Over the past few decades, wind energy has emerged to be one of the most promising and popular sources of renewable energy in different continents. The efficiency and robustness of wind energy ...conversion systems are highly dependent on the safe operational status of the system and the capability to achieve cost-effective operation. In order to prolong the systems’ operational time and increase the reliability of the wind turbines, predictive and preventive maintenances are required. This is important in reducing the operational and maintenance (O&M) costs of the wind energy conversion systems. This review paper acts as a platform for readers to comprehend the most recent, up-to-date and state-of-the-art approaches in detecting and diagnosing faults in wind energy conversion systems, including cepstral editing procedure, sensor fault detection and isolation method, induction abrasive particle sensor, novel model-based approach and machine learning based data-driven approach. Current innovations in anti-icing technologies, including resistive heaters, application of hybrid electro-heating and superhydrophobic coating, ultrasonic deicing, research on materials of ultrasonic transducers for anti-icing and a novel embedded anti-icing system as a part of the O&M measure to reduce the levelized cost of energy of the wind energy conversion systems are also presented and discussed in this paper.
Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) induces a pro-oxidative environment and promotes apoptosis, causing the progression of renal diseases in humans. Taurine is a semi-essential amino acid in mammals and has been ...shown to be a potent endogenous antioxidant. The kidney plays a pivotal role in maintaining the balance of taurine. However, the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of taurine against oxLDL-induced injury in renal epithelial cells have not been clarified. In the present study, we investigated the anti-apoptotic effects of taurine on human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells exposed to oxLDL and explored the related mechanisms. We observed that oxLDL increased the contents of ROS and of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is a lipid peroxidation by-product that acts as an indicator of the cellular oxidation status. In addition, oxLDL induced cell death and apoptosis in HK-2 cells. Pretreatment with taurine at 100μM significantly attenuated the oxLDL-induced cytotoxicity. We determined that oxLDL triggered the phosphorylation of ERK and, in turn, the activation of p53 and other apoptosis-related events, including calcium accumulation, destabilization of the mitochondrial permeability and disruption of the balance between pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. The malfunctions induced by oxLDL were effectively blocked by taurine. Thus, our results suggested that taurine exhibits potential therapeutic activity by preventing oxLDL-induced nephrotoxicity. The inhibition of oxLDL-induced epithelial apoptosis by taurine was at least partially due to its anti-oxidant activity and its ability to modulate the ERK and p53 apoptotic pathways.
•Oxidized LDL induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in HK-2 cells.•Pretreatment with taurine attenuated oxLDL-induced nephrotoxicity.•Taurine protected against renal damages through inhibition of ROS generation.•Taurine prevented apoptosis through modulation of the p53 phosphorylation.
Arabidopsis AINTEGUMENTA (ANT), an AP2 transcription factor, is known to control plant growth and floral organogenesis. In this study, our transcriptome analysis and in situ hybridization assays of ...maize embryonic leaves suggested that maize ANT1 (ZmANT1) regulates vascular development. To better understand ANT1 functions, we determined the binding motif of ZmANT1 and then showed that ZmANT1 binds the promoters of millet SCR1, GNC, and AN3, which are key regulators of Kranz anatomy, chloroplast development, and plant growth, respectively. We generated a mutant with a single-codon deletion and two frameshift mutants of the ANT1 ortholog in the C4 millet Setaria viridis by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. The two frameshift mutants displayed reduced photosynthesis efficiency and growth rate, smaller leaves, and lower grain yields than wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, their leaves sporadically exhibited distorted Kranz anatomy and vein spacing. Conducting transcriptomic analysis of developing leaves in the WT and the three mutants we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the two frameshift mutant lines and found many down-regulated DEGs enriched in photosynthesis, heme, tetrapyrrole binding, and antioxidant activity. In addition, we predicted many target genes of ZmANT1 and chose 13 of them to confirm binding of ZmANT1 to their promoters. Based on the above observations, we proposed a model for ANT1 regulation of cell proliferation and leaf growth, vascular and vein development, chloroplast development, and photosynthesis through its target genes. Our study revealed biological roles of ANT1 in several developmental processes beyond its known roles in plant growth and floral organogenesis.
The milkfish (Chanos chanos) is an aquaculture species that can be cultivated in ponds with different salinities. Low temperatures seriously affect the homeostasis of the milkfish because it is an ...ectothermic species. In the present study, seawater (SW)- and freshwater (FW)-acclimated milkfish were raised at the normal temperature (28°C) and the non-lethal low temperature (18°C), respectively, for one week to illustrate salinity effects on cold tolerance as well as cold effects on branchial ionoregulatory mechanisms of the milkfish. The SW-acclimated milkfish exhibited better cold tolerance than the FW individuals. The low temperature (18°C) led to differences in the ionoregulatory responses in gills between the SW and FW milkfish, and these responses were elucidated. The Na+ concentration decreased in the SW milkfish when exposed to 18°C, while the Cl− concentration increased in the FW fish at 18°C. In addition, the cold effects on gill Na+; K+-ATPase (NKA) activities were greater in the FW/18°C group than in the SW/18°C group. In contrast to the constant NKA expression, the relative protein amounts of gill heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) increased in both the SW and FW milkfish under cold stress. Compared with hyper-salinity, hypo-salinity was more stressful for euryhaline milkfish at low temperature. In summary, this study demonstrates that under cold stress gill NKA activity plays critical roles in maintenance of homeostasis of the milkfish.
•The ionoregulatory systems of the euryhaline milkfish were demonstrated to be down-regulated under cold stress.•Seawater would abate the cold effects on gill NKA activities of milkfish at low temperature.•Higher expression of gill HSP70 was thought to be a stress indicator when milkfish were exposed to cold milieus.•Fishermen may increase the salinity of water in aquaculture ponds to protect milkfish from cold stress in the winter.
In Taiwan, immigrant workers play an important role in fisheries but they are easily ignored by society. The health problems and associated characteristics of immigrant workers in fisheries remain ...unclear. Descriptive and retrospective analyses were performed. Outpatient data were collected from a primary care clinic for six fishing villages in North Eastern Taiwan between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2017. The data of immigrant workers was recorded and compared with that of natives. A total of 241 immigrant workers and 1342 natives were enrolled. Compared with the natives, the immigrant workers had a significantly younger age, male predominance, and fewer mean visits per year. The immigrant worker's visits tended to be more highly focused during the third quarter of the year. Immigrant workers paid more registration fees and self-payment, but they paid less on diagnosis fees, oral medication, laboratory exams and had reduced total costs. The top five diagnoses for immigrant workers were respiratory diseases (38.3%), trauma (15.2%), musculoskeletal diseases (11.2%), skin-related diseases (9.5%), and digestive diseases (9.1%). Immigrant workers were positively correlated with infectious/parasitic diseases, and negatively correlated with medical consults and endocrine/metabolic diseases. Immigrant workers were also positively associated with registration fees and self-payment, but negatively correlated with diagnosis fees and total costs (all
< 0.05). The distribution of skin diseases and trauma were affected by age and sex as opposed to ethnic group. Immigrant status' health issues should be given more attention.
The Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGR), China
Soil erosion on purple soil hillslope and its negative effects are deleterious to the ecological environment of the TGR. Sheet erosion is the initial form ...of the slope erosion, which is notably impacted by land degradation, polyacrylamide (PAM) is commonly applied for soil and water conservation purpose, while the sheet erosion on purple soil hillslope treated with PAM remains unclear.
The findings suggested that the sheet erosion and runoff rate increased as the rainfall intensity was increased and the slope gradient was decreased with increasing PAM application rate until reaching minimum values at 0.80 g m−2, and these quantities increased afterward. The single and combined impacts of the PAM application rate, rainfall intensity and slope gradient on erosion and runoff were significant. The slope gradient, rainfall intensity and PAM application rate also influenced the hydrodynamic parameters, and the stream power was the optimal parameter for describing the sheet erosion. An equation encompassing the rainfall intensity, slope gradient and PAM application rate was used for sheet erosion rate prediction with high accuracy relative to the stream power and PAM application rate. These results could be helpful to better understand sheet erosion on purple soil slopes treated with PAM and offer fundamental guidelines for soil and water conservation in the TGR.
Display omitted
•The stream power was the most appropriate hydrodynamic parameter for estimating sheet erosion rate.•0.8 g m−2 of polyacrylamide performed best for reducing total runoff and sheet erosion.•The function combining the application of PAM and stream power was established to predict the sheet erosion rate.
FXYD proteins regulate Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), which is a primary active pump that provides the driving force that triggers osmoregulatory systems in teleosts. To explore the regulatory mechanisms ...between FXYD and NKA in euryhaline teleosts, the expression of NKA (mRNA, protein, and activity) and FXYD11 and their interaction were examined in the gills of brackish medaka (Oryzias dancena) when transferred from brackish water (BW; 15‰) to fresh water (FW) or seawater (SW; 35‰). The mRNA expression of Odfxyd11 and Odnka-α was elevated 48h post-hypoosmotic transfer. Moreover, FXYD11 protein and NKA activity were upregulated 12h after transfer to FW. When transferred to SW, the protein abundance of FXYD11 and the NKA α-subunit did not show apparent changes, while Odfxyd11 and Odnka-α mRNA expression and NKA activity increased significantly 12h and 1h post-transfer, respectively. To clarify the FXYD11 mechanisms involved in modulating NKA activity via their interaction, co-immunoprecipitation was further applied to O. dancena gills. The results revealed that the levels of protein–protein interaction between branchial NKA and FXYD11 increased acutely 12h after the transfer from BW to FW. However, immediate upregulation of NKA activity 1h following post-exposure to SW, without the elevation of protein–protein interaction levels, was found. Hence, branchial NKA activity of O. dancena was suggested to be rapidly regulated by FXYD11 interaction with NKA when acclimated to hypoosmotic environments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the efficacy of interactions between FXYD11 and NKA in the gills of euryhaline teleosts.
Mapped on the image of the reactive differential cross section, the hitherto elusive disilavinylidene molecule (H2SiSi) is found to be initially formed in the gas‐phase reaction of ground‐state ...atomic silicon (Si) with silane (SiH4) and in equilibrium with the mono‐bridged (Si(H)SiH) and di‐bridged (Si(H2)Si) isomers. As shown by R. I. Kaiser, A. H. H. Chang, J. F. Stanton et al. in their Communication on page 1264 ff., the dynamics are distinct from those of the isovalent carbon/methane system, and provide a rare glimpse of unusual silicon chemistry.
Display omitted
► Bulky side groups inhibited polymeric chain packing and promoted the formation of large-membrane free volumes. ► Elevated temperature promoted polymeric chain mobility and ...fluctuation, resulting in expanded cavities. ► Alcohols had a high affinity to the membrane surface, which enhanced the alcohols movement onto membrane cavities. ► Methanol had a low mobility within the membrane due to its large size and high affinity to the membrane.
A molecular dynamics (MD) technique was adopted to investigate the free volume, operational temperature effects, feed solution–membrane surface affinity, and water/alcohol diffusion mechanism of aromatic polyamide (PA) membranes for pervaporation (PV) applications. An isothermal–isobaric ensemble (i.e. NPT ensemble) was adopted to analyze the fractional free volume, the fractional accessible volume, and the cavity size distribution of PA membranes at different operational temperatures. The free volume and cavity size analyses indicated that bulkier side groups enhanced the formation of larger free volumes, which increased permeation rates. Increased temperature induced chain mobility and enlarged the cavity size of the membrane. During feed solution–membrane affinity analysis, the alcohols showed a higher interaction with the membrane surface as compared to the water molecules. The diffusion mechanism of water/methanol in the membrane matrix suggested that methanol had a shorter displacement distance relative to the water due to its larger size and stronger interaction with the membrane. Results from the MD simulation agreed well with those from experimental studies reported in the literatures, which demonstrated that this theoretical method is a promising tool for characterizing membrane structures and analyzing feed solution transport at a molecular scale during PV processes.
PDF
