937 research outputs found

    Variation in fine-scale genetic structure and local dispersal patterns between peripheral populations of a South American passerine bird

    Get PDF
    IndexaciĂłn: Scopus.The distribution of suitable habitat influences natal and breeding dispersal at small spatial scales, resulting in strong microgeographic genetic structure. Although environmental variation can promote interpopulation differences in dispersal behavior and local spatial patterns, the effects of distinct ecological conditions on within-species variation in dispersal strategies and in fine-scale genetic structure remain poorly understood. We studied local dispersal and fine-scale genetic structure in the thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a South American bird that breeds along a wide latitudinal gradient. We combine capture-mark-recapture data from eight breeding seasons and molecular genetics to compare two peripheral populations with contrasting environments in Chile: Navarino Island, a continuous and low density habitat, and Fray Jorge National Park, a fragmented, densely populated and more stressful environment. Natal dispersal showed no sex bias in Navarino but was female-biased in the more dense population in Fray Jorge. In the latter, male movements were restricted, and some birds seemed to skip breeding in their first year, suggesting habitat saturation. Breeding dispersal was limited in both populations, with males being more philopatric than females. Spatial genetic autocorrelation analyzes using 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci confirmed the observed dispersal patterns: a fine-scale genetic structure was only detectable for males in Fray Jorge for distances up to 450 m. Furthermore, two-dimensional autocorrelation analyzes and estimates of genetic relatedness indicated that related males tended to be spatially clustered in this population. Our study shows evidence for context-dependent variation in natal dispersal and corresponding local genetic structure in peripheral populations of this bird. It seems likely that the costs of dispersal are higher in the fragmented and higher density environment in Fray Jorge, particularly for males. The observed differences in microgeographic genetic structure for rayaditos might reflect the genetic consequences of population-specific responses to contrasting environmental pressures near the range limits of its distribution.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.3342/epd

    Neuroinflammation in Traumatic Brain Injury

    Get PDF
    Neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of secondary brain injury that perpetuates the duration and scope of disease after initial impact. This chapter discusses the pathophysiology of acute and chronic neuroinflammation, providing insight into factors that influence the acute clinical course and later functional outcomes. Secondary injury due to neuroinflammation is described by mechanisms of action such as ischemia, neuroexcitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and glymphatic and lymphatic dysfunction. Neurodegenerative sequelae of inflammation, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which are important to understand for clinical practice, are detailed by disease type. Prominent research topics of TBI animal models and biomarkers of traumatic neuroinflammation are outlined to provide insight into the advances in TBI research. We then discuss current clinical treatments in TBI and their implications in preventing inflammation. To complete the chapter, recent research models, novel biomarkers, and future research directions aimed at mitigating TBI will be described and will highlight novel therapeutic targets. Understanding the pathophysiology and contributors of neuroinflammation after TBI will aid in future development of prophylaxis strategies, as well as more tailored management and treatment algorithms. This topic chapter is important to both clinicians and basic and translational scientists, with the goal of improving patient outcomes in this common disease

    A Spanish-language patient safety questionnaire to measure medical and nursing students' attitudes and knowledge

    Get PDF
    Objective. To design and validate a questionnaire for assessing attitudes and knowledge about patient safety using a sample of medical and nursing students undergoing clinical training in Spain and four countries in Latin America. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, a literature review was carried out and total of 786 medical and nursing students were surveyed at eight universities from five countries (Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Spain) to develop and refine a Spanish-language questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about patient safety. The scope of the questionnaire was based on five dimensions (factors) presented in studies related to patient safety culture found in PubMed and Scopus. Based on the five factors, 25 reactive items were developed. Composite reliability indexes and Cronbach''s alpha statistics were estimated for each factor, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess validity. After a pilot test, the questionnaire was refined using confirmatory models, maximum-likelihood estimation, and the variance-covariance matrix (as input). Multiple linear regression models were used to confirm external validity, considering variables related to patient safety culture as dependent variables and the five factors as independent variables. Results. The final instrument was a structured five-point Likert self-administered survey (the "Latino Student Patient Safety Questionnaire") consisting of 21 items grouped into five factors. Compound reliability indexes (Cronbach''s alpha statistic) calculated for the five factors were about 0.7 or higher. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated good model fit (goodness-of-fit index: 0.9). Item-total correlations were higher than 0.3 in all cases. The convergent-discriminant validity was adequate. Conclusions. The questionnaire designed and validated in this study assesses nursing and medical students'' attitudes and knowledge about patient safety. This instrument could be used to indirectly evaluate whether or not students in health disciplines are acquiring and thus likely to put into practice the professional skills currently considered most appropriate for patient safety

    Well-posedness for degenerate third order equations with delay and applications to inverse problems

    Get PDF
    [EN] In this paper, we study well-posedness for the following third-order in time equation with delay <disp-formula idoperators defined on a Banach space X with domains D(A) and D(B) such that t)is the state function taking values in X and u(t): (-, 0] X defined as u(t)() = u(t+) for < 0 belongs to an appropriate phase space where F and G are bounded linear operators. Using operator-valued Fourier multiplier techniques we provide optimal conditions for well-posedness of equation (0.1) in periodic Lebesgue-Bochner spaces Lp(T,X), periodic Besov spaces Bp,qs(T,X) and periodic Triebel-Lizorkin spaces Fp,qs(T,X). A novel application to an inverse problem is given.The first, second and third authors have been supported by MEC, grant MTM2016-75963-P. The second author has been supported by AICO/2016/30. The fourth author has been supported by MEC, grant MTM2015-65825-P.Conejero, JA.; Lizama, C.; Murillo-Arcila, M.; Seoane Sepúlveda, JB. (2019). Well-posedness for degenerate third order equations with delay and applications to inverse problems. Israel Journal of Mathematics. 229(1):219-254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11856-018-1796-8S2192542291K. Abbaoui and Y. Cherruault, New ideas for solving identification and optimal control problems related to biomedical systems, International Journal of Biomedical Computing 36 (1994), 181–186.M. Al Horani and A. Favini, Perturbation method for first- and complete second-order differential equations, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 166 (2015), 949–967.H. Amann, Operator-valued Fourier multipliers, vector-valued Besov spaces, and applications, Mathematische Nachrichten 186 (1997), 5–56.U. A. Anufrieva, A degenerate Cauchy problem for a second-order equation. A wellposedness criterion, Differentsial’nye Uravneniya 34 (1998), 1131–1133; English translation: Differential Equations 34 (1999), 1135–1137.W. Arendt and S. Bu, The operator-valued Marcinkiewicz multiplier theorem and maximal regularity, Mathematische Zeitschrift 240 (2002), 311–343.W. Arendt and S. Bu, Operator-valued Fourier multipliers on periodic Besov spaces and applications, Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society 47 (2004), 15–33.W. Arendt, C. Batty and S. Bu, Fourier multipliers for Holder continuous functions and maximal regularity, Studia Mathematica 160 (2004), 23–51.V. Barbu and A. Favini, Periodic problems for degenerate differential equations, Rendiconti dell’Istituto di Matematica dell’Università di Trieste 28 (1996), 29–57.A. Bátkai and S. Piazzera, Semigroups for Delay Equations, Research Notes in Mathematics, Vol. 10, A K Peters, Wellesley, MA, 2005.S. Bu, Well-posedness of second order degenerate differential equations in vector-valued function spaces, Studia Mathematica 214 (2013), 1–16.S. Bu and G. Cai, Periodic solutions of third-order degenerate differential equations in vector-valued functional spaces, Israel Journal of Mathematics 212 (2016), 163–188.S. Bu and G. Cai, Well-posedness of second-order degenerate differential equations with finite delay in vector-valued function spaces, Pacific Journal of Mathematics 288 (2017), 27–46.S. Bu and Y. Fang, Periodic solutions of delay equations in Besov spaces and Triebel–Lizorkin spaces, Taiwanese Journal of Mathematics 13 (2009), 1063–1076.S. Bu and J. Kim, Operator-valued Fourier multipliers on periodic Triebel spaces, Acta Mathematica Sinica 21 (2005), 1049–1056.G. Cai and S. Bu, Well-posedness of second order degenerate integro-differential equations with infinite delay in vector-valued function spaces, Mathematische Nachrichten 289 (2016), 436–451.R. Chill and S. Srivastava, Lp-maximal regularity for second order Cauchy problems, Mathematische Zeitschrift 251 (2005), 751–781.R. Denk, M. Hieber and J. Prüss, R-boundedness, Fourier multipliers and problems of elliptic and parabolic type, Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society 166 (2003).O. Diekmann, S. A. van Giles, S. M. Verduyn Lunel and H.-O. Walther, Delay Equations, Applied Mathematical Sciences, Vol. 110, Springer, New York, 1995.K. J. Engel and R. Nagel, One-Parameter Semigroups for Linear Evolution Equations, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, Vol. 194, Springer, New York, 2000.M. Fabrizio, A. Favini and G. Marinoschi, An optimal control problem for a singular system of solid liquid phase-transition, Numerical Functional Analysis and Optimization 31 (2010), 989–1022.A. Favini and G. Marinoschi, Periodic behavior for a degenerate fast diffusion equation, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 351 (2009), 509–521.A. Favini and G. Marinoschi, Identification of the time derivative coefficients in a fast diffusion degenerate equation, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 145 (2010), 249–269.A. Favini and A. Yagi, Degenerate differential equations in Banach spaces, Monographs and Textbooks in Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol. 215, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1999.X. L. Fu and M. Li, Maximal regularity of second-order evolution equations with infinite delay in Banach spaces, Studia Mathematica 224 (2014), 199–219.G. C. Gorain, Boundary stabilization of nonlinear vibrations of a flexible structure in a bounded domain in Rn, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 319 (2006), 635–650.P. Grisvard, Équations différentielles abstraites, Annales Scientifiques de l’école Normale Superieure 2 (1969), 311–395.J. K. Hale and W. Huang, Global geometry of the stable regions for two delay differential equations, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 178 (1993), 344–362.Y. Hino, S. Murakami and T. Naito, Functional Differential Equations with Infinite Delay, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Vol. 1473, Springer, Berlin, 1991.B. Kaltenbacher, I. Lasiecka and M. Pospieszalska, Well-posedness and exponential decay of the energy in the nonlinear Moore-Gibson-Thomson equation arising in high intensity ultrasound, Mathematical Models & Methods in Applied Sciences 22 (2012), 1250035.V. Keyantuo and C. Lizama, Fourier multipliers and integro-differential equations in Banach spaces, Journal of the London Mathematical Society 69 (2004), 737–750.V. Keyantuo and C. Lizama, Maximal regularity for a class of integro-differential equations with infinite delay in Banach spaces, Studia Mathematica 168 (2005), 25–50.V. Keyantuo, C. Lizama and V. Poblete, Periodic solutions of integro-differential euations in vector-valued function spaces, Journal of Differential Equations 246 (2009), 1007–1037.C. Lizama, Fourier multipliers and periodic solutions of delay equations in Banach spaces, Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 324 (2006), 921–933.C. Lizama and V. Poblete, Maximal regularity of delay equations in Banach spaces, Studia Mathematica 175 (2006), 91–102.C. Lizama and R. Ponce, Periodic solutions of degenerate differential equations in vector valued function spaces, Studia Mathematica 202 (2011), 49–63.C. Lizama and R. Ponce, Maximal regularity for degenerate differential equations with infinite delay in periodic vector-valued function spaces, Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society 56 (2013), 853–871.R. Marchand, T. Mcdevitt and R. Triggiani, An abstract semigroup approach to the third-order Moore–Gibson–Thompson partial differential equation arising in highintensity ultrasound: structural decomposition, spectral analysis, exponential stability, Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences 35 (2012), 1896–1929.V. Poblete, Solutions of second-order integro-differential equations on periodic Besov spaces, Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society 50 (2007), 477–492.V. Poblete and J. C. Pozo, Periodic solutions of an abstract third-order differential equation, Studia Mathematica 215 (2013), 195–219.J. Prüss, Evolutionary Integral Equations and Applications, Monographs in Mathematics, Vol. 87, Birkhäuser, Heidelberg, 1993.G. A. Sviridyuk and V. E. Fedorov, Linear Sobolev type Equations and Degenerate Semigroups of Operators, Inverse and Ill-posed Problems Series, VSP, Utrecht, 2003.L. Weis, Operator-valued Fourier multiplier theorems and maximal Lp-regularity, Mathematische Annalen 319 (2001), 735–758

    Range-wide genetic structure in the thorn-tailed rayadito suggests limited gene flow towards peripheral populations

    Get PDF
    Indexación ScopusUnderstanding the population genetic consequences of habitat heterogeneity requires assessing whether patterns of gene flow correspond to landscape configuration. Studies of the genetic structure of populations are still scarce for Neotropical forest birds. We assessed range-wide genetic structure and contemporary gene flow in the thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a passerine bird inhabiting the temperate forests of South America. We used 12 microsatellite loci to genotype 582 individuals from eight localities across a large latitudinal range (30°S–56°S). Using population structure metrics, multivariate analyses, clustering algorithms, and Bayesian methods, we found evidence for moderately low regional genetic structure and reduced gene flow towards the range margins. Genetic differentiation increased with geographic distance, particularly in the southern part of the species’ distribution where forests are continuously distributed. Populations in the north seem to experience limited gene flow likely due to forest discontinuity, and may comprise a demographically independent unit. The southernmost population, on the other hand, is genetically depauperate and different from all other populations. Different analytical approaches support the presence of three to five genetic clusters. We hypothesize that the genetic structure of the species follows a hierarchical clustered pattern. © 2020, The Author(s).https://www-nature-com.recursosbiblioteca.unab.cl/articles/s41598-020-66450-

    MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM nexus module: integrating water sector and climate impacts

    Get PDF
    The integrated assessment model (IAM) MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM developed by IIASA is widely used to analyze global change and socioeconomic development scenarios within energy and land systems across different scales. However, to date, the representation of impacts from climate effects and water systems in the IAM has been limited. We present a new nexus module for MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM that improves the representation of climate impacts and enables the analysis of interactions between population, economic growth, energy, land, and water resources in a dynamic system. The module uses a spatially resolved representation of water systems to retain hydrological information without compromising computational feasibility. It maps simplified water availability and key infrastructure assumptions with the energy and land systems. The results of this study inform on the transformation pathways required under climate change impacts and mitigation scenarios. The pathways include multi-sectoral indicators highlighting the importance of water as a constraint in energy and land-use decisions and the implications of global responses to limited water availability from different sources, suggesting possible shifts in the energy and land sectors

    The effects of breastfeeding on retinoblastoma development: Results from an international multicenter retinoblastoma survey

    Get PDF
    The protective effects of breastfeeding on various childhood malignancies have been established but an association has not yet been determined for retinoblastoma (RB). We aimed to further investigate the role of breastfeeding in the severity of nonhereditary RB development, assessing relationship to (1) age at diagnosis, (2) ocular prognosis, measured by International Intraocular RB Classification (IIRC) or Intraocular Classification of RB (ICRB) group and success of eye salvage, and (3) extraocular involvement. Analyses were performed on a global dataset subgroup of 344 RB patients whose legal guardian(s) consented to answer a neonatal questionnaire. Patients with undetermined or mixed feeding history, family history of RB, or sporadic bilateral RB were excluded. There was no statistically significant difference between breastfed and formula-fed groups in (1) age at diagnosis (p = 0.20), (2) ocular prognosis measures of IIRC/ICRB group (p = 0.62) and success of eye salvage (p = 0.16), or (3) extraocular involvement shown by International Retinoblastoma Staging System (IRSS) at presentation (p = 0.74), lymph node involvement (p = 0.20), and distant metastases (p = 0.37). This study suggests that breastfeeding neither impacts the sporadic development nor is associated with a decrease in the severity of nonhereditary RB as measured by age at diagnosis, stage of disease, ocular prognosis, and extraocular spread. A further exploration into the impact of diet on children who develop RB is warranted

    Identification of SERPINA1 as single marker for papillary thyroid carcinoma through microarray meta analysis and quantification of its discriminatory power in independent validation

    Get PDF
    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several DNA microarray based expression signatures for the different clinically relevant thyroid tumor entities have been described over the past few years. However, reproducibility of these signatures is generally low, mainly due to study biases, small sample sizes and the highly multivariate nature of microarrays. While there are new technologies available for a more accurate high throughput expression analysis, we show that there is still a lot of information to be gained from data deposited in public microarray databases. In this study we were aiming (1) to identify potential markers for papillary thyroid carcinomas through meta analysis of public microarray data and (2) to confirm these markers in an independent dataset using an independent technology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We adopted a meta analysis approach for four publicly available microarray datasets on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) nodules versus nodular goitre (NG) from N2-frozen tissue. The methodology included merging of datasets, bias removal using distance weighted discrimination (DWD), feature selection/inference statistics, classification/crossvalidation and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). External Validation was performed on an independent dataset using an independent technology, quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) in our laboratory.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From meta analysis we identified one gene (SERPINA1) which identifies papillary thyroid carcinoma against benign nodules with 99% accuracy (n = 99, sensitivity = 0.98, specificity = 1, PPV = 1, NPV = 0.98). In the independent validation data, which included not only PTC and NG, but all major histological thyroid entities plus a few variants, SERPINA1 was again markedly up regulated (36-fold, p = 1:3*10<sup>-10</sup>) in PTC and identification of papillary carcinoma was possible with 93% accuracy (n = 82, sensitivity = 1, specificity = 0.90, PPV = 0.76, NPV = 1). We also show that the extracellular matrix pathway is strongly activated in the meta analysis data, suggesting an important role of tumor-stroma interaction in the carcinogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We show that valuable new information can be gained from meta analysis of existing microarray data deposited in public repositories. While single microarray studies rarely exhibit a sample number which allows robust feature selection, this can be achieved by combining published data using DWD. This approach is not only efficient, but also very cost-effective. Independent validation shows the validity of the results from this meta analysis and confirms SERPINA1 as a potent mRNA marker for PTC in a total (meta analysis plus validation) of 181 samples.</p

    RNA Structural Dynamics As Captured by Molecular Simulations: A Comprehensive Overview

    Get PDF
    With both catalytic and genetic functions, ribonucleic acid (RNA) is perhaps the most pluripotent chemical species in molecular biology, and its functions are intimately linked to its structure and dynamics. Computer simulations, and in particular atomistic molecular dynamics (MD), allow structural dynamics of biomolecular systems to be investigated with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. We here provide a comprehensive overview of the fast-developing field of MD simulations of RNA molecules. We begin with an in-depth, evaluatory coverage of the most fundamental methodological challenges that set the basis for the future development of the field, in particular, the current developments and inherent physical limitations of the atomistic force fields and the recent advances in a broad spectrum of enhanced sampling methods. We also survey the closely related field of coarse-grained modeling of RNA systems. After dealing with the methodological aspects, we provide an exhaustive overview of the available RNA simulation literature, ranging from studies of the smallest RNA oligonucleotides to investigations of the entire ribosome. Our review encompasses tetranucleotides, tetraloops, a number of small RNA motifs, A-helix RNA, kissing-loop complexes, the TAR RNA element, the decoding center and other important regions of the ribosome, as well as assorted others systems. Extended sections are devoted to RNA-ion interactions, ribozymes, riboswitches, and protein/RNA complexes. Our overview is written for as broad of an audience as possible, aiming to provide a much-needed interdisciplinary bridge between computation and experiment, together with a perspective on the future of the field
    • …
    corecore