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Neuromedin S (NMS) plays key roles in reproductive regulation, while its function and mechanism in follicular development remain unclear. The current study aims to investigate the specific role and mechanisms of NMS and its receptors in regulating the proliferation and steroidogenesis of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs). Phenotypically, a certain concentration of NMS addition promoted the proliferation and estrogen production of goat GCs, accompanied by an increase in the G1/S cell population and upregulation of the expression levels of cyclin D1, cyclin dependent kinase 6, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, cytochrome P450, family 11, subfamily A, polypeptide 1, 3beta‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, and cytochrome P450, family 11, subfamily A, polypeptide 1, while the effects of NMS treatment were effectively hindered by knockdown of neuromedin U receptor type 2 (NMUR2). Mechanistically, activation of NMUR2 with NMS maintained endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis by triggering the PLCG1‐IP3R pathway, which helped preserve ER morphology, sustained an appropriate level of endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (UPRer), and suppressed the nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor 4. Moreover, NMS maintained intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis to activate the calmodulin 1‐large tumor suppressor kinase 1 pathway, ultimately orchestrating the regulation of goat GC proliferation and estrogen production through the Yes1 associated transcriptional regulator‐ATF4‐c‐Jun pathway. Crucially, the effects of NMS were mitigated by concurrent knockdown of the NMUR2 gene. Collectively, these data suggest that activation of NMUR2 by NMS enhances cell proliferation and estrogen production in goat GCs through modulating the ER and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, leading to activation of the YAP1‐ATF4‐c‐Jun pathway. These findings offer valuable insights into the regulatory mechanisms involved in follicular growth and development, providing a novel perspective for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin known for its estrogen‐like effects, which can disrupt the normal physiological function of endometrial cells and potentially lead to abortion in female animals. However, the precise mechanism by which ZEN regulates endometrial function remains unclear. In this study, we found that the binding receptor estrogen receptors for ZEN is extensively expressed across various segments of the uterus and within endometrial cells, and a certain concentration of ZEN treatment reduced the proliferation capacity of goat endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) and endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Meanwhile, cell cycle analysis revealed that ZEN treatment leaded to cell cycle arrest in goat EECs and ESCs. To explore the underlying mechanism, we investigated the mitochondrial quality control systems and observed that ZEN triggered excessive mitochondrial fission and disturbed the balance of mitochondrial fusion‐fission dynamics, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, increased mitochondrial unfolded protein response and mitophagy in goat EECs and ESCs. Additionally, ZEN treatment reduced the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, heightened the production of hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species, and caused cellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. These results suggest that ZEN has adverse effects on goat endometrium cells by disrupting the mitochondrial quality control system and affecting cell cycle and proliferation. Understanding the underlying molecular pathways involved in ZEN‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction and its consequences on cell function will provide critical insights into the reproductive toxicity of ZEN and contribute to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of animals and humans exposed to this mycotoxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cogging torque can affect the performance of permanent magnet (PM) homopolar inductor machines (HIMs). In order to find the reduction methods of the PM HIM cogging torque, it is necessary to investigate its production mechanism and analytical model. In this paper, the production mechanism of the PM HIM cogging torque is revealed from the perspective of air‐gap field modulation principle. It is found that the air‐gap permeance of PM HIMs can modulate their air‐gap magneto‐motive force (MMF) and then a large number of modulated air‐gap magnetic fields are generated. These magnetic fields with identical production condition but different rotation speeds or rotation directions can interact with each other, hence the production of the PM HIM cogging torque. By the combination of energy method and air‐gap field modulation principle, the cogging torque analytical model of PM HIMs is derived. Based on the obtained analytical model, the methods for reducing the PM HIM cogging torque are further analyzed. Finally, a 48‐slot/4‐pole (48S4P) PM HIM is designed and exampled. The air‐gap flux density of the 48S4P PM HIM is simulated by three‐dimensional (3‐D) finite element analysis (FEA). Based on the harmonic analysis for the simulated results, the correctness of the proposed cogging torque production mechanism is validated. In addition, a prototype of the 48S4P PM HIM is manufactured. The cogging torque in the prototype is obtained by the analytical model, 3‐D FEA and experiments, respectively. The simulation and measurement results verify the correctness of the cogging torque analytical model. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a compact diode‐pumped continuous wave (CW) and passively Q‐switched mode‐locked (QML) Tm:YAG lasers operation on the 3F4–3H6 transition is realized by using tantalum aluminum carbide (Ta4AlC3) phase ceramic (MAX) material as a saturable absorber (SA). The first stable QML operation of the mid‐infrared Tm:YAG laser at 2012.38 nm is demonstrated with a Ta4AlC3‐SA. A stable QML Tm:YAG laser was achieved when the absorption pumping power reached 14 W. Under QML mode, Tm:YAG laser generated a maximum average output power of 560 mW at 2012.38 nm with an optical‐to‐optical conversion efficiency of 4%, corresponding to a shortest pulse duration of 541 ps and a high repetition rate of 168 MHz. The experiment shows that Ta4AlC3‐SA is an attractive candidate for diode‐pumped CW and QML mid‐infrared all‐solid‐state lasers emitting around 2.0 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the magnetic circuits of homopolar inductor machines (HIMs) are three‐dimensional (3‐D), a 3‐D finite element model (FEM) is usually built to accurately compute the cogging torque in HIMs, but the drawback is very time‐consuming in modeling and computing. Therefore, a two‐dimensional (2‐D) FEM of HIMs is needed to simplify the computation of the 3‐D FEM. However, the existing odd harmonic 2‐D FEM cannot accurately predict the cogging torque in HIMs. To address this problem, this paper proposes a full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEM. First, the analytical expressions of HIM cogging torque are derived by the combination of energy method and air‐gap field modulation principle. Based on the obtained analytical expressions, the equivalent principles between the 3‐D and 2‐D FEMs are analyzed. According to the above equivalent principles and taking a 48‐slot/4‐tooth (48S4T) permanent magnet (PM) HIM as an example, a full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEM of the example machine excited by a field winding is proposed. The structure of the full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEM is described in detail. The turn number of field winding and field current amplitude of the proposed 2‐D FEM are investigated. The differences between the odd harmonic 2‐D and full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEMs are also analyzed. Finally, the cogging torque in the 48S4T PM HIM with distinct rotor tooth‐arc to tooth‐pitch ratios is computed by 3‐D, odd harmonic 2‐D and full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEMs of the machine, respectively. The results illustrate that compared with the odd harmonic 2‐D FEM, the full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEM can shorten the calculation time and has the similar computation accuracy as the 3‐D FEM. Moreover, the experimental validation is performed on a prototype of the 48S4T PM HIM. The error between the maximum cogging torque obtained by the full‐order harmonic 2‐D FEM and experiments is only 2.12%. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a superconducting maglev submersible cryogenic liquid pump (CLP) using superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). A new structure is proposed for the self‐stability of high‐temperature superconducting magnetic levitation, and the compact structure of disk motor‐pump. The rotor of the axial‐flux disk motor is connected with a centrifugal impeller to form an impeller‐rotor of the proposed superconducting CLP. Supported by a SMB system, the impeller‐rotor rotates frictionlessly with self‐stabilisation as a suspension rotor. The SMB system includes a radial‐type SMB, an auxiliary permanent magnet bearing, and an electromagnetic bearing composed of the stator and the rotor of disk motor. Theoretical calculations and experimental measurements are performed to examine the axial and radial levitation force behaviours of the SMB system. Then, a kinetic model of the suspension rotor is established and analysed to assure force balance and stable levitation. Finally, a prototype pump is fabricated and an experimental setup for liquid nitrogen transmission is constructed for validation purposes. The experimental tests on the pump head and the flow rate are carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed superconducting maglev submersible CLP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important deception defense method, a honeypot can be used to enhance the network's active defense capability effectively. However, the existing rigid deployment method makes it difficult to deal with the uncertain strategic attack behaviors of the attackers. To solve such a problem, we propose a multiphase dynamic deployment mechanism of virtualized honeypots (MD2VH) based on the intelligent attack path prediction method. MD2VH depicts the attack and defense characteristics of both attackers and defenders through the Bayesian state attack graph, establishes a multiphase dynamic deployment optimization model of the virtualized honeypots based on the extended Markov's decision-making process, and generates the deployment strategies dynamically by combining the online and offline reinforcement learning methods. Besides, we also implement a prototype system based on software-defined network and virtualization container, so as to evaluate the effectiveness of MD2VH. Experiments results show that the capture rate of MD2VH is maintained at about 90% in the case of both simple topology and complex topology. Compared with the simple intelligent deployment strategy, such a metric is increased by 20% to 60%, and the result is more stable under different types of the attacker's strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve requirements such as fast search of flow entries and mask matching, OpenFlow hardware switches usually use TCAM to store flow entries. Limited by the capacity of TCAM, the current commercial OpenFlow switches can only support hundreds of thousands of flow entries, which makes SDN network using OpenFlow hardware switches vulnerable to the threat of flow table overflow attack. Among them, low-rate DoS (LDoS) attack against table overflow poses a serious threat to SDN networks due to its high attack efficiency and concealed flow, and it is also difficult to detect. In this regard, this paper analyzed two types of LDoS attack flow against table overflow and proposed an attack detection and defense mechanism named SAIA (Small-flow Analysis and Inport-flow Analysis) through the design of table overflow prediction and flow entries deletion strategy. Experiments conducted through the SDN network environment showed that SAIA can effectively detect and suppress LDoS attack flows in the flow table in large-scale network conditions and verified that the deployment of SAIA is lightweight. At the same time, SAIA implemented the flow entry deletion strategy based on LRU when the flow table overflows in a nonattack situation, which further enhances the stability of the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing global need for sustainable development, numerous world‐leading construction corporations have devoted significant efforts to implementing sustainable practices. However, few previous studies have shared these valuable experiences in a systematic and quantitative way. RobecoSAM has published The Sustainability Yearbook annually since 2004, which lists the sustainability leaders in various industries, including the construction industry. Learning from those sustainability leaders in the construction industry can provide useful references for construction‐related companies when developing their sustainable development strategies. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this paper identified 51 methods used for improving sustainability performance and 34 outcomes achieved via these methods. These methods and outcomes are used for coding the sustainable practices of sustainability leaders in the construction sector. Using the coding system, 133 annual sustainability reports issued by 22 sustainability leaders (The Sustainability Yearbook, RobecoSAM 2010–2016) in the construction sector were analyzed using content analysis. Social network analysis was then employed to identify the key adopted methods and achieved outcomes (KAMAO) of these leaders. The dynamic trend and regional analysis of KAMAO are also presented. These KAMAO findings provide valuable guidance for international contractors to develop a better understanding of the primary sustainable methods adopted by sustainability leaders in the construction sector and the top outcomes achieved by these leaders. The findings also provide a useful reference for international contractors to evaluate their current sustainability‐related strategies and make improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is crucial to calculate the levitation force and model the levitation behaviour in the designation of superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). At present, the related research focuses on the single degree of freedom (DoF) levitation behaviour of the SMB independently, for instance the axial or radial levitation force. Practically, the superconducting magnetic levitation is passive levitation at directions of multi‐DoF. Additionally, the non‐ideal conditions in fabrication, such as the joint effect of superconducting bulks, lead to complex 3‐D‐induced current distributions which generate the levitation force. There are coupling effects which affect the levitation forces at the directions of different DoFs. This paper investigates the multi‐DoF modelling and levitation behaviour of the radial‐type SMB. By adopting the Power‐law E‐J relation, the dependence of conductivity on electric field is derived to define the superconductive material. Then, the software MagNet is employed to establish the 3‐D multi‐DoF finite element model. Under the external disturbance of the PM rotor with axial constant speed and constant load, the multi‐DoF levitation behaviours of radial‐type SMB are discussed considering the joint effect of superconducting bulks. It is also obtained that the influence of the revolving speed, the static, and dynamic eccentricity on the axial levitation force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents: The sheep callipyge (CLPG) phenotype, a well‐known muscular hypertrophy syndrome, is caused by an A‐to‐G transition in the CLPG1 locus. The mechanisms of CLPG phenotype are very complicated and remain to be further studied. Lacking suitable animal models containing CLPG mutations may partially contribute to these unanswered mechanisms. In this study, we confirmed that the CLPG1 locus, especially the 12‐bp CLPG1 motif, is conserved in mammalian animals including rabbit. Then, we generated seven CLPG1‐edited rabbits with 100% efficiency using CRISPR/Cas9 system combined with cytoplasm injection technology. All the newborn rabbits were mosaicism with numerous kinds of mutations around the target sites. Among the nine screened potential off‐target sites (POTs) for the two sgRNAs used in this study, none off‐target effect was detected. This indicated that we efficiently and precisely generated CLPG1‐edited rabbits, and we believe that these newly generated rabbits will do help to unravel the mechanisms of the CLPG phenotype in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents: The nutritional alteration of amino acids (AAs) profile in physiological fluid was poorly characterized in livestock. After oestrus synchronization, 24 ewes were randomly assigned to two groups based on the nutrient requirement recommended for maintenance (M): the feed‐supplemented group (S, 1.5 × M, N = 12) and feed‐restricted group (R, 0.5 × M, N = 12) on days 6–12 of their oestrous cycle, which occurred shortly before ovulation. The concentration of 30 AAs in peripheral blood (PB) and follicular fluid (FF) was quantified to calculate the PB‐to‐FF concentration gap for each AA and determine its correlation with metabolites and hormones in PB and FF. Results showed that the feed restriction enlarged the oestrous cycle length, decreased the number of follicles 2.5–3.5 mm, increased the number of follicles >3.5 mm and augmented the volume of follicles >2.5 mm. Nineteen AAs from PB were significantly different between the groups. The phosphoethanolamine (PEtN) and ration of essential AAs to nonessential AAs (EAA/NEAA) in FF significantly (p < 0.05) increased and decreased in the R group, respectively. Most AAs, except aspartate (Asp) and carnosine (Car) in the R group and alanine (aAla) in both groups, were significantly lower within FF than those within PB. The correlation of AAs with FSH and progesterone (P4) was more significant than that of AAs with other endocrine milieu characteristics. In conclusion, our results revealed that the influence of short‐term nutritional manipulation during luteal phase on folliculogenesis might not be due to the variation of intrafollicular AAs profile but rather attribute to the peripheral blood AAs profile alteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usually difficult to obtain the radial levitation force of the radial‐type superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) due to the massive numerical calculations and the sophisticated experimental measurements. This study presents a method for fast calculating the radial levitation force of radial‐type SMB, which is based on the infinitesimal method and the 2D finite‐element method. During the modelling, the radial‐type SMB is assumed to be composed circumferentially of infinite superconductor‐permanent magnet (SC‐PM) infinitesimals with shape of rectangular thin slice. The dependence of levitation force for the SC‐PM infinitesimal on the air‐gap length between the SC stator and the PM rotor can be obtained using the 2D finite‐element model established in Cartesian coordinate system. Moreover, a simplified analytical model of calculating radial levitation force is developed based on the infinitesimal method and the circumferential distribution formula of non‐uniform air‐gap when the PM rotor exhibits radial eccentricity. The results of theoretical calculation and experimental measurement of radial levitation force show a good agreement, which verifies the feasibility of the proposed method. It has the advantages of fastness and easiness, and can be used as a theoretical tool for the design, optimisation and performance prediction of the radial‐type SMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sterol‐CoA desaturase 1 (Scd1) plays a pivotal role in the synthesis and metabolism of fatty acids (FA). However, whether Scd1 contributes to lipid accumulation in dairy goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC), and how it affects FA synthesis and metabolism remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to detect the effect of Scd1 on lipid droplets (LD) formation and uncover its regulatory mechanism in GMEC. In this study, a novel fluorescence reporter system was developed to confirm the expression of SCD1 protein in GMEC plasma. In addition, a mammalian expression vector (pCAG‐SCD1) and siRNA targeting Scd1 were constructed and confirmed to be efficient by qRT‐PCR. Notably, the amount and the size of LD varied with the alteration of Scd1. Furthermore, Scd1 induced the mRNA expression of genes involved in de novo FA synthesis, triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis, lipid droplets formation, and milk fat lipolysis. In particular, changes in Scd1 led to a consistent change in LD formation‐associated genes (tail‐interacting protein of 47 kDa (Tip47) and adipose differentiation‐related protein (Adrp)). Overall, the results suggest that Scd1 affects lipid accumulation by altering the FA metabolic profile in GMEC. Practical Applications: As is known, FA metabolism closely associates with human health. The results of our research firstly exposed the metabolic profile associated with SCD1 in GMEC. It will be helpful for our understanding about the regulatory role of Scd1 in FA metabolism in mammary gland of dairy goats. It also provides a reference for the studies on Scd1‐related FA metabolic pathways, which is of great significance for human health. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for engineering the FA content via SCD1 in transgenic goat milk products. Sterol‐CoA desaturase 1 (Scd1) differentially activates signaling pathways associated with de novo fatty acid (FA) synthesis (Acaca and Fasn), TAG biosynthesis (Gpam, Agpat6, and Dgat1), lipid droplets (LD) formation (Tip47 and Adrp), and milk fat lipolysis (Atgl and Hsl) in GMEC; in particular, it contributes to the LD formation through transcriptional regulation of Tip47 and Adrp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a useful way to produce cloned animals. However, SCNT animals exhibit DNA methylation and genomic imprinting abnormalities. These abnormalities may be due to the faulty epigenetic reprogramming of donor cells. To investigate the consequence of SCNT on the genomic imprinting and global methylation in the donor cells, growth patterns and apoptosis of cloned goat fibroblast cells (CGFCs) at passage 7 were determined. Growth patterns in CGFCs were similar to the controls; however, the growth rate in log phase was lower and apoptosis in CGFCs were significantly higher (P<0.01). In addition, quantitative expression analysis of three DNA methyltransferases (Dnmt) and two imprinted genes (H19, IGF2R) was conducted in CGFCs: Dnmt1 and Dnmt3b expression was significantly reduced (P<0.01), and H19 expression was decreased sixfold (P<0.01); however, the expression of Dnmt3a was unaltered and IGF2R expression was significantly increased (P<0.05). Finally, we used bisulfite sequencing PCR to compare the DNA methylation patterns in differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of H19 and IGF2R. The DMRs of H19 (P<0.01) and IGF2R (P<0.01) were both highly methylated in CGFCs. These results indicate that the global genome might be hypomethylated. Moreover, there is an aberrant expression of imprinted genes and DMR methylation in CGFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction Curcumin is a popular plant medicine that is extracted from turmeric dry rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn. The study of curcumin is well established and is currently becoming a centre of attention. Objective To develop a steady and simple assay for curcumin determination at the nanogram level based on the intense resonance light scattering (RLS) enhancement due to the interaction between curcumin and phosphodiesters quaternary ammonium salt (PQAS). Methodology PQAS, a new kind of Gemini zwitterionic surfactant, was used as the probe for the determination of curcumin by the RLS technique. A series of validation experiments was also performed. Results A linear relationship was constructed between the Δ IRLS and the concentration of curcumin. The linear regression equation was presented as Δ IRLS = 8.37 + 44.92 c (µg/mL) with the regression coefficient r = 0.9987 ( n = 12) and the linear range was 0.08-60.0 µg/mL. The detection limit (3σ) was 2.6 ng/mL. Conclusion The proposed method can be used to detect the content of curcumin in human urine samples and this new assay using PQAS as a probe was more sensitive and displayed a wider linear range than that reported previously. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are beneficial fatty acids, their excessive deposition can easily lead to lipid‐induced oxidation damage. It has recently been shown that diets rich in particular polyphenols may improve the oxidative status of tissues with high PUFA content. However, the underlying mechanism for this remains elusive. Therefore, a model is created of high‐dose PUFA injury in adipocytes, which investigates the effects of rosmarinic acid (RA) and caffeic acid (CA) on the alleviation of oxidative damage induced by high doses of PUFAs. It is observed that high‐dose linolenic acids (ALA) enhance lipid oxidation, inflammation, and autophagy in adipocytes. However, RA and CA attenuate the high‐dose ALA‐enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines and microtubule‐associated protein 1, light chain 3, beta (MAP1LC3B). In addition, they reduce the intracellular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) that are elevated by high doses of ALA, and modulate the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase antioxidant (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) enzymes. The protective effects of RA and CA on adipocyte oxidative stress are in part associated with their capacity to improve the activities of antioxidant enzymes and exert free radical‐scavenging activity. Collectively, these results suggest that RA and CA may have potential benefits in protecting adipose cells from high‐dose PUFA‐induced oxidative damage. Practical Applications: It is known that a diet rich in PUFAs has beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. However, an accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids in tissues is more susceptible to lipid oxidation. In this study, it is found that polyphenols have the potential to protect adipose cells from high‐dose PUFAs‐induced damage. It has also been suggested that the consumption of a diet enriched in polyphenols could be beneficial for the prevention of lipid peroxidation and maintaining the balance between oxidative and anti‐oxidative processes. Polyphenols suppress the formation of lipid peroxy radical species. The process of lipid peroxidation consists of initiation, propagation, and termination. In the termination reaction, polyphenols may donate a hydrogen atom to the lipid radical, resulting in the termination of lipid peroxy radical species formation. In addition, polyphenols may improve the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby suppressing the formation of lipid peroxy radical species. Polyphenols suppress the formation of lipid peroxy radical species. The process of lipid peroxidation consists of initiation, propagation, and termination. In the termination reaction, polyphenols may donate a hydrogen atom to the lipid radical, resulting in the termination of lipid peroxy radical species formation. In addition, polyphenols may improve the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby suppressing the formation of lipid peroxy radical species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]