Serotonin mediated changes in corticotropin releasing factor mRNA expression and feeding behavior isolated to the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei

Fenfluramine reduces hunger and promotes body weight loss by increasing central serotonin (5-HT) signaling. More recently, neuropeptides have been linked to the regulation of feeding behavior, metabolism and body weight. To examine possible interactions between 5-HT and neuropeptides in appetite control, fenfluramine (200 nmol/0.5 μl/side) was administered directly into the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (PVN) of male rats. Bilateral fenfluramine produced significant hypophagia and increased expression of PVN corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) mRNA and neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA in the arcuate nucleus within the first hour after drug administration. Fenfluramine\u27s effects on feeding behavior and mRNA expression were blocked by PVN injections of a 5-HT1–2 receptor antagonist, metergoline (15 nmol/0.5 μl/side). These data suggest that 5-HT neurons targeting hypothalamic paraventricular CRF neurons may participate in an appetite control circuit for reducing food intake

Evaluation of the Water Footprint of Beef Cattle Production in Nebraska

Data were compiled on feed usage to model the amount of water needed to produce beef in typical Nebraska production systems. Production systems where cows were wintered on corn residue utilized 18% less water than systems utilizing native range as a wintering source, because of water allocations. Therefore, the water footprint (gallons of water required to produce one pound of boneless meat) was decreased by 18%. In addition, increasing the dietary inclusion of distillers grains from 0% to 40% decreased the water footprint in the finishing phase by 29%, again based on water allocation. Utilizing corn residue and distillers grains in Nebraska beef cattle systems decreases the overall water footprint of production. Additionally, the water footprint of the systems analyzed was 80% green water as rain, minimizing the environmental impact of beef production on freshwater use and ecological water balance

Hahahahaha, Duuuuude, Yeeessss!: A two-parameter characterization of stretchable words and the dynamics of mistypings and misspellings

Stretched words like \u27heellllp\u27 or \u27heyyyyy\u27 are a regular feature of spoken language, often used to emphasize or exaggerate the underlying meaning of the root word. While stretched words are rarely found in formal written language and dictionaries, they are prevalent within social media. In this paper, we examine the frequency distributions of \u27stretchable words\u27 found in roughly 100 billion tweets authored over an 8 year period. We introduce two central parameters, \u27balance\u27 and \u27stretch\u27, that capture their main characteristics, and explore their dynamics by creating visual tools we call \u27balance plots\u27 and \u27spelling trees\u27. We discuss how the tools and methods we develop here could be used to study the statistical patterns of mistypings and misspellings and be used as a basis for other linguistic research involving stretchable words, along with the potential applications in augmenting dictionaries, improving language processing, and in any area where sequence construction matters, such as genetics

Control of CD4+ T cell responses by γδ T-APCs

Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells constitute a novel type of APC (γδ T-APCs) capable of stimulating CD4+ T cell responses. The outcome of γδ T-APC induced CD4+ T cell responses in terms of cytokine profiles, and the physiological implications for infection and autoimmunity, remain unknown. This study demonstrates that γδ T cells are able to act as potent APCs, inducing proliferation in naive and memory CD4+ T cell populations. Resulting cytokine responses triggered in naive CD4+ T cells included production of IFN-γ and IL-22. Of note, γδ T cells had a greater capacity to promote production of IL-22 in naive and memory T cells than monocytes and monocyte-derived DCs in identical experiments. The microenvironment of γδ T-APCs played a major role in the subsequent polarisation of CD4+ T cell responses, with APCs induced in the presence of IL-15 being superior in promoting IL-22 responses in naive CD4+ T cells compared to γδ T-APCs generated in the presence of other cytokines. Unexpectedly, the IL-22 induction in CD4+ T cells was IL-6 independent, but instead involved TNF-α and ICOS-L, both expressed by the γδ T-APCs. In addition, γδ T-APCs induced in the presence of IL-21 favoured increased induction of IL-10 in CD4+ T cells. The observation that γδ T-APCs are able to drive IL-22 responses in naive and memory T-cell populations presents a novel function for these APCs, with implications for a multitude of infection/disease scenarios. One such scenario is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), where IL-22 and γδ T-cells have previously been shown to play significant roles in disease pathogenesis and progression. Indeed, γδ T cells derived from intestinal biopsies are able to act as fully functional APCs. In summary, γδ T-APCs may be involved in the pathogenesis or maintenance of autoimmune inflammation in the intestine and other peripheral sites

English verb regularization in books and tweets

The English language has evolved dramatically throughout its lifespan, to the extent that a modern speaker of Old English would be incomprehensible without translation. One concrete indicator of this process is the movement from irregular to regular (-ed) forms for the past tense of verbs. In this study we quantify the extent of verb regularization using two vastly disparate datasets: (1) Six years of published books scanned by Google (2003-2008), and (2) A decade of social media messages posted to Twitter (2008-2017). We find that the extent of verb regularization is greater on Twitter, taken as a whole, than in English Fiction books. Regularization is also greater for tweets geotagged in the United States relative to American English books, but the opposite is true for tweets geotagged in the United Kingdom relative to British English books. We also find interesting regional variations in regularization across counties in the United States. However, once differences in population are accounted for, we do not identify strong correlations with socio-demographic variables such as education or income

Adhesive Joining of Composite Laminates Using Epoxy Resins with Stoichiometric Offset

Polymer matrix composites are used in high performance structures because of their excellent specific strength, toughness and stiffness along the fiber. To realize the full performance advantages of composites, complex, built-up structures must be assembled with adhesive, but uncertainty in bond strength requires manufacturers to install bolts or other crack arrest features to ensure safety in critical applications. The inherent uncertainty in adhesive bonds stems from the material discontinuity at the composite-to-adhesive interfaces, which are susceptible to contamination. In contrast, composites made by co-curing, although limited in size and complexity, result in predictable structures that may be certifiable for commercial aviation with reduced dependence on redundant load paths.1 The pro-posed technology uses a stoichiometric offset of the hardener-to-epoxy ratio on the faying surfaces of laminates. Assembly of the components in a subsequent secondary-co-cure process results in a joint with no material discontinuities