842 research outputs found
An NPZ Model with State-Dependent Delay due to Size-Structure in Juvenile Zooplankton
The study of planktonic ecosystems is important as they make up the bottom
trophic levels of aquatic food webs. We study a closed
Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton (NPZ) model that includes size structure in
the juvenile zooplankton. The closed nature of the system allows the
formulation of a conservation law of biomass that governs the system. The model
consists of a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equation coupled to a
partial differential equation. We are able to transform this system into a
system of delay differential equations where the delay is of threshold type and
is state-dependent. The system of delay differential equations can be further
transformed into one with fixed delay. Using the different forms of the model
we perform a qualitative analysis of the solutions, which includes studying
existence and uniqueness, positivity and boundedness, local and global
stability, and conditions for extinction. Key parameters that are explored are
the total biomass in the system and the maturity level at which the juvenile
zooplankton reach maturity. Numerical simulations are also performed to verify
our analytical results
Presubiculum stimulation in vivo evokes distinct oscillations in superficial and deep entorhinal cortex layers in chronic epileptic rats
The characteristic cell loss in layer III of the medial entorhinal area (MEA-III) in human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is reproduced in the rat kainate model of the disease. To understand how this cell loss affects the functional properties of the MEA, we investigated whether projections from the presubiculum (prS), providing a main input to the MEA-III, are altered in this epileptic rat model. Injections of an anterograde tracer in the prS revealed bilateral projection fibers mainly to the MEA-III in both control and chronic epileptic rats. We further examined the prS-MEA circuitry using a 16-channel electrode probe covering the MEA in anesthetized control and chronic epileptic rats. With a second 16-channel probe, we recorded signals in the hippocampus. Current source density analysis indicated that, after prS double-pulse stimulation, afterdischarges in the form of oscillations (20-45 Hz) occurred that were confined to the superficial layers of the MEA in all epileptic rats displaying MEA-III neuronal loss. Slower oscillations (theta range) were occasionally observed in the deep MEA layers and the dentate gyrus. This kind of oscillation was never observed in control rats. We conclude that dynamical changes occur in an extensive network within the temporal lobe in epileptic rats, manifested as different kinds of oscillations, the characteristics of which depend on local properties of particular subareas. These findings emphasize the significance of the entorhinal cortex in temporal lobe epilepsy and suggest that the superficial cell layers could play an important role in distributing oscillatory activity.status: publishe
Targeted Inhibition of miRNA Maturation with Morpholinos Reveals a Role for miR-375 in Pancreatic Islet Development
Several vertebrate microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in cellular processes such as muscle differentiation, synapse function, and insulin secretion. In addition, analysis of Dicer null mutants has shown that miRNAs play a role in tissue morphogenesis. Nonetheless, only a few loss-of-function phenotypes for individual miRNAs have been described to date. Here, we introduce a quick and versatile method to interfere with miRNA function during zebrafish embryonic development. Morpholino oligonucleotides targeting the mature miRNA or the miRNA precursor specifically and temporally knock down miRNAs. Morpholinos can block processing of the primary miRNA (pri-miRNA) or the pre-miRNA, and they can inhibit the activity of the mature miRNA. We used this strategy to knock down 13 miRNAs conserved between zebrafish and mammals. For most miRNAs, this does not result in visible defects, but knockdown of miR-375 causes defects in the morphology of the pancreatic islet. Although the islet is still intact at 24 hours postfertilization, in later stages the islet cells become scattered. This phenotype can be recapitulated by independent control morpholinos targeting other sequences in the miR-375 precursor, excluding off-target effects as cause of the phenotype. The aberrant formation of the endocrine pancreas, caused by miR-375 knockdown, is one of the first loss-of-function phenotypes for an individual miRNA in vertebrate development. The miRNA knockdown strategy presented here will be widely used to unravel miRNA function in zebrafish
Cloning and expression of new microRNAs from zebrafish
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in development and regulate the expression of many animal genes by post-transcriptional gene silencing. Here we describe the cloning and expression of new miRNAs from zebrafish. By high-throughput sequencing of small-RNA cDNA libraries from 5-day-old zebrafish larvae and adult zebrafish brain we found 139 known miRNAs and 66 new miRNAs. For 65 known miRNAs and for 11 new miRNAs we also cloned the miRNA star sequence. We analyzed the temporal and spatial expression patterns for 35 new miRNAs and for 32 known miRNAs in the zebrafish by whole mount in situ hybridization and northern blotting. Overall, 23 of the 35 new miRNAs and 30 of the 32 known miRNAs could be detected. We found that most miRNAs were expressed during later stages of development. Some were expressed ubiquitously, but many of the miRNAs were expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Most newly discovered miRNAs have low expression levels and are less conserved in other vertebrate species. Our cloning and expression analysis indicates that most abundant and conserved miRNAs in zebrafish are now known
Distribution of Eigenvalues for the Modular Group
The two-point correlation function of energy levels for free motion on the
modular domain, both with periodic and Dirichlet boundary conditions, are
explicitly computed using a generalization of the Hardy-Littlewood method. It
is shown that ion the limit of small separations they show an uncorrelated
behaviour and agree with the Poisson distribution but they have prominent
number-theoretical oscillations at larger scale. The results agree well with
numerical simulations.Comment: 72 pages, Latex, the fiogures mentioned in the text are not vital,
but can be obtained upon request from the first Autho
Time Multiplexed Active Neural Probe with 678 Parallel Recording Sites
We present a high density CMOS neural probe with
active electrodes (pixels), consisting of dedicated in-situ circuits
for signal source amplification. The complete probe contains 1356
neuron size (20x20 μm2) pixels densely packed on a 50 μm thick,
100 μm wide and 8 mm long shank. It allows simultaneous highperformance
recording from 678 electrodes and a possibility to
simultaneously observe all of the 1356 electrodes with increased
noise. This considerably surpasses the state of the art active neural
probes in electrode count and flexibility. The measured action
potential band noise is 12.4 μVrms, with just 3 μW power
dissipation per electrode amplifier and 45 μW per channel
(including data transmission)
Unravelling enzymatic discoloration in potato through a combined approach of candidate genes, QTL, and expression analysis
Enzymatic discoloration (ED) of potato tubers was investigated in an attempt to unravel the underlying genetic factors. Both enzyme and substrate concentration have been reported to influence the degree of discoloration and as such this trait can be regarded as polygenic. The diploid mapping population C × E, consisting of 249 individuals, was assayed for the degree of ED and levels of chlorogenic acid and tyrosine. Using this data, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis was performed. Three QTLs for ED have been found on parental chromosomes C3, C8, E1, and E8. For chlorogenic acid a QTL has been identified on C2 and for tyrosine levels, a QTL has been detected on C8. None of the QTLs overlap, indicating the absence of genetic correlations between these components underlying ED, in contrast to earlier reports in literature. An obvious candidate gene for the QTL for ED on Chromosome 8 is polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which was previously mapped on chromosome 8. With gene-specific primers for PPO gene POT32 a CAPS marker was developed. Three different alleles (POT32-1, -2, and -3) could be discriminated. The segregating POT32 alleles were used to map the POT32 CAPS marker and QTL analysis was redone, showing that POT32 coincides with the QTL peak. A clear correlation between allele combinations and degree of discoloration was observed. In addition, analysis of POT32 gene expression in a subset of genotypes indicated a correlation between the level of gene expression and allele composition. On average, genotypes having two copies of allele 1 had both the highest degree of discoloration as well as the highest level of POT32 gene expression
Fetal leg posture in uncomplicated breech and cephalic pregnancies
Background The objective of our study was to determine differences in prenatal leg posture development between breech and cephalic-born babies. Materials and methods Ten healthy fetuses in breech and ten healthy fetuses in cephalic presentation were observed by means of weekly ultrasounds from 33 weeks gestational age until birth to assess leg posture. Results The breech fetuses showed a clear preference for an extended leg position; they spent significantly more time with their knees in extension than the cephalic fetuses (p<0.001). The cephalic fetuses showed significantly more leg-crossing than the breech fetuses (p<0.01). For both findings, no significant change over time could be observed in either group. Conclusion These findings show that the intra-uterine position does influence the fetal postural and motor development. However, it seems unlikely that intra-uterine movement restriction can solely be held accountable for the observed differences in leg position between breech and cephalic fetuses. © 2008 The Author(s)
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