An Environmental-Economic Dispatch Method for Smart Microgrids Using VSS_QGA

The increasing penetration of distributed generation resources demands better economic performance of microgrids under the smart-grid era. In this paper, a comprehensive environmental-economic dispatch method for smart microgrids is proposed, with the objective for minimizing the summation of generation and emission costs in the system. As the proposed model belongs to a large-scale nonlinear and nonconvex programming problem, a hybrid heuristic algorithm, named variable step-size chaotic fuzzy quantum genetic algorithm (VSS_QGA), is developed. The algorithm utilizes complementarity among multiple techniques including the variable step size optimization, the rotation mutational angle fuzzy control, and the quantum genetic algorithm and combines them so as to solve problems with superior accuracy and efficiency. The effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated through a case study on an actual microgrid system and the advantages in the performance of VSS_QGA is also verified through the comparison with genetic algorithm (GA), the evolutionary programming approach (EP), the quantum genetic algorithm (QGA), and the chaotic quantum genetic algorithm (CQGA)

Tobacco Mosaic Virus Templated Synthesis of One Dimensional Inorganic-Polymer Hybrid Fibres

Inorganic–polymer hybrid nanofibres were prepared by using a rod-like tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a template. With tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor, long silica-coated TMVfibres were formed via a head-to-tail assembly, which showed a substantial increase of the elastic modulus. Furthermore, homogenous titania–TMV hybrid fibres could be prepared using polyaniline-coated TMV fibres as a template, which were used to form a composite film that was able to sense liquefied petroleum gases

Tobacco Mosaic Virus Templated Synthesis of One Dimensional Inorganic–Polymer Hybrid Fibres

Inorganic–polymer hybrid nanofibres were prepared by using a rod-like tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a template. With tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor, long silica-coated TMVfibres were formed via a head-to-tail assembly, which showed a substantial increase of the elastic modulus. Furthermore, homogenous titania–TMV hybrid fibres could be prepared using polyaniline-coated TMV fibres as a template, which were used to form a composite film that was able to sense liquefied petroleum gases

Running Cells with Decision-Making Mechanism: Intelligence Decision P System for Evacuation Simulation

Cell migration is a central process which happens along with multicellular organisms' development and maintenance. The process that cells move to specidic locations in particular directions has some similarities with pedestrian walking behaviour. In this work, we propose a simulation model called an Intelligence Decision P System (IDPS), which is inspired by the process of cell migration. Each cell has its own decision-making mechanism and moving mechanism. They move towards its goals on a two-dimensional space under the guidance of external signals and its own regulations. Cells also communicate with each other according to specidic interaction mechanism. The environment is dedined as a place for cell movement. It includes signal objects, some of which help start or end the migration and others have great influence on the speed and directions of cells. It also keeps a record of current position for each cell. Comparing with traditional P systems, cells can be considered as intelligent particles with decision-making mechanism and they can move to their destination. A case study is about modeling and simulating a building evacuation problem in a dire emergency by using the IDPS model. To our best knowledge, the topic of evacuation simulation was not under study in the dield of membrane computing before. The simulation result shows that the IDPS allows much easier and more precise modelling of pedestrian evacuation problems. So it is supposed to be a good simulation model for pedestrian walking behaviour

The effect of inhibiting glycinamide ribonucleotide formyl transferase on the development of neural tube in mice

mRNA gel picture. (TIF 878 kb

Oriented Cell Growth on Self-Assembled Bacteriophage M13 Thin Films

Fibrillar M13 bacteriophages were used as basic building blocks to generate thin films with aligned nanogrooves, which, upon chemical grafting with RGD peptides, guide cell alignment and orient the cell outgrowth along defined directions

Host species of freshwater snails within the same freshwater ecosystem shapes the intestinal microbiome

BackgroundFreshwater snails are not only intermediate hosts for parasites but also an important part of the food chain as they convert plant biomass and humus into animal biomass. However, being widely distributed in freshwater environments, snails are highly affected by human activities, which makes their adaptation to altering environments challenging. The gut microbiome helps animals in their digestion, immune system, growth and adapting to changing environments. The effect of host species on intestinal microbial community has been poorly studied in snails.MethodsIn this study, single-molecule real-time sequencing technology (SMRT) was used to obtain full-length 16S rRNA genes to determine the intestinal microbiomes of three species of freshwater snails (SQ: Sinotaia quadrata, BU: Boreoelona ussuriensis, RP: Radix plicatula) with similar feeding habits in a same water environment.ResultsUnifrac PCoA (P<0.05), hierarchical cluster and Ternary analyses showed distinct and significant segregation of the intestinal microbiomes of the three hosts. The phyla Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Planctomycetota dominated snail guts, comprising 93.47%, 86.22%, and 94.34% of the total reads in SQ, BU and RP, respectively. Of these, only 25.26% of OTUs were identified up to species level, while 72.07% of OTUs were identified at the genus level. Although 72.94% of the total bacterial species (566) were common to three snails, significant differences were observed in terms of their abundance (P < 0.05). Several genera can help to determine the phenotype of the intestinal microbiota. In this case, Lelliottia contributed mainly to stress tolerance, biofilm formation, potential pathogenicity, mobile elements and facultatively anaerobic phenotypes in RP. Furthermore, Romboutsia and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 contributed to the anaerobic phenotype of SQ and RP, while Pirellula contributed to the aerobic phenotype in SQ. Moreover, PICRUSt (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) predicted 68 GH (glycoside hydrolase) genes, with these including monosaccharide-, disaccharide-, polysaccharide-, and starch-digesting enzyme genes as well as enzymes specific to aquatic plants. Many of the identified pathways were related to Infectious diseases and Xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, which expanded the resistance of freshwater snails.ConcludesLelliottia, Romboutsia, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Pirellula play an important role in the intestinal microbiota phenotype of the host snails. In general, the host species affects the structure of the gut microbial community, which in turn helps gastropods improve their environmental adaptability, but further study is still needed

The FDA-approved natural product dihydroergocristine reduces the production of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid-beta peptides

Known gamma-secretase inhibitors or modulators display an undesirable pharmacokinetic profile and toxicity and have therefore not been successful in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD). So far, no compounds from natural products have been identified as direct inhibitors of gamma-secretase. To search for bioactive molecules that can reduce the amount of amyloid-beta peptides (A beta) and that have better pharmacokinetics and an improved safety profile, we completed a screen of similar to 400 natural products by using cell-based and cell-free gamma-secretase activity assays. We identified dihydroergocristine (DHEC), a component of an FDA-(Food and Drug Administration)-approved drug, to be a direct inhibitor of gamma-secretase. Micromolar concentrations of DHEC substantially reduced A beta levels in different cell types, including a cell line derived from an AD patient. Structure-activity relationship studies implied that the key moiety for inhibiting gamma-secretase is the cyclized tripeptide moiety of DHEC. A Surface Plasmon Resonance assay showed that DHEC binds directly to gamma-secretase and Nicastrin, with equilibrium dissociation constants (K-d) of 25.7 nM and 9.8 mu M, respectively. This study offers DHEC not only as a new chemical moiety for selectively modulating the activity of gamma-secretase but also a candidate for drug repositioning in Alzheimer's disease