Clone size distributions in networks of genetic similarity

We build networks of genetic similarity in which the nodes are organisms sampled from biological populations. The procedure is illustrated by constructing networks from genetic data of a marine clonal plant. An important feature in the networks is the presence of clone subgraphs, i.e. sets of organisms with identical genotype forming clones. As a first step to understand the dynamics that has shaped these networks, we point up a relationship between a particular degree distribution and the clone size distribution in the populations. We construct a dynamical model for the population dynamics, focussing on the dynamics of the clones, and solve it for the required distributions. Scale free and exponentially decaying forms are obtained depending on parameter values, the first type being obtained when clonal growth is the dominant process. Average distributions are dominated by the power law behavior presented by the fastest replicating populations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. One figure improved and other minor changes. To appear in Physica

Evolutionary and Ecological Trees and Networks

Evolutionary relationships between species are usually represented in phylogenies, i.e. evolutionary trees, which are a type of networks. The terminal nodes of these trees represent species, which are made of individuals and populations among which gene flow occurs. This flow can also be represented as a network. In this paper we briefly show some properties of these complex networks of evolutionary and ecological relationships. First, we characterize large scale evolutionary relationships in the Tree of Life by a degree distribution. Second, we represent genetic relationships between individuals of a Mediterranean marine plant, Posidonia oceanica, in terms of a Minimum Spanning Tree. Finally, relationships among plant shoots inside populations are represented as networks of genetic similarity.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Proceedings of the Medyfinol06 Conferenc

Pain overview: classification, conceptual framework, and assessment

The ability to evict noxious stimulus increases the likelihood of surviving. It is the result of interactions between specialized cells, the spinal cord, and the brain. Nociceptive pain is related to direct injury of the body. Other forms of pain may not be linked to visible injury. Being multidimensional in nature, classification attempts are unable to embark the plethora of elements that constitute pain. Pain theories can explain the nociceptive quality of it while failing to explain other qualities. Efforts culminated in the development of gate control theory, which spawned many advances in pain management. Assessment tools are useful to determine the intensity of pain and its impact on quality of life. Judicious use of these scales allows healthcare professionals to proper manage patients pain and are validated instruments widely used in research. This short review aims to expand awareness about the phenomenon of pain, its mechanisms, and its measurement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Milho no Brasil: o avanço dos transgênicos.

bitstream/item/73325/1/Milho-Brasil-1.pd

La formación espacial de los valores comerciales, un análisis para las principales ciudades catalanas

La presente comunicación reporta los resultados de una investigación que tiene por objeto conocer cuáles son los factores que determinan el valor de los locales comerciales en las principales ciudades catalanas. A través de un análisis econométrico, construido a partir de un estudio de mercado propio, se analiza cuál es el peso que los factores locativos y las características de los locales tienen, sobre la formación espacial de los valores. A estos efectos, la información de los locales ubicados a pie de calle en venta y alquiler (antigüedad del inmueble, estado de conservación de los acabados e instalaciones, tipos de acabados, lementos accesorios, geométricos y configuración espacial de los locales) ha sido complementada, mediante un SIG, con otra derivada de la localización (cercanía a los ejes principales, composición socioeconómica del entorno, nivel de accesibilidad, estructura edificada, usos del suelo predominantes, etc.) procedente del Censo de Edificios, Locales, Población y Vivienda del 2001, así como del Corine Landcover 2000. Los resultados sugieren que detrás de los factores locativos están otros asociados a las características estructurales de los locales, como su configuración, y que tienen una directa relación con el nivel de accesibilidad y visualización que se tiene del local desde la vía pública.This communication reports the results of an investigation that seeks to identify the factors that determine the value of commercial premises in the main cities in Catalonia. Through an econometric analysis, built from a separate market study, we analyze what are the weight factors and the characteristics of rental premises are on the spatial formation of values. For this purpose, information from the premises to the street for sale and rent (length of the property, the conservation status of finishes and facilities, types of finishes, accessories, geometric and spatial configuration of the premises) has been supplemented through a GIS, with another due to location (proximity to the main composition of the socioeconomic environment, level of accessibility, built structure, land use dominate, etc..) from the Census of Buildings, Local Population and Housing 2001, and the Corine Landcover 2000. The results suggest that behind the rental are other factors associated with the structural characteristics of the premises, as its configuration, and have a direct relation to the level of accessibility and visualization that is from the local public roads.Peer Reviewe

Network analysis identifies weak and strong links in a metapopulation system

The identification of key populations shaping the structure and connectivity of metapopulation systems is a major challenge in population ecology. The use of molecular markers in the theoretical framework of population genetics has allowed great advances in this field, but the prime question of quantifying the role of each population in the system remains unresolved. Furthermore, the use and interpretation of classical methods are still bounded by the need for a priori information and underlying assumptions that are seldom respected in natural systems. Network theory was applied to map the genetic structure in a metapopulation system by using microsatellite data from populations of a threatened seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, across its whole geographical range. The network approach, free from a priori assumptions and from the usual underlying hypotheses required for the interpretation of classical analyses, allows both the straightforward characterization of hierarchical population structure and the detection of populations acting as hubs critical for relaying gene flow or sustaining the metapopulation system. This development opens perspectives in ecology and evolution in general, particularly in areas such as conservation biology and epidemiology, where targeting specific populations is crucial

Sedentary behaviour impairs skeletal muscle repair modulating the inflammatory response

This study investigated whether sedentary behaviour modulates skeletal-muscle repair and tissue inflammatory response after cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced injury. Singly caged rats spent 8 weeks either as a sedentary group (SED, n = 15) or as a control group (EX, n = 15)?caged with running wheels for voluntary running. All rats had each tibial anterior muscle infused either with CTX (CTX; right muscle) or saline solution (Sham; left muscle) and were sacrificed (n = 5 per group) on the 1st, 7th, and 15th day post-injection (dpi). Histological and immunohistochemical analyses were used to calculate myotube percentage and fibrosis accretion, and quantify the number of neutrophils and M1 and M2 macrophage subtypes. The SED group showed an increased number of both neutrophils and M1 macrophages (7th and 15th dpi) compared to the EX group (p < 0.01). The EX group showed an increased number of M2 macrophages on the 1st dpi. On the 7th dpi, the SED group showed a lower myotube percentage compared to the EX group (p < 0.01) and on the 15th dpi showed only 54% of normal undamaged fibres compared to 90% from the EX group (p < 0.01). The SED group showed increased fibrosis on both the 7th and 15th dpi. Our results show that sedentary behaviour affects the inflammatory response, enhancing and prolonging the Th1 phase, and delays and impairs the SMR process.DB19-D819-F720 | Carlos Eduardo da Silva TeixeiraN/

Milho Bt: vantagens para a cadeia produtiva e a viabilidade da coexistência.

bitstream/item/35648/1/milho-bt.pd