bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optogenetic and pharmacological evidence that somatostatin‐GABA neurons are important regulators of parasympathetic outflow to the stomach
Authors: Lewin Amanda E. , Vicini Stefano , Richardson Janell , Dretchen Kenneth L. , Gillis Richard A. , Sahibzada Niaz 
Published: March 2016

Key points
The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) in the brainstem consists primarily of vagal preganglionic neurons that innervate postganglionic neurons of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
The activity of the vagal preganglionic neurons is predominantly regulated by GABAergic transmission in the DMV.
The present findings indicate that the overwhelming GABAergic drive present at the DMV is primarily from somatostatin positive GABA (Sst‐GABA) DMV neurons.
Activation of both melanocortin and μ‐opioid receptors at the DMV inhibits Sst‐GABA DMV neurons.
Sst‐GABA DMV neurons may serve as integrative targets for modulating vagal output activity to the stomach.
AbstractWe have previously shown that local GABA signalling in the brainstem is an important determinant of vagally‐mediated gastric activity. However, the neural identity of this GABA source is currently unknown. To determine this, we focused on the somatostatin positive GABA (Sst‐GABA) interneuron in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV), a nucleus that is intimately involved in regulating gastric activity. Also of particular interest was the effect of melanocortin and μ‐opioid agonists on neural activity of Sst‐GABA DMV neurons because their in vivo administration in the DMV mimics GABA blockade in the nucleus. Experiments were conducted in brain slice preparation of transgenic adult Sst‐IRES‐Cre mice expressing tdTomato fluorescence, channelrhodopsin‐2, archaerhodopsin or GCaMP3. Electrophysiological recordings were obtained from Sst‐GABA DMV neurons or DiI labelled gastric‐antrum projecting DMV neurons. Our results show that optogenetic stimulation of Sst‐GABA neurons results in a robust inhibition of action potentials of labelled premotor DMV neurons to the gastric‐antrum through an increase in inhibitory post‐synaptic currents. The activity of the Sst‐GABA neurons in the DMV is inhibited by both melanocortin and μ‐opioid agonists. These agonists counteract the pronounced inhibitory effect of Sst‐GABA neurons on vagal pre‐motor neurons in the DMV that control gastric motility. These observations demonstrate that Sst‐GABA neurons in the brainstem are crucial for regulating the activity of gastric output neurons in the DMV. Additionally, they suggest that these neurons serve as targets for converging CNS signals to regulate parasympathetic gastric function.
Proposal Design Procedure and Preliminary Simulation of Turbo Expander for Small Size (2–10 kW) Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
Authors: Capata Roberto , Hernandez Gustavo 
Published: March 2016

Currently, one of the leading technologies for the “energy recovery” adopting a Rankine cycle (ORC) with organic fluids. ORC system operates like a conventional Rankine cycle, but instead of steam/water, uses an organic fluid. This change allows to convert low temperature heat and generate, where required, electricity. A large amount of studies were carried out to identify the most suitable fluids, system parameters and the various configurations. In reality, most ORC systems are designed and manufactured for recovery of thermal energy from various sources but at “large power rating” (exhaust gas turbines, internal combustion engines, geothermal sources, large melting furnaces, biomass, solar, etc.) from where it is possible to produce electric energy (30kW ÷ 300kW), but for the application of this system for small nominal power, as well as the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines (car sedan or town, ships, etc.) or smaller heat exchangers, there are very few applications. The aim of this work is to design a turbo-expander that meets system requirements: low pressure, small size, low mass flow rates.
The Expander must be adaptable to a small ORC system utilizing gas of a diesel engine or small gas turbine to produce 2–10 kW of electricity. The temperature and pressure of the exhaust gases, in this case study (400–600° C and at a pressure of 2 bar), imposes a limit on the use of an organic fluid and on the net power that can be produced. In addition to water, organic fluids such as CO2, R134a and R245fa have been considered. Once the fluid has been chosen operating, the turbine characteristics (dimensions, temperature, input and output pressure ratio, etc.) have been calculated and an attempt to find the “nearly-optimal” has been carried out. The detailed design of radial Expander is presented and discussed. An initial thermo-mechanical performance study is carried out to verify structural tension and possible displacement. Next step of the research here proposed will be the CFD simulation to improve or modify the chosen blade profile.
Exergy Analysis and Optimization of a Building Air Conditioning System in Tropical Climate
Authors: Salazar Ricardo , Sciubba Enrico , Toro Claudia 
Published: March 2016

The space conditioning sector is one of the highest exergy consumers and least efficient from the point of view of primary-to-end-use matching. Exergy analysis can be considered as a reliable tool for analyzing and optimizing energy consumption related to building conditioning systems.
The present study presents a comparative exergy analysis of the air conditioning system of the TOTAL S.A. offices located in Caracas, Venezuela to finally achieve a reduction of the global electric energy use of the considered building. Starting from the provided thermal cooling load, different possible cooling chains (primary-to-final energy conversion chain) are considered in order to locate the thermodynamically more efficient one from an exergetic point of view. The internal air handler unit, which provides for the cooled and dehumidified air to the building, is fed by the energy obtained from different possible converters of renewable energy primary sources. Specifically, solar and hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) panels coupled with an absorption refrigeration machine and with an ejector refrigeration cycle are analyzed.
The study that has been carried on leads to identify the most convenient matching between final use and primary sources allowing to substantially reduce the global non-renewable energy consumption of the considered building.
Optimization of Smart Grid Solar Energy Application
Authors: Bello Olumide , Onyebueke Landon 
Published: March 2016

This paper presents an approach to modeling of renewable energy integration into Smart Grid for Electric Vehicle charging applications.
Integration of renewable energy sources to smart grid is not only the key to smart Electric Vehicle charging but also the most efficient way to manage the distributed energy resources. It enables the ability to control, ease the peak load impacts, and protect distribution network components from being overloaded by Electric Vehicles. Thus, the electricity generation and consumption is managed in more cost effective way.
The developed model is a grid connected solar-assisted Electric Vehicle charging station, with battery bank. It generates electricity using solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays to augment the electricity used to charge the electric vehicles. The battery bank stores electricity from the grid and discharges the stored energy during periods of peak charging demand.
Optimization of the model was done by developing a program written in Visual Basic 2012. The computational results show the economic advantages of this model as well as the anticipated benefits of the smart grid for reduced peak loads, and increased efficiency.
Representing the Water-Energy Nexus With Decision Matrices
Authors: Weimann Jacob , Schmidt Matthew , Bergles Arthur , Compere Marc 
Published: March 2016

The global water nexus is still in the formative stages as a area of study. The needs are mostly clear: people need adequate water for drinking, for growing food, for cooling steam-based power plants, and for sustaining the natural habitats that keep the carbon and hydrologic cycles functioning properly. What has emerged is a growing awareness of how finite the earth’s water resources are and how this creates a complex set of interconnected challenges in both developed and developing nations. What has also emerged are predictions with increasing urgency for water and energy crises in the next 20–50 years, especially if these concerns are left unaddressed.
The Water-Nexus is not new, but its emerging importance now is driven primarily by population growth, climate change, and our growing awareness of societal impact on ecosystems. Providing energy for buildings, homes, and transportation is an increasingly difficult task for the growing population and aging infrastructure. Most individual issues within the Water-Energy Nexus are fairly well known with quantifiable water impacts. What is lacking is a clear representation of the Nexus relationships that show how changes in one sector impact another. What is needed is a compact way to represent the interrelationships that provide both insight and perspective on how much influence one proposed change has compared to another. Such an understanding should surface the most strategic, viable methods for simultaneously meeting water and energy needs while being a good steward of finances and natural resources.
We propose the use of decision matrices from engineering design to represent the interconnected relationships that form the Water-Energy Nexus. The customers in this case are water-centric stakeholders such as government and corporate decision makers, educators, and water-oriented development agencies. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to integrate the nexus topics into the decision matrix. Both positive and negative correlations in water impacts are indicated with their relative level of influence. Common units are used when possible to quantify water consumption or savings.
Decision matrices are presented for transportation fuels and utility power generation. The transportation fuels matrix includes evaluation criteria for water impact, sustainability, convenience, emissions, public opinion, and geographic considerations. The utility power decision matrix has similar evaluation criteria except capacity factor is considered instead of convenience. These criteria are intended to aid policy makers in strategically navigating the legislative and policy generation process to emphasize or reduce emphasis on different fuel types. Recommendations are provided for strategic, viable methods to mitigate future effects of the Water-Energy crisis.
Combining Diesel Generators With Ultracapacitors to Enhance Stability and Reliability
Authors: Averbukh M. , Kuperman A. , Geula G. , Gadelovitch S. , Yuhimenko V. 
Published: March 2016

Diesel generator based auxiliary power units (DG-APU) are widely used in different civil and military applications. Fuel economy and service life are probably the most important issues concerning their operation. Controlling engine throttle position in accordance with the load power allows regulating fuel supply to the engine to optimize fuel consumption. Despite the advantage of the method, control stability is sacrificed in case of light load operation as follows. When the DG-APU is running with a light load, engine throttle position should be nearly closed in order to minimize fuel consumption. If a load step is applied in such situation, engine velocity may drop sharply until complete stop because of insufficient control system bandwidth. This is why velocity and throttle position of a DG-APU should not be decreased below some level even if load power is low to maintain reliability at the expense of increased specific fuel consumption. Moreover, for small diesel-generators the throttle position is usually fixed. Thereby, relatively wide range load power variations (typical for many of diesel-generator applications) cause excessive fuel consumption.
The situation may be sufficiently improved by connecting ultracapacitors (UC) on the DG-APU output terminals, introducing additional inertia allowing smoothing engine velocity decrease during a sudden load increase thus providing more time to the control system to regulate throttle position. As a result, DG-APU would be operated much more efficiently at light loads without sacrificing stability. Moreover, the UC may be used at as starter motor power source, removing starting stress from electrochemical batteries. Present work investigates the improvements in UC-supported DG-APU fuel efficiency and stability compared to conventional technical solutions. The research is based on mathematical modeling of the entire system, verified by experiments. The results support the presented ideas and quantitatively demonstrate the improved fuel economy and reliability of small DG-APUs.
Evaluation of a Novel Concept for LNG Regasification in an Industrial Complex
Authors: Morosuk T. , Tesch S. , Schult M. , Tsatsaronis G. 
Published: March 2016

New technologies that lead to an increased efficiency and lower product cost in each step of the LNG chain are of particular interest to scientists and engineers. The studies and commercial applications of LNG regasification processes can be divided into three large groups: (a) direct and indirect heat transfer processes between LNG and other substances in the so-called “traditional systems”, (b) LNG-based electricity generation systems, and (c) LNG regasification within an industrial complex consisting of an LNG import terminal and at least one different refrigeration or cryogenic plant (process).
In this paper the regasification of LNG is accomplished within an air separation process, to improve the overall system efficiency. The paper discusses the simulation, and the energetic, exergetic, and economic analyses of this novel cryogenic-based concept, which is characterized by a lower specific power requirement and improved cost effectiveness.
Salinity Gradient Power Experiment Using Reverse Electrodialysis
Authors: Amaral Sean , Franklin Neil , Jurkowski Michael , Zenouzi Mansour 
Published: March 2016

A relatively new form of alternative energy known as reverse electrodialysis (RED) appears to be one of the promising energy sources of the future. This technology harvests the energy stored in the salinity gradient between two different liquids, and converts it directly into electric power. This power is generated by pumping water through an array of alternating pairs of cation and anion exchange membranes called cells.
An experimental system was designed and assembled with cells 61 cm × 16.5 cm. Along with having much larger dimensions than the prototype systems reported in the literature, the design has an adjustable number of cells in the stack, allowing users to obtain test results at a variety of settings. Comparing the output of systems with few cells to systems with a higher number of cells will help us to optimize the stack size in terms of hydrodynamic losses.
Tests results have shown a voltage output of 1.98V, 83% of the predicted output. The current and power produced by the system did not meet theoretical output levels, but our group believes a redesign of the electrode rinse system will bring these values up to expectations. Future works will benefit from the learning experience.
Toll-Like Receptor 3/TRIF-Dependent IL-12p70 Secretion Mediated by Streptococcus pneumoniae RNA and Its Priming by Influenza A Virus Coinfection in Human Dendritic Cells
Authors: Spelmink Laura , Sender Vicky , Hentrich Karina , Kuri Thomas , Plant Laura , Henriques-Normark Birgitta 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT

A functional immune response is crucial to prevent and limit infections with
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in orchestrating the adaptive and innate immune responses by communicating with other cell types via antigen presentation and secretion of cytokines. In this study, we set out to understand how pneumococci activate human monocyte-derived DCs to produce interleukin-12 (IL-12) p70, an important cytokine during pneumococcal infections. We show that IL-12p70 production requires uptake of bacteria as well as the presence of the adaptor molecule TRIF, which is known to transfer signals of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) or TLR4 from the endosome into the cell. While TLR4 is redundant for IL-12p70 production in DCs, we found that TLR3 is required to induce full IL-12p70 secretion. Influenza A virus (IAV) infection of DCs did not induce IL-12p70 but markedly upregulated TLR3 expression that during coinfection with
S. pneumoniae
significantly enhanced IL-12p70 secretion. Finally, we show that pneumococcal RNA can act as a bacterial stimulus for TLR3 and that it is a key signal to induce IL-12p70 production during challenge of DCs with pneumococci.

IMPORTANCE
Streptococcus pneumoniae
, a common colonizer of the nose, is the causative agent of severe and deadly diseases. A well-orchestrated immune response is vital to prevent and limit these diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) reside in the mucosal linings of the lungs and sample antigens. They are activated by pathogens to present antigens and secrete cytokines. While many studies focus on murine models, we focused our work on human monocyte-derived DCs. We found that pneumococcal RNA is an important stimulus in DCs to activate the endosomal receptor TLR3, a receptor previously not identified to sense pneumococci, and its adaptor molecule TRIF. This leads to secretion of the cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12). Severe pneumococcal pneumonia occurs closely after influenza A virus (IAV) infection. We show that IAV infection upregulates TLR3 in DCs, which sensitizes the cells to endosomal pneumococcal RNA. This new insight contributes to unlock the interplay between pneumococci, IAV, and humans.
Staphylococcus aureus Clumping Factor A Remains a Viable Vaccine Target for Prevention of S. aureus Infection
Authors: Anderson Annaliesa S. , Scully Ingrid L. , Buurman Ed T. , Eiden Joseph , Jansen Kathrin U. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACT

In a recent article, X. Li et al. [mBio 7(1):e02232-15, 2016,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02232-15
] investigate the utility of a vaccine composed of the
Staphylococcus aureus
protein clumping factor A (ClfA) in protecting mice from
S. aureus
infection. ClfA, one of the first proteins to be identified as a potential vaccine antigen for
S. aureus
prophylaxis, is currently a component of several investigational vaccines. The authors conclude that ClfA may not be effective for
S. aureus
prophylaxis. In contrast, previously published papers reporting positive data suggested that ClfA was potentially an important vaccine target to prevent invasive
S. aureus
disease. This commentary addresses the observed differences between the findings of Li et al. and those from other publications, highlighting the importance for preclinical vaccine antigen assessments to reflect the biological role of said antigen in virulence and, consequently, the importance of choosing appropriate preclinical disease models to test such antigens.
Prospective observational cohort study of patients with weaning failure admitted to a specialist weaning, rehabilitation and home mechanical ventilation centre
Authors: Mifsud Bonnici Denise , Sanctuary Thomas , Warren Alex , Murphy Patrick B , Steier Joerg , Marino Philip , Pattani Hina , Creagh-Brown Ben C , Hart Nicholas 
Published: March 2016

ObjectivesAccording to National Health Service England (NHSE) specialist respiratory commissioning specification for complex home ventilation, patients with weaning failure should be referred to a specialist centre. However, there are limited data reporting the clinical outcomes from such centres.SettingProspective observational cohort study of patients admitted to a UK specialist weaning, rehabilitation and home mechanical ventilation centre between February 2005 and July 2013.Participants262 patients admitted with a median age of 64.2 years (IQR 52.6–73.2 years). 59.9% were male.Results39.7% of patients had neuromuscular and/or chest wall disease, 21% were postsurgical, 19.5% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 5.3% had obesity-related respiratory failure and 14.5% had other diagnoses. 64.1% of patients were successfully weaned, with 38.2% weaned fully from ventilation, 24% weaned to nocturnal non-invasive ventilation (NIV), 1.9% weaned to nocturnal NIV with intermittent NIV during the daytime. 21.4% of patients were discharged on long-term tracheostomy ventilation. The obesity-related respiratory failure group were most likely to wean (relative risk (RR) for weaning success=1.48, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.77; p<0.001), but otherwise weaning success rates did not significantly vary by diagnostic group. The median time-to-wean was 19 days (IQR 9–33) and the median duration of stay was 31 days (IQR 16–50), with no difference observed between the groups. Weaning centre mortality was 14.5%, highest in the COPD group (RR=2.15, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.91, p=0.012) and lowest in the neuromuscular and/or chest wall disease group (RR=0.34, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.75, p=0.007). Of all patients discharged alive, survival was 71.7% at 6 months and 61.8% at 12 months postdischarge.ConclusionsFollowing NHSE guidance, patients with weaning delay and failure should be considered for transfer to a specialist centre where available, which can demonstrate favourable short-term and long-term clinical outcomes.
Does the new rugby union scrum sequence positively influence the hooker's in situ spinal kinematics?
Authors: Swaminathan Ramesh , Williams Jonathan M , Jones Michael D , Theobald Peter S 
Published: March 2016

BackgroundScrummaging is unique to rugby union and involves 2 ‘packs’ of 8 players competing to regain ball possession. Intending to serve as a quick and safe method to restart the game, injury prevalence during scrummaging necessitates further evaluation of this environment.AimsThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of scrummage engagement sequences on spinal kinematics of the hooker. The conditions investigated were: (1) live competitive scrummaging using the new ‘crouch, bind, set’ sequence; (2) live competitive scrummaging using the old ‘crouch touch pause engage’ sequence and (3) training scrummaging using a scrum machine.MethodsInertial sensors provided three-dimensional kinematic data across 5 spinal regions. Participants (n=29) were adult, male community club and university-level hookers.ResultsEngagement sequence had no effect on resultant kinematics of any spinal region. Machine scrummaging resulted in lesser magnitudes of motion in the upper spinal regions. Around two-thirds of the total available cervical motion was utilised during live scrummaging.ConclusionsThis study indicates that the most recent laws do not influence the spinal kinematics of the hooker during live scrummaging; however, there may be other benefits from these law changes that fall outside the scope of this investigation.