Bifurcating vortex solutions of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation

It is shown that the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation on the real line admits nontrivial $2\pi$-periodic vortex solutions that have $2n$ simple zeros (``vortices'') per period. The vortex solutions bifurcate from the trivial solution and inherit their zeros from the solution of the linearized equation. This result rules out the possibility that the vortices are determining nodes for vortex solutions of the CGL equation.Comment: To appear in Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems (1999); 10 pages, 2 figure

An Antimaximum Principle for a Degenerate Parabolic Problem.

Beginning with the work of Clement and Peletier , various kinds of anti- maximum principles have been established for linear and nonlinear elliptic operators; for linear elliptic operators, see e.g. Alziary, Fleckinger, and Takac, Sweers, Takac, and the references therei

The Spermatophore in Glossina morsitans morsitans: Insights into Male Contributions to Reproduction.

Male Seminal Fluid Proteins (SFPs) transferred during copulation modulate female reproductive physiology and behavior, impacting sperm storage/use, ovulation, oviposition, and remating receptivity. These capabilities make them ideal targets for developing novel methods of insect disease vector control. Little is known about the nature of SFPs in the viviparous tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae), vectors of Human and Animal African trypanosomiasis. In tsetse, male ejaculate is assembled into a capsule-like spermatophore structure visible post-copulation in the female uterus. We applied high-throughput approaches to uncover the composition of the spermatophore in Glossina morsitans morsitans. We found that both male accessory glands and testes contribute to its formation. The male accessory glands produce a small number of abundant novel proteins with yet unknown functions, in addition to enzyme inhibitors and peptidase regulators. The testes contribute sperm in addition to a diverse array of less abundant proteins associated with binding, oxidoreductase/transferase activities, cytoskeletal and lipid/carbohydrate transporter functions. Proteins encoded by female-biased genes are also found in the spermatophore. About half of the proteins display sequence conservation relative to other Diptera, and low similarity to SFPs from other studied species, possibly reflecting both their fast evolutionary pace and the divergent nature of tsetse's viviparous biology

Selective Antibiofilm Effects of Lucilia sericata

Background. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT), using Lucilia sericata larvae, represents efficient, simple, and low-cost therapy for the treatment of chronic wounds. Aim. The aim was to investigate the antibiofilm activity of maggot excretions/secretions (ES) against biofilm of wound isolates Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae), and Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis). Methods. Quantification of biofilm formation, was carried out using a microtiter plate assay. Proteolytic activity of maggot ES was performed using skim milk agar plates. A solid phase extraction and reverse phase HPLC C18 chromatography were employed to the isolate of maggot ES antibiofilm compounds. Results. Maggot ES at 100 mg/mL concentration significantly reduced biofilm formation thus disrupting established biofilm of E. cloacae. Heat-treated ES did not show any antibiofilm activity towards E. cloacae. Similar results were obtained in the case of S. aureus; however, the heat-treatment of maggot ES did not affect its antibiofilm activity. Moreover, a compound with molecular weight of 25 kDa exhibiting antibiofilm activity was identified in maggot ES. On the other hand, maggot ES protected and even stimulated P. mirabilis biofilm formation. Conclusions. Our results suggest that maggot ES may act selectively against different bacterial strain

Influence of temperature and relative humidity on survival and fecundity of three tsetse strains

Background: Tsetse flies occur in much of sub-Saharan Africa where they are vectors of trypanosomes that cause human and animal African trypanosomosis. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is currently used to eliminate tsetse fly populations in an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) context in Senegal and Ethiopia. Three Glossina palpalis gambiensis strains [originating from Burkina Faso (BKF), Senegal (SEN) and an introgressed strain (SENbkf)] were established and are now available for use in future AW-IPM programmes against trypanosomes in West Africa. For each strain, knowledge of the environmental survival thresholds is essential to determine which of these strains is best suited to a particular environment or ecosystem, and can therefore be used effectively in SIT programmes. Methods: In this paper, we investigated the survival and fecundity of three G. p. gambiensis strains maintained under various conditions: 25 °C and 40, 50, 60, and 75 % relative humidity (rH), 30 °C and 60 % rH and 35 °C and 60 % rH. Results: The survival of the three strains was dependent on temperature only, and it was unaffected by changing humidity within the tested range. The BKF strain survived temperatures above its optimum better than the SEN strain. The SENbkf showed intermediate resistance to high temperatures. A temperature of about 32 °C was the limit for survival for all strains. A rH ranging from 40 to 76 % had no effect on fecundity at 25–26 °C. Conclusions: We discuss the implications of these results on tsetse SIT-based control programmes. (Résumé d'auteur