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The design of new strategies that exploit methods from machine learning to facilitate the resolution of challenging and large-scale mathematical optimization problems has recently become an avenue of prolific and promising research. In this paper, we propose a novel learning procedure to assist in the solution of a well-known computationally difficult optimization problem in power systems: The Direct Current Optimal Transmission Switching (DC-OTS) problem. The DC-OTS problem consists in finding the configuration of the power network that results in the cheapest dispatch of the power generating units. With the increasing variability in the operating conditions of power grids, the DC-OTS problem has lately sparked renewed interest, because operational strategies that include topological network changes have proved to be effective and efficient in helping maintain the balance between generation and demand. The DC-OTS problem includes a set of binaries that determine the on/off status of the switchable transmission lines. Therefore, it takes the form of a mixed-integer program, which is NP-hard in general. In this paper, we propose an approach to tackle the DC-OTS problem that leverages known solutions to past instances of the problem to speed up the mixed-integer optimization of a new unseen model. Although our approach does not offer optimality guarantees, a series of numerical experiments run on a real-life power system dataset show that it features a very high success rate in identifying the optimal grid topology (especially when compared to alternative competing heuristics), while rendering remarkable speed-up factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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At a European level, Tropaeolum minus is the first species of this genus that arrived in our continent, around 1570, immediately used as an ornamental, vegetable and pharmaceutical plant. According to Italian sources, instead, T. minus arrived in Italy only in 1642: the species of this genus which was known in Italy at the time was T. majus, imported in 1596. However, in the Italian Renaissance herbaria, there are four specimens dated to the last decades of 1500, clearly recognisable as T. minus, which would confirm its import around 1570. Thanks to the analysis of these herbarium specimens and documental sources of the second half of the XVI century (Ulisse Aldrovandi's manuscripts and watercolour plates, the lists of species cultivated in that period in the principal Italian botanical gardens, the manuscript code I cinque libri di piante by Pietro Antonio Michiel), it is possible to demonstrate that the arrival of T. minus in Italy has to be redated at the second half of the XVI century. Furthermore, this work allowed the specimens of Tropaeolum preserved in the Erbario Aldrovandi to be identified correctly, which were formerly attributed to T. majus following the Italian scientific literature available so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the influence of heat stress during the dry period on milk yield and reproductive performance of Holstein cows in a hot environment. Breeding and milk production records of cows, as well as meteorological data between 2017 and 2020 from a commercial dairy herd (n = 12,102 lactations), were used to determine the relationship between climatic conditions during the dry period (average of the temperature-humidity index (THI) at the beginning, middle, and end of the dry period) and reproductive efficiency and milk yield traits. THI was divided into < 70 (no heat stress), 70–80 (moderate heat stress), and > 80 (severe heat stress). First-service pregnancy rate of cows decreased (P < 0.01) with increasing hyperthermia during the dry period (9.5, 7.3, and 3.4% for THI < 70, 70–80, and > 80, respectively). All-service pregnancy rate was highest (P < 0.01) for cows not undergoing heat stress during the dry period (60.2%) and lowest (42.6%) for cows with severe heat stress during the dry period. Cows not experiencing heat stress during the dry period required a mean ± SD of 5.6 ± 3.8 services per pregnancy compared with 6.5 ± 3.6 (P < 0.01) for cows subjected to THI > 80 during the dry period. Cows not suffering heat stress during the dry period produced more (P < 0.01) 305-day milk (10,926 ± 1206 kg) than cows subjected to moderate (10,799 ± 1254 kg) or severe (10,691 ± 1297 kg) heat stress during the dry period. Total milk yield did not differ (P > 0.10) between cows not undergoing heat stress (13,337 ± 3346 kg) and cows subjected to severe heat stress during the dry period (13,911 ± 4018 kg). It was concluded that environmental management of dry cows during hot months is warranted to maximize reproductive performance and milk yield in the following lactation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parasite-mediated sexual selection hypothesis predicts that color expression in color patches of animals can honestly reflect male quality in terms of resistance to parasites. Sceloporine lizards have structural-based blue color patches that can act as intraspecific signals and may thus reflect immunocompetence. However, both color patch expression and intensity of parasitic infections in lizards can vary across seasons. In consequence, we might expect that coloration would honestly reflect immunocompetence to resist parasites only during the mating season. We sampled males of Sceloporus torquatus in central Mexico in spring, summer, and autumn and quantified the reflectance of two structural-based color patches (throat and venter), abundance of two categories of parasites (mites and hemoparasites), and lizards' local inflammatory response to a mitogen (IRM) as a measure of immunocompetence. We examined whether (i) the coloration of lizards changed across seasons in the population, (ii) there is a relationship between coloration and parasite load and/or IRM, and (iii) the latter relationships remained consistent across seasons. Our study shows that color expression seasonally varied; the structural-based coloration of the two patches was significantly more intense in summer, before the mating season. Furthermore, the throat color was more intense in those males with lower parasite load and higher IRM. However, season had no effect on these relationships, suggesting that color expression in the males of S. torquatus can consistently reflect some components of their immunocompetence throughout the year, supporting the honesty of the structural-based coloration in this species. Significance statement: In this study, we aimed to investigate the seasonal variation in structural coloration of a lizard species and its potential relationship with male quality in Torquate lizards (Sceloporus torquatus). Our results revealed distinct seasonal differences in color expression, and furthermore, we found that males displaying more intense blue coloration exhibited lower parasite loads and stronger immune responses. These findings contribute to our understanding of two key aspects: (i) the potential role of structural coloration as an honest signal in organisms of this nature, and (ii) the significance of considering sampling times in organisms with structural coloration, as it can vary throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Footprints represent a relevant vestige providing direct information on the biology, locomotion, and behaviour of the individuals who left them. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of hominin footprints is heterogeneous, particularly in North Africa, where no footprint sites were known before the Holocene. This region is important in the evolution of hominins. It notably includes the earliest currently known Homo sapiens (Jebel Irhoud) and the oldest and richest African Middle Stone Age hominin sites. In this fragmented ichnological record, we report the discovery of 85 human footprints on a Late Pleistocene now indurated beach surface of about 2800 m2 at Larache (Northwest coast of Morocco). The wide range of sizes of the footprints suggests that several individuals from different age groups made the tracks while moving landward and seaward across a semi-dissipative bar-trough sandy beach foreshore. A geological investigation and an optically stimulated luminescence dating of a rock sample extracted from the tracksite places this hominin footprint surface at 90.3 ± 7.6 ka (MIS 5, Late Pleistocene). The Larache footprints are, therefore, the oldest attributed to Homo sapiens in Northern Africa and the Southern Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A closed-form analytical expression for [ H 3 O + ] has been obtained for aqueous solutions of diprotic acids and its soluble salts. This formula allows to calculate the pH of aqueous solutions of diprotic acids, their buffer solutions, and the titrations of these two by a strong base, from the values of p K 1 , p K 2 , and the effective concentrations of the acid and the base, C ¯ a and C ¯ b respectively. It is shown that a strong base titration of an acid, or its buffer solutions, is always a linear path in the C ¯ a – C ¯ b plane, which allows a simple analysis of the pH stability of buffer solutions. The mathematical analysis of the equilibrium equations of the dissolution of a diprotic acid in water and the physical constraints allowed to obtain two approximate equations for the diprotic acids. One of the approximations is useful for acids with p K 2 - p K 1 ≤ log 10 4 , the other for acids with p K 2 - p K 1 ≤ - log 10 4 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollutants harm human health and the environment. Nowadays, deploying an air pollution monitoring network in many urban areas could provide real-time air quality assessment. However, these networks are usually sparsely distributed and the sensor calibration problems that may appear over time lead to missing and wrong measurements. There is an increasing interest in developing air quality modelling methods to minimize measurement errors, predict spatial and temporal air quality, and support more spatially-resolved health effect analysis. This research aims to evaluate the ability of three feed-forward neural network architectures for the spatial prediction of air pollutant concentrations using the measures of an air quality monitoring network. In addition to these architectures, Support Vector Machines and geostatistical methods (Inverse Distance Weighting and Ordinary Kriging) were also implemented to compare the performance of neural network models. The evaluation of the methods was performed using the historical values of seven air pollutants (Nitrogen monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Ozone, and particulate matters with size less than or equal to 2.5 μ m and to 10 μ m) from an urban air quality monitoring network located at the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). To assess and compare the predictive ability of the models, three estimation accuracy indicators were calculated: the Root Mean Squared Error, the Mean Absolute Error, and the coefficient of determination. FFNN-based models are superior to geostatistical methods and slightly better than Support Vector Machines for fitting the spatial correlation of air pollutant measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, agriculture has become a major field of application and transfer for AI. The paper gives an overview of the topic, focusing agricultural processes and technology in Central-European style arable farming. AI could also be part of the transformation process of agriculture that is emerging world-wide in response to the UN global sustainable development goals (SDGs). In that sense, our overview includes pointers to some research towards AI in future agricultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site of Tingambato is one of the few evidences of the populations that settled in western Mexico during the Classic and Postclassic periods, before the development of the great Tarascan empire. Therefore, its study is fundamental to know both the characteristics of the culture that preceded the empire, as well as the phenomena that led to its formation. During the last decade, efforts have increased to reveal the history of this site. Thanks to the recent excavations, different archaeological materials belonging to the three construction phases of the place are available, which have served to define their main characteristics. In the present investigation, the magnetic characterization and dating of different archaeological materials belonging to the last occupational stage of Tingambato were carried out using archaeomagnetic methods. Some of these materials show evidence of exposure to fire after their elaboration. According to archaeological investigations, the ancient city of Tingambato was burned before being abandoned, so the ages obtained for four of the analyzed potsherds represent the first available dating for the abandonment of the site. Finally, these ages allow us to propose interpretations about the probable causes that led to its abandonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of early hominins to overcome the constraints imposed by the characteristics of raw materials used for stone tool production is a key topic on the discussion about the evolution of hominin cognitive capabilities and technical behaviours. Thus, technological variability has been the centrepiece on this debate. However, the variability of lithic assemblages cannot be correctly interpreted without understanding site occupational models and function and considering that individual tools represent specific discard moments in a continuous reduction process. In Europe, the earliest technological record is represented by the scarce and scattered Mode 1 technologies, often deriving from occasional occupations or restricted activity areas yielding unrepresentative assemblages. In this paper, we approach the technological behaviours exhibited by Lower Palaeolithic hominins from the subunit TD6.2 of the Gran Dolina site (Atapuerca, Burgos) by including the perspective of reduction intensity studies on the analysis of technological variability. Gran Dolina TD6.2 is a unique and extremely significant archaeological context, as it represents the oldest multi-layered unit of domestic hominin occupations in the Early Pleistocene of Europe. We use the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) to estimate the original volume of the blanks and quantify the reduction intensity of each core individually to characterise the reduction distribution patterns using Weibull probability distribution functions. Our results suggest differential raw material management in terms of reduction intensity, according to the characteristics of each lithology. This could reflect a solid understanding of raw material qualities and a certain degree of planning. Altogether, the continuity between knapping strategies through reduction denotes constant adaptation to raw material constraints as well as particular knapping conditions, rather than specific compartmentalised mental schemes. In conclusion, Homo antecessor toolmakers would have been situational knappers whose technological behaviour would be highly adaptive. This research constitutes the first reduction approach for the European Early Pleistocene assemblages that will lead to a referential framework for other European Early Pleistocene sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sant Genís Formation is located in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula (Catalonia, Spain) and is dated to the Priabonian (upper Eocene), being part of the evaporitic formations of the margin of the Ebro Basin. It is formed by a succession of sandy lutites, occasional limestone layers, marls, and local stratified gypsum and cherts, including the Sant Martí de Tous chert. The Sant Martí de Tous chert type is confirmed by its abundance at specific locations within the territory (NE Iberian Peninsula). This is an important raw material procurement area, as evidenced by the presence of this chert in the main prehistoric sites of the region (e.g., Abric Romaní) and the constant discovery of new sites in the area around the Sant Genís Formation, especially from the Neolithic period onwards (e.g., Cal Sitjo, La Guinardera Nord workshop). All these features, together with the great heterogeneity of the Cenozoic evaporitic cherts, prompted us to carry out a multi-proxy characterization for obtaining a valid criterion by which to identify this chert in the archaeological record. This very heterogeneity hampers the macroscopic characterization of archaeological cherts (e.g., at Abric Romaní), but through petrographic analysis we have been able to identify their origins and, albeit to a lesser extent, their lithostratigraphic unit of provenance within the formation. The complementary mineralogical and geochemical techniques applied in this study show that, although it is difficult to establish an exact origin, through intensive sampling and criteria such as the differential presence of Fe and Ca, some differences among the siliceous varieties within a formation can be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assembly of the embryo’s primary axis is a fundamental landmark for the establishment of the vertebrate body plan. Although the morphogenetic movements directing cell convergence towards the midline have been described extensively, little is known on how gastrulating cells interpret mechanical cues. Yap proteins are well-known transcriptional mechanotransducers, yet their role in gastrulation remains elusive. Here we show that the double knockout of yap and its paralog yap1b in medaka results in an axis assembly failure, due to reduced displacement and migratory persistence in mutant cells. Accordingly, we identified genes involved in cytoskeletal organization and cell-ECM adhesion as potentially direct Yap targets. Dynamic analysis of live sensors and downstream targets reveal that Yap is acting in migratory cells, promoting cortical actin and focal adhesions recruitment. Our results indicate that Yap coordinates a mechanoregulatory program to sustain intracellular tension and maintain the directed cell migration for embryo axis development.YAP signaling has been established as a mechanotransductive pathway in multiple contexts, but its developmental roles are still being explored. Here they show that YAP signaling sustains intracellular tension to direct cell migration during embryonic axis assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stainless steel (SS) thin plates were covered with polyaniline (PANI) with consecutive electric glow discharges in H2O2 and in aniline vapors to sensitize the SS surface and to polymerize aniline on the plates. The objective was to form smooth polymeric coatings attached to the metallic surface that resist saline fluids for several months. The coated samples were submerged during 2 months in static and dynamic Phosphate-Buffered Saline solutions with pH = 7.4 at 37 °C to partially simulate the chemical conditions of an implant in the circulatory system. The results indicated that in the static fluid, the PANI coating remained adhered to the SS surface with some slight cracks. In the dynamic fluids, 4.6 mL/s, the coatings showed partial detachment of the superficial layers; however, the interior layers remained attached. In both cases, the contact angles on the coating were in the limit between hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. The chemical analysis suggested the formation of O bridges that could contribute to the chemical adhesion of PANI on the SS surface. In general, the results indicated a good potential to retain the polymeric coating on SS under long immersion in saline fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromorphic computation processes sensors output in the spiking domain, which presents constraints in many cases when converting information to spikes, loosing, as example, temporal accuracy. This paper presents a spike-based system to adapt audio information from low-power pulse-density modulation (PDM) microelectromechanical systems microphones into rate coded spike frequencies. These spikes could be directly used by the neuromorphic auditory sensor (NAS) for frequency decomposition in different bands, avoiding the analog or digital conversion to spike streams. This improves the time response of the NAS, allowing its use in more time restrictive applications. This adaptation was conducted in VHDL as an interface for PDM microphones, converting their pulses into temporal distributed spikes following a pulse-frequency modulation scheme with an accurate inter-spike-interval, known as PDM to spikes interface (PSI). We introduce a new architecture of spike-based band-pass filter to reject DC components and distribute spikes in time. This was tested in two scenarios, first as a stand-alone circuit for its characterization, and then integrated with a NAS for verification. The PSI achieves a total harmonic distortion of - 46.18 dB and a signal-to-noise ratio of 63.47 dB, demands less than 1% of the resources of a Spartan-6 FPGA and its power consumption is around 7 mW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I argue that many scholars involved in the contemporary free will debates have underappreciated the philosophical appeal of agent causation because the resources of contemporary emergentism have not been adequately introduced into the discussion. Whereas I agree that agent causation’s main problem has to do with its intelligibility, particularly with respect to the issue of how substances can be causally relevant, I argue that the notion of substance causation can be clearly articulated from an emergentist framework. According to my proposal, a free agent is a causally powerful substance that emerges in an anomic way from her constitutive mental events, downwardly constraining, selecting and, in this way, having control on them. As we shall see, this particular concept of agent causation not only makes sense of the deep insight behind agent libertarianism, but it also provides us with the resources to solve some of the main objections that have been raised against it. It is true that here I cannot develop a complete defense of the evidential credentials of emergentism. Still, even if the considerations that follow do not serve to convince detractors of agent causal libertarian accounts of free will, they do suggest that libertarian agent causation is more promising than is typically acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological and psychosocial factors have been related to the shift to eveningness during early adolescence but it is necessary to study them from a longitudinal perspective. This longitudinal study examined the contribution of these factors to the onset of a shift towards eveningness in early adolescence. A sample of 440 (49.9% boys) Spanish adolescents were assessed for pubertal development, family conflicts, and morningness/eveningness. The same measures were taken twice at the age of 12 and one year later (T1: M = 12.47, SD = 0.75 and T2: M = 13.64, SD = 0.78). Pubertal development and family conflicts were considered predictors of morningness/eveningness in a mixed-effects multilevel model. The developmental shift towards eveningness appeared in girls but not in boys. The shift was related to more advanced pubertal development and more conflicts in the family. This study has implications for shaping healthy sleep habits in adolescents and possible interventions focused on family dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascañas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 ± 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating that places the hominin footprints surface in the range of 295.8 ± 17 ka (MIS 9-MIS 8 transition, Middle Pleistocene). This new age implies that the possible track-makers are individuals more likely from the Neandertal evolutionary lineage. Regardless of the taxon attributed to the Matalascañas footprints, they supplement the existing partial fossil record for the European Middle Pleistocene Hominins being notably the first palaeoanthropological evidence (hominin skeleton or footprints) from the MIS 9 and MIS 8 transition discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, a moment of climatic evolution from warm to cool. Thus, the Matalascañas footprints represent a crucial record for understanding human occupations in Europe in the Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider stochastic programs conditional on some covariate information, where the only knowledge of the possible relationship between the uncertain parameters and the covariates is reduced to a finite data sample of their joint distribution. By exploiting the close link between the notion of trimmings of a probability measure and the partial mass transportation problem, we construct a data-driven Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) framework to hedge the decision against the intrinsic error in the process of inferring conditional information from limited joint data. We show that our approach is computationally as tractable as the standard (without side information) Wasserstein-metric-based DRO and enjoys performance guarantees. Furthermore, our DRO framework can be conveniently used to address data-driven decision-making problems under contaminated samples. Finally, the theoretical results are illustrated using a single-item newsvendor problem and a portfolio allocation problem with side information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we wish to tackle stochastic programs affected by ambiguity about the probability law that governs their uncertain parameters. Using optimal transport theory, we construct an ambiguity set that exploits the knowledge about the distribution of the uncertain parameters, which is provided by: (1) sample data and (2) a-priori information on the order among the probabilities that the true data-generating distribution assigns to some regions of its support set. This type of order is enforced by means of order cone constraints and can encode a wide range of information on the shape of the probability distribution of the uncertain parameters such as information related to monotonicity or multi-modality. We seek decisions that are distributionally robust. In a number of practical cases, the resulting distributionally robust optimization (DRO) problem can be reformulated as a finite convex problem where the a-priori information translates into linear constraints. In addition, our method inherits the finite-sample performance guarantees of the Wasserstein-metric-based DRO approach proposed by Mohajerin Esfahani and Kuhn (Math Program 171(1–2):115–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10107-017-1172-1, 2018), while generalizing this and other popular DRO approaches. Finally, we have designed numerical experiments to analyze the performance of our approach with the newsvendor problem and the problem of a strategic firm competing à la Cournot in a market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) and their extensions have proven to be powerful tools for classification of observations that stem from systems with temporal dependence as they take into account that observations close in time are likely generated from the same state (i.e., class). When information on the classes of the observations is available in advanced, supervised methods can be applied. In this paper, we provide details for the implementation of four models for classification in a supervised learning context: HMMs, hidden semi-Markov models (HSMMs), autoregressive-HMMs, and autoregressive-HSMMs. Using simulations, we study the classification performance under various degrees of model misspecification to characterize when it would be important to extend a basic HMM to an HSMM. As an application of these techniques we use the models to classify accelerometer data from Merino sheep to distinguish between four different behaviors of interest. In particular in the field of movement ecology, collection of fine-scale animal movement data over time to identify behavioral states has become ubiquitous, necessitating models that can account for the dependence structure in the data. We demonstrate that when the aim is to conduct classification, various degrees of model misspecification of the proposed model may not impede good classification performance unless there is high overlap between the state-dependent distributions, that is, unless the observation distributions of the different states are difficult to differentiate. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, sensors play a major role in several fields, such as science, industry and everyday technology. Therefore, the information received from the sensors must be reliable. If the sensors present any anomalies, serious problems can arise, such as publishing wrong theories in scientific papers, or causing production delays in industry. One of the most common anomalies are uncalibrations. An uncalibration occurs when the sensor is not adjusted or standardized by calibration according to a ground truth value. In this work, an online machine-learning based uncalibration detector for temperature, humidity and pressure sensors is presented. This development integrates an artificial neural network as the main component which learns from the behavior of the sensors under calibrated conditions. Then, after being trained and deployed, it detects uncalibrations once they take place. The obtained results show that the proposed system is able to detect the 100% of the presented uncalibration events, although the time response in the detection depends on the resolution of the model for the specific location, i.e., the minimum statistically significant variation in the sensor behavior that the system is able to detect. This architecture can be adapted to different contexts by applying transfer learning, such as adding new sensors or having different environments by re-training the model with minimum amount of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ground segment for the ESA M4 Ariel exoplanet space mission is introduced. The ground segment encompasses the framework necessary to support the development of the Ariel mission to launch, in-flight operations and calibration, data processing pipeline and data handling, including user support. The structure of the ground segment and assumed responsibilities between ESA and the Ariel mission consortium is explained, along with their interfaces. The operational phases for the mission are introduced, including the early commissioning/verification phases, the science operations and the calibration strategy. The smooth transition of the ground segment through the various pre/post launch mission phases to nominal operations will be paramount in guaranteeing the success, scientific return and impact of the Ariel mission. The expected science data products are defined and a representative data processing pipeline is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of human remains from the perspective of forensic taphonomy facilitates a holistic understanding of ancient funerary behavior, and it is even more important when dealing with commingled assemblages. This is the case of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain), where more than 2500 disarticulated, fragmented, and commingled human remains, both burned and unburned, were recovered, belonging to at least 23 individuals. This study aims to reconstruct the taphonomic history of the site and identify the funerary treatments applied. Radiocarbon dating indicates the use of the cave at the beginning and end of the Neolithic, and taphonomic analysis has enabled us to differentiate a third period of funerary use. The results of this study have revealed that burned and unburned remains present in the cave constitute two different accumulations separated in time that were mixed due to multiple post-depositional agents and processes, including anthropogenic activities. The cremation pattern of the burned remains evidences the cremation of green bones, probably whole bodies, inside the cave, representing an intermediate practice between collective burials and the individual cremation characteristic of the Late Bronze Age. There is, therefore, repeated use of the same space with a sepulchral concept, from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, but involving different funerary practices: inhumation and cremation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neolithisation was a relatively fast process that affected both the interior and coastal zones of the Iberian Peninsula, but it was also a heterogeneous process that had diverse impacts on genomic and cultural diversity. In the Late Neolithic–Chalcolithic, a change in funerary practices, cultural material and trade networks occurred, and genomic heterogeneity decreased, suggesting human mobility and genetic admixture between different Iberian populations. Dental morphology has emerged as an effective tool for understanding genomic variability and biological affinities among ancient human populations. But, surprisingly, less attention has been paid to the morphological traits of inner dental tissues in Holocene European populations and their utility for the study of population dynamics. We applied 3D geometric morphometric methods on the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) of the first upper molars to explore the biological affinities of north-eastern Iberian Peninsula populations from the Late Neolithic–Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age. Our results show that the EDJ morphologies of the northern Iberian Peninsula populations were generally homogeneous, indicative of genetic admixture as a result of human mobility and exchange networks. However, differences in the EDJ traits in remains from the Can Sadurní site are indicative of distant biological affinities with nearby populations. Additionally, the hypocone associated dentine area and the position of the trigon dentine horns relative to each other on the occlusal surface best describe the variability found among the samples studied. This study highlights the utility of EDJ morphology as a genetic proxy in Holocene population dynamic studies when paleogenomic studies are absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging infectious diseases affecting marine ecosystems are increasing worldwide. Nevertheless, there are very few histopathological analyses describing the tissue damage associated with a specific disease. This makes it difficult to study the host response and to relate the findings to the isolated agent. Octocoral disease research has focused on the observation of lesions and on the identification of the potential pathogens involved. The aim of this investigation was to identify macroscopic lesions and describe histopathological findings in octocorals to determine potential causes. Fifty-five octocorals were investigated, and 18 of them had visible lesions (32.7%). Samples from the injured tissues of nine individuals of Gorgonia spp., seven individuals of Eunicea spp., one individual of Plexaurella dichotoma and one individual of Pseudopterogorgia acerosa were collected and processed for histopathological analysis. Algal and crustacean abrasions were the main causes of lesions detected in the field. Lesions with a focal distribution were present in most of the colonies, together with changes in tissue coloration. Histopathology revealed that melanization, amoebocytosis and polyp necrosis were the main reactions associated with algae and crustaceans. Histopathology allowed us to confirm the algae and crustacean involvement even when they were not macroscopically evident by the tissue damage and the associated response of these octocorals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sight depends on the tight cooperation between photoreceptors and pigmented cells, which derive from common progenitors through the bifurcation of a single gene regulatory network into the neural retina (NR) and retinal-pigmented epithelium (RPE) programs. Although genetic studies have identified upstream nodes controlling these networks, their regulatory logic remains poorly investigated. Here, we characterize transcriptome dynamics and chromatin accessibility in segregating NR/RPE populations in zebrafish. We analyze cis-regulatory modules and enriched transcription factor motives to show extensive network redundancy and context-dependent activity. We identify downstream targets, highlighting an early recruitment of desmosomal genes in the flattening RPE and revealing Tead factors as upstream regulators. We investigate the RPE specification network dynamics to uncover an unexpected sequence of transcription factors recruitment, which is conserved in humans. This systematic interrogation of the NR/RPE bifurcation should improve both genetic counseling for eye disorders and hiPSCs-to-RPE differentiation protocols for cell-replacement therapies in degenerative diseases. The gene regulatory network controlling the bifurcation of common progenitors into the neural retina and retinal-pigmented epithelium programs remains poorly understood. Here the authors study transcriptome dynamics and chromatin accessibility during this process in zebrafish, revealing network redundancy, as well as context-dependent and sequential transcription factor activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) in some patients with locally advanced breast cancer remains one of the main obstacles to first-line treatment. We investigated clinical and pathological responses to FAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Mexican women with breast cancer and their possible association with SNPs present in ABC transporters as predictors of chemoresistance.Materials: A total of 102 patients undergoing FAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included in the study. SNP analysis was performed by RT-PCR from genomic DNA. Two SNPs were analyzed: ABCB1 rs1045642 (3435 C > T) and ABCG2 rs2231142 (421 G > T).Results: In clinical response evaluation, significant associations were found between the ABCB1 C3435T genotype and breast cancer chemoresistant and chemosensitive patients (p < 0.05). In the early clinical response, patients with genotype C/C or C/T were more likely to be chemosensitive to neoadjuvant therapy than patients with genotype T/T (OR = 4.055; p = 0.0064). Association analysis between the ABCB1 gene polymorphism and the pathologic response to FAC chemotherapy showed that the C/C + C/T genotype was a protective factor against chemoresistance (OR = 3.714; p = 0.0104). Polymorphisms in ABCG2 indicated a lack of association with resistance to chemotherapy (p = 0.2586) evaluating the clinical or pathological response rate to FAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Conclusion: The early clinical response and its association with SNPs in the ABCB1 transporter are preserved until the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy; therefore, it could be used as a predictor of chemoresistance in locally advanced breast cancer patients of the Mexican population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report the recent discovery of 87 Neandertal footprints on the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Doñana shoreline, Spain) located on an upper Pleistocene aeolian littoral setting (about 106 ± 19 kyr). Morphometric comparisons, high resolution digital photogrammetric 3D models and detailed sedimentary analysis have been provided to characterized the footprints and the palaeoenvironment. The footprints were impressed in the shoreline of a hypersaline swamped area related to benthic microbial mats, close to the coastline. They have a rounded heel, a longitudinal arch, relatively short toes, and adducted hallux, and represent the oldest upper Pleistocene record of Neandertal footprints in the world. Among these 87 footprints, 31 are longitudinally complete and measure from 14 to 29 cm. The calculated statures range from 104 to 188 cm, with half of the data between 130 and 150 cm. The wide range of sizes of the footprints suggests the existence of a social group integrated by individuals of different age classes but dominated, however, by non-adult individuals. The footprints, which are outside the flooded area are oriented perpendicular to the shoreline. These 87 footprints reinforce the ecological scenario of Neandertal groups established in coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]