Effect of variation of salinity on protein, RNA and DNA contents of liver, muscle and ovary of female singi fish, heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), at two phases of reproductive cycle

Investigou-se as mudanças causadas nos teores de proteínasje ácidos nucleicos do fígado, músculo, ovários e peso dos orgãos (HSI, GSI) pela variação de salinidade do meio (65, 135 e 225_mOsm, NaCl/litro2 e salinidade zero ou água destilada) em fêmeas nao vitelogenicas (NV) e vitelogênicas (V) do peixe Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) às temperaturas de 25ºC e 30ºC, 30 dias após o período de aclimação nos respectivos meios. Obteve-se valores máximos de HSI tanto nos peixes (NV) e (V) quando mantidos em água destilada e valores mínimos quando em solução de 225 mOsm. 0 aumento de temperatura de 25ºC para 30°C causou uma redução nos valores de HSI somente nos peixes (V). Salinidade de 135 e 65-135 mOsm produziu o valor mais alto de GSI nos dois grupos de peixes: (NV) e (V). 0 efeito estimulante da alta temperatura (30°C) no GSI foi encontrado somente nos peixes (NV) em todos os meios salinos. 0 teor hepático de proteínas e RNA foi máximo nos peixes (NV) e (V) mantidos em meios de 65 mOsm de NaCl e mínimo nos de 225 mOsm de salinidade. 0 aumento de temperatura de 25ºC para 30ºC não alterou o teor protéico hepático mas aumentou e diminuiu o teor de RNA nas fases (V) e (NV). 0 teor muscular de proteínas e RNA foram máximos a salinidadgs zero e 65 mOsm e mínimos a 225 mOsm tanto a 25ºC , como 30ºC. A alta temperatura (30°C) aumentou o teor protéico, mas não alterou o teor de RNA. Salinidade de 135 mOsm causou o maior aumento nos teores dg proteínas, RNA e DNA do ovário das fêmeas (NV) a 25°C ou 30ºC. Salinidade zero reduziu bastante o teor desta substância no ovário. No caso do GSI o efeito estimulador da alta temperatura (30°C) no acúmulo de proteínas, RNA e DNA se fez sentir em todas as concentrações salinas do meio. Os peixes (V) apresentaram teor máximo de proteínas ovarianas a salinidade de 135 mOsm e mínimos em água destilada. Os ovários (V) tiveram a taxa mais alta de DNA em 65 e 135 mOsm de salinidade do que a zero ou 225 mOsm. A influência das altas temperaturas não foi sentida nas fêmeas (V). 0 teor de RNA ovariano dos peixes (V) também não se alterou em todas as condições experimentais.

Fabrication of Germanium-on-insulator in a Ge wafer with a crystalline Ge top layer and buried GeO2 layer by Oxygen ion implantation

The paper reports fabrication of Germanium-on-Insulator (GeOI) wafer by Oxygen ion implantation of an undoped single crystalline Ge wafer of orientation (100). Oxygen ions of energy 200 keV were implanted. The implanted wafer was subjected to Rapid Thermal Annealing to 650 C. The resulting wafer has a top crystalline Ge layer of 220 nm thickness and Buried Oxide layer (BOX) layer of good quality crystalline Germanium oxide with thickness around 0.62 micron. The crystalline BOX layer has hexagonal crystal structure with lattice constants close to the standard values. Raman Spectroscopy, cross-sectional HRTEM with SAED and EDS established that the top Ge layer was recrystallized during annealing with faceted crystallites. The top layer has a small tensile strain of around +0.4\% and has estimated dislocation density of 2.7 x 10^{7}cm^{-2}. The thickness, crystallinity and electrical characteristics of the top layer and the quality of the BOX layer of GeO_{2} are such that it can be utilized for device fabrication

Artificial Intelligence in Government Services: A Systematic Literature Review

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview on how artificial intelligence is shaping the digital era, in policy making and governmental terms. In doing so, it discloses new opportunities and discusses its implications to be considered by policy-makers. The research uses a systematic literature review, which includes more than one technique of data analysis in order to generate comprehensiveness and rich knowledge, we use: a bibliometric analysis and a content analysis. While artificial intelligence is identified as an extension of digital transformation, the results suggest the need to deepen scientific research in the fields of public administration, governmental law and business economics, areas where digital transformation still stands out from artificial intelligence. Although bringing together public and private sectors, to collaborate in the public service delivery, presents major advantages to policy makers, evidence has also shown the existence of negative effects of such collaboration.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hypothyroidism among military infants born in countries of varied iodine nutrition status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Iodine deficiency is a global problem representing the most common preventable cause of mental retardation. Recently, the impact of subtle deficiencies in iodine intake on children and pregnant women has been questioned. This study was designed to compare hypothyroidism among infants born to US military families in countries of varied iodine nutrition status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort design was used to analyze data from the Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry for infants born in 2000-04 (<it>n </it>= 447,691). Hypothyroidism was defined using ICD-9-CM codes from the first year of life (<it>n </it>= 698). The impact of birth location on hypothyroidism was assessed by comparing rates in Germany, Japan, and US territories with the United States, while controlling for infant gender, plurality, gestational age, maternal age, maternal military status, and military parent's race/ethnicity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Hypothyroidism did not vary by birth location with adjusted odds ratios (OR) as follows: Germany (OR 0.82, [95% CI 0.50, 1.35]), Japan (OR 0.67, [95% CI 0.37, 1.22]), and US territories (OR 1.29, [95% CI 0.57, 2.89]). Hypothyroidism was strongly associated with preterm birth (OR 5.44, [95% CI 4.60, 6.42]). Hypothyroidism was also increased among infants with civilian mothers (OR 1.24, [95% CI 1.00, 1.54]), and older mothers, especially ages 40 years and older (OR 2.09, [95% CI 1.33, 3.30]).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, hypothyroidism in military-dependent infants did not vary by birth location, but was associated with other risk factors, including preterm birth, civilian maternal status, and advanced maternal age.</p

The CODATwins Project : The Current Status and Recent Findings of COllaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins

The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) and size at birth, and additionally to address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across cultural-geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status.Peer reviewe

Significant differences in the use of healthcare resources of native-born and foreign born in Spain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the last decade, the number of foreign residents in Spain has doubled and it has become one of the countries in the European Union with the highest number of immigrants There is no doubt that the health of the immigrant population has become a relevant subject from the point of view of public healthcare. Our study aimed at describing the potential inequalities in the use of healthcare resources and in the lifestyles of the resident immigrant population of Spain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional, epidemiological study from the Spanish National Health Survey (NHS) in 2006, from the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs. We have worked with individualized secondary data, collected in the Spanish National Health Survey carried out in 2006 and 2007 (SNHS-06), from the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs. The format of the SNHS-06 has been adapted to the requirements of the European project for the carrying out of health surveys.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The economic immigrant population resident in Spain, present diseases that are similar to those of the indigenous population. The immigrant population shows significantly lower values in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and physical activity (OR = 0.76; CI 95%: 0.65–0.89, they nonetheless perceive their health condition as worse than that reported by the autochthonous population (OR = 1.63, CI 95%: 1.34–1.97). The probability of the immigrant population using emergency services in the last 12 months was significantly greater than that of the autochthonous population (OR = 1.31, CI 95%: 1.12–1.54). This situation repeats itself when analyzing hospitalization data, with values of probability of being hospitalized greater among immigrants (OR = 1.39, CI 95%: 1.07–1.81).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The economic immigrants have better parameters in relation to lifestyles, but they have a poor perception of their health. Despite the fact that immigrant population shows higher percentages of emergency attendance and hospitalization than the indigenous population, with respect to the use of healthcare resources, their usage of healthcare resources such as drugs, influenza vaccinations or visits to the dentist is lower.</p

Smoking remains associated with education after controlling for social background and genetic factors in a study of 18 twin cohorts

We tested the causality between education and smoking using the natural experiment of discordant twin pairs allowing to optimally control for background genetic and childhood social factors. Data from 18 cohorts including 10,527 monozygotic (MZ) and same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for education and smoking were analyzed by linear fixed effects regression models. Within twin pairs, education levels were lower among the currently smoking than among the never smoking co-twins and this education difference was larger within DZ than MZ pairs. Similarly, education levels were higher among former smoking than among currently smoking co-twins, and this difference was larger within DZ pairs. Our results support the hypothesis of a causal effect of education on both current smoking status and smoking cessation. However, the even greater intra-pair differences within DZ pairs, who share only 50% of their segregating genes, provide evidence that shared genetic factors also contribute to these associations.Peer reviewe