Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Structural features and thermoelectric properties of Al-doped (ZnO)(5)In2O3 homologous phases

In this work, we investigated the influence of Al doping on the structure of the (ZnO)(5)In2O3 homologous phase and the thermoelectric characteristics of (ZnO)(5)(In1-xAlx)(2)O-3 ceramics for x=0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2, prepared using a classic ceramic procedure and sintering at 1500 degrees C for 2 hours. The Al substituted for In on both the primary sites in the Zn-5(In1-xAlx)(2)O-8 homologous phase, the octahedral sites in the basal-plane inversion boundaries and the trigonal bi-pyramidal sites in the zig-zag inversion boundaries, which resulted in a uniformly increased shrinkage of the unit cell with the additions of Al. The a and c parameters were reduced for x=0.2 by a maximum 0.8%. All the samples had similar microstructures, so the differences in the TE characteristics mainly resulted from the effects of the substitution of Al for In, decreasing the charge-carrier concentration and affecting their mobility. Slightly improved TE characteristics were only observed for Al additions with x=0.01-0.05, while larger additions of Al only resulted in a reduced electrical conductivity and decreased ZT values in comparison to the un-doped composition

Structural features and thermoelectric properties of Al-doped (ZnO)(5)In2O3 homologous phases

International audienceIn this work, we investigated the influence of Al doping on the structure of the (ZnO)(5)In2O3 homologous phase and the thermoelectric characteristics of (ZnO)(5)(In1-xAlx)(2)O-3 ceramics for x=0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2, prepared using a classic ceramic procedure and sintering at 1500 degrees C for 2 hours. The Al substituted for In on both the primary sites in the Zn-5(In1-xAlx)(2)O-8 homologous phase, the octahedral sites in the basal-plane inversion boundaries and the trigonal bi-pyramidal sites in the zig-zag inversion boundaries, which resulted in a uniformly increased shrinkage of the unit cell with the additions of Al. The a and c parameters were reduced for x=0.2 by a maximum 0.8%. All the samples had similar microstructures, so the differences in the TE characteristics mainly resulted from the effects of the substitution of Al for In, decreasing the charge-carrier concentration and affecting their mobility. Slightly improved TE characteristics were only observed for Al additions with x=0.01-0.05, while larger additions of Al only resulted in a reduced electrical conductivity and decreased ZT values in comparison to the un-doped composition

Dry Matter Degradation Characteristics of Some Selected Browse Plants Using the In Sacco Technique

Three ruminally fistulated Yankasa rams were used to evaluate the nutritive value of some selected browse plants in the northern Guinea savanna, using the in sacco degradability method. The selected browse plants were: Shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii) leaf (SBL), Acacia (Faidherbia albida) leaf (FAL) and Parkia (Parkia biglobosa) leaf (PBL), were used for the study at this incubation periods 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. The result of the proximate analysis was different among the browse plants studied. The CP contents were of 12.19, 22.25 and 17.19% for PBL, SBL and FAL respectively. The tannin and saponin values (g/100mg) were 1.24, 1.28 for PBL, 1.26, 0.96 for SBL and 0.64, 0.84 for FAL respectively. The highest potential degradability (a+b) was in FAL, which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than in SBL and PBL. The rate of degradation constant (c) was significantly (p<0.05) lower in PBL (0.030) followed by SBL (0.037) and FAL (0.043) being the highest. Effective dry matter degradation significantly (p<0.05) decreased with increase in outflow rate across browse plants, with FAL having the highest followed by SBL and PBL. From the result of this study, FAL had the highest degradation characteristics over the other leaves

Urinary Strong Ion Difference as a Marker of Renal Dysfunction. A Retrospective Analysis

INTRODUCTION:The kidneys play a crucial role in the regulation of electrolytes and acid-base homeostasis. Urinary Strong Ion Difference (SIDu = NaU + KU-ClU) represents an important aspect of renal acid-base regulation. We evaluated the role of SIDu as a marker of renal dysfunction in critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Patients admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit with a diagnosis of AKI for whom concomitant urinary samples available for SIDu calculation were retrospectively reviewed and staged according to KDIGO criteria for 3 days from inclusion. Patients were classified as Recovered (R-AKI) or Persistent-AKI (P-AKI) whether they exited KDIGO criteria within the 3-day observation period or not. A control group with normal renal function and normal serum acid-base and electrolytes was prospectively recruited in order to identify reference SIDu values. RESULTS:One-hundred-and-forty-three patients with a diagnosis of AKI were included: 77 with R-AKI, and 66 with P-AKI. Thirty-six controls were recruited. Patients with P-AKI had more severe renal dysfunction and higher mortality than patients with R-AKI (SCr 2.23(IQR:1.68-3.45) and 1.81(IQR1.5-2.5) mg/dl respectively, p<0.001; 24-h UO 1297(950) and 2100(1094) ml respectively, p = 0.003); 30-d mortality, 39% and 13% respectively; p<0.001). SIDu significantly differed between groups, with rising values from controls to P-AKI groups (16.4(12), 30(24) and 47.3(21.5) mEq/l respectively, p<0.001). DISCUSSION:SIDu may be a simple and inexpensive tool in AKI patients' evaluation. Further research is needed to evaluate the ability of SIDu to identify patients with renal dysfunction before derangements in serum creatinine or urine output are observed