Novel mitochondrial 16S rRNA mutation, 3200T → C, associated with adult-onset type 2 diabetes

Objective. To investigate the role of a potential diabetes-related mitochondrial region, which includes two previously reported mutations, 3243A → G and 3316G → A, in Chinese patients with adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Methods. A total of 277 patients and 241 normal subjects were recruited for the study. Mitochondrial nt 3116 - 3353, which spans the 16S rRNA, tRNAleu(UUR) and the NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene, were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), direct DNA sequencing, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and allele-specific PCR. Variants were analyzed by two-tailed Fisher exact test. The function of the variants in 16S rRNA were predicted for minimal free energy secondary structures by RNA folding software mfold version 3. Results. Four homoplasmic nucleotide substitutions were observed, 3200T → C, 3206C → T, 3290T → C and 3316G→ A. Only the 3200T → C mutation is present in the diabetic population and absent in the control population. No statistically significant associations were found between the other three variants and type 2 diabetes. The 3200T → C and 3206C→ T nucleotide substitutions located in 16S rRNA are novel variants. The 3200T→ C caused a great alteration in the minimal free energy secondary structure model while the 3206C→ T altered normal 16S rRNA structure little. Conclusions. The results suggest that the 3200T → C mutation is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, but that the other observed mutations are neutral. In contrast to the Japanese studies, the 3316G → A does not appear to be related to type 2 diabetes.link_to_OA_fulltex

SCADA and related technologies

Presented at SCADA and related technologies for irrigation district modernization, II: a USCID water management conference held on June 6-9, 2007 in Denver, Colorado.Includes bibliographical references.A study was conducted in Mafraq, Jordan, between 32°15' and 32°50' north latitude and 36°15' and 36°50' east longitude, to investigate the potential use of remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration (ET). Evapotranspiration values were estimating by integrating high resolution (ASTER) and coarse resolution (MODIS) data in the ALARM model. The first part of the study focused on identifying crop types and developing a relationship between plant canopy height (PH) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from ASTER. The second part of the study concentrated on modeling actual ET through the integration of data from the previous stage and from the MODIS satellite with the ALARM model. Field surveys and data collection, from March to October 2005, included 37 farms with a total of 247 plots representing irrigated vegetable crops in the area. The ET was calculated using the ALARM model with input parameters of land surface temperature, leaf area index, surface albedo, view angle, view time from 1-km MODIS data and plant canopy height derived from its empirical relationship with ASTER NDVI. Results showed that ASTER satellite imagery could provide an adequate identification of different irrigated vegetable crops in the study area. The use of estimated PH derived from its relationships with ASTER-NDVI instead of ground measurements was not a significant source of error for estimating ET. The average performance of the ALARM model showed a strong spatial variability from one site to another depending on the individual components of each site (total irrigated area and type of irrigated crops). The calculation approach of ET using the ALARM model with MODIS satellite data and crop parameters from ASTER data can be used to provide spatial distribution of actual ET. Therefore, the calibrated approach from this study could be used as a new tool for estimating ET for the irrigated area of Mafraq and similar irrigated regions in Jordan. The study also demonstrated the importance of radiometric correction for satellite images before using them in similar studies