Effect of Compact Disc Materials on Listeners’ Song Liking

The present study examined how a compact disc’s (CD) packaging (e.g., cover art, liner notes, band photos) influenced how much people liked songs they listened to. In Experiment 1, participants listened to 2 songs while examining the packaging material from the artist’s CD (Matching group) or from another artist’s CD (Mismatching group). A third group did not examine anything while listening to the songs (Music Only group). In general, the groups did not differ in their ratings of the songs they listened to. Experiment 2 tried to improve on Experiment 1 by using 2 CD packages that were modified to make them more similar in terms of complexity and appeal. Participants in the matching group liked some of the songs they listened to more than the participants in the other groups did. Overall, it remains unclear whether a CD’s packaging can influence how much someone likes a song. Suggestions for the controls that should be implemented in future research are discussed

Low-diffusion Xe-He gas mixtures for rare-event detection: electroluminescence yield

Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, los autores pertenecientes a la UAM y el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si lo hubiereHigh pressure xenon Time Projection Chambers (TPC) based on secondary scintillation (electroluminescence) signal amplification are being proposed for rare event detection such as directional dark matter, double electron capture and double beta decay detection. The discrimination of the rare event through the topological signature of primary ionisation trails is a major asset for this type of TPC when compared to single liquid or double-phase TPCs, limited mainly by the high electron diffusion in pure xenon. Helium admixtures with xenon can be an attractive solution to reduce the electron diffu- sion significantly, improving the discrimination efficiency of these optical TPCs. We have measured the electroluminescence (EL) yield of Xe–He mixtures, in the range of 0 to 30% He and demonstrated the small impact on the EL yield of the addition of helium to pure xenon. For a typical reduced electric field of 2.5 kV/cm/bar in the EL region, the EL yield is lowered by ∼ 2%, 3%, 6% and 10% for 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% of helium concentration, respectively. This decrease is less than what has been obtained from the most recent simulation framework in the literature. The impact of the addition of helium on EL statistical fluctuations is negligible, within the experimental uncertainties. The present results are an important benchmark for the simulation tools to be applied to future optical TPCs based on Xe-He mixturesThe NEXT Collaboration acknowledges support from the following agencies and institutions: the European Research Council (ERC) under the Advanced Grant 339787- NEXT; the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreements No. 674896, 690575 and 740055; the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain under grants FIS2014-53371-C04, RTI2018-095979, the Severo Ochoa Program SEV-2014-0398 and the María de Maetzu Program MDM-2016-0692; the GVA of Spain under grants PROMETEO/2016/120 and SEJI/2017/011; the Portuguese FCT under project PTDC/FIS-NUC/2525/2014, under project UID/FIS/04559/2013 to fund the activities of LIBPhys, and under grants PD/BD/105921/2014, SFRH/BPD/109180/2015; the U.S. Department of Energy under contracts number DEAC02-06CH11357 (Argonne National Laboratory), DE-AC02- 07CH11359 (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), DE-FG02-13ER42020 (Texas A& M) and DE-SC0019223 / DESC0019054 (University of Texas at Arlington); and the University of Texas at Arlington. DGD acknowledges Ramón y Cajal program (Spain) under contract number RYC-2015-18820. We also warmly acknowledge the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) and the Dark Side collaboration for their help with TPB coating of various parts of the NEXT-White TPC. Finally, we are grateful to the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc for hosting and supporting the NEXT experimen

Short communication. Collection and characterisation of a population of Triticum boeoticum Boiss., a wild wheat species not previously found in the Mediterranean western region

En julio del 2010 se recolectó una población de trigo silvestre en una zona abandonada cerca de Madrid, España. Esta zona posee una biodiversidad botánica elevada y un tipo de suelo muy peculiar denominado “arcillas verdes”. Se recogió una muestra de trigo y se multiplicó y caracterizó para varios caracteres agro-morfológicos y subunidades de gluteninas. El número cromosómico 2n de las semillas demostró que es una especie diploide de trigo y los datos de caracterización indicaron que es Triticum boeoticum Boiss. Esta especie llegó probablemente como mala hierba del cultivo de escaña que se producía en la zona hasta al menos la primera mitad del s. xix. Las características edáficas y climáticas del lugar y el hecho de que no haya referencias hasta ahora de esta especie en la zona oeste de la región Mediterránea aumentan el valor de esta adquisición para la mejora del trigo. La nueva accesión se conserva en el Centro Nacional de Recursos Fitogenéticos y se ha depositado una hoja de herbario en el Real Jardín Botánico de Madri

Pathological and normal variability of foot bones in osteological collections from Catalonia (Spain) and Lazio (Italy)

A wide number of factors can affect the structure of the bones in the foot. In bioarchaeology, few studies about foot anomalies include population comparisons and changes across time. We aimed to identify normal and pathological variability that affected the foot in the recent history of West Mediterranean populations. Thus, we analyzed change in occurrence of rare variants, pathological lesions, entheseal morphology, and their probable causes. We studied 518 pairs of skeletonized feet dated from the 2nd–20th centuries CE, from Catalonia (Spain) and the region of Lazio (Italy). Moreover, a Neolithic series from Oman has been analyzed for contrast. We found that calcaneal spur, hypertrophic peroneal trochlea of calcaneus, periosteal reaction of talar neck, alteration of articular surface to lateral cuneiform, displaced talar neck to medial plane, osteophytes in cuneiform-navicular joint, fused phalanges, and forefoot eburnation showed significant differences among countries. Contrasting by countries and dates, we noticed an increase in the frequencies of these variables from Spain over the centuries. Conversely, there are no temporal differences among the Italian series. The period encompassing the 10th–19th centuries CE demonstrated the highest differences between countries. Lifestyle, occupations, footwear, and geography could be the origin of variability

How does diet influence our lives? Evaluating the relationship between isotopic signatures and mortality patterns in italian roman imperial and medieval periods

The present research investigates the relationship between dietary habits and mortality patterns in the Roman Imperial and Medieval periods. The reconstructions of population dynamics and subsistence strategies provide a fascinating source of information for understanding our history. This is particularly true given that the changes in social, economic, political, and religious aspects related to the transition from the Roman period to the Middle Ages have been widely discussed. We analyzed the isotopic and mortality patterns of 616 individuals from 18 archeological sites (the Medieval Latium sites of Colonna, Santa Severa, Allumiere, Cencelle, and 14 Medieval and Imperial funerary contexts from Rome) to compile a survivorship analysis. A semi-parametric approach was applied, suggesting variations in mortality patterns between sexes in the Roman period. Nitrogen isotopic signatures influenced mortality in both periods, showing a quadratic and a linear effect for Roman Imperial and Medieval populations, respectively. No influence of carbon isotopic signatures has been detected for Roman Imperial populations. Conversely, increased mortality risk for rising carbon isotopic values was observed in Medieval samples

He I λ 10 830 Å in the transmission spectrum of HD 209458 b

Context. Recently, the He I triplet at 10 830 Å was rediscovered as an excellent probe of the extended and possibly evaporating atmospheres of close-in transiting planets. This has already resulted in detections of this triplet in the atmospheres of a handful of planets, both from space and from the ground. However, while a strong signal is expected for the hot Jupiter HD 209458 b, only upper limits have been obtained so far. Aims. Our goal is to measure the helium excess absorption from HD 209458 b and assess the extended atmosphere of the planet and possible evaporation. Methods. We obtained new high-resolution spectral transit time-series of HD 209458 b using CARMENES at the 3.5 m Calar Alto telescope, targeting the He I triplet at 10 830 Å at a spectral resolving power of 80 400. The observed spectra were corrected for stellar absorption lines using out-of-transit data, for telluric absorption using the MOLECFIT software, and for the sky emission lines using simultaneous sky measurements through a second fibre. Results. We detect He I absorption at a level of 0.91 ± 0.10% (9σ) at mid-transit. The absorption follows the radial velocity change of the planet during transit, unambiguously identifying the planet as the source of the absorption. The core of the absorption exhibits a net blueshift of 1.8 ± 1.3 km s^(−1) . Possible low-level excess absorption is seen further blueward from the main absorption near the centre of the transit, which could be caused by an extended tail. However, this needs to be confirmed. Conclusions. Our results further support a close relation between the strength of planetary absorption in the helium triplet lines and the level of ionising, stellar X-ray, and extreme-UV irradiation

Ancient Biomolecules Unravel our History: A Technical Update with Examples from the Middle East

Context: The study of ancient biomolecules represents a useful tool to address questions related to human history. Objective: This manuscript provides an overview of the major categories of ancient biomolecules, highlighting their potentialities when applied to research. Methods: This study gathered knowledge from recently published papers on paleogenomics, paleoproteomics, ancient lipids and stable isotope analyses with the aim of providing a technical and historical background on ancient biomolecules, and examples of their application in the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East in general. Results: The progress seen in the past decade with regard to the study of ancient biomolecules has led to a dramatic expansion of the studies that apply those analyses. Increasing attention has also been paid to the development and optimization of protocols aimed at reducing and/or preventing the risk of contamination. While extensively applied to Western areas, the study of ancient biomolecules in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula has been limited. Conclusions: Research on ancient biomolecules represents the most valuable source of information to understand our evolutionary past at an inconceivable level of detail, especially when applied to areas so far underrepresented in this field, such as the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula in particular

How Mitochondrial DNA Can Write Pre-History: Kinship and Culture in Duero Basin (Spain) during Chalcolithic and Bronze Age

The chronological period from the beginning of the Chalcolithic Age to the end of the Bronze Age on the Iberian northern sub-plateau of the Iberic Peninsula involves interesting social and cultural phenomena, such as the appearance of the Bell Beaker and, later, the Cogotas I cultures. This work constructs a genetic characterisation of the maternal lineages of the human population that lived on the northern sub-plateau between 5000 and 3000 years ago through an analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a kind of genetic marker that is inherited through maternal lineages, unaltered from generation to generation. Population and cultural questions are investigated through mtDNA analyses. This study intends to shed light on the following questions. Were individuals who were buried together in multiple or collective burials biologically related through their maternal lineages? Were there distinct maternal human lineages in the same or different geographical areas if different material cultures (Bell Beaker and Cogotas I) were associated with the arrival of new human populations who established close biological relationships with the endogenous populations? Or could this be the result of the transmission of knowledge without human populations mixing? Another important question is whether the material cultures were related to the female populations. We analysed 91 individuals from 28 different archaeological sites of the Iberian northern sub-plateau from four different chrono-cultural periods (Pre-Bell Beaker, Bell Beaker, Proto-Cogotas I, and Cogotas I), from the end of the Chalcolithic Age up to the Bronze Age. There were two historical moments of new populations arriving: the first during the Pre-Bell Beaker period, associated with the K mtDNA haplogroup, and the second during the Proto-Cogotas I culture, with new lineages of the H, HVO, and T haplogroups. Neither of these new population flows were directly associated with the maximum development of the two main material cultures Bell Beaker and Cogotas I, so they must have occurred immediately beforehand, during the Pre-Bell Beaker and Proto-Cogotas I periods, respectively. However, we cannot discard an association between the populations and material cultures. Curiously, it has also been observed that there was also a tendency towards multiple burials, in which the individuals who were buried together belonged to the same maternal lineage, during these two periods of population change. This study has shed some light on the populational changes that occurred through these different periods in this specific geographical area of the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula

Evolution of human IgH3 ' EC duplicated structures: both enhancers HS1,2 are polymorphic with variation of transcription factor's consensus sites

The enhancer complex regulatory region at the 3' of the immunoglobulin heavy cluster (IgH3'EC) is duplicated in apes along with four constant genes and the region is highly conserved throughout humans. Both human IgH3'ECs consist of three loci high sensitive (HS) to DNAse I with enhancer activity. It is thus possible that the presence of structural divergences between the two IgH3'ECs and of relative polymorphisms correspond to functional regulatory changes. To analyse the polymorphisms of these almost identical regions, it resulted mandatory to identify the presence of divergent sequences, in order to select distinctive primers for specific PCR genomic amplifications. To this aim, we first compared the two entire IgH3'ECs in silicio, utilising the updated GenBank (GB) contigs, then we analysed the two IgH3'ECs by cloning and sequencing amplicons from independent genomes. In silicio analysis showed that several inversions, deletions and short insertions had occurred after the duplication. We analysed in detail, by sequencing specific regions, the polymorphisms occurring in enhancer HS1,2-A (which lies in IgH3'EC-1, 3' to the C alpha-1 gene) and in enhancer HS1,2-B (which lies in IgH3'EC-2, 3' to C alpha-2). Polymorphisms are due to the repetition (occurring one to four times) of a 38-bp sequence present at the 3' of the core of enhancers HS1,2. The structure of both human HS1,2 enhancers has revealed not yet described polymorphic features due to the presence of variable spacer elements separating the 38-bp repetitions and to variable external elements bordering the repetition cluster. We found that one of the external elements gave rise to a divergent allele 3 in the two clusters. The frequency of the different alleles of the two loci varies in the Italian population and allele 3 of both loci are very rare. The analysis of the Callicebus moloch, Gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes HS1,2 enhancers showed the transformation from the ancestral structure with the 31- to the 17-by external element in hominids. The relevance of the polymorphisms in the HS1,2 enhancers is due to the variable number of binding sites for the transcription factors: NF-kappa B, CMYB, BSAP1/2, AP1/4, E47, MyoD and mu E5 and thus to the possible influence of these variations on switch, production of Ig and on maturation of B cells. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved