2,404 research outputs found
Short communication. Collection and characterisation of a population of Triticum boeoticum Boiss., a wild wheat species not previously found in the Mediterranean western region
En julio del 2010 se recolectó una población de trigo silvestre en una zona abandonada cerca de Madrid, España.
Esta zona posee una biodiversidad botĂĄnica elevada y un tipo de suelo muy peculiar denominado âarcillas verdesâ. Se
recogiĂł una muestra de trigo y se multiplicĂł y caracterizĂł para varios caracteres agro-morfolĂłgicos y subunidades de
gluteninas. El nĂșmero cromosĂłmico 2n de las semillas demostrĂł que es una especie diploide de trigo y los datos de
caracterizaciĂłn indicaron que es Triticum boeoticum Boiss. Esta especie llegĂł probablemente como mala hierba del
cultivo de escaña que se producĂa en la zona hasta al menos la primera mitad del s. xix. Las caracterĂsticas edĂĄficas y
climĂĄticas del lugar y el hecho de que no haya referencias hasta ahora de esta especie en la zona oeste de la regiĂłn
MediterrĂĄnea aumentan el valor de esta adquisiciĂłn para la mejora del trigo. La nueva accesiĂłn se conserva en el Centro
Nacional de Recursos FitogenĂ©ticos y se ha depositado una hoja de herbario en el Real JardĂn BotĂĄnico de Madri
The ZEUS Forward Plug Calorimeter with Lead-Scintillator Plates and WLS Fiber Readout
A Forward Plug Calorimeter (FPC) for the ZEUS detector at HERA has been built
as a shashlik lead-scintillator calorimeter with wave length shifter fiber
readout. Before installation it was tested and calibrated using the X5 test
beam facility of the SPS accelerator at CERN. Electron, muon and pion beams in
the momentum range of 10 to 100 GeV/c were used. Results of these measurements
are presented as well as a calibration monitoring system based on a Co
source.Comment: 38 pages (Latex); 26 figures (ps
Incomplete reversibility of estimated glomerular filtration rate decline following tenofovir disoproxil fumarate exposure.
BACKGROUND: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has been linked to renal impairment, but the extent to which this impairment is reversible is unclear. We aimed to investigate the reversibility of renal decline during TDF therapy.
METHODS: Cox proportional hazards models assessed factors associated with discontinuing TDF in those with an exposure duration of >6 months. In those who discontinued TDF therapy, linear piecewise regression models estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slopes before initiation of, during, and after discontinuation of TDF therapy. Factors associated with not achieving eGFR recovery 6 months after discontinuing TDF were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.
RESULTS: We observed declines in the eGFR during TDF exposure (mean slopes, -15.7 mL/minute/1.73 m(2)/year [95% confidence interval {CI}, -20.5 to -10.9] during the first 3 months and -3.1 mL/minute/1.73 m(2)/year [95% CI, -4.6 to -1.7] thereafter) and evidence of eGFR increases following discontinuation of TDF therapy (mean slopes, 12.5 mL/minute/1.73 m(2)/year [95% CI, 8.9-16.1] during the first 3 months and 0.8 mL/minute/1.73 m(2)/year [95% CI,.1-1.5] thereafter). Following TDF discontinuation, 38.6% of patients with a decline in the eGFR did not experience recovery. A higher eGFR at baseline, a lower eGFR after discontinuation of TDF therapy, and more-prolonged exposure to TDF were associated with an increased risk of incomplete recovery 6 months after discontinuation of TDF therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a decline in the eGFR during TDF therapy was not fully reversible in one third of patients and suggests that prolonged TDF exposure at a low eGFR should be avoided
How does diet influence our lives? Evaluating the relationship between isotopic signatures and mortality patterns in italian roman imperial and medieval periods
The present research investigates the relationship between dietary habits and mortality patterns in the Roman Imperial and Medieval periods. The reconstructions of population dynamics and subsistence strategies provide a fascinating source of information for understanding our history. This is particularly true given that the changes in social, economic, political, and religious aspects related to the transition from the Roman period to the Middle Ages have been widely discussed. We analyzed the isotopic and mortality patterns of 616 individuals from 18 archeological sites (the Medieval Latium sites of Colonna, Santa Severa, Allumiere, Cencelle, and 14 Medieval and Imperial funerary contexts from Rome) to compile a survivorship analysis. A semi-parametric approach was applied, suggesting variations in mortality patterns between sexes in the Roman period. Nitrogen isotopic signatures influenced mortality in both periods, showing a quadratic and a linear effect for Roman Imperial and Medieval populations, respectively. No influence of carbon isotopic signatures has been detected for Roman Imperial populations. Conversely, increased mortality risk for rising carbon isotopic values was observed in Medieval samples
Bioarchaeology-related studies in the Arabian Gulf: potentialities and shortcomings
Archaeological studies provide a powerful tool to understand the prehistoric societies, especially when combined to cutting-edge morphological and molecular anthropological analyses, allowing reconstructing past population dynamics, admixture events, and socio-cultural changes. Despite the advances achieved in the last decades by archaeological studies worldwide, several regions of the World have been spared from this scientific improvement due to various reasons. The Arabian Gulf represents a unique ground to investigate, being the passageway for human migrations and one of the hypothesized areas in which Neanderthal introgression occurred. A number of archaeological sites are currently present in the Arabian Gulf and have witnessed the antiquity and the intensiveness of the human settlements in the region. Nevertheless, the archaeological and anthropological investigation in the Gulf is still in its infancy. Data collected through archaeological studies in the area have the potential to help answering adamant questions of human history from the beginning of the structuring of genetic diversity in human species to the Neolithisation process. This review aims at providing an overview of the archaeological studies in the Arabian Gulf with special focus to Qatar, highlighting potentialities and shortcomings
Festivas demostraciones. Estudios sobre las cofradĂas del SantĂsimo y la fiesta del Corpus Christi [Reseña]
Reseña de FermĂn Labarga GarcĂa (ed.), "Festivas demostraciones. Estudios
sobre las cofradĂas del SantĂsimo y la fiesta del Corpus Christi", Instituto de Estudios Riojanos, Logroño 2010, 594 pp
Measurement of Z Decays into Lepton Pairs
We present measurements by the Mark II experiment of the ratios of the leptonic partial widths of the Z boson to the hadronic partial width. The results are Î_(ee)/Î_(had)=0.037_(-0.012^()+0.016),Î_(””)/Î_(had)=0.053-_(0.015)^(+0.020), and Î_(ÏÏ)/Î_(had)=0.066_(-0.017)^(+0.021), in good agreement with the standard-model prediction of 0.048. From the average leptonic width result, Î_(ll)/Î_(had)=0.053_(-0.009)^(+0.010), we derive Î_(had)=1.56_(-0.24)^(+0.28) GeV. We find for the vector coupling constants of the tau and muon v_Ï^2=0.31±0.31_(-0.30)^(+0.43) and v_ÎŒ^2=0.05±0.30_(-0.23)^(+0.34)
Renal health after long-term exposure to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in HIV/HBV positive adults in Ghana
Objectives: The study assessed markers of renal health in HIV/HBV co-infected patients receiving TDF- containing antiretroviral therapy in Ghana.
Methods: Urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (uPCR) and albumin-to-protein ratio (uAPR) were measured cross-sectionally after a median of four years of TDF. At this time, alongside extensive laboratory testing, patients underwent evaluation of liver stiffness and blood pressure. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was measured longitudinally before and during TDF therapy.
Results: Among 101 participants (66% women, median age 44 years, median CD4 count 572 cells/mm 3 ) 21% and 17% had detectable HIV-1 RNA and HBV DNA, respectively. Overall 35% showed hypertension, 6% diabetes, 7% liver stiffness indicative of cirrhosis, and 18% urinary excretion of Schistosoma antigen. Tubular proteinuria occurred in 16% of patients and was independently predicted by female gender and hypertension. The eGFR declined by median 1.8 ml/min/year during TDF exposure (IQR â4.4, â0.0); more pronounced declines ( â„5 ml/min/year) occurred in 22% of patients and were associated with receiv-ing ritonavir-boosted lopinavir rather than efavirenz. HBV DNA, HBeAg, transaminases, and liver stiffness were not predictive of renal function abnormalities.
Conclusions: The findings mandate improved diagnosis and management of hypertension and suggest targeted laboratory monitoring of patients receiving TDF alongside a booster in sub-Saharan Africa
Pathological and normal variability of foot bones in osteological collections from Catalonia (Spain) and Lazio (Italy)
A wide number of factors can affect the structure of the bones in the foot. In bioarchaeology, few studies about foot anomalies include population comparisons and
changes across time. We aimed to identify normal and pathological variability that
affected the foot in the recent history of West Mediterranean populations. Thus, we
analyzed change in occurrence of rare variants, pathological lesions, entheseal morphology, and their probable causes. We studied 518 pairs of skeletonized feet dated
from the 2ndâ20th centuries CE, from Catalonia (Spain) and the region of Lazio
(Italy). Moreover, a Neolithic series from Oman has been analyzed for contrast. We
found that calcaneal spur, hypertrophic peroneal trochlea of calcaneus, periosteal
reaction of talar neck, alteration of articular surface to lateral cuneiform, displaced
talar neck to medial plane, osteophytes in cuneiform-navicular joint, fused phalanges,
and forefoot eburnation showed significant differences among countries. Contrasting
by countries and dates, we noticed an increase in the frequencies of these variables
from Spain over the centuries. Conversely, there are no temporal differences among
the Italian series. The period encompassing the 10thâ19th centuries CE demonstrated the highest differences between countries. Lifestyle, occupations, footwear,
and geography could be the origin of variability
Search for Differences in Oscillation Parameters for Atmospheric Neutrinos and Antineutrinos at Super-Kamiokande
We present a search for differences in the oscillations of antineutrinos and
neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande -I, -II, and -III atmospheric neutrino
sample. Under a two-flavor disappearance model with separate mixing parameters
between neutrinos and antineutrinos, we find no evidence for a difference in
oscillation parameters. Best fit antineutrino mixing is found to be at (dm2bar,
sin2 2 thetabar) = (2.0x10^-3 eV^2, 1.0) and is consistent with the overall
Super-K measurement.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Figure update
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