Contingency ranking methodology for low frequency oscillations in power systems

This paper presents the contingency ranking methodology of large interconnected power system for low frequency oscillatory instability problems. The oscillatory instability leading to blackout is often triggered by contingencies, such as line outage. In literatures, so far there is no such methodology presented for contingency ranking related to low frequency oscillatory instability. Two methodologies, namely, Hopf Bifurcation (HB) and Improved Hopf Bifurcation Indices, are proposed in this paper for contingency ranking. Hopf bifurcation, which describes the onset of an oscillatory problem, is detected by calculating minimum singular value of modified reduced system state or extended system matrices. The normalized minimum singular value or linearized minimum singular value is then used to rank the contingencies. The effectiveness of the methodology is tested and validated on 16 machine 68 bus test system

Phosphonate-Functionalized Polycarbonates Synthesis through Ring-Opening Polymerization and Alternative Approaches

Well-defined phosphonate-functionalized polycarbonate with low dispersity (Ð = 1.22) was synthesized using organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of novel phosphonate-based cyclic monomers. Copolymerization was also performed to access different structures of phosphonate-containing polycarbonates (PC). Furthermore, phosphonate-functionalized PC was successfully synthesized using a combination of ROP and post-modification reaction

Identification by LC-ESI-MS of flavonoids responsible for the antioxidant properties of Mallotus species from Vietnam

Several Mallotus species (Euphorbiaceae) are used in Vietnam as edible plants or as traditional medicines for different indications, some related to the treatment of inflammatory diseases. This study investigated the antioxidant activities of 33 samples from 17 Vietnamese Mallotus species. We also evaluated potential cytotoxic activity against human cervix carcinoma HeLa and human lung fibroblast WI-38 cells. Our aim is to develop safe dietary supplements with a protective effect against various diseases caused by tissue damage and the acceleration of the aging process linked to reactive oxygen species. These tests allowed the identification of non-cytotoxic plant species exhibiting significant antiradical properties. These antioxidant properties may be explained by their polyphenol composition. The antioxidant activity of the most active Mallotus species was further analyzed with and without tannins removal. We also identified by LC-ESI-MS some flavonoids responsible for a part of this activity

Landslide detection with unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract Landslide is one of the most dangerous disasters, especially for countries with large mountainous terrain. It causes a great damage to lives, infrastructure and environments, such as traffic congestion and high accidents. Therefore, automated landslide detection is an important task for warning and reducing its consequences such as blocked traffic or traffic accidents. For instance, people approaching the disaster area can adjust their routes to avoid blocked roads, or dangerous traffic signs can be positioned in time to warn the traffic participants to avoid the interrupted road ahead. This paper proposes a method to detect blocked roads caused by landslide by utilizing images captured from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The proposed method comprises of three components: road segmentation, blocked road candidate extraction, and blocked road classification, which is leveraged by a multi-stage convolutional neural network model. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can surpass over several state-of-the art methods on our self-collected dataset of 400 images captured with an UAV

Table1_Analytical validation and clinical utilization of K-4CARE™: a comprehensive genomic profiling assay with personalized MRD detection.XLSX

Background: Biomarker testing has gradually become standard of care in precision oncology to help physicians select optimal treatment for patients. Compared to single-gene or small gene panel testing, comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) has emerged as a more time- and tissue-efficient method. This study demonstrated in-depth analytical validation of K-4CARE, a CGP assay that integrates circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) tracking for residual cancer surveillance.Methods: The assay utilized a panel of 473 cancer-relevant genes with a total length of 1.7 Mb. Reference standards were used to evaluate limit of detection (LOD), concordance, sensitivity, specificity and precision of the assay to detect single nucleotide variants (SNVs), small insertion/deletions (Indels), gene amplification and fusion, microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB). The assay was then benchmarked against orthogonal methods using 155 clinical samples from 10 cancer types. In selected cancers, top tumor-derived somatic mutations, as ranked by our proprietary algorithm, were used to detect ctDNA in the plasma.Results: For detection of somatic SNVs and Indels, gene fusion and amplification, the assay had sensitivity of >99%, 94% and >99% respectively, and specificity of >99%. Detection of germline variants also achieved sensitivity and specificity of >99%. For TMB measurement, the correlation coefficient between whole-exome sequencing and our targeted panel was 97%. MSI analysis when benchmarked against polymerase chain reaction method showed sensitivity of 94% and specificity of >99%. The concordance between our assay and the TruSight Oncology 500 assay for detection of somatic variants, TMB and MSI measurement was 100%, 89%, and 98% respectively. When CGP-informed mutations were used to personalize ctDNA tracking, the detection rate of ctDNA in liquid biopsy was 79%, and clinical utility in cancer surveillance was demonstrated in 2 case studies.Conclusion: K-4CARE™ assay provides comprehensive and reliable genomic information that fulfills all guideline-based biomarker testing for both targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Integration of ctDNA tracking helps clinicians to further monitor treatment response and ultimately provide well-rounded care to cancer patients.</p