Adipsin Serum Concentrations and Adipose Tissue Expression in People with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

(1) Adipsin is an adipokine that may link increased fat mass and adipose tissue dysfunction to obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we investigated whether adipsin serum concentrations and adipose tissue (AT) adipsin mRNA expression are related to parameters of AT function, obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). (2) Methods: A cohort of 637 individuals with a wide range of age and body weight (Age: 18–85 years; BMI: 19–70 kg/m²) with (n = 237) or without (n = 400) T2D was analyzed for serum adipsin concentrations by ELISA and visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipsin mRNA expression by RT-PCR. (3) Results: Adipsin serum concentrations were significantly higher in patients with T2D compared to normoglycemic individuals. We found significant positive univariate relationships of adipsin serum concentrations with age (r = 0.282, p < 0.001), body weight (r = 0.264, p < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.136, p = 0.006) and leptin serum concentrations (r = 0.362, p < 0.001). Neither VAT nor SAT adipsin mRNA expression correlated with adipsin serum concentrations after adjusting for age, sex and BMI. Independent of T2D status, we found significantly higher adipsin expression in SAT compared to VAT (4) Conclusions: Our data suggest that adipsin serum concentrations are strongly related to obesity and age. However, neither circulating adipsin nor adipsin AT expression reflects parameters of impaired glucose or lipid metabolism in patients with obesity with or without T2D.     

eHDECAY: An implementation of the Higgs effective Lagrangian into HDECAY

We present eHDECAY, a modified version of the program HDECAY which includes the full list of leading bosonic operators of the Higgs effective Lagrangian with a linear or non-linear realization of the electroweak symmetry and implements two benchmark composite Higgs models.     

The chemistry of conventional and alternative treatment systems for the neutralization of acid mine drainage

The oxidation of pyritic mining waste is a self-perpetuating corrosive process which generates acid mine drainage (AMD) effluent for centuries or longer. The chemical neutralization of these complex, buffered effluents result in unstable, metal-laden sludges, which require disposal to minimize long-term environmental consequences. A variety of passive treatment systems for AMD, developed in the past two decades, combine limestone and organic substrates in constructed wetlands. These systems work well initially but over the longer term fail due to clogging with and the depletion of available organic carbon. However, some ecologically engineered systems, which exploit the activities of acid reducing microbes in the sediment, rely on photosynthesis in the water column as a source of organic matter. The primary productivity in the water column, which also generates some alkalinity, provides electron donors for the microbial reduction processes in the sediment. In its consideration of 'passive' systems, the literature has placed undue emphasis on sulphate reduction; thermodynamical iron reduction is equally important as is the need to prevent iron oxidation. Secondary precipitates of iron play a significant role in sediment-driven biomineralization processes, which affect the anaerobic degradation of organic matter and the stability of the resulting metal sulfides. One such passive system, which utilized a floating root mass as a source of organic carbon, is described. An extensive review of the literature and the chemical and biogeochemical reactions of AMD treatment systems, lead to the conclusion, that sediment based ecological systems offer the greatest potential for the sustainable treatment of AMD.     

Executive functions, information sampling, and decision making in narcolepsy with cataplexy.

Objective: Narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) affects neurotransmitter systems regulating emotions and cognitive functions. This study aimed to assess executive functions, information sampling, reward processing, and decision making in NC. Method: Twenty-one NC patients and 58 healthy participants performed an extensive neuropsychological test battery. Results: NC patients scored as controls in executive function tasks assessing set shifting, reversal learning, working memory, and planning. Group differences appeared in a task measuring information sampling and reward sensitivity. NC patients gathered less information, tolerated a higher level of uncertainty, and were less influenced by reward contingencies than controls. NC patients also showed reduced learning in decision making and had significantly lower scores than controls in the fifth block of the IOWA gambling task. No correlations were found with measures of sleepiness. Conclusions: NC patients may achieve high performance in several neuropsychological domains, including executive functions. Specific differences between NC patients and controls highlight the importance of the hypocretin system in reward processing and decision making and are in line with previous neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health versus environmental benefits: Does additional information influence consumer acceptance of pulse-based spreads?

Despite the known health benefits and the potential for substituting less environmentally sustainable consumed foods such as meat, the current intake of pulses in developed countries remains less than recommended. Barriers are related to sensory characteristics and lack of knowledge about preparation, while drivers of environmental benefits are intangible. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of additional information about health or environmental benefits of pulses on the acceptance of novel pulse-based products from chickpeas, black beans, and faba beans. Perceptions of these pulse-based spreads in a blind and informed stage were assessed with 202 consumers in urban and suburban areas of Denmark. In general, the familiar chickpea spread followed by the relatively most unfamiliar black bean spread was liked the most. Only for these two products, additional information increased hedonic perception, regardless of the context (health or environmental benefits). If consumers did not like the spread, as found for the faba bean spread, providing additional information did not significantly alter this perception. Participants’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) in a discrete choice experiment corresponded to hedonic scores, whereas providing additional information increased the WTP. These findings suggest that extrinsic cues such as health or environmental benefits may only be useful in products with an acceptable baseline taste profile. Moreover, black beans might be investigated as a promising source for further product development due to their acceptance by consumers besides being the comparably most unfamiliar pulse type.     

Novel Additive Manufacturing Materials for Waste Heat Deduction

Herein, three material approaches, for the fabrication of thermally conductive and yet electrically insulating parts via additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, are described. Samples are prepared from light-curable resins, sol–gel-hybrid polymers, and thermoplastic materials using thermally conductive particles as fillers. AM sample preparation is done using vat photo-polymerization and material extrusion with subsequent measurements of thermal conductivity and electrical insulation properties. The main goal herein in addition to material development is the demonstration of manufacturing applicability including usage properties. Use cases are heat sinks for power electronics, which have to be thermally conductive to spread the generated heat and electrically insulating to ensure general functionality and long-term operation.