Obesity is the major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and many other diseases. Adipose tissue inflammation is frequently associated with obesity and contributes to the ...morbidity and mortality. Dedicator of cytokinesis 2 (DOCK2) is involved in several inflammatory diseases, but its role in obesity remains unknown. To explore the function of DOCK2 in obesity and insulin resistance, WT and DOCK2-deficient (DOCK2−/−) mice were given chow or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks followed by metabolic, biochemical, and histologic analyses. DOCK2 was robustly induced in adipose tissues of WT mice given HFD. DOCK2−/− mice with HFD showed decreased body weight gain and improved metabolic homeostasis and insulin resistance compared with WT mice. DOCK2 deficiency also attenuated adipose tissue and systemic inflammation accompanied by reduced macrophage infiltration. Moreover, DOCK2−/− mice exhibited increased expression of metabolic genes in adipose tissues with greater energy expenditure. Mechanistically, DOCK2 appeared to regulate brown adipocyte differentiation because increased preadipocyte differentiation to brown adipocytes in interscapular and inguinal fat was observed in DOCK2−/− mice, as compared with WT. These data indicated that DOCK2 deficiency protects mice from HFD-induced obesity, at least in part, by stimulating brown adipocyte differentiation. Therefore, targeting DOCK2 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating obesity-associated diseases.
Moisture content is an important index to assess the grain quality and food processing conditions. A measurement system based on the traveling–standing microwave attenuation method is designed for a ...fast and nondestructive grain moisture content determination. The proposed system consists of a microwave cavity oscillator, microwave transmitting and receiving horn antennas, microwave detector, slide rail, sample container, weight sensor, temperature sensor, and controller. The traveling–standing wave caused by free space microwave multiple reflection is discussed. The moisture content calibration functions eliminated the interference of bulk density and temperature are proposed based on the attenuation of the maximum field strength of the transmission traveling–standing wave. The moisture content of rice, which ranges from 10.75% to 27.62%, is obtained with a standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0.586% and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.988, whereas the moisture content of corn, which ranges from 7.72% to 24.46%, is obtained with a SEP of 0.340% and R2 of 0.991. The main results might provide technical support for the development of accurate and intelligent grain quality detection equipment.
The molten salt electrochemical method was used to reduce the Co in spent LiCoO2. The reduction mechanism of Co (III) in LiCoO2 was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, and open ...circuit potential. The reduction process of Co (III) on Fe electrode was studied in NaCl-CaCl2-LiCoO2 molten salt system at 750 °C. The results show that the reduction process of Co (III) is a two-step reduction: Co (III) → Co (II) → Co (0) and they are all quasi-reversible processes controlled by diffusion. Phase analysis (XRD) shows that Li+ and Cl2− in the molten salt form LiCl electrolysis experiments with different voltages were carried out, which proved the stepwise reduction of Co in LiCoO2.
With the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, the cumulative amount of used lithium-ion batteries is also increasing year by year. Since waste lithium-ion batteries contain a large amount of ...valuable metals, the recovery of valuable metals has become one of the current research hotspots. The research uses electrometallurgical technology, and the main methods used are cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, chronoamperometry and open circuit potential. The electrochemical reduction behavior of Ni3+ in NaCl-CaCl2 molten salt was studied, and the electrochemical reduction behavior was further verified by using a Mo cavity electrode. It is determined that the reduction process of Ni3+ in LiNiO2 is mainly divided into two steps: LiNiO2 → NiO → Ni. Through the analysis of electrolysis products under different conditions, when the current value of LiNiO2 is not less than 0.03 A, the electrolysis product after 10 h is metallic Ni. When the current reaches 0.07 A, the current efficiency is 77.9%, while the Li+ in LiNiO2 is enriched in NaCl-CaCl2 molten salt. The method realizes the separation and extraction of the valuable metal Ni in the waste lithium-ion battery.
Currently, the most efficient method of resolving the pollution problem of weed management is by using variable spraying technology. In this study, an improved genetic ...proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm (IGA-PID) was developed for this technology. It used a trimmed mean operator to optimize the selection operator for an improved searching rate and accuracy. An adaptive crossover operator and mutation operator were constructed for a rapid convergence speed. The weed density detection was performed through an image acquisition and processing subsystem which was capable of determining the spraying quantity. The variable spraying control sub-system completed variable spraying operation. The performance of the system was evaluated by simulations and field tests, and compared with conventional methods. The simulation results indicated that the parameters of the overshoot (1.25%), steady-state error (1.21%) and the adjustment time (0.157s) of IGA-PID were the lowest when compared with the standard algorithms. Furthermore, the field validation results showed that the system with the proposed algorithm achieved the optimal performance with spraying quantity error being 2.59% and the respond time being 3.84s. Overall, the variable spraying system based on an IGA-PID meets the real-time and accuracy requirements for field applications which could be helpful for weed management in precise agriculture.
Today, obesity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are a worldwide epidemic, although how these syndromes are regulated with respect to lncRNAs remains largely unknown. Our previous studies have ...revealed important pathological features and molecular characteristics of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in the minipig model, and in this study, we analyze the features of lncRNAs and their potential target genes. Minipig samples only from liver were analyzed using next-generation deep sequencing. In total, we obtained 585 million raw reads approximately 70.4 Gb of high quality data. After a strict five-step filtering process, 1,179 lncRNAs were identified, including 89 differentially expressed lncRNAs (P < 0.05) in the experiment group relative to the control group. The cis and trans analysis identified target genes that were enriched for specific GO terms (P < 0.01), including immune processes, chemokine activity, cytokine activity, and G-protein coupled receptor binding, which are closely related to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The predicted protein-coding targets of the differentially expressed lncRNAs were further analyzed, such as PPAR, FADS2, DGAT2, ACAA2, CYP2E1, ADH4, and Fos. This study reveals a wealth of candidate lncRNAs involved in NASH and their regulated pathways, which should facilitate further research into the molecular mechanisms of this disorder.
The phase and element distribution of converter slag was analyzed with the backscattered electron (BSE) images of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy spectrum. The results show that the Ca ...and Si are attached in the slag micro-area, while the Fe is present in areas with less Ca and Si. Most of the P appear in areas with more Ca and Si. The content of SiO
tends to increase with an increase in the CaO content in the slag micro-area. The activity of
increases with an increase in the CaO content in the slag micro-area, while the activity of
increases first and then decreases. In the slag micro-area with an increase in the FeO content, both the mole fraction and the activity coefficient of SiO
decrease; so, the content of SiO
decreases gradually.
During mammalian cortical development, neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) gradually alter their characteristics, and the timing of generation of neurons and glial cells is strictly regulated by ...internal and external factors. However, whether the blood vessels located near NSCs affect the neurogenic‐to‐gliogenic transition remain unknown. Here, it is demonstrated that endothelial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) deletion reduces blood vessel diameter and affects the transition timing of neurogenesis and gliogenesis. Deletion of endothelial UCP2 results in a persistent increase in astrocyte production at the postnatal stage. Mechanistically, the endothelial UCP2/ROS/ERK1/2 pathway increases chymase‐1 expression to enhance angiotensin II (AngII) secretion outside the brain endothelium. The endotheliocyte‐driven AngII‐gp130‐JAK‐STAT pathway also regulates gliogenesis initiation. Moreover, endothelial UCP2 knockdown decreases human neural precursor cell (hNPC) differentiation into neurons and accelerates hNPC differentiation into astrocytes. Altogether, this work provides mechanistic insights into how endothelial UCP2 regulates the neurogenic‐to‐gliogenic fate switch in the developing neocortex.
Blood vessels reside in close physical proximity to the neural precursor cell (NPC) domains. Endothelial derived signals on NPCs regulate the timing of the neurogenic‐to‐astrocyte fate switch, resulting in an increase in the number of astrocytes in the developing neocortex. This work provides new insights into the regulatory link between blood vessels and sequential differentiation of NPCs.
FeO is a low-price material with high charge storage capacity, biocompatibility and other characteristics. It has been applied in the fields of catalysts, capacitors, electrodes and composite ...materials. However, the current method of preparing FeO needs to control the temperature and reducing atmosphere, which increase the production difficulty and cost. In this experiment, the molten salt electrolysis method was used to prepare FeO by using the NaCl-KCl molten salt system and Fe2O3 and Al2O3 as raw materials, and the influence of temperature on the preparation process was explored. The results showed that the electrolysis process of Fe2O3 to FeO is mainly divided into the following three stages: the electric double-layer charging process, Fe2O3 to Fe3O4 process and Fe3O4 to FeO process. The increase in temperature can improve the reaction speed and strengthen the electrolysis effect. The higher the temperature, the less Fe3O4 and more FeO in the sample. Through analysis, it was found that the increase in temperature will affect the theoretical voltage of the electrolytic reaction in thermodynamics, resulting in the increase in the overall potential provided by the power supply. In terms of kinetics, the increase in temperature will affect the viscosity of molten salt, so that O2− transport has better kinetic conditions.
Due to their high kinematic characteristics, six-bar tensegrities have great potential application value in the field of robotics, especially in the field of deep space exploration robots. In this ...paper, an ultralight six-bar tensegrity robot is designed, and a gait planning method for continuous motion is proposed. First, the equilibrium matrix of the tensegrity structure is constructed, and singular value decomposition (SVD) is performed to find the node coordinates and internal forces of the tensegrity structure. Two representative examples regarding tensegrity structures are presented to demonstrate the capability of the proposed method in the initial selfstress design that satisfies the stability of tensegrities. Furthermore, both the principal rolling analysis and gait planning are also addressed based on the offset of the center of gravity. A six-bar tensegrity robot prototype is developed, and the obstacle avoidance experiment is completed. Finally, the results show that the six-bar tensegrity robot has good kinematic performance. Moreover, this robot is expected to play a key role in future planetary exploration.
PDF
