Lethal Interpersonal Violence in the Middle Pleistocene

Evidence of interpersonal violence has been documented previously in Pleistocene members of the genus Homo, but only very rarely has this been posited as the possible manner of death. Here we report the earliest evidence of lethal interpersonal violence in the hominin fossil record. Cranium 17 recovered from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site shows two clear perimortem depression fractures on the frontal bone, interpreted as being produced by two episodes of localized blunt force trauma. The type of injuries, their location, the strong similarity of the fractures in shape and size, and the different orientations and implied trajectories of the two fractures suggest they were produced with the same object in face-to-face interpersonal conflict. Given that either of the two traumatic events was likely lethal, the presence of multiple blows implies an intention to kill. This finding shows that the lethal interpersonal violence is an ancient human behavior and has important implications for the accumulation of bodies at the site, supporting an anthropic origin.

Artículo "L'Engrenage de la violence" publicado en el diario "Le Monde". Trata de la violencia política en el País Vasco.

Fecha: 29-10-1969 / Unidad de instalación: Carpeta 48 - Expediente 8-8 / Nº de pág.: 4 (mecanografiadas)

Let sleeping doggerel lie?: James Joyce's "The Death of Parnell" and the challenges of addressing 'bad' verse in translation

Eterio Pajares, Raquel Merino y José Miguel Santamaría (eds.)

1-42 beta-Amyloid peptide requires PDK1/nPKC/Rac 1 pathway to induce neuronal death

1-42 beta-Amyloid (A beta(1-42)) peptide is a key molecule involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Some of its effects are manifested at the neuronal morphological level. These morphological changes involve loss of neurites due to cytoskeleton alterations. However, the mechanism of A beta(1-42) peptide activation of the neurodegenerative program is still poorly understood. Here, A beta(1-42) peptide-induced transduction of cellular death signals through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphoinositol- dependent kinase (PDK)/novel protein kinase C (nPKC)/Rac 1 axis is described. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of PDK1 and nPKC activities blocks Rac 1 activation and neuronal cell death. Our results provide insights into an unsuspected connection between PDK1, nPKCs and Rac 1 in the same signal-transduction pathway and points out nPKCs and Rac 1 as potential therapeutic targets to block the toxic effects of A beta(1-42) peptide in neurons.

Apaf-1 Inhibitors Protect from Unwanted Cell Death in In Vivo Models of Kidney Ischemia and Chemotherapy Induced Ototoxicity

Background: Excessive apoptosis induces unwanted cell death and promotes pathological conditions. Drug discovery efforts aimed at decreasing apoptotic damage initially targeted the inhibition of effector caspases. Although such inhibitors were effective, safety problems led to slow pharmacological development. Therefore, apoptosis inhibition is still considered an unmet medical need. Methodology and Principal Findings: The interaction between Apaf-1 and the inhibitors was confirmed by NMR. Target specificity was evaluated in cellular models by siRNa based approaches. Cell recovery was confirmed by MTT, clonogenicity and flow cytometry assays. The efficiency of the compounds as antiapoptotic agents was tested in cellular and in vivo models of protection upon cisplatin induced ototoxicity in a zebrafish model and from hypoxia and reperfusion kidney damage in a rat model of hot ischemia. Conclusions: Apaf-1 inhibitors decreased Cytc release and apoptosome-mediated activation of procaspase-9 preventing cell and tissue damage in ex vivo experiments and in vivo animal models of apoptotic damage. Our results provide evidence that Apaf-1 pharmacological inhibition has therapeutic potential for the treatment of apoptosis-related diseases.

Effects of an emotional intelligence program in variables related to the prevention of violence

In recent decades, numerous studies have shown a significant increase in violence during childhood and adolescence. These data suggest the importance of implementing programs to prevent and reduce violent behavior. The study aimed to design a program of emotional intelligence (El) for adolescents and to assess its effects on variables related to violence prevention. The possible differential effect of the program on both genders was also examined. The sample comprised 148 adolescents aged from 13 to 16 years. The study used an experimental design with repeated pretest-posttest measures and control groups. To measure the variables, four assessment instruments were administered before and after the program, as well as in the follow-up phase (1 year after the conclusion of the intervention). The program consisted of 20 one-hour sessions. The pretest-posttest ANCOVAs showed that the program significantly increased: (1) El (attention, clarity, emotional repair); (2) assertive cognitive social interaction strategies; (3) internal control of anger; and (4) the cognitive ability to analyze negative feelings. In the follow-up phase, the positive effects of the intervention were generally maintained and, moreover, the use of aggressive strategies as an interpersonal conflict-resolution technique was significantly reduced. Regarding the effect of the program on both genders, the change was very similar, but the boys increased assertive social interaction strategies, attention, and emotional clarity significantly more than the girls. The importance of implementing programs to promote socio-emotional development and prevent violence is discussed.

Impact of Cyberprogram 2.0 on Different Types of School Violence and Aggressiveness

Some antibullying interventions have shown positive outcomes with regard to reducing violence. The aim of the study was to experimentally assess the effects on school violence and aggressiveness of a program to prevent and reduce cyberbullying. The sample was comprised of a randomly selected sample of 176 adolescents (93 experimental, 83 control), aged 13-15 years. The study used a repeated measures pre-posttest design with a control group. Before and after the program, two assessment instruments were administered: the "Cuestionario de Violencia Escolar-Revisado" (CUVE-R [School Violence Questionnaire- Revised]; Alvarez Garcia et al., 2011) and the "Cuestionario de agresividad premeditada e impulsiva" (CAPI-A [Premeditated and Impulsive Aggressiveness Questionnaire]; Andreu, 2010). The intervention consisted of 19 one-hour sessions carried out during the school term. The program contains 25 activities with the following objectives: (1) to identify and conceptualize bullying/cyberbullying; (2) to analyze the consequences of bullying/cyberbullying, promoting participants' capacity to report such actions when they are discovered; (3) to develop coping strategies to prevent and reduce bullying/cyberbullying; and (4) to achieve other transversal goals, such as developing positive variables (empathy, active listening, social skills, constructive conflict resolution, etc.). The pre-posttest ANCOVAs confirmed that the program stimulated a decrease in: (1) diverse types of school violence teachers' violence toward students (ridiculing or publicly humiliating students in front of the class, etc.); students' physical violence (fights, blows, shoves... aimed at the victim, or at his or her property, etc.); students' verbal violence (using offensive language, cruel, embarrassing, or insulting words... toward classmates and teachers); social exclusion (rejection or exclusion of a person or group, etc.), and violence through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT; violent behaviors by means of electronic instruments such as mobile phones and the Internet); and (2) premeditated and impulsive aggressiveness. Pre-posttest MANCOVA revealed differences between conditions with a medium effect size. This work contributes an efficacious intervention tool for the prevention and reduction of peer violence. The conclusions drawn from this study have interesting implications for educational and clinical intervention.