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Ein Schockraum ohne Ultraschallgerat ist nicht mehr vorstellbar. Dies zeigt die grose Bedeutung der Sonographie nicht nur bei Traumapatienten, sondern auch in der nichttraumatischen Schockraumversorgung. Nationale und internationale Leitlinien empfehlen den Einsatz bei einer Vielzahl von Erkrankungen, wie dem akuten Koronarsyndrom, dem infarktbedingten kardiogenen Schock, der Lungenarterienembolie und den akuten Aortenerkrankungen. Ein strukturiertes Vorgehen ist insbesondere im Schockraum aufgrund der dynamischen und zeitkritischen Situation notwendig. Anhand haufiger Leitsymptome, die zur Aufnahme in den Schockraum fuhren, werden Algorithmen aufgezeigt, die eine rasche Abarbeitung erlauben. Angelehnt an das etablierte ABCDE-Schema werden Einsatzmoglichkeiten der Sonographie vorgestellt.

Ultrasound is an important tool in diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients. For trauma patients the eFAST (extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma) algorithm is already implemented in the diagnostic pathway. However, critically ill patients without trauma also need a structured approach including an early focused ultrasonographic exam. National and international guidelines regarding critical illnesses such as acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism or acute aortic syndromes recommend the use of ultrasound. We present pathways how ultrasound can be used in the diagnostic approach of common symptoms such as dyspnea, shock and abdominal pain. Using the ABCDE approach this article shows how ultrasound can be incorporated into the diagnostic pathway.Ein Schockraum ohne Ultraschallgerät ist nicht mehr vorstellbar. Dies zeigt die große Bedeutung der Sonographie nicht nur bei Traumapatienten, sondern auch in der nichttraumatischen Schockraumversorgung. Nationale und internationale Leitlinien empfehlen den Einsatz bei einer Vielzahl von Erkrankungen, wie dem akuten Koronarsyndrom, dem infarktbedingten kardiogenen Schock, der Lungenarterienembolie und den akuten Aortenerkrankungen. Ein strukturiertes Vorgehen ist insbesondere im Schockraum aufgrund der dynamischen und zeitkritischen Situation notwendig. Anhand häufiger Leitsymptome, die zur Aufnahme in den Schockraum führen, werden Algorithmen aufgezeigt, die eine rasche Abarbeitung erlauben. Angelehnt an das etablierte ABCDE-Schema werden Einsatzmöglichkeiten der Sonographie vorgestellt.

Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di valutare l’incremento della temperatura di rumore nei ricevitori banda K (18 - 26 GHz) e banda C (5.5 – 7.7 GHz), posizionati, rispettivamente, nel fuoco gregoriano e nella Beam waveguide del Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), in seguito all’inserimento di una nuova protezione come copertura della Vertex room. La necessità di tale studio è dovuta alle criticità presentate dall’attuale materiale usato come protezione della stanza del fuoco gregoriano del radio telescopio. Il materiale di base attualmente in uso è lo Styrodur 3035CS, un polistirene espanso estruso che ha un bassissima attenuazione, come dimostrato dal suo notevole utilizzo nelle finestre dei diversi ricevitori sviluppati in questi anni all’INAF, ma con l’inconveniente di peggiorare le sue prestazioni col tempo a causa dei danni procurati dagli agenti atmosferici (quali raggi UV, pioggia, ghiaccio). Al fine di ridurre l’usura dello Styrodur, abbiamo testato l’utilizzo di diversi elementi protettivi superficiali come vernici, prodotti idrorepellenti e teli di Goretex e polietilene, stimando l’effetto di queste protezioni sulla temperatura di rumore del sistema. Per tale verifica è stata misurata la variazione della temperatura di sistema Tsys del radiotelescopio al variare del tipo di protezione utilizzato.

Die europaischen Leitlinien zum Management der schweren Blutung und Koagulopathie nach Trauma empfehlen seit dem Jahr 2013 die fruhestmogliche Gabe von Tranexamsaure (TXA) zur Inhibierung der Hyperfibrinolyse, die im Zuge der traumaassoziierten Koagulopathie (TIK) bereits bei Klinikaufnahme bestehen kann. Weiter empfehlen die Leitlinienautoren, dass Behandlungsalgorithmen zum Management der schweren Blutung nach Trauma die praklinische Applikation von TXA beinhalten sollten. Daten zur praklinischen Vorhaltung von TXA in Deutschland existieren bislang nicht. Ziel der Arbeit war es, aussagekraftige Daten uber die Vorhaltung von TXA im deutschen Rettungsdienst und zur Behandlung der TIK zu generieren. Es wurde ein dreiteiliger Fragebogen entwickelt. Im Zeitraum vom 01.07.2015 bis 31.08.2015 wurden insgesamt 326 Arztliche Leiter Rettungsdienst (ALRD) in Deutschland per E‑Mail zu einer anonymisierten Onlineumfrage eingeladen. Der Onlinefragebogen wurde von 163 ALRD beantwortet. Hieraus ergab sich eine Rucklaufquote von 50 %. TXA wurde zum Erhebungszeitpunkt in 52,8 % der Rettungsdienstbereiche vorgehalten. In 26 % der Bereiche, die keine TXA vorhielten, ist dies fur die Zukunft geplant. Die Vorhaltungsquote stieg seit 2010 deutlich an. Masgeblich hierfur wurden Leitlinienempfehlungen genannt. SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) zur praklinischen Anwendung von TXA existierten in 17,4 %. Eine Dosisempfehlung wurde von 76,7 % (n = 66) der ALRD gegeben. Uber 80 % der Dosierungsempfehlungen orientierten sich an den internationalen Empfehlungen. TXA wurde zum Erhebungszeitpunkt mit steigender Tendenz in uber der Halfte der Rettungsdienstbereiche vorgehalten. Eine flachendeckende Vorhaltung ergibt sich hieraus jedoch noch nicht.

Almost all dwarf galaxies in the Local Group that are not satellites of the Milky Way or M31, belong to either one of two highly-symmetric planes. It is still a matter of debate, whether these planar structures are dynamically stable or whether they only represent a transient alignment. Proper motions, if they could be measured, could help to discriminate between these scenarios. Such motions could be determined with multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) of sources that show emission from water and methanol at frequencies of 22 and 6.7 GHz, respectively. We report searches for such masers. We have mapped three Local Group galaxies, NGC6822, IC1613 and WLM in the bands covering the water vapor and methanol lines. These systems are members of the two above mentioned planes of galaxies. We have produced deep radio continuum (RC) maps and spectral line cubes. The former have been used to identify star forming regions and to derive global galactic star formation rates (SFRs). These SFRs turn out to be lower than those determined at other wavelengths in two of our sources. This indicates that dwarf galaxies may follow predictions on the RC-SFR relation only in individual regions of enhanced radio continuum emission, but not when considering the entire optical body of the sources. No methanol or water maser emission has been confidently detected, down to line luminosity limits of ~0.004 and 0.01 solar luminosities, respectively. This finding is consistent with the small sizes, low SFRs and metallicities of these galaxies., 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS. A high-resolution version of the paper can be found at the link http://erg.oa-cagliari.inaf.it/preprints/SRT_LGdwarfs_I.pdf

Background: General (GA)- and epidural-anesthesia may cause a drop in body-core-temperature (BCTdrop), and hypothermia, which may alter tissue oxygenation (StO2) and microperfusion after cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer. Cell metabolism of subcutaneous fat- or skeletal muscle cells, measured in microdialysis, may be affected. We hypothesized that forced-air prewarming during epidural catheter placement and induction of GA maintains normothermia and improves microperfusion. Methods: After ethics approval 47 women scheduled for cytoreductive surgery were prospectively enrolled. Women in the study group were treated with a prewarming of 43°C during epidural catheter placement. BCT (Spot on®, 3M) was measured before (T1), after induction of GA (T2) at 15 min (T3) after start of surgery, and until 2h after ICU admission (TICU2h). Primary endpoint was BCTdrop between T1 and T2. Microperfusion-, hemodynamic- and clinical outcomes were defined as secondary outcomes. Statistical analysis used the Mann-Whitney-U- and non-parametric-longitudinal tests. Results: BCTdrop was 0.35 °C with prewarming and 0.9 °C without prewarming (p< 0.005) and BCT remained higher over the observation period (ΔT4 = 0.9 °C up to ΔT7 = 0.95 °C, p

The GIARPS/GRAVITY survey aims to obtain a set of high spatial and spectral resolution data for a sample of T-Tauri and Herbig AeBe stars (∼100 objects) selected from the VLTI/GRAVITY GTO sample of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). GIARPS is a broad-band spectrometer combining HARPS-N and GIANO which allows high-resolution spectra from 0.44 μm (R ∼ 115, 000) to 2.44 μm (R ∼ 50, 000) in one observation. By combining this high spectral resolution with the high spatial resolution (∼1 mas) of GRAVITY, a view of unprecedented detail can be obtained of the innermost regions of circumstellar discs in YSOs spanning a wide range of masses (0.1–5 M⊙) and ages (105–107 yr). The ultimate goal is to model the accretion and ejection mechanisms, and study how they evolve as a function of YSO mass and age, using the spatially and spectrally resolved atomic and molecular lines from the inner gaseous regions.

The relationships between milk composition, coagulation properties and cheese-making traits in sheep milk were characterised. Ten traits related to milk coagulation (RCTeq, kCF, CFp), cheese yield (%CYCURD, %CYSOLIDS, %CYWATER), and curd nutrients recovery or whey loss (%RECFAT, %RECPROTEIN, %RECSOLIDS, %RECENERGY) were recorded. To obtain a measure of the efficiency in terms of %CY, the ratio between the observed and the theoretical %CY (Ef-%CYCURD, Ef-%CYSOLIDS) was calculated. Sheep milk showed good qualities for coagulation and cheese production; milk lactose appeared to be the component most linked to gelation, curd firming time and water retained in the curd. In the case of milk protein, an opposite relationship with gelation time was observed. Milk fat and protein positively affected total solids recovery and yield inducing higher %CYCURD. Relationships with CFt parameters were limited; curd firming instant rate seems to be the most informative trait to assess the efficiency of the cheese-making process.

The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is a 64-m, fully-steerable single-dish radio telescope that was recently commissioned both technically and scientifically with regard to the basic observing modes. In order to improve the scientific capability and cover all the requirements for an advanced single-dish radio telescope, we developed the SArdinia Roach2-based Digital Architecture for Radio Astronomy (SARDARA), a wide-band, multi-feed, general-purpose, and reconfigurable digital platform, whose preliminary setup was used in the early science program of the SRT in 2016. In this paper, we describe the backend both in terms of its scientific motivation and technical design, how it has been interfaced with the telescope environment during its development and, finally, its scientific commissioning in different observing modes with single-feed receivers.

The dwarf galaxies in the Local Group (LG) reveal a surprising amount of spatial structuring. In particular, almost all non-satellite dwarfs belong to one of two planes that show a very pronounced symmetry. In order to determine if these structures in the LG are dynamically stable or, alternatively, if they only represent transient alignments, proper motion measurements of these galaxies are required. A viable method to derive proper motions is offered by VLBI studies of 22-GHz water (and 6.7-GHz methanol) maser lines in star-forming regions.In 2016, in the framework of the Early Science Program of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), we have conducted an extensive observational campaign to map the entire optical body of all the LG dwarf galaxies that belong to the two planes, at C and K band, in a search for methanol and water maser emission.Here, we outline the project and present its first results on 3 targets, NGC 6822, IC 1613, and WLM. While no luminous maser emission has been detected in these galaxies, a number of interesting weaker detections has been obtained, associated with particularly active star forming regions. In addition, we have produced deep radio continuum maps for these galaxies, aimed at investigating their star forming activity and providing an improved assessment of star formation rates in these galaxies.

The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is a new 64-m across radio astronomical facility located in Sardinia, Italy, and operated by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). It can operate on a broad frequency range −300 MHz to 115 GHz, and is equipped with three different focus solutions: a primary, a Gregorian, and four Beam Wave Guide foci. The primary mirror is an active surface able to compensate the gravitational stress variations at different elevations and keeps the antenna gain flat and optimal at any elevation, as proven by regular observations of the 20-GHz system of the telescope. The optics is shaped and designed to minimise bandpass ripples that can jeopardise deep spectroscopic observations. Tests have delivered stunning results making SRT a world-class instrument for spectro-scopic astrophysical research. Currently, the receiver fleet comprises a P-L-band co-axial receiver (300–410 MHz and 1300–1800 MHz), a C–band system (5.7–7.7 GHz), and a K-band 7-beam array (18–26 GHz). A second C-band receiver (4.2–5.6 GHz), a 7-beam S-band array (3.0–4.5 GHz) and a 19-beam Q-band array (33–50 GHz) are being developed. The P-L-band package has an ultra-broad frequency coverage and its extension to 300 MHz at the low frequency end makes it a unique pulsar research machine in the current international radio astronomical context. The telescope has officially commenced its single-dish operations on 1 February 2016 with the start of an Early Science Program (ESP) that has been delivering stunning results. In this talk we will present the telescope, its main features that make it a unique radio astronomical instrument for several types of astrophysical observations, and results from its ESP campaign.

Antagonistic relationship between milk yield and reproduction is reported in several livestock species. This study aimed to investigate whether genetic merit for milk production in dairy sheep affects responses to superovulation, embryo yield and quality. A total of 21 cross-bred Sarda x Lacaune ewes homogeneous for age, parity and stage of lactation were included. The ewes were stratified as high-producing or low-producing based on their genetic merit for milk production estimated by a pentatrait repeatability animal model. Oestrus was synchronized using an intravaginal progesterone pessary inserted on Day 0 and removed on Day 14. Superovulatory treatment consisted of 350 I.U. of porcine FSH administered in eight decreasing intramuscular doses every 12 hr with a total dose of 10 ml of solution starting 12 days after insertion of sponges. Laparoscopic artificial insemination (AI) was performed 48 hr after pessary removal. Surgical embryo recovery was performed at Day 8 after pessary removal. Correlation between breeding value for milk production and the number of corpora lutea (CL) was significantly different from zero (-0.49). High-producing ewes had a lower number of CL than low-producing counterparts (7.6 ± 2.50 vs 12.1 ± 5.16 respectively; p < .02). Furthermore, there was a tendency for high-producing ewes to yield fewer embryos than low-producing females (5.3 ± 3.46 vs 9.18 ± 5.11; p = .09). No differences were observed between ewes in both genetic groups with regard to the number of embryos of grades 1, 2 and 3. To our knowledge, this is the first report highlighting an antagonism between genetic merit for milk production and the ability to produce embryos in sheep. These results deserve to be considered in sheep breeding programmes.

[Abridged] The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is the new 64-m dish operated by INAF (Italy). Its active surface will allow us to observe at frequencies of up to 116 GHz. At the moment, three receivers, one per focal position, have been installed and tested. The SRT was officially opened in October 2013, upon completion of its technical commissioning phase. In this paper, we provide an overview of the main science drivers for the SRT, describe the main outcomes from the scientific commissioning of the telescope, and discuss a set of observations demonstrating the SRT's scientific capabilities. One of the main objectives of scientific commissioning was the identification of deficiencies in the instrumentation and/or in the telescope sub-systems for further optimization. As a result, the overall telescope performance has been significantly improved. As part of the scientific commissioning activities, different observing modes were tested and validated, and first astronomical observations were carried out to demonstrate the science capabilities of the SRT. In addition, we developed astronomer-oriented software tools, to support future observers on-site. The astronomical validation activities were prioritized based on technical readiness and scientific impact. The highest priority was to make the SRT available for joint observations as part of European networks. As a result, the SRT started to participate (in shared-risk mode) in EVN (European VLBI Network) and LEAP (Large European Array for Pulsars) observing sessions in early 2014. The validation of single-dish operations for the suite of SRT first light receivers and backends continued in the following years, and was concluded with the first call for shared-risk/early-science observations issued at the end of 2015., 26 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in Section 13 'Astronomical instrumentation' of Astronomy & Astrophysics

G351.776-0.527 is among the most massive, closest, and youngest filaments in the inner Galactic plane and therefore it is an ideal laboratory to study the kinematics of dense gas and mass replenishment on a large scale. In this paper, we present far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre wavelength continuum observations combined with spectroscopic C$^{18}$O (2-1) data of the entire region to study its temperature, mass distribution, and kinematics. The structure is composed of a main elongated region with an aspect ratio of $\sim 23$, which is associated with a network of filamentary structures. The main filament has a remarkably constant width of 0.2 pc. The total mass of the network (including the main filament) is $\geq 2600$ M$_\odot$, while we estimate a mass of $\sim 2000$ M$_\odot$ for the main structure. Therefore, the network harbours a large reservoir of gas and dust that could still be accreted onto the main structure. From the analysis of the gas kinematics, we detect two velocity components in the northern part of the main filament. The data also reveal velocity oscillations in C$^{18}$O along the spine in the main filament and in at least one of the branches. Considering the region as a single structure, we find that it is globally close to virial equilibrium indicating that the entire structure is approximately in a stable state., 18 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Trauma-induced coagulopathy, one of the leading causes of trauma-related death, is detected in about one of four trauma patients upon hospital admission. The current European Management of Major Bleeding and Coagulopathy Following Trauma guidelines, published in 2013, recommend that tranexamic acid (TXA) be administered as early as possible to inhibit hyperfibrinolysis (grade of recommendation (GoR 1A)). Furthermore, it is suggested that protocols for the management of patients with bleeding or showing signs of bleeding include the administration of the first dose of TXA at the site of injury or during transportation to hospital (GoR 2C). There is no current data showing to what extent TXA is used in the pre-hospital settings in Germany.This study aimed to collect data about the availability of TXA in the German emergency medical service (EMS). We tried to determine how many EMS stored and used TXA, under which circumstances the substance was used and whether any standard operating procedures (SOPs) were in use. The study also tried to determine what dosage recommendations exist.Between 1 July and 31 August 2015, a total of 326 German emergency medical directors (EMDs) were asked to take part in a survey, which involved answering an online questionnaire.Altogether 163 EMD answered the questionnaire (response rate 50%). The results showed that 52.8% of EMDs stored TXA in their vehicles and 26% planned to do so in the future. The availability of TXA in the EMS has increased since 2010. Most EMDs stated that guidelines were the reason for this. SOPs existed in 17.4%. Dosage recommendations were defined by the EMDs in 76.7%. More than 80% of dosage recommendations followed the European guideline.The survey shows a widespread distribution of TXA in the German EMS, which has significantly increased between 2010 and 2015. However, nationwide distribution has not yet been established. This rise in distribution is interpreted as a reaction to national and European guidelines for the management of severe bleeding and trauma care. A remaining question is to determine which patients should be treated with TXA, as hyperfibrinolysis is not detectable at the site of injury.

SETI, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, is the search for radio signals emitted by alien civilizations living in the Galaxy. Narrow-band FFT-based approaches have been preferred in SETI, since their computation time only grows like N*lnN, where N is the number of time samples. On the contrary, a wide-band approach based on the Kahrunen-Lo`eve Transform (KLT) algorithm would be preferable, but it would scale like N*N. In this paper, we describe a hardware-software infrastructure based on FPGA boards and GPU-based PCs that circumvents this computation-time problem allowing for a real-time KLT.

We present new observations of the galaxy cluster 3C 129 obtained with the Sardinia Radio Telescope in the frequency range 6000-7200 MHz, with the aim to image the large-angular-scale emission at high-frequency of the radio sources located in this cluster of galaxies. The data were acquired using the recently-commissioned ROACH2-based backend to produce full-Stokes image cubes of an area of 1 deg x 1 deg centered on the radio source 3C 129. We modeled and deconvolved the telescope beam pattern from the data. We also measured the instrumental polarization beam patterns to correct the polarization images for off-axis instrumental polarization. Total intensity images at an angular resolution of 2.9 arcmin were obtained for the tailed radio galaxy 3C 129 and for 13 more sources in the field, including 3C 129.1 at the galaxy cluster center. These data were used, in combination with literature data at lower frequencies, to derive the variation of the synchrotron spectrum of 3C 129 along the tail of the radio source. If the magnetic field is at the equipartition value, we showed that the lifetimes of radiating electrons result in a radiative age for 3C 129 of t_syn = 267 +/- 26 Myrs. Assuming a linear projected length of 488 kpc for the tail, we deduced that 3C 129 is moving supersonically with a Mach number of M=v_gal/c_s=1.47. Linearly polarized emission was clearly detected for both 3C 129 and 3C 129.1. The linear polarization measured for 3C 129 reaches levels as high as 70% in the faintest region of the source where the magnetic field is aligned with the direction of the tail., Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We analyze extragalactic extinction profiles derived through gamma-ray burst afterglows, using a dust model specifically constructed on the assumption that dust grains are not immutable but respond, time-dependently, to the local physics. Such a model includes core-mantle spherical particles of mixed chemical composition (silicate core, sp2, and sp3 carbonaceous layers), and an additional molecular component in the form of free-flying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We fit most of the observed extinction profiles. Failures occur for lines of sight, presenting remarkable rises blueward of the bump. We find a tendency for the carbon chemical structure to become more aliphatic with the galactic activity, and to some extent with increasing redshifts. Moreover, the contribution of the molecular component to the total extinction is more important in younger objects. The results of the fitting procedure (either successes and failures) may be naturally interpreted through an evolutionary prescription based on the carbon cycle in the interstellar medium of galaxies.

The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is a modern, fully-steerable 64-m dish located in San Basilio, Sardinia (Italy). It is characterized by an active surface that allows it to cover a wide range of radio frequencies (300 MHz to 100 GHz). During SRT’s commissioning phase, we installed the hardware and software needed for pulsar observations. Since then, SRT has taken part in Large European Array for Pulsars and European Pulsar Timing Array observations for the purpose of gravitational wave detection. We have installed a new S-band receiver that will allow us to search for pulsars in the Galactic Center. We also plan to combine our efforts to search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) with the search for pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts.

Microstructure is observed on many lines of sight in the diffuse interstellar medium, mainly through variations in atomic line absorptions on timescales of a decade or less. This timescale implies that microstructure exists on a size scale comparable with that of the solar system; it is overpressured and transient. Both observations and theory confirm that a specific chemistry occurs in microstructure. We therefore explore a model of diffuse interstellar gas in which the chemistry in diffuse clouds is supplemented by chemistry in many transient and tiny perturbations. These perturbations are here assumed to be of unidentified origin, but it is assumed that ambipolar diffusion occurs within them. For plausible physical parameters, we find that this model can account for the range of molecular column densities observed in diffuse clouds, including species not usually accounted for by conventional models. Some molecular ions, predicted to be generated in the microstructure (including HS+, CH+ 2, CH+ 3, H2O+, and H3O+) but not yet observed in diffuse clouds, should be present at levels that may allow their detection.

Aims.The CS (J = 2-1) line was searched at locations with brightest 13CO (J=1-0) emissions in the region in front of the star Cyg OB2 No. 12. Methods.The observations were made with the 20-m millimeter wave telescope at Onsala using a 1024-channel autocorrelator with a resolution of 50 kHz (0.14 km s-1). Results.The line was detected only in one position (core B) with main beam brightness temperature $T_{\rm MB} = 0.15(2)$ K at $v_{\rm LSR} = 11.4(1)$ km s-1. Conclusions.The line excitation analysis suggests that core B could be a Bok globule in consideration of its morphology, chemistry and physical conditions.

Background Natural killer cells are involved in the complex mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases but few studies have investigated their role in autoimmune hepatitis. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors are key regulators of natural killer cell-mediated immune responses. Methods and Findings KIR gene frequencies, KIR haplotypes, KIR ligands and combinations of KIRs and their HLA Class I ligands were investigated in 114 patients diagnosed with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and compared with a group of 221 healthy controls. HLA Class I and Class II antigen frequencies were compared to those of 551 healthy unrelated families representative of the Sardinian population. In our cohort, type 1 autoimmune hepatitis was strongly associated with the HLA-B18, Cw5, DR3 haplotype. The KIR2DS1 activating KIR gene and the high affinity HLA-C2 ligands were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. Patients also had a reduced frequency of HLA-Bw4 ligands for KIR3DL1 and HLA-C1 ligands for KIR2DL3. Age at onset was significantly associated with the KIR2DS1 activating gene but not with HLA-C1 or HLA-C2 ligand groups. Conclusions The activating KIR gene KIR2DS1 resulted to have an important predictive potential for early onset of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis. Additionally, the low frequency of the KIR-ligand combinations KIR3DL1/HLA-Bw4 and KIR2DL3/HLA-C1 coupled to the high frequency of the HLA-C2 high affinity ligands for KIR2DS1 could contribute to unwanted NK cell autoreactivity in AIH-1.

We model the extinction profiles observed in the Small and Large Magellanic clouds with a synthetic population of dust grains consisting of core-mantle particles and a collection of free-flying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). All different flavors of the extinction curves observed in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) can be described by the present model, which has been previously (successfully) applied to a large sample of diffuse and translucent lines of sight in the Milky Way. We find that in the MCs the extinction produced by classical grains is generally larger than absorption by PAHs. Within this model, the nonlinear far-UV rise is accounted for by PAHs, whose presence in turn is always associated with a gap in the size distribution of classical particles. This hints either at a physical connection between (e.g., a common cause for) PAHs and the absence of middle-sized dust particles or the need for an additional component in the model that can account for the nonlinear far-UV rise without contributing to the UV bump at ~217 nm such as, e.g., nanodiamonds.

We discuss the observational differences between lines of sight that intercept a group of turbulent dissipative structures and lines of sight that cross less-active regions. Using time-dependent calculations we show that the energy level distribution of the hydrogen molecule evolves in time in response to the local thermal phase. We find that relatively simple models can explain the observed properties of molecular hydrogen in diffuse interstellar clouds in terms of time evolution induced by collisional excitation in a low-density, high-temperature gas.

We have investigated, in the 13CO(1-0) line, the region between the stars Cyg OB2 No. 5 and No, 12. The integrated intensity contour map reveals the existence of a condensation at 12 km s-1 (core C), north-west of Cyg OB2 No. 5, with a core-halo structure. The morphology and the derived physical parameters make it quite similar to core A, previously discovered towards Cyg OB2 No. 12. A second condensation at 7 km s -1, near Cyg OB2 No. 12, has been mapped in the same line (1-0) of 13CO. A summary of different observations, in all spectral regions, towards Cyg OB2 No. 5 and No. 12 is presented to provide the material for a further comprehensive discussion of this intricate and still intriguing region.

Two experiments were carried out on 48 Sarda (Sa) and 48 Charolais×Sarda (F1) grazing cows using a factorial design: 2 genotypes×2 feeding levels targeted to low (2, L) and high (3, H) body condition scores (BCS) at calving and in the following 3 months×2 suckling frequencies. These were ad libitum suckling (ADLIB) versus restricted (RESTR) to one suckling per day (45–90 days postpartum) in experiment 1 and ad libitum suckling (ADLIB) versus isolated (ISOL, one suckling daily between days 25 and 50 with no visual or auditory contacts between dams and calves outside the daily suckling period) in experiment 2. In experiment 1 postpartum anoestrus interval (PPI) was shorter in SaL than in F1L cows ( P P P P P

Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) for milk yield (ME) wasinvestigated by analyzing 40 140 first lactation records performed in 538 flocks. Flock–year effects from national genetic evaluation were used to define low (L), medium (M) and high (H) yielding environments. Differences observed between adjacent subsets were approximately 20% of the trait overall mean. Sire variance components estimated using multitrait analysis were 58, 82 and 149% of the estimate from the complete dataset (L, M and H, respectively) and genetic correlation coefficient between extreme subsets was 0.66, lower than genetic correlations obtained from randomly sampled subsets. Rank correlation coefficients between estimated transmitting abilities (ETA), obtained independently within L, M and H subsets for 71 AI rams having at least 10 daughters per subset, were lower than one (ranging from 0.42 to 0.56). These results strongly supported the existence of GEI for milk yield in Sarda sheep flocks. The influence of GEI on phenotypic responses in flocks differing in yield level could be due to a reduced expression of genes under conditions of restricted environmental opportunity. Splitting the selection scheme according to farming conditions does not seem a suitable solution for the Sarda breeding program. Thus, to provide farmers with genotypes suitable to exhibit a good phenotypic expression in different conditions, the selection across all environments, in which the descendants are expected to perform, still seems the best option. Genotyp-Umwelt-Interaktion fur Milchleistung bei Sarda Milchschafen Die Genotyp-Umwelt-Interaktion (GEI) fur Milchleistung (ME) wurde anhand von 40.140 Aufzeichnungen der Erstlaktation in 538 Herden untersucht. Offiziell erfasste Daten zu Herden- und Jahreseffekten wurden verwendet, um niedrige (L), mittlere (M) und hohe (H) Leistungen in Abhangigkeit von der Umwelt zu definieren. Zwischen benachbarten Teilgruppen beobachtete Unterschiede betrugen etwa 20% vom Gesamtdurchschnitt. Erwartete Vater-Varianz-Komponenten, berechnet mithilfe multivariabler Analyse, lagen bei 58, 82 und 149% des Gesamtdatensatzes fur die Leistungen von L, M und H in Abhangigkeit von der Umwelt. Der genetische Korrelationskoeffizient zwischen extremen Teilgruppen betrug 0,66 und war damit niedriger als die genetischen Korrelationen von zufallig gesammelten Teilgruppen. Rangkorrelationskoeffizienten zwischen Ubertragungswahrscheinlichkeiten (ETA), die fur 71 AI Bocke innerhalb L, M und H beobachtet wurden und die mindestens 10 Tochter pro Teilgruppe hatten, waren kleiner als eins (0,42 bis 0,56). Diese Ergebnisse bestarkten die Existenz einer Genotyp-Umwelt-Interaktion (GEI) fur Milchleistung bei Schafherden der Rasse Sarda. Der Einfluss der Genotyp-Umwelt-Interaktion auf die Auspragung des Phanotypes in Herden, die sich in der Milchleistung unterschieden, konnten auf einer reduzierten Expression von Genen durch eine ungunstigere Umwelt beruhen. Das Teilen des Selektionsschema aufgrund von unterschiedlichen Haltungsbedingungen scheint keine praktikable Losung fur das Sarda-Zuchtprogramm zu sein. Folglich ist die Selektion unabhangig von Umweltbedingungen immer noch die beste Moglichkeit, um den Zuchtern Genotypen, die unter den verschiedensten Bedingungen gute phanotypische Merkmale zeigen, anbieten zu konnen.

We relate the equivalent widths of the major diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) near 5797 and 5780 A with different colour excesses, normalized by E(B−V), which characterize the growth of interstellar extinction in different wavelength ranges. It is demonstrated that the two DIBs correlate best with different parts of the extinction curve, and the ratio of these diffuse bands is best correlated with the far-ultraviolet (UV) rise. A number of peculiar lines of sight are also found, indicating that the carriers of some DIBs and the far-UV extinction can be separated in certain environments, e.g. towards the Per OB2 association.

Genetic improvement of milk production can be achieved through crossbreeding and upgrading of local breeds with imported male lines. To this purpose, at IZCS in the early seventies East Friesian rams were mated with native Sarda (Sa) ewes. Descendants of those crosses, having on average about 50% of East Friesian genes, were classified as belonging to a ‘syntethic’ breed (FS). From 1978 to 1992 more than 5000 FS and Sa lactations were recorded on an experimental farm. A comparison between the native and the ‘synthetic’ genotypes was made with respect to liveweight, reproduction performance, lamb and milk production, and fat and protein yields. Performance results are also discussed in the light of nutrient requirements. FS were heavier than Sa (52 vs. 44 kg liveweight) and showed higher prolificacy and higher lamb production. The milk yield was only slightly different between genotypes: 193.7 vs. 187.7 l for FS and Sa ewes, respectively. Nevertheless, due to the lower liveweight and the related feed requirements for maintenance, Sa ewes were more profitable than FS in terms of gross income per metabolic weight (9.53 vs. 8.66 Euros per kg, respectively).

Milk samples from 40 primiparous Sardinian ewes were examined during a whole lactation period in order to evaluate the dynamics of somatic cell counts (SCC), differential cell counts (DCC) and bacteriological status of the mammary gland. Only four samples out of 240 were bacteriologically positive and this was confirmed by the geometrical mean of SCC being always below 200 000 cells per ml. DCC during lactation showed two different dynamics: one concerning polymorphonuclear neutrophil leucocytes (PMN) and macrophages, and the other one lymphocytes and epithelial cells. Macrophages and PMNs in particular showed a progressive increase as lactation went on, while lymphocytes and epithelial cells showed a uniform decrease during lactation. The relationship between SCC and DCC indicated that PMN was the only cell type increasing when SCC rose. The progressive increase of SCC during lactation in absence of infection was probably an effect of cell concentration owing to the physiological reduction of milk yield, while the increase of macrophages and PMN was very likely a consequence of immune mechanisms approaching the dry period. The results confirmed that DCC and particularly PMN rate could provide a more sensible method of identifying mammary inflammations, particularly in well managed herds with low levels of infections.

A total of 7909 lactation records of 3071 Sarda ewes were used to estimate (co)variance components for milk, fat and protein yields (MY, FY, PY) and contents (F%, P%). A derivative-free Restricted Maximum Likelihood algorithm was used on ten bivariate analyses under an animal model with repeatability. Data, preadjusted for milking length, were analysed by a model including flock-year, parity, age at lambing, month of lambing, lambing interval and suckling period length as fixed effects. Additive genetic, permanent and temporary environmental influences were the random effects. Resulting heritabilities were 0.30, 0.25, 0.26, 0.48 and 0.55 for MY, FY, PY, F% and P%, respectively. Repeatabilities ranged between 0.42 and 0.46 for yields and they were 0.61 and 0.69 for contents. Genetic correlations were highly positive between yields (from 0.89 to 0.94) and between contents (0.69) and negative or null between MY, FY and PY and F% and P% (from 0.06 to − 0.46). These parameters are consistent to those reported for other European dairy sheep breeds and provide basic information to address new selection objectives and criteria for the Sarda breed, according to the exclusive cheese-making destination of its milk. Further studies, at farm level, are needed to verify current estimates and to study simplified recording schemes for contents, cheaper than the monthly testing of two daily milkings.

SummaryIt has been reported that the number and quality of in vitro produced embryos is season related. This study was conducted to assess the effect of season on cleavage, blastocyst and lambing rates of in vitro produced ovine embryos during 3 years of collection data. Ovaries of Sarda sheep were collected from a slaughterhouse. In total, 5035 oocytes were recovered and matured in TCM-199 with 4 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA), 100 μM cysteamine, 0.3 mM Na pyruvate, 0.1 UI/ml recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (r-FSH), 0.1 UI/ml recombinant luteinising hormone (r-LH), and 1 μg/ml estradiol-17β. Matured oocytes were fertilized with fresh semen in synthetic oviductal fluid (SOF) with 20% heat inactivated estrous sheep serum. The presumptive zygotes were cultured for 6–7 days (blastocyst stage) in SOF medium supplemented with 1% Basel Medium Eagle (BME), 1% Minimum Essential Medium, 1 mM glutamine and 8 mg/ml fatty acid-free BSA. The embryos produced were vitrified and a total of 165 blastocysts (80 from the breeding season and 85 from the anoestrous season) were transferred in pairs into recipient ewes during the reproductive period. There were no significant differences in cleavage rates between seasons in any of the 3 years examined (84% versus 83%, 81% versus 80% and 80% versus 79%, respectively). The blastocyst rate varied significantly between seasons in 2005 and 2007 (P < 0.05), and in 2006 (P < 0.001). There were no differences in pregnancy and lambing rates between embryos during anoestrous versus during the breeding season. In conclusion, only the blastocyst rate appeared to have been affected by season, possibly due to variation in the number of developmentally competent oocytes.

Actual and predicted lactation curves per age at lambing and seasonal effects for milk, fat and protein yields, fat and protein contents were obtained fitting a mixed model on 10 866 monthly test day records of 1740 lactations of Sarda ewes. The model included as fixed effects the interactions flock-year-month of test day and age at lambing class-days in milking interval. The random effects were associated to single lactations. Trends of seasonal effects showed a spring peak for milk (+206 ml), fat (+11.7 g) and protein (+11 g) yields. Seasonal effects on fat content were very irregular while those on protein content were small and constant over time. Predicted lactation curves showed an increasing effect of age at lambing on all traits. The strong effect of season on test day yields suggests further studies on the applicability of test day models in genetic evaluation of dairy sheep breeds with nutrition based on pasture.