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

Nonclassical correlations of photon number and field components in the vacuum state

It is shown that the quantum jumps in the photon number n from zero to one or more photons induced by backaction evasion quantum nondemolition measurements of a quadrature component x of the vacuum light field state are strongly correlated with the quadrature component measurement results. This correlation corresponds to the operator expectation value which is equal to one fourth for the vacuum even though the photon number eigenvalue is zero. Quantum nondemolition measurements of a quadrature component can thus provide experimental evidence of the nonclassical operator ordering dependence of the correlations between photon number and field components in the vacuum state.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, corrections of omissions in equations (6) and (25). To be published in Phys. Rev.

Optimized quantum nondemolition measurement of a field quadrature

We suggest an interferometric scheme assisted by squeezing and linear feedback to realize the whole class of field-quadrature quantum nondemolition measurements, from Von Neumann projective measurement to fully non-destructive non-informative one. In our setup, the signal under investigation is mixed with a squeezed probe in an interferometer and, at the output, one of the two modes is revealed through homodyne detection. The second beam is then amplitude-modulated according to the outcome of the measurement, and finally squeezed according to the transmittivity of the interferometer. Using strongly squeezed or anti-squeezed probes respectively, one achieves either a projective measurement, i.e. homodyne statistics arbitrarily close to the intrinsic quadrature distribution of the signal, and conditional outputs approaching the corresponding eigenstates, or fully non-destructive one, characterized by an almost uniform homodyne statistics, and by an output state arbitrarily close to the input signal. By varying the squeezing between these two extremes, or simply by tuning the internal phase-shift of the interferometer, the whole set of intermediate cases can also be obtained. In particular, an optimal quantum nondemolition measurement of quadrature can be achieved, which minimizes the information gain versus state disturbance trade-off

Induction of radiata pine somatic embryogenesis at high temperatures provokes a long-term decrease in dna methylation/hydroxymethylation and differential expression of stress-related genes

Based on the hypothesis that embryo development is a crucial stage for the formation of stable epigenetic marks that could modulate the behaviour of the resulting plants, in this study, radiata pine somatic embryogenesis was induced at high temperatures (23¿ C, eight weeks, control; 40¿ C, 4 h; 60¿ C, 5 min) and the global methylation and hydroxymethylation levels of emerging embryonal masses and somatic plants were analysed using LC-ESI-MS/ MS-MRM. In this context, the expression pattern of six genes previously described as stress-mediators was studied throughout the embryogenic process until plant level to assess whether the observed epigenetic changes could have provoked a sustained alteration of the transcriptome. Results indicated that the highest temperatures led to hypomethylation of both embryonal masses and somatic plants. Moreover, we detected for the first time in a pine species the presence of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, and revealed its tissue specificity and potential involvement in heat-stress responses. Additionally, a heat shock protein-coding gene showed a down-regulation tendency along the process, with a special emphasis given to embryonal masses at first subculture and ex vitro somatic plants. Likewise, the transcripts of several proteins related with translation, oxidative stress response, and drought resilience were differentially expressed

Synthesis And Structural Characterisation Of [ir4(co)8(ch3)(μ4-η 3-ph2pccph)(μ-pph2)] And Of The Carbonylation Product [ir4(co)8{c(o)ch3}(μ4-η 3-ph2pccph)(μ-pph2)]

Deprotonation of [(μ-H)Ir4(CO)10(μ-PPh2)], 1, gives [Ir4(CO)10(μ-PPh2)]- that reacts with Ph2PCCPh and CH3I to afford [Ir4(CO)8(CH3)(μ4-η 3-Ph2PCCPh)(μ-PPh2)], 2 (34%), besides [Ir4(CO)9(μ3-η3-Ph 2PC(H)CPh)(μ-PPh2)] and [(μ-H)Ir4(CO)9(Ph2PC≡CPh)(μ-PPh2)]. Compound 2 was characterised by a single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and exhibits a flat butterfly of metal atoms, with the Ph2PCCPh ligand interacting with all four Ir atoms and the methyl group bonded terminally to a wingtip Ir atom. Carbonylation of 2 yields initially (25°C, 20 min) a CO addition product that, according to VT 31P{1H} and 13C{1H} studies, exists in solution in the form of two isomers 4A and 4B (8:1), and then (40°C, 7 h), the CO insertion product [Ir4(CO)8{C(O)CH3}-(μ4-η 3-Ph2PCCPh)(μ-PPh2)], 5. The molecular structure of 5, established by an X-ray analysis, is similar to that of 2, except for the acyl group that remains bound to the same Ir atom. The process is reversible at both stages. Treatment of 2 with PPh3 and P(OMe)3 affords the CO substitution products [Ir4(CO)7L(CH3)(μ4-η 3-Ph2PCCPh)(μ-PPh2)] (L = PPh3, 6 and P(OMe)3, 7), instead of the expected CO inserted products. According to the 1H and 31P{1H} NMR studies, the PPh3 derivative 6 exists in the form of two isomers (1:1) that differ with respect to the position of this ligand.1013545Hoffmann, R., (1982) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 21, p. 711Bau, R., Chiang, M.Y., Wei, C.-Y., Garlaschelli, L., Martinengo, S., Koestzle, T.F., (1984) Inorg. Chem., 23, p. 4758Ragaini, F., Porta, F., Demartin, F., (1991) Organometallics, 10, p. 185Albano, V.G., Canziani, F., Ciani, G., Chini, P., Martinengo, S., Manassero, M., Giordano, G., (1978) J. Organomet. Chem., 150, pp. C17Chinara, T., Aoki, K., Yamazaki, H., (1990) J. Organomet. Chem., 353, p. 367Chinara, T., Aoki, K., Yamazaki, H., (1994) J. Organomet. Chem., 473, p. 273González-Moraga, (1993) Cluster Chemistry, , Chapter 3, Springer-Verlag, BerlinBenvenutti, M.H.A., Vargas, M.D., Braga, D., Grepioni, F., Parisini, E., Mann, B.E., (1993) Organometallics, 12, p. 2955Benvenutti, M.H.A., Vargas, M.D., Braga, D., Grepioni, F., Mann, B.E., Naylor, S., (1993) Organometallics, 12, p. 2947Yamamoto, A., (1986) Organotransition Metal Chemistry, , WileyMorison, E.D., Bassner, L.S.L., Geoffroy, G.L., (1986) Organometallics, 5, p. 408Pereira, R.M.S., Fujiwara, F.Y., Vargas, M.D., Braga, D., Grepioni, F., (1997) Organometallics, 16, p. 4833Delgado, E., Chi, Y., Wang, W., Horgath, G., Low, P.J., Enright, G.D., Peng, S.-M., Carty, A.J., (1998) Organometallics, 17, p. 2936Vargas, M.D., Pereira, R.M.S., Braga, D., Grepioni, F., (1993) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., p. 1008Hengefelt, A., Nast, R., (1983) Chem. Ber., 116, p. 2025Livotto, F.S., Raithby, P.R., Vargas, M.D., (1993) J. Chem. Soc. Dalton Trans., p. 1797Brauer, G., (1965) Handboock of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 1, p. 645Sheldrick, G.M., (1990) Acta Crystallogr., A46, p. 467Sheldrick, G.M., (1976) SHELX76, Program for Crystal Structure Determination, , University of Cambridge, Cambridge, EnglandWalker, N., Stuart, D., (1983) Acta Crystallogr., Sect. B, 39, p. 158Keller, E., (1992) SHAKAL92, Graphical Representation of Molecular Models, , University of Freiburg, FRGKubota, M., McClesky, T.M., Hayashi, R.K., Carl, G., (1987) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109, p. 7569Wade, K., (1976) Adv. Inorg. Chem. Radiochem., 18, p. 1Benvenutti, M.H.A., Vargas, M.D., Hitchcock, P.B., Nixon, J.F., (1995) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., p. 866Carty, A.J., Mac Laughlin, S.A., Nucciaroni, D., (1987) Phosphorus 31-NMR Spectroscopy in Steereochemical Analysis of Organic Compounds and Metal Complexes, , Chapter 16Verkade, J. G.Quin, L. D. EdsVCHKeister, J.B., (1980) J. Organomet. Chem., 190, pp. C36Aime, S., Dastrù, W., Gobetto, R., Viale, A., (1998) Organometallics, 17, p. 3182Johnson, B.F.G., Lewis, J., Orpen, A.G., Raithby, P.R., Süss, G., (1979) J. Organomet. Chem., 173, p. 187Araujo, M.H., Vargas, M.D., unpublished resultsMonti, D., Frachey, G., Bassetti, M., Haynes, A., Sunley, G.J., Maitlis, P.M., Cantoni, A., Bocelli, G., (1995) Inorg. Chim. Acta, 240, p. 485Garcia Alonso, J., Llamazares, A., Riera, V., Diaz, M.R., García Grande, S., (1991) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., p. 1058Cotton, J.D., Crisp, G.T., Daly, V.A., (1981) Inorg. Chim. Acta, 47, p. 165Bondietti, G., Laurenczy, G., Ross, R., Roulet, R., (1994) Helv. Chim. Acta, 77, p. 1869Laurenczy, G., Bondietti, G., Merbach, A.E., Moulet, B., Roulet, R., (1994) Helv. Chim. Acta, 77, p. 547Braga, D., Grepioni, F., Vargas, M.D., Ziglio, C.M., manuscript in preparatio

Information and noise in quantum measurement

Even though measurement results obtained in the real world are generally both noisy and continuous, quantum measurement theory tends to emphasize the ideal limit of perfect precision and quantized measurement results. In this article, a more general concept of noisy measurements is applied to investigate the role of quantum noise in the measurement process. In particular, it is shown that the effects of quantum noise can be separated from the effects of information obtained in the measurement. However, quantum noise is required to ``cover up'' negative probabilities arising as the quantum limit is approached. These negative probabilities represent fundamental quantum mechanical correlations between the measured variable and the variables affected by quantum noise.Comment: 16 pages, short comment added in II.B., final version for publication in Phys. Rev.

Utilização de aplicativos m-health na oncologia: uma revisão sistemática

O presente trabalho consiste em uma revisão sistemática de literatura acerca de estudos recentes sobre aplicativos móveis relacionados com saúde (m-health) na prática clínica de doenças oncológicas para catalogação das principais características dos aplicativos desenvolvidos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of the meso-substituents of zinc porphyrins in dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency with improved performance under short periods of white light illumination

The sensitization activity of four zinc metalloporphyrin dyes: meso-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrinato Zn(II) (a), meso-triphenyl-(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrinato Zn(II) (b), meso-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrinato Zn(II) (c) and meso-tripyridyl(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrinato Zn(II) (d) is reported here, in terms of current-potential curve, open-circuit potential, fill factor, and overall solar energy conversion efficiency which have been evaluated under 100 mW/cm2 light intensity and their performances compared to the benchmark N719 (di-tetrabutylammonium cis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylato) ruthenium(II)). This work focus the structural aspects of dyes with anchoring groups using TiO2-based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs), which includes pyridyl and carboxyphenyl acid groups and argue how the combination of both anchoring groups, in the same structure, may allow relevant optimization of DSSCs performance in the near future. Also, a noticeable improvement in the photovoltaic performance of all dyes, reaching a maximum increase from 25% to 69% in the overall DSSC efficiency under short periods of white light illumination is discussed.publishe

A Bayesian Modelling of Wildfires in Portugal

In the last decade wildfires became a serious problem in Portugal due to different issues such as climatic characteristics and nature of Portuguese forest. In order to analyse wildfire data, we employ beta regression for modelling the proportion of burned forest area, under a Bayesian perspective. Our main goal is to find out fire risk factors that influence the proportion of area burned and what may make a forest type susceptible or resistant to fire. Then, we analyse wildfire data in Portugal during 1990-1994 through Bayesian beta models t