Microgrid distribution system dynamic reactive power optimization based on improved particle swarm algorithms

Abstract Due to the low accuracy and convergence of existing particle swarm algorithm in the micro power dynamic reactive power optimization in distribution system, this paper proposes an improved particle swarm algorithm based on the state of the particle and inertia weight optimization. This algorithm first adjusts the status of the states of the particles. Then using Sigmoid mapping to optimize the search ability of the inertia weight in particle swarms algorithm. Finally, using the optimal learning strategies to improve the convergence of particle swarm optimization algorithm. Through simulation experiments, the proposed improving particle swarm algorithm based on particle state and inertia weight optimization owing better convergence than traditional particle swarm optimization. Only small error was obtained during dynamic reactive power optimization in micro power distribution system

Ethnobotany of dye plants in Dong communities of China

BACKGROUND: Dyes derived from plants have an extensive history of use for coloring food and clothing in Dong communities and other indigenous areas in the uplands of China. In addition to use as coloring agents, Dong communities have historically utilized dye plants for their value for enhancing the nutritive, medicinal and preservative properties of foods. However, the persistence of plant-derived dyes and associated cultural practices and traditional knowledge is threatened with rapid socio-economic change in China. Research is needed to document the ethnobotany of dye plants in indigenous communities towards their conservation and potential commercialization as a sustainable means of supporting local development initiatives. METHODS: Semi-structured surveys on plants used for coloring agents and associated traditional knowledge were conducted in fifteen Dong villages of Tongdao County in Hunan Province of South Central China during 2011–2012. Transect walks were carried out with key informants identified from semi-structured surveys to collect samples and voucher specimens for each documented plant species for taxonomic identification. RESULTS: Dong households at the study sites utilize the flowers, bark, stems, tubers and roots of 13 plant species from 9 families as dyes to color their customary clothing and food. Out of the documented plants, a total of 7 are used for coloring food, 3 for coloring clothing and 3 for both food and clothing. Documented plants consist of 3 species that yield black pigments, 3 for brownish red/russet pigments, 3 for red pigments, 2 for dark blue pigments and 2 for yellow pigments. In addition to dyes, the plants have multiple uses including medicinal, ornamental, sacrificial, edible, and for timber. CONCLUSIONS: The use of dyes derived from plants persists at the study sites for their important role in expressing Dong cultural identity through customary clothing and food. Further research is needed to evaluate the safety of dye plants, their efficacy in enhancing food items and their commercial potential. Conservation policies and management plans are called for to preserve these ethnobotanical resources in a sustainable manner that supports local livelihoods while maintaining cultural practices

High expression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) correlates with nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression

BACKGROUND: Overexpression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2C (UBE2C) has been detected in many types of human cancers, and is correlated with tumor malignancy. However, the role of UBE2C in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of aberrant UBE2C expression in the progression of human NPC. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to detect UBE2C protein in clinical samples of NPC and benign nasopharyngeal tissues, and the association of UBE2C expression with patient clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. UBEC2 expression profiles were evaluated in cell lines representing varying differentiated stages of NPC and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelia NP-69 cells using quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting and fluorescent staining. Furthermore, UBE2C was knocked down using RNA interference in these cell lines and proliferation and cell cycle distribution was investigated. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that UBE2C protein expression levels were higher in NPC tissues than in benign nasopharyngeal tissues (P<0.001). Moreover, high UBE2C protein expression was positively correlated with tumor size (P=0.017), lymph node metastasis (P=0.016) and distant metastasis (P=0.015) in NPC patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that UBE2C expression levels were inversely correlated with the degree of differentiation of NPC cell lines, whereas UBE2C displayed low level of expression in NP-69 cells. Knockdown of UBE2C led to significant arrest at the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, and decreased cell proliferation was observed in poorly-differentiated CNE2Z NPC cells and undifferentiated C666-1 cells, but not in well-differentiated CNE1 and immortalized NP-69 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that high expression of UBE2C in human NPC is closely related to tumor malignancy, and may be a potential marker for NPC progression

Tetraploid cells from cytokinesis failure induce aneuploidy and spontaneous transformation of mouse ovarian surface epithelial cells

Most ovarian cancers originate from the ovarian surface epithelium and are characterized by aneuploid karyotypes. Aneuploidy, a consequence of chromosome instability, is an early event during the development of ovarian cancers. However, how aneuploid cells are evolved from normal diploid cells in ovarian cancers remains unknown. In the present study, cytogenetic analyses of a mouse syngeneic ovarian cancer model revealed that diploid mouse ovarian surface epithelial cells (MOSECs) experienced an intermediate tetraploid cell stage, before evolving to aneuploid (mainly near-tetraploid) cells. Using long-term live-cell imaging followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we demonstrated that tetraploid cells originally arose from cytokinesis failure of bipolar mitosis in diploid cells, and gave rise to aneuploid cells through chromosome mis-segregation during both bipolar and multipolar mitoses. Injection of the late passage aneuploid MOSECs resulted in tumor formation in C57BL/6 mice. Therefore, we reveal a pathway for the evolution of diploid to aneuploid MOSECs and elucidate a mechanism for the development of near-tetraploid ovarian cancer cells

The Impact of Rainfall on Urban Human Mobility from Taxi GPS Data

Rainfall severely impacts human mobility in urban areas and creates significant challenges for traffic management and urban planning. There is an urgent need to understand the impact of rainfall on residents’ travels from multiple perspectives. Taxi GPS data contains a large amount of spatiotemporal information about human activities and mobility in urban areas. For this study, we selected the central area of Zhuhai as the study area and used taxi data from August 2020 for the investigation. Firstly, we divided the taxi data into four scenarios, i.e., weekdays with and without rainfall and weekends with and without rainfall and analyzed and compared the trip characteristics for the different scenarios. Then, using the traffic analysis zone (TAZ) as the node and taxi flow between TAZs as edges, we constructed a network and compared the network indicators under the different scenarios. Finally, we used the Leiden algorithm to detect communities in different scenarios and compared the network indicators of the communities. The results showed that on days with rainfall, taxi flow and its spatial and temporal distribution pattern changed significantly, which affected transportation supply and demand. These findings may provide useful references for the formulation of urban transport policies that can adapt to different weather conditions

Cluster Analysis Based Arc Detection in Pantograph-Catenary System

The pantograph-catenary system, which ensures the transmission of electrical energy, is a critical component of a high-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) train. The pantograph-catenary arc directly affects the power supply quality. The Chinese Railway High-speed (CRH) is equipped with a 6C system to obtain pantograph videos. However, it is difficult to automatically identify the arc image information from the vast amount of videos. This paper proposes an effective approach with which pantograph video can be separated into continuous frame-by-frame images. Because of the interference from the complex operating environment, it is unreasonable to directly use the arc parameters to detect the arc. An environmental segmentation algorithm is developed to eliminate the interference. Time series in the same environment is analyzed via cluster analysis technique (CAT) to find the abnormal points and simplified arc model to find arc events accurately. The proposed approach is tested with real pantograph video and performs well

Vandetanib Treatment in Refractory Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients: Five Cases and Review of Literature

Background and objective Vandetanib is a once-daily oral multi-target inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and rearranged during transfection (RET) tyrosine kinases. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect and safety of vandetanib administered in refractory advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients. Methods Five patients who accepted chemotherapy and Tarceva therapy as first- and second-line treatments received vandetanib (300 mg, oral, once daily). Results The effects are stable disease on two patients (40%) and progressive disease on three patients (60%). With a median follow-up of 36 months, one patient remained on follow-up. The median progression free survival (PFS) is 2 months, and the mean overall survival is 22.6 months. The adverse events include rash (n=2), skin change (n=2), paronychia (n=2), asymptomatic QTc prolongation (n=2), ST-T change (n=1), diarrhea (n=1), and increased transaminase (n=1). Conclusion There were lower incidences of severe side effects with vandetanib therapy in refractory advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients. The results of effect and safety of vandetanib are similar with the related reviewed articles