Genetic Polymorphisms of the Coding Region (Exon 6) of Calpastatin in Indonesian Sheep

Calpastatin (CAST) is an indigenous inhibitor of calpain that involved in regulation of protein turn over and growth. The objective of this research was to identify genetic polymorphisms in the entire exon 6 of calpastatin gene in Indonesian local sheep. A PCR-SSCP method was carried out to identify genetic variation of CAST gene. In total 258 heads of local sheep from 8 populations were investigated, three groups of samples were Thin Tail Sheep (TTS) from Sukabumi, Jonggol, and Kissar. The rest samples were Priangan sheep (PS) from Margawati (Garut meat type) and Wanaraja (Garut fighting type) and Fat Tail Sheep (FTS) from Donggala, Sumbawa, and Rote islands. SSCP analysis revealed that three different SSCP patterns corresponded to three different alleles in the CAST locus (CAST-1, 2, and 3 allele) with five different genotypes. Genetic variation between local sheep populations were calculated based on genotypic and allelic frequencies. Most populations studied were polymorphic, with genotype frequencies of CAST-11, CAST-12, CAST-22, CAST-32, and CAST-33 were 0.286, 0.395, 0.263, 0.046, and 0.007 respectively. CAST-1 and 2 alleles were most commonly found in all populations with total frequency was 0.970, while CAST-3 was a rare allele 0.030 and only found in TTS population. Variation in the CAST gene could be used for the next research as genetic diversity study or to find any association between CAST polymorphism with birth weight, growth trait and carcass quality in Indonesian local sheep

Impact of ultrafast electronic damage in single particle x-ray imaging experiments

In single particle coherent x-ray diffraction imaging experiments, performed at x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), samples are exposed to intense x-ray pulses to obtain single-shot diffraction patterns. The high intensity induces electronic dynamics on the femtosecond time scale in the system, which can reduce the contrast of the obtained diffraction patterns and adds an isotropic background. We quantify the degradation of the diffraction pattern from ultrafast electronic damage by performing simulations on a biological sample exposed to x-ray pulses with different parameters. We find that the contrast is substantially reduced and the background is considerably strong only if almost all electrons are removed from their parent atoms. This happens at fluences of at least one order of magnitude larger than provided at currently available XFEL sources.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures submitted to PR

A simple derivation of Kepler's laws without solving differential equations

Proceeding like Newton with a discrete time approach of motion and a geometrical representation of velocity and acceleration, we obtain Kepler's laws without solving differential equations. The difficult part of Newton's work, when it calls for non trivial properties of ellipses, is avoided by the introduction of polar coordinates. Then a simple reconsideration of Newton's figure naturally leads to en explicit expression of the velocity and to the equation of the trajectory. This derivation, which can be fully apprehended by beginners at university (or even before) can be considered as a first application of mechanical concepts to a physical problem of great historical and pedagogical interest

Electronic states in heterostructures formed by ultranarrow layers

Low-energy electronic states in heterosrtuctures formed by ultranarrow layer (single or several monolayers thickness) are studied theoretically. The host material is described within the effective mass approximation and effect of ultranarrow layers is taken into account within the framework of the transfer matrix approach. Using the current conservation requirement and the inversion symmetry of ultranarrow layer, the transfer matrix is written through two phenomenological parameters. The binding energy of localized state, the reflection (transmission) coefficient for the single ultranarrow layer case, and the energy spectrum of superlattice are determined by these parameters. Spectral dependency of absorption in superlattice due to photoexcitation of electrons from localized states into minibands is strongly dependent on the ultranarrow layers characteristics. Such a dependency can be used for verification of the transfer matrix parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Relating the primitive hierarchy of the PREMO standard to the standard reference model for intelligent multimedia presentation systems

The need for a suitable classification of media types arises for several reasons when building or comparing multimedia systems. Within an Intelligent Multimedia Presentation Systems (IMMPS) it is necessary to formulate and encode design knowledge for decision making on the appropriate medium in which to present information and for the generation of the presentation. It is also required in order to specify interfaces to and between system components which will be employed to run a generated presentation before the user's eyes. This task is reflected in the SRM (Standard Reference Model, see this volume) for IMMPS by the Presentation Display Layer. However, the SRM does not instantiate this layer in detail, but instead refers to the PREMO ISO/IEC standard which provides a reference model for a presentation runtime environment for multimedia. PREMO already contains a set of basic structures, the so-called PREMO Primitive Hierarchy, to describe different media types. Thus the question arises, as to how far the PREMO Primitive Hierarchy could serve as a media classification for the SRM in general. In particular, this would support consistency between the design and presentation layers of the SRM if PREMO were used to instantiate the Presentation Layer. In the report, we first point to a number of typical problems with generating classifications of media types. We then provide a brief introduction to PREMO and its Primitive Hierarchy. Finally, the benefits and costs of using the PREMO primitive hierarchy for the SRM are discussed

Relating the primitive hierarchy of the PREMO standard to the standard reference model for intelligent multimedia presentation systems

The need for a suitable classification of media types arises for several reasons when building or comparing multimedia systems. Within an Intelligent Multimedia Presentation Systems (IMMPS) it is necessary to formulate and encode design knowledge for decision making on the appropriate medium in which to present information and for the generation of the presentation. It is also required in order to specify interfaces to and between system components which will be employed to run a generated presentation before the user's eyes. This task is reflected in the SRM (Standard Reference Model, see this volume) for IMMPS by the Presentation Display Layer. However, the SRM does not instantiate this layer in detail, but instead refers to the PREMO ISO/IEC standard which provides a reference model for a presentation runtime environment for multimedia. PREMO already contains a set of basic structures, the so-called PREMO Primitive Hierarchy, to describe different media types. Thus the question arises, as to how far the PREMO Primitive Hierarchy could serve as a media classification for the SRM in general. In particular, this would support consistency between the design and presentation layers of the SRM if PREMO were used to instantiate the Presentation Layer. In the report, we first point to a number of typical problems with generating classifications of media types. We then provide a brief introduction to PREMO and its Primitive Hierarchy. Finally, the benefits and costs of using the PREMO primitive hierarchy for the SRM are discussed

Anti-phospholipid-antibodies in patients with relapsing polychondritis

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is an extremly rare multisystemic disease thought to be of autoimmune origin. In order to assess if RP is associated with anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL), clinical data and sera of 21 patients with RP were collected in a multicentre study. Concentration of anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) (IgG-, IgM-and IgA-isotypes), anti-phosphatidylserine-antibodies (aPS) (IgG-and IgM-isotypes) and anti-β-2-glycoprotein I-antibodies (aβ2 GPI) were measured by ELISA. In eight patients aCL were found to be elevated. One patient had elevated aPS. No patient had elevated aβ2 GPI. No patient had clinical signs and symptoms of a aPL syndrome. Interestingly, the two RP patients with the highest aPL had concomitant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore the presence of elevated aPL in RP is probably more closely related to an associated SLE than to RP itself. There is no convincing evidence that aPL are associated with RP

Coping and Management Techniques Used by Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Receiving Treatment From Chiropractors.

OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this study was to describe coping strategies (eg, mechanisms, including self-treatment) that a person uses to reduce pain and its impact on functioning as reported by patients with chronic low back pain who were seen by doctors of chiropractic and how these coping strategies vary by patient characteristics. METHODS:Data were collected from a national sample of US chiropractic patients recruited from chiropractic practices in 6 states from major geographical regions of the United States using a multistage stratified sampling strategy. Reports of coping behaviors used to manage pain during the past 6 months were used to create counts across 6 domains: cognitive, self-care, environmental, medical care, social activities, and work. Exploratory analyses examined counts in domains and frequencies of individual items by levels of patient characteristics. RESULTS:A total of 1677 respondents with chronic low back pain reported using an average of 9 coping behaviors in the prior 6 months. Use of more types of behaviors were reported among those with more severe back pain, who rated their health as fair or poor and who had daily occurrences of pain. Exercise was more frequent among the healthy and those with less pain. Female respondents tended to report using more coping behaviors than men, and Hispanics more than non-Hispanics. CONCLUSION:Persons with chronic back pain were proactive in their coping strategies and frequently used self-care coping strategies like those provided by chiropractors in patient education. In alignment with patients' beliefs that their condition was chronic and lifelong, many patients attempted a wide range of coping strategies to relieve their pain