3,237 research outputs found
The Role of Mesotocin on Social Bonding in Pinyon Jays
The neuropeptide oxytocin influences mammalian social bonding by facilitating the building and maintenance of parental, sexual, and sameâsex social relationships. However, we do not know whether the function of the avian homologue mesotocin is evolutionarily conserved across birds. While it does influence avian prosocial behavior, mesotocin\u27s role in avian social bonding remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether mesotocin regulates the formation and maintenance of sameâsex social bonding in pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), a member of the crow family. We formed squads of four individually housed birds. In the first, âpairâformationâ phase of the experiment, we repeatedly placed pairs of birds from within the squad together in a cage for short periods of time. Prior to entering the cage, we intranasally administered one of three hormone solutions to both members of the pair: mesotocin, oxytocin antagonist, or saline. Pairs received repeated sessions with administration of the same hormone. In the second, âpairâmaintenanceâ phase of the experiment, all four members of the squad were placed together in a large cage, and no hormones were administered. For both phases, we measured the physical proximity between pairs as our proxy for social bonding. We found that, compared with saline, administering mesotocin or oxytocin antagonist did not result in different proximities in either the pairâformation or pairâmaintenance phase of the experiment. Therefore, at the dosages and time frames used here, exogenously introduced mesotocin did not influence sameâsex social bond formation or maintenance. Like oxytocin in mammals, mesotocin regulates avian prosocial behavior; however, unlike oxytocin, we do not have evidence that mesotocin regulates social bonds in birds
Long Term Stabilization of Expanding Aortic Aneurysms by a Short Course of Cyclosporine A through Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Induction
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) expand as a consequence of extracellular matrix destruction, and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) depletion. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 overexpression stabilizes expanding AAAs in rat. Cyclosporine A (CsA) promotes tissue accumulation and induces TGF -beta1 and, could thereby exert beneficial effects on AAA remodelling and expansion. In this study, we assessed whether a short administration of CsA could durably stabilize AAAs through TGF-beta induction. We showed that CsA induced TGF-beta1 and decreased MMP-9 expression dose-dependently in fragments of human AAAs in vitro, and in animal models of AAA in vivo. CsA prevented AAA formation at 14 days in the rat elastase (diameter increase: CsA: 131.9±44.2%; vehicle: 225.9±57.0%, Pâ=â0.003) and calcium chloride mouse models (diameters: CsA: 0.72±0.14 mm; vehicle: 1.10±0.11 mm, Pâ=â.008), preserved elastic fiber network and VSMC content, and decreased inflammation. A seven day administration of CsA stabilized formed AAAs in rats seven weeks after drug withdrawal (diameter increase: CsA: 14.2±15.1%; vehicle: 45.2±13.7%, Pâ=â.017), down-regulated wall inflammation, and increased αSMA-positive cell content. Co-administration of a blocking anti-TGF-beta antibody abrogated CsA impact on inflammation, αSMA-positive cell accumulation and diameter control in expanding AAAs. Our study demonstrates that pharmacological induction of TGF-beta1 by a short course of CsA administration represents a new approach to induce aneurysm stabilization by shifting the degradation/repair balance towards healing
Some flows in shape optimization
Geometric flows related to shape optimization problems of Bernoulli type are
investigated. The evolution law is the sum of a curvature term and a nonlocal
term of Hele-Shaw type. We introduce generalized set solutions, the definition
of which is widely inspired by viscosity solutions. The main result is an
inclusion preservation principle for generalized solutions. As a consequence,
we obtain existence, uniqueness and stability of solutions. Asymptotic behavior
for the flow is discussed: we prove that the solutions converge to a
generalized Bernoulli exterior free boundary problem
Surface Gap Soliton Ground States for the Nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger Equation
We consider the nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation , with and and with periodic in each coordinate direction. This problem
describes the interface of two periodic media, e.g. photonic crystals. We study
the existence of ground state solutions (surface gap soliton ground
states) for . Using a concentration compactness
argument, we provide an abstract criterion for the existence based on ground
state energies of each periodic problem (with and ) as well as a more practical
criterion based on ground states themselves. Examples of interfaces satisfying
these criteria are provided. In 1D it is shown that, surprisingly, the criteria
can be reduced to conditions on the linear Bloch waves of the operators
and .Comment: definition of ground and bound states added, assumption (H2) weakened
(sign changing nonlinearity is now allowed); 33 pages, 4 figure
Asymptotics of Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions for the Laplace Operator in a Domain with Oscillating Boundary. Multiple Eigenvalue Case
We study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of a spectral problem for
the Laplacian in a domain with rapidly oscillating boundary. We consider the
case where the eigenvalue of the limit problem is multiple. We construct the
leading terms of the asymptotic expansions for the eigenelements and verify the
asymptotics
Flux norm approach to finite dimensional homogenization approximations with non-separated scales and high contrast
We consider divergence-form scalar elliptic equations and vectorial equations
for elasticity with rough (, )
coefficients that, in particular, model media with non-separated scales
and high contrast in material properties. We define the flux norm as the
norm of the potential part of the fluxes of solutions, which is equivalent to
the usual -norm. We show that in the flux norm, the error associated with
approximating, in a properly defined finite-dimensional space, the set of
solutions of the aforementioned PDEs with rough coefficients is equal to the
error associated with approximating the set of solutions of the same type of
PDEs with smooth coefficients in a standard space (e.g., piecewise polynomial).
We refer to this property as the {\it transfer property}.
A simple application of this property is the construction of finite
dimensional approximation spaces with errors independent of the regularity and
contrast of the coefficients and with optimal and explicit convergence rates.
This transfer property also provides an alternative to the global harmonic
change of coordinates for the homogenization of elliptic operators that can be
extended to elasticity equations. The proofs of these homogenization results
are based on a new class of elliptic inequalities which play the same role in
our approach as the div-curl lemma in classical homogenization.Comment: Accepted for publication in Archives for Rational Mechanics and
Analysi
Hitting the target: fragment screening with acoustic in situ co-crystallization of proteins plus fragment libraries on pin-mounted data-collection micromeshes
A method is presented for screening fragment libraries using acoustic droplet ejection to co-crystallize proteins and chemicals directly on micromeshes with as little as 2.5â
nl of each component. This method was used to identify previously unreported fragments that bind to lysozyme, thermolysin, and trypsin
The MacGyver effect: alive and well in health services research?
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a manner similar to the television action hero MacGyver, health services researchers need to respond to the pressure of unpredictable demands and constrained time frames. The results are often both innovative and functional, with the creation of outputs that could not have been anticipated in the initial planning and design of the research.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>In the conduct of health services research many challenges to robust research processes are generated as a result of the interface between academic research, health policy and implementation agendas. Within a complex and rapidly evolving environment the task of the health services researcher is, therefore, to juggle sometimes contradictory pressures to produce valid results.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>This paper identifies the MacGyver-type dilemmas which arise in health services research, wherein innovation may be called for, to maintain the intended scientific method and rigour. These 'MacGyver drivers' are framed as opposing issues from the perspective of both academic and public policy communities. The ideas expressed in this paper are illustrated by four examples from research projects positioned at the interface between public policy strategy and academia.</p
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