Cross-entropy boosted CRO-SL for optimal power flow in smart grids

Optimal power flow (OPF) is a complex, highly nonlinear, NP-hard optimization problem, in which the goal is to determine the optimal operational parameters of a power-related system (in many cases a type of smart or micro grid) which guarantee an economic and effective power dispatch. In recent years, a number of approaches based on metaheuristics algorithms have been proposed to solve OPF problems. In this paper, we propose the use of the Cross-Entropy (CE) method as a first step depth search operator to assist population-based evolutionary methods in the framework of an OPF problem. Specifically, a new variant of the Coral Reefs Optimization with Substrate Layers algorithm boosted with CE method (CE+CRO-SL) is presented in this work. We have adopted the IEEE 57-Bus System as a test scenario which, by default, has seven thermal generators for power production for the grid. We have modified this system by replacing three thermal generators with renewable source generators, in order to consider a smart grid approach with renewable energy production. The performance of CE+CRO-SL in this particular case study scenario has been compared with that of well-known techniques such as population’s methods CMA-ES and EPSO (both boosted with CE). The results obtained indicate that CE+CRO-SL showed a superior performance than the alternative techniques in terms of efficiency and accuracy. This is justified by its greater exploration capacity, since it has internally operations coming from different heuristics, thus surpassing the performance of classic methods. Moreover, in a projection analysis, the CE+CRO-SL provides a profit of millions of dollars per month in all cases tested considering the modified version of the IEEE 57-Bus smart grid system

A First Search for coincident Gravitational Waves and High Energy Neutrinos using LIGO, Virgo and ANTARES data from 2007

We present the results of the first search for gravitational wave bursts associated with high energy neutrinos. Together, these messengers could reveal new, hidden sources that are not observed by conventional photon astronomy, particularly at high energy. Our search uses neutrinos detected by the underwater neutrino telescope ANTARES in its 5 line configuration during the period January - September 2007, which coincided with the fifth and first science runs of LIGO and Virgo, respectively. The LIGO-Virgo data were analysed for candidate gravitational-wave signals coincident in time and direction with the neutrino events. No significant coincident events were observed. We place limits on the density of joint high energy neutrino - gravitational wave emission events in the local universe, and compare them with densities of merger and core-collapse events.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, science summary page at http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S5LV_ANTARES/index.php. Public access area to figures, tables at https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=p120000

Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals a Causal Influence of Circulating Sclerostin Levels on Bone Mineral Density and Fractures

In bone, sclerostin is mainly osteocyte-derived and plays an important local role in adaptive responses to mechanical loading. Whether circulating levels of sclerostin also play a functional role is currently unclear, which we aimed to examine by two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). A genetic instrument for circulating sclerostin, derived from a genomewide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of serum sclerostin in 10,584 European-descent individuals, was examined in relation to femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD; n = 32,744) in GEFOS and estimated bone mineral density (eBMD) by heel ultrasound (n = 426,824) and fracture risk (n = 426,795) in UK Biobank. Our GWAS identified two novel serum sclerostin loci, B4GALNT3 (standard deviation [SD]) change in sclerostin per A allele (β = 0.20, p = 4.6 × 10−49) and GALNT1 (β = 0.11 per G allele, p = 4.4 × 10−11). B4GALNT3 is an N-acetyl-galactosaminyltransferase, adding a terminal LacdiNAc disaccharide to target glycocoproteins, found to be predominantly expressed in kidney, whereas GALNT1 is an enzyme causing mucin-type O-linked glycosylation. Using these two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as genetic instruments, MR revealed an inverse causal relationship between serum sclerostin and femoral neck BMD (β = –0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.20 to –0.05) and eBMD (β = –0.12, 95% CI –0.14 to –0.10), and a positive relationship with fracture risk (β = 0.11, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.21). Colocalization analysis demonstrated common genetic signals within the B4GALNT3 locus for higher sclerostin, lower eBMD, and greater B4GALNT3 expression in arterial tissue (probability >99%). Our findings suggest that higher sclerostin levels are causally related to lower BMD and greater fracture risk. Hence, strategies for reducing circulating sclerostin, for example by targeting glycosylation enzymes as suggested by our GWAS results, may prove valuable in treating osteoporosis

Grundlagen der Genaufertigung komplizierter Sektionen des Vor- und Hinterschiffes. Mit Anlagenband Abschlussbericht

Published in two volumesAvailable from TIB Hannover: F02B1614: F02B1615 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman

Festigkeitseigenschaften von Schliessringbolzenverbindungen bei statischer und dynamischer Beanspruchung unter Verwendung verschiedener Bauteilwerkstoffe Schlussbericht

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RO 146(168) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekArbeitsgemeinschaft Industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen 'Otto von Guericke' e.V. (AIF), Koeln (Germany); Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi), Berlin (Germany)DEGerman

Development, validation and application of a 96-well enzymatic assay based on LC-ESI-MS/MS quantification for the screening of selective inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis purine nucleoside phosphorylase

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP, EC 2.4.2.1) has been identified as a target for the development of specific inhibitors with potential antimycobacterial activity.We hereby described the development and validation of a new 96-well LC-ESI-MS/MS method to assess the inhibition activity of nucleoside analogues towards MtbPNP and the human PNP (HsPNP). Enzyme activity was determined by monitoring the phosphorolysis of inosine (Ino) to hypoxanthine (Hpx). The enzymatic assay (v \ubc 0.5 mL, enzyme<0.2 mg/well, T \ubc 37 C) was performed with an overall time of about 15 min/plate for sample processing and 2 min/sample for LC-MS analysis. Validation of the quantification method met the criteria of the CDER guidance of FDA. Kinetic parameters were in agreement with those reported in literature (HsPNP KM \ubc 0.150 \ub1 0.020 mM vs 0.133 \ub1 0.015 mM; MtbPNP KM \ubc 0.060 \ub1 0.009 mM vs 0.040 \ub1 0.003 mM for Ino), thus demonstrating the reliability of the newly developed enzymatic assay. Preliminary inhibition assays confirmed the effects reported for Acyclovir (Acv) and Formycin A (FA) against HsPNP and MtbPNP. The validated enzymatic assay was applied to the evaluation of a set of 8-halo-, 8-amino-, 8-O-alkyl-substituted purine ribonucleosides synthesized on purpose as potential inhibitors against MtbPNP. The assayed 8-substituted ribonucleosides did not exert a significant inhibitory effect against the tested enzymes up to 1 mM

Auslegung von Schliessringbolzenverbindungen bei Mischbauweisen unter thermischer Beanspruchung

Available from TIB Hannover: RO 146(217) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEArbeitsgemeinschaft Industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen 'Otto von Guericke' e.V. (AIF), Koeln (Germany)DEGerman