Antimatter Regions in the Early Universe and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

We have studied big bang nucleosynthesis in the presence of regions of antimatter. Depending on the distance scale of the antimatter region, and thus the epoch of their annihilation, the amount of antimatter in the early universe is constrained by the observed abundances. Small regions, which annihilate after weak freezeout but before nucleosynthesis, lead to a reduction in the 4He yield, because of neutron annihilation. Large regions, which annihilate after nucleosynthesis, lead to an increased 3He yield. Deuterium production is also affected but not as much. The three most important production mechanisms of 3He are 1) photodisintegration of 4He by the annihilation radiation, 2) pbar-4He annihilation, and 3) nbar-4He annihilation by "secondary" antineutrons produced in anti-4He annihilation. Although pbar-4He annihilation produces more 3He than the secondary nbar-4He annihilation, the products of the latter survive later annihilation much better, since they are distributed further away from the annihilation zone.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Minor changes to match the PRD versio

Fine-Scale Mapping of the 5q11.2 Breast Cancer Locus Reveals at Least Three Independent Risk Variants Regulating MAP3K1

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Aerobic and anaerobic energy expenditure during rest and activity in montane Bufo b. boreas and Rana pipiens

The relations of standard and active aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and heart rate to body temperature ( T b ) were measured in montane groups of Bufo b. boreas and Rana pipiens maintained under field conditions. These amphibians experience daily variation of T b over 30°C and 23°C, respectively (Carey, 1978). Standard and active aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, heart rate, aerobic and anaerobic scope are markedly temperature-dependent with no broad plateaus of thermal independence. Heart rate increments provide little augmentation of oxygen transport during activity; increased extraction of oxygen from the blood probably contributes importantly to oxygen supply during activity. Development of extensive aerobic capacities in Bufo may be related to aggressive behavior of males during breeding. Standard metabolic rates of both species are more thermally dependent than comparable values for lowland relatives. Thermal sensitivity of physiological functions may have distinct advantages over thermally compensated rates in the short growing season and daily thermal fluctuations of the montane environment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47726/1/442_2004_Article_BF00348070.pd

Multiethnic Meta-Analysis Identifies RAI1 as a Possible Obstructive Sleep Apnea-related Quantitative Trait Locus in Men.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common heritable disorder displaying marked sexual dimorphism in disease prevalence and progression. Previous genetic association studies have identified a few genetic loci associated with OSA and related quantitative traits, but they have only focused on single ethnic groups, and a large proportion of the heritability remains unexplained. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is a commonly used quantitative measure characterizing OSA severity. Because OSA differs by sex, and the pathophysiology of obstructive events differ in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep, we hypothesized that additional genetic association signals would be identified by analyzing the NREM/REM-specific AHI and by conducting sex-specific analyses in multiethnic samples. We performed genome-wide association tests for up to 19,733 participants of African, Asian, European, and Hispanic/Latino American ancestry in 7 studies. We identified rs12936587 on chromosome 17 as a possible quantitative trait locus for NREM AHI in men (N = 6,737; P = 1.7 × 10 <sup>-8</sup> ) but not in women (P = 0.77). The association with NREM AHI was replicated in a physiological research study (N = 67; P = 0.047). This locus overlapping the RAI1 gene and encompassing genes PEMT1, SREBF1, and RASD1 was previously reported to be associated with coronary artery disease, lipid metabolism, and implicated in Potocki-Lupski syndrome and Smith-Magenis syndrome, which are characterized by abnormal sleep phenotypes. We also identified gene-by-sex interactions in suggestive association regions, suggesting that genetic variants for AHI appear to vary by sex, consistent with the clinical observations of strong sexual dimorphism

Novel Loci for Adiponectin Levels and Their Influence on Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Traits : A Multi-Ethnic Meta-Analysis of 45,891 Individuals

J. Kaprio, S. Ripatti ja M.-L. Lokki työryhmien jäseniä.Peer reviewe