A Fast Solution Method for Large-scale Unit Commitment Based on Lagrangian Relaxation and Dynamic Programming

The unit commitment problem (UC) is crucial for the operation and market mechanism of power systems. With the development of modern electricity, the scale of power systems is expanding, and solving the UC problem is also becoming more and more difficult. To this end, this paper proposes a new fast solution method based on Lagrangian relaxation and dynamic program-ming. Firstly, the UC solution is estimated to be an initial trial UC solution by a fast method based on Lagrangian relaxation. This initial trial UC solution fully considers the system-wide con-straints. Secondly, a dynamic programming module is introduced to adjust the trial UC solution to make it satisfy the unit-wise constraints. Thirdly, a method for constructing a feasible UC solution is proposed based on the adjusted trial UC solution. Specifically, a feasibility-testing model and an updating strategy for the trial UC solution are established in this part. Numerical tests are implemented on IEEE 24-bus, IEEE 118-bus, Polish 2383-bus, and French 6468-bus systems, which verify the effec-tiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.Comment: 10 pages, journal paper, transaction

The Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type I (HTLV-I) X Region Encoded Protein p13II Interacts with Cellular Proteins

AbstractInteractions between the Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) gene product p13II and cellular proteins were investigated using the yeast two-hybrid system. Variant forms of p13II were derived from two HTLV-I molecular clones, K30p and K34p, that differ in both virus production and in vivo and in vitro infectivity. Two nucleotide differences between the p13 from K30p (p13K30) and K34p (p13K34) result in a Trp-Arg substitution at amino acid 17 and the truncation of the 25 carboxyl-terminal residues of p13K34. A cDNA library from an HTLV-I-infected rabbit T-cell line was screened with p13K30 and p13K34 as bait. Products of two cDNA clones, C44 and C254, interacted with p13K34 but not with p13K30. Interactions were further confirmed using the GST-fusion protein coprecipitation assay. Sequence analysis of C44 and C254 cDNA clones revealed similarities to members of the nucleoside monophosphate kinase superfamily and actin-binding protein 280, respectively. Further analysis of the function of these two proteins and the consequence of their interaction with p13 may help elucidate a role for p13 in virus production, infectivity, or the pathogenesis of HTLV-I

Detection of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) in Mosquitoes from Pig Farms by PCR

To investigate, whether mosquitoes could be potential vectors that maintain or transmit PCV2, 59 mosquito samples were collected from suspicious PCV2-infected pig farms in Hubei and Anhui province, China. Total DNA from these mosquitoes was extracted and then tested for presence of PCV2 nucleic acid by PCR. Four (6.78%) samples showed the positive result. Subsequently, the positive PCR product was cloned into pEASY-T1 vector and sequenced. Sequence analysis displayed that homology between the PCR products and PCV2 strains were more than 94%. These results demonstrate that PCV2 nucleic acid exists in these mosquitoes, which suggests that mosquitoes could serve as mechanical transmission vectors of PCV2

Characterization of stress degradation products of curcumin and its two derivatives by UPLC–DAD–MS/MS

AbstractCurcumin and its two derivatives of PB-3 and DY-1 were subjected to the forced degradation studies under the conditions of hydrolysis (acidic and alkaline), oxidation, photolysis, and thermal stress recommended by ICH Q1A (R2) by means of UPLC–DAD–MS/MS. Three analytes and their degradation products were separated on a column of ACQUITY UPLC®BEH C18 (100mm×2.1mm, 1.7μm) with an in-line filter prior to the column using acetonitrile and 10mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH adjusted to 3.5) as a mobile phase. Both curcumin and DY-1 showed extensive degradation under alkaline condition and gave rise to two degradation products for curcumin and three for DY-1, respectively, while no degradation product was observed under other tested conditions. PB-3 was found to be unstable in acid and alkaline conditions, two degradation products in acidic hydrolytic condition and one in alkaline condition were obtained, while it was stable in photolytic, oxidative and thermal stress conditions. The degradation products of three analytes were characterized as follows by analyzing the mass fragmentation patterns of curcumin and mass analysis of the degradation products: ferulic acid and vanillin for curcumin, 3-methoxyl-4-[3-(1-tetrahydropyrrolyl)propoxyl] benzoic aldehyde, 2,2-di-(1-phenylmethyl)-3-oxo-5-[3-methoxyl-4-(3-tetrahydropyrolylpropoxyl)] pent-4-enoic acid, and tetrapyrolyl propoxyl methoxyl phenyl prop-2-enoic acid for PB-3, 3-oxo-5-[4-hydroxyl-5-methoxyl-3-(1-morpholinylmethyl)] pent-4-enoic aldehyde, 3-oxo-5-(4-hydroxyl-5-methoxyl-3-(1-morpholinylmethyl)) pent-4-enoic acid and 2-hydroxyl-3-methoxyl-5-(7-(3-methoxyl-4-hydroxylphenyl)-3,5-dioxo-4,4-dimethyl hept-1,6-dienyl) benzoic acid for DY-1, respectively. The degradation pathways of curcumin and its derivatives were presented in addition

RDR6 Has a Broad-Spectrum but Temperature-Dependent Antiviral Defense Role in \u3ci\u3eNicotiana benthamiana\u3c/i\u3e

SDE1/SGS2/RDR6, a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) from Arabidopsis thaliana, has previously been found to be indispensable for maintaining the posttranscriptional silencing of transgenes, but it is seemingly redundant for antiviral defense. To elucidate the antiviral role of this RdRP in a different host plant and to evaluate whether plant growth conditions affect its role, we down-regulated expression of the Nicotiana benthamiana homolog, NbRDR6, and examined the plants for altered susceptibility to various viruses at different growth temperatures. The results we describe here clearly show that plants with reduced expression of NbRDR6 were more susceptible to all viruses tested and that this effect was more pronounced at higher growth temperatures. Diminished expression of NbRDR6 also permitted efficient multiplication of tobacco mosaic virus in the shoot apices, leading to serious disruption with microRNA-mediated developmental regulation. Based on these results, we propose that NbRDR6 participates in the antiviral RNA silencing pathway that is stimulated by rising temperatures but suppressed by virus-encoded silencing suppressors. The relative strengths of these two factors, along with other plant defense components, critically influence the outcome of virus infections

Media Literasi: Upaya Bijak Menyikapi Terpaan Tayangan Televisi

The television media have transformed into industry. Tight competition among TV stations demands the media people to provide programs based on the market taste. Therefore, mostly TV stations design and produce their programs based on share and rating numbers, instead of quality. On the other side, TV stations have important roles in constructing social and cultural development. Currently, TV programs are merely produced based on the business orientation so that the quality of the TV programs is often ignored. Audience must be wise and smart to protect themselves from poor-quality TV programs exposure. This can be achieved by improving their Media Literacy. In the end, Audience is no longer treated as passive object, but actively takes control on the content selection

Loss of p53 Attenuates the Contribution of IL-6 Deletion on Suppressed Tumor Progression and Extended Survival in Kras-Driven Murine Lung Cancer

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in lung cancer tumorigenesis, tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Previous studies show that blockade of IL-6 signaling can inhibit tumor growth and increase drug sensitivity in mouse models. Clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) reveal that IL-6 targeted therapy relieves NSCLC-related anemia and cachexia, although other clinical effects require further study. We crossed IL-6-/- mice with KrasG12D mutant mice, which develop lung tumors after activation of mutant KrasG12D, to investigate whether IL-6 inhibition contributes to tumor progression and survival time in vivo. KrasG12D; IL-6-/- mice exhibited increased tumorigenesis, but slower tumor growth and longer survival, than KrasG12D mice. Further, in order to investigate whether IL-6 deletion contributes to suppression of lung cancer metastasis, we generated KrasG12D; p53flox/flox; IL-6-/- mice, which developed lung cancer with a trend for reduced metastases and longer survival than KrasG12D; p53flox/flox mice. Tumors from KrasG12D; IL-6-/- mice showed increased expression of TNFα and decreased expression of CCL-19, CCL-20 and phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) than KrasG12D mice; however, these changes were not present between tumors from KrasG12D; p53flox/flox; IL-6-/- and KrasG12D; p53flox/flox mice. Upregulation of pSTAT3 and phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) were observed in KrasG12D tumors with p53 deletion. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-6 deletion accelerates tumorigenesis but delays tumor progression and prolongs survival time in a Kras-driven mouse model of lung cancer. However, these effects can be attenuated by p53 deletion