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Fumier sequences play a primary role in the study of livestock management and the use of space in prehistoric pastoralist societies. These sequences are formed when dung accumulated in sheepfold caves and rock shelters is burnt, resulting in an overlapping of burnt and unburnt sedimentary layers. Thus, fire is a key taphonomic agent in the formation and alteration of fumier sequences.The characteristics, functions, and management of burning events influence the preservation of the macro- and micro-remains potentially biasing the interpretation of the archeological record. Therefore, it is important to understand the taphonomic effects of fire in fumier sequences.In this chapter, we use a multi-scalar and interdisciplinary approach to the study of burning events at El Mirador cave. We analyzed the phytolith, fecal spherulites, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP), and parasite remains in the fumier sequence, together with the mineral (FTIR) and magnetic properties of the sediments. In addition, we studied the effects of fire on the macrofaunal assemblages. The results obtained here provide the basis for a tapho-diagenetic framework that illustrates robustly the formation dynamics of the El Mirador fumier sequences.

Thin-skinned fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs) have been extensively studied through both field examples and modelling. The overall dynamics of FTBs are, therefore, well understood. One less understood aspect is the combined influence of across-strike changes in the detachment properties and the basement topography on the behaviour of an orogenic wedge. In this paper, we use field data together with reflection seismic interpretation from the External Zones of the Central Betics FTB, S Spain, to identify a significant increase in the wedge basal dip (a basement "threshold") coinciding with the pinch-out of a weak substrate. This induced both changes to the wedge geometry and to the basal friction, which in turn influenced the wedge dynamics. The changing dynamics led to a transient “stagnation” of the FTB propagation, topographic build-up and subsequent collapse of the FTB front. This in turn fed an important Langhian depocenter made up of mass transport deposits. Coevally with the FTB propagation, extension took place both parallel and perpendicular to the orogenic trend. This case study illustrates how across-strike changes in wedge basal properties can control the detailed behaviour of a developing FTB front, but questions remain regarding the time-space interaction and relative importance of the basal parameters.

10.1371/journal.pone.0103634 The first arrivals of hominin populations into Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene are currently considered to have occurred as short and poorly dated biological dispersions. Questions as to the tempo and mode of these early prehistoric settlements have given rise to debates concerning the taxonomic significance of the lithic assemblages, as trace fossils, and the geographical distribution of the technological traditions found in the Lower Palaeolithic record. Here, we report on the Barranc de la Boella site which has yielded a lithic assemblage dating to ~1 million years ago that includes large cutting tools (LCT). We argue that distinct technological traditions coexisted in the Iberian archaeological repertoires of the late Early Pleistocene age in a similar way to the earliest sub-Saharan African artefact assemblages. These differences between stone tool assemblages may be attributed to the different chronologies of hominin dispersal events. The archaeological record of Barranc de la Boella completes the geographical distribution of LCT assemblages across southern Eurasia during the EMPT (Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, circa 942 to 641 kyr). Up to now, chronology of the earliest European LCT assemblages is based on the abundant Palaeolithic record found in terrace river sequences which have been dated to the end of the EMPT and later. However, the findings at Barranc de la Boella suggest that early LCT lithic assemblages appeared in the SW of Europe during earlier hominin dispersal episodes before the definitive colonization of temperate Eurasia took place.

BACKGROUND To estimate the effectiveness of the first-trimester combined screening test in our population, departing from the results of diagnostic sensitivity and false positive rate (FPR), and checking some important parameters in prenatal screening. METHODS The test was evaluated on 14250 pregnant women. The following variables were studied: the number of invasive techniques and the reasons for using such techniques, newborns with chromosomal abnormalities, total number of births, variation of biochemical markers throughout the gestational weeks, and MoM (multiple of the median) for biochemical and ultrasound markers. RESULTS An important coverage and a decreased number of invasive techniques were obtained. For our population of pregnant women, the best gestational week to determine free beta-hCG and PAPP-A would be week 11 in which the best discrimination was found between affected and non affected fetuses for the three trisomies researched. We propose the cut-off 1/350, because it is the best one to increase sensitivity without exceeding the 5% FPR. CONCLUSIONS Combined screening should be offered to pregnant woman, preferentially at week 11. Although different cut-offs for this prenatal test have been recommended by scientific societies, biochemical laboratories should set their own cut-off for getting the best sensitivity and FPR results. There should be a good level of collaboration between the laboratory and each participating ultrasound unit in order to ensure an optimal use of the first-trimester combined screening test.

Resumen Las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en el yacimiento de la Cova de Dalt del Tossal de la Font en la década de 1980 pusieron al descubierto un importante relleno kárstico del Pleistoceno Superior. Entre el registro recuperado destacan, además de diversas especies de herbívoros y carnívoros, así como de un reducido conjunto litotécnico, tres fósiles humanos adscritos en términos generales al grupo de los neandertales. Entre 2004 y 2012, en el marco de un convenio entre la Universitat Jaume I de Castelló (UJI), el Servei d¿Investigacions Arqueològiques i Prehistòriques (SIAP) de la Diputació de Castelló y el Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), se ha desarrollado una segunda época de intervenciones en el yacimiento. En este artículo ofrecemos un estado de la cuestión de la información disponible hasta la fecha sobre el yacimiento, especialmente en lo que se refiere a los aspectos tafonómicos y a la formación del depósito. Palabras clave: Paleolítico Medio, Neandertales, Tafonomía, Península Ibérica mediterránea Abstract During the 1980¿s, archaeological excavations at the site of Cova de Dalt del Tossal de la Font discovered an important Upper Pleistocene karstic infilling. Three human fossils, ascribed generally to Neanderthals, stand out. Besides, several herbivore and carnivore species and a small lithic assemblage were recovered. From 2004 to 2012 a second campaign of excavations was carried out in the framework of a research agreement between the Jaume I University of Castelló (UJI), the Archaeological and Prehistorical Research Service (SIAP) of the Diputació de Castelló, and the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES). In this paper we present the currently available information on the site, paying spec

Food allergy is a major health problem of increasing concern. The insufficiency of protein sources for human nutrition in a world with a growing population is also a significant problem. The introduction of new protein sources into the diet such as newly developed innovative foods or foods produced using new technologies and production processes insects algae duckweed or agricultural products from third countries creates the opportunity for development of new food allergies and this in turn has driven the need to develop test methods capable of characterizing the allergenic potential of novel food proteins. There is no doubt that robust and reliable animal models for the identification and characterization of food allergens would be valuable tools for safety assessment. However although various animal models have been proposed for this purpose to date none have been formally validated as predictive and none are currently suitable to test the allergenic potential of new foods. Here the design of various animal models are reviewed including among others considerations of species and strain diet route of administration dose and formulation of the test protein relevant controls and endpoints measured.

El Estany de la Coma de Burg (CMB) y la turbera de Estanilles (EST) son dos registros sedimentarios que aportan información paleoambiental sobre la transición del Tardiglacial al Holoceno en el Pirineo centro-oriental (Alto Pallars, Lleida). La comparación de los valores de materia orgánica (Loss On Ignition) de CMB con los registros polínicos de las dos secuencias (CMB y EST) indica que la LOI es más sensible a los cambios en la temperatura que en la precipitación. Los valores polínicos reflejan la sucesión de distintos paisajes, desde formaciones estépicas (Artemisia y Poaceae) hasta comunidades más o menos boscosas (Pinus, Betula y Corylus). Las 6 fluctuaciones documentadas por la LOI coinciden con las fluctuaciones de las temperaturas del Hemisferio Norte (Greenland Ice Core Project, GRIP) y marcan el Bölling, Alleröd, Dryas Reciente y el inicio del Holoceno, así como algunas fluctuaciones posteriores The Coma de Burg lake (CMB) and the Estanilles peat bog (EST) are two sedimentary records that provide paleoenvironmental information about the Lateglacial-Holocene transition in the central-eastern Pyrenees (Alt Pallars, Lleida). The comparison of the organic matter values (Loss On Ignition) with the pollen records from the two sequences (CMB and EST) indicates that the LOI is more sensitive to the changes in temperature than precipitation. Pollen values reflect the succession of different landscapes, from steppe formations (Artemisia and Poaceae) to forest communities (Pinus, Betula and Corylus). The 6 fluctuations documented by the LOI coincide with the temperature fluctuations in the Northern Hemisphere (Greenland Ice Core Project, GRIP) and mark Bølling, Allerød, Younger Dryas and the Holocene onset as well as later fluctuations

El Estany de la Coma de Burg (CMB) y la turbera de Estanilles (EST) son dos registros sedimentarios que aportan información paleoambiental sobre la transición del Tardiglacial al Holoceno en el Pirineo centro‐oriental (Alto Pallars, Lleida). La comparación de los valores de materia orgánica (Loss On Ignition) de CMB con los registros polínicos de las dos secuencias (CMB y EST) indica que la LOI es más sensible a los cambios en la temperatura que en la precipitación. Los valores polínicos reflejan la sucesión de distintos paisajes, desde formaciones estépicas (Artemisia y Poaceae) hasta comunidades más o menos boscosas (Pinus, Betula y Corylus). Las 6 fluctuaciones documentadas por la LOI coinciden con las fluctuaciones de las temperaturas del Hemisferio Norte (Greenland Ice Core Project, GRIP) y marcan el Bölling, Alleröd, Dryas Reciente y el inicio del Holoceno, así como algunas fluctuaciones posteriores.

En el NE mediterráneo de la Península Ibérica, el perído comprendido entre el Tardiglaciar y el Holoceno muestra una dinámica demográfica y cultural en la que se alternan momentos de abundancia de registro y diversidad de evidencias con fases de escasez y casos aislados. Los tecno-complejos microlaminares, que se inician durante el GI-1, rompen con el vacío del Pleniglaciar y parecen perdurar en el tiempo de forma discontinua hasta los inicios del Holoceno. Este hecho genera un escenario de convergencia cronológica con las escasas evidencias sauveterrienses y el Mesolítico de muescas y denticulados. Ambos aparecen en el registro coincidiendo con el tránsito Pleistoceno-Holoceno. La perduración de los conjuntos atribuídos al Paleolítico superior final rompe con la homgeneidad cronológica del proceso observada en los territorios cercanos, mostrando las peculiaridades de la ocupación en un territorio concreto dentro de la evolución cultural de la Cuenca del Ebro y el Levante mediterráneo

Towards the end of the reign of Charles 11 of Spain, Gabriel Bro, a printer bom in Rodez, left France for Catalonia with a view to starting up his own business. After a brief and troubled stay in Barcelona, Gabriel settled down in Girona with his brother Jaume. With the exception of the time he spent in Olot, Girona was the city where Gabriel established himself as a printer and bookseller until his death in 1743. As a royal printer for Philip 11, a title which was given to him by the Third Duke of Noailles in 1711, he was juridically the most important typographer in t!Je district of Girona and the Emparda. No other printer or bookseller could publish official documents, press or works of remenderia (ephemera, broadsides, chapbooks). Nevertheless, as this paper shows, Bro's hereditary monopoly was permanently challenged not only by his fellow printers and booksellers in Girona, but also by the City Council, and even the printers of Barcelona. Our aim here is to reconstruct the trajectory of Gabriel Bro, father and son, in the Catalan and European context of the ancien régime typographique. Their personal and professional careers were marked by the political upheavals of the period, providing a vivid contrast with the life and activity of Josep Texidó, a royal printer who worked in Barcelona under the Bourbons. This study enables us to examine the origins of the typographical dynasty of the Bro family in Girona, which lasted beyond the Peninsular War; and the struggles between the different branches for the control ofthe title ofking's printer A la darreria del regnat de Carles 11, Gabriel Bro, un tipograf natural de Rodez, va emigrar de França a Catalunya cercant obrir un negoci propi. Després d'una breu estada a la Ciutat Comtal, molt convulsa, Gabriel s'instal·la a Girona juntament amb el seu germà Jaume. Aquesta ciutat, exceptuant un temps que va residir a Olot, va ser la localitat on exercí el seu ofici d'impremta i de llibreria fins a la seva mort, l'any 1743. Com a estamper reial de Felip V, un títol que li havia estat concedit pel tercer duc de Noailles el 1711, jurídicament era el tipògraf més important de la vegueria de Girona i l' Empordà. Cap altre professional de l'imprès podia publicar documentació oficial, premsa i alguns treballs de "remenderia". Tanmateix, i com examinarem en la present comunicació, aquest monopoli hereditari li fou permanentment discutit, i no només pels companys d'ofici gironins, sinó també pel mateix ajuntament i, fins i tot, també pels tipògrafs de la capital catalana. Ens proposem, doncs, reconstruir la trajectòria de Gabriel Bro, pare i fill, dins del context català i de l'Europa de "l'antic regim tipografic", un itinerari vital i professional, marcat per les convulsions polítiques de l'epoca, que contrasta vivament amb el d'un altre estamper privilegiar, Josep Texidó a la Barcelona borbònica. Alhora, veurem els inicis de la dinastia tipografica deis Bro gironins, la qual va perdurar fins més enlla de la Guerra del Francés, i les pugnes entre les diferents branques pel control del títol d'impressor regi