Gpr75 Deficiency Attenuates High Fat Diet-Driven Obesity and Glucose Intolerance

Recently, a collaboration between Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Schwartzman-Garcia labs at New York Medical College published an exome sequencing study of individuals across the United Kingdom, United States, and Mexico which concluded that individuals possessing non-functioning, truncated mutations to the orphan g protein coupled receptor (GPCR), GPR75, had lower BMI and 54% reduced likelihood of obesity. The present study was undertaken to fully characterize the metabolic phenotype of Gpr75 deficient mice when fed a high fat diet (HFD) and explore potential mechanisms by which GPR75 activation links to increased adiposity and decreased glucose tolerance. After 14 weeks of HFD-feeding we observed significant differences in weight gain, with male and female wild-type mice gaining double the amount of weight as the transgenic mice. Surprisingly, mice with Gpr75 deficiency show no differences in caloric intake compared to wild-type animals throughout the feeding period. In contrast, whole-body energy expenditure calculated from volume of oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide (VCO2) production decreased in response to HFD-feeding for wild-type animals, while remaining unchanged compared to baseline for transgenic animals. This correlated with increased expression of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) in different adipose tissue depots, whose role in diet-induced obesity prevention is well documented

Feasibility Assessment of Warm Mix Asphalt in Arkansas

The future of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies is promising in the U.S. However, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) does not have any specific guidelines to implement them in the field. This research aims to provide necessary baseline data for WMA as a proof of concept. In this study, three ARDOT approved Performance Grade (PG) binders namely PG 64-22, PG 70-22, and PG 76-22 were investigated. Each of these binders was obtained from two different sources. They were modified by varying doses of four selected additives: Sasobit®, Advera®, Evotherm®, and Rediset®. Additionally, four different types of aggregates (sandstone, limestone, gravel, and dolomite) from different quarries in Arkansas were evaluated for their compatibility with modified binders. Empirical test (Penetration test), Superpave Performance tests such as Rotational Viscometer, Rolling Thin-Film Oven (RTFO), Pressure-Aging Vessel (PAV), Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), and Bending Beam Rheometer), PG Plus tests such as Multiple Stress Creep Recovery and Frequency Sweep, chemical analyses (SARA analysis, FTIR, pH), science-based test (Surface Free Energy), and Texas Boiling Test on loose mixture samples were conducted at different aging conditions. Based on the RV test results, reduced mixing and compaction temperatures have been observed for Sasobit®, Evotherm®, and Rediset® modified samples. The DSR test results suggest that both Sasobit® and Advera® can reduce rut potential. On the other hand, BBR test results indicate that both Evotherm® and Rediset® have the capabilities of improved resistances against fatigue and low-temperature thermal cracking. Binder samples modified by these have also demonstrated minimal stripping in SFE and Texas Boiling Test. Advera® has modified the chemical compositions of the neat binders, which was also observed in the SARA analysis. The findings of this study will help the agency to select the most appropriate WMA additive along with its application rate

Effects of Hard Real-Time Constraints in Implementing the Myopic Scheduling Algorithm

Myopic is a hard real-time process scheduling algorithm that selects a suitable process based on a heuristic function from a subset (Window) of all ready processes instead of choosing from all available processes, like original heuristic scheduling algorithm. Performance of the algorithm significantly depends on the chosen heuristic function that assigns weight to different parameters like deadline, earliest starting time, processing time etc. and the size of the Window since it considers only processes from processes (where, knnk≤). This research evaluates the performance of the Myopic algorithm for different parameters to demonstrate the merits and constraints of the algorithm. A comparative performance of the impact of window size in implementing the Myopic algorithm is presented and discussed through a set of experiments

BaitBuster-Bangla: A Comprehensive Dataset for Clickbait Detection in Bangla with Multi-Feature and Multi-Modal Analysis

This study presents a large multi-modal Bangla YouTube clickbait dataset consisting of 253,070 data points collected through an automated process using the YouTube API and Python web automation frameworks. The dataset contains 18 diverse features categorized into metadata, primary content, engagement statistics, and labels for individual videos from 58 Bangla YouTube channels. A rigorous preprocessing step has been applied to denoise, deduplicate, and remove bias from the features, ensuring unbiased and reliable analysis. As the largest and most robust clickbait corpus in Bangla to date, this dataset provides significant value for natural language processing and data science researchers seeking to advance modeling of clickbait phenomena in low-resource languages. Its multi-modal nature allows for comprehensive analyses of clickbait across content, user interactions, and linguistic dimensions to develop more sophisticated detection methods with cross-linguistic applications

A Comprehensive Review of AI-enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Trends, Vision , and Challenges

In recent years, the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has brought about advancements in various areas. This comprehensive analysis explores the changing landscape of AI-powered UAVs and friendly computing in their applications. It covers emerging trends, futuristic visions, and the inherent challenges that come with this relationship. The study examines how AI plays a role in enabling navigation, detecting and tracking objects, monitoring wildlife, enhancing precision agriculture, facilitating rescue operations, conducting surveillance activities, and establishing communication among UAVs using environmentally conscious computing techniques. By delving into the interaction between AI and UAVs, this analysis highlights the potential for these technologies to revolutionise industries such as agriculture, surveillance practices, disaster management strategies, and more. While envisioning possibilities, it also takes a look at ethical considerations, safety concerns, regulatory frameworks to be established, and the responsible deployment of AI-enhanced UAV systems. By consolidating insights from research endeavours in this field, this review provides an understanding of the evolving landscape of AI-powered UAVs while setting the stage for further exploration in this transformative domain

Cascading CMOS-Based Chaotic Maps for Improved Performance and Its Application in Efficient RNG Design

We present a general framework for improving the chaotic properties of CMOS-based chaotic maps by cascading multiple maps in series. Along with two novel chaotic map topologies, we present the 45 $nm$ designs for four CMOS-based discrete-time chaotic map topologies. With the help of the bifurcation plot and three established entropy measures, namely, Lyapunov exponent, Kolmogorov entropy, and correlation coefficient, we present an extensive chaotic performance analysis on eight unique map circuits (two under each topology) to show that under certain constraints, the cascading scheme can significantly elevate the chaotic performance. The improved chaotic entropy benefits many security applications and is demonstrated using a novel random number generator (RNG) design. Unlike conventional mathematical chaotic map-based digital pseudo-random number generators (PRNG), this proposed design is not completely deterministic due to the high susceptibility of the core analog circuit to inevitable noise that renders this design closer to a true random number generator (TRNG). By leveraging the improved chaotic performance of the transistor-level cascaded maps, significantly low area and power overhead are achieved in the RNG design. The cryptographic applicability of the RNG is verified as the generated random sequences pass four standard statistical tests namely, NIST, FIPS, Diehard, and TestU01

Electrochemical Corrosion Properties of Ternary Al and Quaternary Zr Added Bell Metal in 0.1M NaCl Solution

The electrochemical corrosion property of ternary Al and quaternary Zr added Bell metal in 0.1M Sodium Chloride solution has been experimentally conducted at room temperature. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method and Potentiodynamic polarization technique are used to carry out the electrochemical investigation. Microhardness test is also conducted for all three alloys and it reveals that Al addition increases the hardness of bell metal due to the formation of different intermetallic precipitates of Cu and Al. Optical Micrograph as well as Scanning Electron Micrograph have also been studied to characterize their surface condition. It is found that Zr addition refines the grain structure of the alloy and results in increase of hardness. The EIS study reveals that the corrosion resistance is seem to be augmented with the addition of ternary Al and quaternary Zr to bell metal. The potentiodynamic polarization curves disclose that both ternary Al added and quaternary Zr added alloy show better corrosion performance than the base bell metal alloy due to the formation of stable aluminium oxide film. The currentdensity (Icorr) of base bell metal showed higher value than both ternary Al added and quaternary Zr added bell metal alloys. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) and the open circuit potential (OCP) were seen to be moved to the more positive direction for the Al and Zr added alloys. Microstructure and SEM study of the alloys after corrosion revealed a formation of an oxide film on the surface of the ternary A and quaternary Zr added alloys, the probable cause of which is the presence of Al in the respective alloys