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Background: Pollen, as all other plant tissues, harbors different microorganisms. As honey bees (Apis mellifera) collect and pack pollen they add regurgitated nectar to moisten and glue the pollen grains, possibly changing the microbial composition. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that while packing pollen into their corbiculae, honey bees change the pollen microbiota. Studied species: Brassica napus L., Apis mellifera L. Study site and dates: Avignon, France, 2018. Methods: In this study, we compared the microbiota of clean Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) pollen with that of bee-worked corbicular pollen by 16S rRNA gene targeted amplicon sequencing. We also compared these bacterial communities with those present in nectar, the bee gut and the bee surface as potential inoculum sources. Results: We found that by working pollen, bees increase the bacterial diversity of pollen, by adding honey bee symbionts such as Bombella, Frischella, Gilliamella and Snodgrassella, bee pathogens as Spiroplasma and nectar dwelling Lactobacillus to the new pollen microbiota. Conclusions: The bee gut is an important source of inoculum of the corbicular pollen microbiota. We discuss the implications of these findings and propose future research avenues.

Supplementary Figure 3 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

The global increase in lung cancer burden, together with its poor survival and resistance to classical chemotherapy, underscores the need for identification of critical molecular events involved in lung carcinogenesis. Here, we have applied quantitative profiling of DNA methylation states in a panel of five cancer-associated genes (CDH1, CDKN2A, GSTP1, MTHFR, and RASSF1A) to a large case-control study of lung cancer. Our analyses revealed a high frequency of aberrant hypermethylation of MTHFR, RASSF1A, and CDKN2A in lung tumors as compared with control blood samples, whereas no significant increase in methylation levels of GSTP1 and CDH1 was observed, consistent with the notion that aberrant DNA methylation occurs in a tumor-specific and gene-specific manner. Importantly, we found that tobacco smoking, sex, and alcohol intake had a strong influence on the methylation levels of distinct genes (RASSF1A and MTHFR), whereas folate intake, age, and histologic subtype had no significant influence on methylation states. We observed a strong association between MTHFR hypermethylation in lung cancer and tobacco smoking, whereas methylation levels of CDH1, CDKN2A, GSTP1, and RASSF1A were not associated with smoking, indicating that tobacco smoke targets specific genes for hypermethylation. We also found that methylation levels in RASSF1A, but not the other genes under study, were influenced by sex, with males showing higher levels of methylation. Together, this study identifies aberrant DNA methylation patterns in lung cancer and thus exemplifies the mechanism by which environmental factors may interact with key genes involved in tumor suppression and contribute to lung cancer. [Cancer Res 2009;69(1):243–52]

Supplementary Table 2 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

Supplementary Figure 4 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

Supplementary Figure 1 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

Supplementary Table 3 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

Supplementary Figure 1 from Aberrant DNA Methylation Links Cancer Susceptibility Locus 15q25.1 to Apoptotic Regulation and Lung Cancer

Supplementary Tables 1-3 from Aberrant DNA Methylation Links Cancer Susceptibility Locus 15q25.1 to Apoptotic Regulation and Lung Cancer

Supplementary Figure 2 from Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation Profiles in Lung Cancer Identifies Aberrant DNA Methylation of Specific Genes and Its Association with Gender and Cancer Risk Factors

Aedes-borne diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika are caused by viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, producing an enormous public health burden and a lesser-known economic impact. We present a reliable, up-to-date, standardized and easily updatable global-scale synthesis of studies reporting the economic costs caused by these mosquitoes, obtained from 880 records from 118 countries covering the last 45 years. From 1975 to 2020, the cumulative reported cost of Aedes and Aedes-borne diseases was at least 87.3 billion in 2022 US$ values, having increased almost 100-fold over this period, while still considerably underreported and underestimated. Costs are mainly due to dengue (80%), and do not consider the medical sequelae of chikungunya and Zika, which would bring this estimate up to US$ 310.8 billion worldwide. Damage and losses were an order of magnitude higher than investment in management, and only a modest portion of the total reported expenditure went to prevention. Effective control measures are urgently needed to safeguard global health and well-being, and to reduce the burden on human societies. Providing up-to-date data fills a gap in our limited understanding, can inform evidence-based policy and contributes towards a greater awareness of the increasing economic costs of Aedes and Aedes-borne diseases.

We demonstrate a narrow-linewidth tunable laser through micro-transfer printing a pre-fabricated III-V gain section on imec’s 200-mm Si/SiN platform. Lasing in distinct bands in the C+L band is demonstrated, with linewidth down to 2.87-kHz.

Life expectancy emphasizes the importance of adapting to and adopting new measures that will benefit healthy aging. A promising lead is the potential benefits of pets for older adults in their homes. This study aimed to test the influence of socio-demographic and environmental factors on the presence of dogs and cats around older adults. The direct and indirect effects of pets, using sociality and mobility factors, were tested on health variables. The social cohesion of a community and type of dwelling appeared to be related to the presence of pets. In addition, the results showed mixed effects of pets, namely a positive influence on mental health via the social network of older adults, and a negative influence in the form creation of a certain stress. In general, the effects of pets on the lives of older adults constitute an important research framework to pursue in the context of healthy aging.

This short note proposes that a hapax legomenon in a fifth century list of enemies of Khotan might give a half a millennium antecedent to the name of the Mongols, as an alternative, and older, name of the Mongol-speaking Rouran.

The identification of seven cases of hepatitis E virus infection in a French rural hamlet in April 2015 led to investigations confirming the clustering and identifying the source of the infection. Laboratories and general practitioners in the area actively searched for other cases based on RT-PCR and serological tests. The environment, including water sources, was also checked for HEV RNA. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to compare HEV sequences. No other cases were found. Six of the seven patients lived in the same hamlet, and the seventh used to visit his family who lived there. All HEV strains were very similar and belonged to the HEV3f subgenotype, confirming the clustering of these cases. All the patients drank water from the public network. A break in the water supply to the hamlet was identified at the time the infection probably occurred; HEV RNA was also detected in a private water source that was connected to the public water network. The water flowing from the taps was quite turbid during the break. The private water supply containing HEV RNA was the likely source of the contamination. Private water supplies not disconnected from the public network are still frequent in rural areas, where they may contribute to public water pollution.

ABSTRACT: This study presents complex series of laboratory permeability tests in which both steady state and pulse decay methods were applied on core samples of the weakly permeable Callovo-Oxfordian claystone from Bure (France). The focus was to explain why permeability values obtained in laboratory with the steady state method are lower than those obtained with the pulse decay method and those obtained in-situ, and to assess the impact of these measurements on the mechanical properties. The intrinsic permeability values measured with the steady flow method are homogeneous and range between 1.2×10−21 and 7.5×10−21 m2. They are significantly lower than those obtained from the pulse decay method (~10−20 m2) and from in-situ measurements. This could be explained by an additional hydration of the clay minerals during steady state flow and the associated swelling, which decrease the interparticle porosity and slow down the water flow. The steady flow permeability tests induce a significant damage of the material which is mainly due to the opening of the bedding planes of swelling clay minerals (smectites). An accurate assessment of the permeability of a claystone with the steady state method requires a chemically equilibrated water and experiments with short run time. 1. INTRODUCTION The Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone in Meuse/Haute-Marne (France) has been chosen to host the Underground Research Laboratory (URL), located 500 meters underground in Bure and managed by ANDRA (National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste), for a feasibility study of a deep geological repository of radioactive waste due to its very low permeability. In the particular case of radioactive waste disposal management, knowledge of permeability is very important because it controls fluids transfers. COx claystone is a very low permeable rock whose permeability has been widely studied in the past two decades. Permeability measurements on core samples have been performed parallel and perpendicular to the stratigraphy and over the entire thickness of the argillaceous formation in French laboratories with different techniques: interpretation of water profiles from water sorption/desorption isotherms, diffusion tests with tritiated water, tests in triaxial cell under steady (stationary/permanent) or transient (pulse decay test) flow regime. In-situ results were also obtained through a series of tests (short-term hydraulic/packer tests, long-term pressure monitoring, long term pumping tests with argon) carried out in deep boreholes from the surface and short boreholes in the Meuse/Haute-Marne Laboratory. In-situ measurements have the great advantage to be carried out under hydraulic and mechanical conditions relatively close to natural conditions, but difficult to control (Delay et al., 2006). Laboratory measurements on core samples allow the control of a wide range of experimental conditions (e.g., pressures, stresses, temperature…) despite the difficulties related to sampling and conditioning.

S’essayant a tous les genres avec la minutie du vivisecteur, Laurent Mauvignier bâtit depuis vingt ans une œuvre romanesque puissante dont Histoires de la nuit, paru en septembre dernier, semble etre a la fois la synthese et l’aboutissement. Dans ce texte au propos et au volume hors normes, l’auteur de Continuer, Apprendre a finir et Des hommes, semble une fois de plus faire la demonstration d’une grande maitrise du style, de la narration et du sens.

This article aims to understand the processes by which the Sogdians were able to become ḏimmīs during the first half of the 8th century, on the basis of textual data, drawn from the accounts of the conquest, and archaeological data—the destruction of temples—and by proposing a parallel with the simultaneous conquest of Sind. On tente ici de comprendre les processus par lesquels les Sogdiens ont pu devenir ḏimmī‑s au cours de la première moitié du viiie siècle, à partir des données textuelles, tirées des récits de la conquête, et archéologiques – les destructions de temples – tout en proposant un parallèle avec la conquête simultanée du Sind. يرمي المقال إلى فهم العملية التي بها تحول الصُغد إلى ذميين في النصف الأول من القرن الثامن الميلادي، بناءً على البيانات النصية، المستخلصة من روايات الغزو، والبيانات الأثرية – هدم المعابد – مع مقارنتها بغزو السند، المتزامن معها.

La mue des musees entamee a la fin du siecle dernier prend de nos jours un tour inattendu. Depoussieres, « ludifies », digitalises, les voila pares des atours de l’epoque, penses pour le partage, accoutumes au selfie, immersifs a l’envi et ludiques a souhait. Les temples de l’art et de la culture ont appris a seduire pour mieux instruire, et a enivrer avant d’emouvoir, aides en cela par l’intelligence artificielle et le multimedia. Le changement est si profond que la definition meme du mot « musee » fait debat au sein du prestigieux Conseil international des musees (Icom). Pendant ce temps, les nouveaux musees du selfie ou de la creme glacee sont pris d’assaut, aux Etats-Unis, en Europe et en Inde, par une foule de visiteurs avides de pratiques et d’experiences nouvelles.

L’enfermement d’un enfant ou d’un adolescent fait rupture dans sa vie quotidienne et psychique. Il viendrait de prime abord entraver un processus de separation-individuation deja complique par des carences des relations primaires. Il peut aussi etre l’occasion d’une regression sensori-motrice therapeutique et d’un accompagnement des mutations narcissiques et objectales infantiles et adolescentes.

Resume Objectif Etudier l’impact neurotoxique sur un echantillon de la population des garagistes exposes repetitivement a de faibles doses de solvants organiques pendant une periode superieure a dix ans. Methode Il s’agit d’une etude comparative apparentee a une enquete transversale portant sur un echantillon de 30 garagistes, mecaniciens et carrossiers, issu de 21 garages en regard d’un echantillon de 30 salaries non exposes issu d’un autre secteur commercial depourvu d’exposition, effectuee au moyen de tests valides. L’evaluation de l’atteinte neurologique clinique a ete realisee au moyen du questionnaire suedois Q16 ; l’atteinte neurotoxique peripherique avec le test de la vision des couleurs desature D-15 de Lanthony, et l’atteinte centrale neurocognitive par une batterie de six tests neuropsychologiques investiguant les alterations caracteristiques d’une intoxication chronique : memoire, organisation visuospatiale, fonction executive, dexterite, vitesse psychomotrice, et concentration. Une investigation complementaire de terrain des 21 garages concernes a ete realisee de facon a decrire les conditions habituelles d’exposition. Resultats La comparaison des moyennes entre groupes des resultats de tous les tests etait davantage en faveur d’alterations dans l’echantillon des salaries non exposes que dans celui des garagistes, excepte pour le test de dexterite avec une difference significative. Deux carrossiers peintres avaient au moins trois tests neuropsychologiques positifs, tandis qu’il y en avait cinq parmi les salaries non exposes, mais le test de Lanthony de ces deux carrossiers etait normal, ce qui signifiait l’absence de relation avec un effet toxique des solvants, dans l’echantillon des exposes. Conclusion Cette etude ne vient pas accrediter l’hypothese que l’exposition repetee a de faibles doses de solvants organiques sur des periodes decennales puisse avoir un impact neurotoxique, en tout cas au niveau d’exposition habituel de celui des garagistes. Bien que la puissance de cette etude soit statistiquement faible (71 %), sa methodologie, assise sur une investigation non invasive de marqueurs d’effets, et reproductible a des echantillons plus grands, la rend toutefois interessante.

The Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory (MHM URL) is an outstanding scientific tool that provides reliable data on the behaviour of Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone. More than 10,000 sensors have been installed in the argillaceous formation to measure rock properties and behaviour under several configurations in order to assess coupled processes. Since 2004, data have been acquired continuously through several measurement campaigns –mainly in galleries at the main level, −490 m (clay unit level –, i.e. UA level), but also in a gallery at −445 m [silty carbonate unit level (USC)]. This experiment has increased understanding of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of claystone and highlight various phenomena. The research program carried out in the MHM URL galleries also is dedicated to technology improvement and demonstration issues of several disposal systems. 1 At MHM URL, the principal horizontal major stress ( σ H ) is oriented at NE150° , and the principal vertical stress ( σ v ) is nearly equal to the principal horizontal minor stress ( σ h ) that is oriented NE065° . The ratio σ H ∕ σ h is close to 1.3 and varies with depth and the rheological characteristics of the respective layers. This paper presents the hydro-mechanical coupling (i.e. interaction between the interstitial water and the solid skeleton) during and after excavation work. The influence of the in-situ stress fields on several types of support was studied for a gallery oriented according to the principal minor horizontal stress ( σ h ). This paper presents an analysis of measurements recorded during and after the construction of an experimental gallery, referred to as the GER, from 2013 to 2015. The GER experimental gallery is an 83-m-long tunnel, in which four different supports were tested: sliding arches; shotcrete; compressible wedges; and poured concrete. Sliding arches, shotcrete and compressible wedges constitute the initial supports that were installed during excavation. The poured concrete was set up about 9 months after the section excavation as a final support, first at the bottom and then at the vault of the gallery. Hydrogeological and geotechnical measurements help to describe the hydro-mechanical response of the surrounding rock mass. Experimental results highlight the anisotropy of the loading from the surrounding rock mass and the influence of the stiffness/flexibility of the support.

This article presents recent archaeological discoveries on the Buddhist monasteries, the irrigation system and defence systems of the oasis of Balkh, intending to explore the depth of the gap between these central features of the oasis landscape and the transmitted early Islamic texts describing the site. The Fażāʾil-i Balḫ and the Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam do provide us with some data but the archaeology allows a detailed demonstration of how many parts of the pre-Islamic past were quickly forgotten or reinterpreted in the following centuries.

The present paper deals with the comparison of permeability measurements between steady flow and transient flow tests (pulse decay test). We submitted one sample to a series of four sequences of one pulse test followed by one steady flow test. This whole multi-stage test lasted approximately 120 days. The pulse tests were interpreted with an inverse method proposed by Giot et al. (2011) allowing assessment of mechanical and poromechanical parameters in addition to intrinsic permeability. Overall, the pulse test measurements showed that the claystone progressively turned into mud, exhibiting constant decreases in permeability and Young's modulus and a constant increase in the Biot coefficient. In contrast, the steady flow tests exhibited constant permeability corresponding to the final value assessed by the pulse test. These results are explicated by the evolution of the claystone fabric with wetting and call into question the representativeness of permeability measurements by the steady flow method on these kinds of materials.

Fil: Mashilingi, Shibonage K. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Institute of Apicultural Research. Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair. China. Fil: Zhang, Hong. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Institute of Apicultural Research. Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair. China. Fil: Chen, Wenfeng. Fuzhou University. Institute of Life Sciences. China. Fil: Vaissière, Bernard E. Laboratoire Pollinisation & Ecologie des Abeilles. INRAE. Francia. Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina. Fil: An, Jiandong. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Institute of Apicultural Research. Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair. China. Worldwide, there is increasing evidence that shows a decline in pollinators, limiting crop pollination and production. However, it is unclear to what extent Chinese agriculture could be impacted by pollinator deficits. Data for 84 major crops in China between 1961 and 2018 were analyzed for the temporal trends in crop area and production, agricultural economic contribution of pollination, crop yield deficits, and honey bee pollination demand. We found a rapid increase in agricultural dependence on insect pollinators: both the cultivated area and total production of pollinator-dependent crops increased faster than those of pollinator-independent crops during 1961–2018. The total economic value of pollination amounted to US$ 106.08 billion in 2010, representing 19.12% of the total production value of Chinese agriculture, approximately twice the 9.5% value estimated for global agriculture. Crops with higher pollinator dependence showed greater mean growth in cultivated area than those with lower dependence, but lower mean growth of crop production and yield. Crop yield growth was also more unstable with increasing pollinator dependence. The minimum pollination demand for honey bee colonies was about three times the stock of honey bee colonies available in 2018. Furthermore, we found a decline in crop yield deficit with the increase in honey bee colony pollination service capacity. We considered that the shortage of pollinators resulted in the yield deficits for pollinator-dependent crops. Future increase in the area of pollinator-dependent crops will increase the need for more pollinators, suggesting the importance of implementing measures to protect pollinators to ensure a better-secured future for agricultural production in China. .

Cytokinesis is the last step of mitotic cell division that separates the cytoplasm of dividing cells. Small molecule inhibitors targeting either the elements of the regulatory pathways controlling cytokinesis, or the terminal effectors have been of interest as potential drug candidates for the treatment of various diseases. Here we present a detailed protocol for a cell-based cytokinesis assay that can be used for the discovery of novel cytokinesis inhibitors. The assay is performed in a 96-well plate format in 48 h. Living cells, nuclei and nuclei of dead cells are identified by a single staining step using three fluorescent dyes, followed by rapid live cell imaging. The primary signal is the nuclei-to-cell ratio (NCR). In the presence of cytokinesis inhibitors, this ratio increases over time, as the ratio of multinucleated cells increases in the population. The ratio of dead nuclei to total nuclei provides a simultaneous measure of cytotoxicity. A screening window coefficient (Z`) of 0.65 indicates that the assay is suitable for screening purposes, as the positive and negative controls are well-separated. EC50 values can be reliably determined in a single 96-well plate by using only six different compound concentrations, enabling the testing of 4 compounds per plate. An excellent test-retest reliability (R2 = 0.998) was found for EC50 values covering a ~1500-fold range of potencies. Established small molecule inhibitors of cytokinesis operating via direct action on actin dynamics or nonmuscle myosin II are used to demonstrate the robustness, simplicity and flexibility of the assay.

Biological invasions are responsible for substantial biodiversity declines as well as high economic losses to society and monetary expenditures associated with the management of these invasions

Cytokinesis is the last step of mitotic cell division that separates the cytoplasm of dividing cells. Small molecule inhibitors targeting either the elements of the regulatory pathways controlling cytokinesis, or the terminal effectors have been of interest as potential drug candidates for the treatment of various diseases. Here we have developed a cell-based assay for the discovery of novel cytokinesis inhibitors. The assay is performed in a 96-well plate format in 48 hours. Living cells, nuclei and nuclei of dead cells are revealed by a single staining step with three fluorescent dyes, followed by live cell imaging using an automated fluorescence microscope. The primary signal is the nuclei-to-cell ratio (NCR). In the presence of cytokinesis inhibitors, this ratio is expected to increase over time, as the ratio of multinucleated cells increases in the population. Cytotoxicity is quantified as the ratio of dead nuclei to total nuclei. A screening window coefficient (Z’) of 0.65 indicates that the assay is suitable for screening purposes, as the positive and negative controls are well-separated. EC50values for four compounds can be reliably determined in a single 96-well plate by using only six different compound concentrations. An excellent test-retest reliability (R2=0.998) was found for EC50values covering a ∼1500-fold range of potencies. The robustness, simplicity and flexibility of the assay is demonstrated here by using modulators of actin dynamics with different mechanisms of action (jasplakinolide, cytochalasin D and swinholide A) and derivatives of the nonmuscle myosin II inhibitor blebbistatin.

SYNGAP1 loss-of-function variants are causally associated with intellectual disability, severe epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. While there are hundreds of genetic risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), this gene is somewhat unique because of the frequency and penetrance of loss-of-function variants found in patients combined with the range of brain disorders associated with SYNGAP1 pathogenicity. These clinical findings indicate that SYNGAP1 regulates fundamental neurodevelopmental processes that are necessary for brain development. Here, we describe four phenotypic domains that are controlled by Syngap1 expression across vertebrate species. Two domains, the maturation of cognitive functions and maintenance of excitatory-inhibitory balance, are defined exclusively through a review of the current literature. Two additional domains are defined by integrating the current literature with new data indicating that SYNGAP1/Syngap1 regulates innate survival behaviors and brain structure. These four phenotypic domains are commonly disrupted in NDDs, suggesting that a deeper understanding of developmental Syngap1 functions will be generalizable to other NDDs of known or unknown etiology. Therefore, we discuss the known molecular and cellular functions of Syngap1 and consider how these functions may contribute to the emergence of disease-relevant phenotypes. Finally, we identify major unexplored areas of Syngap1 neurobiology and discuss how a deeper understanding of this gene may uncover general principles of NDD pathobiology.

Dans un service d’hospitalisation d’enfants en crise de 6 a 13 ans, un groupe a mediation decoupage-collage a ete cree. L’article rend compte de l’elaboration theorico-pratique du dispositif de soins correspondant aux objectifs d’un travail therapeutique, convoquant les processus primaires, sensoriels et perceptifs.

Exhaust manifolds for diesel engines are made of high-Si ferritic nodular cast irons. It is experimentally well established that their oxidation kinetics are highly sensitive to the presence of water vapor, though the mechanism for such an effect is still controversial. In the present work, isothermal oxidation tests were performed on a SiMo nodular cast iron at 700°C and 800°C in dry and humid air for 25 and 50 hours. Other samples were oxidized for 50 h with in-situ change in H2O content after 25 h, switching from dry air to humid air or the other way round. Samples were then analyzed using XRD, SEM-EDS and Raman spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric records clearly showed the effect of temperature and environment on oxidation and decarburization. The kinetics of these phenomena depends on silica formation at the metal-oxide interface. At both temperatures, water vapor was seen to promote internal oxidation of Si instead of its external oxidation. This leads to higher oxidation kinetics at 700°C and higher decarburization kinetics at 800°C.

New data from Chinese, Bactrian and archaeological sources on the oasis of Marw are introduced in the long debate on the Persian or Arab nature of the ʿAbbāsid movement. These data provide us with a rough estimate of the maximum feeding power of the oasis of Marw. This feeding power is then taken into account to demonstrate that the Arab soldiers and their families settled there should have consumed between one-third and two-thirds of the food produced in the oasis. The ʿAbbāsid Revolution did not take place in an oasis with two widely divergent communities, a tiny community of powerful Arab warriors versus a vast majority of powerless Persian-speaking peasants, but of communities intermingled all over the oasis in quite equal numbers which had no choice but to cooperate during four generations before the Revolution. If the Revolutionary network before the Revolution seems to have been mainly Arab, the texts clearly describe an ʿAbbāsid army numerically dominated by Persians under Arab command. The existence of a partially mixed society does explain how an Arab network came to muster and to dominate a much more mixed military force, which gave way to a gradual Persian empowerment.

To deconstruct the architecture and function of brain circuits, it is necessary to generate maps of the neuronal connectivity and activity on a whole brain scale. New methods now enable large-scale mapping of the mouse brain at cellular and subcellular resolution. We developed a framework to automatically annotate, analyze, visualize, and easily share whole-brain data at cellular resolution, based on a scale-invariant and interactive mouse brain atlas. This framework enables connectivity and mapping projects in individual laboratories, across imaging platforms, as well as multiplexed quantitative information on the molecular identity of single neurons. As a proof of concept, we generated a comparative connectivity map of five major neuron types in the corticostriatal circuit, as well as an activity-based map to identify hubs mediating the behavioral effects of cocaine. Thus, this computational framework provides the necessary tools to generate brain maps that integrate data from connectivity, neuron identity and function.

Census data from 8th-century Eastern Central Asian oases, combined with the measurements of the oases and data from archives discovered there, allow us to calculate estimates both of the individual oases’ populations and of their respective feeding capacities, which is to say the number of people who could be fed from the output of one hectare of agricultural land. These numbers in turn have parallels in Western Central Asia, where oasis sizes can also be calculated by examination of preserved archaeological landscapes and oasis walls. It is therefore possible to reach a rough idea of the populations dwelling in the main oases and valleys of sedentary Central Asia. As regards nomadic regions, the data are far more hypothetical, but references in certain sources to the sizes of nomad armies and rates of nomadic military levying can allow us to calculate at least the possible scales of magnitude for populations living to the north of the Tianshan.