bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Difficulties in Rejecting a Local Ancestry With mtDNA Haplogroup Data in the South-Central Andes
Authors: Lewis Cecil M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis study assesses whether local genetic drift within populations can be rejected as a sufficient explanation for mitochondrial DNA haplogroup frequency changes between contemporary and prehistoric population samples in the South-Central Andes. Differences in the frequencies of haplogroups between populations are a popular line of evidence for assessing population history. The null hypothesis of haplo group frequency change is a stochastic force inherent to finite populations called genetic drift. Genetic drift is particularly influential in small populations. Innumerable historical events can result in low population sizes, and the simplest scenarios for these events are those occurring locally. In this study, simulations are used to provide a baseline for the amount of haplogroup-frequency difference expected from local genetic drift over time. The results from the simulations are compared to observed data from 23 population samples, including six prehistoric population samples. The study concludes that local genetic drift cannot be rejected when comparing a prehistoric population to a contemporary population. For the South-Central Andes, these results have dire consequences when attempting to infer genetic exchange. This study demonstrates that more informative genetic data are required for such inferences.
The Ancient Maya Drought Cult: Late Classic Cave Use in Belize
Authors: Moyes Holley , Awe Jaime J. , Brook George A. , Webster James W. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractCaves were used as ritual venues by the ancient Maya from the Early Preclassic to the Postclassic period. These sites have been intensively investigated, but little research has been devoted to changes in cave use over time. Work at Chechem Ha Cave in western Belize investigates transformations in ritual practice occurring between the Early and Late Classic periods using an explanatory framework that incorporates high-definition archaeological research with a paleoclimate reconstruction derived from speleothems. This is one of the first projects to directly link these data to the archaeological record. We also introduce new methodology to evaluate changes in ritual practice using use-intensity proxies and artifact patterning. These data demonstrate that Late Classic transformations were coeval with climatic drying. The phenomenon was identified in this case study, and the pattern is prevalent throughout the eastern lowlands suggesting that an ancient Maya drought cult was initiated at this time. We provide the first evidence that there was a failed ritual response to environmental stress, implying that a loss of faith in Maya rulership contributed to the downfall of political systems. This is an important finding for collapse theories that include ideological causations.
An Alternative Order: The Dualistic Economies of the Ancient Maya
Authors: Scarborough Vernon L. , Valdez Fred 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHarkening back to the debates associated with “dualistic economies” in addressing emerging nation states, we examine aspects of the ancient economy of the lowland Maya. Resource-specialized communities were knit together in a network of interdependencies that allowed high degrees of self-sustaining separation from the large monumental centers about which we know most. The social and biophysical environs of the ancient Maya permitted multiple economic spheres that influenced their political organization and affected their lack of developed hegemonic controls. Evidence is presented from the present-day ecological set aside of the Programme for Belize in northwestern Belize.
Postmarital Residence Practice in Southern Brazilian Coastal Groups: Continuity and Change
Authors: Hubbe Mark , Neves Walter Alves , Oliveira Emiliano Castro de , Strauss André 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe coastal plains of the States of Paraná and Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil, were first settled around 6000 B.P. by shellmound builders, a successful fisher-hunter-gatherer population that inhabited the coastal lowlands practically unchanged for almost five thousand years. Shellmounds were typically occupied as residential sites as well as cemeteries, andare usually associated with rich alimentary zones. Around 1200 B.P., the first evidence of ceramics brought from the interior is found in coastal areas, and together with ceramics there is a progressive abandonment of shellmound construction in favor of flat and shallow sites. Here we consider if these changes were reflected in the postmarital residence practice of coastal groups, i.e., if the arrival or intensification of contact with groups from the interior resulted in changes in this aspect of social structure among the coastal groups. To test the postmarital residence practice we analyzed within-group variability ratios between males and females, following previous studies on the topic, and between-group correlations between Mahalanobis distances and geographic distances. The results suggest that in the pre-ceramic series a matrilocal, postmarital residential system predominated, while in the ceramic period there was a shift toward patrilocality. This favors the hypothesis that the changes experienced by coastal groups after 1200 B.P. affected not only their economy and material culture, but important aspects of their sociopolitical organization as well.
The Occupational History of Galindo, Moche Valley, Peru
Authors: Lockard Gregory D. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe archaeological site of Galindo, located in the Moche Valley, is one of the most important Late Moche (ca. A. D. 600—800) centers on the North Coast of Peru. The site was once thought to have been occupied only after the nearby Huacas de Moche, the paramount Middle Moche (ca. A. D. 300–600) center in the valley, was abandoned. Recent radiocarbon dates from the Huacas de Moche, however, indicate that it continued to be occupied well into the eighth century A. D. This paper presents data on the occupational history of Galindo recently obtained during the Galindo Archaeological Project (GAP). These data, along with similar data from the Huacas de Moche, present a new understanding of the occupational history of the Moche Valley during the first half of the Middle Horizon (A.D. 600–1000).
The Role ofProsopisin Ecological and Landscape Change in the Samaca Basin, Lower Ica Valley, South Coast Peru from the Early Horizon to the Late Intermediate Period
Authors: Beresford-Jones David G. , Arce T. Susana , Whaley Oliver Q. , Chepstow-Lusty Alex J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe lower Ica Valley on the hyperarid south coast of Peru is today largely depopulated and bereft of cultivation, yet its extensive archaeological remains attest to substantial prehispanic populations. This paper describes archaeological investigations to retrace changes in geomorphology, ecology, and land-use in Samaca, one of the riparian oasis basins of the lower Río lea, with the aim of investigating when, how, and why such changes took place. Archaeological interpretations of culture change in the region often invoke the impacts of major ENSO perturbations (El Niño). While our investigations confirm that major El Niño events around the end of the Early Intermediate Period likely offer part of the explanation for marked landscape change in the Samaca Basin, we also demonstrate the significance of more gradual, human-induced destruction of Prosopis pallida (huarango) riparian dry-forest. Huarango is a remarkable leguminous hardwood that lives for over a millennium and provides forage, fuel, and food. Moreover, it plays a crucial role in integrating fragile desert ecosystems, enhancing soil fertility and moisture, and accomplishing desalination and microclimatic amelioration. We propose that south coast valleys remained densely forested well into the Early Intermediate Period, attenuating the impact of El Niño events and supporting hitherto underappreciated agroforestry adaptations. Gradual deforestation eventually crossed an environmental threshold: river and wind erosion increased dramatically and precipitated radical desertification, feeding back into cultural changes in the Middle Horizon. Thus we argue Prosopis-human ecological relationships merit proper recognition in our archaeological interpretations of the south coast of Peru.
Microevolución En San Pedro De Atacama (Norte De Chile): El Cementerio De Quitor
Authors: Varela Héctor Hugo , Cocilovo José Alberto 
Published: February 2017

ResumenSe estudia la diferenciación temporal y la divergencia genética entre los períodos Formativo (300 a.C–400 d.C), Tiwanaku (400 d.C–1000 d.C.) y Desarrollo Regional (1000 d.C–1470 d.C.) del grupo inhumado en el ayllu de Quitor de San Pedro de Atacama (Norte de Chile), con el fin de conocer si existen cambios biológicos asociados con los períodos o fases del desarrollo cultural de la región. La muestra está representada por 326 individuos provenientes de diferentes sitios o sectores del yacimiento. Para evaluar las diferencias fenotípicas entre períodos se emplearon 37 caracteres métricos del cráneo y un conjunto de procedimientos de análisis estadístico uni y multivariado. En el marco de la teoría genética de los caracteres cuantitativos se espera que el parentesco de cada período junto con la varianza fenotípica, fluctúen de acuerdo con el tamaño efectivo y el aporte migratorio desde regiones próximas y más o menos distantes. En efecto, el parentesco promedio estimado para este ayllu (FST) fue de .03, siendo mayor en mujeres que en hombres. En general, de acuerdo con este valor es posible inferir que los habitantes de Quitor vivieron en una condición de mayor aislamiento que los grupos agroalfareros asentados en el Valle de Azapa (FST = .013). Además en el período Medio (Tiwanaku) se produjo un incremento moderado de la varianza fenotípica producida probablemente por un exceso de flujo gènico proveniente de regiones próximas.
Early Olmec Writing: Reading Format and Reading Order
Authors: Mora-Marín David F. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis paper analyzes the reading format and reading order of the recently described Cascajal Block, an artifact with an Olmec-style inscription. The analysis, based not on the iconicity of the signs and their orientation, but solely on the formal and organizational characteristics of the text as a whole, and the patterns of repeated sign sequences, suggests that the text was written from left-to-right, bottom-to-top—if one assumes the orientation assigned to the block by Rodríguez Martínez et al. (2006). However, a simple 90-degree rotation of the block would render the text in left-to-right, top-to-bottom reading format and order—the same as that of later Mesoamerican scripts. It is suggested that the San Andres roller stamp and the La Venta obsidian core, both of which exhibit a pictorial image and an accompanying text, allow for a determination of the relative orientation of text and image with respect to each other, and support the hypothesis for the reading format proposed here. Also, preliminary structural analysis of the text reveals several patterns that are possibly indicative of linguistic structuring, and steps for future work on decipherment are outlined. Finally, the findings are placed within a broader context of previous studies of Olmec writing.
The Terminal Formative to Classic Period Obsidian Assemblage at Palo Errado, Veracruz, Mexico
Authors: Knight Charles L. F. , Glascock Michael D. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAbbreviated Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) was carried out on a sample of obsidian artifacts from the Terminal Formative to early Late Classic period site of Palo Errado, located in the southern Gulf lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico. Our understanding of Classic period obsidian economies in the southern Gulf lowlands has been largely informed by studies of the political economies of the highland Mexican cities of Teotihuacan and Cantona, which appear to have controlled the Pachuca and Otumba, and Zaragoza-Oyameles obsidian sources, respectively. However, the NAA results from Palo Errado indicate that while the local obsidian economy was dominated by prismatic blade technology utilizing Zaragoza-Oyameles obsidian, five additional highland Mexican sources were used during the Early Classic period. The presence of Ucareo and the use of Otumba in core-blade reduction, for instance, set Palo Errado apart from contemporary sites in the southern Gulf lowlands. Temporal variation in quantity of supplemental obsidian sources and their use in different reduction technologies suggest that consumers at Palo Errado had access to abundant Zaragoza-Oyameles obsidian of a quality high enough to facilitate the production of fine prismatic blades. At the same time, however, they continued to participate in exchange networks that tied them to other areas of central Mexico, independently from other contemporaneous sites in the southern Gulf lowlands.
The Nedd8 Non-covalent Binding Region in the Smurf HECT Domain is Critical to its Ubiquitn Ligase Function
Authors: He Shan , Cao Yu , Xie Ping , Dong Guanglong , Zhang Lingqiang 
Published: February 2017

AbstractNedd8 is a ubiquitin-like protein that controls vital biological events through conjugation to target proteins. We previously identified the HECT-type ubiquitin ligase Smurf1 which controls diverse cellular processes is activated by Nedd8 through covalent neddylation. However, the effect of non-covalent binding to Nedd8 remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that both Smurf1 and its homologue Smurf2 carry a non-covalent Nedd8-binding site within its catalytic HECT domain. Structural analysis reveals that Smurf2 has Nedd8-binding sites within the small sub-domain of N-lobe and the C-lobe of HECT domain. Interestingly, the consensus Nedd8 binding sequence, L(X7)R(X5)F(X)ALQ is conserved in both Smurfs. Mutational studies reveal that all the five residues in the conserved sequence are required for binding to Nedd8. Functional studies suggest that mutations that disrupt Smurf interaction with Nedd8 reduce its neddylation and stabilize the protein. Furthermore, Nedd8 binding site in Smurf is shown to be necessary for its ubiquitin ligase activity towards the substrate and also the self-ubiquitylation. Finally, we show that Nedd8 binding to Smurf plays important roles in the regulation of cell migration and the BMP and TGFβ signaling pathways.
Improving the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells to restore perfusion in critical limb ischemia through pulsed focused ultrasound
Authors: Tebebi Pamela A. , Kim Saejeong J. , Williams Rashida A. , Milo Blerta , Frenkel Victor , Burks Scott R. , Frank Joseph A. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are promising therapeutics for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Mechanotransduction from pulsed focused ultrasound (pFUS) upregulates local chemoattractants to enhance homing of intravenously (IV)-infused MSC and improve outcomes. This study investigated whether pFUS exposures to skeletal muscle would improve local homing of iv-infused MSCs and their therapeutic efficacy compared to iv-infused MSCs alone. CLI was induced by external iliac arterial cauterization in 10–12-month-old mice. pFUS/MSC treatments were delayed 14 days, when surgical inflammation subsided. Mice were treated with iv-saline, pFUS alone, IV-MSC, or pFUS and IV-MSC. Proteomic analyses revealed pFUS upregulated local chemoattractants and increased MSC tropism to CLI muscle. By 7 weeks post-treatment, pFUS + MSC significantly increased perfusion and CD31 expression, while reducing fibrosis compared to saline. pFUS or MSC alone reduced fibrosis, but did not increase perfusion or CD31. Furthermore, MSCs homing to pFUS-treated CLI muscle expressed more vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) than MSCs homing to non-pFUS-treated muscle. pFUS + MSC improved perfusion and vascular density in this clinically-relevant CLI model. The molecular effects of pFUS increased both MSC homing and MSC production of VEGF and IL-10, suggesting microenvironmental changes from pFUS also increased potency of MSCs in situ to further enhance their efficacy.
A hybrid electrochemical device based on a synergetic inner combination of Li ion battery and Li ion capacitor for energy storage
Authors: Zheng Jun-Sheng , Zhang Lei , Shellikeri Annadanesh , Cao Wanjun , Wu Qiang , Zheng Jim P. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractLi ion battery (LIB) and electrochemical capacitor (EC) are considered as the most widely used energy storage systems (ESSs) because they can produce a high energy density or a high power density, but it is a huge challenge to achieve both the demands of a high energy density as well as a high power density on their own. A new hybrid Li ion capacitor (HyLIC), which combines the advantages of LIB and Li ion capacitor (LIC), is proposed. This device can successfully realize a potential match between LIB and LIC and can avoid the excessive depletion of electrolyte during the charge process. The galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling tests reveal that at low current, the HyLIC exhibits a high energy density, while at high current, it demonstrates a high power density. Ragone plot confirms that this device can make a synergetic balance between energy and power and achieve a highest energy density in the power density range of 80 to 300 W kg−1. The cycle life test proves that HyLIC exhibits a good cycle life and an excellent coulombic efficiency. The present study shows that HyLIC, which is capable of achieving a high energy density, a long cycle life and an excellent power density, has the potential to achieve the winning combination of a high energy and power density.
Phase Diagram of Continuous Binary Nanoalloys: Size, Shape, and Segregation Effects
Authors: Cui Mingjin , Lu Haiming , Jiang Haiping , Cao Zhenhua , Meng Xiangkang 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe phase diagrams of continuous binary nanoalloys are important in providing guidance for material designs and industrial applications. However, experimental determination of the nano-phase diagram is scarce since calorimetric measurements remain quite challenging at the nanoscale. Based on the size-dependent cohesive energy model, we developed a unified nano-thermodynamic model to investigate the effects of the size, shape, and segregation on the phase diagrams of continuous binary nanoalloys. The liquidus/solidus dropped in temperature, two-phase zone was narrowed, and the degree of surface segregation decreased with decrease in the size or increase in the shape factor. The congruent melting point of Cu-Au nanoalloys with and without segregation is linearly shifted to higher Au component and lower temperature with decreasing size or increasing shape factor. By reviewing surface segregated element of different binary nanoalloys, two segregation rules based on the solid surface energy and atomic size have been identified. Moreover, the established model can be employed to describe other physicochemical properties of nanoalloys, e.g. the cohesive energy, catalytic activation energy, and order-disorder transition temperature, and the validity is supported by available other theoretical prediction, experimental data and molecular dynamic simulations results. This will help the experimentalists by guiding them in their attempts to design bimetallic nanocrystals with the desired properties.
Effect of exogenous selenium supply on photosynthesis, Na+ accumulation and antioxidative capacity of maize (Zea mays L.) under salinity stress
Authors: Jiang Chaoqiang , Zu Chaolong , Lu Dianjun , Zheng Qingsong , Shen Jia , Wang Huoyan , Li Decheng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe mechanism of selenium-mediated salt tolerance has not been fully clarified. This study investigated the possible role of selenium (Se) in regulating maize salt tolerance. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the role of Se (0, 1, 5 and 25 μM Na2SeO3) in photosynthesis, antioxidative capacity and ion homeostasis in maize under salinity. The results showed that Se (1 μM) relieved the salt-induced inhibitory effects on the plant growth and development of 15-day-old maize plants. Se application (1 μM) also increased the net photosynthetic rate and alleviated the damage to chloroplast ultrastructure induced by NaCl. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities were increased, and ZmMPK5, ZmMPK7 and ZmCPK11 were markedly up-regulated in the roots of Se-treated plants, likely contributing to the improvement of antioxidant defence systems under salinity. Moreover, 1 μM Se increased K+ in the shoots while decreasing Na+ in the roots, indicating that Se up-regulates ZmNHX1 in the roots, which may be involved in Na+ compartmentalisation under salinity. The findings from this single experiment require repetition together with measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but nevertheless suggest that exogenous Se alleviates salt stress in maize via the improvement of photosynthetic capacity, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the regulation of Na+ homeostasis.
Phytoalexin Phenalenone Derivatives Inactivate Mosquito Larvae and Root-knot Nematode as Type-II Photosensitizer
Authors: Song Runjiang , Feng Yian , Wang Donghui , Xu Zhiping , Li Zhong , Shao Xusheng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPhytoalexins phenalenones (PNs) are phytochemicals biosynthesized inside the plant in responsive to exterior threat. PNs are excellent type-II photosensitizers, which efficiently produce singlet oxygen upon light irradiation. Based on the core functional structure of PNs, novel PN derivatives were synthesized here and their singlet oxygen generating abilities and their phototoxicity were evaluated. At the presence of light, these PNs have photoinduced toxicity towards Aedes albopictus larvae and nematode Meloidogyne incognita, while the activity lost in the dark. The obvious tissue damage was observed on the treated mosquito larvae and nematode due to the generation of singlet oxygen. Our results revealed the potential of phenalenones as photoactivated agents for mosquito and root-knot nematode management together with light.
Noninvasive and quantitative intracranial pressure estimation using ultrasonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter
Authors: Wang Li-juan , Yao Yan , Feng Liang-shu , Wang Yu-zhi , Zheng Nan-nan , Feng Jia-chun , Xing Ying-qi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe aimed to quantitatively assess intracranial pressure (ICP) using optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurements. We recruited 316 neurology patients in whom ultrasonographic ONSD was measured before lumbar puncture. They were randomly divided into a modeling and a test group at a ratio of 7:3. In the modeling group, we conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to assess associations between ICP and ONSD, age, sex, BMI, mean arterial blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure. We derived the mathematical function “Xing & Wang” from the modelling group to predict ICP and evaluated the function in the test group. In the modeling group, ICP was strongly correlated with ONSD (r = 0.758, p < 0.001), and this association was independent of other factors. The mathematical function was ICP = −111.92 + 77.36 × ONSD (Durbin-Watson value = 1.94). In the test group, a significant correlation was found between the observed and predicted ICP (r = 0.76, p < 0.001). Bland-Altman analysis yielded a mean difference between measurements of −0.07 ± 41.55 mmH2O. The intraclass correlation coefficient and its 95%CIs for noninvasive ICP assessments using our prediction model was 0.86 (0.79–0.90). Ultrasonographic ONSD measurements provide a potential noninvasive method to quantify ICP that can be conducted at the bedside.