Modelling and experimental investigation of carangiform locomotion for control

We propose a model for planar carangiform swimming based on conservative equations for the interaction of a rigid body and an incompressible fluid. We account for the generation of thrust due to vortex shedding through controlled coupling terms. We investigate the correct form of this coupling experimentally with a robotic propulsor, comparing its observed behavior to that predicted by unsteady hydrodynamics. Our analysis of thrust generation by an oscillating hydrofoil allows us to characterize and evaluate certain families of gaits. Our final swimming model takes the form of a control-affine nonlinear system

Characterisation of Perennial Ryegrass Parental Inbred Lines for Generating Recombinant Inbred Lines for Fine Mapping and Gene Cloning

Intermated recombinant inbred lines (IRIs) are a powerful tool for fine mapping and cloning of genes. Such population structures have been particularly helpful for cloning of genes in the model genetic plant Arabidopsis thaliana. IRIs or recombinant inbred lines (RILs) would be valuable for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), but its allogamous character means that the construction of RILs is a difficult task. The international Lolium community would benefit from the development of such lines. The aims of the projects are to characterise the parental lines and initial generations at the (1) phenotypic, (2) molecular and (3) molecular cytogenetic level

Produção de biodiesel e geração de energia elétrica a partir de óleo de mamona em Quixeramobim, CE.

Introdução; Fase agrícola - produção de mamona; Fase industria l- extração de óleo e transesterificação; Fase final - geração de energia elétrica; Considerações finais.bitstream/CNPA/17471/1/DOC136.pd

Human autoantibodies against desmoplakins in paraneoplastic pemphigus.

Recently, a previously unrecognized autoantibody mediated blistering disease, paraneoplastic pemphigus has been described. Paraneoplastic pemphigus is associated with lymphoid malignancies, thymomas, and poorly differentiated sarcomas. Serum of affected patients contain pathogenic autoantibodies that immunoprecipitate from normal keratinocytes a characteristic complex of four polypeptides with M(r) of 250, 230, 210, and 190 kD. As our preliminary studies indicated that the 250-kD and the 210-kD antigens comigrated with desmoplakins I and II, we investigated the possibility that autoantibodies against the desmoplakins were a component of this autoimmune syndrome. 11 sera from affected patients were tested by indirect immunofluorescence against desmosome containing tissues, immunoprecipitation of metabolically labeled keratinocytes, and Western immunoblotting of desmoplakins I and II that had been purified to homogeneity from pig tongue epithelium. By indirect immunofluorescence, 9 of 11 sera showed strong binding to epithelial and nonepithelial desmosomes, and 2 were weakly reactive. All 11 immunoprecipitated 250- and 210-kD bands of variable intensity that comigrated with bands identified by a murine monoclonal antidesmoplakin antibody, and immunoblotting confirmed binding of the serum autoantibodies to purified desmoplakins. This demonstrates that paraneoplastic pemphigus is the first human autoimmune syndrome in which autoantibodies against the desmoplakins are a prominent component of the humoral autoimmune response

Autoimmune and infectious skin diseases that target desmogleins

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions of epithelial cells that contain two major transmembrane components, the desmogleins (Dsg) and desmocollins (Dsc), which are cadherin-type cell–cell adhesion molecules and are anchored to intermediate filaments of keratin through interactions with plakoglobin and desmoplakin. Desmosomes play an important role in maintaining the proper structure and barrier function of the epidermis and mucous epithelia. Four Dsg isoforms have been identified to date, Dsg1–Dsg4, and are involved in several skin and heart diseases. Dsg1 and Dsg3 are the two major Dsg isoforms in the skin and mucous membranes, and are targeted by IgG autoantibodies in pemphigus, an autoimmune disease of the skin and mucous membranes. Dsg1 is also targeted by exfoliative toxin (ET) released by Staphylococcus aureus in the infectious skin diseases bullous impetigo and staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS). ET is a unique serine protease that shows lock and key specificity to Dsg1. Dsg2 is expressed in all tissues possessing desmosomes, including simple epithelia and myocardia, and mutations in this gene are responsible for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia. Dsg4 plays an important adhesive role mainly in hair follicles, and Dsg4 mutations cause abnormal hair development. Recently, an active disease model for pemphigus was generated by a unique approach using autoantigen-deficient mice that do not acquire tolerance against the defective autoantigen. Adoptive transfer of Dsg3−/− lymphocytes into mice expressing Dsg3 induces stable anti-Dsg3 IgG production with development of the pemphigus phenotype. This mouse model is a valuable tool with which to investigate immunological mechanisms of harmful IgG autoantibody production in pemphigus. Further investigation of desmoglein molecules will continue to provide insight into the unsolved pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases and aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies with minimal side effects

Demonstration of Pemphigus Antibodies on the Cell Surface of Murine Epidermal Cell Monolayers and their Internalization

The pathogenic effects of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) antibodies on epidermal cells can be demonstrated both in vitro using skin organ culture or primary epidermal cell cultures (PECC) and in vivo by passive transfer of PV antibodies into neonatal BALB/c mice. Although PV antibodies have been localized on the epidermal cell surface by several techniques, little is known about the fate of these autoantibodies subsequent to their surface binding. We have examined this, using murine PECC which express pemphigus antigen on their surface, and followed the fate of the bound antibody molecules. Forty-eight-hour PECC were incubated at 37°C with PV antibodies for 20 min and then with horseradish peroxidase-labelled antihuman IgG. This was considered time 0. The monolayers were fixed with glutaraldehyde after 0, 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 18, and 24 h incubation at 37°C and then processed for electron microscopy. At time 0 hour, PV antibodies is detected bound evenly along the surface of keratinocytes. Within 30 min, the bound PV antibodies becomes clustered, internalized into submembranous vesicles via surface pits, and eventually fused with lysosomes. Widening of the intercellular spaces was also seen in PECC treated with PV antibodies within the first 24 h. PECC treated with normal human IgG in parallel cultures showed no such surface binding, internalization, or cell-cell detachment. Treatment with cytochalasin-D and/or colchicine did not affect the internalization of the PV antibodies, but fusion with lysosomes was not seen in treated cultures.These findings suggest that PV antibodies binds a surface antigen and the complex is internalized and fused with lysosomes in a process that may have pathophysiologic relevance

The Protease Inhibitor Alpha-2-Macroglobuline-Like-1 Is the p170 Antigen Recognized by Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Autoantibodies in Human

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a devastating autoimmune blistering disease, involving mucocutaneous and internal organs, and associated with underlying neoplasms. PNP is characterized by the production of autoantibodies targeting proteins of the plakin and cadherin families involved in maintenance of cell architecture and tissue cohesion. Nevertheless, the identity of an antigen of Mr 170,000 (p170), thought to be critical in PNP pathogenesis, has remained unknown

Klimafolgenabschätzungen in der Wasserwirtschaft und deren Nutzen für die Praxis

KlimafolgenClimate ImpactsDer globale Klimawandel kann regional unterschiedliche Auswirkungen haben. Während sich die wissenschaftliche Forschung vor allem mit der Analyse der Daten beschäftigt, ist die fachliche Praxis darum bemüht, die Ergebnisse zu interpretieren und Handlungsempfehlungen daraus abzuleiten. Im Zuge des Projektes KliBiW (Globaler Klimawandel – Wasserwirtschaftliche Folgenabschätzung für das Binnenland) wurden die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Hochwasser- und Niedrigwasserverhältnisse in Niedersachsen untersucht. Hierzu wurden die Daten von zwei regionalen Klimamodellen (WETTREG2006 und REMO), beide angetrieben durch das Globalmodell ECHAM5/MPI-OM, räumlich interpoliert und die Niederschläge zum Teil zeitlich disaggregiert, um hoch aufgelöste Klimainformationen bereitzuhalten. Anschließend erfolgte die Kopplung mit einem hydrologischen Modellsystem (PANTA RHEI), das bereits in der Hochwasservorhersagezentrale des NLWKN im Einsatz ist. Über Langzeitsimulationen wurden zukünftige Veränderungen in den Abflussverhältnissen räumlich und zeitlich differenziert für das Aller-Leine Gebiet identifiziert. Als Betrachtungszeiträume dienten eine nahe Zukunftsphase (2021 – 2050) und eine ferne Zukunftsphase (2071 – 2100). Die Veränderungen verschiedener hydrologischer Hoch- und Niedrigwasser-Kenngrößen wurden gegenüber einem Kontrollzeitraum (1971 – 2000) aufgezeigt. Die Auswertungen an 8 Pegeln in Einzugsgebieten >1.000 km² auf Tageswertbasis und an 6 Pegeln in Einzugsgebieten <1.000 km² auf Stundenwertbasis zeigten, dass sich die Hochwassersituation zukünftig verschärfen kann. Während kleinere Hochwässer häufiger auftreten können, nehmen die Scheitelabflüsse insbesondere in der fernen Zukunft zu. Aussagen zu größeren Ereignissen sind aufgrund der großen Bandbreite der Ergebnisse jedoch mit erheblichen Unsicherheiten behaftet. Die Niedrigwasserverhältnisse zeigten eine Abnahme der Abflüsse, speziell im Sommer, sowie eine Zunahme der Dauer undnder Volumendefizite bei Trockenperioden. Hierbei erschien die Variabilität und Ausprägung der Trockenheit in kleineren Einzugsgebieten etwas größer. Die Nutzung dieser Erkenntnisse stellt die fachliche Praxis vor die Herausforderung, die Ergebnisse zu interpretieren und zu kommunizieren. Unsicherheiten in den Modellketten müssen berücksichtigt und, wenn möglich, quantifiziert werden. Die abgeleiteten hydrologischen Konsequenzen des Klimawandels können z.B. Anwendung finden in der gesetzlich geforderten Berücksichtigung der Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Risikogebiete entsprechend der Hochwasserrisikomanagement-Richtlinie (2007/60/EG). Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über wasserwirtschaftlich relevante Auswertungen von Klimamodelldaten auf unterschiedlichen räumlichen Skalen und zeigt anhand ausgewählter Beispiele auf, wie primär im wissenschaftlichen Kontext erhobene Ergebnisse effektiv für praxisrelevante Fragestellungen genutzt werden können