Mechanisms of germ cell formation during zebrafish embryogenesis

In metazoans, the germ fate is acquired during embryogenesis either via oocyte-inherited cytoplasmic aggregates or via chemical induction from the surrounding embryonic cells. Most of the model organisms, including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio, rely on maternal determinants necessary to generate the germ line of the offspring. Although it has been largely established that germ determinants are required for the formation of germ cells, the specific molecular mechanisms driving the onset of the germ line are still unclear. Germ granules have been implicated in transcriptional inhibition contributing to skipping somatic differentiation. Also, epigenetic reprogramming of the embryonic germ line has been shown in several model organisms. However, little is known about the role of the germ plasm in transcription and epigenetics. Here, we show that the germ plasm and the epigenetic landscape of zebrafish primordial germ cells (PGCs) are tightly linked. The early germ line shows similar transcriptional timing, transcriptomic and chromatin profiles with the rest of the embryo and the germ fate is gradually acquired during the first day of development. A PGC-like chromatin profile is acquired while germ plasm re-localises within the cells and PGCs and somatic cells undergo significant epigenetic and transcriptional divergence. By performing time series of chromatin and transcript profiles in the PGCs, we could identify candidate PGC-specific cis-regulatory elements and transcripts. We detect both hypermethylation and chromatin compaction around putative developmental enhancers indicating that the germ fate is acquired avoiding lineage differentiation. Finally, to link epigenetic dynamics to germ plasm behaviour, we inhibited the translation of Tudor Domain 7 (Tdrd7), a germ-plasm-localised protein involved in structural organisation of the germ granules. The mutant embryos reprogram the PGC-specific chromatin state and resemble the somatic cells, suggesting that the germ plasm is primarily responsible for epigenetically preserving the pluripotent state of the PGCs

Emergency Generators for Supplying Islanded MV Networks

In order to increase network resilience, Distribution System Operators are evaluating different remedial actions against extreme events that lead to long interruptions. This paper evaluates the technical solutions for deploying an emergency generator (EG) supplying an islanded Medium Voltage (MV) network. The paper identifies the minimum technical requirements and different neutral grounding arrangements that can be adopted. Taking into account the maximum size of the mobile generators available in the market, evaluation results show that supplying a section of a distribution network could be done only if cable length is lower than 5 km and maximum load is less than 0.5 MW

Integrative miRNA and whole-genome analyses of epicardial adipose tissue in patients with coronary atherosclerosis

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is an atypical fat depot surrounding the heart with a putative role in the development of atherosclerosis. Methods and results We profiled genes and miRNAs in perivascular EAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of metabolically healthy patients without coronary artery disease (CAD) vs. metabolic patients with CAD. Compared with SAT, a specific tuning of miRNAs and genes points to EAT as a tissue characterized by a metabolically active and pro-inflammatory profile. Then, we depicted both miRNA and gene signatures of EAT in CAD, featuring a down-regulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, nuclear receptor transcriptional activity, and an up-regulation of those involved in antigen presentation, chemokine signalling, and inflammation. Finally, we identified miR-103-3p as candidate modulator of CCL13 in EAT, and a potential biomarker role for the chemokine CCL13 in CAD. Conclusion EAT in CAD is characterized by changes in the regulation of metabolism and inflammation with miR-103-3p/CCL13 pair as novel putative actors in EAT function and CAD

SUMO 2016 – Traffic, Mobility, and Logistics

Dear reader, You are holding in your hands a volume of the series „Reports of the DLR-Institute of Transportation Systems“. We are publishing in this series fascinating, scientific topics from the Institute of Trans- portation Systems of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. – DLR) and from his environment. We are providing libraries with a part of the circulation. Outstanding scientific contributions and dissertations are here published as well as projects reports and proceedings of conferences in our house with different contributors from science, economy and politics. With this series we are pursuing the objective to enable a broad access to scientific works and results. We are using the series as well as to promote practically young researchers by the publication of the dissertation of our staff and external doctoral candidates, too. Publications are important milestones on the academic career path. With the series „Reports of the DLR-Institute of Transportation Systems / Berichte aus dem DLR-Institut für Verkehrssystemtechnik“ we are widening the spectrum of possible publications with a building block. Beyond that we understand the communication of our scientific fields of research as a contribution to the national and international research landscape in the fields of automotive, railway systems and traffic management. With this volume we publish the proceedings of the SUMO Conference 2016 which was held from 23rd to 25th May 2016 with a focus on traffic, mobility, and logistics. SUMO is an open source tool for traffic simulation that provides a wide range of traffic planning and simulation functionalities.The conference proceedings offer an overview of the applicability of the SUMO tool suite as well as its universal extensibility due to the availability of the source code. The major topic of this fourth edition of the SUMO conference are the different facets of moving objects occurring as personal mobility and freight delivery as well as communicating networks of intelligent vehicles. Several articles cover heterogeneous traffic networks, junction control and new traffic model extensions to the simulation. Subsequent specialized issues such as disaster management aspects and applying agile development techniques to scenario building are targeted as well. At the conference the international user community exchanged their experiences in using SUMO. With this volume we provide an insight to these experiences as inspiration for further projects with the SUMO suite

Performance and aging studies of BaBar resistive plate chambers

The BaBar detector is currently operating nearly 200 Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), constructed as part of an upgrade of the forward endcap, muon detector in 2002. Although the average RPC efficiency remains high, numerous changes in the RPC performance (increased currents and rates) have been observed. A few of the highest rate RPCs have suffered efficiency losses of more than 15%. Several types of efficiency loss have been observed. Tests with humidified gas have shown that some of the lost efficiency is recoverable. However, efficiency losses in the highest rate regions have not yet improved with humid gases