Stabilization of Longitudinal Power System by Means of Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage

A power system stabilization by means of the superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) has already been proposed, wherein the firing angle α of the SMES thyristor bridge is controlled, based on the angular velocity deviation ⊿ω of the generator rotor. In this paper, a simple longitudinal system is taken up as a sample system, and the optimum position of the SMES is investigated from the stabilizing point of view. Also studied is the effect of the distributed installation of the SMES from both sides of the steady-state stability by means of the eigenvalue method, and the transient stability by the simulation method

1 2 3 Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry An International Journal Dealing with All Aspects and Applications of Nuclear Chemistry Volume

Abstract We carried out time-series observations of 210 Po and 210 Pb radioactivity in the western North Pacific Ocean. The sinking fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the mesopelagic zone were estimated from 210 Po radioactivity during several seasons in the subarctic and subtropical regions of the western North Pacific. The seasonal changes of POC fluxes at a depth of 400 m were larger in the subarctic region than in the subtropical region. The annual mean POC flux at a depth of 400 m was larger in the subarctic region (57 mgC m -2 day -1 ) than in the subtropical region (36 mgC m -2 day -1 ). The annual mean of the e-ratio (the ratio of POC flux to primary productivity) in the subarctic region (18 %) was about twice the e-ratio in the subtropical region (10 %). These results imply that the efficiency of the biological pump is larger in the subarctic region than in the subtropical region of the western North Pacific

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Senior Victims of Tsunami-Affected Areas in Southern Sri Lanka

Background: On 26 December 2004, a large earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra, and a devastating tsunami struck surrounding countries. Sri Lanka was seriously affected, with more than 31,000 deaths and 4,000 people missing. Objective: To elucidate the relationship between factors of tsunami-related exposure and mental health conditions among the senior residents of tsunami-affected areas in southern Sri Lanka. Subjects: A total of 90 subjects (43 men, 47 women) aged 60 years or older who were living in the Matara district at the time of the tsunami attack. Methods: A survey by interview using a structured questionnaire was conducted in 2008. The collected information included demographic factors, tsunami-related exposure and mental health conditions. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to assess their post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Results: The median of the IES-R score was significantly higher in those who were situated at home; those who saw anyone the dead or injured; those whose evacuations were delayed; those whose family member or friend was injured; those who were injured; those who lost their children, spouse or family members; those whose family member was missing; those who lost livelihood, compared with those who were not or those who did not. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that younger age and loss of or injury to family members due to the tsunami were significantly associated with an increase in IES-R score. Conclusion: The results indicate that tsunami-related exposures have affected elderly survivors\u27 mental health

N-acetyltaurine and Acetylcarnitine Production for the Mitochondrial Acetyl-CoA Regulation in Skeletal Muscles during Endurance Exercises

During endurance exercises, a large amount of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA is produced in skeletal muscles from lipids, and the excess acetyl-CoA suppresses the metabolic flux from glycolysis to the TCA cycle. This study evaluated the hypothesis that taurine and carnitine act as a buffer of the acetyl moiety of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA derived from the short- and long-chain fatty acids of skeletal muscles during endurance exercises. In human subjects, the serum concentrations of acetylated forms of taurine (NAT) and carnitine (ACT), which are the metabolites of acetyl-CoA buffering, significantly increased after a full marathon. In the culture medium of primary human skeletal muscle cells, NAT and ACT concentrations significantly increased when they were cultured with taurine and acetate or with carnitine and palmitic acid, respectively. The increase in the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA/free CoA ratio induced by acetate and palmitic acid was suppressed by taurine and carnitine, respectively. Elevations of NAT and ACT in the blood of humans during endurance exercises might serve the buffering of the acetyl-moiety in mitochondria by taurine and carnitine, respectively. The results suggest that blood levels of NAT and ACT indicate energy production status from fatty acids in the skeletal muscles of humans undergoing endurance exercise

Mesopelagic particulate nitrogen dynamics in the subarctic and subtropical regions of the western North Pacific

Recently, new spatiotemporal-scale particle observations by autonomous profiling floats equipped with bio-optical sensors have revealed that, in addition to gravitational particle sinking, the downward transport of surface particles by physical mixing events, which has been overlooked, contributes to particulate organic carbon export. However, the subsequent behavior of these exported particles in the mesopelagic zone (e.g., particle fragmentation and degradation) remains unclear, although it may influence the efficiency of carbon transport to further depths. This study successfully depicted the new annual mean mesopelagic particulate nitrogen (PN) dynamics with multi-layer, steady-state suspended PN pools by reanalyzing seasonal data on the stable nitrogen isotopic compositions of both suspended and sinking particles, each with different profiles, from subarctic station K2 and subtropical station S1 in the North Pacific, which are both CO2 sinks but in different oceanic settings. As analytical conditions, we assumed that the net loss of sinking PN was entirely due to abiotic fragmentation of particle aggregates to non-sinking particles and that the apparent 15N enrichment associated with heterotrophic degradation in the suspended PN pools was vertically constant. The 15N mass balance for the PN supply to the uppermost mesopelagic pool, derived from such constraints, allowed estimating the PN export by the mixed-layer pump, which was 1.6 times greater at K2 than at S1. However, its contribution to the total export (including gravitational PN sinking) from the surface layer was approximately 20% at both stations. Moreover, the ratio of PN supplied to the uppermost pool by the mixed-layer pump and by the fragmentation of particle aggregates was also similar at both stations, approximately 1:1. Using these ratios, together with separate observations of the mixed-layer pump-driven flux, it may be possible to estimate the efficiency of the particulate organic carbon transport due to the biological gravitational pump responsible for carbon sequestration in the deep sea

Identification of a secretory protein c19orf10 activated in hepatocellular carcinoma

The identification of genes involved in tumor growth is crucial for the development of inventive anticancer treatments. Here, we have cloned a 17-kDa secretory protein encoded by c19orf10 from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) serial analysis of gene expression libraries. Gene expression analysis indicated that c19orf10 was overexpressed in approximately two-thirds of HCC tissues compared to the adjacent noncancerous liver tissues, and its expression was significantly positively correlated with that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Overexpression of c19orf10 enhanced cell proliferation of AFP-negative HLE cells, whereas knockdown of c19orf10 inhibited cell proliferation of AFP-positive Hep3B and HuH7 cells along with G1 cell cycle arrest. Supplementation of recombinant c19orf10 protein in culture media enhanced cell proliferation in HLE cells, and this effect was abolished by the addition of antibodies developed against c19orf10. Intriguingly, c19orf10 could regulate cell proliferation through the activation of Akt/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Taken together, these data suggest that c19orf10 might be one of the growth factors and potential molecular targets activated in HCC. Copyright © 2010 UICC