On the study of bifurcations in delay-differential equations: a frequency-domain approach

An improved version of a frequency-domain approach to study bifurcations in delay-differential equations is presented. The proposed methodology provides information about the frequency, amplitude, and stability of the orbit emerging from Hopf bifurcation. We apply this method to different schemes of the delayed van der Pol oscillator. The time-delay dependence can appear intrinsically because of the system dynamics or can be intentionally introduced in a feedback loop. Also, a discussion about system controllability and observability is given for a proper and rigorous application of the frequency domain technique. Collateral findings involving some types of static bifurcations are included for completeness.Fil: Gentile, Franco Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages". Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages"; ArgentinaFil: Moiola, Jorge Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages". Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages"; ArgentinaFil: Paolini, Eduardo Emilio. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages". Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Eléctrica "Alfredo Desages"; Argentin

Caracterización de IgM, IgG Total, IgG1 y anticuerpos de cadena pesada en calostro de llamas ("Lama glama") mediante Elisa

Objectives: to determine the levels of IgM, total IgG, IgG1 and HCAbs (IgG2 and IgG3) in colostra of llamas and to evaluate the concentration of HCAbs in relation to total IgG and the conventional isotype IgG1. Methods: Fifteen pregnant llamas were used in this study, which were milked within the first 24 hours after delivery. Sandwich ELISAs were designed for the quantification of IgM, total IgG and IgG1. The HCAbs concentration was calculated by difference between total IgG and IgG1 (HCAbs = total IgG – IgG1). Results: The levels of Igs were found to be: IgM= 17.02 mg/ml (SD= 9.85), total IgG= 42.54mg/ml (SD=27.79), IgG1=24.34mg/ml (SD=13.96) and HCAbs (IgGtotal-IgG1) = 18.19 mg/ml (SD=15.49). Results regarding total IgG are consistent with those described in other species with similar type of placentation. HCAbs represented 43% of colostral IgG and IgM concentration presented values that were much higher (two and three times respectively) than those described for species with similar type of placentation. Conclusions: This study is the first which evaluate amounts of each immunoglobulin isotype in colostra of llamas. We described a higher value of IgM in in comparison with species with similar placentation type. The IgG1 isotype, which represents the conventional isotype, is the more abundant antibody in colostra, being the HCAbs the second important fraction. This information may be useful in the management of neonates with failures in the transference of maternal passive immunity by colostra.Objetivos: determinar los niveles de IgM, IgG total y Anticuerpos de Cadena Pesada (HCAbs; por su sigla en inglés Heavy Chain Antibodies) (IgG2 e IgG3) en calostro de llamas y evaluar la concentración de HCAbs en relación a la IgG total y al isotipo convencional IgG1. Métodos: en este estudio se utilizaron 15 llamas preñadas, que fueron ordeñadas dentro de las primeras 24 horas post-parto. Se diseñaron ELISAs Sandwich para la cuantificación de IgM total, IgG total e IgG1. La concentración de HCAbs fue calculada mediante la diferencia entre IgG total e IgG1. (HCAbs =IgG total-IgG1). Resultados: los niveles encontrados fueron: IgM=17.02 mg/ml (DS=9.85) IgG total= 42.54 mg/ml (DS=27.79), IgG1=24.34 mg/ml (DS=13.96) y HCAbs (IgG total-IgG1)= 18.19 mg/ml (DS=15.49). Los resultados de IgG fueron consistentes en relación a lo descripto en otras especies con similar tipo de placentación. Los HCAbs representan el 43% de IgG calostral y la concentración de IgM presentó valores muy altos (dos y tres veces más elevados) que los descriptos en las especies con similar tipo de placentación

Characterization of IgM, total IgG, igG1 and hcabs in colostra of llamas (Lama glama) by Elisa

Objetivos: determinar los niveles de IgM, IgG total y Anticuerpos de Cadena Pesada (HCAbs; por su sigla en inglés Heavy Chain Antibodies) (IgG2 e IgG3) en calostro de llamas y evaluar la concentración de HCAbs en relación a la IgG total y al isotipo convencional IgG1. Métodos: en este estudio se utilizaron 15 llamas preñadas, que fueron ordeñadas dentro de las primeras 24 horas post-parto. Se diseñaron ELISAs Sandwich para la cuantificación de IgM total, IgG total e IgG1. La concentración de HCAbs fue calculada mediante la diferencia entre IgG total e IgG1. (HCAbs =IgG total-IgG1). Resultados: los niveles encontrados fueron: IgM=17.02 mg/ml (DS=9.85) IgG total= 42.54 mg/ml (DS=27.79), IgG1=24.34 mg/ml (DS=13.96) y HCAbs (IgG total-IgG1)= 18.19 mg/ml (DS=15.49). Los resultados de IgG fueron consistentes en relación a lo descripto en otras especies con similar tipo de placentación. Los HCAbs representan el 43% de IgG calostral y la concentración de IgM presentó valores muy altos (dos y tres veces más elevados) que los descriptos en las especies con similar tipo de placentación.Fil: Caggiano, Nicolás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Saccodossi, Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: Gentile, Maria Teresa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: Chiappe Barbará, María Angelina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Leoni, Juliana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: de Simone, Emilio Adrian. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentin

Movimientos en masa en el intervalo 12/12/66 - 18/08/81 (Sierra La Juanita y aledaños, Provincia de Buenos Aires)

Fil: Gentile, Rodolfo Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Cátedra de Geomorfología; ArgentinaFil: Kruse, Eduardo Emilio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Cátedra de Hidrología; ArgentinaFil: Giaconi, Luis Mario. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Cátedra de Geología Aplicada; Argentin

VNS in drug resistant epilepsy: preliminary report on a small group of patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 1997 Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of medically intractable partial epilepsy in people aged 12 years and older who are ineligible for resective epilepsy surgery. Although the exact mechanisms of action are unknown, the use of VNS with children has increased, including those younger than 12 years of age, or those with generalized epilepsy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We describe the outcome for the first group of nine patients, aged 8-28 years, who had pharmaco-resistant epilepsy and were treated with VNS. During the follow up, we gradually and slowly increased the parameters of the stimulation in order to assess the efficacy of VNS even at parameters which would usually be considered "non-therapeutic", along with possible side effects and changes in quality of life.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At the last follow, up 1 patient was "seizures free", 3 were "very good responders", 3 were "good responders" and 2 were "non responders". We obtained an initial seizure reduction with low stimulation parameters, the highest current reached being 2.00 mA. This observation supports the possibility that, for younger patients, lower stimulation intensities than those commonly used in clinical practice for adults can be therapeutic. We also wanted to underline the reduction in seizure frequency (~91,7%) and the reduction in seizure duration (> 50%) in the patients affected by drug-resistant absence epilepsy. Adverse effects were mild, tolerable and, in most of cases, easily resolved by adjusting the stimulation parameters. Hoarseness of voice was the most frequent side effect. The improvements in the quality of life are relevant and seem to be independent of the VNS effect in controlling seizures.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our small experience seems to confirm the efficacy and safety of VNS in drug resistant partial and generalized epilepsy in developing age groups.</p

Protection from angiotensin II–mediated vasculotoxic and hypertensive response in mice lacking PI3Kγ

Hypertension affects nearly 20% of the population in Western countries and strongly increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases. In the pathogenesis of hypertension, the vasoactive peptide of the renin-angiotensin system, angiotensin II and its G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), play a crucial role by eliciting reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mediating vessel contractility. Here we show that mice lacking the GPCR-activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)γ are protected from hypertension that is induced by administration of angiotensin II in vivo. PI3Kγ was found to play a role in angiotensin II–evoked smooth muscle contraction in two crucial, distinct signaling pathways. In response to angiotensin II, PI3Kγ was required for the activation of Rac and the subsequent triggering of ROS production. Conversely, PI3Kγ was necessary to activate protein kinase B/Akt, which, in turn, enhanced L-type Ca2+ channel–mediated extracellular Ca2+ entry. These data indicate that PI3Kγ is a key transducer of the intracellular signals that are evoked by angiotensin II and suggest that blocking PI3Kγ function might be exploited to improve therapeutic intervention on hypertension

Futurismo, cultura e politica

Nell’ambito della mostra “Futurismo e Futurismi”, curata da Palazzo Grassi a Venezia nel 1986, la Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli organizzò a Venezia, il 15 e 16 maggio 1986, il convegno “Futurismo, Cultura e Politica”, volto ad esplorare la dimensione politica e meta-politica del movimento e della cultura futurista, in Italia ed all’estero. Il volume raccoglie i saggi nati dalle relazioni presentate in quella occasione.- Indice #5- Introduzione di Renzo De Felice #9- Parte Prima. Gli aspetti generali del rapporto tra futurismo, cultura e politica #13- Futurismo e culture politiche in Europa: una prospettiva globale, George L. Mosse #15- Il ruolo di Marinetti nella costruzione del futurismo, Luciano De Maria #35- Il futurismo nel dibattito intellettuale italiano dalle origini al 1920, Alberto Asor Rosa #51- Futurismo e sinistra politica, Umberto Carpi #69- Macchine e rarimerletti. Alcune fonti del futurismo nell’ideologia e nella letteratura, Roberto Tessari #81- Parte Seconda. L’esperienza politica del futurismo italiano #105- II futurismo e la politica. Dal nazionalismo modernista al fascismo (1909-1920), Emilio Gentile #107- Futurismo e fascismo, Niccolò Zapponi #163- Settimelli e Carli dal futurismo al fascismo, Paolo Buchignani #179- Bottai: da intellettuale futurista a leader fascista, Giordano Bruno Guerri #223- La politica culturale del fascismo, le avanguardie e il problema del futurismo, Enrico Crispolti #249- Parte Terza. Futurismo, cultura e politica fuori d’Italia #287- Futurismo e culture politiche in Francia, Pasquale A. Jannini #289- Futurismo e rivoluzione conservatrice in Germania, Ferruccio Masini #307- Il futurismo italiano e l’avanguardia ungherese, Gianpiero Cavaglià #323- I contatti politico-culturali tra futuristi italiani e Russia, Cesare G. De Michelis #355- Il secondo futurismo russo: la dimensione politica, Halina Stephan #385- Futurismo, ultraismo e culture politiche nell’area ispanica, Jaime Brihuega #411- Futurismo, vorticismo e “mondomoderno”, William C. Wees #443- Interventi #459- Arti liberali e diritto dell’individuo in F. T. Marinetti, Leonardo Clerici #461- Futurismo e dibattito politico, Emilio R. Papa #483- Spettacolo politico e “18 BL”, Marco Verdone #48

From the fringes to the State: the transformation of the Falange into a State Party

The early years of the Francoist regime saw the rise to power of the Falange Española. A fascist and minority party in the times of the Second Republic, the Falange grew rapidly and exponentially after the outbreak of the war, soon seeing itself at the helm of the single party established in April 1937. The Falange was transformed into a conduit between state and society, and the only channel for the participation of the people in the construction and development of the New State until 1945. This transformation, which owed as much to the civil war and Spanish peculiarities, as to the interactions between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, entailed its necessary bureaucratisation but it did not imply its complete de-politicisation. Therefore, this essay contends, the party’s importance to the construction of the regime cannot be dismissed simply as a failed attempt to instate a fascist dictatorship in Spain. Moreover, if, as Glenda Sluga has argued, the Spanish Civil War was one of ‘the most obvious examples of transnational links in the history of interwar fascism and anti-fascism’, it seems necessary to explore the Spanish case within a broader European context, if we want to properly understand the post-liberal departure of the 1930–1940s

Evaluation of the prognostic value of impaired renal function on clinical progression in a large cohort of HIV-infected people seen for care in Italy

Whilst renal dysfunction, especially mild impairment (60 die;ve (Icona) Foundation Study collected between January 2000 and February 2014 with at least two creatinine values available. eGFR (CKD-epi) and renal dysfunction defined using a priori cut-offs of 60 (severely impaired) and 90 ml/min/1.73m2 (mildly impaired). Characteristics of patients were described after stratification in these groups and compared using chi-square test (categorical variables) or Kruskal Wallis test comparing median values. Follow-up accrued from baseline up to the date of the CCVD or AIDS related events or death or last available visit. Kaplan Meier curves were used to estimate the cumulative probability of occurrence of the events over time. Adjusted analysis was performed using a proportional hazards Cox regression model. We included 7,385 patients, observed for a median follow-up of 43 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 21-93 months). Over this time, 130 cerebro-cardiovascular events (including 11 deaths due to CCVD) and 311 AIDS-related events (including 45 deaths) were observed. The rate of CCVD events among patients with eGFR &gt;90, 60-89, &lt;60 ml/min, was 2.91 (95% CI 2.30-3.67), 4.63 (95% CI 3.51-6.11) and 11.9 (95% CI 6.19-22.85) per 1,000 PYFU respectively, with an unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 4.14 (95%CI 2.07-8.29) for patients with eGFR &lt;60 ml/min and 1.58 (95%CI 1.10-2.27) for eGFR 60-89 compared to those with eGFR ≥90. Of note, these estimates are adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. smoking, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia). Incidence of AIDS-related events was 9.51 (95%CI 8.35-10.83), 6.04 (95%CI 4.74-7.71) and 25.0 (95% CI 15.96-39.22) per 1,000 PYFU, among patients with eGFR &gt;90, 60-89, &lt;60 ml/min, respectively, with an unadjusted HR of 2.49 (95%CI 1.56-3.97) for patients with eGFR &lt;60 ml/min and 0.68 (95%CI 0.52-0.90) for eGFR 60-89. The risk of AIDS events was significantly lower in mild renal dysfunction group even after adjustment for HIV-related characteristics. Our data confirm that impaired renal function is an important risk marker for CCVD events in the HIV-population; importantly, even those with mild renal impairment (90&lt;60)&gt

The association of indwelling urinary catheter with delirium in hospitalized patients and nursing home residents: an explorative analysis from the "Delirium Day 2015"

Backround: Use of indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) in older adults has negative consequences, including delirium. Aim: This analysis, from the "Delirium Day 2015", a nationwide multicenter prevalence study, aim to evaluate the association of IUC with delirium in hospitalized and Nursing Homes (NHs) patients. Methods: Patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment, including the presence of IUC; inclusion criteria were age &gt; 65 years, being Italian speaker and providing informed consent; exclusion criteria were coma, aphasia, end-of-life status. Delirium was assessed using the 4AT test (score ≥ 4: possible delirium; scores 1-3: possible cognitive impairment). Results: Among 1867 hospitalized patients (mean age 82.0 ± 7.5 years, 58% female), 539 (28.9%) had IUC, 429 (22.9%) delirium and 675 (36.1%) cognitive impairment. IUC was significantly associated with cognitive impairment (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.19-2.16) and delirium (2.45, 95% CI 1.73-3.47), this latter being significant also in the subset of patients without dementia (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.52-3.43). Inattention and impaired alertness were also independently associated with IUC. Among 1454 NHs residents (mean age 84.4 ± 7.4 years, 70.% female), 63 (4.3%) had IUC, 535 (36.8%) a 4AT score ≥ 4, and 653 (44.9%) a 4AT score 1-3. The multivariate logistic regression analysis did not show a significant association between 4AT test or its specific items with IUC, neither in the subset of patients without dementia. Discussion: We confirmed a significant association between IUC and delirium in hospitalized patients but not in NHs residents. Conclusion: Environmental and clinical factors of acute setting might contribute to IUC-associated delirium occurrence