Comparative Studies on the Polymorphism and Copy Number Variation of mtSSU rDNA in Ciliates (Protista, Ciliophora): Implications for Phylogenetic, Environmental, and Ecological Research

While nuclear small subunit ribosomal DNA (nSSU rDNA) is the most commonly‐used gene marker in studying phylogeny, ecology, abundance, and biodiversity of microbial eukaryotes, mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA (mtSSU rDNA) provides an alternative. Recently, both copy number variation and sequence variation of nSSU rDNA have been demonstrated for diverse organisms, which can contribute to misinterpretation of microbiome data. Given this, we explore patterns for mtSSU rDNA among 13 selected ciliates (representing five classes), a major component of microbial eukaryotes, estimating copy number and sequence variation and comparing to that of nSSU rDNA. Our study reveals: (1) mtSSU rDNA copy number variation is substantially lower than that for nSSU rDNA; (2) mtSSU rDNA copy number ranges from 1.0 × 10 to 8.1 × 10 ; (3) a most common sequence of mtSSU rDNA is also found in each cell; (4) the sequence variation of mtSSU rDNA are mainly indels in poly A/T regions, and only half of species have sequence variation, which is fewer than that for nSSU rDNA; and (5) the polymorphisms between haplotypes of mtSSU rDNA would not influence the phylogenetic topology. Together, these data provide more insights into mtSSU rDNA as a powerful marker especially for microbial ecology studies. 4

Uncertainty-weighted Multi-tasking for T1ρT_{1\rho} and T2_2 Mapping in the Liver with Self-supervised Learning

Multi-parametric mapping of MRI relaxations in liver has the potential of revealing pathological information of the liver. A self-supervised learning based multi-parametric mapping method is proposed to map T$T_{1\rho}$ and T$_2$ simultaneously, by utilising the relaxation constraint in the learning process. Data noise of different mapping tasks is utilised to make the model uncertainty-aware, which adaptively weight different mapping tasks during learning. The method was examined on a dataset of 51 patients with non-alcoholic fatter liver disease. Results showed that the proposed method can produce comparable parametric maps to the traditional multi-contrast pixel wise fitting method, with a reduced number of images and less computation time. The uncertainty weighting also improves the model performance. It has the potential of accelerating MRI quantitative imaging

Revisiting Single Image Reflection Removal In the Wild

This research focuses on the issue of single-image reflection removal (SIRR) in real-world conditions, examining it from two angles: the collection pipeline of real reflection pairs and the perception of real reflection locations. We devise an advanced reflection collection pipeline that is highly adaptable to a wide range of real-world reflection scenarios and incurs reduced costs in collecting large-scale aligned reflection pairs. In the process, we develop a large-scale, high-quality reflection dataset named Reflection Removal in the Wild (RRW). RRW contains over 14,950 high-resolution real-world reflection pairs, a dataset forty-five times larger than its predecessors. Regarding perception of reflection locations, we identify that numerous virtual reflection objects visible in reflection images are not present in the corresponding ground-truth images. This observation, drawn from the aligned pairs, leads us to conceive the Maximum Reflection Filter (MaxRF). The MaxRF could accurately and explicitly characterize reflection locations from pairs of images. Building upon this, we design a reflection location-aware cascaded framework, specifically tailored for SIRR. Powered by these innovative techniques, our solution achieves superior performance than current leading methods across multiple real-world benchmarks. Codes and datasets will be publicly available

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation in the pediatric with rare diseases- experience from China’s first and the largest ovarian tissue cryobank

BackgroundThere is limited information about the efficacy of ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) in children. In the present study, we report eight patients with rare diseases who underwent OTC in China’s first and largest ovarian tissue cryobank.ProcedureData from girls with rare diseases who underwent OTC between September 2020 and November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. We also compared the number of cryopreserved cortex pieces, follicle number, and AMH in those with rare diseases and age-matched children with non-rare diseases who also underwent OTC in our cryobank.ResultsThe median age of the children was 5.88 ± 3.52 (range 2-13) years old. Unilateral oophorectomy was undertaken via laparoscopy in all of the children. The diseases in the 8 patients were: 4 mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS I two cases, IVA two cases), 1 Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), 1 Fanconi anemia (FA), 1 hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES), 1 Niemann-Pick disease. The number of cryopreserved cortex pieces was 17.13 ± 6.36, and the follicle count per 2 mm biopsy was 447.38 ± 524.35. No significant difference in age, the count of cryopreserved cortex pieces, follicle number per 2 mm biopsy, and AMH level was seen between the 20 children with non-rare diseases and those with rare diseases.ConclusionsThe reports help practitioners counsel girls with rare diseases about fertility preservation. The demand for OTC in pediatrics will likely grow as a standard of care

Synthesis of a new chromogenic reagent, 1-(<em>p</em>-azophenyl)-3-(2-thiazol) triazene, and its application to determination of zinc(II)

466-468Synthesis and characterization of a new chromogenic reagent, l-(p-azophenyl)-3-(2-thiazol)triazene(APTT), are described. The reagent has been used for spectrophotometric determination of zinc(II) APTT forms a red colored complex with zinc(II) in alkaline m dium in the presence of Triton X-l00. The optimum conditions for the colour reaction have been descried. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 9.6 X 104 1.moI-1 cm-1 at 545 nm. Beer's law is obeyed over the range 0 - 2 µg/25ml Zn(lI). lnterference due to several ions has been studied. The recommended method has been applied to the determination of zinc(II) in aluminum alloys

Synthesis of a new reagent 4-(2'-thiazolylazo)-6-formyl-resorcinol and spectrophotometric determination of lead (II) in waste water

1009-1010Synthesis and characteristics of a new chromogenic reagent, 4-(2'-thiazolylazo )-6-formyl-resorcinol (TAFR) has been reported. The optimum conditions for spectrophotometric determination of lead (II) using TAFR is present. At pH 7.5-8.0, TAFR forms a 1: 1 red complex with lead (II) with molar absorptivity 1.62 x 104 I mol-1 cm-1 at 565 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0-8 µg/25 ml Pb (II). The method has been applied for the direct determination of lead (II) in water samples

Synthesis of polyvinyl alcohol condensed 2,4-dihydroxy-5-antipyrinylazo phenylaldehyde and liquid-solid extraction of cadmium(II), copper(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II)

1115-1118A polymeric chromogenic reagent, polyvinyl alcohol condensed 2,4-dihydroxy-5-antipyrinylazo phenylaldehyde (PV•DHAPA), has been synthesized for the first time by condensing 2,4-dihydroxy-5-antipyrinylazophenylaldehyde with polyvinyl alcohol. PV•DHAPA has been used to study the liquid-solid extraction behaviour of the complexes of cadmium(Il), copper(Il), cobalt(Il) and nickel(II) in water soluble polymer Tween 80- inorganic salt-water system under different experimental conditions

BMSCs Promote Differentiation of Enteric Neural Precursor Cells to Maintain Neuronal Homeostasis in Mice With Enteric Nerve InjurySummary

Background &amp; Aims: Our previous study showed that transplantation of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) promoted functional enteric nerve regeneration in denervated mice but not through direct transdifferentiation. Homeostasis of the adult enteric nervous system (ENS) is maintained by enteric neural precursor cells (ENPCs). Whether ENPCs are a source of regenerated nerves in denervated mice remains unknown. Methods: Genetically engineered mice were used as recipients, and ENPCs were traced during enteric nerve regeneration. The mice were treated with benzalkonium chloride to establish a denervation model and then transplanted with BMSCs 3 days later. After 28 days, the gastric motility and ENS regeneration were analyzed. The interaction between BMSCs and ENPCs in vitro was further assessed. Results: Twenty-eight days after transplantation, gastric motility recovery (gastric emptying capacity, P < .01; gastric contractility, P < .01) and ENS regeneration (neurons, P < .01; glial cells, P < .001) were promoted in BMSCs transplantation groups compared with non-transplanted groups in denervated mice. More importantly, we found that ENPCs could differentiate into enteric neurons and glial cells in denervated mice after BMSCs transplantation, and the proportion of Nestin+/Ngfr+ cells differentiated into neurons was significantly higher than that of Nestin+ cells. A small number of BMSCs located in the myenteric plexus differentiated into glial cells. In vitro, glial cell–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) from BMSCs promotes the migration, proliferation, and differentiation of ENPCs. Conclusions: In the case of enteric nerve injury, ENPCs can differentiate into enteric neurons and glial cells to promote ENS repair and gastric motility recovery after BMSCs transplantation. BMSCs expressing GDNF enhance the migration, proliferation, and differentiation of ENPCs