549 research outputs found
Renormalization group and isochronous oscillations
We show how the condition of isochronicity can be studied for two dimensional
systems in the renormalization group (RG) context. We find a necessary
condition for the isochronicity of the Cherkas and another class of cubic
systems. Our conditions are satisfied by all the cases studied recently by
Bardet et al \cite{bard} and Ghose Choudhury and Guh
The dual developmental origin of spinal cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons gives rise to distinct functional subtypes.
Chemical and mechanical cues from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can affect the development and function of the central nervous system (CNS). How such cues are detected and relayed to the CNS remains elusive. Cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons (CSF-cNs) situated at the interface between the CSF and the CNS are ideally located to convey such information to local networks. In the spinal cord, these GABAergic neurons expressing the PKD2L1 channel extend an apical extension into the CSF and an ascending axon in the spinal cord. In zebrafish and mouse spinal CSF-cNs originate from two distinct progenitor domains characterized by distinct cascades of transcription factors. Here we ask whether these neurons with different developmental origins differentiate into cells types with different functional properties. We show in zebrafish larva that the expression of specific markers, the morphology of the apical extension and axonal projections, as well as the neuronal targets contacted by CSF-cN axons, distinguish the two CSF-cN subtypes. Altogether our study demonstrates that the developmental origins of spinal CSF-cNs give rise to two distinct functional populations of sensory neurons. This work opens novel avenues to understand how these subtypes may carry distinct functions related to development of the spinal cord, locomotion and posture
Saturn's Seasonal Variability from Four Decades of Ground-Based Mid-Infrared Observations
A multi-decade record of ground-based mid-infrared (7-25 m) images of
Saturn is used to explore seasonal and non-seasonal variability in thermal
emission over more than a Saturnian year (1984-2022). Thermal emission measured
by 3-m and 8-m-class observatories compares favourably with synthetic images
based on both Cassini-derived temperature records and the predictions of
radiative climate models. 8-m class facilities are capable of resolving thermal
contrasts on the scale of Saturn's belts, zones, polar hexagon, and polar
cyclones, superimposed onto large-scale seasonal asymmetries. Seasonal changes
in brightness temperatures of K in the stratosphere and K in
the upper troposphere are observed, as the northern and southern polar
stratospheric vortices (NPSV and SPSV) form in spring and dissipate in autumn.
The timings of the first appearance of the warm polar vortices is successfully
reproduced by radiative climate models, confirming them to be radiative
phenomena, albeit entrained within sharp boundaries influenced by dynamics.
Axisymmetric thermal bands (4-5 per hemisphere) display temperature gradients
that are strongly correlated with Saturn's zonal winds, indicating winds that
decay in strength with altitude, and implying meridional circulation cells
forming the system of cool zones and warm belts. Saturn's thermal structure is
largely repeatable from year to year (via comparison of infrared images in 1989
and 2018), with the exception of low-latitudes. Here we find evidence of
inter-annual variations because the equatorial banding at 7.9 m is
inconsistent with a -year period for Saturn's equatorial stratospheric
oscillation, i.e., it is not strictly semi-annual. Finally, observations
between 2017-2022 extend the legacy of the Cassini mission, revealing the
continued warming of the NPSV during northern summer. [Abr.]Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Icaru
On the relative merits of simple and advanced constitutive models in dynamic analysis of tunnels
Influence de la concentration sérique de CA 15-3 sur les performances diagnostiques de la TEP FDG chez des patientes ayant un cancer du sein avec imagerie négative
Identification of Class I HLA T Cell Control Epitopes for West Nile Virus
The recent West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in the United States underscores the importance of understanding human immune responses to this pathogen. Via the presentation of viral peptide ligands at the cell surface, class I HLA mediate the T cell recognition and killing of WNV infected cells. At this time, there are two key unknowns in regards to understanding protective T cell immunity: 1) the number of viral ligands presented by the HLA of infected cells, and 2) the distribution of T cell responses to these available HLA/viral complexes. Here, comparative mass spectroscopy was applied to determine the number of WNV peptides presented by the HLA-A*11:01 of infected cells after which T cell responses to these HLA/WNV complexes were assessed. Six viral peptides derived from capsid, NS3, NS4b, and NS5 were presented. When T cells from infected individuals were tested for reactivity to these six viral ligands, polyfunctional T cells were focused on the GTL9 WNV capsid peptide, ligands from NS3, NS4b, and NS5 were less immunogenic, and two ligands were largely inert, demonstrating that class I HLA reduce the WNV polyprotein to a handful of immune targets and that polyfunctional T cells recognize infections by zeroing in on particular HLA/WNV epitopes. Such dominant HLA/peptide epitopes are poised to drive the development of WNV vaccines that elicit protective T cells as well as providing key antigens for immunoassays that establish correlates of viral immunity. © 2013 Kaabinejadian et al
Characterizations and simulations of a class of stochastic processes to model anomalous diffusion
In this paper we study a parametric class of stochastic processes to model
both fast and slow anomalous diffusion. This class, called generalized grey
Brownian motion (ggBm), is made up off self-similar with stationary increments
processes (H-sssi) and depends on two real parameters alpha in (0,2) and beta
in (0,1]. It includes fractional Brownian motion when alpha in (0,2) and
beta=1, and time-fractional diffusion stochastic processes when alpha=beta in
(0,1). The latters have marginal probability density function governed by
time-fractional diffusion equations of order beta. The ggBm is defined through
the explicit construction of the underline probability space. However, in this
paper we show that it is possible to define it in an unspecified probability
space. For this purpose, we write down explicitly all the finite dimensional
probability density functions. Moreover, we provide different ggBm
characterizations. The role of the M-Wright function, which is related to the
fundamental solution of the time-fractional diffusion equation, emerges as a
natural generalization of the Gaussian distribution. Furthermore, we show that
ggBm can be represented in terms of the product of a random variable, which is
related to the M-Wright function, and an independent fractional Brownian
motion. This representation highlights the -{\bf sssi} nature of the ggBm
and provides a way to study and simulate the trajectories. For this purpose, we
developed a random walk model based on a finite difference approximation of a
partial integro-differenital equation of fractional type.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
The nuclear receptors of Biomphalaria glabrata and Lottia gigantea: Implications for developing new model organisms
© 2015 Kaur et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedNuclear receptors (NRs) are transcription regulators involved in an array of diverse physiological functions including key roles in endocrine and metabolic function. The aim of this study was to identify nuclear receptors in the fully sequenced genome of the gastropod snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni and compare these to known vertebrate NRs, with a view to assessing the snail's potential as a invertebrate model organism for endocrine function, both as a prospective new test organism and to elucidate the fundamental genetic and mechanistic causes of disease. For comparative purposes, the genome of a second gastropod, the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea was also investigated for nuclear receptors. Thirty-nine and thirty-three putative NRs were identified from the B. glabrata and L. gigantea genomes respectively, based on the presence of a conserved DNA-binding domain and/or ligand-binding domain. Nuclear receptor transcript expression was confirmed and sequences were subjected to a comparative phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that these molluscs have representatives of all the major NR subfamilies (1-6). Many of the identified NRs are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates, however differences exist, most notably, the absence of receptors of Group 3C, which includes some of the vertebrate endocrine hormone targets. The mollusc genomes also contain NR homologues that are present in insects and nematodes but not in vertebrates, such as Group 1J (HR48/DAF12/HR96). The identification of many shared receptors between humans and molluscs indicates the potential for molluscs as model organisms; however the absence of several steroid hormone receptors indicates snail endocrine systems are fundamentally different.The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, Grant Ref:G0900802 to CSJ, LRN, SJ & EJR [www.nc3rs.org.uk]
- …