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In contrast, in the human cornea 2, distinct patterns were observed consistent with endothelial-endothelial and stromal-endothelial communication. Endothelial-stromal interactions were observed in the entire cornea during early postnatal mouse corneas. This evidence of endothelial-posterior stromal contact contradicts the hypothesis that corneal endothelial cells are isolated from the stroma by the DM and provides direct data to support endothelial-stromal comunication that may directly influence posterior corneal structure and function. Anat Rec, 2020. © 2020 American Association for Anatomy.By intercepting the acylpalladium species with C=N bond of azaarenes or imines other than free amines or alcohols, the difunctionalization of C=N bond was established via palladium-catalyzed carbonylation/nucleophilic addition sequence. This method is compatible with a diverse range of azaarenes and imines, and allows for the efficient synthesis of a wide range of quinazolinones and derivatives. The synthetic utility has been demonstrated by one-step synthesis of evodiamine and its analogue with inexpensive starting materials. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. DuP-697 KGaA, Weinheim.BACKGROUND It is not unusual for stallions to have fertility problems. For many, artificial insemination with more dense spermatozoa (isolated by density gradient centrifugation) results in greater pregnancy rates compared with the rates when using unfractionated spermatozoa. RNAs in spermatozoa delivered to the oocyte at conception are required for embryo development. Novel molecular assays of spermatozoa that reflect function are needed to predict the fertility of stallions. OBJECTIVES To describe and compare the RNA populations in more dense and less dense spermatozoa from stallions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Spermatozoa from five stallions were separated into more dense and less dense populations by density gradient centrifugation. Complementary DNA libraries were made from each of the ten total RNA samples after ribosomal RNA removal. Next-generation sequencing characterized the RNA populations in more and less dense spermatozoa. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR was used to confirm differential expressermatozoa that is optimal for establishing successful pregnancies. © 2020 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.Sepsis caused by uncontrolled systemic inflammation is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Parecoxib is a selective COX-2-specific inhibitor which has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory and antiseptic functions in an animal sepsis model. The present study was performed to examine the therapeutic efficacy of parecoxib against inflammation in a mouse model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Male mice were randomly divided into Sham, Model (Sepsis), Dexmedetomidine (Dex), and Parecoxib groups, with 12 mice in each group. After surgery, parecoxib (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected and survival rates were then measured. The levels of immunoglobulin and inflammatory factors in sera and spleen were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Subtypes of lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to examine spleen injury. We discovered that parecoxib treatment improved survival rates in mice with sepsis, with the effect increasing with concentration. Compared with the model group, the amount of immunoglobulin was increased, inflammatory factor production was inhibited, proportions of T helper and regulatory T cells were reduced, pathological damage in mice spleen was ameliorated, COX-2 expression was inhibited, and phosphorylated-p65 (p-p65) was deactivated in the spleen of the mice treated with Dexmedetomidine (DEX) and Parecoxib. Our data suggest that Parecoxib inhibits the inflammatory response and has protective effects against sepsis in mice, and may have potential as a novel therapeutic method for treating sepsis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Developing highly efficient earth-abundant nickel-based compounds is an important step to realize hydrogen generation from water. Herein, the electronic modulation of the semiconducting NiS2 by cation doping for advanced water electrolysis is reported. Both theoretical calculations and temperature-dependent resistivity measurements indicate the semiconductor-to-conductor transition of NiS2 after Cu incorporation. Further calculations also suggest the advantages of Cu dopant to cathodic water electrolysis by bringing Gibbs free energy of H adsorption at both Ni sites and S sites much closer to zero. It is noteworthy that water dissociation on Cu-doped NiS2 (Cu-NiS2 ) surface is even more favorable than those on NiS2 and Pt(111). Thus, the prepared Cu-NiS2 shows noticeably improved performance toward alkaline hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER). Specifically, it requires merely 232 mV OER overpotential to drive 10 mA cm-2 ; in parallel with Tafel slopes of 46 mV dec-1 . Regarding HER, an onset overpotential of only 68 mV is achieved. When integrated as both electrodes for water electrolysis, Cu-NiS2 needs only 1.64 V to drive 10 mA cm-2 , surpassing the state-of-the-art Ir/C-Pt/C couple (1.71 V). This work opens up an avenue to engineer low-cost and earth-abundant catalysts performing on par with the noble-metal-based one for water splitting. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Barley/Cereal yellow dwarf viruses (YDV) cause yellow dwarf disease (YDD), which is a continuous risk to cereals production worldwide. These viruses cause leaf yellowing and stunting, resulting in yield reductions of up to 80%. YDV have been a consistent but low-level problem in European cereal cultivation for the last three decades, mostly due to the availability of several effective insecticides (largely pyrethroids and more recently neonicotinoids) against aphid vectors. However, this has changed recently, with many insecticides being lost, culminating in a recent EU regulation prohibiting outdoor use of the neonicotinoid-insecticide compounds. This change is coupled with the growing challenge of insecticide-resistant aphids, the lack of genetic resources against YDV, and a knowledge deficit around the parameters responsible for the emergence and spread of YDD. This means that economic sustainability of cereal cultivation in several European countries including France and United Kingdom is now again threatened by this aphid-vectored viral disease.