1,060 research outputs found
A Note on the Asymptotic Behaviour of a Periodic Multitype Galton-Watson Branching Process
2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J80.In this work, the problem of the limiting behaviour of an irreducible Multitype Galton-Watson Branching Process with period d greater
than 1 is considered. More specifically, almost sure convergence of some
linear functionals depending on d consecutive generations is studied under
hypothesis of non extinction. As consequence the main parameters of the
model are given a convenient interpretation from a practical point of view.
For a better understanding of the theoretical results, an illustrative example
is provided.Research supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y TecnologĂa and the FEDER through the
Plan Nacional de InvestigaciĂłn CientĂfica, Desarrollo e InnovaciĂłn TecnolĂłgica, grant BFM2003-06074
Neurophysiological development of newborn pigs: effect of the sowâs parity number in eutocic farrowings
The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of sow parity on neonatal piglet health and vitality at birth. We evaluated 1505 neonate piglets, which were born of YorkâLandrace sows with the following parity distribution: primiparous (n = 202), second (n = 207), third (n = 211), fourth (n = 222), fifth (n = 225), sixth (n = 218) and seventh parity (n = 220). Piglets born to primiparous and seventh-parity sows had the lowest and highest birthweights respectively, and showed the most marked imbalances in blood gas exchanges, acidâbase balance and energy profiles, as well as the highest percentage of severe meconium staining of the skin and the lowest vitality scores (P < 0.05). In contrast, the neonates from the fourth-parity sows had the highest vitality scores, required less time to reach the motherâs teat, and had the highest percentage of adhered umbilical cords and newborns with dyspnoea, apnoea and abnormal heartbeat (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that during eutocic farrowings, the sowâs parity number has the following effects on newborn piglets: reduced vigour and longer latencies to begin breathing, stand and take the teat. These effects are due to the presence of imbalances in gas exchanges, the acidâbase balance and energy profiles that occurred when the mother was a primiparous or older sow. These signs indicate that the newborn piglet survived a process of intrapartum asphyxia.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
su(1,1) Algebraic approach of the Dirac equation with Coulomb-type scalar and vector potentials in D + 1 dimensions
We study the Dirac equation with Coulomb-type vector and scalar potentials in
D + 1 dimensions from an su(1, 1) algebraic approach. The generators of this
algebra are constructed by using the Schr\"odinger factorization. The theory of
unitary representations for the su(1, 1) Lie algebra allows us to obtain the
energy spectrum and the supersymmetric ground state. For the cases where there
exists either scalar or vector potential our results are reduced to those
obtained by analytical techniques
The su(1,1) dynamical algebra from the Schr\"odinger ladder operators for N-dimensional systems: hydrogen atom, Mie-type potential, harmonic oscillator and pseudo-harmonic oscillator
We apply the Schr\"odinger factorization to construct the ladder operators
for hydrogen atom, Mie-type potential, harmonic oscillator and pseudo-harmonic
oscillator in arbitrary dimensions. By generalizing these operators we show
that the dynamical algebra for these problems is the Lie algebra.Comment: 10 page
Flexible workflows for on-the-fly electronmicroscopy single-particle image processing using Scipion
Electron microscopy of macromolecular structures is an approach that is in increasing demand in the field of structural biology. The automation of image acquisition has greatly increased the potential throughput of electron microscopy. Here, the focus is on the possibilities in Scipion to implement flexible and robust image-processing workflows that allow the electron-microscope operator and the user to monitor the quality of image acquisition, assessing very simple acquisition measures or obtaining a first estimate of the initial volume, or the data resolution and heterogeneity, without any need for programming skills. These workflows can implement intelligent automatic decisions and they can warn the user of possible acquisition failures. These concepts are illustrated by analysis of the well known 2.2â
Ă
resolution ÎČ-galactosidase data setThe authors would like to acknowledge financial support from
The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
through the BIO2016-76400-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) grant, the
Comunidad AutoÂŽnoma de Madrid through grant S2017/BMD3817, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PT17/0009/0010), the
European Union (EU) and Horizon 2020 through the
CORBEL grant (INFRADEV-1-2014-1, Proposal 654248),
the âla Caixaâ Foundation (ID 100010434, Fellow LCF/BQ/
IN18/11660021), ElixirâEXCELERATE (INFRADEV-3-
2015, Proposal 676559), iNEXT (INFRAIA-1-2014-2015,
Proposal 653706), EOSCpilot (INFRADEV-04-2016,
Proposal 739563) and INSTRUCTâULTRA (INFRADEV03-2016-2017, Proposal 731005
Methodological considerations in the analysis of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella)
Analysis of fecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolites has recently become the standard method to monitor adrenocortical activity in primates noninvasively. However, given variation in the production, metabolism, and excretion of GCs across species and even between sexes, there are no standard methods that are universally applicable. In particular, it is important to validate assays intended to measure GC production, test extraction and storage procedures, and consider the time course of GC metabolite excretion relative to the production and circulation of the native hormones. This study examines these four methodological aspects of fecal GC metabolite analysis in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). Specifically, we conducted an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) challenge on one male and one female capuchin to test the validity of four GC enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) and document the time course characterizing GC me- tabolite excretion in this species. In addition, we compare a common field-friendly technique for extracting fecal GC metabolites to an established laboratory extraction methodology and test for effects of storing âfield extractsâ for up to 1 yr. Results suggest that a corticosterone EIA is most sensitive to changes in GC production, provides reliable measures when extracted according to the field method, and measures GC metabolites which remain highly stable after even 12 mo of storage. Further, the time course of GC metabolite excretion is shorter than that described yet for any primate taxa. These results provide guidelines for studies of GCs in tufted capuchins, and underscore the importance of validating methods for fecal hormone analysis for each species of interest
Assessment of Pain and Inflammation in Domestic Animals Using Infrared Thermography: A Narrative Review
Pain assessment in domestic animals has gained importance in recent years due to the recognition of the physiological, behavioral, and endocrine consequences of acute pain on animal production, welfare, and animal model validity. Current approaches to identifying acute pain mainly rely on behavioral-based scales, quantifying pain-related biomarkers, and the use of devices monitoring sympathetic activity. Infrared thermography is an alternative that could be used to correlate the changes in the superficial temperature with other tools and thus be an additional or alternate acute pain assessment marker. Moreover, its non-invasiveness and the objective nature of its readout make it potentially very valuable. However, at the current time, it is not in widespread use as an assessment strategy. The present review discusses scientific evidence for infrared thermography as a tool to evaluate pain, limiting its use to monitor acute pain in pathological processes and invasive procedures, as well as its use for perioperative monitoring in domestic animals.Alexandra L. Whittaker, Ramon Muns, Dehua Wang, Julio MartĂnez-Burnes, Ismael HernĂĄndez-Ăvalos, Alejandro Casas-Alvarado, Adriana DomĂnguez-Oliva, and Daniel Mota-Roja
Survey of the analysis of continuous conformational variability of biological macromolecules by electron microscopy
Single-particle analysis by electron microscopy is a well established technique
for analyzing the three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules.
Besides its ability to produce high-resolution structures, it also provides insights
into the dynamic behavior of the structures by elucidating their conformational
variability. Here, the different image-processing methods currently available to
study continuous conformational changes are reviewedThe authors would like to acknowledge support from the
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through
grants BIO2013-44647-R and BIO2016-76400-R (AEI/
FEDER, UE), Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid through
grant S2017/BMD-3817, Instituto de Salud Carlos III through
grants PT13 /0001/0009 and PT17/0009/0010,the European
Union (EU) and Horizon 2020 through West-Life (EINFRA-
2015-1, Proposal 675858), CORBEL (INFRADEV-1-2014-1,
Proposal 654248), ELIXIRâEXCELERATE (INFRADEV-3-
2015, Proposal 676559), iNEXT (INFRAIA-1-2014-2015,
Proposal 653706), EOSCpilot (INFRADEV-04-2016,
Proposal 739563) and the National Institutes of Health (P41
GM 103712) (IB
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