We have shown that anorexic response is induced by intraperitoneal injection of zymosan in mice, although the role of prostaglandins in this response is relatively unknown as compared with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced anorexic response. Indomethacin (0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg), a non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, as well as meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg), a selective COX-2 inhibitor, but not FR122047 (2.0 mg/kg), a selective COX-1 inhibitor, attenuated zymosan-induced anorexia. Zymosan injection elevated COX-2 expression in brain and liver but not in small intestine and colon. Meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg) and FR122047 treatment (2.0 mg/kg) similarly suppressed the generation of brain prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) and peritoneal prostacyclin (PGI 2 ) upon zymosan injection. PGE 2 generation in liver upon zymosan injection was suppressed by meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg) but not by FR122047 treatment (2.0 mg/kg). Our observations suggest that COX-2 plays an important role in zymosan-induced anorexia, which is a similar feature in LPS-induced anorexic response. However, non-selective inhibition by selective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors of brain PGE 2 generation upon zymosan injection does not support the role of COX-2 expressed in brain in zymosan-induced anorexic response. PGE 2 generation in liver may account for peripheral role of COX-2 in zymosan-induced anorexic response.

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Tidal current is the flow of seawater due to tidal phenomenon. Therefore, it is possible to predict the generated output of the tidal current power generation system, which is more advantageous than other renewable energy sources, when the tidal current power generation system is connected to the power grid and operated. This paper examines the gear ratio and rated capacity of the generator that maximize the generated energy when the tidal current power generation system is operated by using the maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) control method. This paper shows that the MPPT control method increases generated energy, capacity factor, and energy conversion efficiency more than the fixed-speed method.