Chia Seed Oil Prevents High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Hyperlipidemia is a common cardiovascular disease. At present, the influence of high fat diet (HFD) on this is being explored. Recently, vegetable oils rich in omega‐3 have been reported that can treat hyperlipidemia caused by HFD. However, the effects of chia seed oil (CSO) on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are poorly studied. Hence, in this study, the effects of CSO on hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress induced by HFD in mice are analyzed by various commercial kits, section staining, and protein expression. The results show that CSO decreases body weight and organ index. Meanwhile, CSO reduces serum lipid levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. It can also elevate superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and reduce malondialdehyde content in serum and liver. The results of histopathological analysis prove that CSO improves hepatic steatosis and reduces lipid deposition. Further, the results of western blot demonstrate that CSO upregulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a in the liver. As a result, CSO may be a potential lipid‐lowering oil to prevent and treat HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. Practical Applications CSO, as a byproduct of chia seed processing, is a rich source of α‐linolenic acid. This study investigates the effects of CSO on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in mice. It is concluded that dietary CSO can improve the hyperlipidemia in HFD‐induced mice via analysis of lipid parameters, histopathology study of the liver, and lipid metabolism related genes. In addition, supplementation of CSO also can improve the oxidative stress in mice. Therefore, CSO can be used for the prevention of hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. This research provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of functional chia seed oil.     

非晶Fe粉掺杂Al-12Si合金的高温压缩变形行为

为提高Al-12Si合金的热变形抗力,并探索非晶Fe粉掺杂对Al-12Si合金热压缩行为的影响和掺杂非晶Fe粉热压缩中的晶化温度等,采用连续挤压技术制备了掺杂10wt%非晶Fe粉与不掺杂非晶Fe粉的Al-12Si合金试样,对试样进行了不同温度和应变速率下的热压缩试验,分析了试样在热压缩中的组织转变,以及采用双曲正弦关系构建了试样的热流变应力方程。结果表明:非晶Fe掺杂试样在450 ℃及以下的热压缩时,Fe维持非晶态,500 ℃时,则已发生晶化;掺杂10wt%非晶Fe粉使Al-12Si合金的热抗变形能力显著提高,其热压缩激活能Q=211.29 kJ/mol,比未掺杂非晶Fe粉的Al-12Si合金试样高40.78 kJ/mol,且热压缩过程中存在动态回复和动态再结晶;利用双曲正弦关系构建试样的热流变应力方程为ε·=4.42×10¹⁴[sinh(0.016 6σ)]^6.13exp(-211 290/RT),线性回归系数高达0.99,即可为非晶Fe粉掺杂试样的热加工提供一定的理论指导。     

Crack initiation of granite under uniaxial compression tests: A comparison study

In this study, a combination of acoustic emission (AE) method (AEM) and wave transmission method (WTM) is used to investigate the behaviors of AE and ultrasonic properties corresponding to initial fracturing in granitic rocks. The relationships of AE characteristics, frequency spectra, and spatial locations with crack initiation (CI) are studied. The anisotropic ultrasonic characteristics, velocity distributions in different ray paths, wave amplitudes, and spectral characters of transmitted waves are investigated. To identify CI stress, damage initiations characterized by strain-based method (SBM), AEM and WTM are compared. For granite samples, it shows that the ratio of CI stress to peak strength estimated by SBM ranges from 0.4 to 0.55, and 0.49–0.6 by WTM, which are higher than that of AEM (0.38–0.46). The CI stress identified by AEM indicates the onset of microcracking, and the combination of AEM and WTM provides an insight into the detection of rock damage initiation and anisotropy.     

机电复合作用下发电电动机磁极连接线建模及应力分析

针对抽水蓄能机组发电电动机转子磁极连接线现有设计校核往往仅考虑单一机械应力作用,提出计及机端短路故障的机电复合作用下发电电动机磁极连接线建模及应力分析方法。首先,基于有限元方法建立某抽水蓄能机组发电电动机转子结构有限元模型,得到磁极连接线不同工况下单一机械应力结果,然后建立机端三相短路故障下发电电动机电磁场有限元模型,得到计及故障下电磁力作用的机电复合应力结果。结果表明,磁极连接线飞逸工况下承受机械应力约为额定工况时的2倍,电磁力对磁极连接线不同区域影响不均,受力方向和大小的变化规律与机械应力不同,机电复合作用下会造成磁极连接线局部应力激增。     

The effect of barium titanate ceramic loading on the stress relaxation behavior of barium titanate-silicone elastomer composites

The stress relaxation behavior of barium titanate (BTO)-elastomer (Ecoflex) composites, as used in large strain sensors, is studied using the generalized Maxwell-Wiechert model. In this article, we examine the stress relaxation behavior of ceramic polymer composites by conducting stress relaxation tests on samples prepared with varying the particle loading by 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% of 100 and 200 nm BTO ceramic particles embedded in a Ecoflex silicone-based hyperelastic elastomer. The influence of BTO on the Maxwell-Wiechert model parameters was studied through the stress relaxation results. While a pristine Ecoflex silicone elastomer is predominantly a hyperelastic material, the addition of BTO made the composite behave as a visco-hyperelastic material. However, this behavior was shown to have a negligible effect on the electrical sensing performance of the large strain sensor.     

The roles of focal adhesion and cytoskeleton systems in fluid shear stress-induced endothelial cell response

Focal adhesions are polyproteins linked to extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton, which play an important role in the process of transforming force signals into intracellular chemical signals and subsequently triggering related physiological or pathological reactions. The cytoskeleton is a network of protein fibers in the cytoplasm, which is composed of microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments, and cross-linked proteins. It is a very important structure for cells to maintain their basic morphology. This review summarizes the process of fluid shear stress transduction mediated by focal adhesion and the key role of the cytoskeleton in this process, which focuses on the focal adhesion and cytoskeleton systems. The important proteins involved in signal transduction in focal adhesion are introduced emphatically. The relationship between focal adhesion and mechanical transduction pathways are discussed. In this review, we discuss the relationship between fluid shear stress and associated diseases such as atherosclerosis, as well as its role in clinical research and drug development.     

Thermal history and its implications: A case study for ion exchange

Glasses containing monovalent species can be chemically strengthened by the replacement of smaller ions in the glass with larger external ions in the near glass surface. This type of ion exchange puts glass surface under high compressive stress (CS). Glass mainly fails from tension with the presence of surface flaws. Chemical strengthening can change the stress at the flaw tip from tension to compression and further stop the flaw from propagating. Glass damage resistance is therefore significantly improved. For the same glass composition, glass thermal histories can affect the magnitude and depth of the CS generated during ion exchange. In this study, the impact of thermal history on glass physical properties and ion exchange attributes in one alkali-containing glass formed by fusion draw process was investigated. Multiple thermal treatments were done to rewrite the glass thermal histories. Glass density, refractive index, and ion-exchange properties as a function of the thermal treatment were studied. It is concluded that ion exchange-related properties change dramatically with the glass thermal history.