Genetic Analysis of Eight X-Chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat Loci in Iraqi Population Using the Mentype® Argus X-UL PCR Amplification Kit

X-Chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) typing can complement existing DNA profiling protocols and can also offer useful information in cases of complex kinship analysis. This is the first population study of 8 X-linked STRs in Iraq. The purpose of this work was to provide a basic data of allele and haplotype frequency for x-linked markers and methods that are commonly used to analyze microsatellites, and the subsequent possibilities of using these specifities especially in forensic genetics. FTA® Technology (FTA™ paper DNA extraction) was utilized to extract DNA. Amplification was performed using the Mentype® Argus X-UL PCR amplification kit. Products were detected using ABI PRISMR 3100 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). Forensic efficiency parameters showed that DXS7132, DXS7423, DXS8378, HPRTB, DXS10074, DXS10101, DXS10134 and DXS10135 are suitable for forensic application in Iraq. All the analyzed markers were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE); therefore Hardy Weinberg laws could be applied for match probability calculation.Keywords: Allele Frequency, Haplotype Frequency, Iraq, Short Tandem Repeat (STR), X-chromosom

Interactions of viruses in Cowpea: effects on growth and yield parameters

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of inoculating three cowpea cultivars: "OLO II", "OLOYIN" and IT86D-719 with three unrelated viruses: Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), genus Potyvirus, Cowpea mottle virus (CMeV), genus Carmovirus and Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV), genus Sobemovirus singly and in mixture on growth and yield of cultivars at 10 and 30 days after planting (DAP). Generally, the growth and yield of the buffer inoculated control plants were significantly higher than those of the virus inoculated plants. Inoculation of plants at an early age of 10 DAP resulted in more severe effect than inoculations at a later stage of 30 DAP. The average values of plant height and number of leaves produced by plants inoculated 30 DAP were higher than those produced by plants inoculated 10 DAP. Most of the plants inoculated 10 DAP died and did not produce seeds. However, " OLOYIN" cultivar was most tolerant and produced reasonable yields when infected 30 DAP. The effect of single viruses on growth and yield of cultivars showed that CABMV caused more severe effects in IT86D-719, SBMV had the greatest effect on "OLO II" while CMeV induced the greatest effect on "OLOYIN". Yield was greatly reduced in double infections involving CABMV in combination with either CMeV or SBMV in "OLOYIN" and "OLO II", however, there was complete loss in yield of IT86D-719. Triple infection led to complete yield loss in all the three cultivars

Immunological and molecular diagnostic methods for detection of viruses infecting cowpea (Vigna unquiculata)

Cowpea viruses are difficult to identify using morphological criteria which can be time consuming, challenging, and require extensive knowledge in taxonomy. In order to improve the quality and quantityof the germplasms and to significantly reduce the infection and transmission of virus to different cultivars of cowpea, proper diagnosis and control is essential. The immuno-diagnostic and  moleculardiagnostic methods have shown great potential as far as specificity and sensitivity are concerned and can generate accurate results rapidly. The aim of this overview is to discuss the various immunodiagnostic and molecular diagnostic methods such as enzymes linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acidhybridization, dot immunoblotting assay (DTBIA) found suitable for diagnosis of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Cowpea mottle virus (CMeV) infectingcowpea. These techniques do not only provide information for epidemiological purposes, but also help to develop disease free stock of cowpeas. Therefore, these various techniques with symptoms andhistory are of immense value to diagnose cowpea viruses and are the cornerstone of the management of cowpea cultivars

Y-Chromosome short tandem repeat, typing technology, locus information and allele frequency in different population: A review

Chromosome Y microsatellites seem to be ideal markers to delineate differences between human populations. They are transmitted in uniparental and they are very sensitive for genetic drift. This review will highlight the importance of the Y- Chromosome as a tool for tracing human evolution and describes some details of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. Among them are: microsatellites, amplification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of STRs, separation and detection and advantages of X-chromosomal microsatellites.Key words: Forensic, population, review, STR, Y- chromosome

Effect of Aqueous Extract of Nutmeg on Hyperglycaemia, Hyperlipidaemia and Cardiac Histology Associated with Isoproterenol-induced Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Purpose: The present study was designed to evaluate the hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic activities of the aqueous extract of nutmeg (i.e., the kernel of Myristica fragrans) in rat models against myocardial infarction (MI) induced by isoproterenol (ISO).Methods: Rats were pretreated with nutmeg extract (NM) at an oral dose of 100 mg/kg/day for a period of 30 days, followed by the induction of MI by subcutaneous administration of ISO (85 mg/kg) for two consecutive days. The heart tissue was excised immediately, washed with chilled isotonic saline and used in histopathological studies. Blood was also collected from the animals and the plasma separated was subjected to biochemical analysis.Results: In ISO-administered group, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the levels of blood glucose, plasma lipids and lipoprotein lipase activity was observed along with hyalinization of muscle fibres, compared NM-pretreated ISO-administered rats. In rats treated with NM, biochemical parameters were near normal. Histological studies revealed reduced damage of heart tissue in ISO-administered rats that were pretreated with NM.Conclusion: NM possesses protected rats against hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and cardiac tissue damage following MI. Therefore, NM should be further investigated as a prophylactic against the risk of MI

Oxygen Ion Escape at Venus Associated With Three-Dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability

How oxygens escape from Venus has long been a fundamental but controversial topic in the planetary research. Among various key mechanisms, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) has been suggested to play an important role in the oxygen ion escape from Venus. Limited by either scarce in-situ observations or simplified theoretical estimations, the mystery of oxygen ion escape process associated with KHI is still unsettled. Here we present the first three-dimensional configuration of KHI at Venus with a global multifluid magnetohydrodynamics model, showing a significantly fine structure and evolution of the KHI. KHI mainly occurred at the low latitude boundary layer if defining the interplanetary magnetic field-perpendicular plane as the equatorial plane, resulting in escaping oxygen ions through mixing with the solar wind at the Venusian boundary layer, with an escape rate around 4 × 1024 s−1. The results provide new insights into the basic physical process of atmospheric loss at other unmagnetized planet

Formation of proto-globular cluster candidates in cosmological simulations of dwarf galaxies at z>4z>4

We perform cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to study the formation of proto-globular cluster candidates in progenitors of present-day dwarf galaxies $(M_{\rm vir} \approx 10^{10}\, {\rm M}_\odot$ at $z=0$) as part of the "Feedback in Realistic Environment" (FIRE) project. Compact ($r_{1/2}<30$ pc), relatively massive ($0.5 \times 10^5 \lesssim M_{\star}/{\rm M}_\odot \lesssim 5\times10^5$), self-bound stellar clusters form at $11\gtrsim z \gtrsim 5$ in progenitors with $M_{\rm vir} \approx 10^9\,{\rm M}_\odot$. Cluster formation is triggered when at least $10^7\,{\rm M}_\odot$ of dense, turbulent gas reaches $\Sigma_{\rm gas} \approx 10^4\, {\rm M}_\odot\, {\rm pc}^{-2}$ as a result of the compressive effects of supernova feedback or from cloud-cloud collisions. The clusters can survive for $2-3\,{\rm Gyr}$; absent numerical effects, they would likely survive substantially longer, perhaps to $z=0$. The longest-lived clusters are those that form at significant distance -- several hundreds of pc -- from their host galaxy. We therefore predict that globular clusters forming in progenitors of present-day dwarf galaxies will be offset from any pre-existing stars within their host dark matter halos as opposed to deeply embedded within a well-defined galaxy. Properties of the nascent clusters are consistent with observations of some of the faintest and most compact high-redshift sources in \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} lensing fields and are at the edge of what will be detectable as point sources in deep imaging of non-lensed fields with the \textit{James Webb Space Telescope}. By contrast, the star clusters' host galaxies will remain undetectable.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, submitted to MNRA

The origin of the diverse morphologies and kinematics of Milky Way-mass galaxies in the FIRE-2 simulations

We use hydrodynamic cosmological zoom-in simulations from the Feedback in Realistic Environments project to explore the morphologies and kinematics of 15 Milky Way (MW)-mass galaxies. Our sample ranges from compact, bulge-dominated systems with 90 per cent of their stellar mass within 2.5 kpc to well-ordered discs that reach ≳15 kpc. The gas in our galaxies always forms a thin, rotation-supported disc at z = 0, with sizes primarily determined by the gas mass. For stars, we quantify kinematics and morphology both via the fraction of stars on disc-like orbits and with the radial extent of the stellar disc. In this mass range, stellar morphology and kinematics are poorly correlated with the properties of the halo available from dark matter-only simulations (halo merger history, spin, or formation time). They more strongly correlate with the gaseous histories of the galaxies: those that maintain a high gas mass in the disc after z ∼ 1 develop well-ordered stellar discs. The best predictor of morphology we identify is the spin of the gas in the halo at the time the galaxy formed 1/2 of its stars (i.e. the gas that builds the galaxy). High-z mergers, before a hot halo emerges, produce some of the most massive bulges in the sample (from compact discs in gas-rich mergers), while later-forming bulges typically originate from internal processes, as satellites are stripped of gas before the galaxies merge. Moreover, most stars in z = 0 MW-mass galaxies (even z = 0 bulge stars) form in a disc: ≳60--90 per cent of stars begin their lives rotationally supported