Population expansion in the North African Late Pleistocene signalled by mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6

Background <br/> The archaeology of North Africa remains enigmatic, with questions of population continuity versus discontinuity taking centre-stage. Debates have focused on population transitions between the bearers of the Middle Palaeolithic Aterian industry and the later Upper Palaeolithic populations of the Maghreb, as well as between the late Pleistocene and Holocene. <br/> Results Improved resolution of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup U6 phylogeny, by the screening of 39 new complete sequences, has enabled us to infer a signal of moderate population expansion using Bayesian coalescent methods. To ascertain the time for this expansion, we applied both a mutation rate accounting for purifying selection and one with an internal calibration based on four approximate archaeological dates: the settlement of the Canary Islands, the settlement of Sardinia and its internal population re-expansion, and the split between haplogroups U5 and U6 around the time of the first modern human settlement of the Near East. <br/> Conclusions <br/> A Bayesian skyline plot placed the main expansion in the time frame of the Late Pleistocene, around 20 ka, and spatial smoothing techniques suggested that the most probable geographic region for this demographic event was to the west of North Africa. A comparison with U6's European sister clade, U5, revealed a stronger population expansion at around this time in Europe. Also in contrast with U5, a weak signal of a recent population expansion in the last 5,000 years was observed in North Africa, pointing to a moderate impact of the late Neolithic on the local population size of the southern Mediterranean coast

Thrombus aspiration in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: results of a national registry of interventional cardiology.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the impact of thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (P-PCI) in 'real-world' settings. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study, using data from the National Registry of Interventional Cardiology (RNCI 2006-2012, Portugal) with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with P-PCI. The primary outcome, in-hospital mortality, was analysed through adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: We assessed data for 9458 STEMI patients that undergone P-PCI (35% treated with TA). The risk of in-hospital mortality with TA (aOR 0.93, 95%CI:0.54-1.60) was not significantly decreased. After matching patients through the propensity score, TA reduced significantly the risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.58, 95%CI:0.35-0.98; 3500 patients). CONCLUSIONS: The whole cohort data does not support the routine use of TA in P-PCI, but the results of the propensity-score matched cohort suggests that the use of selective TA may improve the short-term risks of STEMI.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How gender affects the buying-decision process among consumers of luxury goods

Over the decades, many studies focused on luxury brand consumption and explored the customer perception and motives for purchasing luxury brands. Nevertheless, the role of gender in this context has been neglected. Recently, some researchers have been studying the influence of gender on luxury purchases. However, the subject is not fully explored and the effect of some motivations are still lacking on the studies. The present dissertation is based on previous researches about luxury values, consumer behaviour and gender behavioural differences. The study aimed to contribute to the analysis of whether men and women buy luxury for different reasons, from which the following research questions arise: Does gender have an effect on the purchase of luxury goods? And how does gender affect the buying-decision process among consumers of luxury goods? In order to answer these questions, a documentary analysis was conducted, as well as a face-to-face questionnaire to Portuguese women and men that buy ready-to-wear and/or luxury accessories. Results revealed that different motivations are attributed to each gender; in other words, women and men buy luxury products for different reasons. It was established that women have a higher purchase intention than men and respond more favourably to luxury brands promotional activity. Furthermore, men showed to be motivated by materialistic value, status value and conspicuous value, responding more positively to luxury brands loyalty programs than females. Nevertheless, gender did not show an effect on hedonic value, susceptibility to normative influence and uniqueness value.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Tailoring the thermal Casimir force with graphene

The Casimir interaction is omnipresent source of forces at small separations between bodies, which is difficult to change by varying external conditions. Here we show that graphene interacting with a metal can have the best known force contrast to the temperature and the Fermi level variations. In the distance range 50–300 nm the force is measurable and can vary a few times for graphene with a bandgap much larger than the temperature. In this distance range the main part of the force is due to the thermal fluctuations. We discuss also graphene on a dielectric membrane as a technologically robust configuration

Torsion and Gravitation: A new view

According to the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, curvature and torsion are two equivalent ways of describing the same gravitational field. Despite equivalent, however, they act differently: whereas curvature yields a geometric description, in which the concept of gravitational force is absent, torsion acts as a true gravitational force, quite similar to the Lorentz force of electrodynamics. As a consequence, the right-hand side of a spinless-particle equation of motion (which would represent a gravitational force) is always zero in the geometric description, but not in the teleparallel case. This means essentially that the gravitational coupling prescription can be minimal only in the geometric case. Relying on this property, a new gravitational coupling prescription in the presence of curvature and torsion is proposed. It is constructed in such a way to preserve the equivalence between curvature and torsion, and its basic property is to be equivalent with the usual coupling prescription of general relativity. According to this view, no new physics is connected with torsion, which appears as a mere alternative to curvature in the description of gravitation. An application of this formulation to the equations of motion of both a spinless and a spinning particle is madeComment: To appear on IJMP

The Stellar Parameters and Evolutionary State of the Primary in the d'-Symbiotic System StH\alpha190

We report on a high-resolution, spectroscopic stellar parameter and abundance analysis of a d' symbiotic star: the yellow component of StH\alpha190. This star has recently been discovered, and confirmed here, to be a rapidly rotating (vsini=100 km/s) subgiant, or giant, that exhibits radial-velocity variations of probably at least 40 km/s, indicating the presence of a companion (a white dwarf star). It is found that the cool stellar component has Teff=5300K and log g=3.0. The iron and calcium abundances are close to solar, however, barium is overabundant, relative to Fe and Ca, by about +0.5 dex. The barium enhancement reflects mass-transfer of s-process enriched material when the current white dwarf was an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The past and future evolution of this binary system depends critically on its current orbital period, which is not yet known. Concerted and frequent radial-velocity measurements are needed to provide crucial physical constraints to this d' symbiotic system.Comment: 9 pages, 1 table, 3 figures. In press to Astrophysical Journal Letter

Ring Width Variation and Heartwood Development in Quercus Faginea

High-value exploitation of endogenous forest species may help in fighting the threat to their sustainability, as is the case for Quercus faginea Lam. (Portuguese oak) for which research is underway to determine the wood potential for high-quality products. Ring widths were measured in 20 trees in two sites in Portugal and within-tree heartwood and sapwood development was determined. The wood shows distinct ring porosity. The mean annual radial growth at dbh was 2.3 and 1.0 mm for the two sites, respectively. Ring width decreased with cambial age, ie 3.1 ± 1.2 mm in the first 10 rings to 1.3 ± 0.8 mm at around 40 yr (site 1). Ring width decreased axially from the tree base upward but the variation was small. The trees showed a relatively high proportion of heartwood, ie 60-70% heartwood for 20-25 cm wood diameters that decreased with height, and followed the stem profile. Heartwood diameter was modeled as a function of stem diameter, to be used for heartwood estimation in standing trees. Sapwood width was relatively constant. Overall the stem quality was found to be good for production of solid wood products regarding ring and heartwood features

Some addition formulae for Abelian functions for elliptic and hyperelliptic curves of cyclotomic type

We discuss a family of multi-term addition formulae for Weierstrass functions on specialized curves of genus one and two with many automorphisms. In the genus one case we find new addition formulae for the equianharmonic and lemniscate cases, and in genus two we find some new addition formulae for a number of curves, including the Burnside curve.Comment: 19 pages. We have extended the Introduction, corrected some typos and tidied up some proofs, and inserted extra material on genus 3 curve

Propiedades higroscópicas y de estabilidad dimensional de madera de alcornoque (Quercus suber L.)

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) wood has a potential for high value uses because of its strength and aesthetic properties but one obstacle is the lack of knowledge of the wood-water relations. Variations in wood equilibrium moisture content, density and dimensions were studied at air temperatures of 22°C and 27°C (representing acclimatized homes and summer non-acclimatized homes, respectively) varying from 80% to 30% of relative humidity. For indoor uses (22-27°C, 50-65% of relative humidity), the wood equilibrium moisture content ranged 12-17% and these values are recommended for the final commercial drying of cork oak wood. The fibre saturation point averaged 27%. Total volumetric shrinkage at 22°C-27°C averaged 12%, the linear shrinkage 8.1-8.5% and 3.6-3.6%, respectively in tangential and radial directions. Anisotropy averaged 2.3. Wood density at 12% moisture content ranged 0.63 to 0.67 g/cm3. The higroscopicity obtained was 0.003. The average tangential differential shrinkage was 0.32 for both temperatures and the average radial differential shrinkage was 0.14 and 0.15, at 22°C and 27°C respectively. The shrinkage factor was 0.90 cm3/g and 0.82 cm3/g, at 22°C and 27°C respectively. Differences between temperatures were only statistically significant at 80-70% of relative humidity.La madera de alcornoque tiene potencial para usos de alto valor debido a su resistencia y propiedades estéticas, pero presenta un obstáculo como es la falta de conocimiento de las relaciones agua-madera. Se han estudiado las variaciones en el contenido de humedad de equilibrio de la madera, la densidad y las dimensiones a temperaturas del aire de 22°C y 27°C (que representa casas climatizadas y casas de verano no aclimatadas, respectivamente) variando entre 80% a 30% de humedad relativa. Para usos interiores (22-27° C, 50-65% de humedad relativa), el equilibrio de humedad de la madera osciló entre el 12-17% y se recomiendan estos valores para el secado final de la madera comercial de alcornoque. El punto de saturación de la fibra promedio es del 27%. La contracción volumétrica total a 22°C-27°C en promedio es de un 12%, la contracción lineal varía entre 8.1-8.5% y 3.6-3.6%, respectivamente en direcciones tangenciales y radiales. La anisotropía promedio fue de 2,3. La densidad de la madera con un contenido de humedad del 12% varió entre 0,63 a 0,67 g/cm3. La higroscopicidad obtenida fue de 0,003. La contracción diferencial tangencial promedio fue de 0,32 para ambas temperaturas y la contracción radial diferencial promedio fue de 0,14 y 0,15, a 22°C y 27°C respectivamente. El factor de contracción fue de 0,90 cm3/g y 0,82 cm3/g, a 22°C y 27°C respectivamente. Las diferencias entre las temperaturas fueron estadísticamente significativas sólo al 80-70% de humedad relativa