8,127 research outputs found
Excess portal venous long-chain fatty acids induce syndrome X via HPA axis and sympathetic activation
We tested the hypothesis that excessive portal venous supply of long-chain fatty acids to the liver contributes to the development of insulin resistance via activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) and sympathetic system. Rats received an intraportal infusion of the long-chain fatty acid oleate (150 nmol/min, 24 h), the medium-chain fatty acid caprylate, or the solvent. Corticosterone (Cort) and norepinephrine (NE) were measured as indexes for HPA axis and sympathetic activity, respectively. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by means of an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT). Oleate infusion induced increases in plasma Cort (Δ = 13.5 ± 3.6 µg/dl; P < 0.05) and NE (Δ = 235 ± 76 ng/l; P < 0.05), whereas caprylate and solvent had no effect. The area under the insulin response curve to the IVGTT was larger in the oleate-treated group than in the caprylate and solvent groups (area = 220 ± 35 vs. 112 ± 13 and 106 ± 8, respectively, P < 0.05). The area under the glucose response curves was comparable [area = 121 ± 13 (oleate) vs. 135 ± 20 (caprylate) and 96 ± 11 (solvent)]. The results are consistent with the concept that increased portal free fatty acid is involved in the induction of visceral obesity-related insulin resistance via activation of the HPA axis and sympathetic system.
Further development of a charged liquid colloid source for electrostatic propulsion Final report
Performance characteristics of charged liquid droplet electrostatic propulsion syste
Europium nitride: A novel diluted magnetic semiconductor
Europium nitride is semiconducting and contains non-magnetic \3+, but
sub-stoichiometric EuN has Eu in a mix of 2+ and 3+ charge states. We show that
at \2+ ~concentrations near 15-20% EuN is ferromagnetic with a Curie
temperature as high as 120 K. The \3+ ~polarization follows that of the \2+,
confirming that the ferromagnetism is intrinsic to the EuN which is thus a
novel diluted magnetic semiconductor. Transport measurements shed light on the
likely exchange mechanisms.Comment: 5 page
Experimental evaluation of electrostatic generator configurations final report
Evaluation of electrostatic generator design in atmospheric pressur
On the origin of exponential growth in induced earthquakes in Groningen
The Groningen gas field shows exponential growth in earthquakes event counts
around a magnitude M1 with a doubling time of 6-9 years since 2001. This
behavior is identified with dimensionless curvature in land subsidence, which
has been evolving at a constant rate over the last few decades {essentially
uncorrelated to gas production.} We demonstrate our mechanism by a tabletop
crack formation experiment. The observed skewed distribution of event
magnitudes is matched by that of maxima of event clusters with a normal
distribution. It predicts about one event \,M5 per day in 2025, pointing to
increasing stress to human living conditions.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Earthquakes and Structure
3D image of Inoue balloon inflation during mitral valvuloplasty
Mitral balloon valvuloplasty is an important intervention in the armory of the cardiologist, offering a safe and effective percutaneous option in the treatment of patients with mitral stenosis
Latent Causal Socioeconomic Health Index
This research develops a model-based LAtent Causal Socioeconomic Health
(LACSH) index at the national level. We build upon the latent health factor
index (LHFI) approach that has been used to assess the unobservable
ecological/ecosystem health. This framework integratively models the
relationship between metrics, the latent health, and the covariates that drive
the notion of health. In this paper, the LHFI structure is integrated with
spatial modeling and statistical causal modeling, so as to evaluate the impact
of a continuous policy variable (mandatory maternity leave days and
government's expenditure on healthcare, respectively) on a nation's
socioeconomic health, while formally accounting for spatial dependency among
the nations. A novel visualization technique for evaluating covariate balance
is also introduced for the case of a continuous policy (treatment) variable. We
apply our LACSH model to countries around the world using data on various
metrics and potential covariates pertaining to different aspects of societal
health. The approach is structured in a Bayesian hierarchical framework and
results are obtained by Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques.Comment: 31 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:1911.0051
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