•Hybrid decomposition approach for distribution network planning with DGs is proposed.•Mixed integer linear programming model is designed to minimize total expansion cost.•Simulated annealing ...algorithm is proposed to guide the decomposition and solution process.•Proposed approaches can produce high quality solutions for various size radial distribution networks with DGs.•Failures at DGs have noticeable influence on the selection of the best expansion plan.
This paper presents a hybrid simulated annealing (SA) and mixed integer linear programming (MILP) approach for static expansion planning of radial distribution networks with distributed generators (DGs). The expansion planning problem is first modeled as MILP optimization problem with the goal of minimizing the investment cost, cost of losses, cost of customer interruptions due to failures at the branches and at DGs and the cost of lost DG production due to failures at branches. In order to reduce the complexity of planning problems the decomposition of the original problem is proposed into a number of sequences of sub-problems (local networks) that are solved using the MILP model. The decomposition and solution process is iteratively guided and controlled by the proposed SA algorithm that employs the proper intensification and diversification mechanism to obtain the minimum total cost solution.
Objective
To identify risk factors associated with suicide of patients with schizophrenia and provide clinical recommendations, which integrate research findings into a consensus based on clinical ...experience and evidence.
Method
A task force formed of experts and clinicians iteratively developed consensus through serial revisions using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic literature review published up to June 2013.
Results
Various risk factors were reported to be implicated in suicide in schizophrenia. Our findings indicate that suicide risk in schizophrenia is mainly related to affective symptoms, history of a suicide attempt and number of psychiatric admissions. Other risk factors identified are given by younger age, closeness to illness onset, older age at illness onset, male sex, substance abuse and period during or following psychiatric discharge. Integrating the evidence and the experience of the task force members, a consensus was reached on 14 clinical recommendations.
Conclusion
Identification of risk factors for suicide in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia is imperative to improve clinical management and develop strategies to reduce the incidence of suicide in this population. This study provides the critical overview of available data and clinical recommendations on recognition and management of the above‐mentioned risk factors.
Studies of electroluminescence degradation mechanisms in small-molecule-based organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) are reviewed. Luminescence degradation due to the growth of visible nonemissive ...defects, widely referred to as “dark spots”, as well as device catastrophic failure phenomena are addressed briefly. A special emphasis is given to intrinsic degradation phenomena that cause the decrease in the electroluminescence efficiency of the OLEDs during operation. In the discussion of intrinsic degradation, some widely accepted models that have been proposed to explain the degradation behavior are introduced and reviewed in view of experimental observations. These models are (i) the morphological instability model, (ii) the unstable cationic AlQ3 model, (iii) the indium migration model, (iv) the mobile ionic impurities model, and (v) the immobile positive charge accumulation model.
This paper proposes a novel advanced distribution management system (ADMS) solution based on a common operation technology platform implemented on a cloud infrastructure. It introduces a ...virtualization methodology that is used to transition and deploy a traditional, monolithic ADMS in a cloud environment. First, typical ADMS functional blocks (FBs) are identified and their performance is evaluated with respect to four major metrics: processor, memory, network, and storage utilization. Next, a cloud infrastructure-based ADMS solution is presented, based on a collection of FBs mapped to a set of virtual machines. Finally, the proposed architecture is validated via deployment on a physical hardware platform with two representatively sized distribution networks and emulated workloads. Obtained results show that an ADMS, as a mission-critical system, can be deployed on a cloud infrastructure, providing many benefits of virtualized solutions, without negative impact on system performance.
Abstract Background Allostatic load (AL) relates to the neural and bodily “wear and tear” that emerge in the context of chronic stress. This paper aims to provide clinicians with a comprehensive ...overview of the role of AL in patophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) and its practical implications. Methods PubMed searches were conducted on English-language articles published from 1970 to June 2011 using the search terms allostatic load, oxidative stress, staging, and bipolar disorder cross-referenced with cognitive impairment, comorbidity, mediators, prevention. Results Progressive neural and physical dysfunction consequent to mood episodes in BD can be construed as a cumulative state of AL. The concept of AL can help to reconcile cognitive impairment and increased rates of clinical comorbidities that occur over the course of cumulative BD episodes. Conclusions Data on transduction of psychosocial stress into the neurobiology of mood episodes converges to the concept of AL. Mood episodes prevention would not only alleviate emotional suffering, but also arrest the cycle of AL, cognitive decline, physical morbidities and, eventually, related mortality. These objectives can be achieved by focusing on effective prophylaxis from the first stages of the disorder, providing mood-stabilizing agents and standardized psychoeducation and, potentially, addressing cognitive deficits by the means of specific medication and neuropsychological interventions.
Studies on the long-term degradation of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) based on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ$_3$), the most widely used electroluminescent molecule, reveal that ...injection of holes in AlQ$_3$ is the main cause of device degradation. The transport of holes into AlQ$_3$ caused a decrease in its fluorescence quantum efficiency, thus showing that cationic AlQ$_3$ species are unstable and that their degradation products are fluorescence quenchers. These findings explain the success of different approaches to stabilizing OLEDs, such as doping of the hole transport layer, introducing a buffer layer at the hole-injecting contact, and using mixed emitting layers of hole and electron transporting molecules.
Nanoassemblies formed by coating a dye‐loaded zeolite L surface with CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) is described. A photoinduced energy transfer is observed from the excited QDs, which are on ...the surface of the zeolite crystals, to dye molecules (energy acceptors) encapsulated and aligned in the 1D channels of the aluminosilicate host. Steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopy and microscopy are used to quantify the Förster resonance energy transfer occurring through electronic transition dipole interactions between the QDs and the oxonine‐loaded zeolite L crystals. For the first time the energy transfer in artificial antenna systems based on quantum dots and molecules hosted in inert systems is described.
An assembly comprising dye molecules organized in unidimensional channels of a zeolite L with quantum dots decorating the surface of the zeolite is described. The good spectral overlap of the green‐emitting luminescent quantum dots (donor) and the red‐emitting oxonine dye molecules (acceptor) allows the efficient electronic energy transfer across several nanometers from the excited quantum dots to the dye molecules.
According to the DSM-5, “reduction in the need for sleep” is the only sleep-related criteria for mixed features in depressive episodes. We aimed at studying the prevalence, clinical correlates and ...the role of hypersomnia in a sample of acutely depressed patients. Secondarily, we factors significantly increasing the odds of hypersomnia were studied. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of the BRIDGE-II-Mix study. Variables were compared between patients with hypersomnia (SLEEP+) and with insomnia (SLEEP−) with standard bivariate tests. A stepwise backward logistic regression model was performed with SLEEP+ as dependent variable. A total of 2514 subjects were dichotomized into SLEEP+ (n = 423, 16.8%) and SLEEP− (n = 2091, 83.2%). SLEEP+ had significant higher rates of obese BMI (p < 0.001), BD diagnosis (p = 0.027), severe BD (p < 0.001), lifetime suicide attempts (p < 0.001), lower age at first depression (p = 0.004) than SLEEP−. Also, SLEEP+ had significantly poorer response to antidepressants (AD) such as (hypo)manic switches, AD resistance, affective lability, or irritability (all 0<0.005). Moreover, SLEEP+ had significantly higher rates of mixed-state specifiers than SLEEP- (all 0 < 0.006). A significant contribution to hypersomnia in our regression model was driven by metabolic-related features, such as “current bulimia” (OR = 4.21) and “overweight/obese BMI (OR = 1.42)”. Globally, hypersomnia is associated with poor outcome in acute depression. Hypersomnia is strongly associated with mixed features and bipolarity. Metabolic aspects could influence the expression of hypersomnia, worsening the overall clinical outcome. Along with commonly used screening tools, detection of hypersomnia has potential, costless discriminative validity in the differential diagnosis unipolar and bipolar depression.
The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn., is a pest Lepidopteran species whose larvae overwinter by entering diapause, gradually becoming cold-hardy. To investigate metabolic changes during ...cold hardening, activities of four metabolic enzymes - citrate synthase (CS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured in whole-body homogenates of pupae, non-diapausing and diapausing larvae acclimated to 5 °C, -3 °C and -16 °C. The highest CS activity was detected in non-diapausing larvae, reflecting active development, while the highest in vitro LDH activity was recorded in diapausing larvae at temperatures close to 0 °C, evidencing a metabolic switch towards anaerobic metabolism. However, in-gel LDH activity showed that production of pyruvate from lactate is triggered by sub-zero temperatures. The activities of both aminotransferases were highest in non-diapausing larvae. Our findings suggest that during diapause and cold hardening the aminotransferases catalyse production of L-alanine, an important cryoprotectant, and L-aspartate, which is closely tied to both transamination reactions and Krebs cycle. The results of this study indicate that, during diapause, the activity of metabolic enzymes is synchronized with exogenous factors, such as temperatures close to 0 °C. These findings support the notion that diapause is metabolically plastic and vibrant, rather than simply a passive, resting state.
Background
At present, the only way to conclusively diagnose endometriosis is laparoscopic inspection, preferably with histological confirmation. This contributes to the delay in the diagnosis of ...endometriosis which is 6–11 years. So far non-invasive diagnostic approaches such as ultrasound (US), MRI or blood tests do not have sufficient diagnostic power. Our aim was to develop and validate a non-invasive diagnostic test with a high sensitivity (80% or more) for symptomatic endometriosis patients, without US evidence of endometriosis, since this is the group most in need of a non-invasive test.
Methods
A total of 28 inflammatory and non-inflammatory plasma biomarkers were measured in 353 EDTA plasma samples collected at surgery from 121 controls without endometriosis at laparoscopy and from 232 women with endometriosis (minimal–mild n = 148; moderate–severe n = 84), including 175 women without preoperative US evidence of endometriosis. Surgery was done during menstrual (n = 83), follicular (n = 135) and luteal (n = 135) phases of the menstrual cycle. For analysis, the data were randomly divided into an independent training (n = 235) and a test (n = 118) data set. Statistical analysis was done using univariate and multivariate (logistic regression and least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) approaches in training- and test data set separately to validate our findings.
Results
In the training set, two models of four biomarkers (Model 1: annexin V, VEGF, CA-125 and glycodelin; Model 2: annexin V, VEGF, CA-125 and sICAM-1) analysed in plasma, obtained during the menstrual phase, could predict US-negative endometriosis with a high sensitivity (81–90%) and an acceptable specificity (68–81%). The same two models predicted US-negative endometriosis in the independent validation test set with a high sensitivity (82%) and an acceptable specificity (63–75%).
Conclusions
In plasma samples obtained during menstruation, multivariate analysis of four biomarkers (annexin V, VEGF, CA-125 and sICAM-1/or glycodelin) enabled the diagnosis of endometriosis undetectable by US with a sensitivity of 81–90% and a specificity of 63–81% in independent training- and test data set. The next step is to apply these models for preoperative prediction of endometriosis in an independent set of patients with infertility and/or pain without US evidence of endometriosis, scheduled for laparoscopy.
PDF
