Mineralogical and textural characterization of Tartessian ceramics from Ategua (Córdoba, Spain)

El cerro de Teba situado en la Depresión del Guadalquivir, provincia de Córdoba (España), constituye uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más interesantes de la época tartésica. En la falda de la colina de Ategua, se han encontrado restos prerromanos (precoloniales, tartesicos e ibéricos) con algunas estructuras de enterramiento y una gran riqueza de piezas cerámicas. Cerámicas de época tartésica hechas a torno (fases II y III “orientalizantes”) son las que se estudian en este trabajo. Se ha estudiado la mineralogía, composición química y la textura de estas piezas para obtener información sobre el posible origen de las materias primas utilizadas en la fabricación de las cerámicas. Algunos minerales así como los restos de fósiles son propios de ciertos ambientes, y su detección en las cerámicas permite abordar el origen de las materias primas con que se elaboraron las piezas. Determinar el origen es siempre uno de los objetivos que se plantea en este tipo de estudios, ya que los datos sobre las piezas y el entorno ayudan a abordar el problema de la autóctonía o aloctonía de las cerámicasTeba hill, located in the Guadalquivir depression (Córdoba, Spain), is one of the most interesting archaeological deposits from the Tartessian period. A number of pre-Roman (pre-colonial, Tartessian and Iberian) remains including some burial structures and a wealth of ceramic pieces have been found on the skirt of the Ategua hill. In this work, have been studied wheel-thrown ceramic pieces from Phases II and III (orientalizing). The mineralogical characteristics, chemical composition and texture of the pieces were used to identify the potential origin of the raw materials used in their production. Some minerals are as well as fossil remains in fact typical of specific environments, so their presence in a ceramic piece can help trace the origin of its components. Elucidating the origin of such materials is a common objective in these studies since accurate information obtained from ceramic pieces and their environment can help one determine whether they are autochthonous or allochthonous

Controlled Heterometallic Composition in Linear Trinuclear [LnCeLn] Lanthanide Molecular Assemblies.

The combination of two different β-diketone ligands facilitates the size-controlled assembly of pure heterometallic [LnLn'Ln] linear compounds thanks to two different coordination sites present in the molecular scaffold. [HoCeHo], [ErCeEr], and [YbCeYb] analogues are presented here and are characterized both in the solid state and in solution, demonstrating the selectivity of this unique method to produce heterometallic 4f molecular entities

Molecular prototypes for spin-based CNOT quantum gates

We show that a chemically engineered structural asymmetry in [Tb2] molecular clusters renders the two weakly coupled Tb3+ spin qubits magnetically inequivalent. The magnetic energy level spectrum of these molecules meets then all conditions needed to realize a universal CNOT quantum gate.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Scoliosis induced by medullary damage: an experimental study in rabbits

To date, there have been no reports of experiments designed to induce scoliosis by direct damage of different areas of the spinal cord. In a series of rabbits with medullary damage, the authors attempted selectively to interrupt the pathways that mediate proprioceptive input. Unilateral lesion of the dorsal column and posterior horn of the spinal cord was performed using three different techniques: coagulation with laser, stereotaxic microcoagulation, and longitudinal electrocoagulation. Of 32 operated rabbits, 17 developed scoliosis, exhibiting clear pathologic damage of the spinal cord. Electrophysiologic study, including EMG and analysis of the tonic -- vibratory reflex, was performed on 10 rabbits with medullary damage (scoliotic and non-scoliotic) and 12 matched controls. The data suggest disturbance of the sensory afferences that control the postural tone and consequent muscular imbalance, expressed as reduced activity in the muscles of the convex side. This work supports the view that loss of proprioceptive neural impulses caused by medullary damage can induce scoliosi

Crystal size dependence of dipolar ferromagnetic order between Mn6 molecular nanomagnets

We study how crystal size influences magnetic ordering in arrays of molecular nanomagnets coupled by dipolar interactions. Compressed fluid techniques have been applied to synthesize crystals of Mn6 molecules (spin S = 12) with sizes ranging from 28 µm down to 220 nm. The onset of ferromagnetic order and the spin thermalization rates have been studied by means of ac susceptibility measurements. We find that the ordered phase remains ferromagnetic, as in the bulk, but the critical temperature Tc decreases with crystal size. Simple magnetostatic energy calculations, supported by Monte Carlo simulations, account for the observed drop in Tc in terms of the minimum attainable energy for finite-sized magnetic domains limited by the crystal boundaries. Frequency-dependent susceptibility measurements give access to the spin dynamics. Although magnetic relaxation remains dominated by individual spin flips, the onset of magnetic order leads to very long spin thermalization time scales. The results show that size influences the magnetism of dipolar systems with as many as 1011 spins and are relevant for the interpretation of quantum simulations performed on finite lattices

Identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria isolated from opossum (Didelphis virginiana) lymph nodes and characterisation of lesions

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of NTM in the lymph nodes of opossums (D. virginiana) and to characterise the microscopic changes in affected tissue. Retropharyngeal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes were collected postmortem from 18 opossums in the state of Colima, Mexico in 2013. The lymph nodes were also cultured for mycobacterial organisms and processed for histopathological examination. Bacteriological cultures yielded 5/18X100 (28%) isolates of NTM, which were subsequently identified as M. terrae, M. szulgai, M. gastri and M. asiaticum. Microscopic examination of the affected nodes revealed a necrotic granulomatous lymphadenitis (3/60%) composed of histiocytes, epithelioid cells and giant cells with intralesional alcoholresistant acid bacteria. An association between the sex of the opossum and the presence of NTM was observed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of NTM isolation in opossums with granulomatous lymphadenitis in Mexico

The use of farmers' knowledge in coffee agroforestry management: implications for the conservation of tree biodiversity

In agroforestry systems, the survival of shade trees is often the result of farmers' deliberate selection. Therefore, how communities generate knowledge and apply it to resource management practices influence the potential for biodiversity conservation of agroforestry systems. In this study, we investigated the use of knowledge by farmers to manage coffee (Coffea arabica) agroforests and the consequences for the conservation of tree biodiversity and composition of surrounding forests. We interviewed 50 coffee farmers to investigate their shade tree preferences and sources of knowledge of the properties of shade trees and coffee management practices; we also conducted tree inventories in 31 coffee farms and 10 forest sites in La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico. Our results showed that farmers are modifying agroforests according to their knowledge and tree preferences, and that the resulting agroforest is lower in tree diversity and dominated by pioneer and farmers' preferred tree species as compared to forests. The principal sources of knowledge of management practices are external sources, such as governmental and non‐governmental organizations, whereas the primary source of tree specific knowledge is empirical knowledge. We found that the higher proportion of pioneer trees relative to forest is mostly explained by farmers' tree selection decisions (63%) rather than as a byproduct of management practices (37%) that disturb the soil and open the canopy, altering light penetration and microclimate conditions. Based on interviews and tree inventories, we found that farmers gradually replace canopy trees of neutral and disliked species by preferred species, in particular Inga spp. We found that external sources continue to promote the idea that Inga spp. trees bring significant benefits to coffee production in spite of a lack of scientific evidence to support this claim. This indicates that farmers are receptive to incorporate outside knowledge into their knowledge systems and adapt their resource management practices accordingly. Our findings highlight the importance of disseminating sound and clear scientific information to practitioners who work directly with farming communities to ensure that accurate and up‐to‐date information is being contributed to local knowledge systems

A heterometallic [LnLn′Ln] lanthanide complex as a qubit with embedded quantum error correction

We show that a [Er-Ce-Er] molecular trinuclear coordination compound is a promising platform to implement the three-qubit quantum error correction code protecting against pure dephasing, the most important error in magnetic molecules. We characterize it by preparing the [Lu-Ce-Lu] and [Er-La-Er] analogues, which contain only one of the two types of qubit, and by combining magnetometry, low-temperature specific heat and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on both the elementary constituents and the trimer. Using the resulting parameters, we demonstrate by numerical simulations that the proposed molecular device can efficiently suppress pure dephasing of the spin qubits

Immunosuppressive and angiogenic cytokine profile associated with Bartonella bacilliformis infection in post-outbreak and endemic areas of Carrion's disease in Peru

Analysis of immune responses in Bartonella bacilliformis carriers are needed to understand acquisition of immunity to Carrion's disease and may allow identifying biomarkers associated with bacterial infection and disease phases. Serum samples from 144 healthy subjects from 5 villages in the North of Peru collected in 2014 were analyzed. Four villages had a Carrion's disease outbreak in 2013, and the other is a traditionally endemic area. Thirty cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were determined in sera by fluorescent bead-based quantitative suspension array technology, and analyzed in relation to available data on bacteremia quantified by RT-PCR, and IgM and IgG levels measured by ELISA against B. bacilliformis lysates. The presence of bacteremia was associated with low concentrations of HGF (p = 0.005), IL-15 (p = 0.002), IL-6 (p = 0.05), IP-10 (p = 0.008), MIG (p = 0.03) and MIP-1alpha (p = 0.03). In multi-marker analysis, the same and further TH1-related and pro-inflammatory biomarkers were inversely associated with infection, whereas angiogenic chemokines and IL-10 were positively associated. Only EGF and eotaxin showed a moderate positive correlation with bacteremia. IgM seropositivity, which reflects a recent acute infection, was associated with lower levels of eotaxin (p = 0.05), IL-6 (p = 0.001), and VEGF (p = 0.03). Only GM-CSF and IL-10 concentrations were positively associated with higher levels of IgM (p = 0.01 and p = 0.007). Additionally, IgG seropositivity and levels were associated with high levels of angiogenic markers VEGF (p = 0.047) and eotaxin (p = 0.006), respectively. Our findings suggest that B. bacilliformis infection causes immunosuppression, led in part by overproduction of IL-10. This immunosuppression probably contributes to the chronicity of asymptomatic infections favoring B. bacilliformis persistence in the host, allowing the subsequent transmission to the vector. In addition, angiogenic markers associated with bacteremia and IgG levels may be related to the induction of endothelial cell proliferation in cutaneous lesions during chronic infections, being possible candidate biomarkers of asymptomatic infections