15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 inhibits IL-1β–induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression in mesangial cells

15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 inhibits IL-1β–induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression in mesangial cells.BackgroundCyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a key enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins, is induced in mesangial cells in response to proinflammatory cytokines. Recently, 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), one of the natural ligands of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), has been reported to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, we examined the effect of 15d-PGJ2 on COX-2 expression in cultured rat mesangial cells.MethodsMesangial cells were incubated with 15d-PGJ2 for 30 minutes and then exposed to interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The expression of COX-2 mRNA and proteins was determined by Northern blot and immunoblot analyses, respectively. Accumulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Activities of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were evaluated by an immunoblot analysis. DNA binding activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1) or nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were examined by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The activities of PPAR responsive elements (PPRE) and COX-2 promoter were measured by a luciferase reporter assay.Results15D-PGJ2 significantly suppressed IL-1β–induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production, but thiazolidinediones, synthetic PPARγ ligands, did not affect COX-2 expression. Moreover, the cells transfected with a PPRE luciferase reporter did not respond to 15d-PGJ2. IL-1β rapidly activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), which were involved in the up-regulation of COX-2 induction, but 15d-PGJ2 inhibited the activation of these kinases. 15d-PGJ2 inhibited the IL-1β–induced increase in binding activities of nuclear proteins to consensus AP-1 site and AP-1–like site of COX-2 promoter but not of NF-κB. IL-1β was unable to activate the COX-2 promoter when the AP-1–like site was mutated.ConclusionsThese data suggest that 15d-PGJ2 inhibits IL-1β–induced COX-2 expression, independent of PPARγ activation, by suppression of ERK and JNK pathways and AP-1 activation in mesangial cells. Thus, 15d-PGJ2 may play an important role in the negative feedback mechanism of COX-2 expression in renal inflammation and may be useful as an anti-inflammatory agent

Sustained high progesterone concentrations during estradiol-progesterone based estrus synchronization protocol in Japanese Black cows affects fertility by influencing preovulatory follicle size and its ovulation

Preovulatory follicle (POF) size during estrus synchronization has been reported as one of the factors affecting conception rate in cattle. In present study, to determine the effects of POF size on the fertility of Japanese Black cows, relationship between POF size and conception rates and the effects of progesterone (P4) concentration on POF size were examined. An intravaginal progesterone-releasing device (CIDR) insertion and estradiol benzoate (EB) injection were applied to cows (day 0). At CIDR removal (day 8), the cows were received prostaglandin F2α and subsequently artificially inseminated between days 10 and 11, after EB administration (day 9). The cow that did not ovulate within 3 days after insemination had a small POF (ranging 5 to 8 mm) at CIDR removal, and they did not get pregnant. Cows that ovulated within 3 days were classified based on the POF size as follows: 1) small follicles (SF): POF < 10 mm, 2) medium follicles (MF): 10 ≤ POF < 11 mm, and 3) large follicles (LF): POF ≥ 11 mm. There was no difference in conception rates between SF (78.0%), MF (73.5%) and LF (62.2%). Luteolysis during CIDR treatment occurred in all cows in MF and LF groups, however 39.1% in SF showed no luteolysis. In the cows with non-luteolysis in SF, POF size at CIDR removal was smaller than the luteolysis group in SF, MF and LF groups (P < 0.05). In Japanese Black cows, P4 concentrations during estrus synchronization affects fertility by controlling POF size and its ovulation rate

Parameter-varying modeling and nonlinear model predictive control with disturbance prediction for spar-type floating offshore wind turbines

This paper proposes novel methods for the modeling and control of spar-type floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) by focusing on the dependency of the equilibrium and perturbed dynamics on the rotor azimuth angle. In addition, three new reduced models for controller design are derived using trajectory linearization by accounting for the dependency of the equilibrium on the azimuth angle. A thorough simulation study shows that the proposed models reproduce the important dynamic characteristics of FOWTs more accurately than the conventional models. Then, nonlinear model predictive controllers (NMPCs) minimizing the nonquadratic cost functions are developed for the proposed models, which include nonlinear terms for the rotor azimuth angle. These NMPCs suppress the variation in the forces applied to the blades better than the conventional linear MPCs while maintaining a low computational cost. The best NMPC for the models is one that accounts for the dependency of both the equilibrium and perturbed dynamics on the rotor azimuth angle. This NMPC suppresses the platform yaw and forces added on the blades. The performance of such an NMPC can be further improved using the inflow wind disturbance data predicted using a light detection and ranging wind sensor

Complex Three-Dimensional Co3O4 Nano-Raspberry: Highly Stable and Active Low-temperature CO Oxidation Catalyst

Highly stable and active low-temperature CO oxidation catalysts without noble metals are desirable to achieve a sustainable society. While zero-dimensional to three-dimensional Co3O4 nanoparticles show high catalytic activity, simple-structured nanocrystals easily self-aggregate and become sintered during catalytic reaction. Thus, complex three-dimensional nanostructures with high stability are of considerable interest. However, the controlled synthesis of complex nanoscale shapes remains a great challenge as no synthesis theory has been established. In this study, 100 nm raspberry-shaped nanoparticles composed of 7&ndash;8 nm Co3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermally treating cobalt glycolate solution with sodium sulfate. Surface single nanometer-scale structures with large surface areas of 89 m2&middot;g&minus;1 and abundant oxygen vacancies were produced. The sulfate ions functioned as bridging ligands to promote self-assembly and suppress particle growth. The Co3O4 nano-raspberry was highly stable under catalytic tests at 350 &deg;C and achieved nearly 100% CO conversion at room temperature. The addition of bridging ligands is an effective method to control the formation of complex but ordered three-dimensional nanostructures that possessed extreme thermal and chemical stability and exhibited high performance

Annealing effect on microstructure of ZnO nano-particulate films and VOC gas sensing property

International audienceWe synthesized ZnO nano-particulate films by a solgel method and evaluated their gas sensing properties. A ZnO colloidal solution of 5.6nm sized nanocrystals was prepared from zinc acetate in n-propanol and dip-coated on silica glass substrates. The as-deposited ZnO film consisted of 30nm grains. Annealing the films resulted in a growth of the particles, which was confirmed by scanning probe microscopy and UVVis spectrometry. The ZnO film annealed at 400°C worked well as a gas sensor device for volatile organic compounds (VOC) gases. The sensitivity was the best in the case of ethanol gas at 350°C. The sensing performances decreased by annealing at higher temperatures due to the coalescence of the ZnO particles

Antenna system design for improved wireless capsule endoscope links at 433 MHz

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) systems are used to capture images of the human digestive tract for medical applications. The antenna is one of the most important components in a WCE system. In this paper, we present novel small antenna solutions for a WCE system operating at the 433 MHz ISM band along with a link budget analysis. The in-body capsule transmitter uses an ultrawideband outer wall conformal loop antenna, whereas the on-body receiver uses a printed monopole antenna with a partial ground plane. A colon-equivalent tissue phantom and CST Gustav voxel human body model were used for the numerical studies of the capsule antenna. The simulation results in the colon-tissue phantom were validated through in vitro measurements using a liquid phantom. According to the phantom simulations, the capsule antenna has -10 dB impedance matching from 309 to 1104 MHz. The ultrawideband characteristic enables the capsule antenna to tolerate the detuning effects due to electronic modules in the capsule and due to theproximity of various different tissues in gastrointestinal tracts. The same design methodology was applied to on-body antennas followed by in vitro and ex vivo measurements for validation. The on-body antenna exceeds -10 dB impedance matching from 385 to 502 MHz both in simulations and measurements. The path loss for the radio link between an in-body capsule transmitter and an on-body receiver using our antenna solutions, in simulations and measurements, is less than 50 dB for any capsule orientation and location, ensuring sufficient signal level at the receiver, hereby enabling an improved capsule endoscope.Peer reviewe

Solvothermal synthesis of ZnO spherical particles and VOC sensor application

International audienceWe synthesized micrometer-sized ZnO spherical particles solvothermally from the solutions of zinc acetate anhydride, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), ethylene glycol (EG) and water, and examined the gas sensing properties. The spherical powders were composed of nano particles, which were radially aligned along the c-axis. We obtained particles with smaller crystallites under conditions of higher EG concentrations and shorter reaction period. Spherical powder made of crystallites of 35 nm was precipitated in the 95 vol%-EG solvent by heating at 120°C for 4 h. The ZnO powder annealed at 450°C worked as a gas sensor device for volatile organic compounds (VOC) gases. The sensitivity was the best in the case of ethanol gas at 350°C