2,168 research outputs found
The European Union and its energy security challenges: engagement through and with networks
Energy security remains a vital issue for the European Union (EU), even more so in the
wake of the events that unfolded in early 2014 in Ukraine. The EUâs already fragile
position in the international energy arena in terms of security of supply appears to be
more uncertain than ever after its umpteenth fallout with its historic energy supplier,
Russia. This situation is untenable and calls for swift and decisive action to adequately
tackle the issue once and for all. The article looks at the creation of a single EU energy
market through integration of energy networks in the EU. It then examines various
ways to diversify the EUâs energy supply, whether through increasing the import of
liquefied natural gas, through its relations with the Eurasian Union, the promotion of
renewable energy or the construction of alternative pipelines and energy routes. The
article then offers an analysis of the latest developments of the Energy Charter
Conference. The article concludes that from energy transit, to technology transfer,
to investment protection, energy and trade present interplays across various fields.
Improvements can be made to the EU trading system to ensure greater energy security
and more efficient energy markets
Evaluation of the Detectability of Electromechanical Faults in Induction Motors Via Transient Analysis of the Stray Flux
© 1972-2012 IEEE. The stray flux that is present in the vicinity of an induction motor is a very interesting information source to detect several types of failures in these machines. The analysis of this quantity can be employed, in some cases, as a supportive tool to complement the diagnosis provided by other quantities. In other cases, when no other motor quantities are available, stray flux analysis can become one of the few alternatives to evaluate the motor condition. Its noninvasive nature, low cost, and easy implementation makes it a very interesting option that requires further investigation. The aim of this work is to evaluate the suitability of the stray flux analysis under the starting transient as a way to detect certain faults in induction motors (broken rotor bars and misalignments), even when these types of faults coexist in the motor. To this end, advanced signal processing tools will be applied. Several positions of the flux sensors are considered in this study. Also, for the first time, a fault indicator based on the stray flux analysis under the starting is introduced and its sensitivity is compared versus other indicators relying on other quantities. It must be emphasized that, since the capture of the transient and steady-state flux signals can be carried out in the same measurement, the application of the approach presented in this work is straightforward and its derived information may become crucial for the diagnosis of some faults.Ministerio de EconomĂa y Competitividadâ (MINECO) and FEDER program in the framework of the âProyectos I+D del Subprograma de GeneraciĂłn de Conocimiento, Programa Estatal de Fomento de la InvestigaciĂłn CientĂfica y TĂ©cnica de Excelenciaâ (ref: DPI2014-52842-P)
Resistance to autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease in an APOE3 Christchurch homozygote: a case report.
We identified a PSEN1 (presenilin 1) mutation carrier from the world's largest autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease kindred, who did not develop mild cognitive impairment until her seventies, three decades after the expected age of clinical onset. The individual had two copies of the APOE3 Christchurch (R136S) mutation, unusually high brain amyloid levels and limited tau and neurodegenerative measurements. Our findings have implications for the role of APOE in the pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Health for sale: the medicinal plant markets in Trujillo and Chiclayo, Northern Peru
Traditional methods of healing have been beneficial in many countries with or without access to conventional allopathic medicine. In the United States, these traditional practices are increasingly being sought after for illnesses that cannot be easily treated by allopathic medicine. More and more people are becoming interested in the knowledge maintained by traditional healers and in the diversity of medicinal plants that flourish in areas like Northern Peru. While scientific studies of medicinal plants are underway, concern has arisen over the preservation of both the large diversity of medicinal plants and the traditional knowledge of healing methods that accompanies them. To promote further conservation work, this study attempted to document the sources of the most popular and rarest medicinal plants sold in the markets of Trujillo (Mayorista and Hermelinda) and Chiclayo (Modelo and Moshoqueque), as well as to create an inventory of the plants sold in these markets, which will serve as a basis for comparison with future inventories. Individual markets and market stalls were subjected to cluster analysis based on the diversity of the medicinal plants they carry. The results show that markets were grouped based on the presence of: (1) common exotic medicinal plants; (2) plants used by laypeople for self-medication related to common ailments ("everyday remedies"); (3) specialized medicinal plants used by curanderos or traditional healers; and (4) highly "specialized" plants used for magical purposes. The plant trade in the study areas seems to correspond well with the specific health care demands from clientele in those areas. The specific market patterns of plant diversity observed in the present study represent a foundation for comparative market research in Peru and elsewhere
Shadows of the colonial past â diverging plant use in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador
This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador, with special focus on the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Cajamarca, and San Martin, and in Loja province, with special focus on the development since the early colonial period. Northern Peru represents the locus of the old Central Andean "Health Axis." The roots of traditional healing practices in this region go as far back as the Cupisnique culture early in the first millennium BC
Sodium channel Nav1.6 accumulates at the site of infraorbital nerve injury
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sodium channel (NaCh) expressions change following nerve and inflammatory lesions and this change may contribute to the activation of pain pathways. In a previous study we found a dramatic increase in the size and density of NaCh accumulations, and a remodeling of NaChs at intact and altered myelinated sites at a location just proximal to a combined partial axotomy and chromic suture lesion of the rat infraorbital nerve (ION) with the use of an antibody that identifies all NaCh isoforms. Here we evaluate the contribution of the major nodal NaCh isoform, Na<sub>v</sub>1.6, to this remodeling of NaChs following the same lesion. Sections of the ION from normal and ION lesioned subjects were double-stained with antibodies against Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 and caspr (contactin-associated protein; a paranodal protein to identify nodes of Ranvier) and then z-series of optically sectioned images were captured with a confocal microscope. ImageJ (NIH) software was used to quantify the average size and density of Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 accumulations, while additional single fiber analyses measured the axial length of the nodal gap, and the immunofluorescence intensity of Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 in nodes and of caspr in the paranodal region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The findings showed a significant increase in the average size and density of Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 accumulations in lesioned IONs when compared to normal IONs. The results of the single fiber analyses in caspr-identified typical nodes showed an increased axial length of the nodal gap, an increased immunofluorescence intensity of nodal Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 and a decreased immunofluorescence intensity of paranodal caspr in lesioned IONs when compared to normal IONs. In the lesioned IONs, Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 accumulations were also seen in association with altered caspr-relationships, such as heminodes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of the present study identify Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 as one isoform involved in the augmentation and remodeling of NaChs at nodal sites following a combined partial axotomy and chromic suture ION lesion. The augmentation of Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 may result from an alteration in axon-Schwann cell signaling mechanisms as suggested by changes in caspr expression. The changes identified in this study suggest that the participation of Na<sub>v</sub>1.6 should be considered when examining changes in the excitability of myelinated axons in neuropathic pain models.</p
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High fat diet modifies the association of lipoprotein lipase gene polymorphism with high density lipoprotein cholesterol in an Asian Indian population
Background
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL) have been shown to influence metabolism related to lipid phenotypes. Dietary factors have been shown to modify the association between LPL SNPs and lipids; however, to date, there are no studies in South Asians. Hence, we tested for the association of four common LPL SNPs with plasma lipids and examined the interactions between the SNPs and dietary factors on lipids in 1,845 Asian Indians.
Methods
The analysis was performed in 788 Type 2 diabetes cases and 1,057 controls randomly chosen from the cross-sectional Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study. Serum triacylglycerol (TAG), serum total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured using a Hitachi-912 autoanalyzer (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The SNPs (rs1121923, rs328, rs4922115 and rs285) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion and 20% of samples were sequenced to validate the genotypes obtained. Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows version 22.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used for statistical analysis.
Results
After correction for multiple testing and adjusting for potential confounders, SNPs rs328 and rs285 showed association with HDL-C (Pâ=â0.0004) and serum TAG (Pâ=â1Ă10â5), respectively. The interaction between SNP rs1121923 and fat intake (energy %) on HDL-C (Pâ=â0.003) was also significant, where, among those who consumed a high fat diet (28.4â±â2.5%), the T allele carriers (TTâ+âXT) had significantly higher HDL-C concentrations (Pâ=â0.0002) and 30% reduced risk of low HDL-C levels compared to the CC homozygotes. None of the interactions on other lipid traits were statistically significant.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that individuals carrying T allele of the SNP rs1121923 have increased HDL-C levels when consuming a high fat diet compared to CC homozygotes. Our finding warrants confirmation in prospective studies and randomized controlled trials
Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in âsNN=5.02ââTeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector
Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (ÎÏ) and pseudorapidity (Îη) are measured in âsNN=5.02ââTeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1ââÎŒb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ÎŁETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Îη|<5) ânear-sideâ (ÎÏâŒ0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ÎŁETPb. A long-range âaway-sideâ (ÎÏâŒÏ) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ÎŁETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Îη and ÎÏ) and ÎŁETPb dependence. The resultant ÎÏ correlation is approximately symmetric about Ï/2, and is consistent with a dominant cosâĄ2ÎÏ modulation for all ÎŁETPb ranges and particle pT
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