-
PloS One 2024The exchange of information and social interactions on broad spatial scales between human groups in the past can be studied through the provenance of key indicators of...
Middle through late Holocene long-distance transport of exotic shell personal adornments in Central West Patagonia (southern South America). The archaeomalacological assemblage of Baño Nuevo 1.
The exchange of information and social interactions on broad spatial scales between human groups in the past can be studied through the provenance of key indicators of distant origin recorded at archaeological sites. The remains of shells of mollusk species, especially when crafted as elements of personal ornaments, express aspects of the behaviors and valuations for the populations that selected, transformed, and exchanged such items. In the southern cone of South America, past hunter-gatherer groups traveled long distances and interacted with communities distributed throughout the territory to acquire goods for technological use, visual display or considered highly valued materials. When recorded at distant locations, these goods of extra local origin are very informative regarding the differences between commonly used home ranges and the occasional access to remote spaces. We present the results of the analysis of the archaeomalacological assemblage of the Baño Nuevo 1 site, a cave with exceptional preservation conditions in Central West Patagonia. This site has yielded a diverse group of artifacts made of shells with origins from multiple distances, as well as evidence of the use of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species. Its deposits, which extend over the last 11,000 years, reveal an antiquity of at least the middle Holocene for the acquisition, manufacture, use and transport of goods as personal ornaments from shells in the macroregion.
Topics: Archaeology; Humans; Animals; History, Ancient; Animal Shells; South America; Caves; Fossils; Argentina
PubMed: 38787897
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304454 -
Journal of Human Evolution Jun 2024The Kocabaş specimen comes from a travertine quarry near the homonymous village in the Denizli basin (Turkey). The specimen comprises three main fragments: portions of...
The Kocabaş specimen comes from a travertine quarry near the homonymous village in the Denizli basin (Turkey). The specimen comprises three main fragments: portions of the right and left parietal and left and right parts of the frontal bone. The fossil was assumed to belong to the Homo erectus s.l. hypodigm by some authors, whereas others see similarities with Middle Pleistocene fossils (Broken Hill 1/Kabwe, Bodo, or Ceprano). Here, we present the first attempt to make a complete reconstruction of the missing medial portion of the frontal bone and a comprehensive geometric morphometric analysis of this bone. We restored the calotte by aligning and mirroring the three preserved fragments. Afterward, we restored the missing portion by applying the thin-plate spline interpolation algorithm of target fossils onto the reconstructed Kocabaş specimen. For the geometric morphometric analyses, we collected 80 landmarks on the frontal bone (11 osteometric points, 14 bilateral curve semilandmarks, and 41 surface semilandmarks). The comparative sample includes 21 fossils from different chronological periods and geographical areas and 30 adult modern humans from different populations. Shape analyses highlighted the presence in Kocabaş of features usually related to Middle Pleistocene Homo, such as a developed supraorbital torus associated with a relatively short frontal squama and reduced post-toral sulcus. Cluster analysis and linear discriminant analysis classification procedure suggest Kocabaş being part of the same taxonomic unit of Eurasian and African Middle Pleistocene Homo. In light of our results, we consider that attributing the Kocabaş hominin to H. erectus s.l. may be unwarranted. Results of our analyses are compatible with different evolutionary scenarios, but a more precise chronological framework is needed for a thorough discussion of the evolutionary significance of this specimen. Future work should clarify its geological age, given uncertainties regarding its stratigraphic provenance.
Topics: Fossils; Hominidae; Animals; Turkey; Biological Evolution; Frontal Bone
PubMed: 38781712
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103517 -
ENeuro Jun 2024Scientific research demands reproducibility and transparency, particularly in data-intensive fields like electrophysiology. Electrophysiology data are typically analyzed...
Scientific research demands reproducibility and transparency, particularly in data-intensive fields like electrophysiology. Electrophysiology data are typically analyzed using scripts that generate output files, including figures. Handling these results poses several challenges due to the complexity and iterative nature of the analysis process. These stem from the difficulty to discern the analysis steps, parameters, and data flow from the results, making knowledge transfer and findability challenging in collaborative settings. Provenance information tracks data lineage and processes applied to it, and provenance capture during the execution of an analysis script can address those challenges. We present Alpaca (Automated Lightweight Provenance Capture), a tool that captures fine-grained provenance information with minimal user intervention when running data analysis pipelines implemented in Python scripts. Alpaca records inputs, outputs, and function parameters and structures information according to the W3C PROV standard. We demonstrate the tool using a realistic use case involving multichannel local field potential recordings of a neurophysiological experiment, highlighting how the tool makes result details known in a standardized manner in order to address the challenges of the analysis process. Ultimately, using Alpaca will help to represent results according to the FAIR principles, which will improve research reproducibility and facilitate sharing the results of data analyses.
Topics: Animals; Electrophysiology; Electrophysiological Phenomena; Information Dissemination; Software; Humans; Data Analysis
PubMed: 38777610
DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0476-23.2024 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jul 2024Although seaweeds rank among the most productive vegetated habitats globally, their inclusion within Blue Carbon frameworks is at its onset, partially because they...
Although seaweeds rank among the most productive vegetated habitats globally, their inclusion within Blue Carbon frameworks is at its onset, partially because they usually grow in rocky substrates and their organic carbon (C) is mostly exported and stored beyond their habitat and thus, demonstrating its long-term storage is challenging. Here, we studied the sedimentary C storage in macroalgal forests dominated by Gongolaria barbata and in adjacent seagrass Cymodocea nodosa mixed with Caulerpa prolifera algae meadows, and bare sand habitats in Mediterranean shallow coastal embayments. We characterized the biogeochemistry of top 30 cm sedimentary deposits, including sediment grain-size, organic matter and C contents, C burial rates and the provenance of sedimentary C throughout stable carbon isotopes (δC) and pyrolysis analyses. Sediment C stocks and burial rates (since 1950) in G. barbata forests (mean ± SE, 3.5 ± 0.2 kg C m accumulated at 15.5 ± 1.6 g C m y) fall within the range of those reported for traditional Blue Carbon Ecosystems. Although the main species contributing to sedimentary C stocks in all vegetated habitats examined was C. nodosa (36 ± 2 %), macroalgae contributed 49 % (19 ± 2 % by G. barbata and 30 ± 3 % by C. prolifera) based on isotope mixing model results. Analytical pyrolysis confirmed the presence of macroalgae-derived compounds in the sediments, including N-compounds and α-tocopherol linked to G. barbata and C. prolifera, respectively. The sedimentary C burial rate linked to macroalgae within the macroalgal forests examined ranged from 5.4 to 9.5 g C m y (7.4 ± 2 g C m y). This study provides empirical evidence for the long-term (∼70 years) sequestration of macroalgae-derived C within and beyond seaweed forests in Mediterranean shallow coastal embayments and thereby, supports the inclusion of macroalgae in Blue Carbon frameworks.
Topics: Seaweed; Forests; Carbon Sequestration; Carbon; Mediterranean Sea; Environmental Monitoring; Ecosystem; Geologic Sediments
PubMed: 38750738
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173219 -
Brain and Behavior May 2024
Topics: Humans; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Sensation
PubMed: 38747736
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3501 -
RoFo : Fortschritte Auf Dem Gebiete Der... May 2024Worldwide, the study and examination of human remains and the circumstances of their acquisition for anatomical collection have received great interest. As part of...
Worldwide, the study and examination of human remains and the circumstances of their acquisition for anatomical collection have received great interest. As part of provenance research projects, a large number of collections are being investigated to determine whether the human remains have been acquired in a correct or unlawful way because the people could have been killed in order to be used as "anthropological objects" for research purposes and to become so-called "specimens". These topics have also been addressed by the Institute of Anatomy at the University Medical Center Rostock. The role of radiology in this interdisciplinary project will be presented using selected examples.The anatomical collection at the University of Rostock includes 40 human skulls, 14 plaster casts, 6 Egyptian mummy heads, and 1 full-body mummy. In addition to the examination by a historian, an anthropologist, and forensic pathologists, additional computed tomography was carried out on nine skulls and the full-body mummy. Micro-computed tomography was also carried out on seven skulls in order to enable a look behind the mummification material and tissue remains.(Micro-)computed tomography was able to close diagnostic gaps and the results presented some rather unexpected findings.Due to interdisciplinary collaboration, individual fates could be determined, which provided information about the individual's life and death circumstances. None of the examined individuals showed evidence of colonial-era injustice or the use of violence that would have led to their inclusion in the collection. (Micro-)computed tomography was a valuable addition to this provenance research project. · Computed tomography enhances interdisciplinary provenance research projects.. · Computed tomography enables a non-destructive examination of human remains.. · The future of research and presentation of human remains will increasingly be virtual.. · Steinhagen I, Brinker U, Kolbe V et al. The role of radiology in provenance research - experiences from the collaboration between radiology and anatomy at the University of Rostock and future perspectives. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2024; DOI 10.1055/a-2303-0312.
PubMed: 38744319
DOI: 10.1055/a-2303-0312 -
Journal of Materials Chemistry. A May 2024Compliance with good research data management practices means trust in the integrity of the data, and it is achievable by full control of the data gathering process. In...
Compliance with good research data management practices means trust in the integrity of the data, and it is achievable by full control of the data gathering process. In this work, we demonstrate tooling which bridges these two aspects, and illustrate its use in a case study of automated battery cycling. We successfully interface off-the-shelf battery cycling hardware with the computational workflow management software AiiDA, allowing us to control experiments, while ensuring trust in the data by tracking its provenance. We design user interfaces compatible with this tooling, which span the inventory, experiment design, and result analysis stages. Other features, including monitoring of workflows and import of externally generated and legacy data are also implemented. Finally, the full software stack required for this work is made available in a set of open-source packages.
PubMed: 38725523
DOI: 10.1039/d3ta06889g -
SLAS Technology Jun 2024Laboratory management automation is essential for achieving interoperability in the domain of experimental research and accelerating scientific discovery. The...
Laboratory management automation is essential for achieving interoperability in the domain of experimental research and accelerating scientific discovery. The integration of resources and the sharing of knowledge across organisations enable scientific discoveries to be accelerated by increasing the productivity of laboratories, optimising funding efficiency, and addressing emerging global challenges. This paper presents a novel framework for digitalising and automating the administration of research laboratories through The World Avatar, an all-encompassing dynamic knowledge graph. This Digital Laboratory Framework serves as a flexible tool, enabling users to efficiently leverage data from diverse systems and formats without being confined to a specific software or protocol. Establishing dedicated ontologies and agents and combining them with technologies such as QR codes, RFID tags, and mobile apps, enabled us to develop modular applications that tackle some key challenges related to lab management. Here, we showcase an automated tracking and intervention system for explosive chemicals as well as an easy-to-use mobile application for asset management and information retrieval. Implementing these, we have achieved semantic linking of BIM and BMS data with laboratory inventory and chemical knowledge. Our approach can capture the crucial data points and reduce inventory processing time. All data provenance is recorded following the FAIR principles, ensuring its accessibility and interoperability.
Topics: Automation, Laboratory; Laboratories; Information Storage and Retrieval
PubMed: 38703999
DOI: 10.1016/j.slast.2024.100135 -
Food Chemistry: X Jun 2024With the proliferation of the consumer's awareness of wine provenance, wines with unique origin characteristics are increasingly in demand. This study aimed to...
With the proliferation of the consumer's awareness of wine provenance, wines with unique origin characteristics are increasingly in demand. This study aimed to investigate the influence of geographical origins and climatological characteristics on grapes and wines. A total of 94 anthocyanins and 78 non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds in grapes and wines from five Chinese viticultural vineyards (CJ, WH, QTX, WW, and XY) were identified by UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS. Chemometric methods PCA and OPLS-DA were established to select candidate differential metabolites, including flavonols, stilbenes, hydroxycinnamic acids, peonidin derivatives, and malvidin derivatives. CCA showed that malvidin-3--glucoside had a positive correlation with mean temperature, and quercetin-3--glucoside had a negative correlation with precipitation. In addition, enrichment analysis elucidated that the metabolic diversity in different origins mainly occurred in flavonoid biosynthesis. This study would provide some new insights to understand the effect of geographical origins and climatological characteristics on phenolic compounds in grapes and wines.
PubMed: 38699585
DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101396 -
Heritage Science 2024This paper presents the results of the first X-ray fluorescence (XRF) investigation conducted on three late medieval chalices associated with Ireland: the Ó Learghusa...
UNLABELLED
This paper presents the results of the first X-ray fluorescence (XRF) investigation conducted on three late medieval chalices associated with Ireland: the Ó Learghusa chalice, auctioned as medieval Irish in 2021, does not have a confirmed provenance; the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice, dated 1494, and the TP-IEP chalice, dated 1589, both of Irish provenance. This study effectively addressed the knowledge gap concerning Irish medieval silver chalices composition. The analysis revealed that both the Ó Learghusa and de Burgo-O'Malley chalices were crafted from a silver-copper alloy and adorned using a fire-gilding technique. The blue and green enamels on the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice were found to be constituted by cobalt and iron/copper glasses, respectively. In contrast, the TP-IEP chalice exhibited a more intricate structure, being a composite object with partial silver gilt and with the bowl and base possibly made of a ternary silver-copper-gold alloy. The TP-IEP chalice's knop displayed glass, simulating gems with transparent, blue, and purple colorations. XRF analysis allowed identification of lead-potash glass, while the red glass displayed a rich iron content and was identified as soda-lime glass. The analysis allowed concluding that the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice had retained its original condition, including its original gilding and enamels, while the Ó Learghusa and TP-IEP chalices appeared to have undergone refurbishment. These significant discoveries contribute to a deeper understanding of the historical context and artistic craftsmanship behind these late medieval chalices, shedding light on their unique stories within Irish art and history.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40494-024-01240-2.
PubMed: 38682009
DOI: 10.1186/s40494-024-01240-2