Brown Adipose Tissue PPARγ Is Required for the Insulin-Sensitizing Action of Thiazolidinediones

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a critical role in metabolic homeostasis. BAT dysfunction is associated with the development of obesity through an imbalance between energy expenditure and energy intake. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is the master regulator of adipogenesis. However, the roles of PPARγ and thiazolidinediones (TZDs) in the regulation of BAT metabolism remain unclear. TZDs, which are selective PPARγ activators, improve systemic insulin resistance in animals and humans. In the present study, we generated brown adipocyte-specific PPARγ-deficient mice (BATγKO) to examine the in vivo roles of PPARγ and TZDs in BAT metabolism. In electron microscopic examinations, brown adipocyte-specific PPARγ deletion promoted severe whitening of brown fat and morphological alteration of mitochondria. Brown adipocyte-specific PPARγ deletion also reduced mRNA expression of BAT-selective genes. Although there was no difference in energy expenditure between control and BATγKO mice in calorimetry, norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis was impaired in BATγKO mice. Moreover, pioglitazone treatment improved diet-induced insulin resistance in the control mice but not in the BATγKO mice. These findings suggest that BAT PPARγ is necessary for the maintenance of brown adipocyte function and for the insulin-sensitizing action of TZDs

Spatial Variability and Seasonal Change of Radioactive Caesium Concentration in Grassland Vegetation

The damage from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 resulted in serious radioactive pollution over Eastern Japan. The distribution of radioactive fallout was largely determined by wind and rainfall patterns in March 2011. Distribution patterns were not necessarily in accordance with the distance from the nuclear power plant. In Iwate Prefecture (160 to 340 km north of the nuclear power plant), the amount of fallout of radioactive material in the southern region was greater than in the northern, but the distribution pattern was complex (Fig. 1, Tsuiki and Maeda 2012a; 2012b). In the southern region, the radioactive caesium (Cs) concentrations of herbage plants exceeded the provisional safety standard for dairy and fattening cattle feed, and the livestock industry has been seriously affected in numerous ways e.g. needing to dispose of polluted forage, grazing prohibitions, declines in beef prices, suspension of vending, and blanket testing of beef cattle. In this study, the spatial variability of radioactive Cs concentration in soil and vegetation was evaluated on grasslands in 2012

Toward an Automatic Road Accessibility Information Collecting and Sharing Based on Human Behavior Sensing Technologies of Wheelchair Users

AbstractThis research proposes a methodology for digitizing street level accessibility with human sensing of wheelchair users. The dig- itization of street level accessibility is essential to develop accessibility maps or to personalize a route considering accessibility. However, current digitization methodologies are not sufficient because it requires a lot of manpower and therefore money and time cost. The proposed method makes it possible to digitize the accessibility semi-automatically. In this research, a three-axis accelerometer embedded on iPod touch sensed actions of nine wheelchair users across the range of disabilities and aged groups, in Tokyo, approximately 9hours. This paper reports out attempts to estimate both environmental factors: the status of street and subjective factors: driver's fatigue from human sensing data using machine learning

Impact of Full Prelithiation of Si-Based Anodes on the Rate and Cycle Performance of Li-Ion Capacitors

The impact of full prelithiation on the rate and cycle performance of a Si-based Li-ion capacitor (LIC) was investigated. Full prelithiation of the anode was achieved by assembling a half cell with a 2 mu m-sized Si anode (0 V vs. Li/Li+) and Li metal. A three-electrode full cell (100% prelithiation) was assembled using an activated carbon (AC) cathode with a high specific surface area (3041 m(2)/g), fully prelithiated Si anode, and Li metal reference electrode. A three-electrode full cell (87% prelithiation) using a Si anode prelithiated with 87% Li ions was also assembled. Both cells displayed similar energy density levels at a lower power density (200 Wh/kg at <= 100 W/kg; based on the total mass of AC and Si). However, at a higher power density (1 kW/kg), the 100% prelithiation cell maintained a high energy density (180 Wh/kg), whereas that of the 87% prelithiation cell was significantly reduced (80 Wh/kg). During charge/discharge cycling at similar to 1 kW/kg, the energy density retention of the 100% prelithiation cell was higher than that of the 87% prelithiation cell. The larger irreversibility of the Si anode during the initial Li-ion uptake/release cycles confirmed that the simple full prelithiation process is essential for Si-based LIC cells

IIB Matrix Model with D1-D5 Backgrounds

We consider IIB matrix model with D1-D5-brane backgrounds. Using the fact that noncommutative gauge theory on the D-branes can be obtained as twisted reduced model in IIB matrix model, we study two-dimensional gauge theory on D1-branes and D5-branes. Especially the spectrum of the zero modes in the off-diagonal parts is examined. We also consider the description of D1-branes as local excitations of gauge theory on D5-branes. Relation to supergravity solution is also discussed.Comment: 17 pages, LaTe

Supercurrent Interactions in Noncommutative Yang-Mills and IIB Matrix Model

It is known that noncommutative Yang-Mills is equivalent to IIB matrix model with a noncommutative background, which is interpreted as a twisted reduced model. In noncommutative Yang-Mills, long range interactions can be seen in nonplanar diagrams after integrating high momentum modes. These interactions can be understood as block-block interactions in the matrix model. Using this relation, we consider long range interactions in noncommutative Yang-Mills associated with fermionic backgrounds. Exchanges of gravitinos, which couple to a supersymmetry current, are examined.Comment: 16 pages, LaTex, minor change

Rapid production of engineered human primary hepatocyte/fibroblast sheets

This data article contains data related to the research article entitled "Vascularized subcutaneous human liver tissue from engineered hepatocyte/fibroblast sheets in mice," published in Biomaterials [1]. Engineered hepatocyte/fibroblast sheets (EHFSs) are used for construction of vascularized subcutaneous liver tissue without a pre-transplant vascularization procedures. Here, we described a rapid production technique of EHFSs by controlling fibroblast density and coating fetal bovine serum (FBS) onto temperature-responsive culture dishes (TRCDs). The human fibroblast monolayer formed on FBS-coated TRCDs within 1h when seeded at a high density (at least 1.56×105cells/cm2). The most rapid EHFS production was achieved soon after the adhesion of human primary hepatocytes onto the fibroblast layer

Superconductivity in (NH3)(y)NaxFeSe0.5Te0.5

Na-intercalated FeSe0.5Te0.5 was prepared using the liquid NH3 technique, and a superconducting phase exhibiting a superconducting transition temperature (T-c) as high as 27 K was discovered. This can be called the high-T-c phase since a 21 K superconducting phase was previously obtained in (NH3)(y)NaxFeSe0.5Te0.5. The chemical composition of the high-T-c phase was determined to be (NH3)(0.61(4))Na-0.63(5) Fe0.85Se0.55(3) Te-0.44(2). The x-ray diffraction patterns of both phases show that a larger lattice constant c (i.e., FeSe0.5Te0.5 plane spacing) produces a higher T-c. This behavior is the same as that of metal-doped FeSe, suggesting that improved Fermi-surface nesting produces the higher T-c. The high-T-c phase converted to the low-T-c phase within several days, indicating that it is a metastable phase. The temperature dependence of resistance for both phases was recorded at different magnetic fields, and the critical fields were determined for both phases. Finally, the T-c versus c phase diagram was prepared for the metal-doped FeSe0.5Te0.5, which is similar to that of metal-doped FeSe, although the T-c is lower