Prickle1 is required for EMT and migration of zebrafish cranial neural crest

The neural crest—a key innovation of the vertebrates—gives rise to diverse cell types including melanocytes, neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system, and chondrocytes of the jaw and skull. Proper development of the cephalic region is dependent on the tightly-regulated specification and migration of cranial neural crest cells (NCCs). The core PCP proteins Frizzled and Disheveled have previously been implicated in NCC migration. Here we investigate the functions of the core PCP proteins Prickle1a and Prickle1b in zebrafish cranial NCC development. Using analysis of pk1a and pk1b mutant embryos, we uncover similar roles for both genes in facilitating cranial NCC migration. Disruption of either gene causes pre-migratory NCCs to cluster together at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, where they adopt aberrant polarity and movement. Critically, in investigating Pk1-deficient cells that fail to migrate ventrolaterally, we have also uncovered roles for pk1a and pk1b in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pre-migratory NCCs that precedes their collective migration to the periphery. Normally, during EMT, pre-migratory NCCs transition from a neuroepithelial to a bleb-based and subsequently, mesenchymal morphology capable of directed migration. When either Pk1a or Pk1b is disrupted, NCCs continue to perform blebbing behaviors characteristic of pre-migratory cells over extended time periods, indicating a block in a key transition during EMT. Although some Pk1-deficient NCCs transition successfully to mesenchymal, migratory morphologies, they fail to separate from neighboring NCCs. Additionally, Pk1b-deficient NCCs show elevated levels of E-Cadherin and reduced levels of N-Cadherin, suggesting that Prickle1 molecules regulate Cadherin levels to ensure the completion of EMT and the commencement of cranial NCC migration. We conclude that Pk1 plays crucial roles in cranial NCCs both during EMT and migration. These roles are dependent on the regulation of E-Cad and N-Cad

Pengukuran Kinerja Bank Umum Syariah di Indonesia dengan Menggunakan Islamicity Performance Index dan Maqashid Sharia Index

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: 1.) Berdasarkan islamicity performance index, BNI Syariah dan BRI Syariah tergolong memiliki kinerja kurang baik, sedangkan Bank Mandiri Syariah dan Bank Panin Dubai Syariah, Bank Muamalat Indonesia dan BCA Syariah memiliki kinerja cukup baik; 2.) Berdasarkan maqaashid sharia index, Bank BNI Syariah, BRI Syariah, Bank Mandiri Syariah dan Bank Panin Dubai Syariah memiliki kinerja yang kurang baik, sementara Bank Muamalat Indonesia dan BCA Syariah memiliki kinerja yang tergolong cukup baik; 3.) Berdasarkan islamicity performance index dan maqashid sharia index, BNI Syariah, BRI Syariah, Bank Mandiri Syariah dan Bank Panin Dubai Syariah memiliki kinerja yang kurang baik, sementara Bank Muamalat Indonesia dan BCA Syariah memiliki kinerja yang tergolong cukup baik

Analisis Metode Ijtihad Hukum Imam Al-Syafi’i: Dinamika Pengembangan Qiyas dan Implementasinya dalam Al-Sharf

Islam merupakan agama yang sempurna, kesempurnaannya tidak hanya dari aspek kepercayaan (aqidah) saja tetapi secara menyeluruh terkait hidup manusia yang sudah diatur dalam Alquran dan Al-Sunnah. Seiring perkembangan zaman, perilaku ekonomi manusia juga terus berkembang dan lebih kompleks, hal tersebut menuntut adanya hukum Islam yang universal dan mengikuti zaman, seperti madzhab al-Syafi’i yang terkenal dengan kitab Ar-Risalahnya dengan menetapkan sumber hukum berupa qiyas. Penelitian ini bertujuan menampilkan dinamika pengembangan qiyas dan implementasinya dalam bidang ekonomi khususnya pada transaksi al-Sharf. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kepustakaan dengan jenis data berupa data sekunder yang bersumber dari jurnal-jurnal dan buku-buku yang berkaitan dengan topik penelitian. Data-data yang telah diperoleh kemudian dianalisis. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan ada tiga tahap, yakni reduksi data, display data dan verifikasi data. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan adanya pengembangan qiyas mulai dari Imam al-Syafi’i hingga ke pengikutnya yang terus mengalami perubahan, serta pengimplementasian qiyas dalam sarf dipersamakan dengan pertukaran gandum dengan sejenis pada masa Rasulullah SAW yang dilakukan secara tunai dan sesuai rukun dan syarat. Hukum membolehkan praktik sharf memang bukan suatu hukum yang ditetapkan oleh imam al-Syafi’i. Hukum tersebut lahir dari para ulama Syafi’iyah dan jumhur ulama yang mengakui qiyas sebagai sumber hukum Islam, namun Imam al-Syafi’i sangat berperan penting dalam hal ini karena telah mengkodifikasi sumber hukum Islam

Formulation, characterization and wound-healing potential of emulgel and in-situ gel containing root extract of Saussurea lappa Clarke (Asteraceae)

Purpose: To investigate the wound-healing potential of herbal formulations (emulgels and in situ gels) containing Saussurea lappa root extract  (SLRE) via excision wound induction in albino rats. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the methanol extract of roots of Saussurea lappa (SLRE) was performed using standard  procedures. In vitro anti-inflammatory assay of SLRE was conducted using heat-induced hemolysis method at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Acute  toxicity of SLRE was also evaluated in mice at a single dose of 1000 mg/kg for 24 h. Emulgels and in situ gels were prepared using different concentrations of SLRE and assessed for their organoleptic and physical properties. In vitro drug release studies of the prepared formulations were carried out by Franz diffusion cell and the data fitted into various pharmacokinetic models. Wound healing was assessed using excision wound induction (380 mm2) on dorsal surface of male albino rats. Each formulation (F4, F5, F6, G1, G2 and G3) and pyodine gel (standard) were applied topically (0.5 g) for 20 days. Wound contraction was measured every fourth day. Results: SLRE showed 42.8 % inhibition in heat-induced hemolysis on erythrocyte membrane model, compared to aspirin (positive control).  Moreover, SLRE did not cause mortality in mice at the given doses. All the formulations were stable after one month stability check at 40 °C for emulgels and at 25 °C for in situ gels. All the formulations followed first order drug release pattern. In situ gel (G3) exhibited better wound healing (100 ± 0.0028) than emulgel (F6, 99 ± 0.004) containing 5 g extract and standard pyodine gel (91 ± 0.014, p <0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that in situ gel of SLRE exhibits significant wound healing in rats. Thus, the findings present a strategy for the formulation of gel products with better wound healing potentials. Keywords: Saussurea lappa, Wound healing, Emulgel, In situ gel, Herbal formulatio

The Roles of the Planar Cell Polarity Molecules Prickle1a and Prickle1b in Zebrafish Cranial Neural Crest

In this dissertation, I will discuss my investigation into the roles of two molecules, zebrafish Prickle1b and Prickle1a, part of a suite of proteins called Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) proteins, in the specific context of a multipotent stem cell population, the neural crest. Neural crest cells have been likened to metastatic cancer cells in how they invade regions of the developing embryo by traversing large distances and subsequently differentiating into many different cell types. PCP proteins are known to behave in a variety of different contexts in both Drosophila melanogaster and vertebrate model systems, and although two other PCP proteins have been investigated in the cranial sub-population of the migrating neural crest in vertebrates, this is the first investigation into the roles of the pk1 paralogous genes, or any PCP genes, broadly during neural crest development including well before crest cells begin their migration. I demonstrate that not only are zebrafish Pk1b and Pk1a required for cranial neural crest migration, they are additionally required in a process that precedes migration: an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that occurs in neural crest cells and many other cell types in both vertebrate and invertebrate developing embryos. EMT allows neuroepithelial cells within the developing neural tube to transition to cells that lie outside the neural tube and eventually migrate away to different locations in developing embryos. By showing that the zebrafish PCP Pk1 proteins regulate specific morphological transitions during EMT that are required for neural crest cells to migrate away from their initial location, as well as during migration itself, at least partly through the regulation of the levels of two members of the Cadherin-family of adhesion molecules, I demonstrate roles for the PCP Pk1 molecules broadly during neural crest development through a hitherto-unrecognized function of PCP signaling during the process of EMT

Dedolarisasi: Momentum Kebangkitan Dinar

Fenomena dedolarisasi memunculkan peluang mata uang negara lain menggantikan dolar AS sebagai mata uang global. Tentunya sistem ekonomi Islam juga berpeluang mengembalikan dinar (emas) sebagai alat tukar perdagangan internasional. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengamati peluang kebangkitan dinar ditengah fenomena dedolarisasi serta menyusun strategi penerapan dinar sebagai alat tukar perdagangan internasional yang sesuai aturan islam. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif dengan menggunakan data sekunder yang diperoleh dengan teknik studi literatur. Temuan pada penelitian ini memaparkan peluang dinar dalam menggantikan dolar AS ditunjukkan dengan beberapa keunggulan dinar dibandingkan dengan mata uang fiat (dalam hal ini dolar AS) serta didukung eksistensi Organisasi Kerjasama Islam. Penerapan dinar dalam hal ini hanya akan digunakan untuk pembayaran dalam transaksi perdagangan barang dan jasa internasional. Dinar tidak hadir dalam bentuk fisik, melainkan nilainya diukur berdasarkan harga emas. Pembayaran dilakukan dengan mentransfer ekuivalen emasnya ke bank kustodian yang telah disepakati. Dalam Islam hal ini diperbolehkan oleh beberapa ulama ekonom islam seperti Syaikh Ahmad al-Husaini, Syaikh Muhammad Amin al-Syantiq, Syaikh Salim binti Abdullah Samir dan Habib Abdullah binti Sumayth. Berdasarkan pandangan pembolehan tersebut maka OKI dapat menjalankan strategi dengan membuat peraturan terkait perdagangan internasional, membuat kesepakatan standar umum nilai dinar, serta membangun infrastruktur

A new species of the genus Platycleis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from the Western and Trans Himalayas, India

Jaiswara, Ranjana, Shah, Muzamil Syed, Ali, Ahsan, Usmani, Mohd Kamil (2022): A new species of the genus Platycleis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from the Western and Trans Himalayas, India. Zootaxa 5100 (1): 89-104, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5100.1.

Development and characterization of ceftriaxone in-situ gel-forming biodegradable parenteral depot system

Purpose: To design parenteral in-situ gel of ceftriaxone using poloxamer as a thermosensitive agent, Carbopol as a pH-sensitive polymer and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as a viscosity enhancer. Method: Lyophilized ceftriaxone was added in solution form to enhance its solubility and stability. Several formulations were designed using poloxamer (P 188, F 127 and P 407) and Carbopol (934P and 940) in varying concentrations, out of which an optimized formulation was chosen on the basis of its gelling capacity and respective transit time. Drug content uniformity, sterility and stability were studied. Drug-polymer and polymer-polymer interaction were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Characterization of optimized formulation was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In-vitro release profile was determined by a modified Franz diffusion method. Results: Optimized formulation Q2 was characterized for various physicochemical parameters and found to be stable. In-vitro release study showed first order release pattern. DSC thermograms revealed that the polymers were compatible with each other as no physicochemical interactions were observed. The results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Optimized formulation Q2 provided sustained release up to 10 days following first order release kinetics, and thus can be further developed for large-scale production

Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV

The measurement of the deuteron and anti-deuteron production in the rapidity range −1 < y < 0 as a function of transverse momentum and event multiplicity in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV is presented. (Anti-)deuterons are identified via their specific energy loss dE/dx and via their time-of- flight. Their production in p–Pb collisions is compared to pp and Pb–Pb collisions and is discussed within the context of thermal and coalescence models. The ratio of integrated yields of deuterons to protons (d/p) shows a significant increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity of the event starting from values similar to those observed in pp collisions at low multiplicities and approaching those observed in Pb–Pb collisions at high multiplicities. The mean transverse particle momenta are extracted from the deuteron spectra and the values are similar to those obtained for p and particles. Thus, deuteron spectra do not follow mass ordering. This behaviour is in contrast to the trend observed for non-composite particles in p–Pb collisions. In addition, the production of the rare 3He and 3He nuclei has been studied. The spectrum corresponding to all non-single diffractive p-Pb collisions is obtained in the rapidity window −1 < y < 0 and the pT-integrated yield dN/dy is extracted. It is found that the yields of protons, deuterons, and 3He, normalised by the spin degeneracy factor, follow an exponential decrease with mass number