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In this paper, the transverse vibration of a fractional viscoelastic beam is studied based on the fractional calculus, and the corresponding scheme of a viscoelastic beam is established by using the mixed finite volume element method. The stability and convergence of the algorithm are analyzed. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. Finally, the values of different parameter sets are tested, and the test results show that both the damping coefficient and the fractional derivative have significant effects on the model. The results of this paper can be used for the damping modeling of viscoelastic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana Gams.) is an important and attractive ornamental plant with a wide variety of flower colors. To date, the molecular genetic understanding of its colorful petal pigment patterns remains largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the bicolor petals of "Mengdie" in cytological, physiological, and transcriptomic aspects. Results showed that the difference of flower colors was mainly determined by the pigment distribution in the epidermal cells. Pigment analysis indicated that anthocyanins had strong correlations with color parameters, which acted as the main factor in flower coloration. Comparative transcriptome analysis found a total of 43,908 unigenes with the mean length of 682 bp. There were 24,323, 16,668, 8507, and 7680 unigenes annotated in the Nr, Swiss-Prot, KOG, and KEGG databases, respectively. Differential expression genes (DEGs) showed that the expression of anthocyanin late biosynthesis genes (LBGs), VwF3′H, VwF3′5′H, and VwUFGT, would be likely to play a major role in the color formation of pansy. The expression patterns of selected DEGs were verified by qRT-PCR. This study contributes an excellent insight into molecular mechanism of pigment biosynthesis and provides some useful information for flower color modification in pansy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of skeletal muscle fiber from fast-twitch to slow-twitch is crucial for sustained contractile and stretchable events, energy homeostasis, and anti-fatigue ability. The purpose of our study was to explore the mechanism and effects of garcinol on the regulation of skeletal muscle fiber type transformation. Forty 21-day-old male C57/BL6J mice (n = 10/diet) were fed a control diet or a control diet plus garcinol at 100 mg/kg (Low Gar), 300 mg/kg (Mid Gar), or 500 mg/kg (High Gar) for 12 weeks. The tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus muscles were collected for protein and immunoprecipitation analyses. Dietary garcinol significantly downregulated (p < 0.05) fast myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression and upregulated (p < 0.05) slow MyHC expression in the TA and soleus muscles. Garcinol significantly increased (p < 0.05) the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and markedly decreased (p < 0.05) the acetylation of PGC-1α. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that garcinol decreased (p < 0.05) lactate dehydrogenase activity and increased (p < 0.05) the activities of malate dehydrogenase and succinic dehydrogenase. In addition, the results of C2C12 myotubes showed that garcinol treatment increased (p < 0.05) the transformation of glycolytic muscle fiber to oxidative muscle fiber by 45.9%. Garcinol treatment and p300 interference reduced (p < 0.05) the expression of fast MyHC but increased (p < 0.05) the expression of slow MyHC in vitro. Moreover, the acetylation of PGC-1α was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Garcinol promotes the transformation of skeletal muscle fibers from the fast-glycolytic type to the slow-oxidative type through the p300/PGC-1α signaling pathway in C2C12 myotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liver is the central organ of glycolipid metabolism, which regulates the metabolism of lipids and glucose to maintain energy homeostasis upon alterations of physiological conditions. Researchers formerly focused on the phosphorylation of glucagon in controlling liver metabolism. Noteworthily, emerging evidence has shown glucagon could additionally induce acetylation to control hepatic metabolism in response to different physiological states. Through inducing acetylation of complex metabolic networks, glucagon interacts extensively with various energy-sensing factors in shifting from glucose metabolism to lipid metabolism during prolonged fasting. In addition, glucagon-induced acetylation of different energy-sensing factors is involved in the advancement of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to liver cancer. Here, we summarize the latest findings on glucagon to control hepatic metabolism by inducing acetylation of energy-sensing factors. Finally, we summarize and discuss the potential impact of glucagon on the treatment of liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]