Transient Propagation and Scattering of Quasi-Rayleigh Waves in Plates: Quantitative comparison between Pulsed TV-Holography Measurements and FC(Gram) elastodynamic simulations

We study the scattering of transient, high-frequency, narrow-band quasi-Rayleigh elastic waves by through-thickness holes in aluminum plates, in the framework of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) based on full-field optical detection. Sequences of the instantaneous two-dimensional (2-D) out-of-plane displacement scattering maps are measured with a self-developed PTVH system. The corresponding simulated sequences are obtained by means of an FC(Gram) elastodynamic solver introduced recently, which implements a full three-dimensional (3D) vector formulation of the direct linear-elasticity scattering problem. A detailed quantitative comparison between these experimental and numerical sequences, which is presented here for the first time, shows very good agreement both in the amplitude and the phase of the acoustic field in the forward, lateral and backscattering areas. It is thus suggested that the combination of the PTVH system and the FC(Gram) elastodynamic solver provides an effective ultrasonic inspection tool for plate-like structures, with a significant potential for ultrasonic NDT applications.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figures, corresponding author Jos\'e Carlos L\'opez-V\'azquez, [email protected]. Changes: 1st, 4th, 5th paragraphs (intro), 3rd, 4th paragraphs (sec. 4); [59-60] cited only in appendixes; old ref. [52] removed; misprints corrected in the uncertainty of c_L (subsec. 3.1), citation to fig. 10 (sec. 4), size of images (caption fig.15); reference to Lam\'e constants removed in subsec. 3.

Numerical modeling and measurement by pulsed television holography of ultrasonic displacement maps in plates with through-thickness defects

We present a novel numerical modeling of ultrasonic Lamb and Rayleigh wave propagation and scattering by through-thickness defects like holes and slots in homogeneous plates, and its experimental verification in both near and far field by a self-developed pulsed TV holography system. In contrast to rigorous vectorial formulation of elasticity theory, our model is based on the 2-D scalar wave equation over the plate surface, with specific boundary conditions in the defects and plate edges. The experimental data include complex amplitude maps of the out-of-plane displacements of the plate surface, obtained by a two-step spatiotemporal Fourier transform method. We find a fair match between the numerical and experimental results, which allows for quantitative characterization of the defects

Identifcation of Loci Associated with Susceptibility to Bovine Paratuberculosis and with the Dysregulation of the MECOM, eEF1A2, and U1 Spliceosomal RNA Expression

Although genome-wide association studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the susceptibility to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection, only a few functional mutations for bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) have been characterized. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are genetic variants typically located in gene regulatory regions that alter gene expression in an allele-specific manner. eQTLs can be considered as functional links between genomic variants, gene expression, and ultimately phenotype. In the current study, peripheral blood (PB) and ileocecal valve (ICV) gene expression was quantified by RNA-Seq from fourteen Holstein cattle with no lesions and with PTB-associated histopathological lesions in gut tissues. Genotypes were generated from the Illumina LD EuroG10K BeadChip. The associations between gene expression levels (normalized read counts) and genetic variants were analyzed by a linear regression analysis using R Matrix eQTL 2.2. This approach allowed the identification of 192 and 48 cis-eQTLs associated with the expression of 145 and 43 genes in the PB and ICV samples, respectively. To investigate potential relationships between these cis-eQTLs and MAP infection, a case-control study was performed using the genotypes for all the identified cis-eQTLs and phenotypical data (histopathology, ELISA for MAP-antibodies detection, tissue PCR, and bacteriological culture) of 986 culled cows. Our results suggested that the heterozygous genotype in the cis-eQTL-rs43744169 (T/C) was associated with the up-regulation of the MDS1 and EVI1 complex (MECOM) expression, with positive ELISA, PCR, and bacteriological culture results, and with increased risk of progression to clinical PTB. As supporting evidence, the presence of the minor allele was associated with higher MECOM levels in plasma samples from infected cows and with increased MAP survival in an ex-vivo macrophage killing assay. Moreover, the presence of the two minor alleles in the cis-eQTL-rs110345285 (C/C) was associated with the dysregulation of the eukaryotic elongation factor 1-alpha2 (eEF1A2) expression and with increased ELISA (OD) values. Finally, the presence of the minor allele in the cis-eQTL rs109859270 (C/T) was associated with the up-regulation of the U1 spliceosomal RNA expression and with an increased risk of progression to clinical PTB. The introduction of these novel functional variants into marker-assisted breeding programs is expected to have a relevant effect on PTB control.Financial support for this study was provided by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICINN, https://sede.micinn.gob.es/, project code: RTI2018-094192-R-C21) and by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) to MAH. This study was co-funded by a grant from the Plan of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Principality of Asturias, Regional funds PCTI 2018–2020 (www.ficyt.es/pcti/), project code: IDI2018-000237. MC and CBV have been awarded fellowships from the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) progra

Modelling for characterizing defects in plates using two-dimensional maps of instantaneous ultrasonic out-of-plane displacement obtained by pulsed TV-holography

It has been demonstrated that non-destructive inspection of plates can be performed by using two-dimensional maps of instantaneous out-of-plane displacements obtained with a self-developed pulsed TV-holography system. Specifically, the interaction of guided elastic waves with defects produces scattering patterns that contain information about the defects (position, dimensions, orientation, etc.). For quantitative characterization on this basis, modeling of the wave propagation and interaction with the defects is necessary. In fact, the development of models for scattering of waves in plates is yet an active research field in which the most reliable approach is usually based on the rigorous formulation of elasticity theory. By contrast, in this work the capability of a simple two-dimensional scalar model for obtaining a quantitative description of the output two-dimensional maps associated to artificial defects in plates is studied. Some experiments recording the interaction of narrowband Rayleigh waves with artificial defects in aluminum plates are presented, in which the acoustic field is obtained from the TV-holography optical phase-change maps by means of a specially developed two-step spatio-temporal Fourier transform method. For the modeling, harmonic regime and free-stress boundary conditions are assumed. Comparisons between experimental and simulated maps are included for defects with different shapes

Transcranial static magnetic stimulation reduces seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome

[Abstract] Dravet syndrome is a rare form of severe genetic epilepsy characterized by recurrent and long-lasting seizures. It appears around the first year of life, with a quick evolution toward an increase in the frequency of the seizures, accompanied by a delay in motor and cognitive development, and does not respond well to antiepileptic medication. Most patients carry a mutation in the gene SCN1A encoding the α subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1, resulting in hyperexcitability of neural circuits and seizure onset. In this work, we applied transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS), a non-invasive, safe, easy-to-use and affordable neuromodulatory tool that reduces neural excitability in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome. We demonstrate that tSMS dramatically reduced the number of crises. Furthermore, crises recorded in the presence of the tSMS were shorter and less intense than in the sham condition. Since tSMS has demonstrated its efficacy at reducing cortical excitability in humans without showing unwanted side effects, in an attempt to anticipate a possible use of tSMS for Dravet Syndrome patients, we performed a numerical simulation in which the magnetic field generated by the magnet was modeled to estimate the magnetic field intensity reached in the cerebral cortex, which could help to design stimulation strategies in these patients. Our results provide a proof of concept for nonpharmacological treatment of Dravet syndrome, which opens the door to the design of new protocols for treatment.Instituto de salud Carlos III; PI21/00151Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2022/05 (CR)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (España); PID2019-108250RJ-10

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from immune tissues of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) challenged with pathogens

Background: The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus; Scophthalmidae; Pleuronectiformes) is a flatfish species of great relevance for marine aquaculture in Europe. In contrast to other cultured flatfish, very few genomic resources are available in this species. Aeromonas salmonicida and Philasterides dicentrarchi are two pathogens that affect turbot culture causing serious economic losses to the turbot industry. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms for disease resistance and hostpathogen interactions in this species. In this work, thousands of ESTs for functional genomic studies and potential markers linked to ESTs for mapping (microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) are provided. This information enabled us to obtain a preliminary view of regulated genes in response to these pathogens and it constitutes the basis for subsequent and more accurate microarray analysis. Results: A total of 12584 cDNAs partially sequenced from three different cDNA libraries of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) infected with Aeromonas salmonicida, Philasterides dicentrarchi and from healthy fish were analyzed. Three immune-relevant tissues (liver, spleen and head kidney) were sampled at several time points in the infection process for library construction. The sequences were processed into 9256 high-quality sequences, which constituted the source for the turbot EST database. Clustering and assembly of these sequences, revealed 3482 different putative transcripts, 1073 contigs and 2409 singletons. BLAST searches with public databases detected significant similarity (e-value ≤ 1e-5) in 1766 (50.7%) sequences and 816 of them (23.4%) could be functionally annotated. Two hundred three of these genes (24.9%), encoding for defence/immunerelated proteins, were mostly identified for the first time in turbot. Some ESTs showed significant differences in the number of transcripts when comparing the three libraries, suggesting regulation in response to these pathogens. A total of 191 microsatellites, with 104 having sufficient flanking sequences for primer design, and 1158 putative SNPs were identified from these EST resources in turbot. Conclusion: A collection of 9256 high-quality ESTs was generated representing 3482 unique turbot sequences. A large proportion of defence/immune-related genes were identified, many of them regulated in response to specific pathogens. Putative microsatellites and SNPs were identified. These genome resources constitute the basis to develop a microarray for functional genomics studies and marker validation for genetic linkage and QTL analysis in turbot.This study was supported by a Consellería de Pesca e Asuntos Marítimos and the Dirección Xeral de I+D – Xunta de Galicia project (2004/CP480)S