pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Climatic changes and social transformations in the Near East and North Africa during the 'long' 4th millennium BC : a comparative study of environmental and archaeological evidence.

This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in the Near East and surrounding regions (Anatolia, central Syria, southern Israel, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and eastern and central Sahara) during the ‘long’ 4th millennium (∼4500–3000) BC. Twenty terrestrial and 20 marine climate proxies are used to identify long-term trends in humidity involving transitions from humid to arid conditions and vice versa. The frequency distribution of episodes of relative aridity across these records is calculated for the period 6300–2000 BC, so that the results may be interpreted in the context of the established arid episodes associated with RCC around 6200 and 2200 BC (the 8.2 and 4.2 kyr events). We identify two distinct episodes of heightened aridity in the early-mid 4th, and late 4th millennium BC. These episodes cluster strongly at 3600–3700 and 3100–3300 BC. There is also evidence of localised aridity spikes in the 5th and 6th millennia BC. These results are used as context for the interpretation of regional and local archaeological records with a particular focus on case studies from western Syria, the middle Euphrates, southern Israel and Cyprus. Interpretation of the records involves the construction of plausible narratives of human–climate interaction informed by concepts of adaptation and resilience from the literature on contemporary (i.e. 21st century) climate change and adaptation. The results are presented alongside well-documented examples of climatically-influenced societal change in the central and eastern Sahara, where detailed geomorphological studies of ancient environments have been undertaken in tandem with archaeological research. While the narratives for the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of human–climate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected ‘at source’ during archaeological excavations
Complications in the study of ancient tuberculosis : presence of environmental bacteria in human archaeological remains.

There are many reports of ancient DNA from bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) being present in skeletons with and without osteological indications of tuberculosis. A possible complication in these studies is that extracts might also contain DNA from the microbiome of the individual whose remains are being analysed and/or from environmental bacteria that have colonised the skeleton after death. These contaminants might include ‘mycobacteria other than tuberculosis’ (MOTT), which are common in the environment, but which are not normally associated with clinical cases of tuberculosis. In this paper we show that MOTT of various types, as well as bacteria of related genera, are present in most if not all archaeological remains. Our results emphasise the complications inherent in the biomolecular study of archaeological human tuberculosis. The specificity of any polymerase chain reaction directed at the MTBC cannot be assumed and, to confirm that an amplification is authentic, a sequencing strategy must be applied that allows characterisation of the PCR product. Any variations from the reference MTBC sequence must then be checked against sequence data for MOTT and other species to ensure that the product does actually derive from MTBC. Our results also illustrate the challenges faced when assembling MTBC genome sequences from ancient DNA samples, as misidentification of MOTT sequence reads as MTBC would lead to errors in the assembly. Identifying such errors would be particularly difficult, if not impossible, if the MOTT DNA content is greater than that of the authentic MTBC. The difficulty in identifying and excluding MOTT sequences is exacerbated by the fact that many MOTT are still uncharacterized and hence their sequence features are unknown
Interpretation of Angular Distributions of $Z$-boson Production at
  Colliders

High precision data of dilepton angular distributions in $\gamma^*/Z$
production were reported recently by the CMS Collaboration covering a broad
range of the dilepton transverse momentum, $q_T$, up to $\sim 300$ GeV.
Pronounced $q_T$ dependencies of the $\lambda$ and $\nu$ parameters,
characterizing the $\cos^2\theta$ and $\cos 2\phi$ angular distributions, were
found. Violation of the Lam-Tung relation was also clearly observed. We show
that the $q_T$ dependence of $\lambda$ allows a determination of the relative
contributions of the $q \bar q$ annihilation versus the $qG$ Compton process.
The violation of the Lam-Tung relation is attributed to the presence of a
non-zero component of the $q - \bar q$ axis in the direction normal to the
"hadron plane" formed by the colliding hadrons. The magnitude of the violation
of the Lam-Tung relation is shown to reflect the amount of this
`non-coplanarity". The observed $q_T$ dependencies of $\lambda$ and $\nu$ from
the CMS and the earlier CDF data can be well described using this approach.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
750 GeV Diphoton Resonance, 125 GeV Higgs and Muon g-2 Anomaly in
  Deflected Anomaly Mediation SUSY Breaking Scenario

We propose to interpret the 750 GeV diphoton excess in deflected anomaly
mediation supersymmetry breaking scenarios, which can naturally predict
couplings between a singlet field and vector-like messengers. The CP-even
scalar component (S) of the singlet field can serve as the 750 GeV resonance.
The messenger scale, which is of order the gravitino scale, can be as light as
F_\phi \sim {\cal O}(10) TeV when the messenger species N_F and the deflection
parameter d are moderately large. Such messengers can induce the large loop
decay process S \to \gamma\gamma. Our results show that such a scenario can
successfully accommodate the 125 GeV Higgs boson, the 750 GeV diphoton excess
and the muon g-2 without conflicting with the LHC constraints. We also comment
on the possible explanations in the gauge mediation supersymmetry breaking
scenario.Comment: Published version in PLB; 15 pages,2 figure
Y(nS) polarizations versus particle multiplicity in pp collisions at
  sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The polarizations of the Y(1S), Y(2S), and Y(3S) mesons are measured as a
function of the charged particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at
sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The measurements are performed with a dimuon data sample
collected in 2011 by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns. The results are extracted from the dimuon
decay angular distributions, in two ranges of Y(nS) transverse momentum (10-15
and 15-35 GeV), and in the rapidity interval abs(y) < 1.2. The results do not
show significant changes from low- to high-multiplicity pp collisions, although
large uncertainties preclude definite statements in the Y(2S) and Y(3S) cases.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added the journal reference and DOI.
  All figures and tables can be found at
  http://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/HIN-15-003/index.htm
Perceived effects of art therapy in the treatment of personalitydisorders, cluster B/C: A qualitative studySuzanne

Contains fulltext :
                  142234.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Art therapy (AT) is frequently used in the treatment of patients diagnosed with cluster B/C personality disorders, but there is little evidence for its efficacy. This study aimed to provide insight into the perceived effects of AT. We interviewed 29 adult patients in individual and focus-group in-depth interviews, including a ‘negative case’, starting with a topic list coming from the literature study. Data were gathered and analysed using the Grounded Theory Approach in order to generate concepts and interrelated categories. The constructed theoretical model of effects of AT consisted of five core categories: improved sensory perception; personal integration; improved emotion/impulse regulation; behaviour change; and insight/comprehension. Compared to verbal therapy (VT), patients experienced AT as an experiential therapeutic entry with a complementary quality next to VT and a more direct way to access emotions, which they attributed to the appeal of art materials and art making to bodily sensations and emotional responses. AT was found to fit well the core problems of patients with personality disorders, to offer a specific pathway to more emotional awareness and constructive emotion regulation. The perceived effects give input for further development and research and the development of an assessment tool to examine the efficacy of AT and within clinical practice.10 p
Cost-effectiveness of donepezil and memantine in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (the DOMINO-AD trial)

Objective  Most investigations of pharmacotherapy for treating Alzheimer’s disease focus on patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms, with little evidence to guide clinical decisions when symptoms become severe. We examined whether continuing donepezil, or commencing memantine, is cost-effective for community-dwelling, moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease patients.  Methods  Cost-effectiveness analysis was based on a 52-week, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial clinical trial. A total of 295 community-dwelling patients with moderate/severe Alzheimer’s disease, already treated with donepezil, were randomised to: (i) continue donepezil; (ii) discontinue donepezil; (iii) discontinue donepezil and start memantine; or (iv) continue donepezil and start memantine.  Results  Continuing donepezil for 52 weeks was more cost-effective than discontinuation, considering cognition, activities of daily living and health-related quality of life. Starting memantine was more cost-effective than donepezil discontinuation. Donepezil-memantine combined is not more cost-effective than donepezil alone. Conclusions   Robust evidence is now available to inform clinical decisions and commissioning strategies so as to improve patients’ lives whilst making efficient use of available resources. Clinical guidelines for treating moderate/severe Alzheimer’s disease, such as those issued by NICE in England and Wales, should be revisited
Dispersal and group formation dynamics in a rare and endangered temperate forest bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus, Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

For elusive mammals like bats, colonization of new areas and colony formation are poorly understood, as is their relationship with the genetic structure of populations. Understanding dispersal and group formation behaviors is critical not only for a better comprehension of mammalian social dynamics, but also for guiding conservation efforts of rare and endangered species. Using nuclear and mitochondrial markers, we studied patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation among and within breeding colonies of giant noctule bats (Nyctalus lasiopterus), their relation to a new colony still in formation, and the impact of this ongoing process on the region-wide genetic makeup. Nuclear differentiation among colonies was relatively low and mostly non-significant. Mitochondrial variation followed this pattern, contrasting with findings for other temperate bat species. Our results suggest that this may indicate a recent population expansion. On average, female giant noctules were not more closely related to other colony members than to foreign individuals. This was also true for members of the newly forming colony and those of another, older group sampled shortly after its formation, suggesting that contrary to findings for other temperate bats, giant noctule colonies are not founded by relatives. However, mother-daughter pairs were found in the same populations more often than expected under random dispersal. Given this indication of philopatry, the lack of mitochondrial differentiation among most colonies in the region is probably due to the combination of a recent population expansion and group formation events
Turbulent–laminar patterns in shear flows without walls

International audienceTurbulent-laminar intermittency, typically in the form of bands and spots, is a ubiquitous feature of the route to turbulence in wall-bounded shear flows. Here we study the idealised shear between stress-free boundaries driven by a sinusoidal body force and demonstrate quantitative agreement between turbulence in this flow and that found in the interior of plane Couette flow – the region excluding the boundary layers. Exploiting the absence of boundary layers, we construct a model flow that uses only four Fourier modes in the shear direction and yet robustly captures the range of spatio-temporal phenomena observed in transition, from spot growth to turbulent bands and uniform turbulence. The model substantially reduces the cost of simulating intermittent turbulent structures while maintaining the essential physics and a direct connection to the Navier-Stokes equations. We demonstrate the generic nature of this process by introducing stress-free equivalent flows for plane Poiseuille and pipe flows which again capture the turbulent-laminar structures seen in transition
Stochastic Cahn-Hilliard equation with singular nonlinearity and reflection

International audienceWe consider a stochastic partial differential equation with logarithmic (or negative power) nonlinearity, with one reflection at 0 and with a constraint of conservation of the space average. The equation, driven by the derivative in space of a space-time white noise, contains a bi-Laplacian in the drift. The lack of the maximum principle for the bi-Laplacian generates difficulties for the classical penalization method, which uses a crucial monotonicity property. Being inspired by the works of Debussche and Zambotti, we use a method based on infinite dimensional equations, approximation by regular equations and convergence of the approximated semi-group. We obtain existence and uniqueness of solution for nonnegative intial conditions, results on the invariant measures, and on the reflection measures
Vibroacoustics of the piano soundboard: (Non)linearity and modal properties in the low- and mid-frequency ranges

Research highlights: - Nonlinearity characterization of a structure independently from its exciting device. - Experimental modal identification, including damping, in the mid-frequency range. - Boundary conditions, low-and high-frequency regimes clarified in the piano soundboard. - Good match between experimental observations and FEM results at low frequencies. - FEM of a non-regularly ribbed soundboard reveals high-frequency localization in piano.International audienceThe piano soundboard transforms the string vibration into sound and therefore, its vibrations are of primary importance for the sound characteristics of the instrument. An original vibro-acoustical method is presented to isolate the soundboard nonlinearity from that of the exciting device (here: a loudspeaker) and to measure it. The nonlinear part of the soundboard response to an external excitation is quantitatively estimated for the first time, at ≈ -40 dB below the linear part at the ff nuance. Given this essentially linear response, a modal identification is performed up to 3 kHz by means of a novel high resolution modal analysis technique (Ege et al., High-resolution modal analysis, JSV, 325(4-5), 2009). Modal dampings (which, so far, were unknown for the piano in this frequency range) are determined in the midfrequency domain where FFT-based methods fail to evaluate them with an acceptable precision. They turn out to be close to those imposed by wood. A finite-element modelling of the soundboard is also presented. The low-order modal shapes and the comparison between the corresponding experimental and numerical modal frequencies suggest that the boundary conditions can be considered as blocked, except at very low frequencies. The frequency-dependency of the modal density and the observation of modal shapes reveal two well-separated regimes. Below ≈ 1 kHz, the soundboard vibrates more or less like a homogeneous plate. Above that limit, the structural waves are confined by ribs, as already noticed by several authors, and localised in restricted areas (one or a few inter-rib spaces), presumably due to a slightly irregular spacing of the ribs across the soundboard
Electron-nuclear recoil discrimination by pulse shape analysis

International audienceIn the framework of the "ULTIMA" project, we use superﬂuid 3He bolometers for the direct detection of single particle events, aimed for a future use as a dark matter detector. One parameter of the pulse shape observed after such an event is the thermalisation time constant tb. Until now it was believed that this parameter only dépends on geometrical factors and superﬂuid 3He properties, and that it is independent of the nature of the incident particles. In this report we show new results which demonstrate that a difference for muon- and neutron events, as well as events simulated by heater pulses exist. The possibility to use this difference for false event discrimination in a future dark matter detector will bediscussed
Spectroscopy of the short-hard GRB 130603B : The host galaxy and environment of a compact object merger

International audienceContext. Short duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) are thought to be related to the violent merger of compact objects, such as neutron stars or black holes, which makes them promising sources of gravitational waves. The detection of a “kilonova”-likesignature associated to the Swift-detected GRB 130603B has suggested that this event is the result of a compact object merger.Aims. Our knowledge on SGRB has been, until now, mostly based on the absence of supernova signatures and the analysis of the host galaxies to which they cannot always be securely associated. Further progress has been significantly hampered by the faintness and rapid fading of their optical counterparts (afterglows), which has so far precluded spectroscopy of such events. Afterglow spectroscopy is the key tool to firmly determine the distance at which the burst was produced, crucial to understand its physics, and study its local environment.Methods. Here we present the first spectra of a prototypical SGRB afterglow in which both absorption and emission features are clearly detected. Together with multi-wavelength photometry we study the host and environment of GRB 130603B.Results. From these spectra we determine the redshift of the burst to be z = 0.3565 ± 0.0002, measure rich dynamics both in absorption and emission, and a substantial line of sight extinction of AV = 0.86 ± 0.15 mag. The GRB was located at the edge of a disrupted arm of a moderately star forming galaxy with near-solar metallicity. Unlike for most long GRBs (LGRBs), NHX/AV is consistent with the Galactic ratio, indicating that the explosion site differs from those found in LGRBs. Conclusions. The merger is not associated with the most star-forming region of the galaxy; however, it did occur in a dense region, implying a rapid merger or a low natal kick velocity for the compact object binary
Discrimination between effects induced by microbial activity\ud
and water-rock interactions under hydrothermal conditions\ud
according to REE behaviour

Rare earth elements (REE) were investigated in siliceous stromatolites forming in the Specchio di Venere Lake on Pantelleria Island. Chondrite-normalised patterns show significant La enrichments and Eu depletions suggesting that fluids involved in stromatolite growth experienced strong rock-water interactions under hydrothermal conditions. At the same time, enrichments in heavy REE (HREE) with respect to intermediate REE (MREE) suggest that hydrothermal fluids interacted with microbial mats during deposition of the stromatolites. The above-mentioned features suggest that rock-water interactions and bacterial activity were simultaneously recorded in the REE patterns of stromatolites, and can be discriminated in terms of amplitudes of the La anomaly, and the HREE/MREE ratio
Measurement of the Z gamma production cross section in pp collisions at 8 TeV and search for anomalous triple gauge boson couplings

The cross section for the production of Zγ in proton-proton collisions at 8 TeV is measured based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 fb−1. Events with an oppositely-charged pair of muons or electrons together with an isolated photon are selected. The differential cross section as a function of the photon transverse momentum is measured inclusively and exclusively, where the exclusive selection applies a veto on central jets. The observed cross sections are compatible with the expectations of next-to-next-to-leading-order quantum chromodynamics. Limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings of ZZγ and Zγγ are set that improve on previous experimental results obtained with the charged lepton decay modes of the Z boson
Decoction, infusion and hydroalcoholic extract of cultivated thyme : antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and phenolic characterisation

Bioactivity of thyme has been described, but mostly related to its essential oils, while studies with aqueous extracts are scarce. Herein, the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of decoction, infusion and hydroalcoholic extract, as also their phenolic compounds, were evaluated and compared. Decoction showed the highest concentration of phenolic compounds (either phenolic acids or flavonoids), followed by infusion and hydroalcoholic extract. In general, the samples were effective against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris and Enterobacter sakazakii) bacteria, with decoction presenting the most pronounced effect. This sample also displayed the highest radical scavenging activity and reducing power. Data obtained support the idea that compounds with strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities are also water-soluble. Furthermore, the use of thyme infusion and decoction, by both internal and external use, at recommended doses, is safe and no adverse reactions have been described.The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for N. Martins grant (SFRH/BD/87658/2012), L. Barros researcher contract under "Programa Compromisso com Ciencia - 2008" and financial support to the research center CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011)