Squamate reptiles show a striking diversity in modes of sex determination, including both genetic (XY or ZW) and temperature-dependent sex determination systems. The genomes of only a handful of ...species have been sequenced, analyzed and assembled including the genome of
Anolis carolinensis
. Despite a high genome coverage, only macrochromosomes of
A. carolinensis
were assembled whereas the content of most microchromosomes remained unclear. Most of the
Anolis
species have homomorphic XY sex chromosome system. However, some species have large heteromorphic XY chromosomes (e.g.,
A. sagrei
) and even multiple sex chromosomes systems (e.g.
A. pogus
), that were shown to be derived from fusions of the ancestral XY with microautosomes. We applied next generation sequencing of flow sorting-derived chromosome-specific DNA pools to characterize the content and composition of microchromosomes in
A. carolinensis
and
A. sagrei
. Comparative analysis of sequenced chromosome-specific DNA pools revealed that the
A. sagrei
XY sex chromosomes contain regions homologous to several microautosomes of
A. carolinensis
. We suggest that the sex chromosomes of
A. sagrei
are derived by fusions of the ancestral sex chromosome with three microautosomes and subsequent loss of some genetic content on the Y chromosome.
Background: Six titanium disks with six different surface treatments were examined: SS: smooth (polished) surface; TPS: plasma spray; C100: sand blasting by aluminum oxide (Al2O3) Ø 100 µm and acid ...etching; C150: sand blasting by Al2O3 Ø 150 µm and acid etching; B60: sand blasting by zirconium oxide (ZrO2) Ø 60 µm and acid etching; and B120: sand blasting by ZrO2 Ø 120 µm and acid etching.
Methods: The surface characteristics were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and a roughness tester. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the presence of residual substances on the samples. Cells were seeded onto the disk and after 24 hours, 6 days, and 12 days were observed under SEM and growth curves generated with a cell counter. Some samples were used to determine alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), using a colorimetric assay.
Results: SEM observation revealed drastic differences in surface microtopography, with a higher cell density on sand‐blasted and acid‐etched (SLA) samples than SS and TPS, and more regularly aligned cells on B60 and B120 surfaces than on the others. The growth curves showed a greater adhesion of cells on the etched/blasted surfaces compared to the SS and TPS surfaces. The number of cells increased on all the SLA samples, especially B60, throughout the experiment. At the same time, there was considerable ALP activity on the B60 sample, while it remained at extremely low levels on SS and TPS surfaces. Raman analyses revealed Al2O3 debris on C100 and C150, partly explaining the poorer performances of these two surface treatments, since this substance was shown to be toxic for cultured osteoblasts.
Conclusions: Surface treatments influence the growth and the metabolic activity of cultured osteoblasts, and B60 seems to be the most favorable surface inducing a more pronounced proliferation of cells together with a high differentiation degree. J Periodontol 2004;75:273‐282.
•Multistep procedure for process energy sustainability is proposed.•All the energy terms were considered direct as well as the indirect by LCA approach.•Fuzzy modelling has been used to score ...different process using EROI and EPT values.•The Anaerobic Digestion using organic wastes and maize as feed has been analyzed.•Results shown that the use of organic wastes is two folds more sustainable than maize.
The present paper proposes a fuzzy procedure for evaluating and scoring the energy sustainability of a process. The fuzzy procedure permits to handle Energy Return on Investment (EROI) and Energy Payback Time (EPT) values as characterizing parameters for the energy sustainability evaluation. The procedure is articulated in three steps: a first screening among many processes is performed by using the Energy Sustainability Index (ESI), which takes into account the total Produced Energy referred respect to the direct spent energy (heat and electricity). The second step is the Analogical Model, i.e. the quantification of each chemicals, materials and energy to estimate the Useful Energy with a Life Cycle approach, taking into account all the Indirect Energy terms. The third step is the evaluation of two parameters: EROI and EPT, considering all the involved energy flows. Therefore, a fuzzy combination of EROI and EPT permits to evaluate a Sustainable Useful Index (SUI). This procedure is useful for local planning, for allocating financing resources for new energy processes exploitation and for selecting the most sustainable choice among several research programs. Here two cases-studies are reported and compared to highlight the approach: the Anaerobic Digestion producing CH4 using Organic Refuses and maize as Energy Crop.
Background The mesolimbic dopamine system, composed primarily of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area that project to striatal structures, is considered to be the key mediator of ...reinforcement-related mechanisms in the brain. Prompted by a genome-wide association meta-analysis implicating the Ras-specific guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 2 ( RASGRF2 ) gene in the regulation of alcohol intake in men, we have recently shown that male Rasgrf2−/− mice exhibit reduced ethanol intake and preference accompanied by a perturbed mesolimbic dopamine system. We therefore propose that these mice represent a valid model to further elucidate the precise genes and mechanisms regulating mesolimbic dopamine functioning. Methods Transcriptomic data from the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of male Rasgrf2−/− mice and wild-type controls were analyzed by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). We performed follow-up genetic association tests in humans using a sample of male adolescents from the IMAGEN study characterized for binge drinking ( n = 905) and ventral striatal activation during an fMRI reward task ( n = 608). Results The WGCNA analyses using accumbal transcriptomic data revealed 37 distinct “modules,” or functionally related groups of genes. Two of these modules were significantly associated with Rasgrf2 knockout status: M5 ( p < 0.001) and M6 ( p < 0.001). In follow-up translational analyses we found that human orthologues for the M5 module were significantly ( p < 0.01) enriched with genetic association signals for binge drinking in male adolescents. Furthermore, the most significant locus, originating from the EH-domain containing 4 ( EHD4 ) gene ( p < 0.001), was also significantly associated with altered ventral striatal activity in male adolescents performing an fMRI reward task ( pempirical < 0.001). Limitations It was not possible to determine the extent to which the M5 module was dysregulated in Rasgrf2−/− mice by perturbed mesolimbic dopamine signalling or by the loss of Rasgrf2 function in the NAcc. Conclusion Taken together, our findings indicate that the accumbal M5 module, initially identified as being dysregulated in male Rasgrf2−/− mice, is also relevant for human alcohol-related phenotypes potentially through the modulation of reinforcement mechanisms in the NAcc. We therefore propose that the genes comprising this module represent important candidates for further elucidation within the context of alcohol-related phenotypes.
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