Quantifying the risk of coronary artery disease in a community: The Bambuí Project

OBJECTIVE: To determine the coronary risk profile in adults and elderly in a community. METHODS: The study comprised a sample of adults (30-59 years, n=547) and the entire elderly population (60-74 years, n=1165) residing in Bambuí town, Brazil. The Framingham score based on sex, age, smoking, diabetes mellitus, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and HDL-C was used. The score based on age and sex was defined as "expected" and compared with the mean score obtained by the sum of all risk factors in each age group and sex (score "observed"). RESULTS: The difference between the scores "observed" and "expected" increased with aging in both sexes. Smoking increased the difference from 30 years of age onwards, in both sexes, and hypertension was important in men above the age of 30 years and in women above the age of 50 years. Diabetes and elevated total cholesterol increased the risk of the disease above the age of 50 years in both sexes. A higher level of HDL-C reduced the risk among men above the age of 30 years, with no significant difference among women. Less schooling (< 4 years versus ³ 4 years) was associated with a higher score in adults of both sexes, but not among the elderly. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, in the community studied, the risk of coronary artery disease may be reduced up to 44% in men and 38% in women.

Aberraciones cromosómicas de tumores sólidos en Córdoba, Argentina. nº 1313 – (acts) – versión 28/9/05.

Aproximadamente una de cada cinco personas en el mundo mueren de cáncer. A pesar de los considerables avances en el tratamiento, incluyendo procedimientos de alta precisión en cirugía y protocolos detallados para rayo y quimioterapia, los tumores malignos son una de las causas de muerte más prominentes de la sociedad moderna. Las estrategias para el tratamiento dependen de un diagnostico preciso y temprano. No obstante algunos tumores son dificultosos para clasificarlos, desarrollando una incertidumbre en el pronóstico y tratamiento. Los tumores de tejidos blando y óseo son un grupo de neoplasias diverso y grande, que ocurren en todas las edades, normalmente sin un aparente factor etiológico. El diagnostico/ pronóstico puede ser complicado y el dilema del diagnóstico diferencial depende frecuentemente de los métodos histopatológicos y radiológicos. El presente proyecto intenta detectar las aberraciones cromosómicas en tumores sólidos utilizando las técnicas de biología molecular. Este método de detección es el más adecuado para diagnosticar y tratar eficientemente una gran cantidad de cánceres. Permite identificar alteraciones cromosómicas,tales como deleciones, translocaciones, amplificaciones y mutaciones que están asociadas con tipos específicos de tumores sólidos.

Instrumentation and software for the VERITAS Project and the detection of TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from the BL Lacertae Object 1ES1959+650

Transmission of Cherenkov light through the atmosphere is strongly influenced by the optical clarity of the atmosphere and the prevailing weather conditions. The performance of telescopes measuring this light is therefore dependent on atmospheric effects. This thesis presents software and hardware developed to implement a prototype sky monitoring system for use on the proposed next-generation gamma-ray telescope array, VERITAS. The system, consisting of a CCD camera and a far-infrared pyrometer, was successfully installed and tested on the ten metre atmospheric Cherenkov imaging telescope operated by the VERITAS Collaboration at the F.L. Whipple Observatory in Arizona. The thesis also presents the results of observations of the BL Lacertae object, 1ES1959+650, made with the Whipple ten metre telescope. The observations provide evidence for TeV gamma-ray emission from the BL Lacertae object, 1ES1959+650, at a level of more than 15 standard deviations above background. This represents the first unequivocal detection of this object at TeV energies, making it only the third extragalactic source seen at such levels of significance in this energy range. The flux variability of the source on a number of timescales is also investigated.

The Catalan countries project (1931-1939)

In the evolution of Catalan nationalism, as much politician as cultural, the period of II Spanish Republic (1931-1939) was essential. The obtaining of the Statute of Autonomy (1931-1932) supposed the beginning of a stage of expansion in multiple aspects. One of them were the contacts with the Catalanists nuclei of the rest of the cultural space of Catalan language in which, at that time, it would begin to call Catalan Countries (Balearic Islands, Valencian Country, Andorra, Rosselló, to l'Alguer). On Those Collaborations between cultural organizations, political and particular parties Catalonia always will be the model to follow. The Increasing connections will be visualized on press, as well as on cultural celebrations, policy of parties and Constituent Courts. This evolution will be cut by the Franco victory in the Civil War in 1939.

Transferring QTL technology to the pig breeding industry (PigQTech) - a demonstration project

The aim of the project has been to demonstrate how the farm animal breeding industry can utilise gene mapping technology to accelerate genetic improvement. Previous theoretical studies had suggested that the use of marker assisted selection could potentially increase the annual improvement for quantitative traits like backfat with about 10% and for more difficult traits such as meat quality and reproduction by as much as 40-60% compared with existing technology. The work has comprised two major tasks: 1. Commercially relevant populations have been screened for segregation at QTLs identified in experimental populations. The aim has been to establish optimal strategies for QTL detection in commercial pig populations and the extent to which QTLs explaining major phenotypic differences between divergent lines used in experimental studies also explain quantitative variation within commercial lines. The results are important for specifying future strategies for finding economically valuable QTLs. 2. Marker assisted backcrossing has been used to demonstrate how a QTL allele can be introgressed from one breed to another. The work has focused on the major fatness QTL on pig chromosome 4 previously identified in a wild pig/Large White intercross. The end result was not designed to be a commercially viable product in its own right, but the process has validated a number of points of major importance for the exploitation of QTLs in livestock.

Dance movement patterns recognition

"Es tracta d'un projecte dividit en dues parts independents però complementàries, realitzades per autors diferents. Aquest document conté originàriament altre material i/o programari només consultable a la Biblioteca de Ciència i Tecnologia"

Sistema inalámbrico de control de iluminación

L’objectiu principal del projecte és dissenyar un sistema de control automàtic de il·luminació en un recinte tancat, mitjançant la detecció de presència d’una persona que entra dins del radi d’actuació del sistema. Utilitzant dues plaques amb capacitat de comunicació inalàmbrica es controlaran dos components, un sensor i un actuador. El sensor té la funció de detectar la presència d’una persona per mitjà d’infraroigs, mentre que l’actuador ens proporciona la funcionalitat d’un interruptor amb el qual pogué actuar sobre la llum, encenent-la o apagant-la en funció de l’estat de detecció.

Inequality and a repeated joint project

Agents voluntarily contribute to an infinitely repeated joint project. We investigate the conditions for cooperation to be a renegotiation-proof and coalition-proof equilibrium before examining the influence of output share inequality on the sustainability of cooperation. When shares are not equally distributed, cooperation requires agents to be more patient than under perfect equality. Beyond a certain degree of share inequality, full efficiency cannot be reached without redistribution. This model also explains the coexistence of one cooperating and one free-riding coalition. In this case, increasing inequality can have a positive or negative impact on the aggregate level of effort.

Behind the Scenes of an Ant Genome Project

Dramatic improvements in DNA sequencing technologies have led to amore than 1,000-fold reduction in sequencing costs over the past five years.Genome-wide research approaches can thus now be applied beyond medicallyrelevant questions to examine the molecular-genetic basis of behavior,development and unique life histories in almost any organism. A first step foran emerging model organism is usually establishing a reference genomesequence. I offer insight gained from the fire ant genome project. First, I detailhow the project came to be and how sequencing, assembly and annotationstrategies were chosen. Subsequently, I describe some of the issues linked toworking with data from recently sequenced genomes. Finally, I discuss anapproach undertaken in a follow-up project based on the fire ant genomesequence.

Small ubiquitin-like modifier conjugating enzyme with active site mutation acts as dominant negative inhibitor of SUMO conjugation in arabidopsis(F).

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) conjugation affects a broad range of processes in plants, including growth, flower initiation, pathogen defense, and responses to abiotic stress. Here, we investigate in vivo and in vitro a SUMO conjugating enzyme with a Cys to Ser change in the active site, and show that it has a dominant negative effect. In planta expression significantly perturbs normal development, leading to growth retardation, early flowering and gene expression changes. We suggest that the mutant protein can serve as a probe to investigate sumoylation, also in plants for which poor genetic infrastructure precludes analysis via loss-of-function mutants.

The Importance of Revenue Sharing for the Local Economic Impacts of a Renewable Energy Project: A Social Accounting Matrix Approach

As demand for electricity from renewable energy sources grows, there is increasing interest, and public and financial support, for local communities to become involved in the development of renewable energy projects. In the UK, “Community Benefit” payments are the most common financial link between renewable energy projects and local communities. These are “goodwill” payments from the project developer for the community to spend as it wishes. However, if an ownership stake in the renewable energy project were possible, receipts to the local community would potentially be considerably higher. The local economic impacts of these receipts are difficult to quantify using traditional Input-Output techniques, but can be more appropriately handled within a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) framework where income flows between agents can be traced in detail. We use a SAM for the Shetland Islands to evaluate the potential local economic and employment impact of a large onshore wind energy project proposed for the Islands. Sensitivity analysis is used to show how the local impact varies with: the level of Community Benefit payments; the portion of intermediate inputs being sourced from within the local economy; and the level of any local community ownership of the project. By a substantial margin, local ownership confers the greatest economic impacts for the local community.