Rating requirements of a unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) for voltage ride through capability enhancement

The problem of voltage ride through capability of fixed speed wind generation as a result of voltage sags is examined by means of a simulation study. The role of a Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC), which provides both shunt and series compensation, in enhancing the ride through capability is investigated under both full and partial voltage restoration. Results of a study to identify the minimum rating requirements to ensure stability are presented

Engineering students\u27 preferred roles: Are they stable, are there gender differences?

Being able to situate oneself in an engineering role is a developmental process. Students may initially have idealized perceptions of a professional role and over time, they make this role more congruent with their own values and goals [1]. In light of this, Higher Education Institutions are being challenged to offer learning experiences and career exploration activities to enable students to clarify their interests, values and competencies in relation to a professional role [2]. This study compared the professional role preferences of more than 700 engineering students at TU Dublin (Ireland) and KU Leuven (Belgium). Professional role preference was measured with PREFER Explore, a personal preference test for engineers. The test aligns students to three professional roles for early career engineers: Product leadership (focus on radical innovation), Operational excellence (focus on process optimization) and Customer intimacy (focus on tailored solutions and customer satisfaction). A comparison was drawn between the role preference of first year students at TU Dublin and KU Leuven to establish if there were significant differences in preference across both universities. The results suggest that the role preference of engineering students does not shift from first to third year. There is also evidence that the PREFER Explore is sensitive to gender differences, with female students showing a greater preference for customer intimacy than males and males showing a greater preference for operational excellence than females at TU Dublin. The data have a number of implications for the labor market in Ireland and Belgium

Quantifying recreational fishing catch and effort: a pilot study of shore-based fishers in the Perth Metropolitan area

Recreational fishing is a popular activity throughout Western Australia, including adjacent to the populous Perth Metropolitan area. Understanding the level of catch and effort associated with this activity is essential for the sustainable management of fish stocks. Whilst the focus of recent surveys in the Perth Metropolitan area has been on boat-based fishers targeting demersal species, shore-based fishing has not been measured for many years. Recent changes to management controls for these demersal species, including the implementation of a fishing boat licence, may increase existing pressures on nearshore stocks by displacing fishing effort onto these resources. Therefore, a need exists for the collection of information on the behaviour and catch of recreational shore-based fishers to support management measures

CHARACTERIZING THERMAL HYSTERESIS IN BODY TEMPERATURE FOR A HEAT STRESSED STEER

Studies have shown that exposure of animals to a high ambient temperature environment poses serious threats to their health, performance and productivity. Above a certain threshold an animal\u27s body temperature (Tb) appears to be driven by the hot ambient temperature (Ta). For steers challenged by heat stress, the Tb-Ta relationship shows a dramatic increase in Tb per unit change of Ta and the dynamics of the Tb-Ta relationship follow a pattern which depends on whether Ta is increasing or decreasing. A delay becomes noticeable in a steer’s thermo-regulatory response to Ta when Ta is controlled to be sinusoidal in the steer’s heat stress chamber. In other words, Tb lags behind Ta. Consequently when plotted in a Tb-Ta phase diagram, a hysteresis effect appears in the form of a hysteresis loop, indicating the steer is thermally challenged. The hysteresis loop shows a rotated elliptical pattern which depends on the delay (or lag) between Tb and Ta. The angle of rotation of the hysteresis loop indicates the correlation (and lag) between Tb and Ta. The area of the elliptical hysteresis loop can be used to quantify the amount of heat stress during the period of thermal challenge. For example, results of a thermal challenge of 32±7oC applied to a Hereford steer showed, the delay is longer (4 hr lag) and ellipse is larger in an acute stage than in a chronic stage (3 hr lag). A greater delay (or lag) suggests more time is needed to dissipate the heat stress. This result suggests, steers in an acute stage require more energy to dissipate heat than steers in a chronic stage

Isolation and identification of cell-specific microRNAs targeting a messenger RNA using a biotinylated anti-sense oligonucleotide capture affinity technique.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate expression by translational repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation. Although numerous bioinformatic prediction models exist to identify miRNA-mRNA interactions, experimental validation of bona fide interactions can be difficult and laborious. Few methods can comprehensively identify miRNAs that target a single mRNA. We have developed an experimental approach to search for miRNAs targeting any mRNA using a capture affinity assay involving a biotinylated DNA anti-sense oligonucleotide. This method identifies miRNAs targeting the full length of the mRNA. The method was tested using three separate mRNA targets: alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) mRNA, interleukin-8 mRNA and secretory leucoprotease inhibitor mRNA. AAT mRNA-specific and total miRNAs from three different cell lines (monocytic THP-1, bronchial epithelial 16HBE14o- and liver HepG2 cells) were profiled, and validation studies revealed that AAT mRNA-specific miRNAs functionally target the AAT mRNA in a cell-specific manner, providing the first evidence of innate miRNAs selectively targeting and modulating AAT mRNA expression. Interleukin-8 and secretory leucoprotease inhibitor mRNAs and their cognate miRNAs were also successfully captured using this approach. This is a simple and an efficient method to potentially identify miRNAs targeting sequences within the full length of a given mRNA transcript

An integrated system to survey boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2011/12

The Department of Fisheries developed an integrated system involving several survey methods to provide a more robust approach for obtaining annual estimates of recreational catch by boat based fishers at both state-wide and bioregional levels. These surveys, which used the recently implemented Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL) as the basis for sampling, were the most comprehensive ever conducted in Western Australia. They not only provided estimates of catch and effort but provided the information for the validation of these estimates by enabling comparisons across the various methods

miR-17 overexpression in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells decreases interleukin-8 production.

Interleukin (IL)-8 levels are higher than normal in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways, causing neutrophil infiltration and non-resolving inflammation. Overexpression of microRNAs that target IL-8 expression in airway epithelial cells may represent a therapeutic strategy for cystic fibrosis. IL-8 protein and mRNA were measured in cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and bronchial brushings (n=20 per group). miRNAs decreased in the cystic fibrosis lung and predicted to target IL-8 mRNA were quantified in βENaC-transgenic, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (Cftr)-/- and wild-type mice, primary cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells and a range of cystic fibrosis versus non-cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cell lines or cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, Pseudomonas-conditioned medium or cystic fibrosis bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The effect of miRNA overexpression on IL-8 protein production was measured. miR-17 regulates IL-8 and its expression was decreased in adult cystic fibrosis bronchial brushings, βENaC-transgenic mice and bronchial epithelial cells chronically stimulated with Pseudomonas-conditioned medium. Overexpression of miR-17 inhibited basal and agonist-induced IL-8 protein production in F508del-CFTR homozygous CFTE29o(-) tracheal, CFBE41o(-) and/or IB3 bronchial epithelial cells. These results implicate defective CFTR, inflammation, neutrophilia and mucus overproduction in regulation of miR-17. Modulating miR-17 expression in cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells may be a novel anti-inflammatory strategy for cystic fibrosis and other chronic inflammatory airway diseases

Regulation of the androgen receptor by SET9-mediated methylation

The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor family of transcription factors that plays a critical role in regulating expression of genes involved in prostate development and transformation. Upon hormone binding, the AR associates with numerous co-regulator proteins that regulate the activation status of target genes via flux to the post-translational modification status of histones and the receptor. Here we show that the AR interacts with and is directly methylated by the histone methyltransferase enzyme SET9. Methylation of the AR on lysine 632 is necessary for enhancing transcriptional activity of the receptor by facilitating both inter-domain communication between the N- and C-termini and recruitment to androgen-target genes. We also show that SET9 is pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic in prostate cancer cells and demonstrates up-regulated nuclear expression in prostate cancer tissue. In all, our date indicate a new mechanism of AR regulation that may be therapeutically exploitable for prostate cancer treatment