Lipid droplets in the nervous system:involvement in cell metabolic homeostasis

Lipid droplets serve as primary storage organelles for neutral lipids in neurons,glial cells,and other cells in the nervous system.Lipid droplet formation begins with the synthesis of neutral lipids in the endoplasmic reticulum.Previously,lipid droplets were recognized for their role in maintaining lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis;however,recent research has shown that lipid droplets are highly adaptive organelles with diverse functions in the nervous system.In addition to their role in regulating cell metabolism,lipid droplets play a protective role in various cellular stress responses.Furthermore,lipid droplets exhibit specific functions in neurons and glial cells.Dysregulation of lipid droplet formation leads to cellular dysfunction,metabolic abnormalities,and nervous system diseases.This review aims to provide an overview of the role of lipid droplets in the nervous system,covering topics such as biogenesis,cellular specificity,and functions.Additionally,it will explore the association between lipid droplets and neurodegenerative disorders.Understanding the involvement of lipid droplets in cell metabolic homeostasis related to the nervous system is crucial to determine the underlying causes and in exploring potential therapeutic approaches for these diseases.

Self-propelled Leidenfrost droplets on femtosecond-laser-induced surface with periodic hydrophobicity gradient

The controllable transfer of droplets on the surface of objects has a wide application prospect in the fields of microfluidic devices,fog collection and so on.The Leidenfrost effect can be utilized to significantly reduce motion resistance.However,the use of 3D structures limits the widespread application of self-propulsion based on Leidenfrost droplets in microelectromechanical system.To manipulate Leidenfrost droplets,it is necessary to create 2D or quasi-2D geometries.In this study,femtosecond laser is applied to fabricate a surface with periodic hydrophobicity gradient(SPHG),enabling directional self-propulsion of Leidenfrost droplets.Flow field analysis within the Leidenfrost droplets reveals that the vapor layer between the droplets and the hot surface can be modulated by the SPHG,resulting in directional propulsion of the inner gas.The viscous force between the gas and liquid then drives the droplet to move.

Production of Artificial Fog in the PAVIN Fog and Rain Platform: In Search of Big Droplets Fog

In fog, visibility is reduced. This reduction in visibility is measured by the meteorological optical range (MOR), which is important for studying human perception and various sensors in foggy conditions. The Cerema PAVIN Fog & Rain platform is capable of producing calibrated fog in order to better analyses it and understand its consequences. The problem is that the droplets produced by the platform are not large enough to resemble real fog. This can have a major impact on measurements since the interaction between electromagnetic waves and fog depends on the wavelength and diameter of the droplets. To remedy this, Cerema is building a new platform with new equipment capable of generating fog. This study analyses different nozzles and associated usage parameters such as the type of water used and the pressure used. The aim is to select the best nozzle with the associated parameters for producing large-diameter droplets and therefore more realistic fog.

Effect of Free-fall Nozzle Channel Dispersion Angle on TC4 Discontinuous Droplets Pre-breakup in EIGA

The effect of the inlet gas pressure,supplementary gas pressure and nozzle channel dispersion angle on the pre-breakup behavior of Ti-6Al-4V(TC4)discontinuous droplets during EIGA was investigated by combining numerical simulation with experiments.The results show that the axial velocity at the recirculation zone before the stagnation location was first increased and decreased then increased significantly after the peak value,while the pressure of the recirculation zone increased with the increase in inlet pressure.With the supplementary pressure increasing,the velocity magnitude and range of the recirculation zone gradually decreased.As the dispersion angle of the nozzle channel increased,the pre-breakup efficiency of droplets gradually decreased,but the adhesion phenomenon of droplets on the inner wall surface of the nozzle channel(IWSNC)gradually weakened.Under the inlet pressure of 4 MPa,a supplementary pressure of 0.05 MPa,and the dispersion angle of 15°,the uniform and spherical TC4 powders with diameter of 70μm were prepared,which was consistent with the simulation results.The optimized process parameters is a balance between the size of the pre-atomized particles and the back-spraying and bonding phenomenons of droplets.

Interaction of water droplets with pyrolyzing coal particles and tablets

The paper presents the experimental research findings for the patterns of collisions of water droplets with pressed tableted samples used as substrates and with small particles of a pyrolyzing solid fuel.Brown coal samples were used.Droplet-substrate interactions were studied when varying the droplet diameter in the range from 1 to 4 mm and velocity from 0.5 to 4 m/s.That corresponded to the Weber number range of 7-830.The coal tablet surface temperature was varied from 20 to 700℃.In the interactions of water droplets(0.7-1.5 mm in diameter,pre-collision velocity from 1 to 3 m/s)with coal particles(with a size of 0.2-1 mm,pre-collision velocity 0.7-2 m/s),the temperature of the latter was varied in the range of 330-480℃.The following regimes of the interaction of droplets with solid particles during chemical reactions and phase transformations were distinguished:spreading/agglomeration and break-up/separation.Differences in the characteristics of the interaction of water droplets with coal particles at varying temperatures were identified.Droplet-particle interaction regime maps for B(We),We(Oh)and We(Ca)were constructed.The collision regime boundaries were described using fitted curves that can be utilized to develop the existing mathematical models of droplet-particle collisions in gas.It was established that the gaseous volatile production in coal pyrolysis has a modest effect on the regimes and characteristics of the droplet destruction in the temperature range under consideration(20-700℃).

BREAK-UP MECHANISM OF METAL DROPLETS GENERATED BY AN ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC TECHNIQUE

Nanometer powders can be produced by an electrohydrodynamic technique. The breakup mechanism of the metal droplets generated by the electrohydrodynamic technique was analysed. It showed that the applied voltage, the electric field Btrength, the properties of the molten metal and the volumetric flow rate of the molten metal directly effect the breat-up extent of the metal droplets.

Lipid droplets imaging with three-photon microscopy

Lipid droplets(LDs)participate in many physiological processes,the abnormality of which will cause chronic diseases and pathologies such as diabetes and obesity.It is crucial to monitor the distribution of LDs at high spatial resolution and large depth.Herein,we carried three-photon imaging of LDs in fat liver.Owing to the large three-photon absorption cross-section of the luminogen named NAP-CF_(3)(1:67×10^(-79) cm^(6) s^(2)),three-photon fluorescence fat liver imaging reached the largest depth of 80μm.Fat liver diagnosis was successfully carried out with excellent performance,providing great potential for LDs-associated pathologies research.

A novel integrated microfluidic chip for on-demand electrostatic droplet charging and sorting

On-demand droplet sorting is extensively applied for the efficient manipulation and genome-wide analysis of individual cells.However,state-of-the-art microfluidic chips for droplet sorting still suffer from low sorting speeds,sample loss,and labor-intensive preparation procedures.Here,we demonstrate the development of a novel microfluidic chip that integrates droplet generation,on-demand electrostatic droplet charging,and high-throughput sorting.The charging electrode is a copper wire buried above the nozzle of the microchannel,and the deflecting electrode is the phosphate buffered saline in the microchannel,which greatly simplifies the structure and fabrication process of the chip.Moreover,this chip is capable of high-frequency droplet generation and sorting,with a frequency of 11.757 kHz in the drop state.The chip completes the selective charging process via electrostatic induction during droplet generation.On-demand charged microdroplets can arbitrarilymove to specific exit channels in a three-dimensional(3D)-deflected electric field,which can be controlled according to user requirements,and the flux of droplet deflection is thereby significantly enhanced.Furthermore,a lossless modification strategy is presented to improve the accuracy of droplet deflection or harvest rate from 97.49% to 99.38% by monitoring the frequency of droplet generation in real time and feeding it back to the charging signal.This chip has great potential for quantitative processing and analysis of single cells for elucidating cell-to-cell variations.

The flow behavior of droplet adsorption on a liquid-liquid interface accompanied by cross-linking reaction and phase separation in a microchannel

The adsorption process of droplets on the liquid-liquid interface and phase separation process can regulate the spatial distribution of the fluid system,which are crucial for chemical engineering.However,the cross-linking reaction,which is widely used in the field of polymers,can change the physical properties of the fluids and affect the flow behavior accordingly.A configuration of microchannels is designed to conveniently generate uniform droplets in one phase of the parallel flow.The flow behavior of the adsorption process of sodium alginate droplets on the liquid-liquid interface is investigated,and the subsequent process of phase separation is studied.In the process of droplet adsorption,the crosslinking reaction occurs synchronously,which makes the droplet viscosity and the elasticity modules of the droplet surface increase,thus affecting the dynamics of the adsorption process and the equilibrium shape of the droplet.The variation of the adsorption length with time is divided into three stages,which all conform to power law relationship.The exponents of the second and third stages deviate from the results of the Tanner's law.The flow pattern maps of droplet adsorption and phase separation are drawn,and the operating ranges of complete adsorption and complete separation are provided.This study provides a theoretical basis for further studying the flow behavior of droplets with cross-linking reaction in a microchannel.

Droplet morphology analysis of drop-on-demand inkjet printing

As an accurate 2D/3D fabrication tool,inkjet printing technology has great potential in preparation of micro electronic devices.The morphology of droplets produced by the inkjet printer has a great impact on the accuracy of deposition.In this study,the drop-on-demand(DoD)inkjet simulation model was established,and the accuracy of the simulation model was verified by corresponding experiments.The simulation result shows that the velocity of the droplet front and tail,as well as the time to disconnect from the nozzle is mainly affected by density(ρ),viscosity(μ)and surface tension(σ)of droplets.When the liquid filament is about to disconnect from the nozzle,the filament length and filament front velocity are found to have a linear correlation withσ/ρμand ln(ρ/(μσ1/2)).

On the spreading behavior of a droplet on a circular cylinder using the lattice Boltzmann method

The study of a droplet spreading on a circular cylinder under gravity was carried out using the pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann high-density ratios multiphase model with a non-ideal Peng–Robinson equation of state. The calculation results indicate that the motion of the droplet on the cylinder can be divided into three stages: spreading, sliding, and aggregating.The contact length and contact time of a droplet on a cylindrical surface can be affected by factors such as the wettability gradient of the cylindrical wall, the Bond number, and droplet size. Furthermore, phase diagrams showing the relationship between Bond number, cylinder wall wettability gradient, and contact time as well as maximum contact length for three different droplet sizes are given. A theoretical foundation for additional research into the heat and mass transfer process between the droplet and the cylinder can be established by comprehending the variable rules of maximum contact length and contact time.

Numerical Simulation of Droplet Generation in Coaxial Microchannels

In this study,numerical simulations of the pinching-off phenomena displayed by the dispersed phase in a continuous phase have been conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics(level-set method).Four flow patterns,namely“drop flow”,“jet flow”,“squeeze flow”,and“co-flow”,have been obtained for different flow velocity ratios,channel diameter ratios,density ratios,viscosity ratios,and surface tension.The flow pattern map of two-phase flow in coaxial microchannels has been obtained accordingly,and the associated droplet generation process has been critically discussed considering the related frequency,diameter,and pinch-off length.In particular,it is shown that the larger the flow velocity ratio,the smaller the diameter of generated droplets and the shorter the pinch-off length.The pinch-off length of a droplet is influenced by the channel diameter ratio and density ratio.The changes in viscosity ratio have a negligible influence on the droplet generation pinching frequency.With an increase in surface tension,the frequency of generation and pinch-off length of droplets decrease,but for small surface tension the generation diameter of droplet increases.

Coordination of distinctive pesticide adjuvants and atomization nozzles on droplet spectrum evolution for spatial drift reduction

Pesticide adjuvants,as crop protection products,have been widely used to reduce drift loss and improve utilization efficiency by regulating droplet spectrum.However,the coordinated regulation mechanisms of adjuvants and nozzles on droplet spectrum remain unclear.Here,we established the relationship between droplet spectrum evolution and liquid atomization by investigating the typical characteristics of droplet diameter distribution near the nozzle.Based on this,the regulation mechanisms of distinctive pesticide adjuvants on droplet spectrum were clarified,and the corresponding drift reduction performances were quantitively evaluated by wind tunnel experiments.It shows that the droplet diameter firstly shifts to the smaller due to the liquid sheet breakup and then prefers to increase caused by droplet interactions.Reducing the surface tension of sprayed liquid facilitates the uniform liquid breakup and increasing the viscosity inhibits the liquid deformation,which prolong the atomization process and effectively improve the droplet spectrum.As a result,the drift losses of flat-fan and hollow cone nozzles are reduced by about 50%after adding organosilicon and vegetable oil adjuvants.By contrast,the air induction nozzle shows a superior anti-drift ability,regardless of distinctive adjuvants.Our findings provide insights into rational adjuvant design and nozzle selection in the field application.

OPA3 overexpression modulates lipid droplet production and sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to bevacizumab treatment

Background:Colorectal cancer(CRC)represents a substantial risk to public health.Bevacizumab,thefirst US FDA-approved antiangiogenic drug(AAD)for human CRC treatment,faces resistance in patients.The role of lipid metabolism,particularly through OPA3-regulated lipid droplet production,in overcoming this resistance is under investigation.Methods:The protein expression pattern of OPA3 in CRC primary/normal tissues was evaluated by bioinformatics analysis.OPA3-overexpressed SW-480 and HCT-116 cell lines were established,and bevacizumab resistance and OPA3 effects on cell malignancy were examined.OPA3 protein/mRNA expression and lipid droplet-related genes were measured with Western blot and qRT-PCR.OPA3 subcellular localization was detected using immunofluorescence.Proliferation and apoptosis were assessed via colony formation andflow cytometry.Tube formation assays were conducted to assess the angiogenic potential of human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs).Lipid analysis was used to measure the phosphatidylcholine(PC)and lysophosphatidylcholine(LPC)levels in CRC cells.Results:Bioinformatics analysis revealed that OPA3 was downregulated in CRC.Overexpression of OPA3 inhibited CRC cell proliferation,stimulated apoptosis,and suppressed the angiogenic ability of HUVECs.OPA3 effectively reversed the resistance of CRC cells to bevacizumab and decreased lipid droplet production in CRC cells.Additionally,OPA3 reversed the bevacizumab-induced lipid droplet production in CRC cells,thereby increasing CRC cell sensitivity to bevacizumab treatment.Conclusion:This study suggests that OPA3 modulates lipid metabolism in CRC cells and reduces resistance to bevacizumab in CRC cells.Therefore,OPA3 may be a potential therapeutic target against the AAD resistance in CRC.

Porcine enteric alphacoronavirus infection increases lipid droplet accumulation to facilitate the virus replication

Coronaviruses are widely transmissible between humans and animals, causing diseases of varying severity. Porcine enteric alphacoronavirus(PEAV) is a newly-discovered pathogenic porcine enteric coronavirus in recent years, which causes watery diarrhea in newborn piglets. The host inflammatory responses to PEAV and its metabolic regulation mechanisms remain unclear, and no antiviral studies have been reported. Therefore, we investigated the pathogenic mechanism and antiviral drugs of PEAV. The transcriptomic analysis of PEAV-infected host cells revealed that PEAV could upregulate lipid metabolism pathways. In lipid metabolism, steady-state energy processes, which can be mediated by lipid droplets(LDs), are the main functions of organelles. LDs are also important in viral infection and inflammation. In infected cells, PEAV increased LD accumulation, upregulated NF-κB signaling, promoted the production of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-8, and induced cell death. Inhibiting LD accumulation with a DGAT-1 inhibitor significantly inhibited PEAV replication, downregulated the NF-κB signaling pathway, reduced the production of IL-1β and IL-8, and inhibited cell death. The NF-κB signaling pathway inhibitor BAY11-7082 significantly inhibited LD accumulation and PEAV replication. Metformin hydrochloride also exerted anti-PEAV effects and significantly inhibited LD accumulation, downregulated the NF-κB signaling pathway, reduced the production of IL-1β and IL-8, and inhibited cell death. LD accumulation in the lipid metabolism pathway therefore plays an important role in the replication and pathogenesis of PEAV, and metformin hydrochloride inhibits LD accumulation and the inflammatory response to exert anti-PEAV activity and reducing pathological injury. These findings contribute new targets for developing treatments for PEAV infections.

Effect of droplet characteristics on liquid-phase distribution in spray zone of internal mixing air-mist nozzle

In continuous casting production,droplet characteristics are important parameters for evaluating the nozzle atomization quality,and have a significant impact on the secondary cooling effect and the slab quality.In order to study the behavior of atomized droplets after reaching the slab surface and to optimize the spray cooling effect,the influence of droplet diameter and droplet velocity on the migration behavior of droplets in the secondary cooling zone was analyzed by FLUENT software.Results show that the droplets in the spray zone and on the slab surface are mainly concentrated in the center,thus,the liquid volume fraction in the center is higher than that of either side.As the droplet diameter increases,the region of high liquid volume fraction on the slab surface becomes wider,and the liquid phase distribution in the slab width direction becomes uneven.Although increasing the droplet velocity at the nozzle exit has little effect on droplet diffusion in the spray zone,the distribution becomes more uneven due to more liquid reaches the slab surface per unit time.A prediction formula of the maximum water flow rate on the slab surface for specific droplet characteristics was proposed based on dimensionless analysis and validated by simulated data.A nozzle spacing of 210 mm was recommended under the working conditions in this study,which ensures effective coverage of the spray water over the slab surface and enhances the distribution uniformity of water flow rate in the transverse direction.

A study of different fluid droplets impacting on a liquid film

Knowledge of droplet dynamics provides the basis of predicting pressure drops, holdups and corrosion inhibitor distribution in multiphase flow. Droplet size and its distribution also determine the separation efficiency between different phases. Experimental observations were conducted for droplet impingements with different fluids, droplet sizes and velocities, and film thicknesses. The observed transition boundaries were compared with the models developed by different authors. For impingement on a deep pool surface, the Marengo and Tropea correlation for splashing does not agree with the experimental results in this study. The Bai and Gosman critical Weber number for bouncing agrees with the water results but not the oil results. Three new correlations for transition boundaries between bouncing, coalescence, jetting and splashing were proposed and compared with the experimental observations.

Numerical simulation on the mechanism of the normal impact of two droplets onto a thin film

The normal impingement process of two water droplets upon a thin film on the solid surface was numerically investigated. The numerical treatment was based on the finite volume solution of the Navier-Stokes （N-S） equations combined with the volume of fluid method （VOF）. Physically reasonable results for the process of two droplets impacting on the thin film were obtained. The effects of the droplet velocity, the fihn thickness and the spacing between the two droplets on the splash and spread process of the impact were examined.

SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF DROPLETS ABOVE A ROTATING STREAM TRAY AND MODEL OF DROPLET MOTION THEREIN

Droplet size distributions have been investigated with a two-probe system above a rotatingstream tray of 300 mm diameter.The measured distributions are found to follow the upper limitedlognormal distribution with three parameters dependent primarily on gas hole F-factor.A probabilitymethod is used to describe the initial state of the droplet population above the tray,and a model fordroplet motion is presented.The results computed with model agree well with experimental data.

Hydrodynamic binary coalescence of droplets under air flow in a hydrophobic microchannel

Based on the volume of fluid(VOF) method, we conduct a numerical simulation to study the hydrodynamic binary coalescence of droplets under air flow in a hydrophobic rectangular microchannel. Two distinct regimes, coalescence followed by sliding motion and that followed by detaching motion, are identified and discussed. Additionally, the detailed hydrodynamic information behind the binary coalescence is provided, based on which a dynamic mechanical analysis is conducted to reveal the hydrodynamic mechanisms underlying these two regimes. The simulation results indicate that the sliding motion of droplets is driven by the drag force and restrained by the adhesion force induced by the interfacial tension along the main flow direction. The detachment(i.e., upward motion) of the droplet is driven by the lift force associated with an aerodynamic lifting pressure difference imposed on the coalescent droplet, and also restrained by the adhesion force perpendicular to the main flow direction. Especially, the lift force is mainly induced by an aerodynamic lifting pressure difference imposed on the coalescent droplet. Two typical regimes can be quantitatively recognized by a regime diagram depending on Re and We. The higher Re and We respectively lead to relatively larger lift forces and smaller adhesion forces acting on the droplet, both of which are helpful to detachment of the coalesced droplet.