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G-1 also impairs gallbladder emptying, leading to sluggish gallbladder motility and promoting the development of biliary sludge in the early stage of gallstone formation. The prevalence rates of gallstones were 80% in wild-type and ERα (-/-) mice treated with G-1 compared to 10% in wild-type mice receiving no G-1. However, no gallstones were formed in GPR30 (-/-) mice even treated with G-1. We conclude that GPR30 produces additional lithogenic actions, working independently of ERα, to increase susceptible to gallstone formation in female mice. Both GPR30 and ERα are potential therapeutic targets for cholesterol gallstone disease, particularly in women and patients exposed to high levels of estrogen. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The purpose of this review is to present an overview of the development of photodiagnostic and photodynamic therapy (PDD and PDT) techniques in Poland. The paper discusses the principles of PDD, including fluorescent techniques in determining precancerous conditions and cancers of the skin, digestive tract, bladder, and respiratory tract. Methods of PDT of cancer will be discussed and the current state of knowledge as well as future trends in the development of photodynamic techniques will be presented, including the possibility of using photodynamic antimicrobial therapy. Research pioneers in photodynamic medicine such as Thomas Dougherty are an inspiration for the development of methods of PDD and PDT in our Clinic. The Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy in Bytom, Poland promotes the propagation of PDD and PDT through the training of clinicians and raising awareness among students in training and the general public. Physicians at the Center are engaged in photomedical research aimed at clinical implementation and exploration of new avenues in photomedicine while optimizing existing modalities. The Center promotes dissemination of clinical results from a wide range of topics in PDD and PDT and serving as representative authorities of photodynamic medicine in Poland and Europe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.We quantified both proliferative (Ki-67 immunohistochemistry) and immature (doublecortin immunohistochemistry) cells within the dentate gyrus of adult Egyptian fruit bats from three distinct environments (a) primary rainforest, (b) subtropical woodland, and (c) fifth-generation captive-bred. We used four different previously reported methods to assess the effect of the environment on proliferative and immature cells (a) the comparison of raw totals of proliferative and immature cells; (b) these totals standardized to brain mass; (c) these totals expressed as a density using the volume of the granular cell layer (GCLv) for standardization; and (d) these totals expressed as a percentage of the total number of granule cells. For all methods, the numbers of proliferative cells did not differ statistically among the three groups, indicating that the rate of proliferation, while malleable to experimental manipulation or transiently in response to events of importance in the natural habitat, appears to occur, for the most part, at a predetermined rate within a species. For the immature cells, raw numbers and standardizations to brain mass and GCLv revealed no difference between the three groups studied; however, standardization to total granule cell numbers indicated that the two groups of wild-caught bats had significantly higher numbers of immature neurons than the captive-bred bats. These contrasting results indicate that the interpretation of the effect of the environment on the numbers of immature neurons appears method dependent. It is possible that current methods are not sensitive enough to reveal the effect of different environments on proliferative and immature cells. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Species richness and productivity are correlated at global and regional scales, but the mechanisms linking them are inconclusive. The most commonly invoked mechanism, the more-individuals hypothesis (MIH), hypothesizes that increased productivity leads to increased food resource availability which leads to an increased number of individuals supporting more species. Empirical evidence for the MIH remains mixed despite a substantial literature. Here we used simulations to determine whether inter-annual population variability could be masking a 'true' MIH relationship. In each simulation, fixed linear relationships between productivity, richness, and 50-year average abundance mimicked the MIH mechanism. Abundance was allowed to vary annually and sampled for 1-40 years. Linear regressions of richness on sampled abundance assessed the probability of detecting the fixed MIH relationship. Medium to high population variability with short-term sampling (1-3 years) led to poor detection of the fixed MIH relationship. Notably, this level of sampling and population variability describes nearly all MIH studies to date. Long-term sampling (5+ years) led to improved detection of the fixed relationship, thus it is necessary to reliably detect support for the MIH. Such sampling duration is non-existent in the MIH literature. Robust future studies of the MIH necessitate consideration of inter-annual population variability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Single borehole dilution tests (SBDTs) are an inexpensive but effective technique for hydrogeological characterization of hard-rock aquifers. We present a freely available, easy-to-use, open-source Python package, DISOLV, for plotting, analyzing, and modelling SBDT data. DISOLV can significantly reduce the time spent interpreting field data by helping to identify flowing fractures intersecting the borehole and estimate the corresponding flow rates. DISOLV is successfully benchmarked against two analytical solutions. We also present an example application to real data collected in a borehole in a crystalline basement aquifer in southern India. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Population monitoring data may originate from multiple methods and is often sparse and fraught with incomplete information due to practical and economic constraints. Models that can integrate multiple survey methods and are able to cope with incomplete data may help investigators exploit available information more thoroughly. Here, we developed an integrated spatial capture-recapture (SCR) model to incorporate multiple data sources with imperfect individual identification. We contrast inferences drawn from this model with alternate models incorporating only subsets of the data available. Using extensive simulations and an empirical example of multi-method brown bear (Ursus arctos) monitoring data from northern Pakistan, we quantified the benefits of including multiple sources of information in SCR models in terms of parameter precision and bias. Our multiple observation processes SCR model (MOP) yielded a more complete picture of the underlying processes, reduced bias, and led to more precise parameter estimates. Our results suggest that the greatest gains from integrated SCR models can be expected in situations where detection probability is low, a large proportion of detections is not attributable to individuals, and the degree of overlap between individual home ranges is low. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Plants are continuously exposed to diurnal fluctuations in light and temperature, and spontaneous changes in their physical or biotic environment. The circadian clock coordinates regulation of gene expression with a 24-hour period, enabling the anticipation of these events. We used RNA sequencing to characterize the Brachypodium distachyon transcriptome under light and temperature cycles, as well as under constant conditions. Approximately 3% of the transcriptome was regulated by the circadian clock, a smaller proportion reported in most other species. For most transcripts that were rhythmic under all conditions, including many known clock genes, the period of gene expression lengthened from 24 to 27 h in the absence of external cues. To functionally characterize the cyclic transcriptome in B. distachyon, we used Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, and found several terms significantly associated with peak expression at particular times of the day. Furthermore we identified sequence motifs enriched in the promoters of similarly-phased genes, some potentially associated with transcription factors. When considering the overlap in rhythmic gene expression and specific pathway behavior, thermocycles was the prevailing cue that controlled diurnal gene regulation. Taken together, our characterization of the rhythmic B. distachyon transcriptome represents a foundational resource with implications in other grass species. Cyclopamine purchase This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.KEY POINTS Reciprocally connected GABAergic external globus pallidus (GPe) and glutamatergic subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons form a key network within the basal ganglia. In Parkinson's disease and its models, abnormal rates and patterns of GPe-STN network activity are linked to motor dysfunction. Using cell class-specific optogenetic identification and inhibition during cortical slow-wave activity and activation, we report that in dopamine-depleted mice 1) D2 dopamine receptor expressing striatal projection neurons (D2-SPNs) discharge at higher rates, especially during cortical activation 2) prototypic parvalbumin-expressing GPe neurons are excessively patterned by D2-SPNs even though their autonomous activity is upregulated 3) despite being disinhibited, STN neurons are not hyperactive 4) STN activity opposes striatopallidal patterning. These data argue that in parkinsonian mice, abnormal, temporally offset prototypic GPe and STN neuron firing results in part from increased striatopallidal transmission andons. We found that in dopamine-depleted mice 1) the firing rate of D2-SPNs was elevated, especially during cortical ACT 2) abnormal phasic suppression of PV GPe neuron activity was ameliorated by optogenetic inhibition of coincident D2-SPN activity 3) autonomous PV GPe neuron firing ex vivo was upregulated, presumably through homeostatic mechanisms 4) STN neurons were not hyperactive, despite being disinhibited 5) optogenetic inhibition of the STN exacerbated abnormal GPe activity 6) exaggerated beta band activity was not present in the cortex or GPe-STN network. Together with recent studies, these data suggest that in dopamine-depleted mice, abnormally correlated and temporally offset PV GPe and STN neuron activity is generated in part by elevated striatopallidal transmission, while compensatory plasticity prevents STN hyperactivity and limits cortical entrainment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fermentation efficiency of freeze-dried immobilized kefir culture on natural supports (apple pieces, delignified cellulosic material) in cider making at various temperatures (5-45 °C) in comparison with freeze-dried free cells. Freeze-dried cells were initially tested in apple juice fermentations at 30 °C, and then the freeze-dried cultures produced with no cryoprotectants were assessed in repeated batch fermentations. RESULTS Repeated batch fermentations lasted for longer than 5 months. High malic acid conversion rates (up to 78.5%) and ethanol productivity values (up to 37.9 g L-1 day-1 ) were recorded for freeze-dried immobilized cells. Polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis showed that freeze-drying had no effect on the microbial diversity of kefir culture. Higher alcohols were significantly reduced at low fermentation temperatures. Application of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that both the fermentation temperature and the nature of the freeze-dried kefir culture affected significantly the minor volatiles determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).