Detection of growth-related QTLs in turbot (Scophtalmus maximux)

Background The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is a highly appreciated European aquaculture species. Growth related traits constitute the main goal of the ongoing genetic breeding programs of this species. The recent construction of a consensus linkage map in this species has allowed the selection of a panel of 100 homogeneously distributed markers covering the 26 linkage groups (LG) suitable for QTL search. In this study we addressed the detection of QTL with effect on body weight, length and Fulton's condition factor. Results Eight families from two genetic breeding programs comprising 814 individuals were used to search for growth related QTL using the panel of microsatellites available for QTL screening. Two different approaches, maximum likelihood and regression interval mapping, were used in order to search for QTL. Up to eleven significant QTL were detected with both methods in at least one family: four for weight on LGs 5, 14, 15 and 16; five for length on LGs 5, 6, 12, 14 and 15; and two for Fulton's condition factor on LGs 3 and 16. In these LGs an association analysis was performed to ascertain the microsatellite marker with the highest apparent effect on the trait, in order to test the possibility of using them for marker assisted selection. Conclusions The use of regression interval mapping and maximum likelihood methods for QTL detection provided consistent results in many cases, although the high variation observed for traits mean among families made it difficult to evaluate QTL effects. Finer mapping of detected QTL, looking for tightly linked markers to the causative mutation, and comparative genomics are suggested to deepen in the analysis of QTL in turbot so they can be applied in marker assisted selection programs.

Automatic expert system based on images for accuracy crop row detection in maize fields

This paper proposes an automatic expert system for accuracy crop row detection in maize fields based on images acquired from a vision system. Different applications in maize, particularly those based on site specific treatments, require the identification of the crop rows. The vision system is designed with a defined geometry and installed onboard a mobile agricultural vehicle, i.e. submitted to vibrations, gyros or uncontrolled movements. Crop rows can be estimated by applying geometrical parameters under image perspective projection. Because of the above undesired effects, most often, the estimation results inaccurate as compared to the real crop rows. The proposed expert system exploits the human knowledge which is mapped into two modules based on image processing techniques. The first one is intended for separating green plants (crops and weeds) from the rest (soil, stones and others). The second one is based on the system geometry where the expected crop lines are mapped onto the image and then a correction is applied through the well-tested and robust Theil–Sen estimator in order to adjust them to the real ones. Its performance is favorably compared against the classical Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient.

Detecção de DNA de HPV no plasma para potencial identificação precoce de recidiva de câncer do colo de útero

O câncer do colo do útero constitui a terceira neoplasia maligna mais comum na população feminina, com aproximadamente 520 mil novos casos e 260 mil óbitos por ano e origina-se a partir da infecção genital persistente pelo Papiloma Vírus Humano (HPV) oncogênico. Os principais HPVs considerados de alto risco oncogênico são os tipos HPV-16 e 18, responsáveis por cerca de 70% de todos os casos de cânceres cervicais (CC) no mundo. Pacientes com CC apresentam taxa de recidiva variando de 8% a 49%. Dentro de dois anos de seguimento, 62% a 89% das recidivas são detectadas. Atualmente, os testes usados para detecção de recidiva são a citopatologia da cúpula vaginal e exames de imagem, porém ainda não estão disponíveis testes específicos. O DNA livre-circulante (cf-DNA) representa um biomarcador não-invasivo facilmente obtido no plasma e soro. Vários estudos mostram ser possível detectar e quantificar ácidos nucléicos no plasma de pacientes com câncer e que as alterações no cfDNA potencialmente refletem mudanças que ocorrem durante a tumorigênese. Essa ferramenta diagnóstica não-invasiva pode ser útil no rastreio, prognóstico e monitoramento da resposta ao tratamento do câncer. Portanto, o desenvolvimento e a padronização de testes laboratoriais não invasivos capazes de identificar marcadores tumorais e diagnosticar precocemente a recidiva da doença aumentam a chance de cura através da utilização dos tratamentos preconizados. Sendo assim, este estudo tem o objetivo de detectar o DNA de HPV no plasma de pacientes com CC para avaliar sua potencial utilidade como marcador precoce de recidiva. Um fragmento de tumor e sangue de pacientes com CC, atendidas no ICESP e HC de Barretos, foram coletados antes do tratamento. Entraram no estudo 137 pacientes nas quais o tumor foi positivo para HPV-16 ou 18, sendo 120 amostras positivas para HPV-16 (87,6%), 12 positivas para HPV-18 (8,8%) e cinco positivas para HPV-16 e 18 (3,6%). A média de idade das pacientes deste estudo foi de 52,5 anos. Plasma de 131 pacientes com CC da data do diagnóstico e de 110 pacientes do seguimento foram submetidas ao PCR em Tempo Real HPV tipo específico. A presença do DNA de HPV no plasma pré-tratamento foi observada em 58,8% (77/131) com carga viral variando de 204 cópias/mL a 2.500.000 cópias/mL. A positividade de DNA no plasma pré-tratamento aumentou com o estadio clínico do tumor: I - 45,2%, II - 52,5%, III - 80,0% e IV - 76,9%, (p=0,0189). A presença do DNA de HPV no plasma pós-tratamento foi observada em 27,3% (30/110). A média de tempo das recidivas foi de 3,1 anos (2,7 - 3,5 anos). O DNA de HPV foi positivo até 460 dias antes do diagnóstico clínico da recidiva. As pacientes com DNA de HPV no plasma apresentaram pior prognóstico, tanto sobrevida como o tempo livre de doença, em relação às que foram negativas. Nas pacientes com CC a presença de HPV no plasma de seguimento pode ser um marcador precoce útil para o monitoramento da resposta terapêutica e detecção de pacientes com risco aumentado de recidiva e progressão da doença.

Seguridad quirúrgica y cumplimentación del registro de información intraquirúrgica en España: Un análisis comparativo de dos instrumentos de registro

El objetivo del presente estudio es describir y comparar los porcentajes de no cumplimentación de dos instrumentos de registro: hoja circulante (HC) y lista de verificación quirúrgica (LVQ), en un mismo entorno quirúrgico para una muestra de pacientes de características similares. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo realizado sobre registros intraquirúrgicos de 3024 pacientes de Cirugía de Ortopedia y Traumatología. 1732 pacientes intervenidos en 2009 con modelo de hoja circulante, cumplimentada al finalizar la intervención y 1292 en 2010 intervenidos con modelo de registro lista de verificación quirúrgica (checklist) cumplimentado durante la intervención en tres tiempos. Se han calculado características descriptivas (media, desviación típica, mínimo y máximo) del porcentaje de no cumplimentación global en ambos registros y el porcentaje de no cumplimentación (intervalo de confianza al 95%) de cada ítem de los registros estudiados. Resultados: Se observa mayor porcentaje de cumplimentación global y, en general, también individual, en la hoja circulante que en la lista de verificación quirúrgica. Conclusiones: El registro intraquirúrgico que mayor porcentaje de cumplimentación ha tenido de manera global ha sido la hoja de circulante y se evidencia la necesidad de implantar estrategias para mejorar el grado de cumplimentación de la LVQ por su relación con la seguridad de pacientes.

Prospects for regulatory convergence under TTIP. Bruegel Policy Contribution 2013/15, October 2013

An ambitious, comprehensive and high-standard trade and investment agreement between the European Union and the United States is feasible, but a key concern is whether the transatlantic trade partners will succeed in creating a meaningful agreement within the tight timeline of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. The target of a ratified pact before a new European Commission takes office in November 2014 is an objective that is likely to conflict with the level of ambition on the substance. Regulatory congruence would require the unilateral and unconditional recognition by the TTIP partners of each other’s standards, procedures and conformity assessment tests. The way forward is to create a ‘living’ (or progressive commitment) agreement on regulatory cooperation with a horizontal template for coherence and conformity assessment and a detailed monitoring mechanism, with implementation starting immediately for a few selected sectors. Regulatory harmonisation under TTIP may not lead to emerging markets automatically upgrading to the higher TTIP standards. Domestic priorities and the high demand from a rising price-sensitive group of consumers will likely result in a dual regulatory regime in emerging markets in the medium-term.

Parameters of the Earths orbit for the last 5 Million years in 1 kyr resolution

New values for the astronomical parameters of the Earth's orbit and rotation (eccentricity, obliquity and precession) are proposed for paleoclimatic research related to the Late Miocene, the Pliocene and the Quaternary. They have been obtained from a numerical solution of the Lagrangian system of the planetary point masses and from an analytical solution of the Poisson equations of the Earth-Moon system. The analytical expansion developed in this paper allows the direct determination of the main frequencies with their phase and amplitude. Numerical and analytical comparisons with the former astronomical solution BER78 are performed so that the accuracy and the interval of time over which the new solution is valid can be estimated. The corresponding insolation values have also been computed and compared to the former ones. This analysis leads to the conclusion that the new values are expected to be reliable over the last 5 Ma in the time domain and at least over the last 10 Ma in the frequency domain.

Calcareous dinoflagellates in the eastern equatorial Atlantic

Sediments of the Equatorial Atlantic (core GeoB 1105-4) have been investigated for both calcareous dinoflagellates and organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts. In order to determine the ecological affinity of calcareous dinoflagellates the statistical methods of Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) were used. Utilising DCA, distribution patterns of calcareous dinoflagellates have been compared with those of the ecologically much better known organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts. This method was also used to determine which environmental gradients have a major influence on the species composition. By using existing environmental information based on benthic and planktic foraminifera, such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and stable oxygen and carbon isotopes, as well as information on the amount of Calcium Carbonate and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in bottom sediments, these gradients could be interpreted in terms of productivity and glacial-interglacial trends. Using RDA, the direct relationships between the distribution patterns of calcareous dinoflagellates with the above mentioned external variables could be determined. For the studied region and time interval (141-6.7 ka) the calcareous dinoflagellates show enhanced abundances in periods with reduced productivity most probably related to decreased divergence and relatively stratified, oligotrophic oceanic conditions.