Spin-orbit transitions in the N+^+(3PJA^3P_{J_A}) + H2_2 →\rightarrow NH+^+(X2ΠX^2\Pi, 4Σ−^4\Sigma^-)+ H(2S^2S) reaction, using adiabatic and mixed quantum-adiabatic statistical approaches

The cross section and rate constants for the title reaction are calculated for all the spin-orbit states of N$^+$($^3P_{J_A}$) using two statistical approaches, one purely adiabatic and the other one mixing quantum capture for the entrance channel and adiabatic treatment for the products channel. This is made by using a symmetry adapted basis set combining electronic (spin and orbital) and nuclear angular momenta in the reactants channel. To this aim, accurate {\it ab initio} calculations are performed separately for reactants and products. In the reactants channel, the three lowest electronic states (without spin-orbit couplings) have been diabatized, and the spin-orbit couplings have been introduced through a model localizing the spin-orbit interactions in the N$^+$ atom, which yields accurate results as compared to {\it ab initio} calculations including spin-orbit couplings. For the products, eleven purely adiabatic spin-orbit states have been determined with {\it ab initio} calculations. The reactive rate constants thus obtained are in very good agreement with the available experimental data for several ortho-H$_2$ fractions, assuming a thermal initial distribution of spin-orbit states. The rate constants for selected spin-orbit $J_A$ states are obtained, to provide a proper validation of the spin-orbit effects to obtain the experimental rate constants.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, submitted to J. Chem. Phy

Patrimonio natural y cultural de Tepotzotlán

324 páginas. Especialización en Diseño, Planificación y Conservación de Paisajes y Jardines.El presente documento muestra el trabajo realizado para la intervención paisajística en pueblo de Tepotzotlán. Al ser catalogado en el programa de pueblos mágicos dada su riqueza tangible e intangible; resulta relevante su estudio a fin de rescatar y/o enaltecer algunas de las virtudes que lo resguardan. La zona de intervención se enfocó esencialmente en el polígono patrimonial del centro histórico, los caminos constituidos a lo largo de Rio Chiquito y calles aledañas que conectan los tesoros patrimoniales de la zona. Dicho estudio fue abordado principalmente por grupos de trabajo interdisciplinario, conformados por alumnos de la especialidad en Paisajes y Jardines Históricos de la UAM Azcapotzalco. Se cotejaron 5 proyectos detonadores: Centro Histórico/Atrio de los Olivos, Par vial, Rio Chiquito, Camino Real de Lluvias y Acequia Real. Durante la primera etapa, se establecieron las limitaciones y potencialidades del sitio. Se recopiló información cualitativa y cuantitativa para la formulación y ejecución de un plan maestro que regirían los parámetros y objetivos en cada proyecto. El desarrollo conceptual y anteproyecto para cada zona de intervención, se reflejó en la segunda etapa de este proceso. Paralelamente, la elaboración de la propuesta de vegetación, las fichas de cada especie vegetal y la preparación de catálogos de paisaje, complementan el carácter de este trabajo. El proyecto realizado en Tepotzotlán: “Patrimonio Natural y Cultural De Tepotzotlán”, emerge, como el título del trabajo indica: desde la visión del rescate patrimonial, constituido por elementos materiales y naturales relevantes para la población local y todos sus visitantes. La última etapa comprende la puesta en marcha del proyecto ejecutivo, donde se plasmaron los detalles que dan cuerpo a cada elemento de las propuestas de diseño, la información necesaria para su construcción y la síntesis de toda la documentación consultada y elaborada, como sostén de diseño. En las siguientes páginas y capítulos, se explicará de manera extensa y particular: la metodología planteada y utilizada en el abordaje de cada proyecto. En general, se podrá observar la construcción de un trabajo paisajístico integral, llevado a cabo a lo largo de un año de esfuerzo y dedicación, vertidos en la presente tesis.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México)

Fetal sex modulates developmental response to maternal malnutrition

The incidence of obesity and metabolic diseases is dramatically high in rapidly developing countries. Causes have been related to intrinsic ethnic features with development of a thrifty genotype for adapting to food scarcity, prenatal programming by undernutrition, and postnatal exposure to obesogenic lifestyle. Observational studies in humans and experimental studies in animal models evidence that the adaptive responses of the offspring may be modulated by their sex. In the contemporary context of world globalization, the new question arising is the existence and extent of sex-related differences in developmental and metabolic traits in case of mixed-race. Hence, in the current study, using a swine model, we compared male and female fetuses that were crossbred from mothers with thrifty genotype and fathers without thrifty genotype. Female conceptuses evidence stronger protective strategies for their adequate growth and postnatal survival. In brief, both male and female fetuses developed a brain-sparing effect but female fetuses were still able to maintain the development of other viscerae than the brain (mainly liver, intestine and kidneys) at the expense of carcass development. Furthermore, these morphometric differences were reinforced by differences in nutrient availability (glucose and cholesterol) favoring female fetuses with severe developmental predicament. These findings set the basis for further studies aiming to increase the knowledge on the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the determination of adult phenotype

Obesity and Metabolic Traits after High-Fat Diet in Iberian Pigs with Low Birth Weight of Placental Origin

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and later obesity and metabolic disorders have classically been associated with maternal malnutrition, but most cases of IUGR are related to placental insufficiency. The current study, using a swine model for IUGR and obesity, aimed to determine the interaction of birth weight (categorized as low birth weight [LBW] or normal birth-weight [NBW]) and postnatal diet (categorized as maintenance diet [MD] or fattening diet [FD]) on body weight, adiposity and metabolic traits. FD induced higher body weight and adiposity (both p < 0.0001), with higher fructosamine levels (p < 0.005) and a trend toward higher HOMA-β index (p = 0.05). NBW pigs remained heavier than LBW pigs during the early juvenile period (p < 0.005), but there were no differences at later stages. There were no differences in metabolic traits during juvenile development, but there were differences in adulthood, when LBW pigs showed higher glucose and lower insulin levels than NBW pigs (both p < 0.05). These results suggest that (a) FD allows LBW offspring to achieve similar obesity in adulthood as NBW offspring, and (b) glucose metabolism is more compromised in obese LBW than obese NBW pigs. The comparison of our data with previous studies highlights significant differences between offspring with LBW induced by maternal malnutrition or placental insufficiency, which should be considered when studying the condition

Cancer stem cells from human glioblastoma resemble but do not mimic original tumors after in vitro passaging in serum-free media

Human gliomas harbour cancer stem cells (CSCs) that evolve along the course of the disease, forming highly heterogeneous subpopulations within the tumour mass. These cells possess self-renewal properties and appear to contribute to tumour initiation, metastasis and resistance to therapy. CSC cultures isolated from surgical samples are considered the best preclinical in vitro model for primary human gliomas. However, it is not yet well characterized to which extent their biological and functional properties change during in vitro passaging in the serum-free culture conditions. Here, we demonstrate that our CSC-enriched cultures harboured from one to several CSC clones from the human glioma sample. When xenotransplanted into mouse brain, these cells generated tumours that reproduced at least three different dissemination patterns found in original tumours. Along the passages in culture, CSCs displayed increased expression of stem cell markers, different ratios of chromosomal instability events, and a varied response to drug treatment. Our findings highlight the need for better characterization of CSC-enriched cultures in the context of their evolution in vitro, in order to uncover their full potential as preclinical models in the studies aimed at identifying molecular biomarkers and developing new therapeutic approaches of human gliomas.Peer reviewe

Recurrent somatic chromosomal abnormalities in relapsed extraocular retinoblastoma

Most reports about copy number alterations (CNA) in retinoblastoma relate to patients with intraocular disease and features of children with extraocular relapse remain unknown, so we aimed to describe the CNA in this population. We evaluated 23 patients and 27 specimens from 4 centers. Seventeen cases had extraocular relapse after initial enucleation and six cases after an initial preservation attempt. We performed an analysis of CNA and BCOR gene alteration by SNP array (Single Nucleotide Polymorfism array), whole-exome sequencing, IMPACT panel and CGH array (Array-based comparative genomic hybridization). All cases presented CNA at a higher prevalence than those reported in previously published studies for intraocular cases. CNA previously reported for intraocular retinoblastoma were found at a high frequency in our cohort: gains in 1q (69.5%), 2p (60.9%) and 6p (86.9%), and 16q loss (78.2%). Other, previously less-recognized, CNA were found including loss of 11q (34.8%), gain of 17q (56.5%), loss of 19q (30.4%) and BCOR alterations were present in 72.7% of our cases. A high number of CNA including 11q deletions, 17q gains, 19q loss, and BCOR alterations, are more common in extraocular retinoblastoma. Identification of these features may be correlated with a more aggressive tumor warranting consideration for patient management.Fil: Aschero, María del Rosario. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Francis, Jasmine H.. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Ganiewich, Daiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Gonzalez, Soledad. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Sampor, Claudia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Zugbi, Santiago. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ottaviani, Daniela. Universite de Paris; Francia. Institute Curie; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Lemelle, Lauriane. Universite de Paris; Francia. Institute Curie; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Mena, Marcela Daniela C. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Winter, Ursula Andrea. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Correa Llano, Genoveva. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Lamas, Gabriela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Lubieniecki, Fabiana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Szijan, Irene. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Genética y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Mora, Jaume. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Podhajcer, Osvaldo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Doz, François. Universite de Paris; Francia. Institute Curie; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Radvanyi, François. Universite de Paris; Francia. Institute Curie; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Abramson, David H.. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Llera, Andrea Sabina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Schaiquevich, Paula Susana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lavarino, Cinzia. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Chantada, Guillermo Luis. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Ontogeny of Sex-Related Differences in Foetal Developmental Features, Lipid Availability and Fatty Acid Composition

Sex-related differences in lipid availability and fatty acid composition during swine foetal development were investigated. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in the mother were strongly related to the adequacy or inadequacy of foetal development and concomitant activation of protective growth in some organs (brain, heart, liver and spleen). Cholesterol and triglyceride availability was similar in male and female offspring, but female foetuses showed evidence of higher placental transfer of essential fatty acids and synthesis of non-essential fatty acids in muscle and liver. These sex-related differences affected primarily the neutral lipid fraction (triglycerides), which may lead to sex-related postnatal differences in energy partitioning. These results illustrate the strong influence of the maternal lipid profile on foetal development and homeorhesis, and they confirm and extend previous reports that female offspring show better adaptive responses to maternal malnutrition than male offspring. These findings may help guide dietary interventions to ensure adequate fatty acid availability for postnatal development

Selective whole genome amplification of Plasmodium malariae DNA from clinical samples reveals insights into population structure.

The genomic diversity of Plasmodium malariae malaria parasites is understudied, partly because infected individuals tend to present with low parasite densities, leading to difficulties in obtaining sufficient parasite DNA for genome analysis. Selective whole genome amplification (SWGA) increases the relative levels of pathogen DNA in a clinical sample, but has not been adapted for P. malariae parasites. Here we design customized SWGA primers which successfully amplify P. malariae DNA extracted directly from unprocessed clinical blood samples obtained from patients with P. malariae-mono-infections from six countries, and further test the efficacy of SWGA on mixed infections with other Plasmodium spp. SWGA enables the successful whole genome sequencing of samples with low parasite density (i.e. one sample with a parasitaemia of 0.0064% resulted in 44% of the genome covered by ≥ 5 reads), leading to an average 14-fold increase in genome coverage when compared to unamplified samples. We identify a total of 868,476 genome-wide SNPs, of which 194,709 are unique across 18 high-quality isolates. After exclusion of the hypervariable subtelomeric regions, a high-quality core subset of 29,899 unique SNPs is defined. Population genetic analysis suggests that P. malariae parasites display clear geographical separation by continent. Further, SWGA successfully amplifies genetic regions of interest such as orthologs of P. falciparum drug resistance-associated loci (Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, Pfcrt, Pfk13 and Pfmdr1), and several non-synonymous SNPs were detected in these genes. In conclusion, we have established a robust SWGA approach that can assist whole genome sequencing of P. malariae, and thereby facilitate the implementation of much-needed large-scale multi-population genomic studies of this neglected malaria parasite. As demonstrated in other Plasmodia, such genetic diversity studies can provide insights into the biology underlying the disease and inform malaria surveillance and control measures