Alu insertion polymorphisms are widely distributed in the human genome. They are readily analysed and provide an interesting set of markers for human population genetic and forensic studies. The aim of this article is to present preliminary results from our ongoing project on a survey of Alu insertion polymorphisms in various human populations. INTRODUCTION Repetitive DNA sequences comprise a s...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem with more than 130-180 million people infected worldwide. Several studies in different populations have reported the association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes, and HCV viral load, and genotypes. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between HLA class I and II alleles in HCV-infected patients and heal...

Low or increased serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentrations might indicate growth hormone (GH) deficiency or overproduction, respectively. Currently, IGF-1 is mostly measured by automated immunometric assays. However, reagent availability issues prompted us to evaluate LC-MS with high-resolution accurate mass measurement (HRAM) as an alternative (1 ). We developed and validated a...

Sometimes when two (or more) genes are perturbed simultaneously, the organism exhibits a surprising property. This property may be a phenotype—either qualitative or quantitative—or the penetrance of a phenotype. This phenomenon, called genetic interaction, suggests that the interacting genes have related functions. Genetic interactions have shaped our understanding of almost every known biologi...

We investigate the properties of nanotubes obtained from recently described boron r-sheet, using density functional theory. Computations confirm their high stability and identify mechanical stiffness parameters. This allows one to further analyze the basic vibrations, including the radial breathing mode Raman frequency, fRBM ) 210(nm/d) cm-1. Careful relaxation reveals the curvature-induced buc...

This paper seeks to model determining factors in international migration from 1999-2006. By accounting for relevant variables, the paper aims to elicit the effect of several non-economic factors and their impact on an individual’s decision to relocate. After replicating past literature to legitimize my newly constructed dataset, I add a number of qualitative features, such as a common spoken la...

A proposal that high solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode performance can be achieved by using a very thin, catalytically active functional layer, with a noncatalytic conduction layer, has been tested. An anode impedance of 0.26 Ω cm2 was obtained at 973 K in humidified H2 using a Ag-paste conduction layer and a 12 μm thick functional layer made from 1 wt % Pd and 40 wt % ceria in yttria-stabiliz...