Synchronized demographic and behavioral patterns among distinct populations is a well-known, natural phenomenon. Intriguingly, similar patterns of synchrony occur among prehistoric human populations. However, the drivers of synchronous human ecodynamics are not well understood. Addressing this issue, we review the role of environmental variability in causing human demographic and adaptive responses. As a case study, we explore human ecodynamics of coastal hunter-gatherers in Holocene northern Europe, comparing population, economic, and environmental dynamics in two separate areas (northern Norway and western Finland). Population trends are reconstructed using temporal frequency distributions of radiocarbon-dated and shoreline-dated archaeological sites. These are correlated to regional environmental proxies and proxies for maritime resource use. The results demonstrate remarkably synchronous patterns across population trajectories, marine resource exploitation, settlement pattern, and technological responses. Crucially, the population dynamics strongly correspond to significant environmental changes. We evaluate competing hypotheses and suggest that the synchrony stems from similar responses to shared environmental variability. We take this to be a prehistoric human example of the “Moran effect,” positing similar responses of geographically distinct populations to shared environmental drivers. The results imply that intensified economies and social interaction networks have limited impact on long-term hunter-gatherer population trajectories beyond what is already proscribed by environmental drivers.

Starting from macroscopic and microscopic facts of cerebellar histology, we propose a new functional interpretation that may elucidate the role of the cerebellum in movement control. The idea is that the cerebellum is a large collection of individual lines (Eccles's “beams”: Eccles et al. 1967a) that respond specifically to certain sequences of events in the input and in turn produce sequences of signals in the output. We believe that the sequence-in/sequence-out mode of operation is as typical for the cerebellar cortex as the transformation of sets into sets of active neurons is typical for the cerebral cortex, and that both the histological differences between the two and their reciprocal functional interactions become understandable in the light of this dichotomy. The response of Purkinje cells to sequences of stimuli in the mossy fiber system was shown experimentally by Heck on surviving slices of rat and guinea pig cerebellum. Sequential activation of a row of eleven stimulating electrodes in the granular layer, imitating a “movement” of the stimuli along the folium, produces a powerful volley in the parallel fibers that strongly excites Purkinje cells, as evidenced by intracellular recording. The volley, or “tidal wave,” has maximal amplitude when the stimulus moves toward the recording site at the speed of conduction in parallel fibers, and much smaller amplitudes for lower or higher “velocities.” The succession of stimuli has no effect when they “move” in the opposite direction. Synchronous activation of the stimulus electrodes also had hardly any effect. We believe that the sequences of mossy fiber activation that normally produce this effect in the intact cerebellum are a combination of motor planning relayed to the cerebellum by the cerebral cortex, and information about ongoing movement, reaching the cerebellum from the spinal cord. The output elicited by the specific sequence to which a “beam” is tuned may well be a succession of well timed inhibitory volleys “sculpting” the motor sequences so as to adapt them to the complicated requirements of the physics of a multijointed system.

Economic reforms and political changes often take place simultaneously. The outcomes of reforms in transitional countries depend on the sequence of these changes. Kornai developed his transition framework based on Central and Eastern Europe, and extended it to Asian nations. This article builds on Kornai's model and the institutional dialogue of economic development to construct and apply a model of transformation for Latin America. The aim is to better explain the relationship between institutional transformation and developmental outcomes over time. Our analysis utilises historical information and the views of current political leaders in Argentina. The analysis performed reflects on institutional performance, and evaluates the applicability of the proposed Latin American transition framework in practice. Based on the empirical evidence presented, we argue that economic transition is a path-dependent phenomenon, and that our model explaining the interaction of economic and political changes provides an explanation for the performance of institutional transformation in Argentina.

Uranium-series dating of oxygen and carbon isotope records for stalagmite SJ3 collected in Songjia Cave, central China, shows significant variation in past climate and environment during the period 20–10 ka. Stalagmite SJ3 is located more than 1000 km inland of the coastal Hulu Cave in East China and more than 700 km north of the Dongge Cave in Southwest China and despite minor differences, displays a clear first-order similarity with the Hulu and Dongge records. The coldest climatic phase since the Last Glacial Maximum, which is associated with the Heinrich Event 1 in the North Atlantic region, was clearly recorded in SJ3 between 17.6 and 14.5 ka, in good agreement in timing, duration and extent with the records from Hulu and Dongge caves and the Greenland ice core. The results indicate that there have been synchronous and significant climatic changes across monsoonal China and strong teleconnections between the North Atlantic and East Asia regions during the period 20–10 ka. This is much different from the Holocene Optimum which shows a time shift of more than several thousands years from southeast coastal to inland China. It is likely that temperature change at northern high latitudes during glacial periods exerts stronger influence on the Asian summer monsoon relative to insolation and appears to be capable of perturbing large-scale atmospheric/oceanic circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and thus monsoonal rainfall and paleovegetation in East Asia. Climatic signals in the North Atlantic region propagate rapidly to East Asia during glacial periods by influencing the winter land–sea temperature contrast in the East Asian monsoon region.

The temporal dynamics in density, life histories, and emergence patterns were described for the first time for five Plecopteraspecies in tributaries of the Futaleufú River in Patagonia, Argentina. Benthic samples and adult collections were made in five loworder Nothofagus forested streams. Four species of Gripopterygidae; Aubertoperla illiesi, Notoperlopsis femina, Antarctoperlamichaelseni and Senzilloides panguipulli had simple, highly synchronized univoltine life histories. The austroperlid Klapopteryxkuscheli takes more than two years to develop. Emergence periods of most of the species were concentrated in late spring andsummer (October to February), which suggests seasonal and synchronized life histories. Most N. femina adults were collected inmid spring indicating this species emerged first, whereas S. panguipulli emerged last from January to April. Aubertoperla illiesishowed a slightly delayed emergence at the high elevation site (La Hoya Stream) when compared to a piedmont stream,suggesting that temperature was an important control. Although we were unable to describe the life history of Limnoperla jaffueli(Gripopterygidae) its adult emergence period was November to January. Life histories of Plecoptera species in the studiedstreams seem to have a high degree of seasonality at least at this latitude, and are possibly determined by predictable temperaturepatterns and discharge regimes. This first contribution on the life histories of Plecoptera species helps us to better understand thedynamics and functioning of pristine but fragile aquatic environments in Patagonia.

The influence of the level of prestimulus alpha phase synchronicity on the N100 component and reaction time (RT) was examined, in target auditory oddball data from 25 normal subjects. Alpha phase synchronicity is a new measure consisting (for a given stimulus presentation) of the angular or circular variance of the alpha phase at stimulus onset across the parieto-occipital sites. The lower the angular variance, the higher the phase synchronicity (the more closely in phase the alpha activity across these sites) and vice versa. Subaveraged event-related potentials (ERPs) were formed for high and low prestimulus alpha phase synchronicity stimulus presentations. N100 amplitude was significantly greater in the high than the low phase synchronicity subaverages. In addition, RT was significantly reduced in the high prestimulus alpha phase synchronicity cases. Alpha phase synchronicity reflects an aspect of brain state that influences subsequent stimulus processing.