Independent and complementary bio-functional effects of CuO and Ga2O3 incorporated as therapeutic agents in silica- and phosphate-based bioactive glasses

The incorporation of therapeutic-capable ions into bioactive glasses (BGs), either based on silica (SBGs) or phosphate (PBGs), is currently envisaged as a proficient path for facilitating bone regeneration. In conjunction with this view, the single and complementary structural and bio-functional roles of CuO and Ga2O3 (in the 2–5 mol% range) were assessed, by deriving a series of SBG and PBG formulations starting from the parent glass systems, FastOs®BG – 38.5SiO2—36.1CaO—5.6P2O5—19.2MgO—0.6CaF2, and 50.0P2O5—35.0CaO—10.0Na2O—5.0 Fe2O3 (mol%), respectively, using the process of melt-quenching. The inter-linked physico-chemistry – biological response of BGs was assessed in search of bio-functional triggers. Further light was shed on the structural role – as network former or modifier – of Cu and Ga, immersed in SBG and PBG matrices. The preliminary biological performance was surveyed in vitro by quantification of Cu and Ga ion release under homeostatic conditions, cytocompatibility assays (in fibroblast cell cultures) and antibacterial tests (against Staphylococcus aureus). The similar (Cu) and dissimilar (Ga) structural roles in the SBG and PBG vitreous networks governed their release. Namely, Cu ions were leached in similar concentrations (ranging from 10–35 ppm and 50–110 ppm at BG doses of 5 and 50 mg/mL, respectively) for both type of BGs, while the release of Ga ions was 1–2 orders of magnitude lower in the case of SBGs (i.e., 0.2–6 ppm) compared to PBGs (i.e., 9–135 ppm). This was attributed to the network modifier role of Cu in both types of BGs, and conversely, to the network former (SBGs) and network modifier (PBGs) roles of Ga. All glasses were cytocompatible at a dose of 5 mg/mL, while at the same concentration the antimicrobial efficiency was found to be accentuated by the coupled release of Cu and Ga ions from SBG. By collective assessment, the most prominent candidate material for the further development of implant coatings and bone graft substitutes was delineated as the 38.5SiO2—34.1CaO—5.6P2O5—16.2MgO—0.6CaF2—2.0CuO—3.0Ga2O3 (mol%) SBG system, which yielded moderate Cu and Ga ion release, excellent cytocompatibility and marked antibacterial efficacy.publishe

Phase diagrams of classical spin fluids: the influence of an external magnetic field on the liquid-gas transition

The influence of an external magnetic field on the liquid-gas phase transition in Ising, XY, and Heisenberg spin fluid models is studied using a modified mean field theory and Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. It is demonstrated that the theory is able to reproduce quantitatively all characteristic features of the field dependence of the critical temperature T_c(H) for all the three models. These features include a monotonic decrease of T_c with rising H in the case of the Ising fluid as well as a more complicated nonmonotonic behavior for the XY and Heisenberg models. The nonmonotonicity consists in a decrease of T_c with increasing H at weak external fields, an increase of T_c with rising H in the strong field regime, and the existence of a minimum in T_c(H) at intermediate values of H. Analytical expressions for T_c(H) in the large field limit are presented as well. The magnetic para-ferro phase transition is also considered in simulations and described within the mean field theory.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures (to be submitted to Phys. Rev. E

Complete Genome Sequence Of A Vaccinal Newcastle Disease Virus Strain Isolated From An Owl (rhinoptynx Clamator)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)A Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was isolated in chicken embryonated eggs after detection by real-time reverse transcription- PCR (RRT-PCR) from a captive owl swab. The complete genome sequence of APMV-1/Rhinoptynx clamator/Brazil/22516/2009 (APMV-1, avian paramyxovirus type 1) was obtained using Illumina sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome classified the isolate within NDV class II genotype II. © 2016 Van Borm et al.46CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Produção da amoreira-preta ‘Tupy’ sob diferentes épocas de poda.

A amora-preta é uma opção importante para fruticultura paranaense, porém não há informações a respeito do cultivo dessa frutífera nas condições subtropicais do Estado. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da época de poda na produção da amoreira-preta ‘Tupy’. O trabalho foi realizado em um pomar comercial, conduzido em sistema agroecológico. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro blocos e seis tratamentos (podas quinzenais realizadas durante o inverno). Em cada parcela, constituída de três plantas úteis, foram coletados dados fenológicos, produtivos e físico-químicos no ciclo de produção 2008/09 e 2009/10. Podas efetuadas no início de julho são as mais indicadas e podas tardias podem prejudicar o desempenho produtivo das amoreiras-pretas ‘Tupy’ no oeste do Paraná

Optical mapping compendium of structural variants across global cattle breeds

Structural variants (SV) have been linked to important bovine disease phenotypes, but due to the difficulty of their accurate detection with standard sequencing approaches, their role in shaping important traits across cattle breeds is largely unexplored. Optical mapping is an alternative approach for mapping SVs that has been shown to have higher sensitivity than DNA sequencing approaches. The aim of this project was to use optical mapping to develop a high-quality database of structural variation across cattle breeds from different geographical regions, to enable further study of SVs in cattle. To do this we generated 100X Bionano optical mapping data for 18 cattle of nine different ancestries, three continents and both cattle sub-species. In total we identified 13,457 SVs, of which 1,200 putatively overlap coding regions. This resource provides a high-quality set of optical mapping-based SV calls that can be used across studies, from validating DNA sequencing-based SV calls to prioritising candidate functional variants in genetic association studies and expanding our understanding of the role of SVs in cattle evolution

Ecological Invasion, Roughened Fronts, and a Competitor's Extreme Advance: Integrating Stochastic Spatial-Growth Models

Both community ecology and conservation biology seek further understanding of factors governing the advance of an invasive species. We model biological invasion as an individual-based, stochastic process on a two-dimensional landscape. An ecologically superior invader and a resident species compete for space preemptively. Our general model includes the basic contact process and a variant of the Eden model as special cases. We employ the concept of a "roughened" front to quantify effects of discreteness and stochasticity on invasion; we emphasize the probability distribution of the front-runner's relative position. That is, we analyze the location of the most advanced invader as the extreme deviation about the front's mean position. We find that a class of models with different assumptions about neighborhood interactions exhibit universal characteristics. That is, key features of the invasion dynamics span a class of models, independently of locally detailed demographic rules. Our results integrate theories of invasive spatial growth and generate novel hypotheses linking habitat or landscape size (length of the invading front) to invasion velocity, and to the relative position of the most advanced invader.Comment: The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com/content/8528v8563r7u2742

Haematological and biochemical parameters in Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes from the northeast of Portugal

Hematological and biochemical parameters, including plasma electrolytes and thyroid hormones, were determined in 73 clinically healthy Churra-da-Terra-Quente ewes, a typical breed from the northeast of Portugal. The hemogram values were: erythrocytes 9.8±1.51012/L; haemoglobin 118.1±19.1g/L; haematocrit 40.8±5.9%; leukocytes 5.7±1.8109/L; and platelets 544.3±177.2109/L. The thrombin time was 17.3±1.7 seconds. The values of biochemical parameters were: total protein 76.4±6.1g/L; glucose 2.87±0.60mmol/L; total cholesterol 1.65±0.33mmol/L; aspartate aminotransferase 155.9±49.2U/L; alanine aminotransferase 23.2±9.6U/L; γ-glutamyl transferase 48.0±18.7U/L; total alkaline phosphatase 121.6±76.1U/L; glutamate dehydrogenase 6.4±3.7U/L; urea 7.32±2.22mmol/L; creatinine 123.0±54.1μmol/L; total calcium 2.53±0.25mmol/L; phosphorus 2.10±0.46mmol/L; magnesium 1.01±0.09mmol/L; sodium 152.04±3.65mmol/L; potassium 4.7±0.4mmol/L; ionized calcium 1.32±0.07mmol/L; total thyroxine 111.75±42.29nmol/L; total triiodothyronine 1.01±0.28nmol/L; free T4 11.93±1.78pmol/L; free T3 4.22±1.33pmol/L; and thyroid-stimulating hormone 0.18±0.19μIU/mL. Although differences among the Churra-da-Terra-Quente breed and other breeds may occur, the hematological and biochemical parameters, plasma electrolytes, and thyroid hormones, for this indigenous breed, were generally situated within the reference intervals previously reported for sheep