Vrednovanje međusobnog djelovanja oksidant-antioksidant u krvi golubova prirodno zaraženih vrstom Haemoproteus columbae.

Haemoproteus columbae is a haemosporidian parasite that infects pigeons throughout the world. The present study was designed to elucidate more aspects of the antioxidant defense of the body against haemoparasite infections in pigeons. A total of 46 indigenous pigeons naturally infected with H. columbae were selected and subdivided into three subgroups based on their parasitemia rates (<1 %, 1-3 %, 3-5 %). 24 non-infected birds were also used as controls. Blood samples from both groups were taken, and haematological parameters were measured. Although our data demonstrated significant decreases in the red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin values of the infected animals (P<0.05), no remarkable changes were observed in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase), the level of malondiadehyde (MDA) as an index of lipid peroxidation, serum levels of lipids (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL) and serum concentrations of antioxidant trace elements (copper, iron, zinc, manganese and selenium) and vitamins (A, E and C) in infected groups compared to controls. These findings show that anaemia may occur as a result of the infection with H. columbae in pigeons. In addition, the unchanged levels of different antioxidant agents, lipid peroxidation index (MDA) and the main lipid components of serum during the infection, may implicitly suggest that the parasite probably cannot induce significant effects on the antioxidant mechanisms protecting erythrocytes against oxidative agents. Also, oxidative shock may not play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the parasite in pigeons infected with H. columbae. Further studies to clarify the exact mechanism(s) of anaemia in this haemoparasitic infection need to be carried out.Haemoproteus columbae jest hemosporidij koji napada golubove diljem svijeta. Ovo istraživanje poduzeto je u namjeri da se s više gledišta rasvijetli antioksidacijska obrana organizma od hemoparazitskih infekcija u golubova. Ukupno je bilo odabrano 46 autohtonih golubova prirodno invadiranih vrstom H. columbae te podijeljeno u tri podskupine na osnovi stupnja njihove parazitemije (<1%, 1-3%, 3-5%). Kao kontrola poslužile su 24 neinficirane ptice. Uzeti su uzorci krvi od obiju skupina te su određeni hematološki pokazatelji. Iako su rezultati pokazali značajno smanjenje broja crvenih krvnih stanica, vrijednosti hematokrita i hemoglobina u invadiranih životinja (P<0,05), nisu ipak zapažene značajne promjene u aktivnostima antioksidacijskih enzima (uključujući superperoksidnu dismutazu, glutationsku peroksidazu i katalazu), razine malondialdehida (MDA) kao pokazatelja lipidne peroksidacije, razine lipida u serumu (kolesterola, triglicerida, HDL i LDL) i serumskih koncentracija antioksidacijskih elemenata u tragovima (bakra, željeza, cinka, mangana i selena) te vitamina (A, E i C) u uzorcima seruma invadiranih skupina u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. Ti nalazi pokazuju da se anemija može javiti kao rezultat invazije vrstom H. columbae u golubova. Povrh toga, nepromijenjene razine različitih antioksidacijskih tvari, indeks lipidne peroksidacije i sadržaj glavnih lipida u serumu tijekom invazije može značiti da parazit vjerojatno ne može potaknuti značajne učinke na antioksidacijske mehanizme koji bi zaštitili eritrocite od oksidacijskih tvari. Također, oksidacijski šok nema značajnu ulogu u patogenezi invazije vrstom H. columbae u golubova. Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja za točno rasvjetljavanje mehanizama nastanka anemije kod hemoparazitskih invazija

Impact of distributed generation on protection and voltage regulation of distribution systems : a review

During recent decades with the power system restructuring process, centralized energy sources are being replaced with decentralized ones. This phenomenon has resulted in a novel concept in electric power systems, particularly in distribution systems, known as Distributed Generation (DG). On one hand, utilizing DG is important for secure power generation and reducing power losses. On the other hand, widespread use of such technologies introduces new challenges to power systems such as their optimal location, protection devices' settings, voltage regulation, and Power Quality (PQ) issues. Another key point which needs to be considered relates to specific DG technologies based on Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), such as wind and solar, due to their uncertain power generation. In this regard, this paper provides a comprehensive review of different types of DG and investigates the newly emerging challenges arising in the presence of DG in electrical grids.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Risk-oriented multi-area economic dispatch solution with high penetration of wind power generation and compressed air energy storage system

This paper investigates the risk-oriented multi-area economic dispatch (MAED) problem with high penetration of wind farms (WFs) combined with compressed air energy storage (CAES). The main objective is to help system operators to minimize the operational cost of thermal units and CAES units with an appropriate level of security through optimized WF power generation curtailment strategy and CAES charging/discharging control. In the obtained MAED model, several WFs integrated with CAES units are considered in different generation zones, and the probability to meet demand by available spinning reserve during N - 1 security contingency is characterized as a risk function. Furthermore, the contribution of CAES units in providing the system spinning reserve is taken into account in the MAED model. The proposed framework is demonstrated by a case study using the modified IEEE 40-generator system. The numerical results reveal that the proposed method brings a significant advantage to the efficient scheduling of thermal units' power generation, WF power curtailment, and CAES charging/discharging control in the power system.©2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Mixed fermentation and electrospray drying for the development of a novel stabilized wheat germ powder containing highly viable probiotic cultures

Nondairy fermented probiotic powder was developed based on stabilized wheat germ through mixed fermentation (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum) and electrospraying process. In the first step, the effect of mixed fermentation on lipase and lipoxygenase activity of wheat germ was investigated. The results showed a significant reduction in the activity of both enzymes (82.72% for lipase and 72% for lipoxygenase), therefore, mixed fermentation effectively stabilizes the wheat germ. In the next step, after the preparation of the solutions for drying process and investigating the physical properties (surface tension, electrical conductivity, and viscosity) of the solutions, the electrosprayability of the samples was evaluated at different conditions and revealed that 18 kV applying voltage, 0.3 flow rate, and 12 cm distance between tip to collector was the best for electrospraying the 20% solution of fermented wheat germ with morphologically most semi-uniform particles. Finally, the viability of the probiotics after drying process and during the storage at 25°C was examined. The number of initial cells counted as 14.48 ± 0.2 log cfu/g and the viability studies showed 0.55 log cfu/g decrease in the number of viable bacteria from initial count as a result of the electrospraying process. Furthermore, 7.86 ± 0.03 log cfu/g in freeze-dried and 9.05 ± 0.45 log cfu/g in electrosprayed samples survived after 70 days of storage

Efficient Resume-Based Re-Education for Career Recommendation in Rapidly Evolving Job Markets

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of artificial intelligence-based tools created significant job losses across various sectors in all countries around the world. A large portion of these job losses is permanent. Furthermore, the hidden unemployment numbers are higher than currently reported and the impact of Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) based tools will further increase the unemployed population in the coming years. Most businesses are likely to experience significant disruptions to their business-as-usual operations and will face business underperformance for long periods. To ensure business continuity and a smooth recovery process following severe disruptions, it is crucial to establish a recovery strategy. To provide enough workforce for the recovery strategy of various businesses, a large-scale rapid re-education of the workforce is required. Intelligent and virtual workplaces will replace traditional offices in various sectors in the upcoming years and many low-skilled jobs are in danger of being permanently lost. In this paper, an artificial intelligence-based framework for rapid work-skill re-education for evolving markets named Career-gAIde is presented. The proposed framework uses automatic analysis of the job resume of the workers for recommendations of a suitable new job with a higher salary and the best rapid re-education path toward that job. Custom build deep neural networks based on CNN-Random along with customized natural language processing tools are designed for large-scale automatic recommendation of a personalized education and career path to each job seeker. The proposed work is focused on software engineering job search and resume upgrades. There is also a book recommendation module for obtaining the knowledge of job seekers. Precision criteria were used to evaluate the job offer recommendations and the proposed framework achieves 67&#x0025; in this measure. The Recall criteria were used to assess the required skills, with results of 84&#x0025; and 79&#x0025;, respectively. The experimental results show that the proposed framework can provide a solution for rapid work-skill re-adjustment for large-scale workforces

Dual Enhancement of Power System Monitoring: Improved Probabilistic Multi-Stage PMU Placement with an Increased Search Space &amp; Mathematical Linear Expansion to Consider Zero-Injection Bus

This paper presents a mathematical linear expansion model for the probabilistic Multistage Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) Placement (MPP) in which zero-injection buses (ZIBs), as well as communication channel limitations, are taken into consideration. From the linearization perspective, presenting a model formulizing the probabilistic concept of observability while modelling the ZIB is of great significance, and has been done in this paper for the first time. More importantly, the proposed probabilistic MPP utilizes a technique disregarding the prevalent subsidiary optimizations for each planning stage. Although this technique, in turn, increases the problem complexity with manifold variables, it guarantees the global optimal solution in a wider and thorough search space; while in the prevalent methods, some parts of the search space might be missed. Furthermore, the proposed model indicates more realistic aspects of the MPP where system operators are allowed to follow their intention about the importance of buses such as strategic ones based on monitoring the priority principles. In addition, the model is capable of considering the network topology changes due to long-term expansions over the planning horizon. Finally, in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed formulation, the model is conducted on the IEEE 57-bus standard test system and the large scale 2383-bus Polish power system

Biological function and molecular mechanism of piRNA in cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. piRNAs, which are a novel type of identified small noncoding RNA (ncRNA), play a crucial role in cancer genomics. In recent years, a relatively large number of studies have demonstrated that several piRNA are aberrantly expressed in various kinds of cancers including gastric cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and Lung cancer and may probably serve as a novel therapeutic target and biomarker for cancer treatment. The present review summarized current advances in our knowledge of the roles of piRNAs in cancer. Keywords: Cancer, PiRNA, Noncoding RNA, Gene silencing, RNA