Maternal High‐Fat‐Diet Programs Rat Offspring Liver Fatty Acid Metabolism

In offspring exposed in utero to a maternal diet high in fat (HF), we have previously demonstrated that despite similar birth weights, HF adult offspring at 6 months of age had significantly higher body weights, greater adiposity, and increased triacylglycerol (TAG) levels as compared to controls. We hypothesized that a maternal HF diet predisposes to offspring adiposity via a programmed increase in the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids in the liver and hence increased substrate availability for liver TAG synthesis. We further hypothesized that programmed changes in offspring liver fatty acid metabolism are associated with increased liver expression of the lipogenic enzyme stearoyl‐CoA desaturase‐1 (SCD‐1). Female rats were maintained on a HF diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) prior to and throughout pregnancy and lactation. After birth, newborns were nursed by the same dam, and all offspring were weaned to control diet. Plasma and liver fatty acid compositions were determined using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fatty acid C16 desaturation indices of palmitoleic/palmitic and (vaccenic + palmitoleic)/palmitic and the C18 desaturation index of oleic/stearic were calculated. Liver protein abundance of SCD‐1 was analyzed in newborns and adult offspring. Plasma and liver C16 desaturation indices were decreased in HF newborns, but increased in the adult offspring. Liver SCD‐1 expression was increased in the HF adult offspring. These data show that the maternal HF diet during pregnancy and lactation increases offspring liver SCD‐1 protein abundance and alters the liver C16 desaturase pathway.     

Structural,mechanical and thermal studies of double‐molded isotactic polypropylene nanocomposites with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Nanocomposites of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with various contents of MWCNTs were fabricated by double molding techniques. X‐ray diffraction measurements reveal a development of α‐crystal with lamellar stacks having a long period of 150 Å in the neat iPP that increases to 165 Å in 2 wt % MWCNTs‐loaded composites, indicating that MWCNTs enhance crystallization of iPP as a nucleating factor. Mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, Young's modulus, tangent modulus, and microhardness are found to increase with increasing MWCNTs content. Thermal analyses represent an increase of crystallization and melting temperatures and a decrease of thermal stability of the composites with increasing MWCNTs. Changes in structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the composites due to the addition of MWCNTs are elaborately discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

The ETH‐MAV Team in the MBZ International Robotics Challenge

This study describes the hardware and software systems of the Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) platforms used by the ETH Zurich team in the 2017 Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC). The aim was to develop robust outdoor platforms with the autonomous capabilities required for the competition, by applying and integrating knowledge from various fields, including computer vision, sensor fusion, optimal control, and probabilistic robotics. This paper presents the major components and structures of the system architectures and reports on experimental findings for the MAV‐based challenges in the competition. Main highlights include securing the second place both in the individual search, pick, and place the task of Challenge 3 and the Grand Challenge, with autonomous landing executed in less than 1 min and a visual servoing success rate of over for object pickups.     

Synthesis of Bio-Based Polyamide/Acid-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites Using Vanillin

Synthesis of bio-based polyamide/acid-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites (PA/FCNT NCs) is reported in this investigation. New aliphatic–aromatic bio-based polyamide (PA) was synthesized through direct polycondensation reaction between bio-based diacid derived from a renewable resource; vanillin and diamine containing ether linkages. To obtain a homogeneous dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the PA matrix, acid-functionalized MWCNTs (FCNTs) were used and PA nanocomposites with three different FCNT contents (1, 5 and 7?wt%) were prepared. The resulting NCs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

高精度数控挤齿机及其自动对齿系统

分析了同步器齿套结构特点及倒锥加工工艺,在此基础上研制开发了一种具有基于倒锥齿加工的自动对齿装置的新型数控挤齿机,给出了该机床关键结构的设计方案,介绍了机床工件相位测量,工件齿套正、反面的识别和自动对齿的工作原理.该机床已用于实际生产中,解决了倒锥齿加工的自动化问题,大大提高了加工效率.     

Efficient Synthesis of α-Monoglycerides via Solventless Condensation of Fatty Acids with Glycerol Carbonate

Highly pure α-monoglycerides (5a–e) were successfully prepared in high yields by the condensation of fatty acids such as lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic and oleic (2a–e) with glycerol carbonate (4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one) (1) in the presence of triethylamine as catalyst. Reaction conditions and spectroscopic identification of products will be presented in this article.     

Electrospun biodegradable nanofibers scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Many polymeric materials have been developed and introduced for bone regeneration. Especially, their nanofibrous forms are mostly applied for artificial extracellular matrices. Polymeric materials in their nanofibrous form show some potent properties such as high surface‐to‐volume ratio, tunable porosity, and ease of surface functionalization. Benefiting from the properties of their main polymer and additives, they can provide new opportunities for cell seeding, proliferation, and new 3D‐tissue formation. This article focuses on most cited polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning and recent achievements. They were divided into two main categories: natural (collagen, silk, keratin, gelatin, chitosan, and alginate) and synthetic (e.g., polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, and polyglycolic acid) polymers. The role of several additives like hydroxyapatite, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), tricalcium phosphate, and collagen type I in improving the adhesion, differentiation, and tissue formation of stem cells were discussed. Finally, the osteogenic capacity and ability of nanofibrous scaffolds to support the growth of clinically relevant bone tissue were briefly studied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42883.     

Studies of Micromechanical Deformation Processes in Particle-Filled Glassy Polymer

The deformation behavior of rubber-toughened polymer, which was prepared by incorporating soft, core-shell rubbery particles into a glassy polymer such as poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), has been investigated by means of mechanical tests, optical monitoring (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By mechanical testing, the neat PMMA reveals a 2% strain with high yield stress. After inclusion of 17.5 and 35 vol%rubber particles, the softened-PMMA samples exhibit corresponding strain of 20% and 38%, showing an increase of strain along with the relative decrease of yield stress, resulting in a toughening behavior of PMMA. Clear shear bands and stress whitening develop in the rubber-toughened PMMA after deformation, as observed by OM. Investigation by SEM shows crazes/cracks in the stretched, rubber-softened PMMA samples in which the core-shell particles are found to be cavitated. The mechanism of this deformation has been explained based on the void formation in the rubbery shell as well as the initiation and propagation of crazing.