Natural history and morphometry of the Cuban iguana (Cyclura nubila Gray, 1831) in Cayo Sijú, Cuba

The report presents data about the Cuban iguana population (Cyclura nubila nubila) inhabiting Cayo Sijú, an 88 ha island off the southwest coast of Cuba. Population densities estimated using strip transects were higher in xerophytic coastal scrub (6.72 ± 6.25 iguanas/ha) than in typical sand vegetation (3.63 ± 2.71 iguanas/ha) and mangrove forests (2.9 ± 2.9 iguanas/ha). The total population for the cay was estimated at 350 individuals with an adult biomass of approximately 11.67 kg/ha. Densities varied minimally between three habitat types and between the wet and dry seasons. No significant density fluctuations were found one month after Hurricane Ivan affected the cay. Iguana burrows were encountered most frequently in beach dunes. Analysis of 30 scat samples revealed eight species of plants, with the fruits of Chrysobalanum icaco and the leaves of Batis maritima being the most frequently identified items. The remains of crab (Cardisoma guandhumi) and insects of the order Hemiptera were also present in scat samples. Sexual dimorphism was evident in this population, with males being significantly larger in eight morphological variables. The snout-vent length measurements were larger in this population than in those reported in two cays off the south coast of Cuba

The pancreas responds to remote damage and systemic stress by secretion of the pancreatic secretory proteins PSP/regI and PAP/regIII.

In patients with infection and sepsis serum levels of Pancreatic Stone protein/regenerating protein I (PSP) are highly elevated. The origin of PSP during these conditions is presumably the pancreas, however, an intestinal origin cannot be excluded. Similarly, pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) was identified in the pancreas. These proteins were also localized in intestinal organs. Here we aim to elucidate the bio-distribution of PSP and PAP in animal models of sepsis and in healthy humans. PSP and PAP responded to remote lesions in rats although the pancreatic response was much more pronounced than the intestinal. Tissue distribution of PSP demonstrated a 100-fold higher content in the pancreas compared to any other organ while PAP was most abundant in the small intestine. Both proteins responded to CLP or sham operation in the pancreas. PSP also increased in the intestine during CLP. The distribution of PSP and PAP in human tissue mirrored the distribution in the murine models. Distribution of PSP and PAP was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Rats and mice underwent midline laparotomies followed by mobilization of tissue and incision of the pancreatic duct or duodenum. Standard cecum-ligation-puncture (CLP) procedures or sham laparotomies were performed. Human tissue extracts were analyzed for PSP and PAP. The pancreas reacts to remote lesions and septic insults in mice and rats with increased PSP synthesis, while PAP is selectively responsive to septic events. Furthermore, our results suggest that serum PSP in septic patients is predominantly derived through an acute phase response of the pancreas

Molecular analysis of three known and one novel LPL variants in patients with type I hyperlipoproteinemia.

Abstract Background and aims Type I hyperlipoproteinemia, also known as familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by variants in LPL, APOC2, APOA5, LMF1 or GPIHBP1 genes. The aim of this study was to identify novel variants in the LPL gene causing lipoprotein lipase deficiency and to understand the molecular mechanisms. Methods and results A total of 3 individuals with severe hypertriglyceridemia and recurrent pancreatitis were selected from the Lipid Clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and LPL was sequenced. In vitro experiments were performed in human embryonic kidney 293T/17 (HEK293T/17) cells transiently transfected with wild type or mutant LPL plasmids. Cell lysates and media were used to analyze LPL synthesis and secretion. Media were used to measure LPL activity. Patient 1 was compound heterozygous for three known variants: c.337T > C (W113R), c.644G > A (G215E) and c.1211T > G (M404R); patient 2 was heterozygous for the known variant c.658A > C (S220R) while patient 3 was homozygous for a novel variant in the exon 5 c.679G > T (V227F). All the LPL variants identified were loss-of-function variants and resulted in a substantial reduction in the secretion of LPL protein. Conclusion We characterized at the molecular level three known and one novel LPL variants causing type I hyperlipoproteinemia showing that all these variants are pathogenic

AI for Zero-Touch Management of Satellite Networks in B5G and 6G Infrastructures

Satellite Communication (SatCom) networks are become more and more integrated with the terrestrial telecommunication infrastructure. In this paper, we shows the current status of the still ongoing European Space Agency (ESA) project”Data-driven Network Controller Orchestration for Real time Network Management-ANChOR”. In particular, we propose a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)based methodology to drive the dynamic selection of the optimal satellite gateway station, which will be performed by combining different kinds of information (i.e. traffic profile, network and weather conditions). Some preliminary results on the real world dataset shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular events have higher circulating Lp(a) levels

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level is its major risk factor. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated LDL-C since birth and subsequent premature CVD. There is a heterogeneity in the CVD onset in patients with FH. This is potentially due to the presence of other independent risk factors. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an LDL-like particle and represents a strong risk factor for CVD. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to understand the contribution of Lp(a) in the susceptibility to CVD in individuals with genetic diagnosis of FH. METHODS: We measured Lp(a) levels in 2 independent and well-characterized genetic-FH cohorts: the FH-Gothenburg cohort (n = 190) and the FH-CEGP Milan cohort (n = 160). The genetic diagnosis was performed by targeted next-generation sequencing (FH-Gothenburg and part of the FH-CEGP Milan cohort), or by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: We show that among individuals with genetic diagnosis of FH, those with previous CVD had higher Lp(a) levels. In addition, analyzing the response to the lipid-lowering therapies, we have also shown that statins had the same LDL-C-lowering effect irrespective of the type of FH-causative mutation. However, when we examined the lipid-lowering effect of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibition by antibodies, we observed a trend in a better reduction of the LDL-C level in carriers of nonsense mutations. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results suggest that Lp(a) contributes to CVD onset in individuals with genetic diagnosis of FH. Our finding supports the importance to identify an efficacious therapy to lower Lp(a) in patients with FH to prevent CVD onset or recurrence

The TM6SF2 E167K genetic variant induces lipid biosynthesis and reduces apolipoprotein B secretion in human hepatic 3D spheroids

There is a high unmet need for developing treatments for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), for which there are no approved drugs today. Here, we used a human in vitro disease model to understand mechanisms linked to genetic risk variants associated with NAFLD. The model is based on 3D spheroids from primary human hepatocytes from five different donors. Across these donors, we observed highly reproducible differences in the extent of steatosis induction, demonstrating that inter-donor variability is reflected in the in vitro model. Importantly, our data indicates that the genetic variant TM6SF2 E167K, previously associated with increased risk for NAFLD, induces increased hepatocyte fat content by reducing APOB particle secretion. Finally, differences in gene expression pathways involved in cholesterol, fatty acid and glucose metabolism between wild type and TM6SF2 E167K mutation carriers (N = 125) were confirmed in the in vitro model. Our data suggest that the 3D in vitro spheroids can be used to investigate the mechanisms underlying the association of human genetic variants associated with NAFLD. This model may also be suitable to discover new treatments against NAFLD

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Instrumentation and Online Systems

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer-scale high-energy neutrino detector built into the ice at the South Pole. Construction of IceCube, the largest neutrino detector built to date, was completed in 2011 and enabled the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We describe here the design, production, and calibration of the IceCube digital optical module (DOM), the cable systems, computing hardware, and our methodology for drilling and deployment. We also describe the online triggering and data filtering systems that select candidate neutrino and cosmic ray events for analysis. Due to a rigorous pre-deployment protocol, 98.4% of the DOMs in the deep ice are operating and collecting data. IceCube routinely achieves a detector uptime of 99% by emphasizing software stability and monitoring. Detector operations have been stable since construction was completed, and the detector is expected to operate at least until the end of the next decade.Comment: 83 pages, 50 figures; updated with minor changes from journal review and proofin

Lowering IceCube’s energy threshold for point source searches in the southern sky

Observation of a point source of astrophysical neutrinos would be a "smoking gun" signature of a cosmic-ray accelerator. While IceCube has recently discovered a diffuse flux of astrophysical neutrinos, no localized point source has been observed. Previous IceCube searches for point sources in the southern sky were restricted by either an energy threshold above a few hundred TeV or poor neutrino angular resolution. Here we present a search for southern sky point sources with greatly improved sensitivities to neutrinos with energies below 100 TeV. By selecting charged-current nu(mu) interacting inside the detector, we reduce the atmospheric background while retaining efficiency for astrophysical neutrino-induced events reconstructed with sub-degree angular resolution. The new event sample covers three years of detector data and leads to a factor of 10 improvement in sensitivity to point sources emitting below 100 TeV in the southern sky. No statistically significant evidence of point sources was found, and upper limits are set on neutrino emission from individual sources. A posteriori analysis of the highest-energy (similar to 100 TeV) starting event in the sample found that this event alone represents a 2.8 sigma deviation from the hypothesis that the data consists only of atmospheric background

The contribution of Fermi-2LAC blazars to the diffuse TeV-PeV neutrino flux

The recent discovery of a diffuse cosmic neutrino flux extending up to PeV energies raises the question of which astrophysical sources generate this signal. One class of extragalactic sources which may produce such high-energy neutrinos are blazars. We present a likelihood analysis searching for cumulative neutrino emission from blazars in the 2nd Fermi-LAT AGN catalogue (2LAC) using an IceCube neutrino dataset 2009-12 which was optimised for the detection of individual sources. In contrast to previous searches with IceCube, the populations investigated contain up to hundreds of sources, the largest one being the entire blazar sample in the 2LAC catalogue. No significant excess is observed and upper limits for the cumulative flux from these populations are obtained. These constrain the maximum contribution of the 2LAC blazars to the observed astrophysical neutrino flux to be $27 \%$ or less between around 10 TeV and 2 PeV, assuming equipartition of flavours at Earth and a single power-law spectrum with a spectral index of $-2.5$. We can still exclude that the 2LAC blazars (and sub-populations) emit more than $50 \%$ of the observed neutrinos up to a spectral index as hard as $-2.2$ in the same energy range. Our result takes into account that the neutrino source count distribution is unknown, and it does not assume strict proportionality of the neutrino flux to the measured 2LAC $\gamma$-ray signal for each source. Additionally, we constrain recent models for neutrino emission by blazars.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figure