Oculopatie con predisposizione di razza nel Cocker Spaniel

Riassunto analitico Oculopatie con predisposizione di razza nel Cocker Spaniel Lo scopo di questa tesi è stato quello di determinare la prevalenza delle oculopatie con predisposizione di razza nel Cocker Spaniel tramite uno studio retrospettivo effettuato presso l’Ospedale Didattico Mario Modenato dell’Università di Pisa considerando il periodo tra Gennaio 2009 e Settembre 2016, e di confrontare i dati ottenuti con quelli presenti in letteratura. È stato selezionato un gruppo di 50 pazienti che, in ordine decrescente di frequenza, mostravano le seguenti patologie oculari: cheratocongiuntivite secca (40%), distichiasi (26%), cataratta (24%), atrofia progressiva generalizzata della retina (16%), entropion (12%), ectropion (10%), distrofia corneale (10%), persistenza della membrana pupillare (6%), imperforazione dei punti lacrimali (4%), atrofia progressiva centrale della retina (4%), glaucoma (2%). I risultati ottenuti hanno quindi mostrato che le patologie oculari con predisposizione di razza più frequentemente diagnosticate interessavano il segmento anteriore dell’occhio, e in particolare erano la cheratocongiuntivite secca e la distichiasi. Abstract Breed predisposition to ocular disorders in Cocker Spaniels The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of presumed inherited ocular disorders in the Cocker Spaniel. Ophthalmic clinical cases concerning primary ocular disease in Cocker Spaniels were reviewed in a seven-year period. The following ocular disorders were observed: keratoconjunctivitis sicca (40%), distichiasis (26%), cataract (24%), generalised progressive retinal atrophy (16%), entropion (12%), ectropion (10%), corneal dystrophy (10%), persistent pupillary membranes (6%), lacrimal punctal aplasia (4%), central progressive retinal atrophy (4%), and glaucoma (2%). Results show that the most common disorders involved the anterior segment of the eye, in particular they were keratoconjunctivitis sicca and distichiasis

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PARELLI HORSENALITY APPROACH IN DETERMINING SUITABILITY IN THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAMS

Increased awareness of mental and physical disabilities have been observed within the US. With this increased awareness, there is a need for therapies to assist these individuals, and help maintain normality in everyday lives in our growing society. Conventional therapies only target only physical or emotional disabilities, but modern day treatments have incorporated animal assisted therapies, like therapeutic riding, to aid in both. When utilizing animals for therapy, there will always be some variety of complications. In particular, burn out rates are one of the number one problems in equine assisted therapy programs today. The objective of this study was to utilize the Parelli Horsenality profiling system as an indicator to determine which horsenality characteristics are most influential when identifying a long-term, safe therapeutic riding horse. To do this, all horses (n=13) were evaluated for both long term and short-term suitability as a therapeutic riding horse based on handler evaluation and behavior during active lessons at Panther Creek Inspiration Ranch (PCI). The long-term tier scoring system was used from 1 to 4, one being the most desirable horse for therapeutic riding and 4 being an undesirable horse for therapeutic riding from PCI instructors that have worked along side the horses for a long period of time. A short-term obedience score was used to evaluate during active lessons via ground study observations. Horses are evaluated through a 100-question exam to determine horsenality traits and their prominence through a stepwise regression using the traits to predict the short and long-term evaluations. From the regression, it was shown that only 5 (bracy, tense, shy, non responsive, easily board) of the 40 Parelli characteristics were important when determining if a horse will be a resilient, safe, and long term therapy horse for a therapeutic riding programs. With these 5 traits, programs will be able use the Parelli Horsenality Profile to simplify the process of finding a suitable, durable, horse for a therapeutic riding program

La inversión publicitaria en el Uruguay

El monto de la Inversión publicitaria en el Uruguay puede ser superior a los US$ 100millones anuales, equivalente al 0,8 del PBI. Las empresas dependientes de estaactividad son varios cientos y ocupan a miles de personas. Sin embargo, todo el análisisdescansa en estimaciones, dado que no existe transparencia en la información sobreel monto y las modalidades de la inversión en publicidad. El autor afirma que estaopacidad no es privativa del sector, sino que responde a la cultura empresarial del país,y señala también la indiferencia de los intelectuales por estudiar este aspecto de los medios de comunicación y la publicidad. El artículo presenta las cifras que surgen de las escasas investigaciones sobre el sector: dimensiones, ocupación, precios y tarifas,intermediación, inversión publicitaria del Estado, y subraya algunos factores distorsionantes del mercado de los servicios publicitarios que obstaculizan una asignación racional de los recursos. El análisis sistemático de la inversión publicitaria no solo es socialmente necesario, sino que colaboraría a optimizar el funcionamiento del propio sector

Gestión de alto desempeño y su impacto en los resultados de la empresa: El caso de Uruguay y Argentina

Title: High performance management and their impact on business results: the case of Uruguay and Argentina The main objective of the study is to identify which high-performance management practices have the greatest impact on business results. Using de Waal model, 56 executives from Uruguayan and 30 Argentine companies were interviewed, analyzing which practices prioritize, the progress in their implementation and their results. It is found that, regardless of the country, the characteristics of the company and of the executive, the practices related to continuous improvement and renewal have a greater impact on the essential results (profitability, income, growth). It is verified that, although the more a practice is prioritized, the better it is implemented, the results are significantly related to the progress in the implementation reaffirming the importance of the execution capacity

Comparison of plantain plantlets propagated in temporary immersion bioreactors and gelled medium during in vitro growth and acclimatization

The current work compared the physiological characteristics of plantain (Musa AAB) plantlets micropropagated in temporary immersion bioreactors (TIB) and on a gelled medium (GM). The plantlets were evaluated during in vitro growth (in the shoot elongation phase) and at the end of ex vitro acclimatization. TIB improved rooting and gave rise to longer shoots and higher dry mass. Respiration rate was the highest at the beginning of shoot elongation in both the TIB and GM plantlets. Photosynthetic rate in TIB was significantly higher than in GM from the midpoint of acclimatization, whereas a pyruvate kinase (PK) activity was lower. Starch accumulation was ca. two fold higher in corms than in leaves and always higher in the TIB than GM plantlets. The higher expression of genes coding for carbon metabolism enzymes PK and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in TIB than in PM indicates a more important role of an autotrophic metabolism in the TIB plantlets when compared to the GM ones. The accumulated reserves were used during the first days of acclimatization leading to the higher survival rates and to the better plant quality of the TIB plantlet

An apoplastic fluid extraction method for the characterization of grapevine leaves proteome and metabolome from a single sample

The analysis of complex biological systems keeps challenging researchers. The main goal of systems biology is to decipher interactions within cells, by integrating datasets from large scale analytical approaches including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics andmore specialized ‘OMICS’ such as epigenomics and lipidomics. Studying different cellular compartments allows a broader understanding of cell dynamics. Plant apoplast, the cellular compartment external to the plasma membrane including the cell wall, is particularly demanding to analyze. Despite our knowledge on apoplast involvement on several processes from cell growth to stress responses, its dynamics is still poorly known due to the lack of efficient extraction processes adequate to each plant system.Analyzing woody plants such as grapevine raises even more challenges. Grapevine is among the most important fruit crops worldwide and awider characterization of its apoplast is essential for a deeper understanding of its physiology and cellular mechanisms. Here, we describe, for the first time, a vacuum-infiltrationcentrifugationmethod that allows a simultaneous extraction of grapevine apoplastic proteins and metabolites from leaves on a single sample, compatible with high-throughput mass spectrometry analyses. The extracted apoplast from two grapevine cultivars, Vitis vinifera cv ‘Trincadeira’ and ‘Regent’, was directly used for proteomics and metabolomics analysis. The proteome was analyzed by nanoLC-MS/MS and more than 700 common proteinswere identified, with highly diverse biological functions. The metabolome profile through FT-ICR-MS allowed the identification of 514 unique putative compounds revealing a broad spectrum of molecular classesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phellem cell-wall components are discriminants of cork quality in Quercus suber

Original ResearchCork is a renewable, non-wood high valued forest product, with relevant ecological and economic impact in the Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Currently, cork is ranked according to its commercial quality. The most valuable planks are chosen for cork stoppers production. Cork planks with adequate thickness and porosity are classified as stoppable quality cork (SQC). The chemical composition of cork is known, but the regulation of metabolic pathways responsible of cork production and composition, hence of cork quality, is largely unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that post-genomic events may be responsible for the development of SQC and N-SQC (non-stoppable quality cork). Here, we show that combined proteomics and targeted metabolomics (namely soluble and cell wall bound phenolics) analyzed on recently formed phellem allows discriminate cork planks of different quality. Phellem cells of SQC and N-SQC displayed different reducing capacity, with consequential impact on both enzymatic pathways (e.g., glycolysis) and other cellular functions, including cell wall assembly and suberization. Glycolysis and respiration related proteins were abundant in both cork quality groups, whereas the level of several proteins associated to mitochondrial metabolism was higher in N-SQC. The soluble and cell wall-bound phenolics in recently formed phellem clearly discriminated SQC from N-SCQ. In our study, SQC was characterized by a high incorporation of aromatic components of the phenylpropanoid pathway in the cell wall, together with a lower content of hydrolysable tannins. Here, we propose that the level of hydrolysable tannins may represent a valuable diagnostic tool for screening recently formed phellem, and used as a proxy for the quality grade of cork plank produced by each treeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of Membrane Proteins in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus Furiosus Using Proteomics and Prediction Programs

Cell-free extracts from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus were separated into membrane and cytoplasmic fractions and each was analyzed by 2D-gel electrophoresis. A total of 66 proteins were identified, 32 in the membrane fraction and 34 in the cytoplasmic fraction. Six prediction programs were used to predict the subcellular locations of these proteins. Three were based on signal-peptides (SignalP, TargetP, and SOSUISignal) and three on transmembrane-spanning α-helices (TSEG, SOSUI, and PRED-TMR2). A consensus of the six programs predicted that 23 of the 32 proteins (72%) from the membrane fraction should be in the membrane and that all of the proteins from the cytoplasmic fraction should be in the cytoplasm. Two membrane-associated proteins predicted to be cytoplasmic by the programs are also predicted to consist primarily of transmembrane-spanning β-sheets using porin protein models, suggesting that they are, in fact, membrane components. An ATPase subunit homolog found in the membrane fraction, although predicted to be cytoplasmic, is most likely complexed with other ATPase subunits in the membrane fraction. An additional three proteins predicted to be cytoplasmic but found in the membrane fraction, may be cytoplasmic contaminants. These include a chaperone homolog that may have attached to denatured membrane proteins during cell fractionation. Omitting these three proteins would boost the membrane-protein predictability of the models to near 80%. A consensus prediction using all six programs for all 2242 ORFs in the P. furiosus genome estimates that 24% of the ORF products are found in the membrane. However, this is likely to be a minimum value due to the programs’ inability to recognize certain membrane-related proteins, such as subunits associated with membrane complexes and porin-type proteins

The proteome of neural stem cells from adult rat hippocampus

BACKGROUND: Hippocampal neural stem cells (HNSC) play an important role in cerebral plasticity in the adult brain and may contribute to tissue repair in neurological disease. To describe their biological potential with regard to plasticity, proliferation, or differentiation, it is important to know the cellular composition of their proteins, subsumed by the term proteome. RESULTS: Here, we present for the first time a proteomic database for HNSC isolated from the brains of adult rats and cultured for 10 weeks. Cytosolic proteins were extracted and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by protein identification through mass spectrometry, database search, and gel matching. We could map about 1141 ± 209 (N = 5) protein spots for each gel, of which 266 could be identified. We could group the identified proteins into several functional categories including metabolism, protein folding, energy metabolism and cellular respiration, as well as cytoskeleton, Ca(2+ )signaling pathways, cell cycle regulation, proteasome and protein degradation. We also found proteins belonging to detoxification, neurotransmitter metabolism, intracellular signaling pathways, and regulation of DNA transcription and RNA processing. CONCLUSIONS: The HNSC proteome database is a useful inventory which will allow to specify changes in the cellular protein expression pattern due to specific activated or suppressed pathways during differentiation or proliferation of neural stem cells. Several proteins could be identified in the HNSC proteome which are related to differentiation and plasticity, indicating activated functional pathways. Moreover, we found a protein for which no expression has been described in brain cells before