Tel Aviv University

About: Tel Aviv University is a education organization based out in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 47791 authors who have published 115959 publications receiving 3904391 citations. The organization is also known as: TAU & Universiṭat Tel-Aviv.

Durum wheat genome highlights past domestication signatures and future improvement targets

Abstract: The domestication of wild emmer wheat led to the selection of modern durum wheat, grown mainly for pasta production. We describe the 10.45 gigabase (Gb) assembly of the genome of durum wheat cultivar Svevo. The assembly enabled genome-wide genetic diversity analyses revealing the changes imposed by thousands of years of empirical selection and breeding. Regions exhibiting strong signatures of genetic divergence associated with domestication and breeding were widespread in the genome with several major diversity losses in the pericentromeric regions. A locus on chromosome 5B carries a gene encoding a metal transporter (TdHMA3-B1) with a non-functional variant causing high accumulation of cadmium in grain. The high-cadmium allele, widespread among durum cultivars but undetected in wild emmer accessions, increased in frequency from domesticated emmer to modern durum wheat. The rapid cloning of TdHMA3-B1 rescues a wild beneficial allele and demonstrates the practical use of the Svevo genome for wheat improvement. Genome assembly of durum wheat cultivar Svevo enables genome-wide genetic diversity analyses highlighting modifications imposed by thousands of years of empirical selection and breeding.

First direct detection limits on sub-GeV dark matter from XENON10.

Abstract: The first direct detection limits on dark matter in the MeV to GeV mass range are presented, using XENON10 data. Such light dark matter can scatter with electrons, causing ionization of atoms in a detector target material and leading to single- or few-electron events. We use $15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kg}\text{ }\mathrm{day}$ of data acquired in 2006 to set limits on the dark-matter---electron scattering cross section. The strongest bound is obtained at 100 MeV where ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{e}l3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}38}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ at 90% C.L., while dark-matter masses between 20 MeV and 1 GeV are bounded by ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{e}l{10}^{\ensuremath{-}37}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ at 90% C.L. This analysis provides a first proof of principle that direct detection experiments can be sensitive to dark-matter candidates with masses well below the GeV scale.

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

Abstract: The goal of the present protocol is to describe the forced swim test (FST), which is one of the most commonly used assays for the study of depressive-like behavior in rodents. The FST is based on the assumption that when placing an animal in a container filled with water, it will first make efforts to escape but eventually will exhibit immobility that may be considered to reflect a measure of behavioral despair. This test has been extensively used because it involves the exposure of the animals to stress, which was shown to have a role in the tendency for major depression. Additionally, the FST has been shown to share some of the factors that are influenced or altered by depression in humans, including changes in food consumption, sleep abnormalities and drug-withdrawal-induced anhedonia. The main advantages of this procedure are that it is relatively easy to perform and that its results are easily and quickly analyzed. Moreover, its sensitivity to a broad range of antidepressant drugs that makes it a suitable screening test is one of the most important features leading to its high predictive validity. Despite its appeal, this model has a number of disadvantages. First, the issue of chronic augmentation is problematic in this test because in real life patients need to be treated for at least several weeks before they experience any relief from their symptoms. Last, due to the aversiveness of the FST, it is important to take into account possible influences it might have on brain structure/function if brain analyses are to be carried out following this procedure.

A "copernican" reassessment of the human mitochondrial DNA tree from its root

Abstract: Mutational events along the human mtDNA phylogeny are traditionally identified relative to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence, a contemporary European sequence published in 1981. This historical choice is a continuous source of inconsistencies, misinterpretations, and errors in medical, forensic, and population genetic studies. Here, after having refined the human mtDNA phylogeny to an unprecedented level by adding information from 8,216 modern mitogenomes, we propose switching the reference to a Reconstructed Sapiens Reference Sequence, which was identified by considering all available mitogenomes from Homo neanderthalensis. This “Copernican” reassessment of the human mtDNA tree from its deepest root should resolve previous problems and will have a substantial practical and educational influence on the scientific and public perception of human evolution by clarifying the core principles of common ancestry for extant descendants.

A dual algorithm for the constrained shortest path problem

Abstract: In this paper we develop a Lagrangian relaxation algorithm for the problem of finding a shortest path between two nodes in a network, subject to a knapsack-type constraint. For example, we may wish to find a minimum cost route subject to a total time constraint in a multimode transportation network. Furthermore, the problem, which is shown to be at least as hard as NP-complete problems, is generic to a class of problems that arise in the solution of integer linear programs and discrete state/stage deterministic dynamic programs. One approach to solving the problem is to utilize a kth shortest path algorithm, terminating with the first path that satisfies the constraint. This approach is impractical when the terminal value of k is large. Using Lagrangian relaxation we propose a method that is designed to reduce this value of k. Computational results indicate orders of magnitude savings when the approach is applied to large networks.