A new type seismic intensity meter

Abstract:A new type of seismic intensity meter based on MEMS accelerometer is introduced. It employs STM32F107 as the data processing core and detects the changes of acceleration with triaxial MEMS LIS344ALH and uses ADS1248 for 24 bit data sampling. The test on vibration table shows that the linearity of the meter is δL = ± 1.4%, and the sensitivity is Kc = 0.9671V/g with zero deviation of 0.0043g. The seismic intensity meter has the advantages of simple structure and stable performance and it is appropriate for intensive layout on a large scale

Senior ID Access Card Research Report

Final Project for INST710: User Experience Research Methods (Fall 2020). University of Maryland, College Park.The Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking to increase both the number of sign-ups and participation of seniors in the M-NCPPC Senior ID program. This project supports the Department’s mission of assisting the physical, mental and social needs of Prince George’s County’s diverse and aging population through the Senior ID card. The shift to an online environment has created some barriers for seniors to enroll and stay engaged with the activities and events offered through the M-NCPPC Senior ID program. For instance, seniors in Prince George’s County have different levels of access to and expertise with the technology required to participate in remote activities and events. The Department of Parks and Recreation is also aiming to mitigate social isolation during these difficult times. Although Department staff periodically perform wellness check-ins with seniors, the number of activities and events has significantly reduced. In-person activities like walking groups, also have limited space due to social distancing measures or have been cancelled altogether. Nonetheless, some of the seniors interviewed expressed an interest in staying active by walking or participating in the Club 300 Walk Across America program offered by the Department. Therefore, the Department of Parks and Recreation is looking for ways to keep seniors engaged by facilitating online sign-up for the Senior ID program and to hear from users about their needs and desires for the program. The goal of this research is to understand how the Department can increase the number of Senior ID users by providing activities and services that meet the diverse needs of the Prince George’s County senior population. This research will identify barriers that prevent residents from signing up for a Senior ID and what opportunities exist to increase sign-ups. It will also highlight effective communication strategies to recruit new members and retain and increase participation in the Senior ID program. Finally, this research will explore how the Department can promote member socialization and connectivity in an online environment.Prince George’s Count

Transcriptional and Post-Transcriptional Mechanisms for Oncogenic Overexpression of Ether À Go-Go K+ Channel

The human ether-à-go-go-1 (h-eag1) K+ channel is expressed in a variety of cell lines derived from human malignant tumors and in clinical samples of several different cancers, but is otherwise absent in normal tissues. It was found to be necessary for cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis. Specific inhibition of h-eag1 expression leads to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. We report here that h-eag1 expression is controlled by the p53−miR-34−E2F1 pathway through a negative feed-forward mechanism. We first established E2F1 as a transactivator of h-eag1 gene through characterizing its promoter region. We then revealed that miR-34, a known transcriptional target of p53, is an important negative regulator of h-eag1 through dual mechanisms by directly repressing h-eag1 at the post-transcriptional level and indirectly silencing h-eag1 at the transcriptional level via repressing E2F1. There is a strong inverse relationship between the expression levels of miR-34 and h-eag1 protein. H-eag1antisense antagonized the growth-stimulating effects and the upregulation of h-eag1 expression in SHSY5Y cells, induced by knockdown of miR-34, E2F1 overexpression, or inhibition of p53 activity. Therefore, p53 negatively regulates h-eag1 expression by a negative feed-forward mechanism through the p53−miR-34−E2F1 pathway. Inactivation of p53 activity, as is the case in many cancers, can thus cause oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 by relieving the negative feed-forward regulation. These findings not only help us understand the molecular mechanisms for oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 in tumorigenesis but also uncover the cell-cycle regulation through the p53−miR-34−E2F1−h-eag1 pathway. Moreover, these findings place h-eag1 in the p53−miR-34−E2F1−h-eag1 pathway with h-eag as a terminal effecter component and with miR-34 (and E2F1) as a linker between p53 and h-eag1. Our study therefore fills the gap between p53 pathway and its cellular function mediated by h-eag1

Drugs and clinical approaches targeting the antiapoptotic protein: a review

B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) is a regulator protein involved in apoptosis. In the past few decades, this protein has been demonstrated to have high efficacy in cancer therapy, and several approaches targeting Bcl-2 have been tested clinically (e.g., oblimersen, ABT-737, ABT-263, obatoclax mesylate, and AT-101). This review reports potential Bcl-2 inhibitors according to current information on their underlying mechanism and the results of clinical trials. In addition, the function and mechanisms of other potentially valuable Bcl-2 inhibitors that did not show efficacy in clinical studies are also discussed. This summary of the development of Bcl-2 inhibitors provides worthwhile viewpoints on the use of biomedical approaches in future cancer therapy

The Small-Signal Stability of Offshore Wind Power Transmission Inspired by Particle Swarm Optimization

Voltage source converter-high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) is the mainstream technology of the offshore wind power transmission, which has been rapidly developed in recent years. The small-signal stability problem is closely related to offshore wind power grid-connected safety, but the present study is relatively small. This paper established a mathematical model of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) integrated into the IEEE9 system via VSC-HVDC in detail, and small-signal stability analysis of offshore wind farm (OWF) grid connection is specially studied under different positions and capacities. By selecting two load nodes and two generator nodes in the system for experiments, the optimal location and capacity of offshore wind power connection are obtained by comparing the four schemes. In order to improve the weak damping of the power system, this paper presents a method to determine the parameters of the power system stabilizer (PSS) based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm combined with different inertia weight functions. The optimal position of the controller connected to the grid is obtained from the analysis of modal control theory. The results show that, after joining the PSS control, the system damping ratio significantly increases. Finally, the proposed measures are verified by MATLAB/Simulink simulation. The results show that the system oscillation can be significantly reduced by adding PSS, and the small-signal stability of offshore wind power grid connection can be improved

Associations of perceived stress with loneliness and depressive symptoms: the mediating role of sleep quality

Abstract Background Whether perceived stress is associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms in general adults, and to what extent sleep quality mediates the associations, remains unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations of perceived stress with loneliness and depressive symptoms, and the mediating role of sleep quality in these associations. Methods Cross-sectional data on 734 participants (aged 18–87 years) were analyzed. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10; range 0–40). Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; range 0–21). Loneliness was assessed using the three-item short form of the Revised University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale (range 3–9). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) Scale (range 0–30). General linear regression models, multivariable logistic regression models, and formal mediation analysis were performed. Results After adjustment for age and sex, we found that with each 1-point increment in the perceived stress score, both the loneliness score (β = 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.08) and depression score (β = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.49) increased significantly. Robust results were observed when adjusting for more confounders. Furthermore, sleep quality mediated 5.3% (95% CI: 1.3%, 10.0%; P = 0.014) and 9.7% (95% CI: 6.2%, 14.0%; P < 0.001) of the associations of perceived stress score with loneliness score and depression score, respectively. Conclusions In general Chinese adults, perceived stress was positively associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms, and sleep quality partially mediated these associations. The findings reveal a potential pathway from perceived stress to mental health through sleep behaviors, and highlight the importance of implementing sleep intervention programs for promoting mental health among those who feel highly stressed

Using Diaper Waste to Prepare Magnetic Catalyst for the Synthesis of Glycerol Carbonate

Diaper waste was calcined above 400°C after impregnated in the solution of nickel nitrate. The as-prepared diaper waste-derived materials were used as magnetic catalysts for the synthesis of glycerol carbonate (GC). Structure and catalytic ability investigations on the catalysts calcined at different temperatures indicated that calcination temperature was an important factor affecting the property of catalysts. It was found that the catalyst obtained at the calcination temperature of 700°C (named DW-Ni-700) showed the best performance. When DW-Ni-700 was used in the synthesis of GC, GC yield reached 93.2%, and the magnetic property of DW-Ni-700 facilitated the catalyst separation process. Meanwhile, DW-Ni-700 showed high reusability in the reaction. After four times reuse of DW-Ni-700, GC yield decreased less than 4%