolerance and the role of funerary practices in preserving the economic and political organization. This paper addresses these topics through an analysis of the social meaning of Argaric double tombs by looking at body treatment and composition of grave goods assemblages according to gender and class affiliation. The Argaric seems to have been a conservative society, scarcely tolerant regarding homosexuality, and willing to celebrate ancestry associated to certain places as a means of asserting residence and property rights.La variedad, abundancia y detalle del registro funerario argárico permite explorar aspectos por lo general vedados a la investigación de las sociedades prehistóricas. Las normas sociales sobre la distribución de obligaciones y derechos según el parentesco, la permisividad respecto a las relaciones sexuales y el papel de las prácticas funerarias en el mantenimiento de la organización económico-política son algunos de dichos aspectos. En este artículo se propone un acercamiento a los mismos mediante un análisis del significado social de las tumbas dobles argáricas, la composición de los ajuares según el sexo y la clase social del individuo inhumado, así como el tratamiento y disposición de los cadáveres. Las conclusiones dibujan una sociedad conservadora, poco tolerante respecto la homosexualidad y que celebra positivamente los vínculos genealógicos asociados a ciertos espacios, afirmando así derechos de permanencia y propiedad

Troben un palau i un ric aixovar de l'Edat del Bronze a La Almoloya

Un equip d'arqueòlegs de la UAB ha tret a la llum el ric patrimoni històric i arqueològic de La Almoloya, un jaciment de la Regió de Múrcia, que va ser bressol de la societat d'El Argar que va habitar el sud-est de la península Ibèrica durant l'Edat del Bronze. Les troballes realitzades indiquen que La Almoloya era un centre de concentració política i riquesa de primer ordre dins del territori polític d'El Argar. Una de les peces més valuoses és una diadema de plata, l'única de la seva època que es conserva avui a Espanya.Archaeologists from the UAB shed light on the rich historical and archaeological heritage of La Almoloya, a site located in Murcia. It is the cradle of the "El Argar" civilisation which lived in the south-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age. The findings indicate that La Almoloya was a primary centre of politics and wealth within the political territory of El Argar. A silver diadem discovered in the royal tomb is the only one from that era conserved in Spain.Un equipo de arqueólogos de la UAB saca a la luz el rico patrimonio histórico y arqueológico de La Almoloya, un yacimiento de la Región de Murcia, que fue cuna de la sociedad de "El Argar" que habitó el sureste de la península Ibérica durante la Edad del Bronce. Los descubrimientos realizados indican que La Almoloya era un centro de concentración política y riqueza de primer orden dentro del territorio político de El Argar. Una de las piezas más valiosas es una diadema de plata, la única de su época que se conserva hoy en España

Quantitative RT-PCR Platform for Transcript Profiling of C-N Metabolism Related Genes in Durum Wheat: Study under a Future Climate Change Scenario

4 figuras. -- Póster presentado en el congreso: BIT's 6th Annual World Congress of Molecular & Cell Biology 2016. Theme: Unlocking the Secrets of Cells. Dalian (China), 25-28 de abril de 2016.Climate change is a major challenge to global food supply, thus is important understanding the mechanisms of crop responses to future environmental conditions. To achieve this goal, we developed a qRT-PCR platform for the expression analysis of more than a hundred C and N metabolism genes in durum wheat, based on available bread wheat genes and the identification of orthologs of known genes in other species. Additionally, we investigated the effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on primary metabolism of durum wheat grown in field chambers at two levels of N supply by combining transcript level analysis, using the qRT-PCR platform, with biochemical and physiological parameters in flag leaves at anthesis.This work was supported by the Spanish National R&D&i Plan of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants AGL2006-13541-C02-02, AGL2009-11987 and BES-2010-031029 to R.V.).N

AER tools for Communications and Debugging

Address-event-representation (AER) is a communications protocol for transferring spikes between bio-inspired chips. Such systems may consist of a hierarchical structure with several chips that transmit spikes among them in real time, while performing some processing. To develop and test AER based systems it is convenient to have a set of instruments that would allow to: generate AER streams, monitor the output produced by neural chips and modify the spike stream produced by an emitting chip to adapt it to the requirements of the receiving elements. In this paper we present a set of tools that implement these functions developed in the CAVIAR EU projectUnión Europea IST-2001-34124 (CAVIAR)Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-2003-08164-C03-0

AER-based robotic closed-loop control system

Address-Event-Representation (AER) is an asynchronous protocol for transferring the information of spiking neuro-inspired systems. Actually AER systems are able to see, to ear, to process information, and to learn. Regarding to the actuation step, the AER has been used for implementing Central Pattern Generator algorithms, but not for controlling the actuators in a closed-loop spike-based way. In this paper we analyze an AER based model for a real-time neuro-inspired closed-loop control system. We demonstrate it into a differential control system for a two-wheel vehicle using feedback AER information. PFM modulation has been used to power the DC motors of the vehicle and translation into AER of encoder information is also presented for the close-loop. A codesign platform (called AER-Robot), based into a Xilinx Spartan 3 FPGA and an 8051 USB microcontroller, with power stages for four DC motors has been used for the demonstrator.Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-01417Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0