Models of cuspy triaxial stellar systems. II. Regular orbits

In the first paper of this series we used the N--body method to build a dozen cuspy (gamma ~ 1) triaxial models of stellar systems, and we showed that they were highly stable over time intervals of the order of a Hubble time, even though they had very large fractions of chaotic orbits (more than 85 per cent in some cases). The models were grouped in four sets, each one comprising models morphologically resembling E2, E3, E4 and E5 galaxies, respectively. The three models within each set, although different, had the same global properties and were statistically equivalent. In the present paper we use frequency analysis to classify the regular orbits of those models. The bulk of those orbits are short axis tubes (SATs), with a significant fraction of long axis tubes (LATs) in the E2 models that decreases in the E3 and E4 models to become negligibly small in the E5 models. Most of the LATs in the E2 and E3 models are outer LATs, but the situation reverses in the E4 and E5 models where the few LATs are mainly inner LATs. As could be expected for cuspy models, most of the boxes are resonant orbits, i.e., boxlets. Nevertheless, only the (x, y) fishes of models E3 and E4 amount to about 10 per cent of the regular orbits, with most of the fractions of the other boxlets being of the order of 1 per cent or less.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

Models of cuspy triaxial stellar systems. III: The effect of velocity anisotropy on chaoticity

In several previous investigations we presented models of triaxial stellar systems, both cuspy and non cuspy, that were highly stable and harboured large fractions of chaotic orbits. All our models had been obtained through cold collapses of initially spherical $N$--body systems, a method that necessarily results in models with strongly radial velocity distributions. Here we investigate a different method that was reported to yield cuspy triaxial models with virtually no chaos. We show that such result was probably due to the use of an inadequate chaos detection technique and that, in fact, models with significant fractions of chaotic orbits result also from that method. Besides, starting with one of the models from the first paper in this series, we obtained three different models by rendering its velocity distribution much less radially biased (i.e., more isotropic) and by modifying its axial ratios through adiabatic compression. All three models yielded much higher fractions of regular orbits than most of those from our previous work. We conclude that it is possible to obtain stable cuspy triaxial models of stellar systems whose velocity distribution is more isotropic than that of the models obtained from cold collapses. Those models still harbour large fractions of chaotic orbits and, although it is difficult to compare the results from different models, we can tentatively conclude that chaoticity is reduced by velocity isotropy.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Characterization and evaluation of a marine protected area: 'Tavolara - Punta Coda Cavallo' (Sardinia, NW Mediterranean)

Habitat mapping plays a key role in the management and conservation of natural systems. In protected areas, where sustainable development is always subordinate to conservation efforts, maps are largely used to represent habitats, development pressures, tourist facilities or legal restrictions such as the zoning of a protected area. Some authors have recently developed a methodology that allows the production of a set of maps for the management of marine protected areas. In this paper, we present the application of this methodology to the case study of the marine protected area 'Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo'. © 2013 Copyright A. Rovere

Characterization and evaluation of a marine protected area: ‘Tavolara – Punta Coda Cavallo’ (Sardinia, NW Mediterranean)

Habitat mapping plays a key role in the management and conservation of natural systems. In protected areas, where sustainable development is always subordinate to conservation efforts, maps are largely used to represent habitats, development pressures, tourist facilities or legal restrictions such as the zoning of a protected area. Some authors have recently developed a methodology that allows the production of a set of maps for the management of marine protected areas. In this paper, we present the application of this methodology to the case study of the marine protected area ‘Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo’

A New Species of Cyclobulura (Nematoda: Subuluridae) from Zaedyus pichiy and Chaetophractus vellerosus (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) in Argentina

Cyclobulura superinae n. sp. collected from Zaedyus pichiy and Chaetophractus vellerosus is herein described as the second species in Cyclobulura Quentin, 1977, and the first subulurid in armadillos. The species is unique in the spur-like structures present at the tip of both spicules, yet they conform to the description of Cyclobulura in the structure of the buccal parts. Specimens of the new species show longer chordal lobes and more conspicuous radial lobes and are smaller than specimens of C. lainsoni. In addition, males of C. superinae exhibit a spur-like process in the distal end of the spicules and a shorter tail (170 vs. 300 µm) with no spine. Finally, the eggs of C. superinae are smaller (60-89 × 45-71 vs. 95-100 × 80-85). To our knowledge, the new species is the first subulurid nematode found in an armadillo

Mechanistic studies on δ-aminolevulinic acid uptake and efflux in a mammary adenocarcinoma cell line

δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is the precursor in the biosynthesis of porphyrins. The knowledge of both the regulation of ALA entrance and efflux from the cells and the control of porphyrin biosynthesis is essential to improve ALA-mediated photodynamic therapy. In this work, we studied the regulation of ALA uptake and efflux by endogenously accumulated ALA and/or porphyrins in murine mammary adenocarcinoma cells. Under our set of conditions, the haem synthesis inhibitor succinyl acetone completely prevented porphobilinogen and porphyrin synthesis from ALA, and led to an increase in the intracellular ALA pool. However, neither intracellular ALA nor porphyrin pools regulate ALA uptake or efflux during the first 15 min of the process. Based on temperature dependence data, ALA but not γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) efflux is mediated by a diffusion mechanism. Moreover, the addition of extracellular GABA not only did not influence the rate of ALA efflux but on the contrary it affected ALA uptake, showing the contribution of a saturable mechanism for the uptake, but not for the efflux of ALA from the cells. © 2003 Cancer Research UK.Fil:Correa García, S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Casas, A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Perotti, C. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Batlle, A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Bermúdez Moretti, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

A 3D inﾠvitro model of patient-derived prostate cancer xenograft for controlled interrogation of inﾠvivo tumor-stromal interactions

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models better represent human cancer than traditional cell lines. However, the complex in vivo environment makes it challenging to employ PDX models to investigate tumor-stromal interactions, such as those that mediate prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastasis. Thus, we engineered a defined three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel system capable of supporting the co-culture of PCa PDX cells and osteoblastic cells to recapitulate the PCa-osteoblast unit within the bone metastatic microenvironment in vitro. Our 3D model not only maintained cell viability but also preserved the typical osteogenic phenotype of PCa PDX cells. Additionally, co-culture cellularity was maintained over that of either cell type cultured alone, suggesting that the PCa-osteoblast cross-talk supports PCa progression in bone, as is hypothesized to occur in patients with prostatic bone metastasis. Strikingly, osteoblastic cells co-cultured with PCa PDX tumoroids organized around the tumoroids, closely mimicking the architecture of PCa metastases in bone. Finally, tumor-stromal signaling mediated by the fibroblast growth factor axis tightly paralleled that in the in vivo counterpart. Together, these findings indicate that this 3D PCa PDX model recapitulates important pathological properties of PCa bone metastasis, and validate the use of this model for controlled and systematic interrogation of complex in vivo tumor-stromal interactions

NCAM: a surface marker for human small cell lung cancer cells

Immunocytochemical and immunochemical techniques were used to study the expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) by human lung cancer cell lines. Intense surface staining for NCAM was found at light and electron microscopic levels on small cell lung cancer cells. The NCAM polypeptide of Mr 140000 (NCAM 140) was detected by immunoblotting in all of 7 small cell lung cancer cell lines examined and in one out of two of the closely related large cell cancer cell lines: it was not detected in cell lines obtained from one patient with a mesothelioma, in two cases of adenocarcinoma, nor in two cases of squamous cell cancer. In contrast, neuron-specific enolase was found by immunoblotting in all the lung cancer cell lines tested and synaptophysin in all but the adenocarcinoma cell lines. These antigens were localized intracellularly. The specific expression of NCAM 140 by human small and large cell lung carcinomas suggests its potential as a diagnostic marker