The Oldest Case of Decapitation in the New World (Lapa do Santo, East-Central Brazil)

We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death

Relativizando o Leviatã: empresários e política econômica no governo Jânio Quadros

Este artigo examina as atitudes dos empresários brasileiros relacionadas à política econômica do governo Jânio Quadros. A análise se concentra nas associações de classe paulistas dos empresários industriais, comerciais e agrícolas. Argumenta-se que esses grupos apresentaram um importante papel na formulação dessa política econômica, particularmente sobre a política cambial, creditícia e da legislação antitruste. As evidências coletadas neste artigo trazem novas luzes sobre a elaboração da política econômica durante esse período crítico da história brasileira.This article examines the Brazilian entrepreneurs' attitudes towards the economic policy of Jânio Quadros' government. The analysis concentrates on the São Paulo's associations of industrial, commercial and agricultural employers. It is argued that these groups played an important role in shaping economic policies, in particular those related to the exchange rate, credit and antitrust legislation. The evidences gathered in this article bring new light on the management of economic policy during a critical period of Brazilian history

C/EBPα mediates the growth inhibitory effect of progestins on breast cancer cells

Steroid hormones are key gene regulators in breast cancer cells. While estrogens stimulate cell proliferation, progestins activate a single cell cycle followed by proliferation arrest. Here, we use biochemical and genome-wide approaches to show that progestins achieve this effect via a functional crosstalk with C/EBPα. Using ChIP-seq, we identify around 1,000 sites where C/EBPα binding precedes and helps binding of progesterone receptor (PR) in response to hormone. These regions exhibit epigenetic marks of active enhancers, and C/EBPα maintains an open chromatin conformation that facilitates loading of ligand-activated PR. Prior to hormone exposure, C/EBPα favors promoter-enhancer contacts that assure hormonal regulation of key genes involved in cell proliferation by facilitating binding of RAD21, YY1, and the Mediator complex. Knockdown of C/EBPα disrupts enhancer-promoter contacts and decreases the presence of these architectural proteins, highlighting its key role in 3D chromatin looping. Thus, C/EBPα fulfills a previously unknown function as a potential growth modulator in hormone-dependent breast cancer.The experimental work was supported by grants from the Departament d’Innovació, Universitat i Empresa (DIUiE), and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2016-75006P), “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017”, SEV-2012-0208 and ERC Synergy Grant “4DGenome” nr: 60998

Como os empresários pensam a política e a democracia: Brasil, anos 1990

Este trabalho analisa as formas do empresariado brasileiro pensar a política, a democracia e as instituições do regime democrático, tendo por referência as transformações econômicas e políticas dos anos 1990. O objetivo é verificar o que esta dimensão revela sobre o comportamento político de importantes entidades representativas do empresariado e suas implicações sobre o funcionamento da atual democracia no país. Constatamos que houve mais continuidades do que alterações na forma destas entidades pensarem a política, o regime e seu próprio papel político, revelando certas particularidades sobre seus padrões de ação.<br>This work analyzes how entrepreneurs think politics, democracy and political institutions of the democratic regime in Brazil in the 1990's. We intend to verify what those ideas and values could reveal about the political behavior of important entrepreneurs representatives organizations and its possible consequences on Brazilian democracy. Our conclusion is, despite on democratization, there were more continuities than changes in that way of thinking. It has consequences and reveal some particularities of the entrepreneurs political action patterns in Brazil