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The reason for poor semen quality among the breeding bulls is not well understood. In the present study, we performed high-throughput RNAseq analysis of spermatozoa to identify the SNPs present in good and poor-quality semen-producing Holstein Friesian breeding bulls. A total of 21,360 and 44,650 SNPs were identified in good and poor-quality semen with a minimum read depth of 20, among which 4780 and 8710 novel variants were observed in good and poor-quality semen, respectively. Greater SNPs and indels variations were observed in poor compared to good-quality semen. In poor-quality semen, SNP variations were observed in ZNF280B, SLC26A2, DMXL1, OR52A1, MACROD2 and REV1 genes, which are associated with regulation of spermatogenesis, post-testicular maturation, Cl

Background While many developmentally relevant enhancers act in a modular fashion, there is growing evidence for nonadditive interactions between distinct cis-regulatory enhancers. We investigated if nonautonomous enhancer interactions underlie transcription regulation of the Drosophila segment polarity gene, wingless. Results We identified two wg enhancers active at the blastoderm stage: wg 3613u, located from -3.6 to -1.3 kb upstream of the wg transcription start site (TSS) and 3046d, located in intron two of the wg gene, from 3.0 to 4.6 kb downstream of the TSS. Genetic experiments confirm that Even Skipped (Eve), Fushi-tarazu (Ftz), Runt, Odd-paired (Opa), Odd-skipped (Odd), and Paired (Prd) contribute to spatially regulated wg expression. Interestingly, there are enhancer specific differences in response to the gain or loss of function of pair-rule gene activity. Although each element recapitulates aspects of wg expression, a composite reporter containing both enhancers more faithfully recapitulates wg regulation than would be predicted from the sum of their individual responses. Conclusion These results suggest that the regulation of wg by pair-rule genes involves nonadditive interactions between distinct cis-regulatory enhancers.

Stereotacic radiosurgery; brain metastases; health disparities; safety net hospital; follow-up care

COVID‐19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), which infects host cells by binding its viral spike protein receptor‐binding domain (RBD) to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host cells. Blocking the SARS‐CoV‐2‐RBD/ACE2 interaction is, therefore, a potential strategy to inhibit viral infections. Using a novel biopanning strategy, a small anti‐ACE2 peptide is discovered, which shows high affinity and specificity to human ACE2. It blocks not only the SARS‐CoV‐2‐RBD/ACE2 interaction but also the SARS‐CoV‐1‐RBD/ACE2 interaction. Moreover, it inhibits SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in Vero‐E6 cells. The peptide shows negligible cytotoxicity in Vero‐E6 cells and Huh7 cells. In vivo short‐term lung toxicity study also demonstrates a good safety of the peptide after intratracheal administration. The anti‐ACE2 peptide can be potentially used as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for SARS‐CoV‐2 or other ACE2‐mediated viruses. The strategy used in this study also provides a fast‐track platform to discover other antiviral peptides, which will prepare the world for future pandemics., Peptide therapeutics is gaining increased interest in recent years due to its high selectivity, efficacy, and tolerability. Small anti‐ACE2 peptides that can effectively block the SARS‐CoV‐2‐RBD/ACE2 interaction are discovered using peptide phage biopanning. These peptides show high affinity and specificity toward human ACE2 and are capable of inhibiting the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. This strategy can be used as a fast‐track platform to discover other antiviral peptides.

Earthquake source inversions based on space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR) are used extensively. Typically, however, only the line-of-sight (LoS) surface displacement component is measured, which is mainly sensitive to the vertical and E–W deformations, although well-established methods also exist to estimate the flight-path component, which is highly sensitive to the N–S displacement. With high-resolution sensors, these techniques are particularly appealing, because accuracies in the order of 3 cm can be achieved, while retaining spatial resolutions between 45 m and a few km, depending on the required level of filtering. We discuss the application to COSMO-SkyMed SAR imagery of the Spectral Diversity or Multi Aperture Interferometry technique, presenting the first SAR flight-path displacement field associated with the Mw 6.3, 2009 L'Aquila event (central Apennines). Finally, we observe and characterize a previously unknown misregistration pattern.

Rhoptries are specialized secretory organelles characteristic of single cell organisms belonging to the clade Apicomplexa. These organelles play a key role in the invasion process of host cells by accumulating and subsequently secreting an unknown number of proteins mediating host cell entry. Despite their essential role, little is known about their biogenesis, components and targeting determinants. Here, we report on a conserved apicomplexan protein termed Armadillo Repeats-Only (ARO) protein that we localized to the cytosolic face of Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii rhoptries. We show that the first 20 N-terminal amino acids are sufficient for rhoptry membrane targeting. This protein relies on both - myristoylation and palmitoylation motifs - for membrane attachment. Although these lipid modifications are essential, they are not sufficient to direct ARO to the rhoptry membranes. Mutational analysis revealed additional residues within the first 20 amino acids of ARO that play an important role for rhoptry membrane attachment: the positively charged residues R9 and K14. Interestingly, the exchange of R9 with a negative charge entirely abolishes membrane attachment, whereas the exchange of K14 (and to a lesser extent K16) alters only its membrane specificity. Additionally, 17 proteins predicted to be myristoylated and palmitoylated in the first 20 N-terminal amino acids were identified in the genome of the malaria parasite. While most of the corresponding GFP fusion proteins were trafficked to the parasite plasma membrane, two were sorted to the apical organelles. Interestingly, these proteins have a similar motif identified for ARO.

We investigate the effects of laser field intensity over the ground state binding energy of light and heavy hole excitons confined in GaAs/Ga1−xAlx As cylindrical quantum wire. We have applied the variational method using 1s-hydrogenic wave functions, in the framework of the single band effective mass approximation with the spatial dielectric function. The polaronic effects are included in the calculation to compute the exciton binding energy as a function of the wire radius for different field of laser intensity. The valence-band anisotropy is included in our theoretical model by using different hole masses in different spatial directions. The dressed laser donor binding energies are calculated and compared with the results of binding energy of excitons. The results show that (i) the binding energy is found to increase with decrease with the wire radius, and decrease with increase with the value of laser field amplitude, (ii) the heavy-hole exciton in a cylindrical quantum wire is more strongly bound than the light-hole exciton, (iii) the values of ground state binding energy for the laser field amplitude α0 = 10 A resemble with the values of heavy hole exciton binding energy, and (iv) the binding energy of the impurity for the narrow well wire is more sensitive to the laser field amplitude. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011

This paper explores the impact of remuneration differences on workers in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. In these countries remunerative differences are linked to government policy (in Papua New Guinea) and job contracts (in the Solomon Islands), and have impacted on industrial relations in both settings (strike action). A total of N = 350 professionals (n = 60 expatriates) from 54 organizations in aid, government, higher education and industry (mean response rate = 36%) responded to an organizational survey form. Remuneration ratios between international and local respondents based on the World Bank's index of purchasing power parity approached 9:1. In both sites staff compared pay and benefits (remuneration) packages: Internationally remunerated staff rated their ability higher than their local counterparts did; locally remunerated groups reported more injustice in remuneration, were more demotivated by the gaps, and were more likely to be thinking about leaving the organization. In-country workshops of N = 40 largely local stakeholders from aid and community organizations plus government ministries considered the survey's findings and recommended: in Solomon Islands, (a) introducing a policy of localization, (b) establishing a remuneration commission (already existent in Papua New Guinea), and (c) reducing the remunerative gap; in Papua New Guinea, (d) reversing the post-Independence "dual pay system" (currently official policy), (e) instituting pay-for-performance, and (f) ensuring the existent localization policy is applied to recruitment, selection, and staff career planning and management.

The authors have completed structural and compositional analysis of Roman hydraulic concrete using large cores taken from a variety of maritime structures. In 2005 an 8 m 3 block of hydraulic, pozzolanic concrete was built in the sea at Brindisi (Italy), applying the materials and procedures specified by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Cores were taken at 6 months and 12 months after construction and subjected to the same analyses as the first-century BC cores from pilae associated with the Villa of the Domitii Ahenobarbi at Santa Liberata. Results show that a slight variation on the Vitruvian formula yields results closest to the Roman material, and that substantial curing requires 12 months.

In der Insomniebehandlung gibt es sowohl psychotherapeutische als auch medikamentose Behandlungsmoglichkeiten. Durch eine genaue Anamnese, Diagnostik und individuelle Abwagung der moglichen Risiken und Nebenwirkungen kann fur die meisten Patienten eine Beschwerdelinderung erbracht bzw. das richtige “Schlafmittel” gefunden werden. Der Einsatz sedierender Antidepressiva in der Insomniebehandlung nimmt stetig zu. Allerdings ist der Einsatz von TZA als Schlafmittel und insbesondere der von Amitriptylin mittlerweile auch als kritisch zu bewerten, da Substanzen mit kurzerer Halbwertszeit wie Trazodon in der Depressionsbehandlung und neuere Substanzen mit vermeintlich geringeren Nebenwirkungen wie Mirtazapin oder Benzodiazepin-Agonisten zur Verfugung stehen. Trotzdem stellen TZA bei guter Vertraglichkeit oder bei begleitenden affektiven Erkrankungen weiterhin eine auserst effiziente und erfolgreiche Therapieoption ohne Risiko einer Toleranzentwicklung dar. Die medikamentose Insomniebehandlung im Alter scheint sowohl mit TZA als auch mit Benzodiazepin-Agonisten schwierig. Alternative Methoden wie Lichttherapie zur Tag-Nacht-Strukturierung oder der Einsatz von Neuroleptika gewinnen in dieser Altersgruppe zunehmend an Bedeutung. Letztlich muss in weiteren Studien die Langzeiteffektivitat und Sicherheit sedierender Antidepressiva bzw. TZA gegenuber Benzodiazepin-Agonisten, konservativer psychotherapeutischer und alternativer medikamentoser Behandlungen uberpruft werden.