An atlas of GPCRs in dopamine neurons: Identification of the free fatty acid receptor 4 as a regulator of food and water intake.

Midbrain dopaminergic neurons (DANs) are subject to extensive metabotropic regulation, but the repertoire of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) present in these neurons has not been mapped. Here, we isolate DANs from Dat-eGFP mice to generate a GPCR atlas by unbiased qPCR array expression analysis of 377 GPCRs. Combined with data mining of scRNA-seq databases, we identify multiple receptors in DAN subpopulations with 38 of these receptors representing the majority of transcripts. We identify 41 receptors expressed in midbrain DANs but not in non-DAN midbrain cells, including the free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFAR4). Functional expression of FFAR4 is validated by ex vivo Ca2+ imaging, and in vivo experiments support that FFAR4 negatively regulates food and water intake and bodyweight. In addition to providing a critical framework for understanding metabotropic DAN regulation, our data suggest fatty acid sensing by FFAR4 as a mechanism linking high-energy intake to the dopamine-reward pathway.

Wake-Up Receiver for Underwater Acoustic Communication Using in Shallow Water.

A data frame transmitted over the underwater acoustic channel usually begins with a preamble. Therefore, underwater communication systems have a dedicated receiver that constantly listens to the preamble signals. A receiver that is to work effectively in shallow waters must have solutions that effectively reduce the impact of the permanently occurring multipath propagation. The article presents a solution based on complementary broadband signals. Initial tests were carried out using the Watermark simulator to determine its reliability in such a difficult propagation environment. The results of experimental tests carried out in a model pool are also included. Details of the implementation of the wake-up receiver are presented.

Coding variants identified in patients with diabetes alter PICK1 BAR domain function in insulin granule biogenesis.

Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domains are positively charged crescent-shaped modules that mediate curvature of negatively charged lipid membranes during remodeling processes. The BAR domain proteins PICK1, ICA69, and the arfaptins have recently been demonstrated to coordinate the budding and formation of immature secretory granules (ISGs) at the trans-Golgi network. Here, we identify 4 coding variants in the PICK1 gene from a whole-exome screening of Danish patients with diabetes that each involve a change in positively charged residues in the PICK1 BAR domain. All 4 coding variants failed to rescue insulin content in INS-1E cells upon knock down of endogenous PICK1. Moreover, 2 variants showed dominant-negative properties. In vitro assays addressing BAR domain function suggested that the coding variants compromised BAR domain function but increased the capacity to cause fission of liposomes. Live confocal microscopy and super-resolution microscopy further revealed that PICK1 resides transiently on ISGs before egress via vesicular budding events. Interestingly, this egress of PICK1 was accelerated in the coding variants. We propose that PICK1 assists in or complements the removal of excess membrane and generic membrane trafficking proteins, and possibly also insulin, from ISGs during the maturation process; and that the coding variants may cause premature budding, possibly explaining their dominant-negative function.

Study of the Performance of DSSS UAC System Depending on the System Bandwidth and the Spreading Sequence.

A signal transmitted in an Underwater Acoustic Communication (UAC) system operating in a shallow-water channel suffers from strong time dispersion due to multipath propagation. This causes the Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) observed in the received signal, which significantly limits the communication system's reliability and transmission rate. In such propagation conditions, the Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) method is one of the solutions that make reliable data transmission possible. In systems with one-to-one communication, it ensures communication with a satisfactory Bit Error Rate (BER). Additionally, it makes it possible to implement the Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol in underwater acoustic networks. This paper presents the results of simulation and experimental communication tests on a DSSS-based UAC system using three types of spreading sequence, namely m-sequences, Kasami codes and Gold codes, and occupying different bandwidths from 1 kHz to 8 kHz around a carrier frequency equal to 30 kHz. The UAC channel was simulated by impulse responses calculated by the virtual sources method and the UAC chanel models available in the Watermark simulator. The experimental tests were conducted in a model pool. Based on the obtained results, a transmission rate was estimated, which is possible to achieve in strong multipath propagation conditions, assuming reliability expressed as BER less than 0.001.

Cover crops and compost prevent weed seed bank buildup in herbicide-free wheat-potato rotations under conservation tillage.

Weeds are a major constraint affecting crop yields in organic farming and weed seed bank analysis can be an important tool for predicting weed infestation and assessing farming system sustainability.We compared the weed seed banks two and four years after transition from conventional to reduced tillage in organically managed winter wheat-potato cropping sequences in two replicated field trials. Experimental factors were either conventional (CT) with moldboard (25 cm) or reduced tillage (RT) with chisel ploughing (5-15 cm). Dead mulch (8-10 cm), consisting of rye-pea or triticale-vetch mixtures, was additionally applied to potatoes in the RT system. In both systems, one-half of the plots received 5 t (ha/year) dry matter of a commercially sold yard waste compost as an organic amendment. Furthermore, subsidiary crops were grown in both systems, either as legume living mulches undersown in wheat or as cover crops sown after wheat. Prior to sowing the wheat and after potatoes, the soil seed bank from 0 to 12.5 and from 12.5 to 25 cm was sampled and assessed in an unheated glasshouse over nine months.The initial weed seed bank size in the topsoil was uniform (4,420 seedlings m-2). Two years later, wheat-associated weeds, such as Galium aparine, Lamium spp., and Myosotis arvensis, were 61% higher on average in RT than in CT. This was independent of subsidiary crops used. In contrast, Chenopodium album, a potato-associated weed that depends on intensive tillage, was reduced by 15% in the mulched RT system compared to CT. When RT was combined with cover crops and compost application, the seed bank did not differ significantly from the CT system.We conclude that subsidiary crops, mulches, and potentially compost are important management tools that contribute to the success of RT in herbicide-free cereal-based systems in temperate climates.