Bioarchaeological investigation of ancient Maya violence and warfare in inland northwest Yucatan,Mexico

This study investigates evidence of changes and continuities in ancient Maya violence and warfare in inland northwest Yucatan, Mexico from the Middle Preclassic (600–300 BC) to the Postclassic (AD 1050–1542) through bioarchaeological analysis of cranial and projectile trauma. It is hypothesized that the frequency of violence increases before the Classic Maya collapse and remains high during the Postclassic period. It is also hypothesized that the flat, open terrain was conducive to warfare and resulted in higher trauma frequencies than in other parts of the Maya area. Results show that the frequency of cranial trauma decreases before the Classic collapse and increases in the Postclassic, partially matching the expected chronological trends. The frequency of cranial trauma does not differ significantly from other Maya regions but the pattern does: for all periods, males have more healed injuries than females and they are concentrated on the left side of the anterior of the skull. Some injuries appear to be from small points hafted in wooden clubs. In addition, projectile trauma is evident in a scapula with an embedded arrowhead tip, the first such case reported in a Maya skeleton. Overall, these results suggest greater reliance on open combat and less on raids in this region compared with other parts of the Maya area, possibly due to the flat, open terrain, though the identification of perimortem trauma in both women and men indicates surprise raids on settlements were also practiced. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:140–151, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Protein purification of Arthrospira platensis using aqueous two-phase system composed of polyethylene glycol and potassium phosphate/sodium citrate

Journal of Applied Phycology - Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) stand out as an alternative technique for recovering and concentrating proteins. However, the study of ATPS to recover Arthrospira...     

Quantitative multiplexed strategies for human Lyme disease serological testing

Lyme disease, which is primarily caused by infection with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in the United States or other Borrelia species internationally, presents an ongoing challenge for diagnostics. Serological testing is the primary means of diagnosis but testing approaches differ widely, with varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, there is currently no reliable test to determine disease resolution following treatment. A distinct challenge in Lyme disease diagnostics is the variable patterns of human immune response to a plurality of antigens presented by Borrelia spp. during the infection. Thus, multiplexed testing approaches that capture these patterns and detect serological response against multiple antigens may be the key to prompt, accurate Lyme disease diagnosis. In this review, current state-of-the-art multiplexed diagnostic approaches are presented and compared with respect to their diagnostic accuracy and their potential for monitoring response to treatment.     

The subgenus Migonemyia Galati 1995 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae), with description of a new species Migonemyia vaniae: a review

The capture of a new species of the subgenus Migonemyia Galati, 1995 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae), Migonemyia vaniae sp. nov. in the Ribeira Valley, state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, together with the other two species: Mg. migonei (Fran?a, 1920) and Mg. rabelloi (Galati & Gomes, 1992) lead us to review this subgenus. The new species was described and illustrated. The genitalia of the two other species were also illustrated and some genital characteristics (number of setae on the gonocoxite tuft, ejaculatory ducts and pump and ducts/pump ratio; and number of setae on the tergite VIII of the females) considered important to differentiate the three species, including five populations of Mg. migonei (from Northeastern, Southeastern, and Southern Brazilian regions and of Peru) were submitted to variance analyses. The Mg. migonei population of Northeastern Brazilian region showed distinct smaller values (P < 0.05) than the other Brazilian populations studied as regarding these characteristics. The capture of both sexes of these three species in sympatry confirms the association between the sexes of Mg. rabelloi, recognised as doubtful when this species was originally described. Identification keys for male and female of the three species are presented.     

Conservation of the TRAPPII-specific subunits of a Ypt/Rab exchanger complex

Background  

Ypt/Rab GTPases and their GEF activators regulate intra-cellular trafficking in all eukaryotic cells. In S. cerivisiae, the modular TRAPP complex acts as a GEF for the Golgi gatekeepers: Ypt1 and the functional pair Ypt31/32. While TRAPPI, which acts in early Golgi, is conserved from fungi to animals, not much is known about TRAPPII, which acts in late Golgi and consists of TRAPPI plus three additional subunits.     

Next generation genome-wide association tool: design and coverage of a high-throughput European-optimized SNP array

The success of genome-wide association studies has paralleled the development of efficient genotyping technologies. We describe the development of a next-generation microarray based on the new highly-efficient Affymetrix Axiom genotyping technology that we are using to genotype individuals of European ancestry from the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH). The array contains 674,517 SNPs, and provides excellent genome-wide as well as gene-based and candidate-SNP coverage. Coverage was calculated using an approach based on imputation and cross validation. Preliminary results for the first 80,301 saliva-derived DNA samples from the RPGEH demonstrate very high quality genotypes, with sample success rates above 94% and over 98% of successful samples having SNP call rates exceeding 98%. At steady state, we have produced 462 million genotypes per week for each Axiom system. The new array provides a valuable addition to the repertoire of tools for large scale genome-wide association studies.     

Physiological responses of different olive genotypes to drought conditions

Gas exchange rates, chlorophyll fluorescence, pressure–volume relationships, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble sugars, starch, soluble proteins and proline concentrations were investigated in five Olea europaea L. cultivars with different geographical origins (Arbequina, Blanqueta, Cobran?osa, Manzanilla and Negrinha) grown under Mediterranean field conditions. We found considerable genotypic differences among the cultivars. Comparing the diurnal gas exchange rates, we observed that Cobran?osa, Manzanilla and Negrinha had high photosynthetic rate than Arbequina and Blanqueta. The first group reveals to be better acclimated to drought conditions, and appears to employ a prodigal water-use strategy, whereas Blanqueta and Arbequina, with high water-use efficiency, appear to employ a conservative water-use strategy. The degree of midday depression in photosynthesis was genotype dependent, with a maximum in Arbequina and a minimum in Negrinha. The reductions in the photosynthetic rate were dependent from both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. Elastic adjustment plays an important role as drought tolerance mechanism. The group of cultivars that employ a prodigal water-use strategy revealed high tissue elasticity, whereas Arbequina and Blanqueta revealed high tissue rigidity. We also identified the existence of drought tolerance mechanisms associated with soluble proteins accumulation in the foliage. The high levels of soluble proteins in Arbequina may represent an increased activity of oxidative stress defence enzymes and may also represent a reserve for post stress recovery. In all cultivars, especially in Manzanilla, free proline was accumulated in the foliage. The discussed aspects of drought stress metabolism may have an adaptative meaning, supporting the hypothesis that olive cultivars native to dry regions, such as Cobran?osa, Manzanilla and Negrinha, have more capability to acclimate to drought conditions than cultivars originated in regions with a more temperate climate, like Arbequina and Blanqueta.