The filter-house of the larvacean Oikopleura dioica. A complex extracellular architecture : from fiber production to rudimentary state to inflated house

While cellulose is the most abundant macromolecule in the biosphere, most animals are unable to produce cellulose with the exception of tunicates. Some tunicates have evolved the ability to secrete a complex house containing cellulosic fibers, yet little is known about the early stages of the house building process. Here, we investigate the rudimentary house of Oikopleura dioica for the first time using complementary light and electron microscopic techniques. In addition, we digitally modelled the arrangement of chambers, nets, and filters of the functional, expanded house in three dimensions based on life-video-imaging. Combining 3D-reconstructions based on serial histological semithin-sections, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM, we were able to elucidate the arrangement of structural components, including cellulosic fibers, of the rudimentary house with a focus on the food concentration filter. We developed a model for the arrangement of folded structures in the house rudiment and show it is a precisely preformed structure with identifiable components intricately correlated with specific cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that structural details of the apical surfaces of Nasse cells provide the exact locations and shapes to produce the fibers of the house and interact amongst each other, with Giant Fol cells, and with the fibers to arrange them in the precise positions necessary for expansion of the house rudiment into the functional state. The presented data and hypotheses advance our knowledge about the interrelation of structure and function on different biological levels and prompt investigations into this astonishing biological object

Co-Morbidity of Pituitary Adenoma and Frontal Convexity Meningioma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Instruction: The current study reports a woman with pituitary adenoma and frontal convexity meningioma that was detected accidentially. To the best of our knowledge, this case is considered as a rare clinical scenario.Case presentation: A 37 years old woman suffering from amenorrhea and galactorrhea had her detail investigation showed hyperprolactinemia. The patient was diagnosed with a prolactinoma, and a frontal convexity meningioma was discovered on MRI. The prolactinoma controlled with Bromocriptine therapy, while the meningioma monitored through medical observation. After two months of pharmaceutical medication, her symptoms improved with the decrease in serum prolactin.Conclusion: Thanks to sophisticated MRI techniques, meningioma and prolactinoma were incidentally detected. It should be noted that co-morbidity of prolactinoma and meningioma is very rare. The mechanism of the association between these two familiar types of intracranial tumors has not yet been clarified, which indicates the need for further studies to offer possible targeted treatment for patients.Keyword: Meningiomas; Prolactinomas; Pituitary adenomas

One-loop contributions to decays eb→eaγe_b\to e_a \gamma and (g−2)ea(g-2)_{e_a} anomalies, and Ward identity

In this paper, we will present analytic formulas to express one-loop contributions to lepton flavor violating decays $e_b\to e_a \gamma$, which are also relevant to the anomalous dipole magnetic moments of charged leptons $e_a$. These formulas were computed in the unitary gauge, using the well-known Passarino-Veltman notations. We also show that our results are consistent with those calculated previously in the 't Hooft-Veltman gauge, or in the limit of zero lepton masses. At the one-loop level, we show that the appearance of fermion-scalar-vector type diagrams in the unitary gauge will violate the Ward Identity relating to an external photon. As a result, the validation of the Ward Identity guarantees that the photon always couples with two identical particles in an arbitrary triple coupling vertex containing a photon.Comment: The version accepted to Nuclear Physics

Feeds and Forages Intervention Strategies for Improved Livestock Nutrition and Productivity in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam

Livestock production in Vietnam is critical for livelihoods particularly for ethnic minorities in the Northwest Highlands (NWH). Improved livestock management and productivity can be achieved through better feed management and increased cultivation of improved forages, to meet animal nutrition demand. This study aimed at assessing feed intervention strategies to address context-specific feed-related challenges, mainly winter feed shortage in Mai Son district, Son La province, Vietnam. Feed interventions included promotion of improved forages (grasses and legumes) and capacity building on animal nutrition techniques including feed preservation, feed mix and feeding regimes for cattle and pigs. Willing farmers selected from a list of improved forages, were provided with seeds and planting materials, and guided on forage planting, management, and utilization. Farmers reported increased awareness on feed technologies, increased yield, and availability of high-quality feed for their livestock, as well as challenges encountered in forage utilization. Initial results from this study show the potential of feed and forage technologies in improving livestock productivity and lays a foundation for scaling these interventions in Vietnam

New onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT): an overview

Although renal transplantation ameliorates cardiovascular risk factors by restoring renal function, it introduces new cardiovascular risks including impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia that are derived, in part, from immunosuppressive medications such as calcineurin inhibitors, corticosteroids, or mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. New onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) is a serious and common complication following solid organ transplantation. NODAT has been reported to occur in 2% to 53% of all solid organ transplants. Kidney transplant recipients who develop NODAT have variably been reported to be at increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events and other adverse outcomes including infection, reduced patient survival, graft rejection, and accelerated graft loss compared with those who do not develop diabetes. Identification of high-risk patients and implementation of measures to reduce the development of NODAT may improve long-term patient and graft outcome. The following article presents an overview of the literature on the current diagnostic criteria for NODAT, its incidence after solid organ transplantation, suggested risk factors and potential pathogenic mechanisms. The impact of NODAT on patient and allograft outcomes and suggested guidelines for early identification and management of NODAT will also be discussed

Joint UAV Placement and IRS Phase Shift Optimization in Downlink Networks

This study investigates the integration of an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform to utilize the advantages of these leading technologies for sixth-generation communications, e.g., improved spectral and energy efficiency, extended network coverage, and flexible deployment. In particular, we investigate a downlink IRS-UAV system, wherein single-antenna ground users (UEs) are served by a multi-antenna base station (BS). To assist the communication between UEs and the BS, an IRS mounted on a UAV is deployed, in which the direct links are obstructed owing to the complex urban channel characteristics. The beamforming at the BS, phase shift at the IRS, and the 3D placement of the UAV are jointly optimized to maximize the sum rate. Because the optimization variables, particularly the beamforming and IRS phase shift, are highly coupled with each other, the optimization problem is naturally non-convex. To effectively solve the formulated problem, we propose an iterative algorithm that employs block coordinate descent and inner approximation methods. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach for a UAV-mounted IRS system on the sum rate performance over the state-of-the-art technology using the terrestrial counterpart