Descripción: Cultures of the fungus epibiont from the herbaceous shrub B. coridifolia yielded four macrocyclic trichothecenes. As these toxins are the same as those found in B. coridifolia, the relationship between the plant and the epibiont must be considered as mutualistic.

Descripción: We used multiple approaches to analyze photosynthetic picoplankton (PPP) structure and production in a wetland in the Lower Paraná Basin (Argentina). A seasonal field survey was combined with an experimental study to analyze PPP variability under different light conditions. Flow cytometry analyses showed differences in PPP structure among the aquatic environments. Three main picoplankton populations were distinguished: phycocyanin-rich picocyanobacteria (Pcy), picoeukaryote (Peuk) and anaerobic anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria (AnAnPB). The experimental study revealed important changes in PPP structure in relation to the light conditions imposed by floating plants: enclosures exposed to light showed a higher proportion of Peuk and Pcy over AnAnPB; in mesocosms covered by plants, just as in the highly vegetated relict lakes (ROLs), AnAnPB were dominant. Total picophytoplankton abundances varied from 1.7 × 104 to 4.6 × 105 cells mL-1 in the shallow lakes, and were lower (0.69 × 10 4 to 2.5 × 105 cells mL-1) in the ROLs. Annual variations in temperature and hydrological conditions influenced the PPP abundances, observing maximum values during the warm dry phase. The photosynthetic rates per unit area of PPP (PAPPP) and algae >3 μm (PA>3 μm) were measured in the aquatic environments in winter and summer: PA PPP (1.5 to 100 mg C m-2h-1) was lower than PA >3 μm and was directly affected by light, which was limiting under the dense floating plant cover.

Descripción: We study the effects of the environment at zero temperature on tunneling in an open system described by a static double-well potential. We show that the evolution of the system in an initial Schrödinger cat state, can be summarized in terms of three main physical phenomena, namely decoherence, quantum tunneling and noise-induced activation. Using large-scale numerical simulations, we obtain a detailed picture of the main stages of the evolution and of the relevant dynamical processes. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Descripción: MAGE-A genes are a subfamily of the melanoma antigen genes (MAGEs), whose expression is restricted to tumor cells of different origin and normal tissues of the human germline. Although the specific function of individual MAGE-A proteins is being currently explored, compelling evidence suggest their involvement in the regulation of different pathways during tumor progression. We have previously reported that MageA2 binds histone deacetylase (HDAC)3 and represses p53-dependent apoptosis in response to chemotherapeutic drugs. The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) tumor suppressor is a regulator of p53 acetylation and function in cellular senescence. Here, we demonstrate that MageA2 interferes with p53 acetylation at PML-nuclear bodies (NBs) and with PMLIV-dependent activation of p53. Moreover, a fraction of MageA2 colocalizes with PML-NBs through direct association with PML, and decreases PMLIV sumoylation through an HDAC-dependent mechanism. This reduction in PML post-translational modification promotes defects in PML-NBs formation. Remarkably, we show that in human fibroblasts expressing RasV12 oncogene, MageA2 expression decreases cellular senescence and increases proliferation. These results correlate with a reduction in NBs number and an impaired p53 response. All these data suggest that MageA2, in addition to its anti-apoptotic effect, could have a novel role in the early progression to malignancy by interfering with PML/p53 function, thereby blocking the senescence program, a critical barrier against cell transformation. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Descripción: The active K2 dwarf ε Eri has been extensively characterized both as a young solar analog and more recently as an exoplanet host star. As one of the nearest and brightest stars in the sky, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to constrain stellar dynamo theory beyond the Sun. We confirm and document the 3-year magnetic activity cycle in ε Eri originally reported by Hatzes and coworkers, and we examine the archival data from previous observations spanning 45 years. The data show coexisting 3-year and 13-year periods leading into a broad activity minimum that resembles a Maunder minimum-like state, followed by the resurgence of a coherent 3-year cycle. The nearly continuous activity record suggests the simultaneous operation of two stellar dynamos with cycle periods of 2.95 ± 0.03 years and 12.7 ± 0.3 years, which, by analogy with the solar case, suggests a revised identification of the dynamo mechanisms that are responsible for the so-called "active" and "inactive" sequences as proposed by Böhm-Vitense. Finally, based on the observed properties of ε Eri, we argue that the rotational history of the Sun is what makes it an outlier in the context of magnetic cycles observed in other stars (as also suggested by its Li depletion), and that a Jovian-mass companion cannot be the universal explanation for the solar peculiarities. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

Descripción: Nickel (Ni) based nanoparticles and nanochains were incorporated as fillers in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers and then these mixtures were thermally cured in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. In this way, macroscopically structured-anisotropic PDMS-Ni based magnetorheological composites were obtained with the formation of pseudo-chains-like structures (referred as needles) oriented in the direction of the applied magnetic field when curing. Nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature, under air ambient atmosphere (open air, atmospheric pressure) and then calcined at 400°C (in air atmosphere also). The size distribution was obtained by fitting Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) experiments with a polydisperse hard spheres model and a Schulz-Zimm distribution, obtaining a size distribution centered at (10.0 ± 0.6) nm with polydispersivity given by σ = (8.0 ± 0.2) nm. The SAXS, X-ray powder diffraction, and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) experiments are consistent with single crystal nanoparticles of spherical shape (average particle diameter obtained by TEM: (12 ± 1) nm). Nickel-based nanochains (average diameter: 360 nm; average length: 3 μm, obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy; aspect ratio = length/diameter ∼ 10) were obtained at 85°C and ambient atmosphere (open air, atmospheric pressure). The magnetic properties of Ni-based nanoparticles and nanochains at room temperature are compared and discussed in terms of surface and size effects. Both Ni-based nanoparticles and nanochains were used as fillers for obtaining the PDMS structured magnetorheological composites, observing the presence of oriented needles. Magnetization curves, ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra, and strain-stress curves of low filler's loading composites (2% w/w of fillers) were determined as functions of the relative orientation with respect to the needles. The results indicate that even at low loadings it is possible to obtain magnetorheological composites with anisotropic properties, with larger anisotropy when using nanochains. For instance, the magnetic remanence, the FMR field, and the elastic response to compression are higher when measured parallel to the needles (about 30% with nanochains as fillers). Analogously, the elastic response is also anisotropic, with larger anisotropy when using nanochains as fillers. Therefore, all experiments performed confirm the high potential of nickel nanochains to induce anisotropic effects in magnetorheological materials. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Descripción: Magnetic elastic structured composites were prepared by using CoFe 2O4 ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic nanoparticles as fillers in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrixes, which were cured in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. Cobalt-iron oxide nanoparticles of three different average sizes (between 2 and 12 nm) were synthesized and characterized. The smallest nanoparticles presented superparamagnetic behavior, with a blocking temperature of approximately 75 K, while larger particles are already blocked at room temperature. Macroscopically structured-anisotropic PDMS-CoFe2O4 composites were obtained when curing the dispersion of the nanoparticles in the presence of a uniform magnetic field (0.3 T). The formation of the particle's chains (needles) orientated in the direction of the magnetic field was observed only when loading with the larger magnetically blocked nanoparticles. The SEM images show that the needles are formed by groups of nanoparticles which retain their original average size. The Young's moduli of the structured composites are four times larger when measured along the oriented needles than in the perpendicular direction. Magnetization (VSM) and ferromagnetic resonance curves of the structured composites were determined as a function of the relative orientation between the needles and the probe field. The remanence magnetization was 30 higher when measured parallel to the needles, while the coercive field remains isotropic. These observations are discussed in terms of the individual nanoparticle's properties and its aggregation in the composites. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: We report experimental results on the magnetic and transport properties of Ag/Co 90Fe 10 multilayers with variable Ag and Co 90Fe 10 thicknesses. The magnetism samples was characterized by magnetization measurements and ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy. These measurements show that the magnetic layers are in general composed by single-domain particles and that the shape and the size of the magnetic clusters can be changed by using an applied magnetic field (H dep) on deposition. The resistivity of these multilayered systems is described by a mixed model that includes current-in-plane and current perpendicular plane transport contributions. The transport model proposed to explain the experimental results emphasizes the role played by the magnetic entities on the scattering processes and strongly depends on the silver layer thickness. An electrical percolative transition is observed for samples grown at H dep>H* dep while the magnetic properties of these samples still show a granularlike behavior. © 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: Context. Magnetic clouds (MCs) are formed by magnetic flux ropes that are ejected from the Sun as coronal mass ejections. These structures generally have low plasma beta and travel through the interplanetary medium interacting with the surrounding solar wind. Thus, the dynamical evolution of the internal magnetic structure of a MC is a consequence of both the conditions of its environment and of its own dynamical laws, which are mainly dominated by magnetic forces.Aims. With in-situ observations the magnetic field is only measured along the trajectory of the spacecraft across the MC. Therefore, a magnetic model is needed to reconstruct the magnetic configuration of the encountered MC. The main aim of the present work is to extend the widely used cylindrical model to arbitrary cross-section shapes.Methods. The flux rope boundary is parametrized to account for a broad range of shapes. Then, the internal structure of the flux rope is computed by expressing the magnetic field as a series of modes of a linear force-free field.Results. We analyze the magnetic field profile along straight cuts through the flux rope, in order to simulate the spacecraft crossing through a MC. We find that the magnetic field orientation is only weakly affected by the shape of the MC boundary. Therefore, the MC axis can approximately be found by the typical methods previously used (e.g., minimum variance). The boundary shape affects the magnetic field strength most. The measurement of how much the field strength peaks along the crossing provides an estimation of the aspect ratio of the flux-rope cross-section. The asymmetry of the field strength between the front and the back of the MC, after correcting for the time evolution (i.e., its aging during the observation of the MC), provides an estimation of the cross-section global bending. A flat or/and bent cross-section requires a large anisotropy of the total pressure imposed at the MC boundary by the surrounding medium.Conclusions. The new theoretical model developed here relaxes the cylindrical symmetry hypothesis. It is designed to estimate the cross-section shape of the flux rope using the in-situ data of one spacecraft. This allows a more accurate determination of the global quantities, such as magnetic fluxes and helicity. These quantities are especially important for both linking an observed MC to its solar source and for understanding the corresponding evolution. © 2009 ESO.

Descripción: Magnetic clouds (MCs) are objects of extreme importance in the heliosphere. They have a major role on releasing magnetic helicity from the Sun (with crucial consequences on the solar dynamo), they are the hugest transient object in the interplanetary medium, and the main actors for the Sun-Earth coupling. The comparison between models and observations is beginning to clarify several open questions on MCs, such as their internal magnetic configuration and their interaction with the ambient solar wind. Due to the decay of the solar wind pressure with the distance to the Sun, MCs are typically in expansion. However, their detailed and local expansion properties depend on their environment plasma properties. On the other hand, while it is well known that the solar cycle determines several properties of the heliosphere, the effects of the cycle on MC properties are not so well understood. In this work we review two major properties of MCs: (i) their expansion, and (ii) the magnetic flux and helicity that they transport through the interplanetary medium. We find that the amount of magnetic flux and helicity released via MCs during the last solar minimum (years 2007-2009) was significantly lower than in the previous one (years 1995-1997). Moreover, both MC size and mean velocity are in phase with the solar cycle while the expansion rate is weakly variable and has no relationship with the cycle. © 2012 International Astronomical Union.

Descripción: We analyze two magnetic clouds (MCs) observed in different points of the heliosphere. The main aim of the present study is to provide a link between the different aspects of this phenomenon, starting with information on the origins of the MCs at the Sun and following by the analysis of in-situ observations at 1 AU and at Ulysses. The candidate source regions were identified in SOHO/EIT and SOHO/MDI observations. They were correlated with H-± images that were obtained from ground-based observatories. Hints on the internal magnetic field configuration of the associated coronal mass ejections are obtained from LASCO C2 images. In interplanetary space, magnetic and plasma moments of the distribution function of plasma species (ACE/Ulysses) were analyzed together with information on the plasma composition, and the results were compared between both spacecraft in order to understand how these structures interact and evolve in their cruise from the Sun to 5 AU. Additionally, estimates of global magnitudes of magnetic fluxes and helicity were obtained from magnetic field models applied to the data in interplanetary space. We have found that these magnetic characteristics were well kept from their solar source, up to 5 AU where Ulysses provided valuable information which, together with that obtained from ACE, can help to reinforce the correct matching of solar events and their interplanetary counterparts.

Descripción: Fil:Dasso, S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: The amplification of magnetic fields (MFs) in the intracluster medium (ICM) is attributed to turbulent dynamo (TD) action, which is generally derived in the collisional-MHD framework. However, this assumption is poorly justified a priori, since in the ICM the ion mean free path between collisions is of the order of the dynamical scales, thus requiring a collisionless MHD description. The present study uses an anisotropic plasma pressure that brings the plasma within a parametric space where collisionless instabilities take place. In this model, a relaxation term of the pressure anisotropy simulates the feedback of the mirror and firehose instabilities, in consistency with empirical studies. Our three-dimensional numerical simulations of forced transonic turbulence, aiming the modeling of the turbulent ICM, were performed for different initial values of the MF intensity and different relaxation rates of the pressure anisotropy. We found that in the high-β plasma regime corresponding to the ICM conditions, a fast anisotropy relaxation rate gives results that are similar to the collisional-MHD model, as far as the statistical properties of the turbulence are concerned. Also, the TD amplification of seed MFs was found to be similar to the collisional-MHD model. The simulations that do not employ the anisotropy relaxation deviate significantly from the collisional-MHD results and show more power at the small-scale fluctuations of both density and velocity as a result of the action of the instabilities. For these simulations, the large-scale fluctuations in the MF are mostly suppressed and the TD fails in amplifying seed MFs. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Descripción: Fil:Guevara, J. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Fil:Dmitruk, P. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: The expanded bow shock on and around "the day the solar wind almost disappeared" (11 May 1999) allowed the Geotail spacecraft to make a practically uninterrupted 54-h-long magnetosheath pass near dusk (16:30-21:11 magnetic local time) at a radial distance of 24 to 30 RE (Earth radii). During most of this period, interplanetary parameters varied gradually and in such a way as to give rise to two extreme magnetosheath structures, one dominated by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects and the other by gas dynamic effects. We focus attention on unusual features of electromagnetic ion wave activity in the former magnetosheath state, and compare these features with those in the latter. Magnetic fluctuations in the gas dynamic magnetosheath were dominated by compressional mirror mode waves, and left-and right-hand polarized electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves transverse to the background field. In contrast, the MHD magnetosheath, lasting for over one day, was devoid of mirror oscillations and permeated instead by EIC waves of weak intensity. The weak wave intensity is related to the prevailing low solar wind dynamic pressures. Left-hand polarized EIC waves were replaced by bursts of right-hand polarized waves, which remained for many hours the only ion wave activity present. This activity occurred when the magnetosheath proton temperature anisotropy (=Tp, ⊥/Tp, ∥-1) became negative. This was because the weakened bow shock exposed the magnetosheath directly to the (negative) temperature anisotropy of the solar wind. Unlike the normal case studied in the literature, these right-hand waves were not by-products of left-hand polarized waves but derived their energy source directly from the magnetosheath temperature anisotropy. Brief entries into the low latitude boundary layer (LLBL) and duskside magnetosphere occurred under such inflated conditions that the magnetospheric magnetic pressure was insufficient to maintain pressure balance. In these crossings, the inner edge of the LLBL was flowing sunward. The study extends our knowledge of magnetosheath ion wave properties to the very low solar wind dynamic pressure regime. © European Geosciences Union 2005.

Descripción: b The effect of anisotropy on the distribution of Earth's conductivity is evaluated by calculating the electromagnetic response of multilayered 2‐D structures. The electric and magnetic fields are expanded in terms of Fourier series, the coefficients being obtained by applying the corresponding boundary conditions on each interface, given by arbitrary analytical functions. Then the results are used to analyse some particular structures. Copyright © 1993, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved

Descripción: The South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a pest of fruit species of warm regions of the Americas, including Argentina. Some authors claim that this taxon includes a group of cryptic species. In order to evaluate possible targets of sexual selection, it is necessary to analyze ethological aspects of male courtship and identify particular steps that strongly influence mating success. A mating test designed to evaluate behavioral differences between insects that achieve copulation (successful males) and those that did not mate (unsuccessful males) could also be relevant for the possible implementation of control programs based on sterile insect technique. Reared insects need to be evaluated periodically, since genetic drift and artificial selection associated with rearing conditions could have a detrimental effect on their ability to compete for matings in nature. In this study, courtship behavior of A. fraterculus males from a laboratory strain was analyzed for the first time through video recordings. Three components for the activities were identified: calling, wing positions, and movements. Also, the time that males spent on each step of the courtship was registered, including the last activities before attempting copulation. Data showed that mating achievement occurs relatively quickly; 65% of the successful males reached copulation within the first ten minutes after the male and female were placed together. Behavioral differences were detected between successful and unsuccessful males. The former group tended to invest more time in activities directly related with mating (Spin, Arrowhead, Attempt); however, as courtship progressed, unsuccessful males increased the time dedicated to activities not directly associated to mating (Call 0, Relax,Stationary). There was not a single sequence of activities leading to success, but the analysis of the last activities performed before mating attempts indicated that the most frequent position before successful attempts was Arrowhead, occurring in 68% of cases, whereas in unsuccessful males this position was observed only 18% of the time before mounting. Although the behavior of the strain analyzed here should be compared with that of natural populations, one would not expect to observe significant differences as compatibility and competitiveness with wild collected flies was previously shown under field cage conditions. Behavioral tests such as those applied here might be important to assess quality of mass reared strains for sterile insect technique implementation programs. © This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.

Descripción: The Patagonia continental shelf located off southeastern South America is bounded offshore by the Malvinas Current, which extends northward from northern Drake Passage (∼55deg; S) to nearly 38deg; S. The transition between relatively warm-fresh shelf waters and Subantarctic Waters from the western boundary current is characterized by a thermohaline front extending nearly 2500 km. We use satellite derived sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll-a data combined with hydrographic and surface drifter data to document the intrusions of slope waters onto the continental shelf near 41deg; S. These intrusions create vertically coherent localized negative temperature and positive salinity anomalies extending onshore about 150 km from the shelf break. The region is associated with a center of action of the first mode of non-seasonal sea surface temperature variability and also relatively high chlorophyll-a variability, suggesting that the intrusions are important in promoting the local development of phytoplankton. The generation of slope water penetrations at this location may be triggered by the inshore excursion of the 100 m isobath, which appears to steer the Malvinas Current waters over the outer shelf.

Descripción: Cytoplasmic events depending on RNA-binding proteins contribute to the fine-tuning of gene expression. Sterile α motif-containing RNA-binding proteins constitute a novel family of post-transcriptional regulators that recognize a specific RNA sequence motif known as Smaug recognition element (SRE). The Drosophila member of this family, dSmaug, triggers the translational repression and deadenylation of maternal mRNAs by independent mechanisms, and the yeast homologue Vts1 stimulates degradation of SRE-containing messengers. Two homologous genes are present in the mammalian genome. Here we showed that hSmaug 1, encoded in human chromosome 14, represses the translation of reporter transcripts carrying SRE motifs. When expressed in fibroblasts, hSmaug 1 forms cytoplasmic granules that contain polyadenylated mRNA and the RNA-binding proteins Staufen, TIAR, TIA-1, and HuR. Smaug 1 foci are distinct from degradation foci. The murine protein mSmaug 1 is expressed in the central nervous system and is abundant in post-synaptic densities, a subcellular region where translation is tightly regulated by synaptic stimulation. Biochemical analysis indicated that mSmaug 1 is present in synaptoneurosomal 20 S particles. These results suggest a role for mammalian Smaug 1 in RNA granule formation and translation regulation in neurons. © 2005 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Descripción: Stress granules are cytoplasmic mRNA-silencing foci that form transiently during the stress response. Stress granules harbor abortive translation initiation complexes and are in dynamic equilibrium with translating polysomes. Mammalian Staufen 1 (Stau1) is a ubiquitous double-stranded RNA-binding protein associated with polysomes. Here, we show that Stau1 is recruited to stress granules upon induction of endoplasmic reticulum or oxidative stress as well in stress granules induced by translation initiation blockers. We found that stress granules lacking Stau1 formed in cells depleted of this molecule, indicating that Stau1 is not an essential component of stress granules. Moreover, Stau1 knockdown facilitated stress granule formation upon stress induction. Conversely, transient transfection of Stau1 impaired stress granule formation upon stress or pharmacological initiation arrest. The inhibitory capacity of Stau1 mapped to the amino-terminal half of the molecule, a region known to bind to polysomes. We found that the fraction of polysomes remaining upon stress induction was enriched in Stau1, and that Stau1 overexpression stabilized polysomes against stress. We propose that Stau1 is involved in recovery from stress by stabilizing polysomes, thus helping stress granule dissolution.

Descripción: Fil:Marenssi, S.A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Bioprocesses conducted under conditions with restricted O2 supply are increasingly exploited for the synthesis of reduced biochemicals using different biocatalysts. The model facultative anaerobe Escherichia coli has elaborate sensing and signal transduction mechanisms for redox control in response to the availability of O2 and other electron acceptors. The ArcBA two-component system consists of ArcB, a membrane-associated sensor kinase, and ArcA, the cognate response regulator. The tripartite hybrid kinase ArcB possesses a transmembrane, a PAS, a primary transmitter (H1), a receiver (D1), and a phosphotransfer (H2) domain. Metabolic fluxes were compared under anoxic conditions in a wild-type E. coli strain, its ΔarcB derivative, and two partial arcB deletion mutants in which ArcB lacked either the H1 domain or the PAS-H1-D1 domains. These analyses revealed that elimination of different segments in ArcB determines a distinctive distribution of D-glucose catabolic fluxes, different from that observed in the ΔarcB background. Metabolite profiles, enzyme activity levels, and gene expression patterns were also investigated in these strains. Relevant alterations were observed at the P-enol-pyruvate/pyruvate and acetyl coenzyme A metabolic nodes, and the formation of reduced fermentation metabolites, such as succinate, D-lactate, and ethanol, was favored in the mutant strains to different extents compared to the wild-type strain. These phenotypic traits were associated with altered levels of the enzymatic activities operating at these nodes, as well as with elevated NADH/NAD+ ratios. Thus, targeted modification of global regulators to obtain different metabolic flux distributions under anoxic conditions is emerging as an attractive tool for metabolic engineering purposes. © 2012, American Society for Microbiology.

Descripción: Phosphate prospecting in marine sedimentary rocks of the Marginal and Austral basins of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego resulted in the first discovery of phosphatic beds in the Paleogene Rio Claro Formation. Phosphatic anomalies of up to 20.1% P2U5 in concretions and up to 2% PaOs in bulk rock offer promising opportunities for systematic prospection on the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The phosphatic beds are conglomerates, coquinas and conglomeratic sandstones interbedded with thick mudstone packets. They belong to the condensed-type phosphatic beds, which are the product of erosion and reworking of concretions developed in fine sediments. Phosphate concretions containing glauconite, together with abundant glauconite in the same and closely associated beds, indicate a common syn-sedimentary to earlydiagenetic origin for both minerals, via recycling of sedimentary iron. This process occurred on a shelf with low sedimentation rates, pointing to high sea-level stands and marked interruptions in the sedimentation of the thick Paleogene sedimentary sequence of the Austral Basin . The deposit point to the existence and extension of this early Cenozoic phosphogenic episode to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. © 1998 Asociacidn Geoldgica Argentina.

Descripción: Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) are multiprotein structures that direct the translocation of specific molecules across the bacterial cell envelope. As in other bacteria, pathogenicity of the genus Brucella essentially depends on the integrity of the T4SS-encoding virB operon, whose expression is regulated by multiple transcription factors belonging to different families. Previously, we identified IHF and HutC, two direct regulators of the virB genes that were isolated from total protein extracts of Brucella. Here, we report the identification of MdrA, a third regulatory element that was isolated using the same screening procedure. This transcription factor, which belongs to the MarR-family of transcriptional regulators, binds at two different sites of the virB promoter and regulates expression in a growth phase-dependent manner. Like other members of the MarR family, specific ligands were able to dissociate MdrA from DNA in vitro. Determination of the MdrA-binding sites by DNase I footprinting and analyses of protein-DNA complexes by electrophoresis mobility shift assays (EMSAs) showed that MdrA competes with IHF and HutC for the binding to the promoter because their target DNA sequences overlap. Unlike IHF, both MdrA and HutC bound to the promoter without inducing bending of DNA. Moreover, the two latter transcription factors activated virB expression to similar extents, and in doing so, they are functionally redundant. Taken together, our results show that MdrA is a regulatory element that directly modulates the activity of the virB promoter and is probably involved in coordinating gene expression in response to specific environmental signals. © 2012, American Society for Microbiology.

Descripción: Doello Jurado was, together with Florentino and Carlos Ameghino, Eduardo l. Holmberg and Ángel Gallardo, part of the last generation of naturalists that characterized the natural sciences in Argentina, mainly in the late 19th century. since young, he was interested in the history of the development of the natural sciences in our country. Ángel Gallardo, his master, designed him traveler naturalist of the national museum of natural History and in this way he started his studies on the marine invertebrates of our continental platform. Afterwards he was Director of the national museum of natural History, at that time in Perú 208 and in two years' time started the construction of the new building, presently in parque Centenario. He was professor of paleontology in the Faculty of exact and natural sciences of the university of Buenos Aires, and he incremented the collections travelling to different regions of the country. He bought several collections of fossils to the famous Krantz geological warehouse of Bonn and to the Geological Institutes of Bonn, Munich and Brunswick and provided plaster casts of Cenozoic fossil mammals from the Buenos Aires natural History museum. Doello Jurado was co-founder of the Argentine society of natural sciences, the Del Plata ornithological society and the journals Physis and El Hornero. He was also member of the national Academy of exact and natural sciences of Buenos Aires and the national Academy of sciences in Córdoba.

Descripción: The crab Chasmagnathus granulatus reacts to a shadow passing overhead with an escape response that habituates after 30 trials and for 5 days at least. The effect of a wide range of different intertrial intervals (ITIs) (0, 9, 27, 45, 81, 135, and 171 sec) on the Chasmagnathus long-term habituation (LTH) was evaluated at 24 h. Memory retention was estimated separately at two phases of a six-trial testing session: at first trial (the initial testing phase) and at the subsequent block of five trials (the retraining phase). A training of 30 trials with an ITI equal to or longer than 27 sec induced LTH at both testing phases, however, with a 0- or a 9- sec ITI, training wholly failed to build up LTH. When the number of trials was increased, a massed training (ITI = 0 or 9 sec) induced LTH at re- training but not at initial testing. Thus, massed training produces LTH only at retraining, whereas spaced training (ITI ≤ 27 sec) produces LTH at both initial phase and retraining. An ITI shift from training to testing diminished or abolished retention at retraining regardless of the direction of the shift, thus suggesting that crabs acquire a memory of the trial- spacing at training. According to these results, it is postulated that LTH consists of two memory components: one produced by spaced training and expressed at both initial testing and retraining, and one yielded by massed training and expressed only at retraining. The possibility that the two components of LTH were differentially affected by cycloxemide and context shift is discussed.

Descripción: The previous analysis of the prehistoric slide phenomena in the main Andes of Neuquén Province in Argentina (36o-38oS), triggered the study of those located south of this la-titude. Therefore a new set of mass wasting deposits has been identified, whose trigger factors and corresponding tectonic framework, where they are located, differ from the northern slides. Their study was performed in three specific areas: Aluminé, Chapelco and Arroyo Limay Chico. Earth flows predominate in relation to slumps. The only exception is the Chapelco rock avalanche. Their occurrence seems to be related to the presence of Limay Chico member of the Caleufú Formation, whose lithology (expanding clays), particular rheology before water saturation, and particular disposition underlying basaltic lava and conglomeradic plains were conditioning factors. The trigger factor of the Present and prehistoric earth flows has been intense orographic precipitations. Water saturation reduced friction and cohesion in materials, incrementing water pore pressure and producing slope instabilities. Rotational slides are related to the slope basal erosion produced by lateral river migration and additionally to precipitations. Slope orientation has been important in determining location of main slides. Lateral slope release through the flanks of glacial valleys due to debutressing because of the glacial retire in the area, has produced instability and rock fracturation that led to slide phenomena. The Chapelco rock avalanche is particularly related to copious precipitations during postglacial times. Thus sliding main trigger factors south of 38oS differ from those pro-posed for the northern area where earthquakes dominated. Their specific age is still unknown, although their geomorphologic analysis allow to constraint a postglacial age for all these occurrences. However, temporal relationships are lacking for the specific case of the arroyo Limay Chico, beyond the glaciated area.

Descripción: We extend the master-equation treatment of dynamical evolution of a system-plus-reservoir configuration including the propagation of initial correlations as a noise source. Specializing into the quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a fermionic heat bath, we develop a model for the diffusion matrix in the space of diagonal density operators. It can be shown that mean values of observables undergo Langevin-like motion and, in particular, that the mean value and dispersion of the oscillator quanta approach the canonical equilibrium values. A final interpretation of the characteristics and role of the noise source is given. © 1993 The American Physical Society.

Descripción: When an animal rotates (whether it is an arthropod, a fish, a bird or a human) a drift of the visual panorama occurs over its retina, termed optic flow. The image is stabilized by compensatory behaviours (driven by the movement of the eyes, head or the whole body depending on the animal) collectively termed optomotor responses. The dipteran lobula plate has been consistently linked with optic flow processing and the control of optomotor responses. Crabs have a neuropil similarly located and interconnected in the optic lobes, therefore referred to as a lobula plate too. Here we show that the crabs' lobula plate is required for normal optomotor responses since the response was lost or severely impaired in animals whose lobula plate had been lesioned. The effect was behaviour-specific, since avoidance responses to approaching visual stimuli were not affected. Crabs require simpler optic flow processing than flies (because they move slower and in two-dimensional instead of three-dimensional space), consequently their lobula plates are relatively smaller. Nonetheless, they perform the same essential role in the visual control of behaviour. Our findings add a fundamental piece to the current debate on the evolutionary relationship between the lobula plates of insects and crustaceans.

Descripción: We compute the coefficients of the effective mass operator of the 1/N c expansion for negative parity L=1 excited baryons using the Isgur-Karl model in order to compare the general approach, where the coefficients are obtained by fitting to data, with a specific constituent quark model calculation. We discuss the physics behind the fitted coefficients for the scalar part of the most general two-body quark-quark interaction. We find that both pion exchange and gluon exchange lead to the dominance of the same operator at the level of the effective mass operator, which is also observed from data. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors and yet almost incurable due mainly to their great invasion capability. This represents a challenge to present clinical oncology. Here, we introduce a mathematical model aiming to improve tumor spreading capability definition. The model consists in a time dependent reaction-diffusion equation in a three-dimensional spatial domain that distinguishes between different brain topological structures. The model uses a series of digitized images from brain slices covering the whole human brain. The Talairach atlas included in the model describes brain structures at different levels. Also, the inclusion of the Brodmann areas allows prediction of the brain functions affected during tumor evolution and the estimation of correlated symptoms. The model is solved numerically using patient-specific parametrization and finite differences. Simulations consider an initial state with cellular proliferation alone (benign tumor), and an advanced state when infiltration starts (malign tumor). Survival time is estimated on the basis of tumor size and location. The model is used to predict tumor evolution in two clinical cases. In the first case, predictions show that real infiltrative areas are underestimated by current diagnostic imaging. In the second case, tumor spreading predictions were shown to be more accurate than those derived from previous models in the literature. Our results suggest that the inclusion of differential migration in glioma growth models constitutes another step towards a better prediction of tumor infiltration at the moment of surgical or radiosurgical target definition. Also, the addition of physiological/psychological considerations to classical anatomical models will provide a better and integral understanding of the patient disease at the moment of deciding therapeutic options, taking into account not only survival but also life quality. © 2012 Suarez et al.

Descripción: The section Algarobia of genus Prosopis involves important natural resources in arid and semiarid regions of the world. Their rationale use requires a better knowledge of their biology, genetics and mating system. There are contradictory information about their mating system. Some authors claim they are protogynous and obligate outcrosser. However, some evidence have been shown indicating that they might not be protogynous and that they might be somewhat self-fertile. The current paper analyses genetic structure and mating system parameters in populations of seven species of this section from South and North America based on isozyme data. In all species a significant homozygote excess was found in the offspring population but not in mother plant genotypes. Multilocus and mean single locus outcrossing rates (tm, ts) indicated that about 15 % selfing can occur in the studied populations. The heterogeneity between pollen and ovule allele frequencies was low suggesting population structuration, in agreement with the estimates of correlation of tm within progeny (rt) and correlation of outcrossed paternity (rp). The difference of F(IS) estimates between offspring and mother plants suggest some selection favouring heterozygotes between seedling and adult stages.

Descripción: Prior to this work, we found that adrenal as well as extra-adrenal factors activate the response of renal l 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 to stressful situations. These results -showing ways through which the organism hinders the pathological occupation of mineralocorticoid receptors by glucocorticoids leading to sodium retention and hypertension- prompted the present study on the nature of the above-mentioned extra-adrenal factors. Serotonin was chosen because of its properties as a widely distributed neurohormone, known to interact with glucocorticoids at many sites, also exhibiting increased levels and effects under stressful situations. We studied serotonin effects on 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity in a cell line derived from distal nephron polarized-epithelium, employing 3H-corticosterone as substrate. The end-product, 3H-11- dehydrocorticosterone was separated from the substrate by HPLC and quantified. Serotonin stimulated 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity only at 2nM and 25pM, the magnitude of the response depending also on substrate concentration. The stimulation was blocked by the specific inhibitors methiothepin and ketanserin. We postulate that the organism partially prevents renal mineralocorticoid receptor occupancy by glucocorticoids, circulating at enhanced levels under stressful situations, through serotonin-mediated catabolic regulation of the 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity. Given many, mostly positive, interactions between both hormones, this might eventually pave the way to studies on a new regulatory axis.

Descripción: The linear response within the elimination of the small component formalism is aimed at obtaining the leading order relativistic corrections to magnetic molecular properties in the context of the elimination of the small component approximation. In the present work we extend the method in order to include two-body effects in the form of a mean field one-body operator. To this end we consider the four-component Dirac-Hartree-Fock operator as the starting point in the evaluation of the second order relativistic expression of magnetic properties. The approach thus obtained is the fully consistent leading order approximation of the random phase approximation four-component formalism. The mean field effect on the relativistic corrections to both the diamagnetic and paramagnetic terms of magnetic properties taking into account both the Coulomb and Breit two-body interactions is considered. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: Mean field models are often useful approximations to biological systems, but sometimes, they can yield misleading results. In this work, we compare mean field approaches with stochastic models of intracellular calcium release. In particular, we concentrate on calcium signals generated by the concerted opening of several clustered channels (calcium puffs). To this end we simulate calcium puffs numerically and then try to reproduce features of the resulting calcium distribution using mean field models were all the channels open and close simultaneously. We show that an unrealistic non-linear relationship between the current and the number of open channels is needed to reproduce the simulated puffs. Furthermore, a single channel current which is five times smaller than the one of the stochastic simulations is also needed. Our study sheds light on the importance of the stochastic kinetics of the calcium release channel activity to estimate the release fluxes. © 2011 Solovey, Fraiman and Dawson.

Descripción: 1. 1. This paper confirms the increase in sensitivity obtained for erythrocyte UIS measurement by pre-incubation of the red cells in a 0.2% Triton-X 100 solution containing 1 mmol/1 ZnSO4 and dithiothreitol as described by Piepkorn et al. (1978). 2. 2. To achieve optimal precision in this assay a substrate concentration of delta aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) of 1000nmol/ml is required. Interpretation of the results obtained by this method is discussed and its use in the detection of both latent and acute intermittent porphyria is demonstrated. Comparative studies were carried out by using the Batlle et al. (1978) method and a modification employing ALA as substrate. © 1980.

Descripción: The organization of the cytoplasm is regulated by molecular motors which transport organelles and other cargoes along cytoskeleton tracks. Melanophores have pigment organelles or melanosomes that move along microtubules toward their minus and plus end by the action of cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin-2, respectively. In this work, we used single particle tracking to characterize the mechanical properties of motor-driven organelles during transport along microtubules. We tracked organelles with high temporal and spatial resolutions and characterized their dynamics perpendicular to the cytoskeleton track. The quantitative analysis of these data showed that the dynamics is due to a spring-like interaction between melanosomes and microtubules in a viscoelastic microenvironment. A model based on a generalized Langevin equation explained these observations and predicted that the stiffness measured for the motor complex acting as a linker between organelles and microtubules is ~ one order smaller than that determined for motor proteins in vitro. This result suggests that other biomolecules involved in the interaction between motors and organelles contribute to the mechanical properties of the motor complex. We hypothesise that the high flexibility observed for the motor linker may be required to improve the efficiency of the transport driven by multiple copies of motor molecules. © 2011 Bruno et al.

Descripción: Background: Shortly after weaning, a complex multi-step process that leads to massive epithelial apoptosis is triggered by tissue local factors in the mouse mammary gland. Several reports have demonstrated the relevance of mechanical stress to induce adaptive responses in different cell types. Interestingly, these signaling pathways also participate in mammary gland involution. Then, it has been suggested that cell stretching caused by milk accumulation after weaning might be the first stimulus that initiates the complete remodeling of the mammary gland. However, no previous report has demonstrated the impact of mechanical stress on mammary cell physiology. To address this issue, we have designed a new practical device that allowed us to evaluate the effects of radial stretching on mammary epithelial cells in culture. Results: We have designed and built a new device to analyze the biological consequences of applying mechanical stress to cells cultured on flexible silicone membranes. Subsequently, a geometrical model that predicted the percentage of radial strain applied to the elastic substrate was developed. By microscopic image analysis, the adjustment of these calculations to the actual strain exerted on the attached cells was verified. The studies described herein were all performed in the HC11 non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cell line, which was originated from a pregnant BALB/c mouse. In these cells, as previously observed in other tissue types, mechanical stress induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and c-Fos mRNA and protein expression. In addition, we found that mammary cell stretching triggered involution associated cellular events as Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) expression induction, STAT3 activation and AKT phosphorylation inhibition. Conclusion: Here, we show for the first time, that mechanical strain is able to induce weaning-associated events in cultured mammary epithelial cells. These results were obtained using a new practical and affordable device specifically designed for such a purpose. We believe that our results indicate the relevance of mechanical stress among the early post-lactation events that lead to mammary gland involution. © 2009 Quaglino et al., licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Descripción: We investigated the molecular basis of the activity of 4-phenoxyphenoxyethyl thiocyanate (WC-9) against Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease. We found that growth inhibition of T. cruzi epimastigotes induced by this compound was associated with a reduction in the content of the parasite's endogenous sterols due to a specific blockade of their de novo synthesis at the level of squalene synthase.

Descripción: δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is the precursor in the biosynthesis of porphyrins. The knowledge of both the regulation of ALA entrance and efflux from the cells and the control of porphyrin biosynthesis is essential to improve ALA-mediated photodynamic therapy. In this work, we studied the regulation of ALA uptake and efflux by endogenously accumulated ALA and/or porphyrins in murine mammary adenocarcinoma cells. Under our set of conditions, the haem synthesis inhibitor succinyl acetone completely prevented porphobilinogen and porphyrin synthesis from ALA, and led to an increase in the intracellular ALA pool. However, neither intracellular ALA nor porphyrin pools regulate ALA uptake or efflux during the first 15 min of the process. Based on temperature dependence data, ALA but not γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) efflux is mediated by a diffusion mechanism. Moreover, the addition of extracellular GABA not only did not influence the rate of ALA efflux but on the contrary it affected ALA uptake, showing the contribution of a saturable mechanism for the uptake, but not for the efflux of ALA from the cells. © 2003 Cancer Research UK.

Descripción: Haemalopinus suis (Anoplura) and Menacanthus stramineus (Mallophaga) have been cytogenetically analyzed. Both species have 2n = 10, holokinetic chromosomes, and achiasmatic male meiosis. Bivalents orientate with their long axis perpendicular to the spindle fibers at melaphase I, and first anaphase is reductional. As in other species of Phthiraptera, male gametogenesis follows a particular pattern: each cell entering meiosis results in a cyst of 64 (in H. suis) and 32 (in M. stramineus) spermatozoa and 64/32 non‐functional cells (=pycnotic nuclei). The results are compared with those previously reported for Phthiraptera, and a new terminology for the different stages of male gametogenesis is proposed. The low chromosome number together with the achiasmatic nature of male meiosis and the mitotic divisions that follow meiosis may restrict the potential for genetic variability. This might be related to the high host specificity of these parasites. Copyright © 1993, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved

Descripción: Erythrodiplax is an American genus of dragonflies with a mainly neotropical distribution and with 19 species cited in Argentine. In this work 9 species have been chromosomically analyzed: E. atroterminata, E. connata fusca, E. corallina, E. lygaea, E. media, E. melanorubra, E. nigricans, E. ochraceae and E. umbrata. All of them, except E. media, have n = 12 + X in males, with a similar karyotype and meiotic behaviour. Bivalents decrease gradually in size, except for the small m bivalent, whose size varies among the species. The X chromosome in E. corallina, E. lygaea, E. nigricans and E. umbrata is twice as large as in the other 4 species. On the other hand, E. media has n = 10 + neo-XY, m chromosomes, and its karyotype characterizes by the presence of two large bivalents (being the largest the heteromorphic neo-XY). The genus Erythrodiplax presents a great karyotypic constancy, although polytypisms for the m chromosome size have been detected in E. atroterminata, E. connata fusca and E. umbrata, and for the sex chromosome determining system, in E. media. The chromosome rearrangements that probably originated these polytypisms, and their evolutionary importance are discussed.

Descripción: Chromosome numbers and meiotic behaviour of 10 native species of Hybanthus in South America were analyzed. 3 different chromosome numbers were found: 2n=16 for Hybanthus atropurpureus (A. St.-Hil.) Taub., H. bigibbosus (A. St.-Hil.) Hassl. and H. paraguariensis (Chodat) Schulze-Menz, 2n=32 for H. bicolor (A. St.-Hil.) Baill., H. calceolaria (L.) Oken, H. communis (A. St.-Hil.) Taub., H. hasslerianus (Chodat) Hassl., H. leucopogon Sparre and H. nanus (A. St.-Hil.) Paula-Souza, and 2n=48 for H. longistylus Schulze-Menz. This is one of the first reports for 8 analyzed species. Nowadays, the basic chromosome numbers in the South American Hybanthus species are under discussion. The presence of 1 tetravalent in H. atropurpureus, H. bigibbosus and H. paraguariensis (2n=16) would suggest the duplication of chromosome sets, and therefore would indicate that the basic chromosome number is x=4, at least, for this group of South American Hybanthus species. The studied species would be tetraploids (2n=4x=16), octoploids (2n=8x=32) and dodecaploids in H. longistylus (2n=12r=48). In light of these findings, such polyploidy would likely have played an important role during the speciation of this heterogenerous generic assembly. © 2009 The Japan Mendel Society.

Descripción: The antiapoptotic effect of melatonin (MEL) has been described in several systems. In particular, MEL inhibits glucocorticoid-mediated apoptosis. Our group previously demonstrated that in the thymus, MEL inhibits the release of Cytochrome C from mitochondria and the dexamethasone-dependent increase of bax mRNA levels. In this study we analyzed the ability of MEL to regulate the activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in mouse thymocytes. We found that even though the methoxyindole does not affect the ligand binding capacity of the receptor, it impairs the steroid-dependent nuclear translocation of the GR and also prevents transformation by blocking the dissociation of the 90-kDa heat shock protein. Coincubation of the methoxyindole with dexamethasone did not affect the expression of a reporter gene in GR-transfected Cos-7 cells or HC11 and L929 mouse cell lines that express Mel-1a and retinoid-related orphan receptor-α (RORα) receptors. Therefore, the antagonistic effect of MEL seems to be specific for thymocytes, in a Mel 1a- and RORα-independent manner. In summary, the present results suggest a novel mechanism for the antagonistic action of MEL on GR-mediated effects, which involves the inhibition of 90-kDa heat shock protein dissociation and the cytoplasmic retention of the GR. Copyright © 2006 by The Endocrine Society.

Descripción: Cysteine proteinase isoforms, immunologically cross-reactive with cruzipain and with a similar apparent molecular mass, have been identified in epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi by extraction and phase partition using the detergent Triton X-114. These isoforms are concentrated in the microsomal fraction obtained after differential centrifugation, which is known to consist essentially of plasma membrane, can be labelled by incubation of live parasites with sulfo-NHS-biotin, and bind to cystatin-sepharose affinity columns. They are present, albeit with a different electrophoretic pattern, in the epimastigote, amastigote and trypomastigote stages of the parasite.

Descripción: In contextual memories, an association between a positive or negative reinforcement and the contextual cues where the reinforcement occurs is formed. The re-exposure to the context without reinforcement can lead to memory extinction or reconsolidation, depending on the number of events or duration of a single event of context re-exposure. Extinction involves the temporary waning of the previously acquired conditioned response. The molecular processes underlying extinction and the mechanisms which determine if memory will reconsolidate or extinguish after retrieval are not well characterized, particularly the role of transcription factors and gene expression. Here we studied the participation of a transcription factor, NF-κB, in memory extinction. In the crab context-signal memory, the activation of NF-κB plays a critical role in consolidation and reconsolidation, memory processes that are well characterized in this model. The administration of a NF-κB inhibitor, sulfasalazine prior to extinction session impeded spontaneous recovery. Moreover, reinstatement experiments showed that the original memory was not affected and that NF-κB inhibition by sulfasalazine impaired spontaneous recovery strengthening the ongoing memory extinction process. Interestingly, in animals with fully consolidated memory, a brief re-exposure to the training context induced neuronal NF-κB activation and reconsolidation, while prolonged re-exposure induced NF-κB inhibition and memory extinction. These data constitutes a novel insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the switch between memory reconsolidation and extinction. Moreover, we propose the inhibition of NF-κB as the engaged mechanism underlying extinction, supporting a novel approach for the pharmacological enhancement of this memory process. The accurate description of the molecular mechanisms that support memory extinction is potentially useful for developing new strategies and drug candidates for therapeutic treatments of the maladaptive memory disorders such as post-traumatic stress, phobias, and drug addiction. © 2008 Merlo, Romano.

Descripción: Education is the most traditional means with formative effect on the human mind, learning and memory being its fundamental support. For this reason, it is essential to find different strategies to improve the studentś performance. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that a novel experience could exert an enhancing effect on learning and memory within the school environment. Here we show that novel experience improved the memory of literary or graphical activities when it is close to these learning sessions. We found memory improvements in groups of students who had experienced a novel science lesson 1 hour before or after the reading of a story, but not when these events were 4 hours apart. Such promoting effect on long-term memory (LTM) was also reproduced with another type of novelty (a music lesson) and also after another type of learning task (a visual memory). Interestingly, when the lesson was familiar, it failed to enhance the memory of the other task. Our results show that educationally relevant novel events experienced during normal school hours can improve LTM for tasks/activities learned during regular school lessons. This effect is restricted to a critical time window around learning and is particularly dependent on the novel nature of the associated experience. These findings provide a tool that could be easily transferred to the classroom by the incorporation of educationally novel events in the school schedule as an extrinsic adjuvant of other information acquired some time before or after it. This approach could be a helpful tool for the consolidation of certain types of topics that generally demand a great effort from the children. © 2013 Ballarini et al.

Descripción: A conditioned stimulus (CS) exposure has the ability to induce two qualitatively different mnesic processes: memory reconsolidation and memory extinction. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that upon a single CS presentation the triggering of one or the other process depends on CS duration (short CS exposure triggers reconsolidation, whereas a long CS exposure triggers extinction), both being mutually exclusive processes. Here we show that either process is triggered only after CS offset, ruling out an interaction as the mechanism of this mutual exclusion. Also, we show here for the first time that reconsolidation and extinction can occur simultaneously without interfering with each other if they are serially triggered by respective short and long CS exposures. Thus, we conclude that (1) one single CS presentation triggers one single process, after CS offset, and (2) whether memory reconsolidation and extinction mutually exclude each other or whether they coexist depends only on whether they are triggered by single or multiple CS presentations. © 2009 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Descripción: Accurate characterization of the molecular mechanisms of the action of ligands is an extremely important issue for their appropriate research, pharmacological, and therapeutic uses. In view of this fact, the aim of the present work was to investigate the mechanisms involved in the actions of mepyramine at the guinea pig H1 receptor stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. We found that mepyramine is able to decrease the basal constitutive activity of the guinea pig H1 receptor, to bind with high affinity to a Gq/11 protein-coupled form of the receptor and to promote a G protein-coupled inactive state of the H1 receptor that interferes with the Gq/11-mediated signaling of the endogenously expressed ATP receptor, as predicted by the Cubic Ternary Complex Model of receptor occupancy. The effect of mepyramine on ATP-induced signaling was specifically neutralized by Gα11 overexpression, indicating that mepyramine is able to reduce G protein availability for other non-related receptors associated with the same signaling pathway. Finally, we found a loss of mepyramine efficacy in decreasing basal levels of intracellular calcium at high Gα11 expression levels, which can be theoretically explained in terms of high H1 receptor constitutive activity. The whole of the present work sheds new light on H1 receptor pharmacology and the mechanisms H1 receptor inverse agonists could use to exert their observed negative efficacy.

Descripción: The study of mineral assemblages and metamorphic facies in rocks exposed on the eastern margin of Brazo Huemul, Nahuel Huapi Lake, allowed the reconsideration of the temporal succession of units whose outcrops are isolated and difficult to locate due to the exuberant forest that covers the southestern part of Neuquén province. The rocks exposed in the study area are mainly of tonalitic composition and have been correlated with the Subcordilleran Patagonian Batholith because they are crosscut by two different types of dikes. One group of dikes shows an albite -chlorite - epidote - cummingtonite/grunerite -hornblende mineral assemblage as a consequence of a thermal metamorphic event transitional between albite - epidote hornfels facies and hornblende hornfels conditions. This process has been attributed to the emplacement of the Cordilleran Patagonian Batholith of Cretaceous age. Because of this, the hornfels dikes were correlated with Montes de Oca Formation. The other group of dikes shows a chlorite + pumpellyite + kumontite + chlorite/esmectite + iron oxides assemblage indicating metamorphism in zeolite facies of high temperature or, sometimes shows propilitic alteration and these dikes have been correlated with the Ventana Formation. The differences between these two types of dikes allow the discussion of the relative age of the tonalitic rocks that host them. In this paper it is proposed that this tonalitic body is of Low to Middle Jurassic age. © 2006 Asociación Geológica Argentina.

Descripción: Trivalents resulting from polymorphic Robertsonian rearrangements must have a regular orientation in metaphase I if the polymorphisms are to be maintained. It has been argued that redistribution of proximal and interstitial chiasmata to more distal positions is necessary for a convergent orientation, the only one that produces viable gametes. Cornops aquaticumis a South-American grasshopper that lives and feeds on water-hyacinths, and has three polymorphic Robertsonian rearrangements in its southernmost distribution area in Central Argentina and Uruguay. The orientation of trivalents in metaphase I, the formation of abnormal spermatids and the frequency and position of chiasmata in the trivalents, was analysed in a polymorphic population of C. aquaticus. In this study we observed a correlation between the number of trivalents with the frequency of abnormal spermatids; additionally, the number of chiasmata, especially proximal and interstitial ones, was strongly correlated with the frequency of the linear orientation. Therefore we confirmed our previous assumption, based on other evidence, that the chiasmata redistribution in fusion carriers is essential to the maintenance of the polymorphisms. Copyright © 2009, Sociedade Brasileira de Genética.

Descripción: Background: In assisted reproduction cycles, gonadotropins are administered to obtain a greater number of oocytes. A majority of patients do not have an adverse response; however, approximately 3-6% develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Metformin reduces the risk of OHSS but little is known about the possible effects and mechanisms of action involved. Objective. To evaluate whether metformin attenuates some of the ovarian adverse effects caused by OHSS and to study the mechanisms involved. Material and methods. A rat OHSS model was used to investigate the effects of metformin administration. Ovarian histology and follicle counting were performed in ovarian sections stained with Masson trichrome. Vascular permeability was measured by the release of intravenously injected Evans Blue dye (EB). VEGF levels were measured by commercially immunosorbent assay kit. COX-2 protein expression was evaluated by western blot and NOS levels were analyses by immunohistochemistry. Results: Animals of the OHSS group showed similar physiopathology characteristics to the human syndrome: increased body weight, elevated progesterone and estradiol levels (P<0.001), increased number of corpora lutea (P<0.001), higher ovarian VEGF levels and vascular permeability (P<0.001 and P<0.01); and treatment with metformin prevented this effect (OHSS+M group; P<0.05). The vasoactive factors: COX-2 and NOS were increased in the ovaries of the OHSS group (P<0.05 and P<0.01) and metformin normalized their expression (P<0.05); suggesting that metformin has a role preventing the increased in vascular permeability caused by the syndrome. Conclusion: Metformin has a beneficial effect preventing OHSS by reducing the increase in: body weight, circulating progesterone and estradiol and vascular permeability. These effects of metformin are mediated by inhibiting the increased of the vasoactive molecules: VEGF, COX-2 and partially NOS. Molecules that are increased in OHSS and are responsible for a variety of the symptoms related to OHSS. © 2013 Elia et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Descripción: GPS radio occultation satellite data allowed to analyze in the last decade for the first time a large amount of atmospheric temperature profiles including both the troposphere and the stratosphere all over the globe. Wave amplitude enhancements have been systematically observed around tropopause levels, which are apparently due to artifacts generated by any digital filter used to isolate the wave components from these data. We present a new filtering method which can be equally applied to temperature or refractivity profiles. It was tested with synthetic temperature data based on NCEP reanalyes and observed wave climatologies and it was also statistically validated with GPS radio occultation profiles from the COSMIC mission. The suggested technique significantly reduces artificial enhancements around the tropopause, mainly at low latitudes, where a sharp lapse rate change usually exists. This represents an improvement in comparison to previous applications of standard filters. In addition it would allow the study of longer vertical wavelengths than previously done with other filtering procedures. © Author(s) 2011.

Descripción: Fil:Segura, D.F. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: In the title compound, C10H12N2OS 2, the thione and S-methyl groups are syn. An intra-molecular bifurcated O - H⋯(S,N) hydrogen bond occurs. © Hazari et al. 2012.

Descripción: We discuss the evolution of the fluctuations in a symmetric φ c-exponential potential which provides a power-law expansion during inflation using both the gauge-invariant field Φ and the Sasaki-Mukhanov field.

Descripción: We analysed the structure of the microbial plankton communities of different types of freshwater environments from the southernmost region of South America (Tierra del Fuego). Water bodies were grouped in four categories: humic lakes, clear oligotrophic lakes, beaver ponds and steppe shallow lakes, which differed in their nutrient and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents. We tested if microbial planktonic communities were different among lakes with dissimilar nutrient and DOC concentrations, analysing to what extent the known large-scale patterns of lake trophic structure applies to a diverse but localized set of lakes. We found that mixotrophs dominated over strict autotrophs in both humic and clear oligotrophic systems, whereas in eutrophic lakes autotrophy was a successful strategy. The functional phytoplankton approach also allowed the separation between oligotrophic (clear and humic) and eutrophic systems, with different functional groups. The lowest abundances of picoplankton were found in oligotrophic lakes, picoeukaryotes being more abundant than picocyanobacteria in beaver ponds and humic lakes. Our results show that in low nutrient environments, mixotrophic strategies thrive over strict autotrophs suggesting the paramount importance of the microbial loop when compared with high trophic status systems where the prevalence of autotrophy indicates that the energy flux depends on phytoplankton. © The Author 2013.

Descripción: We report micrometric periodic assembly of live and dead magnetotactic bacteria, Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, which synthesize chains of magnetic nanoparticles inside their bodies, and of superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 and ferromagnetic CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions using periodically magnetized audio tapes. The distribution of the stray magnetic field at the surface of the tapes was determined analytically and experimentally by magneto-optic imaging. Calculations showed that the magnetic field close to the tape surface was of the order of 100 mT, and the magnetic field gradient was larger than 1 T mm -1 . Drops of aqueous solutions were deposited on the tapes, and bacteria and particles were trapped at locations where magnetic energy is minimized, as observed using conventional optical microscopy. Suspensions of M. magneticum AMB-1 treated with formaldehyde and kanamycin were studied, and patterns of trapped dead bacteria indicated that magnetic forces dominate over self-propelling forces in these experiments, in accordance with calculated values. The behavior of the different types of samples is discussed. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: Ten species of Ascomycota on bark or wood of Podocarpus parlatorei are described and illustrated. Nemania confluens var. microspora var. nov. and Togninia minutissima comb. nov. are proposed; Botryosphaeria sarmentorum, Ceratostomella pyrenaica, Cochliobolus kusanoi, Heptameria obesa, Hypoxylon duranii, Ophioceras dolichostomum, Tengiomyces indicus, Togninia minima, Trichosphae-ria pilosa are recorded for the first time from Argentina.

Descripción: The nanoflora and microfauna from the Agrio Formation are analyzed in three different areas of the Neuquén Basin to establish its age and paleonvironmental variations. In the northern area of the basin, the oldest Agrio Fomation sedimentites are recognized and assigned to the Lower Valanginian through ammonites. A monospecific Epistomina loncochensis Ballent microfauna is recovered from these levels, which indicates disoxic environments. Up to the top of the section, siltstones contain a diverse foraminifera microfauna of normal shelves, which are replaced by an impoverished fauna related to shallowing processes. The age defined by calcareous nannofossils is Late Valanginian-Late Hauterivian. In the central and southern position of the Neuquén Basin, the nannofossil assemblages indicate the Upper Valanginian-Upper Hauterivian for the Agrio Formation. The benthic microfauna suggests frequent eustatic variations ranging from shelves to shallow marine environments. In the austral sector of the basin, a poorly diversified foraminiferal assemblage is recorded and a high ostracods/foraminifera ratio indicates a restricted marine environment, and normal salinity. The presence of a level with abundant attached foraminifera indicates high energy episodes. The high diversified Platycopida ostracods suggest warm-temperate to subtropical waters.

Descripción: Background: Functional genetic markers have important implications for genetic analysis by providing direct estimation of functional diversity. Although high throughput sequencing techniques for functional diversity analysis are being developed nowadays, the use of already well established variable markers present in candidate genes is still an interesting alternative for mapping purposes and functional diversity studies. SSR markers are routinely used in most plant and animal breeding programs for many species including Eucalyptus. SSR markers derived from candidate genes (SSR-CG) can be used effectively in co-segregation studies and marker-assisted diversity management. Results: In the present study, eight new non reported SSRs were identified in seven candidate genes for wood properties in Eucalyptus globulus: cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR), homocysteine S-methyltransferase (HMT), shikimate kinase (SK), xyloglucan endotransglycosylase 2 (XTH2), cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the transcription factor LIM1. Microsatellites were located in promoters, introns and exons, being most of them CT dinucleotide repeats. Genetic diversity of these eight CG-derived SSR-markers was explored in 54 unrelated genotypes. Except for XTH2, high levels of polymorphism were detected: 93 alleles (mean of 13.1 sd 1.6 alleles per locus), a mean effective number of alleles (Ne) of 5.4 (sd 1.6), polymorphic information content values (PIC) from 0.617 to 0.855 and probability of Identity (PI) ranging from 0.030 to 0.151. Conclusions: This is the first report on the identification, characterization and diversity analysis of microsatellite markers located inside wood quality candidate genes (CG) from Eucalyptus globulus. This set of markers is then appropriate for characterizing genetic variation, with potential usefulness for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping in different eucalypts genetic pedigrees and other applications such as fingerprinting and marker assisted diversity management. © 2012 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile.

Descripción: Tyrant flycatchers (Aves: Tyrannidae) are endemic to the New World, and many species of this group are threatened or near-threatened at the global level. The aim of this study was to test the 18 microsatellite markers that have been published for other Tyrant flycatchers in the Strange-tailed Tyrant (Alectrurus risora) and the Sharp-tailed Tyrant (Culicivora caudacuta), two endemic species of southern South American grasslands that are classified as vulnerable. We also analyzed the usefulness of loci in relation to phylogenetic distance to the source species. Amplification success was high in both species (77 to 83%) and did not differ between the more closely and more distantly related species to the source species. Polymorphism success was also similar for both species, with 9 and 8 loci being polymorphic, respectively. An increased phylogenetic distance thus does not gradually lead to allelic or locus dropouts, implying that in Tyrant flycatchers, the published loci are useful independent of species relatedness. © FUNPEC-RP.

Descripción: We analyze a simple microscopic model to pump heat from a cold to a hot reservoir in a nanomechanical system. The model consists of a one-dimensional chain of masses and springs coupled to a back gate through which a time-dependent perturbation is applied. The action of the gate creates a moving phononic barrier by locally pinning a mass. We solve the problem numerically using a nonequilibrium Green's function technique. For low driving frequencies and for sharp traveling barriers, we show that this microscopic model realizes a phonon refrigerator. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Descripción: In this paper the mineralogy and fluid inclusion of the upper sector of an epithermal manganese deposit are described. The study area comprises the central sector of a bigger mineralised zone where non-ore mineral are the most common ones and are composed of barite, calcite and opal with fewer amounts of chalcedony, quartz and manganese oxides. Their textures and their assemblages allow us to determine several events of precipitation. The open spaces between barite crystals were filled by calcite and opal which are commoner species toward the end of the mineralization process. Chalcedony and quartz only occur inside a few small cavities. Fluid inclusions were studied in barite, calcite and quartz samples. They are composed of H 2O, NaCl and fewer amounts of CaCl 2 and MgCl 2. Calcite and barite samples have an average salinity of about 4.18 %wt NaCleq., meanwhile quartz evidences salinities around 5.26%wt NaCleq. Homogenization temperatures are also different for each species: quartz shows an average temperature of about 148°C, meanwhile barite and calcite seem to be a little higher (184° and 171°C respectively). All the data compiled in this paper suggest that this district represents one of the uppermost sectors of the ore deposit. The high amount of non-ore minerals evidences that this area, in contrast with the others ones, was especially active during the end of the mineralization process.

Descripción: In this note is given an explicit computation method to decide about the minimality of a word in the free group of rank two. A cohomological use of this method is to yield words defining one relator duality groups. © 1980.

Descripción: We consider the optimization problem of minimizing ∫Ω G (| ∇ u |) + λ χ{u > 0} d x in the class of functions W1, G (Ω) with u - φ0 ∈ W01, G (Ω), for a given φ0 ≥ 0 and bounded. W1, G (Ω) is the class of weakly differentiable functions with ∫Ω G (| ∇ u |) d x < ∞. The conditions on the function G allow for a different behavior at 0 and at ∞. We prove that every solution u is locally Lipschitz continuous, that it is a solution to a free boundary problem and that the free boundary, Ω ∩ ∂ {u > 0}, is a regular surface. Also, we introduce the notion of weak solution to the free boundary problem solved by the minimizers and prove the Lipschitz regularity of the weak solutions and the C1, α regularity of their free boundaries near "flat" free boundary points. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Descripción: In this paper, we study the minimum sum set coloring (MSSC) problem which consists in assigning a set of x(v) positive integers to each vertex v of a graph so that the intersection of sets assigned to adjacent vertices is empty and the sum of the assigned set of numbers to each vertex of the graph is minimum. The MSSC problem occurs in two versions: non-preemptive and preemptive. We show that the MSSC problem is strongly NP-hard both in the preemptive case on trees and in the non-preemptive case in line graphs of trees. Finally, we give exact parameterized algorithms for these two versions on trees and line graphs of trees. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Descripción: Trimerotropis pallidipennis is an American grasshopper whose South American populations are polymorphic for pericentric inversions. Colonization of southern latitudes was by North American grasshoppers with basic chromosome arrangements, presumably along the Andean dry lands of South America. In Argentina, the frequencies of some of the rearrangements are correlated with geographical and climatic variables, following similar patterns among different ecological gradients, and are probably maintained by geographically variable coefficients of selection. Restriction site variation of mitochondrial DNA is used as a tool for determining the species history in relation to the formation of clines. Populations located along an altitudinal gradient, and others outside the cline, are analysed through phylogeographical studies. There is no strong geographical orientation in the unrooted tree connecting all 17 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes found. Many of them are present in most of the populations analysed, indicating high gene flow. The fact that there is no obvious differentiation in haplotype distribution between both extremes of the cline nor between chromosomally differentiated populations shows that the cline is not the result of a hybrid zone and reinforces the selection hypothesis. The estimation of the overall nucleotide divergence between the hypothetical ancestral haplotype and the other molecules shows that T. pallidipennis haplotypes started diverging from each other about 3 Myr ago. This result is in agreement with the time when the Isthmus of Panama rose (2-3 Myr ago), probably favouring the migration of many species between both hemispheres.

Descripción: Three populations of Artemia from La Pampa Province, Argentina, were cytogenetically analyzed: Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo, Laguna Callaqueo, and Laguna Colorada Chica. Both mitotic and male meiotic chromosomes were studied. All 3 populations share the same diploid (2n = 44) and/or haploid chromosome number (n = 22), and hence were determined as Anemia persimilis Piccinelli and Prosdocimi. Although bivalents decrease gradually in size, differences among the larger and the smaller ones were apparent. So far, no cytogenetic differences have been detected among the 3 populations. Chromosomes with metacentric, submetacentric, and telocentric morphology were detected in mitotic prometaphase cells, suggesting that chromosomes of Anemia may be monocentric.

Descripción: Structural and dynamical properties of liquid-state, binary, water-acetonitrile nanoclusters are studied. When acetonitrile is the solute species, it exhibits a propensity to reside on the cluster surface, although one may identify regions interior to the cluster that are favorable for solvation. The dynamics of the interchange of acetonitrile between surface and interior solvation regions and structural aspects of surface solvation states are studied. When water is the solute it tends to be solvated in the interior of the cluster and form aggregates. The nature and dynamics of contact and solvent separated water pairs in these clusters is investigated, and the recombination dynamics of larger water aggregates in concentrated water-acetonitrile clusters is examined. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: The adiabatic potential energy surface (PES) of β-4-linked mannobiose was obtained using the MM3 force field at ε=3 and ε=80, and plotted as contour maps and as 2D graphs representing the energy vs. the ψ angle. The surfaces of the corresponding trisaccharide were also obtained and represented by a single 3D contour map for which the energy is plotted against the two ψ glycosidic angles. The PES of the disaccharide contains a low-energy well comprising two different minima, and three more minima in different locations. No major change was observed by changing the dielectric constant. For the trisaccharide, four main minima were observed, located within one minimum-energy region. The minima have a geometry close to that experimentally obtained for mannobiose, mannotriose and mannan I in solid state, but differ from that expected in aqueous solutions. The flexibility of the glycosidic linkage increases at higher dielectric constant, whereas it decreases for the linkage closer to the reducing end when passing from the di- to the trisaccharide. ©ARKAT.

Descripción: We study the synchronization of locally coupled noisy phase oscillators that move diffusively in a one-dimensional ring. Together with the disordered and the globally synchronized states, the system also exhibits wavelike states displaying local order. We use a statistical description valid for a large number of oscillators to show that for any finite system there is a critical mobility above which all wave-like solutions become unstable. Through Langevin simulations, we show that the transition to global synchronization is mediated by a shift in the relative size of attractor basins associated with wavelike states. Mobility disrupts these states and paves the way for the system to attain global synchronization. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.

Descripción: Modal interpretations are non-collapse interpretations, where the quantum state of a system describes its possible properties rather than the properties that it actually possesses. Among them, the atomic modal interpretation (AMI) assumes the existence of a special set of disjoint systems that fixes the preferred factorization of the Hilbert space. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the AMI and our recently presented modal-hamiltonian interpretation (MHI), by showing that the MHI can be viewed as a kind of "atomic" interpretation in two different senses. On the one hand, the MHI provides a precise criterion for the preferred factorization of the Hilbert space into factors representing elemental systems. On the other hand, the MHI identifies the atomic systems that represent elemental particles on the basis of the Galilei group. Finally, we will show that the MHI also introduces a decomposition of the Hilbert space of any elemental system, which determines with precision what observables acquire definite actual values. Copyright © 2011 Juan Sebastin Ardenghi and Olimpia Lombardi.

Descripción: A model for the dependence of the electrical conductance, G, with the strain induced by external mechanical stress in conducting particles-polymer composites is presented. The model assumes that the percolation probability between neighboring particles must depart from a scale-invariant behavior but saturate at moderated-high strains, reaching percolation path's saturation, with sigmoid dependence. This dependence is obtained by proposing a dynamic picture where contacts or bonds between neighboring particles are created but also destructed when a stress is applied and relatively moderated or high strains, ε, are produced in the composite. The electrical conductance of prepared graphite-polydimethylsiloxane composites were measured as function of the applied pressure and fitted by the presented model. The elastic response to the uniaxial compression was studied using a texture analyzer. The possibility of nonuniversal effects in the conduction critical exponent, t, was taken into account. It is concluded that the saturation of the response in the G versus ε plots cannot be assigned to nonuniversal behavior of the exponent t, or to saturation of the elastic response. On the other hand, the presented model accounts for all the main experimental features observed in these systems and for previously reported data of elastomer composites. The simulated behavior of the piezoresistivity coefficient is also in qualitative agreement with previous reports. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: Local intracellular Ca2+ signals result from Ca2+ flux into the cytosol through individual channels or clusters of channels. To gain a mechanistic understanding of these events we need to know the magnitude and spatial distribution of the underlying Ca2+ flux. However, this is difficult to infer from fluorescence Ca2+ images because the distribution of Ca2+-bound dye is affected by poorly characterized processes including diffusion of Ca2+ ions, their binding to mobile and immobile buffers, and sequestration by Ca2+ pumps. Several methods have previously been proposed to derive Ca2+ flux from fluorescence images, but all require explicit knowledge or assumptions regarding these processes. We now present a novel algorithm that requires few assumptions and is largely model-independent. By testing the algorithm with both numerically generated image data and experimental images of sparklets resulting from Ca2+ flux through individual voltage-gated channels, we show that it satisfactorily reconstructs the magnitude and time course of the underlying Ca2+ currents. © 2005 by the Biophysical Society.

Descripción: In previous works, we presented 2-D and 3-D magnetotelluric modelling methods based on Rayleigh-Fourier expansions. These methods are an alternative to finite-element and finite-difference techniques and are especially suitable for modelling multilayered structures, with smooth irregular boundaries. Here we generalize the 2-D method for the calculation of the electromagnetic response of 2-D structures to arbitrary, spatially non-uniform 2-D and 3-D inducing magnetic fields. These fields are characteristic of low- and high-latitude regions. We calculate the response to different 2-D and 3-D sources, of a 2-D structure representative of the conductivity distribution which could be found at a coastline, which includes deep conductive anomalies in the lower crust and upper mantle. Then, we investigate source effects, comparing these responses to that obtained for a uniform source. These effects become noticeable for periods greater than approximately 6 h and increase with the period of the source. They are highly dependent on the morphology of the source and also on the orientation of the external field relative to the strike direction of the structure. In various cases, they totally mask the uniform source response.

Descripción: A model is developed to describe the electrostatic boundary layer in a positively biased magnetic filter in filtered arcs with low collisionality. The set of equations used includes the electron momentum equation, with an anomalous collision term due to micro-instabilities leading to Bohm diffusion, electron mass conservation, and Poisson equation. Analytical solutions are obtained, valid for the regimes of interest, leading to an explicit expression to determine the electron density current to the filter wall as a function of the potential of the filter and the ratio of electron density at the plasma to that at the filter wall. Using a set of planar and cylindrical probes it is verified experimentally that the mentioned ratio of electron densities remains reasonably constant for different magnetic field values and probe bias, which allows to obtain a closed expression for the current. Comparisons are made with the experimentally determined current collected at different sections of a positively biased straight filter. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: The alkylation of amino groups of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonate (TNBS) under controlled conditions modifies only one lysyl residue, which accounts for a 70% inhibition of steroid binding capacity. The Kd of aldosterone for MR is not affected by the treatment, but the total number of binding sites is greatly decreased. The modified receptor is capable of dynamically conserving its association with the hsp90-based heterocomplex. Importantly, the binding of natural agonists protects the hormone binding capacity of the MR from the inactivating action of alkylating agents. In contrast, antagonistic steroids are totally incapable of providing such protection. Like the antagonistic ligands, and despite its potent mineralocorticoid biological effect, the sole MR specific synthetic agonist known to date, 11,19-oxidoprogesterone (11-OP), shows no protective effect upon treatment of the MR with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate or TNBS. Limited digestion of the MR with α-chymotrypsin generates a 34 kDa fragment, which becomes totally resistant to digestion upon binding of natural agonists, but not upon binding of antagonists. Interestingly, the synthetic 21-deoxypregnanesteroid 11-OP exhibits an intermediate pattern of proteolytic degradation, suggesting that the conformational change generated in the MR is not equivalent to that induced by antagonists or natural agonists. We conclude that in the first steps of activation, the MR changes its conformation upon binding of the ligand. However, the nature of this conformational change depends on the nature of the ligand. The experimental evidence shown in this work suggests that a single lysyl group can determine the hormone specificity of the MR. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Descripción: Malachite green (MG) is a triphenylmethane dye used as a fungicide but also possesses a high toxicity to mammalian cells. The toxicity of MG to Fomes sclerodermeus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium was assessed. P. chrysosporium was highly sensitive to the dye and it was unable to grow on solid media containing 64 μM of MG, lower concentrations caused a delay in growth. The radial growth of F. sclerodermeus was not affected at this concentration and up to 128 μM. In liquid media both fungi were more sensitive. F. sclerodermeus not only was able to grow in the presence of high concentrations of MG, but also it was able to decolorize and detoxify the dye. MG treated with supernatants containing high laccase activity in the presence or absence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (1-HBT) gave a colorless product (DMG) that was not toxic to P. chrysosporium and other white rot fungi tested. On the basis of the data of maximal absorbance, it is probable that the mechanism involved in the modification of the dye was different if 1-HBT was added to the reaction. © 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Descripción: Medical and biochemical analysis were performed on 58 patients with chronic alcoholism. In accordance with medical characterisation, patients were divided in three groups: A (patients having only hepatopathy), B (patients with hepatopathy and neuropathy) and C (patients having only alcoholic neuropathy). Simultaneously, several parameters related to heme biosynthesis were examined. Urinary delta-aminolevulic acid (ALA), porphobilinogen (PBG) and porphyrins and fecal porphyrins measurements did not show significant difference among all studied groups. The activities of ALA-dehydratase (ALA-D), uroporphyrinogen-I-synthase (URO-I-S) and uroporphyrinogen-III-synthase (URO-III-S) were monitored in peripheral erythrocytes. From the enzymes measured, only ALA-D levels in groups B and C were significantly depressed (p < 0.002) compared with normal subjects. The decrease in ALA-D correlated with the degree of neuropathy.

Descripción: Background/ Aims: Since the reversible phosphorylation of tyrosyl residues is a critical event in cellular signaling pathways activated by erythropoietin (Epo), attention has been focused on protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and their coordinated action with protein tyrosine kinases. The prototypic member of the PTP family is PTP1B, a widely expressed non-receptor PTP located both in cytosol and intracellular membranes via its hydrophobic C-terminal targeting sequence. PTP1B has been implicated in the regulation of signaling pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation induced by growth factors, cytokines, and hormones, such as the downregulation of erythropoietin and insulin receptors. However, little is known about which factor modulates the activity of this enzyme. Methods: The effect of Epo on PTP1B expression was studied in the UT-7 Epo-dependent cell line. PTP1B expression was analyzed under different conditions by Real-Time PCR and Western blot, while PTP1B phosphatase activity was determined by a p-nitrophenylphosphate hydrolysis assay. Results: Epo rapidly induced an increased expression of PTP1B which was associated with higher PTP1B tyrosine phosphorylation and phosphatase activity. The action of Epo on PTP1B induction involved Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) and Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K). Conclusion: The results allow us to suggest for the first time that, besides modulating Epo/Epo receptor signaling, PTP1B undergoes feedback regulation by Epo. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG.

Descripción: The unfolded protein response (UPR) and the Akt signaling pathway share several regulatory functions and have the capacity to determine cell outcome under specific conditions. However, both pathways have largely been studied independently. Here, we asked whether the Akt pathway regulates the UPR. To this end, we used a series of chemical compounds that modulate PI3K/Akt pathway and monitored the activity of the three UPR branches: PERK, IRE1 and ATF6. The antiproliferative and antiviral drug Akt-IV strongly and persistently activated all three branches of the UPR. We present evidence that activation of PERK/eIF2α requires Akt and that PERK is a direct Akt target. Chemical activation of this novel Akt/PERK pathway by Akt-IV leads to cell death, which was largely dependent on the presence of PERK and IRE1. Finally, we show that hypoxia-induced activation of eIF2α requires Akt, providing a physiologically relevant condition for the interaction between Akt and the PERK branch of the UPR. These data suggest the UPR and the Akt pathway signal to one another as a means of controlling cell fate. © 2013 Blaustein et al.

Descripción: In order to clarify the relationships among southern South American (sSA) representatives of the genus Ilex, an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was accomplished. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships of the species were studied using ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence data alone and in combination with AFLP data, taking into account the possible existence of paralogous sequences and the influence of alignment parameters. To explore stability of phylogenetic hypotheses, a sensitivity analysis was performed using 15 indel-substitution models. Within each species assayed, the AFLPs allowed the recognition of several diagnostic bands. Furthermore, the AFLP analysis revealed that individuals belonging to the same morpho-species formed coherent clades. In addition, some cases of geographical association were noted. Studies on ITS sequences revealed divergence between data obtained herein and sequence data downloaded from GenBank. The sensitivity analyses yielded different interspecific hypotheses of relationships. Notwithstanding, analyses of the ITS data alone and in combination with AFLPs, rendered clades stable to variation in the analytical parameters. Topologies obtained for the AFLPs, the ITS data alone and the combined analyses, demonstrated the existence of a group formed by I. argentina, I. brasiliensis, I. brevicuspis, I. integerrima, and I. theezans, and that I. dumosa and I. paraguariensis were distantly related to the former. Incongruence with traditional taxonomical treatments was found.

Descripción: Cytokine-induced glucocorticoid secretion and glucocorticoid inhibition of cytokine synthesis and pleiotropic actions act as important safeguards in preventing cytokine overreaction. We found that TNF-α increased glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) via the glucocorticoid response elements (GRE) in L-929 mouse fibroblasts transfected with a glucocorticoid-inducible reporter plasmid. In addition, TNF-α also enhanced GR number. The TNF-α effect on transcriptional activity was absent in other cell lines that express TNF-α receptors but not GRs, and became manifest when a GR expression vector was cotransfected, indicating that TNF-α, independent of any effect it may have on GR number, has a stimulatory effect on the glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activity of the GR. Moreover, TNF-α increased GR binding to GRE. As a functional biological correlate of this mechanism, priming of L- 929 cells with a low (noncytotoxic) dose of TNF-α significantly increased the sensitivity to glucocorticoid inhibition of TNF-α-induced cytotoxicity/apoptosis. TNF-α and IL-1β had the same stimulatory action on glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activity of the GR via the GRE, in different types of cytokine/glucocorticoid target cells (glioma, pituitary, epithelioid). The phenomenon may therefore reflect a general molecular mechanism whereby cytokines modulate the transcriptional activity of the GR, thus potentiating the counterregulation by glucocorticoids at the level of their target cells.

Descripción: This paper reviews basic concepts of modern molecular biology with the premise that its influence in today's medicine is so important that its knowledge cannot remain limited to a few experts. I first analyze the overall structure and organization of human genes, their split nature and the flow of genetic information from DNA to protein. The role of transcriptional control in the regulation of gene expression and cell differentiation is described by introducing experimental examples that define the importance of "master" genes. Basic concepts of genetic engineering, the generation of transgenic and knock out animals and the uses of molecular biology in clinical diagnosis, paternity tests and forensic medicine are presented. Finally, I discuss the possibilities of gene therapy and the fantasies and realities of transgenesis and cloning by nuclear transplant in humans.

Descripción: Twenty-six isolates obtained from soybean crops (Glycine max) with typical anthracnose symptoms were identified as Colletotrichum truncatum (73 %) and C. destructivum (26 %). Their genetic relationships were studied using the AFLP method. A UPGMA phenogram divided the strains into two clusters corresponding with the two species. Genetic distances based on association coefficient were 0.71-0.89 among the 18 C. truncatum strains and 0.67-1 among the eight C. destructivum strains. Genetic variability within species, measured in terms of percentage of polymorphic loci, was high (<90%). Only two isolates showed 100% similarity, suggesting high intraspecific variability. © 2013. Mycotaxon, Ltd.

Descripción: Background: Freshwater lymnaeid snails can act as the intermediate hosts for trematode parasites such as the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, that cause significant economic and biomedical burden worldwide, particularly through bovine fascioliasis. Transmission potential is tightly coupled to local compatibility with snail hosts, so accurate identification of lymnaeid species is crucial for understanding disease risk, especially when invasive species are encountered. Mendoza Province, in Argentina, is a center of livestock production and also an area of endemic fascioliasis transmission. However, the distribution of lymnaeid species in the region is not well known. Methods. This study examined lymnaeid snails from seven localities in the Department of Malarguë, Mendoza Province, using morphological and molecular analyses and also describing ecological variables associated with snail presence. Results: While morphological characters identified two species of lymnaeid, Galba truncatula and G. viatrix, molecular data revealed a third, cryptic species, G. neotropica, which was sympatric with G. viatrix. G. truncatula was exclusively found in high altitude (>1900 meters above sea level [masl]) sites, whereas mixed G. neotropica/G. viatrix localities were at middle elevations (1300-1900 masl), and G. viatrix was found alone at the lowest altitude sites (<1300 masl). Phylogenetic analysis using two mitochondrial markers revealed G. neotropica and G. viatrix to be closely related, and given their morphological similarities, their validities as separate taxonomic entities should be questioned. Conclusions: This study highlights the need of a robust taxonomic framework for the identification of lymnaeid snails, incorporating molecular, morphological and ecological variables while avoiding nomenclature redundancy. As the three species observed here, including one alien invasive species, are considered hosts of varying susceptibility to Fasciola parasites, and given the economic importance of fascioliasis for livestock production, this research has critical importance for the ultimate aim of controlling disease transmission. © 2013 Standley et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Descripción: Papillomaviruses are small DNA tumor viruses that infect mammalian hosts, with consequences from benign to cancerous lesions. The Early protein 2 is the master regulator for the virus life cycle, participating in gene transcription, DNA replication, and viral episome migration. All of these functions rely on primary target recognition by its dimeric DNA-binding domain. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics simulations in order to gain insights into the structural dynamics of the DNA-binding domains of two prototypic strains, human papillomavirus strain 16 and the bovine papillomavirus strain 1. The simulations underline different dynamic features in the two proteins. The human papillomavirus strain 16 domain displays a higher flexibility of the β2-β3 connecting loop in comparison with the bovine papillomavirus strain 1 domain, with a consequent effect on the DNA-binding helices, and thus on the modulation of DNA recognition. A compact β-barrel is found in human papillomavirus strain 16, whereas the bovine papillomavirus strain 1 protein is characterized by a loose β-barrel with a large number of cavities filled by water, which provides great flexibility. The rigidity of the human papillomavirus strain 16 β-barrel prevents protein deformation, and, as a consequence, deformable spacers are the preferred targets in complex formation. In contrast, in bovine papillomavirus strain 1, a more deformable β-barrel confers greater adaptability to the protein, allowing the binding of less flexible DNA regions. The flexibility data are confirmed by the experimental NMR S2 values, which are reproduced well by calculation. This feature may provide the protein with an ability to discriminate between spacer sequences. Clearly, the deformability required for the formation of the Early protein 2 C-terminal DNA-binding domain-DNA complexes of various types is based not only on the rigidity of the base sequences in the DNA spacers, but also on the intrinsic deformability properties of each domain. © 2007 The Authors.

Descripción: We present results from molecular dynamics simulations performed on reverse micelles immersed in cyclohexane. Three different inner polar phases are considered: water (W), formamide (FM), and an equimolar mixture of the two solvents. In all cases, the surfactant was sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (usually known as AOT). The initial radii of the micelles were R∼15 Å, while the corresponding polar solvent-to-surfactant molar ratios were intermediate between w0 =4.3 for FM and w0 =7 for W. The resulting overall shapes of the micelles resemble distorted ellipsoids, with average eccentricities of the order of ∼0.75. Moreover, the pattern of the surfactant layer separating the inner pool from the non-polar phase looks highly irregular, with a roughness characterized by length scales comparable to the micelle radii. Solvent dipole orientation polarization along radial directions exhibit steady growths as one moves from central positions toward head group locations. Local density correlations within the micelles indicate preferential solvation of sodium ionic species by water, in contrast to the behavior found in bulk equimolar mixtures. Still, a sizable fraction of ∼90% of Na+ remains associated with the head groups. Compared to bulk results, the translational and rotational modes of the confined solvents exhibit important retardations, most notably those operated in rotational motions where the characteristic time scales may be up to 50 times larger. Modifications of the intramolecular connectivity expressed in terms of the average number of hydrogen bonds and their lifetimes are also discussed. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Descripción: The regulatory role of estrogen, bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4), and TGF-β has a strong impact on hormone secretion, gene transcription, and cellular growth of prolactin (PRL)-producing cells. In contrast to TGF-β, BMP-4 induces the secretion of PRL in GH3 cells. Therefore, we studied the mechanism of their transcriptional regulation. Both BMP-4 and TGF-β inhibited the transcriptional activity of the estrogen receptor (ER). Estrogens had no effect on TGF-β-specific Smad protein transcriptional activity but presented a stimulatory action on the transcriptional activity of the BMP-4-specific Smads. BMP-4/estrogen cross talk was observed both on PRL hormone secretion and on the PRL promoter. This cross talk was abolished by the expression of a dominant-negative form for Smad-1 and treatment with ICI 182780 but not by point mutagenesis of the estrogen response element site within the promoter, suggesting that Smad/ER interaction might be dependent on the ER and a Smad binding element. By serial deletions of the PRL promoter, we observed that indeed a region responsive to BMP-4 is located between -2000 and -1500 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site. Chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed Smad-4 binding to this region, and by specific mutation and gel shift assay, a Smad binding element responsible site was characterized. These results demonstrate that the different transcriptional factors involved in the Smad/ER complexes regulate their transcriptional activity in differential ways and may account for the different regulatory roles of BMP-4, TGF-β, and estrogens in PRL-producing cells. Copyright © 2009 by The Endocrine Society.

Descripción: A number of natural and synthetic substances are used in the treatment of immunological disorders. The immunosuppressive drugs are widely utilized in clinical treatments of autoimmune disorders, in the prevention of transplant rejection as well as in non-autoimmune diseases such as allergy. The design of immunosuppressive therapies is based on the control of the exacerbated immune response. The pathophysiologic mean of this concept is to modulate the action of mononuclear cells, being T cells the main targets. Immunosuppressive agents have different molecular targets, and an important drawback in their use is that they also inhibit the normal immune system response. Depending on their mode of action, immunosuppressive drugs can be classified in four different groups: antinflammatory drugs of the corticosteroid family, inhibitors of the calcineurin pathway, cytototoxic or antiproliferative drugs and specific antibodies. In this article, we focus on the molecular action of immunosuppressive drugs such as steroids, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, leflunomide and specific antibodies, providing data to characterize and improve the use of these agents.

Descripción: The potential energy for the diffusion of positive and negative defects in ice is calculated by a SCF-MOLCAO procedure. The resulting height of the potential energy barrier for positive defects is much lower than for negative ones, thus explaining qualitatively the greater mobility of the H 3O+ ions. It is also found that the potential-energy heights are very sensitive to the distance between the oxygens, the diffusion being greater when the oxygens are nearer. The results obtained suggest therefore that the diffusion of positive defects is correlated to the vibrations of the lattice.

Descripción: An SCF-MO-LCAO calculation for the four electrons involved in the straight hydrogen bond in ice is performed using a limited set of Slater-type orbitals. The energy of the four electrons plus the interaction between the "core potentials" is calculated as a function of the position of the proton along the line joining the oxygens. The energy of the hydrogen bond is obtained-8.2 kcal/mole-in good agreement with experiment. Electrostatic and delocalization contributions to the energy of the hydrogen bond are in excellent agreement with previous theoretical estimates. The potential energy for the motion of the proton results in a very asymmetric curve, with only one minimum. The dipole moment increases from 1.68 D for a free water molecule to 2.40 D thus confirming previous estimates.

Descripción: Recent studies have shown the value of complementing standard taxonomy with genetic analyses to reveal cryptic diversity and to aid in the understanding of patterns of evolution. We surveyed variation in the COI mitochondrial gene in members of the three genera of centropagid copepods from the inland waters in Argentina. In general, we found a close association between molecular and morphological systematics in this group. Similar to findings for marine calanoids, genetic distances within Boeckella species were modest (< 4%), while distances among morphospecies were much larger (> 11%). Parabroteas is currently monotypic, although we detected cryptic genetic diversity, with two lineages showing 5.5% divergence. In contrast, Karukinka was not a valid genus, apparently representing an interesting and atavistic offshoot of B. poppei, a result reinforcing the value of considering both morphological and molecular evidence. Moreover, we used combined genetic and morphological information, analysed with maximum likelihood methods, to evaluate the common assumption that evolution tends to proceed via the loss of structures in crustaceans. Although analysis of other taxa and character types is required to evaluate fully the reduction hypothesis, our results suggest that structures may be gained readily as well as lost. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London.

Descripción: We investigate classical Hamiltonian models for particles interacting with steep differential repulsive barriers both in coordinate and momentum space. The final aim is to define a classical system of many particles behaving as fermions in many respects. In this paper we examine the appearance of the phase portrait of one- or two-particle systems to skim the essential features that would later be transcribed to the basic rules of a molecular dynamics algorithm. One of the remarkable properties of the phase portrait is the flow from states that start far away with a wide range of momentum towards a narrow region in momentum-a virtual locking of momentum-in the vicinity of the steepest part of the barrier in momentum space. The central ideas are developed through two examples in one and two dimensions. © 1995 The American Physical Society.

Descripción: This paper is concerned with a Monge-Kantorovich mass transport problem in which in the transport cost we replace the Euclidean distance with a discrete distance. We fix the length of a step and the distance that measures the cost of the transport depends of the number of steps that is needed to transport the involved mass from its origin to its destination. For this problem we construct special Kantorovich potentials, and optimal transport plans via a nonlocal version of the PDE formulation given by Evans and Gangbo for the classical case with the Euclidean distance. We also study how these problems, when rescaling the step distance, approximate the classical problem. In particular we obtain, taking limits in the rescaled nonlocal formulation, the PDE formulation given by Evans-Gangbo for the classical problem. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.

Descripción: The p53 tumor suppressor protein is an important regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis. p53 can be found in the nucleus and in the cytosol, and the subcellular location is key to control p53 function. In this work, we found that a widely used monoclonal antibody against p53, termed Pab 1801 (Pan antibody 1801) yields a remarkable punctate signal in the cytoplasm of several cell lines of human origin. Surprisingly, these puncta were also observed in two independent p53-null cell lines. Moreover, the foci stained with the Pab 1801 were present in rat cells, although Pab 1801 recognizes an epitope that is not conserved in rodent p53. In contrast, the Pab 1801 nuclear staining corresponded to genuine p53, as it was upregulated by p53-stimulating drugs and absent in p53-null cells. We identified the Pab 1801 cytoplasmic puncta as P Bodies (PBs), which are involved in mRNA regulation. We found that, in several cell lines, including U2OS, WI38, SK-N-SH and HCT116, the Pab 1801 puncta strictly colocalize with PBs identified with specific antibodies against the PB components Hedls, Dcp1a, Xrn1 or Rck/p54. PBs are highly dynamic and accordingly, the Pab 1801 puncta vanished when PBs dissolved upon treatment with cycloheximide, a drug that causes polysome stabilization and PB disruption. In addition, the knockdown of specific PB components that affect PB integrity simultaneously caused PB dissolution and the disappearance of the Pab 1801 puncta. Our results reveal a strong cross-reactivity of the Pab 1801 with unknown PB component(s). This was observed upon distinct immunostaining protocols, thus meaning a major limitation on the use of this antibody for p53 imaging in the cytoplasm of most cell types of human or rodent origin. © 2012 Thomas et al.

Descripción: Biopsies from human metastatic melanomas were analyzed in order to elucidate the relationship between MCP-1/CCL-2 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) chemokine expression by tumor cells, angiogenesis and aggressiveness in tumor development. The chemokine was expressed in 100% of the cases, with heterogeneity in the percentage of positive cells within the tumor mass. Tumors presented an important infiltration of macrophages, particularly associated to areas of active angiogenesis. Microvascular development, assessed by immunohistochemistry, correlated with the high percentage of cells expressing MCP-1/CCL-2. There was also significant correlation with vascularization and mitotic index. These results suggest that vascularization could be predictive of more aggressive melanoma metastasis, where the MCP-1/CCL-2 expression would be closely associated to vessel development through macrophages recruitment.

Descripción: Background: In the present study, we demonstrate, in rigorous fashion, that human monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (DCs) can efficiently cross-present tumor-associated antigens when co-cultured with a mixture of human melanoma cells rendered apoptotic/necrotic by γ irradiation (Apo-Nec cells). Methods: We evaluated the phagocytosis of Apo-Nec cells by FACS after PKH26 and PKH67 staining of DCs and Apo-Nec cells at different times of coculture. The kinetics of the process was also followed by electron microscopy. DCs maturation was also studied monitoring the expression of specific markers, migration towards specific chemokines and the ability to cross-present in vitro the native melanoma-associated Ags MelanA/MART-1 and gp100. Results: Apo-Nec cells were efficiently phagocytosed by immature DCs (iDC) (55 ± 10.5%) at 12 hs of coculture. By 12-24 hs we observed digested Apo-Nec cells inside DCs and large empty vacuoles as part of the cellular processing. Loading with Apo-Nec cells induced DCs maturation to levels achieved using LPS treatment, as measured by: i) the decrease in FITC - Dextran uptake (iDC: 81 ± 5%; DC/Apo-Nec 33 ± 12%); ii) the cell surface up-regulation of CD80, CD86, CD83, CCR7, CD40, HLA-I and HLA-II and iii) an increased in vitro migration towards MIP-3β. DC/Apo-Nec isolated from HLA-A*0201 donors were able to induce >600 pg/ml IFN-γ secretion of CTL clones specific for MelanA/MART-1 and gp100 Ags after 6 hs and up to 48 hs of coculture, demonstrating efficient cross-presentation of the native Ags. Intracellular IL-12 was detected in DC/Apo-Nec 24 hs post-coculture while IL-10 did not change. Conclusion: We conclude thatthe use of a mixture of four apoptotic/ necrotic melanoma cell lines is a suitable source of native melanoma Ags that provides maturation signals for DCs, increases migration to MIP-3β and allows Ag cross-presentation. This strategy could be exploited for vaccination of melanoma patients. © 2007 von Euw et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Descripción: The improvement in convergence by means of accurate functional elimination in the context of the monotone Newton theorem is further analyzed and extended to discrete approximations of the Newton method. © 1995.

Descripción: This paper deals with the interpretation, description and typological characterization of the inflorescences of the genera belonging to the tribe Verbeneae. These genera are: Glandularia Gmelin, Hierobotana Briquet, Junellia Moldenke, Tamonea Aublet, Verbena Linné and Urbania R. A. Philippi, all of them represented in South America. All the cases belong to the polytelic type of synflorescences. Florescences of almost all genera are dense spikes with decussate bracts. Only Tamonea has loose, spiciform racemes with disperse bracts. Floral prophylls are always absent. The heterothetic pleiobotryum is the most frequent branching form, present in Verbena, Glandularia and Hierobotana. Urbania and Junellia have monobotrya. Homothetic pleiobotrya characterize all species of Tamonea. Heteroblastic development of the branches can be observed in several species of Junellia. In these cases flowering can be restricted to the brachyblasts, a frequent specialization in woody plants. The heterothetic paniculiform pleiobotryum has been mentioned for several families of the Angiospermae as a primitive or central form, from which other forms derived through processes such as condensation, reduction and truncation. In Verbeneae this non specialized "paniculodium" is present in Verbena and Glandularia. Condensation of the florescences, to compose more or less functionally discrete subunits, appears in Verbena ser. Pachystachyae and Glandularia subgen. Paraglandularia. Reduction of the enriching zone occurs in Urbania and most Junellia species. Such reduction and decrease of flower number in the florescences could be related to the xerophyllous nature of these species. Truncation of the main florescence, such as the homogenization and racemization of the distal paracladia, have been produced in Tamonea giving rise to an homothetic pleioraceme. Tamonea shows few affinities with the remaining genera of Verbeneae. It differs from them in several inflorescence characters and gynoecial features previously studied by other authors. Because of all these characters, the place of this genus within the Verbenoideae should be reconsidered.

Descripción: Using radio, X-ray, and optical observations, we present evidence for morphological changes due to efficient cosmic ray ion acceleration in the structure of the southeastern region of the supernova remnant SN 1006. SN 1006 has an apparent bipolar morphology in both the radio and high-energy X-ray synchrotron emission. In the optical, the shock front is clearly traced by a filament of Balmer emission in the southeast. This optical emission enables us to trace the location of the blast wave (BW) even in places where the synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons is either absent or too weak to detect. The contact discontinuity (CD) is traced using images in the low-energy X-rays (oxygen band), which we argue reveals the distribution of shocked ejecta. We interpret the azimuthal variations of the ratio of radii between the BW and CD plus the X-ray and radio synchrotron emission at the BW using CR-modified hydrodynamic models. We assumed different azimuthal profiles for the injection rate of particles into the acceleration process, magnetic field, and level of turbulence. We found that the observations are consistent with a model in which these parameters are all azimuthally varying, being largest in the brightest regions. © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Descripción: For the first time a taxonomic and ecological study of species belonging to Helicostomella was performed over a mesoscale spatial distribution by examining ca. 3000 loricae collected in Argentine shelf waters during the austral autumn. Microscopic and statistical analysis revealed that the general shape and the oral diameter remained practically constant in the whole area surveyed, despite a continuous length fluctuation of ca. 300 μm, which includes the entire range present in eight previously reported species. Consequently, we consider that the genus may be represented only by H. subulata, whose strong fluctuations in length (mostly attributed to an increase in the collar length), density and biomass seem to respond to temperature, food availability and front-related processes. In Buenos Aires coastal waters associated with a quasi permanent estuarine front (40-40.5°S), mixed conditions would favour moderate abundances of long loricae, whereas in northern (42.5-45.5°S) and southern (46-54.5°S) Patagonian waters, high (103 ind. L-1) and low (<5 ind. L-1) densities of short loricae seem to be a consequence of stratification and encystment, respectively. The non-occurrence of the species at 41-42°S, together with a three-fold reduction in length-related parameters between specimens from Buenos Aires and Patagonian waters, suggests a disjunct distribution.

Descripción: The phylogenetic placements of several African endemic genera at the base of Apiaceae subfamilies Saniculoideae and Apioideae have revolutionized ideas of relationships that affect hypotheses of character evolution and biogeography. Using an explicit phylogeny of subfamily Saniculoideae, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of phenotypic characters traditionally important in classification, identified those characters most useful in supporting relationships, and inferred historical biogeography. The 23 characters examined include those of life history, vegetative morphology, inflorescences, and fruit morphology and anatomy. These characters were optimized over trees derived from maximum parsimony analysis of chloroplast DNA trnQ-trnK sequences from 94 accessions of Apiaceae. The results revealed that many of these characters have undergone considerable modification and that traditional assumptions regarding character-state polarity are often incorrect. Infrasubfamilial relationships inferred by molecular data are supported by one to five morphological characters. However, none of these morphological characters support the monophyly of subfamilies Saniculoideae or Apioideae, the clade of Petagnaea, Eryngium and Sanicula, or the sister-group relationship between Eryngium and Sanicula. Southern African origins of Saniculoideae and of its tribes Steganotaenieae and Saniculeae are supported based on dispersal-vicariance analysis.

Descripción: Phytotelmata, or plant-held waters, are considered to be good model systems for the study of community ecology. The fauna of these natural container habitats, particularly the mosquitoes, have been extensively investigated in tropical regions, but there is little known about them in temperate South America. We assessed the structure of immature mosquito communities in leaf axils, tree holes, and bamboo stumps from a temperate wetland of Argentina. A total of 4,330 immature mosquitoes were collected among the 2,606 phytotelmata inspected. Leaf axils of eight plant species and tree holes were larval habitats for nine mosquito species belonging to the genus Culex, Wyeomyia, Isostomyia, and Toxorhynchites. The mosquito communities showed richness ranging from one to four species. Marked differences were detected in the plant specificity for the species collected. Some of them were exclusively found in one plant species (Isostomyia paranensis in Scirpus giganteus), whereas others were collected in up to five plant species but belonging to the same phytotelm class, the leaf axils. Those from tree holes are well-known dwellers of artificial containers and ground water habitats, such as Culex pipiens. Our results support the idea of low mosquito richness in phytotelmata from temperate regions in comparison with tropical areas, but the observed specificity patterns echo the findings of tropical forests. © 2011 The Society for Vector Ecology.

Descripción: Introduction: It has been demonstrated that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) induces epithelium apoptosis through Stat3 activation during mouse mammary gland involution. In contrast, it has been shown that this transcription factor is commonly activated in breast cancer cells, although what causes this effect remains unknown. Here we have tested the hypothesis that locally produced LIF can be responsible for Stat3 activation in mouse mammary tumors. Methods: The studies were performed in different tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic mammary cells. The expression of LIF and LIF receptor was tested by RT-PCR analysis. In tumors, LIF and Stat3 proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, whereas Stat3 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 expression and phosphorylation were studied by Western blot analysis. A LIF-specific blocking antibody was used to determine whether this cytokine was responsible for Stat3 phosphorylation induced by conditioned medium. Specific pharmacological inhibitors (PD98059 and Stat3ip) that affect ERK1/2 and Stat3 activation were used to study their involvement in LIF-induced effects. To analyze cell survival, assays with crystal violet were performed. Results: High levels of LIF expression and activated Stat3 were found in mammary tumors growing in vivo and in their primary cultures. We found a single mouse mammary tumor cell line, LM3, that showed low levels of activated Stat3. Incidentally, these cells also showed very little expression of LIF receptor. This suggested that autocrine/paracrine LIF would be responsible for Stat3 activation in mouse mammary tumors. This hypothesis was confirmed by the ability of conditioned medium of mammary tumor primary cultures to induce Stat3 phosphorylation, activity that was prevented by pretreatment with LIF-blocking antibody. Besides, we found that LIF increased tumor cell viability. Interestingly, blocking Stat3 activation enhanced this effect in mammary tumor cells. Conclusion: LIF is overexpressed in mouse mammary tumors, where it acts as the main Stat3 activator. Interestingly, the positive LIF effect on tumor cell viability is not dependent on Stat3 activation, which inhibits tumor cell survival as it does in normal mammary epithelium. © 2007 Quaglino et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Descripción: This paper describes the movement of biological systems on different kinds of environments, which was simulated with the aid of a digital computer plotter. The biological system is represented by two areas Aa and Ad, called the feeding and discard areas respectively, and separated by a constant distance d. Each triplet (Aa,Ad,d) determines the position of M with respect to E, and the consecutive positions determine the movement of the biological system. The possible movements of the biological system vary according to the areas, the spaces to be covered, the rules that govern the succession of states, etc. The plotter makes it possible to visualize these motions, so that many different interactions between M and E may be studied. It also becomes possible to determine other important parameters, such as the general direction taken by the system M, the width of its path, the distance between successive states, the possibility of environmental regeneration, etc. Therefore, this line of work contributes not only to theoretical biomathematics, but also to a wide variety of practical applications. © 1979.

Descripción: We present an algorithm for modeling the magnetotelluric response of three-dimensional multilayered structures with irregular interfaces. In this formulation, based on a RayleighFourier technique, the effect of vertical anisotropy in the electrical conductivity has also been included. This method has an applicability range complementary to other solutions based on finite differences or on integral equations, which are especially adequate to model localized bodies intruded in a host medium. To test the method, the MT response of a simple conductive structure was modeled and compared with the solutions obtained using integral equations. A good agreement between the results with similar processing times have been observed. Finally, the effect of anisotropy was estimated for the particular case of a conductive basin, showing a non-negligible contribution, depending on the relation between the vertical and horizontal values of the conductivity.

Descripción: By combining the photoswitching and localization of individual fluorophores with spectroscopy on the single molecule level, we demonstrate simultaneous multicolor imaging with low crosstalk and down to 15 nm spatial resolution using only two detection color channels. The applicability of the method to biological specimens is demonstrated on mammalian cells. The combination of far-field fluorescence nanoscopy with the recording of a single switchable molecular species at a time opens up a new class of functional imaging techniques. © 2008 American Chemical Society.

Descripción: Thelonectria is a recently established genus of common and ubiquitous fungi on woody hosts, previously placed in the genus Neonectria. Thelonectria coronata and T. veuillotiana occur sympatrically in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Previous taxonomic studies including T. coronata and T. veuillotiana suggested these fungi could represent species complexes; however, the morphological features used to define species exhibited few differences useful for testing this hypothesis. To assess the status of T. coronata and T. veuillotiana, phylogenetic analyses of six genomic regions were combined with a morphological examination of specimens. A multigene phylogeny reconstructed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches identified five phylogenetic groups in T. coronata and six in T. veuillotiana. As is common for cryptic species, unequivocal diagnostic morphological characters could not be identified; however, average values of morphological traits correspond to the phylogenetic groups. An increased number of nonsynonymous/ synonymous substitutions in the b-tubulin gene and a decreased or absent production of conidia were detected within the T. coronata complex, possibly indicating the homothallic nature of these isolates. T. coronata and T. veuillotiana and related species are described and illustrated here; a dichotomous key to all species is provided. © 2012 by The Mycological Society of America.

Descripción: We establish Hölder-type inequalities for Lorentz sequence spaces and their duals. In order to achieve these and some related inequalities, we study diagonal multilinear forms in general sequence spaces, and obtain estimates for their norms. We also consider norms of multilinear forms in different Banach multilinear ideals. © Instytut Matematyczny PAN, 2009.

Descripción: This paper addresses a license plate detection and recognition (LPR) task on still images of trucks. The main contribution of our LPR system is the fusion of different segmentation algorithms used to improve the license plate detection. We also compare the performance of two kinds of classifiers for optical character recognition (OCR): one based on the a contrario framework using the shape contexts as features and the other based on a SVM classifier using the intensity pixel values as features. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Descripción: A projectile ion-recoil ion and electron-recoil ion coincidence technique has been used to study the multiple ionization process in collisions of 0.75-4.0MeV B2+ with Ne atoms. Absolute total and partial pure ionization cross sections are reported for the first time at these impact energies with the present setup. The relative contribution of each recoil charge state has been investigated. The experimental data are compared to CDW-EIS calculation and with He2+ projectiles. The data throw further light on the effect of projectile screening in the ionization of multi-electronic targets and provide a support for the validity of the CDW-EIS model in this intermediate-to low velocity regime.

Descripción: Fil:Saraceno, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Genomes contain the necessary information to ensure that genes are expressed in the right place, at the right time, and with the proper rate. Metazoan developmental genes often possess long stretches of DNA flanking their coding sequences and/or large introns which contain elements that influence gene expression. Most of these regulatory elements are relatively small and can be studied in isolation. For example, transcriptional enhancers, the elements that generate the expression pattern of a gene, have been traditionally studied with reporter constructs in transgenic animals. These studies have provided and will provide invaluable insights into enhancer evolution and function. However, this experimental approach has its limits; often, enhancer elements do not faithfully recapitulate native expression patterns. This fact suggests that additional information in cis-regulatory regions modulates the activity of enhancers and other regulatory elements. Indeed, recent studies have revealed novel functional aspects at the level of whole cis-regulatory regions. First, the discovery of "shadow enhancers." Second, the ubiquitous interactions between cis-regulatory elements. Third, the notion that some cis-regulatory regions may not function in a modular manner. Last, the effect of chromatin conformation on cis-regulatory activity. In this article, I describe these recent findings and discuss open questions in the field. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Descripción: Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by a spirochete that belongs to the genus Leptospira. In the last years, new methods, such as the PCR-based multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), have been developed for the genotyping of leptospires. In the present work, the MLVA patterns for all reference strains used in Argentina for bovine, ovine, porcine, equine, caprine and canine leptospirosis diagnosis, as well as in human and wild animal diagnosis, were obtained. MLVA results are presented in such a way that they can be readily used for the identification of these strains by the simple and direct comparison of agarose gels. Making the use and interpretation of the MLVA for leptospires typing easier will help increase the use of this method as a routine procedure for human and animal diagnosis, for epidemiological studies, vaccine control and other applications.

Descripción: Using variational arguments, we prove some nonexistence and multiplicity results for positive solutions of a system of p-Laplace equations of gradient form. Then we study a p-Laplace-type problem with nonlinear boundary conditions. Copyright © 2004 Hindawi Publishing Corporation.

Descripción: Substrate-specific degradation of proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a precise mechanism that controls the abundance of key cell regulators. SCF complexes are a family of E3 ubiquitin ligases that target specific proteins for destruction at the 26S-proteasome. These complexes are composed of three constant polypeptides - Skp1, Cullin1/3 and Roc1/Rbx1 - and a fourth variable adapter, the F-box protein. Slimb (Slmb) is a Drosophila F-Box protein that fulfills several roles in development and cell physiology. We analyzed its participation in egg chamber development and found that slmb is required in both the follicle cells and the germline at different stages of oogenesis. We observed that in slmb somatic clones, morphogenesis of the germarium and encapsulation of the cyst were altered, giving rise to egg chambers with extra germline cells and two oocytes. Furthermore, in slmb somatic clones, we observed ectopic Fasciclin 3 expression, suggesting a delay in follicle cell differentiation, which correlated with the occurrence of ectopic polar cells, lack of interfollicular stalks and mislocalization of the oocyte. Later in oogenesis, Slmb was required in somatic cells to specify the position, size and morphology of dorsal appendages. Mild overactivation of the Dpp pathway caused similar phenotypes that could be antagonized by simultaneous overexpression of Slmb, suggesting that Slmb might normally downregulate the Dpp pathway in follicle cells. Indeed, ectopic expression of a dad-LacZ enhancer trap revealed that the Dpp pathway was upregulated in slmb somatic clones and, consistent with this, ectopic accumulation of the co-Smad protein, Medea, was recorded. By analyzing slmb germline clones, we found that loss of Slmb provoked a reduction in E2f2 and Dp levels, which correlated with misregulation of mitotic cycles during cyst formation, abnormal nurse cell endoreplication and impairment of dumping of the nurse cell content into the oocyte.

Descripción: We theoretically analyze the multiple-scattering effects that might occur in the ionization of a molecule by the impact of photons or massive particles, by calculating the series to all orders within a muffin-tin description. We find a large sensitivity on the final state and a sizable momentum-dependent distortion of the phase-shift and frequency of the interference oscillations, that are not replicated by non-scattering or single-scattering approximations. Furthermore, our results do not validate the existence of any discernible harmonic oscillations. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Descripción: In this note, we show the existence of at least three nontrivial solutions to the quasilinear elliptic equation -Δpu + |u|p-2u = f(x,u) in a smooth bounded domain Ω of Rdbl;N with nonlinear boundary conditions |Δu|p-2;∂u/∂v = g(x, u) on ∂Ω. The proof is based on variational arguments. © 2006 Texas State University - San Marcos.

Descripción: Eighteen year (1985-2002) sea surface temperature (SST) data are used to study the intraseasonal variability of the Patagonian shelf break front (SBF) in the SW South Atlantic Ocean between 39° and 44°S. The cross-shelf break SST gradients reveal distinct, previously undocumented thermal fronts located both, offshore and inshore of the SBF. Throughout the year the main SBF, identified as a band of negative SST gradient maxima (relatively strong offshore temperature decrease), forms a persistent feature located closed to the 200 m isobath, while two distinct negative gradient maxima are located inshore and offshore of this location. Daily SST images reveal the presence of three branches of cold waters whose edges delineate the above mentioned fronts. The two offshore branches closely follow lines of constant potential vorticity (f/h) and appear to be associated with the Malvinas Current, while a third branch, located further onshore, is not steered by the bottom topography. South of 40°S the onshore branch forms a quasi permanent front parallel to the SBF. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Descripción: Unitary transformations can allow one to study open quantum systems in situations for which standard, weak-coupling type approximations are not valid. We develop here an extension of the variational (polaron) transformation approach to open system dynamics, which applies to arbitrarily large exciton transport networks with local environments. After deriving a time-local master equation in the transformed frame, we go on to compare the population dynamics predicted using our technique with other established master equations. The variational frame dynamics are found to agree with both weak coupling and full polaron master equations in their respective regions of validity. In parameter regimes considered difficult for these methods, the dynamics predicted by our technique are found to interpolate between the two. The variational method thus gives insight, across a broad range of parameters, into the competition between coherent and incoherent processes in determining the dynamical behaviour of energy transfer networks. © IOP Publishing and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.

Descripción: We give a rational expression for the subresultants of n + 1 generic polynomials f1, ..., fn + 1 in n variables as a function of the coordinates of the common roots of f1, ..., fn and their evaluation in fn + 1. We present a simple technique to prove our results, giving new proofs and generalizing the classical Poisson product formula for the projective resultant, as well as the expressions of Hong for univariate subresultants in roots. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Descripción: We describe a new enzymatic functionality for the surface layer (S-layer) of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, namely, an endopeptidase activity against the cell wall of Salmonella enterica serovar Newport, assayed via zymograms and identified by Western blotting. Based on amino acid sequence comparisons, the hydrolase activity was predicted to be located at the C terminus. Subsequent cloning and expression of the C-terminal domain in Bacillus subtilis resulted in the functional verification of the enzymatic activity. Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Descripción: The tip-growing pollen tube is a useful model for studying polarized cell growth in plants. We previously characterized LePRK2, a pollen-specific receptor-like kinase from tomato (1). Here, we showed that LePRK2 is present as multiple phosphorylated isoforms in mature pollen membranes. Using comparative sequence analysis and phosphorylation site prediction programs, we identified two putative phosphorylation motifs in the cytoplasmic juxtamembrane (JM) domain. Site-directed mutagenesis in these motifs, followed by transient overexpression in tobacco pollen, showed that both motifs have opposite effects in regulating pollen tube length. Relative to LePRK2-eGFP pollen tubes, alanine substitutions in residues of motif I, Ser277/Ser279/ Ser282, resulted in longer pollen tubes, but alanine substitutions in motif II, Ser304/Ser307/Thr308, resulted in shorter tubes. In contrast, phosphomimicking aspartic substitutions at these residues gave reciprocal results, that is, shorter tubes with mutations in motif I and longer tubes with mutations in motif II. We conclude that the length of pollen tubes can be negatively and positively regulated by phosphorylation of residues in motif I and II respectively. We also showed that LePRK2-eGFP significantly decreased pollen tube length and increased pollen tube tip width, relative to eGFP tubes. The kinase activity of LePRK2 was relevant for this phenotype because tubes that expressed a mutation in a lysine essential for kinase activity showed the same length and width as the eGFP control. Taken together, these results suggest that LePRK2 may have a central role in pollen tube growth through regulation of its own phosphorylation status. © 2011 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Descripción: Fil:Crámer, P. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.