A numerical method for the generalized Love integral equation in 2D

This paper deals with the numerical solution of the generalized Love integral equation defined on the square. The method is of Nyström type and is based on the approximation of the integral by a product cubature rule whose coefficients are approximated by a “dilation” scheme. The theoretical analysis of the presented method is discussed by proving its stability and convergence in weighted spaces equipped with the uniform norm. To support the theoretical estimates, some numerical tests are presented

Entropy-based gene ranking without selection bias for the predictive classification of microarray data

BACKGROUND: We describe the E-RFE method for gene ranking, which is useful for the identification of markers in the predictive classification of array data. The method supports a practical modeling scheme designed to avoid the construction of classification rules based on the selection of too small gene subsets (an effect known as the selection bias, in which the estimated predictive errors are too optimistic due to testing on samples already considered in the feature selection process). RESULTS: With E-RFE, we speed up the recursive feature elimination (RFE) with SVM classifiers by eliminating chunks of uninteresting genes using an entropy measure of the SVM weights distribution. An optimal subset of genes is selected according to a two-strata model evaluation procedure: modeling is replicated by an external stratified-partition resampling scheme, and, within each run, an internal K-fold cross-validation is used for E-RFE ranking. Also, the optimal number of genes can be estimated according to the saturation of Zipf's law profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Without a decrease of classification accuracy, E-RFE allows a speed-up factor of 100 with respect to standard RFE, while improving on alternative parametric RFE reduction strategies. Thus, a process for gene selection and error estimation is made practical, ensuring control of the selection bias, and providing additional diagnostic indicators of gene importance

Competencia interespecífica y demografía de pequeños mamíferos en hábitats lineales

La competencia interespecífica puede influir en los parámetros demográficos y afectar el tamaño poblacional de las especies competidoras. En el presente estudio evaluamos el efecto de la abundancia poblacional de Akodon azarae sobre los parámetros demográficos de otras especies del ensamble mediante datos de captura-marcado-recaptura (CMR). Además, evaluamos los efectos de la variación temporal, las perturbaciones antropogénicas (quemas), el clima (precipitaciones y temperaturas) y variables endógenas (sexo y abundancia) sobre dichos parámetros. El estudio fue realizado en un terraplén de ferrocarril en el centro de la Argentina, a través de muestreos mensuales de CMR desde noviembre de 2011 hasta mayo de 2014. Estimamos la abundancia usando modelos de Pradel con diseño robusto para poblaciones cerradas. Modelamos las probabilidades de recaptura y sobrevida mediante modelos de Cormack Jolly Seber y las probabilidades de permanencia y tasas de crecimiento poblacional mediante modelos de Pradel. La abundancia de A. azarae disminuyó después de la quema, mientras que las abundancias de M. musculusy C. musculinus aumentaron hasta convertirse en las especies más abundantes. La abundancia de A. azarae no afectó ningún parámetro demográfico de las demás especies del ensamble. Dichos parámetros fueron explicados por la variación temporal, sexo o temperatura. Si bien la quema modificó los números poblaciones durante un período de tiempo corto, no afectó ningún parámetro poblacional. Aunque A. azarae es considerada una especie dominante, no encontramos evidencia de que su abundancia afecte la demografía de las demás especies. Los terraplenes de ferrocarril ofrecerían refugio y alimento a todas las especies durante el año, lo que permitiría evitar la competencia por los recursos disponibles. Sin embargo, las perturbaciones antropogénicas pueden producir cambios en la composición del ensamble permitiendo que especies invasoras como el ratón doméstico se establezcan.Interspecific competition may influence demographic parameters and affect population sizes of competing species. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Akodon azarae abundance on demographic parameters of other assemblage species through capture-mark-recapture data (CMR). In addition, we assessed the effects of time fluctuation, anthropogenic disturbances (burning), climate (rainfall and temperature) and endogenous variables (sex and abundance) on those parameters. The study was carried out in a railway bank in central Argentina through monthly CMR surveys from November 2011 to May 2014. We estimated species abundance using Pradel’s closed population models throughout a robust design. We modeled recapture and survival probabilities by Cormack Jolly Seber models and seniority probabilities and population growth rates by Pradel’s models. Akodon azarae abundance showed an inverse pattern to Mus musculus and Calomys musculinus abundance. Population numbers of A. azarae declined after fire, whereas M. musculus and C. musculinus increased their numbers and became the most abundant species. Akodon azarae abundance did not affect any demographic parameters of the other species. Instead, time fluctuations, sex and temperature explained those parameters. Even though burning changed species population numbers for a short period of time, it did not affect demographic parameters of any species. Although A. azarae is considered a dominant species, we did not find evidence that its abundance affects the demography of other small mammal species. Railway banks would offer shelter and food for all species during the year, allowing them to avoid competition for available resources. However, anthropogenic disturbances can produce changes in the composition of small mammal assemblage since they affect habitat quality and allow invasive species such as the Mus musculus to establish.Fil: Serafini, Vanesa Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Maria Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Priotto, Jose Waldemar. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente; Argentin

Biosynthesis and oligosaccharide structure of human CD8 glycoprotein expressed in a rat epithelial cell line.

The biosynthesis, post-translational modifications, and oligosaccharide structure of human CD8 glycoprotein have been studied in transfected rat epithelial cells. These cells synthesized and expressed on the plasma membrane high amounts of CD8 in a homodimeric form stabilized by a disulfide bridge. Three different CD8 forms were detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis after metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation: a newly synthesized, unglycosylated 27-kDa (CD8u), a palmitylated and initially O-glycosylated 29-kDa (CD8i), and the mature, terminally glycosylated 32-34-kDa doublet (CD8m). CD8i is a transient intermediate form between CD8u and CD8m: characterization of carbohydrate moiety of [3H]glucosamine-labeled CD8i showed that it comprises for the vast majority non-elongated O-linked GalNAc closely spaced on the peptide backbone. Structural analysis of oligosaccharides released by mild alkaline borohydride treatment from the [3H]glucosamine-labeled CD8 34-kDa form showed that the neutral tetrasaccharide Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc beta 1,6(Gal beta 1,3)GalNAcOH, and an homologous monosialylated pentasaccharide, predominate; the disialylated NeuAc2,3Gal beta 1,3(NeuAc alpha 2,6) GalNAcOH tetrasaccharide appeared to be poorly present. In the CD8 32-kDa form the neutral tetrasaccharide was by far the prominent O-linked chain, and no disialyloligosaccharides were identified. These results indicate that the maturation of CD8 glycoprotein in transfected rat epithelial cells results in the formation of branched O-linked oligosaccharides and that a higher degree of sialylation is responsible for the production of the heavier 34-kDa form

Face masks affect perception of happy faces in deaf people

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led significant social repercussions and forced people to wear face masks. Recent research has demonstrated that the human ability to infer emotions from facial configurations is significantly reduced when face masks are worn. Since the mouth region is specifically crucial for deaf people who speak sign language, the current study assessed the impact of face masks on inferring emotional facial expressions in a population of adult deaf signers. A group of 34 congenitally deaf individuals and 34 normal-hearing individuals were asked to identify happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and neutral expression on static human pictures with and without facial masks presented through smartphones. For each emotion, the percentage of correct responses with and without face masks was calculated and compared between groups. Results indicated that face masks, such as those worn due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, limit the ability of people to infer emotions from facial expressions. The negative impact of face masks is significantly pronounced when deaf people have to recognize low-intensity expressions of happiness. These findings are of essential importance because difficulties in recognizing emotions from facial expressions due to mask wearing may contribute to the communication challenges experienced by the deaf community during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, generating feelings of frustration and exclusion

Pequeños mamíferos en agroecosistemas: respuestas a la intensidad del uso de la tierra y al manejo agrícola

The Province of Córdoba, Argentina, has undergone a marked transformation due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture. With almost 9 Mha under crop production in years 2014/2015, is one of the main agricultural regions of the country. This agricultural intensification implies increase of agrochemical use, removal of border habitats, replacement of a crop-grazing by a double cropping system and landscape homogenization. These factors produce alterations in habitat quality and suitability, and consequently have negative effects on biodiversity. The effects of agriculture intensification and farming management could vary with the degree of habitat specialization of different species. The objective of this work was to describe a state-of-art about the response of small mammals with different habitat specialization degree to land-use intensification and farming management, using data obtained by our research group in agroecosystems of Córdoba Province. This group was used as model organisms due to its important contribution to the maintenance of complex food webs and the sustainability of agroecosystems. The maintenance of undisturbed linear habitat networks and implementation of organic farming in intensively managed agricultural landscapes can attenuate the effects of agricultural intensification by providing suitable habitats for small mammal populations, contributing to the maintenance of biodiversity. Besides, organic farming has a positive effect on female reproductive activity and abundance of small mammals. This knowledge would contribute to the development of a theoretical framework of Argentinean agroecosystems that combines efficient agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation.La provincia de Córdoba ha sufrido una marcada intensificación y expansión de la agricultura. Con casi 9 Mha sembradas en 2014-2015, es una de las principales provincias productoras del país. Esta intensificación de la agricultura implica un incremento en el uso de agroquímicos, pérdida de hábitats naturales, destrucción de hábitats de bordes, reemplazo de un sistema cultivo-pastoreo por doble cultivo y homogeneización del paisaje. Estos factores producen alteraciones en la calidad y adecuación de los hábitats y tienen efectos negativos sobre la biodiversidad. Los efectos de la intensificación y del manejo agrícola sobre la biodiversidad pueden variar con el grado de especialización de hábitat de diferentes especies. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir el estado del arte de la respuesta de pequeños mamíferos con diferente grado de especialización de hábitat a la intensificación en el uso de la tierra y al manejo agrícola, utilizando datos obtenidos por nuestro grupo de investigación en agroecosistemas de Córdoba. Se utilizó este grupo como modelo de estudio debido a su importante contribución al mantenimiento de redes tróficas complejas en agroecosistemas, siendo fundamentales en el mantenimiento de su sustentabilidad. El mantenimiento de una red de hábitats lineales y la implementación del manejo orgánico en paisajes agrícolas manejados intensivamente puede atenuar los efectos de la intensificación agrícola proveyendo hábitats adecuados para las poblaciones de pequeños mamíferos, contribuyendo de esta manera al mantenimiento de la biodiversidad. Además, el manejo orgánico tiene un efecto positivo sobre la actividad reproductiva y la abundancia de especies de este grupo. El conocimiento generado contribuiría al desarrollo de un marco teórico propio para los agroecosistemas argentinos que combine un uso de la tierra eficiente con la conservación de la biodiversidad.Fil: Gomez, Maria Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Coda, José Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Serafini, Vanesa Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Steinmann, Andrea Rosa. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Priotto, Jose Waldemar. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

EVENTRAÇÃO ABDOMINAL CAUDOVENTRAL TRAUMÁTICA EM UM FELINO

Occurrence of trauma has a high occurence in the clinical and surgical routine of small animals. Eventrations consist of the rupture of all layers of a cavity wall, except the skin, and the content is housed in the subcutaneous tissue, without contact with the external environment. Its etiology is variable and can be caused by car accidents, and animal interactions, as well as other simple or severe trauma. In dogs and cats, the most affected region is the ventrolateral caudal abdomen, in the form of inguinal and prepubic eventrations. The increase in volume, associated with asymmetry of the abdominal contour, is considered the main physical finding and the diagnosis is based on the history, clinical signs, and imaging exams, such as radiography and ultrasound. The severity of the injury and systemic effects varies according to location, etiology, and displaced content. The treatment aims at clinical stabilization of the patient and surgical correction of the defect, by means of primary approximation of the tissues or with the use of synthetic meshes. This study aimed to report and discuss a case of progressively occurring traumatic caudoventral eventration in a three-month-old female feline submitted to a surgical correction, emphasizing the clinical and surgical aspects, as well as the complications observed during the attempt of treatment of the condition. The patient died, probably due to complications related to the condition itself and anesthetic risk linked to the animal's young age.A ocorrência de traumas possui grande ocorrência na rotina clínica e cirúrgica de pequenos animais. Eventrações consistem na ruptura de todas as camadas de uma parede cavitária, com exceção da pele, sendo que o conteúdo fica alojado no subcutâneo, sem contato com o meio externo. Sua etiologia é variável, podendo ser causada por acidentes automobilísticos e interações animais, bem como, outros traumatismos simples ou acentuados. Em cães e gatos, a região mais acometida é o abdome caudal ventrolateral, na forma de eventrações inguinais e pré-púbicas. O aumento de volume, associado à assimetria do contorno abdominal, é considerado o principal achado físico e o diagnóstico baseia-se no histórico, sinais clínicos e exames de imagem, como radiografia e ultrassonografia. A severidade da lesão e dos efeitos sistêmicos varia de acordo com a localização, etiologia e conteúdo deslocado. O tratamento visa a estabilização clínica do paciente e correção cirúrgica do defeito, por meio da aproximação primária dos tecidos ou com o emprego de malhas sintéticas. No presente trabalho, objetivou-se relatar e discutir um caso de eventração caudoventral traumática de ocorrência progressiva, em uma fêmea felina de três meses de idade, submetida à correção cirúrgica, enfatizando os aspectos clínicos e cirúrgicos, bem como as complicações observadas durante a tentativa de tratamento da afecção. A paciente veio a óbito, provavelmente devido às complicações relacionadas à propria afecção e risco anestésico ligado à pouca idade do animal

A new systematization of histological analysis for the diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease

Background: Hirschsprung's Disease (HD) is characterized by intestinal sub-occlusion and the absence of enteric ganglion cells. A rectal biopsy examination is performed to confirm the diagnosis. In a recent study, we demonstrated that the analysis of 60 sections of rectal mucosa and submucosa stained by H&E may ensure a 90% diagnostic accuracy. Although the need to analyze so many sections makes the process of reading the slides more time-consuming, this encouraged us to study their distribution in the healthy rectal submucosa, to simplify the diagnosis. Objectives: To develop a method that facilitates HD diagnosis by studying the distribution of ganglion cells in the submucosal plexus. Methods: Using the calretinin technique, we studied the distribution of plexuses in 60 fragments of rectal submucosa from 19 cadavers. After the study, the reading method created was used for diagnosis in 47 cases of suspected HD, using H&E staining. The accuracy was verified by comparing the results obtained with H&E to those obtained with the acetylcholinesterase technique, the golden standard in our laboratory. Results: The study of submucosal plexus distribution showed that just by examining the submucosal region every 20 µm, approximately, it is possible to locate a ganglionic plexus, and we have already been able to diagnose HD with 93% accuracy. Conclusion: The study of ganglion cell distribution enabled the creation of a simplified method for reading the slides. The method applied achieved good accuracy and it can be used as an alternative method in HD diagnosis

Immediate expression of c-fos and c-jun mRNA in a model of intestinal autotransplantation and ischemia-reperfusion in situ

OBJECTIVE: Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury occurs in several clinical conditions and after intestinal transplantation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the phenomena of apoptosis and cell proliferation in a previously described intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury autograft model using immunohistochemical markers. The molecular mechanisms involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury repair were also investigated by measuring the expression of the early activation genes c-fos and c-jun, which induce apoptosis and cell proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty adult male Wistar rats were subjected to surgery for a previously described ischemia-reperfusion model that preserved the small intestine, the cecum and the ascending colon. Following reperfusion, the cecum was harvested at different time points as a representative segment of the intestine. The rats were allocated to the following four subgroups according to the reperfusion time: subgroup 1: 5 min; subgroup 2: 15 min; subgroup 3: 30 min; and subgroup 4: 60 min. A control group of cecum samples was also collected. The expression of c-fos, c-jun and immunohistochemical markers of cell proliferation and apoptosis (Ki67 and TUNEL, respectively) was studied. RESULTS: The expression of both c-fos and c-jun in the cecum was increased beginning at 5 min after ischemia-reperfusion compared with the control. The expression of c-fos began to increase at 5 min, peaked at 30 min, and exhibited a declining tendency at 60 min after reperfusion. A progressive increase in c-jun expression was observed. Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed these observations. CONCLUSION: The early activation of the c-fos and c-jun genes occurred after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury, and these genes can act together to trigger cell proliferation and apoptosis