We have previously reported that astaxanthin (AX), a dietary carotenoid, directly interacts with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors PPARα and PPARγ, activating PPARα while inhibiting PPARγ, ...and thus reduces lipid accumulation in hepatocytes in vitro. To investigate the effects of AX in vivo, high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice were orally administered AX (6 or 30mg/kg body weight) or vehicle for 8weeks. AX significantly reduced the levels of triglyceride both in plasma and in liver compared with the control HFD mice. AX significantly improved liver histology and thus reduced both steatosis and inflammation scores of livers with hematoxylin and eosin staining. The number of inflammatory macrophages and Kupffer cells were reduced in livers by AX administration assessed with F4/80 staining. Hepatic PPARα-responsive genes involved in fatty acid uptake and β-oxidation were upregulated, whereas inflammatory genes were downregulated by AX administration. In vitro radiolabeled assays revealed that hepatic fatty acid oxidation was induced by AX administration, whereas fatty acid synthesis was not changed in hepatocytes. In mechanism studies, AX inhibited Akt activity and thus decreased SREBP1 phosphorylation and induced Insig-2a expression, both of which delayed nuclear translocation of SREBP1 and subsequent hepatic lipogenesis. Additionally, inhibition of the Akt-mTORC1 signaling axis by AX stimulated hepatic autophagy that could promote degradation of lipid droplets. These suggest that AX lowers hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice via multiple mechanisms. In addition to the previously reported differential regulation of PPARα and PPARγ, inhibition of Akt activity and activation of hepatic autophagy reduced hepatic steatosis in mouse livers.
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InP-based quantum dots (QDs) have attracted much attention for use in optical applications, and several types of QDs such as InP/ZnS, InP/ZnSeS, and InP/GaP/ZnS have been developed. However, early ...synthetic methods that involved rapid injection at high temperatures have not been able to reproducibly produce the required optical properties. They were also not able to support commercialization efforts successfully. Herein, we introduce a simple synthetic method for InP/GaP/ZnS core/shell/shell QDs via a heating process. The reaction was completed within 0.5 h and a full color range from blue to red was achieved. For emitting blue color, t-DDT was applied to prevent particle growth. From green to orange, color variation was achieved by adjusting the quantity of myristic acid. Utilizing large quantities of gallium chloride led to red color. With this method, we produced high-quality InP/GaP/ZnS QDs (blue QY: ~40%, FWHM: 50 nm; green QY: ~85%, FWHM: 41 nm; red QY: ~60%, FWHM: 65 nm). We utilized t-DDT as a new sulfur source. Compared with n-DDT, t-DDT was more reactive, which allowed for the formation of a thicker shell.
We seek to understand how third-party observers respond to allegations of sexual transgressions, whether their responses vary and if so why, how they determine perpetrator sanctions, who is more ...forgiving of them, and what is the psychological mechanism underlying this preference. We draw on one dimension of Hofstede's (Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1991) theory of cultural orientations—
power distance belief,
and one dimension of Haidt's (Psychological Review, 108: 814–834, 2001) work on moral reasoning—
moral decoupling.
Results from three studies on recent real-life cases—those pertaining to Harvey Weinstein, Brett Kavanaugh, and Peter Martins—reveal interesting, consistent, and dramatic findings pertaining to these research questions. Specifically, compared to observers who endorse a low power distance belief (PDB), high PDB observers selectively suspend judgments of culpability and express higher evaluations of the alleged perpetrators, are significantly more forgiving of them, convey a lower preference for naming and shaming them, and consider the alleged transgressions as less serious. These outcomes are predicated on the psychological mechanism of moral decoupling. Both high and low PDB respondents decouple the perpetrators’ competence and morality. However, high PDB observers gauge the actions of the perpetrators by emphasizing competence, while low PDB observers gauge their actions by emphasizing morality.
Ferroptosis is a form of cell death that results from the catastrophic accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oncogenic signaling elevates lipid ROS production in many tumor types and ...is counteracted by metabolites that are derived from the amino acid cysteine. In this work, we show that the import of oxidized cysteine (cystine) via system x
is a critical dependency of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is a leading cause of cancer mortality. PDAC cells used cysteine to synthesize glutathione and coenzyme A, which, together, down-regulated ferroptosis. Studying genetically engineered mice, we found that the deletion of a system x
subunit,
, induced tumor-selective ferroptosis and inhibited PDAC growth. This was replicated through the administration of cyst(e)inase, a drug that depletes cysteine and cystine, demonstrating a translatable means to induce ferroptosis in PDAC.
This article proposes a method to compensate for the nonlinearity of an inverter through the estimation of the deadtime effect. The deadtime effect varies with the manufacturing tolerance of the ...inverter circuit itself and operating conditions, such as conducting current, dc-link voltage, and temperature. For the accurate compensation of the nonlinearity, the effect of the deadtime should be estimated in realtime. That effect on the control of the inverter is significantly affected by the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme because the deadtime occurs only at the switching instant of the inverter, and the PWM scheme solely decides the switching. The proposed method exploits the difference of voltage error from the deadtime effect according to different PWM schemes. By comparing the effects with two different PWM schemes, namely continuous PWM and discontinuous PWM, the voltage error to a specific inverter caused by the deadtime can be identified. Several experimental tests are carried out to verify the validity of the proposed method. The results reveal that the voltage error due to the deadtime can be identified in the range of 100 mV at 300-V dc link. It is equivalent to 30 ns resolution in deadtime.
In this paper, a comprehensive control scheme for a delta-connected cascaded H-bridge (CHB) converter-based static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is presented, especially focusing on improving ...dynamic performance by novel feedforward control method. The method can conspicuously improve the dynamics of zero-sequence circulating current regulation of delta-connected CHB STATCOM especially under grid fault condition as well as load unbalance without excessive dc cell capacitor voltage fluctuation. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by mathematical proof. Finally, the full-scaled simulation results and the down-scaled experimental results verify that stable operation is guaranteed for both emulated grid and load unbalance conditions.
For a long time, antibiotics have been ‘magical weapons’ to combat pathogenic microbes. The success of antibiotics is now greatly threatened by resistance to antibiotics and many scientists have ...already talked about the coming of the postantibiotic era. This special issue is prepared to understand recent research findings and new concepts about antibiotic resistance. Above all, this special issue explores mechanisms for the generation, selection, and spread of antibiotic resistance, and gives insight into what to target to prevent the development of antibiotic resistance. Just as antibiotics came from the concept of “magic bullet”, a breakthrough will come from a new concept based on a profound understanding of antibiotic resistance.
Abstract
This in vitro study evaluated comprehensively the performances of zirconia brackets with varying yttria proportions in manufacturing advanced orthodontic brackets. Three experimental groups ...of zirconia brackets were fabricated using yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) materials with different yttria proportions—3 mol% yttria (3Y-YSZ), 4 mol% yttria (4Y-YSZ), and 5 mol% yttria (5Y-YSZ) (Tosoh Ceramic, Japan). A polycrystalline alumina ceramic bracket (3M™ Clarity™ Advanced, MBT 0.022-in. slot) was employed as the control group. Morphological properties, including slot surface structure and dimensions, were examined using scanning electron microscopy and surface profiler analysis. Manufacturing accuracy was assessed with root mean square calculations of trueness and precision. Mechanical properties were tested, encompassing static and kinetic frictional resistance (FR) and fracture strength. Optical stability was evaluated through 20,000 cycles of thermocycling and a 7-day immersion in various coloring agents. Within the limitations of this study, zirconia brackets containing 3 to 5 mol% YSZ presented enhanced reliability in terms of dimensional accuracy and demonstrated favorable optical stability. Notably, owing to its advantageous mechanical properties, the 3Y-YSZ variant showed remarkable potential as an advanced material for fabricating orthodontic brackets.
Additive doping improves the morphology and stability of tin (Sn)-based perovskite films under ambient conditions. However, the role of additives in the perovskite layer is not clearly understood, ...especially when two or more additives are incorporated. In this study, the effect of binary additives composed of 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI) and ethylenediammonium diiodide (EDAI2) on formamidinium tin iodide (FASnI3) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is studied. PEAI plays an important role in reducing the dimensionality of the perovskite crystals from 3D to mixed 2D/3D, whereas EDAI2 resides on the grain periphery as a linker to improve the interconnection between neighboring grains. Overall, the optimum blending of the two additives, 8 and 1 mol % of PEAI and EDAI2, produces pinhole-free, compact perovskite film with superior crystallinity and preferential orientation, exhibiting very low background charge carrier density, reduced trap states and suppressed recombination losses. The reduced dimensionality and favored perovskite layer stacking lead to a better interlayer coupling that improves charge transfer at the interfaces. Consequently, the best PSC exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.47% with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.634 V and the device stability is enhanced up to 5 days in ambient conditions without any additional encapsulation.
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•Effect of two additives PEAI and EDAI2 on PV properties of FASnI3 PSC is explored.•PEA+ acts as a spacer cation to form mixed 2D/3D perovskites.•EDA2+ increases the robustness of perovskite film by linking adjacent grains.•Blending of PEAI and EDAI2 lead to a highly crystalline and pinhole-free film.•PSC fabricated with binary additive shows the efficiency enhancement to 8.47%.
Amblyseius eharai is a generalist predatory mite that consumes spider mites, rust mites, thrips, and pollen, with a high adaptability to various plants. To better understand ecological and behavioral ...aspects of this species, we investigated its functional response to different stages of two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Furthermore, we compared its environmental adaptability with that of other referenced phytoseiids using a temperature-dependent model of the intrinsic rate of increase. We were able to calculate the functional response parameters of both sexes of A. eharai when preying on eggs or larvae of T. urticae and, for females only, when preying on the deutonymph of T. urticae. Among the various combinations tested herein, A. eharai females preying on T. urticae larvae had the highest attack rate and shortest handling time. For eggs of T. urticae, A. eharai showed a lower attack rate; however, its handling time for eggs was significantly shorter compared to other phytoseiids. Using T. urticae larva as a prey, the attack rate of female A. eharai was higher and the handling time of both sexes of this species was shorter than those of other phytoseiid mites. Amblyseius eharai populations can show maximum performance quickly due to this species' lower optimal temperature for population growth (28.1°C) compared to other phytoseiid mites. Thus, we provided evidence that this predatory mite has the potential to be a new, effective biological control agent of greenhouse pests such as T. urticae due to its high predation capacity and low optimal temperature.
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