Study reveals effect of aluminum on saturation moment of Fe-Ni alloys

Study of saturation magnetization, important in the investigation of the electronic structure of alloys, reveals the effect of aluminum on the saturation moments of iron-nickel alloys. The saturation magnetizations were extrapolated to the absolute zero of temperature for calculating average atomic moments

Monitoring the succession of bacterial communities during storage of raw meat

Fresh meat is exposed to various factors which cause microbiological contamination during handling, processing, packaging and storage. Furthermore, the storage conditions applied may affect the microbial association of the product and consequently the spoilage process. Therefore, the purpose and importance of this study was to identify areas that should be addressed to monitor the succession of bacterial communities during storage of raw meat. The improvement of the microbiological quality and safety of meat was also studied. Cont/d.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Accurate structure factors from pseudopotential methods

Highly accurate experimental structure factors of silicon are available in the literature, and these provide the ideal test for any \emph{ab initio} method for the construction of the all-electron charge density. In a recent paper [J. R. Trail and D. M. Bird, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 60}, 7863 (1999)] a method has been developed for obtaining an accurate all-electron charge density from a first principles pseudopotential calculation by reconstructing the core region of an atom of choice. Here this method is applied to bulk silicon, and structure factors are derived and compared with experimental and Full-potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave results (FLAPW). We also compare with the result of assuming the core region is spherically symmetric, and with the result of constructing a charge density from the pseudo-valence density + frozen core electrons. Neither of these approximations provide accurate charge densities. The aspherical reconstruction is found to be as accurate as FLAPW results, and reproduces the residual error between the FLAPW and experimental results.Comment: 6 Pages, 3 figure

Three dimensional tracking of exploratory behavior of barnacle cyprids using stereoscopy

Surface exploration is a key step in the colonization of surfaces by sessile marine biofoulers. As many biofouling organisms can delay settlement until a suitable surface is encountered, colonization can comprise surface exploration and intermittent swimming. As such, the process is best followed in three dimensions. Here we present a low-cost transportable stereoscopic system consisting of two consumer camcorders. We apply this novel apparatus to behavioral analysis of barnacle larvae (? 800 lm length) during surface exploration and extract and analyze the three-dimensional patterns of movement. The resolution of the system and the accuracy of position determination are characterized. As a first practical result, three-dimensional swimming trajectories of the cypris larva of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides are recorded in the vicinity of a glass surface and close to PEG2000-OH and C11NMe3 +Cl- terminated self-assembled monolayers. Although less frequently used in biofouling experiments due to its short reproductive season, the selected model species [Marechal and Hellio (2011), Int Biodeterior Biodegrad, 65(1):92-101] has been used following a number of recent investigations on the settlement behavior on chemically different surfaces [Aldred et al. (2011), ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 3(6):2085-2091]. Experiments were scheduled to match the availability of cyprids off the north east coast of England so that natural material could be used. In order to demonstrate the biological applicability of the system, analysis of parameters such as swimming direction, swimming velocity and swimming angle are performed.DFG/Ro 2524/2-2DFG/Ro 2497/7-2ONR/N00014-08-1-1116ONR/N00014-12-1-0498EC/FP7/2007-2013/23799

Mutational and phenotypic characterisation of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant vascular dysplasia. Care delivery for HHT patients is impeded by the need for laborious, repeated phenotyping and gaps in knowledge regarding the relationships between causal DNA variants in ENG, ACVRL1, SMAD4 and GDF2, and clinical manifestations. To address this, we analyzed DNA samples from 183 previously uncharacterized, unrelated HHT and suspected HHT cases using the ThromboGenomics high-throughput sequencing platform. We identified 127 rare variants across 168 heterozygous genotypes. Applying modified American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Guidelines, 106 variants were classified as pathogenic/likely pathogenic and 21 as nonpathogenic (variant of uncertain significance/benign). Unlike the protein products of ACVRL1 and SMAD4, the extracellular ENG amino acids are not strongly conserved. Our inferences of the functional consequences of causal variants in ENG were therefore informed by the crystal structure of endoglin. We then compared the accuracy of predictions of the causal gene blinded to the genetic data using 2 approaches: subjective clinical predictions and statistical predictions based on 8 Human Phenotype Ontology terms. Both approaches had some predictive power, but they were insufficiently accurate to be used clinically, without genetic testing. The distributions of red cell indices differed by causal gene but not sufficiently for clinical use in isolation from genetic data. We conclude that parallel sequencing of the 4 known HHT genes, multidisciplinary team review of variant calls in the context of detailed clinical information, and statistical and structural modeling improve the prognostication and treatment of HHT

Metamorphosis in the Cirripede Crustacean Balanus amphitrite

Stalked and acorn barnacles (Cirripedia Thoracica) have a complex life cycle that includes a free-swimming nauplius larva, a cypris larva and a permanently attached sessile juvenile and adult barnacle. The barnacle cyprid is among the most highly specialized of marine invertebrate larvae and its settlement biology has been intensively studied. By contrast, surprisingly few papers have dealt with the critical series of metamorphic events from cementation of the cyprid to the substratum until the appearance of a suspension feeding juvenile. This metamorphosis is both ontogenetically complex and critical to the survival of the barnacle. Here we use video microscopy to present a timeline and description of morphological events from settled cyprid to juvenile barnacle in the model species Balanus amphitrite, representing an important step towards both a broader understanding of the settlement ecology of this species and a platform for studying the factors that control its metamorphosis. Metamorphosis in B. amphitrite involves a complex sequence of events: cementation, epidermis separation from the cypris cuticle, degeneration of cypris musculature, rotation of the thorax inside the mantle cavity, building of the juvenile musculature, contraction of antennular muscles, raising of the body, shedding of the cypris cuticle, shell plate and basis formation and, possibly, a further moult to become a suspension feeding barnacle. We compare these events with developmental information from other barnacle species and discuss them in the framework of barnacle settlement ecology

De novo unbalanced translocations have a complex history/aetiology

We investigated 52 cases of de novo unbalanced translocations, consisting in a terminally deleted or inverted-duplicated deleted (inv-dup del) 46th chromosome to which the distal portion of another chromosome or its opposite end was transposed. Array CGH, whole-genome sequencing, qPCR, FISH, and trio genotyping were applied. A biparental origin of the deletion and duplication was detected in 6 cases, whereas in 46, both imbalances have the same parental origin. Moreover, the duplicated region was of maternal origin in more than half of the cases, with 25% of them showing two maternal and one paternal haplotype. In all these cases, maternal age was increased. These findings indicate that the primary driver for the occurrence of the de novo unbalanced translocations is a maternal meiotic non-disjunction, followed by partial trisomy rescue of the supernumerary chromosome present in the trisomic zygote. In contrast, asymmetric breakage of a dicentric chromosome, originated either at the meiosis or postzygotically, in which the two resulting chromosomes, one being deleted and the other one inv-dup del, are repaired by telomere capture, appears at the basis of all inv-dup del translocations. Notably, this mechanism also fits with the origin of some simple translocations in which the duplicated region was of paternal origin. In all cases, the signature at the translocation junctions was that of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) rather than non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR). Our data imply that there is no risk of recurrence in the following pregnancies for any of the de novo unbalanced translocations we discuss here

Rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika dovršen

Simple protocols have been devised for peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence demonstrations that use urea–hydrogen peroxide or sodium percarbonate as oxidants in place of aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide. The procedures described are compatible with well-known peroxyoxalates and fluorescers and have been found to be convenient for use for outreach activities in venues with limited laboratory facilities.PostprintPeer reviewe