534 research outputs found
Karyotypes versus Genomes: The Nymphalid Butterflies Melitaea cinxia, Danaus plexippus, and D. chrysippus
his is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Karger via the DOI in this recordThe number of sequenced lepidopteran genomes is increasing rapidly. However, the corresponding assemblies rarely represent whole chromosomes and generally also lack the highly repetitive W sex chromosome. Knowledge of the karyotypes can facilitate genome assembly and further our understanding of sex chromosome evolution in Lepidoptera. Here, we describe the karyotypes of the Glanville fritillary Melitaea cinxia (n = 31), the monarch Danaus plexippus (n = 30), and the African queen D. chrysippus (2n = 60 or 59, depending on the source population). We show by FISH that the telomeres are of the (TTAGG) n type, as found in most insects. M. cinxia and D. plexippus have âconventionalâ W chromosomes which are heterochromatic in meiotic and somatic cells. In D. chrysippus, the W is inconspicuous. Neither telomeres nor W chromosomes are represented in the published genomes of M. cinxia and D. plexippus. Representation analysis in sequenced female and male D. chrysippus genomes detected an evolutionarily old autosome-Z chromosome fusion in Danaus. Conserved synteny of whole chromosomes, so called âmacro syntenyâ, in Lepidoptera permitted us to identify the chromosomes involved in this fusion. An additional and more recent sex chromosome fusion was found in D. chrysippus by karyotype analysis and classical genetics. In a hybrid population between 2 subspecies, D. c. chrysippus and D. c. dorippus, the W chromosome was fused to an autosome that carries a wing colour locus. Thus, cytogenetics and the present state of genome data complement one another to reveal the evolutionary history of the species
Patterns of gene flow and selection across multiple species of Acrocephalus warblers: footprints of parallel selection on the Z chromosome
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Waistâheight ratio and waist are the best estimators of visceral fat in type 1 diabetes
Visceral fat is associated with cardiovascular and kidney disease. However, the relationship between body composition and anthropometric measures in type 1 diabetes is unknown. Using z-statistics, we ranked the ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist-height ratio (WHtR) and a body shape index (ABSI) to capture measures of body composition from 603 Dual-energy-X-Ray-Absorptiometry scans of adults with type 1 diabetes. Albuminuria was defined as urinary albumin excretion rate of at least 30 mg/24 h. Women with albuminuria had higher visceral fat mass % (VFM%) (0.9 vs. 0.5%, p = 0.0017) and lower appendicular lean mass % (AppLM%) (25.4 vs 26.4%, p = 0.03) than those without. Men with albuminuria had higher VFM% (1.5 vs. 1.0%, p = 0.0013) and lower AppLM% (30.0 vs 32.3, p < 0.0001) than those without. In men, WHtR estimated VFM% best (z-statistics = 21.1), followed by WC (z = 19.6), BMI (z = 15.1), WHR (z = 14.6) and ABSI (z = 10.1). In women, the ranking was WC (z = 28.9), WHtR (z = 27.3), BMI (z = 20.5), WHR (z = 12.7) and ABSI (z = 10.5). Overall, the ranking was independent of albuminuria. Adults with type 1 diabetes and albuminuria have greater VFM% and lower AppLM% than those without. WHtR and WC best estimate the VFM% in this population, independently of albuminuria and sex.Peer reviewe
Associations of dietary macronutrient and fibre intake with glycaemia in individuals with Type 1 diabetes
Aims To study the association between dietary intake and glycaemia in Type 1 diabetes. Methods Data on energy and nutrient intakes, and the mean and coefficient of variation of self-monitored blood glucose measurements were obtained from records completed by 1000 adults with Type 1 diabetes. Associations between these measures of glycaemia and dietary intake were investigated using generalized linear regression, with and without macronutrient substitution. Results In the first set of analyses, fibre intake was associated with lower mean self-monitored blood glucose values (beta = -0.428, 95% CI -0.624 to -0.231; PPeer reviewe
Chromatin modifier developmental pluripotency associated factor 4 (DPPA4) is a candidate gene for alcohol-induced developmental disorders
Peer reviewe
Ultrafast multidimensional Laplace NMR for a rapid and sensitive chemical analysis
Traditional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy relies on the versatile chemical information conveyed by spectra. To complement conventional NMR, Laplace NMR explores diffusion and relaxation phenomena to reveal details on molecular motions. Under a broad concept of ultrafast multidimensional Laplace NMR, here we introduce an ultrafast diffusion-relaxation correlation experiment enhancing the resolution and information content of corresponding 1D experiments as well as reducing the experiment time by one to two orders of magnitude or more as compared with its conventional 2D counterpart. We demonstrate that the method allows one to distinguish identical molecules in different physical environments and provides chemical resolution missing in NMR spectra. Although the sensitivity of the new method is reduced due to spatial encoding, the single-scan approach enables one to use hyperpolarized substances to boost the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude, significantly enhancing the overall sensitivity of multidimensional Laplace NMR
IhmismÀisen robotin pÀÀn, silmien ja suun liikkeiden kehittÀminen
TiivistelmÀ. Perinteisesti robotit ovat olleet tÀrkeÀssÀ roolissa muun muassa tehdastyön tehokkuuden kasvattamisessa, mutta viime vuosina robotiikan huomio on keskittynyt yhÀ enemmÀn ihmistÀ muistuttaviin robotteihin eli humanoidirobotteihin, joita voitaisiin kÀyttÀÀ useissa tehtÀvissÀ ihmisten korvikkeena. Ihmisen muoto kuitenkin aiheuttaa useita haasteita robotin suunnittelussa, suurimpien joukossa luonnollisilta vaikuttavien liikkeiden toteuttaminen.
InMoov-robotin pÀÀlle toteutettiin ohjausjÀrjestelmÀ, joka parantaa aiemmin toteutettua kasvojen seuraamista yhdistÀmÀllÀ siihen pÀÀn liikkeet, ja lisÀÀ puhesynteesin perusteella liikkuvan leuan sekÀ erinÀisiÀ pÀÀn eleitÀ ihmisen ja robotin vuorovaikutuksen parantamiseksi. JÀrjestelmÀn suoriutumista testattiin kÀyttötarkoituksen mukaisessa ympÀristössÀ kahdella erillisellÀ kerralla, joissa ilmi tulleita havaintoja kÀytettiin jÀrjestelmÀn parantamiseen.
Lopullinen jÀrjestelmÀ pystyy kÀÀntÀmÀÀn robotin silmiÀ sekÀ pÀÀtÀ ihmismÀisesti kohti tunnistettuja kasvoja ja suorittamaan valmiiksi ohjelmoituja pÀÀn eleitÀ, minkÀ lisÀksi siinÀ on valmius yhdistÀÀ leuka liikkumaan ulkoisen ohjelmiston puheen mukaan. Robotin kokoonpano koostuu pÀÀstÀ, kaulasta, torsosta ja olkavarsista.Developing head, eye, and jaw movements of a humanoid robot. Abstract. Traditionally robots have had an important role in making factories more efficient, among other things, but in recent years the field of robotics has been more and more focused on robots that resemble humans, also known as humanoid robots, which could be used in many tasks as replacements for human workers. However, designing such robots poses many challenges, one of the greatest being the difficulty of creating human-like movements.
In this work, a control system for the head of an InMoov robot, which improves on its previously implemented face tracking capabilities by adding head movement and implements speech synthesis-based jaw movements along with various head gestures in order to improve human-robot interaction with the robot, was implemented. The system was tested in its intended environment on two separate occasions in order to observe where the system could be improved further.
The final system is able to turn the robotâs eyes and head towards detected faces in a human-like fashion and execute pre-programmed head gestures, in addition to which it has the capability to move its jaw according to speech synthesised in an external program. The robot consists of a head, a neck, a torso, and upper arms
Personal identity (de)formation among lifestyle travellers: A double-edged sword?
This article explores the personal identity work of lifestyle travellers â individuals for whom extended leisure travel is a preferred lifestyle that they return to repeatedly. Qualitative findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with lifestyle travellers in northern India and southern Thailand are interpreted in light of theories on identity formation in late modernity that position identity as problematic. It is suggested that extended leisure travel can provide exposure to varied cultural praxes that may contribute to a sense of social saturation. Whilst a minority of the respondents embraced a saturation of personal identity in the subjective formation of a cosmopolitan cultural identity, several of the respondents were paradoxically left with more identity questions than answers as the result of their travels
The cross-sectional associations between sense of coherence and diabetic microvascular complications, glycaemic control, and patients' conceptions of type 1 diabetes
The BSUIN project
Baltic Sea Underground Innovation Network (BSUIN) is an European Union funded project that
extends capabilities of underground laboratories. The aim of the project is to join efforts in making
the underground laboratories in the Baltic Sea Regionâs more accessible for innovation, business
development and science by improving the availability of information about the underground
facilities, service offerings, user experience, safety and marketing.The development of standards
for the characterization of underground laboratories will allow to compared them with each other.
This will help you choose the best places for physical measurements such as neutrino physics or
searching for dark matter. The project concerns laboratories where so far no measurements have
been made, and even undergrounds where there are no organized laboratories yet.The description
of the BSUIN project and the first results of characterization of natural radioactive background in
underground laboratories will be presented Ë The BSUIN Project is funded by Interreg Baltic Sea
funding cooperation [2]
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