The short and similar sized chromosomes of Acropora pose a challenge for karyotyping. Conventional methods, such as staining of heterochromatic regions, provide unclear banding patterns that hamper identification of such chromosomes. In this study, we used short single-sequence probes from tandemly repetitive 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and core histone coding sequences to identify specific chromosomes of Acropora pruinosa. Both the probes produced intense signals in fluorescence in situ hybridization, which distinguished chromosome pairs. The locus of the 5S rDNA probe was on chromosome 5, whereas that of core histone probe was on chromosome 8. The sequence of the 5S rDNA probe was composed largely of U1 and U2 spliceosomal small nuclear RNA (snRNA) genes and their interspacers, flanked by short sequences of the 5S rDNA. This is the first report of a tandemly repetitive linkage of snRNA and 5S rDNA sequences in Cnidaria. Based on the constructed tentative karyogram and whole genome hybridization, the longest chromosome pair (chromosome 1) was heteromorphic. The probes also hybridized effectively with chromosomes of other Acropora species and population, revealing an additional core histone gene locus. We demonstrated the applicability of short-sequence probes as chromosomal markers with potential for use across populations and species of Acropora.Sodium-glucose cotranspsorter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors (SGLT2i) involve loss of skeletal muscle mass, potentially leading to inadequate HbA1c reduction in type 2 diabetes (T2DM), since muscle mass is related to insulin sensitivity. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/pt2385.html The benefit of protein-enriched diet for improving HbA1c in SGLT2i-treated T2DM patients remains unclear. We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled, investigator-initiated clinical trial. 130 T2DM patients treated with dapagliflozin (5 mg) were randomized to isoenergic protein-rich formula diet (P-FD) or fat-rich FD (F-FD) (11 allocation) to replace one of three meals/day for 24 weeks. Primary outcome was change in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes were changes in serum insulin, body composition and other metabolic parameters. Although HbA1c decreased significantly in both groups [mean (95% confidence interval) - 0.7% (- 0.9 to - 0.5) in P-FD, - 0.6% (- 0.8 to - 0.5) in F-FD], change in HbA1c was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.4474). Fasting insulin and body fat mass decreased, while HDL-cholesterol increased significantly in P-FD, and these changes were significantly greater compared with F-FD (all, P  less then  0.05). In T2DM treated with dapagliflozin, protein-enriched diet does not contribute to HbA1c reduction, although it decreases serum insulin and body fat mass, and increases HDL-cholesterol compared with fat-enriched diet with identical calories and carbohydrate ratio.While efficient methods are well established for studying postsynaptic protein regulation of glutamatergic synapses in the mammalian central nervous system, similarly efficient methods are lacking for studying proteins regulating presynaptic function. In the present study, we introduce an optical/electrophysiological method for investigating presynaptic molecular regulation. Here, using an optogenetic approach, we selectively stimulate genetically modified presynaptic CA3 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus and measure optically-induced excitatory postsynaptic currents produced in unmodified postsynaptic CA1 pyramidal neurons. While such use of optogenetics is not novel, previous implementation methods do not allow basic quantification of the changes in synaptic strength produced by genetic manipulations. We find that incorporating simultaneous recordings of fiber volley amplitude provides a control for optical stimulation intensity and, as a result, creates a metric of synaptic efficacy that can be compared across experimental conditions. In the present study, we utilize our new method to demonstrate that inhibition of synaptotagmin 1 expression in CA3 pyramidal neurons leads to a significant reduction in Schaffer collateral synapse function, an effect that is masked with conventional electrical stimulation. Our hope is that this method will expedite our understanding of molecular regulatory pathways that govern presynaptic function.Postural sway is a result of a complex action-reaction feedback mechanism generated by the interplay between the environment, the sensory perception, the neural system and the musculation. Postural oscillations are complex, possibly even chaotic. Therefore fitting deterministic models on measured time signals is ambiguous. Here we analyse the response to large enough perturbations during quiet standing such that the resulting responses can clearly be distinguished from the local postural sway. Measurements show that typical responses very closely resemble those of a critically damped oscillator. The recovery dynamics are modelled by an inverted pendulum subject to delayed state feedback and is described in the space of the control parameters. We hypothesize that the control gains are tuned such that (H1) the response is at the border of oscillatory and nonoscillatory motion similarly to the critically damped oscillator; (H2) the response is the fastest possible; (H3) the response is a result of a combined optimization of fast response and robustness to sensory perturbations. Parameter fitting shows that H1 and H3 are accepted while H2 is rejected. Thus, the responses of human postural balance to "large" perturbations matches a delayed feedback mechanism that is optimized for a combination of performance and robustness.The assessment of soil quality indices in waste leachate-affected soils is vital to understand the threats of land quality degradation and how to control it. In this respect, a study was conducted on the effects of uncontrolled landfill leachate on soil quality index (SQI) in calcareous agricultural lands using 28 soil variables. Using the total data set (TDS) and minimum data set (MDS) approaches, the SQI was compared between leachate-affected soils (LAS) and control soils by the integrated quality index (IQI) and nemoro quality index (NQI) methods. The results revealed that LAS were significantly enriched by soil salinity-sodicity indices including electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), fertility indices including total N, available P and K, organic carbon, and cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K, and Na), the available and total fractions of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni). After the leachate got its way into the soil, the values of IQI and NQI were dropped ranging 5-16% and 6.