5,364 research outputs found
On uncertain ground: modelling human palaeoecology in the Azraq basin, eastern Jordan, 24,000–8,000 BP
No full textThe rich Epipaleolithic and Neolithic record of the Azraq basin, in the arid margin of the eastern Levant, poses an ecological puzzle. How did foragers survive, even thrive, in an environment where resources are scarce and unpredictable? Site-based environmental archaeology has produced a wealth of data on the palaeoenvironment, but interpolating from these individual data points in specific times and places to a holistic picture of human ecology remains a challenge. Computational modelling provides an alternative means of exploring past ecosystems. In this paper, I outline a combined model of palaeoclimate, vegetation, fauna, and human subsistence in the Azraq basin through the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The results highlight the importance of nonequilibrium dynamics in understanding its ecosystem. Environmental unpredictability, manifested at multiple scales, shaped the plant and animal resources available to foragers. Strategies to cope with variability and risk must have been necessary to adapt to this landscape of uncertainty. However the existence of these strategies, elaborated over time, would explain how prehistoric foragers thrived in the Azraq basin without invoking dramatic environmental change
Computational models of chronology and regional settlement in the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic Zagros (20000–6000 BP)
No full textOur understanding of the chronology of the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in the Zagros region is poor compared to other parts of Southwest Asia. The current framework is based primarily on lithic typologies, anchored by limited radiocarbon sequences from key sites. However, the resumption and expansion of fieldwork in the region in recent decades has made much more absolute dating evidence available. Here, I present a comprehensive review of published site locations and radiocarbon dates from Epipalaeolithic, Neolithic, and early Chalcolithic sites in the Zagros mountains and foothills. Computational techniques—Bayesian calibration, summed radiocarbon modelling, and spatiotemporal aoristic analyses—are used to explore and refine this large dataset. The initial results suggest a poor fit with current typological chronologies of most periods, including the critical Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition, highlighting the need for formal integration of absolute and relative dating evidence into models of regional chronology. I also present a preliminary analysis of long-term settlement patterns and demographic trends in the Zagros based on the radiocarbon and site catalogue datasets
Phylogeography of the Siberian roe deer in Eurasia and origin of the Siberian MtDNA lineage in European roe deer populations
No full textThe Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) is distributed throughout continental Asia. In Eastern Europe, individuals of the European roe deer species (Capreolus capreolus) displaying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of C. pygargus have been recorded. However, it is not clear if the origin of this introgression is an effect of natural processes or a consequence of human-mediated translocation of the Siberian roe deer. Only a large-scale phylogeographic analysis, spanning both the natural range of C. pygargus and the introgression zone, can answer this question. To reveal the cause of the introgression and to provide the most comprehensive picture of Siberian roe deer phylogeography, we analysed the mtDNA control region fragment (610 bp) of 352 individuals combined with 132 sequences available in GenBank, covering a vast region extending from Eastern Europe to Eastern Asia. We detected 101 mtDNA haplotypes and 6 haplogroups. The proportion of different haplogroups, varying along longitudinal gradients, showed a notable shift in the central parts of Siberia. Haplogroups B and D were the most frequent in the introgression zone. Seven genetic clusters of Siberian roe deer, including two in the introgression zone, were detected. MtDNA diversity of Siberian roe deer proved to be greater than previously documented. Two genetically and evolutionarily distinct haplogroups, occurring predominantly in Europe, appear to be remnants of natural interbreeding between the two roe deer species that could have occurred during one hundred thousand years ago in at least two different time periods. Additionally, past human-mediated translocations of the Siberian roe deer contributed to the observed introgression.Peer reviewe
Autoantibody profile differentiates BP phenotypes
No full textBullous pemphigoid (BP) is a major autoimmune blistering skin disorder, in which a majority of the autoantibodies (autoAbs) target the juxtamembranous extracellular noncollagenous 16A domain (NC16A) domain of hemidesmosomal collagen XVII. BP-autoAbs may target regions of collagen XVII other than the NC16A domain; however, correlations between epitopes of BP-autoAbs and clinical features have not been fully elucidated. To address correlations between the clinical features and specific epitopes of BP-autoAbs, we evaluated the epitope profiles of BP-autoAbs in 121 patients. A total of 87 patients showed a typical inflammatory phenotype with erythema and autoAbs targeting the anti-NC16A domain, whereas 14 patients showed a distinct noninflammatory phenotype, in which autoAbs specifically targeted the midportion of collagen XVII, but not NC16A. Interestingly, this group clinically showed significantly reduced erythema associated with scant lesional infiltration of eosinophils. Surprisingly, 7 of the 14 cases (50.0%) received dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes. Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors were used in 3 of 76 (3.9%) typical cases of BP with autoAbs targeting NC16A; thus, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors are thought to be involved in the development of atypical noninflammatory BP. This study shows that the autoAb profile differentiates between inflammatory and noninflammatory BP, and that noninflammatory BP may be associated with dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors
Link prediction in author collaboration network based on BP neural network
No full textRecently, more and more authors have been encouraged for collaboration because it often produces good results. However, the author collaboration network contains experts in various research directions within various fields, and it is difficult for individual authors to decide which authors are best suited to their expertise. This paper uses the relationships among authors to predict new relationships that may arise, recommending each author with the collaborators they may be interested in. The data source comes from 4-year data in DBLP from 2001 to 2004. After data cleaning, the training set and test set are constructed and then used BP neural network to build model. At the same time, this article compares the performance with Logistic Regression, SVM and Random Forest. The experiment shows that the BP neural network can get better result, and it is feasible to predict links in the author collaboration network
Cercopithifilaria rugosicauda (spirurida, onchocercidae) in a roe deer and ticks from southern italy
No full textCercopithifilaria rugosicauda (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) is a subcutaneous filarial nematode of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) transmitted by Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae). At the necropsy of a roe deer from the Parco Regionale di Gallipoli Cognato (Basilicata region, southern Italy), two female nematodes of C. rugosicauda were found. Following the necropsy, seven skin snips were sampled from different body regions and 96 I. ricinus ticks were collected. In addition, 240 ticks were collected by dragging in the enclosure where the roe deer lived. Samples were examined for the presence of C. rugosicauda larvae and assayed by PCR targeting cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1, ∼300 bp) and 12S rDNA (∼330 bp) gene fragments. Female nematodes, microfilariae from skin samples and eight third stage larvae (L3) from ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified as C. rugosicauda. Phylogenetic analyses clustered this species with other sequences of Cercopithifilaria spp. This study represents the first report of C. rugosicauda in a roe deer and ticks from Italy and provides new morphological and molecular data on this little known nematode.Cercopithifilaria rugosicauda (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) is a subcutaneous filarial nematode of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) transmitted by Ixodes ricinus (Acari, Ixodidae). At the necropsy of a roe deer from the Parco Regionale di Gallipoli Cognato (Basilicata region, southern Italy), two female nematodes of C. rugosicauda were found. Following the necropsy, seven skin snips were sampled from different body regions and 96 I. ricinus ticks were collected. In addition, 240 ticks were collected by dragging in the enclosure where the roe deer lived. Samples were examined for the presence of C. rugosicauda larvae and assayed by PCR targeting cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1, ~300. bp) and 12S rDNA (~330. bp) gene fragments. Female nematodes, microfilariae from skin samples and eight third stage larvae (L3) from ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified as C. rugosicauda. Phylogenetic analyses clustered this species with other sequences of Cercopithifilaria spp. This study represents the first report of C. rugosicauda in a roe deer and ticks from Italy and provides new morphological and molecular data on this little known nematode. © 2013 The Authors
Link prediction in author collaboration network based on BP neural network
No full textRecently, more and more authors have been encouraged for collaboration because it often produces good results. However, the author collaboration network contains experts in various research directions within various fields, and it is difficult for individual authors to decide which authors are best suited to their expertise. This paper uses the relationships among authors to predict new relationships that may arise, recommending each author with the collaborators they may be interested in. The data source comes from 4-year data in DBLP from 2001 to 2004. After data cleaning, the training set and test set are constructed and then used BP neural network to build model. At the same time, this article compares the performance with Logistic Regression, SVM and Random Forest. The experiment shows that the BP neural network can get better result, and it is feasible to predict links in the author collaboration network
Weak population structure in European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and evidence of introgressive hybridization with Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus) in northeastern Poland.
No full textWe investigated contemporary and historical influences on the pattern of genetic diversity of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). The study was conducted in northeastern Poland, a zone where vast areas of primeval forests are conserved and where the European roe deer was never driven to extinction. A total of 319 unique samples collected in three sampling areas were genotyped at 16 microsatellites and one fragment (610 bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Genetic diversity was high, and a low degree of genetic differentiation among sampling areas was observed with both microsatellites and mtDNA. No evidence of genetic differentiation between roe deer inhabiting open fields and forested areas was found, indicating that the ability of the species to exploit these contrasting environments might be the result of its phenotypic plasticity. Half of the studied individuals carried an mtDNA haplotype that did not belong to C. capreolus, but to a related species that does not occur naturally in the area, the Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus). No differentiation between individuals with Siberian and European mtDNA haplotypes was detected at microsatellite loci. Introgression of mtDNA of Siberian roe deer into the genome of European roe deer has recently been detected in eastern Europe. Such introgression might be caused by human-mediated translocations of Siberian roe deer within the range of European roe deer or by natural hybridization between these species in the past
Uniqueness of BP⟨n⟩
No full textFix a prime number p and an integer n≥ 0. We prove that if a p-complete spectrum X satisfying a mild finiteness condition has the same mod p cohomology as BP⟨ n⟩ as a module over the Steenrod algebra, then X is weak homotopy equivalent to the p-completion of BP⟨ n⟩.The first author was supported by an ARC Discovery grant. The
second author was partially supported by the DFG through SFB-1085, and thanks the Australian National
University for hosting him while this research was conducted
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