Whole Body Ip6k1 Deletion Protects Mice from Age-Induced Weight Gain,Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Dysfunction

(1) Background: We previously demonstrated that disruption of IP6K1 improves metabolism, protecting mice from high-fat diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis. Age-induced metabolic dysfunction is a major risk factor for metabolic diseases. The involvement of IP6K1 in this process is unknown. (2) Methods: Here, we compared body and fat mass, insulin sensitivity, energy expenditure and serum-, adipose tissue- and liver-metabolic parameters of chow-fed, aged, wild type (aWT) and whole body Ip6k1 knockout (aKO) mice. (3) Results: IP6K1 was upregulated in the adipose tissue and liver of aWT mice compared to young WT mice. Moreover, Ip6k1 deletion blocked age-induced increase in body- and fat-weight and insulin resistance in mice. aKO mice oxidized carbohydrates more efficiently. The knockouts displayed reduced levels of serum insulin, triglycerides, and non-esterified fatty acids. Ip6k1 deletion partly protected age-induced decline of the thermogenic uncoupling protein UCP1 in inguinal white adipose tissue. Targets inhibited by IP6K1 activity such as the insulin sensitivity- and energy expenditure-inducing protein kinases, protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), were activated in the adipose tissue and liver of aKO mice. (4) Conclusions: Ip6k1 deletion maintains healthy metabolism in aging and thus, targeting this kinase may delay the development of age-induced metabolic dysfunction.     

Coordinated control of TCPS and SMES for frequency regulation of interconnected restructured power systems with dynamic participation from DFIG based wind farm

Among the several wind generation technologies, variable-speed wind turbines utilizing doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) are gaining momentum in the power industry. Increased penetration of these wind turbine generators displaces conventional synchronous generators which results in erosion of system frequency. With this assertion, the paper analyzes the dynamic participation of DFIG for frequency control of an interconnected two-area power system in restructured competitive electricity market. Frequency control support function responding proportionally to frequency deviation is proposed to take out the kinetic energy of wind turbine for improving the frequency response of the system. Impacts of varying wind penetration in the system and varying active power support from DFIG on frequency control have been investigated. The presence of thyristor controlled phase shifter (TCPS) in series with the tie-line and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) at the terminal of one area in conjunction with dynamic active power support from DFIG results in optimal transient performance for PoolCo transactions. Integral gains of AGC loop and parameters of TCPS and SMES are optimized through craziness-based particle swarm optimization (CRPSO) in order to have optimal transient responses of area frequencies, tie-line power deviation and DFIG parameters.     

Theoretical and Experimental Insight into the Mechanism for Spontaneous Vertical Growth of ReS2 Nanosheets

Rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) differs fundamentally from other group‐VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) due to its low structural symmetry, which results in its optical and electrical anisotropy. Although vertical growth is observed in some TMDs under special growth conditions, vertical growth in ReS₂ is very different in that it is highly spontaneous and substrate‐independent. In this study, the mechanism that underpins the thermodynamically favorable vertical growth mode of ReS₂ is uncovered. It is found that the governing mechanism for ReS₂ growth involves two distinct stages. In the first stage, ReS₂ grows parallel to the growth substrate, consistent with conventional TMD growth. However, subsequent vertical growth is nucleated at points on the lattice where Re atoms are “pinched” together. At such sites, an additional Re atom binds with the cluster of pinched Re atoms, leaving an under‐coordinated S atom protruding out of the ReS₂ plane. This under‐coordinated S is “reactive” and binds to free Re and S atoms, initiating growth in a direction perpendicular to the ReS₂ surface. The utility of such vertical ReS₂ arrays in applications where high surface‐to‐volume ratio and electric‐field enhancement are essential, such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, field emission, and solar‐based disinfection of bacteria, is demonstrated.     

A computer simulation approach to evaluating bowl versus inverted bowl assembly line arrangement with variable operation times

A computer simulation model was used to evaluate a bowl versus inverted bowl assembly line arrangement for normal and exponential distributions and variances equal to 1 and 16. The model was developed on the basis of a realistic case problem and applied to a six-station assembly line. The results show that the inverted bowl is superior to the bowl arrangement for a normal distribution in terms of the total elapsed time evaluation criterion; however, with an exponential distribution, the bowl was found better than the inverted bowl for the same criterion. On the basis of the average percentage of working time and the average time in the system evaluation criteria, the bowl was found superior to the inverted bowl for a normal distribution. Similar results were obtained for an exponential distribution with a variance equal to 1, but no definitive inference could be made with a variance equal to 16.     

Optimum lipid production using agro-industrial wastewater treated microalgae as biofuel substrate

Abundant wastewater discharges from palm oil industries in tropical nations being a valuable resource of biodiesel need proper exploration. Research hinted that such wastewater as economical nutrient source or substrate can support the cultivation of microalgae. In this experiment, we have tested the growth and lipid production of five different microalgal strains in palm oil mill effluent (POME). POME as a biofuel substrate is demonstrated to be lucrative for microalgae-assisted lipids production. POME is rich in macro- and micronutrients can be used as a growth medium for algal growth in order to reduce the growth medium cost and environmental pollutions. Among the five microalgal strains tested, Chlorella sorokiniana revealed optimum biomass and lipid production. The productivity was evaluated in terms of chlorophyll content, growth rate, biomass, and lipid content, which discerned to be 0.099/day, 8.0 mg/L day and 2.68 mg/mg cell dry weight (CDW). Furthermore, in this study, an optimization study was carried out to enhance the microalgae to produce high lipid content using carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and different light/dark periods. The presence of nitrogen combined glucose (with a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio 100:7) as an alternative source to carbon displayed higher lipid production of 2.68 (mg/mg CDW) by C. sorokiniana. This study confirms that 8:16 h light/dark condition at C:TN ratio of 100:7 supported to produce high lipid content of 17 mg lipid/mg CDW. The above results revealed that POME could be a suitable growth media for the alga C. sorokiniana to improve the maximum lipid yield for biofuels production.     

A parallel multistep predictor-corrector algorithm for solving ordinary differential equations

In this paper we give a generalized predictor-corrector algorithm for solving ordinary differential equations with specified initial values. The method uses multiple correction steps which can be carried out in parallel with a prediction step. The proposed method gives a larger stability interval compared to the existing parallel predictor-corrector methods. A method has been suggested to implement the algorithm in multiple processor systems with efficient utilization of all the processors.     

Liver-Specific Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency Upregulates Lipogenesis in Adipose Tissue and Improves Peripheral Insulin Sensitivity

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) plays a critical role in lipid synthesis and glucose homeostasis in the fed and fasting states. The central role of the liver in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis has been established by studying changes in key enzymes (including PDC) and the carbon-flux via several pathways under different metabolic states. In the present study we have developed a murine model of liver-specific PDC deficiency using Cre-loxP technology to investigate its consequences on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. There was no incorporation of glucose-carbon into fatty acids by liver in vitro from liver-specific Pdha1 knockout (L-PDHKO) male mice due to absence of hepatic PDC activity. Interestingly, there was a compensatory increase in lipogenic capacity in epididymal adipose tissue from L-PDHKO mice. Both fat and lean body mass were significantly reduced in L-PDHKO mice, which might be explained by an increase in total energy expenditure compared with wild-type littermate mice. Furthermore, both liver and peripheral insulin sensitivities measured during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp were improved in L-PDHKO mice. The findings presented here demonstrate (i) the indispensable role of PDC for lipogenesis from glucose in liver and (ii) specific adaptations in lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue to compensate for loss of PDC activity in liver only.     

Retracted: Mechanical and thermal properties enhancement of polycarbonate nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding

The following article from the Journal of Applied Polymer Science, “Mechanical and thermal properties enhancement of polycarbonate nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding” by Sanjay K. Nayak, Smita Mohanty, and Sushanta K. Samal, published online on 7 April 2010 in Wiley Online Library (J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2010 , 117, 2101; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/app.31222/full ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal's editors, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed due to significant overlap with respect to another article, “Effect of hydrogen bonding on the rheology of polycarbonate/organoclay nanocomposites,” by Kyung Min Lee, and Chang Dae Han, published online on 19 June 2003 in Polymer ( 2003 , 44, 4573).     

Design of Concentric Circular Antenna Array with Central Element Feeding Using Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach and Evolutionary Programing Technique

In this paper the maximum sidelobe level (SLL) reductions without and with central element feeding in various designs of three-ring concentric circular antenna arrays (CCAA) are examined using a real-coded Evolutionary Programming (EP) to finally determine the global optimal three-ring CCAA design. Standard real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach (PSOCFIWA) are also employed for comparative optimization but both prove to be suboptimal. This paper assumes non-uniform excitation weights and uniform spacing of excitation elements in each three-ring CCAA design. Among the various CCAA designs, the design containing central element and 4, 6 and 8 elements in three successive concentric rings proves to be such global optimal design set with global minimum SLL (−39.66 dB) as determined by Evolutionary Programming.     

Selective solubilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from multicomponent nonaqueous-phase liquids into nonionic surfactant micelles

This research investigates the equilibrium solubilization behavior of naphthalene and phenanthrene from multicomponent nonaqueous-phase liquids (NAPLs) by five different polyoxyethylene nonionic surfactants. The overall goal of the study was to achieve an improved understanding of surfactant-aided dissolution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from multicomponent NAPLs in the context of surfactant-enhanced remediation of contaminated sites. The extent of solubilization of the PAHs in the surfactant micelles increased linearly with the PAH mole fraction in the NAPL. The solubilization extent and micelle-water equilibrium partition coefficient of the PAHs increased with the size of the polar shell region of the micelles rather than the size of the hydrophobic core of the micelle. The presence of both PAHs in the shell region of the micelles was confirmed by 1H NMR analysis. This is an important observation because it is commonly assumed that in multi-solute systems the solutes with relatively greater hydrophobicity are solubilized only in the micellar core. A comparison of the 1H NMR spectra of pure surfactant solutions and solutions contacted with various NAPLs demonstrated that the distribution of PAHs between the shell and the core changed with the concentration of PAHs in the micelles and in the NAPL. Competitive solubilization of the PAHs was observed when both PAHs were present in the NAPL. For example, in surfactant solutions of Brij 35 and Tween 80, the solubilization of phenanthrene was decreased in the presence of naphthalene as compared to systems that contained phenanthrene as the only solute. In contrast, with micellar solutions of Tergitol NP-10 and Triton X-100, phenanthrene solubilization was enhanced in the presence of naphthalene. The activity coefficients of the PAHs in the micellar phase were generally found to increase with PAH concentrations in the micelle.