Importancia del Ca2+ en la fisiología espermática: modulación de su actividad por progesterona y proteínas del plasma seminal. Importance of calcium in sperm physiology: its regulation by progesterone and proteins from the seminal plasma.

El objetivo general del proyecto es estudiar el efecto de la progesterona y de algunas proteínas del plasma seminal sobre la actividad del Ca2+ en diferentes procesos fisiológicos que ocurren en el espermatozoide, los cuales están estrechamente relacionados con la capacidad fertilizante de esta célula. La progesterona, principal esteroide secretado por las células del cumulus oophorus, ejerce su efecto a través de un receptor no-genómico provocando aumento en el calcio intracelular de los espermatozoides y, consecuentemente, promoviendo la capacitación, la respuesta quimiotáctica y la exocitosis acrosomal. Pese a estas observaciones, los mecanismos a través de los cuales la progesterona estimula fenómenos tan diversos en el espermatozoide son aún desconocidos. Tampoco se conoce con exactitud el papel funcional y los mecanismos de acción de algunas proteínas del plasma seminal que interaccionan y se unen a los espermatozoides, con alta especificidad, durante la eyaculación. Por lo tanto, resulta altamente interesante profundizar los estudios sobre las propiedades funcionales de las proteínas caltrin (calcium transport inhibitor) y ß-microseminoprotein (MSP) del plasma seminal de mamíferos, las cuales responden a las características mencionadas. Los estudios hasta ahora realizados han dado cuenta de que caltrin inhibe la incorporación de Ca2+ extracelular, previene la exocitosis acrosomal espontánea y promueve la unión espermatozoide-zona pelúcida. También hay datos preliminares que sugieren un efecto inhibitorio sobre la movilidad hiperactivada de los espermatozoides. Respecto a MSP, sólo se sabe que inhibe la exocitosis acrosomal espontánea y que su contenido, en el plasma seminal, guarda una relación inversa con la fertilidad. Por todo lo expuesto, se propone estudiar los mecanismos de acción de la progesterona y las proteínas caltrin y MSP sobre los procesos fisiológicos antes indicados. Para ello, se estudiarán las variaciones de Ca2+ intracelular en espermatozoides individuales sometidos a diferentes tratamientos (gradientes de progesterona, capacitación en presencia y ausencia de caltrin y/o MSP, etc.), usando video microscopía de fluorescencia y análisis computarizado de imágenes. También se examinará la influencia de estas moléculas sobre la interacción de gametas y la fertilización.

К вопросу о турбулентности в слабоионизованной ионосфере

განხილულია ცნობილი და ნაშრომში მიღებული საკუთარი თეორიული კვლევის შედეგები ნეიტრალურ და გამტარ ატმოსფეროში ტურბულენტური პროცესების შესახებ. გამოყენებულია სტატისტიკური ფიზიკის, მსგავსებისა და განზომილებათა თეორიების მეთოდები. ჩატარებულია პროცესების სივრცით-დროითი მასშტაბების კლასიფიკაცია, რომლებიც ერთდროულად მიმდინარეობს ტურბულენტურ ზედა ატმოსფეროში. მოცემულია ფაზური სივრცის ინერციულ ინტერვალში შესაბამისი ტურბულენტური გრიგალური სტრუქტურების სპექტრული ფუნქციების აგების ჯაჭვი.

Combustion modification by non-thermal plasma

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Verfahrens- und Systemtechnik, Diss., 2009

Implementation of Multi-Core Processor Based on PLASMA (Most MIPS I) IP Core

Multi-core processors is a design philosophy that has become mainstream in scientific and engineering applications. Increasing performance and gate capacity of recent FPGA devices has permitted complex logic systems to be implemented on a single programmable device. By using VHDL here we present an implementation of one multi-core processor by using the PLASMA IP core based on the (most) MIPS I ISA and give an overview of the processor architecture and share theexecution results.

Influência de sexo e energia sobre a taxa de crescimento, eficiência de utilização alimentar, taxa de uréia (U) e de proteína iodada do plasma (PI) em gado de corte

Três rações, com nível alto, médio e baixo de energia - tratamento T1 , T2 T3 - foram ministradas em confinamento, à vontade, a bovinos recém-desmamados, machos inteiros, castrados e fêmeas, durante dois períodos de 17 semanas. Os machos inteiros exibiram a maior habilidade de ganho de peso, e as novilhas a menor habilidade. O tratamento T1 proporcionou os melhores ganhos e conversões, e o T2 os inferiores. Verificou-se pequena superioridade no teor protéico de T3, ao que se atribuiu sua vantagem sobre T2 no 1º período, e aparente crescimento compensatório no 2º período. O teor de uréia foi superior nos machos inteiros, e semelhante nos outros animais, superior em T3 e semelhante em T1 e T2, bem como aumentou consistentemente durante o experimento. Aparentemente a uréia refletiu o fornecimento adequado de proteína e, mais ainda, de energia. O teor de proteína-iodada não mostrou diferença significativa, mas apenas tendência de se elevar com o decorrer do tempo. Não houve correlação entre os dois componentes do sangue. Concluiu-se que a eficiência de utilização alimentar foi: superior nos machos inteiros, proporcional à quantidade de energia ingerida (no caso do 1º período); favorecida pelo teor maior de proteína de T3 em relação a T2 no 19 período, e talvez por ganho compensatório no 2º período; refletida pelos níveis de uréia no plasma, mas não correlacionado com proteína- iodada.

Lipoides do plasma normal

1. In a series of 21 normal cases we found for fatty acids per 100 cc. of plasma an average of 332 mgm., being 314 mgm. for the male sex and 350 mgm. for the female sex. 2.- For lecithin, in four normal cases we found per 100 cc. of plasma 182 mgm. estimated by the contents is phosphorus which ranged from 6.12 to 9.0 mgrs. 3.- Cholesterol in 20 normal cases showed 172 mgm. per 100 cc. of plasma. The averages were 151 mgm. for men and 194 mgm. for women. 4.- The readings of the fractions were 2.01 for the ratio fatty acids divided by lecithins 0.90 for lecithin divided by cholesterol and 1.93 for fatty acids divided by cholesterol. 5.- On comparing the results obtained by us with those reported in foreign literature an absolute conformity is noted chiefly with the values supplied by Bloor and Horiuchi for the ratios among the various lipoid fractions. The average for Cholesterol is comparable with that obtained by Myers but is slightly under that of Bloor's. The lecithin contents found by us did not reach such high values as those supplied by foreign authors.

Observaçães sôbre a congelação do plasma humano para desidratação

A technics for prefreezing of blood plasma and serum is described in this paper. The method indicated by Strumia et al. (2), uses a rapid local freezing to obtain the shell-freezing, with refigerated alcohol bath, at temperatures around minus 35ºC. On our work, it has been found that normal horse blood plasma fulfils the instructions given by Strumia, although normal human blood plasma, very often, fails to give the expected results. This is very disadvantageous at the routine work. With the use of small amounts of solid carbon dioxide, spread over the flasks, in the refrigerated bath, it has been possible to start the chrystallization. The technics prescribes a rapid cooling, like the one used by Strumia, to bring the temperature down, to about plus 10ºC. and, with rotating device stopped, the solid carbon dioxide is applied for one minute simultaneously on each flask. Starting rotation again, it begins to form a very uniform shell around the walls of the flasks.

Contractive metrics for a Boltzmann equation for granular gases: diffusive equilibriaThe Patterson-Sullivan embedding and minimal volume entropy for outer space

We quantify the long-time behavior of a system of (partially) inelastic particles in a stochastic thermostat by means of the contractivity of a suitable metric in the set of probability measures. Existence, uniqueness, boundedness of moments and regularity of a steady state are derived from this basic property. The solutions of the kinetic model are proved to converge exponentially as t→ ∞ to this diffusive equilibrium in this distance metrizing the weak convergence of measures. Then, we prove a uniform bound in time on Sobolev norms of the solution, provided the initial data has a finite norm in the corresponding Sobolev space. These results are then combined, using interpolation inequalities, to obtain exponential convergence to the diffusive equilibrium in the strong L¹-norm, as well as various Sobolev norms.

Efectes de la post-descàrrega del plasma en teixits de llana i poliamida6

Els teixits de llana presenten l’inconvenient de feltrar (encongir) degut a la presència d’escates i a les característiques hidrofòbiques de la seva superfície. Els tractaments amb plasma (gas ionitzat) són una alternativa ecològica als tractaments tradicionals d’anti feltratge de la llana. També són una innovació en el camp de les fibres sintètiques ja que incrementen la hidrofìlia i/o la rugositat. Malgrat les seves avantatges, l’elevat cost de la maquinària de plasma de baixa temperatura existent per a la indústria tèxtil ha frenat la seva aplicació. Basant-se en estudis preliminars, s’ha avaluat l’efecte de la post-descàrrega del plasma sobre l’encongiment dels teixits de llana, així com els seus efectes en la modificació de la morfologia superficial de llana i poliamida 6.

Dietary modulation of plasma antioxidant deficiencies: effect of mediterranean diet

Estudi elaborat a partir d’una estada al National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, Itàlia, des de novembre del 2006 fins a febrer del 2007. La capacitat antioxidant total (TAC) en plasma pot ser un bon biomarcador del estat antioxidant dels humans. Prenent les mostres de dos projectes diferents de recerca s’ha mesurat la TAC mitjançant el FRAP (ferric reductant antioxidant potencial) i el TRAP (total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter ). D’una banda el PREDIMED, és un estudi prospectiu aleatoritzat i controlat, amb una cohort d’ individus sense patología vascular coneguda, però amb un alt risc de patir-la. En aquest es valora la utilitat d’una intervenció dietética del tipus mediterrània en la prevenció primària de la malaltia cardiovascular. L’altre és el de biodisponibilitat en humans dels metabòlits dels polifenols presents en els solubles de cacau, un estudi crònic (28 dies) on es vol mesurar la influència de la llet en l’absorció dels polifenols del cacau, en voluntaris amb elevat risc de sofrir patologia cardiovascular.

Isolation of an enriched plasma membrame subpellicular microtubule fraction of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis

A cell fractionation procedure previously developed for Trypanosoma cruzi was applied to isolated the plasma membrane of promastigotes of Leishania mexicana amazonensis. The cell, swollen in an hypotonic mediun, were disrupted in the presence of a nonionic detergent and the membrane fraction isolated by differencial centrifugation. Electron microscopy showed that the fraction consisted of pieces of the plasma membrane associated with subpellicular microtubules. It was also shown that this fraction is able to induce cell-mediated immune response in mice.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS/MS) methods for the quantification of captan and folpet phthalimide metabolites in human plasma and urine.

Captan and folpet are fungicides largely used in agriculture. They have similar chemical structures, except that folpet has an aromatic ring unlike captan. Their half-lives in blood are very short, given that they are readily broken down to tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI) and phthalimide (PI), respectively. Few authors measured these biomarkers in plasma or urine, and analysis was conducted either by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography with UV detection. The objective of this study was thus to develop simple, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS/MS) methods to quantify both THPI and PI in human plasma and urine. Briefly, deuterated THPI was added as an internal standard and purification was performed by solid-phase extraction followed by LC/APCI-MS/MS analysis in negative ion mode for both compounds. Validation of the methods was conducted using spiked blank plasma and urine samples at concentrations ranging from 1 to 250 μg/L and 1 to 50 μg/L, respectively, along with samples of volunteers and workers exposed to captan or folpet. The methods showed a good linearity (R (2) > 0.99), recovery (on average 90% for THPI and 75% for PI), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD, <15%) and accuracy (<20%), and stability. The limit of detection was 0.58 μg/L in urine and 1.47 μg/L in plasma for THPI and 1.14 and 2.17 μg/L, respectively, for PI. The described methods proved to be accurate and suitable to determine the toxicokinetics of both metabolites in human plasma and urine.