Mathematical Approach to Identification of Load Structure at the Nodes of the Distribution Grids 6-10 kV and 0.4 kV

A significant increasing energy efficiency of the full cycle of production, transmission and distribution of electricity in grids should be based on the management of separate consumers of electricity. The existing energy supply systems based on the concept of «smart things» do not allow to identify the technical structure of the electricity consumption in the load nodes from the grid side. It makes solving the tasks of energy efficiency more difficult. To solve this problem, the use of Wavelet transform to create a mathematical tool for monitoring the load composition in the nodes of the distribution grids of 6-10 kV, 0.4 kV is proposed in this paper. The authors have created a unique wavelet based functions for some consumers, based on their current consumption graphs of these power consumers. Possibility of determination of the characteristics of individual consumers of electricity in total nodal charts of load is shown in the test case. In future, creation of a unified technical and informational model of load control will allow to solve the problem of increasing the economic efficiency of not only certain consumers, but also the entire power supply system as a whole. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.The work was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract No. 02.A03.21.0006 and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (in the framework of state assignment, No. 13.1928.2014/K (project No. 1928)

Inactivation of Chromosomal Genes in Serratia marcescens

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens is a well-known environmental microorganism and the accepted clinical pathogen causing nosocomial infections. It attracts more attention in recent years due to the emergence of strains with multiple drug resistance. Standard recombinant techniques are difficult to apply to S. marcescens due to the presence of numerous hydrolytic enzymes, in particular, extracellular nuclease and restriction endonuclease, which degrade transforming DNAs. We overcame this obstacle by utilizing restrictionless nuclease-deficient mutant strain S. marcescens TT392. As a proof of principal, in this genetic background, we generated a knockout strain with deletion of macAB locus using lambda red technology. The resulting mutation could be easily moved to a new genetic background by generalized phage transduction. This strategy provides a good tool for evaluation of S. marcescens pathogenic potential

Effect of mutations in extracellular nuclease on the characteristics of the pigmented and nonpigmented Serratia marcescens strains

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Comparative characterization of the pigmented and nonpigmented Serratia marcescens strains and their extracellular nuclease mutants was carried out. Biomass accumulation by the mutant strains decreased on average by 20%, while proteolytic activity of the culture liquid was 4–5 times lower than in the case of the wild type strains. The mutants with impaired extracellular nuclease genes exhibited higher sensitivity to reactive oxygen species. Comparative analysis of motility of the strains revealed the highest flagellar activity in the wild type nonpigmented strain, while the cells of its mutant completely lost this feature

Tanshinones Inhibit the Growth of Breast Cancer Cells through Epigenetic Modification of Aurora A Expression and Function

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of tanshinones from a Chinese herb Salvia Miltiorrhiza on the growth of breast cancer cells, and to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms of action. Tanshinones showed the dose-dependent effect on the growth inhibition of breast cancer cells in vitro, with tanshinone I (T1) the most potent agent. T1 was also the only tanshinone to have potent activity in inhibiting the growth of the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB231. T1 caused cell cycle arrests of both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent cell lines associated with alterations of cyclinD, CDK4 and cyclinB, and induced breast cancer cell apoptosis associated with upregulation of c-PARP and downregulation of survivin and Aurora A. Among these associated biomarkers, Aurora A showed the most consistent pattern with the anti-growth activity of tanshinones. Overexpression of Aurora A was also verified in breast tumors. The gene function assay showed that knockdown of Aurora A by siRNA dramatically reduced the growth-inhibition and apoptosis-induction activities of T1, suggesting Aurora A as an important functional target of T1 action. On the other hand, tanshinones had much less adverse effects on normal mammary epithelial cells. Epigenetic mechanism studies showed that overexpression of Aurora A gene in breast cancer cells was not regulated by gene promoter DNA methylation, but by histone acetylation. T1 treatment significantly reduced acetylation levels of histone H3 associated with Aurora A gene. Our results supported the potent activity of T1 in inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro in part by downregulation of Aurora A gene function. Our previous studies also demonstrated that T1 had potent anti-angiogenesis activity and minimal side effects in vivo. Altogether, this study warrants further investigation to develop T1 as an effective and safe agent for the therapy and prevention of breast cancer

Oridonin induces apoptosis and senescence in colorectal cancer cells by increasing histone hyperacetylation and regulation of p16, p21, p27 and c-myc

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oridonin, a tetracycline diterpenoid compound, has the potential antitumor activities. Here, we evaluate the antitumor activity and action mechanisms of oridonin in colorectal cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Effects of oridonin on cell proliferation were determined by using a CCK-8 Kit. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was examined by analyzing subdiploid population and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay. Senescent cells were determined by senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity analysis. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the changes of mRNA of p16, p21, p27 and c-myc. The concomitant changes of protein expression were analyzed with Western blot. Expression of AcH3 and AcH4 were examined by immunofluorescence staining and Western blots. Effects of oridonin on colony formation of SW1116 were examined by Soft Agar assay. The in vivo efficacy of oridonin was detected using a xenograft colorectal cancer model in nude mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Oridonin induced potent growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, senescence and colony-forming inhibition in three colorectal cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Daily i.p. injection of oridonin (6.25, 12.5 or 25 mg/kg) for 28 days significantly inhibited the growth of SW1116 s.c. xenografts in BABL/C nude mice. With western blot and reverse transcription-PCR, we further showed that the antitumor activities of oridonin correlated with induction of histone (H3 and H4) hyperacetylation, activation of p21, p27 and p16, and suppression of c-myc expression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Oridonin possesses potent in vitro and in vivo anti-colorectal cancer activities that correlated with induction of histone hyperacetylation and regulation of pathways critical for maintaining growth inhibition and cell cycle arrest. Therefore, oridonin may represent a novel therapeutic option in colorectal cancer treatment.</p

Procyanidin B3 Prevents Articular Cartilage Degeneration and Heterotopic Cartilage Formation in a Mouse Surgical Osteoarthritis Model

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease in the elderly due to an imbalance in cartilage degradation and synthesis. Heterotopic ossification (HO) occurs when ectopic masses of endochondral bone form within the soft tissues around the joints and is triggered by inflammation of the soft tissues. Procyanidin B3 (B3) is a procyanidin dimer that is widely studied due to its high abundance in the human diet and antioxidant activity. Here, we evaluated the role of B3 isolated from grape seeds in the maintenance of chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo. We observed that B3 inhibited H2O2-induced apoptosis in primary chondrocytes, suppressed H2O2- or IL-1ß−induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) production, and prevented IL-1ß−induced suppression of chondrocyte differentiation marker gene expression in primary chondrocytes. Moreover, B3 treatment enhanced the early differentiation of ATDC5 cells. To examine whether B3 prevents cartilage destruction in vivo, OA was surgically induced in C57BL/6J mice followed by oral administration of B3 or vehicle control. Daily oral B3 administration protected articular cartilage from OA and prevented chondrocyte apoptosis in surgically-induced OA joints. Furthermore, B3 administration prevented heterotopic cartilage formation near the surgical region. iNOS protein expression was enhanced in the synovial tissues and the pseudocapsule around the surgical region in OA mice fed a control diet, but was reduced in mice that received B3. Together, these data indicated that in the OA model, B3 prevented OA progression and heterotopic cartilage formation, at least in a part through the suppression of iNOS. These results support the potential therapeutic benefits of B3 for treatment of human OA and heterotopic ossification

Inactivation of Chromosomal Genes in Serratia marcescens

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens is a well-known environmental microorganism and the accepted clinical pathogen causing nosocomial infections. It attracts more attention in recent years due to the emergence of strains with multiple drug resistance. Standard recombinant techniques are difficult to apply to S. marcescens due to the presence of numerous hydrolytic enzymes, in particular, extracellular nuclease and restriction endonuclease, which degrade transforming DNAs. We overcame this obstacle by utilizing restrictionless nuclease-deficient mutant strain S. marcescens TT392. As a proof of principal, in this genetic background, we generated a knockout strain with deletion of macAB locus using lambda red technology. The resulting mutation could be easily moved to a new genetic background by generalized phage transduction. This strategy provides a good tool for evaluation of S. marcescens pathogenic potential