3D CFD Analysis of Natural Ventilation in Reduced Scale Model of Compost Bedded Pack Barn for Dairy Cows

Compost bedded pack (CBP) barns have been receiving increased attention as an alternative housing system for dairy cattle. To create a satisfactory environment within CBP barns that promotes a good composting process, an adequate air movement and minimal temperature fluctuations throughout the building are required. Therefore, a study based on compost barn structure model employing techniques of dimensional analysis for naturally ventilated buildings was developed. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of compost barns with different ridge designs and wind direction, along with the visual demonstration of the impact on airflow through structure were performed. The results showed that the barn ventilation CFD model and simulations were in good agreement with the experimental measurements, predicting the airflow through the CBP barns structure for alternative roof ridge types adequately. The results also indicate that the best roof configuration in the winter was the open ridge with chimney for a west to east wind direction

Molecular epidemiology, phylogeny, and phylodynamics of CRF63_02A1, a recently originated HIV-1 circulating recombinant form spreading in Siberia

The HIV-1 epidemic in Russia is dominated by the former Soviet Union subtype A (A(FSU)) variant, but other genetic forms are circulating in the country. One is the recently described CRF63_02A1, derived from recombination between a CRF02_AG variant circulating in Central Asia and A(FSU), which has spread in the Novosibirsk region, Siberia. Here we phylogenetically analyze pol and env segments from 24 HIV-1 samples from the Novosibirsk region collected in 2013, with characterization of three new near full-length genome CRF63_02A1 sequences, and estimate the time of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) and the demographic growth of CRF63_02A1 using a Bayesian method. The analyses revealed that CRF63_02A1 is highly predominant in the Novosibirsk region (81.2% in pol sequences) and is transmitted both among injecting drug users and by heterosexual contact. Similarity searches with database sequences combined with phylogenetic analyses show that CRF63_02A1 is circulating in East Kazakhstan and the Eastern area of Russia bordering China. The analyses of near full-length genome sequences show that its mosaic structure is more complex than reported, with 18 breakpoints. The tMRCA of CRF63_02A1 was estimated around 2006, with exponential growth in 2008-2009 and subsequent stabilization. These results provide new insights into the molecular epidemiology, phylogeny, and phylodynamics of CRF63_02A1.We thank the personnel at the Genomic Unit of Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain, for technical assistance in sequencing, and Bonnie Mathieson, from the Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland for her support of this study. This work was funded by Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, through the training program “Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 in Eastern Europe and Its Significance for Vaccine Development.”S

Diarrea neonatal: Una enfermedad multifactorial – resultados preliminares en Rotavirus y Coronavirus

La diarrea neonatal es una enfermedad que afecta a terneros jóvenes, desde las 12 hs a 30 días de nacido, caracterizada por una descarga fecal líquida, acuosa, aromática, que conlleva un malestar general del animal, decaimiento, dolor abdominal, falta de apetito, deshidratación progresiva y muerte. Esta patología se define como multietiológica ya que es causada por distintos agentes infecciosos y/o parasitarios y multifactorial porque intervienen en su presentación diferentes aspectos: ambientales (lluvia, frío, barro); nutricionales y de manejo...Fil: Allassia, M.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Angeli, Emmanuel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Machado, S.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Duarte, S.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Lapalma, C.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Schlegel, S.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Trucco, A.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Giaime, B.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, M.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Aguirre, F. O.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Jaime, J.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Reibel, G.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Baravalle, A.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Vega, Celina Guadalupe. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Bok, Marina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Rocha, L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas.; ArgentinaFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Virologia E Innovaciones Tecnologicas.; ArgentinaVII Jornada de Difusión de la Investigación y ExtensiónEsperanzaArgentinaUniversidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Design of Novel Relaxase Substrates Based on Rolling Circle Replicases for Bioconjugation to DNA Nanostructures

During bacterial conjugation and rolling circle replication, HUH endonucleases, respectively known as relaxases and replicases, form a covalent bond with ssDNA when they cleave their target sequence (nic site). Both protein families show structural similarity but limited amino acid identity. Moreover, the organization of the inverted repeat (IR) and the loop that shape the nic site differs in both proteins. Arguably, replicases cleave their target site more efficiently, while relaxases exert more biochemical control over the process. Here we show that engineering a relaxase target by mimicking the replicase target, results in enhanced formation of protein-DNA covalent complexes. Three widely different relaxases, which belong to MOBF, MOBQ and MOBP families, can properly cleave DNA sequences with permuted target sequences. Collaterally, the secondary structure that the permuted targets acquired within a supercoiled plasmid DNA resulted in poor conjugation frequencies underlying the importance of relaxase accessory proteins in conjugative DNA processing. Our results reveal that relaxase and replicase targets can be interchangeable in vitro. The new Rep substrates provide new bioconjugation tools for the design of sophisticated DNA-protein nanostructures.This work was financed by grants BFU2014-55534-C2-1-P from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and 612146/FP7-ICT- 2013 and 282004/FP7-HEALTH.2011.2.3.1-2 from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme to FC and grant BFU2014-55534-C2-2-P from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to GM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Therapeutic metformin/AMPK activation blocked lymphoma cell growth via inhibition of mTOR pathway and induction of autophagy

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a major sensor of cellular energy status in cancers and is critically involved in cell sensitivity to anticancer agents. Here, we showed that AMPK was inactivated in lymphoma and related to the upregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. AMPK activator metformin potentially inhibited the growth of B- and T-lymphoma cells. Strong antitumor effect was also observed on primary lymphoma cells while sparing normal hematopoiesis ex vivo. Metformin-induced AMPK activation was associated with the inhibition of the mTOR signaling without involving AKT. Moreover, lymphoma cell response to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin and mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus was significantly enhanced when co-treated with metformin. Pharmacologic and molecular knock-down of AMPK attenuated metformin-mediated lymphoma cell growth inhibition and drug sensitization. In vivo, metformin induced AMPK activation, mTOR inhibition and remarkably blocked tumor growth in murine lymphoma xenografts. Of note, metformin was equally effective when given orally. Combined treatment of oral metformin with doxorubicin or temsirolimus triggered lymphoma cell autophagy and functioned more efficiently than either agent alone. Taken together, these data provided first evidence for the growth-inhibitory and drug-sensitizing effect of metformin on lymphoma. Selectively targeting mTOR pathway through AMPK activation may thus represent a promising new strategy to improve treatment of lymphoma patients

Hecke algebraic approach to the reflection equation for spin chains

We use the structural similarity of certain Coxeter Artin Systems to the Yang--Baxter and Reflection Equations to convert representations of these systems into new solutions of the Reflection Equation. We construct certain Bethe ansatz states for these solutions, using a parameterisation suggested by abstract representation theory.Comment: 27 pages, multiple figures, late