Unsaturated fatty acid regulation of cytochrome P450 expression via a CAR-dependent pathway.

The liver is responsible for key metabolic functions, including control of normal homoeostasis in response to diet and xenobiotic metabolism/detoxification. We have shown previously that inactivation of the hepatic cytochrome P450 system through conditional deletion of POR (P450 oxidoreductase) induces hepatic steatosis, liver growth and P450 expression. We have exploited a new conditional model of POR deletion to investigate the mechanism underlying these changes. We demonstrate that P450 induction, liver growth and hepatic triacylglycerol (triglyceride) homoeostasis are intimately linked and provide evidence that the observed phenotypes result from hepatic accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids, which mediate these phenotypes by activation of the nuclear receptor CAR (constitutive androstane receptor) and, to a lesser degree, PXR (pregnane X receptor). To our knowledge this is the first direct evidence that P450s play a major role in controlling unsaturated fatty acid homoeostasis via CAR. The regulation of P450s involved in xenobiotic metabolism by this mechanism has potentially significant implications for individual responses to drugs and environmental chemicals

Sediment phosphorus flux in Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas

Internal phosphorus (P) loading may influence primary production in lakes, but the influence of sediment-derived P has not been well studied in Beaver Lake of Northwest Arkansas. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), dissolved organic P (DOP), and total dissolved P (TDP) sediment-water fluxes were determined using intact sediment cores collected from deepwater environments in the riverine, transition zone, and lacustrine zones of Beaver Lake. The SRP, DOP, and TDP fluxes were also estimated from cores collected from shallow locations in the transition zone. There was a net positive SRP (0.001 – 0.005 µg P cm-2 h-1), DOP (0.005 – 0.01 µg P cm-2 h-1), and TDP (0.005 – 0.01 µg P cm-2 h-1) flux from deepwater sediments into the water column. However, DOP and TDP flux in shallow sediments were net negative (-0.004 and -0.002 µg P cm-2 h-1, respectively), suggesting that the majority of P was moving from water into sediment. The SRP flux from shallow sediments in the transition zone was similar to rates observed in deepwater sediments (0.002 µg P cm-2 h-1). However, the variability among flux rates, sites and depths was high, and therefore no statistical differences were found. Sediment oxygen demand was positively correlated with SRP and DOP flux rates from shallow transition zone sediments suggesting that microbial biomass and activity may have influenced sediment P flux. The P flux from shallow sediments supports approximately 1% to 5% of the daily P demand of phytoplankton. When compared to other lakes, sediment P flux in Beaver Lake appears minimal and is probably not an effective avenue to manage eutrophication in this system

Theories and contemporary challenges of a global pasta leader: the case of Barilla SpA

Barilla Holding SpA (Barilla), a successful multinational foods manufacturing company with headquarters in Parma, Italy began with humble beginnings in 1877 (Barilla, 2014a) as a small bread and pasta shop -- Barilla is now a leading global sales player second only to private label brands, jumping from 9-12% of total market from the period 2009-2014 and is the dominant sales leader in both Italy and the US with 2014 sales of 900 and 800 US$ million respectively (Euromonitor, 2015) -- This paper looks at the process of internationalization, paralleling both traditional and contemporary academic models, focusing on such issues as marketing to the gay and lesbian market, family succession roadblocks, and navigating social media gaffs -- These contemporary academic models highlight challenges, strategies, sales and market share dynamics for the company with suggestions for navigating the road ahea

A Comparison of X, Y, and Boomer Generation Wine Consumers in California

This research shows that the wine market in the California is segmented by age. The wine-consumption behavior of the California wine consumer differs between the Generation X consumer and those in Generation Y and Baby Boomers. There are differences in demographics, purchasing attitudes, and purchasing behaviors among wine consumers from different generations. The findings from this research demonstrate that it is increasingly important to develop marketing strategies that are segmented for the target wine consumer. Generation Y are young wine consumers who are especially important for the industry because they offer an opportunity for growth–these younger generations are developing tastes now that are likely to last as they age.Consumer/Household Economics,

Dewetting Properties of Ag-Ni Alloy Thin Films

In this study, pulsed laser induced dewetting of both patterned and continuous Nickel (Ni)-Silver(Ag) thin films was investigated extensively as a novel way to perform directed assembly of nano-particles. First, continuous Ni-Ag thin film dewetting was studied on both bulk and TEM (Transmission electron microscope) membrane substrates at a variety of compositions to better understand the dewetting dynamics of the Ni-Ag system. Then, patterned Ni-Ag thin film dewetting was studied on both bulk and TEM membrane substrates to understand how different patterns and thin film configurations effect nano-particle distribution and formation. All of this work was done in anticipation of the reception of a laser TEM attachment which will allow for in-situ pulsed laser induced dewetting experiments. Our results show that directed assembly of nano-particles is possible by using pulsed laser induced dewetting and that a variety of nano-particle formations and structures can be achieved through this method

Bayesian joint models with INLA exploring marine mobile predator-prey and competitor species habitat overlap

EPSRC grant Ecowatt 2050 EP/K012851/1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the associate editor and the anonymous reviewers for their useful and constructive suggestions which led to a considerable improvement of the manuscript. The authors would also like to thank the following people/organizations for making large datasets available for use in this paper: Mark Lewis (Joint Nature Conservation Committee), Philip Hammond (Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews), Susan Lusseau (Marine Scotland Science), Darren Stevens (The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, PML), and Yuri Artioli (Plymouth Marine Laboratory). This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EcoWatt250; EPSRC EP/K012851/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Neural networks in feedback for flow analysis, sensor placement and control

This work presents a novel methodology for analysis and control of nonlinear fluid systems using neural networks. The approach is demonstrated on four different study cases being the Lorenz system, a modified version of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation, a streamwise-periodic 2D channel flow, and a confined cylinder flow. Neural networks are trained as models to capture the complex system dynamics and estimate equilibrium points through a Newton method, enabled by backpropagation. These neural network surrogate models (NNSMs) are leveraged to train a second neural network, which is designed to act as a stabilizing closed-loop controller. The training process employs a recurrent approach, whereby the NNSM and the neural network controller (NNC) are chained in closed loop along a finite time horizon. By cycling through phases of combined random open-loop actuation and closed-loop control, an iterative training process is introduced to overcome the lack of data near equilibrium points. This approach improves the accuracy of the models in the most critical region for achieving stabilization. Through the use of L1 regularization within loss functions, the NNSMs can also guide optimal sensor placement, reducing the number of sensors from an initial candidate set. The datasets produced during the iterative training process are also leveraged for conducting a linear stability analysis through a modified dynamic mode decomposition approach. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of computationally inexpensive neural networks in modeling, controlling, and enabling stability analysis of nonlinear systems, providing insights into the system behaviour and offering potential for stabilization of complex fluid systems.Comment: 30 pages, 22 figures, under consideration for publicatio