Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic Occupations around Mundafan Palaeolake, Saudi Arabia: Implications for Climate Change and Human Dispersals

PubMed Central

Crassard, Rémy; Petraglia, Michael D.; Drake, Nick A.; Breeze, Paul; Gratuze, Bernard; Alsharekh, Abdullah; Arbach, Mounir; Groucutt, Huw S.; Khalidi, Lamya; Michelsen, Nils; Robin, Christian J.; Schiettecatte, Jérémie

2013-01-01

The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding climate change and human occupation history in a marginal environment. The Mundafan palaeolake is situated in southern Saudi Arabia, in the Rub’ al-Khali (the ‘Empty Quarter’), the world’s largest sand desert. Here we report the first discoveries of Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in association with the palaeolake. We associate the human occupations with new geochronological data, and suggest the archaeological sites date to the wet periods of Marine Isotope Stage 5 and the Early Holocene. The archaeological sites indicate that humans repeatedly penetrated the ameliorated environments of the Rub’ al-Khali. The sites probably represent short-term occupations, with the Neolithic sites focused on hunting, as indicated by points and weaponry. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages at Mundafan support a lacustrine adaptive focus in Arabia. Provenancing of obsidian artifacts indicates that Neolithic groups at Mundafan had a wide wandering range, with transport of artifacts from distant sources. PMID:23894519

Middle palaeolithic and neolithic occupations around Mundafan Palaeolake, Saudi Arabia: implications for climate change and human dispersals.

PubMed

Crassard, Rémy; Petraglia, Michael D; Drake, Nick A; Breeze, Paul; Gratuze, Bernard; Alsharekh, Abdullah; Arbach, Mounir; Groucutt, Huw S; Khalidi, Lamya; Michelsen, Nils; Robin, Christian J; Schiettecatte, Jérémie

2013-01-01

The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding climate change and human occupation history in a marginal environment. The Mundafan palaeolake is situated in southern Saudi Arabia, in the Rub' al-Khali (the 'Empty Quarter'), the world's largest sand desert. Here we report the first discoveries of Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in association with the palaeolake. We associate the human occupations with new geochronological data, and suggest the archaeological sites date to the wet periods of Marine Isotope Stage 5 and the Early Holocene. The archaeological sites indicate that humans repeatedly penetrated the ameliorated environments of the Rub' al-Khali. The sites probably represent short-term occupations, with the Neolithic sites focused on hunting, as indicated by points and weaponry. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages at Mundafan support a lacustrine adaptive focus in Arabia. Provenancing of obsidian artifacts indicates that Neolithic groups at Mundafan had a wide wandering range, with transport of artifacts from distant sources.

Fluvial deposits as an archive of early human activity: Progress during the 20 years of the Fluvial Archives Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauhan, Parth R.; Bridgland, David R.; Moncel, Marie-Hélène; Antoine, Pierre; Bahain, Jean-Jacques; Briant, Rebecca; Cunha, Pedro P.; Despriée, Jackie; Limondin-Lozouet, Nicole; Locht, Jean-Luc; Martins, Antonio A.; Schreve, Danielle C.; Shaw, Andrew D.; Voinchet, Pierre; Westaway, Rob; White, Mark J.; White, Tom S.

2017-06-01

Fluvial sedimentary archives are important repositories for Lower and Middle Palaeolithic artefacts throughout the 'Old World', especially in Europe, where the beginning of their study coincided with the realisation that early humans were of great antiquity. Now that many river terrace sequences can be reliably dated and correlated with the globally valid marine isotope record, potentially useful patterns can be recognized in the distribution of the find-spots of the artefacts that constitute the large collections that were assembled during the years of manual gravel extraction. This paper reviews the advances during the past two decades in knowledge of hominin occupation based on artefact occurrences in fluvial contexts, in Europe, Asia and Africa. As such it is an update of a comparable review in 2007, at the end of IGCP Project no. 449, which had instigated the compilation of fluvial records from around the world during 2000-2004, under the auspices of the Fluvial Archives Group. An overarching finding is the confirmation of the well-established view that in Europe there is a demarcation between handaxe making in the west and flake-core industries in the east, although on a wider scale that pattern is undermined by the increased numbers of Lower Palaeolithic bifaces now recognized in East Asia. It is also apparent that, although it seems to have appeared at different places and at different times in the later Lower Palaeolithic, the arrival of Levallois technology as a global phenomenon was similarly timed across the area occupied by Middle Pleistocene hominins, at around 0.3 Ma.

Earliest Cranio-Encephalic Trauma from the Levantine Middle Palaeolithic: 3D Reappraisal of the Qafzeh 11 Skull, Consequences of Pediatric Brain Damage on Individual Life Condition and Social Care

PubMed Central

Coqueugniot, Hélène; Dutour, Olivier; Arensburg, Baruch; Duday, Henri; Vandermeersch, Bernard; Tillier, Anne-marie

2014-01-01

The Qafzeh site (Lower Galilee, Israel) has yielded the largest Levantine hominin collection from Middle Palaeolithic layers which were dated to circa 90–100 kyrs BP or to marine isotope stage 5b–c. Within the hominin sample, Qafzeh 11, circa 12–13 yrs old at death, presents a skull lesion previously attributed to a healed trauma. Three dimensional imaging methods allowed us to better explore this lesion which appeared as being a frontal bone depressed fracture, associated with brain damage. Furthermore the endocranial volume, smaller than expected for dental age, supports the hypothesis of a growth delay due to traumatic brain injury. This trauma did not affect the typical human brain morphology pattern of the right frontal and left occipital petalia. It is highly probable that this young individual suffered from personality and neurological troubles directly related to focal cerebral damage. Interestingly this young individual benefited of a unique funerary practice among the south-western Asian burials dated to Middle Palaeolithic. PMID:25054798

Dating Shuidonggou and the Upper Palaeolithic blade industry in North China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madsen, D.B.; Li, Ji; Brantingham, P.J.; Gao, X.; Elston, R.G.; Bettinger, R.L.

2001-01-01

Shuidonggou is unique within the Chinese Palaeolithic sequence and its assemblage is reminiscent of Upper Palaeolithic core-and-blade technologies in Mongolia and southern Siberia. Limited chronological controls have prevented evaluation of this technology in both the Chinese and greater Eurasian Palaeolithic. Dating of recently discovered hearths at Locality 2 places Shuidonggou firmly at 29,000-24,000 BP, and suggests the spread of the Eurasian large blade technology was primarily from north to south. The concurrent production of small microblade-like bipolar bladelets at the site may also presage the development of a microlithic industry.

Generativity, hierarchical action and recursion in the technology of the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic transition: a perspective from Patpara, the Son Valley, India.

PubMed

Shipton, C; Clarkson, C; Pal, J N; Jones, S C; Roberts, R G; Harris, C; Gupta, M C; Ditchfield, P W; Petraglia, M D

2013-08-01

The Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic transition is one of the most important technological changes that occurs over the course of human evolution. Here we examine stone artefact assemblages from Patpara and two other excavated sites in the Middle Son Valley, India, which show a mosaic of attributes associated with Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic industries. The bifaces from these sites are very refined and generally small, but also highly variable in size. A strong relationship between flake scar density and biface size indicates extensive differential resharpening. There are relatively low proportions of bifaces at these sites, with more emphasis on small flake tools struck from recurrent Levallois cores. The eventual demise of large bifaces may be attributed to the curation of small prepared cores from which sharper, or more task-specific flakes were struck. Levallois technology appears to have arisen out of adapting aspects of handaxe knapping, including shaping of surfaces, the utilization of two inter-dependent surfaces, and the striking of invasive thinning flakes. The generativity, hierarchical organization of action, and recursion evident in recurrent Levallois technology may be attributed to improvements in working memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Middle Pleistocene interglacial Thames--Medway deposits at Clacton-on-Sea, England: Reconsideration of the biostratigraphical and environmental context of the type Clactonian Palaeolithic industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridgland, David R.; Field, Michael H.; Holmes, Jonathan A.; McNabb, John; Preece, Richard C.; Selby, Ian; Wymer, John J.; Boreham, Steve; Irving, Brian G.; Parfitt, Simon A.; Stuart, Anthony J.

In 1987 an archaeological investigation was undertaken during redevelopment of the erstwhile Butlin's holiday camp at Clacton-on-Sea, on the grounds that the Middle Pleistocene Clacton Channel Deposits, containing the type-Clactonian Palaeolithic industry, were known to extend beneath the site. Excavations for a storm-drain allowed sampling at points along a longitudinal traverse of the main Clacton Channel. Analysis of these samples has provided new palaeontological information, including data pertaining to the rise in relative sea level during the interglacial represented. Systematic studies of molluscs and ostracods, the latter undertaken at Clacton for the first time, have been particularly valuable. Information from the Butlin's site supplements evidence previously gathered from the West Cliff section and from other localities at Clacton. The calcareous clay ('marl') that underlies the Clacton golf course extends beneath Butlin's, where it was found to be part of the Freshwater Beds, not the Estuarine Beds, as hitherto supposed. The Clacton Estuarine Beds, restricted to the eastern end of the site, have their base just below 2 m O.D., implying that their superposition upon the Clacton Freshwater Beds occurred when relative sea level in this area was close to present ordnance datum. Correlation of the Clacton Channel Deposits with the interglacial immediately following the Anglian/Elsterian Stage appears secure; equivalence with Oxygen Isotope Stage 11 of the oceanic sequence is most probable. A borehole survey and subsequent excavation revealed a Holocene sequence of unlithified tufa and organic sediments beneath part of the site.

Application of U/Th and 40Ar/39Ar Dating to Orgnac 3, a Late Acheulean and Early Middle Palaeolithic Site in Ardèche, France

PubMed Central

Michel, Véronique; Shen, Guanjun; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Wu, Chung-Che; Vérati, Chrystèle; Gallet, Sylvain; Moncel, Marie-Hélène; Combier, Jean; Khatib, Samir; Manetti, Michel

2013-01-01

Refined radio-isotopic dating techniques have been applied to Orgnac 3, a Late Acheulean and Early Middle Palaeolithic site in France. Evidence of Levallois core technology appeared in level 4b in the middle of the sequence, became predominant in the upper horizons, and was best represented in uppermost level 1, making the site one of the oldest examples of Levallois technology. In our dating study, fourteen speleothem samples from levels 7, 6 and 5b, were U/Th-dated. Four pure calcite samples from the speleothem PL1 (levels 5b, 6) yield ages between 265 ± 4 (PL1-3) and 312 ± 15 (PL1-6) thousand years ago (ka). Three samples from the top of a second stalagmite, PL2, yield dates ranging from 288 ± 10 ka (PL2-1) to 298 ± 17 ka (PL2-3). Three samples from the base of PL2 (level 7) yield much younger U/Th dates between 267 and 283 ka. These dates show that the speleothems PL1 and PL2 are contemporaneous and formed during marine isotope stage (MIS) 9 and MIS 8. Volcanic minerals in level 2, the upper sequence, were dated by the 40Ar/39Ar method, giving a weighted mean of 302.9 ± 2.5 ka (2σ) and an inverse isochron age of 302.9 ± 5.9 ka (2σ). Both 40Ar/39Ar dating of volcanic sanidines and U/Th dating of relatively pure and dense cave calcites are known to be well established. The first parallel application of the two geochronometers to Orgnac 3 yields generally consistent results, which point to the reliability of the two methods. The difference between their age results is discussed. PMID:24349273

Application of U/Th and 40Ar/39Ar dating to Orgnac 3, a Late Acheulean and Early Middle Palaeolithic site in Ardèche, France.

PubMed

Michel, Véronique; Shen, Guanjun; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Wu, Chung-Che; Vérati, Chrystèle; Gallet, Sylvain; Moncel, Marie-Hélène; Combier, Jean; Khatib, Samir; Manetti, Michel

2013-01-01

Refined radio-isotopic dating techniques have been applied to Orgnac 3, a Late Acheulean and Early Middle Palaeolithic site in France. Evidence of Levallois core technology appeared in level 4b in the middle of the sequence, became predominant in the upper horizons, and was best represented in uppermost level 1, making the site one of the oldest examples of Levallois technology. In our dating study, fourteen speleothem samples from levels 7, 6 and 5b, were U/Th-dated. Four pure calcite samples from the speleothem PL1 (levels 5b, 6) yield ages between 265 ± 4 (PL1-3) and 312 ± 15 (PL1-6) thousand years ago (ka). Three samples from the top of a second stalagmite, PL2, yield dates ranging from 288 ± 10 ka (PL2-1) to 298 ± 17 ka (PL2-3). Three samples from the base of PL2 (level 7) yield much younger U/Th dates between 267 and 283 ka. These dates show that the speleothems PL1 and PL2 are contemporaneous and formed during marine isotope stage (MIS) 9 and MIS 8. Volcanic minerals in level 2, the upper sequence, were dated by the (40)Ar/(39)Ar method, giving a weighted mean of 302.9 ± 2.5 ka (2σ) and an inverse isochron age of 302.9 ± 5.9 ka (2σ). Both (40)Ar/(39)Ar dating of volcanic sanidines and U/Th dating of relatively pure and dense cave calcites are known to be well established. The first parallel application of the two geochronometers to Orgnac 3 yields generally consistent results, which point to the reliability of the two methods. The difference between their age results is discussed.

Middle Palaeolithic toolstone procurement behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan valley, Armenia.

PubMed

Frahm, Ellery; Feinberg, Joshua M; Schmidt-Magee, Beverly A; Wilkinson, Keith N; Gasparyan, Boris; Yeritsyan, Benik; Adler, Daniel S

2016-02-01

Strategies employed by Middle Palaeolithic hominins to acquire lithic raw materials often play key roles in assessing their movements through the landscape, relationships with neighboring groups, and cognitive abilities. It has been argued that a dependence on local resources is a widespread characteristic of the Middle Palaeolithic, but how such behaviors were manifested on the landscape remains unclear. Does an abundance of local toolstone reflect frequent encounters with different outcrops while foraging, or was a particular outcrop favored and preferentially quarried? This study examines such behaviors at a finer geospatial scale than is usually possible, allowing us to investigate hominin movements through the landscape surrounding Lusakert Cave 1 in Armenia. Using our newly developed approach to obsidian magnetic characterization, we test a series of hypotheses regarding the locations where hominins procured toolstone from a volcanic complex adjacent to the site. Our goal is to establish whether the cave's occupants procured local obsidian from preferred outcrops or quarries, secondary deposits of obsidian nodules along a river, or a variety of exposures as encountered while moving through the river valley or across the wider volcanic landscape during the course of foraging activities. As we demonstrate here, it is not the case that one particular outcrop or deposit attracted the cave occupants during the studied time intervals. Nor did they acquire obsidian at random across the landscape. Instead, our analyses support the hypothesis that these hominins collected obsidian from outcrops and exposures throughout the adjacent river valley, reflecting the spatial scale of their day-to-day foraging activities. The coincidence of such behaviors within the resource-rich river valley suggests efficient exploitation of a diverse biome during a time interval immediately preceding the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic "transition," the nature and timing of which has yet to be determined for the region. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying Major Transitions in the Evolution of Lithic Cutting Edge Production Rates

PubMed Central

Clarkson, Chris

2016-01-01

The notion that the evolution of core reduction strategies involved increasing efficiency in cutting edge production is prevalent in narratives of hominin technological evolution. Yet a number of studies comparing two different knapping technologies have found no significant differences in edge production. Using digital analysis methods we present an investigation of raw material efficiency in eight core technologies broadly representative of the long-term evolution of lithic technology. These are bipolar, multiplatform, discoidal, biface, Levallois, prismatic blade, punch blade and pressure blade production. Raw material efficiency is assessed by the ratio of cutting edge length to original core mass. We also examine which flake attributes contribute to maximising raw material efficiency, as well as compare the difference between expert and intermediate knappers in terms of cutting edge produced per gram of core. We identify a gradual increase in raw material efficiency over the broad sweep of lithic technological evolution. The results indicate that the most significant transition in efficiency likely took place with the introduction of small foliate biface, Levallois and prismatic blade knapping, all introduced in the Middle Stone Age / Middle Palaeolithic among early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. This suggests that no difference in raw material efficiency existed between these species. With prismatic blade technology securely dated to the Middle Palaeolithic, by including the more recent punch and pressure blade technology our results dispel the notion that the transition to the Upper Palaeolithic was accompanied by an increase in efficiency. However, further increases in cutting edge efficiency are evident, with pressure blades possessing the highest efficiency in this study, indicating that late/epi-Palaeolithic and Neolithic blade technologies further increased efficiency. PMID:27936135

Identifying Major Transitions in the Evolution of Lithic Cutting Edge Production Rates.

PubMed

Muller, Antoine; Clarkson, Chris

2016-01-01

The notion that the evolution of core reduction strategies involved increasing efficiency in cutting edge production is prevalent in narratives of hominin technological evolution. Yet a number of studies comparing two different knapping technologies have found no significant differences in edge production. Using digital analysis methods we present an investigation of raw material efficiency in eight core technologies broadly representative of the long-term evolution of lithic technology. These are bipolar, multiplatform, discoidal, biface, Levallois, prismatic blade, punch blade and pressure blade production. Raw material efficiency is assessed by the ratio of cutting edge length to original core mass. We also examine which flake attributes contribute to maximising raw material efficiency, as well as compare the difference between expert and intermediate knappers in terms of cutting edge produced per gram of core. We identify a gradual increase in raw material efficiency over the broad sweep of lithic technological evolution. The results indicate that the most significant transition in efficiency likely took place with the introduction of small foliate biface, Levallois and prismatic blade knapping, all introduced in the Middle Stone Age / Middle Palaeolithic among early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. This suggests that no difference in raw material efficiency existed between these species. With prismatic blade technology securely dated to the Middle Palaeolithic, by including the more recent punch and pressure blade technology our results dispel the notion that the transition to the Upper Palaeolithic was accompanied by an increase in efficiency. However, further increases in cutting edge efficiency are evident, with pressure blades possessing the highest efficiency in this study, indicating that late/epi-Palaeolithic and Neolithic blade technologies further increased efficiency.

A New Chronology for Rhafas, Northeast Morocco, Spanning the North African Middle Stone Age through to the Neolithic.

PubMed

Doerschner, Nina; Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E; Ditchfield, Peter; McLaren, Sue J; Steele, Teresa E; Zielhofer, Christoph; McPherron, Shannon P; Bouzouggar, Abdeljalil; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

Archaeological sites in northern Africa provide a rich record of increasing importance for the origins of modern human behaviour and for understanding human dispersal out of Africa. However, the timing and nature of Palaeolithic human behaviour and dispersal across north-western Africa (the Maghreb), and their relationship to local environmental conditions, remain poorly understood. The cave of Rhafas (northeast Morocco) provides valuable chronological information about cultural changes in the Maghreb during the Palaeolithic due to its long stratified archaeological sequence comprising Middle Stone Age (MSA), Later Stone Age (LSA) and Neolithic occupation layers. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz grains to the cave deposits of Rhafas, as well as to a recently excavated section on the terrace in front of the cave entrance. We hereby provide a revised chronostratigraphy for the archaeological sequence at the site. We combine these results with geological and sedimentological multi-proxy investigations to gain insights into site formation processes and the palaeoenvironmental record of the region. The older sedimentological units at Rhafas were deposited between 135 ka and 57 ka (MIS 6 -MIS 3) and are associated with the MSA technocomplex. Tanged pieces start to occur in the archaeological layers around 109 ka, which is consistent with previously published chronological data from the Maghreb. A well indurated duricrust indicates favourable climatic conditions for the pedogenic cementation by carbonates of sediment layers at the site after 57 ka. Overlying deposits attributed to the LSA technocomplex yield ages of ~21 ka and ~15 ka, corresponding to the last glacial period, and fall well within the previously established occupation phase in the Maghreb. The last occupation phase at Rhafas took place during the Neolithic and is dated to ~7.8 ka.

John Lubbock, caves, and the development of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic archaeology

PubMed Central

Pettitt, Paul; White, Mark

2014-01-01

John Lubbock's Pre-Historic Times (1865) was the first publication to use the terms ‘Palaeolithic’ and ‘Neolithic’ to define major periods of early prehistory. Because of this he has come to be seen as one of the most influential figures in the history of prehistoric archaeology. We examine this image here, in terms of his influence on contemporaries both in Britain and in France, where early excavations were providing materials that came to form the basic periodization of the Palaeolithic that is still in use today. We show how Lubbock contributed to this emergence of a professional Palaeolithic archaeology, and what he did and did not achieve in the critical decades of the 1850s and 1860s before his interests moved elsewhere.

Signatures of Climatic Change In Human Mitochondrial Dna From Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, M. B.; Macaulay, V. A.; Torroni, A.; Bandelt, H.-J.

Founder analysis is an approach to analysing non-recombining DNA sequence data, such as variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which aims at identifying and dating migrations into new territory. We applied the approach to about 4,000 human mtDNA sequences from Europe and the Near East, in order to estimate the proportion of modern lineages whose ancestors arrived at various times during the continent's past. We found that the major signal dates to about 15,000 years ago, at the time of rewarming following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). There is little or no archaeological evidence for immigration into Europe at this time, and the record indicates that at least parts of southern Europe remained populated during the LGM. Therefore, we interpret this signal as the trace of a bottleneck at the time of the LGM, as a result of the retreat from northern Europe during the peak of the glaciation, followed by a re-expansion from one or more refugial zones. Immigration episodes then figure at the beginning of the Early Upper Palaeolithic, during the Middle Upper Palaeolithic, and with the Neolithic. The impact of the latter on the composition of the European mtDNA pool was evidently rather minor. This result implies that climate is likely to have been a major force shaping human demographic history in Europe.

Divorcing the Late Upper Palaeolithic demographic histories of mtDNA haplogroups M1 and U6 in Africa

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background A Southwest Asian origin and dispersal to North Africa in the Early Upper Palaeolithic era has been inferred in previous studies for mtDNA haplogroups M1 and U6. Both haplogroups have been proposed to show similar geographic patterns and shared demographic histories. Results We report here 24 M1 and 33 U6 new complete mtDNA sequences that allow us to refine the existing phylogeny of these haplogroups. The resulting phylogenetic information was used to genotype a further 131 M1 and 91 U6 samples to determine the geographic spread of their sub-clades. No southwest Asian specific clades for M1 or U6 were discovered. U6 and M1 frequencies in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe do not follow similar patterns, and their sub-clade divisions do not appear to be compatible with their shared history reaching back to the Early Upper Palaeolithic. The Bayesian Skyline Plots testify to non-overlapping phases of expansion, and the haplogroups’ phylogenies suggest that there are U6 sub-clades that expanded earlier than those in M1. Some M1 and U6 sub-clades could be linked with certain events. For example, U6a1 and M1b, with their coalescent ages of ~20,000–22,000 years ago and earliest inferred expansion in northwest Africa, could coincide with the flourishing of the Iberomaurusian industry, whilst U6b and M1b1 appeared at the time of the Capsian culture. Conclusions Our high-resolution phylogenetic dissection of both haplogroups and coalescent time assessments suggest that the extant main branching pattern of both haplogroups arose and diversified in the mid-later Upper Palaeolithic, with some sub-clades concomitantly with the expansion of the Iberomaurusian industry. Carriers of these maternal lineages have been later absorbed into and diversified further during the spread of Afro-Asiatic languages in North and East Africa. PMID:23206491

Potential Interference Among The Campanian Ignimbrite Eruption, Heinrich Event 4 and The Middle/upper Palaeolithic Shift In Late Pleistocene Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedele, F. G.; Giaccio, B.; Isaia, R.; Orsi, G.

The Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption (Phlegraean Fields Caldera) was the largest volcanic eruption in the Greater Mediterranean area over the past 200 Ka (at least 150 km3 DRE). Ash layers correlated with CI have been found in sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Y5) and East Europe, from Italy to the former USSR. The recent dating of the CI eruption at 39.3 Ka BP draws attention to the coincidence be- tween this volcanic catastrophe and the suite of coeval biocultural modifications in Old World prehistory, here termed the European Late Pleistocene shift (ELPS). These included the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic cultural transition and the supposed change from Neanderthal to "modern" Homo sapiens anatomy, still a subject of sustained de- bate. The first results of our investigations show that: (1) at several archaeological sites of peninsular Italy a distinct tephra layer corresponding to the CI is regularly interbedded between the last documented Middle Palaeolithic and the earliest appear- ance of unquestionable Upper Palaeolithic assemblages; (2) at the same sites the CI tephra coincides with a interruption of occupation, several millennia long; (3) in the GISP2 Greenland ice-core, Lago Grande di Monticchio (southern Italy) lacustrine se- quences, and KET 8003 Tyrrhenian sea-core, a large volcanogenic sulfate signal (375 ppb, at 40,062 yr BP) to be correlated with the CI eruption and/or CI tephra layer occurs just before a sharp climatic shift which coincides with the onset of Heinrich event 4 (HE4). The concurrence of the CI eruption, Palaeolithic site abandonment and beginning of HE4 suggests that the overlapping of CI eruption and HE4 climatic im- pacts induced ecosystem crisis on a fairly large scale - human systems included - and well beyond the direct-impact zone. Moreover, the occurrence of the CI eruption just before HE4 probably corroborates the positive climate-volcanism feedback supposed for other high magnitude eruptions (e.g. Toba, 74 Ka). Without obviously claiming for the CI an overall evolutionary relevance within the ELPS, on the available data we nevertheless suggest that it deserves careful consideration as a contributing factor to the regional expression - or re-orientation - of cultural and population change.

The first Neanderthal remains from an open-air Middle Palaeolithic site in the Levant.

PubMed

Been, Ella; Hovers, Erella; Ekshtain, Ravid; Malinski-Buller, Ariel; Agha, Nuha; Barash, Alon; Mayer, Daniella E Bar-Yosef; Benazzi, Stefano; Hublin, Jean-Jacques; Levin, Lihi; Greenbaum, Noam; Mitki, Netta; Oxilia, Gregorio; Porat, Naomi; Roskin, Joel; Soudack, Michalle; Yeshurun, Reuven; Shahack-Gross, Ruth; Nir, Nadav; Stahlschmidt, Mareike C; Rak, Yoel; Barzilai, Omry

2017-06-07

The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period-Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM 3 ); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region.

Middle to Late Pleistocene environmental and climatic reconstruction of the human occurrence at Grotta Maggiore di San Bernardino (Vicenza, Italy) through the small-mammal assemblage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-García, Juan Manuel; Luzi, Elisa; Peresani, Marco

2017-07-01

Grotta Maggiore di San Bernardino, located at an altitude of 135 m a.s.l. in the Berici Hills in northeastern Italy, is an archaeological site with a discontinuous sedimentary sequence dating from Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7) to MIS 3. In this paper we present for the first time a palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the sequence based on small-mammal (insectivore, bat and rodent) assemblages. Coupled with biochronological data and absolute dating together with previous studies on large mammals, birds and other studies on small mammals and pollen from comparable time-spans in Italy, the results enable us clearly to identify distinct climatic periods: the end of MIS 7 (7c to 7a) in units VIII-VII, MIS 5d in unit V, and probably MIS 5b in unit IV and an indeterminate MIS 3 interstadial in units III-II. Finally, the study shows that the early Middle Palaeolithic human occupation in Italy occurs during mild and temperate sub-stages of MIS 7 and that human groups with the same techno-cultural background (Mousterian) were well adapted to the changing environmental and climatic conditions of the Middle to Late Pleistocene in this part of southern Europe.

A New Chronology for Rhafas, Northeast Morocco, Spanning the North African Middle Stone Age through to the Neolithic

PubMed Central

Doerschner, Nina; Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E.; Ditchfield, Peter; McLaren, Sue J.; Steele, Teresa E.; Zielhofer, Christoph; McPherron, Shannon P.; Bouzouggar, Abdeljalil; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2016-01-01

Archaeological sites in northern Africa provide a rich record of increasing importance for the origins of modern human behaviour and for understanding human dispersal out of Africa. However, the timing and nature of Palaeolithic human behaviour and dispersal across north-western Africa (the Maghreb), and their relationship to local environmental conditions, remain poorly understood. The cave of Rhafas (northeast Morocco) provides valuable chronological information about cultural changes in the Maghreb during the Palaeolithic due to its long stratified archaeological sequence comprising Middle Stone Age (MSA), Later Stone Age (LSA) and Neolithic occupation layers. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz grains to the cave deposits of Rhafas, as well as to a recently excavated section on the terrace in front of the cave entrance. We hereby provide a revised chronostratigraphy for the archaeological sequence at the site. We combine these results with geological and sedimentological multi-proxy investigations to gain insights into site formation processes and the palaeoenvironmental record of the region. The older sedimentological units at Rhafas were deposited between 135 ka and 57 ka (MIS 6 –MIS 3) and are associated with the MSA technocomplex. Tanged pieces start to occur in the archaeological layers around 109 ka, which is consistent with previously published chronological data from the Maghreb. A well indurated duricrust indicates favourable climatic conditions for the pedogenic cementation by carbonates of sediment layers at the site after 57 ka. Overlying deposits attributed to the LSA technocomplex yield ages of ~21 ka and ~15 ka, corresponding to the last glacial period, and fall well within the previously established occupation phase in the Maghreb. The last occupation phase at Rhafas took place during the Neolithic and is dated to ~7.8 ka. PMID:27654350

Chemical weathering of palaeosols from the Lower Palaeolithic site of Valle Giumentina, central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degeai, Jean-Philippe; Villa, Valentina; Chaussé, Christine; Pereira, Alison; Nomade, Sébastien; Aureli, Daniele; Pagli, Marina; Nicoud, Elisa

2018-03-01

The major archaeological site of Valle Giumentina (Abruzzo) contains a well-dated Lower Palaeolithic pedosedimentary sequence that provides an excellent opportunity to study the relationships among soil weathering, volcanism and climate change at the glacial/interglacial and submillennial timescales in central Italy and the Mediterranean area during the Middle Pleistocene, as well as the human-environment interactions of some of the earliest settlements in central southern Europe. High-resolution analyses of geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility revealed the presence of eleven palaeosols, ten of which (S2-S11) were formed between 560 and 450 ka based on 40Ar/39Ar dating of sanidine in tephras, i.e. spanning marine isotope stages (MIS) 14-12. The evolution of the major and trace element composition suggests that the palaeosols were mainly formed by in situ weathering of the parent material. The major phases of soil weathering occurred during the MIS 13 interglacial period (S8 and S6) as well as during episodes of rapid environmental change associated with millennial climatic oscillations during the MIS 14 and 12 glaciations (S11 and S2, respectively). Although global forcing such as orbital variations, solar radiation, and greenhouse gas concentrations may have influenced the pedogenic processes, the volcanism in central Italy, climate change in the central Mediterranean, and tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Valle Giumentina basin also impacted and triggered the formation of most palaeosols, which provided subsistence resources for the Lower Palaeolithic human communities. This study highlights the importance of having high-resolution palaeoenvironmental records with accurate chronology as close as possible to archaeological sites to study human-environment interactions.

Geoarchaeological approaches to Palaeolithic surface artefact distributions and hominin landscape use in SW Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inglis, Robyn; Sinclair, Anthony; Fanning, Patricia; Alsharekh, Abdullah; Bailey, Geoff

2017-04-01

The vast majority of Palaeolithic archaeological material in arid and semi-arid regions exists in the form of scatters of stone tools across the surface of present-day landscapes. This is particularly the case in the Saharo-Arabian desert belt, a region vital to understanding the global dispersal of hominins from Africa. These surface artefacts possess little stratigraphic context, but comprise the only record we possess to examine spatial behavioural patterning and landscape use by hominin populations. Interpretation of the observed spatial distribution of artefacts is far from straightforward. Surface artefact distributions result from a complex interplay of varying human behaviours over time. Also, geomorphological processes affect the preservation, exposure and visibility of the artefacts, as well as alter the presence and location of attractive resources. The SURFACE project employs an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the distribution of Palaeolithic artefacts in SW Saudi Arabia. By combining remote sensing, geomorphological fieldwork, archaeological survey and GIS analyses, the project is developing a geomorphological context for the artefacts that guides survey to areas of high archaeological potential, as well as allowing the robust interpretation of the observed artefact distribution in a dynamic landscape in terms of past landscape use. This paper will present the ongoing multi-scalar approaches employed by the project to Palaeolithic landscapes, particularly focussing on the site of Wadi Dabsa, Asir Province, where Lower and Middle Palaeolithic artefacts have been found in association with extensive tufa deposits. Investigation in early 2017 at the site will apply SURFACE's methods to understand the present-day artefact distributions at the exposure, and their relationship to the tufa deposition, as well as their potential to inform on Palaeolithic activity and landscape use at the site.

Upper Palaeolithic genomes reveal deep roots of modern Eurasians.

PubMed

Jones, Eppie R; Gonzalez-Fortes, Gloria; Connell, Sarah; Siska, Veronika; Eriksson, Anders; Martiniano, Rui; McLaughlin, Russell L; Gallego Llorente, Marcos; Cassidy, Lara M; Gamba, Cristina; Meshveliani, Tengiz; Bar-Yosef, Ofer; Müller, Werner; Belfer-Cohen, Anna; Matskevich, Zinovi; Jakeli, Nino; Higham, Thomas F G; Currat, Mathias; Lordkipanidze, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Manica, Andrea; Pinhasi, Ron; Bradley, Daniel G

2015-11-16

We extend the scope of European palaeogenomics by sequencing the genomes of Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,300 years old, 1.4-fold coverage) and Mesolithic (9,700 years old, 15.4-fold) males from western Georgia in the Caucasus and a Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,700 years old, 9.5-fold) male from Switzerland. While we detect Late Palaeolithic-Mesolithic genomic continuity in both regions, we find that Caucasus hunter-gatherers (CHG) belong to a distinct ancient clade that split from western hunter-gatherers ∼45 kya, shortly after the expansion of anatomically modern humans into Europe and from the ancestors of Neolithic farmers ∼25 kya, around the Last Glacial Maximum. CHG genomes significantly contributed to the Yamnaya steppe herders who migrated into Europe ∼3,000 BC, supporting a formative Caucasus influence on this important Early Bronze age culture. CHG left their imprint on modern populations from the Caucasus and also central and south Asia possibly marking the arrival of Indo-Aryan languages.

The Uluzzian technology of Grotta di Fumane and its implication for reconstructing cultural dynamics in the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition of Western Eurasia.

PubMed

Peresani, Marco; Cristiani, Emanuela; Romandini, Matteo

2016-02-01

From the intricate ensemble of evidence related to the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition and the presumed first spread of anatomically modern humans in Europe, the Uluzzian has attracted major attention in the past few years. Although the Uluzzian has been viewed as a supposed product of modern humans settling in Mediterranean Europe, the techno-cultural complex has been the subject of few investigations aiming to clarify its chronology, bone industry, and settlement dynamics. Further, little is known of its technological structure. This article presents the results of an extensive study of the lithic and bone technologies from assemblages recovered at Fumane Cave in the north of Italy. Results confirm that the Uluzzian is a flake-dominated industry that brings together a set of technological innovations. The Levallois is the most used method in the initial phase, which is replaced by more varied flaking procedures and an increase in bladelets and flake-blades. Sidescrapers and points also represent a Mousterian feature in the initial phase, while splintered pieces, backed knives and other Upper Palaeolithic tools increase in the later phase. Our results suggest that the Uluzzian is rooted in the Mousterian lithic technological context and cannot be viewed as a proxy for anatomically modern humans, the carriers of the abrupt cultural changes related to the Aurignacian. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrial DNA structure of an isolated Tunisian Berber population and its relationship with Mediterranean populations.

PubMed

Ben Halim, Nizar; Hsouna, Sana; Lasram, Khaled; Chargui, Mariem; Khemira, Laaroussi; Saidane, Rachid; Abdelhak, Sonia; Kefi, Rym

2018-02-01

Douiret is an isolated Berber population from South-Eastern Tunisia. The strong geographic and cultural isolation characterising this population might have contributed to remarkable endogamy and consanguinity, which were practiced for several centuries. The objective of this study is to evaluate the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic structure of Douiret and to compare it to other Mediterranean populations with a special focus on major haplogroup T. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of 58 unrelated individuals collected from the different patrilineal lineages of the population. The hypervariable region 1 of the mtDNA was amplified and sequenced. For comparative analyses, additional HVS1 sequences (n = 4857) were compiled from previous studies. The maternal background of the studied sample from Douiret was mainly of Eurasian origin (74%) followed by Sub-Saharan (17%) and North African (3%) lineages. Douiret harbours the highest frequency of haplogroup T in the Mediterranean region, assigned to the unique subclade T1a (38%). Phylogenetic analysis showed an outlier position of Douiret at the Mediterranean level. The genetic structure of Douiret highlights the presence of founders, most likely of Near/Middle Eastern origin, who conquered this area during the Middle/Late Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic dispersals.

Evidences of Paleoearthquakes in Palaeolithic settlements within fluvial sequences of the Tagus Basin (Madrid, Central Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Pablo G.; Rodríguez Pascua, M. A.; Pérez López, R.; Giner Robles, J. L.; Roquero, E.; Tapias, F.; López Recio, M.; Rus, I.; Morin, J.

2010-05-01

Multiple evidences of soft-sediment to brittle deformation within the Pleistocene fluvial terraces of the Tagus, Jarama, Tajuña and Manzanares river valleys have been described since the middle 20th Century. Cryoturbation, hydroplastic deformations due to underlying karstic collapses or halokinesis on the substratum of neogene gypsums, and seismic shaking have been proposed to interpret these structures. These deformations are typically concentrated in the +18-20 m terrace levels, and closely linked to well-known Palaeolithic sites, in some cases overlaying and/or affecting true prehistoric settlements (i.e. Arganda, Arriaga and Tafesa sites) within the Jarama and Manzanares valleys. The affected settlements typically display acheulian lithic industry linked to the scavenging of large Pleistocene mammals (i.e. Elephas antiquus). Commonly, deformational structures are concentrated in relatively thin horizons (10-50 cm thick) bracketed by undeformed fluvial sands and gravels. The soft-sediment deformations usually consist on medium to fine sized sands injected and protruded in overlaying flood-plain clayey silts, showing a wide variety of convolutes, injections, sand-dikes, dish and pillar structures, mud volcanoes, faults and folds, some times it is possible to undertake their 3D geometrical analysis due to the exceptional conservation of the structures (Tafesa). Recent geo-archaeological prospecting on the for the Palaeolithic Site of Arriaga (South Madrid City) conducted during the year 2009, let to find out an exceptional horizon of deformation of about 1.20 m thick. It consisted on highly disturbed and pervasively liquefacted sands, which hardly can be attributed to no-seismic processes. The acheulian lithic industry of the Madrid Region have been classically attributed the Late Middle Pleistocene (< 350 kyr BP), but recent OSL dating indicate that the basal horizons of the +18-20 m fluvial terraces hold ages younger than c.a. 120-100 kyr BP in this zone. All the evidences point to the occurrence of concentrated seismic activity during the OIS 5 (Last Interglaciar) interfering early human activity in the zone. Presently, the Tagus Basin is subject to moderate seismic activity with strongest seismic events not exceeding intensity VI MSK (1954 AD), but most of them related to the Jarama, Tajuña and Tagus river valleys, which are bounded by large linear escarpments carved in Miocene gypsums. These escarpments display a wide variety of brittle and ductile deformations, as well as clear geomorphological indicators of late Quaternary tectonic activity. Considering the recent ESI-2007 Scale, the reported structures indicate the occurrence of larger paleoearthquakes during the Middle-Late Pleistocene of at least local intensity VIII. This study has been supported by the DGPH de la Comunidad de Madrid, AUDEMA S.A. (Proyecto Arriaga-2009). This is a contribution of GQM-AEQUA.

Long-term impacts of human harvesting on shellfish: North Iberian top shells and limpets from the Upper Palaeolithic to the present

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turrero, Pablo; Muñoz-Colmenero, A. Marta; Prado, Andrea; Garcia-Vazquez, Eva

2014-11-01

Humans have contributed to phenotypic and demographic changes in their prey from very early on in the colonization of Europe, including the harvesting of shellfish in coastal ecosystems. We estimated trends in population growth (variation in the number of individuals) from DNA sequences of modern specimens in two North Iberian molluscs, top shells (Osilinus lineatus, from 24 sequences and 14 haplotypes) and limpets (Patella vulgata, taken from the bibliography), which were subjected to very different levels of harvesting pressure during the Upper Palaeolithic (~ 20000 to ~ 6000 years ago). The less harvested Osilinus top shells experienced fluctuations in population numbers coincident with climatic oscillations. Patella limpets, which were harvested in greater numbers, suffered clear and uninterrupted decreases in their numbers during the Upper Palaeolithic. These trends coincided with morphological changes in shell size (length or width) in the same direction (i.e., shell size decreased when population size decreased and vice versa). The differing trends seen in taxa subjected to different intensities of harvesting pressure suggest that climate effects were overcome by anthropogenic selection (leading to a smaller average length) in limpets. We suggest that intense fishing pressure may have induced irreversible shell length decreases in the most exploited species.

Site distribution at the edge of the palaeolithic world: a nutritional niche approach.

PubMed

Brown, Antony G; Basell, Laura S; Robinson, Sian; Burdge, Graham C

2013-01-01

This paper presents data from the English Channel area of Britain and Northern France on the spatial distribution of Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic pre-MIS5 interglacial sites which are used to test the contention that the pattern of the richest sites is a real archaeological distribution and not of taphonomic origin. These sites show a marked concentration in the middle-lower reaches of river valleys with most being upstream of, but close to, estimated interglacial tidal limits. A plant and animal database derived from Middle-Late Pleistocene sites in the region is used to estimate the potentially edible foods and their distribution in the typically undulating landscape of the region. This is then converted into the potential availability of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and selected micronutrients. The floodplain is shown to be the optimum location in the nutritional landscape (nutriscape). In addition to both absolute and seasonal macronutrient advantages the floodplains could have provided foods rich in key micronutrients, which are linked to better health, the maintenance of fertility and minimization of infant mortality. Such places may have been seen as 'good (or healthy) places' explaining the high number of artefacts accumulated by repeated visitation over long periods of time and possible occupation. The distribution of these sites reflects the richest aquatic and wetland successional habitats along valley floors. Such locations would have provided foods rich in a wide range of nutrients, importantly including those in short supply at these latitudes. When combined with other benefits, the high nutrient diversity made these locations the optimal niche in northwest European mixed temperate woodland environments. It is argued here that the use of these nutritionally advantageous locations as nodal or central points facilitated a healthy variant of the Palaeolithic diet which permitted habitation at the edge of these hominins' range.

Birds of a Feather: Neanderthal Exploitation of Raptors and Corvids

PubMed Central

Finlayson, Clive; Brown, Kimberly; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; Negro, Juan José; Finlayson, Geraldine; Sánchez Marco, Antonio; Giles Pacheco, Francisco; Rodríguez Vidal, Joaquín; Carrión, José S.; Fa, Darren A.; Rodríguez Llanes, José M.

2012-01-01

The hypothesis that Neanderthals exploited birds for the use of their feathers or claws as personal ornaments in symbolic behaviour is revolutionary as it assigns unprecedented cognitive abilities to these hominins. This inference, however, is based on modest faunal samples and thus may not represent a regular or systematic behaviour. Here we address this issue by looking for evidence of such behaviour across a large temporal and geographical framework. Our analyses try to answer four main questions: 1) does a Neanderthal to raptor-corvid connection exist at a large scale, thus avoiding associations that might be regarded as local in space or time?; 2) did Middle (associated with Neanderthals) and Upper Palaeolithic (associated with modern humans) sites contain a greater range of these species than Late Pleistocene paleontological sites?; 3) is there a taphonomic association between Neanderthals and corvids-raptors at Middle Palaeolithic sites on Gibraltar, specifically Gorham's, Vanguard and Ibex Caves? and; 4) was the extraction of wing feathers a local phenomenon exclusive to the Neanderthals at these sites or was it a geographically wider phenomenon?. We compiled a database of 1699 Pleistocene Palearctic sites based on fossil bird sites. We also compiled a taphonomical database from the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages of Gibraltar. We establish a clear, previously unknown and widespread, association between Neanderthals, raptors and corvids. We show that the association involved the direct intervention of Neanderthals on the bones of these birds, which we interpret as evidence of extraction of large flight feathers. The large number of bones, the variety of species processed and the different temporal periods when the behaviour is observed, indicate that this was a systematic, geographically and temporally broad, activity that the Neanderthals undertook. Our results, providing clear evidence that Neanderthal cognitive capacities were comparable to those of Modern Humans, constitute a major advance in the study of human evolution. PMID:23029321

Site Distribution at the Edge of the Palaeolithic World: A Nutritional Niche Approach

PubMed Central

Brown, Antony G.; Basell, Laura S.; Robinson, Sian; Burdge, Graham C.

2013-01-01

This paper presents data from the English Channel area of Britain and Northern France on the spatial distribution of Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic pre-MIS5 interglacial sites which are used to test the contention that the pattern of the richest sites is a real archaeological distribution and not of taphonomic origin. These sites show a marked concentration in the middle-lower reaches of river valleys with most being upstream of, but close to, estimated interglacial tidal limits. A plant and animal database derived from Middle-Late Pleistocene sites in the region is used to estimate the potentially edible foods and their distribution in the typically undulating landscape of the region. This is then converted into the potential availability of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and selected micronutrients. The floodplain is shown to be the optimum location in the nutritional landscape (nutriscape). In addition to both absolute and seasonal macronutrient advantages the floodplains could have provided foods rich in key micronutrients, which are linked to better health, the maintenance of fertility and minimization of infant mortality. Such places may have been seen as ‘good (or healthy) places’ explaining the high number of artefacts accumulated by repeated visitation over long periods of time and possible occupation. The distribution of these sites reflects the richest aquatic and wetland successional habitats along valley floors. Such locations would have provided foods rich in a wide range of nutrients, importantly including those in short supply at these latitudes. When combined with other benefits, the high nutrient diversity made these locations the optimal niche in northwest European mixed temperate woodland environments. It is argued here that the use of these nutritionally advantageous locations as nodal or central points facilitated a healthy variant of the Palaeolithic diet which permitted habitation at the edge of these hominins’ range. PMID:24339935

Birds of a feather: Neanderthal exploitation of raptors and corvids.

PubMed

Finlayson, Clive; Brown, Kimberly; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; Negro, Juan José; Bortolotti, Gary R; Finlayson, Geraldine; Sánchez Marco, Antonio; Giles Pacheco, Francisco; Rodríguez Vidal, Joaquín; Carrión, José S; Fa, Darren A; Rodríguez Llanes, José M

2012-01-01

The hypothesis that Neanderthals exploited birds for the use of their feathers or claws as personal ornaments in symbolic behaviour is revolutionary as it assigns unprecedented cognitive abilities to these hominins. This inference, however, is based on modest faunal samples and thus may not represent a regular or systematic behaviour. Here we address this issue by looking for evidence of such behaviour across a large temporal and geographical framework. Our analyses try to answer four main questions: 1) does a Neanderthal to raptor-corvid connection exist at a large scale, thus avoiding associations that might be regarded as local in space or time?; 2) did Middle (associated with Neanderthals) and Upper Palaeolithic (associated with modern humans) sites contain a greater range of these species than Late Pleistocene paleontological sites?; 3) is there a taphonomic association between Neanderthals and corvids-raptors at Middle Palaeolithic sites on Gibraltar, specifically Gorham's, Vanguard and Ibex Caves? and; 4) was the extraction of wing feathers a local phenomenon exclusive to the Neanderthals at these sites or was it a geographically wider phenomenon?. We compiled a database of 1699 Pleistocene Palearctic sites based on fossil bird sites. We also compiled a taphonomical database from the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages of Gibraltar. We establish a clear, previously unknown and widespread, association between Neanderthals, raptors and corvids. We show that the association involved the direct intervention of Neanderthals on the bones of these birds, which we interpret as evidence of extraction of large flight feathers. The large number of bones, the variety of species processed and the different temporal periods when the behaviour is observed, indicate that this was a systematic, geographically and temporally broad, activity that the Neanderthals undertook. Our results, providing clear evidence that Neanderthal cognitive capacities were comparable to those of Modern Humans, constitute a major advance in the study of human evolution.

Upper Palaeolithic genomes reveal deep roots of modern Eurasians

PubMed Central

Jones, Eppie R.; Gonzalez-Fortes, Gloria; Connell, Sarah; Siska, Veronika; Eriksson, Anders; Martiniano, Rui; McLaughlin, Russell L.; Gallego Llorente, Marcos; Cassidy, Lara M.; Gamba, Cristina; Meshveliani, Tengiz; Bar-Yosef, Ofer; Müller, Werner; Belfer-Cohen, Anna; Matskevich, Zinovi; Jakeli, Nino; Higham, Thomas F. G.; Currat, Mathias; Lordkipanidze, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Manica, Andrea; Pinhasi, Ron; Bradley, Daniel G.

2015-01-01

We extend the scope of European palaeogenomics by sequencing the genomes of Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,300 years old, 1.4-fold coverage) and Mesolithic (9,700 years old, 15.4-fold) males from western Georgia in the Caucasus and a Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,700 years old, 9.5-fold) male from Switzerland. While we detect Late Palaeolithic–Mesolithic genomic continuity in both regions, we find that Caucasus hunter-gatherers (CHG) belong to a distinct ancient clade that split from western hunter-gatherers ∼45 kya, shortly after the expansion of anatomically modern humans into Europe and from the ancestors of Neolithic farmers ∼25 kya, around the Last Glacial Maximum. CHG genomes significantly contributed to the Yamnaya steppe herders who migrated into Europe ∼3,000 BC, supporting a formative Caucasus influence on this important Early Bronze age culture. CHG left their imprint on modern populations from the Caucasus and also central and south Asia possibly marking the arrival of Indo-Aryan languages. PMID:26567969

An Upper Palaeolithic engraved human bone associated with ritualistic cannibalism

PubMed Central

Wallduck, Rosalind; Parfitt, Simon A.; Stringer, Chris B.

2017-01-01

Cut-marked and broken human bones are a recurrent feature of Magdalenian (~17–12,000 years BP, uncalibrated dates) European sites. Human remains at Gough’s Cave (UK) have been modified as part of a Magdalenian mortuary ritual that combined the intensive processing of entire corpses to extract edible tissues and the modification of skulls to produce skull-cups. A human radius from Gough’s Cave shows evidence of cut marks, percussion damage and human tooth marks, indicative of cannibalism, as well as a set of unusual zig-zagging incisions on the lateral side of the diaphysis. These latter incisions cannot be unambiguously associated with filleting of muscles. We compared the macro- and micro-morphological characteristics of these marks to over 300 filleting marks on human and non-human remains and to approximately 120 engraved incisions observed on two artefacts from Gough’s Cave. The new macro- and micro-morphometric analyses of the marks, as well as further comparisons with French Middle Magdalenian engraved artefacts, suggest that these modifications are the result of intentional engraving. The engraved motif comfortably fits within a Magdalenian pattern of design; what is exceptional in this case, however, is the choice of raw material (human bone) and the cannibalistic context in which it was produced. The sequence of the manipulations suggests that the engraving was a purposeful component of the cannibalistic practice, implying a complex ritualistic funerary behaviour that has never before been recognized for the Palaeolithic period. PMID:28792978

Age and Date for Early Arrival of the Acheulian in Europe (Barranc de la Boella, la Canonja, Spain)

PubMed Central

Vallverdú, Josep; Saladié, Palmira; Rosas, Antonio; Huguet, Rosa; Cáceres, Isabel; Mosquera, Marina; Garcia-Tabernero, Antonio; Estalrrich, Almudena; Lozano-Fernández, Iván; Pineda-Alcalá, Antonio; Carrancho, Ángel; Villalaín, Juan José; Bourlès, Didier; Braucher, Régis; Lebatard, Anne; Vilalta, Jaume; Esteban-Nadal, Montserrat; Bennàsar, Maria Lluc; Bastir, Marcus; López-Polín, Lucía; Ollé, Andreu; Vergés, Josep Maria; Ros-Montoya, Sergio; Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; García, Ana; Martinell, Jordi; Expósito, Isabel; Burjachs, Francesc; Agustí, Jordi; Carbonell, Eudald

2014-01-01

The first arrivals of hominin populations into Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene are currently considered to have occurred as short and poorly dated biological dispersions. Questions as to the tempo and mode of these early prehistoric settlements have given rise to debates concerning the taxonomic significance of the lithic assemblages, as trace fossils, and the geographical distribution of the technological traditions found in the Lower Palaeolithic record. Here, we report on the Barranc de la Boella site which has yielded a lithic assemblage dating to ∼1 million years ago that includes large cutting tools (LCT). We argue that distinct technological traditions coexisted in the Iberian archaeological repertoires of the late Early Pleistocene age in a similar way to the earliest sub-Saharan African artefact assemblages. These differences between stone tool assemblages may be attributed to the different chronologies of hominin dispersal events. The archaeological record of Barranc de la Boella completes the geographical distribution of LCT assemblages across southern Eurasia during the EMPT (Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, circa 942 to 641 kyr). Up to now, chronology of the earliest European LCT assemblages is based on the abundant Palaeolithic record found in terrace river sequences which have been dated to the end of the EMPT and later. However, the findings at Barranc de la Boella suggest that early LCT lithic assemblages appeared in the SW of Europe during earlier hominin dispersal episodes before the definitive colonization of temperate Eurasia took place. PMID:25076416

An Upper Palaeolithic engraved human bone associated with ritualistic cannibalism.

PubMed

Bello, Silvia M; Wallduck, Rosalind; Parfitt, Simon A; Stringer, Chris B

2017-01-01

Cut-marked and broken human bones are a recurrent feature of Magdalenian (~17-12,000 years BP, uncalibrated dates) European sites. Human remains at Gough's Cave (UK) have been modified as part of a Magdalenian mortuary ritual that combined the intensive processing of entire corpses to extract edible tissues and the modification of skulls to produce skull-cups. A human radius from Gough's Cave shows evidence of cut marks, percussion damage and human tooth marks, indicative of cannibalism, as well as a set of unusual zig-zagging incisions on the lateral side of the diaphysis. These latter incisions cannot be unambiguously associated with filleting of muscles. We compared the macro- and micro-morphological characteristics of these marks to over 300 filleting marks on human and non-human remains and to approximately 120 engraved incisions observed on two artefacts from Gough's Cave. The new macro- and micro-morphometric analyses of the marks, as well as further comparisons with French Middle Magdalenian engraved artefacts, suggest that these modifications are the result of intentional engraving. The engraved motif comfortably fits within a Magdalenian pattern of design; what is exceptional in this case, however, is the choice of raw material (human bone) and the cannibalistic context in which it was produced. The sequence of the manipulations suggests that the engraving was a purposeful component of the cannibalistic practice, implying a complex ritualistic funerary behaviour that has never before been recognized for the Palaeolithic period.

Age and date for early arrival of the Acheulian in Europe (Barranc de la Boella, la Canonja, Spain).

PubMed

Vallverdú, Josep; Saladié, Palmira; Rosas, Antonio; Huguet, Rosa; Cáceres, Isabel; Mosquera, Marina; Garcia-Tabernero, Antonio; Estalrrich, Almudena; Lozano-Fernández, Iván; Pineda-Alcalá, Antonio; Carrancho, Ángel; Villalaín, Juan José; Bourlès, Didier; Braucher, Régis; Lebatard, Anne; Vilalta, Jaume; Esteban-Nadal, Montserrat; Bennàsar, Maria Lluc; Bastir, Marcus; López-Polín, Lucía; Ollé, Andreu; Vergés, Josep Maria; Ros-Montoya, Sergio; Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; García, Ana; Martinell, Jordi; Expósito, Isabel; Burjachs, Francesc; Agustí, Jordi; Carbonell, Eudald

2014-01-01

The first arrivals of hominin populations into Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene are currently considered to have occurred as short and poorly dated biological dispersions. Questions as to the tempo and mode of these early prehistoric settlements have given rise to debates concerning the taxonomic significance of the lithic assemblages, as trace fossils, and the geographical distribution of the technological traditions found in the Lower Palaeolithic record. Here, we report on the Barranc de la Boella site which has yielded a lithic assemblage dating to ∼1 million years ago that includes large cutting tools (LCT). We argue that distinct technological traditions coexisted in the Iberian archaeological repertoires of the late Early Pleistocene age in a similar way to the earliest sub-Saharan African artefact assemblages. These differences between stone tool assemblages may be attributed to the different chronologies of hominin dispersal events. The archaeological record of Barranc de la Boella completes the geographical distribution of LCT assemblages across southern Eurasia during the EMPT (Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, circa 942 to 641 kyr). Up to now, chronology of the earliest European LCT assemblages is based on the abundant Palaeolithic record found in terrace river sequences which have been dated to the end of the EMPT and later. However, the findings at Barranc de la Boella suggest that early LCT lithic assemblages appeared in the SW of Europe during earlier hominin dispersal episodes before the definitive colonization of temperate Eurasia took place.

Archaeomagnetic evidence of temporal diachronies in Middle-Palaeolithic palimpsests. A case study from El Salt (SE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrejón Lagunilla, Ángela; Carrancho, Ángel; José Villalaín, Juan; Mallol, Carolina; Hernández, Cristo Manuel; Galván, Bertila

2017-04-01

Archaeomagnetism is a very useful tool to the study of Palaeolithic palimpsests and this line of research is almost unexplored. Middle Palaeolithic palimpsests (ca. 250 - 40 ky BP) as El Salt site (Alcoy, Spain) contain a big amount of hearths with thousands of lithic and faunal remains associated to them. Most of these hearths and associated materials are so densely overlapped that individualization of human occupations discerning temporal differences is virtually impossible. Archaeomagnetism can be very helpful to that aim. In this work the goal of archaeomagnetic study is not to obtain a dating since no palaeosecular variation (PSV) curve for that age is available, but to identificate diachronies between hearths exposed on the same palaeosurface. It is archaeologically relevant as that information cannot be often easily determined. For this purpose, an archaeomagnetic study has been carried out on some hearths from El Salt unit X (ca. 50-55 ky BP). Assuming that each hearth recorded the Earth's magnetic field (EMF) direction during the last cooling by means of a thermoremanence (TRM), here is proposed a hypothesis to temporally dissect palimpsests: if the mean directions obtained from two (or more) hearths are statistically distinguishable, directional differences can be interpreted in terms of the PSV of EMF, being therefore diachronic. The mean archaeomagnetic direction from each hearth was calculated. Statistical tests were performed in order to evaluate if the means are distinguishable. In case of distinguishable means, the angle among directions was calculated. Assuming that the features of the EMF during the Middle Palaeolithic were similar to those during Holocene times, the geomagnetic field model SHA.DIF.14K (Pavón-Carrasco et al. 2014) was used to interpret these angle deviations in temporal terms. Series of angles between successive directions of the EMF separated by intervals of 50/100/200/400/800 years for the last 5000 years were calculated from the model. The angle between the distinguishable mean archaeomagnetic directions was compared with maximum angles from these series. If the angle between archaeomagnetic directions is higher than the maximum angle from one of those series of successive directions separated by certain ages, it can be assumed that the studied hearts should have been fired with a minimum temporal difference of that time span. The overall interpretation is based not only in archaeomagnetic data but in other techniques such as soil micromorphology, FTIR, organic chemistry, lithic and faunal refitting, etc. In addition, experimental hearths under controlled conditions were performed and analyzed using different techniques including archaeomagnetism in order to study how reliably the EMF direction is recorded under different taphonomical conditions. The experimental data support the hypothesis that hearths are reliable recorders of the EMF direction, both in cave and open-air conditions.

The Fat from Frozen Mammals Reveals Sources of Essential Fatty Acids Suitable for Palaeolithic and Neolithic Humans

PubMed Central

Guil-Guerrero, José L.; Tikhonov, Alexei; Rodríguez-García, Ignacio; Protopopov, Albert; Grigoriev, Semyon; Ramos-Bueno, Rebeca P.

2014-01-01

The elucidation of the sources of n-3 fatty acids available for the humans in the Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic is highly relevant in order to ascertain the availability of such nutrients in that time frame as well as to draw useful conclusions about healthy dietary habits for present-day humans. To this end, we have analysed fat from several frozen mammals found in the permafrost of Siberia (Russia). A total of 6 specimens were included in this study: 2 mammoths, i.e. baby female calf called “Lyuba” and a juvenile female called “Yuka”, both specimens approximately from the same time, i.e. Karginian Interstadial (41,000 and 34,000 years BP); two adult horses from the middle Holocene (4,600 and 4,400 years BP); and two bison very close to the Early Holocene (8,200 and 9,300 years BP). All samples were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GLC-MS) and GLC-flame ionization detector (GLC-FID). As demonstrated in this work, the fat of single-stomached mammals often consumed by Palaeolithic/Neolithic hunters contained suitable amounts of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, possibly in quantities sufficient to meet the today's recommended daily intake for good health. Moreover, the results also suggest that mammoths and horses at that time were hibernators. PMID:24416235

Cutting through the Paleo hype: The evidence for the Palaeolithic diet.

PubMed

Pitt, Christopher E

2016-01-01

General practitioners (GPs) are commonly asked about popular diets. The Palaeolithic diet is both highly popular and controversial. This article reviews the published literature to establish the evidence for and against the Palaeolithic diet. The Palaeolithic diet remains controversial because of exaggerated claims for it by wellness bloggers and celebrity chefs, and the contentious evolutionary discordance hypothesis on which it is based. However, a number of underpowered trials have suggested there may be some benefit to the Palaeolithic diet, especially in weight loss and the correction of metabolic dysfunction. Further research is warranted to test these early findings. GPs should caution patients who are on the Palaeolithic diet about adequate calcium intake, especially those at higher risk of osteoporosis.

Variation in Lithic Technological Strategies among the Neanderthals of Gibraltar

PubMed Central

Shipton, Ceri; Clarkson, Christopher; Bernal, Marco Antonio; Boivin, Nicole; Finlayson, Clive; Finlayson, Geraldine; Fa, Darren; Pacheco, Francisco Giles; Petraglia, Michael

2013-01-01

The evidence for Neanderthal lithic technology is reviewed and summarized for four caves on The Rock of Gibraltar: Vanguard, Beefsteak, Ibex and Gorham’s. Some of the observed patterns in technology are statistically tested including raw material selection, platform preparation, and the use of formal and expedient technological schemas. The main parameters of technological variation are examined through detailed analysis of the Gibraltar cores and comparison with samples from the classic Mousterian sites of Le Moustier and Tabun C. The Gibraltar Mousterian, including the youngest assemblage from Layer IV of Gorham’s Cave, spans the typical Middle Palaeolithic range of variation from radial Levallois to unidirectional and multi-platform flaking schemas, with characteristic emphasis on the former. A diachronic pattern of change in the Gorham’s Cave sequence is documented, with the younger assemblages utilising more localized raw material and less formal flaking procedures. We attribute this change to a reduction in residential mobility as the climate deteriorated during Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the Neanderthal population contracted into a refugium. PMID:23762312

Sky Luminaries in the Space Orienting Activity of Homo Sapiens in the Middle Palaeolithic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaurov, E. N.

Data describing the beginnings of the space orienting activity of Homo sapiens is analysed and systematized: observation of the Pole and the recognition of Ursa Major were used as the basis of the determination of the points of the compass. Data and results from astronomy, history of astronomy, archaeology and palaeoanthropology were used for the reconstruction of the evolution of the space orienting activity of Homo sapiens.

Tephrostratigraphy of Grotta del Cavallo, Southern Italy: Insights on the chronology of Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanchetta, Giovanni; Giaccio, Biagio; Bini, Monica; Sarti, Lucia

2018-02-01

The Grotta del Cavallo contains one of the most important stratification of Mousterian, Uluzzian and Final Epigravettian tecnocomplexes; its chronology is of paramount importance for understanding the timing of the transition between Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in the Mediterranean region as well as the demise of the Neanderthal and the dispersal of the first anatomically modern humans through Europe. Within the stratigraphy of the cave three different volcanic ash layers occur (layer G, Fa and C-II). They are located in the middle section of the Mousterian (layer G), in between the Mousterian and Uluzzian layers (layer Fa) and on top of the Uluzzian horizons (layer C-II). The three tephra layers were chemically fingerprinted and correlated to well-known and precisely dated widespread Late Pleistocene tephra markers. Specifically, layer G, Fa and C-II were correlated to the X-6 (108.7 ± 0.9 ka), Y-6 (45.5 ± 1.0 ka) and Campanian Ignimbrite (39.85 ± 0.14 ka), respectively. These findings provide robust chronological points allowing to conclude that: (i) the Mousterian occupation of the cave took place after the fall of the sea level following the MIS 5e high-stand; (ii) the Mousterian-Uluzzian boundary can be dated to 45.5 ± 1.0 ka and climatostratigraphically firmly placed at the transition between the Greenland Interstadial 12 (GI12)-Greenland Stadial 12 (GS12); (iii) the Uluzzian lasted for at least five millennial spanning the GS12-GI9 period and ended at beginning of the Heinrich Event 4.

Understanding the emergence of modern humans and the disappearance of Neanderthals: Insights from Kaldar Cave (Khorramabad Valley, Western Iran).

PubMed

Bazgir, Behrouz; Ollé, Andreu; Tumung, Laxmi; Becerra-Valdivia, Lorena; Douka, Katerina; Higham, Thomas; van der Made, Jan; Picin, Andrea; Saladié, Palmira; López-García, Juan Manuel; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Allué, Ethel; Fernández-García, Mónica; Rey-Rodríguez, Iván; Arceredillo, Diego; Bahrololoumi, Faranak; Azimi, Moloudsadat; Otte, Marcel; Carbonell, Eudald

2017-03-02

Kaldar Cave is a key archaeological site that provides evidence of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Iran. Excavations at the site in 2014-2015 led to the discovery of cultural remains generally associated with anatomically modern humans (AMHs) and evidence of a probable Neanderthal-made industry in the basal layers. Attempts have been made to establish a chronology for the site. These include four thermoluminescence (TL) dates for Layer 4, ranging from 23,100 ± 3300 to 29,400 ± 2300 BP, and three AMS radiocarbon dates from charcoal samples belonging to the lower part of the same layer, yielding ages of 38,650-36,750 cal BP, 44,200-42,350 cal BP, and 54,400-46,050 cal BP (all at the 95.4% confidence level). Kaldar Cave is the first well-stratified Late Palaeolithic locality to be excavated in the Zagros which is one of the earliest sites with cultural materials attributed to early AMHs in western Asia. It also offers an opportunity to study the technological differences between the Mousterian and the first Upper Palaeolithic lithic technologies as well as the human behaviour in the region. In this study, we present a detailed description of the newly excavated stratigraphy, quantified results from the lithic assemblages, preliminary faunal remains analyses, geochronologic data, taphonomic aspects, and an interpretation of the regional paleoenvironment.

Understanding the emergence of modern humans and the disappearance of Neanderthals: Insights from Kaldar Cave (Khorramabad Valley, Western Iran)

PubMed Central

Bazgir, Behrouz; Ollé, Andreu; Tumung, Laxmi; Becerra-Valdivia, Lorena; Douka, Katerina; Higham, Thomas; van der Made, Jan; Picin, Andrea; Saladié, Palmira; López-García, Juan Manuel; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Allué, Ethel; Fernández-García, Mónica; Rey-Rodríguez, Iván; Arceredillo, Diego; Bahrololoumi, Faranak; Azimi, Moloudsadat; Otte, Marcel; Carbonell, Eudald

2017-01-01

Kaldar Cave is a key archaeological site that provides evidence of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Iran. Excavations at the site in 2014–2015 led to the discovery of cultural remains generally associated with anatomically modern humans (AMHs) and evidence of a probable Neanderthal-made industry in the basal layers. Attempts have been made to establish a chronology for the site. These include four thermoluminescence (TL) dates for Layer 4, ranging from 23,100 ± 3300 to 29,400 ± 2300 BP, and three AMS radiocarbon dates from charcoal samples belonging to the lower part of the same layer, yielding ages of 38,650–36,750 cal BP, 44,200–42,350 cal BP, and 54,400–46,050 cal BP (all at the 95.4% confidence level). Kaldar Cave is the first well-stratified Late Palaeolithic locality to be excavated in the Zagros which is one of the earliest sites with cultural materials attributed to early AMHs in western Asia. It also offers an opportunity to study the technological differences between the Mousterian and the first Upper Palaeolithic lithic technologies as well as the human behaviour in the region. In this study, we present a detailed description of the newly excavated stratigraphy, quantified results from the lithic assemblages, preliminary faunal remains analyses, geochronologic data, taphonomic aspects, and an interpretation of the regional paleoenvironment. PMID:28252042

A new luminescence dating chronology for the Rhafas cave site (NE Morocco): Insights into Palaeolithic human cultural change under varying palaeoenvironmental conditions in the Maghreb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dörschner, Nina; Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E.; Ditchfield, Peter; McLaren, Sue J.; Steele, Teresa E.; Zielhofer, Christoph; McPherron, Shannon P.; Bouzouggar, Abdeljalil; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2016-04-01

Archaeological sites in northern Africa provide a rich record that is of increasing importance for current debates relating to the origins of modern human behaviour and to Out of Africa human dispersal events. Particular interest is placed on the cultural transition between the North African Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA), and the need for accurately defined chronologies, however the timing and nature of Palaeolithic human behaviour and dispersal across north-western Africa (the Maghreb) and potential correlation with environmental conditions remain poorly understood. The inland cave site of Rhafas (Morocco) preserves a long stratified sequence providing valuable chronological information about cultural changes in the Maghreb spanning the North African MSA through to the Neolithic. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz grains to the cave deposits of Rhafas as well as to a section on the terrace in front of the cave entrance. Single grain OSL dating reliably constrains the timing of technocomplexes beyond the limits of radiocarbon by directly dating sediment associated with archaeological traces. We combine OSL dating with multi-proxy geological investigations (XRF, grain size analyses, stable isotopes, thin sections) to investigate site formation processes and reconstruct palaeoenvironmental conditions during human occupation phases at Rhafas. Our results indicate that the occupation of the site started at least in MIS 6 during a phase of relatively arid environmental conditions. Climatic amelioration after c.140 ka is associated with a change in sediment geochemistry at the site, most likely linked to a change in sediment source due to shifting wind directions. Tanged pieces - typical for the classical Aterian technocomplex - start to occur in the archaeological sequence in MIS 5, consistent with previously published chronological data from the Maghreb. From 55 ka, climatic conditions were sufficiently humid for the pedogenic cementation of Rhafas sediments by carbonates, resulting in the formation of a duricrust several centimetres thick. Deposits from the last glacial period are associated with LSA technocomplexes and fall within previously established chronologies from the Maghreb.

[The origins of dogs: archaeozoology, genetics, and ancient DNA].

PubMed

Verginelli, Fabio; Capelli, Cristian; Coia, Valentina; Musiani, Marco; Falchetti, Mario; Ottini, Laura; Palmirotta, Raffaele; Tagliacozzo, Antonio; Mazzorin, Iacopo de Grossi; Mariani-Costantini, Renato

2006-01-01

The domestication of the dog from the wolf was a key step in the pathway that led to the Neolithic revolution. The earliest fossil dogs, dated to the end of the last glacial period (17,000 to 12,000 years ago), have been found in Russia, Germany and the Middle East. No dogs are represented in the naturalistic art of the European Upper Palaeolithic, suggesting that dogs were introduced at a later date. Genetic studies of extant dog and wolf mitochondrial DNA sequences were interpreted in favour of multiple dog founding events as early as 135-76,000 years ago, or of a single origin in East Asia, 40,000 or 15,000 years ago. Our study included mitochondrial DNA sequences from Italian fossil bones attributed to three Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene wolves (dated from a15,000 to a10,000 14C years ago) and two dogs, dated to a4000 and a3000 14C years ago respectively. Taking paleogeography into account, our phylogenetic data point to a contribution of European wolves to the three major dog clades, in agreement with archaeozoological data. Our phylogeographic studies also suggest genetic differentiation of dogs and wolves related to isolation by geographic distance, supporting multicentric origins of dogs from wolves throughout their vast range of sympatry.

Evidence for chronic omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid deficiency in Palaeolithic hominins in Europe at the emergence of cannibalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guil-Guerrero, J. L.

2017-02-01

At the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic (M/UP) transition in Western Europe, hominins depended mostly on terrestrial mammals for subsistence, being pointed out that reliance on reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) would have promoted declines in human population densities during that period. Food-composition tables have been compiled for hominins at the M/UP transition, listing protein, fat, energy, different omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid concentrations. These data were used to compute the regular relations between fatty and lean tissues of the main hunted food-animals to meet hominin energy needs. Then, with daily protein intake considered critical, the optimal contribution of the different omega-3 fatty acids from different hunted species to hominin diets were computed. Several faunal assemblages from different human sites at different M/UP periods were used to assess the overall daily intake of the various omega-3 fatty acid classes. The results of the calculations made in this work are quite clear; hominins at the M/UP transition had a deficit of both omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid. Data on human organs summarized here are also conclusive: these contain such nutrients in amounts much higher than reached in the corresponding mammal organs consumed, and thus could have been alternative sources of those nutrients for Palaeolithic hominins. Therefore, nutritional cannibalism detected at such times could have had the function of alleviating these deficits. The evolutionary advantages gained by the consumption of the various omega-3 fatty acids of human origin are also discussed.

A MIS 15-MIS 12 record of environmental changes and Lower Palaeolithic occupation from Valle Giumentina, central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa, Valentina; Pereira, Alison; Chaussé, Christine; Nomade, Sébastien; Giaccio, Biagio; Limondin-Lozouet, Nicole; Fusco, Fabio; Regattieri, Eleonora; Degeai, Jean-Philippe; Robert, Vincent; Kuzucuoglu, Catherine; Boschian, Giovanni; Agostini, Silvano; Aureli, Daniele; Pagli, Marina; Bahain, Jean Jacques; Nicoud, Elisa

2016-11-01

An integrated geological study, including sedimentology, stable isotope analysis (δ18O, δ13C), geochemistry, micromorphology, biomarker analysis, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and tephrochronology, was undertaken on the Quaternary infill of the Valle Giumentina basin in Central Italy, which also includes an outstanding archaeological succession, composed of nine human occupation levels ascribed to the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. 40Ar/39Ar dating, and other palaeoenvironmental and tephrochronological data, constrain the sedimentary history of the whole succession to the MIS 15-MIS 12 interval, between 618 ± 13 ka and 456 ± 2 ka. Palaeoenvironmental proxies suggest that over this time interval of about 150 ka, sedimentary and pedogenic processes were mainly influenced by climatic changes, in particular by the pulsing of local mountain glaciers of the Majella massif. Specifically, the Valle Giumentina succession records glacio-fluvial and lacustrine sedimentation during the colder glacial periods and pedogenesis and/or alluvial sedimentation during the warmer interglacial and/or interstadial periods. During this interval, tectonics played a negligible role as a driving factor of local morphogenesis and sedimentation, whereas the general regional uplift experienced in the Middle Pleistocene led to capture of the basin and its definitive extinction after MIS 12. These data substantially improve previous knowledge of the chronology and sedimentary evolution of the succession, providing for the first time, a well constrained chronological and palaeoenvironmental framework for the archaeological and human palaeoecological record of Valle Giumentina.

Tortoises as a dietary supplement: A view from the Middle Pleistocene site of Qesem Cave, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; Smith, Krister T.; Maul, Lutz Christian; Sañudo, Pablo; Barkai, Ran; Gopher, Avi

2016-02-01

Dietary reconstructions can offer an improved perspective on human capacities of adaptation to the environment. New methodological approaches and analytical techniques have led to a theoretical framework for understanding how human groups used and adapted to their local environment. Faunal remains provide an important potential source of dietary information and allow study of behavioural variation and its evolutionary significance. Interest in determining how hominids filled the gaps in large prey availability with small game or what role small game played in pre-Upper Palaeolithic societies is an area of active research. Some of this work has focused on tortoises because they represent an important combination of edible and non-edible resources that are easy to collect if available. The exploitation of these slow-moving animals features prominently in prey choice models because the low handling costs of these reptiles make up for their small body size. Here, we present new taphonomic data from two tortoise assemblages extracted from the lower sequence of the Middle Pleistocene site of Qesem Cave, Israel (420-300 ka), with the aim of assessing the socio-economic factors that may have led to the inclusion of this type of resource in the human diets. We show that hominid damage on large tortoise specimens from Qesem Cave is not unusual and that evidence such as cut marks, percussion marks and consistent patterns of burning suggests established sequences of processing, including cooking in the shell, defleshing, and direct percussion to access the visceral content. These matters make it possible not only to assess the potential role of tortoises as prey, but also to evaluate collecting behaviour in the resource acquisition systems and eco-social strategies at the Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) in the southern Levant.

Short human occupations in the Middle Palaeolithic level i of the Abric Romani rock-shelter (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vallerdu, J.; Allue, E.; Bischoff, J.L.; Caceres, I.; Carbonell, E.; Cebria, A.; Garcia-Anton, D.; Huguet, R.; Ibanez, N.; Martinez, K.; Pasto, I.; Rosell, J.; Saladie, P.; Vaquero, Manola

2005-01-01

The small occupation surfaces and restricted provisioning strategies suggest short settlements in the Abric Romani. This shorter occupation model complements the longer diversified provisioning strategy recorded in both small and medium-sized occupied surfaces. The selection of precise elements for transport and the possible deferred consumption in the diversified provision strategy suggest an individual supply. In this respect, Neanderthal occupations in the Romani rock-shelter show a direct relation to: 1) hunting strategic resources; 2) high, linear mobility.

A chronological framework connecting the early Upper Palaeolithic across the Central Asian piedmont.

PubMed

Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E; Iovita, Radu; Sprafke, Tobias; Glantz, Michelle; Talamo, Sahra; Horton, Katharine; Beeton, Tyler; Alipova, Saya; Bekseitov, Galymzhan; Ospanov, Yerbolat; Deom, Jean-Marc; Sala, Renato; Taimagambetov, Zhaken

2017-12-01

Central Asia has delivered significant paleoanthropological discoveries in the past few years. New genetic data indicate that at least two archaic human species met and interbred with anatomically modern humans as they arrived into northern Central Asia. However, data are limited: known archaeological sites with lithic assemblages generally lack human fossils, and consequently identifying the archaeological signatures of different human groups, and the timing of their occupation, remains elusive. Reliable chronologic data from sites in the region, crucial to our understanding of the timing and duration of interactions between different human species, are rare. Here we present chronologies for two open air Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (UP) sequences from the Tien Shan piedmont in southeast Kazakhstan, Maibulak and Valikhanova, which bridge southern and northern Central Asia. The chronologies, based on both quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and polymineral post-infrared infrared luminescence (pIR-IRSL) protocols, demonstrate that technological developments at the two sites differ substantially over the ∼47-19 ka time span. Some of the innovations typically associated with the earliest UP in the Altai or other parts of northeast Asia are also present in the Tien Shan piedmont. We caution against making assumptions about the directionality of spread of these technologies until a larger, better defined database of transitional sites in the region is available. Connections between the timing of occupation of regions, living area setting and paleoenvironmental conditions, while providing hypotheses worth exploring, remain inconclusive. We cautiously suggest a trend towards increasing occupation of open air sites across the Central Asian piedmont after ∼40 ka, corresponding to more humid climatic conditions which nevertheless included pulses of dust deposition. Human occupation persisted into the Last Glacial Maximum, despite cooler, and possibly drier, conditions. Our results thus provide additional data to substantiate arguments for occupation of Central Asia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates.

PubMed

Sykes, Bryan C; Mullis, Rhettman A; Hagenmuller, Christophe; Melton, Terry W; Sartori, Michel

2014-08-22

In the first ever systematic genetic survey, we have used rigorous decontamination followed by mitochondrial 12S RNA sequencing to identify the species origin of 30 hair samples attributed to anomalous primates. Two Himalayan samples, one from Ladakh, India, the other from Bhutan, had their closest genetic affinity with a Palaeolithic polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Otherwise the hairs were from a range of known extant mammals.

Land Snails as a Diet Diversification Proxy during the Early Upper Palaeolithic in Europe

PubMed Central

Fernández-López de Pablo, Javier; Badal, Ernestina; Ferrer García, Carlos; Martínez-Ortí, Alberto; Sanchis Serra, Alfred

2014-01-01

Despite the ubiquity of terrestrial gastropods in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological record, it is still unknown when and how this type of invertebrate resource was incorporated into human diets. In this paper, we report the oldest evidence of land snail exploitation as a food resource in Europe dated to 31.3-26.9 ka yr cal BP from the recently discovered site of Cova de la Barriada (eastern Iberian Peninsula). Mono-specific accumulations of large Iberus alonensis land snails (Ferussac 1821) were found in three different archaeological levels in association with combustion structures, along with lithic and faunal assemblages. Using a new analytical protocol based on taphonomic, microX-Ray Diffractometer (DXR) and biometric analyses, we investigated the patterns of selection, consumption and accumulation of land snails at the site. The results display a strong mono-specific gathering of adult individuals, most of them older than 55 weeks, which were roasted in ambers of pine and juniper under 375°C. This case study uncovers new patterns of invertebrate exploitation during the Gravettian in southwestern Europe without known precedents in the Middle Palaeolithic nor the Aurignacian. In the Mediterranean context, such an early occurrence contrasts with the neighbouring areas of Morocco, France, Italy and the Balkans, where the systematic nutritional use of land snails appears approximately 10,000 years later during the Iberomaurisian and the Late Epigravettian. The appearance of this new subsistence activity in the eastern and southern regions of Spain was coeval to other demographically driven transformations in the archaeological record, suggesting different chronological patterns of resource intensification and diet broadening along the Upper Palaeolithic in the Mediterranean basin. PMID:25141047

Land snails as a diet diversification proxy during the early upper palaeolithic in Europe.

PubMed

Fernández-López de Pablo, Javier; Badal, Ernestina; Ferrer García, Carlos; Martínez-Ortí, Alberto; Sanchis Serra, Alfred

2014-01-01

Despite the ubiquity of terrestrial gastropods in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological record, it is still unknown when and how this type of invertebrate resource was incorporated into human diets. In this paper, we report the oldest evidence of land snail exploitation as a food resource in Europe dated to 31.3-26.9 ka yr cal BP from the recently discovered site of Cova de la Barriada (eastern Iberian Peninsula). Mono-specific accumulations of large Iberus alonensis land snails (Ferussac 1821) were found in three different archaeological levels in association with combustion structures, along with lithic and faunal assemblages. Using a new analytical protocol based on taphonomic, microX-Ray Diffractometer (DXR) and biometric analyses, we investigated the patterns of selection, consumption and accumulation of land snails at the site. The results display a strong mono-specific gathering of adult individuals, most of them older than 55 weeks, which were roasted in ambers of pine and juniper under 375°C. This case study uncovers new patterns of invertebrate exploitation during the Gravettian in southwestern Europe without known precedents in the Middle Palaeolithic nor the Aurignacian. In the Mediterranean context, such an early occurrence contrasts with the neighbouring areas of Morocco, France, Italy and the Balkans, where the systematic nutritional use of land snails appears approximately 10,000 years later during the Iberomaurisian and the Late Epigravettian. The appearance of this new subsistence activity in the eastern and southern regions of Spain was coeval to other demographically driven transformations in the archaeological record, suggesting different chronological patterns of resource intensification and diet broadening along the Upper Palaeolithic in the Mediterranean basin.

[Diversity and meaning of masculine phallic palaeolithic images in Western Europe].

PubMed

Angulo Cuesta, J; García Diez, M

2006-03-01

The archaeological record necessary to understand the sexual behaviour of our ancestors from Upper Palaeolithic (38.000-8.500 B.C.) is limited. Traditionally the ethnographic information about sexuality and the relations between sexes derived from comparitions with current primitive human groups have been considered very important, although they have been evaluated more from a social and anthropological rather than biological perspective. Ice age art art, both rock and portable, is a reflection of the behaviour of palaeolithic human groups. The purpose of this text focuses on understanding the types of representations and sexual attitudes during the Upper Palaeolithic, as reflected from masculine images of phallic character. Practices of foreskin retraction, some phalli possibly circumcised, copulative acts, expressions of masturbation, instruments that have been likely been used for masturbation and other sexual scenes, some of which are difficult to interpretate, show that the sexual behaviour of the human groups of the Upper Palaeolithic were similar to ours, both from a biological and physiological viewpoint.

Paleoenvironmental change as derived from loess sediment properties: Examples of last glacial loess sites from the Carpathian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, Frank; Zeeden, Christian; Bösken, Janina; Eckmeier, Eileen; Hambach, Ulrich; Hauck, Thomas; Klasen, Nicole; Markovic, Slobodan; Obreht, Igor; Schulte, Philipp; Sümegi, Pal; Chu, Wei; Timar-Gabor, Alida; Veres, Daniel

2015-04-01

The project B1 within the CRC 806 "Our way to Europe" focuses on the "Eastern Trajectory" of modern human migration from Africa into Europe. The Middle East, and SE Europe constitute the principal areas to be investigated. SE Europe has become a special research focus since two early Homo sapiens individuals have been found at Oase Cave in the southern Banat. The fossils lack any stratigraphic context; cultural and environmental circumstances of these findings have remained unclear. In the neighbourhood of Oase Cave, however, several early Upper Palaeolithic sites, embedded in loess sequences were known since the 1950's. Some sites were re-investigated by our research team. Conceptionally we are following the idea of upland-lowland interaction, which combines parameters as sedimentary transport, sediment distribution, and paleosol development in different altitudes, all influenced by paleoclimate in space and time. Furthermore, some detailed studies concerning site-formation processes and the quality of open-air sites (sedimentary development, paleoecology, multilayering, reworking, human impact on soils and sediments) are being conducted at selected localities. Recent investigations of the loess-paleosol sequences (LPS) in SE Europe provided important environmental information which differ from "classical" ecological approaches derived from other European loess provinces. New luminescence dating results provide a sensitive chronology of environmental changes recorded in the LPS from both upland and lowland positions, giving the potential to link these.

Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates

PubMed Central

Sykes, Bryan C.; Mullis, Rhettman A.; Hagenmuller, Christophe; Melton, Terry W.; Sartori, Michel

2014-01-01

In the first ever systematic genetic survey, we have used rigorous decontamination followed by mitochondrial 12S RNA sequencing to identify the species origin of 30 hair samples attributed to anomalous primates. Two Himalayan samples, one from Ladakh, India, the other from Bhutan, had their closest genetic affinity with a Palaeolithic polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Otherwise the hairs were from a range of known extant mammals. PMID:24990672

Discriminatory Analysis. 1. Survey Of Discriminatory Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1950-10-01

Biomt, 18, 56-98, MORANT, G. M., 1926b. Studies of Palaeolithic man. I. The Chancelade skull and its relation to the modern 103 ............ Eskimo...study of the Hokien and the Tamil skull." Biom., 180 1)47 1927a. Studies of Palaeolithic man. II. A biometric study of Neanderthaloid skulls and of their...Studies of Palaeolithic man. III. The Rhodesian skull and its relations to Neanderthaloid and modern types. Ann. Eugen., 3, 337-360. 1929a. A

Direct isotopic evidence for subsistence variability in Middle Pleistocene Neanderthals (Payre, southeastern France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocherens, Hervé; Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta; Daujeard, Camille; Fernandes, Paul; Raynal, Jean-Paul; Moncel, Marie-Hélène

2016-12-01

The site of Payre (SE France) is presented as a case study to decipher possible changes in subsistence and land-use strategies during the middle Pleistocene in Europe. This study applies carbon and oxygen isotopic data (δ13C and δ18O) in dental tooth enamel from four distinct Middle Pleistocene Neanderthals coming from two phases of occupation. This allows us to test if these different Neanderthals were similar in their subsistence strategies and mobility during their childhood, and to compare them with terrestrial predators and to herbivores dwelling in different areas around the cave. The results show that Neanderthals were exploiting the environment differently over time in the absence of a significant environmental change. This change of environment exploitation coincides with different durations of occupation. The age of the individuals allows us to discuss the mobility of young Neanderthals and the topographies they lived on before arriving in the cave. The combination of results obtained from various approaches throws a new light on the investigation of Neanderthal ecosystem and land-use patterns during the Early Middle Palaeolithic in Southeastern France.

Prehistoric Cultural Resources within the Right-of-Way of the Proposed Little Blue River Channel, Jackson County, Missouri. Part 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

and procedures, Semenov’s work will be remembered in this respect rather than for the conclusions concerning Palaeolithic tool use. To grasp the...used chipped stone tools to cut and work wood. Swauger and Wallace (1964:1-7) experimented with Palaeolithic and Neolithic stone implements which had...1901: 517-518). 54 Site 117, a Nubian Palaeolithic graveyard in the Sudan (Wendorf 1968: 954-995) is one of the most interesting sites. In this

Raw materials exploitation in Prehistory of Georgia: sourcing, processing and distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tushabramishvili, Nikoloz; Oqrostsvaridze, Avthandil

2016-04-01

Study of raw materials has a big importance to understand the ecology, cognition, behavior, technology, culture of the Paleolithic human populations. Unfortunately, explorations of the sourcing, processing and distribution of stone raw materials had a less attention until the present days. The reasons of that were: incomplete knowledge of the archaeologists who are doing the late period archaeology (Bronze Age-Medieval) and who are little bit far from the Paleolithic technology and typology; Ignorance of the stone artifacts made on different kind of raw-materials, except flint and obsidians. Studies on the origin of the stone raw materials are becoming increasingly important since in our days. Interesting picture and situation have been detected on the different sites and in different regions of Georgia. In earlier stages of Middle Paleolithic of Djruchula Basin caves the number of basalt, andesite, argillite etc. raw materials are quite big. Since 130 000 a percent of the flint raw-material is increasing dramatically. Flint is an almost lonely dominated raw-material in Western Georgia during thousand years. Since approximately 50 000 ago the first obsidians brought from the South Georgia, appeared in Western Georgia. Similar situation has been detected by us in Eastern Georgia during our excavations of Ziari and Pkhoveli open-air sites. The early Lower Paleolithic layers are extremely rich by limestone artifacts while the flint raw-materials are dominated in the Middle Paleolithic layers. Study of these issues is possible to achieve across chronologies, the origins of the sources of raw-materials, the sites and regions. By merging archaeology with anthropology, geology and geography we are able to acquire outstanding insights about those populations. New approach to the Paleolithic stone materials, newly found Paleolithic quarries gave us an opportunities to try to achieve some results for understanding of the behavior of Paleolithic populations, geology and geomorphology of different regions of Georgia. References: 1. 2015. Tushabramishvili N. Ziari. Online Archaeology 8. Tbilisi, Georgia. Pp. 41-43 2. 2012. M François-Xavier Le Bourdonnec, Sébastien Nomade, Gérard Poupeau, Hervé Guillou, Nikolos Tushabramishvili, Marie-Hélène Moncel, David Pleurdeau, Tamar Agapishvili, Pierre Voinchet, Ana Mgeladze, David Lordkipanidze). Multiple origins of Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde (NW Georgia) obsidians and human mobility in Transcaucasia during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Journal of Archaeological Science xxx (2012) 1-14 3. 2011. Mercier N., Valladas H., Meignen L., Joron J. L., Tushabramishvili N., Adler D.S., Bar Yosef O. Dating the early Middle Palaeolithic Laminar Industry from Djruchula cave, Republic of Georgia. Paléorient Volume 36. Issue 36-2, pp. 163-173 4. 2010. L. Meignen&Nicholas Tushabramishvili. Djruchula Cave, on the Southern Slopes of the Great Caucasus: An Extension of the Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic Blady Phenomenon to the North. Journal of The Israel Prehistoric Society 40 (2010), 35-61 5. 2007. Tushabramishvili N.,Pleurdeau D., Moncel M.-H., Mgeladze A. Le complexe Djruchula-Koudaro au sud Caucase (Géorgie). Remarques sur les assemblages lithiques pléistocenes de Koudaro I, Tsona et Djruchula . Anthropologie • 45/1 • pp. 1-18 6. Tushabramishvili, D., 1984. Paleolit Gruzii. (Palaeolithic of Georgia). Newsletter of the Georgian State Museum 37B, 5e27

The River Orontes in Syria and Turkey: Downstream variation of fluvial archives in different crustal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridgland, David R.; Westaway, Rob; Romieh, Mohammad Abou; Candy, Ian; Daoud, Mohamad; Demir, Tuncer; Galiatsatos, Nikolaos; Schreve, Danielle C.; Seyrek, Ali; Shaw, Andrew D.; White, Tom S.; Whittaker, John

2012-09-01

The geomorphology and Quaternary history of the River Orontes in western Syria and south-central Turkey have been studied using a combination of methods: field survey, differential GPS, satellite imagery, analysis of sediments to determine provenance, flow direction and fluvial environment, incorporation of evidence from fossils for both palaeoenvironments and biostratigraphy, uranium-series dating of calcrete cement, reconciliation of Palaeolithic archaeological contents, and uplift modelling based on terrace height distribution. The results underline the contrasting nature of different reaches of the Orontes, in part reflecting different crustal blocks, with different histories of landscape evolution. Upstream from Homs the Orontes has a system of calcreted terraces that form a staircase extending to ~200 m above the river. New U-series dating provides an age constraint within the lower part of the sequence that suggests underestimation of terrace ages in previous reviews. This upper valley is separated from another terraced reach, in the Middle Orontes, by a gorge cut through the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Homs Basalt. The Middle Orontes terraces have long been recognized as a source of mammalian fossils and Palaeolithic artefacts, particularly from Latamneh, near the downstream end of the reach. This terraced section of the valley ends at a fault scarp, marking the edge of the subsiding Ghab Basin (a segment of the Dead Sea Fault Zone), which has been filled to a depth of ~ 1 km by dominantly lacustrine sediments of Pliocene-Quaternary age. Review of the fauna from Latamneh suggests that its age is 1.2-0.9 Ma, significantly older than previously supposed, and commensurate with less uplift in this reach than both the Upper and Lower Orontes. Two localities near the downstream end of the Ghab have provided molluscan and ostracod assemblages that record somewhat saline environments, perhaps caused by desiccation within the former lacustrine basin, although they include fluvial elements. The Ghab is separated from another subsiding and formerly lacustrine depocentre, the Amik Basin of Hatay Province, Turkey, by a second gorge, implicit of uplift, this time cut through Palaeogene limestone. The NE-SW oriented lowermost reach of the Orontes is again terraced, with a third and most dramatic gorge through the northern edge of the Ziyaret Dağı mountains, which are known to have experienced rapid uplift, probably again enhanced by movement on an active fault. Indeed, a conclusion of the research, in which these various reaches are compared, is that the crust in the Hatay region is significantly more dynamic than that further upstream, where uplift has been less rapid and less continuous.

Assessing the calorific significance of episodes of human cannibalism in the Palaeolithic

PubMed Central

Cole, James

2017-01-01

Episodes of Palaeolithic cannibalism have frequently been defined as ‘nutritional’ in nature, but with little empirical evidence to assess their dietary significance. This paper presents a nutritional template that offers a proxy calorie value for the human body. When applied to the Palaeolithic record, the template provides a framework for assessing the dietary value of prehistoric cannibalistic episodes compared to the faunal record. Results show that humans have a comparable nutritional value to those faunal species that match our typical body weight, but significantly lower than a range of fauna often found in association with anthropogenically modified hominin remains. This could suggest that the motivations behind hominin anthropophagy may not have been purely nutritionally motivated. It is proposed here that the comparatively low nutritional value of hominin cannibalism episodes support more socially or culturally driven narratives in the interpretation of Palaeolithic cannibalism. PMID:28383521

fiReproxies: A computational model providing insight into heat-affected archaeological lithic assemblages.

PubMed

Sorensen, Andrew C; Scherjon, Fulco

2018-01-01

Evidence for fire use becomes increasingly sparse the further back in time one looks. This is especially true for Palaeolithic assemblages. Primary evidence of fire use in the form of hearth features tends to give way to clusters or sparse scatters of more durable heated stone fragments. In the absence of intact fireplaces, these thermally altered lithic remains have been used as a proxy for discerning relative degrees of fire use between archaeological layers and deposits. While previous experimental studies have demonstrated the physical effects of heat on stony artefacts, the mechanisms influencing the proportion of fire proxy evidence within archaeological layers remain understudied. This fundamental study is the first to apply a computer-based model (fiReproxies) in an attempt to simulate and quantify the complex interplay of factors that ultimately determine when and in what proportions lithic artefacts are heated by (anthropogenic) fires. As an illustrative example, we apply our model to two hypothetical archaeological layers that reflect glacial and interglacial conditions during the late Middle Palaeolithic within a generic simulated cave site to demonstrate how different environmental, behavioural and depositional factors like site surface area, sedimentation rate, occupation frequency, and fire size and intensity can, independently or together, significantly influence the visibility of archaeological fire signals.

fiReproxies: A computational model providing insight into heat-affected archaeological lithic assemblages

PubMed Central

Scherjon, Fulco

2018-01-01

Evidence for fire use becomes increasingly sparse the further back in time one looks. This is especially true for Palaeolithic assemblages. Primary evidence of fire use in the form of hearth features tends to give way to clusters or sparse scatters of more durable heated stone fragments. In the absence of intact fireplaces, these thermally altered lithic remains have been used as a proxy for discerning relative degrees of fire use between archaeological layers and deposits. While previous experimental studies have demonstrated the physical effects of heat on stony artefacts, the mechanisms influencing the proportion of fire proxy evidence within archaeological layers remain understudied. This fundamental study is the first to apply a computer-based model (fiReproxies) in an attempt to simulate and quantify the complex interplay of factors that ultimately determine when and in what proportions lithic artefacts are heated by (anthropogenic) fires. As an illustrative example, we apply our model to two hypothetical archaeological layers that reflect glacial and interglacial conditions during the late Middle Palaeolithic within a generic simulated cave site to demonstrate how different environmental, behavioural and depositional factors like site surface area, sedimentation rate, occupation frequency, and fire size and intensity can, independently or together, significantly influence the visibility of archaeological fire signals. PMID:29768454

Greater than the sum of its parts? Modelling population contact and interaction of cultural repertoires

PubMed Central

Kolodny, Oren; Feldman, Marcus W.

2017-01-01

Evidence for interactions between populations plays a prominent role in the reconstruction of historical and prehistoric human dynamics; these interactions are usually interpreted to reflect cultural practices or demographic processes. The sharp increase in long-distance transportation of lithic material between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, for example, is seen as a manifestation of the cultural revolution that defined the transition between these epochs. Here, we propose that population interaction is not only a reflection of cultural change but also a potential driver of it. We explore the possible effects of inter-population migration on cultural evolution when migrating individuals possess core technological knowledge from their original population. Using a computational framework of cultural evolution that incorporates realistic aspects of human innovation processes, we show that migration can lead to a range of outcomes, including punctuated but transient increases in cultural complexity, an increase of cultural complexity to an elevated steady state and the emergence of a positive feedback loop that drives ongoing acceleration in cultural accumulation. Our findings suggest that population contact may have played a crucial role in the evolution of hominin cultures and propose explanations for observations of Palaeolithic cultural change whose interpretations have been hotly debated. PMID:28468920

The origins and early elaboration of projectile technology.

PubMed

O'Driscoll, Corey A; Thompson, Jessica C

2018-01-01

The ability of Homo sapiens to kill prey at a distance is arguably one of the catalysts for our current ecological dominance. Many researchers have suggested its origins lie in the African Middle Stone Age or the European Middle Palaeolithic (∼300-30 thousand years ago), but the perishable components of armatures rarely preserve. Most research on this subject therefore emphasises analysis of armature tip size, shape, and diagnostic impacts or residues. Other lines of evidence have included human skeletal anatomy or analyses of the species composition of faunal assemblages. Projectile Impact Marks (PIMs) on archaeofaunal remains offer an ideal complement to this work, but their potential has been restricted mainly to the later Eurasian zooarchaeological record. A review of current evidence and approaches shows that systematic PIM research could add much to our understanding of early projectile technology, especially in Africa. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Favourable effects of consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet on characteristics of the metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot-study.

PubMed

Boers, Inge; Muskiet, Frits Aj; Berkelaar, Evert; Schut, Erik; Penders, Ria; Hoenderdos, Karine; Wichers, Harry J; Jong, Miek C

2014-10-11

The main goal of this randomized controlled single-blinded pilot study was to study whether, independent of weight loss, a Palaeolithic-type diet alters characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Next we searched for outcome variables that might become favourably influenced by a Paleolithic-type diet and may provide new insights in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the metabolic syndrome. In addition, more information on feasibility and designing an innovative dietary research program on the basis of a Palaeolithic-type diet was obtained. Thirty-four subjects, with at least two characteristics of the metabolic syndrome, were randomized to a two weeks Palaeolithic-type diet (n = 18) or an isoenergetic healthy reference diet, based on the guidelines of the Dutch Health Council (n = 14). Thirty-two subjects completed the study. Measures were taken to keep bodyweight stable. As primary outcomes oral glucose tolerance and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome (abdominal circumference, blood pressure, glucose, lipids) were measured. Secondary outcomes were intestinal permeability, inflammation and salivary cortisol. Data were collected at baseline and after the intervention. Subjects were 53.5 (SD9.7) year old men (n = 9) and women (n = 25) with mean BMI of 31.8 (SD5.7) kg/m2. The Palaeolithic-type diet resulted in lower systolic blood pressure (-9.1 mmHg; P = 0.015), diastolic blood pressure (-5.2 mmHg; P = 0.038), total cholesterol (-0.52 mmol/l; P = 0.037), triglycerides (-0.89 mmol/l; P = 0.001) and higher HDL-cholesterol (+0.15 mmol/l; P = 0.013), compared to reference. The number of characteristics of the metabolic syndrome decreased with 1.07 (P = 0.010) upon the Palaeolithic-type diet, compared to reference. Despite efforts to keep bodyweight stable, it decreased in the Palaeolithic group compared to reference (-1.32 kg; P = 0.012). However, favourable effects remained after post-hoc adjustments for this unintended weight loss. No changes were observed for intestinal permeability, inflammation and salivary cortisol. We conclude that consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet for two weeks improved several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a healthy reference diet in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Nederlands Trial Register NTR3002.

Chronology of Ksar Akil (Lebanon) and Implications for the Colonization of Europe by Anatomically Modern Humans

PubMed Central

Douka, Katerina; Bergman, Christopher A.; Hedges, Robert E. M.; Wesselingh, Frank P.; Higham, Thomas F. G.

2013-01-01

The Out-of-Africa model holds that anatomically modern humans (AMH) evolved and dispersed from Africa into Asia, and later Europe. Palaeoanthropological evidence from the Near East assumes great importance, but AMH remains from the region are extremely scarce. ‘Egbert’, a now-lost AMH fossil from the key site of Ksar Akil (Lebanon) and ‘Ethelruda’, a recently re-discovered fragmentary maxilla from the same site, are two rare examples where human fossils are directly linked with early Upper Palaeolithic archaeological assemblages. Here we radiocarbon date the contexts from which Egbert and Ethelruda were recovered, as well as the levels above and below the findspots. In the absence of well-preserved organic materials, we primarily used marine shell beads, often regarded as indicative of behavioural modernity. Bayesian modelling allows for the construction of a chronostratigraphic framework for Ksar Akil, which supports several conclusions. The model-generated age estimates place Egbert between 40.8–39.2 ka cal BP (68.2% prob.) and Ethelruda between 42.4–41.7 ka cal BP (68.2% prob.). This indicates that Egbert is of an age comparable to that of the oldest directly-dated European AMH (Peştera cu Oase). Ethelruda is older, but on current estimates not older than the modern human teeth from Cavallo in Italy. The dating of the so-called “transitional” or Initial Upper Palaeolithic layers of the site may indicate that the passage from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic at Ksar Akil, and possibly in the wider northern Levant, occurred later than previously estimated, casting some doubts on the assumed singular role of the region as a locus for human dispersals into Europe. Finally, tentative interpretations of the fossil's taxonomy, combined with the chronometric dating of Ethelruda's context, provides evidence that the transitional/IUP industries of Europe and the Levant, or at least some of them, may be the result of early modern human migration(s). PMID:24039825

Elongation as a factor in artefacts of humans and other animals: an Acheulean example in comparative context.

PubMed

Gowlett, J A J

2013-11-19

Elongation is a commonly found feature in artefacts made and used by humans and other animals and can be analysed in comparative study. Whether made for use in hand or beak, the artefacts have some common properties of length, breadth, thickness and balance point, and elongation can be studied as a factor relating to construction or use of a long axis. In human artefacts, elongation can be traced through the archaeological record, for example in stone blades of the Upper Palaeolithic (traditionally regarded as more sophisticated than earlier artefacts), and in earlier blades of the Middle Palaeolithic. It is now recognized that elongation extends to earlier Palaeolithic artefacts, being found in the repertoire of both Neanderthals and more archaic humans. Artefacts used by non-human animals, including chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys and New Caledonian crows show selection for diameter and length, and consistent interventions of modification. Both chimpanzees and capuchins trim side branches from stems, and appropriate lengths of stave are selected or cut. In human artefacts, occasional organic finds show elongation back to about 0.5 million years. A record of elongation achieved in stone tools survives to at least 1.75 Ma (million years ago) in the Acheulean tradition. Throughout this tradition, some Acheulean handaxes are highly elongated, usually found with others that are less elongated. Finds from the million-year-old site of Kilombe and Kenya are given as an example. These findings argue that the elongation need not be integral to a design, but that artefacts may be the outcome of adjustments to individual variables. Such individual adjustments are seen in animal artefacts. In the case of a handaxe, the maker must balance the adjustments to achieve a satisfactory outcome in the artefact as a whole. It is argued that the need to make decisions about individual variables within multivariate objects provides an essential continuity across artefacts made by different species.

Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human interaction with Abrupt Late Pleistocene Environments - the data is finally good enough to talk about climate change!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blockley, Simon; Schreve, Danielle

2015-04-01

The timing and nature of the appearance of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) in Europe, their interaction with, and eventual morphological replacement of Neanderthals (despite some shared genetic heritage) has been a matter of intense debate within archaeology for a generation. This period, often termed the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition occurs in the latter part of Marine Isotope Stage Three and in recent decades archaeological interest has been complemented by the input of palaeoclimate scientists, over the role of abrupt climate change in this process. This was due to the recognition from ice core and marine proxy archives, in particular, of periods if intense cooling, correlated to the marine record of Heinrich ice rafted debris layers from the Atlantic. As a result of these collaborations between the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental communities various drivers have been proposed for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition that include: (1) resource competition between two species occupying similar niches; (2) the impact of repeated cycles of Heinrich event cooling, leading to the decline and eventual disappearance of the Neanderthal populations, leaving a new region open for AMH exploitation; and (3) catastrophic impacts of large volcanic eruptions on Neanderthal populations. Attempts to address the above hypotheses have been dogged by the chronological precision available for a number of key archives. The accuracy of many of the radiocarbon ages that underpin the chronology for both Neanderthal and AMH archaeological sites has been questioned1. This has been exacerbated by uncertainties over the influence of variability in the radiocarbon marine reservoir effect on marine palaeoclimate records and a marine dominated radiocarbon calibration curve. Additionally, the counting uncertainties of the master Greenland palaeoclimate archives are also large by this time, meaning palaeoclimate interpretation can be equivocal. However, several research groups have been independently addressing key archaeological and palaeoclimate sites in order to resolve these chronological uncertainties, using a combination of tephrochronological marker layers2, to synchronise records, and improved radiocarbon dating frameweworks3, including the first terrestrially derived radiocarbon calibration curve4. This paper brings these results together, for the first time, and discusses the concrete evidence now available for any climatic input into the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. By also incorporating reliably dated faunal material, the paper also goes on to discuss the evidence for environmental influences versus intra species competition between the two hominins as a driver behind the transition within Europe. 1. Blockley et al., 2008, Journal of Human Evolution. 55, 764-771. 2. Lowe, J.J., Barton, N., Blockley, S.P.E. et al. 2012. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109, 13532-13537. 3. Higham, T.F.G., Douka, K., Wood, R. et al. 2014. The timing and spatio-temporal patterning of Neanderthal disappearance. Nature, 512, 306-309.

Not only Chauvet: dating Aurignacian rock art in Altxerri B Cave (northern Spain).

PubMed

González-Sainz, C; Ruiz-Redondo, A; Garate-Maidagan, D; Iriarte-Avilés, E

2013-10-01

The discovery and first dates of the paintings in Grotte Chauvet provoked a new debate on the origin and characteristics of the first figurative Palaeolithic art. Since then, other art ensembles in France and Italy (Aldène, Fumane, Arcy-sur-Cure and Castanet) have enlarged our knowledge of graphic activity in the early Upper Palaeolithic. This paper presents a chronological assessment of the Palaeolithic parietal ensemble in Altxerri B (northern Spain). When the study began in 2011, one of our main objectives was to determine the age of this pictorial phase in the cave. Archaeological, geological and stylistic evidence, together with radiometric dates, suggest an Aurignacian chronology for this art. The ensemble in Altxerri B can therefore be added to the small but growing number of sites dated in this period, corroborating the hypothesis of more complex and varied figurative art than had been supposed in the early Upper Palaeolithic. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A possible "grinder" from Tell Arbid, Syria.

PubMed

Pitre, Mindy C; Koliński, Rafał; Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz

2017-12-01

Cereal grinding has been practiced in Mesopotamia since the Upper Palaeolithic. While evidence of cereal grinding is clear from the archaeological and textual records, what remains unclear is whether the activity leaves signs on the skeleton in the form of markers of occupational stress (MOS). A particular constellation of MOS (e.g., osteoarthritis, traumatic injuries, and accessory articular facets) has previously been used to infer the habitual grinding of grain. These same MOS were recently observed in the skeleton of a female discovered in the Middle Bronze Age cemetery at Tell Arbid, NE Syria. Through differential diagnosis our results suggest that it remains problematic to identify grain-processing activities from the skeleton, even when a bioarchaeological approach is carried out.

Consistent C3 plant habitat of hominins during 400-300 ka at the Longyadong Cave site (Luonan Basin, central China) revealed by stable carbon isotope analyses of loess deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hongyan; Lu, Huayu; Wang, Shejiang

2017-04-01

The proportions of woody and grassland taxa in terrestrial ecosystems played an important role in the origin and evolution of early Palaeolithic hominins. However the influence of ecosystem changes on hominin behavior and adaptations in Asia has not been studied in detail. Hominins have exploited the Luonan Basin in the Eastern Qinling Mountains, central China, since the early Paleolithic. Dated sites, consisting of alternating loess and soil deposits with in situ artefacts, are common in the region, and provide a detailed record of Early to Middle Pleistocene hominin environments. Here, we present the results of measurements of the stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matter (δ13C) in the loess-paleosol sequences from the Longyadong Cave site. Our analyses of δ13C show that for at least 400 ka the Longyadong Cave site and its surroundings were dominated by C3 woody plants, whereas the nearby Liuwan site was dominated by C4 and C3 mixed grassland or woody grassland vegetation. These findings demonstrate that between 400 and 300 ka in the Luonan Basin, hominins occupied a habitat consisting of a mosaic of grassland and woodland/forest. Although the vegetation of the region changed in response to the glacial-interglacial climatic cycles, patches of woody vegetation in landscapes such as at Longyadong Cave site persisted continuously. Such environments seem to be have been favored by hominins living in the Luonan Basin, possibly because they provided a diverse range of food resources during both glacial and interglacial intervals of the Middle Pleistocene, when most of northern China was experiencing an increasing trend of drying and cooling and steppe environments were expanding. Thus, the Luonan Basin would have served as a refugium for hominin occupation in China during the Middle Pleistocene.

Terrestrial environments during MIS 11: evidence from the Palaeolithic site at West Stow, Suffolk, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preece, R. C.; Parfitt, S. A.; Bridgland, D. R.; Lewis, S. G.; Rowe, P. J.; Atkinson, T. C.; Candy, I.; Debenham, N. C.; Penkman, K. E. H.; Rhodes, E. J.; Schwenninger, J.-L.; Griffiths, H. I.; Whittaker, J. E.; Gleed-Owen, C.

2007-05-01

Multidisciplinary investigations of the sequence at Beeches Pit, West Stow (Suffolk, UK), have a direct bearing the age of the Hoxnian Interglacial and its correlation with the continental Holsteinian and with the global marine record. At this site, glacial deposits (till and outwash gravels) referable to the Anglian Lowestoft Formation fill a subglacial channel cut in Chalk bedrock. Above these glacial deposits a series of interglacial sediments occurs, consisting of limnic, tufaceous and colluvial silts, lacking pollen but rich in shells, ostracods and vertebrates. Lower Palaeolithic flint artefacts of Acheulian character have also been recovered, including refitting examples. Charred material is abundant at certain horizons and many of the bones have been burned. Several discrete areas of burnt sediment are interpreted as hearths. The molluscan fauna comprises some 78 taxa and includes species of considerable zoogeographical and biostratigraphical importance. The land snail assemblage from the tufa consists of woodland taxa with no modern analogue, including species that are either extinct (e.g. Zonitoides sepultus) or which no longer live in Britain (e.g. Platyla polita, P. similis, Neniatlanta pauli). This is also the type locality of Retinella ( Lyrodiscus) skertchlyi, which belongs to a subgenus of zonitid land snail now living only on the Canary Islands. There are indications from this fauna ('the Lyrodiscus biome') that the climate was wetter and perhaps warmer than the present day. The vertebrate fauna is also noteworthy with species of open habitats, such as rabbit ( Oryctolagus cf . cuniculus), and of closed forest, such as squirrel ( Sciurus sp.) and garden dormouse ( Eliomys quercinus) present at different times. The occurrence of southern thermophiles, such as Aesculapian snake ( Zamenis longissimus), indicates temperatures warmer than those of eastern England today. The upper levels include much material reworked from the interglacial sediments, although there is clear faunal evidence for climatic deterioration. Both the molluscan and vertebrate faunas suggest correlation of the interglacial sediments with the Hoxnian. Uranium series dates from the tufa (˜455 ka BP), TL dates from burnt flints (414±30 ka BP) and a range of amino acid racemization data all support correlation of this interglacial with MIS 11. However, four OSL dates from sand beneath the interglacial sequence yield a mean age of 261±31 ka BP, far younger than all other age determinations and far younger than implied by the biostratigraphy. Archaeologically the site is unusual in showing prolonged human occupation within closed deciduous forest and evidence for controlled use of fire in a Lower Palaeolithic context. Biostratigraphical correlations with other Lower Palaeolithic sites support the suggestion that Acheulian and Clactonian industries both occurred in southern Britain during the same substage of the Hoxnian, although not necessarily at precisely the same time. The characteristics of the MIS 11 interglacial in Britain are discussed in the light of evidence from Beeches Pit and elsewhere.

Plant-rich mixed meals based on Palaeolithic diet principles have a dramatic impact on incretin, peptide YY and satiety response, but show little effect on glucose and insulin homeostasis: an acute-effects randomised study.

PubMed

Bligh, H Frances J; Godsland, Ian F; Frost, Gary; Hunter, Karl J; Murray, Peter; MacAulay, Katrina; Hyliands, Della; Talbot, Duncan C S; Casey, John; Mulder, Theo P J; Berry, Mark J

2015-02-28

There is evidence for health benefits from 'Palaeolithic' diets; however, there are a few data on the acute effects of rationally designed Palaeolithic-type meals. In the present study, we used Palaeolithic diet principles to construct meals comprising readily available ingredients: fish and a variety of plants, selected to be rich in fibre and phyto-nutrients. We investigated the acute effects of two Palaeolithic-type meals (PAL 1 and PAL 2) and a reference meal based on WHO guidelines (REF), on blood glucose control, gut hormone responses and appetite regulation. Using a randomised cross-over trial design, healthy subjects were given three meals on separate occasions. PAL2 and REF were matched for energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates; PAL1 contained more protein and energy. Plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and peptide YY (PYY) concentrations were measured over a period of 180 min. Satiation was assessed using electronic visual analogue scale (EVAS) scores. GLP-1 and PYY concentrations were significantly increased across 180 min for both PAL1 (P= 0·001 and P< 0·001) and PAL2 (P= 0·011 and P= 0·003) compared with the REF. Concomitant EVAS scores showed increased satiety. By contrast, GIP concentration was significantly suppressed. Positive incremental AUC over 120 min for glucose and insulin did not differ between the meals. Consumption of meals based on Palaeolithic diet principles resulted in significant increases in incretin and anorectic gut hormones and increased perceived satiety. Surprisingly, this was independent of the energy or protein content of the meal and therefore suggests potential benefits for reduced risk of obesity.

Some popular medicinal plants and diseases of the Upper Palaeolithic in Western Georgia.

PubMed

Martkoplishvili, Inga; Kvavadze, Eliso

2015-05-26

Palynological studies of cultural layers of cave sediments have been used in order to better understand traditional practices. The Upper Palaeolithic in Georgia (36,000-11,000 cal. BP) provides a rich source of such material. However, up to day from such sediments the identification of medicinal plants has hardly been achieved. Large quantities of pollen most notably from entomophilous taxa in fossil spectra can serve as a tool to identify traditionally important species. As these plants are used in modern popular medicine on the territory of Georgia (like Achillea millefolium L., Artemisia annua L., Artemisia absinthium L., Centaurea jacea L., Urtica dioica L.) can be served as an indirect evidence for their medicinal relevance from the Palaeolithic Period up to days. Their modern uses may point that the main diseases during the Upper Palaeolithic were the same as today. The Upper Palaeolithic sediments were studied palynologically come from four caves: Dzudzuana, Satsurblia, Kotias Klde and Bondi. Modern sediments were investigated from 6 caves. Fossil and modern samples were taken according to the standard procedure in palynology. The laboratory treatment was carried out as follows: first, 50g of the sample was boiled in 10% KOH. At the second stage, centrifuging of the material in cadmium liquid was performed. At the final stage, acetolysis treatment was used. Pollen of A. absinthium L. (Asteraceae), A. annua L. (Asteraceae), A. millefolium L. (Asteraceae), C. jacea L. (Asteraceae), and U. dioica L. (Urticaceae) are identified to species level. This species are not edible and are popular in present-day folk medicine. In the Upper Palaeolithic layers, significant amounts of studies species pollen were recorded in the cave, likely due to their flowering branches being brought in by humans for use. Detailed consideration of the pharmacological characteristics of the examined species showed that almost all of them have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antipyretic activity. The fossil pollen complex of medicinal herbs, dominated by A. millefolium and Artemisia (A. annua and A. absinthium), suggests that the ancient population living in the studied caves could have been prone to malaria, rheumatism and gastrointestinal diseases. In the Upper Palaeolithic, the population inhabiting cave sites might have suffered from gout and callouses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discovery of circa 115,000-year-old bone retouchers at Lingjing, Henan, China

PubMed Central

Li, Zhanyang; Li, Hao

2018-01-01

Most Chinese lithic industries dated between 300,000 and 40,000 are characterized by the absence of Levallois debitage, the persistence of core-and-flake knapping, the rarity of prepared cores, their reduction with direct hard hammer percussion, and the rarity of retouched flakes. Here we report the discovery of seven bone soft hammers at the early hominin Lingjing site (Xuchang County, Henan) dated to 125,000–105,000. These artefacts represent the first instance of the use of bone as raw material to modify stone tools found at an East Asian early Late Pleistocene site. Three types of soft hammers are identified. The first consists of large bone flakes resulting from butchery of large herbivores that were utilized as such for expedient stone tools retouching or resharpening. The second involved the fracture of weathered bone from medium size herbivores to obtain elongated splinters shaped by percussion into sub-rectangular artefacts. Traces observed on these objects indicate intensive and possibly recurrent utilization, which implies their curation over time. The last consists of antler, occasionally used. Lingjing bone tools complement what we know about archaic hominin cultural adaptations in East Asia and highlight behavioural consistencies that could not be inferred from other cultural proxies. This discovery provides a new dimension to the debate surrounding the existence of the Middle Palaeolithic in the region. The attribution of East Asian sites to the Middle Palaeolithic assumes that cultural traits such as the Levallois method represent evolutionary hallmarks applicable to regions of the world different from those in which they were originally found. Here, we promote an approach that consists in identifying, possibly from different categories of material culture, the original features of each regional cultural trajectory and understanding the behavioural and cognitive implications they may have had for past hominin populations. PMID:29529079

Form and function in the Lower Palaeolithic: history, progress, and continued relevance.

PubMed

Key, Alastair; Stephen, Lycett

2017-12-30

Percussively flaked stone artefacts constitute a major source of evidence relating to hominin behavioural strategies and are, essentially, a product or byproduct of a past individual's decision to create a tool with respect to some broader goal. Moreover, it has long been noted that both differences and recurrent regularities exist within and between Palaeolithic stone artefact forms. Accordingly, archaeologists have frequently drawn links between form and functionality, with functional objectives and performance often being regarded consequential to a stone tool's morphological properties. Despite these factors, extensive reviews of the related concepts of form and function with respect to the Lower Palaeolithic remain surprisingly sparse. We attempt to redress this issue. First we stress the historical place of form-function concepts, and their role in establishing basic ideas that echo to this day. We then highlight methodological and conceptual progress in determining artefactual function in more recent years. Thereafter, we evaluate four specific issues that are of direct consequence for evaluating the ongoing relevance of form-function concepts, especially with respect to their relevance for understanding human evolution more generally. Our discussion highlights specifically how recent developments have been able to build on a long historical legacy, and demonstrate that direct, indirect, experimental, and evolutionary perspectives intersect in crucial ways, with each providing specific but essential insights for ongoing questions. We conclude by emphasising that our understanding of these issues and their interaction, has been, and will be, essential to accurately interpret the Lower Palaeolithic archaeological record, tool-form related behaviours of Lower Palaeolithic hominins, and their consequences for (and relationship to) wider questions of human evolution.

International Workshop on Gravel-Bed Rivers. Dynamics of Gravel-Bed Rivers (3rd), held in Firenze - Poggio a Caiano Italy on September 24-28, 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-31

Geol., 22, 97-120. Wymer, J.J. (1968). Lower Palaeolithic Archaeology in Britain, John Baker, London. Wymer, J.J. (1976), The interpretation of... Palaeolithic cultural and faunal material found in Pleistocene sediments, in, Geo-archaeology, Davidson, D.A. and Shackley, M.L. (eds.), Duckworth, London, pp

Cave acoustics in prehistory: Exploring the association of Palaeolithic visual motifs and acoustic response.

PubMed

Fazenda, Bruno; Scarre, Chris; Till, Rupert; Pasalodos, Raquel Jiménez; Guerra, Manuel Rojo; Tejedor, Cristina; Peredo, Roberto Ontañón; Watson, Aaron; Wyatt, Simon; Benito, Carlos García; Drinkall, Helen; Foulds, Frederick

2017-09-01

During the 1980 s, acoustic studies of Upper Palaeolithic imagery in French caves-using the technology then available-suggested a relationship between acoustic response and the location of visual motifs. This paper presents an investigation, using modern acoustic measurement techniques, into such relationships within the caves of La Garma, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo in Northern Spain. It addresses methodological issues concerning acoustic measurement at enclosed archaeological sites and outlines a general framework for extraction of acoustic features that may be used to support archaeological hypotheses. The analysis explores possible associations between the position of visual motifs (which may be up to 40 000 yrs old) and localized acoustic responses. Results suggest that motifs, in general, and lines and dots, in particular, are statistically more likely to be found in places where reverberation is moderate and where the low frequency acoustic response has evidence of resonant behavior. The work presented suggests that an association of the location of Palaeolithic motifs with acoustic features is a statistically weak but tenable hypothesis, and that an appreciation of sound could have influenced behavior among Palaeolithic societies of this region.

Changes in the inhabitation of the Biśnik Cave during the Pleistocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cyrek, Krzysztof; Sudoł, Magdalena

2010-01-01

The Biśnik Cave lies on the left western slope of the Wodąca Valley, which is part of the Niegownice-Smoleń hills, situated in the central part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The cave consists of several chambers joined by corridors, and a number of entrances. Interdisciplinary research (archaeology, sedimentology, geomorphology and paleozoology) carried out since 1992 has dealt with the exploration of the following elements of the cave system: the main chamber, side shelter, side chamber and the area underneath the overhang. The Biśnik Cave is currently the oldest cave site in Poland with a well-preserved cross-section of sediments formed in separate stages of climatic changes, starting with the period preceding the Odra Glaciation to the Holocene. The oldest traces of settlement of Palaeolithic man go as far back as over 400,000 years ago. The most interesting mid-Palaeolithic sequence of the cave inhabitation comprises 17 cultural levels preserved in the form of stone and bone artefacts' concentrations, hearth remains and fragments of animal bones of post-consumption character. The attempts to date separate levels using the uranium-thorium dating method, electronic paramagnetic resonance and thermoluminescence method are very relevant. Scientific value of the Biśnik Cave turns it into a sample mid-Palaeolithic site in this part of Europe. A three-dimensional localisation of all finds made it possible to prepare a detailed map of the artefacts' distribution in the consecutive sedimentary layers. This, in turn, enabled the reconstruction of changes of the cave inhabitation by man. The correlation of those changes with the description of climatic conditions in the period of formation of sedimentary layers helped link the cave inhabitation methods with natural conditions dominating the area of the Biśnik Cave at that time.

Levantine cranium from Manot Cave (Israel) foreshadows the first European modern humans.

PubMed

Hershkovitz, Israel; Marder, Ofer; Ayalon, Avner; Bar-Matthews, Miryam; Yasur, Gal; Boaretto, Elisabetta; Caracuta, Valentina; Alex, Bridget; Frumkin, Amos; Goder-Goldberger, Mae; Gunz, Philipp; Holloway, Ralph L; Latimer, Bruce; Lavi, Ron; Matthews, Alan; Slon, Viviane; Mayer, Daniella Bar-Yosef; Berna, Francesco; Bar-Oz, Guy; Yeshurun, Reuven; May, Hila; Hans, Mark G; Weber, Gerhard W; Barzilai, Omry

2015-04-09

A key event in human evolution is the expansion of modern humans of African origin across Eurasia between 60 and 40 thousand years (kyr) before present (bp), replacing all other forms of hominins. Owing to the scarcity of human fossils from this period, these ancestors of all present-day non-African modern populations remain largely enigmatic. Here we describe a partial calvaria, recently discovered at Manot Cave (Western Galilee, Israel) and dated to 54.7 ± 5.5 kyr bp (arithmetic mean ± 2 standard deviations) by uranium-thorium dating, that sheds light on this crucial event. The overall shape and discrete morphological features of the Manot 1 calvaria demonstrate that this partial skull is unequivocally modern. It is similar in shape to recent African skulls as well as to European skulls from the Upper Palaeolithic period, but different from most other early anatomically modern humans in the Levant. This suggests that the Manot people could be closely related to the first modern humans who later successfully colonized Europe. Thus, the anatomical features used to support the 'assimilation model' in Europe might not have been inherited from European Neanderthals, but rather from earlier Levantine populations. Moreover, at present, Manot 1 is the only modern human specimen to provide evidence that during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic interface, both modern humans and Neanderthals contemporaneously inhabited the southern Levant, close in time to the likely interbreeding event with Neanderthals.

Palaeolithic Timekeepers Looking At The Golden Gate Of The Ecliptic; The Lunar Cycle And The Pleiades In The Cave Of La-TETe-Du-Lion (Ardéche, France) - 21,000 BP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rappenglück, Michael A.

Decades of research work done by several scientists all over the world since the beginning of the 20th century confirmed the idea, that Palaeolithic man looked up to the starry sky and recognized prominent patterns of stars as well as the course of the celestial bodies. Though sometimes highly speculative, the investigations made clear, that time-factored notations played an important role in the archaic cultures of Palaeolithic epochs (from 33,000 to 10,000 BP). There are some distinct and detailed examples of lunar-, solar- and lunisolar-calendars sometimes combined with pictures of seasonality, mostly discovered on transportable bones and stones, but also on the fixed walls of certain caves. The investigations showed that in Palaeolithic epochs time-reckoning, in particular the lunar cycle, had been related to the pregnancy of women too (Figure 2a-d). Recently I showed, that in the Magdalenian time (16,000-12,000 BP) man also recognized single and very complex star patterns, including the Milky Way: the Northern Crown in the cave of El Castillo (Spain), the Pleiades in the cave of Lascaux (France) and the main constellations of the sky at the same location. They were used by the Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers for orientation in space and for time-reckoning. These star patterns also played an important role in the cosmovisions of archaic cultures. Together with the depictions of the course of the moon and the sun, they helped to organize the spatiotemporal structure of daily and spiritual life of Palaeolithic man. Now I present a rock panel in the cave of La-T^ete-du-Lion (France) that shows the combination of a star pattern - Aldebaran in the Bull and the Pleiades - with a drawing of the moons cycle above. This picture comes from the Solutrean epoch ca 21,000-22,000 BP. It shows not only a remarkable similarity with the representation in the Lascaux cave, but clearly connects the star pattern with a part of the lunar cycle.

African and Asian perspectives on the origins of modern humans.

PubMed

Clark, J D

1992-08-29

The ways in which the cultural evidence - in its chronological context - can be used to imply behavioural patterning and to identify possible causes of change are discussed. Improved reliability in dating methods, suites of dates from different regional localities, and new, firmly dated fossil hominids from crucial regions such as northeast Africa, the Levant, India and China, are essential for clarification of the origin and spread of the modern genepool. Hominid ancestry in Africa is reviewed, as well as the claims for an independent origin in Asia. The cultural differences and changes within Africa, West and South Asia and the Far East in the later Middle and early Upper Pleistocene are examined and compared, and some behavioural implications are suggested, taking account of the evolutionary frameworks suggested by the 'multiregional evolution' and 'Noah's Ark' hypotheses of human evolution. A possible explanation is proposed for the cultural differences between Africa, West Asia and India on the one hand, and southeast Asia and the Far East on the other. The apparent hiatus between the appearance of the first anatomically modern humans, ca. 100 ka ago, and the appearance of the Upper Palaeolithic and other contemporaneous technological and behavioural changes around 40 ka ago, is discussed. It is suggested that the anatomical changes occurred first, and that neurological changes permitted the development of fully syntactic language some 50 ka later. The intellectual and behavioural revolution, best demonstrated by the 'Upper Palaeolithic' of Eurasia, seems to have been dependent on this linguistic development - within the modern genepool - and triggered the rapid migration of human populations throughout the Old World.

Morphometric Assessment of Convergent Tool Technology and Function during the Early Middle Palaeolithic: The Case of Payre, France

PubMed Central

Détroit, Florent; Coudenneau, Aude; Moncel, Marie-Hélène

2016-01-01

There appears to be little doubt as to the existence of an intentional technological resolve to produce convergent tools during the Middle Palaeolithic. However, the use of these pieces as pointed tools is still subject to debate: i.e., handheld tool vs. hafted tool. Present-day technological analysis has begun to apply new methodologies in order to quantify shape variability and to decipher the role of the morphology of these pieces in relation to function; for instance, geometric morphometric analyses have recently been applied with successful results. This paper presents a study of this type of analysis on 37 convergent tools from level Ga of Payre site (France), dated to MIS 8–7. These pieces are non-standardized knapping products produced by discoidal and orthogonal core technologies. Moreover, macro-wear studies attest to various activities on diverse materials with no evidence of hafting or projectile use. The aim of this paper is to test the geometric morphometric approach on non-standardized artefacts applying the Elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) to 3D contours and to assess the potential relationship between size and shape, technology and function. This study is innovative in that it is the first time that this method, considered to be a valuable complement for describing technological and functional attributes, is applied to 3D contours of lithic products. Our results show that this methodology ensures a very good degree of accuracy in describing shape variations of the sharp edges of technologically non-standardized convergent tools. EFA on 3D contours indicates variations in deviations of the outline along the third dimension (i.e., dorso-ventrally) and yields quantitative and insightful information on the actual shape variations of tools. Several statistically significant relationships are found between shape variation and use-wear attributes, though the results emphasize the large variability of the shape of the convergent tools, which, in general, does not show a strong direct association with technological features and function. This is in good agreement with the technological context of this chronological period, characterized by a wide diversity of non-standardized tools adapted to multipurpose functions for varied subsistence activities. PMID:27191164

Morphometric Assessment of Convergent Tool Technology and Function during the Early Middle Palaeolithic: The Case of Payre, France.

PubMed

Chacón, M Gema; Détroit, Florent; Coudenneau, Aude; Moncel, Marie-Hélène

2016-01-01

There appears to be little doubt as to the existence of an intentional technological resolve to produce convergent tools during the Middle Palaeolithic. However, the use of these pieces as pointed tools is still subject to debate: i.e., handheld tool vs. hafted tool. Present-day technological analysis has begun to apply new methodologies in order to quantify shape variability and to decipher the role of the morphology of these pieces in relation to function; for instance, geometric morphometric analyses have recently been applied with successful results. This paper presents a study of this type of analysis on 37 convergent tools from level Ga of Payre site (France), dated to MIS 8-7. These pieces are non-standardized knapping products produced by discoidal and orthogonal core technologies. Moreover, macro-wear studies attest to various activities on diverse materials with no evidence of hafting or projectile use. The aim of this paper is to test the geometric morphometric approach on non-standardized artefacts applying the Elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) to 3D contours and to assess the potential relationship between size and shape, technology and function. This study is innovative in that it is the first time that this method, considered to be a valuable complement for describing technological and functional attributes, is applied to 3D contours of lithic products. Our results show that this methodology ensures a very good degree of accuracy in describing shape variations of the sharp edges of technologically non-standardized convergent tools. EFA on 3D contours indicates variations in deviations of the outline along the third dimension (i.e., dorso-ventrally) and yields quantitative and insightful information on the actual shape variations of tools. Several statistically significant relationships are found between shape variation and use-wear attributes, though the results emphasize the large variability of the shape of the convergent tools, which, in general, does not show a strong direct association with technological features and function. This is in good agreement with the technological context of this chronological period, characterized by a wide diversity of non-standardized tools adapted to multipurpose functions for varied subsistence activities.

A stacked Late Quaternary fluvio-periglacial sequence from the Axe valley, southern England with implications for landscape evolution and Palaeolithic archaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, A. G.; Basell, L. S.; Toms, P. S.

2015-05-01

The current model of mid-latitude late Quaternary terrace sequences, is that they are uplift-driven but climatically controlled terrace staircases, relating to both regional-scale crustal and tectonic factors, and palaeohydrological variations forced by quasi-cyclic climatic conditions in the 100 K world (post Mid Pleistocene Transition). This model appears to hold for the majority of the river valleys draining into the English Channel which exhibit 8-15 terrace levels over approximately 60-100 m of altitudinal elevation. However, one valley, the Axe, has only one major morphological terrace and has long-been regarded as anomalous. This paper uses both conventional and novel stratigraphical methods (digital granulometry and terrestrial laser scanning) to show that this terrace is a stacked sedimentary sequence of 20-30 m thickness with a quasi-continuous (i.e. with hiatuses) pulsed, record of fluvial and periglacial sedimentation over at least the last 300-400 K yrs as determined principally by OSL dating of the upper two thirds of the sequence. Since uplift has been regional, there is no evidence of anomalous neotectonics, and climatic history must be comparable to the adjacent catchments (both of which have staircase sequences) a catchment-specific mechanism is required. The Axe is the only valley in North West Europe incised entirely into the near-horizontally bedded chert (crypto-crystalline quartz) and sand-rich Lower Cretaceous rocks creating a buried valley. Mapping of the valley slopes has identified many large landslide scars associated with past and present springs. It is proposed that these are thaw-slump scars and represent large hill-slope failures caused by Vauclausian water pressures and hydraulic fracturing of the chert during rapid permafrost melting. A simple 1D model of this thermokarstic process is used to explore this mechanism, and it is proposed that the resultant anomalously high input of chert and sand into the valley during terminations caused pulsed aggradation until the last termination. It is also proposed that interglacial and interstadial incision may have been prevented by the over-sized and interlocking nature of the sub-angular chert clasts until the Lateglacial when confinement of the river overcame this immobility threshold. One result of this hydrogeologically mediated valley evolution was to provide a sequence of proximal Palaeolithic archaeology over two MIS cycles. This study demonstrates that uplift tectonics and climate alone do not fully determine Quaternary valley evolution and that lithological and hydrogeological conditions are a fundamental cause of variation in terrestrial Quaternary records and landform evolution.

First Epigravettian Ceramic Figurines from Europe (Vela Spila, Croatia)

PubMed Central

Farbstein, Rebecca; Radić, Dinko; Brajković, Dejana; Miracle, Preston T.

2012-01-01

Recent finds of 36 ceramic artifacts from the archaeological site of Vela Spila, Croatia, offer the first evidence of ceramic figurative art in late Upper Palaeolithic Europe, c. 17,500–15,000 years before present (BP). The size and diversity of this artistic ceramic assemblage indicate the emergence of a social tradition, rather than more ephemeral experimentation with a new material. Vela Spila ceramics offer compelling technological and stylistic comparisons with the only other evidence of a developed Palaeolithic ceramic tradition found at the sites of Pavlov I and Dolní Věstonice I, in the Czech Republic, c. 31,000–27,000 cal BP. Because of the 10,000-year gap between the two assemblages, the Vela Spila ceramics are interpreted as evidence of an independent invention of this technology. Consequently, these artifacts provide evidence of a new social context in which ceramics developed and were used to make art in the Upper Palaeolithic. PMID:22848495

Palaeoloxodon and Human Interaction: Depositional Setting, Chronology and Archaeology at the Middle Pleistocene Ficoncella Site (Tarquinia, Italy)

PubMed Central

Aureli, Daniele; Contardi, Antonio; Giaccio, Biagio; Jicha, Brian; Lemorini, Cristina; Madonna, Sergio; Magri, Donatella; Marano, Federica; Milli, Salvatore; Modesti, Valerio; Palombo, Maria Rita; Rocca, Roxane

2015-01-01

The Ficoncella site in northern Latium (Italy) represents a unique opportunity to investigate the modalities of a short occupation in an alluvial setting during the Lower Palaeolithic. The small excavation area yielded a lithic assemblage, a carcass of Palaeoloxodon antiquus, and some other faunal remains. The main objectives of the study are to better characterize the depositional context where the Palaeoloxodon and the lithic assemblage occur, and to evaluate with greater precision the occupation dynamics. A 25 m-long well was drilled just above the top of the terrace of the Ficoncella site and faunal and lithic remains were analyzed with current and innovative techniques. The archaeological site contains floodplain deposits as it is located next to a small incised valley that feeds into a larger valley of the Mignone River. A tephra layer capping the site is 40Ar/39Ar dated to 441± 8 ka. Collectively, the geochronologic, tephrochronologic and geologic data, suggest the site was occupied during MIS 13. The new results should prompt further research at Ficoncella in order to improve our understanding of the dynamics of human settlement in Europe during the Early to Middle Pleistocene. PMID:25898322

Convergent Evidence of Eagle Talons Used by Late Neanderthals in Europe: A Further Assessment on Symbolism

PubMed Central

Romandini, Matteo; Peresani, Marco; Laroulandie, Véronique; Metz, Laure; Pastoors, Andreas; Vaquero, Manuel; Slimak, Ludovic

2014-01-01

To contribute to have a better understanding of the symbolic or not use of certain items by Neanderthals, this work presents new evidence of the deliberate removal of raptor claws occurred in Mediterranean Europe during the recent phases of the Mousterian. Rio Secco Cave in the north-east of Italy and Mandrin Cave in the Middle Rhône valley have recently produced two golden eagle pedal phalanges from contexts not younger than 49.1–48.0 ky cal BP at Rio Secco and dated around 50.0 ky cal BP at Mandrin. The bones show cut-marks located on the proximal end ascribable to the cutting of the tendons and the incision of the cortical organic tissues. Also supported by an experimental removal of large raptor claws, our reconstruction explains that the deliberate detachment occurred without damaging the claw, in a way comparable at a general level with other Mousterian contexts across Europe. After excluding that these specimens met the nutritional requirements for human subsistence, we discuss the possible implications these findings perform in our current knowledge of the European Middle Palaeolithic context. PMID:25010346

A Human Deciduous Tooth and New 40Ar/39Ar Dating Results from the Middle Pleistocene Archaeological Site of Isernia La Pineta, Southern Italy

PubMed Central

Peretto, Carlo; Arnaud, Julie; Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo; Manzi, Giorgio; Nomade, Sébastien; Pereira, Alison; Falguères, Christophe; Bahain, Jean-Jacques; Grimaud-Hervé, Dominique; Berto, Claudio; Sala, Benedetto; Lembo, Giuseppe; Muttillo, Brunella; Gallotti, Rosalia; Thun Hohenstein, Ursula; Vaccaro, Carmela; Coltorti, Mauro; Arzarello, Marta

2015-01-01

Isernia La Pineta (south-central Italy, Molise) is one of the most important archaeological localities of the Middle Pleistocene in Western Europe. It is an extensive open-air site with abundant lithic industry and faunal remains distributed across four stratified archaeosurfaces that have been found in two sectors of the excavation (3c, 3a, 3s10 in sect. I; 3a in sect. II). The prehistoric attendance was close to a wet environment, with a series of small waterfalls and lakes associated to calcareous tufa deposits. An isolated human deciduous incisor (labelled IS42) was discovered in 2014 within the archaeological level 3 coll (overlying layer 3a) that, according to new 40Ar/39Ar measurements, is dated to about 583–561 ka, i.e. to the end of marine isotope stage (MIS) 15. Thus, the tooth is currently the oldest human fossil specimen in Italy; it is an important addition to the scanty European fossil record of the Middle Pleistocene, being associated with a lithic assemblage of local raw materials (flint and limestone) characterized by the absence of handaxes and reduction strategies primarily aimed at the production of small/medium-sized flakes. The faunal assemblage is dominated by ungulates often bearing cut marks. Combining chronology with the archaeological evidence, Isernia La Pineta exhibits a delay in the appearance of handaxes with respect to other European Palaeolithic sites of the Middle Pleistocene. Interestingly, this observation matches the persistence of archaic morphological features shown by the human calvarium from the Middle Pleistocene site of Ceprano, not far from Isernia (south-central Italy, Latium). In this perspective, our analysis is aimed to evaluate morphological features occurring in IS42. PMID:26457581

The empirical case against the ‘demographic turn’ in Palaeolithic archaeology

PubMed Central

Collard, Mark; Vaesen, Krist; Cosgrove, Richard; Roebroeks, Wil

2016-01-01

Recently, it has become commonplace to interpret major transitions and other patterns in the Palaeolithic archaeological record in terms of population size. Increases in cultural complexity are claimed to result from increases in population size; decreases in cultural complexity are suggested to be due to decreases in population size; and periods of no change are attributed to low numbers or frequent extirpation. In this paper, we argue that this approach is not defensible. We show that the available empirical evidence does not support the idea that cultural complexity in hunter–gatherers is governed by population size. Instead, ethnographic and archaeological data suggest that hunter–gatherer cultural complexity is most strongly influenced by environmental factors. Because all hominins were hunter–gatherers until the Holocene, this means using population size to interpret patterns in the Palaeolithic archaeological record is problematic. In future, the population size hypothesis should be viewed as one of several competing hypotheses and its predictions formally tested alongside those of its competitors. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’. PMID:27298472

Shoot first, ask questions later: Interpretative narratives of Neanderthal hunting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Mark; Pettitt, Paul; Schreve, Danielle

2016-05-01

This paper examines the hunting strategies employed by Neanderthals at a series of kill or near-kill sites from the Middle Palaeolithic of Europe (Mauran, La Borde, Taubach, Zwoleń and Salzgitter Lebenstedt). Using palaeolandscape reconstructions and animal ethology as our context, we adopt a multifaceted approach that views hunting as a chaîne opératoire involving the decisions and actions of both the hunter and the hunted, which together help reconstruct a forensic picture of past events as they unfolded. Our conclusions indicate that Neanderthals did not necessarily pre-select individuals from a herd, who they then isolated, pursued and killed, but rather ambushed whole groups, which they slaughtered indiscriminately. There is strong evidence, however, that Neanderthals were highly selective in the carcasses they then chose to process. Our conclusions suggest that Neanderthals were excellent tacticians, casual executioners and discerning diners.

Differentiation of MIS 9 and MIS 11 in the continental record: vegetational, faunal, aminostratigraphic and sea-level evidence from coastal sites in Essex, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, Helen M.; Coope, G. Russell; Devoy, Robert J. N.; Harrison, Colin J. O.; Penkman, Kirsty E. H.; Preece, Richard C.; Schreve, Danielle C.

2009-11-01

Multidisciplinary investigations of the vegetational, faunal and sea-level history inferred from the infills of buried channels on the coast of eastern Essex have a direct bearing on the differentiation of MIS 11 and MIS 9 in continental records. New data are presented from Cudmore Grove, an important site on Mersea Island that can be linked to the terrace sequence of the River Thames. The vegetational history has been reconstructed from a pollen sequence covering much of the interglacial represented. The temperate nature of the climate is apparent from a range of fossil groups, including plant remains, vertebrates (especially the rich herpetofauna), molluscs and beetles, which all have strong thermophilous components. The beetle data have been used to derive a Mutual Climatic Range reconstruction, suggesting that mean July temperatures were about 2 °C warmer than modern values for southeast England, whereas mean January temperatures may have been slightly colder. The sea-level history has been reconstructed from the molluscs, ostracods and especially the diatoms, which indicate that the marine transgression occurred considerably earlier in the interglacial cycle than at the neighbouring Hoxnian site at Clacton. There are a number of palynological similarities between the sequence at Cudmore Grove and Clacton, especially the presence of Abies and the occurrence of Azolla filiculoides megaspores. Moreover, both sites have yielded Palaeolithic archaeology, indeed the latter is the type site of the Clactonian (flake-and-core) industry. However, the sites can be differentiated on the basis of mammalian biostratigraphy, new aminostratigraphic data, as well as the differences in the sea-level history. The combined evidence suggests that the infill of the channel at Cudmore Grove accumulated during MIS 9, whereas the deposits at Clacton formed during MIS 11. The infill of a much later channel, yielding non-marine molluscs and vertebrates including Hippopotamus, appears to have formed during the Ipswichian (MIS 5e). This evidence is compared with other important sites of late Middle Pleistocene age in Britain and elsewhere on the continent and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach is stressed.

Differentiation of MIS 9 and MIS 11 in the continental record: vegetational, faunal, aminostratigraphic and sea-level evidence from coastal sites in Essex, UK

PubMed Central

Roe, Helen M.; Coope, G. Russell; Devoy, Robert J.N.; Harrison, Colin J.O.; Penkman, Kirsty E.H.; Preece, Richard C.; Schreve, Danielle C.

2009-01-01

Multidisciplinary investigations of the vegetational, faunal and sea-level history inferred from the infills of buried channels on the coast of eastern Essex have a direct bearing on the differentiation of MIS 11 and MIS 9 in continental records. New data are presented from Cudmore Grove, an important site on Mersea Island that can be linked to the terrace sequence of the River Thames. The vegetational history has been reconstructed from a pollen sequence covering much of the interglacial represented. The temperate nature of the climate is apparent from a range of fossil groups, including plant remains, vertebrates (especially the rich herpetofauna), molluscs and beetles, which all have strong thermophilous components. The beetle data have been used to derive a Mutual Climatic Range reconstruction, suggesting that mean July temperatures were about 2 °C warmer than modern values for southeast England, whereas mean January temperatures may have been slightly colder. The sea-level history has been reconstructed from the molluscs, ostracods and especially the diatoms, which indicate that the marine transgression occurred considerably earlier in the interglacial cycle than at the neighbouring Hoxnian site at Clacton. There are a number of palynological similarities between the sequence at Cudmore Grove and Clacton, especially the presence of Abies and the occurrence of Azolla filiculoides megaspores. Moreover, both sites have yielded Palaeolithic archaeology, indeed the latter is the type site of the Clactonian (flake-and-core) industry. However, the sites can be differentiated on the basis of mammalian biostratigraphy, new aminostratigraphic data, as well as the differences in the sea-level history. The combined evidence suggests that the infill of the channel at Cudmore Grove accumulated during MIS 9, whereas the deposits at Clacton formed during MIS 11. The infill of a much later channel, yielding non-marine molluscs and vertebrates including Hippopotamus, appears to have formed during the Ipswichian (MIS 5e). This evidence is compared with other important sites of late Middle Pleistocene age in Britain and elsewhere on the continent and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach is stressed. PMID:20119485

Human occupation of the Arabian Empty Quarter during MIS 5: evidence from Mundafan Al-Buhayrah, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groucutt, Huw S.; White, Tom S.; Clark-Balzan, Laine; Parton, Ash; Crassard, Rémy; Shipton, Ceri; Jennings, Richard P.; Parker, Adrian G.; Breeze, Paul S.; Scerri, Eleanor M. L.; Alsharekh, Abdullah; Petraglia, Michael D.

2015-07-01

The Empty Quarter (or Rub' al Khali) of the Arabian Peninsula is the largest continuous sandy desert in the world. It has been known for several decades that Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, representing phases of wetter climate, are preserved there. These sequences have yielded palaeontological evidence in the form of a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate fossils and have been dated using various radiometric techniques. However, evidence for human presence during these wetter phases has until now been ephemeral. Here, we report on the first stratified and dated archaeology from the Empty Quarter, recovered from the site of Mundafan Al-Buhayrah (MDF-61). Human occupation at the site, represented by stone tools, has been dated to the later part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 using multiple luminescence dating techniques (multigrain and single grain OSL, TT-OSL). The sequence consists primarily of lacustrine and palustrine sediments, from which evidence for changing local environmental conditions has been obtained through analysis of fossil assemblages (phytoliths and non-marine molluscs and ostracods). The discovery of securely-dated archaeological material at ∼100 to 80 ka in the Empty Quarter has important implications for hypotheses concerning the timing and routes of dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa, which have been much debated. Consequently, the data presented here fill a crucial gap in palaeoenvironmental and archaeological understanding of the southern Arabian interior. Fossils of H. sapiens in the Levant, also dated to MIS 5, together with Middle Palaeolithic archaeological sites in Arabia and India are thought to represent the earliest dispersal of our species out of Africa. We suggest that the widespread occurrence of similar lithic technologies across southern Asia, coupled with a growing body of evidence for environmental amelioration across the Saharo-Arabian belt, indicates that occupation of the Levant by H. sapiens during MIS 5 may not have been a brief, localized 'failed dispersal', but part of a wider demographic expansion.

The Palaeolithic site Bistricioara-Lut\\varie III in the Romanian Carpathians - Insights from various luminescence methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Christoph; Antohi-Trandafir, Oana; Timar-Gabor, Alida; Anghelinu, Mircea; Veres, Daniel; Hambach, Ulrich

2016-04-01

The loess derivates on top of the terrace gravels in the Bistrita valley (Carpathians, northeastern Romania) host a large number of Palaeolithic settlements, some of which reveal several distinct cultural layers characterised by charcoal, other combustion features and/or scattered lithics. While the youngest productive layers at the site Bistricioara-Lut\\varie III (BL III) are associated with Gravettian and Epigravettian technocomplexes, the knowledge about older occupations remains diffuse. Definitely, the high density of last glacial settlements in such a harsh environment represents a puzzle. Furthermore, new excavations in 2015 exposed large (>1 m) combustion features without a related lithic inventory and of unknown origin (natural fires or fires places). The present contribution aims at fathoming the versatile applications of luminescence methods to tackle the unsolved questions at BL III. Despite methodological deficiencies concerning grain size dependent age discrepancies, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of quartz demonstrated the archive's chronological depth (>76 ka above terrace gravels) and placed the youngest cultural layer (CL1) in the Last Glacial Maximum, in agreement with radiocarbon (14C) dates (Trandafir et al. 2015). This cultural layer yielded a set of heated lithics (flint) during the recent excavation, providing the opportunity to directly date human presence by thermoluminescence (TL) and to reconcile these ages with (independent) methods dating different events (OSL, 14C). Such a comparison of techniques also serves at testing the accuracy of explorative TL measurement protocols under 'natural conditions'. Finally, detached from any chronological issues, the temperature-dependent sensitisation of the 110 °C quartz TL peak - in analogue to the flint TL signal - potentially allows determining the maximum heating temperature of samples from the combustion features (Göksu et al. 1989), which in turn helps elucidating whether the fires were of natural or anthropogenic origin. References Göksu, H.Y., Weiser, A., Regulla, D.F., 1989. 110 °C TL peak records the ancient heat treatment of flint. Ancient TL 7, 15-17. Trandafir, O., Timar-Gabor, A., Schmidt, C., Veres, D., Anghelinu, M., Hambach, U., Simon, S., 2015. OSL dating of fine and coarse quartz from a Palaeolithic sequence on the Bistrita Valley (Northeastern Romania). Quaternary Geochronology 30, 487-492.

Palaeohydrological corridors for hominin dispersals in the Middle East ∼250-70,000 years ago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breeze, Paul S.; Groucutt, Huw S.; Drake, Nick A.; White, Tom S.; Jennings, Richard P.; Petraglia, Michael D.

2016-07-01

The timing and extent of palaeoenvironmental connections between northeast Africa, the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula during the Middle and Late Pleistocene are critical to debates surrounding dispersals of hominins, including movements of Homo sapiens out of Africa. Although there is evidence that synchronous episodes of climatic amelioration during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene may have allowed connections to form between northern Africa and western Asia, a number of palaeoclimate models indicate the continued existence of an arid barrier between northern Arabia and the Levant. Here we evaluate the palaeoenvironmental setting for hominin dispersals between, and within, northeast Africa and southwest Asia during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7-5 using reconstructions of surface freshwater availability as an environmental proxy. We use remotely sensed data to map palaeohydrological features (lakes, wetlands and rivers) across the presently hyper-arid areas of northern Arabia and surrounding regions, integrating these results with palaeoclimate models, palaeoenvironmental proxy data and absolute dating to determine when these features were active. Our analyses suggest limited potential for dispersals during MIS 7 and 6, but indicate the formation of a palaeohydrological corridor (the 'Tabuk Corridor') between the Levant and the Arabian interior during the MIS 6-5e glacial-interglacial transition and during MIS 5e. A recurrence of this corridor, following a slightly different route, also occurred during MIS 5a. These palaeohydrological and terrestrial data can be used to establish when proposed routes for hominin dispersals became viable. Furthermore, the distribution of Arabian archaeological sites with affinities to Levantine assemblages, some of which are associated with Homo sapiens fossils, and the relative density of Middle Palaeolithic assemblages within the Tabuk Corridor, are consistent with it being utilised for dispersals at various times.

The Greek myth of Pleiades in the archaeology of natural disasters. Decoding, dating and enviromental interpretation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laoupi, A.

The strong multi-symbolic archetype of the Pleiades functions as a worldwide astromythological system going back to Upper Palaeolithic Era. The Greek version of the myth seems to embody a wide range of environmental symbolism, as it incorporates various information and very archaic elements about: a) the periodicity of the solstices and the equinoxes, b) the fluctuations on the biochemical structure of Earth's atmosphere related to the global hydro -climatic phenomenon of ENSO, c) probable past observations of brightening of a star (nova) in the cluster of Pleiades, d) the primordial elements of the mythological nucleus of Atlantis' legend and e) the remnants of Palaeolithic 'proto-European' moon culture.

"out of The Cold": On Late Neanderthal Population Dynamics In Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jöris, O.

During the last several years, analyses of fossil Neanderthal DNA have shown not only the degree to which the genetic fingerprints of Neanderthals differ from those of anatomically modern humans, but have also lent credibility to the hotly debated "Out- of-Africa" hypothesis. Perhaps more important than the observed genetic differences is the fact that Neanderthals - according to their reconstructed DNA sequences - were genetically highly homogeneous, indicating rapid population growth that may have followed a demographic 'bottleneck' during the first cold maximum (CM-1 = second part of OIS 4) of the last glacial, some 60 to 70 ka ago. Central European Middle Palaeolithic sites characterised by broad spectra of bifacially-worked tools, namely different forms of backed knives ("Keilmesser") com- monly attributed to Neanderthals, fall within the age-range 85 and 45 ka calBP and thus both pre- and post-date the proposed 'bottleneck' that occurred during CM-1. Di- rectly comparable sites dating within this critical period are lacking. Based on strati- graphic, palaeoenvironmental, and radiometric evidence, a series of sites can tenta- tively be age-calibrated with the high-resolution GISP2 Greenland ice core record of last glacial climate change. With the aid of improved chronological frameworks and additional palaeoenvironmen- tal information (e.g. glacier mass balance models), we have developed a three-step model with which to investigate this period. We begin with (1) pre-CM-1 populations in Central and northern Central Europe which (2) were forced into southern Euro- pean refugia (i.e. SW France and the Pannonian Basins) by the rapid expansion of the northern hemispheric ice-cover at the beginning of CM-1 (a process that could be named 'preglacial dislocation'). Finally, some 10 ka later, their descendants may have re-occupied the southern part of Central Europe during the climatic amelioration (OIS 3) following CM-1. Changes in lithic technology, as expressed in extremely in- tensive resharpening and curation of the bifacial tools, may reflect the higher mobility of groups moving south within step (2) of the outlined model. Today, most scholars interpret some characteristic features in late Neanderthal mor- phology as a result of adaptation to cold environmental conditions that existed over vast areas of Europe. It is striking that these (morphologically) typical or 'classical' Neanderthals appear in Europe for the first time quite suddenly during OIS 4. This 1 observation seems to lend support to the North-to-South shifts of past populations dur- ing the period under discussion. Due to poor site preservation, as well as the complete lack of northern European sites from the 'Lost North' area covered by the ice-shields of the last cold maxima, discussions of population movements in this direction have been largely omitted from past models concerning the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. In order to understand the disappearance of Neanderthals, future research must syn- chronize information from palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimate datasets with the chronological framework appropriate to the archaeological sites being investigated. It is also critical that archaeological models be reassessed, as these frameworks are continually being refined. The disappearance of Neanderthal morphological features approximately 30 - 40 ka ago can serve as a key to understanding modern human origins. Unfortunately, researchers do not yet understand the mechanisms governing genetic inheritance, and thus it is not yet possible to distinguish between biological species and morphological ones. As a consequence, it remains unclear whether Nean- derthal morphological features disappeared as populations evolved toward the modern form, or if Neanderthals were actually replaced by Modern Humans. 2

Upper Palaeolithic Siberian genome reveals dual ancestry of Native Americans

PubMed Central

Raghavan, Maanasa; Skoglund, Pontus; Graf, Kelly E.; Metspalu, Mait; Albrechtsen, Anders; Moltke, Ida; Rasmussen, Simon; Stafford, Thomas W.; Orlando, Ludovic; Metspalu, Ene; Karmin, Monika; Tambets, Kristiina; Rootsi, Siiri; Mägi, Reedik; Campos, Paula F.; Balanovska, Elena; Balanovsky, Oleg; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Litvinov, Sergey; Osipova, Ludmila P.; Fedorova, Sardana A.; Voevoda, Mikhail I.; DeGiorgio, Michael; Sicheritz-Ponten, Thomas; Brunak, Søren; Demeshchenko, Svetlana; Kivisild, Toomas; Villems, Richard; Nielsen, Rasmus; Jakobsson, Mattias; Willerslev, Eske

2014-01-01

The origins of the First Americans remain contentious. Although Native Americans seem to be genetically most closely related to east Asians1–3, there is no consensus with regard to which specific Old World populations they are closest to4–8. Here we sequence the draft genome of an approximately 24,000-year-old individual (MA-1), from Mal’ta in south-central Siberia9, to an average depth of 13. To our knowledge this is the oldest anatomically modern human genome reported to date. The MA-1 mitochondrial genome belongs to haplogroup U, which has also been found at high frequency among Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic European hunter-gatherers10–12, and the Y chromosome of MA-1 is basal to modern-day western Eurasians and near the root of most Native American lineages5. Similarly, we find autosomal evidence that MA-1 is basal to modern-day western Eurasians and genetically closely related to modern-day Native Americans, with no close affinity to east Asians. This suggests that populations related to contemporary western Eurasians had a more north-easterly distribution 24,000 years ago than commonly thought. Furthermore, we estimate that 14 to 38% of Native American ancestry may originate through gene flow from this ancient population. This is likely to have occurred after the divergence of Native American ancestors from east Asian ancestors, but before the diversification of Native American populations in the New World. Gene flow from the MA-1 lineage into Native American ancestors could explain why several crania from the First Americans have been reported as bearing morphological characteristics that do not resemble those of east Asians2,13. Sequencing of another south-central Siberian, Afontova Gora-2 dating to approximately 17,000 years ago14, revealed similar autosomal genetic signatures as MA-1, suggesting that the region was continuously occupied by humans throughout the Last Glacial Maximum. Our findings reveal that western Eurasian genetic signatures in modern-day Native Americans derive not only from post-Columbian admixture, as commonly thought, but also from a mixed ancestry of the First Americans. PMID:24256729

Early hominins in north-west Europe: A punctuated long chronology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosfield, Rob; Cole, James

2018-06-01

In light of changing views regarding the identity and evolutionary positions of Europe's Lower Palaeolithic hominins, a re-consideration of the hominin occupation of north-west Europe from c. 1 million years ago (mya) to c. 400 thousand years ago (kya) is timely. A change in the scale and character of the overall European Palaeolithic record around c. 800-600 kya has been well documented and argued over since the mid-1990s. Hominin expansion into the European north-west, potentially from southern Europe, Africa or south-western Asia, has been linked to the introduction of a new lithic technology in the form of the biface. We evaluate three potential drivers for this northern range expansion: changing palaeo-climatic conditions, the emergence of an essentially modern human life history, and greater hominin behavioural plasticity. Our evaluation suggests no major changes in these three factors during the c. 800-600 kya period other than enhanced behavioural plasticity suggested by the appearance of the biface. We offer here a model of hominin occupation for north-west Europe termed the 'punctuated long chronology' and suggest that the major changes in the European Lower Palaeolithic record that occur at a species-wide level may post-date, rather than precede, the Anglian Glaciation (marine isotope stage (MIS) 12).

Depositional facies, environments and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Middle Triassic-Lower Cretaceous (pre-Late Albian) succession in Arif El-Naga anticline, northeast Sinai, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Azabi, M. H.; El-Araby, A.

2005-01-01

The Middle Triassic-Lower Cretaceous (pre-Late Albian) succession of Arif El-Naga anticline comprises various distinctive facies and environments that are connected with eustatic relative sea-level changes, local/regional tectonism, variable sediment influx and base-level changes. It displays six unconformity-bounded depositional sequences. The Triassic deposits are divided into a lower clastic facies (early Middle Triassic sequence) and an upper carbonate unit (late Middle- and latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequences). The early Middle Triassic sequence consists of sandstone with shale/mudstone interbeds that formed under variable regimes, ranging from braided fluvial, lower shoreface to beach foreshore. The marine part of this sequence marks retrogradational and progradational parasequences of transgressive- and highstand systems tract deposits respectively. Deposition has taken place under warm semi-arid climate and a steady supply of clastics. The late Middle- and latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequences are carbonate facies developed on an extensive shallow marine shelf under dry-warm climate. The late Middle Triassic sequence includes retrogradational shallow subtidal oyster rudstone and progradational lower intertidal lime-mudstone parasequences that define the transgressive- and highstand systems tracts respectively. It terminates with upper intertidal oncolitic packstone with bored upper surface. The next latest Middle/early Late Triassic sequence is marked by lime-mudstone, packstone/grainstone and algal stromatolitic bindstone with minor shale/mudstone. These lower intertidal/shallow subtidal deposits of a transgressive-systems tract are followed upward by progradational highstand lower intertidal lime-mudstone deposits. The overlying Jurassic deposits encompass two different sequences. The Lower Jurassic sequence is made up of intercalating lower intertidal lime-mudstone and wave-dominated beach foreshore sandstone which formed during a short period of rising sea-level with a relative increase in clastic supply. The Middle-Upper Jurassic sequence is represented by cycles of cross-bedded sandstone topped with thin mudstone that accumulated by northerly flowing braided-streams accompanying regional uplift of the Arabo-Nubian shield. It is succeeded by another regressive fluvial sequence of Early Cretaceous age due to a major eustatic sea-level fall. The Lower Cretaceous sequence is dominated by sandy braided-river deposits with minor overbank fines and basal debris flow conglomerate.

Craniometric analysis of European Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic samples supports discontinuity at the Late Glacial Maximum

PubMed Central

Brewster, Ciarán; Meiklejohn, Christopher; von Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen; Pinhasi, Ron

2014-01-01

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) represents the most significant climatic event since the emergence of anatomically modern humans (AMH). In Europe, the LGM may have played a role in changing morphological features as a result of adaptive and stochastic processes. We use craniometric data to examine morphological diversity in pre- and post-LGM specimens. Craniometric variation is assessed across four periods—pre-LGM, late glacial, Early Holocene and Middle Holocene—using a large, well-dated, dataset. Our results show significant differences across the four periods, using a MANOVA on size-adjusted cranial measurements. A discriminant function analysis shows separation between pre-LGM and later groups. Analyses repeated on a subsample, controlled for time and location, yield similar results. The results are largely influenced by facial measurements and are most consistent with neutral demographic processes. These findings suggest that the LGM had a major impact on AMH populations in Europe prior to the Neolithic. PMID:24912847

The Middle Pleistocene archaeological record of Greece and the role of the Aegean in hominin dispersals: new data and interpretations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tourloukis, Vangelis; Karkanas, Panagiotis

2012-06-01

In the debate about hominin dispersals, Greece is expected to have been among the core areas for the peopling of Eurasia, serving as a 'refugium' and source region for (re)colonizations. Yet, its early Pleistocene record is still scarce, forming a conspicuous 'gap' in the early human geography of the Mediterranean. Here we investigate this gap and provide for the first time a synthesis of the Lower Palaeolithic record of Greece. Our study adopts a geoarchaeological approach to explain the current status of the record and argues that the 'absence of evidence' should be understood as the result of the biasing effects of erosional geomorphic processes and not as an indication of a former absence of hominins. In this line, the potential for archaeological preservation and recovery is assessed as a function of landscape dynamics. Climatic seasonality, tectonic activity, high relief and marine inundations have altogether contributed to significant reworking and/or total loss of archaeological sites: in spatial terms, only about 2-5% of the Lower Palaeolithic record of Greece may have survived up to the present. On the other hand, we interpret recent geological data, which show that half of the Aegean Sea would have been subaerially exposed for most of the early Pleistocene. Our results emphasize the potentially central role of the Aegean region in hominin dispersals, both as a biogeographical landbridge and as a highly productive landscape for occupation. This conclusion opens up new prospects for future fieldwork in an area that was hitherto essentially neglected. Finally, in showing how geomorphic processes bias site distribution patterns, the results and methodological perspective developed here can be seen as having implications that are wider than the geographical limits of the Greek Peninsula: they are pertinent to the investigation and interpretation of the early Pleistocene archaeological records in the highly dynamic landscapes of southern Europe - if not in even broader scales.

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia.

PubMed

Wood, Rachel E; Barroso-Ruíz, Cecilio; Caparrós, Miguel; Jordá Pardo, Jesús F; Galván Santos, Bertila; Higham, Thomas F G

2013-02-19

It is commonly accepted that some of the latest dates for Neanderthal fossils and Mousterian industries are found south of the Ebro valley in Iberia at ca. 36 ka calBP (calibrated radiocarbon date ranges). In contrast, to the north of the valley the Mousterian disappears shortly before the Proto-Aurignacian appears at ca. 42 ka calBP. The latter is most likely produced by anatomically modern humans. However, two-thirds of dates from the south are radiocarbon dates, a technique that is particularly sensitive to carbon contaminants of a younger age that can be difficult to remove using routine pretreatment protocols. We have attempted to test the reliability of chronologies of 11 southern Iberian Middle and early Upper Paleolithic sites. Only two, Jarama VI and Zafarraya, were found to contain material that could be reliably dated. In both sites, Middle Paleolithic contexts were previously dated by radiocarbon to less than 42 ka calBP. Using ultrafiltration to purify faunal bone collagen before radiocarbon dating, we obtain ages at least 10 ka (14)C years older, close to or beyond the limit of the radiocarbon method for the Mousterian at Jarama VI and Neanderthal fossils at Zafarraya. Unless rigorous pretreatment protocols have been used, radiocarbon dates should be assumed to be inaccurate until proven otherwise in this region. Evidence for the late survival of Neanderthals in southern Iberia is limited to one possible site, Cueva Antón, and alternative models of human occupation of the region should be considered.

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia

PubMed Central

Wood, Rachel E.; Barroso-Ruíz, Cecilio; Caparrós, Miguel; Jordá Pardo, Jesús F.; Galván Santos, Bertila; Higham, Thomas F. G.

2013-01-01

It is commonly accepted that some of the latest dates for Neanderthal fossils and Mousterian industries are found south of the Ebro valley in Iberia at ca. 36 ka calBP (calibrated radiocarbon date ranges). In contrast, to the north of the valley the Mousterian disappears shortly before the Proto-Aurignacian appears at ca. 42 ka calBP. The latter is most likely produced by anatomically modern humans. However, two-thirds of dates from the south are radiocarbon dates, a technique that is particularly sensitive to carbon contaminants of a younger age that can be difficult to remove using routine pretreatment protocols. We have attempted to test the reliability of chronologies of 11 southern Iberian Middle and early Upper Paleolithic sites. Only two, Jarama VI and Zafarraya, were found to contain material that could be reliably dated. In both sites, Middle Paleolithic contexts were previously dated by radiocarbon to less than 42 ka calBP. Using ultrafiltration to purify faunal bone collagen before radiocarbon dating, we obtain ages at least 10 ka 14C years older, close to or beyond the limit of the radiocarbon method for the Mousterian at Jarama VI and Neanderthal fossils at Zafarraya. Unless rigorous pretreatment protocols have been used, radiocarbon dates should be assumed to be inaccurate until proven otherwise in this region. Evidence for the late survival of Neanderthals in southern Iberia is limited to one possible site, Cueva Antón, and alternative models of human occupation of the region should be considered. PMID:23382220

Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans.

PubMed

Lazaridis, Iosif; Patterson, Nick; Mittnik, Alissa; Renaud, Gabriel; Mallick, Swapan; Kirsanow, Karola; Sudmant, Peter H; Schraiber, Joshua G; Castellano, Sergi; Lipson, Mark; Berger, Bonnie; Economou, Christos; Bollongino, Ruth; Fu, Qiaomei; Bos, Kirsten I; Nordenfelt, Susanne; Li, Heng; de Filippo, Cesare; Prüfer, Kay; Sawyer, Susanna; Posth, Cosimo; Haak, Wolfgang; Hallgren, Fredrik; Fornander, Elin; Rohland, Nadin; Delsate, Dominique; Francken, Michael; Guinet, Jean-Michel; Wahl, Joachim; Ayodo, George; Babiker, Hamza A; Bailliet, Graciela; Balanovska, Elena; Balanovsky, Oleg; Barrantes, Ramiro; Bedoya, Gabriel; Ben-Ami, Haim; Bene, Judit; Berrada, Fouad; Bravi, Claudio M; Brisighelli, Francesca; Busby, George B J; Cali, Francesco; Churnosov, Mikhail; Cole, David E C; Corach, Daniel; Damba, Larissa; van Driem, George; Dryomov, Stanislav; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel; Fedorova, Sardana A; Gallego Romero, Irene; Gubina, Marina; Hammer, Michael; Henn, Brenna M; Hervig, Tor; Hodoglugil, Ugur; Jha, Aashish R; Karachanak-Yankova, Sena; Khusainova, Rita; Khusnutdinova, Elza; Kittles, Rick; Kivisild, Toomas; Klitz, William; Kučinskas, Vaidutis; Kushniarevich, Alena; Laredj, Leila; Litvinov, Sergey; Loukidis, Theologos; Mahley, Robert W; Melegh, Béla; Metspalu, Ene; Molina, Julio; Mountain, Joanna; Näkkäläjärvi, Klemetti; Nesheva, Desislava; Nyambo, Thomas; Osipova, Ludmila; Parik, Jüri; Platonov, Fedor; Posukh, Olga; Romano, Valentino; Rothhammer, Francisco; Rudan, Igor; Ruizbakiev, Ruslan; Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Sajantila, Antti; Salas, Antonio; Starikovskaya, Elena B; Tarekegn, Ayele; Toncheva, Draga; Turdikulova, Shahlo; Uktveryte, Ingrida; Utevska, Olga; Vasquez, René; Villena, Mercedes; Voevoda, Mikhail; Winkler, Cheryl A; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Zalloua, Pierre; Zemunik, Tatijana; Cooper, Alan; Capelli, Cristian; Thomas, Mark G; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Tishkoff, Sarah A; Singh, Lalji; Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Villems, Richard; Comas, David; Sukernik, Rem; Metspalu, Mait; Meyer, Matthias; Eichler, Evan E; Burger, Joachim; Slatkin, Montgomery; Pääbo, Svante; Kelso, Janet; Reich, David; Krause, Johannes

2014-09-18

We sequenced the genomes of a ∼7,000-year-old farmer from Germany and eight ∼8,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Luxembourg and Sweden. We analysed these and other ancient genomes with 2,345 contemporary humans to show that most present-day Europeans derive from at least three highly differentiated populations: west European hunter-gatherers, who contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; ancient north Eurasians related to Upper Palaeolithic Siberians, who contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and early European farmers, who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harboured west European hunter-gatherer related ancestry. We model these populations' deep relationships and show that early European farmers had ∼44% ancestry from a 'basal Eurasian' population that split before the diversification of other non-African lineages.

A new late glacial to early Holocene palaeobotanical and archaeological record in the Eastern Pre-Alps: the Palughetto basin (Cansiglio Plateau, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avigliano, Roberto; di Anastasio, Giulio; Improta, Salvatore; Peresani, Marco; Ravazzi, Cesare

2000-12-01

A late glacial to early Holocene lacustrine and peat succession, rich in conifer remains and including some palaeolithic flint artefacts, has been investigated in the Palughetto intermorainic basin (Venetian Pre-Alps). The geomorphological and stratigraphical relationships, 14C dates and pollen analyses allow a reconstruction of the environmental history of the basin and provide significant insights into the reforestation and peopling of the Pre-Alps. The onset of peat accumulation is dated to 14.4-14.1 kyr cal. BP, coinciding with reforestation at middle altitudes that immediately post-dates the immigration of Larix decidua and Picea abies subsp. europaea. Plant macrofossils point to the expansion of spruce about 14.3 kyr cal. BP, so far one of the earliest directly dated in the late glacial period of southern Europe. The previous hypothesis of an early Holocene spruce immigration in the Southern Alps from Slovenia needs reconsideration. Organic sedimentation stopped at the end of the Younger Dryas and was followed by the evolution of hydromorphic soils containing lithic artefacts, anthropic structures and wood charcoal. The typological features of the flint implements refer human occupation of the site to the end of the recent Epigravettian. Charcoals yielded dates either consistent with, or younger than, the archaeological chronology, in the early and middle Holocene.

Core-Shell Processing of Natural Pigment: Upper Palaeolithic Red Ochre from Lovas, Hungary.

PubMed

Sajó, István E; Kovács, János; Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E; Jáger, Viktor; Lengyel, György; Viola, Bence; Talamo, Sahra; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2015-01-01

Ochre is the common archaeological term for prehistoric pigments. It is applied to a range of uses, from ritual burials to cave art to medications. While a substantial number of Palaeolithic paint mining pits have been identified across Europe, the link between ochre use and provenance, and their antiquity, has never yet been identified. Here we characterise the mineralogical signature of core-shell processed ochre from the Palaeolithic paint mining pits near Lovas in Hungary, using a novel integration of petrographic and mineralogical techniques. We present the first evidence for core-shell processed, natural pigment that was prepared by prehistoric people from hematitic red ochre. This involved combining the darker red outer shell with the less intensely coloured core to efficiently produce an economical, yet still strongly coloured, paint. We demonstrate the antiquity of the site as having operated between 14-13 kcal BP, during the Epigravettian period. This is based on new radiocarbon dating of bone artefacts associated with the quarry site. The dating results indicate the site to be the oldest known evidence for core-shell pigment processing. We show that the ochre mined at Lovas was exported from the site based on its characteristic signature at other archaeological sites in the region. Our discovery not only provides a methodological framework for future characterisation of ochre pigments, but also provides the earliest known evidence for "value-adding" of products for trade.

New palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions for the Middle Palaeolithic site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, eastern Spain) inferred from the amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Ruiz Zapata, Maria Blanca; Gil García, Maria José; Sesé, Carmen; Santonja, Manuel; Pérez-González, Alfredo

2017-10-01

In the eastern Iberian Peninsula, the archaeological site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, Spain) has produced some of the earliest evidence of Middle Paleolithic stone tool traditions together with evidence of equid and cervid carcasses defleshed by hominins. Based on the numerical age of 317-240 ka derived from OSL, ESR and AAR dating methods for the lower part of the Cuesta de la Bajada sedimentological sequence (level CB3), as well as the biochronological inferences for the small and large mammal associations, the site can be attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 or the end of MIS 9. As amphibians and reptiles have precise environmental and climatic requirements and do not differ at species level from the extant herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, they can contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape and climate. In this paper, the fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles from Cuesta de la Bajada are studied for the first time. The mutual ecogeographic range and habitat weighting methods were applied to the herpetofaunal assemblages to estimate quantitative data for the landscape and climate reconstructions. The climate is shown to have been colder and wetter than today in the interior of eastern Spain, with mean annual temperature up to 2.5 °C lower and mean annual precipitation slightly higher than at present. The monthly climatic reconstruction shows differences in the distribution of precipitation over the course of the year, with more abundant precipitation from late autumn to spring (i.e. from October to May), and more or less similar precipitation to today during the summer months (July and August). This suggests there was stronger rainfall seasonality between winter and summer than currently occurs. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the herpetofaunal assemblage depicts a poorly forested (15-20%) patchy landscape with a large representation of dry meadows and scrubland habitats together with well-evidenced aquatic habitats. These reconstructions are consistent with other proxies recovered at Cuesta de la Bajada (pollen, small and large mammals) as well as other European MIS 8-9 paleoclimatic records. We can thus correlate levels CB2 and CB3 with the later part of MIS 8 (265-257 ka) or with a humid fluctuation within the MIS9b (303-290 ka). It is also possible to provide a new description of the environmental and climatic conditions that occurred in inner Spain during a cold period of the late Middle Pleistocene.

Palaeolithic paintings. Evolution of prehistoric cave art.

PubMed

Valladas, H; Clottes, J; Geneste, J M; Garcia, M A; Arnold, M; Cachier, H; Tisnérat-Laborde, N

2001-10-04

Sophisticated examples of European palaeolithic parietal art can be seen in the caves of Altamira, Lascaux and Niaux near the Pyrenees, which date to the Magdalenian period (12,000-17,000 years ago), but paintings of comparable skill and complexity were created much earlier, some possibly more than 30,000 years ago. We have derived new radiocarbon dates for the drawings that decorate the Chauvet cave in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche, France, which confirm that even 30,000 years ago Aurignacian artists, already known as accomplished carvers, could create masterpieces comparable to the best Magdalenian art. Prehistorians, who have traditionally interpreted the evolution of prehistoric art as a steady progression from simple to more complex representations, may have to reconsider existing theories of the origins of art.

Geoarchaeological response to landscape changes of the Greek continental shelf since the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapsimalis, Vasilios; Pavlopoulos, Kosmas; Panagiotopoulos, Ioannis

2010-05-01

An overview of geological, sedimentological, palaeoclimatic, archaeological and mythological data is presented in order to detect the geomorphological changes of the Aegean and Ionian shelves during the last sea-level transgression, and comprehend the consequent prehistoric human adaptations. The irregular rise of sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum forced the Palaeolithic human to abandon its settlements located near the old (lower) coastlines and to move landward in new positions. Commonly, the coastline movement was very slow causing no significant impact on human activities; however in some cases, the transgression was very prompt causing human migration towards highlands. In some very gentle-dipped and wide regions, e.g. the North Aegean plateau, the sea-level rise caused a rapid coastline retreat (in some extreme case as fast as 10 m/yr) and inundation of an extended surface area. However, at the same time, in the steep parts of the Greek shelf, e.g. the Kyparissiakos Gulf and Crete, the coastline advanced landwards with a slow motion (commonly, a few cm/yr) covering small areas. In addition, coastal regions with particular geomorphologic characteristics, e.g. coastal paleo-lakes protected by a sill (gulfs of Corinth, Amvrakikos, Pagasitikos Evvoikos, Saronikos), were deluged by the sea during different periods and under different intensity, depending on the elevation of the sill and the manner of its overflow. Although the presence of Palaeolithic human in the Greek mainland has been confirmed by several archaeological excavations, there is no certain evidence for human settlement in the deep parts of Greek shelf. However, many archaeologists have suggested that some of Palaeolithic people lived on the shelf, when the sea level was lower than its present position. Nevertheless, some potential Palaeolithic migration routes can be indicated taking into account (a) the palaeogeographic reconstruction of Greek shelf over the Last Quaternary; (b) archaeological data coming from, nowadays, coastal prehistoric sites; and (a) mythological references. At the Last Gracial Maximum, Palaeolithic human dispersed on the subaerially-exposed Greek shelf searching for places with mild climates, drinking water and food. When the sea-lever started to rise (ca. 18 kyr B.P.), people moved inland following some main migration routes on the North Aegean shelf, Thermaikos Gulf, Pagasitikos/North Evvoikos Gulf, Saronikos Gulf, Argolikos Gulf, Patrakos/Corinthian Gulf, and north Ionian shelf. Frequently, at the landward end of these routes, there are Mesolithic or Neolithic sites established when the sea level reached approximately its present position and preserved because coastal or marine processes did not destroyed them. Furthermore, the long-standing migration could be recorded in the social memory like a landward escapement from a destructive flood.

Ancient European dog genomes reveal continuity since the Early Neolithic

PubMed Central

Botigué, Laura R.; Song, Shiya; Scheu, Amelie; Gopalan, Shyamalika; Pendleton, Amanda L.; Oetjens, Matthew; Taravella, Angela M.; Seregély, Timo; Zeeb-Lanz, Andrea; Arbogast, Rose-Marie; Bobo, Dean; Daly, Kevin; Unterländer, Martina; Burger, Joachim; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Veeramah, Krishna R.

2017-01-01

Europe has played a major role in dog evolution, harbouring the oldest uncontested Palaeolithic remains and having been the centre of modern dog breed creation. Here we sequence the genomes of an Early and End Neolithic dog from Germany, including a sample associated with an early European farming community. Both dogs demonstrate continuity with each other and predominantly share ancestry with modern European dogs, contradicting a previously suggested Late Neolithic population replacement. We find no genetic evidence to support the recent hypothesis proposing dual origins of dog domestication. By calibrating the mutation rate using our oldest dog, we narrow the timing of dog domestication to 20,000–40,000 years ago. Interestingly, we do not observe the extreme copy number expansion of the AMY2B gene characteristic of modern dogs that has previously been proposed as an adaptation to a starch-rich diet driven by the widespread adoption of agriculture in the Neolithic. PMID:28719574

Using new luminescence methods to date the Palaeolithic: the example of Kalambo Falls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duller, Geoff; Tooth, Stephen; Barham, Larry

2013-04-01

The Palaeolithic site of Kalambo Falls in the north of Zambia was the subject of detailed study by J.D. Clark in the 1950s with 4 excavations being located within 1 km of each other in a basin upstream of the falls. A rich palaeolithic tool record was recovered, but the value of this record was limited by the lack of chronological information available. In 2006, one of the excavation sites was re-investigated (Barham et al., 2009), including examination of the stratigraphic context and collection of samples for luminescence dating. Many of the sediments in the Kalambo basin were deposited by fluvial activity. Dose distributions in the single grain quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements of the youngest sediments are consistent with incomplete bleaching. However, the residual doses obtained are typically less than 10 Gy, and so for older sediments the impact of incomplete bleaching becomes insignificant. The oldest samples are affected by a different problem, namely saturation of the OSL signal, and many grains are saturated. However in all cases some grains give finite equivalent dose values, making it feasible to calculate single grain quartz OSL ages, but it is difficult to assess whether these ages are reliable or not. Thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL) from quartz is able to date much older samples due to the high saturation dose of this signal (Duller and Wintle, 2012). Comparison of the TT-OSL and OSL demonstrates that the OSL signal yields age underestimates as samples near saturation. Only by using the two luminescence methods is it possible to create an absolute chronology for this key site stretching back over half a million years. This study demonstrates the potential of using these two luminescence signals together for dating Palaeolithic sites throughout Africa and beyond. Barham, L., Duller, G. A. T., Plater, A. J., Tooth, S. and Turner, S. (2009). Recent excavations at Kalambo Falls, Zambia. Antiquity 83(322). Duller, G. A. T. and Wintle, A. G. (2012). The potential of the thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence signal from quartz for dating sediments. Quaternary Geochronology 7: 6-20.

New chronological data for the timing of the Saalian- and Elsterian glacial cycle in Europe - studies on a key site within the type area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Tobias; Weiß, Marcel; Wansa, Stefan

2017-04-01

The type area for the Elsterian- and Saalian glacial cycles is located in central Germany (Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) where the gravel deposits of the rivers Saale- and Elster interfinger with tills and meltwater deposits of both glacial cycles in proximity to the maximum extensions of the Middle-Pleistocene Scandinavian ice-sheets in Central Europe. The Elsterian- and Saalian glacial cycles, including the corresponding interglacial periods are also correlated with first human appearance in the area (see Haidle and Pawlik 2010). Nevertheless, the timing of these glacial cycles is still unclear due to a lack of resilient chronological data on sediments representing the advance- and retreat of the glaciers. The Elsterian is defined to be terminated by the Holsteinian, but for the latter, a correlation to MIS 9 or 11 is still a matter of debate (e. g. Sirocko et al. 2006; Nitychoruk et al. 2007). Consequently, a correlation of the Elsterian to MIS 10 or 12 is possible. Within the last decades, new luminescence dating techniques such as pIRIR-luminescence protocols or infrared-radiofluorescence dating made it possible to extent the datable age range and hence, it is now possible to establish reliable chronologies also for deposits beyond the last glacial-/interglacial cycle. In the present study, we dated the quaternary sequence of Uichteritz (close to the Saale-river near Weissenfels, Saxony-Anhalt) using luminescence and infrared-radiofluorescence dating. The base of the quaternary layers consists of Elsterian sediments pre-dating the first Elsterian ice advance. This is evidenced mainly by the lithology, especially the absence of Nordic components in the composition of the gravel. Additionally, remains of the advancing Saalian ice sheet, represented by fluvial sediments from the Middle-Pleistocene river Saale, as well as till, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments, cover the Elsterian succession. The upper part of the fluvial Elsterian sediments also includes a palaeosol (Bt-horizon, Meng & Wansa 2005), exposed below Saalian meltwater sediments and till. Furthermore, the Middle-Pleistocene sediments yielded Lower/Middle Palaeolithic stone artefacts (Rudolph et al. 2005), probably representing the earliest human appearance in central Germany. In conclusion, the sequence of Uichteritz has the potential to provide important new chronological data for the timing of the Elsterian and Saalian glacial cycles as well as the presence of humans in Central Europe. References Haidle, M. N., Pawlik, A. F., 2010. The earliest settlement of Germany: Is there anything out there? Quaternary International 223-224, 143-153. Meng, S., Wansa, S., 2005. Lithologie, Stratigraphie und Paläoökologie des Mittelpleistozäns im Markröhlitzer Tal (Lkr. Weißenfels/Sachsen-Anhalt). Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart (Quaternary Science Journal) 55, 174-214. Nitychoruk, J., Bińka, K., Ruppert, H., Schneider, J., 2005. Holsteinian Interglacial = Marine Isotope Stage 11? Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 2678-2681. Rudolph, A., Laurat, T. & Bernhardt, W., 2005. Die altpaläolithischen Artefaktfunde von Uichteritz, Ldkr. Weißenfels. Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart (Quaternary Science Journal) 55, 215-226. Sirocko, F. et al., 2006. Chronology and climate forcing of the last four interglacials. In: Sirocko, F., Claussen, Sánchez Goñi, M.F., Litt, T. (Eds.). The Climate of Past Interglacials. Developments in Quaternary Science 7, Amsterdam, Elsevier, pp. 597-614.

First evidence of a Late Upper Palaeolithic human presence in Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowd, Marion; Carden, Ruth F.

2016-05-01

The colonisation of North West Europe by humans and fauna following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has been the subject of considerable discussion in recent decades and within multiple disciplines. Here we present new evidence that pushes back the date of human footfall in Ireland by up to 2500 cal BP to the Upper Palaeolithic. An assemblage of animal bones recovered from a cave in the west of Ireland during antiquarian excavations in 1903 included a butchered brown bear bone (patella) which was recently subjected to two independent radiocarbon dating processes; the resultant dates were in agreement: 12,810-12,590 cal BP and 12,810-12,685 cal BP. This find rewrites the antiquity of human occupation of Ireland and challenges the traditional paradigm that certain biota may have naturally colonised the island prior to human arrival.

Core-Shell Processing of Natural Pigment: Upper Palaeolithic Red Ochre from Lovas, Hungary

PubMed Central

Sajó, István E.; Kovács, János; Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E.; Jáger, Viktor; Lengyel, György; Viola, Bence; Talamo, Sahra; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2015-01-01

Ochre is the common archaeological term for prehistoric pigments. It is applied to a range of uses, from ritual burials to cave art to medications. While a substantial number of Palaeolithic paint mining pits have been identified across Europe, the link between ochre use and provenance, and their antiquity, has never yet been identified. Here we characterise the mineralogical signature of core-shell processed ochre from the Palaeolithic paint mining pits near Lovas in Hungary, using a novel integration of petrographic and mineralogical techniques. We present the first evidence for core-shell processed, natural pigment that was prepared by prehistoric people from hematitic red ochre. This involved combining the darker red outer shell with the less intensely coloured core to efficiently produce an economical, yet still strongly coloured, paint. We demonstrate the antiquity of the site as having operated between 14–13 kcal BP, during the Epigravettian period. This is based on new radiocarbon dating of bone artefacts associated with the quarry site. The dating results indicate the site to be the oldest known evidence for core-shell pigment processing. We show that the ochre mined at Lovas was exported from the site based on its characteristic signature at other archaeological sites in the region. Our discovery not only provides a methodological framework for future characterisation of ochre pigments, but also provides the earliest known evidence for “value-adding” of products for trade. PMID:26147808

The late-glacial fluvial terrace t7 at Raunheim (lower River Main), Germany. Constraining the chronological placement by optical stimulated luminescence dating.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiemeyer, Heinrich; Kadereit, Annette; Zipf, Lars; Flettner, Stephan

2017-04-01

The lower River Main valley exhibits up to seven fluvial terrace levels (t1 - t7, according to the stratigraphy of Semmel 1969). The lowermost terrace (t7) represents the most recently formed level which due to stratigraphical considerations is assumed to be of Late Pleistocene age (Semmel 1969). However, the chronological placement of the terrace has not been determined by numerical dating so far. The area was apparently roamed by Late Palaeolithic people as evidenced by artefacts which were discovered on a former sandy river bank between 87 m and 91 m above sea level on top of the t7 east of the town of Raunheim. We took this opportunity to open four trenches in order to localize additional in situ Palaeolithic artefacts and to investigate the stratigraphy of the sediments and soils and, for the first time, to provide numerical ages in order to narrow down the period of the t7 activity. Eight samples from three profiles in three of the trenches were collected for optical stimulated (OSL) dating. OSL dating occurred applying a blue light stimulated luminescence (BLSL) single aliquot regeneration (SAR) protocol (Murray & Wintle 2000) to small aliquots (few 102 grains) of quartz coarse grain separates (125 - 212 µm). The trenches showed that the t7 sediments consist of fluvial sand over gravel. They are overlain by calcareous loamy and sandy overbank deposits. At the investigated site the Holocene Cambisol at the surface passes into a Gleysol that has developed in a palaeochannel which is incised into the t7. The trenches revealed further that only parts of the Late Palaeolithic site are in situ and therefore contemporaneous with the fluvial sediments beneath the Cambisol. The upper part of the sections consists of colluvial deposits lying on truncated Cambisols. The OSL dating places the section into the period spanning the last glacial maximum (LGM) / late glacial to the late Holocene. The oldest investigated fluvial t7 sediments date around 24.7 ka. Slightly younger ages, around ca. 17 ka and ca. 14 ka, indicate that fluvial activity continued into late glacial times and that the deposits were last partly reworked. The colluvial deposits date from approximately 5000 BP until today reflecting the long lasting agricultural use of the old settled river terraces on the lower River Main. A peat layer indicates that the channel in the t7 was still active in Holocene times and finally filled only in the Middle Ages, according to palynological investigations. Murray, A.S. & Wintle, A.G. (2000): Luminescence dating of quartz using an improved single aliquot regenerative-dose protocol. - Radiation Measurements 32: 57-73. Semmel, A. (1969): Quartär. - Erl. Geologische Karte von Hessen 1:25000 Blatt 5916 Hochheim a. Main, 3. Aufl., 209 pp., Wiesbaden.

Sequence stratigraphy and environmental background of the late Pleistocene and Holocene occupation in the Southeast Primor'ye (the Russian Far East)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chlachula, Jiri; Krupyanko, Alexander A.

2016-06-01

The paper presents the results of Quaternary palaeoecology and geoarchaeology studies in the Zerkal'naya Basin, with new insights about sequenced natural shifts during the prehistoric occupation of this marginally explored NE Asian maritime territory. The Basin is part of the continental drainage system and the main physiographic and biotic corridor for peopling of the transitive coastal interior SE Primor'ye Region. The Final Pleistocene and Holocene environmental (biotic and abiotic) proxy records from the Upper/Final Palaeolithic to early historical sites document a dynamic climate change with vegetation cover transformations within riverine and mountain valley ecosystems of the Russian Far East. Most of the archaeological sites located on the low terraces and bedrock promontories along the main river channel and its tributary streams suggest traditional hunter gathered lifestyles based on seasonal salmon-fishing supplemented by pastoral economy. Tundra-forests with larch trees, dwarf birch thickets and polypod ferns from the basal stratigraphic units of the late Last Glacial occupation sites associated with the Upper Palaeolithic micro-blade and bifacial stone tool traditions (14C-dated to 19,000-12,000 cal yrs BP) indicate rather pronounced conditions and much lower MAT comparing today. Following a final Pleistocene cooling event, a major climate warming marked the onset of Holocene accompanied by a regional humidity increase promoting the formation of a mixed broadleaved-coniferous oak-dominant taiga, and culminating in the mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum. The appearance of mosaic parklands ca. 5,000-4,000 cal yrs BP. may be partly attributed to the expansion of the Far Eastern Neolithic cultures practicing forest clearance for pastures and dwellings. A progressing landscape opening indicated by the spread of light-demanding thickets and birch-dominated riverine biotopes with Artemisia suggests a further vegetation cover transformation during the late Neolithic and the early Palaeo-Metal (Bronze Age) periods. This trend corroborates the documented climate deterioration between 3,400 and 2,600 cal yrs BP, causing a regional aridification with a parkland-steppe broadening in the main SE Primor'ye river valleys. The late Holocene climate development persisted until the Little Ice Age which led to formation of the present settlement ecosystems with mixed (oak/cedar/fir-dominated) temperate maritime woodlands.

Direct radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis of the Darra-i-Kur (Afghanistan) human temporal bone.

PubMed

Douka, Katerina; Slon, Viviane; Stringer, Chris; Potts, Richard; Hübner, Alexander; Meyer, Matthias; Spoor, Fred; Pääbo, Svante; Higham, Tom

2017-06-01

The temporal bone discovered in the 1960s from the Darra-i-Kur cave in Afghanistan is often cited as one of the very few Pleistocene human fossils from Central Asia. Here we report the first direct radiocarbon date for the specimen and the genetic analyses of DNA extracted and sequenced from two areas of the bone. The new radiocarbon determination places the find to ∼4500 cal BP (∼2500 BCE) contradicting an assumed Palaeolithic age of ∼30,000 years, as originally suggested. The DNA retrieved from the specimen originates from a male individual who carried mitochondrial DNA of the modern human type. The petrous part yielded more endogenous ancient DNA molecules than the squamous part of the same bone. Molecular dating of the Darra-i-Kur mitochondrial DNA sequence corroborates the radiocarbon date and suggests that the specimen is younger than previously thought. Taken together, the results consolidate the fact that the human bone is not associated with the Pleistocene-age deposits of Darra-i-Kur; instead it is intrusive, possibly re-deposited from upper levels dating to much later periods (Neolithic). Despite its Holocene age, the Darra-i-Kur specimen is, so far, the first and only ancient human from Afghanistan whose DNA has been sequenced. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technological variability in the Late Palaeolithic lithic industries of the Egyptian Nile Valley: The case of the Silsilian and Afian industries

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

During the Nubia Salvage Campaign and the subsequent expeditions from the 1960’s to the 1980’s, numerous sites attributed to the Late Palaeolithic (~25–15 ka) were found in the Nile Valley, particularly in Nubia and Upper Egypt. This region is one of the few to have allowed human occupations during the dry Marine Isotope Stage 2 and is therefore key to understanding how human populations adapted to environmental changes at this time. This paper focuses on two sites located in Upper Egypt, excavated by the Combined Prehistoric Expedition: E71K18, attributed to the Afian industry and E71K20, attributed to the Silsilian industry. It aims to review the geomorphological and chronological evidence of the sites, present a technological analysis of the lithic assemblages in order to provide data that can be used in detailed comparative studies, which will allow discussion of technological variability in the Late Palaeolithic of the Nile Valley and its place within the regional context. The lithic analysis relies on the chaîne opératoire concept combined with an attribute analysis to allow quantification. This study (1) casts doubts on the chronology of E71K18 and related Afian industry, which could be older or younger than previously suggested, highlights (2) distinct technological characteristics for the Afian and the Silsilian, as well as (3) similar technological characteristics which allow to group them under a same broad techno-cultural complex, distinct from those north or south of the area. PMID:29281660

Satsurblia: New Insights of Human Response and Survival across the Last Glacial Maximum in the Southern Caucasus

PubMed Central

Pinhasi, Ron; Meshveliani, Tengiz; Matskevich, Zinovi; Bar-Oz, Guy; Weissbrod, Lior; Miller, Christopher E.; Wilkinson, Keith; Lordkipanidze, David; Jakeli, Nino; Kvavadze, Eliso; Higham, Thomas F. G.; Belfer-Cohen, Anna

2014-01-01

The region of western Georgia (Imereti) has been a major geographic corridor for human migrations during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP). Knowledge of the MP and UP in this region, however, stems mostly from a small number of recent excavations at the sites of Ortvale Klde, Dzudzuana, Bondi, and Kotias Klde. These provide an absolute chronology for the Late MP and MP–UP transition, but only a partial perspective on the nature and timing of UP occupations, and limited data on how human groups in this region responded to the harsh climatic oscillations between 37,000–11,500 years before present. Here we report new UP archaeological sequences from fieldwork in Satsurblia cavein the same region. A series of living surfaces with combustion features, faunal remains, stone and bone tools, and ornaments provide new information about human occupations in this region (a) prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at 25.5–24.4 ka cal. BP and (b) after the LGM at 17.9–16.2 ka cal. BP. The latter provides new evidence in the southern Caucasus for human occupation immediately after the LGM. The results of the campaigns in Satsurblia and Dzudzuana suggest that at present the most plausible scenario is one of a hiatus in the occupation of this region during the LGM (between 24.4–17.9 ka cal. BP). Analysis of the living surfaces at Satsurblia offers information about human activities such as the production and utilisation of lithics and bone tools, butchering, cooking and consumption of meat and wild cereals, the utilisation of fibers, and the use of certain woods. Microfaunal and palynological analyses point to fluctuations in the climate with consequent shifts in vegetation and the faunal spectrum not only before and after the LGM, but also during the two millennia following the end of the LGM. PMID:25354048

Satsurblia: new insights of human response and survival across the Last Glacial Maximum in the southern Caucasus.

PubMed

Pinhasi, Ron; Meshveliani, Tengiz; Matskevich, Zinovi; Bar-Oz, Guy; Weissbrod, Lior; Miller, Christopher E; Wilkinson, Keith; Lordkipanidze, David; Jakeli, Nino; Kvavadze, Eliso; Higham, Thomas F G; Belfer-Cohen, Anna

2014-01-01

The region of western Georgia (Imereti) has been a major geographic corridor for human migrations during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP). Knowledge of the MP and UP in this region, however, stems mostly from a small number of recent excavations at the sites of Ortvale Klde, Dzudzuana, Bondi, and Kotias Klde. These provide an absolute chronology for the Late MP and MP-UP transition, but only a partial perspective on the nature and timing of UP occupations, and limited data on how human groups in this region responded to the harsh climatic oscillations between 37,000-11,500 years before present. Here we report new UP archaeological sequences from fieldwork in Satsurblia cavein the same region. A series of living surfaces with combustion features, faunal remains, stone and bone tools, and ornaments provide new information about human occupations in this region (a) prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at 25.5-24.4 ka cal. BP and (b) after the LGM at 17.9-16.2 ka cal. BP. The latter provides new evidence in the southern Caucasus for human occupation immediately after the LGM. The results of the campaigns in Satsurblia and Dzudzuana suggest that at present the most plausible scenario is one of a hiatus in the occupation of this region during the LGM (between 24.4-17.9 ka cal. BP). Analysis of the living surfaces at Satsurblia offers information about human activities such as the production and utilisation of lithics and bone tools, butchering, cooking and consumption of meat and wild cereals, the utilisation of fibers, and the use of certain woods. Microfaunal and palynological analyses point to fluctuations in the climate with consequent shifts in vegetation and the faunal spectrum not only before and after the LGM, but also during the two millennia following the end of the LGM.

Late Quaternary refugia of Mediterranean taxa in the Portuguese Estremadura: charcoal based palaeovegetation and climatic reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueiral, I.; Terral, J.-F.

2002-02-01

The study of archaeological charcoal preserved in the sediments of Buraca Grande (Estremadura, Portugal) are used to aid the reconstruction of vegetation available to prehistoric settlements from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic. Results indicate the possible existence of three different phases. The first is mostly characterized by the presence of Pinus type sylvestris and of Buxus sempervirens. During the second phase, these taxa are replaced by more thermophilous elements dominated by Olea europaea. The decrease of Olea europaea in the last archaeological layer appears to represent the beginning of a third phase. The eco-anatomical analyses of charcoal fragments identified as Olea europaea allowed us to evaluate the palaeoclimatic conditions during this period. Two main phases are recognized; the first (Upper Pleistocene) is drier and cooler than present, while the Holocene sequence is comparable to present-day conditions. Results from both analyses are complementary and appear to show that this region was a refuge area for thermophilous taxa during the colder periods of the Pleistocene.

New Hydroxyproline Radiocarbon Dates from Sungir, Russia, Confirm Early Mid Upper Palaeolithic Burials in Eurasia

PubMed Central

Nalawade-Chavan, Shweta; McCullagh, James; Hedges, Robert

2014-01-01

Sungir (Russia) is a key Mid-Upper Palaeolithic site in Eurasia, containing several spectacular burials that disclose early evidence for complex burial rites in the form of a range of grave goods deposited along with the dead. Dating has been particularly challenging, with multiple radiocarbon dates ranging from 19,160±270 to 28,800±240 BP for burials that are believed to be closely similar in age. There are disparities in the radiocarbon dates of human bones, faunal remains and charcoal found on the floor of burials [1], [2], [3]. Our approach has been to develop compound-specific methods using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to separate single amino acids, such as hydroxyproline, and thereby avoid the known human contamination on the bones themselves. Previously, we applied this technique to obtain radiocarbon dates of ∼30,000 BP for Sungir 2, Sungir 3 and a mammoth bone from the occupation levels of the site [4]. The single amino acid radiocarbon dates were in good agreement with each other compared to all the dates previously reported, supporting their reliability. Here we report new hydroxyproline dates for two more human burials from the same site, Sungir 1 and Sungir 4. All five hydroxyproline dates reported are statistically indistinguishable and support an identical age for the group. The results suggest that compound-specific radiocarbon analysis should be considered seriously as the method of choice when precious archaeological remains are to be dated because they give a demonstrably contaminant-free radiocarbon age. The new ages are, together with the previously dated ‘Red Lady of Paviland’ human in the British Isles, the earliest for Mid Upper Palaeolithic burial behaviour in Eurasia, and point to the precocious appearance of this form of rite in Europe Russia. PMID:24416120

New hydroxyproline radiocarbon dates from Sungir, Russia, confirm early Mid Upper Palaeolithic burials in Eurasia.

PubMed

Nalawade-Chavan, Shweta; McCullagh, James; Hedges, Robert

2014-01-01

Sungir (Russia) is a key Mid-Upper Palaeolithic site in Eurasia, containing several spectacular burials that disclose early evidence for complex burial rites in the form of a range of grave goods deposited along with the dead. Dating has been particularly challenging, with multiple radiocarbon dates ranging from 19,160±270 to 28,800±240 BP for burials that are believed to be closely similar in age. There are disparities in the radiocarbon dates of human bones, faunal remains and charcoal found on the floor of burials. Our approach has been to develop compound-specific methods using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to separate single amino acids, such as hydroxyproline, and thereby avoid the known human contamination on the bones themselves. Previously, we applied this technique to obtain radiocarbon dates of ∼30,000 BP for Sungir 2, Sungir 3 and a mammoth bone from the occupation levels of the site. The single amino acid radiocarbon dates were in good agreement with each other compared to all the dates previously reported, supporting their reliability. Here we report new hydroxyproline dates for two more human burials from the same site, Sungir 1 and Sungir 4. All five hydroxyproline dates reported are statistically indistinguishable and support an identical age for the group. The results suggest that compound-specific radiocarbon analysis should be considered seriously as the method of choice when precious archaeological remains are to be dated because they give a demonstrably contaminant-free radiocarbon age. The new ages are, together with the previously dated 'Red Lady of Paviland' human in the British Isles, the earliest for Mid Upper Palaeolithic burial behaviour in Eurasia, and point to the precocious appearance of this form of rite in Europe Russia.

Late persistence of the Acheulian in southern Britain in an MIS 8 interstadial: evidence from Harnham, Wiltshire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, M. R.; Wenban-Smith, F. F.; Bello, S. M.; Bridgland, D. R.; Buck, L. T.; Collins, M. J.; Keen, D. H.; Leary, J.; Parfitt, S. A.; Penkman, K.; Rhodes, E.; Ryssaert, C.; Whittaker, J. E.

2014-10-01

This paper presents evidence of the discovery of a new Middle Pleistocene site in central southern England, with undisturbed evidence of hominin occupation well-dated to an interstadial towards the end of Marine Isotope Stage 8, c. 250,000 BP. The site consists of a preserved remnant of a river terrace and its alluvial floodplain overlain by chalk-rich bankside deposits, all abutting a Chalk bedrock riverbank. It preserves an area of occupation with activity focused on the riverbank, complemented by occasional activity on a palaeo-landsurface developed on the surface of the alluvial floodplain. Lithic technology at the site consists almost entirely of handaxe manufacture, allowing attribution to an Acheulian industrial tradition. Mammalian and other palaeo-environmental remains are present and associated with the occupation horizons, including large mammal bones showing signs of hominin interference. Dating was based on OSL determinations on the sediments and amino acid racemisation of molluscan remains, supported by biostratigraphic indications. Besides being a rare instance of an undisturbed Palaeolithic palaeo-landscape covering several hectares, the site contributes to wider Quaternary research concerns over the ability of Middle Pleistocene hominins to tolerate colder climatic episodes in higher latitudes, and over settlement history and changing lithic industrial traditions of northwest Europe in relation to climate change and British peninsularity. It is suggested that the Harnham evidence may represent an insular population that had persisted in southern Britain since MIS 10/9, which became locally extinct during the glacial maximum 8.2 marking the end of MIS 8.

Settlement patterns reflected in assemblages from the Pleistocene/Holocene transition of North Central China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madsen, D.B.; Elston, R.G.; Bettinger, R.L.; Xu, C.; Zhong, K.

1996-01-01

Survey along the margins of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui and Nei Mongol Autonomous Regions discloses variability in the distribution and assemblage composition among 47 archaeological localities, and suggests a reduction in hunter-gatherer residential mobility through time. Late Palaeolithic tool assemblages are less frequent, smaller, and relatively uniform from site to site. They tend to be found near canyon mouths on the mountain front, or around springs in the middle to upper reaches of fans, suggesting limited variation in both length of stay and subsistence strategies. In contrast, early Neolithic sites, more abundant and variable in size and complexity, are located near fan toes or lower fan springs where water could be more easily diverted. Larger more diverse assemblages suggest long-term residential bases, while smaller specialized assemblages, devoid of microliths, indicate short-term camps and resource processing locations. This helps confirm a similar pattern identified in materials collected by the Sino-Swedish expedition, in the northern Alashan. Together they suggest that the trend towards decreased residential mobility is associated with increasingly intensive and specialized use of seed resources that may be related to the early development of plant husbandry. ?? 1996 Academic Press Limited.

Barium distributions in teeth reveal early-life dietary transitions in primates.

PubMed

Austin, Christine; Smith, Tanya M; Bradman, Asa; Hinde, Katie; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Bishop, David; Hare, Dominic J; Doble, Philip; Eskenazi, Brenda; Arora, Manish

2013-06-13

Early-life dietary transitions reflect fundamental aspects of primate evolution and are important determinants of health in contemporary human populations. Weaning is critical to developmental and reproductive rates; early weaning can have detrimental health effects but enables shorter inter-birth intervals, which influences population growth. Uncovering early-life dietary history in fossils is hampered by the absence of prospectively validated biomarkers that are not modified during fossilization. Here we show that large dietary shifts in early life manifest as compositional variations in dental tissues. Teeth from human children and captive macaques, with prospectively recorded diet histories, demonstrate that barium (Ba) distributions accurately reflect dietary transitions from the introduction of mother's milk through the weaning process. We also document dietary transitions in a Middle Palaeolithic juvenile Neanderthal, which shows a pattern of exclusive breastfeeding for seven months, followed by seven months of supplementation. After this point, Ba levels in enamel returned to baseline prenatal levels, indicating an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding at 1.2 years of age. Integration of Ba spatial distributions and histological mapping of tooth formation enables novel studies of the evolution of human life history, dietary ontogeny in wild primates, and human health investigations through accurate reconstructions of breastfeeding history.

Properties of some monkey DNA sequences obtained by a procedure that enriches for DNA replication origins.

PubMed

Zannis-Hadjopoulos, M; Kaufmann, G; Wang, S S; Lechner, R L; Karawya, E; Hesse, J; Martin, R G

1985-07-01

Twelve clones of monkey DNA obtained by a procedure that enriches 10(3)- to 10(4)-fold for nascent sequences activated early in S phase (G. Kaufmann, M. Zannis-Hadjopoulos, and R. G. Martin, Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:721-727, 1985) have been examined. Only 2 of the 12 ors sequences (origin-enriched sequences) are unique (ors1 and ors8). Three contain the highly reiterated Alu family (ors3, ors9, and ors11). One contains the highly reiterated alpha-satellite family (ors12), but none contain the Kpn family. Those remaining contain middle repetitive sequences. Two examples of the same middle repetitive sequence were found (ors2 and ors6). Three of the middle repetitive sequences (the ors2-ors6 pair, ors5, and ors10) are moderately dispersed; one (ors4) is highly dispersed. The last, ors7, has been mapped to the bona fide replication origin of the D loop of mitochondrial DNA. Of the nine ors sequences tested, half possess snapback (intrachain reannealing) properties.

Integrated sequence stratigraphy of the postimpact sediments from the Eyreville core holes, Chesapeake Bay impact structure inner basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Browning, J.V.; Miller, K.G.; McLaughlin, P.P.; Edwards, L.E.; Kulpecz, A.A.; Powars, D.S.; Wade, B.S.; Feigenson, M.D.; Wright, J.D.

2009-01-01

The Eyreville core holes provide the first continuously cored record of postimpact sequences from within the deepest part of the central Chesapeake Bay impact crater. We analyzed the upper Eocene to Pliocene postimpact sediments from the Eyreville A and C core holes for lithology (semiquantitative measurements of grain size and composition), sequence stratigraphy, and chronostratigraphy. Age is based primarily on Sr isotope stratigraphy supplemented by biostratigraphy (dinocysts, nannofossils, and planktonic foraminifers); age resolution is approximately ??0.5 Ma for early Miocene sequences and approximately ??1.0 Ma for younger and older sequences. Eocene-lower Miocene sequences are subtle, upper middle to lower upper Miocene sequences are more clearly distinguished, and upper Miocene- Pliocene sequences display a distinct facies pattern within sequences. We recognize two upper Eocene, two Oligocene, nine Miocene, three Pliocene, and one Pleistocene sequence and correlate them with those in New Jersey and Delaware. The upper Eocene through Pleistocene strata at Eyreville record changes from: (1) rapidly deposited, extremely fi ne-grained Eocene strata that probably represent two sequences deposited in a deep (>200 m) basin; to (2) highly dissected Oligocene (two very thin sequences) to lower Miocene (three thin sequences) with a long hiatus; to (3) a thick, rapidly deposited (43-73 m/Ma), very fi ne-grained, biosiliceous middle Miocene (16.5-14 Ma) section divided into three sequences (V5-V3) deposited in middle neritic paleoenvironments; to (4) a 4.5-Ma-long hiatus (12.8-8.3 Ma); to (5) sandy, shelly upper Miocene to Pliocene strata (8.3-2.0 Ma) divided into six sequences deposited in shelf and shoreface environments; and, last, to (6) a sandy middle Pleistocene paralic sequence (~400 ka). The Eyreville cores thus record the fi lling of a deep impact-generated basin where the timing of sequence boundaries is heavily infl uenced by eustasy. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Oculomotor and Manual Indexes of Incidental and Intentional Spatial Sequence Learning during Middle Childhood and Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karatekin, Canan; Marcus, David J.; White, Tonya

2007-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine incidental and intentional spatial sequence learning during middle childhood and adolescence. We tested four age groups (8-10 years, 11-13 years, 14-17 years, and young adults [18+ years]) on a serial reaction time task and used manual and oculomotor measures to examine incidental sequence learning.…

Bed II Sequence Stratigraphic context of EF-HR and HWK EE archaeological sites, and the Oldowan/Acheulean succession at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

PubMed

Stanistreet, Ian G; McHenry, Lindsay J; Stollhofen, Harald; de la Torre, Ignacio

2018-04-20

Archaeological excavations at EF-HR and HWK EE allow reassessment of Bed II stratigraphy within the Junction Area and eastern Olduvai Gorge. Application of Sequence Stratigraphic methods provides a time-stratigraphic framework enabling correlation of sedimentary units across facies boundaries, applicable even in those areas where conventional timelines, such as tephrostratigraphic markers, are absent, eroded, or reworked. Sequence Stratigraphically, Bed II subdivides into five major Sequences 1 to 5, all floored by major disconformities that incise deeply into the underlying succession, proving that simple "layer cake" stratigraphy is inappropriate. Previous establishment of the Lemuta Member has invalidated the use of Tuff IIA as the boundary between Lower and Middle Bed II, now redefined at the disconformity between Sequences 2 and 3, a lithostratigraphic contact underlying the succession containing the Lower, Middle, and Upper Augitic Sandstones. HWK EE site records Oldowan technology in the Lower Augitic Sandstone at the base of Sequence 3, within Middle Bed II. We suggest placement of recently reported Acheulean levels at FLK W within the Middle Augitic Sandstone, thus emphasizing that handaxes are yet to be found in earlier stratigraphic units of the Olduvai sequence. This would place a boundary between the Oldowan and Acheulean technologies at Olduvai in the Tuff IIB zone or earliest Middle Augitic Sandstone. A major disconformity between Sequences 3 and 4 at and near EF-HR cuts through the level of Tuff IIC, placing the main Acheulean EF-HR assemblage at the base of Sequence 4, within Upper rather than Middle Bed II. Sequence stratigraphic methods also yield a more highly resolved Bed II stratigraphic framework. Backwall and sidewall surveying of archaeological trenches at EF-HR and HWK EE permits definition of "Lake-parasequences" nested within the major Sequences that record downcutting of disconformities associated with lake regression, then sedimentation associated with lake transgression, capped finally by another erosional disconformity or hiatal paraconformity caused by the next lake withdrawal. On a relative time-scale rather than a vertical metre scale, the resulting Wheeler diagram framework provides a basis for recognizing time-equivalent depositional episodes and the position of time gaps at various scales. Relative timing of archaeological assemblage levels can then be differentiated at a millennial scale within this framework. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronology of Eocene-Miocene sequences on the New Jersey shallow shelf: implications for regional, interregional, and global correlations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Browning, James V.; Miller, Kenneth G.; Sugarman, Peter J.; Barron, John; McCarthy, Francine M.G.; Kulhanek, Denise K.; Katz, Miriam E.; Feigenson, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 313 continuously cored and logged latest Eocene to early-middle Miocene sequences at three sites (M27, M28, and M29) on the inner-middle continental shelf offshore New Jersey, providing an opportunity to evaluate the ages, global correlations, and significance of sequence boundaries. We provide a chronology for these sequences using integrated strontium isotopic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy (primarily calcareous nannoplankton, diatoms, and dinocysts [dinoflagellate cysts]). Despite challenges posed by shallow-water sediments, age resolution is typically ±0.5 m.y. and in many sequences is as good as ±0.25 m.y. Three Oligocene sequences were sampled at Site M27 on sequence bottomsets. Fifteen early to early-middle Miocene sequences were dated at Sites M27, M28, and M29 across clinothems in topsets, foresets (where the sequences are thickest), and bottomsets. A few sequences have coarse (∼1 m.y.) or little age constraint due to barren zones; we constrain the age estimates of these less well dated sequences by applying the principle of superposition, i.e., sediments above sequence boundaries in any site are younger than the sediments below the sequence boundaries at other sites. Our age control provides constraints on the timing of deposition in the clinothem; sequences on the topsets are generally the youngest in the clinothem, whereas the bottomsets generally are the oldest. The greatest amount of time is represented on foresets, although we have no evidence for a correlative conformity. Our chronology provides a baseline for regional and interregional correlations and sea-level reconstructions: (1) we correlate a major increase in sedimentation rate precisely with the timing of the middle Miocene climate changes associated with the development of a permanent East Antarctic Ice Sheet; and (2) the timing of sequence boundaries matches the deep-sea oxygen isotopic record, implicating glacioeustasy as a major driver for forming sequence boundaries.

Middle Pleistocene protein sequences from the rhinoceros genus Stephanorhinus and the phylogeny of extant and extinct Middle/Late Pleistocene Rhinocerotidae

PubMed Central

Smith, Geoff M.; Hutson, Jarod M.; Kindler, Lutz; Garcia-Moreno, Alejandro; Villaluenga, Aritza; Turner, Elaine

2017-01-01

Background Ancient protein sequences are increasingly used to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships between extinct and extant mammalian taxa. Here, we apply these recent developments to Middle Pleistocene bone specimens of the rhinoceros genus Stephanorhinus. No biomolecular sequence data is currently available for this genus, leaving phylogenetic hypotheses on its evolutionary relationships to extant and extinct rhinoceroses untested. Furthermore, recent phylogenies based on Rhinocerotidae (partial or complete) mitochondrial DNA sequences differ in the placement of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Therefore, studies utilising ancient protein sequences from Middle Pleistocene contexts have the potential to provide further insights into the phylogenetic relationships between extant and extinct species, including Stephanorhinus and Dicerorhinus. Methods ZooMS screening (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) was performed on several Late and Middle Pleistocene specimens from the genus Stephanorhinus, subsequently followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to obtain ancient protein sequences from a Middle Pleistocene Stephanorhinus specimen. We performed parallel analysis on a Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros specimen and extant species of rhinoceroses, resulting in the availability of protein sequence data for five extant species and two extinct genera. Phylogenetic analysis additionally included all extant Perissodactyla genera (Equus, Tapirus), and was conducted using Bayesian (MrBayes) and maximum-likelihood (RAxML) methods. Results Various ancient proteins were identified in both the Middle and Late Pleistocene rhinoceros samples. Protein degradation and proteome complexity are consistent with an endogenous origin of the identified proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of informative proteins resolved the Perissodactyla phylogeny in agreement with previous studies in regards to the placement of the families Equidae, Tapiridae, and Rhinocerotidae. Stephanorhinus is shown to be most closely related to the genera Coelodonta and Dicerorhinus. The protein sequence data further places the Sumatran rhino in a clade together with the genus Rhinoceros, opposed to forming a clade with the black and white rhinoceros species. Discussion The first biomolecular dataset available for Stephanorhinus places this genus together with the extinct genus Coelodonta and the extant genus Dicerorhinus. This is in agreement with morphological studies, although we are unable to resolve the order of divergence between these genera based on the protein sequences available. Our data supports the placement of the genus Dicerorhinus in a clade together with extant Rhinoceros species. Finally, the availability of protein sequence data for both extinct European rhinoceros genera allows future investigations into their geographic distribution and extinction chronologies. PMID:28316883

Middle Pleistocene protein sequences from the rhinoceros genus Stephanorhinus and the phylogeny of extant and extinct Middle/Late Pleistocene Rhinocerotidae.

PubMed

Welker, Frido; Smith, Geoff M; Hutson, Jarod M; Kindler, Lutz; Garcia-Moreno, Alejandro; Villaluenga, Aritza; Turner, Elaine; Gaudzinski-Windheuser, Sabine

2017-01-01

Ancient protein sequences are increasingly used to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships between extinct and extant mammalian taxa. Here, we apply these recent developments to Middle Pleistocene bone specimens of the rhinoceros genus Stephanorhinus . No biomolecular sequence data is currently available for this genus, leaving phylogenetic hypotheses on its evolutionary relationships to extant and extinct rhinoceroses untested. Furthermore, recent phylogenies based on Rhinocerotidae (partial or complete) mitochondrial DNA sequences differ in the placement of the Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ). Therefore, studies utilising ancient protein sequences from Middle Pleistocene contexts have the potential to provide further insights into the phylogenetic relationships between extant and extinct species, including Stephanorhinus and Dicerorhinus . ZooMS screening (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) was performed on several Late and Middle Pleistocene specimens from the genus Stephanorhinus , subsequently followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to obtain ancient protein sequences from a Middle Pleistocene Stephanorhinus specimen. We performed parallel analysis on a Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros specimen and extant species of rhinoceroses, resulting in the availability of protein sequence data for five extant species and two extinct genera. Phylogenetic analysis additionally included all extant Perissodactyla genera ( Equus , Tapirus ), and was conducted using Bayesian (MrBayes) and maximum-likelihood (RAxML) methods. Various ancient proteins were identified in both the Middle and Late Pleistocene rhinoceros samples. Protein degradation and proteome complexity are consistent with an endogenous origin of the identified proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of informative proteins resolved the Perissodactyla phylogeny in agreement with previous studies in regards to the placement of the families Equidae, Tapiridae, and Rhinocerotidae. Stephanorhinus is shown to be most closely related to the genera Coelodonta and Dicerorhinus . The protein sequence data further places the Sumatran rhino in a clade together with the genus Rhinoceros , opposed to forming a clade with the black and white rhinoceros species. The first biomolecular dataset available for Stephanorhinus places this genus together with the extinct genus Coelodonta and the extant genus Dicerorhinus . This is in agreement with morphological studies, although we are unable to resolve the order of divergence between these genera based on the protein sequences available. Our data supports the placement of the genus Dicerorhinus in a clade together with extant Rhinoceros species. Finally, the availability of protein sequence data for both extinct European rhinoceros genera allows future investigations into their geographic distribution and extinction chronologies.

Steppe bison paleobiology through the scope of stable isotopes and zooarchaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julien, Marie-Anne; Dorothée, Drucker; Hervé, Bocherens; Ariane, Burke; Marylène, Patou-Mathis; Alexandra, Krotova

2010-05-01

Bison are one of the most abundant and widely distributed species of large mammal during the Late Pleistocene. In the southern steppes of Eastern Europe, steppe bison (Bison priscus) is ubiquitous in zooarchaeological assemblages, particularly during the Upper Palaeolithic when a model of economic "specialization" is proposed. Specialization, in this context, implies the deliberate selection of a preferred species, which becomes the key food resource. The applicability of a specialised hunting model for the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe has recently been challenged, however (Grayson & Delpech 2002). In this research, therefore we re-examine bison acquisition strategies during the Upper Palaeolithic in the Ukrainian steppes in the light of biogeochemical and zooarchaeological data. The acquisition strategies used to procure a prey species are directly related to its social and spatial behaviour. A synthesis of ethological information for contemporary bison (Julien 2009) demonstrates the behavioural diversity of this taxa, linked mainly to local environmental variability, climatic conditions and population density. It is therefore necessary to propose a paleoethological model for the steppe bison before attempting to identify the acquisition strategies used by prehistoric hunters. In this research, we reconstruct the behaviour of the steppe bison using a combination of zooarchaeological tools, stable isotope analysis (intra-tooth isotope variation of carbon, oxygen and strontium ratios) and traditional paleobiological approaches. The advantages of using a combined approach are demonstrated through the examination of a case study: the site of Amvrosievka (Ukraine). Amvrosievka is a complex of Epigravettian sites composed of a camp and kill site, where more than 500 bison are represented (Krotova & Belan 1993). Twenty-five permanent lower teeth (M3) representing twenty-five individual bison were selected from the kill and camp site for isotopic analysis. Intra- and inter-individual variations of δ18O from the enamel carbonate were analysed in order to track seasonal temperatures changes; the 87Sr/86Sr ratio was examined to determine the spatial behaviour of the animals and δ13C was used to examine changes in diet. The relatively large number of individuals represented in this study allowed us to interpret the resulting data in terms of intra-populational variability. In addition to the isotopic analysis, zooarchaeological study of a recently excavated portion of the kill site enabled us to determine the age at death and sex-ratio of the kill-population as well as examine patterns of carcass treatment. We use the combined information from the isotopic and zooarchaeological analyses to reconstruct the social composition of the herds, their spatial behaviour, seasonality and the existence of different sub-herds through the identification of different isotopic groups. Ultimately, we are able to suggest that the site represents a palimpsest of different hunting episodes. Finally, the impact of steppe bison palaeoethology on the choice of hunting strategy and subsistence economy of the Epigravettian occupants of Amvrosievka is examined. The non migratory behaviour of steppe bison in the study region is shown to have affected the season of acquisition as well as the hunting and butchering strategies developed by the Epigravettians. The combined paleoethological and palethnographical reconstruction offered here has direct implications for understanding the relative contribution of hunting pressure vs climatic change in the demise of the "mammoth steppe" faunas at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Cited references: Grayson D. & F. Delpech, 2002. Specialized Early Upper Palaeolithic Hunters in Southwestern France ? Journal of Archaeological Science, 29, p. 1439-1449. Julien M. A., 2009. Chasseurs de bisons - Apports de l'archéozoologie et de la biogéochimie isotopique à l'étude palethnographique et paléoéthologique du gisement épigravettien d'Amvrosievka (Ukraine), PhD Thesis, Université de Montréal, Montréal (Canada) / Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (France), 287 p. Krotova A. & N. Belan, 1993. Amvrosievka: A unique Upper Palaeolithic site in eastern Europe, in From Kostenki to Clovis. Upper Palaeolithic-Paleo-Indian Adaptations, eds. O. Soffer & N. Praslov; New-York: Plenum Press, p. 125-142.

Biostratigraphy of a Middle Miocene-Pliocene sequence from Cumarebo area, Falcon State, northwestern Venezuela

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giffuni, G.

1991-03-01

The southern Caribbean region offers little in the way of continuous sequences for the late Neogene. An upward facies shallowing trend unfavorable for planktonic foraminifers and erosional truncation seems to be almost a rule for such sediments. A fairly complete sedimentary sequence mainly represented by clays, silts, and carbonate rocks from the Cumarebo region, Falcon State, northwestern Venezuela, was chosen to study the biostratigraphy of the late Neogene using foraminifers. More than one hundred surface samples were analyzed throughout. The study of foraminiferal fossil assemblages and other microfossils was also used to define paleoenvironments of deposition. Four formations are involvedmore » in this work. From base to top they are the Socorro, Caujarao, El Veral, and Tucupido. From the study of planktonic foraminifers, six biostratigraphic zones were recognized: Globorotalia mayeri Zone, Globorotalia menardii Zone, Globorotalia acostaensis Zone, Globorotalia humerosa Zone, Globorotalia margaritae Zone, and Globorotalia miocenica Zone. These zones indicate that the age of the sequence ranks from late middle Miocene to middle Pliocene. Generally speaking, with some variations, the paleoenvironments of the sequence show a shallowing trend from marine upper-middle bathyal to middle neritic. These results make an important contribution to the stratigraphy and geologic history of the Cumarebo area, which is related to the Agua Salada basin, and may help clarify the paleogeography and paleotectonic evolution of this region for petroleum exploration.« less

Partial characterization of normal and Haemophilus influenzae-infected mucosal complementary DNA libraries in chinchilla middle ear mucosa.

PubMed

Kerschner, Joseph E; Erdos, Geza; Hu, Fen Ze; Burrows, Amy; Cioffi, Joseph; Khampang, Pawjai; Dahlgren, Margaret; Hayes, Jay; Keefe, Randy; Janto, Benjamin; Post, J Christopher; Ehrlich, Garth D

2010-04-01

We sought to construct and partially characterize complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries prepared from the middle ear mucosa (MEM) of chinchillas to better understand pathogenic aspects of infection and inflammation, particularly with respect to leukotriene biogenesis and response. Chinchilla MEM was harvested from controls and after middle ear inoculation with nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. RNA was extracted to generate cDNA libraries. Randomly selected clones were subjected to sequence analysis to characterize the libraries and to provide DNA sequence for phylogenetic analyses. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of the RNA pools was used to generate cDNA sequences corresponding to genes associated with leukotriene biosynthesis and metabolism. Sequence analysis of 921 randomly selected clones from the uninfected MEM cDNA library produced approximately 250,000 nucleotides of almost entirely novel sequence data. Searches of the GenBank database with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool provided for identification of 515 unique genes expressed in the MEM and not previously described in chinchillas. In almost all cases, the chinchilla cDNA sequences displayed much greater homology to human or other primate genes than with rodent species. Genes associated with leukotriene metabolism were present in both normal and infected MEM. Based on both phylogenetic comparisons and gene expression similarities with humans, chinchilla MEM appears to be an excellent model for the study of middle ear inflammation and infection. The higher degree of sequence similarity between chinchillas and humans compared to chinchillas and rodents was unexpected. The cDNA libraries from normal and infected chinchilla MEM will serve as useful molecular tools in the study of otitis media and should yield important information with respect to middle ear pathogenesis.

Partial Characterization of Normal and Haemophilus influenzae–Infected Mucosal Complementary DNA Libraries in Chinchilla Middle Ear Mucosa

PubMed Central

Kerschner, Joseph E.; Erdos, Geza; Hu, Fen Ze; Burrows, Amy; Cioffi, Joseph; Khampang, Pawjai; Dahlgren, Margaret; Hayes, Jay; Keefe, Randy; Janto, Benjamin; Post, J. Christopher; Ehrlich, Garth D.

2010-01-01

Objectives We sought to construct and partially characterize complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries prepared from the middle ear mucosa (MEM) of chinchillas to better understand pathogenic aspects of infection and inflammation, particularly with respect to leukotriene biogenesis and response. Methods Chinchilla MEM was harvested from controls and after middle ear inoculation with nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. RNA was extracted to generate cDNA libraries. Randomly selected clones were subjected to sequence analysis to characterize the libraries and to provide DNA sequence for phylogenetic analyses. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction of the RNA pools was used to generate cDNA sequences corresponding to genes associated with leukotriene biosynthesis and metabolism. Results Sequence analysis of 921 randomly selected clones from the uninfected MEM cDNA library produced approximately 250,000 nucleotides of almost entirely novel sequence data. Searches of the GenBank database with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool provided for identification of 515 unique genes expressed in the MEM and not previously described in chinchillas. In almost all cases, the chinchilla cDNA sequences displayed much greater homology to human or other primate genes than with rodent species. Genes associated with leukotriene metabolism were present in both normal and infected MEM. Conclusions Based on both phylogenetic comparisons and gene expression similarities with humans, chinchilla MEM appears to be an excellent model for the study of middle ear inflammation and infection. The higher degree of sequence similarity between chinchillas and humans compared to chinchillas and rodents was unexpected. The cDNA libraries from normal and infected chinchilla MEM will serve as useful molecular tools in the study of otitis media and should yield important information with respect to middle ear pathogenesis. PMID:20433028

Investigating Holocene human population history in North Asia using ancient mitogenomes.

PubMed

Kılınç, Gülşah Merve; Kashuba, Natalija; Yaka, Reyhan; Sümer, Arev Pelin; Yüncü, Eren; Shergin, Dmitrij; Ivanov, Grigorij Leonidovich; Kichigin, Dmitrii; Pestereva, Kjunnej; Volkov, Denis; Mandryka, Pavel; Kharinskii, Artur; Tishkin, Alexey; Ineshin, Evgenij; Kovychev, Evgeniy; Stepanov, Aleksandr; Alekseev, Aanatolij; Fedoseeva, Svetlana Aleksandrovna; Somel, Mehmet; Jakobsson, Mattias; Krzewińska, Maja; Storå, Jan; Götherström, Anders

2018-06-12

Archaeogenomic studies have largely elucidated human population history in West Eurasia during the Stone Age. However, despite being a broad geographical region of significant cultural and linguistic diversity, little is known about the population history in North Asia. We present complete mitochondrial genome sequences together with stable isotope data for 41 serially sampled ancient individuals from North Asia, dated between c.13,790 BP and c.1,380 BP extending from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences and haplogroup data of these individuals revealed the highest genetic affinity to present-day North Asian populations of the same geographical region suggesting a possible long-term maternal genetic continuity in the region. We observed a decrease in genetic diversity over time and a reduction of maternal effective population size (N e ) approximately seven thousand years before present. Coalescent simulations were consistent with genetic continuity between present day individuals and individuals dating to 7,000 BP, 4,800 BP or 3,000 BP. Meanwhile, genetic differences observed between 7,000 BP and 3,000 BP as well as between 4,800 BP and 3,000 BP were inconsistent with genetic drift alone, suggesting gene flow into the region from distant gene pools or structure within the population. These results indicate that despite some level of continuity between ancient groups and present-day populations, the region exhibits a complex demographic history during the Holocene.

Upper Palaeolithic ritualistic cannibalism at Gough's Cave (Somerset, UK): The human remains from head to toe.

PubMed

Bello, Silvia M; Saladié, Palmira; Cáceres, Isabel; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Antonio; Parfitt, Simon A

2015-05-01

A recurring theme of late Upper Palaeolithic Magdalenian human bone assemblages is the remarkable rarity of primary burials and the common occurrence of highly-fragmentary human remains mixed with occupation waste at many sites. One of the most extensive Magdalenian human bone assemblages comes from Gough's Cave, a sizeable limestone cave set in Cheddar Gorge (Somerset), UK. After its discovery in the 1880s, the site was developed as a show cave and largely emptied of sediment, at times with minimal archaeological supervision. Some of the last surviving remnants of sediment within the cave were excavated between 1986 and 1992. The excavations uncovered intensively-processed human bones intermingled with abundant butchered large mammal remains and a diverse range of flint, bone, antler, and ivory artefacts. New ultrafiltrated radiocarbon determinations demonstrate that the Upper Palaeolithic human remains were deposited over a very short period of time, possibly during a series of seasonal occupations, about 14,700 years BP (before present). The human remains have been the subject of several taphonomic studies, culminating in a detailed reanalysis of the cranial remains that showed they had been carefully modified to make skull-cups. Our present analysis of the postcrania has identified a far greater degree of human modification than recorded in earlier studies. We identify extensive evidence for defleshing, disarticulation, chewing, crushing of spongy bone, and the cracking of bones to extract marrow. The presence of human tooth marks on many of the postcranial bones provides incontrovertible evidence for cannibalism. In a wider context, the treatment of the human corpses and the manufacture and use of skull-cups at Gough Cave have parallels with other Magdalenian sites in central and western Europe. This suggests that cannibalism during the Magdalenian was part of a customary mortuary practice that combined intensive processing and consumption of the bodies with ritual use of skull-cups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variability in Early Ahmarian lithic technology and its implications for the model of a Levantine origin of the Protoaurignacian.

PubMed

Kadowaki, Seiji; Omori, Takayuki; Nishiaki, Yoshihiro

2015-05-01

This paper re-examines lithic technological variability of the Early Ahmarian, one of the early Upper Palaeolithic cultural entities in the Levant, which has often been regarded as a precursor of the Protoaurignacian (the early Upper Palaeolithic in Europe) in arguments for the occurrence of a cultural spread in association with the dispersal of Homo sapiens from the Levant to Europe. Using quantitative data on several lithic techno-typological attributes, we demonstrate that there is a significant degree of variability in the Early Ahmarian between the northern and southern Levant, as previously pointed out by several researchers. In addition, we suggest that the technology similar to the southern Early Ahmarian also existed in the northern Levant, i.e., the Ksar Akil Phase 4 group (the KA 4 group), by introducing new Upper Palaeolithic assemblages from Wadi Kharar 16R, inland Syria. We then review currently available stratigraphic records and radiocarbon dates (including a new date from Wadi Kharar 16R), with special attention to their methodological background. As a result, we propose alternative chronological scenarios, including one that postulates that the southern Early Ahmarian and the KA 4 group appeared later than the northern Early Ahmarian with little or no overlap. On the basis of the alternative scenarios of chronological/geographical patterns of the Early Ahmarian variability, we propose four possible relationships between the Protoaurignacian and the Early Ahmarian, including a new scenario that the appearance of the Protoaurignacian preceded those of similar technological entities in the Levant, i.e., the southern Early Ahmarian and the KA 4 group. If the last hypothesis is substantiated, it requires us to reconsider the model of a Levantine origin of the Protoaurignacian and its palaeoanthropological implications. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Barium distributions in teeth reveal early life dietary transitions in primates

PubMed Central

Austin, Christine; Smith, Tanya M.; Bradman, Asa; Hinde, Katie; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Bishop, David; Hare, Dominic J.; Doble, Philip; Eskenazi, Brenda; Arora, Manish

2013-01-01

Early life dietary transitions reflect fundamental aspects of primate evolution and are important determinants of health in contemporary human populations1,2. Weaning is critical to developmental and reproductive rates; early weaning can have detrimental health effects but enables shorter inter-birth intervals, which influences population growth3. Uncovering early life dietary history in fossils is hampered by the absence of prospectively-validated biomarkers that are not modified during fossilisation4. Here we show that major dietary shifts in early life manifest as compositional variations in dental tissues. Teeth from human children and captive macaques, with prospectively-recorded diet histories, demonstrate that barium (Ba) distributions accurately reflect dietary transitions from the introduction of mother’s milk and through the weaning process. We also document transitions in a Middle Palaeolithic juvenile Neanderthal, which shows a pattern of exclusive breastfeeding for seven months, followed by seven months of supplementation. After this point, Ba levels in enamel returned to baseline prenatal levels, suggesting an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding at 1.2 years of age. Integration of Ba spatial distributions and histological mapping of tooth formation enables novel studies of the evolution of human life history, dietary ontogeny in wild primates, and human health investigations through accurate reconstructions of breastfeeding history. PMID:23698370

Reconstructing the plinian and co-ignimbrite sources of large volcanic eruptions: A novel approach for the Campanian Ignimbrite

PubMed Central

Marti, Alejandro; Folch, Arnau; Costa, Antonio; Engwell, Samantha

2016-01-01

The 39 ka Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption was the largest volcanic eruption of the past 200 ka in Europe. Tephra deposits indicate two distinct plume forming phases, Plinian and co-ignimbrite, characteristic of many caldera-forming eruptions. Previous numerical studies have characterized the eruption as a single-phase event, potentially leading to inaccurate assessment of eruption dynamics. To reconstruct the volume, intensity, and duration of the tephra dispersal, we applied a computational inversion method that explicitly accounts for the Plinian and co-ignimbrite phases and for gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud. To verify the consistency of our results, we performed an additional single-phase inversion using an independent thickness dataset. Our better-fitting two-phase model suggests a higher mass eruption rate than previous studies, and estimates that 3/4 of the total fallout volume is co-ignimbrite in origin. Gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud dominates tephra transport only within the first hundred kilometres due to strong stratospheric winds in our best-fit wind model. Finally, tephra fallout impacts would have interrupted the westward migration of modern hominid groups in Europe, possibly supporting the hypothesis of prolonged Neanderthal survival in South-Western Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. PMID:26883449

Reconstructing the plinian and co-ignimbrite sources of large volcanic eruptions: A novel approach for the Campanian Ignimbrite.

PubMed

Marti, Alejandro; Folch, Arnau; Costa, Antonio; Engwell, Samantha

2016-02-17

The 39 ka Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption was the largest volcanic eruption of the past 200 ka in Europe. Tephra deposits indicate two distinct plume forming phases, Plinian and co-ignimbrite, characteristic of many caldera-forming eruptions. Previous numerical studies have characterized the eruption as a single-phase event, potentially leading to inaccurate assessment of eruption dynamics. To reconstruct the volume, intensity, and duration of the tephra dispersal, we applied a computational inversion method that explicitly accounts for the Plinian and co-ignimbrite phases and for gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud. To verify the consistency of our results, we performed an additional single-phase inversion using an independent thickness dataset. Our better-fitting two-phase model suggests a higher mass eruption rate than previous studies, and estimates that 3/4 of the total fallout volume is co-ignimbrite in origin. Gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud dominates tephra transport only within the first hundred kilometres due to strong stratospheric winds in our best-fit wind model. Finally, tephra fallout impacts would have interrupted the westward migration of modern hominid groups in Europe, possibly supporting the hypothesis of prolonged Neanderthal survival in South-Western Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.

From Mythological Ages to Anthropocene: Nature and Human Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakar, Halide Gamze Ince

2018-01-01

Ecological problems are some of the most important items on the agenda of humanity in the 21st century. Adding spiritual depth, ethical point of view and basic human traditions to the contribution that human beings provide to ecological problems through intellect will provide realistic and lasting results. In the Palaeolithic Age, where man is…

Biostratigraphic sequence analysis of two Lower Miocene to Pliocene sections, Eastern Falcon, Northwestern Venezuela

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diaz De Gamero, M.L.; Giffuni, G.; Castro Mora, M.

1993-02-01

The eastern region of the Falcon Basin in northwestern Venezuela comprises a thick sedimentary sequence deposited from a deep marine bathyal to neritic environment, ranging in age from the Middle Eocene to the Pliocene. A detailed biostratigraphic study (foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton) was carried out in two sedimentary sequences outcropping in Cumarebo and Piritu, adjacent areas of eastern Falcon, representing: platform, slope and basinal settings. The Cumarebo section is continuous in the studied interval, from the Middle Miocene to the Pliocene. The Piritu section is continuous from the Lower to the lower Upper Miocene, terminating unconformably beneath a thin intervalmore » of middle Pliocene platform sediments, indicating tectonism during the latest Miocene. The sequence stratigraphical interpretation was based on the biostratigraphic analysis of the benthic and planktonic fossils, facies distribution and sedimentological data. Systems tracts, sequence boundaries and maximum flooding surfaces from cycles TB2.4 to TB3.5 of the cycle chart were identified. In the Cumarebo section, the upper Middle and Upper Miocene is mostly composed of shales, with some turbiditic sands belonging to a LSW system tract. The upper most Miocene contains a thick carbonate buildup (HST), and it is overlain by a Pliocene section that shallows upward from upper slope to outer shelf depositional environments. In the basinal (Piritu) section, most of the sediments are deep-water shales belonging to a LSW system tract, with some turbiditic sands in the upper Lower Miocene. TST and HST sediments, with scattered carbonate buildups in the upper Middle Miocene were also identified.« less

Analysis of middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity in monochorionic twin pregnancies as a method for identifying spontaneous twin anaemia-polycythaemia sequence.

PubMed

Sainz, José A; Romero, Cristina; García-Mejido, José; Soto, Fátima; Turmo, Enriqueta

2014-07-01

A regular Doppler control evaluation of middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity is needed in order to identify twin anaemia polycythaemia sequence in monochorionic twin pregnancies. Here, we present a clinical case of spontaneous TAPS, and we review the diagnostic criteria and management strategies for this syndrome.

High-precision 14C and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Campanian Ignimbrite (Y-5) reconciles the time-scales of climatic-cultural processes at 40 ka.

PubMed

Giaccio, Biagio; Hajdas, Irka; Isaia, Roberto; Deino, Alan; Nomade, Sebastien

2017-04-06

The Late Pleistocene Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption (Southern Italy) is the largest known volcanic event in the Mediterranean area. The CI tephra is widely dispersed through western Eurasia and occurs in close stratigraphic association with significant palaeoclimatic and Palaeolithic cultural events. Here we present new high-precision 14 C (34.29 ± 0.09 14 C kyr BP, 1σ) and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar (39.85 ± 0.14 ka, 95% confidence level) dating results for the age of the CI eruption, which substantially improve upon or augment previous age determinations and permit fuller exploitation of the chronological potential of the CI tephra marker. These results provide a robust pair of 14 C and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages for refining both the radiocarbon calibration curve and the Late Pleistocene time-scale at ca. 40 ka. In addition, these new age constraints provide compelling chronological evidence for the significance of the combined influence of the CI eruption and Heinrich Event 4 on European climate and potentially evolutionary processes of the Early Upper Palaeolithic.

A Unique Collection of Palaeolithic Painted Portable Art: Characterization of Red and Yellow Pigments from the Parpalló Cave (Spain)

PubMed Central

Villaverde Bonilla, Valentín; Ródenas Marín, Isabel; Murcia Mascarós, Sonia

2016-01-01

In this work we analyze the pigments used in the decoration of red and yellow motifs present in the portable art of the Parpalló Cave (Gandía, Spain), one of the most important Palaeolithic sites in the Spanish Mediterranean region. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) and spectrophotometry in the visible region (CIEL*a*b*color coordinates and spectral reflectance curves) were used to perform in situ fast analyses of the red and yellow motifs with portable equipment and to characterize their elemental composition and their colorimetric perception, respectively. According to the elemental composition, the intensity of the fluorescence iron signals in red and yellow motifs are higher than average values in the rock substrates. As expected, red motifs possess high values of the chromatic coordinate a* and yellow motifs possess high values of b*. This characterization was complemented with FT-IR analyses of microsamples detached from the red and yellow colored zones of a small set of plaquettes. Our results show that the artists used red and yellow pigments in the decoration likely derived from natural iron oxides as hematite and goethite. PMID:27732605

Adaptation and niche construction in human prehistory: a case study from the southern Scandinavian Late Glacial

PubMed Central

Riede, Felix

2011-01-01

The niche construction model postulates that human bio-social evolution is composed of three inheritance domains, genetic, cultural and ecological, linked by feedback selection. This paper argues that many kinds of archaeological data can serve as proxies for human niche construction processes, and presents a method for investigating specific niche construction hypotheses. To illustrate this method, the repeated emergence of specialized reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) hunting/herding economies during the Late Palaeolithic (ca 14.7–11.5 kyr BP) in southern Scandinavia is analysed from a niche construction/triple-inheritance perspective. This economic relationship resulted in the eventual domestication of Rangifer. The hypothesis of whether domestication was achieved as early as the Late Palaeolithic, and whether this required the use of domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) as hunting, herding or transport aids, is tested via a comparative analysis using material culture-based phylogenies and ecological datasets in relation to demographic/genetic proxies. Only weak evidence for sustained niche construction behaviours by prehistoric hunter–gatherer in southern Scandinavia is found, but this study nonetheless provides interesting insights into the likely processes of dog and reindeer domestication, and into processes of adaptation in Late Glacial foragers. PMID:21320895

High-precision 14C and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Campanian Ignimbrite (Y-5) reconciles the time-scales of climatic-cultural processes at 40 ka

PubMed Central

Giaccio, Biagio; Hajdas, Irka; Isaia, Roberto; Deino, Alan; Nomade, Sebastien

2017-01-01

The Late Pleistocene Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption (Southern Italy) is the largest known volcanic event in the Mediterranean area. The CI tephra is widely dispersed through western Eurasia and occurs in close stratigraphic association with significant palaeoclimatic and Palaeolithic cultural events. Here we present new high-precision 14C (34.29 ± 0.09 14C kyr BP, 1σ) and 40Ar/39Ar (39.85 ± 0.14 ka, 95% confidence level) dating results for the age of the CI eruption, which substantially improve upon or augment previous age determinations and permit fuller exploitation of the chronological potential of the CI tephra marker. These results provide a robust pair of 14C and 40Ar/39Ar ages for refining both the radiocarbon calibration curve and the Late Pleistocene time-scale at ca. 40 ka. In addition, these new age constraints provide compelling chronological evidence for the significance of the combined influence of the CI eruption and Heinrich Event 4 on European climate and potentially evolutionary processes of the Early Upper Palaeolithic. PMID:28383570

Palaeolithic landscapes of Europe and environs, 150,000-25,000 years ago: An overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Andel, T. H.; Tzedakis, P. C.

When considering the evolution and migrations of Neandertalers and early modem human beings, the harsh conditions of the last glacial maximum are often implicitly or explicitly assumed as their environmental background. This perception is false: the conditions of the high glacial apply to a small fraction of late Pleistocene time. Here we review the palaeoenvironmental history of Europe from 150,000 to 25,000 years ago with the aid of data from long cores of ice and marine and continental sediments. The results are displayed in four sketch maps that illustrate the landscapes of an interglacial-glacial cycle. The maps, connected by palaeoenvironmental histories, show that especially between 60,000 and 25,000 years ago, a critical part of the Palaeolithic, the glacial landscapes were for much of the time less barren than is generally assumed, but numerous climate changes on a scale of several millennia are evident, placing a premium on accurate dating of the co-evolution of humans and landscape. Moreover, during the glacial interval abrupt climatic changes lasting from a century to a few millennia were common. Their importance for landscape changes and their impact on human activity remain to be ascertained.

Adaptation and niche construction in human prehistory: a case study from the southern Scandinavian Late Glacial.

PubMed

Riede, Felix

2011-03-27

The niche construction model postulates that human bio-social evolution is composed of three inheritance domains, genetic, cultural and ecological, linked by feedback selection. This paper argues that many kinds of archaeological data can serve as proxies for human niche construction processes, and presents a method for investigating specific niche construction hypotheses. To illustrate this method, the repeated emergence of specialized reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) hunting/herding economies during the Late Palaeolithic (ca 14.7-11.5 kyr BP) in southern Scandinavia is analysed from a niche construction/triple-inheritance perspective. This economic relationship resulted in the eventual domestication of Rangifer. The hypothesis of whether domestication was achieved as early as the Late Palaeolithic, and whether this required the use of domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) as hunting, herding or transport aids, is tested via a comparative analysis using material culture-based phylogenies and ecological datasets in relation to demographic/genetic proxies. Only weak evidence for sustained niche construction behaviours by prehistoric hunter-gatherer in southern Scandinavia is found, but this study nonetheless provides interesting insights into the likely processes of dog and reindeer domestication, and into processes of adaptation in Late Glacial foragers.

A Unique Collection of Palaeolithic Painted Portable Art: Characterization of Red and Yellow Pigments from the Parpalló Cave (Spain).

PubMed

Roldán García, Clodoaldo; Villaverde Bonilla, Valentín; Ródenas Marín, Isabel; Murcia Mascarós, Sonia

2016-01-01

In this work we analyze the pigments used in the decoration of red and yellow motifs present in the portable art of the Parpalló Cave (Gandía, Spain), one of the most important Palaeolithic sites in the Spanish Mediterranean region. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) and spectrophotometry in the visible region (CIEL*a*b*color coordinates and spectral reflectance curves) were used to perform in situ fast analyses of the red and yellow motifs with portable equipment and to characterize their elemental composition and their colorimetric perception, respectively. According to the elemental composition, the intensity of the fluorescence iron signals in red and yellow motifs are higher than average values in the rock substrates. As expected, red motifs possess high values of the chromatic coordinate a* and yellow motifs possess high values of b*. This characterization was complemented with FT-IR analyses of microsamples detached from the red and yellow colored zones of a small set of plaquettes. Our results show that the artists used red and yellow pigments in the decoration likely derived from natural iron oxides as hematite and goethite.

Hominin responses to environmental changes during the Middle Pleistocene in central and southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orain, R.; Lebreton, V.; Russo Ermolli, E.; Sémah, A.-M.; Nomade, S.; Shao, Q.; Bahain, J.-J.; Thun Hohenstein, U.; Peretto, C.

2013-03-01

The palaeobotanical record of early Palaeolithic sites from Western Europe indicates that hominins settled in different kinds of environments. During the "mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT)", from about 1 to 0.6 Ma, the transition from 41- to 100-ka dominant climatic oscillations, occurring within a long-term cooling trend, was associated with an aridity crisis which strongly modified the ecosystems. Starting from the MPT the more favourable climate of central and southern Italy provided propitious environmental conditions for long-term human occupations even during the glacial times. In fact, the human strategy of territory occupation was certainly driven by the availabilities of resources. Prehistoric sites such as Notarchirico (ca. 680-600 ka), La Pineta (ca. 600-620 ka), Guado San Nicola (ca. 380-350 ka) or Ceprano (ca. 345-355 ka) testify to a preferential occupation of the central and southern Apennines valleys during interglacial phases, while later interglacial occupations were oriented towards the coastal plains, as attested by the numerous settlements of the Roma Basin (ca. 300 ka). Faunal remains indicate that human subsistence behaviours benefited from a diversity of exploitable ecosystems, from semi-open to closed environments. In central and southern Italy, several palynological records have already illustrated the regional- and local-scale vegetation dynamic trends. During the Middle Pleistocene climate cycles, mixed mesophytic forests developed during the interglacial periods and withdrew in response to increasing aridity during the glacial episodes. New pollen data from the Boiano Basin (Molise, Italy) attest to the evolution of vegetation and climate between MIS 13 and 9 (ca. 500 to 300 ka). In this basin the persistence of high edaphic humidity, even during the glacial phases, could have favoured the establishment of a refuge area for the arboreal flora and provided subsistence resources for the animal and hominin communities during the Middle Pleistocene. This could have constrained human groups to migrate into such a propitious area. Regarding the local climate evolution during the glacial episodes, the supposed displacement from these sites could be linked to the environmental dynamics solely due to the aridity increase, rather than directly to the global climate changes.

Hominin responses to environmental changes during the Middle Pleistocene in Central and Southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orain, R.; Lebreton, V.; Russo Ermolli, E.; Sémah, A.-M.; Nomade, S.; Shao, Q.; Bahain, J.-J.; Thun Hohenstein, U.; Peretto, C.

2012-10-01

The palaeobotanical record of early Palaeolithic sites from Western Europe indicates that hominins settled in different kinds of environments. During the "Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT)", from about 1 to 0.6 Ma, the transition from 41-ka to 100-ka dominant climatic oscillations, occurring within a long-term cooling trend, was associated with an aridity crisis which strongly modified the ecosystems. Starting from the MPT the more favorable climate of central and southern Italy provided propitious environmental conditions for long-term human occupations even during the glacial times. In fact, the human strategy of territory occupation was certainly driven by the availabilities of resources. Prehistoric sites such as Notarchirico (ca. 680-600 ka), La Pineta (ca. 600-620 ka), Gaudo San Nicola (ca. 380-350 ka) or Ceprano (ca. 345-355 ka) testify to a preferential occupation of the central and southern Apennines valleys during interglacial phases, while later interglacial occupations were oriented towards the coastal plains, as attested by the numerous settlements of the Roma basin (ca. 300 ka). Faunal remains indicate that human subsistence behaviors benefited of a diversity of exploitable ecosystems, from semi-open to closed environments. In central and southern Italy, several palynological records have already illustrated the regional and local scale vegetation dynamic trends. During the Middle Pleistocene climate cycles, mixed mesophytic forests developed during the interglacial periods and withdrew in response to increasing aridity during the glacial episodes. New pollen data from the Boiano basin (Molise, Italy), attest to the evolution of vegetation and climate between OIS 13 and 9 (ca. 500 to 300 ka). In this basin, the persistence of high edaphic humidity, even during the glacial phases, could have favored the establishment of a refuge area for the arboreal flora and provided subsistence resources for the animal and hominin communities during the Middle Pleistocene. This could have constrained human groups to migrate into such a propitious area. Regarding to the local climate evolution during the glacial episodes, the supposed displacement from these sites could be linked to the environmental dynamics solely due to the aridity increase rather than directly to the global climate changes.

Identification of Actinomyces meyeri actinomycosis in middle ear and mastoid by 16S rRNA analysis.

PubMed

Kakuta, Risako; Hidaka, Hiroshi; Yano, Hisakazu; Miyazaki, Hiromitsu; Suzaki, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Yasuhiro; Kanamori, Hajime; Endo, Shiro; Hirakata, Yoichi; Kaku, Mitsuo; Kobayashi, Toshimitsu

2013-08-01

Actinomycosis of the middle ear and mastoid is extremely rare. Here, we report a unique case of actinomycosis of the middle ear and mastoid caused by Actinomyces meyeri diagnosed by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.

Metre-scale cyclicity in Middle Eocene platform carbonates in northern Egypt: Implications for facies development and sequence stratigraphy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawfik, Mohamed; El-Sorogy, Abdelbaset; Moussa, Mahmoud

2016-07-01

The shallow-water carbonates of the Middle Eocene in northern Egypt represent a Tethyan reef-rimmed carbonate platform with bedded inner-platform facies. Based on extensive micro- and biofacies documentation, five lithofacies associations were defined and their respective depositional environments were interpreted. Investigated sections were subdivided into three third-order sequences, named S1, S2 and S3. Sequence S1 is interpreted to correspond to the Lutetian, S2 corresponds to the Late Lutetian and Early Bartonian, and S3 represents the Late Bartonian. Each of the three sequences was further subdivided into fourth-order cycle sets and fifth-order cycles. The complete hierarchy of cycles can be correlated along 190 km across the study area, and highlighting a general "layer-cake" stratigraphic architecture. The documentation of the studied outcrops may contribute to the better regional understanding of the Middle Eocene formations in northern Egypt and to Tethyan pericratonic carbonate models in general.

Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Program on the Mathematics Achievement of Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sample McMeeking, Laura B.; Orsi, Rebecca; Cobb, R. Brian

2012-01-01

The effect of a 15- to 24-month in-service professional development (PD) program on state accountability mathematics test scores for middle school students was examined using a quasi-experimental design. Middle level mathematics teachers (n = 128) from 7 school districts and 64 middle schools volunteered for a PD sequence of content-oriented…

Sequence stratigraphy of an Oligocene carbonate shelf, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saller, A.; Armin, R.; Ichram, L.O.

1991-03-01

Interpretations of Oligocene shelfal limestones from Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, suggest caution in predicting sea-level lowstands from seismic reflector patterns or published sea-level curves. Three major depositional sequences, each 200-400 m thick, were delineated in outcrops and seismic lines: late Eocene to early Oligocene (34-38 Ma), middle Oligocene (29.7-32 Ma), and early late Oligocene (28-29.7 Ma). The lowest sequence is mainly shale with tin sandstones and limestones (large-foram wackestone). The middle and upper sequences are carbonate with transgressive systems tracts (TSTs) overlain by highstand systems tracts (HSTs). TSTs contain large-foram wackestone-packstones and coral wackestone-packstones. HSTs are characterized by (1) shale andmore » carbonate debris flows deposited on the lower slope, (2) argillaceous large-foram wackestones on the upper slope, (3) discontinuous coral wackestones and boundstones on the shelf margin, (4) bioclastic packstones and grainstones on backreef flats and shelf-margin shoals, and (5) branching-coral and foraminiferal wackestones in the lagoon. Bases of sequences are characterized by transgression and onlap. Deepending and/or drowning of the carbonate shelf occurred at the top of the middle and upper sequences. Basinal strata that apparently onlap the middle and upper carbonate shelf margins might be misinterpreted as lowstand deposits, although regional studies indicate they are prodelta sediments baselapping against the shelf. Shallowing the subaerial exposure of the carbonates might be expected during the large mid-Oligocene (29.5-30 Ma) sea-level drop of Haq et al. (1987), instead of the observed deepening and local drowning.« less

A middle Pleistocene through middle Miocene moraine sequence in the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balter, A.; Bromley, G. R.; Balco, G.; Thomas, H.; Jackson, M. S.

2017-12-01

Ice-free areas at high elevation in the central Transantarctic Mountains preserve extensive moraine sequences and drift deposits that comprise a geologic record of former East Antarctic Ice Sheet thickness and extent. We are applying cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating to determine the ages of these moraine sequences at Roberts Massif and Otway Massif, at the heads of the Shackleton and Beardmore Glaciers, respectively. Moraines at these sites are for the most part openwork boulder belts characteristic of deposition by cold-based ice, which is consistent with present climate and glaciological conditions. To develop our chronology, we collected samples from 30 distinct ice-marginal landforms and have so far measured >100 3He, 10Be, and 21Ne exposure ages. Apparent exposure ages range from 1-14 Ma, which shows that these landforms record glacial events between the middle Pleistocene and middle Miocene. These data show that the thickness of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in this region was similar to or thicker than present for long periods between the middle Miocene and today. The time range represented by these moraine sequences indicates that they may also provide direct geologic evidence for East Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior during past periods of warmer-than-present climate, specifically the Miocene and Pliocene. As the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest ice sheet on earth, understanding its sensitivity to warm-climate conditions is critical for projections of ice sheet behavior and sea-level rise in future warm climates.

Comparative effects of different dietary approaches on blood pressure in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Schwingshackl, Lukas; Chaimani, Anna; Schwedhelm, Carolina; Toledo, Estefania; Pünsch, Marina; Hoffmann, Georg; Boeing, Heiner

2018-05-02

Pairwise meta-analyses have shown beneficial effects of individual dietary approaches on blood pressure but their comparative effects have not been established. Therefore we performed a systematic review of different dietary intervention trials and estimated the aggregate blood pressure effects through network meta-analysis including hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients. PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google Scholar were searched until June 2017. The inclusion criteria were defined as follows: i) Randomized trial with a dietary approach; ii) hypertensive and pre-hypertensive adult patients; and iii) minimum intervention period of 12 weeks. In order to determine the pooled effect of each intervention relative to each of the other intervention for both diastolic and systolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), random effects network meta-analysis was performed. A total of 67 trials comparing 13 dietary approaches (DASH, low-fat, moderate-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, Palaeolithic, vegetarian, low-GI/GL, low-sodium, Nordic, Tibetan, and control) enrolling 17,230 participants were included. In the network meta-analysis, the DASH, Mediterranean, low-carbohydrate, Palaeolithic, high-protein, low-glycaemic index, low-sodium, and low-fat dietary approaches were significantly more effective in reducing SBP (-8.73 to -2.32 mmHg) and DBP (-4.85 to -1.27 mmHg) compared to a control diet. According to the SUCRAs, the DASH diet was ranked the most effective dietary approach in reducing SBP (90%) and DBP (91%), followed by the Palaeolithic, and the low-carbohydrate diet (ranked 3rd for SBP) or the Mediterranean diet (ranked 3rd for DBP). For most comparisons, the credibility of evidence was rated very low to moderate, with the exception for the DASH vs. the low-fat dietary approach for which the quality of evidence was rated high. The present network meta-analysis suggests that the DASH dietary approach might be the most effective dietary measure to reduce blood pressure among hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients based on high quality evidence.

On the edge of language acquisition: inherent constraints on encoding multisyllabic sequences in the neonate brain.

PubMed

Ferry, Alissa L; Fló, Ana; Brusini, Perrine; Cattarossi, Luigi; Macagno, Francesco; Nespor, Marina; Mehler, Jacques

2016-05-01

To understand language, humans must encode information from rapid, sequential streams of syllables - tracking their order and organizing them into words, phrases, and sentences. We used Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine whether human neonates are born with the capacity to track the positions of syllables in multisyllabic sequences. After familiarization with a six-syllable sequence, the neonate brain responded to the change (as shown by an increase in oxy-hemoglobin) when the two edge syllables switched positions but not when two middle syllables switched positions (Experiment 1), indicating that they encoded the syllables at the edges of sequences better than those in the middle. Moreover, when a 25 ms pause was inserted between the middle syllables as a segmentation cue, neonates' brains were sensitive to the change (Experiment 2), indicating that subtle cues in speech can signal a boundary, with enhanced encoding of the syllables located at the edges of that boundary. These findings suggest that neonates' brains can encode information from multisyllabic sequences and that this encoding is constrained. Moreover, subtle segmentation cues in a sequence of syllables provide a mechanism with which to accurately encode positional information from longer sequences. Tracking the order of syllables is necessary to understand language and our results suggest that the foundations for this encoding are present at birth. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Direct radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses on the purported Neanderthal mandible from the Monti Lessini (Italy).

PubMed

Talamo, Sahra; Hajdinjak, Mateja; Mannino, Marcello A; Fasani, Leone; Welker, Frido; Martini, Fabio; Romagnoli, Francesca; Zorzin, Roberto; Meyer, Matthias; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2016-07-08

Anatomically modern humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe around 40,000 years ago. The demise of the Neanderthals and the nature of the possible relationship with anatomically modern humans has captured our imagination and stimulated research for more than a century now. Recent chronological studies suggest a possible overlap between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans of more than 5,000 years. Analyses of ancient genome sequences from both groups have shown that they interbred multiple times, including in Europe. A potential place of interbreeding is the notable Palaeolithic site of Riparo Mezzena in Northern Italy. In order to improve our understanding of prehistoric occupation at Mezzena, we analysed the human mandible and several cranial fragments from the site using radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA, ZooMS and isotope analyses. We also performed a more detailed investigation of the lithic assemblage of layer I. Surprisingly we found that the Riparo Mezzena mandible is not from a Neanderthal but belonged to an anatomically modern human. Furthermore, we found no evidence for the presence of Neanderthal remains among 11 of the 13 cranial and post-cranial fragments re-investigated in this study.

Direct radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses on the purported Neanderthal mandible from the Monti Lessini (Italy)

PubMed Central

Talamo, Sahra; Hajdinjak, Mateja; Mannino, Marcello A.; Fasani, Leone; Welker, Frido; Martini, Fabio; Romagnoli, Francesca; Zorzin, Roberto; Meyer, Matthias; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2016-01-01

Anatomically modern humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe around 40,000 years ago. The demise of the Neanderthals and the nature of the possible relationship with anatomically modern humans has captured our imagination and stimulated research for more than a century now. Recent chronological studies suggest a possible overlap between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans of more than 5,000 years. Analyses of ancient genome sequences from both groups have shown that they interbred multiple times, including in Europe. A potential place of interbreeding is the notable Palaeolithic site of Riparo Mezzena in Northern Italy. In order to improve our understanding of prehistoric occupation at Mezzena, we analysed the human mandible and several cranial fragments from the site using radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA, ZooMS and isotope analyses. We also performed a more detailed investigation of the lithic assemblage of layer I. Surprisingly we found that the Riparo Mezzena mandible is not from a Neanderthal but belonged to an anatomically modern human. Furthermore, we found no evidence for the presence of Neanderthal remains among 11 of the 13 cranial and post-cranial fragments re-investigated in this study. PMID:27389305

Miocene and Pliocene lacustrine and fluvial sequences, Upper Ramparts and Canyon village, Porcupine river, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fouch, T.D.; Carter, L.D.; Kunk, Michael J.; Smith, C.A.S.; White, J.M.

1994-01-01

Cenozoic strata exposed along the Porcupine River between the Upper Ramparts and Canyon Village, Alaska, can be divided into five unconformity-bounded units (sequences) which are: lower and middle Miocene unit A, the white sandy fluvial sequence with peat beds; middle Miocene unit B, the basalt sequence-part B1 is basalt, and part B2 is organic-rich sedimentary beds; upper Miocene unit C, mudrock-dominated lake sequence; late Miocene or Pliocene to Pleistocene unit D, terrace gravels, detrital organic matter and associated sediments, and Holocene unit E, mixed sand and gravel-rich sediment and other sedimentary material including peat and eolian silt. The sequence (unit A) of lower and middle Miocene fluvial deposits formed in streams and on flood plains, just before the inception of local volanism. Fossil pollen from unit A suggests conifer-dominated regional forests and cool temperate climates. Peat beds and lake deposits from unit B contain pollen that indicates a warmer temperate climate coinciding with the middle Miocene thermal maximum. The lake deposits (unit C) downstream from the basalts accumulated in a small basin which resulted from a hydrologic system that was dammed in the late Miocene but breached soon thereafter. The lower part of the terrace gravels (unit D) expresses breaching of the dammed hydrologic system (of unit C). The Porcupine River became a major tributary of the Yukon River in late Pleistocene time when Laurentide ice blocked drainage from the Yukon interior basins causing meltwater to spill over the low divide separating it from the Porcupine River drainage initiating erosion and capture of the Yukon interior basins. ?? 1994.

Earliest evidence of dental caries manipulation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic

PubMed Central

Oxilia, Gregorio; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Matteucci, Chiara; Spiteri, Cynthianne Debono; Henry, Amanda G.; Schulz, Dieter; Archer, Will; Crezzini, Jacopo; Boschin, Francesco; Boscato, Paolo; Jaouen, Klervia; Dogandzic, Tamara; Broglio, Alberto; Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo; Fiorenza, Luca; Hublin, Jean-Jacques; Kullmer, Ottmar; Benazzi, Stefano

2015-01-01

Prehistoric dental treatments were extremely rare, and the few documented cases are known from the Neolithic, when the adoption of early farming culture caused an increase of carious lesions. Here we report the earliest evidence of dental caries intervention on a Late Upper Palaeolithic modern human specimen (Villabruna) from a burial in Northern Italy. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy we show the presence of striations deriving from the manipulation of a large occlusal carious cavity of the lower right third molar. The striations have a “V”-shaped transverse section and several parallel micro-scratches at their base, as typically displayed by cutmarks on teeth. Based on in vitro experimental replication and a complete functional reconstruction of the Villabruna dental arches, we confirm that the identified striations and the associated extensive enamel chipping on the mesial wall of the cavity were produced ante-mortem by pointed flint tools during scratching and levering activities. The Villabruna specimen is therefore the oldest known evidence of dental caries intervention, suggesting at least some knowledge of disease treatment well before the Neolithic. This study suggests that primitive forms of carious treatment in human evolution entail an adaptation of the well-known toothpicking for levering and scratching rather than drilling practices. PMID:26179739

Impact of the German Harz Mountain Weichselian ice-shield and valley glacier development onto Palaeolithic and megafauna disappearances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diedrich, C.

2013-12-01

Three Pleistocene stages are recorded by 3D Google-Earth geomorphology, cave sediments, river terraces, megafauna, archaeological sites of the Harz Mountain Range and its forelands of northern Germany (central Europe, peak 1141 a.s.l.). Late Pleistocene glaciation stages are modeled preliminary in valley elevations between 407 and 760 a.s.l., starting all southeast below the Brocken Ice Field (above 750 a.s.l.). The 14-11 km long Oder and Bode Valley glaciers left typical moraines, kames, or dead ice depressions, such as fluvial cave relic sediments. The Bode River glacier passed during the LGM the Rübeland Caves, where it deposited reworked kames/lateral moraines in the Baumann's Cave, which floods mixed a Neanderthal camp, leopard lair and cave bear den area. 60 km downstream, fluvial to aeolian deposits were trapped in the gypsum karst doline Westeregeln (Neanderthal camp/hyena den). Late Aurignacians replaced in the region Neanderthals, but a gap of Late Palaeolithic (Gravettian-Magdalenian - 26,000-16,000 BP) settlement, and latest starting speleothem genesis (around 24,260 ± 568 BP) correlate to the LGM, when an "arctic reindeer fauna" with alpine elements (ibex, chamois) accumulated in bone assemblages of a wolverine, polar fox, mustelid, such as European eagle owl dens, which allow landscape reconstructions.

Understanding the unique flowering sequence in Dipsacus fullonum: Evidence from geometrical changes during head development

PubMed Central

Naghiloo, Somayeh; Claßen-Bockhoff, Regine

2017-01-01

The genus Dipsacus is characterized by a remarkable bidirectional flowering sequence and a rare phyllotactic pattern. Considering that flower initiation and flowering sequence may be interconnected, we document the development of the head meristem in Dipsacus fullonum. Our results indicate a gradual change in the geometry of the head meristem beginning with a dome shaped stage, continuing with a remarkable widening in the middle part of the head meristem and ending in a spindle-like form. Quantitative data confirm that meristem expansion is higher in the middle part than at the base of the meristem. Likewise, the size of the flower primordia in the middle part of the young head is significantly larger than at the base soon after initiation. We conclude that the change in the geometry of the meristem and the availability of newly generated space result in the promotion of the middle flowers and the bidirectional flowering sequence at anthesis. Our investigation on phyllotactic patterns reveals a high tendency (30%) of the head meristem to insert or lose parastichies. This finding can also be attributed to changes in the expansion rate of the meristem. Dependent on the spatio-temporal relation between meristem expansion and primordia initiation, either flower primordia are promoted or additional parastichies appear. Our results emphasize the important role of geometry in flower development and phyllotactic pattern formation. PMID:28328952

Correct primary structure assessment and extensive glyco-profiling of cetuximab by a combination of intact, middle-up, middle-down and bottom-up ESI and MALDI mass spectrometry techniques.

PubMed

Ayoub, Daniel; Jabs, Wolfgang; Resemann, Anja; Evers, Waltraud; Evans, Catherine; Main, Laura; Baessmann, Carsten; Wagner-Rousset, Elsa; Suckau, Detlev; Beck, Alain

2013-01-01

The European Medicines Agency received recently the first marketing authorization application for a biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) and adopted the final guidelines on biosimilar mAbs and Fc-fusion proteins. The agency requires high similarity between biosimilar and reference products for approval. Specifically, the amino acid sequences must be identical. The glycosylation pattern of the antibody is also often considered to be a very important quality attribute due to its strong effect on quality, safety, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics and potency. Here, we describe a case study of cetuximab, which has been marketed since 2004. Biosimilar versions of the product are now in the pipelines of numerous therapeutic antibody biosimilar developers. We applied a combination of intact, middle-down, middle-up and bottom-up electrospray ionization and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry techniques to characterize the amino acid sequence and major post-translational modifications of the marketed cetuximab product, with special emphasis on glycosylation. Our results revealed a sequence error in the reported sequence of the light chain in databases and in publications, thus highlighting the potency of mass spectrometry to establish correct antibody sequences. We were also able to achieve a comprehensive identification of cetuximab's glycoforms and glycosylation profile assessment on both Fab and Fc domains. Taken together, the reported approaches and data form a solid framework for the comparability of antibodies and their biosimilar candidates that could be further applied to routine structural assessments of these and other antibody-based products.

Assessing the significance of Palaeolithic engraved cortexes. A case study from the Mousterian site of Kiik-Koba, Crimea

PubMed Central

d’Errico, Francesco; Stepanchuk, Vadim

2018-01-01

Twenty-Seven Lower and Middle Paleolithic sites from Europe and the Middle East are reported in the literature to have yielded incised stones. At eleven of these sites incisions are present on flint cortexes. Even when it is possible to demonstrate that the engravings are ancient and human made, it is often difficult to distinguish incisions resulting from functional activities such as butchery or use as a cutting board, from those produced deliberately, and even more difficult to identify the scope of the latter. In this paper we present results of the analysis of an engraved cortical flint flake found at Kiik-Koba, a key Mousterian site from Crimea, and create an interpretative framework to guide the interpretation of incised cortexes. The frame of inference that we propose allows for a reasoned evaluation of the actions playing a role in the marking process and aims at narrowing down the interpretation of the evidence. The object comes from layer IV, the same layer in which a Neanderthal child burial was unearthed, which contains a para-Micoquian industry of Kiik-Koba type dated to between c.35 and 37 cal kyr BP. The microscopic analysis and 3D reconstruction of the grooves on the cortex of this small flint flake, demonstrate that the incisions represent a deliberate engraving made by a skilled craftsman, probably with two different points. The lines are nearly perfectly framed into the cortex, testifying of well controlled motions. This is especially the case considering the small size of the object, which makes this a difficult task. The production of the engraving required excellent neuromotor and volitional control, which implies focused attention. Evaluation of the Kiik-Koba evidence in the light of the proposed interpretative framework supports the view that the engraving was made with a representational intent. PMID:29718916

Assessing the significance of Palaeolithic engraved cortexes. A case study from the Mousterian site of Kiik-Koba, Crimea.

PubMed

Majkić, Ana; d'Errico, Francesco; Stepanchuk, Vadim

2018-01-01

Twenty-Seven Lower and Middle Paleolithic sites from Europe and the Middle East are reported in the literature to have yielded incised stones. At eleven of these sites incisions are present on flint cortexes. Even when it is possible to demonstrate that the engravings are ancient and human made, it is often difficult to distinguish incisions resulting from functional activities such as butchery or use as a cutting board, from those produced deliberately, and even more difficult to identify the scope of the latter. In this paper we present results of the analysis of an engraved cortical flint flake found at Kiik-Koba, a key Mousterian site from Crimea, and create an interpretative framework to guide the interpretation of incised cortexes. The frame of inference that we propose allows for a reasoned evaluation of the actions playing a role in the marking process and aims at narrowing down the interpretation of the evidence. The object comes from layer IV, the same layer in which a Neanderthal child burial was unearthed, which contains a para-Micoquian industry of Kiik-Koba type dated to between c.35 and 37 cal kyr BP. The microscopic analysis and 3D reconstruction of the grooves on the cortex of this small flint flake, demonstrate that the incisions represent a deliberate engraving made by a skilled craftsman, probably with two different points. The lines are nearly perfectly framed into the cortex, testifying of well controlled motions. This is especially the case considering the small size of the object, which makes this a difficult task. The production of the engraving required excellent neuromotor and volitional control, which implies focused attention. Evaluation of the Kiik-Koba evidence in the light of the proposed interpretative framework supports the view that the engraving was made with a representational intent.

Engagement in New Dietary Habits-Obese Women's Experiences from Participating in a 2-Year Diet Intervention.

PubMed

Ahlgren, Christina; Hammarström, Anne; Sandberg, Susanne; Lindahl, Bernt; Olsson, Tommy; Larsson, Christel; Fjellman-Wiklund, Anncristine

2016-02-01

Dietary weight loss interventions most often result in weight loss, but weight maintenance on a long-term basis is the main problem in obesity treatment. There is a need for an increased understanding of the behaviour patterns involved in adopting a new dietary behavior and to maintain the behaviour over time. The purpose of this paper is to explore overweight and obese middle-aged women's experiences of the dietary change processes when participating in a 2-year-long diet intervention. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 12 overweight and obese women (54-71 years) were made after their participation in a diet intervention programme. The programme was designed as a RCT study comparing a diet according to the Nordic nutrition recommendations (NNR diet) and a Palaeolithic diet (PD). Interviews were analysed according to Grounded Theory principles. A core category "Engagement phases in the process of a diet intervention" concluded the analysis. Four categories included the informants' experiences during different stages of the process of dietary change: "Honeymoon phase", "Everyday life phase", "It's up to you phase" and "Crossroads phase". The early part of the intervention period was called "Honeymoon phase" and was characterised by positive experiences, including perceived weight loss and extensive support. The next phases, the "Everyday life phase" and "It's up to you phase", contained the largest obstacles to change. The home environment appeared as a crucial factor, which could be decisive for maintenance of the new dietary habits or relapse into old habits in the last phase called "Crossroads phase". We identified various phases of engagement in the process of a long-term dietary intervention among middle-aged women. A clear personal goal and support from family and friends seem to be of major importance for long-term maintenance of new dietary habits. Gender relations within the household must be considered as a possible obstacle for women engaging in diet intervention.

A Bargain Price for Teaching about Percentage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Jane-Jane; Ko, Yi-Yin

2013-01-01

Middle school is a crucial transition period for students as they move from concrete to algebraic ways of thinking. This article describes a sequence of instruction geared toward helping prospective middle school instructors teach the topic of percentages.

Microbiomes of the normal middle ear and ears with chronic otitis media.

PubMed

Minami, Shujiro B; Mutai, Hideki; Suzuki, Tomoko; Horii, Arata; Oishi, Naoki; Wasano, Koichiro; Katsura, Motoyasu; Tanaka, Fujinobu; Takiguchi, Tetsuya; Fujii, Masato; Kaga, Kimitaka

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to profile and compare the middle ear microbiomes of human subjects with and without chronic otitis media. Prospective multicenter cohort study. All consecutive patients undergoing tympanoplasty surgery for chronic otitis media or ear surgery for conditions other than otitis media were recruited. Sterile swab samples were collected from the middle ear mucosa during surgery. The variable region 4 of the 16S rRNA gene in each sample were amplified using region-specific primers adapted for the Illumina MiSeq sequencer (Illumina, CA, USA)). The sequences were subjected to local blast and classified using Metagenome@KIN (World Fusion, Tokyo, Japan). In total, 155 participants were recruited from seven medical centers. Of these, 88 and 67 had chronic otitis media and normal middle ears, respectively. The most abundant bacterial phyla on the mucosal surfaces of the normal middle ears were Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. The children and adults with normal middle ears differed significantly in terms of middle ear microbiomes. Subjects with chronic otitis media without active inflammation (dry ear) had similar middle ear microbiomes as the normal middle ears group. Subjects with chronic otitis media with active inflammation (wet ear) had a lower prevalence of Proteobacteria and a higher prevalence of Firmicutes than the normal middle ears. The human middle ear is inhabited by more diverse microbial communities than was previously thought. Alteration of the middle ear microbiome may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic otitis media with active inflammation. 2b. Laryngoscope, 127:E371-E377, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies common and rare variant metabolic QTLs in a Middle Eastern population.

PubMed

Yousri, Noha A; Fakhro, Khalid A; Robay, Amal; Rodriguez-Flores, Juan L; Mohney, Robert P; Zeriri, Hassina; Odeh, Tala; Kader, Sara Abdul; Aldous, Eman K; Thareja, Gaurav; Kumar, Manish; Al-Shakaki, Alya; Chidiac, Omar M; Mohamoud, Yasmin A; Mezey, Jason G; Malek, Joel A; Crystal, Ronald G; Suhre, Karsten

2018-01-23

Metabolomics-genome-wide association studies (mGWAS) have uncovered many metabolic quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) influencing human metabolic individuality, though predominantly in European cohorts. By combining whole-exome sequencing with a high-resolution metabolomics profiling for a highly consanguineous Middle Eastern population, we discover 21 common variant and 12 functional rare variant mQTLs, of which 45% are novel altogether. We fine-map 10 common variant mQTLs to new metabolite ratio associations, and 11 common variant mQTLs to putative protein-altering variants. This is the first work to report common and rare variant mQTLs linked to diseases and/or pharmacological targets in a consanguineous Arab cohort, with wide implications for precision medicine in the Middle East.

Depositional History and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Middle Ordovician Yeongheung Formation (Yeongweol Group), Taebaeksan Basin, mid-east Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Yoo Jin; Kwon, Yi Kyun

2017-04-01

The Middle Ordovician Yeongheung Formation consists of numerous meter-scale, shallowing-upward cycles which were deposited on a shallow-marine carbonate platform. Many diagnostic sedimentary textures and structures such as supratidal laminite, tepee structure, and solution-collapsed breccia are observed, which enable to infer the dry climate and high salinity conditions during deposition of the formation. In order to understand its depositional history, this study focuses on vertical and spatial stacking patterns of the second- to third-order sequences through the detailed outcrop description and geologic mapping. A total 19 lithofacies have been recognized, which can be grouped into 5 facies associations (FAs): FA1 (Supratidal flat), FA2 (Supratidal or dolomitization of peritidal facies), FA3 (Intertidal flat), FA4 (Shallow subtidal to peritidal platform), FA5 (Shallow subtidal shoal). Global mega-sequence boundary (Sauk-Tippecanoe) occurs in solution-collapsed breccia zone in the lower part of the formation. Correlation of the shallowing-upward cycle stacking pattern across the study area defines 6 transgressive-regressive depositional sequences. Each depositional sequences comprises a package of vertical and spatial staking of shallow subtidal cycles in the lower part and peritidal cycles in the upper part of the formation. According to sequence stratigraphic interpretation, the reconstructed relative sea-level curve of the Yeongweol platform is very similar to that of the Taebaek platform. Based on the absence of siliciclastic sequence such as the Jigunsan Formation and the lithologic & stratigraphic differences, however, the Yeongweol and Taebaek groups might not belong to a single depositional system within the North China platform. The Yeongweol Group can be divided by the four subunits into their unique lithologic successions and geographic distributions. The Eastern subunit of the Yeongweol Group is composed dominantly of carbonate rocks with a high composition ratio of siliciclastic materials dominated facies in the upper part of the Yeongheung Formation. The Middle1 subunit is pervasively recognized by subaerial exposures facies (carbonate breccia, paleosol), whereas the Middle2 subunit is similar to the Middle1 subunit except for the absence of subaerial exposure features. The Western subunit lost some of its primary sedimentary structure and texture in comparison to other subunits, because of the active recrystallization, metamorphism, structural deformation and carbonate diagenesis. This study reveals depositional history and refines sequence stratigraphy of the Yeongheung Formation, promoting understanding of the basin evolution of the Yeongweol Group.

Upper Lower Cambrian depositional sequence in Avalonian New Brunswick

USGS Publications Warehouse

Landing, E.; Westrop, S.R.

1996-01-01

The Hanford Brook Formation (emended) is a thin (up to 42+ m), upper Lower Cambrian depositional sequence that is unconformably bounded by the lower Lower Cambrian (Random Formation) and the middle Middle Cambrian (Fossil Brook Member of the Chamberlain's Brook Formation). These stratigraphic relationships of the trilobite-bearing Hanford Brook Formation indicate deposition on the Avalonian marginal platform in the Saint John, New Brunswick, region and provide more evidence for a uniform, latest Precambrian-Cambrian epeirogenic history and cover sequence in Avalon. The Hanford Brook Formation is a deepening - shoaling sequence with (i) lower, transgressive sandstone deposited in episodically high-energy environments (St. Martins Member, new); (ii) highstand-regressive, dysaerobic mudstone - fine-grained sandstone with volcanic ashes (Somerset Street Member, new); and (iii) upper, regressive, planar and hummocky cross-stratified sandstone (Long Island Member, new). Trilobites are common in the distal Somerset Street Member, and ostracodes and brachiopods dominate the St. Martins and Long Island members. Condensation of the St. Martins Member and absence of the Long Island Member where the Random Formation and Fossil Brook Member are thinnest suggest onlap of the Hanford Brook and pronounced, sub-Middle Cambrian erosion across epeirogenically active blocks in southern New Brunswick.

Provenance and sequence architecture of the Middle-Late Eocene Gehannam and Birket Qarun formations at Wadi Al Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anan, Tarek; El Shahat, Adam

2014-12-01

The Middle-Upper Eocene Gehannam and Birket Qarun formations at Wadi Al Hitan (Valley of Whales) in Fayum Province of Egypt are dominated by marine siliciclastic sediments. Sedimentation took place in synclinal basins that were inherited from the Late Cretaceous tectonism. The siliciclastic sediments accumulated in low energy open shallow marine shelf. Most of the siliciclastics are heavily bioturbated by Thalassinoides. The abundance of unstable and moderately stable heavy minerals suggests that the Middle-Upper Eocene clastics were largely derived from the weathered regolith of the exhumed basement rocks of the Red Sea mountains. The ultrastable heavies were mainly recycled from positive landmass that bound the Eocene basins. Two sequence boundaries were observed in the studied succession. The first boundary lies within a rhizolith bearing-sandstone unit that occurs at the boundary between the Gehannam and Birket Qarun formations. The second sequence boundary occurs within the upper part of the Birket Qarun Formation, in a shale horizon bioturbated by Thalassinoides. Three 3rd order depositional sequences were recognized. These sequences may be formed due to tectonic activity that started in the Late Cretaceous and may be rejuvenated again during the Eocene time. Also emergence activities that were active during the Eocene led to the formation of the picked sequences by changing relative sea level. The recorded systems tracts are transgressive systems tract (TST), highstand systems tract (HST), and falling-stage systems tract (FSST).

Lily Pad Doubling: Proportional Reasoning Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robichaux-Davis, Rebecca R.

2017-01-01

Progressing from additive to multiplicative thinking is critical for the development of middle school students' proportional reasoning abilities. Yet, many middle school mathematics teachers lack a thorough understanding of additive versus multiplicative situations. This article describes a sequence of instructional activities used to develop the…

Testing the Hypothesis of Fire Use for Ecosystem Management by Neanderthal and Upper Palaeolithic Modern Human Populations

PubMed Central

Daniau, Anne-Laure; d'Errico, Francesco; Sánchez Goñi, Maria Fernanda

2010-01-01

Background It has been proposed that a greater control and more extensive use of fire was one of the behavioral innovations that emerged in Africa among early Modern Humans, favouring their spread throughout the world and determining their eventual evolutionary success. We would expect, if extensive fire use for ecosystem management were a component of the modern human technical and cognitive package, as suggested for Australia, to find major disturbances in the natural biomass burning variability associated with the colonisation of Europe by Modern Humans. Methodology/Principal Findings Analyses of microcharcoal preserved in two deep-sea cores located off Iberia and France were used to reconstruct changes in biomass burning between 70 and 10 kyr cal BP. Results indicate that fire regime follows the Dansgaard-Oeschger climatic variability and its impacts on fuel load. No major disturbance in natural fire regime variability is observed at the time of the arrival of Modern Humans in Europe or during the remainder of the Upper Palaeolithic (40–10 kyr cal BP). Conclusions/Significance Results indicate that either Neanderthals and Modern humans did not influence fire regime or that, if they did, their respective influence was comparable at a regional scale, and not as pronounced as that observed in the biomass burning history of Southeast Asia. PMID:20161786

The Homo sapiens 'hemibun': its developmental pattern and the problem of homology.

PubMed

Nowaczewska, W; Kuźmiński, L

2009-01-01

The occipital bun is widely considered a Neanderthal feature. Its homology to the 'hemibun' observed in some European Upper Palaeolithic anatomically modern humans is a current problem. This study quantitatively evaluates the degree of occipital plane convexity in African and Australian modern human crania to analyse a relationship between this feature and some neurocranial variables. Neanderthal and European Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens crania were included in the analysis as well. The results of this study indicated that there is a significant relationship between the degree of occipital plane convexity and the following two features in the examined crania of modern humans: the ratio of the maximum neurocranial height to the maximum width of the vault and the ratio of bregma-lambda chord to bregma-lambda arc. The results also revealed that some H. sapiens crania (modern and fossil) show the Neanderthal shape of the occipital plane and that the neurocranial height and shape of parietal midsagittal profile has an influence on occipital plane convexity in the hominins included in this study. This study suggests that the occurrence of the great convexity of the occipital plane in the Neanderthals and H. sapiens is a "by-product" of the relationship between the same neurocranial features and there is no convincing evidence that the Neanderthal occipital bun and the similar structure in H. sapiens develop during ontogeny in the same way.

Riparian landscapes and human habitat preferences during the Hoxnian (MIS 11) Interglacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashton, Nick; Lewis, Simon G.; Parfitt, Simon; White, Mark

2006-07-01

The archaeological, environmental and geological data from Hoxnian Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11) sites from Britain are examined to elucidate the type of habitats that humans preferred during this temperate episode. The conclusion is that humans avoided lacustrine situations, but did make use of the full range of resources that fluvial environments provide. This model is strengthened by the examination of other non-archaeological Hoxnian sites. The problem of archaeological visibility in lacustrine sediment sequences is also discussed and methods of identifying other evidence of human presence are suggested that may offset the deficiencies in the lithic record. These include presence of cut-marked bone, micro-debitage and possibly charcoal in fine-grained sediments deposited in distal settings. The reasons for human selection of fluvial situations are discussed. It is concluded that these environments provide a greater diversity of animal, plant and lithic resources, but also are major route-ways through the landscape. Patterns of human site use are identified, which seem to be triggered by local changes in hydrology and drainage, themselves possibly caused by regional changes in climate. Finally, Lower Palaeolithic sites on the interfluves are discussed. Although they lack environmental or dating evidence, it is tentatively suggested that they were used during cooler episodes, when more open conditions prevailed. Copyright

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a Middle Pleistocene cave bear reconstructed from ultrashort DNA fragments.

PubMed

Dabney, Jesse; Knapp, Michael; Glocke, Isabelle; Gansauge, Marie-Theres; Weihmann, Antje; Nickel, Birgit; Valdiosera, Cristina; García, Nuria; Pääbo, Svante; Arsuaga, Juan-Luis; Meyer, Matthias

2013-09-24

Although an inverse relationship is expected in ancient DNA samples between the number of surviving DNA fragments and their length, ancient DNA sequencing libraries are strikingly deficient in molecules shorter than 40 bp. We find that a loss of short molecules can occur during DNA extraction and present an improved silica-based extraction protocol that enables their efficient retrieval. In combination with single-stranded DNA library preparation, this method enabled us to reconstruct the mitochondrial genome sequence from a Middle Pleistocene cave bear (Ursus deningeri) bone excavated at Sima de los Huesos in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain. Phylogenetic reconstructions indicate that the U. deningeri sequence forms an early diverging sister lineage to all Western European Late Pleistocene cave bears. Our results prove that authentic ancient DNA can be preserved for hundreds of thousand years outside of permafrost. Moreover, the techniques presented enable the retrieval of phylogenetically informative sequences from samples in which virtually all DNA is diminished to fragments shorter than 50 bp.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a Middle Pleistocene cave bear reconstructed from ultrashort DNA fragments

PubMed Central

Dabney, Jesse; Knapp, Michael; Glocke, Isabelle; Gansauge, Marie-Theres; Weihmann, Antje; Nickel, Birgit; Valdiosera, Cristina; García, Nuria; Pääbo, Svante; Arsuaga, Juan-Luis; Meyer, Matthias

2013-01-01

Although an inverse relationship is expected in ancient DNA samples between the number of surviving DNA fragments and their length, ancient DNA sequencing libraries are strikingly deficient in molecules shorter than 40 bp. We find that a loss of short molecules can occur during DNA extraction and present an improved silica-based extraction protocol that enables their efficient retrieval. In combination with single-stranded DNA library preparation, this method enabled us to reconstruct the mitochondrial genome sequence from a Middle Pleistocene cave bear (Ursus deningeri) bone excavated at Sima de los Huesos in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain. Phylogenetic reconstructions indicate that the U. deningeri sequence forms an early diverging sister lineage to all Western European Late Pleistocene cave bears. Our results prove that authentic ancient DNA can be preserved for hundreds of thousand years outside of permafrost. Moreover, the techniques presented enable the retrieval of phylogenetically informative sequences from samples in which virtually all DNA is diminished to fragments shorter than 50 bp. PMID:24019490

Lithofacies and sequence stratigraphic description of the upper part of the Avon Park Formation and the Arcadia Formation in U.S. Geological Survey G–2984 test corehole, Broward County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, Kevin J.; Robinson, Edward

2017-07-18

Rock core and sediment from U.S. Geological Survey test corehole G–2984 completed in 2011 in Broward County, Florida, provide an opportunity to improve the understanding of the lithostratigraphic, sequence stratigraphic, and hydrogeologic framework of the intermediate confining unit and Floridan aquifer system in southeastern Florida. A multidisciplinary approach including characterization of sequence stratigraphy, lithofacies, ichnology, foraminiferal paleontology, depositional environments, porosity, and permeability was used to describe the geologic samples from this test corehole. This information has produced a detailed characterization of the lithofacies and sequence stratigraphy of the upper part of the middle Eocene Avon Park Formation and Oligocene to middle Miocene Arcadia Formation. This enhancement of the knowledge of the sequence stratigraphic framework is especially important, because subaerial karst unconformities at the upper boundary of depositional cycles at various hierarchical scales are commonly associated with secondary porosity and enhanced permeability in the Floridan aquifer system.

‘Neanderthal bone flutes’: simply products of Ice Age spotted hyena scavenging activities on cave bear cubs in European cave bear dens

PubMed Central

Diedrich, Cajus G.

2015-01-01

Punctured extinct cave bear femora were misidentified in southeastern Europe (Hungary/Slovenia) as ‘Palaeolithic bone flutes’ and the ‘oldest Neanderthal instruments’. These are not instruments, nor human made, but products of the most important cave bear scavengers of Europe, hyenas. Late Middle to Late Pleistocene (Mousterian to Gravettian) Ice Age spotted hyenas of Europe occupied mainly cave entrances as dens (communal/cub raising den types), but went deeper for scavenging into cave bear dens, or used in a few cases branches/diagonal shafts (i.e. prey storage den type). In most of those dens, about 20% of adult to 80% of bear cub remains have large carnivore damage. Hyenas left bones in repeating similar tooth mark and crush damage stages, demonstrating a butchering/bone cracking strategy. The femora of subadult cave bears are intermediate in damage patterns, compared to the adult ones, which were fully crushed to pieces. Hyenas produced round–oval puncture marks in cub femora only by the bone-crushing premolar teeth of both upper and lower jaw. The punctures/tooth impact marks are often present on both sides of the shaft of cave bear cub femora and are simply a result of non-breakage of the slightly calcified shaft compacta. All stages of femur puncturing to crushing are demonstrated herein, especially on a large cave bear population from a German cave bear den. PMID:26064624

Not so deserted…paleoecology and human subsistence in Central Iberia (Guadalajara, Spain) around the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yravedra, José; Julien, Marie-Anne; Alcaraz-Castaño, Manuel; Estaca-Gómez, Verónica; Alcolea-González, Javier; de Balbín-Behrmann, Rodrigo; Lécuyer, Christophe; Marcel, Claude Hillaire; Burke, Ariane

2016-05-01

In contrast to the coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula, the Upper Palaeolithic settlement of central Iberia, dominated by the Spanish plateau, is poorly known. Traditional models assume a total or virtual depopulation of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during the Last Glacial. In this paper we present a detailed investigation of human-environment interactions through the first zooarchaeological, taphonomic and isotopic study of the key site of Peña Capón, a rock shelter located in the south-eastern foothills of the Central System range that contains a multi-layered deposit dated to marine isotope stage 2 (MIS 2). Analyses of the faunal assemblages of the Proto-Solutrean (3) and Middle Solutrean (2) layers show that human preferentially hunted horse, deer and iberian ibex living in the vicinity of the rock shelter. Isotope geochemistry of the animal remains of Peña Capón provides us with the first detailed intra-tooth multi-proxy analysis for this time period in south-western Europe, providing estimates of climatic conditions, seasonal flucturation of diet, as well as patterns of seasonal mobility. Our results indicate that human presence at Peña Capón was apparently restricted to relatively warm intervals around the LGM or reflects the presence of an ecological refuge, and provide us with evidence of recurrent human presence in the Iberian interior during the Upper Paleolithic prior to the Magdalenian.

Cenozoic global sea level, sequences, and the New Jersey transect: Results from coastal plain and continental slope drilling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, K.G.; Mountain, Gregory S.; Browning, J.V.; Kominz, M.; Sugarman, P.J.; Christie-Blick, N.; Katz, M.E.; Wright, J.D.

1998-01-01

The New Jersey Sea Level Transect was designed to evaluate the relationships among global sea level (eustatic) change, unconformity-bounded sequences, and variations in subsidence, sediment supply, and climate on a passive continental margin. By sampling and dating Cenozoic strata from coastal plain and continental slope locations, we show that sequence boundaries correlate (within ??0.5 myr) regionally (onshore-offshore) and interregionally (New Jersey-Alabama-Bahamas), implicating a global cause. Sequence boundaries correlate with ??18O increases for at least the past 42 myr, consistent with an ice volume (glacioeustatic) control, although a causal relationship is not required because of uncertainties in ages and correlations. Evidence for a causal connection is provided by preliminary Miocene data from slope Site 904 that directly link ??18O increases with sequence boundaries. We conclude that variation in the size of ice sheets has been a primary control on the formation of sequence boundaries since ~42 Ma. We speculate that prior to this, the growth and decay of small ice sheets caused small-amplitude sea level changes (<20 m) in this supposedly ice-free world because Eocene sequence boundaries also appear to correlate with minor ??18O increases. Subsidence estimates (backstripping) indicate amplitudes of short-term (million-year scale) lowerings that are consistent with estimates derived from ??18O studies (25-50 m in the Oligocene-middle Miocene and 10-20 m in the Eocene) and a long-term lowering of 150-200 m over the past 65 myr, consistent with estimates derived from volume changes on mid-ocean ridges. Although our results are consistent with the general number and timing of Paleocene to middle Miocene sequences published by workers at Exxon Production Research Company, our estimates of sea level amplitudes are substantially lower than theirs. Lithofacies patterns within sequences follow repetitive, predictable patterns: (1) coastal plain sequences consist of basal transgressive sands overlain by regressive highstand silts and quartz sands; and (2) although slope lithofacies variations are subdued, reworked sediments constitute lowstand deposits, causing the strongest, most extensive seismic reflections. Despite a primary eustatic control on sequence boundaries, New Jersey sequences were also influenced by changes in tectonics, sediment supply, and climate. During the early to middle Eocene, low siliciclastic and high pelagic input associated with warm climates resulted in widespread carbonate deposition and thin sequences. Late middle Eocene and earliest Oligocene cooling events curtailed carbonate deposition in the coastal plain and slope, respectively, resulting in a switch to siliciclastic sedimentation. In onshore areas, Oligocene sequences are thin owing to low siliciclastic and pelagic input, and their distribution is patchy, reflecting migration or progradation of depocenters; in contrast, Miocene onshore sequences are thicker, reflecting increased sediment supply, and they are more complete downdip owing to simple tectonics. We conclude that the New Jersey margin provides a natural laboratory for unraveling complex interactions of eustasy, tectonics, changes in sediment supply, and climate change.

Paleocene to Middle Miocene planktic foraminifera of the southwestern Salisbury Embayment, Virginia and Maryland: biostratigraphy, allostratigraphy, and sequence stratigraphy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poag, C.W.; Commeau, J.A.

1995-01-01

The Paleocene to Middle Miocene sedimentary fill of the southwestern Salisbury Embayment contains a fragmental depositional record, interrupted by numerous local diastems and regional unconformities. Using planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy, 15 unconformity-bounded depositional units have been identified, assigned to six formations and seven alloformations previously recognized in the embayment. The units correlate with second- and third-order sequences of the Exxon sequence stratigraphy model, and include transgressive and highstand systems tracts. Alloformation, formation, and sequence boundaries are marked by abrupt, scoured, burrowed, erosional surfaces, which display lag deposits, biostratigraphic gaps, and intense reworking of microfossils above and below the boundaries.Paleocene deposits represent the upper parts of upper Pleocene Biochronozones P4 and P5, and rest uncomformably  on Cretaceous sedimentary beds of various ages (Maastrichtian to Albian). Lower Eocene deposits represent parts of Biochronozones P6 and P9. Middle Eocene strata represent mainly parts of Biochronozones P11, P12, and P14. Upper Eocene sediments include parts of Biochronozones P15, P16, and P17. Oligocene deposits encompass parts of Biochronozones. N4b to N7 undifferentiated, P21a, and, perhaps, N4a. Lower Miocene deposits encompass parts of Biochronozones N4b to N7 undifferentiated. Middle Miocene strata represent mainly parts of Biochronorones N8, N9, and N10.Nine plates of scanning electron micrographs illustrate the principal planktic foraminifera used to establish the biostratigraphic framework. Two new informal formine of Praeterenuitella praegemma Li, 1987, are introduced.

The genome of a Late Pleistocene human from a Clovis burial site in western Montana.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Morten; Anzick, Sarah L; Waters, Michael R; Skoglund, Pontus; DeGiorgio, Michael; Stafford, Thomas W; Rasmussen, Simon; Moltke, Ida; Albrechtsen, Anders; Doyle, Shane M; Poznik, G David; Gudmundsdottir, Valborg; Yadav, Rachita; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; White, Samuel Stockton; Allentoft, Morten E; Cornejo, Omar E; Tambets, Kristiina; Eriksson, Anders; Heintzman, Peter D; Karmin, Monika; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand; Meltzer, David J; Pierre, Tracey L; Stenderup, Jesper; Saag, Lauri; Warmuth, Vera M; Lopes, Margarida C; Malhi, Ripan S; Brunak, Søren; Sicheritz-Ponten, Thomas; Barnes, Ian; Collins, Matthew; Orlando, Ludovic; Balloux, Francois; Manica, Andrea; Gupta, Ramneek; Metspalu, Mait; Bustamante, Carlos D; Jakobsson, Mattias; Nielsen, Rasmus; Willerslev, Eske

2014-02-13

Clovis, with its distinctive biface, blade and osseous technologies, is the oldest widespread archaeological complex defined in North America, dating from 11,100 to 10,700 (14)C years before present (bp) (13,000 to 12,600 calendar years bp). Nearly 50 years of archaeological research point to the Clovis complex as having developed south of the North American ice sheets from an ancestral technology. However, both the origins and the genetic legacy of the people who manufactured Clovis tools remain under debate. It is generally believed that these people ultimately derived from Asia and were directly related to contemporary Native Americans. An alternative, Solutrean, hypothesis posits that the Clovis predecessors emigrated from southwestern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum. Here we report the genome sequence of a male infant (Anzick-1) recovered from the Anzick burial site in western Montana. The human bones date to 10,705 ± 35 (14)C years bp (approximately 12,707-12,556 calendar years bp) and were directly associated with Clovis tools. We sequenced the genome to an average depth of 14.4× and show that the gene flow from the Siberian Upper Palaeolithic Mal'ta population into Native American ancestors is also shared by the Anzick-1 individual and thus happened before 12,600 years bp. We also show that the Anzick-1 individual is more closely related to all indigenous American populations than to any other group. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis that Anzick-1 belonged to a population directly ancestral to many contemporary Native Americans. Finally, we find evidence of a deep divergence in Native American populations that predates the Anzick-1 individual.

A late Pleistocene refugium in Mediterranean North Africa? Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from stable isotope analyses of land snail shells (Haua Fteah, Libya)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prendergast, A. L.; Stevens, R. E.; O'Connell, T. C.; Hill, E. A.; Hunt, C. O.; Barker, G. W.

2016-05-01

The late Pleistocene to Holocene archaeological record of North Africa is key to understanding the emergence of anatomically modern humans into West Asia and Europe, and the broadening of subsistence strategies in the shift from hunter-gatherer to pastoral-agricultural lifeways. Some contend that these developments were modulated by major shifts in climate and environment. Evaluation of this hypothesis requires the pairing of local and regional climate records with well-dated archaeological sequences. The Haua Fteah archaeological site in the Gebel Akhdar region of Libya provides a key site to test this hypothesis as the cave contains one of the longest and most complete sequences of human occupation in North Africa as well as abundant material for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. This study uses stable isotope analyses (δ18O and δ13C) of the terrestrial mollusc Helix melanostoma to construct a palaeoenvironmental framework for interpreting North African human-environment interactions from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic (∼30,000 to 5000 years ago). The land snail stable isotope records from Haua Fteah suggests that cool arid conditions in the cave peaked during marine isotope stage (MIS) 2. This stage was, however, only marginally drier than previous and subsequent stages and coincided with an increase in occupation density in the cave. This suggests that the Gebel Akhdar may have served as an environmental refugium from the more extreme aridity in the surrounding Sahara and arid coastal plains for Late Stone Age (LSA) populations in North Africa. Conditions became progressively wetter towards the Holocene. However, generally wetter conditions were interrupted by two arid episodes at c. 8.0 ka and 7.3 ka that appear to coincide with regional changes reflected elsewhere in the Mediterranean basin.

The genome of a late Pleistocene human from a Clovis burial site in western Montana

PubMed Central

Rasmussen, Morten; Anzick, Sarah L.; Waters, Michael R.; Skoglund, Pontus; DeGiorgio, Michael; Stafford, Thomas W.; Rasmussen, Simon; Moltke, Ida; Albrechtsen, Anders; Doyle, Shane M; Poznik, G. David; Gudmundsdottir, Valborg; Yadav, Rachita; Malaspinas, Anna-Sapfo; White, Samuel Stockton; Allentoft, Morten E.; Cornejo, Omar E.; Tambets, Kristiina; Eriksson, Anders; Heintzman, Peter D.; Karmin, Monika; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand; Meltzer, David J.; Pierre, Tracey L.; Stenderup, Jesper; Saag, Lauri; Warmuth, Vera; Lopes, Margarida Cabrita; Malhi, Ripan S.; Brunak, Søren; Sicheritz-Ponten, Thomas; Barnes, Ian; Collins, Matthew; Orlando, Ludovic; Balloux, Francois; Manica, Andrea; Gupta, Ramneek; Metspalu, Mait; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Jakobsson, Mattias; Nielsen, Rasmus; Willerslev, Eske

2016-01-01

Clovis, with its distinctive biface, blade and osseous technologies, is the oldest widespread archaeological complex defined in North America, dating from 11,100 to 10,700 14C years BP (13,000 to 12,600 calendar years BP)1,2. Nearly fifty years of archaeological research point to the Clovis complex as having developed south of the North American ice sheets from an ancestral technology3. However, both the origins and genetic legacy of the people who manufactured Clovis tools remain debated. It is argued that these people ultimately derived from Asia and were directly related to contemporary Native Americans2. An alternative, Solutrean, hypothesis posits that the Clovis predecessors immigrated from Southwestern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)4. Here, we report the genome sequence of a male infant (Anzick-1) recovered from the Anzick burial site in western Montana. The human bones date to 10,705±35 14C years BP (CAMS-80538; c. 12,707–12,556 calendar years BP) and were directly associated with Clovis tools. We sequenced the genome to an average depth of 14.4× and show that the gene flow from the Siberian Upper Palaeolithic Mal′ta individual5 into Native American ancestors is also shared by the Anzick-1 individual and thus happened prior to 12,600 years BP. We also show that the Anzick-1 individual is more closely related to all indigenous American populations than to any other group. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis that Anzick-1 belonged to a population directly ancestral to many contemporary Native Americans. Finally, we find evidence of a deep divergence in Native American populations that pre-dates the Anzick-1 individual. PMID:24522598

Optimising magnetic resonance image quality of the ear in healthy dogs.

PubMed

Wolf, Davina; Lüpke, Matthias; Wefstaedt, Patrick; Klopmann, Thilo; Nolte, Ingo; Seifert, Hermann

2011-03-01

The aim of this study was to develop an examination protocol for magnetic resonance imaging, in order to display diagnostically important information of the canine middle and inner ear. To ensure that this protocol could also be used as a basis for determining pathological changes, the anatomical structures of the ear were presented in detail. To minimise stress through anaesthesia in live animals, preliminary examinations were carried out on four dog cadavers. During these initial examinations, three-dimensional (3D) sequences proved to be superior to two-dimensional ones. Therefore, only 3D sequences were applied for the main examinations performed on six clinically healthy Beagles. The anonymised MR images were rated by three experienced reviewers using a five-point scale. The most valuable sequence was a T2-weighted CISS sequence (TR = 16.7 ms, TE = 8.08 ms). This sequence proved to be most suitable for illustrating the inner ear structures and enabled good tissue contrasts. The sequence ranked second best was also a T2-weighted DESS sequence (TR = 19 ms, TE = 6 ms), allowing the imaging of the tympanic cavity and enabling 3D reconstruction due to its isotropic voxels. Due to low contrast and strong noise, the other sequences (TSE, FISP, MP RAGE) were not suitable for anatomical illustration of the middle and inner ear.

Sequence stratigraphy of the ANDRILL Southern McMurdo Sound (SMS) project drillcore, Antarctica: an expanded, near-field record of Antarctic Early to Middle Miocene climate and relative sea-level change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fielding, C. R.; Browne, G. H.; Field, B.; Florindo, F.; Harwood, D. M.; Krissek, L. A.; Levy, R. H.; Panter, K.; Passchier, S.; Pekar, S. F.; SMS Science Team

2008-12-01

Present understanding of Antarctic climate change during the Early to Middle Miocene, including definition of major cycles of glacial expansion and contraction, relies in large part on stable isotope proxy records from Ocean Drilling Program cores. Here, we present a sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Southern McMurdo Sound drillcore (AND-2A), which was acquired during the Austral Spring of 2007. This core offers a hitherto unavailable ice-proximal stratigraphic archive of the Early to Middle Miocene from a high-accommodation Antarctic continental margin setting, and provides clear evidence of repeated fluctuations in climate, ice expansion/contraction and attendant sea-level change over the period 20-14 Ma, with a more fragmentary record of the post-14 Ma period. A succession of seventy sequences is recognized, each bounded by a significant facies dislocation (sequence boundary), composed internally of deposits of glacimarine to open shallow marine environments, and each typically dominated by the transgressive systems tract. From changes in facies abundances and sequence character, a series of long-term (m.y.) changes in climate and relative sea-level is identified. The lithostratigraphy can be correlated confidently to glacial events Mi1b and Mi2, to the Miocene Climatic Optimum, and to the global eustatic sea-level curve. SMS provides a detailed, direct, ice-proximal reference point from which to evaluate stable isotope proxy records for Neogene Antarctic paleoclimate.

Refinement of late-Early and Middle Miocene diatom biostratigraphy for the east coast of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barron, John A.; Browning, James; Sugarman, Peter; Miller, Kenneth G.

2013-01-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 313 continuously cored Lower to Middle Miocene sequences at three continental shelf sites off New Jersey, USA. The most seaward of these, Site M29, contains a well-preserved Early and Middle Miocene succession of planktonic diatoms that have been independently correlated with the geomagnetic polarity time scale derived in studies from the equatorial and North Pacific. Shallow water diatoms (species of Delphineis, Rhaphoneis, and Sceptroneis) dominate in onshore sequences in Maryland and Virginia, forming the basis for the East Coast Diatom Zones (ECDZ). Integrated study of both planktonic and shallow water diatoms in Hole M29A as well as in onshore sequences in Maryland (the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company well) and Delaware (the Ocean Drilling Program Bethany Beach corehole) allows the refinement of ECDZ zones into a high-resolution biochronology that can be successfully applied in both onshore and offshore regions of the East Coast of the United States. Strontium isotope stratigraphy supports the diatom biochronology, although for much of the Middle Miocene it suggests ages that are on average 0.4 m.y. older. The ECDZ zonal definitions are updated to include evolutionary events of Delphineis species, and regional occurrences of important planktonic diatom marker taxa are included. Updated taxonomy, reference to published figures, and photographic images are provided that will aid in the application of this diatom biostratigraphy.

Middle Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental changes of the eastern Canary Islands - revealed by the Mála dune-palaeosol-sequence at Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Suchodoletz, H.; Zöller, L.; Hilgers, A.; Radtke, U.; Faust, D.

2012-04-01

The Canary Islands are located at the transition between the Mediterranean and the Saharan climate off NW-Africa. Thus, they are a key area for the investigation of palaeoenvironmental changes. Several terrestrial studies investigated the palaeoenvironmental development of that region during the later part of the last glacial cycle. However, apart from recent investigations of "vega" sediments on Lanzarote Island (Suchodoletz et al. 2010) the palaeoenvironmental evolution during the Middle Pleistocene is hardly studied yet, basically due to the lack of reliable geochronological data. The Mála dune-palaeosol-sequence is located in the north of Lanzarote. It consists of marine shell detritus originally blown out from the insular shelf during periods of low global sea level, and to a small part of Saharan dust and fine quartz sand. The aeolian layers are intercalated with up to eight silty-clayey palaeosol horizons. Unlike the dune sands, the soils indicate stable landscape conditions with trapping of Saharan dust. Using a combination of ESR and luminescence dating techniques, we are able to place this sequence into the Middle Pleistocene, in contrast to former investigations based on 14C datings postulating a Late Pleistocene age (Ortiz et al. 2006). As a consequence, clayey-silty palaeosols represent periods of stable landscape conditions in the Canarian region during the Middle Pleistocene, which we compare with marine palaeoclimatic studies from the area.

Seismic stratigraphy, tectonics and depositional history in the Halk el Menzel region, NE Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebei, Kawthar; Inoubli, Mohamed Hédi; Boussiga, Haïfa; Tlig, Said; Alouani, Rabah; Boujamaoui, Mustapha

2007-01-01

In the Halk el Menzel area, the proximal- to pelagic platform transition and related tectonic events during the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Miocene have not been taken into adequate consideration. The integrated interpretation of outcrop and subsurface data help define a seismic stratigraphic model and clarify the geodynamic evolution of the Halk el Menzel block. The sedimentary column comprises marls and limestones of the Campanian to Upper Eocene, overlain by Oligocene to Lower Miocene aged siliciclastics and carbonates. Well to well correlations show sedimentary sequences vary considerably in lithofacies and thicknesses over short distances with remarkable gaps. The comparison of sedimentary sequences cut by borehole and seismic stratigraphic modelling as well help define ten third order depositional sequences (S1-S10). Sequences S1 through S6 (Campanian-Paleocene) are mainly characterized by oblique to sigmoid configurations with prograding sedimentary structures, whereas, sequences S7-S10 (Ypresian to Middle Miocene) are organized in shallow water deposits with marked clinoform ramp geometry. Sedimentary discontinuities developed at sequence boundaries are thought to indicate widespread fall in relative sea level. Angular unconformities record a transpressive tectonic regime that operated from the Campanian to Upper Eocene. The geometry of sequences with reduced thicknesses, differential dipping of internal seismic reflections and associated normal faulting located westerly in the area, draw attention to a depositional sedimentary system developed on a gentle slope evolving from a tectonically driven steepening towards the Northwest. The seismic profiles help delimit normal faulting control environments of deposition. In contrast, reef build-ups in the Eastern parts occupy paleohighs NE-SW in strike with bordering Upper Maastrichtian-Ypresian seismic facies onlapping Upper Cretaceous counterparts. During the Middle-Upper Eocene, transpressive stress caused reactivation of faults from normal to reverse play. This has culminated in propagation folds located to the west; whereas, the eastern part of the block has suffered progressive subsidence. Transgressive carbonate depositional sequences have predominated during the Middle Miocene and have sealed pre-existing tectonic structures.

Late Cenozoic sedimentation and volcanism during transtensional deformation in Wingate Wash and the Owlshead Mountains, Death Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luckow, H.G.; Pavlis, T.L.; Serpa, L.F.; Guest, B.; Wagner, D.L.; Snee, L.; Hensley, T.M.; Korjenkov, A.

2005-01-01

New 1:24,000 scale mapping, geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks, and Ar/Ar and tephrochronology analyses of the Wingate Wash, northern Owlshead Mountain and Southern Panamint Mountain region document a complex structural history constrained by syntectonic volcanism and sedimentation. In this study, the region is divided into five structural domains with distinct, but related, histories: (1) The southern Panamint domain is a structurally intact, gently south-tilted block dominated by a middle Miocene volcanic center recognized as localized hypabyssal intrusives surrounded by proximal facies pyroclastic rocks. This Miocene volcanic sequence is an unusual alkaline volcanic assemblage ranging from trachybasalt to rhyolite, but dominated by trachyandesite. The volcanic rocks are overlain in the southwestern Panamint Mountains by a younger (Late Miocene?) fanglomerate sequence. (2) An upper Wingate Wash domain is characterized by large areas of Quaternary cover and complex overprinting of older structure by Quaternary deformation. Quaternary structures record ???N-S shortening concurrent with ???E-W extension accommodated by systems of strike-slip and thrust faults. (3) A central Wingate Wash domain contains a complex structural history that is closely tied to the stratigraphic evolution. In this domain, a middle Miocene volcanic package contains two distinct assemblages; a lower sequence dominated by alkaline pyroclastic rocks similar to the southern Panamint sequence and an upper basaltic sequence of alkaline basalt and basanites. This volcanic sequence is in turn overlain by a coarse clastic sedimentary sequence that records the unroofing of adjacent ranges and development of ???N-S trending, west-tilted fault blocks. We refer to this sedimentary sequence as the Lost Lake assemblage. (4) The lower Wingate Wash/northern Owlshead domain is characterized by a gently north-dipping stratigraphic sequence with an irregular unconformity at the base developed on granitic basement. The unconformity is locally overlain by channelized deposits of older Tertiary(?) red conglomerate, some of which predate the onset of extensive volcanism, but in most of the area is overlain by a moderately thick package of Middle Miocene trachybasalt, trachyandesitic, ash flows, lithic tuff, basaltic cinder, basanites, and dacitic pyroclastic, debris, and lahar flows with localized exposures of sedimentary rocks. The upper part of the Miocene stratigraphic sequence in this domain is comprised of coarse grained-clastic sediments that are apparently middle Miocene based on Ar/Ar dating of interbedded volcanic rocks. This sedimentary sequence, however, is lithologically indistinguishable from the structurally adjacent Late Miocene Lost Lake assemblage and a stratigraphically overlying Plio-Pleistocene alluvial fan; a relationship that handicaps tracing structures through this domain. This domain is also structurally complex and deformed by a series of northwest-southeast-striking, east-dipping, high-angle oblique, sinistral, normal faults that are cut by left-lateral strike-slip faults. The contact between the southern Panamint domain and the adjacent domains is a complex fault system that we interpret as a zone of Late Miocene distributed sinistral slip that is variably overprinted in different portions of the mapped area. The net sinistral slip across the Wingate Wash fault system is estimated at 7-9 km, based on offset of Proterozoic Crystal Springs Formation beneath the middle Miocene unconformity to as much as 15 km based on offset volcanic facies in Middle Miocene rocks. To the south of Wingate Wash, the northern Owlshead Mountains are also cut by a sinistral, northwest-dipping, oblique normal fault, (referred to as the Filtonny Fault) with significant slip that separates the Lower Wingate Wash and central Owlshead domains. The Filtonny Fault may represent a young conjugate fault to the dextral Southern Death Valley fault system and may be the northwest

Using a Sequence of Number Pairs as an Example in Teaching Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauch, Elizabeth; Shi, Yixun

2005-01-01

A sequence of number pairs can be used to generate many interesting examples in teaching mathematics subjects at various levels. It is often used in elementary or middle school mathematics classes to illustrate the concept of "patterns." In this paper the authors present a few interesting ways of using this sequence to form examples for high…

Structural evolution and petroleum productivity of the Baltic basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ulmishek, G.F.

The Baltic basin is an oval depression located in the western part of the Russian craton; it occupies the eastern Baltic Sea and adjacent onshore areas. The basin contains more than 5,000 m of sedimentary rocks ranging from latest Proterozoic to Tertiary in age. These rocks consist of four tectonostratigraphic sequences deposited during major tectonic episodes of basin evolution. Principal unconformities separate the sequences. The basin is underlain by a rift probably filled with Upper Proterozoic rocks. Vendian and Lower Cambrian rocks (Baikalian sequence) form two northeast-trending depressions. The principal stage of the basin development was during deposition of amore » thick Middle Cambrian-Lower Devonian (Caledonian) sequence. This stage was terminated by the most intense deformations in the basin history. The Middle Devonian-Carboniferous (Hercynian) and Permian-Tertiary (Kimmerian-Alpine) tectonic and depositional cycles only slightly modified the basin geometry and left intact the main structural framework of underlying rocks. The petroleum productivity of the basin is related to the Caledonian tectonostratigraphic sequence that contains both source rocks and reservoirs. However, maturation of source rocks, migration of oil, and formation of fields took place mostly during deposition of the Hercynian sequence.« less

Effect of the reflectional symmetry on the coherent hole transport across DNA hairpins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarea, Mehdi; Berlin, Yuri; Ratner, Mark A.

2017-03-01

The coherent hole transfer in three types of DNA hairpins containing strands with adenine (A) and guanine (G) nucleobases has been studied. The investigated hairpins involve An+1GGAn, AnGAGAn, or (AG)2nA strands that connect the hole donor and hole acceptor located on opposite ends of hairpins. The positive charge transfer from the photo-excited donor to the acceptor is shown to be slower for An+1GGAn in comparison with AnGAGAn and (AG)2nA sequences. We have revealed that this is due to the reflectional symmetry of the last two sequences with respect to the axis passing through the middle base. As has been demonstrated, the symmetry of the sequence structure manifests itself in the reflectional symmetry of the energy eigenstates. In addition, it has been shown that (AG)2nA is the only symmetric sequence with a zero energy state in the middle of the LUMO tight-binding energy band. Based on our theoretical findings, we predict that the hairpin with this sequence should have the fastest coherent hole transfer rate among the class of base sequences studied.

Earliest Directly-Dated Human Skull-Cups

PubMed Central

Bello, Silvia M.; Parfitt, Simon A.; Stringer, Chris B.

2011-01-01

Background The use of human braincases as drinking cups and containers has extensive historic and ethnographic documentation, but archaeological examples are extremely rare. In the Upper Palaeolithic of western Europe, cut-marked and broken human bones are widespread in the Magdalenian (∼15 to 12,000 years BP) and skull-cup preparation is an element of this tradition. Principal Findings Here we describe the post-mortem processing of human heads at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Gough's Cave (Somerset, England) and identify a range of modifications associated with the production of skull-cups. New analyses of human remains from Gough's Cave demonstrate the skilled post-mortem manipulation of human bodies. Results of the research suggest the processing of cadavers for the consumption of body tissues (bone marrow), accompanied by meticulous shaping of cranial vaults. The distribution of cut-marks and percussion features indicates that the skulls were scrupulously 'cleaned' of any soft tissues, and subsequently modified by controlled removal of the facial region and breakage of the cranial base along a sub-horizontal plane. The vaults were also ‘retouched’, possibly to make the broken edges more regular. This manipulation suggests the shaping of skulls to produce skull-cups. Conclusions Three skull-cups have been identified amongst the human bones from Gough's Cave. New ultrafiltered radiocarbon determinations provide direct dates of about 14,700 cal BP, making these the oldest directly dated skull-cups and the only examples known from the British Isles. PMID:21359211

Detecting Human Presence at the Border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C Dating at Rio Secco Cave as Expression of the First Gravettian and the Late Mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region

PubMed Central

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria. PMID:24759802

Detecting human presence at the border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C dating at Rio Secco cave as expression of the first Gravettian and the late mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region.

PubMed

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria.

The modern human colonization of western Eurasia: when and where?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2015-06-01

Dating the timing of the replacement of local Neandertal populations by modern humans in western Eurasia at the dawn of the Upper Palaeolithic remains challenging due to the scarcity of the palaeontological evidence and to the complexity of the archaeological record. Furthermore, key specimens have been discovered in the course of excavations that unfortunately did not meet today's archaeological standards. The importance of site-formation processes in the considered time period makes it sometimes difficult to precisely assign fragmentary remains a posteriori to distinct techno-complexes. The improvements in dating methods have however allowed for the clarification of many chronological issues in the past decade. Archaeological and palaeontological evidence strongly suggest that the initial modern colonization of eastern Europe and central Asia should be related to the spread of techno-complexes assigned to the Initial Upper Palaeolithic. This first expansion may have started as early as 48 ka cal BP. The earliest phases of the Aurignacian complex (Protoaurignacian and Early Aurignacian) seem to represent another modern wave of migrations, starting in the Levant area. The expansion of this techno-complex throughout Europe completed the modern colonization of the continent. The interpretation of a third group of industries referred to as "transitional assemblages" in western and central Europe is much debated. At least in part, these assemblages might have been produced by Neandertal groups that may have survived until c. 41 ka cal BP, according to the directly dated Neandertal specimens of Saint-Césaire (France) and Spy (Belgium).

The Relations between Teasing and Bullying and Middle School Standardized Exam Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacey, Anna; Cornell, Dewey; Konold, Timothy

2017-01-01

This study examined the relations between the schoolwide prevalence of teasing and bullying (PTB) and schoolwide academic performance in a sample of 271 Virginia middle schools. In addition, the study examined the mediating effects of student engagement. A three-step sequence of path models investigated associations between schoolwide PTB and…

Laboratory Experiences for Disadvantaged Youth in the Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baillie, John H.

This guide contains experiments in the fields of Physical Science, Earth Science, and Biological Science designed to be used with any series of texts in a sequence for disadvantaged youth in the middle school. Any standard classroom can be used, with minor modifications and inexpensive equipment and materials. All students could participate,…

Kaletepe Deresi 3 (Turkey): archaeological evidence for early human settlement in Central Anatolia.

PubMed

Slimak, Ludovic; Kuhn, Steven L; Roche, Hélène; Mouralis, Damase; Buitenhuis, Hijlke; Balkan-Atli, Nur; Binder, Didier; Kuzucuoğlu, Catherine; Guillou, Hervé

2008-01-01

Located in the Central Anatolian Volcanic Province, Kaletepe Deresi 3 was discovered in the summer of 2000 and has been under investigation since that time. Volcanic activity in the region generated a number of obsidian intrusions that have attracted humans to the area throughout prehistory. The stratigraphic sequence at Kaletepe Deresi 3, more than 7 m in depth, presents a series of archaeological horizons representing the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The site contains the longest open-air Paleolithic sequence excavated in Turkey, as well as the first in situ Acheulean industry documented in Anatolia. Tephras in the upper Middle Paleolithic horizons and the rhyolithic bedrock bracket the timespan represented at Kaletepe Deresi 3. The lithic industry at the site illustrates a wide range of technological behaviors and documents changes in raw-material exploitation and artifact manufacture through the Lower and Middle Paleolithic.

The Pizza Problem: A Solution with Sequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafer, Kathryn G.; Mast, Caleb J.

2008-01-01

This article addresses the issues of coaching and assessing. A preservice middle school teacher's unique solution to the Pizza problem was not what the professor expected. The student's solution strategy, based on sequences and a reinvention of Pascal's triangle, is explained in detail. (Contains 8 figures.)

Genome-wide comparison of medieval and modern Mycobacterium leprae.

PubMed

Schuenemann, Verena J; Singh, Pushpendra; Mendum, Thomas A; Krause-Kyora, Ben; Jäger, Günter; Bos, Kirsten I; Herbig, Alexander; Economou, Christos; Benjak, Andrej; Busso, Philippe; Nebel, Almut; Boldsen, Jesper L; Kjellström, Anna; Wu, Huihai; Stewart, Graham R; Taylor, G Michael; Bauer, Peter; Lee, Oona Y-C; Wu, Houdini H T; Minnikin, David E; Besra, Gurdyal S; Tucker, Katie; Roffey, Simon; Sow, Samba O; Cole, Stewart T; Nieselt, Kay; Krause, Johannes

2013-07-12

Leprosy was endemic in Europe until the Middle Ages. Using DNA array capture, we have obtained genome sequences of Mycobacterium leprae from skeletons of five medieval leprosy cases from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In one case, the DNA was so well preserved that full de novo assembly of the ancient bacterial genome could be achieved through shotgun sequencing alone. The ancient M. leprae sequences were compared with those of 11 modern strains, representing diverse genotypes and geographic origins. The comparisons revealed remarkable genomic conservation during the past 1000 years, a European origin for leprosy in the Americas, and the presence of an M. leprae genotype in medieval Europe now commonly associated with the Middle East. The exceptional preservation of M. leprae biomarkers, both DNA and mycolic acids, in ancient skeletons has major implications for palaeomicrobiology and human pathogen evolution.

Proactive and retroactive transfer of middle age adults in a sequential motor learning task.

PubMed

Verneau, Marion; van der Kamp, John; Savelsbergh, Geert J P; de Looze, Michiel P

2015-03-01

We assessed the effects of aging in the transfer of motor learning in a sequential manual assembly task that is representative for real working conditions. On two different days, young (18-30 years) and middle-aged adults (50-65 years) practiced to build two products that consisted of the same six components but which had to be assembled in a partly different order. Assembly accuracy and movement time during tests, which were performed before and after the practice sessions, were compared to determine proactive and retroactive transfer. The results showed proactive facilitation (i.e., benefits from having learned the first product on learning the second one) in terms of an overall shortening of movement time in both age-groups. In addition, only the middle-aged adults were found to show sequence-specific proactive facilitation, in which the shortening of movement time was limited to components that had the same the order in the two products. Most likely, however, the sequence-specific transfer was an epiphenomenon of the comparatively low rate of learning among the middle-aged adults. The results, however, did reveal genuine differences between the groups for retroactive transfer (i.e., effects from learning the second product on performance of the first). Middle-aged adults tended to show more pronounced retroactive interference in terms of a general decrease in accuracy, while younger adults showed sequence-specific retroactive facilitation (i.e., shortening of movement times for components that had the same order in the two products), but only when they were fully accurate. Together this suggests that in the learning of sequential motor tasks the effects of age are more marked for retroactive transfer than for proactive transfer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geology and quaternary environments of the first preglacial palaeolithic sites found in Alberta, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chlachula, Jiří

A pebble-tool industry, including two chronologically different stone artifact assemblages reminiscent of the Eurasian Palaeolithic, has been recorded in Late Pleistocene sections at two locations in the Bow River valley, southwestern Alberta. Authenticity and provenance of the deeply buried archaeological record is evidenced by culture-diagnostic percussion-flaked artifacts incorporated in preglacial fluvial gravels and overlying glacial diamictons and by identical textural patterns on stone tools found in and eroded from the exposures. Geological context suggests a fluctuating braided river setting during the earlier occupation. Discarded ( lower series) quartzite and hard carbonate rock artifacts, subglacially entrained into the Cordilleran Bow Valley till, document distortion of the earlier site (Silver Springs) by a valley glacier emerging from the Rocky Mountain ice-lobe. Following the valley deglaciation, a later occupation episode is manifested by a formally analogous flaked lithic assemblage excavated in situ on top of the till at a nearby site (Varsity Estates). This more recent occupation surface was subsequently buried under 24 m of glaciolacustrine sediments after submergence of the river valley by a proglacial lake (Glacial Lake Calgary) dammed by the Laurentide ice advance into the eastern Calgary area, implying a minimum early Late Wisconsinan age (ca. >21,000 BP) for the lithic industry. The presence of the later ( upper series) artifact assemblage and the associated palynological data do not support the view that envisages an extremely cold, inhospitable glacial environment on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains throughout the Late Wisconsinan. Their stratigraphic position also indicates temporal asynchroneity between Cordilleran and Laurentide ice during the last glacial maximum in the Bow River valley, the area of presumed coalescence of the two ice-masses. Although a more rapid response of the western mountain glacier to climatic change is evident, the apparent absence of pedogenic alteration of the till surface and the fresh appearance of the excavated stone artifacts suggest that a short time span separated the two glacial events. The archaeological record provides evidence of an earlier Palaeo-American peopling of western interior Canada long before the emergence of the Final Pleistocene Palaeoindian cultures, characterized by elaborate bifacial stone projectile-point flaking technologies traditionally regarded as the earliest cultural manifestations in North America. Silver Springs is the first early site on the continent found below glacial deposits. Realization that other American Palaeolithic sites, potentially of considerable antiquity, should be recognized in similar geological settings, and introduction of adequate geoarchaeological site-survey techniques, have crucial relevance for elucidation of the earliest New World prehistory.

Stratigraphy and structure of the Strawberry Mine roof pendant, central Sierra Nevada, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nokleberg, W.J.

1981-01-01

The Strawberry mine roof pendant, 90 km northeast of Fresno, Calif., is composed of a sequence of metasedimentary rocks of probable Early Jurassic age and a sequence of metaigneous rocks of middle Cretaceous age. The metasedimentary rocks are a former miogeosynclinal sequence of marl and limestone now metamorphosed to calc-silicate hornfels and marble. A pelecypod found in the calc-silicate hornfels has been tentatively identified as a Mesozoic bivalve, possibly Inoceramus pseudomytiloides of Early Jurassic age. These metasedimentary rocks are similar in lithology, structure, and gross age to the metasedimentary rocks of the Boyden Cave roof pendant and are assigned to the Lower Jurassic Kings sequence. The younger metaigneous rocks are metamorphosed shallow-in trusi ve rocks that range in composi tion from granodiorite to rhyolite. These rocks are similar in composition and age to the metavolcanic rocks of the surrounding Merced Peak quadrangle and nearby Ritter Range, and probably represent necks or dikes that were one source for the meta volcanic rocks. The roof pendant is intruded by several plutons, ranging in composition from dioritic to highly felsic, that constitute part of the granodiorite of Jackass Lakes, also M middle Cretaceous age. The contemporaneous suites of metaigneous, metavolcanic, and plutonic rocks in the region represent a middle Cretaceous period of calc-alkalic volcanism and plutonism in the central Sierra Nevada and are interpreted as part of an Andean-type volcanic-plutonic arc. Three deformations are documented in the roof pendant. The first deformation is reflected only in the metasedimentary rocks and consists of northeast-to east-west-trending folds. Similar structures occur in the Boyden Cave roof pendant and in the Calaveras Formation and represent a Middle Jurassic regional deformation. Evidence of the second deformation occurs in the metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks and consists of folds, faults, minor structures, and regional metamorphism along N. 25? W. trends. Crosscutting of these structures by the contemporaneous granodiorite of Jackass Lakes indicates that this deformation occurred simultaneously with volcanism and plutonism during the middle Cretaceous. The third deformation involved both the roof pendant and adjacent plutonic rocks and consists of folds, faults, schistosities, and regional metamorphism along N. 65? -900 W. trends. Crosscutting of similar structures in other middle Cretaceous plutonic rocks of the Merced Peak quadrangle by undeformed late Cretaceous plutonic rocks indicates a regional deformation of middle to late Cretaceous age. Structures of similar style, orientation, and age occur elsewhere in metavolcanic and plutonic rocks throughout the central Sierra Nevada.

Landscapes, depositional environments and human occupation at Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the southern Levant, with new insights from Nesher Ramla, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidner, Yossi; Frumkin, Amos; Friesem, David; Tsatskin, Alexander; Shahack-Gross, Ruth

2016-04-01

Middle Paleolithic human occupation in the Levant (250-50 ka ago) has been recorded in roofed (cave and rockshelter) and open-air sites. Research at these different types of sites yielded different perspectives on the Middle Paleolithic human behavior and evolution. Until recently, open-air Middle Paleolithic sites in the Levant were found in three major sedimentary environments: fluvial, lake-margin and spring. Here we describe a unique depositional environment and formation processes at the recently discovered open-air site of Nesher Ramla (Israel) and discuss their contribution to understanding site formation processes in open-air sites in the Levant. The site is 8-m-thick Middle Paleolithic sequence (OSL dated to 170-80 ka) that is located in a karst sinkhole formed by gravitational deformation and sagging into underground voids. The sedimentary sequence was shaped by gravitational collapse, cyclic colluviation of soil and gravel into the depression, waterlogging, in situ pedogenesis and human occupation. Original bedding and combustion features are well-preserved in the Lower archaeological sequence, a rare occurrence in comparison to other open-air archaeological sites. This phenomenon coincides with episodes of fast sedimentation/burial, which also allowed better preservation of microscopic remains such as ash. The Upper archaeological sequence does not exhibit bedding or preservation of ash, despite presence of heat-affected lithic artifacts, which makes it similar to other open-air sites in the Levant. We suggest that rate of burial is the major factor that caused the difference between the Upper and Lower sequences. The differences in the burial rate may be connected to environmental and vegetation changes at the end of MIS 6. We also identified an interplay between sediment in-wash and density of human activity remains, i.e. during episodes of low natural sediment input the density of artifacts is higher relative to episodes with high rate of sediment in-wash. The detailed analysis of natural and anthropogenic processes at Nesher Ramla suggests a much wider spectrum of processes than previously reported for southern Levantine Paleolithic sites. Nesher Ramla shares certain depositional and post-depositional characteristics with both cave and open-air sites and provides a better insight into processes which control both types of sites.

Disappearance of the last lions and hyenas of Europe in the Late Quaternary - a chain reaction of large mammal prey migration, extinction and human antagonism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diedrich, Cajus G.

2010-05-01

In the Eemian to Early/Middle Weichselian (Late Pleistocene), when the Scandinavian and Alpine Glaciers were still small, and northern Germany under mammoth steppe to taiga palaoenvironment conditions, Late Quaternary steppe lions were well distributed in northern to central Germany, whereas generally all over Central Europe bones and rarely articulated skeletons were found less at open air but mainly at cave sites (Diedrich 2007a, 2008a-b, 2009a-b, 2010a-c, k, in review a-b; Diedrich and Rathgeber in review). A similar distribution, but more dense, is reported for the Late Quaternary Ice Age spotted hyenas (Diedrich 2005, 2006, 2007b-c, 2008a, c, 2010f-j, in review c-d, Diedrich and Žák 2006). The last lions of northern Europe were thought to have reached into the final Magdalénan (cf. Musil 1980). This can be not concluded with a restudy of the bone material from the Late Magdalenian (V-VI) Teufelsbrücke stone arch site near Saalfeld (Thuringia, Central Germany) and many other Magdalenian stations (open air and caves) in northern to central Germany (Münsterland Bay, Sauerland Karst, Harz Mountain Karst, Thuringian Karst). None of those sites yield remains of final Upper Pleistocene spotted hyenas or steppe lion bones anymore, nor in the few preserved Late Magdalenian mobile art can those be recognized in those regions. The last lion remains seem to reach into the Aurignacian or possibly into the Early Gravettian (early Late Weichselian) documented especially at the cave bear den, hyena den and overlapping Neandertalian to Modern human camp site Balve Cave (Sauerland Karst, cf. archaeology in Günther 1964) where still a mammoth fauna is documented for that time (Diedrich 2010a). The last and by archaeological layers dated hyena remains were also found in the Balve Cave and are from the Late Middle Palaeolithic cave site reaching a maximum Aurignacian age documenting an overlapping of hyena den and human camp site use (Diedrich 2010a, b). In northern Germany there are no records of indirectly dated hyena and lion remains being younger then even Aurignacian/Early Gravettian (35.000-28.000 BP). Those largest Late Quaternary predators must have got extinct in northern Germany with the Late Weichselian/Wuermian extending Skandinavian Glacier, which reached northern Europe between Hamburg and Berlin its maximum extension about 24.000 BP (Skupin et al. 1993). The two largest predators of the Late Quaternary of Europe seem to have been well represented in the Gravettian and up to Magdalénian Late Palaeolithic of southern Europe, in which mainly lions, but only rarely hyenas are well documented within the cave and mobile art (e.g Breuil 1952, Begouen and Clottes 1987, Chauvet et al. 1995, Diedrich and Rathgeber in review, Diedrich 2005). Hyenas and lions must have been represented in the Gravettian, Early and Middle and possibly even ?Late Magdalenian in southern Europe, which must have resulted from a southern migration of those predators during the Late Weichselian/Wuermian together with the megafauna and humans. The disappearance of hyenas and lions also correlate with the extinction of mammoth and woolly rhinoceros in northern Germany. The large mammals such as elephants and rhinoceroses were highly important for hyenas and lions during the Late Quaternary. Hyenas had a systematic scavenging strategy on both large prey which was even "transferred" until today compared to modern spotted hyenas and lions of Africa (Diedrich 2010d, e, in prep). Where those Late Quaternary giant mammals such as woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros were absent in middle mountainous regions (e.g. Sauerland Karst, Harz Mountain Karst, Bohemian Karst, Thuringian Karst) those had to kill other medium sized animals such as horse or steppe bison and those in larger amounts (Diedrich 2008, 2010c). Woolly rhinoceros and woolly mammoth seem to be not known in northern Germany after Aurignacian/?Early Gravettian times (Sauerland Karst and Münsterland Bay, Harz Mountain Karst) such as humans (archaeology cf. Günther 1988) but there are also lacking radiocarbon dating series or new excavations. Humans must have been in antagonism to the large predators about their prey and also their Late Palaeolithic sanctuaries - the large caves especially in southern Europe, in which they left thousands of animal figurations mainly during the Gravettian to Late Magdalenian periods (e.g. Breuil 1952, Begouen and Clottes 1987, Chauvet et al. 1995). Therefore the extinction reason of the largest predators of the Late Quaternary seems to be a complex combination of climate change with resulting maximum glacier extension which finally caused a southern directed megafaunal migration and reduction of the available caves and habitat areas in general. Finally in those southern European regions a higher competition about larger caves as cave bear hibernation places, hyena den sites and human settlement/sanctuary sites must have happened. Therefore an active hunt onto lions and hyenas can not be excluded nor be proven well yet, even if there are finds of necklesses in Europe from Late Palaeolithic ages made of mainly carnivore teeth including rare lion and hyena teeth, which might have been only collected. The resettlement of the northern European region by humans and a reduced "reindeer fauna" and its main and largest predators such as wolves and wolverines after the maximum glacier extension in the middle Late Weichselian started not before the Late Magdalenian (Magdalénian V: e.g. Perick Caves, Martins Cave - Sauerland Karst; Rübeland Caves - Harz Mountain Karst, Teufelsbrücke stone arch - Thuringian Karst). Humans occupied at that post-maximum glaciation time many caves in the Sauerland Karst region and even at open air sites in the Münsterland Bay or central Germany (cf. Bosinski 1987, Günther 1988). Within this Late Magdalénian V-VI times in the record of ten thousands of bones from more then 100 sites no hyena or lion remains are recorded anymore in northern and central Germany, such as cave bears. References Begouen R. and Clottes J. 1987. Les Trois Frères after Breuil. Antiquity, 61: 180-187. Bosinski, G. 1987. Die große Zeit der Eiszeitjäger. Europa zwischen 40.000 und 10.000 v.Chr. Jahrbuch des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, 34: 13-139. Breuil, H. 1952. Four Hundred Centuries of Cave Art. Montignac, Dordogne, 414 pp. Chauvet, J.-M., Deschamps B.E, and Hillaire C. 1995. Grotte Chauvet. Altsteinzeitliche Höhlenkunst im Tal der Ardèche. Thorbecke Speläo 1, Sigmaringen, 120 pp. Diedrich, C. 2005. Eine oberpleistozäne Population von Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) aus dem eiszeitlichen Fleckenhyänenhorst Perick-Höhlen von Hemer (Sauerland, NW Deutschland) und ihr Kannibalismus. Philippia, 12 (2): 93-115, Kassel. Diedrich, C. 2006. The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population from the early Upper Pleistocene hyena open air prey deposit site Biedensteg near Bad Wildungen (Hess, NW Germany) and the contribution to their phylogenetic position, coprolites and prey. Cranium, 23 (2): 39-53, Amsterdam. Diedrich, C. 2007a. Upper Pleistocene Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810) skeleton remains from Praha-Podbaba and the contribution to other lion finds from loess and river terrace sites in Central Bohemia (Czech Republic). Bulletin of Geosciences, 82 (2), 99-117, Prague. Diedrich, C. 2007b. Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) remains from the Upper Pleistocene hyaena Teufelskammer Cave den site near Hochdahl in the Neander valley (NRW, NW Germany). Cranium, 24 (2): 39-44, Amsterdam. Diedrich, C. 2007c. The Upper Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) population and its prey from the gypsum karst den site Westeregeln near Magdeburg (Middle Germany). Abhandlungen und Berichte für Naturkunde, 30: 57-83, Magdeburg. Diedrich, C. 2008a. Late Pleistocene Hystrix (Acanthion) brachyura LINNAEUS 1758 from the Fuchsluken cave at the Rote Berg near Saalfeld (Thuringia, Germany) - a porcupine and hyena den and contribution to their palaeobiogeography. - The Open Palaeontological Journal, 2008 (1): 33-41. Diedrich, C. 2008b. The rediscovered holotypes of the Upper Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) and the steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) and taphonomic discussion to the Zoolithen Cave hyena den at Geilenreuth (Bavaria, South-Germany). Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society London, 154, 822-831. Diedrich, C. 2008c. Late Pleistocene hyenas Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) from Upper Rhine valley open air sites and the contribution to skull shape variability. Cranium, 25-2: (in press), Amsterdam. Diedrich, C. 2009a. Upper Pleistocene Panthera leo spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1810) remains from the Bilstein Caves (Sauerland Karst) and contribution to the steppe lion taphonomy, palaeobiology and sexual dimorphism. Annales de Paléontologie, 95 (2009) 117-138, Amsterdam. Diedrich, C. 2009b. Steppe lion remains imported by Ice Age spotted hyenas into the Late Pleistocene Perick Caves hyena den in Northern Germany. Quaternary Research 71 (3): 361-374, Amsterdam. Diedrich, C. 2010a. Pleistocene Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) remains from the Balve Cave (NW Germany) - a hyena den and Middle Palaeolithic human site. - International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (acepted). Diedrich, C. 2010b. Ein Skelett einer kranken Löwin Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810) und andere männliche Löwenreste aus Neumark-Nord. - Archäologie in Sachsen-Anhalt, Sonderbad (accepted). Diedrich, C. 2010c. Late Pleistocene lion Panthera leo spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1810) remains from the Keppler Cave (Sauerland Karst, NW Germany). Cranium 26, Amsterdam (in press). Diedrich, C. 2010c. Specialized horse killers in Europe - foetal horse remains in the Late Pleistocene Srbsko Chlum-Komín Cave hyena den in the Bohemian Karst (Czech Republic) and actualistic comparisons to modern African spotted hyenas as zebra hunters. - Quaternary International. Diedrich, C. 2010d. Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799) carcass destructors, bone collectors, crackers and gnawers of the Late Pleistocene in Central Europe - the Ice Age spotted hyenas and their feeding strategies on their largest prey - the mammoth. Abstract Vth International Conference on Mammoths and their relatives, Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Diedrich, C. 2010e. Späteiszeiliche Fleckenhyänen-Fressstrategien und Steppenlöwen an ihrer größte Beute - dem Waldelefanten Palaeoloxodon antiquus Falconer & Cautley 1845 in Neumark-Nord. Archäologie in Sachsen-Anhalt, Sonderband (accepted). Diedrich, C. 2010f. Die späteiszeitlichen Fleckenhyänen und deren Exkremente aus Neumark-Nord. Archäologie in Sachsen-Anhalt, Sonderband (accepted). Diedrich, C. 2010g. Rare Upper Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) remains from northern Czech Republic open air loess sites along the Elbe River. Cranium, (accepted). Diedrich, C. 2010h. Europe's first Upper Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) skeleton from a small cannibalistic hyena population found in the main dome of the Koněprusy Caves - a hyena cave prey depot site in the Bohemian Karst (Czech Republic). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (in review). Diedrich, C. 2010i. Periodical use of the Balve Cave (NW Germany) as a Late Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) den - hyena occupations and bone accumulations versa human Middle Palaeolithic activity. Quaternary International. Diedrich, C. 2010j. The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) population from the Late Pleistocene Rösenbeck Cave den in NW Germany and contribution to the sexual dimorphism and palaeobiogeography of the last hyenas of Europe. Annales de Paléontologie. Diedrich, C. 2010k. Upper Pleistocene Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810) remains from an open air loess bone accumulation site in Freyburg a. U. (Central Germany). Jahresschrift für mitteldeutsche Vorgeschichte (accepted). Diedrich, C. in prep. Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach 1799) hunters and scavengers - the Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) and its feeding strategy on its most important prey in Europe. Diedrich, C. in review a. A diseased Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) lioness from a forest elephant graveyard in the Late Pleistocene (Eemian) interglacial lake at Neumark-Nord, Central Germany. Quaternary International. Diedrich, C. in review b. Late Pleistocene steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) remains from the open air hyena den Emscher River terrace site Bottrop and other sites of northern Germany - new proves for hyena-lion antagonism. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. DIEDRICH, C. in review c. The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (GOLDFUSS 1823) population and its prey from the Upper Pleistocene Teufelskammer Cave hyena den site in the Neandertal (NRW, NW Germany). Annales de Paléontologie. Diedrich, C. in review d. The Late Pleistocene Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) population from the Late Pleistocene hyena open air Emscher River terrace den near Bottrop (NWGermany) and other sites in the Westphalian Bay and its mammoth and woolly rhinoceros prey. Quaternary International. Diedrich, C. and Rathgeber, T. in review. Late Pleistocene steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) skeleton remains of the Upper Rhine valley (SW Germany) and contribution to their palaeobiogeography, sexual dimorphism and palaeoecology. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. Diedrich, C. AND Žák, K. 2006. Prey deposits and den sites of the Upper Pleistocene hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) in horizontal and vertical caves of the Bohemian Karst (Czech Republic). Bulletin of Geosciences, 81 (4), 237-276. Günther, K. 1964. Die altsteinzeitlichen Funde der Balve Höhle. Bodenaltertümer Westfalens, 8, 1-165. Günther, K. 1988. Alt- und Mittelsteinzeitliche Fundplätze in Westfalen. Teil 2. Einführung in die Vor- und Frühgeschichte Westfalens 6, 1-183. Musil, R. 1980. Die Großsäoger und Vögel der Teufelsbrücke. In: Feustel, R. Magdalénienstation Teufelsbrücke. II: Paläontologischer Teil. Weimarer Monographien zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte 3, 1-71. Skupin, K., Speetzen, E. and Zandstra, J.G. 1993. Die Eiszeit in Nordwestdeutschland. GLA Nordrhein-Westfalen, Krefeld, 143 pp.

Paleohydrology and paleoenvironments at Bir Sahara: Pleistocene lithostratigraphy and sedimentology in the southern Egyptian Sahara

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Christopher L.; Schild, Romuald

2017-12-01

The Bir Sahara area contains a remarkable record of Middle and Late Pleistocene hydrologic and environmental conditions for Saharan North Africa, based on lithostratigraphic and sedimentologic evidence from basin-fill deposits. Some of the deposits contain Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) or Middle Paleolithic artifacts that help to constrain their age, since Acheulian artifacts are assigned to the Middle Pleistocene, while Middle Paleolithic artifacts are limited to either the Middle or Late Pleistocene. Locality BS-14 is in the southern part of Bir Sahara, while localities E-88-15, E-88-2, BS-13, and BS-16 are situated in the south-central part of the deflational basin, closer to the present-day water-hole. Lowered groundwater conditions during arid intervals resulted in erosional topographic basins. These deflational basins were later filled with sediments associated with wetter hydrologic conditions. The oldest studied sedimentary sequence in the Bir Sahara depression (BS-14) contains in situ Acheulian artifacts. Acheulian handaxes are found in sands underlying carbonates that are interpreted as evidence of spring-fed pond and marsh environments during a Middle Pleistocene wet interval. At the E-88-15 locality, the stratigraphic sequence documents deposition in a possible perennial pond or small lake that varied in extent and depth and is associated with Middle Paleolithic artifacts. At E-88-12 and BS-13, lateral and vertical variations in the lithofacies of the basin-fill sediments provide additional records of changing hydrologic conditions during the Late Pleistocene. These hydrologic conditions appear to reflect variations in water-table levels related to groundwater recharge and, at times, local rains.

Middle Level SS&C Energy Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, Linda W.; Aldridge, Bill G.

The project on Scope Sequence and Coordination of Secondary School Science (SS&C) was initiated by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and recommends that all students study science every year and advocates carefully sequenced, well-coordinated instruction in biology, chemistry, earth/space science, and physics. This document…

Evaluation of Resuspension from Propeller Wash in DoD Harbors

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

sand , silt, clay, and dissolved fractions. Information in the middle represents the filtration sequence, information to the left are...San Diego Bay. Each metal is provided as the percentage fraction for clay (grey), silt (green), sand (red) and total (blue), the same pattern is...middle), and sand (bottom) concentrations for the three locations (see Figure 6-33

Into Adolescence: Becoming a Health-Wise Consumer. A Curriculum for Grades 5-8. Contemporary Health Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hisgen, Jon W.

The "Contemporary Health Series" covers critical health and family life topics in a sequence of modules with two curricular divisions: "Into Adolescence" for middle school teachers and "Entering Adulthood" for high school teachers. This module presents middle school students with the information they need to become knowledgeable, concerned…

Decision Making Associated with Selecting an Integrated or a Discipline Model for Middle School Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockbank, Brennan R.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study sought to identify, understand, and describe the decision-making processes used by school districts to determine the middle school science course sequence as part of the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. Additionally, this study explored and described the expressed comments, feelings, and beliefs of…

Eco-Inquiry: A Guide to Ecological Learning Experiences for the Upper Elementary/Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Kathleen

Eco-Inquiry may be defined as a "whole science" curriculum that embeds hands-on science within thematic multi-dimensional learning experiences. Three modules for the upper elementary and middle grades focus on food webs, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Each module lasts 4-7 weeks and may be used alone or in sequence. Student…

K-Ar age of the late Pleistocene eruption of Toba, north Sumatra

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ninkovich, D.; Shackleton, N.J.; Abdel-Monem, A. A.; Obradovich, J.D.; Izett, G.

1978-01-01

The late Pleistocene eruption of Toba is the largest magnitude explosive eruption documented from the Quaternary. K-Ar dating of the uppermost unit of the Toba Tuff gives an age of [~amp]sim; 75,000 yr. A chemically and petrographically equivalent ash layer in deep-sea cores helps calibrate the Stage 4-5 boundary of the standard oxygen isotope stratigraphy. A similar ash in Malaya that overlies finds of Tampan Palaeolithic tools indicates that they are older than 75,000 yr. ?? 1978 Nature Publishing Group.

Evaluating intra- and inter- sample variability in Electron Spin Resonance dating of fossil teeth: an example from Cuesta de la Bajada site (Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duval, Mathieu; Grün, Rainer; Shao, Qingfeng; Martin, Loïc; Arnold, Lee J.

2017-04-01

Over the last decades, technological improvements have progressively enabled to significantly decrease the amount of material required for dating analyses. In particular, the combined use of laser ablation (LA) with ICP-MS opened new possibilities for high resolution in situ U-series analyses of fossil teeth. With this technique it is now possible to directly visualise the spatial distribution of U and Th isotopes in dental tissues. Moreover, the combination of LA-ICP-MS with Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) enables an increased sampling resolution, and offers the possibility to produce several ages for different areas within a given fossil tooth. To test the potential of this new approach, several fossil teeth were collected from the Middle Palaeolithic site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, Spain). Each tooth was divided into several subsamples, providing thus several combined US-ESR age results per tooth. For each subsample, ESR, high-resolution laser ablation and solution ICP-MS U-series analyses were systematically performed. Relative beta dose rate contributions from the different tissues and the sediment were also adjusted using DosiVox software and compared with those derived from the standard approach. The results of this work give some interesting insight into the intra- and inter- sample variability that may exist at a given site. The consistency of the final US-ESR age estimates obtained on teeth are also evaluated by comparison with the (semi)-independent results derived from ESR and Luminescence dating of optically bleached quartz grains collected from the same excavation area.

Homo sapiens in Arabia by 85,000 years ago.

PubMed

Groucutt, Huw S; Grün, Rainer; Zalmout, Iyad A S; Drake, Nick A; Armitage, Simon J; Candy, Ian; Clark-Wilson, Richard; Louys, Julien; Breeze, Paul S; Duval, Mathieu; Buck, Laura T; Kivell, Tracy L; Pomeroy, Emma; Stephens, Nicholas B; Stock, Jay T; Stewart, Mathew; Price, Gilbert J; Kinsley, Leslie; Sung, Wing Wai; Alsharekh, Abdullah; Al-Omari, Abdulaziz; Zahir, Muhammad; Memesh, Abdullah M; Abdulshakoor, Ammar J; Al-Masari, Abdu M; Bahameem, Ahmed A; Al Murayyi, Khaled M S; Zahrani, Badr; Scerri, Eleanor L M; Petraglia, Michael D

2018-05-01

Understanding the timing and character of the expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa is critical for inferring the colonization and admixture processes that underpin global population history. It has been argued that dispersal out of Africa had an early phase, particularly ~130-90 thousand years ago (ka), that reached only the East Mediterranean Levant, and a later phase, ~60-50 ka, that extended across the diverse environments of Eurasia to Sahul. However, recent findings from East Asia and Sahul challenge this model. Here we show that H. sapiens was in the Arabian Peninsula before 85 ka. We describe the Al Wusta-1 (AW-1) intermediate phalanx from the site of Al Wusta in the Nefud desert, Saudi Arabia. AW-1 is the oldest directly dated fossil of our species outside Africa and the Levant. The palaeoenvironmental context of Al Wusta demonstrates that H. sapiens using Middle Palaeolithic stone tools dispersed into Arabia during a phase of increased precipitation driven by orbital forcing, in association with a primarily African fauna. A Bayesian model incorporating independent chronometric age estimates indicates a chronology for Al Wusta of ~95-86 ka, which we correlate with a humid episode in the later part of Marine Isotope Stage 5 known from various regional records. Al Wusta shows that early dispersals were more spatially and temporally extensive than previously thought. Early H. sapiens dispersals out of Africa were not limited to winter rainfall-fed Levantine Mediterranean woodlands immediately adjacent to Africa, but extended deep into the semi-arid grasslands of Arabia, facilitated by periods of enhanced monsoonal rainfall.

Rational Behavior Skills: A Teaching Sequence for Students with Emotional Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patton, Patricia Lucey

1995-01-01

Rational behavior training is a proactive teaching model concerned with helping students with behavior disorders or serious emotional disturbances develop rational thinking and appropriate social skills. Describes a seven-session sequence for teaching rational behavior skills in a middle school setting. Pre- and posttest data revealed significant…

Linking Models: Reasoning from Patterns to Tables and Equations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Switzer, J. Matt

2013-01-01

Patterns are commonly used in middle years mathematics classrooms to teach students about functions and modelling with tables, graphs, and equations. Grade 6 students are expected to, "continue and create sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals," and "describe the rule used to create the sequence." (Australian…

Interactions of polyomavirus middle T with the SH2 domains of the pp85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase.

PubMed Central

Yoakim, M; Hou, W; Liu, Y; Carpenter, C L; Kapeller, R; Schaffhausen, B S

1992-01-01

The binding of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase to the polyomavirus middle T antigen is facilitated by tyrosine phosphorylation of middle T on residue 315. The pp85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase contains two SH2 domains, one in the middle of the molecule and one at the C terminus. When assayed by blotting with phosphorylated middle T, the more N-terminal SH2 domain is responsible for binding to middle T. When assayed in solution with glutathione S transferase fusions, both SH2s are capable of binding phosphorylated middle T. While both SH2 fusions can compete with intact pp85 for binding to middle T, the C-terminal SH2 is the more efficient of the two. Interaction between pp85 or its SH2 domains and middle T can be blocked by a synthetic peptide comprising the tyrosine phosphorylation sequence around middle T residue 315. Despite the fact that middle T can interact with both SH2s, these domains are not equivalent. Only the C-terminal SH2-middle T interaction was blocked by anti-SH2 antibody; the two SH2 fusions also interact with different cellular proteins. Images PMID:1380095

Increase in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Cases in Saudi Arabia Linked to Hospital Outbreak With Continued Circulation of Recombinant Virus, July 1–August 31, 2015

PubMed Central

Assiri, Abdullah M.; Biggs, Holly M.; Abedi, Glen R.; Lu, Xiaoyan; Bin Saeed, Abdulaziz; Abdalla, Osman; Mohammed, Mutaz; Al-Abdely, Hail M.; Algarni, Homoud S.; Alhakeem, Raafat F.; Almasri, Malak M.; Alsharef, Ali A.; Nooh, Randa; Erdman, Dean D.; Gerber, Susan I.; Watson, John T.

2016-01-01

During July–August 2015, the number of cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) reported from Saudi Arabia increased dramatically. We reviewed the 143 confirmed cases from this period and classified each based upon likely transmission source. We found that the surge in cases resulted predominantly (90%) from secondary transmission largely attributable to an outbreak at a single healthcare facility in Riyadh. Genome sequencing of MERS coronavirus from 6 cases demonstrated continued circulation of the recently described recombinant virus. A single unique frameshift deletion in open reading frame 5 was detected in the viral sequence from 1 case. PMID:27704019

Evaluation of Resuspension from Propeller Wash in DoD Harbors

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

contaminants) concentrations in the total, sand , silt, clay, and dissolved fractions. Information in the middle represents the filtration sequence...April 2012 in San Diego Bay. Each metal is provided as the percentage fraction for clay (grey), silt (green), sand (red) and total (blue), the same...middle), and sand (bottom) concentrations for the three locations (see Figure 6-33

Tectonostratigraphy and depositional history of the Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary sequences in Kid area, southeastern Sinai, Egypt: Implications for intra-arc to foreland basin in the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalaf, E. A.; Obeid, M. A.

2013-09-01

This paper presents a stratigraphic and sedimentary study of Neoproterozoic successions of the South Sinai, at the northernmost segment of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), including the Kid complex. This complex is composed predominantly of thick volcano-sedimentary successions representing different depositional and tectonic environments, followed by four deformational phases including folding and brittle faults (D1-D4). The whole Kid area is divisible from north to south into the lower, middle, and upper rock sequences. The higher metamorphic grade and extensive deformational styles of the lower sequence distinguishes them from the middle and upper sequences. Principal lithofacies in the lower sequence include thrust-imbricated tectonic slice of metasediments and metavolcanics, whereas the middle and upper sequences are made up of clastic sediments, intermediate-felsic lavas, volcaniclastics, and dike swarms. Two distinct Paleo- depositional environments are observed: deep-marine and alluvial fan regime. The former occurred mainly during the lower sequence, whereas the latter developed during the other two sequences. These alternations of depositional conditions in the volcano-sedimentary deposits suggest that the Kid area may have formed under a transitional climate regime fluctuating gradually from warm and dry to warm and humid conditions. Geochemical and petrographical data, in conjunction with field relationships, suggest that the investigated volcano-sedimentary rocks were built from detritus derived from a wide range of sources, ranging from Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic continental crust. Deposition within the ancient Kid basin reflects a complete basin cycle from rifting and passive margin development, to intra-arc and foreland basin development and, finally, basin closure. The early phase of basin evolution is similar to various basins in the Taupo volcanics, whereas the later phases are similar to the Cordilleran-type foreland basin. The progressive change in lithofacies from marine intra-arc basin to continental molasses foreland basin and from compression to extension setting respectively, imply that the source area became peneplained, where the Kid basin became stabilized as sedimentation progressed following uplift. The scenario proposed of the study area supports the role of volcanic and tectonic events in architecting the facies and stratigraphic development.

Statistical Evaluation of the Rodin–Ohno Hypothesis: Sense/Antisense Coding of Ancestral Class I and II Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases

PubMed Central

Chandrasekaran, Srinivas Niranj; Yardimci, Galip Gürkan; Erdogan, Ozgün; Roach, Jeffrey; Carter, Charles W.

2013-01-01

We tested the idea that ancestral class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases arose on opposite strands of the same gene. We assembled excerpted 94-residue Urgenes for class I tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) and class II Histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) from a diverse group of species, by identifying and catenating three blocks coding for secondary structures that position the most highly conserved, active-site residues. The codon middle-base pairing frequency was 0.35 ± 0.0002 in all-by-all sense/antisense alignments for 211 TrpRS and 207 HisRS sequences, compared with frequencies between 0.22 ± 0.0009 and 0.27 ± 0.0005 for eight different representations of the null hypothesis. Clustering algorithms demonstrate further that profiles of middle-base pairing in the synthetase antisense alignments are correlated along the sequences from one species-pair to another, whereas this is not the case for similar operations on sets representing the null hypothesis. Most probable reconstructed sequences for ancestral nodes of maximum likelihood trees show that middle-base pairing frequency increases to approximately 0.42 ± 0.002 as bacterial trees approach their roots; ancestral nodes from trees including archaeal sequences show a less pronounced increase. Thus, contemporary and reconstructed sequences all validate important bioinformatic predictions based on descent from opposite strands of the same ancestral gene. They further provide novel evidence for the hypothesis that bacteria lie closer than archaea to the origin of translation. Moreover, the inverse polarity of genetic coding, together with a priori α-helix propensities suggest that in-frame coding on opposite strands leads to similar secondary structures with opposite polarity, as observed in TrpRS and HisRS crystal structures. PMID:23576570

Music Program of Study: Educational Program Definition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West Virginia State Dept. of Education, Charleston.

The West Virginia music study program is a public school K-12 curriculum sequence. This program is divided into the four principal areas of: (1) general classroom music; (2) string instrumental music; (3) wind and percussion instrumental music; and (4) choral music. The general classroom music program is an early and middle childhood sequence of…

Preference for locus of punishment in a response sequence.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dardano, J. F.

1972-01-01

Study of differences in the aversiveness of response-dependent shock when scheduled on the first, middle or final response of a sequence of 70 responses of food-deprived pigeons, using a procedure to identify relative preferences. The preferred shock schedule and the strength of the preference were found to vary among the pigeons.

Sawfishes and Other Elasmobranch Assemblages from the Mio-Pliocene of the South Caribbean (Urumaco Sequence, Northwestern Venezuela)

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The Urumaco stratigraphic sequence, western Venezuela, preserves a variety of paleoenvironments that include terrestrial, riverine, lacustrine and marine facies. A wide range of fossil vertebrates associated with these facies supports the hypothesis of an estuary in that geographic area connected with a hydrographic system that flowed from western Amazonia up to the Proto-Caribbean Sea during the Miocene. Here the elasmobranch assemblages of the middle Miocene to middle Pliocene section of the Urumaco sequence (Socorro, Urumaco and Codore formations) are described. Based on new findings, we document at least 21 taxa of the Lamniformes, Carcharhiniformes, Myliobatiformes and Rajiformes, and describe a new carcharhiniform species (†Carcharhinus caquetius sp. nov.). Moreover, the Urumaco Formation has a high number of well-preserved fossil Pristis rostra, for which we provide a detailed taxonomic revision, and referral in the context of the global Miocene record of Pristis as well as extant species. Using the habitat preference of the living representatives, we hypothesize that the fossil chondrichthyan assemblages from the Urumaco sequence are evidence for marine shallow waters and estuarine habitats. PMID:26488163

The Early to Middle Triassic continental-marine transition of NW Bulgaria: sedimentology, palynology and sequence stratigraphy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajdanlijsky, George; Götz, Annette E.; Strasser, André

2018-04-01

Sedimentary facies and cycles of the Triassic continental-marine transition of NW Bulgaria are documented in detail from reference sections along the Iskar river gorge between the villages of Tserovo and Opletnya. The depositional environments evolved from anastomosing and meandering river systems in the Petrohan Terrigenous Group to mixed fluvial and tidal settings in the Svidol Formation, and to peritidal and shallow-marine conditions in the Opletnya Member of the Mogila Formation. For the first time, the palynostratigraphic data presented here allow for dating the transitional interval and for the precise identification of a major sequence boundary between the Petrohan Terrigenous Group and the Svidol Formation (Iskar Carbonate Group). This boundary most probably corresponds to the major sequence boundary Ol4 occurring in the upper Olenekian of the Tethyan realm and thus enables interregional correlation. The identification of regionally traceable sequence boundaries based on biostratigraphic age control is a first step towards a more accurate stratigraphic correlation and palaeogeographic interpretation of the Early to early Middle Triassic in NW Bulgaria.

Discussion Starter: The Case for Duplexing without Channel Flow During the Development and Emplacement of the Himalayan Middle Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, A. G.; He, D.; Yu, H.

2015-12-01

This presentation and another presentation led by Dawn Kellett will preface a ten-minute open discussion on how the Himalayan middle crust was developed and emplaced. Current hypotheses are transitioning from a set including wedge extrusion, channel flow with focused denudation, and tectonic wedging to a revised dichotomy: models with intense upper plate out-of-sequence activity (i.e., tunneling of channel flow, and critical taper wedge behavior) versus models in which the upper plate mainly records basal accretion of horses (i.e., duplexing). Critical taper and duplexing offer a simple contrast that can be illustrated via food analogies. If a wedge is critical, it churns internally like a pile of CheeriosTM cereal pushed up an inclined plane. Stacking of a duplex acts like a deli meat-slicing machine: slice after slice is cut from the intact block to a stack of slices, but neither the block (~down-going plate) nor the stack (~upper plate) features much internal deformation. Thus critical taper and channel tunneling models predict much processing via out-of-sequence deformation, whereas duplexing predicts in-sequence thrusting. The two concepts may be considered end-members. Recent work shows that the Himalayan middle crust has been assembled along a series of mainly southwards-younging thrust faults. The thrust faults separate 1-5 km thick panels that experienced similar metamorphic cycles during different time periods. Out-of-sequence deformation is rare, with its apparent significance enhanced because of the high throw-to-heave ratio of out-of-sequence thrusting. Flattening fabrics developed prior to thrusting have been interpreted to record either (1) southwards channel tunneling across the upper plate, or (2) fabric development during metamorphism of the down-going plate. We will argue that the thrust faults dominantly represent in-sequence duplexing, and therefore conclude that the Himalaya and analogous hot orogens behave like other accretionary orogens.

Astronomical forcing of a Middle Permian chert sequence in Chaohu, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Xu; Zhou, Yaoqi; Hinnov, Linda A.

2015-07-01

Astronomical forcing has been shown to be a fundamental driver of climate change through geological time. Pelagic, bedded cherts deposited in Mesozoic ocean basins with chert-mudstone cycles have been shown to contain the imprint of Milankovitch astronomical climate forcing. In the Chaohu region, South China, we studied a Middle Permian radiolarian chert sequence (Gufeng Formation) with chert-mudstone couplets reminiscent of the Mesozoic cherts, but deposited on a continental shelf. Spectral analysis of lithologic bed thickness data from two sections of this chert sequence reveals that 13 cm to 20 cm chert-mudstone cycles in the stratigraphic domain match theoretical 32-kyr Middle Permian obliquity cycling, together with a hierarchy of other cycles with 12 cm, 9 cm, 7 cm, 6.6 cm and 5.4 cm wavelengths. Tuning the 13 cm to 20 cm stratigraphic cycles to Earth's obliquity cycle periodicity indicates that the cm-scale cycles are precession-scale variations with a strong ∼400 kyr amplitude modulation. Tuning to theoretical precession terms provides further support for the astronomical forcing of the chert sequence. We propose that monsoon-controlled upwelling contributed to the development of the chert-mudstone cycles. A seasonal monsoon controlled by astronomical forcing (i.e., insolation) influenced the intensity of upwelling. Stronger upwelling increased radiolarian productivity in the surface ocean, increasing silica deposition. Glacio-eustatic oscillations from ice sheet dynamics in southern Gondwana modulated terrigenous mud flux to the basin. The two processes jointly contributed to the astronomical rhythms of these tropical chert-mudstone sequences, which are characterized by comparably strong obliquity and precession responses. Subsequent diagenesis distorted the chert and mudstone layering, but not enough to destroy the original stratigraphic patterns. The resulting astronomical time scale (ATS) assumes a Roadian/Wordian boundary age of 268.8 Ma for the onset of the first chert layer at the base of the sequence and ends at 264.1 Ma, for a total duration of 4.7 myr.

The Crusades and Islam. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad, 1998 (Israel and Jordan).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serota, Laurie

These two mini-units are designed to supplement the areas of study dictated by the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-rich curriculum used in the educator/curriculum developer's school. The mini-units fall in the middle of a 6-month-long study of the Middle Ages and incorporate the depth of content required to support the larger unit on the Middle…

Socialization and the "Middle" Child: A Twentieth Century Model of a Seventeenth Century Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leet, Pauline M.

The institution called the "junior high" was established in response to an accumulation of dissatisfaction with the education and with the socialization of the age group termed the "middle child", children in the 11th or 12th year through the 14th year. However, serious rethinking of the entire 7-12 sequence now needs to be undertaken. Studies are…

Close Relationship between West Nile Virus from Turkey and Lineage 1 Strain from Central African Republic

PubMed Central

Ergunay, Koray; Bakonyi, Tamas; Nowotny, Norbert

2015-01-01

We sequenced West Nile viruses (WNVs) from Turkey and found close relationships to WNV lineage 1 strain ArB310/67 from the Central African Republic, distinct from other WNVs circulating in the Mediterranean Basin, eastern Europe, and the Middle East. These findings suggest independent introductions of WNV strains from Africa to the Middle East. PMID:25625703

Violence among Middle School and High School Students: Analysis and Implications for Prevention. National Institute of Justice Research in Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Daniel

Violent incidents among at-risk middle school and high school students are discussed. The type and frequency of these incidents are identified, but the focus is on factors such as the relationship among the antagonists, the sequence of events and escalations, and the goals and justifications cited by the students. Information is drawn from…

Sequence stratigraphy of the lower Upper Cretaceous Elbtal Group (Saxony, Germany): new data from Middle Cenomanian-Upper Turonian outcrops and boreholes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardt, Nadine; Wilmsen, Markus

2013-04-01

The formations of the Saxonian Cretaceous have been combined in the so-called Elbtal Group. Their sedimentation took place in a terrestrial to neritic environment palaeogeographically located between the Mid-European Island (MEI) in the SW and the Lusatian Massif in the NE. The through extended from the narrow marine strait of Saxony into the broad Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Czech Republic) further to the SE. Deposition has been dominated by marine siliciclastics that accumulated on a graded shelf with basically three main facies zones: the coarse-grained nearshore zone ("Küstensandsteinzone"), the transitional zone ("Faziesübergangszone") and the fine-grained marly offshore facies zone ("Plänerfazies"). In general, transgression proceeded in late Early Cenomanian times from the N. Relictic remains of these marine bioclastic conglomerates (Meißen Formation) only occur in the northwesternmost area of the basin around Meißen and are related to the highstand of the depositional sequence Cenomanian 3 (DS Ce 3). After a short stratigraphic gap, onlap continued in the Middle Cenomanian with the following Niederschöna Formation consisting of coarse-grained braided river deposits at the base grading via carbonaceous point-bar cycles of a meandering river system into bioturbated, partly cross-bedded estuarine sediments toward the top. These sediments record DS Ce 4 and are capped by a paleosol. Sedimentation of DS Ce 5 started with a renewed transgressional pulse initiating the Late Cenomanian. The strata consist of bioturbated, cross-bedded predominantly fine- to medium-grained quartz sandstones with some shell-rich horizons corresponding to the Oberhäslich Formation. The unconformably overlying DS Tu 1 comprises the uppermost Cenomanian Dölzschen Formation and the Lower Turonian part of the Schmilka Formation. The onset of this depositional sequence is marked by a major transgression ("plenus Transgression) drowning the remaining pre-transgression topography (onlap of Dölzschen Formation onto basement highs). The lowermost Turonian "Lohmgrund Marl" defines the base of the Schmilka Formation changing gradually into strongly bioturbated, silty Pläner and coarsening upward into moderately bioturbated, thick-bedded-massive, mainly fine-grained quartz sandstones with occasional clayey or silty layers, shell-rich horizons and sparse wood remains. After an interruption in sedimentation indicated by a root horizon or a conspicuous erosional surface, the Schmilka Formation continues with similar lithology into the early Middle Turonian. It is replaced up-section by the overlying Middle-Upper Turonian Postelwitz Formation, characterized by decreasing thickness of bedding and stronger sedimentary variability (grain size, bioturbation, glauconite and fossil content), including the intercalation of thick units of silty Pläner. The lithological variations of sandy and Pläner intervals nicely reflect the Middle-Late Turonian sea-level changes of DS Tu 2 (early Middle Turonian), DS Tu 3 (late Middle-earliest Late Turonian) and DS Tu 4 (early Late-mid-Late Turonian): Pläner units represent transgressive and highstand conditions, sand packages late highstand as well as falling and lowstand systems tracts. A major mid-Late Turonian sea-level fall is indicated in the upper Postelwitz Formation, initiating DS Tu 5 (Late Turonian) with a strongly basin-ward prograding unit of coarse-grained sandstone. The following transgression culminated in a prominent maximum flooding interval represented by the intercalation of a clayey-fine-grained regional marker bed, forming the base of the Schrammstein Formation (thick-bedded, unfossiliferous medium- to coarse-grained quartz sandstones). In conclusion, all depositional sequences of Middle Cenomanian-Late Turonian age and their bounding unconformities (sequence boundaries SB Ce 4 and 5, SB Tu 1-4) reported from coeval sections around the MEI (e. g., Münsterland Creatceous Basin, Lower Saxonian and Danubian Cretaceous) and other Cretaceous basins in the Tethyan region (e. g., Egypt) are also developed in the Saxonian Cretaceous, supporting eustatic sea-level changes as main triggers for the sequence stratigraphic architecture of the Elbtal Group.

Effects of Programmed Learning Sequences on the Mathematics Test Scores of Bermudian Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tully, Derek; Dunn, Rita; Hlawaty, Heide

2006-01-01

This research compared the effects of a Programmed Learning Sequence (PLS) (Dunn & Dunn, 1993) versus Traditional Teaching (TT) on 100 sixth-grade Bermudian students' test scores on a Fractions Unit. Fifty-three males' and forty-seven females' learning styles were identified with the "Learning Style Inventory" (LSI) (Dunn, Dunn,…

Sense Making in the Context of Algebraic Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palatnik, Alik; Koichu, Boris

2017-01-01

This article concerns student sense making in the context of algebraic activities. We present a case in which a pair of middle-school students attempts to make sense of a previously obtained by them position formula for a particular numerical sequence. The exploration of the sequence occurred in the context of two-month-long student research…

Art, the visual imagination and neuroscience: The Chauvet Cave, Mona Lisa's smile and Michelangelo's terribilitá.

PubMed

Onians, John

2017-10-23

This paper considers several types of imagination relevant to art historical enquiry. These are exemplified in artistic expressions ranging from palaeolithic paintings in the Chauvet Cave, to drawings, sculptures and buildings designed by Michelangelo and drawings and paintings by Leonardo, and are related to recent neuroscientific discoveries. From this it emerges that important types of imagination cannot be understood without an appreciation of the neural processes that underlie them and especially without an acknowledgement of the importance of neurochemistry. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geologic map of the Bonners Ferry 30' x 60' quadrangle, Idaho and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Fred K.; Burmester, Russell F.

2003-01-01

This data set maps and describes the geology of the Bonners Ferry 30' x 60' quadrangle, Idaho and Montana. The bedrock geology of the Bonners Ferry quadrangle consists of sedimentary, metamorphic, and granitic rocks ranging in age from Middle Proterozoic to Eocene. Bedrock units include rocks of (1) the Middle Proterozoic Belt Supergroup (2) the Middle Proterozoic Deer Trail Group, (3) the Late Proterozoic Windermere Group, (4) miogeoclinal or shelf facies lower Paleozoic rocks, and (5) Mesozoic and Tertiary granitic rocks. The Belt Supergroup, a thick sequence of argillite, siltite, quartzite, and impure carbonate rocks up to 9,000 m thick, occurs in two non-contiguous sequences in the quadrangle: (1) the Clark Fork-Eastport Sequence east of the Purcell trench and (2) the Newport Sequence in the hanging wall of the Newport Fault. Only the two lowest Belt formations of the Newport Sequence are found in the Bonners Ferry quadrangle, but these two units are part of a continuous section, which extends southwestward to the town of Newport. Belt Supergroup rocks of the Clark Fork-Eastport Sequence are separated from those of the Newport Sequence by the Newport Fault, Priest River Complex, and Purcell Trench Fault. Some formations of the Belt Supergroup show differences in thickness and (or) lithofacies from one sequence to the other that are greater than those predicted from an empirical depositional model for the distances currently separating the sequences. These anomalous thickness and facies differences suggest that there has been a net contraction along structures separating the sequences despite Eocene extension associated with emplacement of the Priest River Complex. In addition to these two Belt sequences, probable Belt rocks are present in the Priest River Complex as high metamorphic grade crystalline schist and gneiss. Northwest of the Newport Sequence of Belt Supergroup is the Deer Trail Group, a distinct Middle Proterozoic sequence of argillite, siltite, quartzite, and carbonate rocks lithostratigraphically similar to the Belt Supergroup, but separated from all Belt Supergroup rocks by the Jumpoff Joe Fault. Rocks of the Deer Trail Group are pervasively phyllitic and noticeably more deformed than rocks in the Belt Supergroup sequences. Lithostratigraphically the Deer Trail Group is equivalent to part of the upper part of the Belt Supergroup. Differences in lithostratigraphy and thickness between individual Deer Trail and Belt units and between the Deer Trail and Belt sequences as a whole indicate that they were probably much farther apart when they were deposited. The Windermere Group is a lithologically varied sequence of volcanic rocks and coarse-grained, mostly immature, clastic sedimentary rocks up to 8,000 m thick. It is characterized by extreme differences in thickness and lithofacies over short distances caused by syndepositional faulting associated with initial stages of continental rifting in the Late Proterozoic. Strata of the Windermere Group unconformably overlie only the Deer Trail Group, and are nowhere found in depositional contact with Belt Supergroup rocks. Paleozoic rocks in the Bonners Ferry quadrangle consist of a thin, fault-bounded remnant preserved within the Clark Fork-Eastport Belt Supergroup Sequence. Mesozoic granitic rocks underlie at least 50 percent of the Bonners Ferry quadrangle. They fall into two petrogenetic suites, hornblende-biotite plutons and muscovite-biotite (two-mica) plutons, most of which are Cretaceous in age. Both suites are represented in the mid-crustal Priest River Complex and in the higher level plutons that flank the complex; by far the majority of the Priest River Complex are Cretaceous, two-mica bodies. Tertiary rocks are restricted to a single small stock, numerous hypabyssal dikes that are too small to show at the scale of the map, and to cataclastic rocks related to the Newport Fault. Quaternary deposits include unconsolidated to poorl

Molecular Genetics of the Usher Syndrome in Lebanon: Identification of 11 Novel Protein Truncating Mutations by Whole Exome Sequencing

PubMed Central

Reddy, Ramesh; Fahiminiya, Somayyeh; El Zir, Elie; Mansour, Ahmad; Megarbane, Andre; Majewski, Jacek; Slim, Rima

2014-01-01

Background Usher syndrome (USH) is a genetically heterogeneous condition with ten disease-causing genes. The spectrum of genes and mutations causing USH in the Lebanese and Middle Eastern populations has not been described. Consequently, diagnostic approaches designed to screen for previously reported mutations were unlikely to identify the mutations in 11 unrelated families, eight of Lebanese and three of Middle Eastern origins. In addition, six of the ten USH genes consist of more than 20 exons, each, which made mutational analysis by Sanger sequencing of PCR-amplified exons from genomic DNA tedious and costly. The study was aimed at the identification of USH causing genes and mutations in 11 unrelated families with USH type I or II. Methods Whole exome sequencing followed by expanded familial validation by Sanger sequencing. Results We identified disease-causing mutations in all the analyzed patients in four USH genes, MYO7A, USH2A, GPR98 and CDH23. Eleven of the mutations were novel and protein truncating, including a complex rearrangement in GPR98. Conclusion Our data highlight the genetic diversity of Usher syndrome in the Lebanese population and the time and cost-effectiveness of whole exome sequencing approach for mutation analysis of genetically heterogeneous conditions caused by large genes. PMID:25211151

Molecular genetics of the Usher syndrome in Lebanon: identification of 11 novel protein truncating mutations by whole exome sequencing.

PubMed

Reddy, Ramesh; Fahiminiya, Somayyeh; El Zir, Elie; Mansour, Ahmad; Megarbane, Andre; Majewski, Jacek; Slim, Rima

2014-01-01

Usher syndrome (USH) is a genetically heterogeneous condition with ten disease-causing genes. The spectrum of genes and mutations causing USH in the Lebanese and Middle Eastern populations has not been described. Consequently, diagnostic approaches designed to screen for previously reported mutations were unlikely to identify the mutations in 11 unrelated families, eight of Lebanese and three of Middle Eastern origins. In addition, six of the ten USH genes consist of more than 20 exons, each, which made mutational analysis by Sanger sequencing of PCR-amplified exons from genomic DNA tedious and costly. The study was aimed at the identification of USH causing genes and mutations in 11 unrelated families with USH type I or II. Whole exome sequencing followed by expanded familial validation by Sanger sequencing. We identified disease-causing mutations in all the analyzed patients in four USH genes, MYO7A, USH2A, GPR98 and CDH23. Eleven of the mutations were novel and protein truncating, including a complex rearrangement in GPR98. Our data highlight the genetic diversity of Usher syndrome in the Lebanese population and the time and cost-effectiveness of whole exome sequencing approach for mutation analysis of genetically heterogeneous conditions caused by large genes.

Regional spread of HIV-1 M subtype B in middle-aged patients by random env-C2V4 region sequencing

PubMed Central

Stürmer, Martin; Zimmermann, Katrin; Fritzsche, Carlos; Reisinger, Emil; Doelken, Gottfried; Berger, Annemarie; Doerr, Hans W.; Eberle, Josef

2010-01-01

A transmission cluster of HIV-1 M:B was identified in 11 patients with a median age of 52 (range 26–65) in North-East Germany by C2V4 region sequencing of the env gene of HIV-1, who—except of one—were not aware of any risky behaviour. The 10 male and 1 female patients deteriorated immunologically, according to their information made available, within 4 years after a putative HIV acquisition. Nucleic acid sequence analysis showed a R5 virus in all patients and in 7 of 11 a crown motif of the V3 loop, GPGSALFTT, which is found rarely. Analysis of formation of this cluster showed that there is still a huge discrepancy between awareness and behaviour regarding HIV transmission in middle-aged patients, and that a local outbreak can be detected by nucleic acid analysis of the hypervariable env region. PMID:20217125

Quaternary geology and sapphire deposits from the BO PHLOI gem field, Kanchanaburi Province, Western Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choowong, Montri

2002-01-01

One of the most famous blue sapphire deposits in Thailand and SE Asia is from the Bo Phloi District, Kanchanaburi Province, Western Thailand. This paper presents the results of our gemstone investigation as well as establishing the Bo Phloi depositional sequence as one of the Quaternary Type Sections in the region. Relationships among the sedimentology, depositional sequences and geomorphology were investigated in order to understand the gemstone depositional features. Sedimentary structures and textures of the sequences show that the deposition of gemstones is related genetically to fluvial processes. Gemstones are recognized in floodplain and low terrace deposits where gemstone paystreaks concentrate mostly inside layers of gravel beds and foreset-bedded gravels lithofacies. C-14 dating of wood and peat within gemstone-bearing layers indicated that the deposit formed during the middle to late Pleistocene. The gemstone-bearing gravel bed defines a north-south trend along the incised palaeo-channel of an ancient braided river system in the middle part of the basin.

Identification of novel BRCA founder mutations in Middle Eastern breast cancer patients using capture and Sanger sequencing analysis.

PubMed

Bu, Rong; Siraj, Abdul K; Al-Obaisi, Khadija A S; Beg, Shaham; Al Hazmi, Mohsen; Ajarim, Dahish; Tulbah, Asma; Al-Dayel, Fouad; Al-Kuraya, Khawla S

2016-09-01

Ethnic differences of breast cancer genomics have prompted us to investigate the spectra of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in different populations. The prevalence and effect of BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations in Middle Eastern population is not fully explored. To characterize the prevalence of BRCA mutations in Middle Eastern breast cancer patients, BRCA mutation screening was performed in 818 unselected breast cancer patients using Capture and/or Sanger sequencing. 19 short tandem repeat (STR) markers were used for founder mutation analysis. In our study, nine different types of deleterious mutation were identified in 28 (3.4%) cases, 25 (89.3%) cases in BRCA 1 and 3 (10.7%) cases in BRCA 2. Seven recurrent mutations identified accounted for 92.9% (26/28) of all the mutant cases. Haplotype analysis was performed to confirm c.1140 dupG and c.4136_4137delCT mutations as novel putative founder mutation, accounting for 46.4% (13/28) of all BRCA mutant cases and 1.6% (13/818) of all the breast cancer cases, respectively. Moreover, BRCA 1 mutation was significantly associated with BRCA 1 protein expression loss (p = 0.0005). Our finding revealed that a substantial number of BRCA mutations were identified in clinically high risk breast cancer from Middle East region. Identification of the mutation spectrum, prevalence and founder effect in Middle Eastern population facilitates genetic counseling, risk assessment and development of cost-effective screening strategy. © 2016 UICC.

Development and Evaluation of Novel Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays with Locked Nucleic Acid Probes Targeting Leader Sequences of Human-Pathogenic Coronaviruses

PubMed Central

Chan, Jasper Fuk-Woo; Choi, Garnet Kwan-Yue; Tsang, Alan Ka-Lun; Tee, Kah-Meng; Lam, Ho-Yin; Yip, Cyril Chik-Yan; To, Kelvin Kai-Wang; Cheng, Vincent Chi-Chung; Yeung, Man-Lung; Lau, Susanna Kar-Pui; Woo, Patrick Chiu-Yat; Chan, Kwok-Hung; Tang, Bone Siu-Fai

2015-01-01

Based on findings in small RNA-sequencing (Seq) data analysis, we developed highly sensitive and specific real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assays with locked nucleic acid probes targeting the abundantly expressed leader sequences of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and other human coronaviruses. Analytical and clinical evaluations showed their noninferiority to a commercial multiplex PCR test for the detection of these coronaviruses. PMID:26019210

Middle Eocene, older sequences in rifts key to potential in western Indonesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Courteney, S.

1996-05-27

In Part 1 of this article three areas, the Tiga Puluh arch (Sumatra), the Tanjung Raya area (Kalimantan), and the East Java basin in western Indonesia were discussed in terms of sequence stratigraphy. Such data have been interpreted for each basin in western Indonesia and two example correlations are discussed. A correlation chart of the major basins of Western Indonesia is shown in this paper. This chart was prepared on the basis of the regional correlations using sequence stratigraphy discussed.

Stratigraphy and paleogeographic significance of a Late Pennsylvanian to Early Permian channeled slope sequence in the Darwin Basin, southern Darwin Hills, east-central California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stevens, Calvin H.; Stone, Paul; Magginetti, Robert T.; Ritter, Scott M.

2015-01-01

The complex stratigraphy of late Paleozoic rocks in the southern Darwin Hills consists of regionally extensive Mississippian and Early to Middle Pennsylvanian rocks overlain by latest Pennsylvanian to Early Permian rocks, herein called the Darwin Hills sequence. Deposition of this latter sequence marked the beginning of the Darwin Basin. In Mississippian time, a carbonate platform prograded westward over slightly older slope deposits. In the Late Mississippian this platform was exposed to erosion and siliciclastic sediments were deposited. In Early to Middle Pennsylvanian time the area subsided, forming a west-facing ramp that was subjected to deformation and erosion in Middle or early Late Pennsylvanian time. Later this area was tilted westward and deep-water sediments were deposited on this slope. In latest Pennsylvanian to earliest Permian time, a major channel was cut through the older Pennsylvanian rocks and into the Upper Mississippian strata. This channel was gradually filled with increasingly finer grained, deep-water sediment as the area evolved into a basin floor by Early Permian (Sakmarian) time. Expansion of the Darwin Basin in Artinskian time led to a second phase of deposition represented by strata of the regionally extensive Darwin Canyon Formation. The geology in this small area thus documents tectonic events occurring during the early development of the Darwin Basin.

The timing and spatiotemporal patterning of Neanderthal disappearance.

PubMed

Higham, Tom; Douka, Katerina; Wood, Rachel; Ramsey, Christopher Bronk; Brock, Fiona; Basell, Laura; Camps, Marta; Arrizabalaga, Alvaro; Baena, Javier; Barroso-Ruíz, Cecillio; Bergman, Christopher; Boitard, Coralie; Boscato, Paolo; Caparrós, Miguel; Conard, Nicholas J; Draily, Christelle; Froment, Alain; Galván, Bertila; Gambassini, Paolo; Garcia-Moreno, Alejandro; Grimaldi, Stefano; Haesaerts, Paul; Holt, Brigitte; Iriarte-Chiapusso, Maria-Jose; Jelinek, Arthur; Jordá Pardo, Jesús F; Maíllo-Fernández, José-Manuel; Marom, Anat; Maroto, Julià; Menéndez, Mario; Metz, Laure; Morin, Eugène; Moroni, Adriana; Negrino, Fabio; Panagopoulou, Eleni; Peresani, Marco; Pirson, Stéphane; de la Rasilla, Marco; Riel-Salvatore, Julien; Ronchitelli, Annamaria; Santamaria, David; Semal, Patrick; Slimak, Ludovic; Soler, Joaquim; Soler, Narcís; Villaluenga, Aritza; Pinhasi, Ron; Jacobi, Roger

2014-08-21

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance and the extent to which they overlapped with the earliest incoming anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in Eurasia are key questions in palaeoanthropology. Determining the spatiotemporal relationship between the two populations is crucial if we are to understand the processes, timing and reasons leading to the disappearance of Neanderthals and the likelihood of cultural and genetic exchange. Serious technical challenges, however, have hindered reliable dating of the period, as the radiocarbon method reaches its limit at ∼50,000 years ago. Here we apply improved accelerator mass spectrometry (14)C techniques to construct robust chronologies from 40 key Mousterian and Neanderthal archaeological sites, ranging from Russia to Spain. Bayesian age modelling was used to generate probability distribution functions to determine the latest appearance date. We show that the Mousterian ended by 41,030-39,260 calibrated years bp (at 95.4% probability) across Europe. We also demonstrate that succeeding 'transitional' archaeological industries, one of which has been linked with Neanderthals (Châtelperronian), end at a similar time. Our data indicate that the disappearance of Neanderthals occurred at different times in different regions. Comparing the data with results obtained from the earliest dated AMH sites in Europe, associated with the Uluzzian technocomplex, allows us to quantify the temporal overlap between the two human groups. The results reveal a significant overlap of 2,600-5,400 years (at 95.4% probability). This has important implications for models seeking to explain the cultural, technological and biological elements involved in the replacement of Neanderthals by AMHs. A mosaic of populations in Europe during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition suggests that there was ample time for the transmission of cultural and symbolic behaviours, as well as possible genetic exchanges, between the two groups.

The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya).

PubMed

Douka, Katerina; Jacobs, Zenobia; Lane, Christine; Grün, Rainer; Farr, Lucy; Hunt, Chris; Inglis, Robyn H; Reynolds, Tim; Albert, Paul; Aubert, Maxime; Cullen, Victoria; Hill, Evan; Kinsley, Leslie; Roberts, Richard G; Tomlinson, Emma L; Wulf, Sabine; Barker, Graeme

2014-01-01

The 1950s excavations by Charles McBurney in the Haua Fteah, a large karstic cave on the coast of northeast Libya, revealed a deep sequence of human occupation. Most subsequent research on North African prehistory refers to his discoveries and interpretations, but the chronology of its archaeological and geological sequences has been based on very early age determinations. This paper reports on the initial results of a comprehensive multi-method dating program undertaken as part of new work at the site, involving radiocarbon dating of charcoal, land snails and marine shell, cryptotephra investigations, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments, and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of tooth enamel. The dating samples were collected from the newly exposed and cleaned faces of the upper 7.5 m of the ∼14.0 m-deep McBurney trench, which contain six of the seven major cultural phases that he identified. Despite problems of sediment transport and reworking, using a Bayesian statistical model the new dating program establishes a robust framework for the five major lithostratigraphic units identified in the stratigraphic succession, and for the major cultural units. The age of two anatomically modern human mandibles found by McBurney in Layer XXXIII near the base of his Levalloiso-Mousterian phase can now be estimated to between 73 and 65 ka (thousands of years ago) at the 95.4% confidence level, within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4. McBurney's Layer XXV, associated with Upper Palaeolithic Dabban blade industries, has a clear stratigraphic relationship with Campanian Ignimbrite tephra. Microlithic Oranian technologies developed following the climax of the Last Glacial Maximum and the more microlithic Capsian in the Younger Dryas. Neolithic pottery and perhaps domestic livestock were used in the cave from the mid Holocene but there is no certain evidence for plant cultivation until the Graeco-Roman period. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term effects of a Palaeolithic-type diet in obese postmenopausal women: a two-year randomized trial

PubMed Central

Mellberg, Caroline; Sandberg, Susanne; Ryberg, Mats; Eriksson, Marie; Brage, Sören; Larsson, Christel; Olsson, Tommy; Lindahl, Bernt

2014-01-01

Background/Objectives Short-term studies have suggested beneficial effects of a Palaeolithic-type diet (PD) on body weight and metabolic balance. We now report long-term effects in obese postmenopausal women of a PD on anthropometric measurements and metabolic balance, in comparison with a diet according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR). Subjects/Methods Seventy obese postmenopausal women (mean age 60 years, body mass index 33 kg/m2) were assigned to an ad libitum PD or NNR diet in a 2-year randomized controlled trial. The primary outcome was change in fat mass as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results Both groups significantly decreased total fat mass at 6 months (−6.5 and −2.6 kg) and 24 months (−4.6 and −2.9 kg), with a more pronounced fat loss in the PD group at 6 months (P<0.001), but not at 24 months (P=0.095). Waist circumference and sagittal diameter also decreased in both groups, with a more pronounced decrease in the PD group at 6 months (−11.1 vs. −5.8 cm, P=0.001 and −3.7 vs. −2.0 cm, P<0.001, respectively). Triglyceride levels decreased significantly more at 6 and 24 months in the PD group versus the NNR group (P<0.001 and P=0.004). Nitrogen excretion did not differ between groups. Conclusions A PD has greater beneficial effects versus an NNR diet regarding fat mass, abdominal obesity and triglyceride levels in obese postmenopausal women; effects not fully sustained for anthropometric measurements at 24 months. Adherence to protein intake was poor in the PD group. The long-term consequences of these changes remain to be studied. PMID:24473459

Enhancing rescue-archaeology using geomorphological approaches: Archaeological sites in Paredes (Asturias, NW Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez-Sánchez, M.; González-Álvarez, I.; Requejo-Pagés, O.; Domínguez-Cuesta, M. J.

2011-09-01

Palaeolithic remnants, a Necropolis (Roman villa), and another minor archaeological site were discovered in Paredes (Spain). These sites were the focus of multidisciplinary research during the construction of a large shopping centre in Asturias (NW Spain). The aims of this study are (1) to contribute to archaeological prospection in the sites and (2) to develop evolutionary models of the sites based on geomorphological inferences. Detailed archaeological prospection (103 trenches), geomorphologic mapping, stratigraphic studies (36 logs) and ground penetration radar (GPR) surveys on five profiles indicate that the location of the settlement source of the Necropolis is outside the construction perimeter, farther to the southeast. The Pre-Holocene evolution of the fluvial landscape is marked by the development of two terraces (T1 and T2) that host the Early Palaeolithic remains in the area (ca 128-71 ka). The Holocene evolution of the landscape was marked by the emplacement of the Nora River flood plain, covered by alluvial fans after ca. 9 ka BP (cal BC 8252-7787). Subsequently, Neolithic pebble pits dated ca. 5.3 ka BP (cal BC 4261-3963 and 4372-4051) were constructed on T2, at the area reoccupied as a Necropolis during the Late Roman period, 1590 ± 45 years BP (cal AD 382-576). Coeval human activity during the Late Roman period at 1670 ± 60 years BP (cal AD 320-430) is also recorded by channel infill sediments in a minor site at the margin of an alluvial fan located to the southeast. This work shows that a rescue-archaeological study can be significantly enhanced by the implementation of multidisciplinary scientific studies, in which the holistic view of geomorphologic settings provide key insights into the geometry and evolution of archaeological sites.

The Middle Jurassic basinal deposits of the Surmeh Formation in the Central Zagros Mountains, southwest Iran: Facies, sequence stratigraphy, and controls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lasemi, Y.; Jalilian, A.H.

2010-01-01

The lower part of the Lower to Upper Jurassic Surmeh Formation consists of a succession of shallow marine carbonates (Toarcian-Aalenian) overlain by a deep marine basinal succession (Aalenian-Bajocian) that grades upward to Middle to Upper Jurassic platform carbonates. The termination of shallow marine carbonate deposition of the lower part of the Surmeh Formation and the establishment of deep marine sedimentation indicate a change in the style of sedimentation in the Neotethys passive margin of southwest Iran during the Middle Jurassic. To evaluate the reasons for this change and to assess the basin configuration during the Middle Jurassic, this study focuses on facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy of the basinal deposits (pelagic and calciturbidite facies) of the Surmeh Formation, referred here as 'lower shaley unit' in the Central Zagros region. The upper Aalenian-Bajocian 'lower shaley unit' overlies, with an abrupt contact, the Toarcian-lower Aalenian platform carbonates. It consists of pelagic (calcareous shale and limestone) and calciturbidite facies grading to upper Bajocian-Bathonian platform carbonates. Calciturbidite deposits in the 'lower shaley unit' consist of various graded grainstone to lime mudstone facies containing mixed deep marine fauna and platform-derived material. These facies include quartz-bearing lithoclast/intraclast grainstone to lime mudstone, bioclast/ooid/peloid intraclast grainstone, ooid grainstone to packstone, and lime wackestone to mudstone. The calciturbidite layers are erosive-based and commonly exhibit graded bedding, incomplete Bouma turbidite sequence, flute casts, and load casts. They consist chiefly of platform-derived materials including ooids, intraclasts/lithoclasts, peloids, echinoderms, brachiopods, bivalves, and open-ocean biota, such as planktonic bivalves, crinoids, coccoliths, foraminifers, and sponge spicules. The 'lower shaley unit' constitutes the late transgressive and the main part of the highstand systems tract of a depositional sequence and grades upward to platform margin and platform interior facies as a result of late highstand basinward progradation. The sedimentary record of the 'lower shaley unit' in the Central Zagros region reveals the existence of a northwest-southeast trending platform margin during the Middle Jurassic that faced a deep basin, the 'Pars intrashelf basin' in the northeast. The thinning of calciturbidite layers towards the northeast and the widespread Middle Jurassic platform carbonates in the southern Persian Gulf states and in the Persian Gulf area support the existence of a southwest platform margin and platform interior source area. The platform margin was formed as a result of tectonic activity along the preexisting Mountain Front fault associated with Cimmerian continental rifting in northeast Gondwana. Flooding of the southwest platform margin during early to middle Bajocian resulted in the reestablishment of the carbonate sediment factory and overproduction of shallow marine carbonates associated with sea-level highstand, which led to vertical and lateral expansion of the platform and gradual infilling of the Pars intrashelf basin by late Bajocian time. ?? 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Genetic Evidence of Geographical Groups among Neanderthals

PubMed Central

Fabre, Virginie; Condemi, Silvana; Degioanni, Anna

2009-01-01

The Neanderthals are a well-distinguished Middle Pleistocene population which inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East. Since the 1950s paleoanthropological studies have suggested variability in this group. Different sub-groups have been identified in western Europe, in southern Europe and in the Middle East. On the other hand, since 1997, research has been published in paleogenetics, carried out on 15 mtDNA sequences from 12 Neanderthals. In this paper we used a new methodology derived from different bioinformatic models based on data from genetics, demography and paleoanthropology. The adequacy of each model was measured by comparisons between simulated results (obtained by BayesianSSC software) and those estimated from nucleotide sequences (obtained by DNAsp4 software). The conclusions of this study are consistent with existing paleoanthropological research and show that Neanderthals can be divided into at least three groups: one in western Europe, a second in the Southern area and a third in western Asia. Moreover, it seems from our results that the size of the Neanderthal population was not constant and that some migration occurred among the demes. PMID:19367332

Detection and molecular characterization of feline hemoplasmas in wild felid species in Iran in the Middle East.

PubMed

Ghazisaeedi, Fereshteh; Atyabi, Nahid; Zahraei Salehi, Taghi; Tabatabaei, Saeid; Ashrafi Tamai, Iraj; Memarian, Iman; Tasker, Séverine

2017-10-01

Three feline hemoplasma species exist in felids: Mycoplasma haemofelis, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum', and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis'. The aims of the study were to determine the presence of, and molecularly characterize, any hemoplasmas in wild felids, including the endangered Persian leopard in Iran, the Middle East. Blood samples were collected from 19 wild felids, including three Persian leopards. Using species-specific hemoplasma PCRs and ELISA serological testing for feline leukaemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), two Persian leopards were found to be infected with 'Ca. M. haemominutum' and were seropositive for FIV. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences were generated for these 'Ca. M. haemominutum' species and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed 97.70% to 99.45% sequence identity with those found in domestic cats from Iran and other countries. This study confirms the presence of 'Ca. M. haemominutum' and concurrent FIV antibody in wild felids in Iran. This represents the first report of hemoplasma in wild felids in the Middle East as well as the first report of infection in Persian leopards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Valley and Ridge Province of eastern Pennsylvania - stratigraphic and sedimentologic contributions and problems ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Epstein, J.B.

1986-01-01

The rocks in the area, which range from Middle Ordovician to Late Devonian in age, are more than 7620 m thick. This diversified group of sedimentary rocks was deposited in many different environments, ranging from deep sea, through neritic and tidal, to alluvial. In general, the Middle Ordovician through Lower Devonian strata are a sedimentary cycle related to the waxing and waning of Taconic tectonism. The sequence began with a greywacke-argillite suite (Martinsburg Formation) representing synorogenic basin deepening. This was followed by basin filling and progradation of a sandstone-shale clastic wedge (Shawangunk Formation and Bloomsburg Red Beds) derived from the erosion of the mountains that were uplifted during the Taconic orogeny. The sequence ended with deposition of many thin units of carbonate, sandstone, and shale on a shelf marginal to a land area of low relief. Another tectonic-sedimentary cycle, related to the Acadian orogeny, began with deposition of Middle Devonian rocks. Deep-water shales (Marcellus Shale) preceded shoaling (Mahantango Formation) and turbidite sedimentation (Trimmers Rock Formation) followed by another molasse (Catskill Formation). -from Author

Molecular and morphological differentiation of Secret Toad-headed agama, Phrynocephalus mystaceus, with the description of a new subspecies from Iran (Reptilia, Agamidae).

PubMed

Solovyeva, Evgeniya N; Dunayev, Evgeniy N; Nazarov, Roman A; Mehdi Radjabizadeh; Poyarkov, Nikolay A

2018-01-01

The morphological and genetic variation of a wide-ranging Secret Toad-headed agama, Phrynocephalus mystaceus that inhabits sand deserts of south-eastern Europe, Middle East, Middle Asia, and western China is reviewed. Based on the morphological differences and high divergence in COI (mtDNA) gene sequences a new subspecies of Ph. mystaceus is described from Khorasan Razavi Province in Iran. Partial sequences of COI mtDNA gene of 31 specimens of Ph. mystaceus from 17 localities from all major parts of species range were analyzed. Genetic distances show a deep divergence between Ph. mystaceus khorasanus ssp. n. from Khorasan Razavi Province and all other populations of Ph. mystaceus . The new subspecies can be distinguished from other populations of Ph. mystaceus by a combination of several morphological features. Molecular and morphological analyses do not support the validity of other Ph. mystaceus subspecies described from Middle Asia and Caspian basin. Geographic variations in the Ph. mystaceus species complex and the status of previously described subspecies were discussed.

Feasibility and effectiveness of a brief, intensive phylogenetics workshop in a middle-income country.

PubMed

Pollett, S; Leguia, M; Nelson, M I; Maljkovic Berry, I; Rutherford, G; Bausch, D G; Kasper, M; Jarman, R; Melendrez, M

2016-01-01

There is an increasing role for bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis in tropical medicine research. However, scientists working in low- and middle-income regions may lack access to training opportunities in these methods. To help address this gap, a 5-day intensive bioinformatics workshop was offered in Lima, Peru. The syllabus is presented here for others who want to develop similar programs. To assess knowledge gained, a 20-point knowledge questionnaire was administered to participants (21 participants) before and after the workshop, covering topics on sequence quality control, alignment/formatting, database retrieval, models of evolution, sequence statistics, tree building, and results interpretation. Evolution/tree-building methods represented the lowest scoring domain at baseline and after the workshop. There was a considerable median gain in total knowledge scores (increase of 30%, p<0.001) with gains as high as 55%. A 5-day workshop model was effective in improving the pathogen-applied bioinformatics knowledge of scientists working in a middle-income country setting. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cavemen Were Better at Depicting Quadruped Walking than Modern Artists: Erroneous Walking Illustrations in the Fine Arts from Prehistory to Today

PubMed Central

Horvath, Gabor; Farkas, Etelka; Boncz, Ildiko; Blaho, Miklos; Kriska, Gyorgy

2012-01-01

The experts of animal locomotion well know the characteristics of quadruped walking since the pioneering work of Eadweard Muybridge in the 1880s. Most of the quadrupeds advance their legs in the same lateral sequence when walking, and only the timing of their supporting feet differ more or less. How did this scientific knowledge influence the correctness of quadruped walking depictions in the fine arts? Did the proportion of erroneous quadruped walking illustrations relative to their total number (i.e. error rate) decrease after Muybridge? How correctly have cavemen (upper palaeolithic Homo sapiens) illustrated the walking of their quadruped prey in prehistoric times? The aim of this work is to answer these questions. We have analyzed 1000 prehistoric and modern artistic quadruped walking depictions and determined whether they are correct or not in respect of the limb attitudes presented, assuming that the other aspects of depictions used to determine the animals gait are illustrated correctly. The error rate of modern pre-Muybridgean quadruped walking illustrations was 83.5%, much more than the error rate of 73.3% of mere chance. It decreased to 57.9% after 1887, that is in the post-Muybridgean period. Most surprisingly, the prehistoric quadruped walking depictions had the lowest error rate of 46.2%. All these differences were statistically significant. Thus, cavemen were more keenly aware of the slower motion of their prey animals and illustrated quadruped walking more precisely than later artists. PMID:23227149

Cavemen were better at depicting quadruped walking than modern artists: erroneous walking illustrations in the fine arts from prehistory to today.

PubMed

Horvath, Gabor; Farkas, Etelka; Boncz, Ildiko; Blaho, Miklos; Kriska, Gyorgy

2012-01-01

The experts of animal locomotion well know the characteristics of quadruped walking since the pioneering work of Eadweard Muybridge in the 1880s. Most of the quadrupeds advance their legs in the same lateral sequence when walking, and only the timing of their supporting feet differ more or less. How did this scientific knowledge influence the correctness of quadruped walking depictions in the fine arts? Did the proportion of erroneous quadruped walking illustrations relative to their total number (i.e. error rate) decrease after Muybridge? How correctly have cavemen (upper palaeolithic Homo sapiens) illustrated the walking of their quadruped prey in prehistoric times? The aim of this work is to answer these questions. We have analyzed 1000 prehistoric and modern artistic quadruped walking depictions and determined whether they are correct or not in respect of the limb attitudes presented, assuming that the other aspects of depictions used to determine the animals gait are illustrated correctly. The error rate of modern pre-Muybridgean quadruped walking illustrations was 83.5%, much more than the error rate of 73.3% of mere chance. It decreased to 57.9% after 1887, that is in the post-Muybridgean period. Most surprisingly, the prehistoric quadruped walking depictions had the lowest error rate of 46.2%. All these differences were statistically significant. Thus, cavemen were more keenly aware of the slower motion of their prey animals and illustrated quadruped walking more precisely than later artists.

Prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in dromedary camels in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates.

PubMed

Yusof, Mohammed F; Eltahir, Yassir M; Serhan, Wissam S; Hashem, Farouk M; Elsayed, Elsaeid A; Marzoug, Bahaaeldin A; Abdelazim, Assem Si; Bensalah, Oum Keltoum A; Al Muhairi, Salama S

2015-06-01

High seroprevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS-CoV) in dromedary camels has been previously reported in United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the molecular detection of the virus has never been reported before in UAE. Of the 7,803 nasal swabs tested in the epidemiological survey, MERS-CoV nucleic acid was detected by real-time PCR in a total of 126 (1.6 %) camels. Positive camels were detected at the borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman and in camels' slaughter houses. MERS-CoV partial sequences obtained from UAE camels were clustering with human- and camel-derived MERS-CoV sequences in the same geographic area. Results provide further evidence of MERS-CoV zoonosis.

Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjerrum, Christian J.; Dorsey, Rebecca J.

1995-08-01

An electronic supplement of this material may be obtained on a diskette or Anonymous FTP from KOSMOS.AGU.ORG. (LOGIN to AGU's FTP account using ANONYMOUS as the username and GUEST as the password. Go to the right directory by typing CD APEND. Type LS to see what files are available. Type GET and the name of the file to get it. Finally, type EXIT to leave the system.) (Paper 95TC01448, Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States, Christian J. Bjerrum and Rebecca J. Dorsey). Diskette may be ordered from American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N. W., Washington, DC 20009; $15.00. Payment must accompany order. A thick succession of Jurassic nonmarine and marine sedimentary rocks is exposed in a large area from northern Arizona to eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. These sediments accumulated in the Utah-Idaho trough, a deep elongate cratonal basin whose origin has recently been debated. Detailed stratigraphic analysis, subsidence analysis, and first-order flexural modeling of these deposits (this study) provide new insights into the timing and mechanisms of subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough. Lower and Middle Jurassic strata are divided into six unconformity-bounded sequences. In contrast to the overall uniform thickness of Lower Jurassic sequences (1 and 2), Middle Jurassic strata (sequences 3 through 6) consist of distinctly westward thickening sedimentary packages in which basal shallow marine deposits onlap eastward onto bounding unconformities. Basal strata of sequences 3 through 6 pass upward into widespread progradational continental deposits that are truncated progressively toward the east (cratonward) by the next unconformity. Decompacted total subsidence curves show that the rate of subsidence in most sections increased sharply at the end of sequence 2 time (J-2 unconformity; ˜170 Ma). This is interpreted to record the onset of Middle Jurassic deposition in the distal part of a retroarc foreland basin. The unconformities and distinctive stratal geometries may have formed in response to forebulge migration caused by episodic thrusting in the Cordilleran orogen to the west. First-order flexural modeling was carried out to test the hypothesis of flexural subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough. Trial-and-error comparisons produce a close match between decompacted stratigraphic profiles and model deflection profiles. The best fit is obtained using an infinite elastic plate (D = 1 × 1024 Nm), a moderate load topography, elevated base level, and an overfilled basin. Using recently published tectonic reconstructions for Nevada and Utah, we find close spatial agreement between a large Middle Jurassic fold-thrust belt and the supracrustal load inferred from model simulations. Our integrated basin analysis thus supports the interpretation of some previous studies that the Middle Jurassic Utah-Idaho trough was a retroarc foreland basin that formed east of a belt of regional contractile deformation and crustal thickening in western and central Nevada and southeastern California. Late Jurassic extension and normal faulting in northeastern Nevada may have been related to gravitational collapse of overthickened crust in the Cordilleran orogen. This coincides with a period of slowed subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough that began at about 157 Ma.

Major controls on architecture, sequence stratigraphy and paleosols of middle Pleistocene continental sediments ("Qc Unit"), eastern central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Celma, Claudio; Pieruccini, Pierluigi; Farabollini, Piero

2015-05-01

Middle Pleistocene continental sediments in central Italy ("Qc Unit") record the oldest fluvial accumulation along the uplifting margin of the Peri-Adriatic basin. The architecture of the sediment body can be divided into two unconformity-bounded, fining-upward cycles interpreted as genetically related depositional sequences. These sequences highlight the systematic adjustment of the fluvial system to changes in the ratio between accommodation space and sediment supply (A/S ratio) and, from base to top, comprise the following surfaces and stratal components: (i) a regionally correlative sequence boundary resulting from an A/S ratio ≤ 0; (ii) a low-accommodation systems tract characterized by conglomerate-rich, amalgamated channel fills and recording an A/S ratio < 1; (iii) an expansion surface marking the turnaround point from low-accommodation systems tract to high-accommodation systems tract deposits; (iv) a high-accommodation systems tract dominated by floodplain fines encasing lens-like, fluvial channel deposits and denoting an A/S ratio > 1; and (v) a mature red argillic paleosol. To constrain the climatic signal for paleosols formation, the two sequence-capping mature paleosols have been investigated. The results of these studies suggest that they were developed under humid and warm climatic conditions associated with interglacial phases, which have been correlatively attributed to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages 11 and 9.

Perceived empty duration between sounds of different lengths: Possible relation with repetition and rhythmic grouping.

PubMed

Kuroda, Tsuyoshi; Tomimatsu, Erika; Grondin, Simon; Miyazaki, Makoto

2016-11-01

We investigated how perceived duration of empty time intervals would be modulated by the length of sounds marking those intervals. Three sounds were successively presented in Experiment 1. Each sound was short (S) or long (L), and the temporal position of the middle sound's onset was varied. The lengthening of each sound resulted in delayed perception of the onset; thus, the middle sound's onset had to be presented earlier in the SLS than in the LSL sequence so that participants perceived the three sounds as presented at equal interonset intervals. In Experiment 2, a short sound and a long sound were alternated repeatedly, and the relative duration of the SL interval to the LS interval was varied. This repeated sequence was perceived as consisting of equal interonset intervals when the onsets of all sounds were aligned at physically equal intervals. If the same onset delay as in the preceding experiment had occurred, participants should have perceived equality between the interonset intervals in the repeated sequence when the SL interval was physically shortened relative to the LS interval. The effects of sound length seemed to be canceled out when the presentation of intervals was repeated. Finally, the perceived duration of the interonset intervals in the repeated sequence was not influenced by whether the participant's native language was French or Japanese, or by how the repeated sequence was perceptually segmented into rhythmic groups.

Stone tools, language and the brain in human evolution.

PubMed

Stout, Dietrich; Chaminade, Thierry

2012-01-12

Long-standing speculations and more recent hypotheses propose a variety of possible evolutionary connections between language, gesture and tool use. These arguments have received important new support from neuroscientific research on praxis, observational action understanding and vocal language demonstrating substantial functional/anatomical overlap between these behaviours. However, valid reasons for scepticism remain as well as substantial differences in detail between alternative evolutionary hypotheses. Here, we review the current status of alternative 'gestural' and 'technological' hypotheses of language origins, drawing on current evidence of the neural bases of speech and tool use generally, and on recent studies of the neural correlates of Palaeolithic technology specifically.

Stone tools, language and the brain in human evolution

PubMed Central

Stout, Dietrich; Chaminade, Thierry

2012-01-01

Long-standing speculations and more recent hypotheses propose a variety of possible evolutionary connections between language, gesture and tool use. These arguments have received important new support from neuroscientific research on praxis, observational action understanding and vocal language demonstrating substantial functional/anatomical overlap between these behaviours. However, valid reasons for scepticism remain as well as substantial differences in detail between alternative evolutionary hypotheses. Here, we review the current status of alternative ‘gestural’ and ‘technological’ hypotheses of language origins, drawing on current evidence of the neural bases of speech and tool use generally, and on recent studies of the neural correlates of Palaeolithic technology specifically. PMID:22106428

The 1997 core drilling through Ordovician and Silurian strata at Röstånga, S. Sweden: preliminary stratigraphic assessment and regional comparison

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bergstrom, Stig M.; Huff, W.D.; Koren', T.; Larsson, K.; Ahlberg, P.; Kolata, Dennis R.

1999-01-01

A core drilling at Ro??sta??nga, the first such drilling ever undertaken in this classical Lower Paleozoic outcrop area in W-central Scania, penetrated an approximately 96 m thick succession of Lower Silurian-upper Middle Ordovician marine rocks. The drilling was stopped at a depth of 132.59 m in an interval of crushed rocks, probably a prominent fault zone, that proved impossible to drill through. The core contains a stratigraphical sequence from the basal Upper Llandoverian (Telychian Stage) to the upper Middle Ordovician (Harjuan Stage). The following units are recognized in descending stratigraphic order (approximate thickness in parenthesis): Kallholn Formation (35 m), Lindega??rd Mudstone (27 m), Fja??cka Shale (13 m), Mossen Formation (0.75 m), Skagen Formation (2.5 m), and Sularp Shale (19 m+). Except for the Skagen Formation, the drilled sequence consists of shales and mudstones with occasional thin limestone interbeds and is similar to coeval successions elsewhere in Scania. There are 11 K-bentonite beds in the Kallholn Formation, 2(3?) in the Lindega??rd Mudstone, 1 in the Mossen Formation, 7 in the Skagen Formation, and 33 in the Sularp Shale. The core serves as an excellent Lower Silurian-upper Middle Ordovician reference standard not only for the Ro??sta??nga area but also for southernmost Sweden in general because the cored sequence is the stratigraphically most complete one known anywhere in this region.

Sedimentological indicators of paleoenvironments and siliciclastic stratigraphic sequences in some Miocene deposits of the Calvert Cliffs, southern Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shideler, G.L.

1994-01-01

Middle Miocene siliciclastic deposits comprising the Calvert Cliffs section at the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's (BG&E) nuclear power plant site in southern Maryland were analyzed in terms of lithostratigraphy, sedimentary structures, and granulometric parameters, to interprete paleo-environments within a sequence-stratigraphic framework. In terms of sequence-stratigraphic models, the BG&E section can be interpreted as consisting of two genetic stratigraphic sequences (Galloway model), namely, a shelf sequence and an overlying deltaic sequence. Using the Exxon model, the section consists of two third-order (1-5 m.y. duration) depositional sequences. The stratigraphic sequences of the BG&E section reflect both relatively short-term eustatic transgressive events, as well as a long-term regressive trend with associated local deltation and coastal progradation. The regression probably signified a regional basinward shift of depocenters within the Salisbury embayment during Miocene time. -from Author

ADEPT, a dynamic next generation sequencing data error-detection program with trimming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feng, Shihai; Lo, Chien-Chi; Li, Po-E

Illumina is the most widely used next generation sequencing technology and produces millions of short reads that contain errors. These sequencing errors constitute a major problem in applications such as de novo genome assembly, metagenomics analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism discovery. In this study, we present ADEPT, a dynamic error detection method, based on the quality scores of each nucleotide and its neighboring nucleotides, together with their positions within the read and compares this to the position-specific quality score distribution of all bases within the sequencing run. This method greatly improves upon other available methods in terms of the truemore » positive rate of error discovery without affecting the false positive rate, particularly within the middle of reads. We conclude that ADEPT is the only tool to date that dynamically assesses errors within reads by comparing position-specific and neighboring base quality scores with the distribution of quality scores for the dataset being analyzed. The result is a method that is less prone to position-dependent under-prediction, which is one of the most prominent issues in error prediction. The outcome is that ADEPT improves upon prior efforts in identifying true errors, primarily within the middle of reads, while reducing the false positive rate.« less

ADEPT, a dynamic next generation sequencing data error-detection program with trimming

DOE PAGES

Feng, Shihai; Lo, Chien-Chi; Li, Po-E; ...

2016-02-29

Illumina is the most widely used next generation sequencing technology and produces millions of short reads that contain errors. These sequencing errors constitute a major problem in applications such as de novo genome assembly, metagenomics analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism discovery. In this study, we present ADEPT, a dynamic error detection method, based on the quality scores of each nucleotide and its neighboring nucleotides, together with their positions within the read and compares this to the position-specific quality score distribution of all bases within the sequencing run. This method greatly improves upon other available methods in terms of the truemore » positive rate of error discovery without affecting the false positive rate, particularly within the middle of reads. We conclude that ADEPT is the only tool to date that dynamically assesses errors within reads by comparing position-specific and neighboring base quality scores with the distribution of quality scores for the dataset being analyzed. The result is a method that is less prone to position-dependent under-prediction, which is one of the most prominent issues in error prediction. The outcome is that ADEPT improves upon prior efforts in identifying true errors, primarily within the middle of reads, while reducing the false positive rate.« less

Genetic variations in two seahorse species (Hippocampus mohnikei and Hippocampus trimaculatus): evidence for middle Pleistocene population expansion.

PubMed

Zhang, Yanhong; Pham, Nancy Kim; Zhang, Huixian; Lin, Junda; Lin, Qiang

2014-01-01

Population genetic of seahorses is confidently influenced by their species-specific ecological requirements and life-history traits. In the present study, partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and control region (CR) were obtained from 50 Hippocampus mohnikei and 92 H. trimaculatus from four zoogeographical zones. A total of 780 base pairs of cytb gene were sequenced to characterize mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity. The mtDNA marker revealed high haplotype diversity, low nucleotide diversity, and a lack of population structure across both populations of H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus. A neighbour-joining (NJ) tree of cytb gene sequences showed that H. mohnikei haplotypes formed one cluster. A maximum likelihood (ML) tree of cytb gene sequences showed that H. trimaculatus belonged to one lineage. The star-like pattern median-joining network of cytb and CR markers indicated a previous demographic expansion of H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus. The cytb and CR data sets exhibited a unimodal mismatch distribution, which may have resulted from population expansion. Mismatch analysis suggested that the expansion was initiated about 276,000 years ago for H. mohnikei and about 230,000 years ago for H. trimaculatus during the middle Pleistocene period. This study indicates a possible signature of genetic variation and population expansion in two seahorses under complex marine environments.

Epidemiology of a Novel Recombinant Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in Humans in Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Assiri, Abdullah M.; Midgley, Claire M.; Abedi, Glen R.; Saeed, Abdulaziz Bin; Almasri, Malak M.; Lu, Xiaoyan; Al-Abdely, Hail M.; Abdalla, Osman; Mohammed, Mutaz; Algarni, Homoud S.; Alhakeem, Raafat F.; Sakthivel, Senthilkumar K.; Nooh, Randa; Alshayab, Zainab; Alessa, Mohammad; Srinivasamoorthy, Ganesh; AlQahtani, Saeed Yahya; Kheyami, Ali; HajOmar, Waleed Husein; Banaser, Talib M.; Esmaeel, Ahmad; Hall, Aron J.; Curns, Aaron T.; Tamin, Azaibi; Alsharef, Ali Abraheem; Erdman, Dean; Watson, John T.; Gerber, Susan I.

2017-01-01

Background Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe respiratory illness in humans. Fundamental questions about circulating viruses and transmission routes remain. Methods We assessed routinely collected epidemiologic data for MERS-CoV cases reported in Saudi Arabia during 1 January– 30 June 2015 and conducted a more detailed investigation of cases reported during February 2015. Available respiratory specimens were obtained for sequencing. Results During the study period, 216 MERS-CoV cases were reported. Full genome (n = 17) or spike gene sequences (n = 82) were obtained from 99 individuals. Most sequences (72 of 99 [73%]) formed a discrete, novel recombinant subclade (NRC-2015), which was detected in 6 regions and became predominant by June 2015. No clinical differences were noted between clades. Among 87 cases reported during February 2015, 13 had no recognized risks for secondary acquisition; 12 of these 13 also denied camel contact. Most viruses (8 of 9) from these 13 individuals belonged to NRC-2015. Discussions Our findings document the spread and eventual predominance of NRC-2015 in humans in Saudi Arabia during the first half of 2015. Our identification of cases without recognized risk factors but with similar virus sequences indicates the need for better understanding of risk factors for MERS-CoV transmission. PMID:27302191

Middle Jurassic strata link Wallowa, Olds Ferry, and Izee terranes in the accreted Blue Mountains island arc, northeastern Oregon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, J.D.L.; Vallier, T.; Stanley, G.D. Jr.

1992-08-01

Middle Jurassic strata atop the Wallowa terrane in northeastern Oregon link the Wallowa, Izee, and Olds Ferry terranes as related elements of a single long-lived and complex oceanic feature, the Blue Mountains island arc. Middle Jurassic strata in the Wallowa terrane include a dacitic ash-flow deposit and contain fossil corals and bivalves of North American affinity. Plant fossils in fluvial sandstones support a Jurassic age and indicate a seasonal temperate climate. Corals in a transgressive sequence traditionally overlying the fluvial units are of Bajocian age and are closely related to endemic varieties of the Western Interior embayment. They are unlikemore » Middle Jurassic corals in other Cordilleran terranes; their presence suggests that the Blue Mountains island arc first approached the North American craton at high paleolatitudes in Middle Jurassic time. The authors consider the Bajocian marine strata and underlying fluvial volcaniclastic units to be a basin-margin equivalent of the Izee terrane, a largely Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) succession of basinal volcaniclastic and volcanic rocks known to overlie the Olds Ferry and Baker terranes.« less

Postimpact deposition in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Variations in eustasy, compaction, sediment supply, and passive-aggressive tectonism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulpecz, A.A.; Miller, K.G.; Browning, J.V.; Edwards, L.E.; Powars, D.S.; McLaughlin, P.P.; Harris, A.D.; Feigenson, M.D.

2009-01-01

The Eyreville and Exmore, Virginia, core holes were drilled in the inner basin and annular trough, respectively, of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, and they allow us to evaluate sequence deposition in an impact crater. We provide new high-resolution geochronologic (<1 Ma) and sequence-stratigraphic interpretations of the Exmore core, identify 12 definite (and four possible) postimpact depositional sequences, and present comparisons with similar results from Eyreville and other mid- Atlantic core holes. The concurrence of increases in ??18O with Chesapeake Bay impact structure sequence boundaries indicates a primary glacioeustatic control on deposition. However, regional comparisons show the differential preservation of sequences across the mid-Atlantic margin. We explain this distribution by the compaction of impactites, regional sediment-supply changes, and the differential movement of basement structures. Upper Eocene strata are thin or missing updip and around the crater, but they thicken into the inner basin (and offshore to the southeast) due to rapid crater infilling and concurrent impactite compaction. Oligocene sequences are generally thin and highly dissected throughout the mid-Atlantic region due to sediment starvation and tectonism, except in southeastern New Jersey. Regional tectonic uplift of the Norfolk Arch coupled with a southward decrease in sediment supply resulted in: (1) largely absent Lower Miocene sections around the Chesapeake Bay impact structure compared to thick sections in New Jersey and Delaware; (2) thick Middle Miocene sequences across the Delmarva Peninsula that thin south of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure; and (3) upper Middle Miocene sections that pinch out just north of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure. Conversely, the Upper Miocene-Pliocene section is thick across Virginia, but it is poorly represented in New Jersey because of regional variations in relative subsidence. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Sequence stratigraphy, tectonics and hydrocarbon trap geometries of Middle Tertiary strata in the southern San Joaquin Basin, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phillips, S.; Hewlett, J.S.; Bazeley, W.J.M.

1996-01-01

Tectonic evolution of the southern San Joaquin basin exerted a fundamental control on Cenozoic sequence boundary development, reservoir, source and seal facies distribution, and hydrocarbon trap development. Spatial and temporal variations in Tertiary sequence architecture across the basin reflect differences in eastside versus westside basin-margin geometries and deformation histories. Deposition of Tertiary sequences initiated in a forearc basin setting, bounded on the east by a ramp-margin adjacent to the eroded Sierran arc complex and on the west by the imbricated accretionary wedge of the Coast Ranges thrust. The major stages of Cenozoic basin evolution are: (1) Episodic compressional folding andmore » thrusting associated with oblique convergence of the Farallon and North American plates (Late Cretaceous to Oligocene), (2) localized folding and onset of basin subsidence related to Pacific Plate reorganization, microplate formation and rotation (Oligocene to Early Miocene), (3) transtensional faulting, folding basin subsidence associated with initiation of the San Andreas transform and continued microplate rotation (Micocene to Pliocene), and (4) compressional folding, extensional and strike- slip faulting related to evolution of the Pacific-North American transform boundary (Plio- Pleistocene). Complex stratigraphic relationships within Eocene to Middle Miocene rocks provide examples of tectonic influences on sequence architecture. These include development of: (1) Tectonically enhanced sequence boundaries (Early Eocene base Domengine unconformity) and local mid-sequence angular unconformities, (2) westside-derived syntectonic [open quotes]lowstand[close quotes] systems (Yokut/Turitella Silt wedge and Leda Sand/Cymric/Salt Creek wedge), (3) regional seals associated with subsidence-related transgressions (Round Mountain Silt), and (4) combination traps formed by structural inversion of distal lowstand delta reservoirs (e.g. Coalinga East Extension field).« less

Sequence stratigraphy, tectonics and hydrocarbon trap geometries of Middle Tertiary strata in the southern San Joaquin Basin, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phillips, S.; Hewlett, J.S.; Bazeley, W.J.M.

1996-12-31

Tectonic evolution of the southern San Joaquin basin exerted a fundamental control on Cenozoic sequence boundary development, reservoir, source and seal facies distribution, and hydrocarbon trap development. Spatial and temporal variations in Tertiary sequence architecture across the basin reflect differences in eastside versus westside basin-margin geometries and deformation histories. Deposition of Tertiary sequences initiated in a forearc basin setting, bounded on the east by a ramp-margin adjacent to the eroded Sierran arc complex and on the west by the imbricated accretionary wedge of the Coast Ranges thrust. The major stages of Cenozoic basin evolution are: (1) Episodic compressional folding andmore » thrusting associated with oblique convergence of the Farallon and North American plates (Late Cretaceous to Oligocene), (2) localized folding and onset of basin subsidence related to Pacific Plate reorganization, microplate formation and rotation (Oligocene to Early Miocene), (3) transtensional faulting, folding basin subsidence associated with initiation of the San Andreas transform and continued microplate rotation (Micocene to Pliocene), and (4) compressional folding, extensional and strike- slip faulting related to evolution of the Pacific-North American transform boundary (Plio- Pleistocene). Complex stratigraphic relationships within Eocene to Middle Miocene rocks provide examples of tectonic influences on sequence architecture. These include development of: (1) Tectonically enhanced sequence boundaries (Early Eocene base Domengine unconformity) and local mid-sequence angular unconformities, (2) westside-derived syntectonic {open_quotes}lowstand{close_quotes} systems (Yokut/Turitella Silt wedge and Leda Sand/Cymric/Salt Creek wedge), (3) regional seals associated with subsidence-related transgressions (Round Mountain Silt), and (4) combination traps formed by structural inversion of distal lowstand delta reservoirs (e.g. Coalinga East Extension field).« less

Neogene sequence stratigraphy, Nam Con Son Basin, offshore Vietnam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McMillen, K.J.; Do Van Luu; Lee, E.K.

1996-12-31

An integrated well log, biostratigraphic, and seismic stratigraphic study of Miocene to Recent deltaic sediments deposited in the Nam Con Son Basin offshore from southern Vietnam shows the influence of eustacy and tectonics on sequence development. Sediments consist of Oligocene non-marine rift-basin fill (Cau Formation), early to middle Miocene tide-dominated delta plain to delta front sediments (TB 1.5 to TB 2.5, Due and Thong Formations), and late Miocene to Recent marine shelf sediments (TB. 2.6 to TB 3.1 0, Mang Cau, Nam Con Son, and Bien Dong Formations). Eustacy controlled the timing of key surfaces and sand distribution in themore » tectonically-quiet early Miocene. Tectonic effects on middle to late Miocene sequence development consist of thick transgressive systems tracts due to basin-wide subsidence and transgression, sand distribution in the basin center, and carbonate sedimentation on isolated fault blocks within the basin. Third-order sequence boundaries (SB) are identified by spore peaks, sand stacking patterns, and channel incision. In the basin center, widespread shale beds with coal occur above sequence boundaries followed by transgressive sandstone units. These TST sandstones merge toward the basin margin where they lie on older HST sandstones. Maximum flooding surfaces (MFS) have abundant marine microfossils and mangrove pollen, a change in sand stacking pattern, and often a strong seismic reflection with downlap. Fourth-order genetic-type sequences are also interpreted. The MFS is the easiest marker to identify and correlate on well logs. Fourth-order SB occur within these genetic units but are harder to identify and correlate.« less

Neogene sequence stratigraphy, Nam Con Son Basin, offshore Vietnam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McMillen, K.J.; Do Van Luu; Lee, E.K.

1996-01-01

An integrated well log, biostratigraphic, and seismic stratigraphic study of Miocene to Recent deltaic sediments deposited in the Nam Con Son Basin offshore from southern Vietnam shows the influence of eustacy and tectonics on sequence development. Sediments consist of Oligocene non-marine rift-basin fill (Cau Formation), early to middle Miocene tide-dominated delta plain to delta front sediments (TB 1.5 to TB 2.5, Due and Thong Formations), and late Miocene to Recent marine shelf sediments (TB. 2.6 to TB 3.1 0, Mang Cau, Nam Con Son, and Bien Dong Formations). Eustacy controlled the timing of key surfaces and sand distribution in themore » tectonically-quiet early Miocene. Tectonic effects on middle to late Miocene sequence development consist of thick transgressive systems tracts due to basin-wide subsidence and transgression, sand distribution in the basin center, and carbonate sedimentation on isolated fault blocks within the basin. Third-order sequence boundaries (SB) are identified by spore peaks, sand stacking patterns, and channel incision. In the basin center, widespread shale beds with coal occur above sequence boundaries followed by transgressive sandstone units. These TST sandstones merge toward the basin margin where they lie on older HST sandstones. Maximum flooding surfaces (MFS) have abundant marine microfossils and mangrove pollen, a change in sand stacking pattern, and often a strong seismic reflection with downlap. Fourth-order genetic-type sequences are also interpreted. The MFS is the easiest marker to identify and correlate on well logs. Fourth-order SB occur within these genetic units but are harder to identify and correlate.« less

Antiretroviral treatment sequencing strategies to overcome HIV type 1 drug resistance in adolescents and adults in low-middle-income countries.

PubMed

De Luca, Andrea; Hamers, Raphael L; Schapiro, Jonathan M

2013-06-15

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is expanding to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons in low-middle income countries, thanks to a public health approach. With 3 available drug classes, 2 ART sequencing lines are programmatically foreseen. The emergence and transmission of viral drug resistance represents a challenge to the efficacy of ART. Knowledge of HIV-1 drug resistance selection associated with specific drugs and regimens and the consequent activity of residual drug options are essential in programming ART sequencing options aimed at preserving ART efficacy for as long as possible. This article determines optimal ART sequencing options for overcoming HIV-1 drug resistance in resource-limited settings, using currently available drugs and treatment monitoring opportunities. From the perspective of drug resistance and on the basis of limited virologic monitoring data, optimal sequencing seems to involve use of a tenofovir-containing nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor-based first-line regimen, followed by a zidovudine-containing, protease inhibitor (PI)-based second-line regimen. Other options and their consequences are explored by considering within-class and between-class sequencing opportunities, including boosted PI monotherapies and future options with integrase inhibitors. Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor resistance pathways in HIV-1 subtype C suggest an additional reason for accelerating stavudine phase out. Viral load monitoring avoids the accumulation of resistance mutations that significantly reduce the activity of next-line options. Rational use of resources, including broader access to viral load monitoring, will help ensure 3 lines of fully active treatment options, thereby increasing the duration of ART success.

Multi-sensor Observations of the SpinSat Satellite

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-18

through the high-radiation environment of the South Atlantic Anomaly ( SAA ). SpinSat’s status logs indicate no reset occurred after the third and...Unfortunately, the combined scheduling constraints discussed above produced a pass sequence accompanied traversals through the SAA region. So in this...during SpinSat’s traversals through the SAA , the command sequence had to be uplinked again during a second pass (middle panel) at 2015-03-30 0602-0612 EST

A mitochondrial genome sequence of a hominin from Sima de los Huesos.

PubMed

Meyer, Matthias; Fu, Qiaomei; Aximu-Petri, Ayinuer; Glocke, Isabelle; Nickel, Birgit; Arsuaga, Juan-Luis; Martínez, Ignacio; Gracia, Ana; de Castro, José María Bermúdez; Carbonell, Eudald; Pääbo, Svante

2014-01-16

Excavations of a complex of caves in the Sierra de Atapuerca in northern Spain have unearthed hominin fossils that range in age from the early Pleistocene to the Holocene. One of these sites, the 'Sima de los Huesos' ('pit of bones'), has yielded the world's largest assemblage of Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils, consisting of at least 28 individuals dated to over 300,000 years ago. The skeletal remains share a number of morphological features with fossils classified as Homo heidelbergensis and also display distinct Neanderthal-derived traits. Here we determine an almost complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a hominin from Sima de los Huesos and show that it is closely related to the lineage leading to mitochondrial genomes of Denisovans, an eastern Eurasian sister group to Neanderthals. Our results pave the way for DNA research on hominins from the Middle Pleistocene.

Longitudinal Theory of Mind (ToM) Development From Preschool to Adolescence With and Without ToM Delay.

PubMed

Peterson, Candida C; Wellman, Henry M

2018-04-16

Longitudinal tracking of 107 three- to-thirteen-year-olds in a cross-sequential design showed a 6-step theory of mind (ToM) sequence identified by a few past cross-sectional studies validly depicted longitudinal ToM development from early to middle childhood for typically developing (TD) children and those with ToM delays owing to deafness or autism. Substantively, all groups showed ToM progress throughout middle childhood. Atypical development was more extended and began and ended at lower levels than for TD children. Yet most children in all groups progressed over the study's mean 1.5 years. Findings help resolve theoretical debates about ToM development for children with and without delay and gain strength and weight via their applicability to three disparate groups varying in ToM timing and sequencing. © 2018 Society for Research in Child Development.

LINEs Contribute to the Origins of Middle Bodies of SINEs besides 3′ Tails

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Abstract Short interspersed elements (SINEs), which are nonautonomous transposable elements, require the transposition machinery of long interspersed elements (LINEs) to mobilize. SINEs are composed of two or more independently originating parts. The 5′ region is called the “head” and is derived mainly from small RNAs, and the 3′ region (“tail”) originates from the 3′ region of LINEs and is responsible for being recognized by counterpart LINE proteins. The origin of the middle “body” of SINEs is enigmatic, although significant sequence similarities among SINEs from very diverse species have been observed. Here, a systematic analysis of the similarities among SINEs and LINEs deposited on Repbase, a comprehensive database of eukaryotic repeat sequences was performed. Three primary findings are described: 1) The 5′ regions of only two clades of LINEs, RTE and Vingi, were revealed to have contributed to the middle parts of SINEs; 2) The linkage of the 5′ and 3′ parts of LINEs can be lost due to occasional tail exchange of SINEs; and 3) The previously proposed Ceph-domain was revealed to be a fusion of a CORE-domain and a 5′ part of RTE clade of LINE. Based on these findings, a hypothesis that the 5′ parts of bipartite nonautonomous LINEs, which possess only the 5′ and 3′ regions of the original LINEs, can contribute to the undefined middle part of SINEs is proposed. PMID:29325122

Preservation of intragranular porosity within the Harrodsburg limestone (Middle Mississippian), Newtonville Consolidated Field, Spencer County, Indiana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rupp, J.A.

Porosity preservation in the reservoir rocks within the Harrodsburg Limestone pool of the Newtonville Consolidated field, Spencer County, Indiana, is a function of both primary facies distribution and inhibited pore-filling sparry calcite cementation. Reservoir facies of the Harrodsburg mark the initial shallow-water phase in an overall shoaling-upward, prograding ramp succession beginning with deep basinal clastic sequences of shales and turbidites (early middle Mississippian) and culminating with sabkha and shallow marine carbonate deposits (middle middle Mississippian). Grainstones composed of bryozoans and pelmatozoan bioclasts were deposited oN the lower shoreface of a southwestward-deepening ramp in southern Indiana. Lateral distribution of coarse-grained, well-winnowed,more » southwestward and downdip-trending carbonate sequences was controlled by the undulatory and digitate nature of the ramp. Primary intragranular and minor intergranual porosity was preserved as early marine phreatic cementation created a rigid framework of grains resistant to further solution compaction. Fine-grained euhedral dolomite within proximal wackestones and mudstones formed as the product of a paleohydrologic system composed of plumes of fresh water that extended down through grainstone bodies and formed a periperhal zone of mixed meteoric and marine phreatic waters. Later coarse sparry calcite cement within peripheral grainstones resulted from burial cementation. Lack of significant water-filled porosity off the depositional structure indicates that the early presence of hydrocarbons within the primary pore system inhibited further cementation.« less

Controls on Middle Pennsylvanian peat-forming floras in the Eastern United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eble, C.F.

1992-01-01

Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Central Appalachian Basin contain numerous coal beds that provide an opportunity to study changes in coal-spore floras on an intra- and inter-bed scale. Vertical spore abundance patterns within individual coal beds record the ecological dynamics, both biologic and edaphic, of peat-forming systems in this interval. Coal palynofloras of this interval show a stratigraphic change in composition. Early to Middle Pennsylvanian spore floras are largely dominated by Lycospora. Species of Densosporites, a small lycopsid genus, Granulatisporites, a fern/pteridosperm( )-allied genus, and Laevigatosporites, a calamite-related genus, commonly displace Lycospora vertically within these beds, reflecting patterns of ecologicalmore » succession. Spore floras from stratigraphically younger coal beds in this sequence exhibit similar intra-bed spore variation, but contain increased percentages of tree-fern spores, and tend to be more florally heterogeneous overall. Areas of clastic deposition within the swamps are also marked by changes in spore composition. These changes in coal palynology are paralleled by stratigraphic changes in coal appearance and associated strata composition. The proportion of dull'' coal lithotypes, frequency of clastic partings, and amount of coarse clastics in the enclosing strata all increase toward the top of this sequence. Climate may have been more important in determining the floral composition of Early through mid-Middle Pennsylvanian peat swamps, whereas climate, tectonics, and eustasy interacted to determine sediment volume and type in this interval.« less

Neogene stratigraphy, foraminifera, diatoms, and depositional history of Maria Madre Island, Mexico: Evidence of early Neogene marine conditions in the southern Gulf of California

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCloy, C.; Ingle, J.C.; Barron, J.A.

1988-01-01

Foraminifera and diatoms have been analyzed from an upper Miocene through Pleistocene(?) sequence of marine sediments exposed on Maria Madre Island, largest of the Tre??s Marias Islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Neogene stratigraphic sequence exposed on Maria Madre Island includes a mid-Miocene(?) non-marine and/or shallow marine sandstone unconformably overlain by a lower upper Miocene to uppermost Miocene upper to middle bathyal laminated and massive diatomite, mudstone, and siltstone unit. This unit is unconformably overlain by lower Pliocene middle to lower bathyal sandstones and siltstones which, in turn, are unconformably overlain by upper Pliocene through Pleistocene(?) upper bathyal to upper middle bathyal foraminiferal limestones and siltstones. These beds are unconformably capped by Pleistocene terrace deposits. Basement rocks on the island include Cretaceous granite and granodiorite, and Tertiary(?) andesites and rhyolites. The upper Miocene diatomaceous unit contains a low diversity foraminiferal fauna dominated by species of Bolivina indicating low oxygen conditions in the proto-Gulf Maria Madre basin. The diatomaceous unit grades into a mudstone that contains a latest Miocene upper to middle bathyal biofacies characterized by Baggina californica and Uvigerina hootsi along with displaced neritic taxa. An angular unconformity separates the upper Miocene middle bathyal sediments from overlying lower Pliocene siltstones and mudstones that contain a middle to lower bathyal biofacies and abundant planktonic species including Neogloboquadrina acostaensis and Pulleniatina primalis indicating an early Pliocene age. Significantly, this Pliocene unit contains common occurrences of benthic species restricted to Miocene sediments in California including Bulimina uvigerinaformis. Pliocene to Pleistocene(?) foraminiferal limestones and siltstones characterize submarine bank accumulations formed during uplift of the Tre??s Marias Island area, and include abundant planktonic foraminifera such as Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina duterteri. Common benthic foraminifera in this unit are indicative of upper bathyal water depths. The Neogene depositional history recorded on Maria Madre Island involves an early late Miocene subsidence event marking formation of the Tre??s Marias Basin with relatively undiluted diatomaceous sediment deposited in a low oxygen setting. Subsidence and deepening of the basin continued into the early Pliocene along with rapid deposition of terrigenous clastics. Uplift of the basinal sequence began in late Pliocene time accompanied by deposition of upper Pliocene-Pleistocene foraminiferal limestones on a rising submarine bank. Continued episodic uplift of the Neogene deposits brought the island above sea level by late Pleistocene time. ?? 1988.

Archaeoastronomy and Calendar Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campion, Nicholas

2016-02-01

The use of astronomy for collective purposes, both religious and political, is apparent in the earliest astronomical records, from the evidence for Palaeolithic lunar calendars to megalithic monuments and Mesopotamian celestial-omen reports. This paper will consider the application of the heavens to the organisation of the ‘Cosmic State’, the human polity modelled on the assumption of a close relationship between society on the one hand and planetary and stellar patterns on the other. I will also examine the foundation of Baghdad within the tradition of celestial town planning and argue that the city may be seen as a ‘talisman’, designed to connect heaven to Earth and ensure peace, stability and political success by harmonising time and space.

The systematic position of Equus hydruntinus, an extinct species of Pleistocene equid⋆

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Ariane; Eisenmann, Vera; Ambler, Graeme K.

2003-05-01

Palaeolithic people commonly hunted Equus hydruntinus, an extinct species of equid whose cursorial body proportions suggest an adaptation to semi-arid conditions. Despite the frequency with which it is encountered in fossil deposits, only partial cranial remains have been reported until now. As a result, the systematic affiliation of the species remains a subject of controversy. Two nearly complete E. hydruntinus crania are presented here for the first time. These skulls show that E. hydruntinus is a distinct species, more closely related to the hemiones (Asiatic asses) than to any other equid. This suggests that the social organisation of E. hydruntinus followed one of two known equid sociotypes: resource defense territoriality.

Genomic signature of successful colonization of Eurasia by the allopolyploid shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris).

PubMed

Cornille, A; Salcedo, A; Kryvokhyzha, D; Glémin, S; Holm, K; Wright, S I; Lascoux, M

2016-01-01

Polyploidization is a dominant feature of flowering plant evolution. However, detailed genomic analyses of the interpopulation diversification of polyploids following genome duplication are still in their infancy, mainly because of methodological limits, both in terms of sequencing and computational analyses. The shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is one of the most common weed species in the world. It is highly self-fertilizing, and recent genomic data indicate that it is an allopolyploid, resulting from hybridization between the ancestors of the diploid species Capsella grandiflora and Capsella orientalis. Here, we investigated the genomic diversity of C. bursa-pastoris, its population structure and demographic history, following allopolyploidization in Eurasia. To that end, we genotyped 261 C. bursa-pastoris accessions spread across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, using genotyping-by-sequencing, leading to a total of 4274 SNPs after quality control. Bayesian clustering analyses revealed three distinct genetic clusters in Eurasia: one cluster grouping samples from Western Europe and Southeastern Siberia, the second one centred on Eastern Asia and the third one in the Middle East. Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) supported the hypothesis that C. bursa-pastoris underwent a typical colonization history involving low gene flow among colonizing populations, likely starting from the Middle East towards Europe and followed by successive human-mediated expansions into Eastern Asia. Altogether, these findings bring new insights into the recent multistage colonization history of the allotetraploid C. bursa-pastoris and highlight ABC and genotyping-by-sequencing data as promising but still challenging tools to infer demographic histories of selfing allopolyploids. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Inskip Formation, the Harmony Formation, and the Havallah Sequence of Northwestern Nevada - An Interrelated Paleozoic Assemblage in the Home of the Sonoma Orogeny

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ketner, Keith B.

2008-01-01

An area between the towns of Winnemucca and Battle Mountain in northwestern Nevada, termed the arkosic triangle, includes the type areas of the middle to upper Paleozoic Inskip Formation and Havallah sequence, the Upper Devonian to Mississippian Harmony Formation, the Sonoma orogeny, and the Golconda thrust. According to an extensive body of scientific literature, the Havallah sequence, a diverse assemblage of oceanic rocks, was obducted onto the continent during the latest Permian or earliest Triassic Sonoma orogeny by way of the Golconda thrust. This has been the most commonly accepted theory for half a century, often cited but rarely challenged. The tectonic roles of the Inskip and Harmony Formations have remained uncertain, and they have never been fully integrated into the accepted theory. New, and newly interpreted, data are incompatible with the accepted theory and force comprehensive stratigraphic and tectonic concepts that include the Inskip and Harmony Formations as follows: middle to upper Paleozoic strata, including the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah, form an interrelated assemblage that was deposited in a single basin on an autochthonous sequence of Cambrian, Ordovician, and lowest Silurian strata of the outer miogeocline. Sediments composing the Upper Devonian to Permian sequence entered the basin from both sides, arkosic sands, gravel, limestone olistoliths, and other detrital components entered from the west, and quartz, quartzite, chert, and other clasts from the east. Tectonic activity was expressed as: (1) Devonian uplift and erosion of part of the outer miogeocline; (2) Late Devonian depression of the same area, forming a trough, probably fault-bounded, in which the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah were deposited; (3) production of intraformational and extrabasinal conglomerates derived from the basinal rocks; and (4) folding or tilting of the east side of the depositional basin in the Pennsylvanian. These middle to upper Paleozoic deposits were compressed in the Jurassic, causing east-verging thrusts in the eastern part of the depositional basin (Golconda thrust) and west-verging thrusts and folds in the western part. Hypotheses involving a far-traveled allochthon that was obducted from an ocean or back-arc basin are incompatible with modern observations and concepts.

Small Bodies, Big Concepts: Bringing Visual Analysis into the Middle School Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobb, W. H.; Lebofsky, L. A.; Ristvey, J. D.; Buxner, S.; Weeks, S.; Zolensky, M. E.

2012-03-01

Multi-disciplinary PD model digs into high-end planetary science backed by a pedagogical framework, Designing Effective Science Instruction. NASA activities are sequenced to promote visual analysis of emerging data from Discovery Program missions.

Publications - GMC 352 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

, Alaska as based from core samples from the following wells: North Cook Inlet Unit A-02; Middle Ground , Chemostratigraphy of Oligo-Miocene sequences in Cook Inlet, Alaska as based from core samples from the following

Silent music reading: auditory imagery and visuotonal modality transfer in singers and non-singers.

PubMed

Hoppe, Christian; Splittstößer, Christoph; Fliessbach, Klaus; Trautner, Peter; Elger, Christian E; Weber, Bernd

2014-11-01

In daily life, responses are often facilitated by anticipatory imagery of expected targets which are announced by associated stimuli from different sensory modalities. Silent music reading represents an intriguing case of visuotonal modality transfer in working memory as it induces highly defined auditory imagery on the basis of presented visuospatial information (i.e. musical notes). Using functional MRI and a delayed sequence matching-to-sample paradigm, we compared brain activations during retention intervals (10s) of visual (VV) or tonal (TT) unimodal maintenance versus visuospatial-to-tonal modality transfer (VT) tasks. Visual or tonal sequences were comprised of six elements, white squares or tones, which were low, middle, or high regarding vertical screen position or pitch, respectively (presentation duration: 1.5s). For the cross-modal condition (VT, session 3), the visuospatial elements from condition VV (session 1) were re-defined as low, middle or high "notes" indicating low, middle or high tones from condition TT (session 2), respectively, and subjects had to match tonal sequences (probe) to previously presented note sequences. Tasks alternately had low or high cognitive load. To evaluate possible effects of music reading expertise, 15 singers and 15 non-musicians were included. Scanner task performance was excellent in both groups. Despite identity of applied visuospatial stimuli, visuotonal modality transfer versus visual maintenance (VT>VV) induced "inhibition" of visual brain areas and activation of primary and higher auditory brain areas which exceeded auditory activation elicited by tonal stimulation (VT>TT). This transfer-related visual-to-auditory activation shift occurred in both groups but was more pronounced in experts. Frontoparietal areas were activated by higher cognitive load but not by modality transfer. The auditory brain showed a potential to anticipate expected auditory target stimuli on the basis of non-auditory information and sensory brain activation rather mirrored expectation than stimulation. Silent music reading probably relies on these basic neurocognitive mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Paleocurrents of the Middle-Upper Jurassic strata in the Paradox Basin, Colorado, inferred from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejembi, J. I.; Ferre, E. C.; Potter-McIntyre, S. L.

2017-12-01

The Middle-Upper Jurassic sedimentary strata in the southwestern Colorado Plateau recorded pervasive eolian to fluvio-lacustrine deposition in the Paradox Basin. While paleocurrents preserved in the Entrada Sandstone, an eolian deposition in the Middle Jurassic, has been well constrained and show a northwesterly to northeasterly migration of ergs from the south onto the Colorado Plateau, there is yet no clear resolution of the paleocurrents preserved in the Wanakah Formation and Tidwell Member of the Morrison Formation, both of which are important sedimentary sequences in the paleogeographic framework of the Colorado Plateau. New U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology of sandstones from these sequences suggests that an abrupt change in provenance occurred in the early Late Jurassic, with sediments largely sourced from eroding highlands in central Colorado. We measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of sediments in oriented sandstone samples from these three successive sequences; first, to determine the paleocurrents from the orientations of the AMS fabrics in order to delineate the source area and sediments dispersal pattern and second, to determine the depositional mechanisms of the sediments. Preliminary AMS data from two study sites show consistency and clustering of the AMS axes in all the sedimentary sequences. The orientations of the Kmin - Kint planes in the Entrada Sandstone sample point to a NNE-NNW paleocurrent directions, which is in agreement with earlier studies. The orientations of the Kmin - Kint planes in the Wanakah Formation and Tidwell Member samples show W-SW trending paleocurrent directions, corroborating our hypothesis of a shift in provenance to the eroding Ancestral Front Range Mountain, located northeast of the Paradox Basin, during the Late Jurassic. Isothermal remanence magnetization (IRM) of the samples indicate that the primary AMS carriers are detrital, syndepositional ferromagnetic minerals. Thus, we contend that AMS can be successfully deployed in constraining paleocurrents in lacustrine sedimentary strata, which lacks traditional sedimentary structures for paleocurrent analyses.

Molecular characterization and epidemic history of hepatitis C virus using core sequences of isolates from Central Province, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Shier, Medhat K; Iles, James C; El-Wetidy, Mohammad S; Ali, Hebatallah H; Al Qattan, Mohammad M

2017-01-01

The source of HCV transmission in Saudi Arabia is unknown. This study aimed to determine HCV genotypes in a representative sample of chronically infected patients in Saudi Arabia. All HCV isolates were genotyped and subtyped by sequencing of the HCV core region and 54 new HCV isolates were identified. Three sets of primers targeting the core region were used for both amplification and sequencing of all isolates resulting in a 326 bp fragment. Most HCV isolates were genotype 4 (85%), whereas only a few isolates were recognized as genotype 1 (15%). With the assistance of Genbank database and BLAST, subtyping results showed that most of genotype 4 isolates were 4d whereas most of genotype 1 isolates were 1b. Nucleotide conservation and variation rates of HCV core sequences showed that 4a and 1b have the highest levels of variation. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Coalescent methods was used to explore the source of HCV transmission by investigating the relationship between Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East and Africa. Coalescent analysis showed that transmissions of HCV from Egypt to Saudi Arabia are estimated to have occurred in three major clusters: 4d was introduced into the country before 1900, the major 4a clade's MRCA was introduced between 1900 and 1920, and the remaining lineages were introduced between 1940 and 1960 from Egypt and Middle Africa. Results showed that no lineages seem to have crossed from Egypt to Saudi Arabia in the last 15 years. Finally, sequencing and characterization of new HCV isolates from Saudi Arabia will enrich the HCV database and help further studies related to treatment and management of the virus.

Molecular characterization and epidemic history of hepatitis C virus using core sequences of isolates from Central Province, Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Iles, James C.; El-Wetidy, Mohammad S.; Ali, Hebatallah H.; Al Qattan, Mohammad M.

2017-01-01

The source of HCV transmission in Saudi Arabia is unknown. This study aimed to determine HCV genotypes in a representative sample of chronically infected patients in Saudi Arabia. All HCV isolates were genotyped and subtyped by sequencing of the HCV core region and 54 new HCV isolates were identified. Three sets of primers targeting the core region were used for both amplification and sequencing of all isolates resulting in a 326 bp fragment. Most HCV isolates were genotype 4 (85%), whereas only a few isolates were recognized as genotype 1 (15%). With the assistance of Genbank database and BLAST, subtyping results showed that most of genotype 4 isolates were 4d whereas most of genotype 1 isolates were 1b. Nucleotide conservation and variation rates of HCV core sequences showed that 4a and 1b have the highest levels of variation. Phylogenetic analysis of sequences by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Coalescent methods was used to explore the source of HCV transmission by investigating the relationship between Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East and Africa. Coalescent analysis showed that transmissions of HCV from Egypt to Saudi Arabia are estimated to have occurred in three major clusters: 4d was introduced into the country before 1900, the major 4a clade’s MRCA was introduced between 1900 and 1920, and the remaining lineages were introduced between 1940 and 1960 from Egypt and Middle Africa. Results showed that no lineages seem to have crossed from Egypt to Saudi Arabia in the last 15 years. Finally, sequencing and characterization of new HCV isolates from Saudi Arabia will enrich the HCV database and help further studies related to treatment and management of the virus. PMID:28863156

Identification of phylogenetic position in the Chlamydiaceae family for Chlamydia strains released from monkeys and humans with chlamydial pathology.

PubMed

Karaulov, Alexander; Aleshkin, Vladimir; Slobodenyuk, Vladimir; Grechishnikova, Olga; Afanasyev, Stanislav; Lapin, Boris; Dzhikidze, Eteri; Nesvizhsky, Yuriy; Evsegneeva, Irina; Voropayeva, Elena; Afanasyev, Maxim; Aleshkin, Andrei; Metelskaya, Valeria; Yegorova, Ekaterina; Bayrakova, Alexandra

2010-01-01

Based on the results of the comparative analysis concerning relatedness and evolutional difference of the 16S-23S nucleotide sequences of the middle ribosomal cluster and 23S rRNA I domain, and based on identification of phylogenetic position for Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydia trichomatis strains released from monkeys, relatedness of the above stated isolates with similar strains released from humans and with strains having nucleotide sequences presented in the GenBank electronic database has been detected for the first time ever. Position of these isolates in the Chlamydiaceae family phylogenetic tree has been identified. The evolutional position of the investigated original Chlamydia and Chlamydophila strains close to analogous strains from the Gen-Bank electronic database has been demonstrated. Differences in the 16S-23S nucleotide sequence of the middle ribosomal cluster and 23S rRNA I domain of plasmid and nonplasmid Chlamydia trachomatis strains released from humans and monkeys relative to different genotype groups (group B-B, Ba, D, Da, E, L1, L2, L2a; intermediate group-F, G, Ga) have been revealed for the first time ever. Abnormality in incA chromosomal gene expression resulting in Chlamydia life development cycle disorder, and decrease of Chlamydia virulence can be related to probable changes in the nucleotide sequence of the gene under consideration.

Genetic Variations in Two Seahorse Species (Hippocampus mohnikei and Hippocampus trimaculatus): Evidence for Middle Pleistocene Population Expansion

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yanhong; Pham, Nancy Kim; Zhang, Huixian; Lin, Junda; Lin, Qiang

2014-01-01

Population genetic of seahorses is confidently influenced by their species-specific ecological requirements and life-history traits. In the present study, partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and control region (CR) were obtained from 50 Hippocampus mohnikei and 92 H. trimaculatus from four zoogeographical zones. A total of 780 base pairs of cytb gene were sequenced to characterize mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity. The mtDNA marker revealed high haplotype diversity, low nucleotide diversity, and a lack of population structure across both populations of H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus. A neighbour-joining (NJ) tree of cytb gene sequences showed that H. mohnikei haplotypes formed one cluster. A maximum likelihood (ML) tree of cytb gene sequences showed that H. trimaculatus belonged to one lineage. The star-like pattern median-joining network of cytb and CR markers indicated a previous demographic expansion of H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus. The cytb and CR data sets exhibited a unimodal mismatch distribution, which may have resulted from population expansion. Mismatch analysis suggested that the expansion was initiated about 276,000 years ago for H. mohnikei and about 230,000 years ago for H. trimaculatus during the middle Pleistocene period. This study indicates a possible signature of genetic variation and population expansion in two seahorses under complex marine environments. PMID:25144384

Differential processing of pro-neurotensin/neuromedin N and relationship to pro-hormone convertases.

PubMed

Kitabgi, Patrick

2006-10-01

Neurotensin (NT) is synthesized as part of a larger precursor that also contains neuromedin N (NN), a six amino acid neurotensin-like peptide. NT and NN are located in the C-terminal region of the precursor (pro-NT/NN) where they are flanked and separated by three Lys-Arg sequences. A fourth dibasic sequence is present in the middle of the precursor. Dibasics are the consensus sites recognized and cleaved by endoproteases that belong to the recently identified family of pro-protein convertases (PCs). In tissues that express pro-NT/NN, the three C-terminal Lys-Arg sites are differentially processed, whereas the middle dibasic is poorly cleaved. Pro-NT/NN processing gives rise mainly to NT and NN in the brain, to NT and a large peptide ending with the NN sequence at its C-terminus (large NN) in the gut and to NT, large NN and a large peptide ending with the NT sequence (large NT) in the adrenals. Recent evidence indicates that PC1, PC2 and PC5-A are the pro-hormone convertases responsible for the processing patterns observed in the gut, brain and adrenals, respectively. As NT, NN, large NT and large NN are all endowed with biological activity, the evidence reviewed here supports the idea that post-translational processing of pro-NT/NN in tissues may generate biological diversity.

Prograding coastal facies associations in the Vryheid formation (Permian) at Effingham quarries near Durban, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavener-Smith, R.

1982-05-01

This paper describes and interprets a flat-lying, sandstone—siltstone sequence 70 m thick in three disused quarries. The beds comprise the lowest part of the Vryheid Formation (middle Ecca) in the Durban vicinity. The sequence is conveniently divisible into two parts: the Lower Division constitutes a prograding beach barrier association, while the upper one represents a back barrier lagoonal complex. Fourteen sedimentary facies are described and interpreted to represent a range of depositional environments including open water shelf silts, sandy shoreface and littoral deposits, organic-rich muds and peats of lagoonal origin, a tidal inlet, washover fans and a fluvial channel sand. Among the conclusions reached are that the local middle Ecca coastline extended in a northwest to southeast direction and that progradation was towards the southwest; that the coastline was microtidal and that stormy conditions were common with prevalent palaeowinds from the northwest. The absence of invertebrate body fossils in these strata is attributed to penecontemporaneous solution of shelly remains. This is the first time that a coastal sequence has been identified on the southeast margin of the Main Karoo Basin of South Africa

The inheritance of fingerprint patterns.

PubMed

Slatis, H M; Katznelson, M B; Bonné-Tamir, B

1976-05-01

Analysis of the fingerprints of 571 members of the Habbanite isolate suggest inherited patterns and pattern sequences. A genetic theory has been developed; it assumes that the basic fingerprint pattern sequence is all ulnar loops and that a variety of genes cause deviations from this pattern sequence. Genes that have been proposed include: (1) a semidominant gene for whorls on the thumbs (one homozygote has whorls on both thumbs, the other has ulnar loops on both thumbs and the heterozygote usually has two ulnar loops or one ulnar loop and one whorl); (2) a semidominant gene for whorls on the ring fingers which acts like the gene for whorls on the thumbs; (3) a dominant gene for arches on the thumbs and often on other fingers; (4) one or more dominant genes for arches on the fingers; (5) a dominant gene for whorls on all fingers except for an ulnar loop on the middle finger; (6) a dominant gene for radial loops on the index fingers, frequently associated with an arch on the middle fingers; and (7) a recessive gene for radial loops on the ring and little fingers. These genes may act independently or may show epistasis.

The inheritance of fingerprint patterns.

PubMed Central

Slatis, H M; Katznelson, M B; Bonné-Tamir, B

1976-01-01

Analysis of the fingerprints of 571 members of the Habbanite isolate suggest inherited patterns and pattern sequences. A genetic theory has been developed; it assumes that the basic fingerprint pattern sequence is all ulnar loops and that a variety of genes cause deviations from this pattern sequence. Genes that have been proposed include: (1) a semidominant gene for whorls on the thumbs (one homozygote has whorls on both thumbs, the other has ulnar loops on both thumbs and the heterozygote usually has two ulnar loops or one ulnar loop and one whorl); (2) a semidominant gene for whorls on the ring fingers which acts like the gene for whorls on the thumbs; (3) a dominant gene for arches on the thumbs and often on other fingers; (4) one or more dominant genes for arches on the fingers; (5) a dominant gene for whorls on all fingers except for an ulnar loop on the middle finger; (6) a dominant gene for radial loops on the index fingers, frequently associated with an arch on the middle fingers; and (7) a recessive gene for radial loops on the ring and little fingers. These genes may act independently or may show epistasis. PMID:1266855

Three-junction solar cell

DOEpatents

Ludowise, Michael J.

1986-01-01

A photovoltaic solar cell is formed in a monolithic semiconductor. The cell contains three junctions. In sequence from the light-entering face, the junctions have a high, a medium, and a low energy gap. The lower junctions are connected in series by one or more metallic members connecting the top of the lower junction through apertures to the bottom of the middle junction. The upper junction is connected in voltage opposition to the lower and middle junctions by second metallic electrodes deposited in holes 60 through the upper junction. The second electrodes are connected to an external terminal.

Two haplotype clusters of Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto in northern Iraq (Kurdistan region) support the hypothesis of a parasite cradle in the Middle East.

PubMed

Hassan, Zuber Ismael; Meerkhan, Azad Abdullah; Boufana, Belgees; Hama, Abdullah A; Ahmed, Bayram Dawod; Mero, Wijdan Mohammed Salih; Orsten, Serra; Interisano, Maria; Pozio, Edoardo; Casulli, Adriano

2017-08-01

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus s.s. is a major public health problem in Iraqi Kurdistan with a reported surgical incidence of 6.3 per 100,000 Arbil inhabitants. A total of 125 Echinococcus isolates retrieved from sheep, goats and cattle were used in this study. Our aim was to determine species/genotypes infecting livestock in Iraqi Kurdistan and examine intraspecific variation and population structure of Echinococcus granulosus s.s. in this region and relate it to that of other regions worldwide. Using nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox 1) we identified E. granulosus s.s. as the cause of hydatidosis in all examined animals. The haplotype network displayed a double-clustered topology with two main E. granulosus s.s. haplotypes, (KU05) and (KU33). The 'founder' haplotype (KU05) confirmed the presence of a common lineage of non-genetically differentiated populations as inferred by the low non-significant fixation index values. Overall diversity and neutrality indices indicated demographic expansion. We used E. granulosus s.s. nucleotide sequences from GenBank to draw haplotype networks for the Middle East (Iran, Jordan and Turkey), Europe (Albania, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain), China, Mongolia, Russia, South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico) and Tunisia. Networks with two haplotype clusters like that reported here for Iraqi Kurdistan were seen for the Middle East, Europe, Mongolia, Russia and Tunisia using both 827bp and 1609bp cox1 nucleotide sequences, whereas a star-like network was observed for China and South America. We hypothesize that the double clustering seen at what is generally assumed to be the cradle of domestication may have emerged independently and dispersed from the Middle East to other regions and that haplotype (KU33) may be the main haplotype within a second cluster in the Middle East from where it has spread into Europe, Mongolia, Russia and North Africa. Further studies using metacestodes of human origin are required to investigate the biological importance of E. granulosus s.s. haplotypes/clusters and their association, if any with clinical manifestations of CE infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Paleoclimatic and paleolatitude settings of accumulation of radiolarian siliceous-volcanogenic sequences in the middle Mesozoic Pacific: Evidence from allochthons of East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishnevskaya, V. S.; Filatova, N. I.

2017-09-01

Jurassic-Cretaceous siliceous-volcanogenic rocks from nappes of tectonostratigraphic sequences of the East Asia Middle Cretaceous Okhotsk-Koryak orogenic belt are represented by a wide range of geodynamic sedimentation settings: oceanic (near-spreading zones, seamounts, and deep-water basins), marginal seas, and island arcs. The taxonomic compositions of radiolarian communities are used as paleolatitude indicators in the Northern Pacific. In addition, a tendency toward climate change in the Mesozoic is revealed based on these communities: from the warm Triassic to the cold Jurassic with intense warming from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. Cretaceous warming led to heating of ocean waters even at moderately high latitudes and to the development of Tethyan radiolarians there. These data are confirmed by a global Cretaceous temperature peak coinciding with a high-activity pulse of the planetary mantle superplume system, which created thermal anomalies and the greenhouse effect. In addition, the Pacific superplume attributed to this system caused accelerated movement of oceanic plates, which resulted in a compression setting on the periphery of the Pacific and the formation of the Okhotsk-Koryak orogenic belt on its northwestern framing in the Middle Cretaceous, where Mesozoic rocks of different geodynamic and latitudinal-climate settings were juxtaposed into allochthonous units.

The mitochondrial phylogeography and intraspecific taxonomy of the Steppe Racerunner, Eremias arguta (Pallas) (Lacertidae: Sauria, Reptilia), reflects biogeographic patterns in Middle Asia.

PubMed

Poyarkov, Nikolay A; Orlova, Valentina F; Chirikova, Marina A

2014-12-15

Steppe racerunner, Eremias (Eremias) arguta, is one of the most widespread species of the Asian racerunners (genus Eremias). Several subspecies were traditionally recognized however, morphological variability is so high that delimitation of these subspecies was always problematic. Here we present a phylogenetic hypothesis for this species based on cytochrome b sequences (55 samples from 35 populations, 900 bp partial sequences), infer it biogeography and the revise its subspecific structure. Six major phylogenetic lineages were revealed. The southernmost populations (E. a. uzbekistanica) from Uzbekistan form a clade together with the Issyk-Kul Lake subspecies (E. a. darevskii) based on both molecular and morphological evidence. Within more northern populations, there is a split between populations from Northern Caucasus, Europe and Western Kazakhstan (E. a. deserti) and Central and Eastern Kazakhstan populations (E. a. arguta). Transcaucasian (E. a. transcaucasica) steppe racerunners are grouped with Middle Asian populations. Finally, the easternmost samples, assigned to "E. a. potanini" are nested within the E. a. arguta clade. Populations from the Ili River Valley form a separate lineage sister to the clade joining all other E. arguta lineages and might represent a yet undescribed taxon. Species distribution in relation to historical biogeography of Middle Asia is discussed. 

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Unrug, R.

The break-up of Rodinia, the supercontinent assembled in the Middle Proterozoic chelogenic cycle (1.65--1.0 Ga), and the simultaneous assembly of the Gondwana Supercontinent were the major tectonic events of the Neoproterozoic. Laurentia occupied a central keystone position in the configuration of Rodinia. Its break-up resulted in rearrangement of Rodinia fragments: some were incorporated in the accreting Gondwana, while Laurentia, Baltica and Siberia drifted independently. Reconstructions of the position of Laurentia in the Rodinia Supercontinent are based on two criteria. The first is the continuity of Middle Proterozoic mobile belts suturing the older cratons and the match of piercing points ofmore » the mobile belts at the post- Middle Proterozoic margins of the older cratons. The second is the similarity of sedimentary sequences along Late Proterozoic passive margins formed during break-up of Rodinia. The first criterion allows for several interpretations. The second may be invalid, as conjugate margins developing over an oblique detachment will accumulate dissimilar sedimentary sequences. In reconstructions of the Gondwana Supercontinent the recently redefined Salvador-Congo craton occupied the central keystone position, between the East Gondwana continent and a number of smaller cratons of West Gondwana. It is entirely surrounded by collisional mobile belts, all containing important transcurrent shear zone systems. The margins of the Salvador-Congo craton were facing three major Late Proterozoic oceans.« less

The 'sialo-microbial-dental complex' in oral health and disease.

PubMed

Kaidonis, John; Townsend, Grant

2016-01-01

Biofilms are naturally found in all wet environments including the oral structures of nearly all species. Human oral biofilms have existed since our earliest ancestors and have evolved symbiotically with the dentition over many millennia within a Palaeolithic, hunter-gatherer setting. Irrespective of the plant-animal ratio, it can be argued that the Palaeolithic diet was essentially acidic, and acted as a selective force for much of the evolution of the stomatognathic system. The relationship between saliva, biofilm and teeth, the 'sialo-microbial-dental complex', provides oral health benefits and offers a different perspective to the old dental paradigm that only associated oral biofilms (plaque) with disease (caries). This new paradigm emphasises that oral biofilms are essential for the 'mineral maintenance' of teeth. Oral biofilms provide physical protection from dietary acid and together with bacterial metabolic acids cause the resting pH of the biofilm to fall below neutral. This is then followed by the re-establishment of a neutral environment by chemical interactions mediated by the saliva within the biofilm. Such pH fluctuations are often responsible for the cyclic demineralisation, then remineralisation of teeth, a process necessary for tooth maturation. However, since the advent of farming and especially since the industrial revolution, the increase in consumption of carbohydrates, refined sugars and acidic drinks has changed the ecology of biofilms. Biofilm biodiversity is significantly reduced together with a proliferation of acidogenic and aciduric organisms, tipping the balance of the 'demin-remin' cycle towards net mineral loss and hence caries. In addition, the consumption of acidic drinks in today's societies has removed the protective nature of the biofilm, leading to erosion. Erosion and caries are 'modern-day' diseases and reflect an imbalance within the oral biofilm resulting in the demineralisation of teeth. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Extreme mobility in the Late Pleistocene? Comparing limb biomechanics among fossil Homo, varsity athletes and Holocene foragers.

PubMed

Shaw, Colin N; Stock, Jay T

2013-04-01

Descriptions of Pleistocene activity patterns often derive from comparisons of long bone diaphyseal robusticity across contemporaneous fossilized hominins. The purpose of this study is to augment existing understanding of Pleistocene hominin mobility patterns by interpreting fossil variation through comparisons with a) living human athletes with known activity patterns, and b) Holocene foragers where descriptions of group-level activity patterns are available. Relative tibial rigidity (midshaft tibial rigidity (J)/midshaft humeral rigidity (J)) was compared amongst Levantine and European Neandertals, Levantine and Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens, Holocene foragers and living human athletes and controls. Cross-country runners exhibit significantly (p<0.05) greater relative tibial rigidity compared with swimmers, and higher values compared with controls. In contrast, swimmers displayed significantly (p<0.05) lower relative tibial rigidity than both runners and controls. While variation exists among all Holocene H. sapiens, highly terrestrially mobile Later Stone Age (LSA) southern Africans and cross-country runners display the highest relative tibial rigidity, while maritime Andaman Islanders and swimmers display the lowest, with controls falling between. All fossil hominins displayed relative tibial rigidity that exceeded, or was similar to, the highly terrestrially mobile Later Stone Age southern Africans and modern human cross-country runners. The more extreme skeletal structure of most Neandertals and Levantine H. sapiens, as well as the odd Upper Palaeolithic individual, appears to reflect adaptation to intense and/or highly repetitive lower limb (relative to upper limb) loading. This loading may have been associated with bipedal travel, and appears to have been more strenuous than that encountered by even university varsity runners, and Holocene foragers with hunting grounds 2000-3000 square miles in size. Skeletal variation among the athletes and foraging groups is consistent with known or inferred activity profiles, which support the position that the Pleistocene remains reflect adaptation to extremely active and mobile lives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The environmental conditionings of the location of primeval settlements in the Wieprz River valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozieł, Marcin; Kozieł, Wojciech

2012-01-01

The Wieprz River along the section currently occupied by the Nadwieprzański Landscape Park (NLP) constituted a convenient place of human settlement from the moment of retreat of the last ice sheet. Depending on the types of economy preferred by representatives of individual archaeological cultures, the river valley from Spiczyn to Dorohucza offered continuous access to water. This obviously gained additional importance from the moment of appearance of Neolithic cultures, particularly the Globular Amphora culture and Corded Ware culture with semi-nomadic style of life, dealing with breeding. Neolithic hunters-gatherers exploited the animal resources available in the river and its vicinity. The further role of fishing, i.e. providing a diet element or supplementation already in the conditions of agricultural-breeding economy, seems to be evidenced by findings of fishing hooks at Lusatian and Wielbark sites. Another factor affecting the location of settlements in NLP was also its close vicinity to the crops of the Rejowiec flint. According to archaeologists, this is particularly obvious in the case of the Late Palaeolithic and the turn of the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The communication function of the river could also be of importance: in the case of seasonal animal migrations of animals and hunters (Late Palaeolithic); livestock and shepherds (Globular Amphora culture and Corded Ware culture); or people alone (migration of the population of the Wielbark culture to the Red Sea). The fact that a commercial trail fragment was located along the Wieprz River is probably evidenced by the abundance of import from various parts of Europe at site 53 in Spiczyn. Fertile soils (black soils, silt-peat soils) prevailing in the valley also favoured the settlement of cultures with an agricultural-breeding model of economy, providing good conditions for horticulture. Meadows near the river could be used as pastures.

A decorated raven bone from the Zaskalnaya VI (Kolosovskaya) Neanderthal site, Crimea

PubMed Central

Evans, Sarah; Stepanchuk, Vadim; Tsvelykh, Alexander; d’Errico, Francesco

2017-01-01

We analyze a radius bone fragment of a raven (Corvus corax) from Zaskalnaya VI rock shelter, Crimea. The object bears seven notches and comes from an archaeological level attributed to a Micoquian industry dated to between 38 and 43 cal kyr BP. Our study aims to examine the degree of regularity and intentionality of this set of notches through their technological and morphometric analysis, complemented by comparative experimental work. Microscopic analysis of the notches indicate that they were produced by the to-and-fro movement of a lithic cutting edge and that two notches were added to fill in the gap left between previously cut notches, probably to increase the visual consistency of the pattern. Multivariate analysis of morphometric data recorded on the archaeological notches and sets of notches cut by nine modern experimenters on radii of domestic turkeys shows that the variations recorded on the Zaskalnaya set are comparable to experimental sets made with the aim of producing similar, parallel, equidistant notches. Identification of the Weber Fraction, the constant that accounts for error in human perception, for equidistant notches cut on bone rods and its application to the Zaskalnaya set of notches and thirty-six sets of notches incised on seventeen Upper Palaeolithic bone objects from seven sites indicate that the Zaskalnaya set falls within the range of variation of regularly spaced experimental and Upper Palaeolithic sets of notches. This suggests that even if the production of the notches may have had a utilitarian reason the notches were made with the goal of producing a visually consistent pattern. This object represents the first instance of a bird bone from a Neanderthal site bearing modifications that cannot be explained as the result of butchery activities and for which a symbolic argument can be built on direct rather than circumstantial evidence. PMID:28355292

Analysis of Monoclonal Antibodies in Human Serum as a Model for Clinical Monoclonal Gammopathy by Use of 21 Tesla FT-ICR Top-Down and Middle-Down MS/MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lidong; Anderson, Lissa C.; Barnidge, David R.; Murray, David L.; Hendrickson, Christopher L.; Marshall, Alan G.

2017-05-01

With the rapid growth of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), stringent quality control is needed to ensure clinical safety and efficacy. Monoclonal antibody primary sequence and post-translational modifications (PTM) are conventionally analyzed with labor-intensive, bottom-up tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which is limited by incomplete peptide sequence coverage and introduction of artifacts during the lengthy analysis procedure. Here, we describe top-down and middle-down approaches with the advantages of fast sample preparation with minimal artifacts, ultrahigh mass accuracy, and extensive residue cleavages by use of 21 tesla FT-ICR MS/MS. The ultrahigh mass accuracy yields an RMS error of 0.2-0.4 ppm for antibody light chain, heavy chain, heavy chain Fc/2, and Fd subunits. The corresponding sequence coverages are 81%, 38%, 72%, and 65% with MS/MS RMS error 4 ppm. Extension to a monoclonal antibody in human serum as a monoclonal gammopathy model yielded 53% sequence coverage from two nano-LC MS/MS runs. A blind analysis of five therapeutic monoclonal antibodies at clinically relevant concentrations in human serum resulted in correct identification of all five antibodies. Nano-LC 21 T FT-ICR MS/MS provides nonpareil mass resolution, mass accuracy, and sequence coverage for mAbs, and sets a benchmark for MS/MS analysis of multiple mAbs in serum. This is the first time that extensive cleavages for both variable and constant regions have been achieved for mAbs in a human serum background.

Albian to Santonian carbon isotope excursions and faunal extinctions in the Canadian Western Interior Sea: Recognition of eustatic sea-level controls on a forebulge setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröder-Adams, Claudia J.; Herrle, Jens O.; Tu, Qiang

2012-12-01

The forebulge region of the Cretaceous Canadian Western Interior Sea (CWIS) was susceptible to subaerial exposure and marine erosion during sea level lowstands. The middle Albian to Santonian record as cored at Cold Lake, east-central Alberta, Canada documents numerous disconformities that are expressed in bioclastic concentration horizons and faunal extinctions and turnovers. Detailed comparison between a newly established δ13Corg. record measured on bulk sediment at Cold Lake and a combined δ13Ccarb. reference curve based on the Cretaceous English chalk and SE France hemipelagic marlstones highlights missing positive and negative δ13C excursions at the CWIS forebulge and thus missing sections that precisely corroborate with sequence boundaries. Disconformable boundaries correlate closely with global sea-level lowstands as established for the Cretaceous North Atlantic suggesting a pronounced eustatic influence on the CWIS forebulge setting. Sequence boundaries occur in the uppermost Middle Albian, lowermost Upper Albian, Albian/Cenomanian boundary, Cenomanian/Turonian boundary, middle Turonian to lower Coniacian and uppermost Middle Santonian, each followed by a positive δ13C excursion. Oceanic anoxic events 1d, 2 and 3 are recognized and linked to major faunal and floral assemblage changes. Of these the Albian/Cenomanian biotic turnover is the most severe in the CWIS marked by the total loss of Albian benthic foraminifera species. Causes of this benthic extinction might be linked to a period of anoxia (OAE 1d) during the latest Albian followed by sea-level controlled basin restriction.

Echoes of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Pei-lan Li; Chao, Johanna T.; Chao, Yenshew Lynn; Chin, Ai-li S.; Hsieh, Charlotte Sheau-mann; Sun, Paul P.; Swartz, Leslie M.; Wang, Theresa; Wu, Fa Y.

This curriculum guide is developed to accompany 7 Chinese Cultural Heritage kits for use in intermediate and middle school classrooms. The units in this guide may be used with or without the accompanying kits. When appropriate, units include: objectives, introductory information, suggested presentation sequence, activity instruction, evaluation…

Purification and sequencing of the active site tryptic peptide from penicillin-binding protein 1b of Escherichia coli

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nicholas, R.A.; Suzuki, H.; Hirota, Y.

This paper reports the sequence of the active site peptide of penicillin-binding protein 1b from Escherichia coli. Purified penicillin-binding protein 1b was labeled with (/sup 14/C)penicillin G, digested with trypsin, and partially purified by gel filtration. Upon further purification by high-pressure liquid chromatography, two radioactive peaks were observed, and the major peak, representing over 75% of the applied radioactivity, was submitted to amino acid analysis and sequencing. The sequence Ser-Ile-Gly-Ser-Leu-Ala-Lys was obtained. The active site nucleophile was identified by digesting the purified peptide with aminopeptidase M and separating the radioactive products on high-pressure liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis confirmed thatmore » the serine residue in the middle of the sequence was covalently bonded to the (/sup 14/C)penicilloyl moiety. A comparison of this sequence to active site sequences of other penicillin-binding proteins and beta-lactamases is presented.« less

The influence of melting on the kinematic development of the Himalayan crystalline core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Alexander

2016-04-01

Current hypotheses for the development and emplacement of the Himalayan crystalline core are 1) models with intense upper plate out-of-sequence activity (i.e., tunneling of channel flow, and some modes of critical taper wedge behavior) and 2) models in which the upper plate mainly records basal accretion of horses (i.e., duplexing). The two concepts can be considered end-members. A signal difference between these two models is the role of melting. The intense upper plate deformation envisioned in the first set of models has been hypothesized to be largely a product of partial melting, particularly in channel flow models. Specifically, the persistent presence of melt in the middle crust of the upper plate may dramatically lower the viscosity of these rocks, allowing distributed deformation. The second set of models - duplexing - predicts in-sequence thrusting with only minor out-of-sequence deformation. Stacking of a duplex acts like a deli cheese-slicing machine: slice after slice is cut from the intact block to a stack of slices, but neither the block (~down-going plate) nor the stack (~upper plate) features much internal deformation. In this model, partial melting produces no significant kinematic impact. The dominant preserved structural elements across the Himalayan crystalline core rocks are flattening and L-S fabrics. Structurally high portions of the crystalline core locally display complex outcrop-scale deformation associated with migmatitic rocks, and contain km-scale leucogranite bodies; both features developed in the early to middle Miocene. The flattening and L-S fabrics have been interpreted to record either (A) southwards channel tunneling across the upper plate, or (B) fabric development during metamorphism of the down-going plate, prior to accretion to the upper plate. The deformation of migmatitic rock and emplacement of leucogranite have been interpreted in support of widespread distributed deformation. Alternatively, these features may have accumulated from increments of melting and crystallization which did not produce sufficient melt during any one period to significantly alter viscosity at >100 m scales. Recent work integrating monazite and zircon geochronology with structural records shows that the Himalayan middle crust has been assembled along a series of mainly southwards-younging thrust faults throughout the early to middle Miocene. The thrust faults separate 1-5 km thick panels that experienced similar metamorphic cycles during different time periods. At this scale, out-of-sequence deformation is rare, with its apparent significance enhanced because of the high throw-to-heave ratio of out-of-sequence thrusting. These findings support the duplexing model and indicate that melting did not have a significant impact on the kinematic development of the Himalayan crystalline core.

Sequence stratigraphy of upper Paleogene to Neogene carbonates exposed from Guánica bay to Guayanilla, Southern Puerto Rico.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores Hots, V. E.; Santos, H.

2016-12-01

Detailed stratigraphic columns were measured and microfacies analysis was performed in southwestern Puerto Rico to conduct a sequence stratigraphic analysis of Paleogene to Neogene strata. Two of the best exposed outcrops include the Guánica Bay and outcrops along Highway PR-132 in Guayanilla. Three depositional sequences, separated by two major sequence boundaries were found. The lower sequence occurs within the Juana Díaz Formation and is an open shelf to reef facies indicative of a Transgressive System Tract (TST), that is overlain by a High Stand System Tract (HST) marked by reef progradation. The HST in both Guánica Bay and Guayanilla is characterized by coral-rhodolith cyclicity however sections in Guánica Bay show pervasive recrystallization due to diagenetic alteration as a result of a long periods of exposure. This first sequence is Oligocene in age. The middle sequence, exposed at the eastern section of the Guánica Bay is also part of the Juana Díaz Formation and includes a turbiditic Lowstand System Tract (LST) of slope-like deposits flow, a TST constituted by coral rubble and skeletal grainstones belonging to a shallow island slope environment; and a HST that consists of an island slope chalk facies intercalated with turbidite grainstones derived storm events at the Guayanilla location. During the deposition of the middle sequence the Guánica Bay west section was topographically higher and exposed. The upper depositional sequence is Miocene in age and is composed of a TST with the transgression starting distally in the Guánica area and transgressing northward toward the Guayanilla area. These was correlated using high resolution 87Sr/86Sr isotope concentrations of shallow marine mollusks Kuphus incrassatus in the Ponce Formation at the Guánica Bay and Guayanilla locations. Facies patterns like the ones in the studied outcrops of southwestern Puerto Rico provide an exemplary environmental model of variability of paleodepositional relief, tectonic setting, variability in depositional setting of reef Sediment acumulations, the influence of storm events and variability in rock porosity by diagenetic processes yielding valuable models that may apply to potential Oligocene - Miocene hydrocarbon reservoirs.

The Alleret Maar lacustrine sequence (French Massif Central): a 150 ka long early-middle Pleistocene continental paleoenvironmental record.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomade, S.; Pastre, J.; Guillou, H.; Gauthier, A.; Scaillet, S.

2008-12-01

Lacustrine maar sequences of the French Massif Central are of great interest for paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions of mid-latitudes Quaternary continental environments. In particular, the western Velay region yields exceptional sequences spanning the last 450 ka (Reille et al., J. Quat. Sci. 2000). However, older sequences remain largely unknown despite the presence of interbedded alkaline tephras allowing precise absolute radiochronological control of many lacustrine squences. The Alleret maar is a 1500 m wide phreatomagmatic crater that provides a long lacustrine sequence (41 m). The upper part of this sequence (AL2 core, 14.6 m) was studied between 2005 and 2006 (Pastre et al., C. R. Acad Sci, 2007). A 39Ar/40Ar date (557 ± 5ka) obtained from an interbedded tephra layer located at 7m as well as the associated pollen data attribute the beginning of this sequence to the MIS 15. Thanks to the AL3 core recovered in 2005 (40.6 m, CNRS Meudon) several new tephra layers were discovered in the bottom part of this lacustrine sequence. Three new 39Ar/40Ar ages (single crystal analyses) from trachytic tephra layers were obtained at the LSCE Argon Laboratory (France). These layers are located at -30.2, -36.2 and -39.2m. Ages obtained relative to the ACR-2 flux standard (1,201Ma, Kuiper et al., Science, 2008) range from 692 ± 6 ka (MSWD: 2.3, n=18) for the youngest (-30.2m) to 726 ± 9Ka Ka (MSWD: 2.2, n=12) for the lowest tephra located at -39.2m. These new dates indicate a relatively homogeneous deposition rate of 3.5cm/ka and that the last 10 meters cover the MIS 17-MIS18 period. According to these current radiochronological data the complete lacustrine sequence last more than 150ka. Ongoing sedimentary and pollen studies will allow to extend the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic records of the French Massif Central towards the beginning of the early middle Pleistocene.

Evaluation of balanced steady-state free precession (TrueFISP) and K-space segmented gradient echo sequences for 3D coronary MR angiography with navigator gating at 3 Tesla.

PubMed

Kaul, M G; Stork, A; Bansmann, P M; Nolte-Ernsting, C; Lund, G K; Weber, C; Adam, G

2004-11-01

To test the feasibility of k-space segmented gradient-echo pulse sequences for free-breathing coronary magnetic resonance angiography (cMRA) on a clinical 3T system. T2-prepared, fat-suppressed turbo field echo (TFE, turboFLASH, SFPGR) as well as balanced TFE (b-TFE, trueFISP, FIESTA, segmented SSFP) sequences with navigator gating for prospective motion correction were applied on a 3T system equipped with a six-element phased-array cardiac coil. In 15 healthy volunteers, the right coronary artery (RCA) was examined with TFE and b-TFE sequences. Due to examination time limitations, the left coronary artery (LM/LAD) was examined exclusively with the TFE sequence in ten volunteers. Image quality was graded on a five point scale (0 = not visualized to 4 = excellent). The length, diameter and sharpness of the vessels and the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were measured. 98 % of all major segments (proximal/middle/distal) of the RCA could be seen with the TFE sequence and 82 % with the b-TFE sequence. The image quality for the three segments was graded higher for the TFE sequence (2.7/2.7/1.5) than for the b-TFE sequence (1.9/1.6/0.9) with P: (< or = 0.001/< or = 0.004/< or = 0.056). The kappa of the interobserver variability was 0.75 for the TFE sequence and 0.8 for the b-TFE sequence. The measured vessel lengths were longer for the TFE sequence (95 +/- 22 mm) than for the b-TFE sequence (80 +/- 40 mm; P < or = 0.115). No significant changes (P < or = 0.074, P < or = 0.145) in diameter and vessel sharpness of the RCAs were observed between the TFE (2.4 +/- 0.3 mm, 60 % +/- 5) and b-TFE sequences (2.4 +/- 0.3 mm, 62 % +/- 6). The CNR was higher for the TFE sequence (10.1 +/- 3.4) than for the b-TFE sequence (6.6 +/- 2.1; P < or = 0.014). All ten main and proximal segments of the LM/LAD, which were examined exclusively with the TFE sequence, were visible with grade 2.5 and 2.1. The middle segment was visible in seven cases with grade 1.3. In three cases, the distal segment was visible with grade 0.5. The vessel length was 78 +/- 27 mm and the CNR 11.9 +/- 2.4. The conventional TFE technique has demonstrated good feasibility for cMRA at 3T. In its operational availability at 3T, the b-TFE sequence is inferior to the TFE sequence.

The geology and chronology of the Acheulean deposits in the Mieso area (East-Central Ethiopia).

PubMed

Benito-Calvo, Alfonso; Barfod, Dan N; McHenry, Lindsay J; de la Torre, Ignacio

2014-11-01

This paper presents the Quaternary sequence of the Mieso area of Central-East Ethiopia, located in the piedmont between the SE Ethiopian Escarpment and the Main Ethiopian Rift-Afar Rift transition sector.In this region, a piedmont alluvial plain is terraced at þ25 m above the two main fluvial courses, the Mieso and Yabdo Rivers. The piedmont sedimentary sequence is divided into three stratigraphic units separated by unconformities. Mieso Units I and II contain late Acheulean assemblages and a weakly consolidated alluvial sequence, consisting mainly of fine sediments with buried soils and, to a lesser degree, conglomerates. Palaeo-wetland areas were common in the alluvial plain, represented by patches of tufas, stromatolites and clays. At present, the piedmont alluvial surface is preserved mainly on a dark brown soil formed at the top of Unit II. Unit III corresponds to a fluvial deposit overlying Unit II, and is defined by sands, silty clays and gravels, including several Later Stone Age (LSA) occurrences. Three fine-grained tephra levels are interbedded in Unit I (tuffs TBI and TA) and II (tuff CB), and are usually spatially-constrained and reworked. Argon/argon (40Ar/39Ar) dating from tuff TA, an ash deposit preserved in a palustrine environment, yielded an age of 0.212 ± 0.016 Ma (millions of years ago). This date places thetop of Unit I in the late Middle Pleistocene, with Acheulean sites below and above tuff TA. Regional correlations tentatively place the base of Unit I around the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary, Unit II inthe late Middle Pleistocene and within the Late Pleistocene, and the LSA occurrences of Unit III in the LatePleistoceneeHolocene.

The clinical and virological features of the first imported case causing MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea, 2015.

PubMed

Lee, Ji Yeon; Kim, You-Jin; Chung, Eun Hee; Kim, Dae-Won; Jeong, Ina; Kim, Yeonjae; Yun, Mi-Ran; Kim, Sung Soon; Kim, Gayeon; Joh, Joon-Sung

2017-07-14

In 2015, the largest outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection outside the Middle East occurred in South Korea. We summarized the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory findings of the first Korean case of MERS-CoV and analyzed whole-genome sequences of MERS-CoV derived from the patient. A 68-year-old man developed fever and myalgia 7 days after returning to Korea, following a 10-day trip to the Middle East. Before diagnosis, he visited 4 hospitals, potentially resulting in secondary transmission to 28 patients. On admission to the National Medical Center (day 9, post-onset of clinical illness), he presented with drowsiness, hypoxia, and multiple patchy infiltrations on the chest radiograph. He was intubated (day 12) because of progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and INF-α2a and ribavirin treatment was commenced. The treatment course was prolonged by superimposed ventilator associated pneumonia. MERS-CoV PCR results converted to negative from day 47 and the patient was discharged (day 137), following rehabilitation therapy. The complete genome sequence obtained from a sputum sample (taken on day 11) showed the highest sequence similarity (99.59%) with the virus from an outbreak in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2015. The first case of MERS-CoV infection had high transmissibility and was associated with a severe clinical course. The patient made a successful recovery after early treatment with antiviral agents and adequate supportive care. This first case in South Korea became a super-spreader because of improper infection control measures, rather than variations of the virus.

Human liver plasma membranes contain receptors for the hepatitis B virus pre-S1 region and, via polymerized human serum albumin, for the pre-S2 region.

PubMed Central

Pontisso, P; Petit, M A; Bankowski, M J; Peeples, M E

1989-01-01

Hepatitis B virus particles contain three related viral envelope proteins, the small, middle, and large S (surface) proteins. All three proteins contain the small S amino acid sequence at their carboxyl terminus. It is not clear which of these S proteins functions as the viral attachment protein, binding to a target cell receptor and initiating infection. In this report, recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (rHBsAg) particles, which contain only virus envelope proteins, were radioactively labeled, and their attachment to human liver membranes was examined. Only the rHBsAg particles containing the large S protein were capable of directly attaching to liver plasma membranes. The attachment was saturable and could be prevented by competition with unlabeled particles or by a monoclonal antibody specific for the large S protein. In the presence of polymerized human serum albumin, both large and middle S protein-containing rHBsAg particles were capable of attaching to the liver plasma membranes. Small S protein-containing rHBsAg particles were not able to attach even in the presence of polymerized human serum albumin. These results indicate that the large S protein may be the viral attachment protein for hepatocytes, binding directly to liver plasma membranes by its unique amino-terminal (pre-S1) sequence. These results also indicate that polymerized human serum albumin or a similar molecule could act as an intermediate receptor, attaching to liver plasma membranes and to the amino acid sequence (pre-S2) shared by the middle and large S proteins but not contained in the small S protein. Images PMID:2649690

[Violence prevention in secondary schools: the Faustlos-curriculum for middle school].

PubMed

Schick, Andreas; Cierpka, Manfred

2009-01-01

Schools and kindergartens are particularly suitable for the implementation of violence prevention programs. Many German schools and kindergartens have securely established the violence prevention curriculum Faustlos. The Faustlos programs for kindergartens and elementary schools are now complemented with the version for middle schools. As the kindergarten- and elementary school versions the middle school program too focuses on the theoretically profound, age group-tailored promotion of empathy, impulse control and anger management. These dimensions are subdivided into the five themes "understanding the problem" "training for empathy"; "anger management", "problem solving" and "applying skills" and taught stepwise, highly structured and based on several video sequences in 31 lessons. US-American evaluation studies proof the effectiveness and the violence prevention potential of the program. With the curriculum for middle schools a comprehensive Faustlos program package is now made available to sustainably promote core violence prevention competences of children and adolescents on a developmentally appropriate level and with a consistent didactic approach.

Wild monkeys flake stone tools.

PubMed

Proffitt, Tomos; Luncz, Lydia V; Falótico, Tiago; Ottoni, Eduardo B; de la Torre, Ignacio; Haslam, Michael

2016-11-03

Our understanding of the emergence of technology shapes how we view the origins of humanity. Sharp-edged stone flakes, struck from larger cores, are the primary evidence for the earliest stone technology. Here we show that wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing recurrent, conchoidally fractured, sharp-edged flakes and cores that have the characteristics and morphology of intentionally produced hominin tools. The production of archaeologically visible cores and flakes is therefore no longer unique to the human lineage, providing a comparative perspective on the emergence of lithic technology. This discovery adds an additional dimension to interpretations of the human Palaeolithic record, the possible function of early stone tools, and the cognitive requirements for the emergence of stone flaking.

Arcturus and the Bears

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonello, E.

2009-08-01

Arcturus is the brightest star in Bootes. The ancient Greek name Arktouros means Bear Guard. The star, however, is not close to Ursa Maior (Big She-Bear) and Ursa Minor (Little She-Bear), as the name would suggest. This curious discrepancy could be explained by the star proper motion, assuming the name Bear Guard is a remote cultural heritage. The proper motion analysis could allow us to get an insight also into an ancient myth regarding Ursa Maior. Though we cannot explain scientifically such a myth, some interesting suggestions can be obtained about its possible origin, in the context of the present knowledge of the importance of the cult of the bear both during the Palaeolithic times and for several primitive populations of modern times, as shown by the ethnological studies.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Intra-Host Populations Are Characterized by Numerous High Frequency Variants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borucki, Monica K.; Lao, Victoria; Hwang, Mona

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging human pathogen related to SARS virus. In vitro studies indicate this virus may have a broad host range suggesting an increased pandemic potential. Genetic and epidemiological evidence indicate camels serve as a reservoir for MERS virus but the mechanism of cross species transmission is unclear and many questions remain regarding the susceptibility of humans to infection. Deep sequencing data was obtained from the nasal samples of three camels that had been experimentally infected with a human MERS-CoV isolate. A majority of the genome was covered and average coverage was greater thanmore » 12,000x depth. Although only 5 mutations were detected in the consensus sequences, 473 intrahost single nucleotide variants were identified. Lastly, many of these variants were present at high frequencies and could potentially influence viral phenotype and the sensitivity of detection assays that target these regions for primer or probe binding.« less

Genetic features of ancient West Siberian people of the Middle Ages, revealed by mitochondrial DNA haplogroup analysis.

PubMed

Sato, Takehiro; Razhev, Dmitry; Amano, Tetsuya; Masuda, Ryuichi

2011-08-01

In order to investigate the genetic features of ancient West Siberian people of the Middle Ages, we studied ancient DNA from bone remains excavated from two archeological sites in West Siberia: Saigatinsky 6 (eighth to eleventh centuries) and Zeleny Yar (thirteenth century). Polymerase chain reaction amplification and nucleotide sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) succeeded for 9 of 67 specimens examined, and the sequences were assigned to mtDNA haplogroups B4, C4, G2, H and U. This distribution pattern of mtDNA haplogroups in medieval West Siberian people was similar to those previously reported in modern populations living in West Siberia, such as the Mansi, Ket and Nganasan. Exact tests of population differentiation showed no significant differences between the medieval people and modern populations in West Siberia. The findings suggest that some medieval West Siberian people analyzed in the present study are included in direct ancestral lineages of modern populations native to West Siberia.

Alu element insertion in PKLR gene as a novel cause of pyruvate kinase deficiency in Middle Eastern patients.

PubMed

Lesmana, Harry; Dyer, Lisa; Li, Xia; Denton, James; Griffiths, Jenna; Chonat, Satheesh; Seu, Katie G; Heeney, Matthew M; Zhang, Kejian; Hopkin, Robert J; Kalfa, Theodosia A

2018-03-01

Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) is the most frequent red blood cell enzyme abnormality of the glycolytic pathway and the most common cause of hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. Over 250 PKLR-gene mutations have been described, including missense/nonsense, splicing and regulatory mutations, small insertions, small and gross deletions, causing PKD and hemolytic anemia of variable severity. Alu retrotransposons are the most abundant mobile DNA sequences in the human genome, contributing to almost 11% of its mass. Alu insertions have been associated with a number of human diseases either by disrupting a coding region or a splice signal. Here, we report on two unrelated Middle Eastern patients, both born from consanguineous parents, with transfusion-dependent hemolytic anemia, where sequence analysis revealed a homozygous insertion of AluYb9 within exon 6 of the PKLR gene, causing precipitous decrease of PKLR RNA levels. This Alu element insertion consists a previously unrecognized mechanism underlying pathogenesis of PKD. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Intra-Host Populations Are Characterized by Numerous High Frequency Variants

DOE PAGES

Borucki, Monica K.; Lao, Victoria; Hwang, Mona; ...

2016-01-20

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging human pathogen related to SARS virus. In vitro studies indicate this virus may have a broad host range suggesting an increased pandemic potential. Genetic and epidemiological evidence indicate camels serve as a reservoir for MERS virus but the mechanism of cross species transmission is unclear and many questions remain regarding the susceptibility of humans to infection. Deep sequencing data was obtained from the nasal samples of three camels that had been experimentally infected with a human MERS-CoV isolate. A majority of the genome was covered and average coverage was greater thanmore » 12,000x depth. Although only 5 mutations were detected in the consensus sequences, 473 intrahost single nucleotide variants were identified. Lastly, many of these variants were present at high frequencies and could potentially influence viral phenotype and the sensitivity of detection assays that target these regions for primer or probe binding.« less

Facies and log signatures of sequence boundaries in Sembakung area, Tarakan Basin, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bambang, P.; Hardjono, M.; Silalahi, L.

1996-08-01

Tarakan basin is one of the basins in East Kalimantan having a complicated geological condition. Tectonic repetition developed in this area constructed various stratigraphic traps. Sedimentary development in log data shows continuous regression in Meliat and Tabul Formations (Middle Meocene), Santul Formation (Late Miocene), Tarakan Formation (Pliocene) and Bunyu Formation (Pleistocene), Supported by seismic data, stratigraphic sequence in the basin is obvious, especially in Sembakung-Bangkudulis area. The sequence boundaries, mainly {open_quotes}lowstand{close_quotes} distribution as good prospective trap, can be mapped by applying tract systems and studying wavelet extract as seismic expression character of a reservoir. Subtle changes in pattern of stratigraphicmore » sequences can become a hint of sedimentary environment and its lithology content, supporting both exploration and exploitation planning.« less

Collision-induced tectonism along the northwestern margin of the Indian subcontinent as recorded in the Upper Paleocene to Middle Eocene strata of central Pakistan (Kirthar and Sulaiman Ranges)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warwick, Peter D.; Johnson, Edward A.; Khan, Intizar H.

1998-01-01

Outcrop data from the Upper Paleocene to Middle Eocene Ghazij Formation of central Pakistan provide information about the depositional environments, source areas, and paleogeographic and tectonic settings along the northwestern margin of the Indian subcontinent during the closing of the Tethys Ocean. In this region, in the lower part of the exposed stratigraphic sequence, are various marine carbonate-shelf deposits (Jurassic to Upper Paleocene). Overlying these strata is the Ghazij, which consists of marine mudstone (lower part), paralic sandstone and mudstone (middle part), and terrestrial mudstone and conglomerate (upper part). Petrographic examination of sandstone samples from the middle and upper parts reveals that rock fragments of the underlying carbonate-shelf deposits are dominant; also present are volcanic rock fragments and chromite grains. Paleocurrent measurements from the middle and upper parts suggest that source areas were located northwest of the study area. We postulate that the source areas were uplifted by the collision of the subcontinent with a landmass during the final stages of the closing of the Tethys Ocean. Middle Eocene carbonate-shelf deposits that overlie the Ghazij record a return to marine conditions prior to the Miocene to Pleistocene sediment influx denoting the main collision with Eurasia.

Processing Stages Underlying Word Recognition in the Anteroventral Temporal Lobe

PubMed Central

Halgren, Eric; Wang, Chunmao; Schomer, Donald L.; Knake, Susanne; Marinkovic, Ksenija; Wu, Julian; Ulbert, Istvan

2006-01-01

The anteroventral temporal lobe integrates visual, lexical, semantic and mnestic aspects of word-processing, through its reciprocal connections with the ventral visual stream, language areas, and the hippocampal formation. We used linear microelectrode arrays to probe population synaptic currents and neuronal firing in different cortical layers of the anteroventral temporal lobe, during semantic judgments with implicit priming, and overt word recognition. Since different extrinsic and associative inputs preferentially target different cortical layers, this method can help reveal the sequence and nature of local processing stages at a higher resolution than was previously possible. The initial response in inferotemporal and perirhinal cortices is a brief current sink beginning at ~120ms, and peaking at ~170ms. Localization of this initial sink to middle layers suggests that it represents feedforward input from lower visual areas, and simultaneously increased firing implies that it represents excitatory synaptic currents. Until ~800ms, the main focus of transmembrane current sinks alternates between middle and superficial layers, with the superficial focus becoming increasingly dominant after ~550ms. Since superficial layers are the target of local and feedback associative inputs, this suggests an alternation in predominant synaptic input between feedforward and feedback modes. Word repetition does not affect the initial perirhinal and inferotemporal middle layer sink, but does decrease later activity. Entorhinal activity begins later (~200ms), with greater apparent excitatory postsynaptic currents and multiunit activity in neocortically-projecting than hippocampal-projecting layers. In contrast to perirhinal and entorhinal responses, entorhinal responses are larger to repeated words during memory retrieval. These results identify a sequence of physiological activation, beginning with a sharp activation from lower level visual areas carrying specific information to middle layers. This is followed by feedback and associative interactions involving upper cortical layers, which are abbreviated to repeated words. Following bottom-up and associative stages, top-down recollective processes may be driven by entorhinal cortex. Word processing involves a systematic sequence of fast feedforward information transfer from visual areas to anteroventral temporal cortex, followed by prolonged interactions of this feedforward information with local associations, and feedback mnestic information from the medial temporal lobe. PMID:16488158

Sequence stratigraphy and a revised sea-level curve for the Middle Devonian of eastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brett, Carlton E.; Baird, G.C.; Bartholomew, A.J.; DeSantis, M.K.; Ver Straeten, C.A.

2011-01-01

The well-exposed Middle Devonian rocks of the Appalachian foreland basin (Onondaga Formation; Hamilton Group, Tully Formation, and the Genesee Group of New York State) preserve one of the most detailed records of high-order sea-level oscillation cycles for this time period in the world. Detailed examination of coeval units in distal areas of the Appalachian Basin, as well as portions of the Michigan and Illinois basins, has revealed that the pattern of high-order sea-level oscillations documented in the New York-Pennsylvania section can be positively identified in all areas of eastern North America where coeval units are preserved. The persistence of the pattern of high-order sea-level cycles across such a wide geographic area suggests that these cycles are allocyclic in nature with primary control on deposition being eustatic sea-level oscillation, as opposed to autocylic controls, such as sediment supply, which would be more local in their manifestation. There is strong evidence from studies of cyclicity and spectral analysis that these cycles are also related to Milankovitch orbital variations, with the short and long-term eccentricity cycles (100. kyr and 405. kyr) being the dominant oscillations in many settings. Relative sea-level oscillations of tens of meters are likely and raise considerable issues about the driving mechanism, given that the Middle Devonian appears to record a greenhouse phase of Phanerozoic history. These new correlations lend strong support to a revised high-resolution sea-level oscillation curve for the Middle Devonian for the eastern portion of North America. Recognized third-order sequences are: Eif-1 lower Onondaga Formation, Eif-2: upper Onondaga and Union Springs formations; Eif-Giv: Oatka Creek Formation; Giv-1: Skaneateles, Giv-2: Ludlowville, Giv-3: lower Moscow, Giv-4: upper Moscow-lower Tully, and Giv-5: middle Tully-Geneseo formations. Thus, in contrast with the widely cited eustatic curve of Johnson et al. (1985), which recognizes just one major transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycle in the early-mid Givetian (If) prior to the major late Givetian Taghanic unconformity (IIa, upper Tully-Geneseo Shale), we recognize four T-R cycles: If (restricted), Ig, Ih, and Ii. We surmise that third-order sequences record eustatic sea-level fluctuations of tens of meters with periodicities of 0.8-2. myr, while their medial-scale (fourth-order) subdivisions record lesser variations primarily of 405. kyr duration (long-term eccentricity). This high-resolution record of sea-level change provides strong evidence for high-order eustatic cycles with probable Milankovitch periodicities, despite the fact that no direct evidence for Middle Devonian glacial sediments has been found to date. ?? 2010.

Regional seismic stratigraphy and controls on the Quaternary evolution of the Cape Hatteras region of the Atlantic passive margin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mallinson, D.J.; Culver, S.J.; Riggs, S.R.; Thieler, E.R.; Foster, D.; Wehmiller, J.; Farrell, K.M.; Pierson, J.

2010-01-01

Seismic and core data, combined with amino acid racemization and strontium-isotope age data, enable the definition of the Quaternary stratigraphic framework and recognition of geologic controls on the development of the modern coastal system of North Carolina, U.S.A. Seven regionally continuous high amplitude reflections are defined which bound six seismic stratigraphic units consisting of multiple regionally discontinuous depositional sequences and parasequence sets, and enable an understanding of the evolution of this margin. Data reveal the progressive eastward progradation and aggradation of the Quaternary shelf. The early Pleistocene inner shelf occurs at a depth of ca. 20-40 m beneath the western part of the modern estuarine system (Pamlico Sound). A mid- to outer shelf lowstand terrace (also early Pleistocene) with shelf sand ridge deposits comprising parasequence sets within a transgressive systems tract, occurs at a deeper level (ca. 45-70 m) beneath the modern barrier island system (the Outer Banks) and northern Pamlico Sound. Seismic and foraminiferal paleoenvironmental data from cores indicate the occurrence of lowstand strandplain shoreline deposits on the early to middle Pleistocene shelf. Middle to late Pleistocene deposits occur above a prominent unconformity and marine flooding surface that truncates underlying units, and contain numerous filled fluvial valleys that are incised into the early and middle Pleistocene deposits. The stratigraphic framework suggests margin progradation and aggradation modified by an increase in the magnitude of sea-level fluctuations during the middle to late Pleistocene, expressed as falling stage, lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. Thick stratigraphic sequences occur within the middle Pleistocene section, suggesting the occurrence of high capacity fluvial point sources debouching into the area from the west and north. Furthermore, the antecedent topography plays a significant role in the evolution of the geomorphology and stratigraphy of this marginal system. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

A New Tephrochronology for Early Diverse Stone Tool Technologies and Long-Distance Raw Material Transport in the Middle-Late Pleistocene Kapthurin Formation, East Africa.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blegen, N.; Jicha, B.

2017-12-01

The Middle to Late Pleistocene (780-10 ka) of East Africa records significant behavioral change, the earliest fossils of Homo sapiens and the dispersals of our species across and out of Africa. Studying human evolution in the Middle to Late Pleistocene thus requires an extensive and precise chronology relating the appearances of various behaviors preserved in archaeological sequences to aspects of hominin biology and evidence of past environments preserved in the fossils and geological sequences. Tephrochronology provides the chronostratigraphic resolution to achieve this through correlation and dating of volcanic ashes. The tephrochronology of the Kapthurin Formation presented here, based on tephra correlations and 40Ar/ 39Ar dates, provides new ages between 396.3 ± 3.4 ka and 465.3 ± 1.0 ka for nine sites showing some of the earliest evidence of diverse blade and Levallois methods of core reduction. These are >110 kyr older than previously known in East Africa. New 40Ar/ 39Ar dates provide a refined age of 222.5 ± 0.6 ka for early evidence of long-distance obsidian transport at the Sibilo School Road Site. Long-distance tephra correlation between the Baringo and Lake Victoria basins also provides a new date of 100 ka for the Middle Stone Age site of Keraswanin. By providing new or older dates for 11 sites containing several important aspects of hominin behavior and extending the chronology of the Kapthurin Formation forward by 130,000 years, the tephrochronology presented here contributes one of the longest and most refined chronostratigraphic frameworks relevant to modern human evolution. In conjunction with recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental data, this tephrochronology provides the foundation to understand the process of modern human behavioral evolution through the East African Middle and Late Pleistocene as it relates to biological and paleoenvironmental circumstances.

Motor Sequence Learning-Induced Neural Efficiency in Functional Brain Connectivity

PubMed Central

Karim, Helmet T; Huppert, Theodore J; Erickson, Kirk I; Wollam, Mariegold E; Sparto, Patrick J; Sejdić, Ervin; VanSwearingen, Jessie M

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown the functional neural circuitry differences before and after an explicitly learned motor sequence task, but have not assessed these changes during the process of motor skill learning. Functional magnetic resonance imaging activity was measured while participants (n=13) were asked to tap their fingers to visually presented sequences in blocks that were either the same sequence repeated (learning block) or random sequences (control block). Motor learning was associated with a decrease in brain activity during learning compared to control. Lower brain activation was noted in the posterior parietal association area and bilateral thalamus during the later periods of learning (not during the control). Compared to the control condition, we found the task-related motor learning was associated with decreased connectivity between the putamen and left inferior frontal gyrus and left middle cingulate brain regions. Motor learning was associated with changes in network activity, spatial extent, and connectivity. PMID:27845228

Limpet Shells from the Aterian Level 8 of El Harhoura 2 Cave (Témara, Morocco): Preservation State of Crossed-Foliated Layers.

PubMed

Nouet, Julius; Chevallard, Corinne; Farre, Bastien; Nehrke, Gernot; Campmas, Emilie; Stoetzel, Emmanuelle; El Hajraoui, Mohamed Abdeljalil; Nespoulet, Roland

2015-01-01

The exploitation of mollusks by the first anatomically modern humans is a central question for archaeologists. This paper focuses on level 8 (dated around ∼ 100 ka BP) of El Harhoura 2 Cave, located along the coastline in the Rabat-Témara region (Morocco). The large quantity of Patella sp. shells found in this level highlights questions regarding their origin and preservation. This study presents an estimation of the preservation status of these shells. We focus here on the diagenetic evolution of both the microstructural patterns and organic components of crossed-foliated shell layers, in order to assess the viability of further investigations based on shell layer minor elements, isotopic or biochemical compositions. The results show that the shells seem to be well conserved, with microstructural patterns preserved down to sub-micrometric scales, and that some organic components are still present in situ. But faint taphonomic degradations affecting both mineral and organic components are nonetheless evidenced, such as the disappearance of organic envelopes surrounding crossed-foliated lamellae, combined with a partial recrystallization of the lamellae. Our results provide a solid case-study of the early stages of the diagenetic evolution of crossed-foliated shell layers. Moreover, they highlight the fact that extreme caution must be taken before using fossil shells for palaeoenvironmental or geochronological reconstructions. Without thorough investigation, the alteration patterns illustrated here would easily have gone unnoticed. However, these degradations are liable to bias any proxy based on the elemental, isotopic or biochemical composition of the shells. This study also provides significant data concerning human subsistence behavior: the presence of notches and the good preservation state of limpet shells (no dissolution/recrystallization, no bioerosion and no abrasion/fragmentation aspects) would attest that limpets were gathered alive with tools by Middle Palaeolithic (Aterian) populations in North Africa for consumption.

High resolution analysis of uranium and thorium concentration as well as U-series isotope distributions in a Neanderthal tooth from Payre (Ardèche, France) using laser ablation ICP-MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grün, Rainer; Aubert, Maxime; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Moncel, Marie-Hélène

2008-11-01

We have mapped U ( 238U) and Th ( 232Th) elemental concentrations as well as U-series isotope distributions in a Neanderthal tooth from the Middle Palaeolithic site of Payre using laser ablation ICP-MS. The U-concentrations in an enamel section varied between 1 and 1500 ppb. The U-concentration maps show that U-migration through the external enamel surface is minute, the bulk of the uranium having migrated internally via the dentine into the enamel. The uranium migration and uptake is critically dependent on the mineralogical structure of the enamel. Increased U-concentrations are observed along lineaments, some of which are associated with cracks, and others may be related to intra-prismatic zones or structural weaknesses reaching from the dentine into the enamel. The uranium concentrations in the dentine vary between about 25,000 and 45,000 ppb. Our systematic mapping of U-concentration and U-series isotopes provides insight into the time domain of U-accumulation. Most of the uranium was accumulated in an early stage of burial, with some much later overprints. None of the uranium concentration and U-series profiles across the root of the tooth complied with a single stage diffusion-adsorption (D-A) model that is used for quality control in U-series dating of bones and teeth. Nevertheless, in the domains that yielded the oldest apparent U-series age estimates, U-leaching could be excluded. This means that the oldest apparent U-series ages of around 200 ka represent a minimum age for this Neanderthal specimen. This is in good agreement with independent age assessments (200-230 ka) for the archaeological layer, in which it was found. The Th elemental concentrations in the dental tissues were generally low (between about 1 and 20 ppb), and show little relationship with the nature of the tissue.

The Long Term Response of Birds to Climate Change: New Results from a Cold Stage Avifauna in Northern England

PubMed Central

Stewart, John R.

2015-01-01

The early MIS 3 (55–40 Kyr BP associated with Middle Palaeolithic archaeology) bird remains from Pin Hole, Creswell Crags, Derbyshire, England are analysed in the context of the new dating of the site’s stratigraphy. The analysis is restricted to the material from the early MIS 3 level of the cave because the upper fauna is now known to include Holocene material as well as that from the Late Glacial. The results of the analysis confirm the presence of the taxa, possibly unexpected for a Late Pleistocene glacial deposit including records such as Alpine swift, demoiselle crane and long-legged buzzard with southern and/or eastern distributions today. These taxa are accompanied by more expected ones such as willow ptarmigan /red grouse and rock ptarmigan living today in northern and montane areas. Finally, there are temperate taxa normally requiring trees for nesting such as wood pigeon and grey heron. Therefore, the result of the analysis is that the avifauna of early MIS 3 in England included taxa whose ranges today do not overlap making it a non-analogue community similar to the many steppe-tundra mammalian faunas of the time. The inclusion of more temperate and woodland taxa is discussed in the light that parts of northern Europe may have acted as cryptic northern refugia for some such taxa during the last glacial. These records showing former ranges of taxa are considered in the light of modern phylogeographic studies as these often assume former ranges without considering the fossil record of those taxa. In addition to the anomalous combination of taxa during MIS 3 living in Derbyshire, the individuals of a number of the taxa are different in size and shape to members of the species today probably due to the high carrying capacity of the steppe-tundra. PMID:25992609

Early Human Evolution in the Western Palaearctic: Ecological Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrión, José S.; Rose, James; Stringer, Chris

2011-06-01

This review presents the themes of a special issue dealing with environmental scenarios of human evolution during the Early Pleistocene (2.6-0.78 Ma; MIS 103-MIS 19) and early Middle Pleistocene (0.78-0.47 Ma; MIS 19-base of MIS 12) within the western Palaearctic. This period is one of dramatic changes in the climates and the distribution of Palaearctic biota. These changes have played their role in generating adaptive and phyletic patterns within the human ancestry, involving several species such as Homo habilis, "Homo georgicus", Homo erectus, Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis. In the archaeological record, these species include the Oldowan (Mode 1) and Acheulian (Mode 2) lithic technologies. Taphonomic considerations of palaeoecological research in hominin-bearing sites are provided and evaluated. Syntheses are provided for north Africa, western Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, Britain, and continental Europe. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on multidisciplinary data are given for Ain Boucherit, Ain Hanech and El-Kherba in Algeria, Dmanisi in Georgia, Atapuerca, Cueva Negra, and the Orce Basin in Spain, Monte Poggiolo and Pirro Nord in Italy, Pont-de-Lavaud in France, and Mauer in Germany. The state of the art with the Out of Africa 1 dispersal model is reviewed. A source-sink dynamics model for Palaeolithic Europe is described to explain the morphological disparity of H. heidelbergensis (we will sometimes use the informal name "Heidelbergs") and early Neanderthals. Other aspects debated here are the selective value of habitat mosaics including reconstructions based on mammal and avian databases, and the role of geological instability combined with topographic complexity. This review is completed by addressing the question of whether the appearance of evolutionary trends within hominins is concentrated in regions of highest worldwide biological diversity (biodiversity hotspots). It is concluded that the keys for the activation of evolutionary change in hominins may have been geological instabilities, and a shifting physiographical heterogeneity combined with high biodiversity and ecological interaction.

Limpet Shells from the Aterian Level 8 of El Harhoura 2 Cave (Témara, Morocco): Preservation State of Crossed-Foliated Layers

PubMed Central

Nouet, Julius; Chevallard, Corinne; Farre, Bastien; Nehrke, Gernot; Campmas, Emilie; Stoetzel, Emmanuelle; El Hajraoui, Mohamed Abdeljalil; Nespoulet, Roland

2015-01-01

The exploitation of mollusks by the first anatomically modern humans is a central question for archaeologists. This paper focuses on level 8 (dated around ∼ 100 ka BP) of El Harhoura 2 Cave, located along the coastline in the Rabat-Témara region (Morocco). The large quantity of Patella sp. shells found in this level highlights questions regarding their origin and preservation. This study presents an estimation of the preservation status of these shells. We focus here on the diagenetic evolution of both the microstructural patterns and organic components of crossed-foliated shell layers, in order to assess the viability of further investigations based on shell layer minor elements, isotopic or biochemical compositions. The results show that the shells seem to be well conserved, with microstructural patterns preserved down to sub-micrometric scales, and that some organic components are still present in situ. But faint taphonomic degradations affecting both mineral and organic components are nonetheless evidenced, such as the disappearance of organic envelopes surrounding crossed-foliated lamellae, combined with a partial recrystallization of the lamellae. Our results provide a solid case-study of the early stages of the diagenetic evolution of crossed-foliated shell layers. Moreover, they highlight the fact that extreme caution must be taken before using fossil shells for palaeoenvironmental or geochronological reconstructions. Without thorough investigation, the alteration patterns illustrated here would easily have gone unnoticed. However, these degradations are liable to bias any proxy based on the elemental, isotopic or biochemical composition of the shells. This study also provides significant data concerning human subsistence behavior: the presence of notches and the good preservation state of limpet shells (no dissolution/recrystallization, no bioerosion and no abrasion/fragmentation aspects) would attest that limpets were gathered alive with tools by Middle Palaeolithic (Aterian) populations in North Africa for consumption. PMID:26376294

Molecular Phylogenetic Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Bacterial Communities in Cooling Stage during Swine Manure Composting

PubMed Central

Guo, Yan; Zhang, Jinliang; Yan, Yongfeng; Wu, Jian; Zhu, Nengwu; Deng, Changyan

2015-01-01

Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and subsequent sub-cloning and sequencing were used in this study to analyze the molecular phylogenetic diversity and spatial distribution of bacterial communities in different spatial locations during the cooling stage of composted swine manure. Total microbial DNA was extracted, and bacterial near full-length 16S rRNA genes were subsequently amplified, cloned, RFLP-screened, and sequenced. A total of 420 positive clones were classified by RFLP and near-full-length 16S rDNA sequences. Approximately 48 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found among 139 positive clones from the superstratum sample; 26 among 149 were from the middle-level sample and 35 among 132 were from the substrate sample. Thermobifida fusca was common in the superstratum layer of the pile. Some Bacillus spp. were remarkable in the middle-level layer, and Clostridium sp. was dominant in the substrate layer. Among 109 OTUs, 99 displayed homology with those in the GenBank database. Ten OTUs were not closely related to any known species. The superstratum sample had the highest microbial diversity, and different and distinct bacterial communities were detected in the three different layers. This study demonstrated the spatial characteristics of the microbial community distribution in the cooling stage of swine manure compost. PMID:25925066

Field observations of Flood Basalt structure: Implications for offshore interpretation and sub-volcanic investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Single, R.; Jerram, D.; Pearson, D.; Hobbs, R.

2003-04-01

Field investigations in Skye and Namibia have provided insight into structure and architecture of CFBs. The studies have been developed into lava sequence models in 3-D software GoCad. The understanding has been applied to interpretation of lavas in the Faeroe-Shetland trough. Volcanics hinder petroleum exploration in this play due to their complex internal geometries and velocity structure. Seismic resolution is poor beneath volcanics. Fieldwork has shown that lavas on Skye have developed from (olivine-phyric) compound basalts towards the base of the sequence, into more massive flows higher up the succession. Fieldwork in the Etendeka CFBs reveal a similar style of lava field development. The focus of the offshore study is through the area of the GFA-99 seismic data. Detailed 3-D interpretation over the central data area is 20x20km in dimensions. The lava sequence present may be sub-divided vertically and laterally into 4 zones between the following seismic picks: Base basalt/sub-basalt sills, top compound lava-dominated series, top Middle Series, top hyaloclastites, top massive basalt. Within the lava sequence, the surfaces have rugose topographies. Lower zone lavas are characterised by discontinuous, indistinct reflectors. These are interpreted to be sub-aerially effused basalts with compound-braided architecture. Middle Series basalts are considered to be a combination of compound lavas and more massive, tabular flows. Steeply dipping seismic reflectors also form part of the Middle Series and are interpreted as foreset-bedded hyaloclastites. The uppermost lavas have strong reflection characteristics and are laterally extensive. These are interpreted to be massive tabular lavas covering an area >8.4 x10^3 km^2. Such flows exist in upper parts of CFB sequences as evidenced from fieldwork. Complex stacking arrangements of lavas seen in the field, and the complexities observed in seismic, suggest that many factors need to be considered within CFBs for improved sub-volcanic imaging. Factors include understanding: The facies-zones present, changes in velocity structure and the geometries present within facies types. EU 5th Framework Project SIMBA is a collaborative research project combining industrial and academic partners in flood basalt research. SIMBA incorporates: TotalFinaElf GRC, ARK Geophysics, Norsk Hydro, Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) and Universities of Durham, Cambridge, UC Dublin and Brest.

Sequencing and comparison of the Rickettsia genomes from the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Middle East Asia Minor I.

PubMed

Zhu, Dan-Tong; Xia, Wen-Qiang; Rao, Qiong; Liu, Shu-Sheng; Ghanim, Murad; Wang, Xiao-Wei

2016-08-01

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, harbors the primary symbiont 'Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarum' and a variety of secondary symbionts. Among these secondary symbionts, Rickettsia is the only one that can be detected both inside and outside the bacteriomes. Infection with Rickettsia has been reported to influence several aspects of the whitefly biology, such as fitness, sex ratio, virus transmission and resistance to pesticides. However, mechanisms underlying these differences remain unclear, largely due to the lack of genomic information of Rickettsia. In this study, we sequenced the genome of two Rickettsia strains isolated from the Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) species of the B. tabaci complex in China and Israel. Both Rickettsia genomes were of high coding density and AT-rich, containing more than 1000 coding sequences, much larger than that of the coexisted primary symbiont, Portiera. Moreover, the two Rickettsia strains isolated from China and Israel shared most of the genes with 100% identity and only nine genes showed sequence differences. The phylogenetic analysis using orthologs shared in the genus, inferred the proximity of Rickettsia in MEAM1 and Rickettsia bellii. Functional analysis revealed that Rickettsia was unable to synthesize amino acids required for complementing the whitefly nutrition. Besides, a type IV secretion system and a number of virulence-related genes were detected in the Rickettsia genome. The presence of virulence-related genes might benefit the symbiotic life of the bacteria, and hint on potential effects of Rickettsia on whiteflies. The genome sequences of Rickettsia provided a basis for further understanding the function of Rickettsia in whiteflies. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Geology of natural gas reservoir: Upper Travis Peak Formation, western flank of Sabine Uplift, east Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fracasso, M.A.

The Travis Peak Formation (Lower Cretaceous) in the eastern East Texas basin represents a sand-rich, fluvial-deltaic depositional system. This lobate, high-constructive deltaic system prograded radially to the southeast from an Upshur County locus. Regional studies of the Travis Peak established a threefold internal stratigraphic framework: a middle sand-rich fluvial and delta-plain sequence is gradationally overlain and underlain by a marine-influenced delta-fringe zone with a higher mud content. The entire Travis Peak succession thins over the Bethany dome on the western flank of the Sabine uplift. However, the delta-fringe sequences are relatively thicker over the structure because of a disproportionately greatermore » thinning of the middle sandy fluvial-deltaic sequence. Lesser sand deposition over the Bethany dome reflects an active structural control over facies distribution. Gas production in the Bethany field and surrounding area is concentrated in thin zones (5-15 ft) of the upper delta-fringe sequence. This distribution probably reflects the increased abundance of mudstone beds in the upper delta-fringe interval, which may have served as source rocks or barriers to upward gas migration, or as both. The predominant trapping mechanism in this region is stratigraphic sand pinch-out in a structurally updip direction on the flanks of major structures. Studies of core and closely spaced electric logs west of the Bethany dome help define the depositional systems in the upper delta-fringe producing interval. This sequence comprises a complex mosaic of continental and marine facies, and exhibits an overall upward trend of increasing marine influence that spans a gradual transition into transgressive carbonates of the Sligo Formation.« less

Transportation Exploration. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in transportation occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of transportation occupations (land, water and aerospace transportation families),…

Climate Drives Polar Bear Origins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In their provocative analysis of northern bears (“Nuclear genomic sequences reveal that polar bears are an old and distinct bear lineage,” Reports, 20 April, p. 344), F. Hailer et al. use independent nuclear loci to show that polar bears originated during the middle Pleistocene, rather than during t...

Construction Exploration. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in construction occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of construction occupations, and an overview of the competency-based instructional…

Miocene depositional history, sequences and chronostratigraphy of the ANDRILL AND-2A drillcore, Victoria Land Basin, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harwood, D. M.; Florindo, F.; Levy, R. H.; Talarico, F. M.; Acton, G.; Browne, G.; Field, B.; Fielding, C. R.; Krissek, L. A.; Panter, K. S.; Passchier, S.; Pekar, S. F.

2009-12-01

ANDRILL’s Southern McMurdo Sound Project (SMS) completed the AND-2A drillhole (77°45.488 S; 165°16.613 E) from a floating sea-ice platform (~8.5 meters thick), over ~380 meters of water, reaching a total depth of 1138.54 mbsf, and obtaining an excellent quality core with 98% recovery through the cored interval. This sedimentary archive comprises an expanded early and middle Miocene section deposited in a high-accommodation continental margin location, proximal to glacial ice influence from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, East Antarctic Ice Sheet, and local ice in the Transantarctic Mountains. Stratigraphic sequences and facies interpretations reveal a cyclical history of environmental variation influenced by climate, glacial advance/retreat cycles, and water depth variation. A well-developed chronostratigraphic framework developed through integrated diatom biostratigraphy, magneto-stratigraphy, Sr isotope geochemistry, and radiometric dating of volcanic materials, allows for the comparison of events recognized in this drillcore with events identified in distal proxy records from deep-sea stable isotope studies, and in sea-level reconstructions based on continental shelf sequence stratigraphy. The AND-2A drillcore recovered a 600 m-thick stratigraphic interval documenting the Antarctic coastal environment during the warm middle Miocene climatic optimum (17.5 to 14.5 Ma). A disconformity separating the middle and upper Miocene intervals in the AND-2A drillcore represents a substantial climate step into cold, glacial conditions of the late Miocene. Lower and middle Miocene shallow marine sediments were deposited in the subsiding Victoria Land Basin, during a period of relatively steady thermal subsidence, on the coastal plain and continental shelf seaward of the rising Transantarctic Mountains. More than 60 sequences recognized in the AND-2A drillcore represent repeating lithological changes in glacimarine, terrigenous, volcanic and biogenic sediments, deposited during a dynamic climate regime, and likely reflecting Milankovitch forcing. Fossils preserved in these strata suggest non-polar climate conditions similar to southern Patagonia and southwestern New Zealand today, influenced by high sediment discharge from river run-off, and high coastal turbidity. The AND-2A drillcore represents the third high-quality drillcore in Southern Victoria Land to record early Miocene paleoenvironmental changes (the other two records are preserved in the CRP-1 and CRP-2 drillcores), so that the timing and magnitude of glacial and eustatic variations can be examined at several sites along the Southern Victoria Land margin.

Food Sauces to Understand Volcanoes: a Learning Sequence in Middle School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieraccioni, Fabio; Bonaccorsi, Elena; Gioncada, Anna

2017-04-01

Some volcanic processes occur at pressures and temperatures very different from daily experience. Such extreme conditions, unreproducible in the classroom, can lead children to build concepts about volcanic phenomena very different from the reality (Greca & Moreira, 2000; Dove, 1998). The didactic goals of this learning sequence concern the relationships between the viscosity of magmas and types of erupted materials and their consequences on volcano shapes, to favour pupils' comprehension of what a volcano is. Viscosity and its temperature dependence can be easily experimented in class with analogue materials at room temperature (Baker et al., 2004). Our research aims are to observe the development of the thought of pupils of middle schools on volcanic phenomena; this allowed to put in evidence the benefits of this approach and to give suggestions to avoid possible critical points. We have experimented a hands-on learning sequence about volcanoes in four third classes of Tuscan middle schools, for an amount of 95 pupils, 48 females and 47 males. Sharing the principles of constructivism, we think useful that pupils start from their own direct experience for understanding natural phenomena not directly observable. Therefore, we start from the experiences and knowledge of children to build a inquiry-based itinerary (Minner et al., 2010; Pieraccioni et al., 2016). The learning sequence begins with a practical activity in which we employ common and well-known materials to introduce the concept of viscosity in order to relate various kinds of magma to the shape of volcanoes. One of the benefits of this approach is to overcome the problems of introducing complex concepts such as acidity of magmas or silica content, far from the pupils' experience and knowledge. These concepts are often used in Italian middle school textbooks to describe and classify volcanoes. The result is a list of names to learn by heart. On the contrary, by using oil, ketchup, peanut butter or honey, pupils become familiar with concepts such as viscosity, behavior of fluids, magma, lava, slope of flanks and they can begin to comprehend why volcanoes have got differently named forms. REFERENCES Baker D.R., Dalpè C. & Porier G. (2004) - The Viscosities of Food as Analogs for Silicate Melts. Journal of Geoscience Education, 52, 363-367. Dove J. (1998) - Students alternative conceptions in Earth science: a review of research and implications for teaching and learning. Research Papers in Education, 13(2), 183-201. Greca I.M. & Moreira M.A. (2000) - Mental models, conceptual models, and modelling. International Journal of Science Education, 22(1), 1-11. Minner D. D., Levy A. J., & Century J. (2010) - Inquiry-based science instruction—what it is and does it matter? Results from a research synthesis years 1984 to 2002. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(4), 474-496. Pieraccioni F., Finato B., Bonaccorsi E. & Gioncada A. (2016) - The soil in the classroom: a middle school case study. Educational Journal of the University of Patras UNESCO, 3(2), 149 -157.

Presence of stratigraphic traps in the back arc basins of the southern shelf of Cuba

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriguez, R.; Dominguez, R.; Touset, S.

For the last ten years the southern shelf of Cuba has been the object of seismic investigations, mainly in the Ana Maria and Guacanayabo areas. More than 4000 km of seismic lines with 3000 % had been shot. These seismic surveys had confirmed the following geological events: (1) Presence of back arc extensional basins as a result of the ocean-ocean subduction. These basins started to form since Middle Cretaceous; (2) Presence of sedimentary sequences which change in thickness between 3.0-7.0 km; (3) Predominance of the extensional regime since Middle Cretaceous with subsidence, accommodation and extending of the sediments; (4) Developmentmore » of stratigraphic traps, mainly associated with reef facies and slope fans of Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary. These traps can reach some hundred square kilometers. They have very clear dynamic expression in the seismic section and usually form anomaly zones. Over these seismic anomalies some reverberation can be observed which could be related to hydrocarbon flows. The depth of the traps changes between 1.5-3.5 km. More than thirty of them have been localized; (5) Probably a wrench tectonic interested these basins since Middle Eocene; (6) in some wells has been found oil and gas seeps as well as seal sequences; (7) According to their origin and evolution they can be similar to the great oil basins of the Venezuela and Colombia.« less

Human nutrition and food research: opportunities and challenges in the post-genomic era.

PubMed Central

Fairweather-Tait, Susan J

2003-01-01

Sequencing of the human genome has opened the door to the most exciting new era for nutritional science. It is now possible to study the underlying mechanisms for diet-health relationships, and in the near future dietary advice (and possibly tailored food products) for promoting optimal health could be provided on an individual basis, in relation to genotype and lifestyle. The role of food in human evolution is briefly reviewed, from palaeolithic times to modern-day hunter-gatherer societies. The aetiology of 'diseases of modern civilization', such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and the effect of changes in dietary patterns are discussed. The risk of disease is often associated with common single nucleotide polymorphisms, but the effect is dependent on dietary intake and nutritional status, and is often more apparent in intervention studies employing a metabolic challenge. To understand the link between diet and health, nutritional research must cover a broad range of areas, from molecular to whole body studies, and is an excellent example of integrative biology, requiring a systems biology approach. The annual cost to the National Health Service of diet-related diseases is estimated to be in excess of 15 billion, and although diet is a key component of any preventative strategy, it is not given the prominence it deserves. For example, less than 1% of the pound 1.6 billion budget for coronary heart disease is spent on prevention. The polygenic and multifactorial nature of chronic diseases requires substantial resources but the potential rewards, in terms of quality of life and economics, are enormous. It is timely therefore to consider investing in a long-term coordinated national programme for nutrition research, combining nutritional genomics with established approaches, to improve the health of individuals and of the nation. PMID:14561328

Unraveling the genetic history of the European wild goats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ureña, I.; Ersmark, E.; Samaniego, J. A.; Galindo-Pellicena, M. A.; Crégut-Bonnoure, E.; Bolívar, H.; Gómez-Olivencia, A.; Rios-Garaizar, J.; Garate, D.; Dalén, L.; Arsuaga, J. L.; Valdiosera, C. E.

2018-04-01

The population history of the Iberian wild goat and the Alpine ibex has been closely related to that of humans since the Palaeolithic. Current molecular and paleontological studies differ substantially on the phylogenetic origin of the European wild goats, possibly due the loss of genetic variation through time. We investigated the phylogenetic relationship between the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) and the Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica) including different Iberian wild goat subspecies by applying ancient DNA techniques combined with Next Generation Sequencing technologies. We analysed the cytochrome b gene of the mitochondrial genome in 33 ancient and modern European wild goats from Spain and France together with publicly available genetic information of modern wild goats. This work uncovers for the first time ancient genetic information of the Iberian wild goat and the Alpine ibex, spanning a time range of approximately 40,000 years to the present. Our results suggest genetic continuity between ancient and modern populations and indicate a monophyletic origin of the Alpine ibex and the Iberian wild goat when compared to other Capra species. The monophyly of both species is in agreement with other molecular studies based only on modern populations, therefore supporting one-wave migration of wild goats into Western Europe followed by possible allopatric speciation. We observe three major clades of wild goats in Western Europe: Capra ibex, Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica and the group containing the subspecies Capra pyrenaica hispanica and Capra pyrenaica victoriae. This genetic structure recognizes the distinctiveness of the bucardo (C. p. pyrenaica) from the rest of Iberian wild goats and thus supports the idea that this group is an Evolutionary Significant Unit. The divergence time estimated here indicates an almost contemporaneous split between the three clades around 50,000-90,000 years BP.

Sedimentary sequence evolution in a Foredeep basin: Eastern Venezuela

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bejarano, C.; Funes, D.; Sarzalho, S.

1996-08-01

Well log-seismic sequence stratigraphy analysis in the Eastern Venezuela Foreland Basin leads to study of the evolution of sedimentary sequences onto the Cretaceous-Paleocene passive margin. This basin comprises two different foredeep sub-basins: The Guarico subbasin to the west, older, and the Maturin sub-basin to the east, younger. A foredeep switching between these two sub-basins is observed at 12.5 m.y. Seismic interpretation and well log sections across the study area show sedimentary sequences with transgressive sands and coastal onlaps to the east-southeast for the Guarico sub-basin, as well as truncations below the switching sequence (12.5 m.y.), and the Maturin sub-basin showsmore » apparent coastal onlaps to the west-northwest, as well as a marine onlap (deeper water) in the west, where it starts to establish. Sequence stratigraphy analysis of these sequences with well logs allowed the study of the evolution of stratigraphic section from Paleocene to middle Miocene (68.0-12.0 m.y.). On the basis of well log patterns, the sequences were divided in regressive-transgressive-regressive sedimentary cycles caused by changes in relative sea level. Facies distributions were analyzed and the sequences were divided into simple sequences or sub- sequences of a greater frequencies than third order depositional sequences.« less

Refined δ13C trend of the Dal'nyaya Taiga series of the Ura uplift (Vendian, southern part of Middle Siberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rud'ko, S. V.; Petrov, P. Yu.; Kuznetsov, A. B.; Shatsillo, A. V.; Petrov, O. L.

2017-12-01

New data were obtained on δ13Ccarb and δ18O variations in the sequence of deposits of the Dal'nyaya Taiga series at the western and eastern flanks of the Ura anticline. The summary δ13C curve was plotted in view of the correlation of sequence-stratigraphic data of the basin analysis. A series of positive anomalies was found within the succession. Alternatives for global chemostratigraphic correlation of the Dal'nyaya Taiga series of the Ura uplift were considered.

[Effects of litterfall and root input on soil physical and chemical properties in Pinus massoniana plantations in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China].

PubMed

Ge, Xiao-Gai; Huang, Zhi-Lin; Cheng, Rui-Mei; Zeng, Li-Xiong; Xiao, Wen-Fa; Tan, Ben-Wang

2012-12-01

An investigation was made on the soil physical and chemical properties in different-aged Pinus massoniana plantations in Three Gorges Reservoir Area under effects of litterfall and roots. The annual litter production in mature stand was 19.4% and 65.7% higher than that in nearly mature and middle-aged stands, respectively. The litter standing amount was in the sequence of mature stand > middle-aged stand > nearly mature stand, while the litter turnover coefficient was in the order of nearly mature stand (0.51) > mature stand (0.40) > middle-aged stand (0.36). The total root biomass, live root biomass, and dead root biomass were the highest in middle-aged stand, and the lowest in nearly mature stand. In middle-aged stand, soil total porosity was the highest, and soil bulk density was the lowest. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents were in the order of mature stand > middle-aged stand > nearly mature stand, soil nitrate nitrogen occupied a larger proportion of soil mineral N in nearly mature stand, while ammonium nitrogen accounted more in middle-aged and mature stands. In nearly mature stand, litter production was moderate but turnover coefficient was the highest, and soil nutrient contents were the lowest. In middle-aged stand, root biomass and soil total porosity were the highest, and soil bulk density were the lowest. In mature stand, root biomass was lower while soil nutrient contents were the highest. The increase of root biomass could improve soil physical properties.

Business and Office Exploration. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in business and office occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, list of business and office occupations, and an overview of the competency-based…

Math + Science: A Solution. Introductory Investigations. Book 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiebe, Arthur, Ed.; And Others

Developed for use primarily with middle school age students, this introductory booklet provides a sample of innovative activities that integrate mathematics skills with science processes. The investigations employ a wide variety of readily available and easily understood materials. The 25 activities are sequenced from simple to complex according…

Motivating Mathematics Learning: Changes in Teachers' Practices and Beliefs during a Nine-Month Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Julianne C.; Warzon, Kristen Bogner; Christensen, Andrea

2011-01-01

The authors investigated patterns of change in three middle grade teachers' beliefs and practices about motivation in mathematics during a yearlong professional development project with a university researcher. Four principles of motivation (and corresponding instructional strategies) were introduced in this sequence: supporting students'…

Hospitality and Recreation Occupations. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in hospitality and recreation occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of hospitality and recreation occupations, and an overview of the…

Algebraic Procedures and Creative Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabach, Michal; Friedlander, Alex

2017-01-01

Simplifying symbolic expressions is usually perceived in middle school algebra as an algorithmic activity, achieved by performing sequences of short drill-and-practice tasks, which have little to do with conceptual learning or with creative mathematical thinking. The aim of this study is to explore possible ways by which ninth-grade students can…

Marketing and Distribution Occupations. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in marketing and distribution occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of marketing and distribution occupations, and an overview of the…

Marine Science Exploration. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; McKinley, Douglas

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in marine science occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of marine science occupations, and an overview of the competency-based instructional…

Multiple microtektite horizons in upper Eocene marine sediments: No evidence for mass extinctions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keller, G.; D'Hondt, Steven L.; Vallier, T.L.

1983-01-01

Microtektites have been recovered from three horizons in eight middle Eocene to middle Oligocene marine sediment sequences. Five of these occurrences are coeval and of latest Eocene age (37.5 to 38.0 million years ago); three are coeval and of early late Eocene age (38.5 to 39.5 million years ago); and three are of middle Oligocene age (31 to 32 million years ago). In addition, rare probable microtektites have been found in sediments with ages of about 36.0 to 36.5 million years. The microtektite horizon at 37.5 to 38.0 million years can be correlated with the North American tektite-strewn field, which has a fission track age (minimum) of 34 to 35 million years and a paleomagnetic age of 37.5 to 38.0 million years. There is no evidence for mass faunal extinctions at any of the microtektite horizons. Many of the distinct faunal changes that occurred in the middle Eocene to middle Oligocene can be related to the formation of the Antarctic ice sheet and the associated cooling phenomena and intensification of bottom currents that led to large-scale dissolution of calcium carbonate and erosion, which created areally extensive hiatuses in the deep-sea sediment records. The occurrence of microtektite horizons of several ages and the lack of evidence for faunal extinctions suggest that the effects of extraterrestrial bolide impacts may be unimportant in the biologic realm during middle Eocene to middle Oligocene time.

Austrian phase on the northern African margin inferred from sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary records in southern Tunisia (Chotts and Djeffara areas)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazzez, Marzouk; Zouaghi, Taher; Ben Youssef, Mohamed

2008-08-01

A multidisciplinary study concerning Aptian and Albian deposits is reported from petroleum wells and the exposed section. The biostratigraphic and sedimentological analysis defined four sedimentary units. Well-logging signals' analysis allows us to refine the record resolution on Aptian series and reveals, in the Djeffara field, a transgressive system tract (TST) and a highstand system tract (HST). Exceptionally, the first sequence (S1) in the Mareth 1 well and the fifth sequence in the two wells Mareth 1 and Gourine 1 reveal the lower-stand system tract (LST). The unconformities characterized by the absence of Upper Aptian (Clansayesian) and Lower to Middle Albian deposits signed by a significant gamma-ray reduction. The Middle and Upper Albian is represented by only one deposit sequence (S6) in Mareth 1. Towards the south, in the Gourine well, two deposit sequences were identified (S6 and S7); to specify the Aptian and Albian evolution of the deposit sequences, a tentative correlation has been established between the Chotts and Djeffara areas. This correlation allows us to characterize the sedimentary unconformities related to the tectonics and eustatic events. The Chotts and the Djeffara deposition areas were developed, characterized by an irregular subsidence and separated by the Tebaga Medenine high area. The Aptian-Albian subsidence platform of southern Tunisia may be considered as a block diagram of environmental deposit with regressive and transgressive trends, showing the impact of tectonic deformations on the palaeogeographic evolution of southeastern Tunisia during the Austrian phase. This study also must be replaced within regional structural patterns that may explain both the sequential and sedimentological evolution of the area. Deformations regionally identified are integrated in the more general context of both Tethyan and Atlantic areas related to the drift of the African platform.

Geochemistry and stratigraphic relations of middle Proterozoic rocks of the New Jersey Highlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Volkert, Richard A.; Drake, Avery Ala

1999-01-01

Middle Proterozoic rocks of the New Jersey Highlands consist of a basement of dacitic, tonalitic, trondhjemitic, and charnockitic rocks that constitute the Losee metamorphic suite. These rocks are unconformably overlain by a layered supracrustal sequence of quartzo-feldspathic and calcareous rocks. Abundant sheets of hornblende- and biotite-bearing rocks of the Byram intrusive suite and clinopyroxene-bearing rocks of the Lake Hopatcong intrusive suite were synkinematically emplaced at about 1,090 Ma. These intrusive suites constitute the Vernon Supersuite. The postorogenic Mount Eve Granite has been dated at 1,020?4 Ma and is confined to the extreme northern Highlands.

Origins and relationships of colonial Heliophyllum in the upper Middle Devonian (Givetian) of New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oliver, W.A.

1997-01-01

Heliophyllum halli Milne-Edwards and Haime is common to abundant in many Lower and Middle Devonian stratigraphic units in New York. Most Heliophyllum are solitary, but both branching and massive colonies are known. Four 'populations' of colonial Heliophyllum in the Givetian part of the sequence are distinct, as is a fifth form that occurs through the section. Each of the colonial forms is interpreted as an independent derivative of solitary forms of H. halli. The relationships appear to range from infrasubspecific to specific, and it is suggested that the complex should be recognized as the Heliophyllum halli species group.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of medieval sheep (Ovis aries) in central Italy reveals the predominance of haplogroup B already in the Middle Ages.

PubMed

Gabbianelli, F; Gargani, M; Pariset, L; Mariotti, M; Alhaique, F; De Minicis, E; Barelli, L; Ciammetti, E; Redi, F; Valentini, A

2015-06-01

We retrieved 34 medieval ovicaprine remains, from three archaeological sites of central Italy dating to about 1000 years old, and analyzed them using mitochondrial DNA. We compared the reconstructed haplogroups with modern sheep samples from Europe and the Middle East and sequences from the literature. In modern sheep, haplogroup HA is present in countries with access to the Mediterranean and close to the domestication center, whereas it is very rare or absent in the rest of Europe. The haplogroup HB was predominant in ancient samples (90%), whereas haplogroup HA was found at 10%. Ancient haplogroups match the present distribution in modern sheep in Italy, indicating that the current proportion of HA/HB was already established in the Middle Ages and is not the result of subsequent events such as selective breeding practices. © 2015 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

[The prehistory of mathematics and the modern mind: mathematical thought and resourcefulness in the Palaeolithic Franco-Cantabrian region].

PubMed

González Redondo, Francisco A; Martín-Loeches, Manuel; Silván Pobes, Enrique

2010-01-01

In the present article, we begin by reviewing the different types of symbolic records produced by prehistoric groups from the oldest probable origins of the modern human mind. Next, we review some of the most outstanding prehistoric pieces related to counting, enhancing the relevance (both quantitatively and qualitatively) of this type of piece in the Franco-Cantabrian region. These reviews lead us finally to note the tremendous relevance, within this context, of four horse-bone plaques from the Altamira Cave, dated in the Solutrean period (18,500 years). These small plaques, apparently constituting a coherent group of interrelated elements, are proposed here as the representation of a recursive process, recursion being a feature proposed as proper and exclusive of human language.

Sedimentology and High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy of the Middle Jurassic Dhruma Formation Carbonates Outcrops in the Central Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yousif, Ibrahim; Abdullatif, Osman; Makkawi, Mohammed; Abdulghani, Waleed

2017-04-01

This study investigates the microfacies and sequence stratigraphic frame work of the Middle Jurassic Dhruma Formation in outcrops in central Saudi Arabia. The study contributes to the efforts to understand and enhance local and regional stratigraphic relationship and correlation of the Jurassic carbonate sequences and their significance to reservoir description and prediction in the subsurcae. The study describes and characterizes the sedimentology, microfacies and the stratigraphy of Dhruma Formation from outcrop sections having a total thickness of 70 m. Detailed microfacies and high-resolution stratigraphical analysis were carried out to determine microfacies, cyclicity, sequences and staking pattern. The study revealed ten lithofacies namely: oolitic grainstone,bioclastic oolitic grainstone, oolitic grapestone, bioclastic grainstone,foraminiferal packstone, echinoderm packstone, peloidal packstone to grainstone,skeletal wackestone to packstone, mudstone, and marlstone.These lithofacies were grouped into five lithofacies associations that deposited on a carbonate ramp setting. The depositional environment ranging from low energy lagoonal setting to high-energy shoals and banks to low energy outer ramp setting. Five high-resolution composite sequences have been defined and each sequence is composed at the bottom of intercalated mudstone/wackestone that passing up into grainstone lithofacies.The composite sequences range in thickness from 7 to 15 m, while the parasequences range from 0.5 to 1.5 m. The composite sequences extend laterally for a distance of more than 350 m. The overall composite section shows a shallowing upward succession of the 4th to the 5th order high-resolution sequences.The dominant lithofacies are the grainy ones, which constitute 30%, 50% and 80% of the studied sections. Furthermore, the parasequences thickness and their bio-components are increasing towards the top. The muddy lithofacies intensively affected the vertical continuity of the lower reservoir interval compared to the upper interval. Detailed examination of thin-sections reflects a clear and well-developed reservoir interval in the uppermost part of the section, which is dominated by peloidal packstone and grainstone.The findings of this high-resolution outcrop analog might help to understand and predict lithofacies, stratigraphic heirachies and correlations of Dhruma Formation within the interwell spacing. Moreover, this study might also contribute to better reservoir description and assessment of its quality and architecture in subsurface equivalent reservoirs.

Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous (Campanian - Maastrichtian) sequences in the Peri-Tethys basin; Moghan area, NW Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omidvar, Mahboobeh; Safari, Amrollah; Vaziri-Moghaddam, Hossain; Ghalavand, Hormoz

2018-04-01

The Upper Cretaceous sediments in the Moghan area, NW Iran, contain diverse planktonic and benthic foraminifera, with a total of 33 genera and 53 species (17 genera and 38 species of planktonic foraminifera and 16 genera and 15 species from benthic foraminifera), which led to the identification of six biozones spanning the middle Campanian to late Maastrichtian. A detailed paleontological study and biostratigraphic zonation of these sequences has been carried out in four surface sections. This study shows that there are two different facies in the Moghan area, based on the faunal content. A deep open marine condition exists in the Molok, Selenchai and Nasirkandi sections. In these sections, Upper Cretaceous sequences have diverse planktonic foraminiferal species including the Globotruncana ventricosa (middle to late Campanian), Globotruncanella havanensis (late Campanian), Globotruncana aegyptiaca (latest Campanian), Gansserina gansseri (latest Campanian to early Maastrichtian), Contusotruncana contusa- Racemiguembelina fructicosa (early to late Maastrichtian) and Abathomphalus mayaroensis (late Maastrichtian) zones. This deep open marine setting grades laterally into shallower marine condition dominated by large benthic foraminifera such as Orbitoides media, Orbitoides gruenbachensis, Orbitoides cf. apiculata, Lepidorbitoides minor, Pseudosiderolites sp., Siderolites praecalcitrapoides, Siderolites aff. calcitrapoides and Siderolites calcitrapoides. This facies is mainly recorded in the Hovay section. A detailed biostratigraphic zonation scheme is presented for the studied sections and correlated with the results of other studies in the Tethyan realm. This is the first biozonation scheme for Upper Cretaceous sequences of the Moghan area that can be used as a basis for ongoing studies in this area and other parts of Tethys basin.

Sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary study on Mishrif formation of Fauqi Oilfield of Missan in south east Iraq

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sang, Hua; Lin, Changsong; Jiang, Yiming

2017-05-01

The reservoir of Mishrif formation has a large scale distribution of marine facies carbonate sediments in great thickness in central and south east Iraq. Rudist reef and shoal facies limestones of the Mishrif Formation (Late Cenomanian - Middle Turonian) form a great potential reservoir rocks at oilfields and structures of Iraq. Facies modelling was applied to predict the relationship between facies distribution and reservoir characteristics to construct a predictive geologic model which will assist future exploration and development in south east Iraq. Microfacies analysis and electrofacies identification and correlations indicate that the limestone of the Mishrif Formation were mainly deposited in open platform setting. Sequence stratigraphic analyses of the Mishrif Formation indicate 3 third order depositional sequences.

Middle School Students' Learning of Mechanics Concepts through Engagement in Different Sequences of Physical and Virtual Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Sarah; Gnesdilow, Dana; Puntambekar, Sadhana; Kim, Jee-Seon

2017-01-01

Physical and virtual experimentation are thought to have different affordances for supporting students' learning. Research investigating the use of physical and virtual experiments to support students' learning has identified a variety of, sometimes conflicting, outcomes. Unanswered questions remain about how physical and virtual experiments may…

New Hepatitis E Virus Genotype in Camels, the Middle East

PubMed Central

Lau, Susanna K.P.; Teng, Jade L.L.; Tsang, Alan K. L.; Joseph, Marina; Wong, Emily Y.M.; Tang, Ying; Sivakumar, Saritha; Xie, Jun; Bai, Ru; Wernery, Renate; Wernery, Ulrich; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

2014-01-01

In a molecular epidemiology study of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in dromedaries in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, HEV was detected in fecal samples from 3 camels. Complete genome sequencing of 2 strains showed >20% overall nucleotide difference to known HEVs. Comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses revealed a previously unrecognized HEV genotype. PMID:24856611

Health Occupations. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; And Others

This instructor's manual consists of materials for use in introducing middle and junior high school students to various aspects of the practical health care arts, including health education and communication, prevention, treatment and care, and administration. Included in the first part of the manual are a program master sequence, a listing of…

Exploring Quadrilaterals to Reveal Teachers' Use of Definitions: Results and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinas, Tracie McLemore; Lynch-Davis, Kathleen; Mawhinney, Katherine J.; Crocker, Deborah A.

2014-01-01

About 80 middle and secondary school teachers participated in the professional development sequence as a part of a larger professional development project. Sessions provided participants with half-day experiences in an inquiry-oriented classroom taught by a master teacher, in which they experienced examples of inquiry lessons as both student and…

Top dogs: wolf domestication and wealth.

PubMed

Driscoll, Carlos A; Macdonald, David W

2010-01-01

A phylogeographic analysis of gene sequences important in determining body size in dogs, recently published in BMC Biology, traces the appearance of small body size to the Neolithic Middle East. This finding strengthens the association of this event with the development of sedentary societies, and perhaps even has implications for the inception of human social inequality.

De novo genome sequencing and comparative genomics of the date palm Phoenix dactylifera)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Date Palm has been vital to the Middle East and other arid regions of the world for more than 5000 years. The date palm's ability to withstand extremely harsh conditions, while producing highly nutritious fruit with relatively minimal care, makes it a good candidate for improving arid land agricultu...

Western Civilization Curriculum Guide. Bulletin 1759.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana State Dept. of Education, Baton Rouge. Div. of Academic Programs.

Developed to stress the importance of the study of Western civilization, this Louisiana State high school curriculum guide contains social studies goals, program scopes and sequences, a list of 14 generalizations and related concepts, and a master course content outline. Ten study units teach about: (1) the ancient world; (2) the Middle Ages; (3)…

A series of Mousterian occupations in a new type of site: the Nesher Ramla karst depression, Israel.

PubMed

Zaidner, Yossi; Frumkin, Amos; Porat, Naomi; Tsatskin, Alexander; Yeshurun, Reuven; Weissbrod, Lior

2014-01-01

We report the discovery of a new type of hominin site in the Levant, inhabited during MIS 6-5. The site, found within a karst depression at Nesher Ramla, Israel, provides novel evidence for Middle Paleolithic lifeways in an environmental and depositional setting that is previously undocumented in the southern Levant. The carbonate bedrock in the area is characterized by surface depressions formed by gravitational sagging of the rock into underlying karst voids. In one such depression, an 8 m thick sequence comprising rich and well-preserved lithic and faunal assemblages, combustion features, hundreds of manuports and ochre was discovered. Here we focus on the geological and environmental setting and present optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages for the 8 m sequence, aiming to place the site within a firm chronological framework and determine its significance for a more complete reconstruction of cultural developments in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic. To that end, preliminary results of the lithic and faunal studies are also presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The elusive ideal of inclusiveness: lessons from a worldwide survey of neurologists on the ethical issues raised by whole-genome sequencing.

PubMed

Hurlimann, Thierry; Jaitovich Groisman, Iris; Godard, Béatrice

2017-04-11

The anticipation of ethical issues that may arise with the clinical use of genomic technologies is crucial to envision their future implementation in a manner sensitive to local contexts. Yet, populations in low- and middle-income countries are underrepresented in studies that aim to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the use of such technologies. Within the framework of a research project entitled "Personalized medicine in the treatment of epilepsy", we sought to increase inclusiveness by widening the reach of our survey, inviting neurologists from around the world to share their views and practices regarding the use of whole-genome sequencing in clinical neurology and its associated ethics. We discuss herein the compelling scientific and ethical reasons that led us to attempt to recruit neurologists worldwide, despite the lack, in many low- or middle-income countries, of access to genomic technologies. Recruitment procedures and their results are presented and discussed, as well as the barriers we faced. We conclude that inclusive recruitment remains a challenging, albeit necessary and legitimate, endeavour.

Whole genome re-sequencing of date palms yields insights into diversification of a fruit tree crop.

PubMed

Hazzouri, Khaled M; Flowers, Jonathan M; Visser, Hendrik J; Khierallah, Hussam S M; Rosas, Ulises; Pham, Gina M; Meyer, Rachel S; Johansen, Caryn K; Fresquez, Zoë A; Masmoudi, Khaled; Haider, Nadia; El Kadri, Nabila; Idaghdour, Youssef; Malek, Joel A; Thirkhill, Deborah; Markhand, Ghulam S; Krueger, Robert R; Zaid, Abdelouahhab; Purugganan, Michael D

2015-11-09

Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) are the most significant perennial crop in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Here, we present a comprehensive catalogue of approximately seven million single nucleotide polymorphisms in date palms based on whole genome re-sequencing of a collection of 62 cultivars. Population structure analysis indicates a major genetic divide between North Africa and the Middle East/South Asian date palms, with evidence of admixture in cultivars from Egypt and Sudan. Genome-wide scans for selection suggest at least 56 genomic regions associated with selective sweeps that may underlie geographic adaptation. We report candidate mutations for trait variation, including nonsense polymorphisms and presence/absence variation in gene content in pathways for key agronomic traits. We also identify a copia-like retrotransposon insertion polymorphism in the R2R3 myb-like orthologue of the oil palm virescens gene associated with fruit colour variation. This analysis documents patterns of post-domestication diversification and provides a genomic resource for this economically important perennial tree crop.

Sequencing an Ashkenazi reference panel supports population-targeted personal genomics and illuminates Jewish and European origins

PubMed Central

Carmi, Shai; Hui, Ken Y.; Kochav, Ethan; Liu, Xinmin; Xue, James; Grady, Fillan; Guha, Saurav; Upadhyay, Kinnari; Ben-Avraham, Dan; Mukherjee, Semanti; Bowen, B. Monica; Thomas, Tinu; Vijai, Joseph; Cruts, Marc; Froyen, Guy; Lambrechts, Diether; Plaisance, Stéphane; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; Van Damme, Philip; Van Marck, Herwig; Barzilai, Nir; Darvasi, Ariel; Offit, Kenneth; Bressman, Susan; Ozelius, Laurie J.; Peter, Inga; Cho, Judy H.; Ostrer, Harry; Atzmon, Gil; Clark, Lorraine N.; Lencz, Todd; Pe’er, Itsik

2014-01-01

The Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population is a genetic isolate close to European and Middle Eastern groups, with genetic diversity patterns conducive to disease mapping. Here we report high-depth sequencing of 128 complete genomes of AJ controls. Compared with European samples, our AJ panel has 47% more novel variants per genome and is eightfold more effective at filtering benign variants out of AJ clinical genomes. Our panel improves imputation accuracy for AJ SNP arrays by 28%, and covers at least one haplotype in ≈67% of any AJ genome with long, identical-by-descent segments. Reconstruction of recent AJ history from such segments confirms a recent bottleneck of merely ≈350 individuals. Modelling of ancient histories for AJ and European populations using their joint allele frequency spectrum determines AJ to be an even admixture of European and likely Middle Eastern origins. We date the split between the two ancestral populations to ≈12–25 Kyr, suggesting a predominantly Near Eastern source for the repopulation of Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum. PMID:25203624

Pre-Wisconsin glacial stratigraphy of the central plains region in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hallberg, G.R.

1986-01-01

Recent investigations have documented the presence of several tills and interglacial paleosols that were not recognized in the simple Kansan-Aftonian-Nebraskan stratigraphic sequence. Also, the single 'Pearlette ash' recognized by early workers now is known to be three different Pearlette family ash beds of greatly contrasting ages. The complexity of the stratigraphy, as it is currently understood, and the miscorrelations of early work necessitate abandonment of the archaic terms Kansan, Aftonian, and Nebraskan in stratigraphic terminology. Continued use of those terms will only promote confusion of stratigraphic nomenclature and erroneous correlations of stratigraphic units. The limited chronometric control available within the early and middle Pleistocene stratigraphic sequence is provided directly by dating or by correlation of buried soils and volcanic ash beds and it is provided inferentially by interpretation of magnetic polarity data. These controls provide, at best, a general time framework to begin a new synthesis of the Quaternary history of the region. New methods of dating are needed to facilitate long-distance correlation of early and middle Pleistocene deposits. ?? 1986.

Characterization of H9N2 avian influenza viruses from the Middle East demonstrates heterogeneity at amino acid position 226 in the hemagglutinin and potential for transmission to mammals.

PubMed

Chrzastek, Klaudia; Lee, Dong-Hun; Gharaibeh, Saad; Zsak, Aniko; Kapczynski, Darrell R

2018-05-01

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are a valuable tool to monitor changes in viral genomes and determine the genetic heterogeneity of viruses. In this study, NGS was applied to clinical poultry samples from Jordan to detect eleven H9N2 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIV). All of the viruses tested belonged to Middle East A genetic group of G1 lineage. Deep sequencing demonstrated a high degree of heterogeneity of glutamine and leucine residues at position 226 in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which increases specificity to either avian or mammalian-type receptors. Moreover, additional amino acid changes in PB1, PA, M1, M2, and NS1 were identified among the viruses tested. Compared to single gene amplification, application of NGS for surveillance and characterization of H9N2 LPAIV provides a complete genetic profile of emerging isolates and better understanding of the potential of zoonotic transmissions to mammals. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Whole genome re-sequencing of date palms yields insights into diversification of a fruit tree crop

PubMed Central

Hazzouri, Khaled M.; Flowers, Jonathan M.; Visser, Hendrik J.; Khierallah, Hussam S. M.; Rosas, Ulises; Pham, Gina M.; Meyer, Rachel S.; Johansen, Caryn K.; Fresquez, Zoë A.; Masmoudi, Khaled; Haider, Nadia; El Kadri, Nabila; Idaghdour, Youssef; Malek, Joel A.; Thirkhill, Deborah; Markhand, Ghulam S.; Krueger, Robert R.; Zaid, Abdelouahhab; Purugganan, Michael D.

2015-01-01

Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) are the most significant perennial crop in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Here, we present a comprehensive catalogue of approximately seven million single nucleotide polymorphisms in date palms based on whole genome re-sequencing of a collection of 62 cultivars. Population structure analysis indicates a major genetic divide between North Africa and the Middle East/South Asian date palms, with evidence of admixture in cultivars from Egypt and Sudan. Genome-wide scans for selection suggest at least 56 genomic regions associated with selective sweeps that may underlie geographic adaptation. We report candidate mutations for trait variation, including nonsense polymorphisms and presence/absence variation in gene content in pathways for key agronomic traits. We also identify a copia-like retrotransposon insertion polymorphism in the R2R3 myb-like orthologue of the oil palm virescens gene associated with fruit colour variation. This analysis documents patterns of post-domestication diversification and provides a genomic resource for this economically important perennial tree crop. PMID:26549859

Diversity of Cronobacter spp. isolates from the vegetables in the middle-east coastline of China.

PubMed

Chen, Wanyi; Yang, Jielin; You, Chunping; Liu, Zhenmin

2016-06-01

Cronobacter spp. has caused life-threatening neonatal infections mainly resulted from consumption of contaminated powdered infant formula. A total of 102 vegetable samples from retail markets were evaluated for the presence of Cronobacter spp. Thirty-five presumptive Cronobacter isolates were isolated and identified using API 20E and 16S rDNA sequencing analyses. All isolates and type strains were characterized using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR), and genetic profiles of cluster analysis from this molecular typing test clearly showed that there were differences among isolates from different vegetables. A polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) based on the amplification of the gyrB gene (1258 bp) was developed to differentiate among Cronobacter species. A new PCR-RFLP assay based on the amplification of the gyrB gene using Alu I and Hinf I endonuclease combination is established and it has been confirmed an accurate and rapid subtyping method to differentiate Cronobacter species. Sequence analysis of the gyrB gene was proven to be suitable for the phylogenetic analysis of the Cronobacter strains, which has much better resolution based on SNPs in the identification of Cronobacter species specificity than PCR-RFLP and ERIC-PCR. Our study further confirmed that vegetables are one of the most common habitats or sources of Cronobacter spp. contamination in the middle-east coastline of China.

Toward a Nonspeech Test of Auditory Cognition: Semantic Context Effects in Environmental Sound Identification in Adults of Varying Age and Hearing Abilities

PubMed Central

Sheft, Stanley; Norris, Molly; Spanos, George; Radasevich, Katherine; Formsma, Paige; Gygi, Brian

2016-01-01

Objective Sounds in everyday environments tend to follow one another as events unfold over time. The tacit knowledge of contextual relationships among environmental sounds can influence their perception. We examined the effect of semantic context on the identification of sequences of environmental sounds by adults of varying age and hearing abilities, with an aim to develop a nonspeech test of auditory cognition. Method The familiar environmental sound test (FEST) consisted of 25 individual sounds arranged into ten five-sound sequences: five contextually coherent and five incoherent. After hearing each sequence, listeners identified each sound and arranged them in the presentation order. FEST was administered to young normal-hearing, middle-to-older normal-hearing, and middle-to-older hearing-impaired adults (Experiment 1), and to postlingual cochlear-implant users and young normal-hearing adults tested through vocoder-simulated implants (Experiment 2). Results FEST scores revealed a strong positive effect of semantic context in all listener groups, with young normal-hearing listeners outperforming other groups. FEST scores also correlated with other measures of cognitive ability, and for CI users, with the intelligibility of speech-in-noise. Conclusions Being sensitive to semantic context effects, FEST can serve as a nonspeech test of auditory cognition for diverse listener populations to assess and potentially improve everyday listening skills. PMID:27893791

Motor sequence learning-induced neural efficiency in functional brain connectivity.

PubMed

Karim, Helmet T; Huppert, Theodore J; Erickson, Kirk I; Wollam, Mariegold E; Sparto, Patrick J; Sejdić, Ervin; VanSwearingen, Jessie M

2017-02-15

Previous studies have shown the functional neural circuitry differences before and after an explicitly learned motor sequence task, but have not assessed these changes during the process of motor skill learning. Functional magnetic resonance imaging activity was measured while participants (n=13) were asked to tap their fingers to visually presented sequences in blocks that were either the same sequence repeated (learning block) or random sequences (control block). Motor learning was associated with a decrease in brain activity during learning compared to control. Lower brain activation was noted in the posterior parietal association area and bilateral thalamus during the later periods of learning (not during the control). Compared to the control condition, we found the task-related motor learning was associated with decreased connectivity between the putamen and left inferior frontal gyrus and left middle cingulate brain regions. Motor learning was associated with changes in network activity, spatial extent, and connectivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ancient and recent Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to North Africa as viewed by mtDNA diversity in Tunisian Arab populations.

PubMed

Elkamel, Sarra; Boussetta, Sami; Khodjet-El-Khil, Houssein; Benammar Elgaaied, Amel; Cherni, Lotfi

2018-05-01

Through previous mitochondrial DNA studies, the Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to Tunisian populations appears limited. In fact, most of the studied communities were cosmopolitan, or of Berber or Andalusian origin. To provide genetic evidence for the actual contribution of Middle Eastern mtDNA lineages to Tunisia, we focused on two Arab speaking populations from Kairouan and Wesletia known to belong to an Arab genealogical lineage. A total of 114 samples were sequenced for the mtDNA HVS-I and HVS-II regions. Using these data, we evaluated the distribution of Middle Eastern haplogroups in the study populations, constructed interpolation maps, and established phylogenetic networks allowing estimation of the coalescence time for three specific Middle Eastern subclades (R0a, J1b, and T1). Both studied populations displayed North African genetic structure and Middle Eastern lineages with a frequency of 12% and 28.12% in Kairouan and Wesletia, respectively. TMRCA estimates for haplogroups T1a, R0a, and J1b in Tunisian Arabian samples were around 15 000 YBP, 9000 to 5000 YBP, and 960 to 600 YBP, respectively. The Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to Tunisian populations, as to other North African populations, occurred mostly in deep prehistory. They were brought in different migration waves during the Upper Paleolithic, probably with the expansion of Iberomaurusian culture, and during Epipaleolithic and Early Neolithic periods, which are concomitant with the Capsian civilization. Middle Eastern lineages also came to Tunisia during the recent Islamic expansion of the 7th CE and the subsequent massive Bedouin migration during the 11th CE. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tectonic Evolution of the Çayirhan Neogene Basin (Ankara), Central Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behzad, Bezhan; Koral, Hayrettin; İşb&idot; l, Duygu; Karaaǧa; ç, Serdal

2016-04-01

Çayırhan (Ankara) is located at crossroads of the Western Anatolian extensional region, analogous to the Basin and Range Province, and suture zone of the Neotethys-Ocean, which is locus of the North Anatolian Transform since the Late Miocene. To the north of Çayırhan (Ankara), a Neogene sedimentary basin comprises Lower-Middle Miocene and Upper Miocene age formations, characterized by swamp, fluvial and lacustrine settings respectively. This sequence is folded and transected by neotectonic faults. The Sekli thrust fault is older than the Lower-Middle Miocene age formations. The Davutoǧlan fault is younger than the Lower-Middle Miocene formations and is contemporaneous to the Upper Miocene formation. The Çatalkaya fault is younger than the Upper Miocene formation. The sedimentary and tectonic features provide information on mode, timing and evolution of this Neogene age sedimentary basin in Central Turkey. It is concluded that the region underwent a period of uplift and erosion under the influence of contractional tectonics prior to the Early-Middle Miocene, before becoming a semi-closed basin under influence of transtensional tectonics during the Early-Middle Miocene and under influence of predominantly extensional tectonics during the post-Late Miocene times. Keywords: Tectonics, Extension, Transtension, Stratigraphy, Neotectonic features.

Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Potential Role of Microbial Dysbiosis and Recommendations for Sampling Sites

PubMed Central

Copeland, Elizabeth; Leonard, Katherine; Carney, Richard; Kong, Justin; Forer, Martin; Naidoo, Yuresh; Oliver, Brian G. G.; Seymour, Justin R.; Woodcock, Stephen; Burke, Catherine M.; Stow, Nicholas W.

2018-01-01

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory condition that affects up to 12% of the human population in developed countries. Previous studies examining the potential role of the sinus bacterial microbiota within CRS infections have found inconsistent results, possibly because of inconsistencies in sampling strategies. The aim of this study was to determine whether the sinus microbiome is altered in CRS and additionally if the middle meatus is a suitable representative site for sampling the sinus microbiome. Swab samples were collected from 12 healthy controls and 21 CRS patients, including all eight sinuses for CRS patients and between one and five sinuses for control subjects. The left and right middle meatus and nostril swabs were also collected. Significant differences in the sinus microbiomes between CRS and control samples were revealed using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The genus Escherichia was over-represented in CRS sinuses, and associations between control patients and Corynebacterium and Dolosigranulum were also identified. Comparisons of the middle meatuses between groups did not reflect these differences, and the abundance of the genus Escherichia was significantly lower at this location. Additionally, intra-patient variation was lower between sinuses than between sinus and middle meatus, which together with the above results suggests that the middle meatus is not an effective representative sampling site. PMID:29541629

Preference for locus of punishment in a response sequence1

PubMed Central

Dardano, J. F.

1972-01-01

Food-deprived pigeons pecked a key under a schedule in which grain was made available after the seventieth peck. In each sequence of 70 responses, either the first, middle, or final response was followed by electric shock. Before the first response of each sequence, each response on a second key changed the color of the food key and the schedule of shock that was correlated with the food key color. Each pigeon preferred a schedule of shock, in that each of the three shock schedules did not occur equally often. The preferred shock schedule and the strength of the preference varied among the pigeons. The overall rate of responding by a pigeon under a given shock schedule was directly related to the pigeon's relative preference for that schedule, except when shock after the first response in the sequence was the most preferred schedule. PMID:16811588

Corrigendum to "Three climatic cycles recorded in a loess-palaeosol sequence at Semlac (Romania)-Implications for dust accumulation in south-eastern Europe" [Quat. Sci. Rev. 154C (2016) 130-142

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeeden, C.; Kels, H.; Hambach, U.; Schulte, P.; Protze, J.; Eckmeier, E.; Marković, S. B.; Klasen, N.; Lehmkuhl, F.

2018-05-01

In the article 'Three climatic cycles recorded in a loess-palaeosol sequence at Semlac (Romania)-Implications for dust accumulation in south-eastern Europe' (Zeeden et al., 2016) we employed rock magnetic and grain size proxy data in combination with OSL- and correlative age models. The data and dating is combined to discuss glacial-interglacial paleoclimate variability in an Eurasian context. This dataset was also interpreted regarding the dust source in the eastern Carpathian (Middle Danube) Basin.

Constraints on the depositional age and tectonometamorphic evolution of marbles from the Biharia Nappe System (Apuseni Mountains, Romania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiser, Martin Kaspar; Schuster, Ralf; Tropper, Peter; Fügenschuh, Bernhard

2017-04-01

Basement rocks from the Biharia Nappe System in the Apuseni Mountains comprise several dolomite and calcite marble sequences or lenses which experienced deformation and metamorphic overprint during the Alpine orogeny. New Sr, O and C-isotope data in combination with considerations from the lithological sequences indicate Middle to Late Triassic deposition of calcite marbles from the Vulturese-Belioara Series (Biharia Nappe s.str.). Ductile deformation and large-scale folding of the siliciclastic and carbonatic lithologies is attributed to NW-directed nappe stacking during late Early Cretaceous times (D2). The studied marble sequences experienced a metamorphic overprint under lower greenschist- facies conditions (316-370 °C based on calcite - dolomite geothermometry) during this tectonic event. Other marble sequences from the Biharia Nappe System (i.e. Vidolm and Baia de Arieș nappes) show similarities in the stratigraphic sequence and their isotope signature, together with a comparable structural position close to nappe contact. However, the dataset is not concise enough to allow for a definitive attribution of a Mesozoic origin to other marble sequences than the Vulturese-Belioara Series.

The microbiome of otitis media with effusion.

PubMed

Chan, Chun Ling; Wabnitz, David; Bardy, Jake Jervis; Bassiouni, Ahmed; Wormald, Peter-John; Vreugde, Sarah; Psaltis, Alkis James

2016-12-01

The adenoid pad has been considered a reservoir for bacteria in the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion. This study aimed to characterize the middle ear microbiota in children with otitis media with effusion and establish whether a correlation exists between the middle ear and adenoid microbiota. Prospective, controlled study. Middle ear aspirates adenoid pad swabs were collected from 23 children undergoing ventilation tube insertion. Adenoid swabs from patients without ear disease were controls. Samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Thirty-five middle ear samples were collected. The middle ear effusion microbiota was dominated by Alloiococcus otitidis (23% mean relative abundance), Haemophilus (22%), Moraxella (5%), and Streptococcus (5%). Alloiococcus shared an inverse correlation with Haemophilus (P = .049) and was found in greater relative abundance in unilateral effusion (P = .004). The microbiota of bilateral effusions from the same patient were similar (P < .001). However, the otitis media with effusion microbiota were found to be dissimilar to that of the adenoid (P = .01), whereas the adenoid microbiota of otitis media with effusion and control patients were similar (P > .05) (permutational multivariate analysis of the variance). Dissimilarities between the local microbiota of the adenoid and the middle ear question the theory that the adenoid pad is a significant reservoir to the middle ear in children with otitis media with effusion. A otitidis had the greatest cumulative relative abundance, particularly in unilateral effusions, and shares an inverse correlation with the relative abundance of Haemophilus. NA Laryngoscope, 126:2844-2851, 2016. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Methods for determination of the age of Pleistocene tephra, derived from eruption of Toba, in central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westaway, Rob; Mishra, Sheila; Deo, Sushama; Bridgland, David R.

2011-06-01

Tephra, emplaced as a result of Pleistocene eruption of the Indonesian `supervolcano' Toba, occurs at many localities in India. However, the ages of these deposits have hitherto been contentious; some workers have argued that these deposits mark the most recent eruption (eruption A, ca 75 ka), although at some sites they are stratigraphically associated with Acheulian (Lower Palaeolithic) artefacts. Careful examination of the geochemical composition of the tephras, which are composed predominantly of shards of rhyolitic glass, indicates that discrimination between the products of eruption A and eruption D (ca 790 ka) of Toba is difficult. Nonetheless, this comparison favours eruption D as the source of the tephra deposits at some sites in India, supporting the long-held view that the Lower Palaeolithic of India spans the late Early Pleistocene. In principle, these tephra deposits should be dateable using the K-Ar system; however, previous experience indicates contamination by a small proportion of ancient material, resulting in apparent ages that exceed the true ages of the tephras. We have established the optimum size-fraction in which the material from Toba is concentrated, 53-61 μm, and have considered possible origins for the observed contamination. We also demonstrate that Ar-Ar analysis of four out of five of our samples has yielded material with an apparent age similar to that expected for eruption D. These numerical ages, of 809 ± 51, 714 ± 62, 797 ± 45 and 827 ± 39 ka for the tephras at Morgaon, Bori, Gandhigram and Simbhora, provide a weighted mean age for this eruption of 799 ± 24 ka (plus-or-minus two standard deviations). However, these numerical ages are each derived from no more than 10-20% of the argon release in each sample, which is not ideal. Nonetheless, our results demonstrate that it is feasible, in principle, to date this difficult material using the Ar-Ar technique; future follow-up studies will therefore be able to refine our preparation and analysis procedures to better optimize the dating.

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devès, Maud; Sturdy, Derek; Godet, Nan; King, Geoffrey C. P.; Bailey, Geoffrey N.

2014-07-01

We explore the relationship between the edaphic potential of soils and the mineral properties of the underlying geology as a means of mapping the differential productivity of different areas of the Pleistocene landscape for large herbivores. These factors strongly control the health of grazing animals irrespective of the particular types of vegetation growing on them, but they have generally been neglected in palaeoanthropological studies in favour of a more general emphasis on water and vegetation, which provide an incomplete picture. Taking the Carmel-Galilee-Golan region as an example, we show how an understanding of edaphic potential provides insight into how animals might have exploited the environment. In order to simplify the analysis, we concentrate on the Lower Palaeolithic period and the very large animals that dominate the archaeofaunal assemblages of this period. Topography and the ability of soils to retain water also contribute to the differential productivity and accessibility of different regions and to patterns of seasonal movements of the animals, which are essential to ensure a supply of healthy fodder throughout the year, especially for large animals such as elephants, which require substantial regions of good grazing and browsing. Other animals migrating in groups have similar needs. The complex topography of the Southern Levant with frequent sudden and severe changes in gradient, and a wide variety of landforms including rocky outcrops, cliffs, gorges, and ridges, places major limits on these patterns of seasonal movements. We develop methods of mapping these variables, based on the geology and our substantial field experience, in order to create a framework of landscape variation that can be compared with the locations and contents of archaeological sites to suggest ways in which early hominins used the variable features of the landscape to target animal prey, and extend the analysis to the consideration of smaller mammals that were exploited more intensively after the disappearance of the elephants. We consider some of the ways in which this regional-scale approach can be further tested and refined, and advocate the development of such studies as an essential contribution to understanding the wider pattern of hominin dispersal.

Ecocultural range-expansion scenarios for the replacement or assimilation of Neanderthals by modern humans.

PubMed

Wakano, Joe Yuichiro; Gilpin, William; Kadowaki, Seiji; Feldman, Marcus W; Aoki, Kenichi

2018-02-01

Recent archaeological records no longer support a simple dichotomous characterization of the cultures/behaviors of Neanderthals and modern humans, but indicate much cultural/behavioral variability over time and space. Thus, in modeling the replacement or assimilation of Neanderthals by modern humans, it is of interest to consider cultural dynamics and their relation to demographic change. The ecocultural framework for the competition between hominid species allows their carrying capacities to depend on some measure of the levels of culture they possess. In the present study both population densities and the densities of skilled individuals in Neanderthals and modern humans are spatially distributed and subject to change by spatial diffusion, ecological competition, and cultural transmission within each species. We analyze the resulting range expansions in terms of the demographic, ecological and cultural parameters that determine how the carrying capacities relate to the local densities of skilled individuals in each species. Of special interest is the case of cognitive and intrinsic-demographic equivalence of the two species. The range expansion dynamics may consist of multiple wave fronts of different speeds, each of which originates from a traveling wave solution. Properties of these traveling wave solutions are mathematically derived. Depending on the parameters, these traveling waves can result in replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans, or assimilation of the former by the latter. In both the replacement and assimilation scenarios, the first wave of intrusive modern humans is characterized by a low population density and a low density of skilled individuals, with implications for archaeological visibility. The first invasion is due to weak interspecific competition. A second wave of invasion may be induced by cultural differences between moderns and Neanderthals. Spatially and temporally extended coexistence of the two species, which would have facilitated the transfer of genes from Neanderthal into modern humans and vice versa, is observed in the traveling waves, except when niche overlap between the two species is extremely high. Archaeological findings on the spatial and temporal distributions of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic and the Early Upper Palaeolithic and of the coexistence of Neanderthals and modern humans are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sequencing at sea: challenges and experiences in Ion Torrent PGM sequencing during the 2013 Southern Line Islands Research Expedition

PubMed Central

Lim, Yan Wei; Cuevas, Daniel A.; Silva, Genivaldo Gueiros Z.; Aguinaldo, Kristen; Dinsdale, Elizabeth A.; Haas, Andreas F.; Hatay, Mark; Sanchez, Savannah E.; Wegley-Kelly, Linda; Dutilh, Bas E.; Harkins, Timothy T.; Lee, Clarence C.; Tom, Warren; Sandin, Stuart A.; Smith, Jennifer E.; Zgliczynski, Brian; Vermeij, Mark J.A.; Rohwer, Forest

2014-01-01

Genomics and metagenomics have revolutionized our understanding of marine microbial ecology and the importance of microbes in global geochemical cycles. However, the process of DNA sequencing has always been an abstract extension of the research expedition, completed once the samples were returned to the laboratory. During the 2013 Southern Line Islands Research Expedition, we started the first effort to bring next generation sequencing to some of the most remote locations on our planet. We successfully sequenced twenty six marine microbial genomes, and two marine microbial metagenomes using the Ion Torrent PGM platform on the Merchant Yacht Hanse Explorer. Onboard sequence assembly, annotation, and analysis enabled us to investigate the role of the microbes in the coral reef ecology of these islands and atolls. This analysis identified phosphonate as an important phosphorous source for microbes growing in the Line Islands and reinforced the importance of L-serine in marine microbial ecosystems. Sequencing in the field allowed us to propose hypotheses and conduct experiments and further sampling based on the sequences generated. By eliminating the delay between sampling and sequencing, we enhanced the productivity of the research expedition. By overcoming the hurdles associated with sequencing on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean we proved the flexibility of the sequencing, annotation, and analysis pipelines. PMID:25177534

Sequencing at sea: challenges and experiences in Ion Torrent PGM sequencing during the 2013 Southern Line Islands Research Expedition.

PubMed

Lim, Yan Wei; Cuevas, Daniel A; Silva, Genivaldo Gueiros Z; Aguinaldo, Kristen; Dinsdale, Elizabeth A; Haas, Andreas F; Hatay, Mark; Sanchez, Savannah E; Wegley-Kelly, Linda; Dutilh, Bas E; Harkins, Timothy T; Lee, Clarence C; Tom, Warren; Sandin, Stuart A; Smith, Jennifer E; Zgliczynski, Brian; Vermeij, Mark J A; Rohwer, Forest; Edwards, Robert A

2014-01-01

Genomics and metagenomics have revolutionized our understanding of marine microbial ecology and the importance of microbes in global geochemical cycles. However, the process of DNA sequencing has always been an abstract extension of the research expedition, completed once the samples were returned to the laboratory. During the 2013 Southern Line Islands Research Expedition, we started the first effort to bring next generation sequencing to some of the most remote locations on our planet. We successfully sequenced twenty six marine microbial genomes, and two marine microbial metagenomes using the Ion Torrent PGM platform on the Merchant Yacht Hanse Explorer. Onboard sequence assembly, annotation, and analysis enabled us to investigate the role of the microbes in the coral reef ecology of these islands and atolls. This analysis identified phosphonate as an important phosphorous source for microbes growing in the Line Islands and reinforced the importance of L-serine in marine microbial ecosystems. Sequencing in the field allowed us to propose hypotheses and conduct experiments and further sampling based on the sequences generated. By eliminating the delay between sampling and sequencing, we enhanced the productivity of the research expedition. By overcoming the hurdles associated with sequencing on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean we proved the flexibility of the sequencing, annotation, and analysis pipelines.

Sequence stratigraphic analysis of Cenomanian greenhouse palaeosols: A case study from southern Patagonia, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varela, Augusto N.; Veiga, Gonzalo D.; Poiré, Daniel G.

2012-10-01

The aim of this contribution is to analyse extrinsic (i.e., tectonics, climate and eustasy) and intrinsic (i.e., palaeotopography, palaeodrainage and relative sedimentation rates) factors that controlled palaeosol development in the Cenomanian Mata Amarilla Formation (Austral foreland basin, southwestern Patagonia, Argentina). Detailed sedimentological logs, facies analysis, pedofeatures and palaeosol horizon identification led to the definition of six pedotypes, which represent Histosols, acid sulphate Histosols, Vertisols, hydromorphic Vertisols, Inceptisols and vertic Alfisols. Small- and large-scale changes in palaeosol development were recognised throughout the units. Small-scale or high-frequency variations, identified within the middle section are represented by the lateral and vertical superimposition of Inceptisols, Vertisols and hydromorphic Vertisols. Lateral changes are interpreted as the result of intrinsic factors to the depositional systems, such as the relative position within the floodplain and the distance from the main channels, that condition the nature of parent material, the sedimentation rate and eventually the palaeotopographic position. Vertical stacking of different soil types is linked to avulsion processes and the relatively abrupt change in the distance to main channels as the system aggraded. The large-scale or low-frequency vertical variations in palaeosol type occurring in the Mata Amarilla Formation are related to long-term changes in depositional environments. The lower and upper sections of the studied logs are characterised by Histosols and acid sulphate Histosols, and few hydromorphic Vertisols associated with low-gradient coastal environments (i.e., lagoons, estuaries and distal fluvial systems). At the lower boundary of the middle section, a thick palaeosol succession composed of vertic Alfisols occurs. The rest of the middle section is characterised by Vertisols, hydromorphic Vertisols and Inceptisols occurring on distal and proximal fluvial floodplains, respectively. The palaeosol succession for the Mata Amarilla Formation can be analysed within a sequence stratigraphic scheme considering changes in depositional environments in relation to accommodation/supply conditions. The results contrast with classical models, mainly in that the palaeosols of the Mata Amarilla Formation are relatively well-developed throughout the whole sequence, including transgressive periods of relatively high aggradation rate. Also, even when during regressive episodes, when a thick palaeosol succession that marks the sequence boundary is developed in the classical models, the lack of incised valleys in this succession led to the preservation of thick palaeosol successions during lowstand conditions. The vertical and lateral palaeosol distribution identified in the Mata Amarilla Formation could be eventually extrapolated to other sequences deposited during climate optimums.

HIV drug resistance testing among patients failing second line antiretroviral therapy. Comparison of in-house and commercial sequencing.

PubMed

Chimukangara, Benjamin; Varyani, Bhavini; Shamu, Tinei; Mutsvangwa, Junior; Manasa, Justen; White, Elizabeth; Chimbetete, Cleophas; Luethy, Ruedi; Katzenstein, David

2017-05-01

HIV genotyping is often unavailable in low and middle-income countries due to infrastructure requirements and cost. We compared genotype resistance testing in patients with virologic failure, by amplification of HIV pol gene, followed by "in-house" sequencing and commercial sequencing. Remnant plasma samples from adults and children failing second-line ART were amplified and sequenced using in-house and commercial di-deoxysequencing, and analyzed in Harare, Zimbabwe and at Stanford, U.S.A, respectively. HIV drug resistance mutations were determined using the Stanford HIV drug resistance database. Twenty-six of 28 samples were amplified and 25 were successfully genotyped. Comparison of average percent nucleotide and amino acid identities between 23 pairs sequenced in both laboratories were 99.51 (±0.56) and 99.11 (±0.95), respectively. All pairs clustered together in phylogenetic analysis. Sequencing analysis identified 6/23 pairs with mutation discordances resulting in differences in phenotype, but these did not impact future regimens. The results demonstrate our ability to produce good quality drug resistance data in-house. Despite discordant mutations in some sequence pairs, the phenotypic predictions were not clinically significant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Upper Albian to Lower Turonian deposits and associated breccias along the Dahar cuestas (southeastern Tunisia): Origin and depositional environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krimi, Mabrouk; Ouaja, Mohamed; Zargouni, Fouad

2017-11-01

The carbonate Zebbag Formation of Upper Albian to Lower Turonian age which outcrops along the Dahar cuestas (south eastern Tunisia) includes several breccia intervals. The stratigraphic hierarchy of these breccia levels led to achieving a detailed sequential analysis within a spectrum of depositional environments extending from subtidal to inner to middle ramp settings. Six major transgressive/regressive sequences make up the stacking of the elementary sequences beginning with transgressive and/or storm wave breccias capped by desiccation and/or collapse breccias. The stratigraphic evolutionary history of the breccia facies are interpreted as the result of the interplay between eustatic and tectonic factors. This model is in accord with the tectonic activities common during Upper Albian-Lower Turonian responsible for the sequences onlapping.

College Bound in Middle School & High School? How Math Course Sequences Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkelstein, Neal; Fong, Anthony; Tiffany-Morales, Juliet; Shields, Patrick; Huang, Min

2012-01-01

As California competes for jobs in an increasingly competitive global economy, the state faces a looming shortage of highly educated workers (PPIC, 2012). For a variety of reasons, the need for individuals with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is of particular concern. Nowhere is this more true than in the…

Into Adolescence: A Time of Change. A Curriculum for Grades 5-8. Contemporary Health Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golliher, Catherine S.

This book introduces middle school students to the basic facts of human reproduction and explains the physical, emotional, and social aspects of growing into adolescence. Designed with a structured sequence of six lessons and activities, this module includes teacher scripts, reproducible worksheets, and transparency masters. Lessons cover: (1)…

Classroom Archaeology: An Archaeology Activity Guide for Teachers. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Nancy W.

This guide describes archaeology activities appropriate for middle school students, but some activities can be used in intermediate and primary grades or high school and college classes. The activities range in length from less than one hour to 15 hours. A sequence of activities may be used together as a unit on archaeology, or individual…

An Assessment of a Technology in Music Programme. Technical Report 91-2, Revised Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, Austin E.; Pegley, Karen

An innovative intermediate music programme was instituted at an elementary school in a middle class suburban area in Canada. The music teacher at the school designed a unique curriculum, the Technology in Music Programme (TIMP), for a classroom equipped with microcomputers, sequencers, drum machines, music instrument digital interface (MIDI)…

The End Justifies the Means, but Only in the Middle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toure-Tillery, Maferima; Fishbach, Ayelet

2012-01-01

Achieving goals often requires the completion of sequential actions, such as finishing a series of assignments to pass a class. In the course of pursuing such goals, people can decide how closely to follow their personal standards for each action. We propose that actions at the beginning and end of a sequence appear more diagnostic of the…

The rise of the middle author: Investigating collaboration and division of labor in biomedical research using partial alphabetical authorship.

PubMed

Mongeon, Philippe; Smith, Elise; Joyal, Bruno; Larivière, Vincent

2017-01-01

Contemporary biomedical research is performed by increasingly large teams. Consequently, an increasingly large number of individuals are being listed as authors in the bylines, which complicates the proper attribution of credit and responsibility to individual authors. Typically, more importance is given to the first and last authors, while it is assumed that the others (the middle authors) have made smaller contributions. However, this may not properly reflect the actual division of labor because some authors other than the first and last may have made major contributions. In practice, research teams may differentiate the main contributors from the rest by using partial alphabetical authorship (i.e., by listing middle authors alphabetically, while maintaining a contribution-based order for more substantial contributions). In this paper, we use partial alphabetical authorship to divide the authors of all biomedical articles in the Web of Science published over the 1980-2015 period in three groups: primary authors, middle authors, and supervisory authors. We operationalize the concept of middle author as those who are listed in alphabetical order in the middle of an authors' list. Primary and supervisory authors are those listed before and after the alphabetical sequence, respectively. We show that alphabetical ordering of middle authors is frequent in biomedical research, and that the prevalence of this practice is positively correlated with the number of authors in the bylines. We also find that, for articles with 7 or more authors, the average proportion of primary, middle and supervisory authors is independent of the team size, more than half of the authors being middle authors. This suggests that growth in authors lists are not due to an increase in secondary contributions (or middle authors) but, rather, in equivalent increases of all types of roles and contributions (including many primary authors and many supervisory authors). Nevertheless, we show that the relative contribution of alphabetically ordered middle authors to the overall production of knowledge in the biomedical field has greatly increased over the last 35 years.

The gut microbiota in young and middle-aged rats showed different responses to chicken protein in their diet.

PubMed

Zhu, Yingying; Li, He; Xu, Xinglian; Li, Chunbao; Zhou, Guanghong

2016-11-25

Meat protein in the diet has been shown to be beneficial for the growth of Lactobacillus in the caecum of growing rats; however, it is unknown whether gut microbiota in middle-aged animals have the same responses to meat protein diets. This study compared the composition of the gut microbiota between young and middle-aged rats after being fed 17.7% chicken protein diet for 14 days. Feces were collected on day 0 and day 14 from young rats (4 weeks old) and middle-aged rats (64 weeks old) fed with 17.7% chicken protein diets. The composition of the gut bacteria was analyzed by sequencing the V4-V5 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The results showed that the composition of the gut microbiota was significantly different between young and middle-aged rats on both day 0 and day 14. The percentage of Firmicutes decreased for middle-aged rats (72.1% versus 58.1% for day 0 and day 14, respectively) but increased for young rats (41.5 versus 57.7% for day 0 and day 14, respectively). The percentage of Bacteroidetes increased to 31.2% (20.5% on day 0) for middle-aged rats and decreased to 29.6% (41.3% on day 0) for young rats. The relative abundance of the beneficial genus Lactobacillus increased in response to the intake of chicken protein in the young group, while it had the opposite effect in the middle-aged group. The results of our study demonstrated that 17.7% chicken protein diet promoted the beneficial genus Lactobacillus in young rats, but the opposite effect were found in the middle-aged group. To evaluate the linkage between diet and host health, age effect should be considered in the future studies.

When did the Penglai orogeny begin on Taiwan?: Geochronological and petrographic constraints on the exhumed mountain belts and foreland-basin sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W. S.; Syu, S. J.; Yeh, J. J.

2017-12-01

Foreland basin receives large amounts of synorogenic infill that is eroded from the adjacent exhumed mountain belt, and therefore provides the important information on exhumation evolution. Furthermore, a complete stratigraphic sequence of Taiwan mountain belt consists of five units of Miocene sedimentary rocks (the Western Foothills and the uppermost sequence on the proto-Taiwan mountain belt), Oligocene argillite (the Hsuehshan Range), Eocene quartzite (the Hsuehshan Range), Eocene-Miocene slate and schist (Backbone Range), and Cretaceous schist (Backbone Range) from top to bottom. Based on the progressive unroofing history, the initiation of foreland basin received sedimentary lithic sediments from the uppermost sequence of proto-Taiwan mountain belt, afterwards, and receiving low- to medium-grade metamorphic lithic sediments in ascending order of argillite, quartzite, slate, and schist clasts. Therefore, the sedimentary lithics from mountain belt were deposited which represents the onset of the mountain uplift. In this study, the first appearance of sedimentary lithic sediments occurs in the Hengchun Peninsula at the middle Miocene (ca. 12-10 Ma). Thus, sandstone petrography of the late Miocene formation (10-5.3 Ma) shows a predominantly recycled sedimentary and low-grade metamorphic sources, including sandstone, argillite and quartzite lithic sediments of 10-25% which records erosion to slightly deeper metamorphic terrane on the mountain belt. Based on the results of previous thermogeochronological studies of the Yuli belt, it suggests that the middle Miocene occurred mountain uplift. The occurrence of low-grade metamorphic lithic sediments in the Hengchun Peninsula during late Miocene is coincident with the cooling ages of uplift and denuded Yuli schist belt at the eastern limb of Backbone Range.

Experimental rugged fitness landscape in protein sequence space.

PubMed

Hayashi, Yuuki; Aita, Takuyo; Toyota, Hitoshi; Husimi, Yuzuru; Urabe, Itaru; Yomo, Tetsuya

2006-12-20

The fitness landscape in sequence space determines the process of biomolecular evolution. To plot the fitness landscape of protein function, we carried out in vitro molecular evolution beginning with a defective fd phage carrying a random polypeptide of 139 amino acids in place of the g3p minor coat protein D2 domain, which is essential for phage infection. After 20 cycles of random substitution at sites 12-130 of the initial random polypeptide and selection for infectivity, the selected phage showed a 1.7x10(4)-fold increase in infectivity, defined as the number of infected cells per ml of phage suspension. Fitness was defined as the logarithm of infectivity, and we analyzed (1) the dependence of stationary fitness on library size, which increased gradually, and (2) the time course of changes in fitness in transitional phases, based on an original theory regarding the evolutionary dynamics in Kauffman's n-k fitness landscape model. In the landscape model, single mutations at single sites among n sites affect the contribution of k other sites to fitness. Based on the results of these analyses, k was estimated to be 18-24. According to the estimated parameters, the landscape was plotted as a smooth surface up to a relative fitness of 0.4 of the global peak, whereas the landscape had a highly rugged surface with many local peaks above this relative fitness value. Based on the landscapes of these two different surfaces, it appears possible for adaptive walks with only random substitutions to climb with relative ease up to the middle region of the fitness landscape from any primordial or random sequence, whereas an enormous range of sequence diversity is required to climb further up the rugged surface above the middle region.

Experimental Rugged Fitness Landscape in Protein Sequence Space

PubMed Central

Hayashi, Yuuki; Aita, Takuyo; Toyota, Hitoshi; Husimi, Yuzuru; Urabe, Itaru; Yomo, Tetsuya

2006-01-01

The fitness landscape in sequence space determines the process of biomolecular evolution. To plot the fitness landscape of protein function, we carried out in vitro molecular evolution beginning with a defective fd phage carrying a random polypeptide of 139 amino acids in place of the g3p minor coat protein D2 domain, which is essential for phage infection. After 20 cycles of random substitution at sites 12–130 of the initial random polypeptide and selection for infectivity, the selected phage showed a 1.7×104-fold increase in infectivity, defined as the number of infected cells per ml of phage suspension. Fitness was defined as the logarithm of infectivity, and we analyzed (1) the dependence of stationary fitness on library size, which increased gradually, and (2) the time course of changes in fitness in transitional phases, based on an original theory regarding the evolutionary dynamics in Kauffman's n-k fitness landscape model. In the landscape model, single mutations at single sites among n sites affect the contribution of k other sites to fitness. Based on the results of these analyses, k was estimated to be 18–24. According to the estimated parameters, the landscape was plotted as a smooth surface up to a relative fitness of 0.4 of the global peak, whereas the landscape had a highly rugged surface with many local peaks above this relative fitness value. Based on the landscapes of these two different surfaces, it appears possible for adaptive walks with only random substitutions to climb with relative ease up to the middle region of the fitness landscape from any primordial or random sequence, whereas an enormous range of sequence diversity is required to climb further up the rugged surface above the middle region. PMID:17183728

Epidemiological investigation of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in dromedary camel farms linked with human infection in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates.

PubMed

Muhairi, Salama Al; Hosani, Farida Al; Eltahir, Yassir M; Mulla, Mariam Al; Yusof, Mohammed F; Serhan, Wissam S; Hashem, Farouq M; Elsayed, Elsaeid A; Marzoug, Bahaaeldin A; Abdelazim, Assem S

2016-12-01

The objective of this research was to investigate the prevalence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection primarily in dromedary camel farms and the relationship of those infections with infections in humans in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Nasal swabs from 1113 dromedary camels (39 farms) and 34 sheep (1 farm) and sputum samples from 2 MERS-CoV-infected camel farm owners and 1 MERS-CoV-infected sheep farm owner were collected. Samples from camels and humans underwent real-time reverse-transcription quantitative PCR screening to detect MERS-CoV. In addition, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of partially characterized MERS-CoV genome fragments obtained from camels were performed. Among the 40 farms, 6 camel farms were positive for MERS-CoV; the virus was not detected in the single sheep farm. The maximum duration of viral shedding from infected camels was 2 weeks after the first positive test result as detected in nasal swabs and in rectal swabs obtained from infected calves. Three partial camel sequences characterized in this study (open reading frames 1a and 1ab, Spike1, Spike2, and ORF4b) together with the corresponding regions of previously reported MERS-CoV sequence obtained from one farm owner were clustering together within the larger MERS-CoV sequences cluster containing human and camel isolates reported for the Arabian Peninsula. Data provided further evidence of the zoonotic potential of MERS-CoV infection and strongly suggested that camels may have a role in the transmission of the virus to humans.

Architecture and reservoir quality of low-permeable Eocene lacustrine turbidite sandstone from the Dongying Depression, East China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munawar, Muhammad Jawad; Lin, Chengyan; Chunmei, Dong; Zhang, Xianguo; Zhao, Haiyan; Xiao, Shuming; Azeem, Tahir; Zahid, Muhammad Aleem; Ma, Cunfei

2018-05-01

The architecture and quality of lacustrine turbidites that act as petroleum reservoirs are less well documented. Reservoir architecture and multiscale heterogeneity in turbidites represent serious challenges to production performance. Additionally, establishing a hierarchy profile to delineate heterogeneity is a challenging task in lacustrine turbidite deposits. Here, we report on the turbidites in the middle third member of the Eocene Shahejie Formation (Es3), which was deposited during extensive Middle to Late Eocene rifting in the Dongying Depression. Seismic records, wireline log responses, and core observations were integrated to describe the reservoir heterogeneity by delineating the architectural elements, sequence stratigraphic framework and lithofacies assemblage. A petrographic approach was adopted to constrain microscopic heterogeneity using an optical microscope, routine core analyses and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The Es3m member is interpreted as a sequence set composed of four composite sequences: CS1, CS2, CS3 and CS4. A total of forty-five sequences were identified within these four composite sequences. Sand bodies were mainly deposited as channels, levees, overbank splays, lobes and lobe fringes. The combination of fining-upward and coarsening-upward lithofacies patterns in the architectural elements produces highly complex composite flow units. Microscopic heterogeneity is produced by diagenetic alteration processes (i.e., feldspar dissolution, authigenic clay formation and quartz cementation). The widespread kaolinization of feldspar and mobilization of materials enhanced the quality of the reservoir by producing secondary enlarged pores. In contrast, the formation of pore-filling authigenic illite and illite/smectite clays reduced its permeability. Recovery rates are higher in the axial areas and smaller in the marginal areas of architectural elements. This study represents a significant insight into the reservoir architecture and heterogeneity of lacustrine turbidites, and the understanding of compartmentalization and distribution of high-quality sand reservoirs can be applied to improve primary and secondary production in these fields.

A new third-order sequence stratigraphic framework applied to the Triassic of the Paraná Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, based on structural, stratigraphic and paleontological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, B. L. D.; Melo, T. M.; Schultz, C. L.; Philipp, R. P.; Kloss, H. P.; Goldberg, K.

2014-11-01

The Santacruzodon assemblage zone was originally defined as a vertebrate fossil assemblage composed basically of non-mammalian cynodonts found in Santa Cruz do Sul and Venâncio Aires municipalities in Southern Brazil. This assemblage zone was positioned at the top of the Sequence I, in the Triassic Santa Maria Supersequence, Paraná Basin. However, the Santacruzodon assemblage zone does not occur across the entire area of the Santa Maria Supersequence. Based on new paleontological, structural and sedimentological data, we propose the existence of a new third-order sequence (Santa Cruz Sequence) between Sequences I and II in the Santa Maria Supersequence. Satellite image analysis was used to identify regional, NW- and NE-oriented lineaments that limit the occurrence zone. Outcrop data allowed the identification of a regional, angular unconformity that bounds the new sequence. The faunal content allowed the correlation of the new Santa Cruz Sequence with Madagascar's Isalo II fauna, corresponding to the Ladinian (Middle Triassic). New names were suggested for the sequences in the Santa Maria Supersequence, since the Santa Cruz Sequence was deposited between the former Sequences I and II. This unit was deposited or preserved exclusively on the hanging wall of normal faults, being absent from the adjacent structural blocks.

Genetic traces of east-to-west human expansion waves in Eurasia.

PubMed

Chaix, Raphaëlle; Austerlitz, Frédéric; Hegay, Tatyana; Quintana-Murci, Lluís; Heyer, Evelyne

2008-07-01

In this study, we describe the landscape of human demographic expansions in Eurasia using a large continental Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA dataset. Variation at these two uniparentally-inherited genetic systems retraces expansions that occurred in the past 60 ky, and shows a clear decrease of expansion ages from east to west Eurasia. To investigate the demographic events at the origin of this westward decrease of expansion ages, the estimated divergence ages between Eurasian populations are compared with the estimated expansion ages within each population. Both markers suggest that the demographic expansion diffused from east to west in Eurasia in a demic way, i.e., through migrations of individuals (and not just through diffusion of new technologies), highlighting the prominent role of eastern regions within Eurasia during Palaeolithic times. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Further constraints on the Chauvet cave artwork elaboration.

PubMed

Sadier, Benjamin; Delannoy, Jean-Jacques; Benedetti, Lucilla; Bourlès, Didier L; Jaillet, Stéphane; Geneste, Jean-Michel; Lebatard, Anne-Elisabeth; Arnold, Maurice

2012-05-22

Since its discovery, the Chauvet cave elaborate artwork called into question our understanding of Palaeolithic art evolution and challenged traditional chronological benchmarks [Valladas H et al. (2001) Nature 413:419-479]. Chronological approaches revealing human presences in the cavity during the Aurignacian and the Gravettian are indeed still debated on the basis of stylistic criteria [Pettitt P (2008) J Hum Evol 55:908-917]. The presented (36)Cl Cosmic Ray Exposure ages demonstrate that the cliff overhanging the Chauvet cave has collapsed several times since 29 ka until the sealing of the cavity entrance prohibited access to the cave at least 21 ka ago. Remarkably agreeing with the radiocarbon dates of the human and animal occupancy, this study confirms that the Chauvet cave paintings are the oldest and the most elaborate ever discovered, challenging our current knowledge of human cognitive evolution.

Further constraints on the Chauvet cave artwork elaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadier, Benjamin; Delannoy, Jean-Jacques; Benedetti, Lucilla; Bourlès, Didier L.; Jaillet, Stéphane; Geneste, Jean-Michel; Lebatard, Anne-Elisabeth; Arnold, Maurice

2012-05-01

Since its discovery, the Chauvet cave elaborate artwork called into question our understanding of Palaeolithic art evolution and challenged traditional chronological benchmarks [Valladas H et al. (2001) Nature 413:419-479]. Chronological approaches revealing human presences in the cavity during the Aurignacian and the Gravettian are indeed still debated on the basis of stylistic criteria [Pettitt P (2008) J Hum Evol 55:908-917]. The presented 36Cl Cosmic Ray Exposure ages demonstrate that the cliff overhanging the Chauvet cave has collapsed several times since 29 ka until the sealing of the cavity entrance prohibited access to the cave at least 21 ka ago. Remarkably agreeing with the radiocarbon dates of the human and animal occupancy, this study confirms that the Chauvet cave paintings are the oldest and the most elaborate ever discovered, challenging our current knowledge of human cognitive evolution.

Middle Miocene vertebrates from the Amazonian Madre de Dios Subandean Zone, Perú

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; Roddaz, Martin; Brichau, Stéphanie; Tejada-Lara, Julia; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo; Altamirano, Ali; Louterbach, Mélanie; Lambs, Luc; Otto, Thierry; Brusset, Stéphane

2013-03-01

A new middle Miocene vertebrate fauna from Peruvian Amazonia is described. It yields the marsupials Sipalocyon sp. (Hathliacynidae) and Marmosa (Micoureus) cf. laventica (Didelphidae), as well as an unidentified glyptodontine xenarthran and the rodents Guiomys sp. (Caviidae), “Scleromys” sp., cf. quadrangulatus-schurmanni-colombianus (Dinomyidae), an unidentified acaremyid, and cf. Microsteiromys sp. (Erethizontidae). Apatite Fission Track provides a detrital age (17.1 ± 2.4 Ma) for the locality, slightly older than its inferred biochronological age (Colloncuran-early Laventan South American Land Mammal Ages: ˜15.6-13.0 Ma). Put together, both the mammalian assemblage and lithology of the fossil-bearing level point to a mixture of tropical rainforest environment and more open habitats under a monsoonal-like tropical climate. The fully fluvial origin of the concerned sedimentary sequence suggests that the Amazonian Madre de Dios Subandean Zone was not part of the Pebas mega-wetland System by middle Miocene times. This new assemblage seems to reveal a previously undocumented “spatiotemporal transition” between the late early Miocene assemblages from high latitudes (Patagonia and Southern Chile) and the late middle Miocene faunas of low latitudes (Colombia, Perú, Venezuela, and ?Brazil).

Mutational analysis of the antigenomic trans-acting delta ribozyme: the alterations of the middle nucleotides located on the P1 stem.

PubMed Central

Ananvoranich, S; Lafontaine, D A; Perreault, J P

1999-01-01

Our previous report on delta ribozyme cleavage using a trans -acting antigenomic delta ribozyme and a collection of short substrates showed that the middle nucleotides of the P1 stem, the substrate binding site, are essential for the cleavage activity. Here we have further investigated the effect of alterations in the P1 stem on the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of delta ribozyme cleavage using various ribozyme variants carrying single base mutations at putative positions reported. The kinetic and thermodynamic values obtained in mutational studies of the two middle nucleotides of the P1 stem suggest that the binding and active sites of the delta ribozyme are uniquely formed. Firstly, the substrate and the ribozyme are engaged in the formation of a helix, known as the P1 stem, which may contain a weak hydrogen bond(s) or a bulge. Secondly, a tertiary interaction involving the base moieties in the middle of the P1 stem likely plays a role in defining the chemical environment. As a con-sequence, the active site might form simultaneously or subsequently to the binding site during later steps of the pathway. PMID:10037808

Systematization, distribution and territory of the middle cerebral artery on the brain surface in chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera).

PubMed

De Araujo, A C P; Campos, R

2009-02-01

The aim of the present study was to analyse thirty chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) brains, injected with latex, and to systematize and describe the distribution and the vascularization territories of the middle cerebral artery. This long vessel, after it has originated from the terminal branch of the basilar artery, formed the following collateral branches: rostral, caudal and striated (perforating) central branches. After crossing the lateral rhinal sulcus, the middle cerebral artery emitted a sequence of rostral and caudal convex hemispheric cortical collateral branches on the convex surface of the cerebral hemisphere to the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes. Among the rostral convex hemispheric branches, a trunk was observed, which reached the frontal and parietal lobes and, in a few cases, the occipital lobe. The vascular territory of the chinchilla's middle cerebral artery included, in the cerebral hemisphere basis, the lateral cerebral fossa, the caudal third of the olfactory trigone, the rostral two-thirds of the piriform lobe, the lateral olfactory tract, and most of the convex surface of the cerebral hemisphere, except for a strip between the cerebral longitudinal fissure and the vallecula, which extended from the rostral to the caudal poles bordering the cerebral transverse fissure.

Devonian climate and reef evolution: Insights from oxygen isotopes in apatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joachimski, M. M.; Breisig, S.; Buggisch, W.; Talent, J. A.; Mawson, R.; Gereke, M.; Morrow, J. R.; Day, J.; Weddige, K.

2009-07-01

Conodonts, microfossils composed of carbonate-fluor apatite, are abundant in Palaeozoic-Triassic sediments and have a high potential to preserve primary oxygen isotope signals. In order to reconstruct the palaeotemperature history of the Devonian, the oxygen isotope composition of apatite phosphate was measured on 639 conodont samples from sequences in Europe, North America and Australia. The Early Devonian (Lochkovian; 416-411 Myr) was characterized by warm tropical temperatures of around 30 °C. A cooling trend started in the Pragian (410 Myr) with intermediate temperatures around 23 to 25 °C reconstructed for the Middle Devonian (397-385 Myr). During the Frasnian (383-375 Myr), temperatures increased again with temperatures to 30 °C calculated for the Frasnian-Famennian transition (375 Myr). During the Famennian (375-359 Myr), surface water temperatures slightly decreased. Reconstructed Devonian palaeotemperatures do not support earlier views suggesting the Middle Devonian was a supergreenhouse interval, an interpretation based partly on the development of extensive tropical coral-stromatoporoid communities during the Middle Devonian. Instead, the Devonian palaeotemperature record suggests that Middle Devonian coral-stromatoporoid reefs flourished during cooler time intervals whereas microbial reefs dominated during the warm to very warm Early and Late Devonian.

Evaluating the Impact of a Multistrategy Inference Intervention for Middle-Grade Struggling Readers

PubMed Central

Elleman, Amy

2017-01-01

Purpose We examined the effectiveness of a multistrategy inference intervention designed to increase inference making and reading comprehension for middle-grade struggling readers. Method A total of 66 middle-grade struggling readers were randomized to treatment (n = 33) and comparison (n = 33) conditions. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction in 4 inference strategies (i.e., clarification using text clues; activating and using prior knowledge; understanding character perspectives and author's purpose; answering inferential questions). In addition, narrative and informational texts were carefully chosen and sequenced to build requisite background knowledge to form inferences. Intervention was delivered in small groups of 3 students for 10 days of instruction. Results One-way analysis of covariance models on outcome measures with the respective pretest scores as a covariate revealed significant gains on a proximal measure of Egyptian-content knowledge (g = 1.37) and on a standardized measure of reading comprehension—i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition Reading Comprehension (g = 0.46). Conclusion The moderate effect on a standardized measure of reading comprehension provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of this multistrategy inference intervention in improving reading comprehension of middle-grade struggling readers. PMID:27776201

Magnetic history of Early and Middle Ordovician sedimentary sequence, northern Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plado, J.; Preeden, U.; Pesonen, L. J.; Mertanen, S.; Puura, V.

2010-01-01

Alternating field and thermal demagnetization of lime- and dolostones from the Lower and Middle Ordovician (Floian to Darriwilian stages) subhorizontally bedded sequences in NW and NE Estonia reveal two characteristic magnetization components (named P and S). The intermediate-coercivity (demagnetized at 30-60 mT, up to 300-350°C) reversed polarity component P (mean of Floian Stage: Dref = 147.8 +/- 10.8°, Iref = 65.8 +/- 5.4° combined mean of Dapingian and Darriwilian stages: Dref = 166.0 +/- 8.4°, Iref = 56.1 +/- 6.5°) is regarded as the primary remanence of early diagenetic (chemical) origin. On the Baltica's apparent polar wander path (APWP), the palaeopoles (Floian: Plat = 25.0°N, Plon = 50.8°E, K = 52.7, A95 = 7.2° Dapingian and Darriwilian: Plat = 11.4°N, Plon = 39.1°E, K = 33.8, A95 = 6.7°) are placed on the Lower and Middle Ordovician segment. The poles indicate that Estonia was located at southerly latitudes, decreasing with time (Floian: ~48°S Dapingian and Darriwilian: ~37°S), when the remanence was acquired. A high-coercivity and high-unblocking-temperature component S (mean of samples: Dref = 33.7 +/- 6.3°, Iref = 51.9 +/- 5.7°) that is regarded as a secondary remanence has both normal and reversed polarities. On the European APWP, its palaeopole (Plat = 52.5°N, Plon = 157.9°E, K = 38.9, A95 = 5.3°) gives middle to late Permian age. According to mineralogical (SEM and optical microscopy) and rock magnetic (three-component induced remnant magnetization) studies, component P is carried by magnetite (coexisting with glauconite) and component S by haematite. Magnetite is of chemical origin, formed in the course of early diagenesis and/or dolomitization. During the Permian continental period haematite, the carrier of component S, was likely precipitated from oxidizing meteoric fluids in the already existing or simultaneously formed pore space between the dolomite crystals.

DNA barcoding for molecular identification of Demodex based on mitochondrial genes.

PubMed

Hu, Li; Yang, YuanJun; Zhao, YaE; Niu, DongLing; Yang, Rui; Wang, RuiLing; Lu, Zhaohui; Li, XiaoQi

2017-12-01

There has been no widely accepted DNA barcode for species identification of Demodex. In this study, we attempted to solve this issue. First, mitochondrial cox1-5' and 12S gene fragments of Demodex folloculorum, D. brevis, D. canis, and D. caprae were amplified, cloned, and sequenced for the first time; intra/interspecific divergences were computed and phylogenetic trees were reconstructed. Then, divergence frequency distribution plots of those two gene fragments were drawn together with mtDNA cox1-middle region and 16S obtained in previous studies. Finally, their identification efficiency was evaluated by comparing barcoding gap. Results indicated that 12S had the higher identification efficiency. Specifically, for cox1-5' region of the four Demodex species, intraspecific divergences were less than 2.0%, and interspecific divergences were 21.1-31.0%; for 12S, intraspecific divergences were less than 1.4%, and interspecific divergences were 20.8-26.9%. The phylogenetic trees demonstrated that the four Demodex species clustered separately, and divergence frequency distribution plot showed that the largest intraspecific divergence of 12S (1.4%) was less than cox1-5' region (2.0%), cox1-middle region (3.1%), and 16S (2.8%). The barcoding gap of 12S was 19.4%, larger than cox1-5' region (19.1%), cox1-middle region (11.3%), and 16S (13.0%); the interspecific divergence span of 12S was 6.2%, smaller than cox1-5' region (10.0%), cox1-middle region (14.1%), and 16S (11.4%). Moreover, 12S has a moderate length (517 bp) for sequencing at once. Therefore, we proposed mtDNA 12S was more suitable than cox1 and 16S to be a DNA barcode for classification and identification of Demodex at lower category level.

A new tephrochronology for early diverse stone tool technologies and long-distance raw material transport in the Middle to Late Pleistocene Kapthurin Formation, East Africa.

PubMed

Blegen, Nick; Jicha, Brian R; McBrearty, Sally

2018-05-09

The Middle to Late Pleistocene (780-10 ka) of East Africa records evidence of significant behavioral change, early fossils of Homo sapiens, and the dispersals of our species across and out of Africa. Studying human evolution in this time period thus requires an extensive and precise chronology relating behavioral evidence from archaeological sequences to aspects of hominin biology and evidence of past environments from fossils and geological sequences. Tephrochronology provides the chronostratigraphic resolution to achieve this through correlation and dating of volcanic ashes. The tephrochronology of the Kapthurin Formation presented here, based on tephra correlations and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates, provides new ages between 395.6 ± 3.5 ka and 465.3 ± 1.0 ka for nine sites showing diverse blade and Levallois methods of core reduction. These are >110 kyr older than previously known in East Africa. New 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates provide a refined age of 222.5 ± 0.6 ka for early evidence of long-distance (166 km) obsidian transport at the Sibilo School Road Site. A tephra correlation between the Baringo and Victoria basins also provides a new date of ∼100 ka for the Middle Stone Age site of Keraswanin. By providing new and older dates for 11 sites containing several important aspects of hominin behavior and extending the chronology of the Kapthurin Formation forward by ∼130,000 years, the tephrochronology presented here contributes one of the longest and most refined chronostratigraphic frameworks of Middle through Late Pleistocene East Africa. This tephrochronology thus provides the foundation to understand the process of modern human behavioral evolution as it relates to biological and paleoenvironmental circumstances. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extent of Pleistocene lakes in the western Great Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reheis, Marith C.

1999-01-01

During the Pliocene to middle Pleistocene, pluvial lakes in the western Great Basin repeatedly rose to levels much higher than those of the well-documented late Pleistocene pluvial lakes, and some presently isolated basins were connected. Sedimentologic, geomorphic, and chronologic evidence at sites shown on the map indicates that Lakes Lahontan and Columbus-Rennie were as much as 70 m higher in the early-middle Pleistocene than during their late Pleistocene high stands. Lake Lahontan at its 1400-m shoreline level would submerge present-day Reno, Carson City, and Battle Mountain, and would flood other now-dry basins. To the east, Lakes Jonathan (new name), Diamond, Newark, and Hubbs also reached high stands during the early-middle(?) Pleistocene that were 25-40 m above their late Pleistocene shorelines; at these very high levels, the lakes became temporarily or permanently tributary to the Humboldt River and hence to Lake Lahontan. Such a temporary connection could have permitted fish to migrate from the Humboldt River southward into the presently isolated Newark Valley and from Lake Lahontan into Fairview Valley. The timing of drainage integration also provides suggested maximum ages for fish to populate the basins of Lake Diamond and Lake Jonathan. Reconstructing and dating these lake levels also has important implications for paleoclimate, tectonics, and drainage evolution in the western Great Basin. For example, shorelines in several basins form a stair-step sequence downward with time from the highest levels, thought to have formed at about 650 ka, to the lowest, formed during the late Pleistocene. This descending sequence indicates progressive drying of pluvial periods, possibly caused by uplift of the Sierra Nevada and other western ranges relative to the western Great Basin. However, these effects cannot account for the extremely high lake levels during the early middle Pleistocene; rather, these high levels were probably due to a combination of increased effective moisture and changes in the size of the Lahontan drainage basin.

Great Basin Archaeology During the Middle Holocene: a Reflection of Environmental Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wriston, T.

2008-12-01

Varying types of proxy data in the Great Basin of the western United States suggest that the environment changed dramatically during the mid-Holocene. Lake, marsh, and spring systems dried; and dune fields, first established at the end of the Pleistocene, where again activated as sediments were swept from drying basin lowlands. Plant communities reorganized and migrated along elevation gradients to adapt to these changing conditions, and animal populations followed. However, recent data suggests that conditions during the middle Holocene were variable. Minimally, three distinct periods can be recognized, herein named: the Initial Middle Holocene (ca. 8000 to 5800 cal yr BP), the Middle Holocene Gap (ca. 5800 to 5200 cal yr BP), and the Terminal Middle Holocene (ca. 5200 to 4000 cal yr BP). Depending on location and the type of proxy data studied, these periods can vary in their character and timing, but their sequence is increasingly recognized in records of both regional and global-scale. The Initial Middle Holocene is the driest and most volatile of the three periods, with a shift from winter-to summer-dominated precipitation, often delivered by torrential storms. Conversely, the Middle Holocene Gap is a relatively mesic interval with increased winter precipitation and cooler temperatures. A shift towards drier conditions is again evidenced during the Terminal Middle Holocene; however, conditions are never again as dry or as volatile as during the Initial Middle Holocene. The archaeological signature of the Great Basin during the middle Holocene reflects adaptation to this changing environment. During the Initial Middle Holocene, archaeological sites are relatively scarce, and when present, are near water sources substantial enough to persist through the intense drought. The uplands became a focus of sustained seasonal use for the first time as increasingly diverse resources and environments are routinely exploited. It follows that milling gear is a regular and increasingly important element of the prehistoric toolkit. At the onset of the Middle Holocene Gap, rising populations across the Great Basin (and worldwide) are reflected by a surge in archaeological visibility as environmental conditions improved. These populations persist through the less volatile Terminal Middle Holocene. Cultural adaptations to lean times refined during the middle Holocene lead to a punctuated increase in prehistoric populations at the middle-to-late Holocene transition around 4000 cal yr BP, when conditions reach near modern norms. This review offers a synopsis of our current understanding of mid-Holocene environmental change in the Great Basin and how the archaeological record reflects prehistoric adaptations to this dynamic period.

Determining geographical spread pattern of MERS-CoV by distance method using Kimura model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amiroch, Siti; Rohmatullah, Arif

2017-03-01

MERS-CoV or generally called as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, a respiratory disease syndrome caused by a corona virus that attacks the respiratory tract ranging from mild to severe acute indication of fever, cough and shortness of breath. The cases happened relate to the countries in the Arabian Peninsula (Middle East) and there were 356 deaths have been reported due to the spread of the epidemic MERS. The data used in the case of MERS are the data DNA sequences taken from Genbank, the online database of the United States that stores the results of molecular biological experiments from all over the world (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). In this case, bioinformatics plays an important role of reading sequences of DNA and genetic information by using the main device in the form of software that is supported by the availability of the Internet, while the analysis there in made and proven with mathematical methods. In similar research conducted by molecular biologists and physicians, the process of DNA sequencing is done with software that is already available like BLAST. In order to determine the MERS geographical distribution patterns in the Arabian Peninsula is done with program Clustal W, Bayesian, Phylip, etc. In this study, the writer use the Matlab simulation for all processes starting sequence alignment, counting the number of transitions and transversion substitutions for each sequence and its location up to the process of forming a phylogenetic tree that figures out the pattern of spread of the epidemic MERS. Mathematical analysis performed on a decline in the formula is to find Kimura evolutionary models and the process of forming a phylogenetic tree (the pattern of the epidemic MERS distribution) with neighbor joining algorithm. Finally it was obtained the pattern of geographical spread with 6 groups epidemic of MERS which ultimately turns out that all the MERS viruses that were spread in the Arabian Peninsula everything are almost the same as the virus sequence found in al-Hasa.

Upper Middle Pleistocene climate and landscape development of Northern Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, B.

2009-04-01

The Pleistocene sequence of the Schöningen lignite mine contains a number of interglacial and interstadial limnic and peat deposits, travertine tuff, soils, tills and fluvioglacial sediments as well as loess deposits. The complex Quaternary sequence contains six major cycles with evidence of four interglacials younger than the Elsterian glaciation and preceding the Holocene. The sequence begins with Late Elsterian glacial and three interstadial deposits formed in shallow basins. Cycle I is assigned to late parts of the Holsteinian interglacial. A strong cooling is recorded by a significant increase of Artemisia and grasses during the following Buschhaus A Stadial, which is considered to mark the onset of the Saalian Complex sensu lato (penultimate glacial-complex). The lacustrine sediments of Cycle II, Reinsdorf interglacial sequence (Urban, 1995), have been found to occur at archaeological sites Schöningen 12 and 13 (Thieme,1997). Recent investigations give evidence for at least 13 Local Pollen Assemblage Zones showing a five-fold division of the interglacial and a sequence of five climatic oscillations following the interglacial (Urban, 2006). From the relative high values for grasses and herbs in the inferred forested periods of the interglacial, a warm dry forest steppe climate can be deduced. The stratigraphic position of throwing spears (Thieme, 1997), can clearly be allocated to Reinsdorf Interstadial B (level II-4) characterized by an open pine-birch forest. Uppermost parts (level II-5) represent the transition into a periglacial environment indicating the definite end of cycle II. The Schöningen Interglacial (Cycle III) represents the youngest of the pre-Drenthe (Early Saalian Stadial) interglacials (Urban, 1995). In summary, it can be concluded that the Middle Pleistocene terrestrial pollen record of the Schöningen sequence represents tentative correlatives of MIS 7, 9 and 11. North of Leck (North Friesland, Schleswig-Holstein) sediments of the centre and the margin of a 286 m deep channel, subglacially eroded during the Elsterian, have recently been investigated by 9 counter flash or cored drillings (Stephan et al., in press). Studies focussed on the uppermost 50 m, made up of a series of approximately 9 m thick fluviatile sediments ("Leck-Folge") with intercalations of organic sand layers and a gyttja band, up to 1.5 m thick. This sequence is overlain by several metres of mainly decalcified groundmoraine, that, itself, is overlain by glaciofluvial and periglacial sediments. The palynological investigations of the gyttja reveal a floral development of interglacial character ("Leck-Thermomer"). Compared to other Middle Pleistocene warm periods in North Germany, correlations of the Leck-Thermomer with the Holsteinian and with the warm periods of the Reinsdorf and Wacken (Dömnitz) interglacials are precluded or appear rather implausible. The Leck-Thermomer is most likely a correlative of the marine oxigen isotope stage 7 c (MIS 7). Stephan, H.-J., Urban, B., Lüttig, G., Menke, B. und M. Sierralta: Palynologische, petrographische und geochronologische Untersuchungen der Leck-Warmzeit (spätes Mittelpleistozän) und ihrer begleitenden Sedimente.- [Palynological, petrographical, and geochronological investigations of deposits of the "Leck-Thermomer" and accompanying sediments].- Geologisches Jahrbuch, in press. Thieme, H., 1997. Lower Paleolithic hunting spears from Germany. Nature 385, 807-810. Urban, B. 1995. Palynological evidence of younger Middle Pleistocene Interglacials (Holsteinian, Reinsdorf, Schöningen) in the Schöningen open cast lignite mine (eastern Lower Saxony/Germany). Mededelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst 52, 175-186. Urban, B. 2006. Interglacial pollen records from Schöningen, north Germany.- In: THE CLIMATE OF PAST INTERGLACIALS. Sirocko, F., Litt, T., Claussen, M., Sanchez-Goni, M.F. (eds.), Springer Verlag; in press.

Tok-Algoma magmatic complex of the Selenga-Stanovoi Superterrain in the Central Asian fold belt: Age and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotov, A. B.; Larin, A. M.; Salnikova, E. B.; Velikoslavinskii, S. D.; Sorokin, A. A.; Sorokin, A. P.; Yakovleva, S. Z.; Anisimova, I. V.; Tolmacheva, E. V.

2012-05-01

According to the results of U-Pb geochronological investigations, the hornblende subalkali diorite rocks making up the Tok-Algoma Complex in the eastern part of the Selenga-Stanovoi Superterrain of the Central Asian fold belt were formed in the Middle Jurassic rather than in the Middle Archean as was suggested previously. Thus, the age of the regional amphibolite facies metamorphism manifested itself in the Ust'-Gilyui rock sequence of the Stanovoi Complex and that superimposed on granitoids of the Tok-Algoma Complex is Mesozoic rather than Early Precambrian. The geochemical features of the Tok-Algoma granitoids are indicative of the fact that they were formed in the geodynamic setting of the active continental margin or a mature island arc. Hence, it is possible to suggest that the subduction processes along the southern boundary between the Selenga-Stanovoi Superterrain and the Mongolian-Okhotsk ocean basin in the Middle Jurassic resulted in the formation of a magmatic belt of over 500 km in length.

Initial excavation and dating of Ngalue Cave: a Middle Stone Age site along the Niassa Rift, Mozambique.

PubMed

Mercader, Julio; Asmerom, Yemane; Bennett, Tim; Raja, Mussa; Skinner, Anne

2009-07-01

Direct evidence for a systematic occupation of the African tropics during the early late Pleistocene is lacking. Here, we report a record of human occupation between 105-42ka, based on results from a radiometrically-dated cave section from the Mozambican segment of the Niassa (Malawi/Nyasa) Rift called Ngalue. The sedimentary sequence from bottom to top has five units. We concentrate on the so-called "Middle Beds," which contain a Middle Stone Age industry characterized by the use of the discoidal reduction technique. A significant typological feature is the presence of formal types such as points, scrapers, awls, and microliths. Special objects consist of grinders/core-axes covered by ochre. Ngalue is one of the few directly-dated Pleistocene sites located along the biogeographical corridor for modern human dispersals that links east, central, and southern Africa, and, with further study, may shed new light on hominin cave habitats during the late Pleistocene.

The Cambrian-Ordovician rocks of Sonora, Mexico, and southern Arizona, southwestern margin of North America (Laurentia): chapter 35

USGS Publications Warehouse

Page, William R.; Harris, Alta C.; Repetski, John E.; Derby, James R.; Fritz, R.D.; Longacre, S.A.; Morgan, W.A.; Sternbach, C.A.

2013-01-01

The most complete sections of Ordovician shelf rocks in Sonora are 50 km (31 mi) northwast of Hermosillo. In these sections, the Lower Ordovician is characterized by intraclastic limestone, siltstone, shale, and chert. The Middle Ordovician is mostly silty limestone and quartzite, and the Upper Ordovician is cherty limestone and some argillaceous limestone. A major disconformity separates the Middle Ordovician quartzite from the overlying Upper Ordovician carbonate rocks and is similar to the disconformity between the Middle and Upper Ordovician Eureka Quartzite and Upper Ordovician Ely Springs Dolomite in Nevada and California. In parts of northwestern Sonora, Ordovician rocks are disconformably overlain by Upper Silurain rocks. Northeastward in Sonora and Arizona, toward the craton, Ordovician rocks are progressively truncated by a major onlap unconformity and are overliand by Devonian rocks. Except in local area, Ordovician rocks are generally absent in cratonic platform sequences in northern Sonora and southern Arizona.

Emergence of antigenic variants within serotype A FMDV in the Middle East with antigenically critical amino acid substitutions.

PubMed

Mahapatra, Mana; Statham, Bob; Li, Yanmin; Hammond, Jef; Paton, David; Parida, Satya

2016-06-08

A new immunologically distinct strain (A-Iran-05) of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype A emerged in the Middle East in 2003 that replaced the previously circulating strains (A-Iran-96 and A-Iran-99) in the region. This resulted in introduction of a new vaccine of this strain (A/TUR/2006) in 2006. Though this vaccine strain has been predominantly used to control FMD in the region, recent viruses isolated in 2012 and 2013 have shown antigenic drift and a poor match with it. In this study, we report the antigenic matching results and capsid sequence data of currently circulating viruses belonging to the SIS-10 and SIS-12 sub-lineages of A-Iran-05 (isolated in 2012 and 2013), highlighting the inadequacy of the currently used serotype A vaccines. Implications of these results in the context of FMD control in the Middle East are discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Two new species of shovel-jaw carp Onychostoma (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from southern Vietnam.

PubMed

Hoang, Huy Duc; Pham, Hung Manh; Tran, Ngan Trong

2015-05-22

Two new species of large shovel-jaw carps in the genus Onychostoma are described from the upper Krong No and middle Dong Nai drainages of the Langbiang Plateau in southern Vietnam. These new species are known from streams in montane mixed pine and evergreen forests between 140 and 1112 m. Their populations are isolated in the headwaters of the upper Sre Pok River of the Mekong basin and in the middle of the Dong Nai basin. Both species are differentiated from their congeners by a combination of the following characters: transverse mouth opening width greater than head width, 14-17 predorsal scales, caudal-peduncle length 3.9-4.2 times in SL, no barbels in adults and juveniles, a strong serrated last simple ray of the dorsal fin, and small eye diameter (20.3-21.5% HL). Onychostoma krongnoensis sp. nov. is differentiated from Onychostoma dongnaiensis sp. nov. by body depth (4.0 vs. 3.2 times in SL), predorsal scale number (14-17 vs. 14-15), dorsal-fin length (4.5 vs. 4.2 times in SL), caudal-peduncle length (3.9 vs. 4.2 times in SL), colour in life (dark vs. bright), and by mitochondrial DNA (0.2% sequence divergence). Molecular evidence indicates that both species are members of Onychostoma and are distinct from all congeners sampled (uncorrected sequence divergences at the 16S rRNA gene of >2.0% for all Onychostoma for which homologous 16S rRNA sequences are available).

Loess and loess-like sediments from the foothills of the Banat Mountains, Romania - Examples from loess sections and Paleolithic sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, F.; Kels, H.; Hambach, U.; Protze, J.; Eckmeier, E.; Hilgers, A.; Klasen, N.

2013-12-01

New investigations from loess and loess-like sediments in the Western Plain of Romania provide evidences for a deeper insight and connection between long loess sections of the lowlands (Semlac) and short sections from the Carpathian foothills (Romanesti and Cosava). While the long loess sections provide evidence concerning climatic and environmental change since the middle Pleistocene the short sequences from the foothills include Paleolithic sites give information especially for the interstadial of the last glacial cycle when the first modern humans arrived in Europe. The section at Semlac is regarded as a key section for Western Romania, which offers possibilities to a) improve the understanding of the type and composition of the lowland loess sequences, b) to reconstruct the local loess-palaeosol succession and c) to connect the loesses of the region for the first time to loess-sequences in adjacent areas. The Paleolithic sites Romanesti and Cosava are situated at the foothills of the Banat Mountains in Romania and provide an important testament of life of the first European modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) during Middle Pleniglacial. Even though these sites have been extensively excavated, little is known about the site formation of related loess-like sediments and soils. First luminescence data for the region of all these investigated sections confirm sediments from the penultimate glacial period up to the Holocene. For Semlac, a first relative dating is given by rock magnetic methods in comparison to Serbian loess sections.

Burial of thermally perturbed Lesser Himalayan mid-crust: Evidence from petrochemistry and P-T estimation of the western Arunachal Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami-Banerjee, Sriparna; Bhowmik, Santanu Kumar; Dasgupta, Somnath; Pant, Naresh Chandra

2014-11-01

In this work, we establish a dual prograde P-T path of the Lesser Himalayan Sequence (LHS) rocks from the western Arunachal Himalaya (WAH). The investigated metagranites, garnet- and kyanite-zone metapelites of the LHS are part of an inverted metamorphic sequence (IMS) that is exposed on the footwall side of the Main Central Thrust (MCT). Integrated petrographic, mineral chemistry, geothermobarometric (conventional and isopleth intersection methods) and P-T pseudosection modeling studies reveal a near isobaric (at P ~ 8-9 kbar) peak Barrovian metamorphism with increase in TMax from ~ 560 °C in the metagranite through ~ 590-600 °C in the lower and middle garnet-zone to ~ 600-630 °C in the upper garnet- and kyanite-zone rocks. The metamorphic sequence of the LHS additionally records a pre-Barrovian near isobaric thermal gradient in the mid crust (at ~ 6 kbar) from ~ 515 °C (in the middle garnet zone) to ~ 560-580 °C (in the upper garnet- and kyanite zone, adjoining the Main Central Thrust). Further burial (along steep dP/dT gradient) to a uniform depth corresponding to ~ 8-9 kbar and prograde heating of the differentially heated LHS rocks led to the formation of near isobaric metamorphic field gradient in the Barrovian metamorphic zones of the WAH. A combined critical taper and channel flow model is presented to explain the inverted metamorphic zonation of the rocks of the WAH.

New metric for optimizing Continuous Loop Averaging Deconvolution (CLAD) sequences under the 1/f noise model

PubMed Central

Peng, Xian; Yuan, Han; Chen, Wufan; Ding, Lei

2017-01-01

Continuous loop averaging deconvolution (CLAD) is one of the proven methods for recovering transient auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in rapid stimulation paradigms, which requires an elaborated stimulus sequence design to attenuate impacts from noise in data. The present study aimed to develop a new metric in gauging a CLAD sequence in terms of noise gain factor (NGF), which has been proposed previously but with less effectiveness in the presence of pink (1/f) noise. We derived the new metric by explicitly introducing the 1/f model into the proposed time-continuous sequence. We selected several representative CLAD sequences to test their noise property on typical EEG recordings, as well as on five real CLAD electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to retrieve the middle latency responses. We also demonstrated the merit of the new metric in generating and quantifying optimized sequences using a classic genetic algorithm. The new metric shows evident improvements in measuring actual noise gains at different frequencies, and better performance than the original NGF in various aspects. The new metric is a generalized NGF measurement that can better quantify the performance of a CLAD sequence, and provide a more efficient mean of generating CLAD sequences via the incorporation with optimization algorithms. The present study can facilitate the specific application of CLAD paradigm with desired sequences in the clinic. PMID:28414803

Analysis of global gene expression profiles to identify differentially expressed genes critical for embryo development in Brassica rapa.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Peng, Lifang; Wu, Ya; Shen, Yanyue; Wu, Xiaoming; Wang, Jianbo

2014-11-01

Embryo development represents a crucial developmental period in the life cycle of flowering plants. To gain insights into the genetic programs that control embryo development in Brassica rapa L., RNA sequencing technology was used to perform transcriptome profiling analysis of B. rapa developing embryos. The results generated 42,906,229 sequence reads aligned with 32,941 genes. In total, 27,760, 28,871, 28,384, and 25,653 genes were identified from embryos at globular, heart, early cotyledon, and mature developmental stages, respectively, and analysis between stages revealed a subset of stage-specific genes. We next investigated 9,884 differentially expressed genes with more than fivefold changes in expression and false discovery rate ≤ 0.001 from three adjacent-stage comparisons; 1,514, 3,831, and 6,633 genes were detected between globular and heart stage embryo libraries, heart stage and early cotyledon stage, and early cotyledon and mature stage, respectively. Large numbers of genes related to cellular process, metabolism process, response to stimulus, and biological process were expressed during the early and middle stages of embryo development. Fatty acid biosynthesis, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and photosynthesis-related genes were expressed predominantly in embryos at the middle stage. Genes for lipid metabolism and storage proteins were highly expressed in the middle and late stages of embryo development. We also identified 911 transcription factor genes that show differential expression across embryo developmental stages. These results increase our understanding of the complex molecular and cellular events during embryo development in B. rapa and provide a foundation for future studies on other oilseed crops.

A unique Middle Ordovician K-bentonite bed succession at Röstånga, S. Sweden

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bergstrom, Stig M.; Huff, Warren D.; Kolata, Dennis R.; Yost, Deborah A.; Hart, Charles P.

1997-01-01

An approximately 8.5 m thick sequence of upper Viruan (upper Middle Ordovician) shales, mudstones, and limestones in an outcrop at Kyrkbäcken near Röstånga in W‐central Skåne contains 19 K‐bentonite beds, several of which are as much as 40–67 cm thick. Thirteen of these beds are in the upper part of the Sularp Fm., four in the Skagen Fm., and two questionable beds in the Mossen Fm. Evidence from macrofossils, chitinozoans, and conodonts are used for biostratigraphic age assessment of the K‐bentonite succession. Regional comparison of the sequence with those at Kinnekulle (Kullatorp), Koängen, and Tommarp suggests that its total stratigraphie thickness is smaller than those at the two former sites but the thicknesses of several of the Kyrkbacken ash beds are greater than those in similar stratigraphic positions in the other successions. The K‐bentonites at Kyrkbacken have a similar clay mineralogy and major and trace element composition as other Ordovician K‐bentonites, and these data indicate that the parental magma was of felsic, probably rhyolitic composition. Based on amphibole geoba‐rometry, the magma chamber is interpreted to have been at a depth of 14–20 km. The relatively large number of unusually thick ash beds of Middle Ordovician age makes the easily accessible Kyrkbäcken outcrop unique not only in Baltoscandia but, as far as we are aware, also on the entire northern hemisphere, and only one comparable exposure is known in the southern hemisphere, namely in the Precordillera of northern Argentina.

The Cultural Project: Formal Chronological Modelling of the Early and Middle Neolithic Sequence in Lower Alsace.

PubMed

Denaire, Anthony; Lefranc, Philippe; Wahl, Joachim; Bronk Ramsey, Christopher; Dunbar, Elaine; Goslar, Tomasz; Bayliss, Alex; Beavan, Nancy; Bickle, Penny; Whittle, Alasdair

2017-01-01

Starting from questions about the nature of cultural diversity, this paper examines the pace and tempo of change and the relative importance of continuity and discontinuity. To unravel the cultural project of the past, we apply chronological modelling of radiocarbon dates within a Bayesian statistical framework, to interrogate the Neolithic cultural sequence in Lower Alsace, in the upper Rhine valley, in broad terms from the later sixth to the end of the fifth millennium cal BC. Detailed formal estimates are provided for the long succession of cultural groups, from the early Neolithic Linear Pottery culture (LBK) to the Bischheim Occidental du Rhin Supérieur (BORS) groups at the end of the Middle Neolithic, using seriation and typology of pottery as the starting point in modelling. The rate of ceramic change, as well as frequent shifts in the nature, location and density of settlements, are documented in detail, down to lifetime and generational timescales. This reveals a Neolithic world in Lower Alsace busy with comings and goings, tinkerings and adjustments, and relocations and realignments. A significant hiatus is identified between the end of the LBK and the start of the Hinkelstein group, in the early part of the fifth millennium cal BC. On the basis of modelling of existing dates for other parts of the Rhineland, this appears to be a wider phenomenon, and possible explanations are discussed; full reoccupation of the landscape is only seen in the Grossgartach phase. Radical shifts are also proposed at the end of the Middle Neolithic.

Statistical analysis of life history calendar data.

PubMed

Eerola, Mervi; Helske, Satu

2016-04-01

The life history calendar is a data-collection tool for obtaining reliable retrospective data about life events. To illustrate the analysis of such data, we compare the model-based probabilistic event history analysis and the model-free data mining method, sequence analysis. In event history analysis, we estimate instead of transition hazards the cumulative prediction probabilities of life events in the entire trajectory. In sequence analysis, we compare several dissimilarity metrics and contrast data-driven and user-defined substitution costs. As an example, we study young adults' transition to adulthood as a sequence of events in three life domains. The events define the multistate event history model and the parallel life domains in multidimensional sequence analysis. The relationship between life trajectories and excess depressive symptoms in middle age is further studied by their joint prediction in the multistate model and by regressing the symptom scores on individual-specific cluster indices. The two approaches complement each other in life course analysis; sequence analysis can effectively find typical and atypical life patterns while event history analysis is needed for causal inquiries. © The Author(s) 2012.

"Paideia Platonikê": Does the Later Platonist Programme of Education Retain Any Validity Today?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillon, John

2018-01-01

During the Middle Platonic period, from the second-century CE on, and in a more elaborately structured way from the time of Iamblichus (early fourth-century CE) on, the Platonist Schools of later antiquity took their students through a fixed sequence of Platonic dialogues, beginning with the Alcibiades I, concerned as it was with the theme of…

Limited Knowledge of Fraction Representations Differentiates Middle School Students with Mathematics Learning Disability (Dyscalculia) versus Low Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzocco, Michele M. M.; Myers, Gwen F.; Lewis, Katherine E.; Hanich, Laurie B.; Murphy, Melissa M.

2013-01-01

Fractions pose significant challenges for many children, but for some children those challenges persist into high school. Here we administered a fractions magnitude comparison test to 122 children, from Grades 4 to 8, to test whether their knowledge of fractions typically learned early in the sequence of formal math instruction (e.g., fractions…

A map of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) based on whole genome sequencing of 62 varieties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Date palm is one of the few crop species that thrive in arid environments and are the most significant fruit crop in the Middle East and North Africa, but lacks genomic resources that can accelerate breeding efforts. Here, we present the first comprehensive catalogue of ~12 million common single nuc...

Teaching and Learning about Energy in Middle School: An Argument for an Epistemic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Constantinou, C. P.; Papadouris, N.

2012-01-01

We have reviewed the existing literature on teaching and learning about energy to develop an overview of the ongoing debate on conceptual aspects of the construct and also to highlight the issues that have emerged in approaches to designing teaching-learning sequences. Our review is informed by those aspects of the historical evolution of the…

Patterns of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sexual Intercourse in an Urban Seventh-Grade Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markham, Christine M.; Peskin, Melissa Fleschler; Addy, Robert C.; Baumler, Elizabeth R.; Tortolero, Susan R.

2009-01-01

Background: This study examines the prevalence of vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse among a population of urban, public middle school students, the characteristics of early sexual initiators, and the sequence of sexual initiation. Such data are limited for early adolescents. Methods: A total of 1279 seventh-grade students (57.3% female, 43.6%…

Comparing the Impact of Dynamic and Static Media on Students' Learning of One-Dimensional Kinematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mešic, Vanes; Dervic, Dževdeta; Gazibegovic-Busuladžic, Azra; Salibašic, Džana; Erceg, Nataša

2015-01-01

In our study, we aimed to compare the impact of simulations, sequences of printed simulation frames and conventional static diagrams on the understanding of students with regard to the one-dimensional kinematics. Our student sample consisted of three classes of middle years students (N = 63; mostly 15 year-olds). These three classes served as…

Two deletion variants of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus found in a patient with characteristic symptoms.

PubMed

Xie, Qian; Cao, Yujuan; Su, Juan; Wu, Jie; Wu, Xianbo; Wan, Chengsong; He, Mingliang; Ke, Changwen; Zhang, Bao; Zhao, Wei

2017-08-01

Significant sequence variation of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) has never been detected since it was first reported in 2012. A MERS patient came from Korea to China in late May 2015. The patient was 44 years old and had symptoms including high fever, dry cough with a little phlegm, and shortness of breath, which are roughly consistent with those associated with MERS, and had had close contact with individuals with confirmed cases of MERS.After one month of therapy with antiviral, anti-infection, and immune-enhancing agents, the patient recovered in the hospital and was discharged. A nasopharyngeal swab sample was collected for direct sequencing, which revealed two deletion variants of MERS CoV. Deletions of 414 and 419 nt occurred between ORF5 and the E protein, resulting in a partial protein fusion or truncation of ORF5 and the E protein. Functional analysis by bioinformatics and comparison to previous studies implied that the two variants might be defective in their ability to package MERS CoV. However, the mechanism of how these deletions occurred and what effects they have need to be further investigated.

Rapid assessment of oxidation via middle-down LCMS correlates with methionine side-chain solvent-accessible surface area for 121 clinical stage monoclonal antibodies.

PubMed

Yang, Rong; Jain, Tushar; Lynaugh, Heather; Nobrega, R Paul; Lu, Xiaojun; Boland, Todd; Burnina, Irina; Sun, Tingwan; Caffry, Isabelle; Brown, Michael; Zhi, Xiaoyong; Lilov, Asparouh; Xu, Yingda

Susceptibility of methionine to oxidation is an important concern for chemical stability during the development of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutic. To minimize downstream risks, leading candidates are usually screened under forced oxidation conditions to identify oxidation-labile molecules. Here we report results of forced oxidation on a large set of in-house expressed and purified mAbs with variable region sequences corresponding to 121 clinical stage mAbs. These mAb samples were treated with 0.1% H 2 O 2 for 24 hours before enzymatic cleavage below the hinge, followed by reduction of inter-chain disulfide bonds for the detection of the light chain, Fab portion of heavy chain (Fd) and Fc by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This high-throughput, middle-down approach allows detection of oxidation site(s) at the resolution of 3 distinct segments. The experimental oxidation data correlates well with theoretical predictions based on the solvent-accessible surface area of the methionine side-chains within these segments. These results validate the use of upstream computational modeling to predict mAb oxidation susceptibility at the sequence level.

Real-Time Sequence-Validated Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assays for Detection of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

PubMed Central

Bhadra, Sanchita; Jiang, Yu Sherry; Kumar, Mia R.; Johnson, Reed F.; Hensley, Lisa E.; Ellington, Andrew D.

2015-01-01

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), an emerging human coronavirus, causes severe acute respiratory illness with a 35% mortality rate. In light of the recent surge in reported infections we have developed asymmetric five-primer reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays for detection of MERS-CoV. Isothermal amplification assays will facilitate the development of portable point-of-care diagnostics that are crucial for management of emerging infections. The RT-LAMP assays are designed to amplify MERS-CoV genomic loci located within the open reading frame (ORF)1a and ORF1b genes and upstream of the E gene. Additionally we applied one-step strand displacement probes (OSD) for real-time sequence-specific verification of LAMP amplicons. Asymmetric amplification effected by incorporating a single loop primer in each assay accelerated the time-to-result of the OSD-RT-LAMP assays. The resulting assays could detect 0.02 to 0.2 plaque forming units (PFU) (5 to 50 PFU/ml) of MERS-CoV in infected cell culture supernatants within 30 to 50 min and did not cross-react with common human respiratory pathogens. PMID:25856093

Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences and marine biota of the early Indian Ocean (Southwest Madagascar): some biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic and palaeobiogeographic conclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mette, Wolfgang

2004-03-01

As part of an intradisciplinary project which was concerned with the early rifting processes between Madagascar and East Africa, the Middle to Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences of the Morondava Basin in Southwest Madagascar has been investigated with respect to biostratigraphy, sedimentary facies and palaeoecology. The transgressive sedimentary sections in the Bajocian and Callovian-Oxfordian yield rich macro- and microfossil assemblages which improved the biostratigraphic framework and gave some important information about the palaeoenvironments. Palaeogeographic distribution patterns of the Bajocian ostracod Paradoxorhyncha are suggestive of a migration along the southern shores of Gondwana between Madagascar, Australia and South America. The Callovian ostracods show strong affinities to the Indian faunas, indicating existence of a free migration route for shallow marine benthic organisms between Madagascar and India. Significant faunal differences between Madagascar and Tanzania suggest a physical or environmental migration barrier between Madagascar and East Africa during the Callovian to Kimmeridgian interval. The Upper Jurassic ostracods from the northern and eastern margin of Gondwana show a very high degree of endemism and they can be assigned to two faunal provinces in North Gondwana (Arabia, Near East, North Africa) and South Gondwana (India, Madagascar, East Africa).

Mitotic effects of monochromatic ultraviolet radiation at 225, 265, and 280 nm on eleven stages of the cell cycle of the grasshopper neuroblast in culture. II. Changes in progression rate and cell sequence between the stage irradiated and nuclear membrane breakdown

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlson, J.G.

1976-10-01

Portions of embryos of the grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata (DeGeer), were cultured in hanging drops under quartz cover slips. Immediately after exposure to 225, 265, or 280 nm radiation, microscope observations at 38/sup 0/C were begun. The morphologically identified stage and the time after treatment of selected neuroblasts were recorded at short-time intervals until prometaphase was reached. Mitotic retardation induced by irradiation of prereplication stages (metaphase, anaphase, or early telophase) or S phase (middle or late telophase, interphase, or very early prophase) is greatest in postreplication stages (early, middle, and late prophase) and absent or minimal in stages morphologically identified asmore » parts of S phase. Ultraviolet irradiation superimposes on the normal diversity of progression rates an additional variation factor, so that cells do not necessarily reach prometaphase in the order of their sequence at the time of treatment. This suggests the need for caution in ascribing particular radiosensitivities to substages of limited duration on the basis of the order in which they attain a subsequent stage.« less

The Release 6 reference sequence of the Drosophila melanogaster genome

DOE PAGES

Hoskins, Roger A.; Carlson, Joseph W.; Wan, Kenneth H.; ...

2015-01-14

Drosophila melanogaster plays an important role in molecular, genetic, and genomic studies of heredity, development, metabolism, behavior, and human disease. The initial reference genome sequence reported more than a decade ago had a profound impact on progress in Drosophila research, and improving the accuracy and completeness of this sequence continues to be important to further progress. We previously described improvement of the 117-Mb sequence in the euchromatic portion of the genome and 21 Mb in the heterochromatic portion, using a whole-genome shotgun assembly, BAC physical mapping, and clone-based finishing. Here, we report an improved reference sequence of the single-copy andmore » middle-repetitive regions of the genome, produced using cytogenetic mapping to mitotic and polytene chromosomes, clone-based finishing and BAC fingerprint verification, ordering of scaffolds by alignment to cDNA sequences, incorporation of other map and sequence data, and validation by whole-genome optical restriction mapping. These data substantially improve the accuracy and completeness of the reference sequence and the order and orientation of sequence scaffolds into chromosome arm assemblies. Representation of the Y chromosome and other heterochromatic regions is particularly improved. The new 143.9-Mb reference sequence, designated Release 6, effectively exhausts clone-based technologies for mapping and sequencing. Highly repeat-rich regions, including large satellite blocks and functional elements such as the ribosomal RNA genes and the centromeres, are largely inaccessible to current sequencing and assembly methods and remain poorly represented. In conclusion, further significant improvements will require sequencing technologies that do not depend on molecular cloning and that produce very long reads.« less

The Release 6 reference sequence of the Drosophila melanogaster genome

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoskins, Roger A.; Carlson, Joseph W.; Wan, Kenneth H.

Drosophila melanogaster plays an important role in molecular, genetic, and genomic studies of heredity, development, metabolism, behavior, and human disease. The initial reference genome sequence reported more than a decade ago had a profound impact on progress in Drosophila research, and improving the accuracy and completeness of this sequence continues to be important to further progress. We previously described improvement of the 117-Mb sequence in the euchromatic portion of the genome and 21 Mb in the heterochromatic portion, using a whole-genome shotgun assembly, BAC physical mapping, and clone-based finishing. Here, we report an improved reference sequence of the single-copy andmore » middle-repetitive regions of the genome, produced using cytogenetic mapping to mitotic and polytene chromosomes, clone-based finishing and BAC fingerprint verification, ordering of scaffolds by alignment to cDNA sequences, incorporation of other map and sequence data, and validation by whole-genome optical restriction mapping. These data substantially improve the accuracy and completeness of the reference sequence and the order and orientation of sequence scaffolds into chromosome arm assemblies. Representation of the Y chromosome and other heterochromatic regions is particularly improved. The new 143.9-Mb reference sequence, designated Release 6, effectively exhausts clone-based technologies for mapping and sequencing. Highly repeat-rich regions, including large satellite blocks and functional elements such as the ribosomal RNA genes and the centromeres, are largely inaccessible to current sequencing and assembly methods and remain poorly represented. In conclusion, further significant improvements will require sequencing technologies that do not depend on molecular cloning and that produce very long reads.« less

Geochemical evidence for Late Cretaceous marginal arc-to-backarc transition in the Sabzevar ophiolitic extrusive sequence, northeast Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalatbari Jafari, Morteza; Babaie, Hassan A.; Gani, Moslem

2013-07-01

The ophiolitic extrusive sequence, exposed in an area north of Sabzevar, has three major parts: a lower part, with abundant breccia, hyaloclastic tuff, and sheet flow, a middle part with vesicular, aphyric pillow lava, and an upper part with a sequence of lava and volcanic-sedimentary rocks. Pelagic limestone interlayers contain Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian-Late Maastrichtian) microfauna. The supra-ophiolitic series includes a sequence of turbidititic and volcanic-sedimentary rocks with lava flow, aphyric and phyric lava, and interlayers of pelagic limestone and radiolarian chert. Paleontological investigation of the pelagic limestone and radiolarite interlayers in this series gives a Late Cretaceous age, supporting the idea that the supra-ophiolitic series formed in a trough, synchronous with the Sabzevar oceanic crust during the Late Cretaceous. Geochemical data indicate a relationship between lava in the upper part of the extrusive sequence and lava in the supra-ophiolitic series. These lavas have a calc-alkaline to almost alkaline characteristic, and show a clear depletion in Nb and definite depletions in Zr and Ti in spider diagrams. Data from these rocks plot in the subduction zone field in tectonomagmatic diagrams. The concentration and position of the heavy rare earth elements in the spider diagrams, and their slight variation, can be attributed to partial melting of the depleted mantle wedge above the subducted slab, and enrichment in the LILE can be attributed to subduction components (fluid, melt) released from the subducting slab. In comparison, the sheet flow and pillow lava of the lower and middle parts of the extrusive sequence show OIB characteristics and high potassium magmatic and shoshonitic trends, and their spider diagram patterns show Nb, Zr, and Ti depletions. The enrichment in the LILE in the spider diagram patterns suggest a low rate of partial melting of an enriched, garnet-bearing mantle. It seems that the marginal arc basin, in which the Sabzevar ophiolite was forming, experienced lithospheric extension in response to slab rollback. This process, which formed a backarc basin, may have aborted the embryonic arc, stopped arc magmatism, and led to the rise of mantle diapirs. The extrusive ophiolite sequence, north of Sabzevar probably formed during the transition from a marginal arc basin to a backarc basin during the Late Cretaceous.

[sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar ages of Challis volcanic rocks and the initiation of Tertiary sedimentary basins in southwestern Montana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

M'Gonigle, J.W.; Dalrymple, G.B.

1993-10-01

[sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar ages on single sanidine crystals from rhyolitic tuffs and ash flow tuffs within the uppermost and lowermost parts of the volcanic sequence of the Horse Prairie and Medicine Lodge topographic basins, southwestern Montana, show that these volcanic rocks were emplaced between about 48.8[+-]0.2 Ma and 45.9[+-]0.2 Ma, and are correlative with the Eocene Challis Volcanic Group of central Idaho. Sanidine ages on tuffs at the base of the Tertiary lacustrine, paludal, and fluvial sedimentary sequence, which unconformably overlies the volcanic sequence, suggest that sedimentation within an ancestral sedimentary basin that predated the development of the modern Horsemore » Prairie and Medicine Lodge basins began in the middle Eocene. 22 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Middle Stone Age bedding construction and settlement patterns at Sibudu, South Africa.

PubMed

Wadley, Lyn; Sievers, Christine; Bamford, Marion; Goldberg, Paul; Berna, Francesco; Miller, Christopher

2011-12-09

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) is associated with early behavioral innovations, expansions of modern humans within and out of Africa, and occasional population bottlenecks. Several innovations in the MSA are seen in an archaeological sequence in the rock shelter Sibudu (South Africa). At ~77,000 years ago, people constructed plant bedding from sedges and other monocotyledons topped with aromatic leaves containing insecticidal and larvicidal chemicals. Beginning at ~73,000 years ago, bedding was burned, presumably for site maintenance. By ~58,000 years ago, bedding construction, burning, and other forms of site use and maintenance intensified, suggesting that settlement strategies changed. Behavioral differences between ~77,000 and 58,000 years ago may coincide with population fluctuations in Africa.

Permo-Triassic radiolaria from the Semanggol Formation, northwest Peninsular Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasin, Basir

1997-02-01

A total of 32 species of radiolaria were identified from 20 chert samples at eight localities of the Semanggol Formation in north and south Kedah. Three assemblages of Radiolaria were recognised representing the Early Permian Pseudoalbaillella scalprata m. rhombothoracata. Late Permian Albaillella levis, and Middle Triassic Triassocampe deweveri Assemblage-Zone. The Pseudoalbaillella scalprata m. rhombothoracata Assemblage-Zone is discovered from Bukit Kampung Yoi and Bukit Larek, north Kedah. The Albaillella levis Assemblage-Zone is recorded from Bukit Tok Bertanduk, north Kedah and Merbau Palas, south Kedah. The Triassocampe deweveri Assemblage-Zone is found from the Lanjut Malau area, north Kedah. The radiolarian assemblages indicate that the age of the chert sequence in the Semanggol Formation ranges from Early permian to Middle Triassic.

Middle to Late Jurassic Tectonic Evolution of the Klamath Mountains, California-Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harper, Gregory D.; Wright, James E.

1984-12-01

The geochronology, stratigraphy, and spatial relationships of Middle and Late Jurassic terranes of the Klamath Mountains strongly suggest that they were formed in a single west-facing magmatic arc built upon older accreted terranes. A Middle Jurassic arc complex is represented by the volcanic rocks of the western Hayfork terrane and consanguineous dioritic to peridotitic plutons. New U/Pb zircon dates indicate that the Middle Jurassic plutonic belt was active from 159 to 174 Ma and is much more extensive than previously thought. This plutonic belt became inactive just as the 157 Ma Josephine ophiolite, which lies west and structurally below the Middle Jurassic arc, was generated. Late Jurassic volcanic and plutonic arc rocks (Rogue Formation and Chetco intrusive complex) lie outboard and structurally beneath the Josephine ophiolite; U/Pb and K/Ar age data indicate that this arc complex is coeval with the Josephine ophiolite. Both the Late Jurassic arc complex and the Josephine ophiolite are overlain by the "Galice Formation," a Late Jurassic flysch sequence, and are intruded by 150 Ma dikes and sills. The following tectonic model is presented that accounts for the age and distribution of these terranes: a Middle Jurassic arc built on older accreted terranes undergoes rifting at 160 Ma, resulting in formation of a remnant arc/back-arc basin/island arc triad. This system collapsed during the Late Jurassic Nevadan Orogeny (150 Ma) and was strongly deformed and stacked into a series of east-dipping thrust sheets. Arc magmatism was active both before and after the Nevadan Orogeny, but virtually ceased at 140 Ma.

Prehistoric human colonization of India.

PubMed

Misra, V N

2001-11-01

Human colonization in India encompasses a span of at least half-a-million years and is divided into two broad periods, namely the prehistoric (before the emergence of writing) and the historic (after writing). The prehistoric period is divided into stone, bronze and iron ages. The stone age is further divided into palaeolithic, mesolithic and neolithic periods. As the name suggests, the technology in these periods was primarily based on stone. Economically, the palaeolithic and mesolithic periods represented a nomadic, hunting-gathering way of life, while the neolithic period represented a settled, food-producing way of life. Subsequently copper was introduced as a new material and this period was designated as the chalcolithic period. The invention of agriculture, which took place about 8000 years ago, brought about dramatic changes in the economy, technology and demography of human societies. Human habitat in the hunting-gathering stage was essentially on hilly, rocky and forested regions, which had ample wild plant and animal food resources. The introduction of agriculture saw it shifting to the alluvial plains which had fertile soil and perennial availability of water. Hills and forests, which had so far been areas of attraction, now turned into areas of isolation. Agriculture led to the emergence of villages and towns and brought with it the division of society into occupational groups. The first urbanization took place during the bronze age in the arid and semi-arid region of northwest India in the valleys of the Indus and the Saraswati rivers, the latter represented by the now dry Ghaggar-Hakra bed. This urbanization is known as the Indus or Harappan civilization which flourished during 3500-1500 B.C. The rest of India during this period was inhabited by neolithic and chalcolithic farmers and mesolithic hunter-gatherers. With the introduction of iron technology about 3000 years ago, the focus of development shifted eastward into the Indo-Gangetic divide and the Ganga valley. The location of the Mahabharata epic, which is set in the beginning of the first millennium B.C., is the Indo-Gangetic divide and the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab (land between two rivers). Iron technology enabled pioneering farmers to clear the dense and tangled forests of the middle and lower Ganga plains. The focus of development now shifted further eastward to eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar which witnessed the events of the Ramayana epic and rise of the first political entities known as Mahajanapadas as also of Buddhism and Jainism. The second phase of urbanization of India, marked by trade, coinage, script and birth of the first Indian empire, namely Magadha, with its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna) also took place in this region in the sixth century B.C. The imposition by Brahmin priests of the concepts of racial and ritual purity, pollution, restrictions on sharing of food, endogamy, anuloma (male of upper caste eligible to marry a female of lower caste) and pratiloma (female of upper caste ineligible to marry a male of lower caste) forms of marriage, karma (reaping the fruits of the actions of previous life in the present life), rebirth, varnashrama dharma (four stages of the expected hundred-year life span) and the sixteen sanskaras (ceremonies) on traditional occupational groups led to the birth of the caste system - a unique Indian phenomenon. As a consequence of the expansion of agriculture and loss of forests and wildlife, stone age hunter-gatherers were forced to assimilate themselves into larger agriculture-based rural and urban societies. However, some of them resisted this new economic mode. To this day they have persisted with their atavistic lifestyle, but have had to supplement their resources by producing craft items or providing entertainment to the rural population.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, Li; Xu, Xun; Zhao, Hui

A synthetic deca-peptide corresponding to the amino acid sequence Arg{sup 54}-Trp{sup 63} of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) kringle 2 domain, named TKII-10, is produced and tested for its ability to inhibit endothelial cell proliferation, migration, tube formation in vitro, and angiogenesis in vivo. At the same time, another peptide TKII-10S composed of the same 10 amino acids as TKII-10, but in a different sequence, is also produced and tested. The results show that TKII-10 potently inhibits VEGF-stimulated endothelial cell migration and tube formation in a dose-dependent, as well as sequence-dependent, manner in vitro while it is inactive in inhibitingmore » endothelial cell proliferation. Furthermore, TKII-10 potently inhibits angiogenesis in chick chorioallantoic membrane and mouse cornea. The middle four amino acids DGDA in their sequence play an important role in TKII-10 angiogenesis inhibition{sub .} These results suggest that TKII-10 is a novel angiogenesis inhibitor that may serve as a prototype for antiangiogenic drug development.« less

Biodiversity of fungi in hot desert sands.

PubMed

Murgia, Manuela; Fiamma, Maura; Barac, Aleksandra; Deligios, Massimo; Mazzarello, Vittorio; Paglietti, Bianca; Cappuccinelli, Pietro; Al-Qahtani, Ahmed; Squartini, Andrea; Rubino, Salvatore; Al-Ahdal, Mohammed N

2018-03-05

The fungal community of six sand samples from Saudi Arabia and Jordan deserts was characterized by culture-independent analysis via next generation sequencing of the 18S rRNA genes and by culture-dependent methods followed by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. By 18S sequencing were identified from 163 to 507 OTUs per sample, with a percentage of fungi ranging from 3.5% to 82.7%. The identified fungal Phyla were Ascomycota, Basal fungi, and Basidiomycota and the most abundant detected classes were Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. A total of 11 colonies of filamentous fungi were isolated and cultured from six samples, and the ITS sequencing pointed toward five different species of the class Sordariomycetes, belonging to genera Fusarium (F. redolens, F. solani, F. equiseti), Chaetomium (C. madrasense), and Albifimbria (A. terrestris). The results of this study show an unexpectedly large fungal biodiversity in the Middle East desert sand and their possible role and implications on human health. © 2018 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Watermelon Chlorotic Stunt Virus Originating from Oman

PubMed Central

Khan, Akhtar J.; Akhtar, Sohail; Briddon, Rob W.; Ammara, Um; Al-Matrooshi, Abdulrahman M.; Mansoor, Shahid

2012-01-01

Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) that causes economic losses to cucurbits, particularly watermelon, across the Middle East and North Africa. Recently squash (Cucurbita moschata) grown in an experimental field in Oman was found to display symptoms such as leaf curling, yellowing and stunting, typical of a begomovirus infection. Sequence analysis of the virus isolated from squash showed 97.6–99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to previously described WmCSV isolates for the DNA A component and 93–98% identity for the DNA B component. Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the development of symptoms fifteen days post inoculation. This is the first bipartite begomovirus identified in Oman. Overall the Oman isolate showed the highest levels of sequence identity to a WmCSV isolate originating from Iran, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that WmCSV present in Oman has been introduced from Iran. The significance of this finding is discussed. PMID:22852046

Complete nucleotide sequence of watermelon chlorotic stunt virus originating from Oman.

PubMed

Khan, Akhtar J; Akhtar, Sohail; Briddon, Rob W; Ammara, Um; Al-Matrooshi, Abdulrahman M; Mansoor, Shahid

2012-07-01

Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) that causes economic losses to cucurbits, particularly watermelon, across the Middle East and North Africa. Recently squash (Cucurbita moschata) grown in an experimental field in Oman was found to display symptoms such as leaf curling, yellowing and stunting, typical of a begomovirus infection. Sequence analysis of the virus isolated from squash showed 97.6-99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to previously described WmCSV isolates for the DNA A component and 93-98% identity for the DNA B component. Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the development of symptoms fifteen days post inoculation. This is the first bipartite begomovirus identified in Oman. Overall the Oman isolate showed the highest levels of sequence identity to a WmCSV isolate originating from Iran, which was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that WmCSV present in Oman has been introduced from Iran. The significance of this finding is discussed.

Next-Generation Sequencing Combined with Specific PCR Assays To Determine the Bacterial 16S rRNA Gene Profiles of Middle Ear Fluid Collected from Children with Acute Otitis Media

PubMed Central

Kramna, Lenka; Oikarinen, Sami; Sipilä, Markku; Rautiainen, Markus; Aittoniemi, Janne; Laranne, Jussi; Hyöty, Heikki; Cinek, Ondrej

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to analyze the bacteriome of acute otitis media with a novel modification of next-generation sequencing techniques. Outpatient children with acute otitis media were enrolled in the study, and middle ear fluids were collected during 90 episodes from 79 subjects aged 5 to 42 months (median age, 19 months). The bacteriome profiles of middle ear fluid samples were determined by a nested-PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region), followed by mass sequencing. The profiling results were compared to the results of specific PCR assays targeting selected prevalent pathogens. Bacteriome profiling using nested amplification of low-volume samples was aided by a bioinformatic subtraction of signal contaminants from the recombinant polymerase, achieving a sensitivity slightly lower than that of specific PCR detection. Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected in 28 (31%) samples, Haemophilus influenzae in 24 (27%), Moraxella catarrhalis in 18 (20%), Staphylococcus spp. in 21 (23%), Turicella otitidis in 5 (5.6%), Alloiococcus otitidis in 3 (3.3%), and other bacteria in 14 (16%) using bacteriome profiling. S. pneumoniae was the dominant pathogen in 14 (16%) samples, H. influenzae in 15 (17%), M. catarrhalis in 5 (5.6%), T. otitidis in 2, and Staphylococcus auricularis in 2. Weaker signals of Prevotella melaninogenica, Veillonella dispar, and Veillonella montpellierensis were noted in several samples. Fourteen samples (16%) were not explainable by bacterial pathogens; novel causative agents were not detected. In conclusion, unbiased bacteriome profiling helped in depicting the true mutual quantitative ratios of ear bacteria, but at present, its complicated protocol impedes its routine clinical use. IMPORTANCE Although S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and M. catarrhalis have been long established as the most important pathogens in acute otitis media using culture and specific PCR assays, the knowledge of their mutual quantitative relations and possible roles of other bacteria is incomplete. The advent of unbiased bacteriome 16S rRNA gene profiling has allowed the detection of nearly all bacteria present in the sample, and it helps in depicting their mutual quantitative ratios. Due to the difficulties in performing mass sequencing in low-volume samples, only a few bacteriome-profiling studies of otitis media have been published, all limited to cases of chronic otitis media. Here, we present a study on samples obtained from young children with acute otitis media, successfully using a strategy of nested PCR coupled with mass sequencing, and demonstrate that the method can confer quantitative information hardly obtainable by other methods. PMID:28357413

African human mtDNA phylogeography at-a-glance.

PubMed

Rosa, Alexandra; Brehem, António

2011-01-01

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic system has long proven to be useful for studying the demographic history of our species, since their proposed Southeast/East African origin 200 kya. Despite the weak archaeological and anthropologic records, which render a difficult understanding of early intra- continental migrations, the phylogenetic L0-L1'6 split at about 140-160 kya is thought to represent also an early sub-structuring of small and isolated communities in South and East Africa. Regional variation accumulated over the following millennia, with L2 and L3 lineages arising in Central and East Africa 100-75 kya. Their sub-Saharan dispersal not later than 60 kya, largely overwhelmed the L0'1 distribution, nowadays limited to South African Khoisan and Central African Pygmies. Cyclic expansions and retractions of the equatorial forest between 40 kya and the "Last Glacial Aridity Maximum" were able to reduce the genetic diversity of modern humans. Surviving regional-specific lineages have emerged from the Sahelian refuge areas, repopulating the region and contributing to the overall West African genetic similarity. Particular L1- L3 lineages mirror the substantial population growth made possible by moister and warmer conditions of the Sahara's Wet Phase and the adoption of agriculture and iron smelting techniques. The diffusion of the farming expertise from a Central African source towards South Africa was mediated by the Bantu people 3 kya. The strong impact of their gene flow almost erased the pre-existent maternal pool. Non-L mtDNAs testify for Eurasian lineages that have enriched the African maternal pool at different timeframes: i) Near and Middle Eastern influences in Upper Palaeolithic, probably link to the spread of Afro-Asiatic languages; ii) particular lineages from West Eurasia around or after the glacial period; iii) post-glacial mtDNA signatures from the Franco-Cantabrian refugia, that have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and iv) Eurasian lineages tracing back to the Neolithic or more recent historical episodes. Finally, the non-random sub-Saharan spread of North African lineages was likely mediated by the ancestors of Fulani, nomadic pastoral communities in the Sahel.