How likely are oscillations in a genetic feedback loop with delay?

Some genetic control networks display temporal oscillations as a result of delays in their homeostatic control. A relevant question about these systems is whether the oscillating regime is a rare feature, or it corresponds to a sizeable volume of the space of parameters. The answer is not trivial mainly due to the large number of parameters controlling the rate equations which describe the network. We have developed an efficient sampling scheme of the parameter space, based on a Monte Carlo algorithm, and applied it to a two-node system with delay, characterised by a 8-dimension parameter space. The result is that the volume fraction of the parameter space associated with oscillations is small but not negligible, and it is weakly dependent on the duration of the delay. The most critical parameter to control oscillations is the coupling production rates, which must have opposite sign, giving rise to a negative feedback loop. The oscillating regions are connected except along the equilibrium constants between the two species, not allowing neutral evolution along this parameter

INFLUENCE TANK SOMATIC CELL COUNT COOLING THE COMPOSITION OF MILK COW

The experiment was done on samples of milk collected from the farm SCDA Simnic bulk tank milk in the summer of 2010. The fallowing parameters were determined: somatic cell count, fat, solid non-fat, protein,urea nitrogen and the test for antibiotic or inhibitory substances. High somatic cell count milk has lower protein and solid non-fat levels and increased levels of fat than low cell count milk. Mean milk urea nitrogen of 12.68 indicates a possible dietary deficiency. No antibiotic or inhibitory substances were detected

QUALITY PARAMETERS MILK IN HOLSTEIN COWS MILLING WITH HIGH YIELDS MILK

The aim of this study was to determine if season of the year influence the new milk quality parameters. The experiment was done on samples of milk collected from 50 high producing Holstein cows.The following  parameters were determined: somatic cell count, fat and protein content, water added, freezing point and test for antibiotic or inhibitory substances. The season of the year is influenced somatic cell count fat and protein content but not , freezing point. No water added and no antibiotic or inhibitory substances were detected.

Superradiant light scattering from a moving Bose-Einstein condensate

We investigate the interaction of a moving BEC with a far detuned laser beam. Superradiant Rayleigh scattering arises from the spontaneous formation of a matter-wave grating due to the interference of two wavepackets with different momenta. The system is described by the CARL-BEC model which is a generalization of the Gross-Pitaevskii model to include the self-consistent evolution of the scattered field. The experiment gives evidence of a damping of the matter-wave grating which depends on the initial velocity of the condensate. We describe this damping in terms of a phase-diffusion decoherence process, in good agreement with the experimental results

The application of the Boolean Stochastic Generation Method to model seepage under levees in heterogeneous soils

Soil heterogeneity plays an important role in incrementing the uncertainty about the reliability of geotechnical engineering works, especially levees. The presence of thin layers of soils more permeable than the surrounding matrix significantly changes the seepage flow net below and within the dike. However, the detection of these layers is extremely difficult. Consequently, to evaluate the overall safety of dikes it may be useful to adopt stochastic computation methods. The paper presents the calibration of a seepage model of an operational river embankment subject to sand boils. The levee, located along the Adige River (South Tyrol, Italy), has been monitored since 2016. Piezometers and spot temperature sensors are installed in the lateral banks while a distributed fiber optic sensors (FOS), buried in a 350 m long trench at the toe of the levee, is used to check temperature distribution in the subground. The Boolean Stochastic Generation (BoSG) method addresses the influence of layers of material with different properties with respect of the surrounding soil. 360 soil configurations were generated for a two-dimensional groundwater flow model of the levee and confronted with the monitoring data of two piezometers. This analysis permits to identify the configuration that has effects more congruent with piezometers data, which in this case is a configuration with a major presence of lenses on the waterside respect the field-side. This evidence could guide strategies for remedial works

Interaction of mucins with bioinspired polymers and drug delivery particles

Mucins are glycoproteins with high molecular weight and an abundance of negatively charged oligosaccharide side chains, representing the main components in the mucous gels apart from water. Mucin structure consists of a flexible backbone (mainly serine and threonine residues) which serves as anchoring points for oligosaccharide side chains, and hydrophobic \u201cnaked domains\u201d enriched in cysteine residues. The latter can form inter-molecular bonds via disulphide links, promoting mucin association in solution. Therefore, mucins can establish adhesive interactions with particulates/biomacromolecules via electrostatic interactions, van der Waals forces, hydrophobic forces, hydrogen bonding, or chain entanglement. Mucosal drug delivery vehicles can either penetrate rapidly or establish prolonged contact. However, their development is of great challenge because little is still known about the interactions between mucin and other macromolecules. We are currently working on a comprehensive study of the interaction between mucin and macromolecules of interest for pharmaceutical developments by complementary techniques. To this scope, we employ biocompatible natural and synthetic polymers with different physical-chemical characteristics. Among them, linear polyamidoamines with amphoteric character are particularly interesting for their cyto-biocompatibility. It is indeed crucial to characterise such interactions not only in the bulk but also at the interface, since complexation between mucins and biomacromolecules takes place close to the cell membrane surface. Moreover, the strategy to overcome mucus barrier and achieve long retention time in the cell surface is to develop nano-agents which can effectively penetrate the mucus layer and accumulate at the epithelial surface. In this framework we present preliminary investigations in the bulk by small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and at the solid-liquid interface by employing quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D)

Custo da implantação de sistemas de produção silvipastoris em São Carlos, SP.

Produção pecuária tradicional gerou um grande passivo ambiental. As preocupações recentes com qualidade da carne, bem-estar animal e proteção ambiental estão perfeitamente sintonizadas com sistemas de produção de base ecológica, como sistemas agroflorestais, e neste caso, com uma de suas modalidades, sistemas silvipastoris. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar o custo de implantação de sistemas silvipastoris com espécies florestais nativas. Uma área de 11,7 ha formada com pastagens degradadas foi plantada com sete espécies florestais nativas em renques com três linhas de árvores espaçados de 15 m. O sistema 1 consiste da produção animal nas entrelinhas (integração pecuária-floresta) e o sistema 2 inlcui o cultivo agrícola nas entrelinhas com o objetivo de alimentação animal na seca (integração lavoura-pecuária-floresta). O custo total de implantação do sistema1 foi de R$4.398,76/ha e o do sistema 2 foi de R$4.446,72/ha