Neoplasia-associated wasting diseases with economic relevance in the sheep industry

We review three neoplastic wasting diseases affecting sheep generally recorded under common production cycles and with epidemiological and economic relevance in sheep-rearing countries: small intestinal adenocarcinoma (SIA), ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) and enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma (ENA). SIA is prevalent in Australia and New Zealand but present elsewhere in the world. This neoplasia is a tubular or signet-ring adenocarcinoma mainly located in the middle or distal term of the small intestine. Predisposing factors and aetiology are not known, but genetic factors or environmental carcinogens may be involved. OPA is a contagious lung cancer caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and has been reported in most sheep-rearing countries, resulting in significant economic losses. The disease is clinically characterized by a chronic respiratory process as a consequence of the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Diagnosis is based on the detection of JSRV in the tumour lesion by immunohistochemistry and PCR. In vivo diagnosis may be difficult, mainly in preclinical cases. ENA is a neoplasia of glands of the nasal mucosa and is associated with enzootic nasal tumour virus 1 (ENTV-1), which is similar to JSRV. ENA enzootically occurs in many countries of the world with the exception of Australia and New Zealand. The pathology associated with this neoplasia corresponds with a space occupying lesion histologically characterized as a low-grade adenocarcinoma. The combination of PCR and immunohistochemistry for diagnosis is advised

Density-functional study of defects in two-dimensional circular nematic nanocavities

We use density--functional theory to study the structure of two-dimensional defects inside a circular nematic nanocavity. The density, nematic order parameter, and director fields, as well as the defect core energy and core radius, are obtained in a thermodynamically consistent way for defects with topological charge $k=+1$ (with radial and tangential symmetries) and $k=+1/2$. An independent calculation of the fluid elastic constants, within the same theory, allows us to connect with the local free--energy density predicted by elastic theory, which in turn provides a criterion to define a defect core boundary and a defect core free energy for the two types of defects. The radial and tangential defects turn out to have very different properties, a feature that a previous Maier--Saupe theory could not account for due to the simplified nature of the interactions --which caused all elastic constants to be equal. In the case with two $k=+1/2$ defects in the cavity, the elastic r\'egime cannot be reached due to the small radii of the cavities considered, but some trends can already be obtained.Comment: 9 figures. Accepted for publication in liquid crystal

Exogenous Small Ruminant Betaretrovirus Envelope Protein Is Detected in Draining Lymph Nodes in Contagious Respiratory Tumors of Sheep and Goats

Contagious respiratory tumors of sheep and goats are epithelial neoplasms of the lung and nasal cavities. They are associated with oncogenic betaretroviruses known as jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus and enzootic nasal tumor retrovirus of sheep and goats. We investigated the presence of the envelope protein (ENV) of these retroviruses in retropharyngeal and mediastinal lymph nodes using a specific monoclonal antibody by immunohistochemistry methods, single-labeled or combined with ovine B or T lymphocytes or macrophage cell markers. Samples of lymph nodes, fixed in formalin and zinc fixative, were obtained from paraffin-embedded material. Four groups of samples were used: 24 natural cases of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA), 13 of enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma of sheep (ENAS), 19 of enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma of goats (ENAG), and 14 control samples. ENV was detected by single labeling in cortical lymphoid follicles. Six of 24 OPA samples were positive and only in those from sheep with extensive neoplasia. Immunolabeling was detected in 5/13 ENAS and 10/19 ENAG samples. Positive labeling was found either in the intercellular spaces, membranes, or cytoplasm of cells in follicles. Control samples were not correspondingly labeled. Double immunohistochemistry demonstrated co-labeling of ENV and CD21 (B cells and follicular dendritic cells) in all samples, CD14 (macrophage) in OPA samples, and Pax-5 (B cells) in ENAG samples, but not with CD8 or CD4 (T lymphocytes). These results demonstrate the presence of betaretrovirus ENV proteins in nontumor cells in regional lymph nodes in sheep and goats with contagious respiratory tumors

Early-time dynamics of Bose gases quenched into the strongly interacting regime

We study the early-time dynamics of a degenerate Bose gas after a sudden quench of the interaction strength, starting from a weakly interacting gas. By making use of a time-dependent generalization of the Nozières-Saint-James variational formalism, we describe the crossover of the early-time dynamics from shallow to deep interaction quenches. We analyze the coherent oscillations that characterize both the density of excited states and the Tan's contact as a function of the final scattering length. For shallow quenches, the oscillatory behavior is negligible and the dynamics is universally governed by the healing length and the mean-field interaction energy. By increasing the final scattering length to intermediate values, we reveal a universal regime where the period of the coherent atom-molecule oscillations is set by the molecule binding energy. For the largest scattering lengths we can numerically simulate in the unitary regime, we find a universal scaling behavior of the typical growth time of the momentum distribution in agreement with recent experimental observations [C. Eigen et al., Nature 563, 221 (2018)10.1038/s41586-018-0674-1

Tectonic-palaeoenvironmental forcing of clay-mineral assemblages in nonmarine settings: the Oligocene-Miocene As Pontes Basin (Spain)

Two small, alluvial-lacustrine subbasins developed during the early restraining overstep stages of the Oligocene-Miocene As Pontes strike-slip Basin (NW Spain). Later, the basin evolved into a restraining bend stage and an alluvial-swamp-dominated depositional framework developed. The palaeobiological record demonstrates that the Oligocene-Miocene palaeoclimate in NW Spain was subtropical, warm and humid to subhumid