The skeletal muscles of animals and humans with type 2 diabetes have decreased oxidative capacity. Aerobic exercise can improve muscle oxidative capacity, but no data are available on the amount of ...exercise required. We investigated the effects of voluntary running exercise and running distance on the skeletal muscle properties of nonobese rats with type 2 diabetes. Six-week-old male diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats were divided into nonexercised (GK) and exercised (GK-Ex) groups. The rats in the GK-Ex group were permitted voluntary running exercise on wheels for 6 weeks. Age-matched male Wistar rats (WR) were used as nondiabetic controls. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels were higher in the GK and GK-Ex groups than in the WR group and lower in the GK-Ex group than in the GK group. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (Pgc-1alpha) mRNA levels in the soleus and plantaris muscles were higher in the WR and GK-Ex groups than in the GK group. HbA1c and total cholesterol levels were negatively correlated with running distance and SDH activity and Pgc-1alpha mRNA levels in the soleus muscle were positively correlated with running distance. The onset and progression of diabetes in nonobese diabetic rats were effectively inhibited by running longer distances.
Electric railways have several problems due to electrical resistance of feeder lines such as a transmission loss and a voltage drop. In order to solve these problems, we have been developing ...superconducting feeder cable, which enables zero-resistance power transmission. Now we have been able to obtain government approval to conduct commercial operation using superconducting cables. It has been begun the commercial operations on passengers using superconducting cable for railway. One of the challenges of the superconducting feeder cable is its joining technique. To introduce superconducting feeder cable between substations, it is required to join superconducting feeder cable to each other at a railway site. First, we conducted an internal observation of the superconducting solder joint using X-ray CT and evaluated the state of the joint. It was found that joining under pressure is effective in reducing joint resistance. Therefore, we performed simple pressure joining using a tweezers-type soldering iron so that it could be performed at railway sites, and evaluated the current characteristics. Joining using this method yielded a low joint resistance on the order of 10 −11 Ω·m 2 , and was found to be effective for joining at railway sites. These results give standards of the joining of superconducting feeder cable.
Aims
In this study, volatile compounds released from mycelia of some aromatic mushrooms were investigated for their inhibitory activity against plant‐pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
Methods and ...Results
A screening revealed that volatile compounds from mycelia of Porostereum spadiceum remarkably inhibited the colony formation of plant‐pathogenic bacteria, including Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and Ralstonia solanacearum while also inhibiting the conidial germination of plant‐pathogenic fungi including Alternaria brassicicola and Colletotrichum orbiculare. The volatile compounds were isolated from the culture filtrate of P. spadiceum, and 3,4‐dichloro‐4‐methoxybenzaldehyde (DCMB) was identified as a major compound. DCMB significantly inhibited bacterial colonization at 10 μg ml−1 and fungal conidial germination at 0·1–1 μg ml−1 as a vapour.
Conclusions
This is the first report on the production of the volatile compound DCMB by P. spadiceum and on the antimicrobial activity of DCMB against plant‐pathogenic bacteria and fungi at low concentrations. It may be possible to use the compound as an agent for protecting crops from bacterial and fungal diseases during cultivation and storage.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This study provides an understanding of antimicrobial activity of the mushroom volatile compound that may be useful as a novel biological control agent for protecting various plant diseases.
The Brazilian Cerrado is considered a biodiversity hotspot highly threatened by human activities. Recently, many studies have demonstrated how underestimated is Cerrado’s biodiversity considering ...squamate species, and the identification of divergent and cryptic lineages is essential for the formulation of effective conservation strategies. The transition areas between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest are even less known and, consequently, often dismissed in conservation policies. As previous studies suggested the presence of cryptic diversity within
E. capetinga
, we investigated patterns and processes in the geographic distribution of its genealogical lineages. We used DNA sequences from individuals collected in six localities and sequences publicly available from three mitochondrial markers (CYT-B, 16S and ND4) and one nuclear marker (C-Mos). We tested if the core and ecotone regions of the Cerrado show differences in biotic and abiotic characteristics that could promote genetic structure and divergence among lineages within
E. capetinga
. We found evidence for divergent lineages within the species, but not congruent with our hypothesis. Similar divergent patterns were observed in other Cerrado lizards, including interspecific divergences within the
Enyalius
genus. Molecular characterization of field-collected individuals (previously identified as
E. bilineatus
), allowed us to update the geographic distribution of the species to include the ecotone between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, an area where species distribution overlap.
The development of non-platinum-based cathodes is required in order to commercialize polymer electrolyte fuel cells. We have previously investigated group 4 and 5 transition metal oxides because they ...exhibit high chemical stability under cathode conditions and are less costly than platinum. In this paper, tantalum oxide-based cathodes were prepared from oxy-tantalum phthalocyanines by heat treatment under low oxygen partial pressures. We successfully obtained nano-sized tantalum oxide-based particles dispersed on multi-walled carbon nanotubes to increase the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) current density. We investigated the factors which influence ORR activity in terms of the onset potential and ORR current density. The onset potential increased with increasing crystalline distortion of orthorhombic Ta2O5, which was experimentally observed as changes in the position and full width at half maximum of the Ta2O5 (001) peak in the X-ray diffraction patterns. In addition, the amount of the deposited carbon strongly influenced the ORR current density because it affected the surface area of the oxides and the formation of local electron conduction paths.
The Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) is an ultra-high energy (>1017eV) cosmic neutrino detector in phased construction near the south pole. ARA searches for radio Cherenkov emission from particle cascades ...induced by neutrino interactions in the ice using radio frequency antennas (∼150-800MHz) deployed at a design depth of 200m in the Antarctic ice. A prototype ARA Testbed station was deployed at ∼30m depth in the 2010–2011 season and the first three full ARA stations were deployed in the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 seasons. We present the first neutrino search with ARA using data taken in 2011 and 2012 with the ARA Testbed and the resulting constraints on the neutrino flux from 1017-1021eV.
•Several bulk MgB2 samples were prepared by solid state reaction at various temperatures between 700 and 950 oC.•SEM and x-ray diffraction indicated that single phase MgB2 bulks can be obtained at ...medium sintering temperatures.•A proper processing temperature is also the key parameter to achieve high trapped fields.•Samples of 20 mm in diameter and 7 mm thick, produced at 775 oC exhibited the trapped field of 1.50 T at 20 K.
The optimization of the sintering conditions of disk shaped bulk MgB2 superconductors with respect to the trapped field is described. Series of samples were prepared by varying the sintering temperatures between 700 and 950°C. The temperature range was divided into three regions, namely the low (<750°C), medium (<825°C), and high (>850°C) temperature region. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicated that homogenous single phase MgB2 bulks were produced in the medium sintering temperature range. At this processing temperature range the highest trapped field was also achieved. Samples of 20mm in diameter and 7mm thick produced at 775°C exhibited trapped field of 1.50T at 20K.
Zirconium oxide-based electrocatalysts with multi-walled carbon nanotubes as electroconductive support (ZrCxNyOz/MWCNT) were prepared by oxidation of oxy-zirconium phthalocyanine under low oxygen ...partial pressure and examined as new non-platinum cathodes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The effect of reheating treatment of ZrCxNyOz/MWCNT in the temperature range from 900 to 1200°C for 1 h under nitrogen atmosphere on the activity and stability of the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated. The reheating treatment at 1000°C enhanced the ORR activity because of the formation of oxygen vacancies, which might act as active sites for the ORR. The reheating treatment at temperatures above 1100°C, however, led to the formation of carbonitrides which are unstable under cathode conditions, resulting in decrease in the ORR activity. The reheating treatment significantly increased the durability of ORR at both low (0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) and high (1.2 V) potential. The reheating treatment at higher temperatures promoted graphitization of the deposited carbon. Because the degradation in the high-potential region mainly originates from corrosion of the carbon materials, graphitization would be effective to improve the durability.
Our group has developed a coil using MgB2 wires for SMES. In this paper, a prototype coil using a MgB2 Rutherford-type stranded conductor was fabricated based on react-and-wind (R&W) method. In the ...R&W method, a Rutherford-type conductor in which nine MgB2 wires were wound at pitch of 450 mm around a copper former were manufactured using reacted wires (performed by Columbus Superconductors SpA), and then coiling was performed. The coil was cooled by conduction cooling and the I-V properties were evaluated under magnetic field. As a result, in the R&W method, critical current of a coil was degraded, since making a coil by hand would cause the strain beyond the scope of the assumption which was the marginally allowable bending strain. This result suggests the coil for SMES proposed in ASPCS is difficult to react before twisting, and Rutherford-type conductors should be fabricated before reacting, which means that coil processing should be performed based on the React after making stranded conductors and Wind method, or the wind-and-react method.
Aim
The capillary regression in skeletal muscles associated with a chronic decrease in activity is related to a dysfunction of endocapillary cells induced by over‐expression of oxidative stress. We ...hypothesized that treatment with astaxanthin, an antioxidant, would attenuate the oxidative stress induced by decreased skeletal muscle use, and that this attenuation would prevent the associated capillary regression. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant and preventive effects of astaxanthin on capillary regression in the soleus muscle during hindlimb unloading.
Methods
Twenty‐four adult male Wistar rats were assigned randomly either to a control, control plus astaxanthin treatment, hindlimb unloaded or hindlimb unloaded plus astaxanthin treatment group for 7 days.
Results
Hindlimb unloading resulted in a decrease in mean soleus absolute weight, capillary number, volume and luminal diameter. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the over‐expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD‐1), a decrease in the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, an inhibition of the angiopoietin pathway and an increase of thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1), as an anti‐angiogenic factor were showed. Administration of astaxanthin attenuated the changes in SOD‐1 and VEGF, up‐regulated the angiogenic factors and reduced the capillary regression in the soleus of hindlimb unloaded rats. In addition, the VEGF‐to‐TSP1 ratio was higher in the astaxanthin treated groups than in the control and HU groups.
Conclusion
These results suggest that astaxanthin may be an effective treatment to counter the detrimental effects of a chronic decrease in skeletal muscle use on the capillary network and associated angiogenic pathways.
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