Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in the spiny lobster, Panulirus echinatus Smith, 1869 (Decapoda: Palinuridae) by Illumina MiSeq sequencing.

The isolation and characterization of 17 polymorphic microsatellite loci from the spiny lobster Panulirus echinatus (Decapoda: Palinuridae) by Illumina MiSeq sequencing is described..

Caracterização da estrutura genética do pinhão manso (Jatropha curcas L.): isolamento de fragmentos de dna enriquecidos com sequências de microssatélites.

O pinhão manso (Jatropha curcas) é uma planta oleaginosa que vem se destacando por apresentar um alto potencial na produção de biocombustíveis. Por este motivo o interesse em sua exploração comercial vem aumentado consideravelmente. Assim, torna-se imprescindível o desenvolvimento de tecnologias moleculares de monitoramento e seleção de populações naturais e cultivares. Nesse contexto, marcadores moleculares como os microssatélites são amplamente utilizados. No entanto, os genomas de organismos eucariontes são muito amplos e, assim, o isolamento de seqüências de microssatélites específicas, que possam atuar como marcadores, torna-se uma tarefa complexa. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estabelecer um protocolo para isolar fragmentos de DNA específicos contendo loci de microssatélites. Este procedimento tem por finalidade aumentar a incidência das seqüências alvo para futura clonagem. Foram testadas diferentes enzimas de restrição e sondas de DNA para o reconhecimento e captura de fragmentos contendo seqüências de microssatélites. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a enzima RsaI apresentou o melhor padrão de digestão do DNA, enquanto as melhores sondas foram as compostas pelas repetições (AATG)6, (AAAC)6, (AATC)6 e (AAAG)6. Estes procedimentos constituem etapas fundamentais no processo de isolamento de microssatélites e contribuirão para a caracterização da estrutura genética do pinhão manso. Com isto, será possível avaliar quais os estoques mais adequados para seleção de linhagens viáveis para o cultivo, visando ganhos na produtividade

Dissolution and gettering of iron during contact co-firing

The dissolution and gettering of iron is studied during the final fabrication step of multicrystalline silicon solar cells, the co-firing step, through simulations and experiments. The post-processed interstitial iron concentration is simulated according to the as-grown concentration and distribution of iron within a silicon wafer, both in the presence and absence of the phosphorus emitter, and applying different time-temperature profiles for the firing step. The competing effects of dissolution and gettering during the short annealing process are found to be strongly dependant on the as-grown material quality. Furthermore, increasing the temperature of the firing process leads to a higher dissolution of iron, hardly compensated by the higher diffusivity of impurities. A new defect engineering tool is introduced, the extended co-firing, which could allow an enhanced gettering effect within a small additional tim

Population connectivity and larval dispersal of the exploited mangrove crab Ucides cordatus along the Brazilian coast.

Abstract: Background: The mangrove crab Ucides cordatus is considered a key species for the ecological balance of mangrove forests and a major source of employment and income for traditional crab collectors in Brazil. Several studies evidenced weak genetic variation among populations due to an efficient larval transport. However, gene flow patterns of the species is poorly understood, with no information about migration rates. The influence of the two main Brazilian currents in larval dispersion is also not clear. In order to provide baseline information for conservation, planning and management of this important fishery resource, the present study aimed to estimate and evaluate spatial distribution of genetic diversity, migration rates and gene flow directivity among populations of U. cordatus in Brazil. Methods:Nine microsatellites were used to resolve population structure of 319 crabs collected from six sites located along the Brazilian coast. The degree of geographical differentiation included estimates of genetic diversity, population structure and gene flow models, with spatial analysis of shared alleles (SAShA), isolation by distance tests, AMOVA, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and Bayesian clustering. We estimated the amount of ongoing gene flow between clusters using the coalescent-based method implemented in Migrate-N. Results:Loci were highly polymorphic (average of 12.4 alleles per locus) evidencing high genetic variability. There was significant differentiation among localities, despite of the low value of FST (= 0.019; P < 0.001). FST and Jost's D indexes were also estimated in pairwise comparisons and showed significant differences between most of the surveyed site pairs (P < 0.05). Structure evidenced a single genetic group among samples, however SAShA pointed to a non-panmictic condition (P = 0.011). AMOVA detected four statistical significant clusters with low level of differentiation (FCT = 0.037; P = 0.023). The gene flow model that best described the population connectivity was the island model, with ?24 crabs being exchanged among localities per generation.DIscussion:The high migration rates found among localities seem to be the main force acting to sustain the distribution of the genetic diversity of U. cordatus. Despite the high gene flow and the weak population structure among samples, the significant genetic differences found suggest that gene flow alone does not bypass the effects of genetic drift, natural selection and/or human exploitation. These findings are vital for the establishment of a database to be used in the development of conservation programs

Genome-wide discovery and characterization of microsatellite markers from Melipona fasciculata (Hymenoptera: Apidae), cross-amplifi cation and a snapshot assessment of the genetic diversity in two stingless bee populations.

Brazilian native meliponines are currently threatened by increased human impacts. The assessment of their genetic variation by microsatellite DNA markers can assist in the conservation of populations and help in the planning and establishment of effi cient management strategies. The purpose of this study was to develop the fi rst set of microsatellite markers for Melipona fasciculata, selected from partial genome assembly of Illumina paired-end reads. Primer pairs were designed for each detected locus at their fl anking regions. Bee samples were genotyped from two different populations of Northeastern Brazil for marker characterization and validation..

Dose escalation to high-risk sub-volumes based on non-invasive imaging of hypoxia and glycolytic activity in canine solid tumors:a feasibility study

INTRODUCTION: Glycolytic activity and hypoxia are associated with poor prognosis and radiation resistance. Including both the tumor uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[(18) F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the proposed hypoxia tracer copper(II)diacetyl-bis(N(4))-methylsemithio-carbazone (Cu-ATSM) in targeted therapy planning may therefore lead to improved tumor control. In this study we analyzed the overlap between sub-volumes of FDG and hypoxia assessed by the uptake of (64)Cu-ATSM in canine solid tumors, and evaluated the possibilities for dose redistribution within the gross tumor volume (GTV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans of five spontaneous canine solid tumors were included. FDG-PET/CT was obtained at day 1, (64)Cu-ATSM at day 2 and 3 (3 and 24 h pi.). GTV was delineated and CT images were co-registered. Sub-volumes for 3 h and 24 h (64)Cu-ATSM (Cu3 and Cu24) were defined by a threshold based method. FDG sub-volumes were delineated at 40% (FDG40) and 50% (FDG50) of SUV(max). The size of sub-volumes, intersection and biological target volume (BTV) were measured in a treatment planning software. By varying the average dose prescription to the tumor from 66 to 85 Gy, the possible dose boost (D( B )) was calculated for the three scenarios that the optimal target for the boost was one, the union or the intersection of the FDG and (64)Cu-ATSM sub-volumes. RESULTS: The potential boost volumes represented a fairly large fraction of the total GTV: Cu3 49.8% (26.8-72.5%), Cu24 28.1% (2.4-54.3%), FDG40 45.2% (10.1-75.2%), and FDG50 32.5% (2.6-68.1%). A BTV including the union (∪) of Cu3 and FDG would involve boosting to a larger fraction of the GTV, in the case of Cu3∪FDG40 63.5% (51.8-83.8) and Cu3∪FDG50 48.1% (43.7-80.8). The union allowed only a very limited D( B ) whereas the intersection allowed a substantial dose escalation. CONCLUSIONS: FDG and (64)Cu-ATSM sub-volumes were only partly overlapping, suggesting that the tracers offer complementing information on tumor physiology. Targeting the combined PET positive volume (BTV) for dose escalation within the GTV results in a limited D( B ). This suggests a more refined dose redistribution based on a weighted combination of the PET tracers in order to obtain an improved tumor control

The hypervariable domain of the mitochondrial control region in atlantic spiny lobsters and its potential as a marker for investigating phylogeographic structuring.

Atlantic spiny lobsters support major fisheries in northeastern Brazilian waters and in the Caribbean Sea. To avoid reduction in diversity and elimination of distinct stocks, understanding their population dynamics, including structuring of populations and genetic diversity, is critical. We here explore the potential of using the hypervariable domain in the control region of the mitochondrial DNA as a genetic marker to characterize population subdivision in spiny lobsters, using Panulirus argus as the species model