Fractional differentiability for solutions of nonlinear elliptic equations

We study nonlinear elliptic equations in divergence form $${\operatorname{div}}{\mathcal A}(x,Du)={\operatorname{div}}G.$$ When ${\mathcal A}$ has linear growth in $Du$, and assuming that $x\mapsto{\mathcal A}(x,\xi)$ enjoys $B^\alpha_{\frac{n}\alpha, q}$ smoothness, local well-posedness is found in $B^\alpha_{p,q}$ for certain values of $p\in[2,\frac{n}{\alpha})$ and $q\in[1,\infty]$. In the particular case ${\mathcal A}(x,\xi)=A(x)\xi$, $G=0$ and $A\in B^\alpha_{\frac{n}\alpha,q}$, $1\leq q\leq\infty$, we obtain $Du\in B^\alpha_{p,q}$ for each $p<\frac{n}\alpha$. Our main tool in the proof is a more general result, that holds also if ${\mathcal A}$ has growth $s-1$ in $Du$, $2\leq s\leq n$, and asserts local well-posedness in $L^q$ for each $q>s$, provided that $x\mapsto{\mathcal A}(x,\xi)$ satisfies a locally uniform $VMO$ condition

Modulación de la actividad enzimática de la acetilcolinestarasa eritrocitaria bovina (AEB) en membranas naturales transferidas a filmes de Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)

Fil: Felsztyna, Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Felsztyna, Iván. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.Fil: Perillo, María A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Perillo, María A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.Fil: Clop, Eduardo M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Clop, Eduardo M.Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.La actividad de enzimas integrales de membranas puede ser modulada por cambios en el entorno molecular, como por ejemplo cambios en la microviscosidad, la curvatura y la organización dipolar. La AEB es una enzima anclada a la membrana plasmática que cataliza la hidrólisis del neurotransmisor acetilcolina, el cual se hidroliza rápidamente en colina y ácido acético. AEB es un dímero cuyas subunidades catalíticas son idénticas , con una masa molecular aparente de 77 kDa (cada monómero), unidas por puentes disulfuro. Ambas subunidades contienen un anclaje hidrofóbico de tipo glicofosfatidilinositol (GPI). En el presente trabajo, se prepararon capas monomoleculares en la interfase agua-aire a partir de membranas eritrocitarias bovinas purificadas (MEB). La suspensión acuosa de membrana fue dispersada en la interfase aire-agua y se estudiaron las propiedades reológicas de las monocapas obtenidas. Estas monocapas se transfirieron a soportes hidrofóbicos planos (LBMEB ) a dos presiones laterales (π), 10 mN/m (LBMEB.10) y 35 mN/m (LBMEB.35), y fueron utilizados como fuente de enzima para estudiar la cinética de hidrólisis del sustrato artificial acetiltiocolina a 37ºC. El objetivo del proyecto es aplicar los filmes de LBMEB como método de concentración del parásito Anaplasma marginale, y estudiar su efecto sobre la actividad catalítica de la AEB, como posible método de diagnóstico de la anaplasmosis en la etapa crónica de la enfermedad.http://biofisica.org.ar/libroresumenes/Fil: Felsztyna, Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Felsztyna, Iván. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.Fil: Perillo, María A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Perillo, María A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.Fil: Clop, Eduardo M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Fil: Clop, Eduardo M.Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Química Biológica; Argentina.Biofísic

A high throughput genotyping approach reveals distinctive autosomal genetic signatures for European and Near Eastern wild boar

The lack of a Near Eastern genetic signature in modern European porcine breeds indicates that, although domestic pigs from the Fertile Crescent entered Europe during the Neolithic, they were completely replaced by their European counterparts in a short window of time. Whilst the absence of such genetic signature has been convincingly demonstrated at the mitochondrial level, variation at the autosomal genomes of European and Near Eastern Sus scrofa has not been compared yet. Herewith, we have explored the genetic relationships among 43 wild boar from Europe (N = 21), Near East (N = 19) and Korea (N = 3), and 40 Iberian (N = 16), Canarian (N = 4) and Mangalitza (N = 20) pigs by using a high throughput SNP genotyping platform. After data filtering, 37,167 autosomal SNPs were used to perform population genetics analyses. A multidimensional scaling plot based on genome-wide identity-by-state pairwise distances inferred with PLINK showed that Near Eastern and European wild boar populations are genetically differentiated. Maximum likelihood trees built with TreeMix supported this conclusion i.e. an early population split between Near Eastern and European Sus scrofa was observed. Moreover, analysis of the data with Structure evidenced that the sampled Iberian, Canarian and Mangalitza pigs did not carry any autosomal signature compatible with a Near Eastern ancestry, a finding that agrees well with previous mitochondrial studies

A RNA-Seq Analysis to Describe the Boar Sperm Transcriptome and Its Seasonal Changes

Understanding the molecular basis of cell function and ultimate phenotypes is crucial for the development of biological markers. With this aim, several RNA-seq studies have been devoted to the characterization of the transcriptome of ejaculated spermatozoa in relation to sperm quality and fertility. Semen quality follows a seasonal pattern and decays in the summer months in several animal species. The aim of this study was to deeply profile the transcriptome of the boar sperm and to evaluate its seasonal changes. We sequenced the total and the short fractions of the sperm RNA from 10 Pietrain boars, 5 collected in summer and 5 five sampled in winter, and identified a complex and rich transcriptome with 4,436 coding genes of moderate to high abundance. Transcript fragmentation was high but less obvious in genes related to spermatogenesis, chromatin compaction and fertility. Short non-coding RNAs mostly included piwi-interacting RNAs, transfer RNAs and microRNAs. We also compared the transcriptome of the summer and the winter ejaculates and identified 34 coding genes and 7 microRNAs with a significantly distinct distribution. These genes were mostly related to oxidative stress, DNA damage and autophagy. This is the deepest characterization of the boar sperm transcriptome and the first study linking the transcriptome and the seasonal variability of semen quality in animals. The annotation described here can be used as a reference for the identification of markers of sperm quality in pigs

Impact of two myostatin (MSTN) mutations on weight gain and lamb carcass classification in Norwegian White Sheep (Ovis aries)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our aim was to estimate the effect of two <it>myostatin </it>(<it>MSTN</it>) mutations in Norwegian White Sheep, one of which is close to fixation in the Texel breed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The impact of two known <it>MSTN </it>mutations was examined in a field experiment with Norwegian White Sheep. The joint effect of the two <it>MSTN </it>mutations on live weight gain and weaning weight was studied on 644 lambs. Carcass weight gain from birth to slaughter, carcass weight, carcass conformation and carcass fat classes were calculated in a subset of 508 lambs. All analyses were carried out with a univariate linear animal model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The most significant impact of both mutations was on conformation and fat classes. The largest difference between the genotype groups was between the wild type for both mutations and the homozygotes for the c.960delG mutation. Compared to the wild types, these mutants obtained a conformation score 5.1 classes higher and a fat score 3.0 classes lower, both on a 15-point scale.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Both mutations reduced fatness and increased muscle mass, although the effect of the frameshift mutation (c.960delG) was more important as compared to the 3'-UTR mutation (c.2360G>A). Lambs homozygous for the c.960delG mutation grew more slowly than those with other <it>MSTN </it>genotypes, but had the least fat and the largest muscle mass. Only c.960delG showed dominance effects.</p

Epigenetics and developmental programming of welfare and production traits in farm animals

The concept that postnatal health and development can be influenced by events that occur in utero originated from epidemiological studies in humans supported by numerous mechanistic (including epigenetic) studies in a variety of model species. Referred to as the ‘developmental origins of health and disease’ or ‘DOHaD’ hypothesis, the primary focus of large-animal studies until quite recently had been biomedical. Attention has since turned towards traits of commercial importance in farm animals. Herein we review the evidence that prenatal risk factors, including suboptimal parental nutrition, gestational stress, exposure to environmental chemicals and advanced breeding technologies, can determine traits such as postnatal growth, feed efficiency, milk yield, carcass composition, animal welfare and reproductive potential. We consider the role of epigenetic and cytoplasmic mechanisms of inheritance, and discuss implications for livestock production and future research endeavours. We conclude that although the concept is proven for several traits, issues relating to effect size, and hence commercial importance, remain. Studies have also invariably been conducted under controlled experimental conditions, frequently assessing single risk factors, thereby limiting their translational value for livestock production. We propose concerted international research efforts that consider multiple, concurrent stressors to better represent effects of contemporary animal production systems

A systems model for immune cell interactions unravels the mechanism of inflammation in human skin

Inflammation is characterized by altered cytokine levels produced by cell populations in a highly interdependent manner. To elucidate the mechanism of an inflammatory reaction, we have developed a mathematical model for immune cell interactions via the specific, dose-dependent cytokine production rates of cell populations. The model describes the criteria required for normal and pathological immune system responses and suggests that alterations in the cytokine production rates can lead to various stable levels which manifest themselves in different disease phenotypes. The model predicts that pairs of interacting immune cell populations can maintain homeostatic and elevated extracellular cytokine concentration levels, enabling them to operate as an immune system switch. The concept described here is developed in the context of psoriasis, an immune-mediated disease, but it can also offer mechanistic insights into other inflammatory pathologies as it explains how interactions between immune cell populations can lead to disease phenotypes. © 2010 Valeyev et al

Bases conceptuales y metodológicas para una interpretación arqueoantropológica de las sepulturas neolíticas. El ejemplo de Cataluña

El objetivo de este trabajo es elaborar una propuesta metodológica basada en el análisis global e interdisciplinar de los enterramientos, tomando como ejemplo el registro funerario del neolítico en Cataluña. En el marco general del estudio de las relaciones sociales de producción reproducción, el esquema metodológico propuesto se basa en el concepto de unidad funeraria, definida según las relaciones interacciones entre el continente (estructura sepulcral) y el contenido (enterramiento). Este análisis arqueoantropológico plantea la integración de todas las disciplinas que intervienen en el estudio y la excavación de una sepultura, aunque se hace especial mención de los campos de la antropología, la arqueozoología, las materias primas, la industria lítica y la distribución espacial de los materiales.We propose on this paper a methodological interdisciplinary approach regarding the study ofthe graves, based on a theory ofsocial relations of production reproduction. The funerary examples used here comesfrom rhe neolithic period in Catalonia. The main concept concerns the funerary unir, that is explained by the relationship between the container (structural morphology) and the contents (burial). All the disciplines related with the excavation and the study of a burial, make up the archaeo-anthropological analysis. We focused our approach on anthropological, archaeozoological, archaeopetrological, lithic implements and micro-spatial studies