The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

The phylogenetic position of Homo cepranensis.

Description of features of the hominid calvaria of Homo cepranensis

Ca2+ Induces A Cyclosporin A-insensitive Permeability Transition Pore In Isolated Potato Tuber Mitochondria Mediated By Reactive Oxygen Species.

Oxidative damage of mammalian mitochondria induced by Ca2+ and prooxidants is mediated by the attack of mitochondria-generated reactive oxygen species on membrane protein thiols promoting oxidation and cross-linkage that leads to the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (Castilho et al., 1995). In this study, we present evidence that deenergized potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum) mitochondria, which do not possess a Ca2+ uniport, undergo inner membrane permeabilization when treated with Ca2+ (>0.2 mM), as indicated by mitochondrial swelling. Similar to rat liver mitochondria, this permeabilization is enhanced by diamide, a thiol oxidant that creates a condition of oxidative stress by oxidizing pyridine nucleotides. This is inhibited by the antioxidants catalase and dithiothreitol. Potato mitochondrial membrane permeabilization is not inhibited by ADP, cyclosporin A, and ruthenium red, and is partially inhibited by Mg2+ and acidic pH, well known inhibitors of the mammalian mitochondrial permeability transition. The lack of inhibition of potato mitochondrial permeabilization by cyclosporin A is in contrast to the inhibition of the peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase activity, that is related to the cyclosporin A-binding protein cyclophilin. Interestingly, the monofunctional thiol reagent mersalyl induces an extensive cyclosporin A-insensitive potato mitochondrial swelling, even in the presence of lower Ca2+ concentrations (>0.01 mM). In conclusion, we have identified a cyclosporin A-insensitive permeability transition pore in isolated potato mitochondria that is induced by reactive oxygen species.3343-5

Uma análise da influência da estocasticidade das informações sobre um modelo de programação linear

Neste trabalho foi discutido o impacto de perturbações estocásticas em um modelo de planejamento florestal. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de programação linear e uma abordagem, através de simulações estocásticas, para analisar e quantificar a variabilidade que ocorre nos valores da função objetivo, perante a natureza estocástica dos dados que alimentam o modelo. Um programa para efetuar tais simulações foi desenvolvido. O conceito de razão de variabilidade objeto-sistema foi introduzido para medir a suscetibilidade do sistema em relação às variações ocorridas no objeto.<br>The impact of stochastic perturbations in a forest planning model was discussed in this work. It was developed a linear programming and an approach, through stochastic simulations, to analyse and quantify the variability that occurs in the values of the objective function, because of the nature of the data that are used in the model. A program to do such simulations was developed. A new concept was introduced, called object-system ratio of variability, in order to measure the sensitivity of the response of the system when variations occur in the object