Gut Cryptopatches Direct Evidence of Extrathymic Anatomical Sites for Intestinal T Lymphopoiesis

AbstractAthymic cytokine receptor γ chain mutant mice that lack the thymus, Peyer's patches, cryptopatches (CP), and intestinal T cells were reconstituted with wild-type bone marrow cells. Bone marrow–derived TCR− intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) first appeared within villous epithelia of small intestine overlying the regenerated CP, and these TCR− IEL subsequently emerged throughout the epithelia. Thereafter, TCR+ IEL increased to a comparable number to that in athymic mice and consisted of TCRγδ and TCRαβ IEL. In gut-associated lymphoid tissues of wild-type mice, only CP harbored a large population of c-kithighIL-7R+CD44+Thy-1+/−CD4+/−CD25low/−αEβ7−Lin− (Lin, lineage markers) lymphocytes that included cells expressing germline but not rearranged TCRγ and TCRβ gene transcripts. These findings provide direct evidence that gut CP develop progenitor T cells for extrathymic IEL descendants

Soil water content and water balance in rainfed fields in Northeast Thailand

Northeast Thailand has a semi-humid tropical climate which is characterized by dry and rainy seasons. In order to stabilize crop production, it may be necessary to develop new water resources, such as soil moisture and groundwater, instead of rainfed resources. This is because rainfed agriculture has already been unsuccessfully tried in many areas of this region. In this study, we investigate the soil water content in rainfed fields in Khon Kaen in Northeast Thailand, where rice and sugarcane were planted, over a 1-year period that contained both dry and rainy seasons, and estimate the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) using micrometeorological data. In addition, we assess the water balance from the results of the soil water content investigation and the actual evapotranspiration. Although the soil water content at depths above 0.6 m in both the lower and the sloping fields gradually decreased during the dry season, the soil water content at a depth of 1.0 m was under almost constant wet conditions. Two-dimensional profiles of the soil water content demonstrated that at the end of the dry season, the soil layers below a depth of 0.4 m showed a soil water content of more than 0.10-0.15 m3 m-3, thus suggesting that water was supplied to the sugarcane from those layers. The range in ETa rates was almost the same as that in the previous study. The average ETa rates were 3.7 mm d-1 for the lower field and 4.2 mm d-1 for the sloping field. In the dry season, an upward water flow of 373 mm (equivalent to a flux of 1.9 mm d-1) was estimated from outside the profile. The source of this upward water flow was the sandy clay (SC) layer below a depth of 1 m. It was this soil water supply from the SC layer that allowed the sugarcane to grow without irrigation.Soil water content Water balance Evapotranspiration Rainfed field Northeast Thailand

The Effects of Five Forms of Capital on Thought Processes Underlying Water Consumption Behavior in Suburban Vientiane

A community’s water supply is one of its most important infrastructures, as sufficient quality and quantity of water are as much prerequisites for human life as economic development. The rapid urbanization predicted for developing countries will cause serious water shortages in densely populated areas. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is taking precautions by planning and developing their water supply infrastructure to ensure reliable supply of water. We used the five capitals model of sustainable livelihoods to capture how a household makes a living and analyzed the effects of five forms of capital (natural, physical, human, financial, and social) on water consumption behaviors from the perspective of the residents’ livelihood. We conducted a survey to gain an understanding of the thought processes behind water consumption behavior in two villages in suburban Vientiane. The results indicated that natural and physical capital delayed connections to the water supply. Financial capital stimulated the purchase of high-quality water in preference to a connection to the water supply. This lack of connection is not necessarily sustainable in the near future, considering ongoing urbanization. Furthermore, this possibility presents a difficult problem, as residents do not usually acknowledge it. To accomplish sustainable development goals, this gap should be overcome

Abrupt Spin Transition and Chiral Hydrogen-Bonded One-Dimensional Structure of Iron(III) Complex [FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]SbF6 (Him = imidazole, H2hapen = N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyacetophenylidene)ethylenediamine)

Solvent-free spin crossover (SCO) iron(III) complex, [FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]SbF6 (Him = imidazole, H2hapen = N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyacetophenylidene)ethylenediamine), is synthesized. The FeIII ion has an octahedral coordination geometry, with N2O2 donor atoms of hapen and N2 atoms of two imidazoles at the axial positions. The saturated five-membered chelate ring of hapen moiety assumes a gauche-type δ- or λ-conformation to give chiral species of δ-[FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]+ or λ-[FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]+. One imidazole is hydrogen-bonded to phenoxo oxygen atom of hapen of the adjacent unit to give a hydrogen-bonded chiral one-dimensional structure, {δ-[FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]+}1∞ or {λ-[FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]+}1∞. The adjacent chains with the opposite chiralities are arrayed alternately. The temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibilities revealed an abrupt one-step spin transition between high-spin (S = 5/2) and low-spin (S = 1/2) states at the spin transition temperature of T1/2 = 105 K. The crystal structures were determined at 296 and 100 K, where the populations of HS:LS of high- and low-spin ratio are evaluated to be 1:0 and 0.3:0.7, respectively, based on magnetic measurements. During the spin transition from 296 K to 100 K, the average Fe–N distance and O–Fe–O angle decrease to a regular octahedron by 0.16 Å and 13.4°, respectively. The structural change in the coordination environment is transmitted to the adjacent spin crossover (SCO) sites along the chiral 1D chain through hydrogen-bonds. The abrupt SCO profile and the spin transition temperature for the isomorphous compounds [FeIII(Him)2(hapen)]Y (Y = PF6, AsF6, SbF6) are ascribed to the chiral hydrogen-bonded 1D structure and chain-anion interaction