Asymptotic behaviour for a class of non-monotone delay differential systems with applications

The paper concerns a class of $n$-dimensional non-autonomous delay differential equations obtained by adding a non-monotone delayed perturbation to a linear homogeneous cooperative system of ordinary differential equations. This family covers a wide set of models used in structured population dynamics. By exploiting the stability and the monotone character of the linear ODE, we establish sufficient conditions for both the extinction of all the populations and the permanence of the system. In the case of DDEs with autonomous coefficients (but possible time-varying delays), sharp results are obtained, even in the case of a reducible community matrix. As a sub-product, our results improve some criteria for autonomous systems published in recent literature. As an important illustration, the extinction, persistence and permanence of a non-autonomous Nicholson system with patch structure and multiple time-dependent delays are analysed.Comment: 26 pages, J Dyn Diff Equat (2017

Estimation of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatographic response from one-dimensional gas chromatography data

Trabajo presentado a la XV Reunión Científica de la Sociedad Española de Cromatografía y Técnicas Afines (SECyTA) celebrada en Castellón de la Plana del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2015Optimization of a separation in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) requires the selection of an appropriate set column, and the optimisation of their respective dimensions, temperature programs and flow rates. Until not so long ago, a time consuming trial and error process was the only way to select the columns and chromatographic conditions for the two GC dimensions. During the last few years, several attempts have been proposed to estimate the chromatographic response in GC×GC [1-4]. Although most of these methods are helpful contributions, some of them focussed exclusively on the retention time estimation and do not consider the effect of peak width, also essential for a correct prediction of the chromatographic separation capability. Others are based on theoretical formulas not applicable to the extreme experimental conditions used in GC×GC, or are only valid for specific types of compounds or stationary phases: these models cannot be corrected for different separation problems. In this work, modelization of retention time and peak width has been carried out from experimental 1D GC data in order to estimate the response in GC×GC separation for different column sets operated under different flows and temperatures. Several theoretical and experimental models are proposed for estimation of 1D and 2D retention time and peak width; in experimental models, 1D GC data are required together with information on column characteristics and operation conditions. Models for hold-up time, retention factor and peak width were first validated in 1D GC from the fit between experimental and calculated data. Their validation in GC×GC was carried out by using n-alkanes and a mixture of disaccharides as their trimethylsilyl oxime derivatives. Comparison of experimental and estimated data showed good results for retention time in both first and second dimension. Peak widths presented, however, some errors, caused by the no consideration on estimation of the effect of the modulator or the rather unusual chromatographic conditions used. The developed programme is very versatile as it can be used for the calculation of the chromatographic response of compounds with different polarity and volatility, analysed under different pressures and temperature ramps, and with different sets of columns. [1] J.V. Seeley, E.M. Libby, K.A.H. Edwards, S.K. Seeley, J. Chromatogr. A 1216 (2009) 1650. [2] F.L. Dorman, P.D. Schettler, L.A. Vogt, J.W. Cochran, J. Chromatogr. A 1186 (2008) 196. [3] Y. Zhao, J. Zhang, B. Wang, S.H. Kim, A. Fang, B. Bogdanov, Z. Zhou, C. McClain, X. Zhang, J. Chromatogr. A 1218 (2011) 2577. [4] S. Zhu, S. He, D.R. Worton, A.H. Goldstein, J. Chromatogr. A 1233 (2012) 147. Acknowledgements: This work has been funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (project CTQ2012-32957), Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain) and European funding from FEDER program (AVANSECAL-CM S2013/ABI-3028) and Fundación Ramón Areces. ACS thanks Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain for a Ramón y Cajal contract.CTQ2012-32957Peer reviewe

Minimal sets in monotone and sublinear skew-product semiflows I: The general case

AbstractThe dynamics of a general monotone and sublinear skew-product semiflow is analyzed, paying special attention to the long-term behavior of the strongly positive semiorbits and to the minimal sets. Four possibilities arise depending on the existence or absence of strongly positive minimal sets and bounded semiorbits, as well as on the coexistence or not of bounded and unbounded strongly positive semiorbits. Previous results are unified and extended, and scenarios which are impossible in the autonomous or periodic cases are described

Global attractivity in concave or sublinear monotone infinite delay differential equations

AbstractWe study the dynamical behavior of the trajectories defined by a recurrent family of monotone functional differential equations with infinite delay and concave or sublinear nonlinearities. We analyze different sceneries which require the existence of a lower solution and of a bounded trajectory ordered in an appropriate way, for which we prove the existence of a globally asymptotically stable minimal set given by a 1-cover of the base flow. We apply these results to the description of the long term dynamics of a nonautonomous model representing a stage-structured population growth without irreducibility assumptions on the coefficient matrices

Attractors in almost periodic Nicholson systems and some numerical simulations

Producción CientíficaThe existence of a global attractor is proved for the skew-product semiflow induced by almost periodic Nicholson systems and new conditions are given for the existence of a unique almost periodic positive solution which exponentially attracts every other positive solution. Besides, some numerical simulations are included to illustrate our results in some concrete Nicholson systems.Ana M. Sanz: MICIIN/FEDER under project PID2021-125446NB-I00 and by Universidad de Valladolid under project PIP-TCESC-2020Víctor M. Villarragut: MICIIN/FEDER under project PID2021- 125446NB-I0

Inhibition of pneumococcal choline-binding proteins and cell growth by esters of bicyclic amines

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens worldwide. The use of currently available antibiotics to treat pneumococcal diseases is hampered by increasing resistance levels; also, capsular polysaccharide-based vaccination is of limited efficacy. Therefore, it is desirable to find targets for the development of new antimicrobial drugs specifically designed to fight pneumococcal infections. Choline-binding proteins are a family of polypeptides, found in all S. pneumoniae strains, that take part in important physiologic processes of this bacterium. Among them are several murein hydrolases whose enzymatic activity is usually inhibited by an excess of choline. Using a simple chromatographic procedure, we have identified several choline analogs able to strongly interact with the choline-binding module (C-LytA) of the major autolysin of S. pneumoniae. Two of these compounds (atropine and ipratropium) display a higher binding affinity to C-LytA than choline, and also increase the stability of the protein. CD and fluorescence spectroscopy analyses revealed that the conformational changes of C-LytA upon binding of these alkaloids are different to those induced by choline, suggesting a different mode of binding. In vitro inhibition assays of three pneumococcal, choline-dependent cell wall lytic enzymes also demonstrated a greater inhibitory efficiency of those molecules. Moreover, atropine and ipratropium strongly inhibited in vitro pneumococcal growth, altering cell morphology and reducing cell viability, a very different response than that observed upon addition of an excess of choline. These results may open up the possibility of the development of bicyclic amines as new antimicrobials for use against pneumococcal pathologies

Neotectonic modeling of the Ibero-Maghrebian region

15 páginas, 12 figuras.Thin-shell finite element techniques have been applied to model the neotectonics of the Ibero-Maghrebian region, in the westernmost Mediterranean. This region is characterized by a complex seismotectonic pattern and moderate seismic activity associated with the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. We compare two end-member models using different fault networks. Model predictions, including anelastic strain rates, vertically integrated stresses and velocity fields, are compared to the seismicity map and to data on directions of maximum horizontal compression. Best results are obtained assuming a low fault friction coefficient (0.05) and when the Betics and Rif are modeled as parts of the same arc-shaped chain. The highest predicted fault slip rates are in the Tell mountains. Farther to the west, fault slip is more homogeneously distributed over the Betic-Rif chain, Gulf of Cadiz, and Alboran Sea, indicating a diffuse geometry of the plate boundary in this area. The areas of highest predicted strain rates coincide with the most seismically active regions, located in northern Algeria and northeastern Morocco. Our best model also reproduces a major change of the stress regime, from thrusting in the east (Tell mountains) to predominantly strike-slip and normal faulting in the west (Betic-Rif chain and Alboran Sea). The Alboran basin is shown to be undergoing significant internal transpression and therefore cannot be considered as a rigid microplate. The western part of the Alboran Sea and surrounding areas are being extruded to the WNW with respect to Iberia.Spanish research programs Ramón y Cajal, BTE2002-02462, REN2000-0777-C02-01/RIES, DGESIC PB97-1267-C03-01, and a grant from the Foundation Jaime del Amo (University Complutense of Madrid) have partially supported this work.Peer reviewe

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is an upstream nucleosomal kinase required for the assembly of 53BP1 foci in response to ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage

Cellular responses to DNA damage require the formation of protein complexes in a highly organized fashion. The complete molecular components that participate in the sequential signaling response to DNA damage remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) in resting cells plays an important role in the formation of ionizing radiationinduced foci that assemble on the 53BP1 scaffold protein during the DNA damage response. The kinase VRK1 is activated by DNA double strand breaks induced by ionizing radiation (IR) and specifically phosphorylates 53BP1 in serum-starved cells. VRK1 knockdown resulted in the defective formation of 53BP1 foci in response to IR both in number and size. This observed effect on 53BP1 foci is p53- and ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-independent and can be rescued with VRK1 mutants resistant to siRNA. VRK1 knockdown also prevented the activating phosphorylation of ATM, CHK2, and DNA-dependent protein kinase in response to IR. VRK1 activation in response to DNA damage is a novel and early step in the signaling of mammalian DNA damage responses.This work was supported in part by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Grants SAF2010-14935 and CSD2007-0017, Junta de Castilla y León Grants CSI006A11-2 and GR-15, and the Kutxa-Fundación Inbiomed. Supported by Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios-CSIC-Fondo Social Europeo fellowships.Peer Reviewe