Asymmetric long period fiber gratings fabricated by use of CO₂laser to carve periodic grooves on the optical fiber

Author name used in this publication: Peng, Gang-DingAuthor name used in this publication: Wang, Yi-Ping2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Synthesis, Anticonvulsant Activity and In silco Studies of Schiff Bases of 2-Aminothiophenes via Guanidine- Catalyzed Gewald Reaction

Purpose: To synthesize Schiff bases of 2-aminothiophenes and evaluate their anticonvulsant activity and in silco propertiesMethods: 2-Amino-N-o-tolyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-cylcopenta[b]thiophene-3-carboxamide was synthesized using 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine lactate as a basic catalyst and by microwave irradiation. 2- substitued-o-tolyl-5,6-dihyro-4H-cylcopenta[b]thiophene-3-carboxamide was prepared by reacting with different substituted aromatic aldehydes. The synthesized compounds were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) while their anticonvulsant activity was screened against maximum electroshockinduced seizure (MES), and pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure (PTZ) against phenytoin and diazepam as reference standards. Molecular docking (in silico) studies were performed using 4-aminobutyrateaminotransferase in order to predict possible protein-ligand interactions.Results: Among the 21 synthesized compounds, 2b, 2d, 2f, 2k, 2m, 2n and 2o showed good to moderate activity against MES and PTZ-induced convulsions. Compounds 2b, 2d, 2f, 2k and 2m exhibited lower activity against PTZ than against MES model while compounds 2n and 2o afforded greater protection against PTZ than against MES model. In silico results also revealed maximum binding affinity to GABA-AT protein which was higher than other compoundsConclusion: The synthesized compounds showed potent anticonvulsant activity. Molecular docking results should give an insight into how further modification of lead compound can be carried out for higher inhibitory activity.Keywords: Ionic liquid, 2-Aminothiophenes, Anticonvulsant, In silco studies, Molecular docking

Generalized Mittag-Leffler Distributions and Processes for Applications in Astrophysics and Time Series Modeling

Geometric generalized Mittag-Leffler distributions having the Laplace transform $\frac{1}{1+\beta\log(1+t^\alpha)},00$ is introduced and its properties are discussed. Autoregressive processes with Mittag-Leffler and geometric generalized Mittag-Leffler marginal distributions are developed. Haubold and Mathai (2000) derived a closed form representation of the fractional kinetic equation and thermonuclear function in terms of Mittag-Leffler function. Saxena et al (2002, 2004a,b) extended the result and derived the solutions of a number of fractional kinetic equations in terms of generalized Mittag-Leffler functions. These results are useful in explaining various fundamental laws of physics. Here we develop first-order autoregressive time series models and the properties are explored. The results have applications in various areas like astrophysics, space sciences, meteorology, financial modeling and reliability modeling.Comment: 12 pages, LaTe

Relationship between climatic conditions and the relative abundance of modern C<inf>3</inf> and C<inf>4</inf> plants in three regions around the North Pacific

Using -24‰ and -14‰ as the endpoints of stable carbon isotopic composition of total organic carbon (δ13CTOC) of surface soil under pure C3 and C4 vegetation, and surface soil δ13CTOC data from eastern China, Australia and the Great Plains of North America, we estimate the relative abundance of C3/C4 plants (i. e., the ratio of C3 or C4 biomass to local primary production) in modern vegetation for each region. The relative abundance of modern C3/C4 vegetation from each region is compared to the corresponding climatic parameters (mean annual temperature and precipitation) to explore the relationship between relative C4 abundance and climate. The results indicate that temperature controls the growth of C4 plants. However, even where temperature is high enough for the growth of C4 plants, they will only dominate the landscape when precipitation declines as temperatures increase. Our results are consistent with those of other investigations of the geographic distribution of modern C4 plant species. Therefore, our results provide an important reference for interpretation of past C3/C4 relative abundance records in these three regions. © 2010 Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

ABCD Neurocognitive Prediction Challenge 2019: Predicting individual fluid intelligence scores from structural MRI using probabilistic segmentation and kernel ridge regression

We applied several regression and deep learning methods to predict fluid intelligence scores from T1-weighted MRI scans as part of the ABCD Neurocognitive Prediction Challenge (ABCD-NP-Challenge) 2019. We used voxel intensities and probabilistic tissue-type labels derived from these as features to train the models. The best predictive performance (lowest mean-squared error) came from Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR; $\lambda=10$), which produced a mean-squared error of 69.7204 on the validation set and 92.1298 on the test set. This placed our group in the fifth position on the validation leader board and first place on the final (test) leader board.Comment: Winning entry in the ABCD Neurocognitive Prediction Challenge at MICCAI 2019. 7 pages plus references, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Sodium-based paracetamol: impact on blood pressure, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality

Background Effervescent formulations of paracetamol containing sodium bicarbonate have been reported to associate with increased and Aims blood pressure and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Given the major implications of these findings, the reported associations were re-examined. Methods Using linked electronic health records data, a cohort of 475 442 UK individuals with at least one prescription of paracetamol, aged between 60 and 90 years, was identified. Outcomes in patients taking sodium-based paracetamol were compared with those taking non–sodium-based formulations of the same. Using a deep learning approach, associations with systolic blood pressure (SBP), major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke), and all-cause mortality within 1 year after baseline were investigated. Results A total of 460 980 and 14 462 patients were identified for the non–sodium-based and sodium-based paracetamol exposure groups, respectively (mean age: 74 years; 64% women). Analysis revealed no difference in SBP [mean difference −0.04 mmHg (95% confidence interval −0.51, 0.43)] and no association with major cardiovascular events [relative risk (RR) 1.03 (0.91, 1.16)]. Sodium-based paracetamol showed a positive association with all-cause mortality [RR 1.46 (1.40, 1.52)]. However, after further accounting of other sources of residual confounding, the observed association attenuated towards the null [RR 1.08 (1.01, 1.16)]. Exploratory analyses revealed dysphagia and related conditions as major sources of uncontrolled confounding by indication for this association. Conclusions This study does not support previous suggestions of increased SBP and an elevated risk of cardiovascular events from short-term use of sodium bicarbonate paracetamol in routine clinical practice

Sodium-based paracetamol: impact on blood pressure, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality

\ua9 The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Effervescent formulations of paracetamol containing sodium bicarbonate have been reported to associate with increased blood pressure and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Given the major implications of these findings, the reported associations were re-examined. METHODS: Using linked electronic health records data, a cohort of 475 442 UK individuals with at least one prescription of paracetamol, aged between 60 and 90 years, was identified. Outcomes in patients taking sodium-based paracetamol were compared with those taking non-sodium-based formulations of the same. Using a deep learning approach, associations with systolic blood pressure (SBP), major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke), and all-cause mortality within 1 year after baseline were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 460 980 and 14 462 patients were identified for the non-sodium-based and sodium-based paracetamol exposure groups, respectively (mean age: 74 years; 64% women). Analysis revealed no difference in SBP [mean difference -0.04 mmHg (95% confidence interval -0.51, 0.43)] and no association with major cardiovascular events [relative risk (RR) 1.03 (0.91, 1.16)]. Sodium-based paracetamol showed a positive association with all-cause mortality [RR 1.46 (1.40, 1.52)]. However, after further accounting of other sources of residual confounding, the observed association attenuated towards the null [RR 1.08 (1.01, 1.16)]. Exploratory analyses revealed dysphagia and related conditions as major sources of uncontrolled confounding by indication for this association. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support previous suggestions of increased SBP and an elevated risk of cardiovascular events from short-term use of sodium bicarbonate paracetamol in routine clinical practice

K30, H150, and H168 Are Essential Residues for Coordinating Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate of O-Acetylserine Sulfhydrylase from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS) is a key enzyme involved in the pathway of the cysteine biosynthesis. The gene of OASS from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, the soluble protein was purified by one-step affinity chromatography to apparent homogeneity. Colors and UV–vis scanning results of the recombinant protein confirmed that it was a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-containing protein. Sequence alignment and site-directed mutation of the enzyme revealed that the cofactor PLP is covalently bound in Schiff base linkage with K30, as well as the two residues H150 and H168 were the crucial residues for PLP binding and stabilization

Superpulsed low-level laser therapy protects skeletal muscle of mdx mice against damage, inflammation and morphological changes delaying dystrophy progression.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of preventive treatment with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on progression of dystrophy in mdx mice. Methods: Ten animals were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups treated with superpulsed LLLT (904 nm, 15 mW, 700 Hz, 1 J) or placebo-LLLT at one point overlying the tibialis anterior muscle (bilaterally) 5 times per week for 14 weeks (from 6th to 20th week of age). Morphological changes, creatine kinase (CK) activity and mRNA gene expression were assessed in animals at 20th week of age. Results: Animals treated with LLLT showed very few morphological changes in skeletal muscle, with less atrophy and fibrosis than animals treated with placebo-LLLT. CK was significantly lower (p = 0.0203) in animals treated with LLLT (864.70 U.l−1, SEM 226.10) than placebo (1708.00 U.l−1, SEM 184.60). mRNA gene expression of inflammatory markers was significantly decreased by treatment with LLLT (p<0.05): TNF-α (placebo-control = 0.51 µg/µl [SEM 0.12], - LLLT = 0.048 µg/µl [SEM 0.01]), IL-1β (placebo-control = 2.292 µg/µl [SEM 0.74], - LLLT = 0.12 µg/µl [SEM 0.03]), IL-6 (placebo-control = 3.946 µg/µl [SEM 0.98], - LLLT = 0.854 µg/µl [SEM 0.33]), IL-10 (placebo-control = 1.116 µg/µl [SEM 0.22], - LLLT = 0.352 µg/µl [SEM 0.15]), and COX-2 (placebo-control = 4.984 µg/µl [SEM 1.18], LLLT = 1.470 µg/µl [SEM 0.73]). Conclusion: Irradiation of superpulsed LLLT on successive days five times per week for 14 weeks decreased morphological changes, skeletal muscle damage and inflammation in mdx mice. This indicates that LLLT has potential to decrease progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy