56,083 research outputs found
Coordinated balancing of muscle oxidative metabolism through PGC-1α increases metabolic flexibility and preserves insulin sensitivity
The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) enhances oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle. Excessive lipid oxidation and electron transport chain activity can, however, lead to the accumulation of harmful metabolites and impair glucose homeostasis. Here, we investigated the effect of over-expression of PGC-1α on metabolic control and generation of insulin desensitizing agents in extensor digitorum longus (EDL), a muscle that exhibits low levels of PGC-1α in the untrained state and minimally relies on oxidative metabolism. We demonstrate that PGC-1α induces a strictly balanced substrate oxidation in EDL by concomitantly promoting the transcription of activators and inhibitors of lipid oxidation. Moreover, we show that PGC-1α enhances the potential to uncouple oxidative phosphorylation. Thereby, PGC-1α boosts elevated, yet tightly regulated oxidative metabolism devoid of side products that are detrimental for glucose homeostasis. Accordingly, PI3K activity, an early phase marker for insulin resistance, is preserved in EDL muscle. Our findings suggest that PGC-1α coordinately coactivates the simultaneous transcription of gene clusters implicated in the positive and negative regulation of oxidative metabolism and thereby increases metabolic flexibility. Thus, in mice fed a normal chow diet, over-expression of PGC-1α does not alter insulin sensitivity and the metabolic adaptations elicited by PGC-1α mimic the beneficial effects of endurance training on muscle metabolism in this context
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices with random on-site interactions
We consider the physics of lattice bosons affected by disordered on-site
interparticle interactions. Characteristic qualitative changes in the zero
temperature phase diagram are observed when compared to the case of randomness
in the chemical potential. The Mott-insulating regions shrink and eventually
vanish for any finite disorder strength beyond a sufficiently large filling
factor. Furthermore, at low values of the chemical potential both the
superfluid and Mott insulator are stable towards formation of a Bose glass
leading to a possibly non-trivial tricritical point. We discuss feasible
experimental realizations of our scenario in the context of ultracold atoms on
optical lattices.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figure
Reflection matrices for the vertex model
The graded reflection equation is investigated for the
vertex model. We have found four classes of diagonal
solutions and twelve classes of non-diagonal ones. The number of free
parameters for some solutions depends on the number of bosonic and fermionic
degrees of freedom considered.Comment: 30 page
Comparison of Monomethylhydrazine/Hydroxypropylcellulose and Hydrocarbon/Silica Gels
Experimental studies have been performed to investigate rheology and droplet burning with different types of gelled propellants. Monomethylhydrazine has been gelled with organic hydroxypropylcellulose. JP-8 and RP-1 hydrocarbon gels have been produced with inorganic fumed silica particles. Rheological characterization showed the differences in terms of viscosity and yield stress behavior due to different types of gelling agents. Herschel-Bulkley and Carreau-Yasuda models have been used to characterize the gels with inorganic and organic gelling agents, respectively. First experiments with the Monomethylhydrazine/hydroxypropylcellulose gels showed a typical swelling process during combustion with a flexible viscous droplet surface. Contrary to that, the hydrocarbon/silica gels burned while a rigid silica structure was built, which remained unburned. Burning drop measurements have been compared to the d^2-squared law
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