Antequera in southern Spain is widely recognised as an outstanding example of the European megalithic phenomenon. One of its most remarkable features is the evident relationship between conspicuous natural formations and human-built monuments. Here, the authors report the results of their investigation of a tomb newly discovered at the site of Piedras Blancas at the foot of La Peña de los Enamorados, a limestone massif that dominates the Antequera plain. Excavation and multidisciplinary study, including geological, architectural and archaeoastronomical investigations, have revealed a complex funerary monument that is part natural, part built, part hypogeum, part megalith. The results emphasise the centrality of La Peña in the Neolithic worldview and encourage wider investigation of prehistoric place-making.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have had extraordinary successes in classifying photographic images of objects and are often described as the best models of biological vision. This conclusion is largely based on three sets of findings: (1) DNNs are more accurate than any other model in classifying images taken from various datasets, (2) DNNs do the best job in predicting the pattern of human errors in classifying objects taken from various behavioral datasets, and (3) DNNs do the best job in predicting brain signals in response to images taken from various brain datasets (e.g., single cell responses or fMRI data). However, these behavioral and brain datasets do not test hypotheses regarding what features are contributing to good predictions and we show that the predictions may be mediated by DNNs that share little overlap with biological vision. More problematically, we show that DNNs account for almost no results from psychological research. This contradicts the common claim that DNNs are good, let alone the best, models of human object recognition. We argue that theorists interested in developing biologically plausible models of human vision need to direct their attention to explaining psychological findings. More generally, theorists need to build models that explain the results of experiments that manipulate independent variables designed to test hypotheses rather than compete on making the best predictions. We conclude by briefly summarizing various promising modelling approaches that focus on psychological data.

The adoption of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) practices brought new industrial components embedding unconventional shapes such as lattice structures or freeform surfaces resulting from topological optimisations. As a drawback of design freedom, designers need to use thermal post-processing to achieve homogeneous properties in metal 3D printing. This contribution analyses the effect of T6-like heat treatment on the hardness of a complex component. Hardness values are reported along with good design practices for effective thermal post-processing to complement the DfAM knowledge base.

We describe a neural monitor of environmental and physiological resources that informs effort expenditure. Depending on resources and environmental stability, serotonergic and dopaminergic neuromodulations favor different behavioral controls that are organized in corticostriatal loops. This broader perspective produces some suggestions and questions that may not be covered by the foraging approach to vigor of Shadmehr and Ahmed (2020).

Additive Manufacturing is doing its first steps in the production of spare parts. Usually the spares belong to legacy systems, and the tooling to produce them is no longer available. Re-designing spares that are designed for a previous industry mindset can be sometimes challenging. In this study a rather classic design approach is compared to a functional driven approach. Four case studies from different clients are reported, remarking the benefits and drawbacks of using design for additive manufacturing practices in Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

The topic of support structure design in the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) field is not addressed with the same relevance as the topic of part design. Therefore, this contribution investigates parameters for both the manufacturing and support structure design for the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) process. Matrices for cause-effect-relations of manufacturing and design parameters on build properties as well as correlations of them are presented. Based on these, recommendations for actions for experimental procedures are derived following the Design of Experiments method.

Postprandial TAG-rich lipoproteins (TRL) can be taken up by macrophages, leading to the formation of foam cells, probably via receptor-mediated pathways. The present study was conducted to investigate whether the postprandial time point at which TRL are collected modulates this process. A meal containing refined olive oil was given to nine healthy young men and TRL were isolated from their serum at 2, 4 and 6 h postprandially. The lipid class and apoB compositions of TRL were determined by HPLC and SDS–PAGE, respectively. The accumulation of lipids in macrophages was determined after the incubation of THP-1 macrophages with TRL. The gene expression of candidate receptors was measured by real-time PCR. The highest concentrations of TAG, apoB48 and apoB100 in TRL were observed at 2 h after the consumption of the test meal. However, excessive intracellular TAG accumulation in THP-1 macrophages was observed in response to incubation with TRL isolated at 4 h, when their particle size (estimated as the TAG:apoB ratio) was intermediate. The abundance of mRNA transcripts in macrophages in response to incubation with TRL was down-regulated for LDL receptor (LDLR), slightly up-regulated for VLDL receptor and remained unaltered for LDLR-related protein, but no effect of the postprandial time point was observed. In contrast, the mRNA expression of scavenger receptors SRB1, SRA2 and CD36 was higher when cells were incubated with TRL isolated at 4 h after the consumption of the test meal. In conclusion, TRL led to excessive intracellular TAG accumulation in THP-1 macrophages, which was greater when cells were incubated with intermediate-sized postprandial TRL isolated at 4 h and was associated with a significant increase in the mRNA expression of scavenger receptors.

The glycolytic enzyme triosephosphate isomerase catalyses the isomerization between glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Here we report that Trichomonas vaginalis contains 2 fully functional tpi genes. Both genes are located in separated chromosomal context with different promoter regulatory elements and encode ORFs of 254 amino acids; the only differences between them are the character of 4 amino acids located in α-helices 1, 2 and 8. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR assays showed that tpi2 transcript is approximately 3·3-fold more abundant than tpi1. Using an anti-TvTIM2 polyclonal antibody it was demonstrated that TIM proteins have a cytoplasmic localization and both enzymes are able to complement an Escherichia coli strain carrying a deletion of its endogenous tpi gene. Both TIM proteins assemble as dimers and their secondary structure assessment is essentially identical to TIM from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The kinetic catalytic constants of the recombinant enzymes using glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate as substrate are similar to the catalytic constants of TIMs from other organisms including parasitic protozoa. As T. vaginalis depends on glycolysis for ATP production, we speculate 2 possible reasons to maintain a duplicated tpi copy on its genome: an increase in gene dosage or an early event of neofunctionalization of TIM as a moonlighting protein.

The mode of action of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) in regulating gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) head kidney (HK) cortisol production was studied through in vitro trials using a dynamic superfusion system. Fish were previously fed with different diets containing several inclusion levels of linseed oil (LO) or soyabean oil (SO) for 26 weeks. Five diets were tested; anchovy oil was the only lipid source for the control diet (fish oil, FO) and two different substitution levels (70 and 100 %) were tested using either LO or SO (70LO, 70SO, 100LO and 100SO). Fatty acid compositions of the HK reflected the dietary input, thus EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and n-3 HUFA were significantly (P < 0·05) reduced in fish fed vegetable oils compared with fish fed the FO diet. Feeding 70 or 100 % LO increased significantly (P < 0·05) cortisol release in HK after stimulation with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), while feeding SO had no effect on this response. Cortisol stimulation factor (SF) was increased in fish fed the 70LO and 100LO diets compared with fish fed the control diet. Moreover, eicosanoid inhibition by incubating the HK tissue with indomethacin (INDO) as a cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitor, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) as a lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitor, significantly reduced (P < 0·05) the cortisol release after ACTH stimulation in the 70LO and 100LO diets. Cortisol SF was reduced in the FO, 70LO and 100LO diets when incubating the HK with INDO or NDGA, while it was increased in the 70SO diet. The present results indicate that changing the fatty acid profile of gilthead sea bream HK by including LO and/or SO in the fish diet affected the in vitro cortisol release, and this effect is partly mediated by COX and/or LOX metabolites.

Using a cross-sectional sample of 1147 urban adolescents, aged between 14 and 20 years, the variability of some menstrual cycle indicators was related to weight loss. Nearly 40% of the adolescents tried to lose weight and the results showed that attempting to lose weight is significantly associated with increased prevalence of menstrual irregularity and menstrual pain. This finding is independent of body mass index.

The extraordinary characteristics of chemically vapor deposited (CVD) diamond such as tissue equivalence, radiation hardness, and lack of solubility in water; makes CVD diamond a very promising material for radiation dosimetry applications. Recent investigations have shown that CVD techniques allowed the growing of good quality diamond films in a diversity of substrates to be used in the form of ionization chambers, thermoluminescence (TL) detectors and dosimeters. In the present work, we report on the TL properties of MWCVD diamond exposed to gamma radiation in the 0.05 -1.0 kGy dose range and 43.5 and 81.11 Gy min−1 dose rates. The CVD diamond displays a linear dose behavior and 5% TL cycle reproducibility, without requiring any annealing or thermal treatment before using it as TL dosimeter. In spite of the significant results, some problems remain and a lot of research work is necessary to improve the synthetic material characteristics to optimize the TL/OSL radiation dosimeter properties.

A comprehensive numerical and experimental study of normal shock waves in hypersonic axisymmetric jets of N$_2$ is presented. The numerical interpretation is based on the quasi-gasdynamic (QGD) approach, and its generalization (QGDR) for the breakdown of rotational–translational equilibrium. The experimental part, based on diagnostics by high-sensitivity Raman spectroscopy, provides absolute density and rotational temperatures along the expansion axis, including the wake beyond the shock. These quantities are used as a reference for the numerical work. The limits of applicability of the QGD approach in terms of the local Knudsen number, the influence of the computational grid on the numerical solution, the breakdown of rotation–translation equilibrium, and the possible formation of a recirculation vortex immediately downstream from the normal shock wave are the main topics considered.

In the present study we examined whether two virgin olive oils (VOO1 and VOO2), of the same variety (Olea europaea var. hojiblanca) and with a similar composition of minor components but differing in the content of triacylglycerol molecular species, had different effects on blood pressure and plasma lipid levels in a healthy elderly population. Thirty-one participants, aged 84·9 (SD 6·4) years, were asked to participate in the study. No differences were found with regard to blood pressure after both experimental periods (VOO1 and VOO2). However, plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were reduced only after VOO1 (P<0·01). The reduction of plasma cholesterol concentrations was related to the incorporation of oleic acid into plasma cholesteryl esters and phospholipids, which was higher after VOO1 (P<0·01). Indeed, the oleic acid concentration in cholesteryl esters and phospholipids strongly correlated with plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in all experimental periods studied (r2>0·418, P<0·07), except for phospholipids in VOO1 (P=0·130 for total cholesterol and P=0·360 for LDL-cholesterol). These results have demonstrated that blood pressure and plasma lipids can be modified by the consumption of VOO in elderly people, but that the extent of such modification depends on the composition and amount of active minor components and triacylglycerol molecular species.

A comprehensive study of a steady axisymmetric supersonic jet of CO2, including experiment, theory, and numerical calculation, is presented. The experimental part, based on high-sensitivity Raman spectroscopy mapping, provides absolute density and rotational temperature maps covering the significant regions of the jet: the zone of silence, barrel shock, Mach disk, and subsonic region beyond the Mach disk. The interpretation is based on the quasi-gasdynamic (QGD) system of equations, and its generalization (QGDR) considering the translational–rotational breakdown of thermal equilibrium. QGD and QGDR systems of equations are solved numerically in terms of a finite-difference algorithm with the steady state attained as the limit of a time-evolving process. Numerical results show a good global agreement with experiment, and provide information on those quantities not measured in the experiment, like velocity field, Mach numbers, and pressures. According to the calculation the subsonic part of the jet, downstream of the Mach disk, encloses a low-velocity recirculation vortex ring.

Menopause is associated with the general ageing process and marks the end of follicular depletion, a process that begins in the intrauterine stage and lasts throughout the lifetime of women until their reproductive senescence. Controversy persists about whether the age at menopause is sensitive to the ecological determinants prevailing during the lifecycle or whether it has a predominantly genetic component that would allow groups of women to be characterized with respect to particular menstrual characteristics manifested throughout their fertile life. By contrast, there is a definite secular trend in age at menarche in populations that have registered improvements in their environment: sexual maturation is closely associated with the general processes of growth and development. These aspects were analysed in a sample of Spanish women, mothers and daughters, born between 1883 and 1941. The results show (a) indications – although not conclusive – of a secular trend in the age at menopause, (b) a possible association between the age at menopause of mothers and their daughters, and (c) an association at the individual level between age at menarche, particular characteristics of ovarian function (fetal loss) and age at menopause. The reproductive ageing process therefore seems to result from the expression of the influence of ecological conditions in which the lifecycle of the women develops and of a degree of heritability that affects not only the age at menopause but also a range of characteristics of ovarian function.