507 research outputs found
DNA from tissues of young mice is optimal for genotyping
Background: Genotyping of mice is a common procedure in animal
facilities. The aim of this study was to compare the quantity and
quality of DNA extracted from samples obtained from young mice (YM; 10
d old) and adult mice (AM; 12 weeks old).We collected samples from the
tail and ear of YM and AM. We also sampled blood, check cells (via
buccal swabs), hair and fecal pellets of AM, and biopsied distal
phalanx of YM. We isolated DNA using commercial kits and determined
concentrations and purity by spectrophotometry. The integrity of DNA
was evaluated by agarose-gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain
reaction (PCR). Results: DNA in all samples was amplified successfully
but the intensities of bands after electrophoresis was heterogeneous.
In general, tissues from YM yielded more DNA than those from AM, with
differences being statistically significant for ear samples (38 \ub1
12 ng/\u3bcL for YM; 7 \ub1 3 ng/\u3bcL for AM; P = 0.006). In YM,
the most DNA was obtained from ear and tail samples, with differences
from the amounts obtained from phalanx samples being statistically
significant (P = 0.02 and P = 0.005, respectively). In AM, the most DNA
was obtained from tail and blood samples. Samples obtained by
non-invasive sampling methods in adults resulted in a deficient DNA
extraction. Conclusions: The results of the present study do not
support the previous recommendations for using non-invasive methods to
genotype adult animals. The use of newborn tissue samples showed the
highest efficiency for DNA extraction
The effect of the crisis on material deprivation in Italy and Spain
The focus of this paper is on the analysis of the impact of the crisis on material deprivation in two South European countries: Italy and Spain. The countries chosen have been deeply hit by the economic downturn and the use of the available comparable microdata allows us to detect the most vulnerable collective in the crisis taking into account also gender differences. The microdata used are the Italian and Spanish Income and Living Conditions Surveys of 2007 and 2010. Our results confirm the growth of deprivation as a consequence of the economic crisis in both countries and show that women are more likely to face income poverty and deprivation
Measuring the impact of the crisis on unemployment and household income
The current economic crisis has significantly increased unemployment rates and its effect is more persistent than expected, leading to an increase in long term unemployment and inactivity. Among other effects, the experience of unemployment results in a decrease in purchasing power, a loss of human capital, a discouraging effect among the long-term unemployed and the inactive as well as wide-ranging social costs as a worsening of inequality and well-being indicators.
The assessment of the costs of unemployment on individuals and households' living conditions is usually carried out using microeconomic data from household surveys that are however issued with delay. Hence, they do not allow for a prompt analysis of the impact of the economic cycle to guide policy makers. In the case of the European Income and Living Conditions Surveys (EU SILC) the data are available with a delay of at least one year and, additionally, we have to consider that the income data refers to the year before the survey (for instance, in the Italian case the last available microdata at the moment of writing this paper are from 2011). To solve this problem we carried out a microsimulation analysis using the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Surveys together with the Labour Force Survey (LFS) microdata. Therefore, we propose a methodology based on different sources of microdata that could provide the analysts and the policy makers with a more immediate analysis of the costs of unemployment. This would prove to be extremely useful in a time of high unemployment and budgetary restrictions as the one in which we find ourselves in today.
The microsimulation technique developed in this paper is based on the imputation of transition probabilities and simulated income. Unlike other techniques such as the re- weighting approach, the microsimulation technique adopted here allows us to take into account the changes occurred in the composition of the unemployed.
To test the validity of the proposed methodology we apply it to Italy, a European country severely hit by the crisis. We focus on the Italian economy since this country is a member of the Eurozone and its labour market has particular structural characteristics: a high degree of inflexibility in wage determination, rigidity in hiring and firing practices, very low achievement in terms of female labour-force participation and a strong duality between fixed-term and open-ended contracts. The country has an employment protection system corresponding to the Mediterranean model that is characterized by a rather low coverage of unemployment benefit moreover, the wide use of temporary contracts in hiring young workers to avoid the much higher dismissal costs of permanent contracts coupled with the deep recession, have resulted in a youth unemployment rate standing well over the European average.
In Section 2 we introduce the methodology that will be used to microsimulate the effect of the crisis on income distribution and income poverty in Section 3 by relying on European surveys. In order to check its validity, we do progress with its application to Italy in Section 4. The final section will offer conclusions
Unveiling Far-Infrared Counterparts of Bright Submillimeter Galaxies Using PACS Imaging
We present a search for Herschel-PACS counterparts of dust-obscured,
high-redshift objects previously selected at submillimeter and millimeter
wavelengths in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North field. We
detect 22 of 56 submillimeter galaxies (39%) with a SNR of >=3 at 100 micron
down to 3.0 mJy, and/or at 160 micron down to 5.7 mJy. The fraction of SMGs
seen at 160 micron is higher than that at 100 micron. About 50% of
radio-identified SMGs are associated with PACS sources. We find a trend between
the SCUBA/PACS flux ratio and redshift, suggesting that these flux ratios could
be used as a coarse redshift indicator. PACS undetected submm/mm selected
sources tend to lie at higher redshifts than the PACS detected ones. A total of
12 sources (21% of our SMG sample) remain unidentified and the fact that they
are blank fields at Herschel-PACS and VLA 20 cm wavelength may imply higher
redshifts for them than for the average SMG population (e.g., z>3-4). The
Herschel-PACS imaging of these dust-obscured starbursts at high-redshifts
suggests that their far-infrared spectral energy distributions have
significantly different shapes than template libraries of local infrared
galaxies.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. ApJ Letters in pres
A scalable High Voltage Power Supply System with system on chip control for Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors
The requirements posed to high voltage power supply systems by the operation of Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors are specific in terms of high resolution diagnostic features and intelligent dynamic voltage control. These requirements are needed both when technology development is performed and when extended detector systems are supplied and monitored. Systems satisfying all the needed features are not commercially available.
A single channel high voltage system matching the Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector needs has been designed and realized, including its hardware and software components. The system employs a commercial DCDC converter and is coupled to a custom high resolution ammeter. Local intelligence, flexibility and high speed inter-connectivity are provided by a System on Chip Board and the use of a powerful FPGA. The single channel system has been developed, as critical milestone towards the realization of a multi-channel system.
The design, implementation and performance of the system are reported in detail in this article, as well as the performance of the single channel power supply when connected to a Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector in realistic working condition during a test beam exercise
Asynchronies during mechanical ventilation are associated with mortality
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and time course of asynchronies during mechanical ventilation (MV).
Prospective, noninterventional observational study of 50 patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) beds equipped with Better Care (TM) software throughout MV. The software distinguished ventilatory modes and detected ineffective inspiratory efforts during expiration (IEE), double-triggering, aborted inspirations, and short and prolonged cycling to compute the asynchrony index (AI) for each hour. We analyzed 7,027 h of MV comprising 8,731,981 breaths.
Asynchronies were detected in all patients and in all ventilator modes. The median AI was 3.41 % [IQR 1.95-5.77]; the most common asynchrony overall and in each mode was IEE [2.38 % (IQR 1.36-3.61)]. Asynchronies were less frequent from 12 pm to 6 am [1.69 % (IQR 0.47-4.78)]. In the hours where more than 90 % of breaths were machine-triggered, the median AI decreased, but asynchronies were still present. When we compared patients with AI > 10 vs AI a parts per thousand currency sign 10 %, we found similar reintubation and tracheostomy rates but higher ICU and hospital mortality and a trend toward longer duration of MV in patients with an AI above the cutoff.
Asynchronies are common throughout MV, occurring in all MV modes, and more frequently during the daytime. Further studies should determine whether asynchronies are a marker for or a cause of mortality
Model-independent evidence for contributions to decays
The data sample of decays acquired with the
LHCb detector from 7 and 8~TeV collisions, corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 3 fb, is inspected for the presence of or
contributions with minimal assumptions about
contributions. It is demonstrated at more than 9 standard deviations that
decays cannot be described with
contributions alone, and that contributions play a dominant role in
this incompatibility. These model-independent results support the previously
obtained model-dependent evidence for charmonium-pentaquark
states in the same data sample.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures (including the supplemental section added at the
end
Expected Performance of the ATLAS Experiment - Detector, Trigger and Physics
A detailed study is presented of the expected performance of the ATLAS
detector. The reconstruction of tracks, leptons, photons, missing energy and
jets is investigated, together with the performance of b-tagging and the
trigger. The physics potential for a variety of interesting physics processes,
within the Standard Model and beyond, is examined. The study comprises a series
of notes based on simulations of the detector and physics processes, with
particular emphasis given to the data expected from the first years of
operation of the LHC at CERN
Quantum numbers of the state and orbital angular momentum in its decay
Angular correlations in decays, with , and , are used to measure
orbital angular momentum contributions and to determine the value of
the meson. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3.0
fb of proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector. This
determination, for the first time performed without assuming a value for the
orbital angular momentum, confirms the quantum numbers to be .
The is found to decay predominantly through S wave and an upper limit
of at C.L. is set on the fraction of D wave.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure
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