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The work is about Indo-Europeans in general, which means people possessing R1a haplogroup (and following mutations) of Y-DNA, as per inheriting from father to son. Those possessing R1b, who dominated western Europe, have little in common with India and Iran. Our interest is in the group of Indo-Europeans who evolved into Slavs and, in particular, modern Poles. The article shows that the area of today's Poland was probably the cradle of people and language that gave origin to other Indo-European peoples (Aryans, Scythians, Persians, Slavic) and their languages. Today's Poles are the nation with the highest frequency of R1a haplogroup. Genetic, linguistic and anthropological-cultural studies indicate that the origin of Poles is ancient, directly from the ancestors of the Lechites or Lekhs described in the chronicles. There are also grounds for claiming that the Lekhs' connections with people from Aryans are both genetic (biological) and cultural. The author provides daring hypotheses and proceeds to check them through logical deduction (inductive-deductive method), while trying the synthetic approach to the problem and using a multidisciplinary approach. Hypotheses checks and logical justifications are backed by research results in genetics, linguistics, cultural anthropology, ancient history and hoplology – which deal with weaponry and warrior cultures.

Genetic studies of archaeological burials open up new possibilities for investigating the cultural-historical development of ancient populations, providing objective data that can be used to investigate the most controversial problems of archeology. In this work, we analyzed the Y-chromosomes of nine skeletons recovered from elite burial mounds attributed to the 7th–9th centuries of the Khazar Khaganate in the modern Rostov region. Genotyping of polymorphic microsatellite loci of the Y chromosome made it possible to establish that among the nine skeletons studied, three individuals had R1a Y-haplogroup, two had C2b, and one each had G2a, N1a, Q, and R1b Y-haplogroups. Such results were noteworthy for the mixture of West Eurasian and East Asian paternal lineages in these samples. The Y-chromosome data are consistent with the results of the craniological study and genome-wide analysis of the same individuals in showing mixed genetic origins for the early medieval Khazar nobility. These findings are not surprising in light of the history of the Khazar Khaganate, which arose through its separation from the Western Turkic Khaganate and establishment in the North Caucasus and East European steppes.

Objectives The Sahel is a semi-arid zone stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east and from the Sahara in the north to the Sudanian Savanna in the south. Here, we investigated the genetic history of the spread of Northern African ancestry common among Berbers, the Y DNA haplogroup R1b-V88, and Chadic languages throughout the Sahel, with a focus on Chad. Materials and methods We integrated and analyzed genotype data from 751 individuals from Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, South Sudan, and Sudan in the context of a global reference panel of 5,966 individuals. Results We found that genetic diversity in Chad was broadly divided by a north-south axis. The core ancestry of Southern Chadians was Central African, most closely related to Pygmies. Southern Chadians then experienced four waves of gene flow over the last 3,000 years from West-Central Africans, Eastern Africans, West-Central Africans again, and then Arabians. In contrast, Northern Chadians did not share Central African ancestry and were not influenced by the first wave of West-Central Africans but were influenced by Northern African ancestry. Discussion We found that Y DNA haplogroup R1b entered the Chadian gene pool during Baggarization. Baggara Arabs spoke Arabic, not Chadic, implying that people carrying R1b-V88 were not responsible for the spread of Chadic languages, which may have spread approximately 3,700 years ago. We found no evidence for migration of Near Eastern farmers or any ancient episodes involving Eurasian backflow.

Knowledge of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) mutation rates is essential to determine the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) in familial searching or genealogy research. Up to now, locus-specific mutation rates have been extensively examined especially for commercially available forensic Y-STRs, while haplogroup specific mutation rates have not yet been investigated in detail. Through 450 patrilineally related namesakes distributed over 212 deep-rooting genealogies, the individual mutation rates of 42 Y-STR loci were determined, including 27 forensic Y-STR loci from the Yfiler® Plus kit and 15 additional Y-STR loci (DYS388, DYS426, DYS442, DYS447, DYS454, DYS455, DYS459a/b, DYS549, DYS607, DYS643, DYS724a/b and YCAIIa/b). At least 726 mutations were observed over 148,596 meiosis and individual Y-STR mutation rates varied from 2.83 × 10−4 to 1.86 × 10−2. The mutation rate was significantly correlated with the average allele size, the complexity of the repeat motif sequence and the age of the father. Significant differences in average Y-STR mutations rates were observed when haplogroup ‘I & J’ (4.03 × 10−3 mutations/generation) was compared to ‘R1b’ (5.35 × 10−3 mutations/generation) and to the overall mutation rate (5.03 × 10−3 mutations/generation). A difference in allele size distribution was identified as the only cause for these haplogroup specific mutation rates. The haplogroup specific mutation rates were also present within the commercially available Y-STR kits (Yfiler®, PowerPlex® Y23 System and Yfiler® Plus). This observation has consequences for applications where an average Y-STR mutation rate is used, e.g. tMRCA estimations in familial searching and genealogy research.

The study of Y-chromosome SNPs allows to link haplogroups to paternal biogeographical ancestry. The analysis of haplogroup R1b-M269 and its subhaplogroups in Latin American populations can help to assess the European paternal contribution. The objective of this work was to study the presence of R1b-DF27 in Latin American Mestizo populations. The obtained results reveal an average frequency of 29–35% with a north-south increasing pattern, seeming to agree with the influence of the Spanish commerce routes with America in the colonial era. Thus, the finding of DF27 in a forensic context could be due to individuals of both European and Latin American ancestry. In summary, the present work highlights the interest to further analyze R1b- DF27 in Latin America.

According to historical sources, ancient Hungarians were made up of seven allied tribes and the fragmented tribes that split off from the Khazars, and they arrived from the Eastern European steppes to conquer the Carpathian Basin at the end of the ninth century AD. Differentiating between the tribes is not possible based on archaeology or history, because the Hungarian Conqueror artifacts show uniformity in attire, weaponry, and warcraft. We used Y-STR and SNP analyses on male Hungarian Conqueror remains to determine the genetic source, composition of tribes, and kin of ancient Hungarians. The 19 male individuals paternally belong to 16 independent haplotypes and 7 haplogroups (C2, G2a, I2, J1, N3a, R1a, and R1b). The presence of the N3a haplogroup is interesting because it rarely appears among modern Hungarians (unlike in other Finno-Ugric-speaking peoples) but was found in 37.5% of the Hungarian Conquerors. This suggests that a part of the ancient Hungarians was of Ugric descent and that a significant portion spoke Hungarian. We compared our results with public databases and discovered that the Hungarian Conquerors originated from three distant territories of the Eurasian steppes, where different ethnicities joined them: Lake Baikal-Altai Mountains (Huns/Turkic peoples), Western Siberia-Southern Urals (Finno-Ugric peoples), and the Black Sea-Northern Caucasus (Caucasian and Eastern European peoples). As such, the ancient Hungarians conquered their homeland as an alliance of tribes, and they were the genetic relatives of Asiatic Huns, Finno-Ugric peoples, Caucasian peoples, and Slavs from the Eastern European steppes.

More than 2600 unrelated males from West-Europe were analysed by molecular hybridization experiments for the p49a,fTaq I polymorphisms. A total of 895 subjects (34%), belonging to haplogroup M269, were identified and further analysed for the three SNPs, S21/U106, S145/L21 and S28/U152; these three SNPs define the Northwest, West and South European sub-haplogroups, respectively. These haplogroups showed quite different frequency distribution patterns within West-Europe, with frequency peaks in Northern Europe, in Brittany in France and in Northern Italy/Southern France.

This comment considers a paper by C. Winters recently published in Advances in Anthropology, as well as some of his related papers, concerning the “origin of haplogroup R1 in Africa”, “Neanderthals originated in Africa”, “Neanderthals spread from Morocco to East Africa”, “the Cro-Magnon people were probably Bushman/Khoisan”, and other inventions which do not belong to this Journal.

Combining data from epidemiological studies in Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) and patient organization membership lists, shows that FRDA prevalence exhibits large regional differences in Europe with a prevalence gradient from west to east. Highest levels are observed in northern Spain, south of France and Ireland, lowest levels in Scandinavia and Russia. The observed distribution of FRDA in Europe co-localizes with the gradient of the chromosomal R1b marker as detected within west Europe. This gradient is either derived from Palaeolithic migrations out of the Franco-Cantabrian Ice age refuge or from Neolithic migrations entering west Europe with the advance of agriculture. FRDA prevalence may have been increased in this population anytime after its separation from the closely related R1a carrying group. East European populations with a high frequency of the R1a marker show 10 fold lower prevalence of FRDA, indicating that the FRDA mutation was present in the common ancestor and was increased in the R1b carrying group. The FRDA carrying population went through a Palaeolithic population bottleneck supporting the view that the observed FRDA distribution and potentially the R1b distribution are derived from Palaeolithic migrations out of the Franco-Cantabrian ice age refuge.

Haplogroup R1b-M269 comprises most Western European Y chromosomes; of its main branches, R1b-DF27 is by far the least known, and it appears to be highly prevalent only in Iberia. We have genotyped 1072 R1b-DF27 chromosomes for six additional SNPs and 17 Y-STRs in population samples from Spain, Portugal and France in order to further characterize this lineage and, in particular, to ascertain the time and place where it originated, as well as its subsequent dynamics. We found that R1b-DF27 is present in frequencies ~40% in Iberian populations and up to 70% in Basques, but it drops quickly to 6–20% in France. Overall, the age of R1b-DF27 is estimated at ~4,200 years ago, at the transition between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, when the Y chromosome landscape of W Europe was thoroughly remodeled. In spite of its high frequency in Basques, Y-STR internal diversity of R1b-DF27 is lower there, and results in more recent age estimates; NE Iberia is the most likely place of origin of DF27. Subhaplogroup frequencies within R1b-DF27 are geographically structured, and show domains that are reminiscent of the pre-Roman Celtic/Iberian division, or of the medieval Christian kingdoms. Funding was provided by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación and Fondo Europeo de Desarollo Regional (FEDER) (grants CGL2013-44351-P, CGL2016-75389-P), by Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de la Recerca (Generalitat de Catalunya) grant 2014 SGR 866, and by the Basque Government (IT-424-07). FT was supported by the ERC Advanced Grant Agreement No 295733, ‘LanGeLin’ project SI

Problem statement: Mexico is the third largest producer and exporter of chickpea (Cicer arietinum), with the states of Sinaloa and Sonora accounting for 70 and 20% of Mexico’s production, respectively. The most damaging disease affecting this species is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Ciceris (FOC), which causes losses of up to 60% in Sonora. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize the phenotype and genetics of FOC collected from affected chickpea plants in northwestern Mexico and to identify the abiotic factors that allow it to develop. Approach: Sampling focused on affected plants from 12 crops in Sonora and Sinaloa. Based on 355 isolated strains, using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 161 were positive for FOC. Results: Of the 161 strains, 91 were identified as races previously recorded for the Americas: Yellowing (R0 (41%), R1B/C (15%) and wilting (R5 (14%) and R6 (28%) reflecting the symptoms observed in the areas sampled. The other 70 isolates could be nonpathogenic, or could be races yet to be recorded for the Americas. Conclusion: Morphological variability in FOC was high in the main chickpea producing regions in northwestern Mexico and was not a function of the physical and chemical properties of the soil, nor of the geographic location of the cropfields. This is the first report of races of FOC in Mexico.

European 'gypsies', commonly referred to as Romanies, are represented by a large number of groups spread across many countries. We performed a population genetic study on 200 unrelated Romany males to reveal the genetic origin of the Slovak Romany population. On the basis of Y-chro- mosome haplotypes, we determined the corresponding Y-haplogroups using Whit Athey's Haplogroup Predictor. The obtained distribution of haplogroups provided strong evidence of Asian origins, espe- cially Indian. The Indian Y-haplogroup H was the most prevalent and represented 40% of all the sam- ples. The distribution of haplogroups was: E1b1b, 21%; J2, 16.5%; I1a, 14%. Haplogroups R1a, R1b, I2a, and N1 were observed in small frequencies. The obtained genetic structure indicated that the en- dogamous Romany population has been shaped by a genetic drift and differential admixture, and cor- relates with the migratory history of the Romanies in Europe.

Lebanon is an eastern Mediterranean country inhabited by approximately four million people with a wide variety of ethnicities and religions, including Muslim, Christian, and Druze. In the present study, 926 Lebanese men were typed with Y-chromosomal SNP and STR markers, and unusually, male genetic variation within Lebanon was found to be more strongly structured by religious affiliation than by geography. We therefore tested the hypothesis that migrations within historical times could have contributed to this situation. Y-haplogroup J*(xJ2) was more frequent in the putative Muslim source region (the Arabian Peninsula) than in Lebanon, and it was also more frequent in Lebanese Muslims than in Lebanese non-Muslims. Conversely, haplogroup R1b was more frequent in the putative Christian source region (western Europe) than in Lebanon and was also more frequent in Lebanese Christians than in Lebanese non-Christians. The most common R1b STR-haplotype in Lebanese Christians was otherwise highly specific for western Europe and was unlikely to have reached its current frequency in Lebanese Christians without admixture. We therefore suggest that the Islamic expansion from the Arabian Peninsula beginning in the seventh century CE introduced lineages typical of this area into those who subsequently became Lebanese Muslims, whereas the Crusader activity in the 11(th)-13(th) centuries CE introduced western European lineages into Lebanese Christians.

Product yield studies indicate that the reaction of organic peroxy radicals (RO 2 ) with hydroperoxy radicals (HO 2 ) may proceed via four reaction channels: (R1a) RO 2 + HO 2 → ROOH + O 2 (R1b) RO 2 + HO 2 → ROH + O 3 (R1c) RO 2 + HO 2 → RO + OH + O 2 (R1d) RO 2 + HO 2 → R′CHO + H 2 O + O 2 While (R1a) is the dominant pathway for alkyl peroxy radicals, it has been reported that acetyl peroxy radicals (R = CH 3 C(O)) react via (R1a) , (R1b) and (R1c) , while acetonyl peroxy radicals (R = CH 3 C(O)CH 2 )) reacts via (R1a) and (R1c) . In this work, quantum calculations using the CBS-QB3 method coupled with Master equation analysis and kinetic simulations have been used to propose reaction mechanisms for the formation of the products observed in reaction (R1) for ethyl peroxy (R = CH 3 CH 2 ), acetyl peroxy, and acetonyl peroxy radicals. (R1a) is found to proceed via hydrogen atom transfer, while (R1b) and (R1c) both proceed through a hydrotetroxide intermediate. The calculations demonstrate that the mechanism is consistent with the experimentally measured product yields, and that (R1b) and (R1c) may also be significant for structurally similar organic peroxy radicals. The implications of these calculations are discussed.

The multiple-channel reaction SiH3CH3 + OH → products (R1a) , (R1b) and the single-channel reaction SiH4 + OH → SiH3 + H2O (R2) have been studied by the direct dynamics method at the QCISD(T)/6-311++G(3df,3pd)//BH&H-LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. The rate constants for those reactions are calculated by improved canonical variational transition state theory (ICVT) with small-curvature tunneling (SCT) contributions in a temperature range 200–3000 K. For reaction (R1a) , (R1b) , H-abstraction from the SiH3 group is the major channel. Since methyl substitution increases the reactivity of Si–H bond in silane, the rate constants of (R1a) , (R1b) are larger than those of (R2) over the whole temperature region.

The reaction between C 2 H 5 CO and O 2 (R1a) , (R1b) is observed to directly form OH. This reaction proceeds via the formation of energised C 2 H 5 CO(O 2 ), which can either dissociate to OH or be collisionally thermalized. This reaction mechanism is analogous to CH 3 CO + O 2 (R4a) , (R4b) , which we have previously studied and extended in this study. The kinetics and OH yield of reactions (R1a) , (R1b) , (R4a) , (R4b) are reported as a function of pressure at 295 and 213 K, and are sufficiently different to allow the identification of the corresponding acyl radical and it is demonstrated for 2-butanone photolysis.

The collection of DNA from 239 Moscow residents and 62 St. Petersburg residents has been investigated by means of a biochip for genotyping haplogroup markers of the Y chromosome, including M130 (C), M145 (DE), P257 (G), M69 (II), U179 (I), M304 (J), M185 (L), M231 (N), M175 (O), P224 (R), L146 (R1a), and M343 (R1b). The distribution of haplogroup frequency in populations native to Moscow and St. Petersburg has been obtained. Three subsamples that vary in the duration of residence (one, two, or three generations) were compared. The increase in J, G, and R1b frequencies may be related to immigration from the Caucasus and other regions.

Who were the Sumerians? Where did they originate? For those who are not familiar with this remarkable, resourceful and intelligent people, who not only invented writing but also established the true mythological foundations of all main religions of the world, simply put, they taught us almost everything. Four different points regarding the current known archeological evidence are evaluated separately, and the Sumerians’ unique and strongly sacred mythological beliefs related to the lapis lazuli stone and the myth’s origin are analyzed. The uniqueness of the lapis mine location in the Hindu Kush Mountains and the unique (fingerprint) trace element and other physical characteristics of this metamorphic sacred blue stone of the Sumerians are the primary points of focus. The only possible and provable location of their original homeland, “based on the analysis” is; between the Caspian Sea and the Hindu Kush and Kopet Mountains, which is in Turkmenistan. This analysis and conclusion are based on “multiple independent factors”: current archeological excavations, the uniqueness of metamorphic lapis lazuli as a stone and over 6000 years of lapis lazuli mining at a fixed location (absolutely necessary requirements for the origin of strong lapis mythology) and current credible biogeographic DNA evidence and the distribution of R1b haplogroup of “Arbins”, as recently described by Dr. Anatole A. Klyosov. The Sumerians initial migration presumably began with a persistent drought in their original homeland, that eventually forced them to abandon their home migrate and resettle in the southern fertile lands of the Middle East between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and eventually further south near the banks of Nile River in north east Africa.

The reaction of Fe atoms with O 2 was studied over the temperature range of 950–2500 K at pressures between 0.3 and 1 bar behind incident shock waves. Atomic resonance absorption spectroscopy was applied for time-resolved measurement of Fe and O atoms in gas mixtures containing Fe(CO) 5 and O 2 , highly diluted in argon. The experiments showed that two reaction channels have to be considered during the Fe atom oxidation: F e + O 2 + M ⇌ k 1 a F e O 2 + M ( R 1 a ) F e + O 2 ⇌ k 1 b F e O + O ( R 1 b ) At temperatures below 1650 K, reaction R la is the dominant oxidation channel, and a rate coefficient of k 1a =8.9×10 17±0.2 exp(−1100±240 K/ T ) cm 6 mol −2 s −1 was obtained from pseudo-first-order analysis of the observed Fe-atom consumption. At high temperatures, the formation of FeO and O via reaction R1b gets more important, and a rate coefficient of k 1b =3.1×10 15±0.2 exp(−13,200±600 K/ T ) cm 3 mol −1 s −1 was determined. For the further interpretation of the experimental results, a simplified reaction mechanism was suggested, enabling simulations of the complete Fe- and O-atom concentration profiles, which were also influenced by secondary reactions of FeO and FeO 2 with CO and of FeO with O 2 .

We have extended our previous kinetic model for the Thermal De-NOx Process to include recent information about the branching fraction α1(T) of the NH2 + NO reaction, NH2 + NO ⟷ N2 + H2O(R1a) NH2 + NO ⟷ NNH + OH,(R1b) where α1(T) = k1b/(k1a + k1b). The values of the rate coefficients k1a(T) and k1b(T) used in the model are k1a = 2.77 × 1020 T−2.65 exp(−1258/RT) cm3/mole-sec. and k1b = 2.29 × 1010 T0.425 exp(814/RT) cm3/mole-sec. These two rate coefficients combine to give values of the total rate coefficient and branching fraction that are in excellent agreement with experiments over a wide range of temperatures, 300 K < T < 1400 K for k1 = k1a + k1a and 300 K < T < 2000 K for α1(T). The smaller values of α1(T) in the Thermal De-NOx temperature window, 1100 K < T < 1400 K, used in the model allow us to reduce the value of the NNH lifetime to 1.5 × 10−8 sec, which is consistent both with the upper limit set by experiment and with the best theoretical predictions. We compare the model predictions with the experiments of Kasuya et al. and discuss the results in some detail. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 757–765, 1999

The authors have determined theoretically some critical kinetic parameters in the mechanism of NOx reburning under flow-reactor conditions. Specifically, using a variety of electronic structure methods to investigate the potential energy surfaces and the maximum free energy method of Quack and Troe to determine the resulting rate coefficients, they have deduced the values of k{sub 2} and k{sub 3} for the reactions, HCNO+O {leftrightarrow} HCO+NO (R2) and HCNO + OH {leftrightarrow} HCOH + NO, (R3) to be k{sub 2} {approx} 7 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup 3}/mole-sec. and k{sub 3} {approx} 2 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup 3}/mole-sec. independent of temperature for 300 K < T < 2,700 K. With such fast reactions converting HCNO to NO, a critical parameter in the reburn mechanism is {alpha}(T) = k{sub 1b}(T)/k{sub 1}(T), the branching fraction of the HCCO + NO reaction, HCCO + NO {leftrightarrow} HCNO+CO (R1a); HCCO + NO {leftrightarrow} HCN + CO{sub 2} (R1b); HCCO + NO {leftrightarrow} HONC + CO (R1c). Again using PES information from a variety of electronic-structure methods, the authors have used the statistical-theoretical methodology of Miller, Parrish, and Brown to determine {alpha} (T) = 0.985 exp({minus}T/1,748), valid for 300 K < T < 2,000 K. Using a value of k{sub 1} = k{sub 1a} + k{sub 1b} + k{sub 1c} = 2.4 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup 3}/mole-sec. independent of temperature (consistent with experiment) they have determined modified Arrhenius expressions for k{sub 1a} and k{sub 1b}, k{sub 1a} = 1.17 x 10{sup 13} T{sup 0.65} cm{sup 3}/mole-sec. and k{sub 1b} = 1.45 x 10{sup 16} T{sup {minus}0.968} exp({minus}648/RT) cm{sup 3}/mole-sec for 300 K < T < 2,000 K. Reaction (R1c) never contributes as much as 1% to the total rate coefficient. The theoretical analyses and the reburn mechanism are discussed in detail.

The Larkin DNA project continues a sampling effort to link Y-STR haplotypes with specific ancestral geography to serve as a guide for genealogical research. The Type 12 group previously identified has been expanded and confirmed in County Wexford. Two new Types have been identified in Ulster which are part of the L21 clade of the R1b haplogroup. Type 15 has the distinctive DYS425 deletion associated with Clan Colla. Type 16 is diverse but lies within the L21 clade and probably represents the Ulaid tribes native to Ulster prior to 400 CE. Samples characteristic of Larkin Type 01 previously identified in the Shannon River valley were also found in Ulster supporting a shared Ui Niall ancestry between Ulster and the Irish midlands.

The allelic and haplotype frequencies of 17 Y-STR loci most commonly used in forensic testing were estimated in a sample of 138 unrelated healthy males from Macapá, in the northern Amazon region of Brazil. The average gene diversity was 0.6554 ± 0.3315. 134 haplotypes of the 17 loci were observed, 130 of them unique and four present in two individuals each. The haplotype diversity index was 0.9996 + 0.0009, with the most frequent haplogroups being R1b (52.2%), E1b1b (11.6%), J2 (10.1%) and Q (7.2%). Most haplogroups of this population belonged to European male lineages (89.2%), followed by Amerindian (7.2%) and African (3.6%) lineages.

The present study was designed to exploit optimum lipophilicity and high water-exchange rate (k(ex)) on low molecular weight Gd(III) complexes to generate high bound relaxivity (r(1)(b)), upon binding to the lipophilic site of human serum albumin (HSA). Two new carbon backbone modified TTDA (3,6,10-tri(carboxymethyl)-3,6,10-triazadodecanedioic acid) derivatives, CB-TTDA and Bz-CB-TTDA, were synthesized. The complexes [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) and [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) both display high stability constant (log K(GdL) = 20.28 and 20.09, respectively). Furthermore, CB-TTDA (log K(Gd/Zn) = 4.22) and Bz-CB-TTDA (log K(Gd/Zn) = 4.12) exhibit superior selectivity of Gd(III) against Zn(II) than those of TTDA (log K(Gd/Zn) = 2.93), EPTPA-bz-NO(2) (log K(Gd/Zn) = 3.19), and DTPA (log K(Gd/Zn) = 3.76). However, the stability constant values of [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) and [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) are lower than that of MS-325. The parameters that affect proton relaxivity have been determined in a combined variable temperature (17)O NMR and NMRD study. The water exchange rates are comparable for the two complexes, 232 × 10(6) s(-1) for [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) and 271 × 10(6) s(-1) for [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-). They are higher than those of [Gd(TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) (146 × 10(6) s(-1)), [Gd(DTPA)(H(2)O)](2-) (4.1 × 10(6) s(-1)), and MS-325 (6.1 × 10(6) s(-1)). Elevated stability and water exchange rate indicate that the presence of cyclobutyl on the carbon backbone imparts rigidity and steric constraint to [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-)and [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-). In addition, the major objective for selecting the cyclobutyl is to tune the lipophilicity of [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-). The binding affinity of [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) to HSA was evaluated by ultrafiltration study across a membrane with a 30 kDa MW cutoff, and the first three stepwise binding constants were determined by fitting the data to a stoichiometric model. The binding association constants (K(A)) for [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) and [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) are 1.1 × 10(2) and 1.5 × 10(3), respectively. Although the K(A) value for [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) is lower than that of MS-325 (K(A) = 3.0 × 10(4)), the r(1)(b) value, r(1)(b) = 66.7 mM(-1) s(-1) for [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-), is significantly higher than that of MS-325 (r(1)(b) = 47.0 mM(-1) s(-1)). As measured by the Zn(II) transmetalation process, the kinetic stabilities of [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-), [Gd(Bz-CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-), and [Gd(DTPA)(H(2)O)](2-) are similar and are significantly higher than that of [Gd(DTPA-BMA)(H(2)O)](2-). High thermodynamic and kinetic stability and optimized lipophilicity of [Gd(CB-TTDA)(H(2)O)](2-) make it a favorable blood pool contrast agent for MRI.

Single-miracidium infections of Lymnaea truncatula by Fasciola hepatica were carried out to determine the cercarial productivity of each redial generation when the first-appearing mother redia (R1a redia) normally developed (usual development of redial generations) or quickly died (unusual development). In both developmental patterns of infection, the number of morulae was significantly higher in the second-appearing mother rediae (R1b group) than in either the daughter rediae from R1a rediae (R2a group) or the rediae from subsequent groups (R2b/R3a). The live R1a group did not produce cercariae. The percentages of cercariae produced by the R1b, R2a, and R2b/R3a groups were 28.2%, 62.8%, and 8.9% when the development of redial generations was usual. In contrast, in an unusual development, they were 69.3%, 20.3%, and 10.2%, respectively. Cercarial production until day 63 post-exposure was essentially provided by the R2a rediae, when the development of redial generations was usual, and by the R1b rediae when it was unusual.

The aim of this study is to give an overview of the extent and nature of Southeastern Europe (SEE) paternal genetic variation in relation to potential episodes of gene flow during dispersals of the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic. A survey based on studies of the paternal gene pool of the region revealed consistency with the typical European paternal gene pool, as five major haplogroups E3b1, I1b*, J2, R1a, and R1b contribute more than 70% to the total genetic variation in SEE. Comprehensive characterization and dating of major paternal lineages imply that SEE has been both an important source and recipient of gene flow.

The island of Crete, credited by some historical scholars as a central crucible of western civilization, has been under continuous archeological investigation since the second half of the nineteenth century. In the present work, the geographic stratification of the contemporary Cretan Y-chromosome gene pool was assessed by high-resolution haplotyping to investigate the potential imprints of past colonization episodes and the population substructure. In addition to analyzing the possible geographic origins of Y-chromosome lineages in relatively accessible areas of the island, this study includes samples from the isolated interior of the Lasithi Plateau--a mountain plain located in eastern Crete. The potential significance of the results from the latter region is underscored by the possibility that this region was used as a Minoan refugium. Comparisons of Y-haplogroup frequencies among three Cretan populations as well as with published data from additional Mediterranean locations revealed significant differences in the frequency distributions of Y-chromosome haplogroups within the island. The most outstanding differences were observed in haplogroups J2 and R1, with the predominance of haplogroup R lineages in the Lasithi Plateau and of haplogroup J lineages in the more accessible regions of the island. Y-STR-based analyses demonstrated the close affinity that R1a1 chromosomes from the Lasithi Plateau shared with those from the Balkans, but not with those from lowland eastern Crete. In contrast, Cretan R1b microsatellite-defined haplotypes displayed more resemblance to those from Northeast Italy than to those from Turkey and the Balkans.

First CanaryIslands(Spain) Inhabitants (“Guanches”) origin has been much debated. Lately, it has come popular the simplistic theory that they came from North Africa. In the present paper, we conclude that not only North Africans but also Iberian/Atlantic Europeans (and possibly others) must have been first Canarians. Debate whether North Africans or Iberians were the first “Guanches” is artificial since Iberian Peninsula-North African genes flow in ancient times was abundant and Iberians share a great part of genetic profile with North Africans. New genetic (HLA) and linguistic data shown in the present paper, is supported by diverse early anthropological and “Guanches” mummies characters which confirm existence of at least two “Guanches” types and a correct interpretation of R1b Y chromosome high frequency in Atlantic Europe (Ireland, British Isles, North Spain,Basque Coast and Portugal), and also, is present in Canary Islands (13.3%). Present paper HLA genes partial data and presence of abundant old Iberian language scripts (which show an easy translation proposal by using Basque) in Fuerteventura and also in Lanzarote and El Hierro Islands suggest that a present day dogma of a hypothetically North African single origin should be changed. Both Atlantic/Europeans and North Africans define origin of Canary Islands first inhabitants. Keywords: Basque, Canary Islands, El Hierro, Fuerteventura, genes, genetic markers, Guanche, HLA, Iberian, Language, Lanzarote, Latin Inscriptions, R1b, R1b1b, Rock scripts, Usko-Mediterranean, Y chromosome.

Three recently described Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) were typed in a sample of 135 men from Tyrol (Austria). These SNPs define sub-clades of haplogroup (hg) R1b. The derived states of U152 (hg R1b3h) U106 (R1b3i) and U198 (R1b3i1) were found within the Austrian R1b population sub-sample ( N =42) in 9 (21.4%), 25 (59.5%), and 1 (2.4%) individuals, respectively. Only 8 (19.0%) of the hg R1b Y-chromosomes remained unresolved. These novel SNPs proved to be promising tools for distinguishing R1b lineages in the evolutionary as well as in the forensic context.

The Richardson number over wheat and mung crops for the daytime hours were computed using three different expressions and compared. Bulk Richardson number (R1B) which needs wind at only one level was found to deviate widely from the values obtained by other two expressions, namely conventional method (Ri) using temperature and wind gradients and Webb's formula (Riw) using logarthmic heights of measurement of temperature and wind. However, the Ri and Riw indicated close agreement. It is suggested to develop the new limits of Bulk Richardson number, other than those used for Ri to classify the stability conditions over crop surfaces.