Energy Distribution in disordered elastic Networks

Disordered networks are found in many natural and artificial materials, from gels or cytoskeletal structures to metallic foams or bones. Here, the energy distribution in this type of networks is modeled, taking into account the orientation of the struts. A correlation between the orientation and the energy per unit volume is found and described as a function of the connectivity in the network and the relative bending stiffness of the struts. If one or both parameters have relatively large values, the struts aligned in the loading direction present the highest values of energy. On the contrary, if these have relatively small values, the highest values of energy can be reached in the struts oriented transversally. This result allows explaining in a simple way remodeling processes in biological materials, for example, the remodeling of trabecular bone and the reorganization in the cytoskeleton. Additionally, the correlation between the orientation, the affinity, and the bending-stretching ratio in the network is discussed

Loss of protein kinase calpha expression may enhance the tumorigenic potential of Gli1 in basal cell carcinoma

Gli1 has now been implicated in switching between motility and static cell replication. Part of a series of papers, this study tracted PKCalpha expression in relation to Gli1 in various static and motile cell areas of the hair sheath and BCC

Power production forecast for distributed wind energy systems using support vector regression

Due to the inherent intermittency in wind power production, reliable short-term wind power production forecasting has become essential for the efficient grid and market integration of wind energy. The current wind power production forecasting schemes are predominantly developed for wind farms. With the rapid growth in the microgrid sector and the increasing number of wind turbines integrated with these local grids, power production forecasting schemes are becoming essential for distributed wind energy systems as well. This paper proposes a power production forecasting scheme developed explicitly for distributed wind energy projects. The proposed system integrates two submodels based on support vector regression: one for downscaling the wind speed predictions to the hub coordinates of the turbine and the other for predicting the site-specific performance of the turbine under this wind condition. The forecasting horizons considered are the hour ahead (t + 1) and the day ahead (t + 36), which align with the Nord pool's energy market requirements. For the day-ahead scheme, a multistep recursive approach is adopted. The accuracy and adaptability of the proposed forecasting scheme are demonstrated in the case of a distributed wind turbine.publishedVersio

Downscaling and improving the wind forecasts from NWP for wind energy applications using support vector regression

acceptedVersio

Toxic effects of estradiol E2 on development in the European tree frog (Hyla arborea)

Estrogenic hormones are a major environmental threat to aquatic wildlife. Here we report chronic toxic effects of exposure to the naturally excreted estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), on the larval and subadult development of the European tree frog (Hyla arborea), by an experimental setting and long-term monitoring. In addition to the documented impact on sexual development and mating behavior, the general toxicity of human-released estrogens may contribute to global amphibian declines

3D printing for bio-synthetic biliary stents

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive manufacturing method that holds great potential in a variety of future patient-specific medical technologies. This project validated a novel crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (XL-PVA) 3D printed stent infused with collagen, human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs), and cholangiocytes. The biofabrication method in the present study examined 3D printing and collagen injection molding for rapid prototyping of customized living biliary stents with clinical applications in the setting of malignant and benign bile duct obstructions. XL-PVA stents showed hydrophilic swelling and addition of radiocontrast to the stent matrix improved radiographic opacity. Collagen loaded with PMSCs contracted tightly around hydrophilic stents and dense choloangiocyte coatings were verified through histology and fluorescence microscopy. It is anticipated that design elements used in these stents may enable appropriate stent placement, provide protection of the stent-stem cell matrix against bile constituents, and potentially limit biofilm development. Overall, this approach may allow physicians to create personalized bio-integrating stents for use in biliary procedures and lays a foundation for new patient-specific stent fabrication techniques

Tourism and the smartphone app: capabilities, emerging practice and scope in the travel domain.

Based on its advanced computing capabilities and ubiquity, the smartphone has rapidly been adopted as a tourism travel tool.With a growing number of users and a wide varietyof applications emerging, the smartphone is fundamentally altering our current use and understanding of the transport network and tourism travel. Based on a review of smartphone apps, this article evaluates the current functionalities used in the domestic tourism travel domain and highlights where the next major developments lie. Then, at a more conceptual level, the article analyses how the smartphone mediates tourism travel and the role it might play in more collaborative and dynamic travel decisions to facilitate sustainable travel. Some emerging research challenges are discussed

proBed: extension of the BED format for mapping peptides identified by mass spectrometry to a genome

The Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) defines community standards for data representation in proteomics to facilitate data comparison, exchange and verification. The Proteomics Informatics Working Group is developing standards for describing the results of identification and quantification processes for proteins, peptides, small molecules and protein modifications from mass spectrometry. This document defines a tab delimited text file format to report “proteogenomics” results i.e. the identification and mapping of peptide/protein sequences back against a genome, to assist in annotation efforts

A large-scale proteogenomics study of apicomplexan pathogens-Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum

Proteomics data can supplement genome annotation efforts, for example being used to confirm gene models or correct gene annotation errors. Here, we present a large‐scale proteogenomics study of two important apicomplexan pathogens: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. We queried proteomics data against a panel of official and alternate gene models generated directly from RNASeq data, using several newly generated and some previously published MS datasets for this meta‐analysis. We identified a total of 201 996 and 39 953 peptide‐spectrum matches for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, at a 1% peptide FDR threshold. This equated to the identification of 30 494 distinct peptide sequences and 2921 proteins (matches to official gene models) for T. gondii, and 8911 peptides/1273 proteins for N. caninum following stringent protein‐level thresholding. We have also identified 289 and 140 loci for T. gondii and N. caninum, respectively, which mapped to RNA‐Seq‐derived gene models used in our analysis and apparently absent from the official annotation (release 10 from EuPathDB) of these species. We present several examples in our study where the RNA‐Seq evidence can help in correction of the current gene model and can help in discovery of potential new genes