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Summary: Multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified specific genetic variants in the coiled-coil domain containing 92 (CCDC92) locus that is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. However, the biological function of CCDC92 in obesity and insulin resistance remains to be explored. Utilizing wild-type (WT) and Ccdc92 whole-body knockout (KO) mice, we found that Ccdc92 KO reduced obesity and increased insulin sensitivity under high-fat diet (HFD) conditions. Ccdc92 KO inhibited macrophage infiltration and fibrosis in white adipose tissue (WAT), suggesting Ccdc92 ablation protects against adipose tissue dysfunction. Ccdc92 deletion also increased energy expenditure and further attenuated hepatic steatosis in mice on an HFD. Ccdc92 KO significantly inhibited the inflammatory response and suppressed the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in WAT. Altogether, we demonstrated the critical role of CCDC92 in metabolism, constituting a potential target for treating obesity and insulin resistance.

Glow discharge ionization source can be used to analyze solid sample, liquid sample and gas sample. At present, glow discharge optical emission spectrometer (GD-OES) and glow discharge mass spectrometer (GD-MS) are mainly used to the elemental analysis of inorganic solid samples and quantitative depth profile analysis, including direct current (DC) power supply and radio frequency (RF) power supply. In this paper, the ionization of liquid sample and gas sample by low frequency radio frequency glow discharge (Lf-RFGD) was researched, and the glow discharge structure constructed was connected to timeof flight mass spectrometer(TOF MS). The influences of the vacuum degree of ionization chamber, the size of sample inlet capillary, the auxiliary gas pressure, the discharge radio frequency and the voltage difference between electrode plates on the ionization efficiency were studied. The optimal analysis conditions are the vacuum degree of ionization chamber is about 30 Pa, the length of sample inlet capillary is 150 mm and the inner diameter is 0.25 mm, the auxiliary gas pressure is about1.0 MPa, the low discharge frequency is 2 MHz, the voltage difference between electrode plates is about 100 V. Under these conditions, the discharge power is about 20 W,the detection limit of liquid sample is 0.1 pg and volatile sample is 20 mg/m3, and the detection resolution (full width at half maximum, FWHM) is about 3 000. Combined with samples testing, the Lf-RFGD TOF MS was preliminarily applied to the drug solution and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the sensitivity of this instrument for detecting non volatile liquid sample was not good compared with the conventional detection instrument. The reason is that high proton affinity and low ionization potential are needed to obtain good detection sensitivity in the positive ion mode of mass spectrometer, and non volatile liquid sample without pretreatment is not easy to meet the condition of high proton affinity under low power glow discharge condition. Successfully, a lowcost, portable approach based on the application of atmospheric sampling Lf-RFGD TOF MS has been developed for near real time measurement of trace VOCs. In this context, the glow discharge excitation source offers attractive alternative for development of low cost VOCs and elemental analysis instrument. Lf-RFGD as an excitation source has unique advantages with respect to development of hand held instrument such as low cost, low power consumption, and analytical versatility.

The properties of nanopipettes largely rely on the materials introduced onto their inner walls, which allow for a vast extension of their sensing capabilities. The challenge of simultaneously enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of nanopipettes for pH sensing remains, hindering their practical applications. Herein, we report insulin-modified nanopipettes with excellent pH response performances, which were prepared by introducing insulin onto their inner walls via a two-step reaction involving silanization and amidation. The pH response intensity based on ion current rectification was significantly enhanced by approximately 4.29 times when utilizing insulin-modified nanopipettes compared with bare ones, demonstrating a linear response within the pH range of 2.50 to 7.80. In addition, insulin-modified nanopipettes featured good reversibility and selectivity. The modification processes were monitored using the I-V curves, and the relevant mechanisms were discussed. The effects of solution pH and insulin concentration on the modification results were investigated to achieve optimal insulin introduction. This study showed that the pH response behavior of nanopipettes can be greatly improved by introducing versatile molecules onto the inner walls, thereby contributing to the development and utilization of pH-responsive nanopipettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance for coal mining and utilization to study the adsorption process of mixed gas in coal. In this paper, the Monte Carlo method (MC) is employed to study the competitive saturation adsorption of oxygen and water vapor inside coal particles, and then the convection, diffusion and adsorption inside and between particles are studied by lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In addition, this study examines the impacts of porosity, average particle size, and gas concentration on the process of adsorption in coal porous media. The research results show that oxygen and water vapor present in the mixed gas experience increased permeability, diffusion rate, and saturated adsorption capacity as the porosity and average particle size of the coal porous medium increase. However, the time required to achieve saturated adsorption decreases. Under the condition of maintaining the proportion of gas components and altering the initial gas concentrations from 4.087 to 53.131 mol/m3, saturated adsorption capacity of both gases remains nearly unchanged. Yet, the effective diffusivity of gases declines with increasing initial concentration. Additionally, it is also found that water vapor diffuses more quickly than oxygen in the mixed gas and achieves adsorption saturation faster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terpinen-4-ol (T-4-O) is an important component of tea tree oil and has anti-inflammatory effects. Currently, there are very few studies on the mechanisms by which T-4-O improves lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophage inflammation. In this study, LPS-stimulated mouse RAW264.7 macrophages were used as a model to analyze the effects of T-4-O on macrophage inflammatory factors and related metabolic pathways in an inflammatory environment. The results showed that T-4-O significantly decreased the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS. Cellular metabolism results showed that T-4-O significantly decreased the ratio of the extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate. Non-targeted metabolomics results showed that T-4-O mainly affected glutamine and glutamate metabolism and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolic pathways. qPCR results showed that T-4-O increased the transcript levels of GLS and GDH and promoted glutamine catabolism. Western blotting results showed that T-4-O inhibited the mTOR and IκB, thereby decreasing NF-κB activity. The overall results showed that T-4-O inhibited mTOR phosphorylation to promote glutamine metabolism and increased cell oxidative phosphorylation levels, thereby inhibiting the expression of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the fuel cell durability of the hydrogen Electric Multiple Units, this paper proposes a novel multi-stack fuel cell hybrid system energy management strategy in consideration of fuel cell degradation. The top layer of the method distributes the power of fuel cells and lithium batteries reasonably according to the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy, and adjusts the fuel cell power through the feedback power regulation module. The bottom layer distributes the power of different stacks according to the degradation degree. The proposed layering method improves the durability of fuel cells by reducing the fuel cell degradation degree. The hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experiments results show that, compared with the traditional equivalent hydrogen consumption minimum energy management strategy, the proposed method is effective in lowering the degradation degree and operating pressure of the fuel cell by 25.77% and 35.73% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisomes have been proved playing roles in infection of several plant pathogens. Although the contribution of a portion of peroxins in pathogenicity was demonstrated, most of them are undocumented in fungi, especially, Botrytis cinerea. The homologs of Pex8, Pex10, and Pex12 in B. cinerea were functionally characterized in this work using gene disruption strategies. Compared with the wild-type strain (WT), the Δbcpex8, Δbcpex10, and Δbcpex12 mutants exhibited significant reduction in melanin production, fatty acid utilization, and decreased tolerance to high osmotic pressure and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The mycelial growth and conidiation of were significantly inhibited in Δbcpex8, Δbcpex10, and Δbcpex12 strains. The mycelial growth rates of Δbcpex8, Δbcpex10, and Δbcpex12 were reduced by 32, 35, and 34%, respectively, compared with WT and ectopic transformant (ET), and the conidiation was reduced by approximately 89, 27, and 88%, respectively. The conidial germination, germ tube elongation, and the formation of initiate infection structures (IFSs) were also reduced by the deletion of the genes. The pathogenicity was tested on the leaves of tobacco and strawberry, and fruits of tomato. On the leaves of tobacco and strawberry, the Δbcpex8, Δbcpex10, and Δbcpex12 mutants could not induce necrotic lesions, and the lesions on tomato fruits infected with the mutants were significantly reduced than those of the wide type. The results indicated that BcPEX8, BcPEX10, and BcPEX12 are indispensable for the development and pathogenicity of B. cinerea.