Element Modulator Research Articles

Identification of the promoter region regulating the transcription of the REV7 gene

REV7 is involved in various biological processes including DNA repair and mutagenesis, cell cycle regulation, gene transcription, and carcinogenesis. REV7 is highly expressed in adult testicular germ cells as well as several malignant tumors. REV7 expression levels are associated with prognosis in several human cancers, however, the mechanism of REV7 transcriptional regulation has not been elucidated. In this study, we characterized the promoter region of the REV7 gene. A luciferase reporter assay using the human germ cell tumor cell line NEC8 was utilized to examine the upstream genomic region of REV7 for transcriptional activity, and two transcriptional activation regions were identified. We determined a small genomic region important for transcriptional activation using site-directed mutagenesis; this region is shared by several putative binding motifs for transcription factors, including the cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM), cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), and B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1). Exogenous CREM and CREB expression had no effect on the transcriptional activity in NEC8 cells or the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293T. In contrast, exogenous BLIMP-1 expression increased luciferase reporter activity in HEK293T cells but unexpectedly decreased activity in NEC8 cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that BLIMP-1 binds to the genomic region near the binding motif in the REV7 promoter. Additionally, BLIMP-1 overexpression promoted endogenous REV7 expression in HEK293T cells. These findings suggest that BLIMP-1 may be a putative transcriptional regulator of REV7 in mammalian cells.

Fixed (Trackside) Energy Storage System for DC Electric Railways Based on Full-SiC Isolated DC-DC Converters

At present, in several European railway networks using traditional DC electrification systems, it is not possible to increase traffic nor to operate locomotives at their nominal power ratings. Trackside energy storage systems (TESSs) can be an alternative solution for the creation of new substations. A TESS limits contact line voltage drops and smooths the power absorbed during peak traffic. Thus, the efficiency of the power system can be increased while limiting costs and the environmental impact. This paper proposes a new topology of a TESS based on full-SiC isolated DC/DC converters associated with lithium-ion batteries and galvanic isolation, offering major advantages for operational safety. In the event of a fault, the input and output terminals of the converters are electrically separated, and the contact line voltage can never be directly applied to the batteries. In addition, the use of SiC MOSFETs makes it possible to obtain excellent efficiency with a high switching frequency. The first part of this paper presents the main characteristics of an elementary TESS module, while the second part proposes a sizing methodology for the typical case of a 1.5 kV DC line, which shows the limits of using TESSs to reinforce a power supply. Finally, the experimental results of an elementary module prototype are presented.

Neonatal sevoflurane exposure induces long-term changes in dendritic morphology in juvenile rats and mice.

General anesthetics are potent neurotoxins when given during early development, causing apoptotic deletion of substantial number of neurons and persistent neurocognitive and behavioral deficits in animals and humans. The period of intense synaptogenesis coincides with the peak of susceptibility to deleterious effects of anesthetics, a phenomenon particularly pronounced in vulnerable brain regions such as subiculum. With steadily accumulating evidence confirming that clinical doses and durations of anesthetics may permanently alter the physiological trajectory of brain development, we set out to investigate the long-term consequences on dendritic morphology of subicular pyramidal neurons and expression on genes regulating the complex neural processes such as neuronal connectivity, learning, and memory. Using a well-established model of anesthetic neurotoxicity in rats and mice neonatally exposed to sevoflurane, a volatile general anesthetic commonly used in pediatric anesthesia, we report that a single 6 h of continuous anesthesia administered at postnatal day (PND) 7 resulted in lasting dysregulation in subicular mRNA levels of cAMP responsive element modulator (Crem), cAMP responsive element-binding protein 1 (Creb1), and Protein phosphatase 3 catalytic subunit alpha, a subunit of calcineurin (Ppp3ca) (calcineurin) when examined during juvenile period at PND28. Given the critical role of these genes in synaptic development and neuronal plasticity, we deployed a set of histological measurements to investigate the implications of anesthesia-induced dysregulation of gene expression on morphology and complexity of surviving subicular pyramidal neurons. Our results indicate that neonatal exposure to sevoflurane induced lasting rearrangement of subicular dendrites, resulting in higher orders of complexity and increased branching with no significant effects on the soma of pyramidal neurons. Correspondingly, changes in dendritic complexity were paralleled by the increased spine density on apical dendrites, further highlighting the scope of anesthesia-induced dysregulation of synaptic development. We conclude that neonatal sevoflurane induced persistent genetic and morphological dysregulation in juvenile rodents, which could indicate heightened susceptibility toward cognitive and behavioral disorders we are beginning to recognize as sequelae of early-in-life anesthesia.

Combination of vitamin D and probiotics inhibits chemically induced colorectal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats

The modulation of inflammatory elements, cell differentiation and proliferation by vitamin D and the role of probiotics in the intestinal microbiota and immunogenic response have sparked interest in the application of both in chemotherapeutics and chemoprevention of colorectal tumors. AimsThe present study aimed to investigate the effects of isolated and/or combined treatment of vitamin D3 and probiotics on colorectal carcinogenesis. Main methodsPre-neoplastic lesions were induced with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in the colon of Wistar rats, which were treated with probiotics and/or vitamin D in three different approaches (simultaneous, pre-, and post-treatment). We investigated the frequency of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and aberrant crypt (AC) in the distal colon, fecal microbiome composition, gene and protein expression through immunohistochemical and RT-PCR assays, and general toxicity through water consumption and weight gain monitoring. Key findingsResults confirm the systemic safety of treatments, and show a protective effect of vitamin D and probiotics in all approaches studied, as well as in combined treatments, with predominance of different bacterial phyla compared to controls. Treated groups show different levels of Nrf2, GST, COX2, iNOS, β-catenin and PCNA expression. SignificanceThese experimental conditions explore the combination of vitamin D and probiotics supplementation at low doses over pathways involved in distinct stages of colorectal carcinogenesis, with results supporting its application in prevention and long-term strategies.

Simplified calculation method for hydrodynamic noise of multi-tube heat exchanger based on acoustic cavity model

Because of the complex structure of the heat exchanger, its hydrodynamic noise simulation is difficult and the problem of low computational efficiency can not be solved well. An acoustically simplified calculation method for a large shell and tube heat exchanger with 2000 heat transfer tubes is proposed for a multi-tube number heat exchanger. The heat exchanger tubes are equated to different numbers of heat exchanger tubes according to their through-flow areas of 2000 heat exchanger tubes. Based on the LMS Virtual.Lab acoustic finite element module, acoustic cavity model calculations and analysis are performed for heat exchangers with different numbers of heat transfer tubes. From the acoustic cavity model laws of heat exchangers with 20, 100, 500 and 1000 tubes, it can be found that the distribution of vibration patterns and the intrinsic frequencies of heat exchangers with different tube numbers are similar. Therefore, the calculation model of 20 heat exchanger tubes is selected for noise calculation based on the fluid calculation software ANSYS-CFX and the acoustic calculation software ACTRAN. Based on the results of the noise calculation and the comparison verification of the experimental data, it is concluded that the heat exchanger models with similar acoustic cavity model have similar sound pressure levels. In addition, the sound transmission loss law and the contribution of the acoustic cavity model of the shell and tube heat exchanger are analyzed. Therefore, the effectiveness of the simplified calculation method of multi-tube number heat exchanger proposed is verified. The proposed simplified calculation method can be used to reduce the calculation difficulty and improve the calculation efficiency of complex heat exchangers.

Prophylactic Effects of DL-β Hydroxybutyrate against Hepatic Cellular Senescence Induced by D-galactose or γ-irradiation via Partial Modulation of Antioxidants and Trace Elements in Male Rats

Prophylactic Effects of DL-β Hydroxybutyrate against Hepatic Cellular Senescence Induced by D-galactose or γ-irradiation via Partial Modulation of Antioxidants and Trace Elements in Male Rats

Experimental, analytical and numerical study of the electromagnetic field distribution in pulsed power plasma stimulation (PPPS)

Electromagnetic (EM) field generated during a pulsed power plasma discharge (PPPD) laboratory experiments was matched against an analytic solution, and numerically using a finite element module of the COMSOL RF software. The EM field was calculated during and after the plasma pulse. Agreement between the numerically and analytically calculated EM field with laboratory experimental measurements provides support for extension of the model to a larger scale and eventually to reservoir scale. The validated model was used to quantify the signal attenuation level in different media. The results of the comparative model show that different environments around the sample will have more impact on magnetic field transversely (perpendicular plane of current direction) than longitudinally within the sample domain. Existence of water (with higher electric permittivity) plays important role in signal penetration depth away from the source signal. This preliminary model provides the framework for future design of lager scale electromagnetic simulation of PPPS (Pulsed Power Plasma Stimulation) technique as source signal at various design configurations.

Abstract P2-24-04: The ER antagonist giredestrant induces profound chromatin remodeling including activation of cis-regulatory elements bound by FOXA1 and GATA3 in HR+ breast cancer models

Abstract The progression of HR+ breast cancers is governed by ER signaling which makes the development of optimized ER-targeting agents a high priority. Among current therapeutics, selective ER antagonists and degraders (SERDs) have emerged as a particularly attractive class. Fulvestrant is the only SERD that is currently approved, but its clinical potential is hypothesized to be somewhat limited by poor physicochemical properties, dosage and exposure. We identified giredestrant as an orally bioavailable, highly potent non-steroidal ER antagonist, immobilizer and degrader with robust anti-proliferative activity. Giredestrant is currently being evaluated in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer, after showing evidence of clinical activity in phase I and II trials. Here, we set out to investigate the impact of giredestrant on the transcriptome and chromatin landscape of ER+ breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. RNA-seq data from MCF-7 cells in vitro and three patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in vivo showed that giredestrant inversely regulates the RNA levels of E2-regulated genes. Transcriptome wide, the expression of genes affected by giredestrant are strongly correlated (r2=0.8) with those affected by siRNA-mediated silencing of ESR1, consistent with on-target ER antagonism. Performing ATAC-seq in the three PDX models, including one ESR1 mutant model, reveals that giredestrant reduces accessibility in up to 18,173 chromatin regions that are associated with genes induced by E2. These regions are also enriched in the ER binding motif. In addition, we found up to 17,127 chromatin regions with increased accessibility upon giredestrant treatment. These regions are associated with genes suppressed by E2, and are enriched in the FOXA1 binding motif. To probe giredestrant’s role in functional modulation of cis-regulatory elements (CREs), we performed ChIP-seq targeting FOXA1 and GATA3, as key pioneer factors for ER, as well as ER itself and H3K27ac as a marker of active enhancers in MCF-7 cells. We identified 3,195 regions with significantly reduced H3K27ac signals that also exhibit significant reduction of both ER and FOXA1 binding upon giredestrant treatment, indicating that giredestrant deactivates these CREs concomitantly with suppressing ER and FOXA1 binding. ChIP-seq analysis further revealed 2,292 regions with a significant increase in H3K27ac signals upon giredestrant treatment. Interestingly, the GATA3 motif was identified as the most enriched motif in these activated CREs. Further, GATA3 and FOXA1 ChIP-seq signals were stronger in the activated CREs compared to the deactivated ones. Similar profiling of both tamoxifen, an approved selective ER modulator (SERM), as well an GNE-858, a SERM from the same chemical series as giredestrant, showed their epigenetic effects to be highly distinct from those observed for giredestrant, suggesting that the high degree of chromatin remodeling is likely related to giredestrant’s mechanism of action. Our studies here show that giredestrant profoundly alters ER binding and remodels the chromatin landscape, thus changing the transcriptional profile of cells in a manner that is associated with an anti-proliferative response. While deactivation of CREs with ER binding is perhaps in line with expectations, giredestrant treatment also leads to the activation of a number of regions associated with pioneer factors, potentially through their redistribution. This raises the question of the functional consequences of CRE activation and if this is relevant for the anti-proliferative effects of giredestrant. Citation Format: Musaddeque Ahmed, Jane Guan, Wei Zhou, Xiaosai Yao, Ciara Metcalfe, Marc Hafner. The ER antagonist giredestrant induces profound chromatin remodeling including activation of cis-regulatory elements bound by FOXA1 and GATA3 in HR+ breast cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-24-04.

FINANCIAL PLANNING OF ENTERPRISE ACTIVITIES BASED ON ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN

In the course of the study, the essence of the relationship between organizational design and financial planning was analyzed. It has been established that, despite the variety of approaches to financial planning in practice, its functions are implemented in isolation in relation to organizational design, as a result of which the possibility of achieving an optimal financial result is reduced. It has been established that ensuring the relationship between financial planning and organizational design is possible with the introduction of an integrated approach. A number of tasks are given that should be solved at the stage of organizational and financial design in order to build an integral model of the enterprise. It is proposed to use an integral model that allows organizing management processes based on the interaction of production cycles and the organizational structure of the enterprise, which will optimize the relationship between organizational and financial planning at the enterprise. Financial planning will allow you to fully use the potential of the enterprise to achieve the desired financial results in the planning period. The presented model has a modular structure. The set of interacting modules makes it possible to take into account the peculiarities of the structural organization and production cycles of a particular enterprise. Separate structural subdivisions and stages of production cycles are represented by separate modules interacting with each other according to the selected algorithm. To build modules of structural elements and components of the production cycle, methods of mathematical and simulation modeling were used. The integral model makes it possible to study the interaction between production cycles and structural organization in two modes - multi-process and mono-process. The multi-process mode is used to study manufacturing enterprises with a large range of products. The single-process simulation mode is used to study highly specialized enterprises with one production cycle, as well as enterprises with a multi-process operation mode to determine the minimum time for each production cycle. The paper presents an algorithm for modeling the relationship between financial and organizational planning, which makes it possible to investigate the need for labor, material and financial resources of an enterprise. The model makes it possible to analyze various options for the interaction of a structural organization and production cycles, as well as to predict the optimal economic performance of an enterprise at the stage of organizational design and financial planning. It is concluded that due to the close relationship between financial and organizational planning identified with the help of an integral model, it becomes possible to predict the desired financial results using the potential capabilities of an enterprise for structural reorganization or the creation of a new organizational structure.

Proton-Pump Inhibitors Suppress T Cell Response by Shifting Intracellular Zinc Distribution.

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), e.g., omeprazole or pantoprazole, are the most widely used drugs for various gastrointestinal diseases. However, more and more side effects, especially an increased risk of infections, have been reported in recent years. The underlying mechanism has still not yet been fully uncovered. Hence, in this study, we analyzed the T cell response after treatment with pantoprazole in vitro. Pantoprazole preincubation reduced the production and secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-2 after the T cells were activated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-L or toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1). Moreover, a lower zinc concentration in the cytoplasm and a higher concentration in the lysosomes were observed in the pantoprazole-treated group compared to the untreated group. We also tested the expression of the zinc transporter Zrt- and Irt-like protein (Zip)8, which is located in the lysosomal membrane and plays a key role in regulating intracellular zinc distribution after T cell activation. Pantoprazole reduced the expression of Zip8. Furthermore, we measured the expression of cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM) α, which directly suppresses the expression of IL-2, and the expression of the phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB), which can promote the expression of IFN-γ. The expression of CREMα was dramatically increased, and different isoforms appeared, whereas the expression of pCREB was downregulated after the T cells were treated with pantoprazole. In conclusion, pantoprazole downregulates IFN-γ and IL-2 expression by regulating the expression of Zip8 and pCREB or CREMα, respectively.

Gradient descent decomposition of force-field motor primitives optogenetically elicited for motor mapping of the murine lumbosacral spinal cord.

Generating diverse motor behaviors critical for survival is a challenge that confronts the central nervous system (CNS) of all animals. During movement execution, the CNS performs complex calculations to control a large number of neuromusculoskeletal elements. The theory of modular motor control proposes that spinal interneurons are organized in discrete modules that can be linearly combined to generate a variety of behavioral patterns. These modules have been previously represented as stimulus-evoked force fields (FFs) comprising isometric limb-endpoint forces across workspace locations. Here, we ask whether FFs elicited by different stimulations indeed represent the most elementary units of motor control or are themselves the combination of a limited number of even more fundamental motor modules. To probe for potentially more elementary modules, we optogenetically stimulated the lumbosacral spinal cord of intact and spinalized Thy1-ChR2 transgenic mice ( n=21), eliciting FFs from as many single stimulation loci as possible (20-70 loci per mouse) at minimally necessary power. We found that the resulting varieties of FFs defied simple categorization with just a few clusters. We used gradient descent to further decompose the FFs into their underlying basic force fields (BFFs), whose linear combination explained FF variability. Across mice, we identified 4-5 BFFs with partially localizable but overlapping representations along the spinal cord. The BFFs were structured and topographically distributed in such a way that a rostral-to-caudal traveling wave of activity across the lumbosacral spinal cord may generate a swing-to-stance gait cycle. These BFFs may represent more rudimentary submodules that can be flexibly merged to produce a library of motor modules for building different motor behaviors.

Erratum to: Determination of the Folded Core Geometric Characteristics Based on a Flat-Faceted Elementary Module with Translational Symmetry Considering the Material Thickness

Erratum to: Determination of the Folded Core Geometric Characteristics Based on a Flat-Faceted Elementary Module with Translational Symmetry Considering the Material Thickness

Transcriptional regulatory network during axonal regeneration of dorsal root ganglion neurons: laser-capture microdissection and deep sequencing.

The key regulators and regeneration-associated genes involved in axonal regeneration of neurons after injury have not been clarified. In high-throughput sequencing, various factors influence the final sequencing results, including the number and size of cells, the depth of sequencing, and the method of cell separation. There is still a lack of research on the detailed molecular expression profile during the regeneration of dorsal root ganglion neuron axon. In this study, we performed laser-capture microdissection coupled with RNA sequencing on dorsal root ganglion neurons at 0, 3, 6, and 12 hours and 1, 3, and 7 days after sciatic nerve crush in rats. We identified three stages after dorsal root ganglion injury: early (3-12 hours), pre-regeneration (1 day), and regeneration (3-7 days). Gene expression patterns and related function enrichment results showed that one module of genes was highly related to axonal regeneration. We verified the up-regulation of activating transcription factor 3 (Atf3), Kruppel like factor 6 (Klf6), AT-rich interaction domain 5A (Arid5a), CAMP responsive element modulator (Crem), and FOS like 1, AP-1 transcription factor Subunit (Fosl1) in dorsal root ganglion neurons after injury. Suppressing these transcription factors (Crem, Arid5a, Fosl1 and Klf6) reduced axonal regrowth in vitro. As the hub transcription factor, Atf3 showed higher expression and activity at the pre-regeneration and regeneration stages. G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (Gper1), interleukin 12a (Il12a), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), and interleukin 6 (IL6) may be upstream factors that trigger the activation of Atf3 during the repair of axon injury in the early stage. Our study presents the detailed molecular expression profile during axonal regeneration of dorsal root ganglion neurons after peripheral nerve injury. These findings may provide reference for the clinical screening of molecular targets for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

Corticosterone stage-dependently inhibits progesterone production presumably via impeding the cAMP-StAR cascade in granulosa cells of chicken preovulatory follicles

Stress can suppress reproduction capacity in either wild or domestic animals, but the exact mechanism behind it, especially in terms of steroidogenesis, remains under-investigated so far. Considering the important roles of progesterone in avian breeding, we investigated the modulation of corticosterone on progesterone production in cultured granulosa cells of chicken follicles at different developmental stages. Using enzyme immunoassays, our study showed that corticosterone could only inhibit progesterone synthesis in granulosa cells from F5-6, F4, and F3 follicles, but not F2 and F1 follicles. Coincidentally, both quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting revealed that corticosterone could downregulate steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression, suggesting the importance of StAR in corticosterone-related actions. Using the dual-luciferase reporter system, we found that corticosterone can potentially enhance, rather than inhibit, the activity of StAR promoter. Of note, combining high-throughput transcriptomic analysis and quantitative real-time PCR, phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A), protein kinase cAMP-dependent type II regulatory subunit alpha (PRKAR2A) and cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM) were identified to exhibit the differential expression patterns consistent with cAMP blocking in granulosa cells from F5-6, F4, and F3, but not F2 and F1 follicles. Afterward, the expression profiles of these genes in granulosa cells of distinct developmental-stage follicles were examined by quantitative real-time PCR, in which all of them expressed correspondingly with progesterone levels of granulosa cells during development. Collectively, these findings indicate that corticosterone can stage-dependently inhibit progesterone production in granulosa cells of chicken preovulatory follicles, through impeding cAMP-induced StAR activity presumptively.

Identification and functional epigenetic modulation of regulatory elements in cardiac myocytes

Identification and functional epigenetic modulation of regulatory elements in cardiac myocytes

Decreased SUV39H1 at the promoter region leads to increased CREMα and accelerates autoimmune response in CD4+ T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

BackgroundOverproduction of cAMP-responsive element modulator α (CREMα) in total T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can inhibit IL-2 and increase IL-17A. These ultimately promote progression of SLE. This study aims to investigate the expression of CREMα in SLE CD4+ T cells and find out the mechanisms for the regulation of CREMα in SLE CD4+ T cells.ResultsCREMα mRNA was overexpressed in CD4+ T cells from SLE patients. The levels of histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and suppressor of variation 3–9 homolog 1 (SUV39H1) at the CREMα promoter of SLE CD4+ T cells were markedly decreased. Down-regulating SUV39H1 in normal CD4+ T cells elevated the levels of CREMα, IL-17A, and histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in the CREMα promoter region, and lowered IL-2, H3K9me3, DNA methylation, and DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a) enrichments within the CREMα promoter, while no sharp change in SET domain containing 1 (Set1) at the CREMα promoter. Up-regulating SUV39H1 in SLE CD4+ T cells had the opposite effects. The DNA methylation and DNMT3a levels were obviously reduced, and H3K4me3 enrichment was greatly increased at the CREMα promoter of CD4+ T cells from SLE patients. The Set1 binding in the CREMα promoter region upgraded significantly, and knocking down Set1 in SLE CD4+ T cells alleviated the H3K4me3 enrichment within this region, suppressed CREMα and IL-17A productions, and promoted the levels of IL-2, CREMα promoter DNA methylation, and DNMT3a. But there were no obviously alterations in H3K9me3 and SUV39H1 amounts in the region after transfection.ConclusionsDecreased SUV39H1 in the CREMα promoter region of CD4+ T cells from SLE patients contributes to under-expression of H3K9me3 at this region. In the meantime, the Set1 binding at the CREMα promoter of SLE CD4+ T cells is up-regulated. As a result, DNMT3a and DNA methylation levels alleviate, and H3K4me3 binding increases. All these lead to overproduction of CREMα. Thus, the secretion of IL-2 down-regulates and the concentration of IL-17A up-regulates, ultimately promoting SLE.

Trapezoidal pulse-switching strategy for failure correction of multi-pattern time-modulated linear array

AbstractIn this paper, a novel approach for simultaneously correcting multiple degraded patterns under the failure condition of time-modulated linear arrays is proposed. The approach is based on the use of trapezoidal pulse with non-zero rise/fall time to control the switching status of the radio frequency switches that enables ON-OFF keying modulation of the array elements. After deriving a closed form expression of harmonic power loss and through the in-depth analysis, it is explored that the proposed trapezoidal pulse, because of having non-zero rise/fall time, provides less undesired harmonic power loss as compared to the conventionally used rectangular pulse with ideally zero rise/fall time. With the aim of reconstructing the degraded patterns with improved directivity and suppressed higher sideband power, three pulse-switching strategies based on rectangular and trapezoidal pulse have been employed, and their comparative performances prove the superiority of the proposed approach.

Representations of the Yangians Associated with Lie Superalgebras mathfrak {osp}(1|2n)

We give a complete description of the finite-dimensional irreducible representations of the Yangians associated with the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebras mathfrak {osp}_{1|2n}. The representations are classified in terms of their highest weights and are parameterized by n-tuples of monic polynomials in one variable. The arguments rely on explicit constructions of a family of elementary modules of the Yangian for mathfrak {osp}_{1|2}. We show that a wide class of irreducible representations of this Yangian can be produced by taking tensor products of the elementary modules.

High Resolution Observation of Liquid Water in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Using X-Ray Nano Computed Tomography

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are attracting attention as energy device of low environmental impact because of their high generation efficiency and their emitting only water. The gas supplied to the PEFC is humidified, and water is produced at the cathode catalytic layer by the electrochemical reaction between oxygen and protons. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) and micro porous layer (MPL) in PEFC plays an important role in the transport of oxygen and water. When liquid water accumulates in the GDL, the supply of oxygen to the cathode is inhibited, resulting in poor generation performance. In order to maintain the performance of PEFCs, it is important to manage the water in the cell.Attempts have been made to visualize the liquid water in GDLs and MPLs for better GDL and MPL design; X-ray micro computed tomography (micro-CT) is one powerful tool for this. Visualization of liquid water in GDLs and MPLs using micro-CT has so far revealed the behavior of the produced water[1,2]. However, in previous studies, it has been difficult to visualize liquid water in the catalyst layer, which is the reaction field where the water is produced. This is because the spatial resolution of micro-CT is larger than a µm, which is insufficient for analyzing liquid water in the catalytic layer. X-ray CT measurements with a resolution of at least 150 nm are needed to measure the distribution of liquid water in the cross section of the catalyst layer. In this study, a measurement system to reveal the distribution of liquid water in the catalyst layer was developed using a 150 nm-spatial-resolution X-ray CT with a synchrotron radiation x-ray microscope called X-ray nano-CT.A GDL specimen prepared cut to a disk shape with 1 mm diameter. The GDL specimen mounted on a copper stage with high thermal conductivity connected Peltier element module. The micro-CT and nano-CT measurements were carried out in BL20XU beamline at SPring-8, Japan. An X-ray beam energy was 30 keV with a double crystal monochromator. The nano-CT measurements were performed using Zernike phase contrast with voxel size of 38.4 nm. We measured the micro-CT and nano-CT of the dry condition of the GDL specimen. Then, the GDL specimen injected liquid water was scanned. Injection of liquid water into the GDL specimen is not easy because of water-repellent of GDLs. Helium gas saturated water vapor at 40 °C was sprayed to the GDL at 30 ml/min, then the GDL cooled to 10 °C using a Peltier element module and the vapor was condensed inside of the GDL. The measurement setup is shown in Figure 1. This water injection in GDL method was based on the method reported by Kato et al [2].Figure 2 shows the optical system of the nano-CT used in this study. The optical system of this nano-CT provides a condenser zone plate for sample illumination, a Fresnel zone plate for enlarged image, and phase ring for Zernike phase contrast. These optics allow CT with a high spatial resolution of 150 nm to be measured even for materials with low X-ray absorption.A three-dimensional structure of GDL was revealed by CT measurements in each scale order. The distribution of liquid water in GDL were visualized with nanoscale spatial resolution (Figure 3). We have successfully visualized the three-dimension distribution of liquid water in the GDL with nm order scale using nano-CT. The newly established nano-CT with a spatial resolution of 150 nm order is extremely useful for elucidating liquid-water behavior in PEFCs containing catalyst layers, which was not clear before. Acknowledgements This work is based on results obtained from a NEDO FC-Platform project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). This study was partially supported by the Synchrotron radiation experiments performed at BL20XU of SPring-8 with the approval of the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (Proposal numbers 2021A2009, 2021B1015).

Impact of Long Non-Coding RNA Metastasis-Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 on the Susceptibility of High Glucose-Treated Cardiomyocytes to Hypoxia/Reoxygenation

To estimate the effect of lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) on susceptibility of high glucose (HG)-treated cardiomyocytes (CMs) to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Forty healthy rats were assigned to the control, diabetes mellitus (DM), DM + ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) control, and DM IRI groups (n = 10 for each group). Rat CMs (H9C2) were subjected to HG and H/R treatments. LncRNA MALAT1 and cyclic-AMP responsive element modulator (CREM) mRNA levels were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and protein levels of CREM, myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 (MyD88), interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1), tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were quantified using western blotting. Flow cytometry was applied for detection of apoptosis, and a cell viability analyzer determined the number of living cells. IRI induced myocardial apoptosis and elevated lncRNA MALAT1, CREM, and MyD88/IRAK1/TRAF6 levels in DM group mice. In H9C2 cells, HG treatment downregulated CREM expression, which resulted in the downregulation of lncRNA MALAT1 expression, reducing the susceptibility to H/R, increasing cell viability and apoptosis, decreasing the activity of the MyD88/IRAK1/TRAF6 signaling pathway, and suppressing TNF-α and IL-6 expression. LncRNA MALAT1 regulates the susceptibility of HG-treated CMs to H/R through the MyD88 signaling pathway.