A two-stage framework for short-term wind power forecasting using different feature-learning models

With the growing dependence on wind power generation, improving the accuracy of short-term forecasting has become increasingly important for ensuring continued economical and reliable system operations. In the wind power forecasting field, ensemble-based forecasting models have been studied extensively; however, few of them considered learning the features from both historical wind data and NWP data. In addition, the exploration of the multiple-input and multiple-output learning structures is lacking in the wind power forecasting literature. Therefore, this study exploits the NWP and historical wind data as input and proposes a two-stage forecasting framework on the shelf of moving window algorithm. Specifically, at the first stage, four forecasting models are constructed with deep neural networks considering the multiple-input and multiple-output structures; at the second stage, an ensemble model is developed using ridge regression method for reducing the extrapolation error. The experiments are conducted on three existing wind farms for examining the 2-h ahead forecasting point. The results demonstrate that 1) the single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) structure leads to a better forecasting accuracy than the other threes; 2) ridge regression method results in a better ensemble model that is able to further improve the forecasting accuracy, than the other machine learning methods; 3) the proposed two-stage forecasting framework is likely to generate more accurate and stable results than the other existing algorithms

Role of adiponectin/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway on limb ischemic preconditioning on myocardial protection

The adiponectin/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (ADP/PI3k/Akt) signal transduction  pathway has an important role in promoting cell survival. This study was designed to determine if the  ADP/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has a role in the mechanism of ischemia–reperfusion injury in vivo.  Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into five groups of six: Group A was the sham group, group B was the  myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (MIRI) group; the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD)  was ligated and, after 30 min of ischemia, reperfusion was conducted for 120 min, group C was the limb  ischemia preconditioning (LIPC) group; the femoral artery was blocked continuously for 5 min, and  sustainable reperfusion was carried out for 5 min, and this procedure was repeated thrice. The MIRI experiment was carried out on the fourth day after consecutive preconditioning for 3 days. The surgical  procedure was the same as with the MIRI model. Group D was the LY294002 pretreatment group: 15 min before reperfusion, ischemic rats underwent pretreatment with LY294002. The final group was the  LIPC+LY294002 group; after limb ischemia preconditioning, rats underwent LY294002 pretreatment 15  min before reperfusion. Expression of ADP and adiponectin receptor 1 (ADPR1) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), PI3k and p-Akt protein increased significantly in the myocardial tissue of the LIPC group in  comparison with that in the sham group. This finding suggests that limb ischemic preconditioning  increased the expression of ADP in the myocardial tissue of rats with myocardial ischemia–reperfusion  injury. It also demonstrated that ADP activated PI3k by the ADP/PI3k/Akt signaling pathway to increase the phosphorylation of the effector protein Akt.Key words: Limb ischemic preconditioning, ischemia–reperfusion injury, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase  (PI3k), protein kinase (p-Akt), signal transduction

1-Methyl-3-trifluoro­methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-ol

In the title compound, C5H5F3N2O, the F atoms are disordered over two sets of sites in a 0.64 (3):0.36 (3) ratio. In the crystal structure, O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into chains and a short C—H⋯F contact also occurs

Intranasal immunization with a helper-dependent adenoviral vector expressing the codon-optimized fusion glycoprotein of human respiratory syncytial virus elicits protective immunity in BALB/c mice

BACKGROUND: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a serious pediatric pathogen of the lower respiratory tract. Currently, there is no clinically approved vaccine against RSV infection. Recent studies have shown that helper-dependent adenoviral (HDAd) vectors may represent effective and safe vaccine vectors. However, viral challenge has not been investigated following mucosal vaccination with HDAd vector vaccines. METHODS: To explore the role played by HDAd as an intranasally administered RSV vaccine vector, we constructed a HDAd vector encoding the codon optimized fusion glycoprotein (Fsyn) of RSV, designated HDAd-Fsyn, and delivered intranasally HDAd-Fsyn to mice. RESULTS: RSV-specific humoral and cellular immune responses were generated in BALB/c mice, and serum IgG with neutralizing activity was significantly elevated after a homologous boost with intranasal (i.n.) application of HDAd-Fsyn. Humoral immune responses could be measured even 14 weeks after a single immunization. Immunization with i.n. HDAd-Fsyn led to effective protection against RSV infection on challenge. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that HDAd-Fsyn can induce powerful systemic immunity against subsequent i.n. RSV challenge in a mouse model and is a promising candidate vaccine against RSV infection

Germline-Competent Mouse-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines Generated on Human Fibroblasts without Exogenous Leukemia Inhibitory Factor

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have attracted enormous attention due to their vast potential in regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical screening and basic research. Most prior established iPS cell lines were derived and maintained on mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells supplemented with exogenous leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Drawbacks of MEF cells impede optimization as well as dissection of reprogramming events and limit the usage of iPS cell derivatives in therapeutic applications. In this study, we develop a reproducible protocol for efficient reprogramming mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs) on human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells via retroviral transfer of human transcriptional factors OCT4/SOX2/KLF4/C-MYC. Two independent iPS cell lines are derived without exogenous LIF. They display typical undifferentiated morphology and express pluripotency markers Oct4 and Sox2. Transgenes are inactivated and the endogenous Oct4 promoter is completely demethylated in the established iPS cell lines, indicating a fully reprogrammed state. Moreover, the iPS cells can spontaneously differentiate or be induced into various cell types of three embryonic germ layers in vitro and in vivo when they are injected into immunodeficient mice for teratoma formation. Importantly, iPS cells extensively integrate with various host tissues and contribute to the germline when injected into the blastocysts. Interestingly, these two iPS cell lines, while both pluripotent, exhibit distinctive differentiation tendencies towards different lineages. Taken together, the data describe the first genuine mouse iPS cell lines generated on human feeder cells without exogenous LIF, providing a reliable tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms of nuclear reprogramming

Flank gland-secreted putative chemosignals pertaining to photoperiod, endocrine states, and sociosexual behavior in golden hamsters

Behavioral studies have shown that flank glands are involved in chemical communication in golden hamsters Mesocricetus auratus but little chemical analysis has been conducted on volatiles arising from these glands. Using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry, we detected compounds from the flank glands of males, only eight of which were also produced in females. Based on these chemical data we performed a number of further experiments. By manipulating light we found that males exposed to short-photoperiods developed smaller flank glands than those exposed to long-photoperiods. Six flank gland volatiles reduced in relative abundance, which possibly coded for reproductive status of males of this seasonally breeding hamster species. Through dyadic encounters, we were able to induce the formation of dominant-subordinate relationships and show that two glandular compounds became high in relative abundance and may function as dominance pheromones. Castration eliminated all male-specific compounds resulting from flank glands, but bilateral ovariectomies only affected one compound in females. Once these ovariectomized females were treated with testosterone, their glandular compounds resembled those of males, suggesting these compounds are under the main control of androgen. Two female putative pheromones, tetradecanoic acid and hexadecanoic acid, were used in binary choice tests and were both found to attract males over females. Applying a solution of these pheromone compounds to adult males also suppressed their agonistic behavior