Intraperitoneal and intra-nasal vaccination of mice with three distinct recombinant Neospora caninum antigens results in differential effects with regard to protection against experimental challenge with Neospora caninum tachyzoites

Recombinant NcPDI(recNcPDI), NcROP2(recNcROP2), and NcMAG1(recNcMAG1) were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, and evaluated as potential vaccine candidates by employing the C57Bl/6 mouse cerebral infection model. Intraperitoneal application of these proteins suspended in saponin adjuvants lead to protection against disease in 50% and 70% of mice vaccinated with recNcMAG1 and recNcROP2, respectively, while only 20% of mice vaccinated with recNcPDI remained without clinical signs. In contrast, a 90% protection rate was achieved following intra-nasal vaccination with recNcPDI emulsified in cholera toxin. Only 1 mouse vaccinated intra-nasally with recNcMAG1 survived the challenge infection, and protection achieved with intra-nasally applied recNcROP2 was at 60%. Determination of cerebral parasite burdens by real-time PCR showed that these were significantly reduced only in recNcROP2-vaccinated animals (following intraperitoneal and intra-nasal application) and in recNcPDI-vaccinated mice (intra-nasal application only). Quantification of viable tachyzoites in brain tissue of intra-nasally vaccinated mice showed that immunization with recNcPDI resulted in significantly decreased numbers of live parasites. These data show that, besides the nature of the antigen, the protective effect of vaccination also depends largely on the route of antigen delivery. In the case of recNcPDI, the intra-nasal route provides a platform to generate a highly protective immune response.

Differential Expression with the Bioconductor Project

A basic, yet challenging task in the analysis of microarray gene expression data is the identification of changes in gene expression that are associated with particular biological conditions. We discuss different approaches to this task and illustrate how they can be applied using software from the Bioconductor Project. A central problem is the high dimensionality of gene expression space, which prohibits a comprehensive statistical analysis without focusing on particular aspects of the joint distribution of the genes expression levels. Possible strategies are to do univariate gene-by-gene analysis, and to perform data-driven nonspecific filtering of genes before the actual statistical analysis. However, more focused strategies that make use of biologically relevant knowledge are more likely to increase our understanding of the data.

A T42A Ran Mutation: Differential Interactions with Effectors and Regulators, and Defect in Nuclear Protein Import

Ran, the small, predominantly nuclear GTPase, has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes including cell cycle progression, nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of RNA and protein, nuclear structure, and DNA synthesis. It is not known whether Ran functions directly in each process or whether many of its roles may be secondary to a direct role in only one, for example, nuclear protein import. To identify biochemical links between Ran and its functional target(s), we have generated and examined the properties of a putative Ran effector mutation, T42A-Ran. T42A-Ran binds guanine nucleotides as well as wild-type Ran and responds as well as wild-type Ran to GTP or GDP exchange stimulated by the Ran-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, RCC1. T42A-Ran·GDP also retains the ability to bind p10/NTF2, a component of the nuclear import pathway. In contrast to wild-type Ran, T42A-Ran·GTP binds very weakly or not detectably to three proposed Ran effectors, Ran-binding protein 1 (RanBP1), Ran-binding protein 2 (RanBP2, a nucleoporin), and karyopherin β (a component of the nuclear protein import pathway), and is not stimulated to hydrolyze bound GTP by Ran GTPase-activating protein, RanGAP1. Also in contrast to wild-type Ran, T42A-Ran does not stimulate nuclear protein import in a digitonin permeabilized cell assay and also inhibits wild-type Ran function in this system. However, the T42A mutation does not block the docking of karyophilic substrates at the nuclear pore. These properties of T42A-Ran are consistent with its classification as an effector mutant and define the exposed region of Ran containing the mutation as a probable effector loop.

A treatise on the differential calculus; with numerous examples

Mode of access: Internet.

The principles of the differential calculus; with its application to curves and curve surfaces ...

Mode of access: Internet.

A treatise on differential equations, with a collection of examples arranged in classes, corresponding to the several divisions of the subject.

Mode of access: Internet.

A new system of variational inclusions with (H,eta)-monotone operators in Hilbert spaces

In this paper, we introduce and study a new system of variational inclusions involving (H, eta)-monotone operators in Hilbert space. Using the resolvent operator associated with (H, eta)monotone operators, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions for this new system of variational inclusions. We also construct a new algorithm for approximating the solution of this system and discuss the convergence of the sequence of iterates generated by the algorithm. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The General Differential Operators Generated by a Quasi-Differential Expressions with their Interior Singular Points

The general ordinary quasi-differential expression M of n-th order with complex coefficients and its formal adjoint M + are considered over a regoin (a, b) on the real line, −∞ ≤ a < b ≤ ∞, on which the operator may have a finite number of singular points. By considering M over various subintervals on which singularities occur only at the ends, restrictions of the maximal operator generated by M in L2|w (a, b) which are regularly solvable with respect to the minimal operators T0 (M ) and T0 (M + ). In addition to direct sums of regularly solvable operators defined on the separate subintervals, there are other regularly solvable restrications of the maximal operator which involve linking the various intervals together in interface like style.

Oscillation Theorems for Perturbed Second Order Nonlinear Differential Equations with Damping

Some oscillation criteria for solutions of a general perturbed second order ordinary differential equation with damping (r(t)x′ (t))′ + h(t)f (x)x′ (t) + ψ(t, x) = H(t, x(t), x′ (t)) with alternating coefficients are given. The results obtained improve and extend some existing results in the literature.

Integral Manifolds and Perturbations of the Nonlinear Part of Systems of Autonomous Differential Equations with Impulses at Fixed Moments

* This investigation was supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Science and Education under Grant MM-7.

Neural Network Based Optimal Control with Constraints

In the present paper the problems of the optimal control of systems when constraints are imposed on the control is considered. The optimality conditions are given in the form of Pontryagin’s maximum principle. The obtained piecewise linear function is approximated by using feedforward neural network. A numerical example is given.

Cauchy Problem for Differential Equation with Caputo Derivative

The paper is devoted to the study of the Cauchy problem for a nonlinear differential equation of complex order with the Caputo fractional derivative. The equivalence of this problem and a nonlinear Volterra integral equation in the space of continuously differentiable functions is established. On the basis of this result, the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the considered Cauchy problem is proved. The approximate-iterative method by Dzjadyk is used to obtain the approximate solution of this problem. Two numerical examples are given.

Monte Carlo Random Walk Simulations Based on Distributed Order Differential Equations with Applications to Cell Biology

Mathematics Subject Classification: 65C05, 60G50, 39A10, 92C37

Nonexistence Results of Solutions of Semilinear Differential Inequalities with Temperal Fractional Derivative on the Heinsenberg Group

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33, 33C60, 44A15, 35K55