Search

This study hypothesised that fermented mealworm extract (TMP) with higher amino acid contents than nonfermented extract can be used as a dietary protein source for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and compared its effects with casein (CA) using C57BLKS/J-db/db mice. TMP marginally lowered serum insulin and leptin levels and hepatic triglyceride, and lipid droplets compared with CA group. Proteomic analysis showed that 14 proteins (H4C1, CYB5A, ANXA5, RGN, 40S ribosomal protein, Atp2, PDI, GRP78, RDX, GCH1, LDHA, GNMT, ACAA2, and UROC1) were up-regulated and 8 proteins (UQCRC1, Txndc5, SBP2, HSPA8, PHB, TF, PC, and PK) were down-regulated in the CA group compared to the normal mice. However, TMP significantly down-regulated ANXA5, RGN, Atp2, PDI, RDX, LDHA, ACAA2, and UROC1, and up-regulated UQCRC1, PHB, TF, and PK. These proteins are related to glycolysis, lactate production, fatty acid β-oxidation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. These results suggest that TMP is a potential protein source that can replace CA in type 2 diabetes.

Here, we present a study of superconductivity in the Ga-Ag alloy embedded into porous template with pore diameter of 10 nm. The composition was close to the eutectic point in the gallium-rich range. We measured DC and AC magnetizations for temperatures from 1.8 to 10 K and magnetic fields up to 6 T. Three superconducting transitions were found at temperatures 7.05, 6.08, and 2.65 K in contrast to the bulk counterpart. Upper critical field lines were obtained. Activation barriers were evaluated from the AC data. The temperatures of the superconducting transitions were ascribed to emergence of β- and iota-Ga and of an intermetallic different from bulk Ag3Ga2. Keywords: nanostructured Ga-Ag eutectic alloy, superconducting transitions, segregated phases, DC and AC susceptibility.

The discovery of extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) in non-magnetic materials attracted attention to the WTe2 semimetal. We have carried out studies of magnetoresistance in a tungsten ditelluride single crystal in the magnetic field range up to 14 T. Magnetoresistance increased with increasing field following a near quadratic law without saturation. The Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations were observed. Four fundamental frequencies were found in the oscillations spectrum, which correspond to two electron and two hole pockets caused by strong spin-orbit coupling.

Dissimilar joining of aluminum (AA5754) and magnesium (AZ31) alloys was investigated in the current study via resistance spot welding. A commercial pure nickel interlayer was inserted between the two base metals to prevent the formation of Al–Mg intermetallic compounds. Microstructural investigations, via SEM/EDS and XRD methods, were carried out to characterize the Mg/Ni and Al/Ni interfaces. It was found that the Al–Mg reaction was successfully prevented and continuous submicron intermetallic layers (through Al–Ni and Mg–Ni reactions) were formed at the separate interfaces. The mechanical test results indicated substantial improvement in the joint strength compared to a direct joint without using an interlayer. The application of excessively high welding current (42 kA) caused microstructure deterioration at the Mg/Ni interfacial region. Investigation of the fracture surface revealed that microstructure defects in the latter region should take responsibility for the reduction in the joint strength at high welding current (42 kA). Keywords: Resistance spot welding, Al AA5754/Mg AZ31B dissimilar welding, Interfacial reaction, Intermetallic compounds, Ni interlayer

Food samples are collected nationwide from January 2016 to February 2017 and their contents of artificial radionuclides are measured to address the growing concerns regarding the radioactive contamination of food products in Korea. Specifically, 900 food samples are collected for this study and their contents of representative artificial radionuclides 134Cs, 137Cs, 239,240Pu, and 90Sr are analyzed. The analysis shows that the activity concentrations of 137Cs in fish range from minimum detectable activity (MDA) to 340 mBq/kg of fresh weight. The concentration factor (CF) determined for 137Cs as a measure of its bioavailability is calculated to be ca. 74 and found to be very similar to that (100) recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency. With an MDA of

Peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-gamma (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor involved in the carcinogenesis of various cancers. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is a tumor suppressor gene that has anti-apoptotic activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer mechanism of PPARγ with respect to IGFBP-3. PPARγ was overexpressed in SNU-668 gastric cancer cells using an adenovirus gene transfer system. The cells in which PPARγ was overexpressed exhibited growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis, and a significant increase in IGFBP-3 expression. We investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms of PPARγ in SNU-668 cells using an IGFBP-3 promoter/luciferase reporter system. Luciferase activity was increased up to 15-fold in PPARγ transfected cells, suggesting that PPARγ may directly interact with IGFBP-3 promoter to induce its expression. Deletion analysis of the IGFBP-3 promoter showed that luciferase activity was markedly reduced in cells without putative p53-binding sites (-Δ1755, -Δ1795). This suggests that the critical PPARγ-response region is located within the p53-binding region of the IGFBP-3 promoter. We further demonstrated an increase in PPARγ-induced luciferase activity even in cells treated with siRNA to silence p53 expression. Taken together, these data suggest that PPARγ exhibits its anticancer effect by increasing IGFBP-3 expression, and that IGFBP-3 is a significant tumor suppressor.

Transfer patterns, procedure rates, and outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) presenting to Canadian community hospitals are not well understood.We documented all patients admitted to British Columbia (BC) hospitals with a primary diagnosis of NSTEMI between 2007 and 2008. Patients were divided by admitting hospital type into tertiary care hospitals, nonremote community hospitals, and remote community hospitals. The aims were to compare transfer rates and time to transfer to a tertiary hospital as well as procedure rates and outcomes at index admission, at 30 days, and at 1 year.The mean transfer rates to a tertiary hospital were 72.6% for nonremote and 57.1% for remote community hospitals (P0.001). Times to and rates of cardiac procedures differed significantly among these 3 hospital types. Admission to a nonremote or remote community hospital was associated with similar 1-year mortality compared with admission to a tertiary care hospital (nonremote hospitals, adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.87; P = 0.26; remote hospitals, adjusted OR, 1.19; P = 0.33). At 1 year, admission to a nonremote community hospital was associated with a lower composite outcome of death or readmission for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (adjusted OR, 0.80; P = 0.04).One-year mortality rates were not different between patients with NSTEMI admitted to BC community and tertiary care hospitals; however, the rate of readmission for AMI/death was significantly less in patients admitted to nonremote community hospitals. This should prompt the evaluation of key outcomes in NSTEMI in other community hospital settings.

The heavy ion accelerator that will be built in Daejeon, Korea utilizes superconducting cavities operating in 2 K. The cavities are QWR (quarter wave resonator), HWR (half wave resonator), SSR1 (sing spoke resonator1) and SSR2. The main role of the cryomodule is supplying thermal insulation for cryogenic operation of the cavities and maintaining cavities' alignment. Thermal and structural consideration such as thermal load by heat leak and heat generation, cryogenic fluid management, thermal contraction, and so on. This paper describes detailed design considerations and current results have being done including thermal load estimation, cryogenic flow piping, pressure relief system, and so on.

AbstractWe study the dc magnetization of a Bi_1.94Fe_0.06Se_3 single crystal in the temperature range of 1.9 to 400 K in applied magnetic fields up to 70 kOe for two sample orientations in the applied field. We register three magnetic phase transitions and observe considerable anisotropy of the magnetic properties. The coercive force varies with temperature in a nonmonotonic manner. For the sample in a paramagnetic state, we estimate its magnetic moment per iron atom; its Curie–Weiss temperature is found to be negative. Arrot–Belov plots are constructed.

We carried out 125Te NMR studies of a WTe2 topological Weyl semimetal at temperatures of 41 and 293 K. Measurements were performed using a pulse Bruker Avance 500 NMR spectrometer. 125Te NMR spectra were obtained for the WTe2 single crystal at the orientation of the crystalline c axis parallel and perpendicular to the quantized field. We ascribed the complex spectra to four non-equivalent tellurium sites in the WTe2 crystalline structure. The recovery of the longitudinal magnetization was studied after the pulse saturation of particular lines in the spectra. We observed the single-exponential relaxation. The frequency shifts and widths of the spectral lines differed insignificantly at two temperatures while the spin-lattice relaxation times at 41 K were by a factor of approximately 30 greater than the relevant times at room temperature. Strong temperature dependence of relaxation was suggested to be due to the contribution of Weyl quasi-particles below the topological phase transition.

The formation behavior of Y 2 O 3 ceramic particles was studied by employing a very high energy ball milling (milling energy: ∼165 kJ/g·hit, milling speed: 1000 rpm). Both the XRD and HRTEM studies revealed that the high impact strain energy generated during the milling caused a drastic phase transition from the original C-type cubic (space group Ia 3, a =10.58 A) to the metastable B-type monoclinic (space group C 2/ m , a =13.89 A), finally followed by a partial solid-state amorphization. The cubic phase was difficult to be reduced down to smaller than 10 nm, while the monoclinic phase was stabilized at sizes smaller than 10 nm with a mean crystallite size of 7.57 nm. Consequently, the existence of Y 2 O 3 at a nanoscale smaller than 10 nm is possible by forming metastable monoclinic crystals, which are strain-induced.

Background Brunei Darussalam is a Sultanate with a Malay Islamic monarchy. There are high levels of dental disease among its 406,200 population. The population's oral health needs require an integrated blend of primary and specialist care, together with oral health promotion. Process and outcomes This paper describes the planning and measures taken to address these needs. In accordance with an oral health agenda published and launched in 2008, focusing on access, health promotion and prevention, and the education and training of the dental workforce, the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Health is seeking to improve oral health status and reduce the burden of oral disease. It also seeks to transform the country's oral health services into a preventatively orientated, high-quality, seamless service underpinned by the concept of ‘teeth for life’. In the process of effecting this transition, the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Health is developing a dental workforce fit for future purpose, with an emphasis on a modern approach to skill mix. An important element of this programme has been the development of a highly successful Brunei Darussalam Diploma in Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene. Conclusion It is concluded that the Brunei Darussalam oral health agenda and, in particular, the forward-looking programme of dental workforce development is a model for other countries facing similar oral health challenges.

The here described proficiency test for heavy metals in compound feed was organised by RIKILT, Wageningen UR in accordance with ISO 17043. RIKILT Wageningen UR has an ISO/IEC 17043 accreditation for proficiency tests of residues in products of animal origin. However, this specific test is not part of the accreditation. The primary goal of this proficiency test was to give laboratories the opportunity to evaluate or demonstrate their competence for the analysis of heavy metals in compound feed. For this proficiency test, two test materials were dispatched. The heavy metal concentration in each material is given in mg/kg with a moisture content of 12%: • Chicken feed with a consensus value of 0.37 mg/kg cadmium and 5.2 mg/kg lead (A); • Chicken feed with a consensus value of 0.62 mg/kg cadmium and 3.0 mg/kg arsenic (B). The fortified materials were prepared by spiking a slurry of commercially obtained chicken compound feed, followed by extensive mixing and freeze-drying. Homogeneity assessment showed that all materials were sufficiently homogeneous for proficiency testing. The stability test demonstrated no statistically significant loss of cadmium, lead or arsenic from the materials during the timescale of the proficiency test. Twenty-one European laboratories participated in this proficiency test and submitted results in time. For test material A, twenty laboratories reported quantitative results and one laboratory reported a screening result for cadmium and for lead, twenty-one laboratories reported quantitative results. For test material B, twenty-one and nineteen laboratories reported quantitative results for respectively cadmium and arsenic. Two laboratories did not report quantitative results for arsenic due to the absence of the compound in their scope. Fifteen laboratories reported details of the applied extraction method. Twelve of the fifteen laboratories applied comparable digestion methods for sample preparation and in general used ICP-MS (six laboratories)

Many low background experiments using xenon need to remove radioactive radon to improve their sensitivities. However, no method of continually removing radon from xenon has been described in the literature. We studied a method to remove radon from xenon gas through an activated charcoal trap. From our measurements we infer a linear relationship between the mean propagation velocity vRn of radon and vXe of xenon in the trap with vRn=vXe ¼ð 0:967 0:10 Þ� 10

In this study, the performance of a thermo siphon type radiator made of copper for LED lighting system was evaluated by using an inverse heat transfer method. Heating experiments and finite element heat transfer analysis were conducted for three different cases. The data obtained from experiments were compared with the analysis results. Based on the data obtained from experiments, the inverse heat transfer method was used in order to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient. First, the heat transfer analysis was conducted for non-vacuum state, without the refrigerant. The evaluated heat transfer coefficient on the radiator surface was 40W/m 2 ℃. Second, the heat transfer analysis was conducted for non-vacuum state, with the refrigerant, resulting in the heat transfer coefficient of 95W/m 2 ℃. Third, the heat transfer analysis was conducted for vacuum state, with refrigerant. For the third case, the evaluated heat transfer coefficients were 140W/m 2 ℃ for the radiator body, 5W/m 2 ℃ for the rising position of radiator pipe, 35W/m 2 ℃ for the highest position of radiator pipe, and 120W/m 2 ℃ for the downturn position of radiator pipe. As a result of inverse heat transfer analysis, it was confirmed that the thermal performance of the current radiator was best in the case of the vacuum state using the refrigerant.