A study of smart grids for railways

The smart grid is a next-generation electric power supply grid in which IT technologies are applied to optimise energy efficiency through the exchange of power information between suppliers and consumers in real time. To date, smart grid research has been focussed on the home and domestic sectors, while little progress has been made in developing smart grids for railways. This likely stems from the complexity of electric railway traction systems, which must supply multiple electrical trains with variable electrical loads depending on varying combinations of trains and train operation requirements including maintaining constant speed and reducing speed. Therefore, this thesis proposes to assess the hypothesis that renewable energy, which is one of the representative technologies used in smart grids, can in fact be applied in railway traction power systems. This thesis is also an oriented study that provides guidance in the advance planning of grid systems to be implemented in the near future. In addition to contributions to the development of railway traction systems, it is also hoped that the results will help in intensifying the international competitiveness of railways in terms of greenhouse gas reduction and the reduction of energy imports

A role for spleen monocytes in post-ischemic brain inflammation and injury

Although infiltration of peripheral monocytes/macrophages is implicated in stroke pathology, in vivo data regarding the deployment of monocytes and their mobilization to the infarct area is scarce. Recent literature showed that mouse monocytes exhibit two distinct populations that represent pro-inflammatory (Ly-6Chi/CCR2+) and anti-inflammatory (Ly-6Clow/CCR2-) subsets and that spleen is a major source for monocyte deployment upon injury. By reducing post-ischemic infection with antibacterial moxifloxacin (MFX) treatment, the present study investigates the effect of the treatment on Ly-6C and CCR2 expression in the spleen following ischemia and the extent to which the effect is associated with attenuation of post-ischemic inflammation and injury. Mice subjected to a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) showed a significant reduction in their spleen weights compared to sham animals. Compared to vehicle controls, splenocytes obtained from daily MFX-treated mice 7 days after ischemia exhibited significantly reduced mean Ly-6C expression within pro-inflammatory subsets, whereas the distribution of pro- and anti-inflammatory subsets was not different between the treatment groups. Additionally, MFX treatment significantly reduced CCR2 expression in the spleen tissue and in the post-ischemic brain and attenuated infarct size. The study suggests a potential contributing role of spleen monocytes in post-ischemic inflammation and injury. The influence of peripheral inflammatory status on the primary injury in the CNS further implies that the attenuation of post-stroke infection may be beneficial in mitigating stroke-induced brain injury

A Transcriptome Approach Toward Understanding Fruit Softening in Persimmon

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.), which is a climacteric fruit, softens in 3–5 weeks after harvest. However, little is known regarding the transcriptional changes that underlie persimmon ripening. In this study, high-throughput de novo RNA sequencing was performed to examine differential expression between freshly harvested (FH) and softened (ST) persimmon fruit peels. Using the Illumina HiSeq platform, we obtained 259,483,704 high quality reads and 94,856 transcripts. After the removal of redundant sequences, a total of 31,258 unigenes were predicted, 1,790 of which were differentially expressed between FH and ST persimmon (1,284 up-regulated and 506 down-regulated in ST compared with FH). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were further subjected to KEGG pathway analysis. Several pathways were found to be up-regulated in ST persimmon, including “amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism.” Pathways down-regulated in ST persimmon included “photosynthesis” and “carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms.” Expression patterns of genes in these pathways were further confirmed using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Ethylene gas production during persimmon softening was monitored with gas chromatography and found to be correlated with the fruit softening. Transcription involved in ethylene biosynthesis, perception and signaling was up-regulated. On the whole, this study investigated the key genes involved in metabolic pathways of persimmon fruit softening, especially implicated in increased sugar metabolism, decreased photosynthetic capability, and increased ethylene production and other ethylene-related functions. This transcriptome analysis provides baseline information on the identity and modulation of genes involved in softening of persimmon fruits and can underpin the future development of technologies to delay softening in persimmon

Daidzein Augments Cholesterol Homeostasis via ApoE to Promote Functional Recovery in Chronic Stroke

Stroke is the world's leading cause of physiological disability, but there are currently no available agents that can be delivered early after stroke to enhance recovery. Daidzein, a soy isoflavone, is a clinically approved agent that has a neuroprotective effect in vitro, and it promotes axon growth in an animal model of optic nerve crush. The current study investigates the efficacy of daidzein on neuroprotection and functional recovery in a clinically relevant mouse model of stroke recovery. In light of the fact that cholesterols are essential lipid substrates in injury-induced synaptic remodeling, we found that daidzein enhanced the cholesterol homeostasis genetic program, including Lxr and downstream transporters, Apoe, Abca1, and Abcg1 genes in vitro. Daidzein also elevated the cholesterol homeostasis genes in the poststroke brain with Apoe, the highest expressing transporter, but did not affect infarct volume or hemispheric swelling. Despite the absence of neuroprotection, daidzein improved motor/gait function in chronic stroke and elevated synaptophysin expression. However, the daidzein-enhanced functional benefits and synaptophysin expression were abolished in Apoe-knock-out mice, suggesting the importance of daidzein-induced ApoE upregulation in fostering stroke recovery. Dissociation between daidzein-induced functional benefits and the absence of neuroprotection further suggest the presence of nonoverlapping mechanisms underlying recovery processes versus acute pathology. With its known safety in humans, early and chronic use of daidzein aimed at augmenting ApoE may serve as a novel, translatable strategy to promote functional recovery in stroke patients without adverse acute effect. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT There have been recurring translational failures in treatment strategies for stroke. One underlying issue is the disparity in outcome analysis between animal and clinical studies. The former mainly depends on acute infarct size, whereas long-term functional recovery is an important outcome in patients. In an attempt to identify agents that promote functional recovery, we discovered that an FDA-approved soy isoflavone, daidzein, improved stroke-induced behavioral deficits via enhancing cholesterol homeostasis in chronic stroke, and this occurs without causing adverse effects in the acute phase. With its known safety in humans, the study suggests that the early and chronic use of daidzein serves as a potential strategy to promote functional recovery in stroke patients

Development of the Stress-induced Cognition Scale

The objective of this study was to develop the stress-induced cognition scale (SCS). A preliminary survey was conducted on 109 healthy adults to obtain cognitive stress responses. Then, 215 healthy subjects completed a preliminary questionnaire. A comparison was made regarding cognitive stress responses among 73 patients with depressive disorders and 215 healthy subjects. Factor analysis of the SCS yielded 3 subscales: extreme thought, aggressive-hostile thought, and self-depreciative thought. The test-retest reliability for the 3 subscales and the total score was significantly high, ranging from 0.87 to 0.95. The Cronbach's α for the 3 subscales and total score ranged from 0.82 to 0.94. The convergent validity was calculated by correlating the 3 subscales and total score of the SCS with the total score of the global assessment of recent stress (GARS) scale, the perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). The correlations were all at significant levels. The depressive disorder group scored significantly higher than the healthy control group in all the subscale scores and total scores of the SCS. Female subjects were significantly higher than males in the total scores of the SCS. These results indicate that the SCS is highly reliable and valid, and that it can be utilized as an effective measure for research related to cognitive assessment

Development of the Somatic Stress Response Scale and Its Application in Clinical Practice

The objective of this study was to develop the Somatic Stress Response Scale (SSRS), and then to use the scale in clinical practice. A preliminary survey was conducted using 109 healthy adults to obtain somatic stress responses. Then, 215 healthy subjects completed a preliminary questionnaire. A comparison was made regarding the somatic stress responses among 191 patients (71 with anxiety disorders, 73 with depressive disorders and 47 with somatoform disorders) and 215 healthy subjects. Factor analysis of the SSRS yielded five subscales: the cardiorespiratory response, somatic sensitivity, gastrointestinal response, general somatic response and genitourinary response subscales. The test-retest reliability for the five subscales and the total score was significantly high, ranging from .86 to .94. The Cronbach's α for the five subscales ranged from .72 to .92, and was .95 for the total score. By correlating the five subscales and the total score of the SSRS with the somatization subscale scores of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), convergent validity was calculated. The correlations were all at significant levels. Each of the disorder groups was significantly higher in scores of the cardiorespiratory response, gastrointestinal response, general somatic response and genitourinary response subscale, and in the total SSRS score than the healthy group. Only the depressive disorder group scored significantly higher on the somatic sensitivity subscale than the healthy group, and they also scored significantly higher on the genitourinary response subscale than the anxiety disorder group did. These results suggest that the SSRS is highly reliable and valid, and that it can be effectively utilized as a measure for research of the somatic symptoms related to stress. It also implies that somatic sensitivity and genitourinary responses are associated with depressive disorders

Chaperone-like protein DAY plays critical roles in photomorphogenesis.

Photomorphogenesis, light-mediated development, is an essential feature of all terrestrial plants. While chloroplast development and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling are known players in photomorphogenesis, proteins that regulate both pathways have yet to be identified. Here we report that DE-ETIOLATION IN THE DARK AND YELLOWING IN THE LIGHT (DAY), a membrane protein containing DnaJ-like domain, plays a dual-role in photomorphogenesis by stabilizing the BR receptor, BRI1, as well as a key enzyme in chlorophyll biosynthesis, POR. DAY localizes to both the endomembrane and chloroplasts via its first transmembrane domain and chloroplast transit peptide, respectively, and interacts with BRI1 and POR in their respective subcellular compartments. Using genetic analysis, we show that DAY acts independently on BR signaling and chlorophyll biogenesis. Collectively, this work uncovers DAY as a factor that simultaneously regulates BR signaling and chloroplast development, revealing a key regulator of photomorphogenesis that acts across cell compartments

3′ Splice Site Sequences of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Related SMN2 Pre-mRNA Include Enhancers for Nearby Exons

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a human genetic disease which occurs because of the deletion or mutation of SMN1 gene. SMN1 gene encodes the SMN protein which plays a key role in spliceosome assembly. Although human patients contain SMN2, a duplicate of SMN1, splicing of SMN2 produces predominantly exon 7 skipped isoform. In order to understand the functions of splice site sequences on exon 7 and 8, we analyzed the effects of conserved splice site sequences on exon 7 skipping of SMN2 and SMN1 pre-mRNA. We show here that conserved 5′ splice site sequence of exon 7 promoted splicing of nearby exons and subsequently reduced splicing of distant exons. However, to our surprise, conserved 3′ splice site sequence of exon 7 and 8 did not promote splicing of nearby exons. By contrast, the mutation inhibited splicing of nearby exons and subsequently promoted splicing of distant exons. Our study shows that 3′ splice sites of exon 7 and 8 contain enhancer for their splice site selection, in addition to providing cleavage sites

Interview Language: A Proxy Measure for Acculturation Among Asian Americans in a Population-Based Survey

We examined health status and access to care among Asian Americans by the following acculturation indicators: nativity, percent lifetime in the US, self-rated English proficiency, and interview language, to assess whether any measure better distinguishes acculturation. Data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey were used to study the sample of 4,170 US-born and foreign-born Asians by acculturation indicators. We performed t-tests to compare differences in demographics, health status and behaviors, and access to care between the foreign-born and US-born Asians, and between various classifications within foreign-born and the US-born Asian group. Our results showed that foreign-born Asians who interviewed in English more closely resembled US-born Asians than foreign-born Asians who interviewed in languages other than English. Compared to interview language, dichotomizing the sample by other acculturation indicators showed smaller differences between the divided groups. Interview language may serve as a better measure for acculturation especially among foreign-born populations with a high proportion of limited English proficiency. In immigrant public health research studies, interview language may be used as an important covariate for health disparities

Harnessing hypoxic adaptation to prevent, treat, and repair stroke

The brain demands oxygen and glucose to fulfill its roles as the master regulator of body functions as diverse as bladder control and creative thinking. Chemical and electrical transmission in the nervous system is rapidly disrupted in stroke as a result of hypoxia and hypoglycemia. Despite being highly evolved in its architecture, the human brain appears to utilize phylogenetically conserved homeostatic strategies to combat hypoxia and ischemia. Specifically, several converging lines of inquiry have demonstrated that the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1-1) mediates the activation of a large cassette of genes involved in adaptation to hypoxia in surviving neurons after stroke. Accordingly, pharmacological or molecular approaches that engage hypoxic adaptation at the point of one of its sensors (e.g., inhibition of HIF prolyl 4 hydroxylases) leads to profound sparing of brain tissue and enhanced recovery of function. In this review, we discuss the potential mechanisms that could subserve protective and restorative effects of augmenting hypoxic adaptation in the brain. The strategy appears to involve HIF-dependent and HIF-independent pathways and more than 70 genes and proteins activated transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally that can act at cellular, local, and system levels to compensate for oxygen insufficiency. The breadth and depth of this homeostatic program offers a hopeful alternative to the current pessimism towards stroke therapeutics