Search results for "Vectors"
showing 10 items of 601 documents
Phylogeography and genetic variation of Triatoma dimidiata, the main Chagas disease vector in Central America, and its position within the genus Tria…
2008
Background Among Chagas disease triatomine vectors, the largest genus, Triatoma, includes species of high public health interest. Triatoma dimidiata, the main vector throughout Central America and up to Ecuador, presents extensive phenotypic, genotypic, and behavioral diversity in sylvatic, peridomestic and domestic habitats, and non-domiciliated populations acting as reinfestation sources. DNA sequence analyses, phylogenetic reconstruction methods, and genetic variation approaches are combined to investigate the haplotype profiling, genetic polymorphism, phylogeography, and evolutionary trends of T. dimidiata and its closest relatives within Triatoma. This is the largest interpopulational …
Pilot study on the combination of an organophosphate-based insecticide paint and pyrethroid-treated long lasting nets against pyrethroid resistant ma…
2015
International audience; A pilot study to test the efficacy of combining an organophosphate-based insecticide paint and pyrethroid-treated Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) against pyrethroid-resistant malaria vector mosquitoes was performed in a real village setting in Burkina Faso. Paint Inesfly 5A IGR™, comprised of two organophosphates (OPs) and an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR), was tested in combination with pyrethroid-treated LLINs. Efficacy was assessed in terms of mortality for 12 months using Early Morning Collections of malaria vectors and 30-minute WHO bioassays. Resistance to pyrethroids and OPs was assessed by detecting the frequency of L1014F and L1014S kdr mutation…
A family of complex potentials with real spectrum
1999
We consider a two-parameter non-Hermitian quantum mechanical Hamiltonian operator that is invariant under the combined effects of parity and time reversal transformations. Numerical investigation shows that for some values of the potential parameters the Hamiltonian operator supports real eigenvalues and localized eigenfunctions. In contrast with other parity times time reversal symmetric models which require special integration paths in the complex plane, our model is integrable along a line parallel to the real axis.
Pharmacodynamic approach to study the gene transfer process employing non-viral vectors
2000
Abstract In the present work we set out to apply pharmacodynamic concepts derived from dose–response curves (Potency and Efficacy) to characterize the gene transfer efficiency of a vector:DNA complex. We employed two widely used vectors, the cationic lipid DOTAP (N,N,N-trimethyl 1-2-3-bis (1-oxo-9-octa-decenyl)oxy-(Z,Z)-1-propanaminium methyl sulfate) and the cationic polymer PEI (polyethylenimine, 800 kDa) to transfect several constructions of the green fluorescent protein cDNA. The analysis of dose–response curves indicated that in all cases the goodness-of-fit was > 0.99. Potency is a measure that provides information on gene activity per amount of DNA. Efficacy is a measure of maximum g…
The inverse eigenvalue problem for a Hermitian reflexive matrix and the optimization problem
2016
The inverse eigenvalue problem and the associated optimal approximation problem for Hermitian reflexive matrices with respect to a normal {k+1}-potent matrix are considered. First, we study the existence of the solutions of the associated inverse eigenvalue problem and present an explicit form for them. Then, when such a solution exists, an expression for the solution to the corresponding optimal approximation problem is obtained.
Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from moose (Alces alces) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in southern Norway
2010
As part of a larger survey, ears from 18 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and 52 moose (Alces alces) shot in the 2 southernmost counties in Norway were collected and examined for Ixodes ricinus ticks. Seventy-two adult ticks, 595 nymphs, and 267 larvae from the roe deer, and 182 adult ticks, 433 nymphs, and 70 larvae from the moose were investigated for infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.). The results showed the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA in 2.9% of the nymphs collected from roe deer and in 4.4% of the nymphs and 6.0% of the adults collected from moose. The spirochetes were not detected in adult ticks from roe deer, or in larvae feeding on roe deer or moose. In comp…
Hypothalamic CB1 cannabinoid receptors regulate energy balance in mice.
2012
Cannabinoid type 1 (CB(1)) receptor activation is generally considered a powerful orexigenic signal and inhibition of the endocannabinoid system is beneficial for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases. The hypothalamus plays a critical role in regulating energy balance by modulating both food intake and energy expenditure. Although CB(1) receptor signaling has been implicated in the modulation of both these mechanisms, a complete understanding of its role in the hypothalamus is still lacking. Here we combined a genetic approach with the use of adeno-associated viral vectors to delete the CB(1) receptor gene in the adult mouse hypothalamus and assessed the impact of such ma…
Classification of Spanish Mosquitoes in Functional Groups
2011
Abstract We present a classification of Spanish mosquitoes according to their different life cycles. The bio-ecological parameters analyzed in our study were oviposition sites, overwintering stages, preferred hosts, and number of generations per year for each species. The results revealed 13 different functional groups. To assess the validity and robustness of the classification system, we analyzed the data from an intensive sampling carried out over a period of 4 years (2005–08) in eastern Spain. In this area, 9 of the 13 functional groups were found. The Jaccard cluster and the principal components analysis (between-group analysis method) revealed 3 different mosquito groups: the tree hol…
Fast Decentralized Linear Functions via Successive Graph Shift Operators
2019
Decentralized signal processing performs learning tasks on data distributed over a multi-node network which can be represented by a graph. Implementing linear transformations emerges as a key task in a number of applications of decentralized signal processing. Recently, some decentralized methods have been proposed to accomplish that task by leveraging the notion of graph shift operator, which captures the local structure of the graph. However, existing approaches have some drawbacks such as considering special instances of linear transformations, or reducing the family of transformations by assuming that a shift matrix is given such that a subset of its eigenvectors spans the subspace of i…
Highly efficient liposome-mediated gene transfer of inducible nitric oxide synthase in vivo and in vitro in vascular smooth muscle cells.
2000
Objective: The efficient introduction of regulatory genes into vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is one of the most promising options for gene therapy of cardiovascular diseases. Cationic liposome-mediated gene transfer may become a favorable transfection technique with regard to patient’s safety for in vivo administration. However, this method until now has its limitation in a low transfection efficiency. Therefore, the present study was designed to improve cationic liposome-mediated transfection of rabbit vascular SMCs in vitro and in vivo, in order to enhance transfection efficiency and present an optimized system which may offer a potential therapeutic benefit for in vivo application.…