Shells of (Gastropoda)-an archive for palaeoclimate and seasonal shellfish collection in medieval and early modern Orkney?

the common periwinkleis biogeographically widely distributed and occurs frequently in archaeological shell middens along the European Atlantic coast. Yet, its potential use as a recorder of palaeoclimate and the season-of-collection has not been rigorously assessed. Here, gaps of knowledge are addressed with a comprehensive dataset of 78 specimens collected from Skaill Farm, a Medieval and Post-medieval archaeological site on the island of Rousay, Orkney, UK, and the adjacent intertidal zone, and more than 3000 shell oxygen isotope data.

Investigating long-term trophic stability in North Atlantic cod () through nitrogen stable isotope analysis of amino acids.

Human-induced environmental change and fishing pressure have deleterious effects on marine ecosystems, but beyond that, the longer-term impacts are much harder to assess. Here, we applied bulk nitrogen isotopes (N) and compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (N) to well-dated cod remains from northeast Scotland to provide insights into the trophic structure in the North Sea over the last 1500 years. Ontogenetic changes were observable in trophic N and N proxies but not in N, questioning the latter's use for inferring trophic level changes.

Peptide mass fingerprinting of preserved collagen in archaeological fish bones for the identification of flatfish in European waters.

Bones of Pleuronectiformes (flatfish) are often not identified to species due to the lack of diagnostic features on bones that allow adequate distinction between taxa. This hinders in-depth understanding of archaeological fish assemblages and particularly flatfish fisheries throughout history. This is especially true for the North Sea region, where several commercially significant species have been exploited for centuries, yet their archaeological remains continue to be understudied.

Substance use in the emergency department: Screening for risky drug use, using the ASSIST-Lite.

Introduction: Substance use is a common contributing factor to emergency department (ED) presentations. While screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for alcohol and tobacco is common in ED settings, it is not routinely conducted for illicit substances. This study aimed to deploy the ASSIST-Lite to screen for risky use of alcohol and other drugs in the ED, to identify differences in risk based on between demographic characteristics.

Acceptability and suitability of alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test for older people in the community.

Alcohol use is a common phenomenon within Australian culture. While there has been significant focus on alcohol use among young Australians, there has been little on health promotion or early interventions focussing on older Australians. This paper presents the findings of an explorative study that used four interactive focus group workshops to ask the question: Is an existing World Health Organisation alcohol and drug screening tool called the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (originally developed for young people) acceptable and suitable for older people? The data were analysed based on the question using thematic coding.

Tpz1-Ccq1 and Tpz1-Poz1 interactions within fission yeast shelterin modulate Ccq1 Thr93 phosphorylation and telomerase recruitment.

In both fission yeast and humans, the shelterin complex plays central roles in regulation of telomerase recruitment, protection of telomeres against DNA damage response factors, and formation of heterochromatin at telomeres. While shelterin is essential for limiting activation of the DNA damage checkpoint kinases ATR and ATM at telomeres, these kinases are required for stable maintenance of telomeres. In fission yeast, Rad3ATR and Tel1ATM kinases are redundantly required for telomerase recruitment, since Rad3ATR/Tel1ATM-dependent phosphorylation of the shelterin subunit Ccq1 at Thr93 promotes interaction between Ccq1 and the telomerase subunit Est1.

SUMOylation regulates telomere length by targeting the shelterin subunit Tpz1(Tpp1) to modulate shelterin-Stn1 interaction in fission yeast.

Telomeres protect DNA ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes from degradation and fusion, and ensure complete replication of the terminal DNA through recruitment of telomerase. The regulation of telomerase is a critical area of telomere research and includes cis regulation by the shelterin complex in mammals and fission yeast. We have identified a key component of this regulatory pathway as the SUMOylation [the covalent attachment of a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) to target proteins] of a shelterin subunit in fission yeast.

Stable isotope evidence for late medieval (14th-15th C) origins of the eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) fishery.

Although recent historical ecology studies have extended quantitative knowledge of eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) exploitation back as far as the 16th century, the historical origin of the modern fishery remains obscure. Widespread archaeological evidence for cod consumption around the eastern Baltic littoral emerges around the 13th century, three centuries before systematic documentation, but it is not clear whether this represents (1) development of a substantial eastern Baltic cod fishery, or (2) large-scale importation of preserved cod from elsewhere. To distinguish between these hypotheses we use stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to determine likely catch regions of 74 cod vertebrae and cleithra from 19 Baltic archaeological sites dated from the 8th to the 16th centuries.