Total Number Of Fragments Research Articles

НОВЫЙ НЕОЛИТИЧЕСКИЙ ПАМЯТНИК В СРЕДНЕМ ЗАУРАЛЬЕ

The authors of the article present materials from a newly discovered site on the shore of Verkhnesaldinsky Pond (Sverdlovsk oblast). The dating of the site varies, but 97% of the finds date back to the Neolithic era. The ceramic complex contains five types of Neolithic ceramics, among which the Koksharovo-Yuryinsky type of ceramics predominates (64,6%). A rare find is the corolla of a vessel with a relief zoomorphic image. Similar relief images were found at the settlements of Yuryinskoye, Poludenka I, Chashiha, as well as at the sanctuaries of the Koksharovsky, Ust-Vagilsky and Makhtylsky hills. The total number of fragments with relief images does not exceed 120 specimens, of which 107 specimens originate from the site complex of the Yuryinskoye settlement – Koksharovsky hill. The stone inventory fully corresponds to the Neolithic materialsof the Middle Trans-Urals. Its features include a small number of plates and products made from them, the absolute predominance of scrapers on flakes and the complete absence of grinding plates. The presence of primary crust on half of the stone products indicates the use of local raw material base.

ScPipe: an extended preprocessing pipeline for comprehensive single-cell ATAC-Seq data integration in R/Bioconductor.

scPipe is a flexible R/Bioconductor package originally developed to analyse platform-independent single-cell RNA-Seq data. To expand its preprocessing capability to accommodate new single-cell technologies, we further developed scPipe to handle single-cell ATAC-Seq and multi-modal (RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq) data. After executing multiple data cleaning steps to remove duplicated reads, low abundance features and cells of poor quality, a SingleCellExperiment object is created that contains a sparse count matrix with features of interest in the rows and cells in the columns. Quality control information (e.g. counts per cell, features per cell, total number of fragments, fraction of fragments per peak) and any relevant feature annotations are stored as metadata. We demonstrate that scPipe can efficiently identify 'true' cells and provides flexibility for the user to fine-tune the quality control thresholds using various feature and cell-based metrics collected during data preprocessing. Researchers can then take advantage of various downstream single-cell tools available in Bioconductor for further analysis of scATAC-Seq data such as dimensionality reduction, clustering, motif enrichment, differential accessibility and cis-regulatory network analysis. The scPipe package enables a complete beginning-to-end pipeline for single-cell ATAC-Seq and RNA-Seq data analysis in R.

GENETIC VARIABILITY OF FAGOPYRUM SP. GENOTYPES DETERMINED BY GENE-TARGETED MARKERS

Fagopyrum represents an economically and nutritionally important crop which belongs to the group of pseudocereals. Buckwheat is referred to be a functional crop with a wide range of use around the world. Grains of buckwheat are nutritionally significant. They are characterised by a high content of starch, proteins, flavonoids and fibre. SCoT technique is used for the detection of plant genes polymorphism, for the evaluation of genetic diversity and for mapping the functional regions of the genome. The aim of the work was to perform molecular analyses of 21 genotypes of Fagopyrum esculentum Moench and 14 genotypes of Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn. using ten gene-targeted SCoT markers. The seedlings of buckwheat were used for DNA isolation and subsequently for the amplification of the DNA using a polymerase chain reaction. The number of amplified fragments ranged from 12 (SCoT 60, SCoT 13) to 27 (SCoT 12). The total number of fragments was 176 of which 162 were polymorphic with an average of polymorphic fragments 16.2. The percentage of polymorphism ranged from 58.33 % (SCoT 60) to 100 % (SCoT 12, SCoT 13, SCoT 29, SCoT 30) with an average of 90.29 %. Polymorphic information content (PIC) values characterize the polymorphism of used SCoT markers. The PIC values ranged from 0.578 (SCoT 60) to 0.932 (SCoT 36) with an average of 0.859. The genetic diversity of buckwheat was determined by hierarchical cluster analysis using the UPGMA algorithm in the created dendrogram. Genotypes of buckwheat were divided into two main clusters. Two genotypes of common buckwheat (Siva, Špačinska I) from Slovenia and the Slovak Republic, respectively, as well as another two tartary buckwheat genotypes (Tohno Zairai, Winsor Royal) from unknown regions, respectively, were genetically the closest. The PCoA plot confirmed the separation of tartary buckwheat from common buckwheat resulting in the constructed dendrogram According to our results, we can consider the SCoT technique appropriate for differentiation of Fagopyrum esculentum Moench and Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn. genotypes leading to genotype identification and utilization in the breeding process to improve the buckwheat genetic material.

Study of the features of masticatory efficiency in patients with acute cerebrovascular disorder by hemitype

The attention of dental researchers is constantly focused on assessing the quality of treatment for various pathologies of the dentоalveolar system, determining disorders of occlusal correlations, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the temporomandibular joint and periodontal tissue pathology. Numerous studies on the above aspects contain information on the characteristics of masticatory efficiency as one of the most vivid markers of orthopedic treatment, as it allows dentists to determine the quality of actual masticatory performance.The issues of functional diagnostics at the stages of rehabilitation of patients with partial defects of the dentition remain relevant, and therefore, the indicators of masticatory efficiency in prosthetics with removable dentures will be one of the most important criteria for adaptation to them. The situation exacerbates when such patients suffer from somatic pathologies of a neurological nature, in particular, acute cerebrovascular disorder.The aim of the research was to study the features of masticatory function in patients with a complicated course of acute cerebrovascular disorder with the neurological deficit by hemitypeThe study involved 25 people with a complicated course of acute cerebrovascular disorder with the neurological deficit by hemitype and 20 people from the control group, aged from 40 to 65 years, for whom partial removable laminar dentures with acrylic base and retaining bent metal clasps were manufactured according to clinical indications. All patients gave their free and informed consent to participate in the study.The masticatory efficiency was determined using the author's method based on the principle of graphical analysis of fragments of the agar-agar masticatory sample with subsequent programmed calculation and computer processing of numerical data.The evaluation indicators were as follows: the total number of fragments of the chewing sample and the number of fragments with a fraction of 500-1000 pixel2.Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using the Statistica 10.0 software package for Windows, and it embraced the following:1. Assessing the distribution of values and their correspondence to the normal one in the population.2. Comparison of the results obtained before applying a removable dental prosthesis and 30 days after its application.3. Intergroup comparison of the results.Thus, we observed an increase in the chewing sample parameters in the period from the beginning of orthopedic treatment until the 30th day of observation after applying a partial removable laminar denture. Despite the general trend, in the group of patients with ACVD, the masticatory efficiency was lower than that of the control group, which is confirmed by the difference between the total number of fragments (<17.22) and the number of fragments with a caliber of 500 to 1000 pixel2 (<4.41). In our opinion, this is due to the peculiarities of adaptation processes in patients with ACVD, who present with a much longer period than patients without a somatic pathology.The study revealed that the masticatory efficiency, restored by prosthetics with removable laminar dentures in the group of patients with a complicated course of ACVD by hemitype, one month after treatment is at the level of 88.68 (total number of fragments of the chewing sample) and 17.04 (number of fragments with a caliber of 500-1000 pixel2), which is a relatively worse indicator as compared to the control group. Thus, the total period of orthopedic rehabilitation for patients with ACVD is longer.

ARTIFACTS OF THE LATE BROZE AGE FROM MOKHNACH П SETTLEMENT

The article aims to introduce new finds of the Late Bronze Age from Mokhnach П settlement site at the Sіverskyi Donets river.
 Two archaeological object (pits 27 and 40) can be dated back to the Late Bronze Age. Finds are presented mostly by pottery sherds (31 units) discovered mostly in the excavation pit 1.
 The research program of the pottery assemblage includes account of its planographic distribution, distribution due to the type of sherds, analysis of shape, ornamentation, size, surface finishing, plastic raw material and paste recipes of vessels. Morphological and ornamentation classifications were built on the basis of the scheme developed on materials of Mosolovka site and the settlements of middle flew of Sіverskyi Donets river. Research of the plastic raw material and paste recipes was conducted using visual microscopic analysis, abridged MGR-analysis and thin-section analysis.
 Pottery assemblage includes 4 % of the total number of fragments discovered during excavations. Five pottery forms were identified: restricted and unrestricted jars, pot-like vessels, pots and ribbed vessels. Orifice diameters of jars, pot-like vessels and pots vary from 38.0 to 21.5 cm. Ribbed vessels on average are smaller than mentioned types and form to groups by size (with orifice diameters of 25 and 15—16 cm).
 Three techniques and nine elements of ornamentation were identified. Make-up of both surfaces prevails, fine-toothed comb treatment and coarse-toothed comb treatment of Pokrovka type are also presented.
 Two pottery fabrics can be distinguished in the assemblage with the naked eye. Five pottery samples were selected for purposes of technological analysis. Observations were conducted using the microscope on cross-cuts and fresh breaks of sherds before and after re-firing. Consequently two groups by features of plastic raw material and two paste recipes were identified. Both paste recipes include grog as an intentional addition.
 Due to method of the abridged Matrix Group by Refiring (MGR) analysis the samples were re-fired in controlled conditions up to from 1100 to 1200 °C. The results showed the identity of the matrix of all samples — non-calcareous, slightly over-melted (sovM). Their local production is suggested. The thin-section analysis allowed to clarify technological features of the samples with raw material type 1, paste type 1.
 Analyzed ceramic materials present traditions of the Wood-framed Graves entity. They mark new settlement site of the developed stage of the Wood-framed Graves entity and can be dated back to XVII—XVІ BC.
 Small size of the ceramic assemblage restricts its informative capacity. The importance of the research lies in testing the program of complex analysis of ceramic assemblages.

In situ histopathological and immunohistochemical characterization of rabies in the brains of naturally infected equines and bovines

The present study sought to characterize the phenomena involved in the histopathology of rabies and to assess the presence and amount of viral antigen in situ in different brain regions of naturally infected equines and bovines. The histopathological examination showed several changes due to inflammation, being most often infected cells neurons. The neuronal degeneration involved 100% of cases, in addition to a diffuse lymphocytic Infiltration and gliosis, characterized by vasculitis and perivasculitis. The presence of Negri bodies was in most cases in discreet, and the fragments with higher concentrations of antigen by both techniques employed were the cerebellum and the brain stem. Immunohistochemistry test (IHC) demonstrated greater sensitivity when applied to samples of bovines. Our results showed that in 37.5% of the total number of fragments analyzed, viral inclusions were not observed, however, there was an inflammatory process. In relation to the species, the fragments from bovine’s animals showed a slight increase when examined under this feature. These findings highlight the importance of submitting samples from suspected animals for laboratory diagnostic, even when there are no apparent abnormal histological findings.

Structural analysis of a fragmented area in Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

The theory of landscape ecology applied to the methods of spatial analysis helps to understand changes in the structure of forest remnants. In view of this theory, the objective of the present study was to analyze the structure of a fragmented area between the years 1979 and 2015 through calculation of landscape metrics for arboreal, shrubby and herbaceous vegetation classes. Vegetation classes were classified with visits to the field, interpretation of aerial photographs from 1979 and supervised classification of Landsat 8 from 2015. The metrics calculated for each class were area and total number of fragments, total edge and average connectivity among the fragments. The analysis of structure found that it changed negatively due to an increase in the number of small fragments, which increased the intensity of edge effects and reduced connectivity between fragments for all classes.

A search for evidence of small-scale inhomogeneities in dense cores from line profile analysis

In order to search for intensity fluctuations on the HCN(1–0) and HCO+(1–0) line profiles, which could arise due to possible small-scale inhomogeneous structure, long-term observations of high-mass star-forming cores S140 and S199 were carried out. The data were processed by the Fourier filtering method. Line temperature fluctuations that exceed the noise level were detected. Assuming the cores consist of a large number of randomly moving small thermal fragments, the total number of fragments is ∼ 4 × 106 for the region with linear size ∼ 0.1 pc in S140 and ∼ 106 for the region with linear size ∼ 0.3 pc in S199. Physical parameters of fragments in S140 were obtained from detailed modeling of the HCN emission in the framework of the clumpy cloud model.

DETERMINATION OF DEPENDENCE OF CHEWELESS EFFECTS FROM TEMPERAMENT

Introduction. Studies have shown that the style of each person's activity largely depends on the type of higher nervous activity entering the structure of his temperament.
 The temperament of an individual is considered innate, because it is a psychic property that does not lend itself to pedagogical correction and volitional regulation. Since the type of temperament affects the overall activity of the person, the idea arose to investigate the possibility of its influence on the work of the maxillofacial apparatus of young, healthy people.
 The aim of the work is to analyze the degree of dependence between chewing efficiency and human temperament with the help of the proposed improved method of chewing sampling.
 Materials and methods. The study, in which 59 people took part, of them 27 men (45.8%) and 32 women (54.2%) aged 17-25 years, was conducted on the basis of the laboratory of the Department of Propaedeutics of Orthopedic Dentistry of the HSEEU "Ukrainian Medical Stomatological Academy "(Poltava). The analysis of the obtained data showed absolute numerical superiority among the surveyed representatives of two temperamental groups: 1 group - sanguine, 17 of them 10 men and 7 women; 2 group - choleric people, 24 of them 9 men and 15 women.
 Samples for the chewing test were colloidal mass of agar-agar in the form of cylinders with a height of 10 and a diameter of 20 millimeters. All participants did 10 conventional chewing movements to grind the samples, after which all fragments of the test material were collected, washed, dried, the information was converted into photograph and was recorded in a computer base.
 Results. In the sanguine group, in determining the masticatory efficiency, the total number of fragments of the test sample ranged from 140.6 to 471.3, the average area of the fragments was 91.727 - 345.175 pxl2. In the choleric group, the total number of fragments of the test sample ranged from 194 to 644, and the average size of the fragments in the choleric group fluctuated 75.15 - 191.101 pxl2.
 The results of the study showed that representatives of the choleric group had a large total number of fragments of the test sample and a smaller average area. An increase in the number of fragments and a decrease in their area indicate a high masticatory efficiency, and therefore a better quality of chewing food, is observed in the choleric group. In the sanguine group, there is less total number of fragments and a larger average area compared to choleric, which indicates a lower chewing efficiency and, correspondingly, worse processing of food.
 Hypothesis (M0) on the absence of a statistical relationship between the parameters of the chewing test and a certain type of human temperament was developed. Accordingly, the alternative hypothesis (M1) relied on the assumption of a statistical relationship between these indicators. The obtained results did not allow rejecting the null hypothesis as when comparing the values of the total number of fragments and the mean values of these fragments. But, the confidence interval (0.052) of the mean fragment area values approaches the accepted critical level of significance (p = 0.05).
 Conclusions. Further statistical analysis showed that the numerical index of the average area of the chewing gum fragments is more reliable to a certain type of temperament in the experienced persons, which makes it possible to consider this parameter as a sensitive marker for assessing the condition of the dentoalveolar system in normal and pathological changes, including when determining the effectiveness of the orthopedic treatment.

Energy dependence of the complexity of DNA damage induced by carbon ions.

To assess the complexity of DNA damage induced by carbon ions as a function of their energy and LET, 2-Gy irradiations by 100 keV u(-1)-400 MeV u(-1) carbon ions were investigated using the PARTRAC code. The total number of fragments and the yield of fragments of <30 bp were calculated. The authors found a particularly important contribution of DNA fragmentation in the range of <1 kbp for specific energies of <6 MeV u(-1). They also considered the effect of different specific energies with the same LET, i.e. before and after the Bragg peak. As a first step towards a full characterisation of secondary particle production from carbon ions interacting with tissue, a comparison between DNA-damage induction by primary carbon ions and alpha particles resulting from carbon break-up is presented, for specific energies of >1 MeV u(-1).

Fragmentation of brittle plates by localized impact

We address the fragmentation of thin, brittle layers due to the impact of high-velocity projectiles. Our approach is a geometric statistical one, with lines and circles playing the role of cracks randomly located over the surface and following distributions that come from an analysis of how the energy input propagates and dissipates over the material. The cumulative mass distributions F(m) we obtain are in excellent agreement with the data produced by Kadono [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 1444 (1997)]. In the small mass regime we get F(m) ∼ m−α, with 0.1 &amp;lt; α &amp;lt; 0.3 for a broad range of dissipation strengths and total number of fragments. In addition we obtain the fractal dimension of the set of cracks and its correlation to the exponent α that account for the experimental results given by Kadono and Arakawa [Phys. Rev. E 65, 035107(R) (2002)].

Simulation Study Comparing the Effectiveness of the Gynecare Morcellex, the MOREsolution, and the Rotocut G1 Tissue Morcellators

Laparoscopic surgery has revolutionized the manner in which many operations are performed today. The volume of tissue to be removed during some operations can be a limiting factor for laparoscopy and is frequently a reason for converting from a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical approach to the conventional open surgical approach. The introduction of the electronic morcellator has helped facilitate the removal of large specimens via minimally invasive surgery. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Gynecare Morcellex® morcellator (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ), the MOREsolution™ morcellator (Blue Endo, Lenexa, Kansas), and the Rotocut™ G1 morcellator (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) tissue morcellators based upon their ease of use and efficacy in a simulation setting among an unbiased cohort of novice surgeons. University of Central Florida College of Medicine students were observed using the three different morcellators in a randomized order on 250 g beef tissue models and were surveyed on the ease of use of the morcellators. The MOREsolution™ tissue morcellator demonstrated significantly faster tissue morcellation times (544.6 ± 123.0 sec) and produced a higher number of long tissue fragments (7.44 ± 0.683) compared to the Rotocut™ G1 morcellators' time (609.7 ± 153.2 sec) and number of long tissue fragments (6.00 ± 0.638). No significant differences were found between the Gynecare Morcellex® and other morcellators in the total number of fragments obtained nor study participant opinion on the ease of use of the three morcellators. This study demonstrates that the MOREsolution™ morcellator is a faster morcellator and produces larger tissue fragments as compared to the Rotocut™ G1; however, more studies should be performed to confirm these findings in a clinical setting.

A performance analysis of channel fragmentation in dynamic spectrum access systems

Dynamic Spectrum Access systems offer temporarily available spectrum to opportunistic users capable of spreading transmissions over a number of non-contiguous subchannels. Such methods can be highly beneficial in terms of spectrum utilization, but excessive fragmentation degrades performance and hence off-sets the benefits. To get some insight into acceptable levels of fragmentation, we present experimental and analytical results derived from a mathematical model. According to the model, a system operates at capacity serving requests for bandwidth by assigning a collection of one or more gaps of unused bandwidth to each request as bandwidth becomes available. Our main result is a proof that, even if fragments can be arbitrarily small, the system remains stable in the sense that the average total number of fragments remains bounded. Within the class of dynamic fragmentation models, including models of dynamic storage allocation that have been around for many decades, this result appears to be the first of its kind. In addition, we provide extensive experimental results that describe behavior, at times unexpected, of fragmentation as parameter values are varied. Different scanning rules for searching gaps of available spectrum, all covered by the above stability result, are also studied. Our model applies to dynamic linked-list storage allocation, and provides a novel analysis in that domain. We prove that, interestingly, a version of the 50 % rule of the classical, non-fragmented allocation model holds for the new model as well. Overall, the paper provides insights into the behavior of practical fragmentation algorithms.

Quantitative 3-dimensional computed tomography measurement of distal humerus fractures

To measure the average number, size, shape and articular surface area of articular fracture fragments of the distal humerus using quantitative analysis of 3-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) images. Forty-eight computed tomography scans of distal humerus fractures were analyzed with quantitative 3DCT (Q3DCT). Twenty-one patients had a capitellum and trochlea fracture, and 27 patients had bicolumnar fractures of the distal humerus. The volume and articular surface area of each articular fracture fragment were measured. A small fragment was defined of having a volume of less than 500 mm(3) or an articular surface of less than 500 mm(2). Bicolumnar fractures have a mean of 9.3 fragments, 5.4 small fragments, and 3.7 articular fragments per fracture. Trochlea and capitellum fractures have a mean of 3.6 fragments, 1.5 small fragments, and 2.3 articular fragments per fracture. For each fracture type, the number of small fragments correlated with the total number of fragments. Columnar fractures had more articular fragments and more small fragments than trochlea and capitellum fractures.

A posteriori joint detection of a recurring tuple of reference fragments in a quasi-periodic sequence

The problem of joint detection of a recurring tuple of reference fragments in a noisy numerical quasi-periodic sequence is solved in the framework of the a posteriori (off-line) approach. It is assumed that (i) the total number of fragments in the sequence is known, (ii) the index of the sequence member corresponding to the beginning of a fragment is a deterministic (not random) value, and (iii) a sequence distorted by an additive uncorrelated Gaussian noise is available for observation. It is shown that the problem consists of testing a set of simple hypotheses about the mean of a random Gaussian vector. A specific feature of the problem is that the cardinality of the set grows exponentially as the vector dimension (i.e., the length of the observed sequence) and the number of fragments in the sequence increase. It is established that the search for a maximum-likelihood hypothesis is equivalent to the search for arguments that maximize a special auxiliary objective function with linear inequality constraints. It is shown that this function is maximized by solving the basic extremum problem. It is proved that this problem is solvable in polynomial time. An exact algorithm for its solution is substantiated that underlies an algorithm guaranteeing optimal (maximum-likelihood) detection of a recurring tuple of reference fragments. The results of numerical simulation demonstrate the noise stability of the detection algorithm.

DNA Methylation Polymorphisms in Rice and Wild Rice Strains: Detection of Epigenetic Markers

In plants, phenotypic variations have generally been found to be caused by genetic changes. However, it has recently been shown that phenotypic variations can also be potentially caused by epigenetic changes due to aberrant methylation states. To survey polymorphisms in methylation states in the genomic segments from nine strains of Oryza sativa and O. rufipogon, we employed the methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) method based on AFLP analysis using isoschizomers differing in their methylation sensitivity, HpaII and MspI. In addition to MSAP analysis, we applied the MITE-transposon-display method to detect methylation-sensitive MITE-flanking polymorphisms (MSMPs) for surveying the methylation state of the genomes. The frequency of occurrence of the methylated fragments detected by these analyses varied depending on the three primers targeting two different MITE sequences for MSMP and EcoRI sites for MSAP. This suggests that MITEs are associated with the methylation state in their proximal regions. Comparison of the fragment patterns between any two of the nine strains revealed polymorphisms of the methylation state referred to as epigenetic markers (epi-markers). A phylogenetic tree based on epi-markers within non-polymorphic fragments was analogous to that based on genetic markers. On the other hand, the proportion of epi-markers in the total number of fragments was constant at 2-3% in all the combinations of two strains. Our results enabled us to predict that the epi-markers are potentially linked to phenotypic variations, and that this possibility is more likely to occur between closely related strains.

DNA fingerprinting studies in coloured cotton genotypes

AbstractA collection of 11 coloured cotton Gossypium hirsutum genotypes and four white linted genotypes of different origin were evaluated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. These 15 cotton genotypes were evaluated using 32 different 10‐mer primers of arbitrary sequences. All 32 primers were polymorphic ‐ in total, 287 amplified fragments were observed in these patterns. Out of the 287 fragments, 219 were polymorphic accounting for 76.31% of the total number of fragments. Similarity indices were calculated using the Dice coefficient and a dendrogram showing relationships between genotypes was obtained by Unweighted Pair Group Method of Arithmetic Average (UPGMA) cluster analysis. Cluster analysis showed clear‐cut separation of the coloured and white linted genotypes and thus formed three clusters (I, II and III). Among the coloured linted genotypes, all except ‘Parbhani American’ and ‘Lousiana brown’ clustered together. Cluster II contained white linted genotypes orginating from the same breeding station. The results indicate that RAPDs may constitute a relatively simple and efficient method for analysing genetic variation in coloured and white linted G. hirsutum collections.

Automated approach for ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis of microbial diversity and its application to freshwater bacterial communities.

An automated method of ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) was developed for the rapid estimation of microbial diversity and community composition in freshwater environments. Following isolation of total community DNA, PCR amplification of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region in the rRNA operon was performed with a fluorescence-labeled forward primer. ARISA-PCR fragments ranging in size from 400 to 1,200 bp were next discriminated and measured by using an automated electrophoresis system. Database information on the 16S-23S intergenic spacer was also examined, to understand the potential biases in diversity estimates provided by ARISA. In the analysis of three natural freshwater bacterial communities, ARISA was rapid and sensitive and provided highly reproducible community-specific profiles at all levels of replication tested. The ARISA profiles of the freshwater communities were quantitatively compared in terms of both their relative diversity and similarity level. The three communities had distinctly different profiles but were similar in their total number of fragments (range, 34 to 41). In addition, the pattern of major amplification products in representative profiles was not significantly altered when the PCR cycle number was reduced from 30 to 15, but the number of minor products (near the limit of detection) was sensitive to changes in cycling parameters. Overall, the results suggest that ARISA is a rapid and effective community analysis technique that can be used in conjunction with more accurate but labor-intensive methods (e.g., 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing) when fine-scale spatial and temporal resolution is needed.

Compter ou peser... ? Valeurs absolues ou relatives... ?

The study of archaeological artefacts collected in samples on the surface of sites, as well as those coming from excavations, raises several problems of evaluation of their actual amount (in number or by weight, as relative or absolute values) ; this has been rarely considered from a general and pragmatic or, even less, theorical point of view. The experimental survey conducted at Hamriyah she in the Sharjah Emirate gave us an opportunity to tackle problems of validity of some descriptive parameters of the population of the collected shell remains (percentage in number or by weight in all or part of the sample, law of division of shells, average weight of fragments according to the species...). Moreover, an attempt was made for establishing some empirical formulas which could allow to deduce, from some of these easily obtainable parameters, other types of data such as the total number of fragments, or even the number of fragments and the weight of shells of each species in a given sample.

Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Citrus (Rutaceae) and related genera as revealed by RFLP and RAPD analysis

Relationships among 88 accessions representing 45 Citrus species, three man-made hybrids, and six related genera were examined for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP). Thirty-two Citrus and three Microcitrus accessions were also examined by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. A measure of relative heterozygosity was estimated based on the mean of the number of fragments per individual per probe-enzyme combination (PEC) divided by total number of fragments per PEC for all non-hybrid Citrus individuals. The presence in a Citrus species of a rare band found also in a related genus was taken as an indication of possible introgression, while the presence of several fragments unique to 1 species was used to indicate non-involvement of that species in hybridization events. Most species that have been described in the literature as hybrids had high heterozygosity indices and no unique fragments. Distance matrices and dendrograms were generated using simple matching coefficient and neighbor-joining cluster analysis. RFLP and RAPD data gave approximately the same results. These data showed C. maxima was affiliated with the papedas C. hongheensis and C. latipes. C. medica clustered with C. indica when only non-hybrid taxa were examined, or among limes, lemons, and relatives when all species were considered. Mandarins did not show strongly supported groupings among themselves, nor with other species. These data showed that several accessions were probably assigned to the wrong species.