Relative contribution of effects included in contemporary groups for adjusted and actual 120-day and 210-day weights in Nelore cattle in Brazil

The objective of this research was to estimate the relative magnitude of effects included in contemporary groups (CG) and their interactions with adjusted and actual 120 d and 210 d weights in 72,731 male and female Nelore calves born from 1985 to 2005 in 40 herds from PMGRN (Genetic Improvement Program of Nelore). Ten models with different CG structures were compared. The analyses were done using the general linear models (GLM) procedure run in SAS software. All of the effects included in the CG for each model were significant (p < 0.001) for the four traits analyzed. Inclusion of semester or trimester of birth as part of a CG was more appropriate than its use as an independent effect in the model because it accounted for interactions with the other effects in the CG. Calf sex (CS) and dam age at calving (DAC) had similar effects across the models, which suggested independence from other effects in these models. The corresponding age deviation effect had a larger impact on actual weight at 120 d than any other effect in all of the models tested. The use of actual weights in models with no CS effect in CG provides an alternative that would allow better genetic connectedness among CGs and greater accuracy in genetic evaluations

Genome-wide profiling of G protein-coupled receptors in cerebellar granule neurons using high-throughput, real-time PCR

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are major players in cell communication, regulate a whole range of physiological functions during development and throughout adult life, are affected in numerous pathological situations, and constitute so far the largest class of drugable targets for human diseases. The corresponding genes are usually expressed at low levels, making accurate, genome-wide quantification of their expression levels a challenging task using microarrays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We first draw an inventory of all endo-GPCRs encoded in the murine genome. To profile GPCRs genome-wide accurately, sensitively, comprehensively, and cost-effectively, we designed and validated a collection of primers that we used in quantitative RT-PCR experiments. We experimentally validated a statistical approach to analyze genome-wide, real-time PCR data. To illustrate the usefulness of this approach, we determined the repertoire of GPCRs expressed in cerebellar granule neurons and neuroblasts during postnatal development.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We identified tens of GPCRs that were not detected previously in this cell type; these GPCRs represent novel candidate players in the development and survival of cerebellar granule neurons. The sequences of primers used in this study are freely available to those interested in quantifying GPCR expression comprehensively.</p

Anthropic resource exploitation and use of the territory at the onset of social complexity in the Neolithic-Chalcolithic Western Pyrenees: a multi-isotope approach

Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope analyses from bone collagen provide information about the dietary protein input, while strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) from tooth enamel give us data about provenance and potential territorial mobility of past populations. To date, isotopic results on the prehistory of the Western Pyrenees are scarce. In this article, we report human and faunal values of the mentioned isotopes from the Early-Middle Neolithic site of Fuente Hoz (Anuntzeta) and the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic site of Kurtzebide (Letona, Zigoitia). The main objectives of this work are to analyze the dietary and territorial mobility patterns of these populations. Furthermore, as an additional aim, we will try to discuss social ranking based on the isotope data and existing literature on this topic in the region of study. Our results show that, based on the bioavailable Sr values, both purported local and non-local humans were buried together at the sites. Additionally, they suggest similar resource consumption based on C3 terrestrial resources (i.e. ovicaprids, bovids, and suids) as the main part of the protein input. Overall, this study sheds light on how individuals from different backgrounds were still buried together and shared the same dietary lifestyle at a time in the Prehistory of Iberia when social complexities started to appear

Changes in arginase isoforms in a murine model of neonatal brain hypoxia-ischemia.

BackgroundArginases (ARG isoforms, ARG-1/ARG-2) are key regulatory enzymes of inflammation and tissue repair; however, their role after neonatal brain hypoxia (H) and hypoxia-ischemia (HI) remains unknown.MethodsC57BL/6 mice subjected to the Vannucci procedure on postnatal day (P9) were sacrificed at different timepoints. The degree of brain damage was assessed histologically. ARG spatiotemporal localization was determined via immunohistochemistry. ARG expression was measured by Western blot and activity spectrophotometrically.ResultsARG isoform expression increased during neurodevelopment (P9-P17) in the cortex and hippocampus. This was suppressed with H and HI only in the hippocampus. In the cortex, both isoforms increased with H alone and only ARG-2 increased with HI at 3 days. ARG activity during neurodevelopment remained unchanged, but increased at 1 day with H and not HI. ARG-1 localized with microglia at the injury site as early as 4 h after injury, while ARG-2 localized with neurons.ConclusionsARG isoform expression increases with age from P9 to P17, but is suppressed by injury specifically in the hippocampus and not in the cortex. Both levels and activity of ARG isoforms increase with H, while ARG-1 immunolabelling is upregulated in the HI cortex. Evidently, ARG isoforms in the brain differ in spatiotemporal localization, expression, and activity during neurodevelopment and after injury.ImpactArginase isoforms change during neurodevelopment and after neonatal brain HI. This is the first study investigating the key enzymes of inflammation and tissue repair called arginases following murine neonatal brain HI. The highly region- and cell-specific expression suggests the possibility of specific functions of arginases. ARG-1 in microglia at the injury site may regulate neuroinflammation, while ARG-2 in neurons of developmental structures may impact neurodevelopment. While further studies are needed to describe the exact role of ARGs after neonatal brain HI, our study adds valuable data on anatomical localization and expression of ARGs in brain during development and after stroke

Observation of the Baryonic Flavor-Changing Neutral Current Decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-

We report the first observation of the baryonic flavor-changing neutral current decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- with 24 signal events and a statistical significance of 5.8 Gaussian standard deviations. This measurement uses ppbar collisions data sample corresponding to 6.8fb-1 at sqrt{s}=1.96TeV collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. The total and differential branching ratios for Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- are measured. We find B(Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-) = [1.73+-0.42(stat)+-0.55(syst)] x 10^{-6}. We also report the first measurement of the differential branching ratio of B_s -> phi mu+ mu- using 49 signal events. In addition, we report branching ratios for B+ -> K+ mu+ mu-, B0 -> K0 mu+ mu-, and B -> K*(892) mu+ mu- decays.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in PbPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV

The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium. The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range measured.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO