Micromamiferos andinos holocenicos del sitio arqueologico Inca Cueva 5, Ju Juy, Argentina: tafonomia, zoogeografia y reconstruccion paleoambiental

A micromammal archaeological sequence (2120 f 120 to 780 f 100 years BP) from Inca Cueva 5 site (23" 05' S - 65" 27' W; 3700 m.a.s.l., Jujuy Province, Argentina) was studied. The following mammalian taxa were recorded: Order Didelphimorphia, Family Didelphidae, Thylamys cf. T. pallidior; Order Rodentia, Family Muridae, Akodon cf. A. albiventer, Andinomys edax, Auliscomys sublimis, Calomys lepidus, Neotomys ebriosus, Phyllotis sp.; Family Caviidae, Cavia cf. C. tschudii, Galea musteloides; Family Abrocomidae, Abrocoma cinerea; Family Chinchillidae, Lagidium viscacia; Family Octodontidae, Octodontomys gliroides. The taphonomy indicates that the sequence is an owl pellet accumulation inside the cave. The general landscape corresponds to the oriental border of the Puna steppe, with scattered shrub and low brush vegetation. Near the site there are small tree groups of Polylepis australis as well as small streams covered with grass and ciperaceous vegetation known as «vegas». Al1 the recorded taxa at Inca Cueva 5 exist today in Puna and Prepuna environments from Jujuy and Salta Provinces and southem Bolivia, excepting Cavia cf. C. tschudii. The modem records of this species in northem Argentina and southern Bolivia come from localities with high montane bunchgrass prairies and forests of the humid Yungas phytogeographical region. The presence of this species in the sequence suggests wetter climatic conditions on this region when the archaeological site was originated. Later drier conditions, caused probably by anthropic influence in the last 500 years, produced the retraction of Cavia tschudii to the moist eastern side of the Andes and its disappeareance of the Puna areas.El sitio arqueológico Inca Cueva 5 se encuentra en la provincia de Jujuy, Argentina, en el borde oriental de la región de la Puna (23" 05' S - 65" 27' W; 3700 m s n m) y está fechado entre 2120 f 120 y 780 f 100 años radiocarbónicos AP. El estudio de una pequeña muestra de micromamíferos permitió reconocer la presencia de los siguientes taxa: Orden Didelphimorphia, Familia Didelphidae, Thylamys cf. T. pallidior; Orden Rodentia, Familia Muridae, Akodon cf. A. albiventer, Andinomys edax, Auliscomys sublimis, Calomys lepidus, Neotomys ebriosus, Phyllotis sp.; Familia Caviidae, Cavia cf. C. tschudii, Galea musteloides; Familia Abrocomidae, Abrocoma cinerea; Familia Chinchillidae, Lagidium viscacia; Familia Octodontidae, Octodontomys gliroides. La tafonomía indica que el agregado tuvo su origen en la depositación de egagrópilas de lechuza (Aves, Strigiformes) en el contexto de la cueva. El ambiente general actual en la zona corresponde a la estepa puneña, con arbustos y matorrales bajos y dispersos. En el fondo del valle hay bosquecillos de Polylepis australis, un curso de agua y vegas pequeñas y circunscritas. Todas las especies registradas en Inca Cueva 5 habitan actualmente en ambientes de Puna y Prepuna de Salta, Jujuy y sur de Bolivia, a excepción de Cavia cf. C. tschudii. Los registros actuales de esta especie en el noroeste de Argentina y sur de Bolivia corresponden a localidades ubicadas en pastizales de altura y bosques subtropicales de Yungas. La presencia de este taxón en la secuencia sugiere condiciones de mayor humedad que las actuales para la región durante el lapso considerado. Condiciones posteriores de mayor aridez, probablemente asociadas al impacto antrópico de los últimos 500 años, habrían redundado en la desaparición de Cavia tschudii de áreas puneñas y en su retracción a los cordones orientales húmedos de los Andes

Wave equation with concentrated nonlinearities

In this paper we address the problem of wave dynamics in presence of concentrated nonlinearities. Given a vector field $V$ on an open subset of \CO^n and a discrete set Y\subset\RE^3 with $n$ elements, we define a nonlinear operator $\Delta_{V,Y}$ on L^2(\RE^3) which coincides with the free Laplacian when restricted to regular functions vanishing at $Y$, and which reduces to the usual Laplacian with point interactions placed at $Y$ when $V$ is linear and is represented by an Hermitean matrix. We then consider the nonlinear wave equation $\ddot \phi=\Delta_{V,Y}\phi$ and study the corresponding Cauchy problem, giving an existence and uniqueness result in the case $V$ is Lipschitz. The solution of such a problem is explicitly expressed in terms of the solutions of two Cauchy problem: one relative to a free wave equation and the other relative to an inhomogeneous ordinary differential equation with delay and principal part $\dot\zeta+V(\zeta)$. Main properties of the solution are given and, when $Y$ is a singleton, the mechanism and details of blow-up are studied.Comment: Revised version. To appear in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, special issue on Singular Interactions in Quantum Mechanics: Solvable Model

Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging: recommendations from the ESPEN Expert Group.

The aging process is associated with gradual and progressive loss of muscle mass along with lowered strength and physical endurance. This condition, sarcopenia, has been widely observed with aging in sedentary adults. Regular aerobic and resistance exercise programs have been shown to counteract most aspects of sarcopenia. In addition, good nutrition, especially adequate protein and energy intake, can help limit and treat age-related declines in muscle mass, strength, and functional abilities. Protein nutrition in combination with exercise is considered optimal for maintaining muscle function. With the goal of providing recommendations for health care professionals to help older adults sustain muscle strength and function into older age, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) hosted a Workshop on Protein Requirements in the Elderly, held in Dubrovnik on November 24 and 25, 2013. Based on the evidence presented and discussed, the following recommendations are made (a) for healthy older people, the diet should provide at least 1.0-1.2 g protein/kg body weight/day, (b) for older people who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition because they have acute or chronic illness, the diet should provide 1.2-1.5 g protein/kg body weight/day, with even higher intake for individuals with severe illness or injury, and (c) daily physical activity or exercise (resistance training, aerobic exercise) should be undertaken by all older people, for as long as possible

A new living species of the genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from central-western Argentina

Abstract The genus Ctenomys Blainville, 1826 includes 68 living species of small to medium-sized (100–1200 g) caviomorph rodents of subterranean habits. During the last decade, this genus has been the subject of numerous taxonomic studies, including the description of new species and the proposal of novel synonyms. Based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences and qualitative and quantitative morphological traits, here we review the species boundaries of the tuco-tucos of the species group of C. mendocinus and describe a new species. The new species is morphologically distinct from other phylogenetically and geographically close species of Ctenomys (e.g., C. fochi, C. mendocinus), showing several differences in their craniodental traits (e.g., proportionally longer nasals and less globose tympanic bullae). The new species occurs in montane grasslands and shrublands of northwestern Mendoza (ca. 2710 m a.s.l.) and in lowlands (ca. 1000 m a.s.l.) of the Monte Desert ecoregion in an area highly impacted by accelerated processes associated with the wine industry

Intensity of Resistance Exercise Determines Adipokine and Resting Energy Expenditure Responses in Overweight Elderly Individuals

OBJECTIVE - To evaluate the time course of leptin, adiponectin, and testing energy expenditure (REE) responses in overweight elderly mates after acute resistance exercise protocols of various intensity configurations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Forty inactive men (65-82 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 10/group): control, low-intensity resistance exercise, moderate-intensity resistance exercise, and high-intensity resistance exercise. Exercise energy cost, REE, leptin, adiponectin, cortisol, insulin, lactate, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs), and glycerol were determined at baseline, immediately after exercise, and during a 72-h recovery period. RESULTS - Exercise energy cost was lower in high-intensity than in low-intensity and moderate-intensity groups (221.6 +/- 8.8 vs. 295.6 +/- 10.7 and 281.6 +/- 9.8 kcal, P < 0.001). Lactate, glucose, NEFAs, and glycerol concentrations increased (P < 0.001) after exercise and returned to baseline thereafter in all groups. REE increased (P < 0.001) in all groups at 12 h in an intensity-dependent manner (P < 0.05). REE reached baseline after 48 h in the low- and mode rate-intensity groups and after 72 h in the high-intensity group. Cortisol peaked in all active groups after exercise (P < 0.001) and remained elevated (P < 0.001) for 12 h. After adjustment for plasma volume shifts, leptin remained unaltered. Adiponectin concentration increased after 12 hand remained elevated for 24 h only in the high-intensity group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS - Resistance exercise does not alter circulating leptin concentration but does increase REE and adiponectin in an intensity-dependent manner for as long as 48 and 24 h, respectively, in overweight elderly individuals. It appears that resistance exercise may represent an effective approach for weight management and metabolic control in overweight elderly individuals

Optimal and continuous anaemia control in a cohort of dialysis patients in Switzerland

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for the management of anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) recommend a minimal haemoglobin (Hb) target of 11 g/dL. Recent surveys indicate that this requirement is not met in many patients in Europe. In most studies, Hb is only assessed over a short-term period. The aim of this study was to examine the control of anaemia over a continuous long-term period in Switzerland. METHODS: A prospective multi-centre observational study was conducted in dialysed patients treated with recombinant human epoetin (EPO) beta, over a one-year follow-up period, with monthly assessments of anaemia parameters. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty patients from 27 centres, representing 14% of the dialysis population in Switzerland, were included. Mean Hb was 11.9 +/- 1.0 g/dL, and remained stable over time. Eighty-five % of the patients achieved mean Hb &amp;gt;or= 11 g/dL. Mean EPO dose was 155 +/- 118 IU/kg/week, being delivered mostly by subcutaneous route (64-71%). Mean serum ferritin and transferrin saturation were 435 +/- 253 microg/L and 30 +/- 11%, respectively. At month 12, adequate iron stores were found in 72.5% of patients, whereas absolute and functional iron deficiencies were observed in only 5.1% and 17.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that diabetes unexpectedly influenced Hb towards higher levels (12.1 +/- 0.9 g/dL; p = 0.02). One year survival was significantly higher in patients with Hb &amp;gt;or= 11 g/dL than in those with Hb &amp;lt;11 g/dL (19.7% vs 7.3%, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: In comparison to European studies of reference, this survey shows a remarkable and continuous control of anaemia in Swiss dialysis centres. These results were reached through moderately high EPO doses, mostly given subcutaneously, and careful iron therapy management

PANIC-ATTAC: A Mouse Model for Inducible and Reversible β-Cell Ablation

OBJECTIVE—Islet transplantations have been performed clinically, but their practical applications are limited. An extensive effort has been made toward the identification of pancreatic β-cell stem cells that has yielded many insights to date, yet targeted reconstitution of β-cell mass remains elusive. Here, we present a mouse model for inducible and reversible ablation of pancreatic β-cells named the PANIC-ATTAC (pancreatic islet β-cell apoptosis through targeted activation of caspase 8) mouse

Haematopoietic stem cells do not asymmetrically segregate chromosomes or retain BrdU

Stem cells are proposed to segregate chromosomes asymmetrically during self-renewing divisions so that older ('immortal') DNA strands are retained in daughter stem cells whereas newly synthesized strands segregate to differentiating cells(1-6). Stem cells are also proposed to retain DNA labels, such as 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), either because they segregate chromosomes asymmetrically or because they divide slowly(5,7-9). However, the purity of stem cells among BrdU-label-retaining cells has not been documented in any tissue, and the 'immortal strand hypothesis' has not been tested in a system with definitive stem cell markers. Here we tested these hypotheses in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can be highly purified using well characterized markers. We administered BrdU to newborn mice, mice treated with cyclophosphamide and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and normal adult mice for 4 to 10 days, followed by 70 days without BrdU. In each case, less than 6% of HSCs retained BrdU and less than 0.5% of all BrdU-retaining haematopoietic cells were HSCs, revealing that BrdU has poor specificity and poor sensitivity as an HSC marker. Sequential administration of 5-chloro-2-deoxyuridine and 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine indicated that all HSCs segregate their chromosomes randomly. Division of individual HSCs in culture revealed no asymmetric segregation of the label. Thus, HSCs cannot be identified on the basis of BrdU-label retention and do not retain older DNA strands during division, indicating that these are not general properties of stem cells.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62821/1/nature06115.pd