Variation within intron 19 of the CLEC16A (KIAA0350) gene region was recently found to be unequivocally associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genome-wide association (GWA) studies in Northern ...European populations. A variant in intron 22 that is nearly independent of the intron 19 variant showed suggestive evidence of association with multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we genotyped the rs725613 polymorphism, representative of the earlier reported associations with T1D within CLEC16A, in 1037 T1D cases, 1498 MS cases and 1706 matched controls, all from the founder, autoimmunity-prone Sardinian population. In these Sardinian samples, allele A of rs725613 is positively associated not only with T1D (odds ratio=1.15, P one-tail=5.1 x 10(-3)) but also, and with a comparable effect size, with MS (odds ratio=1.21, P one-tail 6.7 x 10(-5)). Taken together these data provide evidence of joint disease association in T1D and MS within CLEC16A and underline a shared disease pathway.
The factors determining the course of glomerular fitration rate (GFR) and albumin excretion rate (AER) and the expression of mRNA of slit diaphragm (SD) and podocyte proteins in microalbuminuric, ...hypertensive type II diabetic patients are not fully understood. GFR, AER, and SD protein mRNA were studied in 86 microalbuminuric, hypertensive, type II diabetics at baseline and after 4-year random double-blind treatment either with 40 mg simvastatin (Group 1) or with 30 g cholestyramine (Group 2) per day. Both groups had at baseline a GFR decay per year in the previous 2–4 years of 3 ml/min/1.73 m2. Both Groups 1 and 2 showed a significant decrease of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after simvastatin and cholestyramine treatment (P<0.01). No change from base line values was observed as for hs-C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. A significant decrease of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine urinary excretion was observed after simvastatin treatment. GFR did not change from baseline with simvstatin, whereas a decrease was observed with cholestyramine treatment (simvastatin vs cholestyramine: -0.21 vs –2.75 ml/min/1.73 m2, P<0.01). AER decreased in Group 1 (P<0.01), but not in Group 2 patients. Real-time polymerase chain reaction measurement of mRNA SD proteins (CD2AP, FAT, Actn 4, NPHS1, and NPHS2) significantly increased in kidney biopsy specimens after simvastatin, but not cholestyramine treatment. Simvastatin, but not cholestyramine, 4-year treatment maintains steady patterns of GFR, and improves AER and expression of SD proteins in type II diabetes, despite similar hypocholesterolemic effects in circulation.
AbstractThe LHCb experiment will study CP violation and other rare phenomena using the b-hadrons produced at the LHC. A powerful trigger system is mandatory to select efficiently the b-hadron decays ...of interest out of the 40 MHz input rate keeping the output rate to an acceptable level for tape storage. The trigger system is divided in three levels. In this document an overview of the first trigger level, L0, and the related detectors is given.PACS: 25.70.Ef – 21.60.Gx – 27.30.+t
Flathead grey mullets
Mugil cephalus
are commonly found in Mediterranean lagoons, which are regularly subject to high environmental variations. Oxygen is one of the factors that shows extremely high ...variation. The objective of this study was to test the effects of acute hypoxia exposure at two experimental temperatures (i.e. 20 and 30°C) on the stamina (time to fatigue) in
M. cephalus
swimming at the minimal cost of transport (i.e. optimal swimming speed;
U
opt
). At each temperature, a relationship was established between swimming speed and oxygen consumption (MO
2
). This allowed estimation of
U
opt
at 45 cm s
−1
(~1.12 Body Length s
−1
). Independent of temperature, stamina at
U
opt
was significantly reduced in severe hypoxia, i.e. at 15% of air saturation (AS). In these conditions, oxygen supply appears therefore to be insufficient to maintain swimming, even at the low speed tested here. After the stamina test, MO
2
measured in fish tested at 15% AS was significantly higher than that measured after the test in normoxia. Therefore, we suggest that in hypoxia, fish used anaerobic metabolism to supplement swimming at
U
opt
, leading to an oxygen debt. Since flathead grey mullet is a hypoxia-tolerant species, it is possible that hypoxic conditions less severe than those tested here may reduce stamina at low speed in less tolerant species. In addition, we suggest that testing stamina at these speeds may be relevant in order to understand the effect of hypoxia on behavioural activities carried out at low speed, such as food searching.
Muscidifurax raptor, an ectophagous pteromalid parasitoid of various muscid flies such as
Musca domestica, can be mass-reared and released in poultry and livestock farms for house fly control. ...Entomopathogenic bacteria, such as
Bacillus thuringiensis, are commercialized for the biological control of different insect pests, but they may have side-effects on other natural enemies. In this study, the susceptibility of
M. raptor to three strains of entomopathogenic bacteria (
B. thuringiensis subsp.
kurstaki (
Btk) strain HD1,
B. thuringiensis subsp.
israelensis (
Bti) strain ONR60A, and a new and promising strain of
Brevibacillus laterosporus toxic to the house fly) was evaluated. Adult wasps were fed a diet treated with high bacterial concentration (>10
9
spores/g of diet) of
Btk,
Bti or
B. laterosporus.
Btk had no detectable effect on
M. raptor,
B. laterosporus caused only a slight effect on
M. raptor adults, and
Bti caused a significant mortality and reduction in the reproductive potential of the wasp. In another test in which parasitoids developed on house fly pupae from pre-treated larvae,
Bti caused significant reductions in the development time (6.1%) and in adult emergence rate (up to 59.2%) of
M. raptor compared to the control. By contrast, tritrophic interaction (house fly–bacteria–parasitoid) did not occur with
B. laterosporus. The compatibility of the
B. laterosporus strain in house fly integrated management strategies with parasitoids is promising.
In this paper the problem of the optimisation of at-sea campaigns is tackled throughout the implementation of a near real-time decision support system (DSS) for short-term Lagrangian observing ...platforms. The DSS consisted of two modules: a real-time coastal-ocean forecasting system (CFS), including both hydrodynamic and particle-tracking numerical models, and a module to provide optimised deployment solutions for a set of Lagrangian current-meter buoys. The system was calibrated for a shallow water environment - the Cabras Lagoon in the western Mediterranean Sea. The DSS was then applied to provide in situ optimised measurement strategies during a Lagrangian survey campaign. The different solutions provided by the DSS were verified by real-time measurements and the system was established to be efficient in reducing the cost-benefit ratio and favouring long records and near-synoptic and non-redundant observations.
This paper describes a wind-measuring system (WMS) in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oristano, Sardinia, Italy. In this area, an oceanographic forecasting system based on a high-resolution ...finite-element hydrodynamic and wave model is operative. The system is forced by the wind fields provided by medium resolution (about 0.1×0.1 deg) atmospheric models. The high spatial resolution of the oceanographic prediction system (between 50 m and 1 km) is not accompanied by a similar resolution for atmospheric forcing. Therefore, the implementation of a WMS, aimed at accurately measuring the three-dimensional wind components, provides an essential tool to evaluate both the performance of the atmospheric models used to force the oceanographic models and the sensitivity of the oceanographic models to wind forcing of different qualities and spatial resolutions, the experimental fields included. This paper describes the WMS, the data collected and the geophysical quantities obtained from the time series of the three components of the wind sampled at high frequency. It also shows the results of comparisons between the experimental wind data and those from the atmospheric model at present used to force the oceanographic forecasting system. The information obtained from the WMS is unique, spanning from the spatial and temporal variability of the wind over the area of investigation to the evaluation of the basic quantities characterising the atmospheric boundary layer.
Formation of germanium shallow junction by flash annealing Satta, A.; D’Amore, A.; Simoen, E. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms,
April 2007, 2007-04-00, Letnik:
257, Številka:
1-2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We have investigated flash-lamp annealing (FLA) of germanium wafers doped with phosphorous and boron introduced in the crystal by ion implantation. Annealing was performed by using pre-heating at ...400–450°C in a conventional rapid thermal processing (RTP) unit and a fast (3–20ms) FLA annealing at 800°C or 900°C. Diffusion of P is suppressed during the 800°C–20ms FLA annealing, while concentration-enhanced diffusion occurs upon 900°C FLA anneals. Importantly, in both cases P activation seems to be enhanced by the FLA process. However, junction stability following the FLA process and possible deactivation are a concern.
In contrast, the FLA process applied to B-doped pre-amorphized Ge layers does not show advantages as compared to a RTP conventional annealing combined with a solid phase epitaxial regrowth, in terms of B activation level.
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