Dynamic Load and Storage Integration

Modern technology combined with the desire to minimize the size and weight of a ship’s power system are leading to renewed interest in more electric or all electric ships. An important characteristic of the emerging ship power system is an increasing level of load variability, with some future pulsed loads requiring peak power in excess of the available steady– state power. This inevitably leads to the need for some additional energy storage beyond that inherent in the fuel. With the current and evolving technology, it appears that storage will be in the form of batteries, rotating machines, and capacitors. All of these are in use on ships today and all have enjoyed significant technological improvements over the last decade. Moreover all are expected to be further enhanced by today’s materials research. A key benefit of storage is that, when it can be justified for a given load, it can have additional beneficial uses such as ride-through capability to restart a gas turbine if there is an unanticipated power loss; alternatively, storage can be used to stabilize the power grid when switching large loads. Knowing when to stage gas turbine utilization versus energy storage is a key subject in this paper. The clear need for storage has raised the opportunity to design a comprehensive storage system, sometimes called an energy magazine, that can combine intermittent generation as well as any or all of the other storage technologies to provide a smaller, lighter and better performing system than would individual storage solutions for each potential application.Center for Electromechanic

Plant damage in urban agroecosystems varies with local and landscape factors

Biotic and abiotic factors at local to landscape scales influence insect pest and disease dynamics in agricultural systems. However, relative to studies focused on the importance of these drivers of crop plant damage in rural agricultural systems, few studies investigate plant damage from herbivore insects and plant diseases in urban agroecosystems, and consequently, most urban farmers lack knowledge on crop protection tactics. Here we use three common crop species within urban agroecosystems (community gardens) distributed across an urban landscape as a model system to ask how local, landscape, and microclimate factors relate to herbivore and disease plant damage. We hypothesized that plant damage would be lower in gardens with greater local vegetation complexity, landscape‐scale complexity, and less variable temperatures, but that the importance of factors is species‐ and damage‐specific. By measuring Brassica, cucurbit, and tomato insect pest and disease damage across the growing season, we confirmed that the importance of factors varies with crop species and by damage type. Both local complexity factors (e.g., number of trees and shrubs) and landscape complexity (percent natural cover in the landscape) relate to lower incidence of herbivore and disease damage on some crops, supporting our prediction that habitat heterogeneity at both local and landscape scales lowers plant damage. Greater temperature variability related to higher disease damage on tomatoes linking microclimate factors to disease prevalence. Yet, local complexity factors also related to higher incidence of plant damage for other crop species, indicating variable species‐level impacts of local management factors on plant damage. By measuring the abundance of fungus‐feeding lady beetles (Psyllobora) on cucurbits, we confirmed a strong association between natural enemies and powdery mildew. We provide a case study on how changes in local to landscape‐scale factors relate to plant damage in urban agroecosystems and suggest how urban farmers and gardeners can apply this ecological knowledge to improve sustainable urban food production.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 202

ORNL/IAT ARMATURE DIAGNOSTICS DEMONSTRATION TEST REPORT: PART TWO: BENCH DEMONSTRATION

The purpose of the present effort was to demonstrate 'on the fly' temperature measurement of railgun armatures on a bench top railgun. The effort builds on the previous test that utilized a portable unit with armature speeds ranging from 50 to 90 m/s. The tests described here involved higher speeds, ranging from 300 to 500 m/s. The method to accomplish the measurement involves pulsed laser illumination of a phosphor-coated armature. The duration of the ensuing fluorescence indicates temperature. The measured temperatures, obtained both inside the muzzle and outside in free flight, ranged between 80 to 110 C. The required pulsed fluorescence was made possible by successfully sensing the position of the armature while traveling within the laser illumination and fluorescence sensing fields-of-view. A high-speed camera also captured images of the moving armatures after exiting the railgun. These images sometimes included the fluorescing region of the phosphor coating

Increased Membrane Cholesterol in Lymphocytes Diverts T-Cells toward an Inflammatory Response

Cell signaling for T-cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis is initiated in the cholesterol-rich microdomains of the plasma membrane known as lipid rafts. Herein, we investigated whether enrichment of membrane cholesterol in lipid rafts affects antigen-specific CD4 T-helper cell functions. Enrichment of membrane cholesterol by 40–50% following squalene administration in mice was paralleled by an increased number of resting CD4 T helper cells in periphery. We also observed sensitization of the Th1 differentiation machinery through co-localization of IL-2Rα, IL-4Rα, and IL-12Rβ2 subunits with GM1 positive lipid rafts, and increased STAT-4 and STAT-5 phosphorylation following membrane cholesterol enrichment. Antigen stimulation or CD3/CD28 polyclonal stimulation of membrane cholesterol-enriched, resting CD4 T-cells followed a path of Th1 differentiation, which was more vigorous in the presence of increased IL-12 secretion by APCs enriched in membrane cholesterol. Enrichment of membrane cholesterol in antigen-specific, autoimmune Th1 cells fostered their organ-specific reactivity, as confirmed in an autoimmune mouse model for diabetes. However, membrane cholesterol enrichment in CD4+ Foxp3+ T-reg cells did not alter their suppressogenic function. These findings revealed a differential regulatory effect of membrane cholesterol on the function of CD4 T-cell subsets. This first suggests that membrane cholesterol could be a new therapeutic target to modulate the immune functions, and second that increased membrane cholesterol in various physiopathological conditions may bias the immune system toward an inflammatory Th1 type response

Double Negative (CD3+4−8−) TCRαβ Splenic Cells from Young NOD Mice Provide Long-Lasting Protection against Type 1 Diabetes

-reactive T-cells. Herein, we analyzed the function and phenotype of DNCD3 splenic cells in young NOD mice predisposed to several autoimmune disorders among which, the human-like autoimmune diabetes. with a predominant Vβ13 gene usage.T-regulatory cells. DNCD3 splenic cells could be potentially manipulated towards the development of autologous cell therapies in autoimmune diabetes

Alteration in cytokine receptors mRNA expression after squalene enrichment of membrane cholesterol in resting lymphocytes.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Quantitative real-time RT-PCR of IL-4Rα, IL-12Rβ2, and IL-2Rα mRNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes of individual F1 mice (n = 5/group) analyzed before squalene treatment (dark bars) and 7 days after squalene injection (180 µg/mouse) (light bars). Y axis indicates the mean fold increase in mRNA expression level relative to the endogenous 18S rRNA expression level (control ± SD). Shown are two combined separate experiments (*<i>p</i> values<0.05). (<b>B</b>) Aliquots samples in panel A were stained with CD4-FITC conjugate, co-stained either with IL-4Rα-PE or IL-12Rβ2-PE or IL-2Rα-PE conjugates, and analyzed by FACS at the single-cell level for the surface IL-Rs expression level based on MFI measurements. Shown are the IL-Rs MFI values ± SD measured in individual mice before and after squalene treatment. Of note, no significant changes occurred in the IL-Rs expression on cell surface after squalene treatment (*<i>p</i> values>0.05).</p

Squalene administration leads to accumulation of membrane cholesterol in resting CD4 T-cells.

<p>(<b>A</b>) F1 hybrid mice (n = 5/group) were injected i.p. or not (purple line) with a single dose (black line) or 4 doses of squalene (red line) within a week interval (180 µg/dose/mouse). Seven days after the last injection, negatively-sorted splenic CD4 cells from individual mice were co-stained with CD3-PE, CD4-FITC and Filipin III. Shown is the amount of cholesterol in plasma cell membrane of gated CD3⁺CD4⁺ splenic cells as measured by MFI of Filipin III in FACS at single-cell level in one representative mouse from each group (<i>left panel</i>). <i>Right panel</i>, F1 hybrid mice (n = 7/group) were injected i.p. (black line) or not (red line) with a single dose of squalene (180 µg/mouse) and 7 days later negatively-sorted splenic CD4 cells from individual mice were co-stained with CD3-PE, CD4-FITC, and Filipin III. Shown is the percentage of gated CD4⁺ T-cells ± standard deviation (SD) and MFI values of Filipin III ± SD before and after squalene injection as collected among 700 cell events in gated population of CD3⁺4⁺ T-cells for one of three representative experiments. (<b>B</b>) Cholesterol accumulation in the spleen was identified by Oil Red O (ORO) staining of frozen spleen sections, counter-stained with hematoxylin from untreated or squalene treated mice (180 µg/mouse) given one or four doses, and analyzed 7 days post-injection (n = 3/group). <i>Left panel,</i> spleen section from untreated mouse. <i>Middle panels,</i> spleen section from squalene treated mice. <i>Right panel,</i> positive control for ORO lipid droplet staining in adipocytes. Shown is one representative ORO stained section in each group. Dark arrows indicate ORO stain. (<b>C</b>) Quantitative real-time RT-PCR of HMG-CoA reductase mRNA and Squalene epoxidase mRNA extracted from negatively-sorted CD4 splenocytes isolated from individual F1 hybrid mice (n = 5/group) that were treated (light bars) or not treated (dark bars) with a single dose of squalene (180 µg/mouse) and analyzed 7 days post-injection. Y axis indicates the mean fold increase in mRNA expression level relative to the endogenous 18S rRNA expression level (control ± standard deviation (SD). Shown are two combined separate experiments (*<i>p</i> value<0.05). (<b>D</b>) FACS measurements of CD3⁺4⁺<i>Foxp3</i>⁺ T-reg cells from negatively-sorted CD4⁺ splenic cells of the same F1 mouse groups analyzed in panel A that were co-stained with CD3-PE and Filipin III. Shown is the percentage of gated CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ T-reg cells ± SD and MFI values of Filipin III ± SD collected among 500 cell events in the gated population of GFP⁺-<i>Foxp3</i>/GFP⁺ cells from one mouse in each group from two representative experiments.</p

Squalene induced accumulation of membrane cholesterol in resting CD4 T cells favors Th1 polarization under antigen-specific or non antigen specific stimulation.

<p>(A) Isolated adherent splenocytes (APCs, 5×10⁵) from individual F1 mice treated or not with 180 µg of squalene, were pulsed (+) or not pulsed (-) with HA_110–120 synthetic peptide (40 µg/mL/10⁶ cells) <i>in vitro</i> 7 days after squalene injection, and co-cultured with negatively-sorted CD4 splenic T-cells (10⁶ cells) from the same groups of mice, treated or not with squalene (Sq) (n = 4/group). Various cell co-culture combinations are shown on the X-axis, where (+) indicates presence and (–) indicates absence from the culture. Cell-culture supernatants were collected 24–48 h later, and secretion of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ (Y-axis) was measured in pg/ml by Luminex. Bars represent average ± SD. Differences among groups were highly significant (<i>p</i><0.001) for cytokines with the following exceptions denoted as §: For IL-4, co-culutre in lane 6 differed significantly from lane 5 (<i>p</i> = 0.047) but not from lane 3 (<i>p</i> = 0.097). No significant difference was observed between co-culture in lane 3 and 5 for any of the three cytokines. (<b>B</b>) Intracellular cytokine staining for IFN-γ (<i>left panels</i>) and IL-4 (<i>right panels</i>) in splenic cells and CD4-gated splenic cells from individual untreated (<i>top panels</i>) and squalene treated F1 mice (<i>bottom panels</i>) (n = 3/group) were stimulated for 48 h with anti-CD3/CD28 Abs (2.5 µg each/10⁶ cells). Shown are the overlapped FACS histograms of gated CD4⁺ T cells synthesizing IL-4 or IFN-γ (red cell events), and total splenic cells (dark cell events) from squalene treated or untreated F1 mice, 7 days after squalene treatment. R1 gate indicates the low-proliferating cell population whereas the R2 gate indicates the high proliferating cell population in each experiment. Dead cells are shown in the un-gated cell population below the R1 gate. Shown is one of two representative experiments.</p