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Using data from two measurement networks, we analyse the following aspects of wind speeds over Switzerland to assess the possibility of high wind power penetration: spatial correlation, persistent low wind power conditions and the diurnal and seasonal wind speed patterns. We show that correlation amongst speeds as a function of distance is significantly lower compared to values found in literature. This can be attributed to the complex terrain of the Alps, which has a profound influence on meteorological parameters. Secondly, using extreme value analysis we calculate return levels for low wind power periods. Large differences are found, with return levels ranging from 29 to 1017 h of no power production for a return period of 10 years. No clear spatial pattern was found that can account for these values. However, the length of no-production periods decreases with increasing elevation. Next, we investigate diurnal and seasonal wind speed patterns and show how the different patterns and their intra-annual variation can be explained by local topography. We also find that with increasing elevation mean wind speeds and power production increase, even when accounting for lower air density. Wind speeds are on average higher in winter, and at elevation the relative increase in winter compared to summer is higher. Notable exceptions are explained from topography and carry implications for wind power development. In view of Switzerland's electricity shortage in winter, these findings make a strong claim for wind power development, especially at higher elevations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The main source of electricity in Brazil is from hydro, which has about 65.2% share of the country's electric energy matrix. However, over the last decade the wind energy increased from 19 MW to 2.2 GW. Since wind is an intermittent energy source, heavily determined by the weather and climatic conditions, and important effects on wind power generation can be expected in the mid and long term, in particular related to the impacts of extreme winds. The IPCC AR5 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) indicates changes in wind speed at the surface in some regions of the world, and increased wind strength in mid-latitude regions. This study scrutinizes future scenarios of extreme winds in Brazil by applying trend analysis techniques on a 50-year historical series of observational wind speed and meteorological parameters at 10 m height in Brazil. Embracing techniques of cluster analysis it was possible to characterize six main regions with macro climatic similarities. To assess the goodness fit distribution, we designate two stations per homogenous region, taking as criteria the stations with better performance in the qualification process to determine the wind distribution pattern in each region applying the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (KS) and the lowest standard error (SE). After evaluating the frequency distribution of wind speed, the best fit result for the frequency distribution of maximum wind speed is the Gumbel model. The analysis of climatic trends performed by Mann-Kendall test revealed that in minimum wind speed series is not conclusive because it shows disparate results between homogeneous regions. On the other hand, the analysis of climatic trends of maximum wind speed presents 100% positive trends in Group#1, an equal number of stations with not significant trends and positive trends for Group#2, 36.8% more stations with positive trends than negative trends for Group#3 and 20% of stations with more negative trends than stations with positive trends for Group#4. This way, based in these results, is possible assert that there are an increase in the maximum extreme wind in Brazil, mainly in mid-latitudes. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Wind energy has become one of the most cost-effective renewable sources nowadays. However, the stochastic nature associated with wind-energy production represents a great challenge for power-system operations. Therefore, probabilistic techniques are necessary to evaluate the performance of power systems with substantial amounts of wind generation. This paper presents a probabilistic based bi-level optimization approach for evaluating the impact of wind farm location and control strategy on the penetration level of wind farms and electricity market prices. The bi-level optimization model is formulated as mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) and solved by means of the NLPEC solver in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) environment. Several cases studies are presented in this paper to determine to the optimal wind generation penetration and market prices with different locations and control strategies for wind farms. Moreover, some scenarios are discussed in regards to the practical allocation of wind farms. Crown Copyright (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This article investigates the risk of cost overruns and underruns occurring in the construction of 51 onshore and offshore wind farms commissioned between 2000 and 2015 in 13 countries. In total, these projects required about $39 billion in investment and reached about 11 GW of installed capacity. We use this original dataset to test six hypotheses about construction cost overruns related to (i) technological learning, (ii) fiscal control, (iii) economies of scale, (iv) configuration, (v) regulation and markets and (vi) manufacturing experience. We find that across the entire dataset, the mean cost escalation per project is 6.5% or about $63 million per windfarm, although 20 projects within the sample (39%) did not exhibit cost overruns. The majority of onshore wind farms exhibit cost underruns while for offshore wind farms the results have a larger spread. Interestingly, no significant relationship exists between the size (in total MW or per individual turbine capacity) of a windfarm and the severity of a cost overrun. Nonetheless, there is an indication that the risk increases for larger wind farms at greater distances offshore using new types of turbines and foundations. Overall, the mean cost escalation for onshore projects is 1.7% and 9.6% for offshore projects, amounts much lower than those for other energy infrastructure. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The wind farm layout optimization problem has received considerable attention over the past two decades. The objective of this problem is to determine the wind farm layout that maximizes the annual energy generated. The majority of studies that have solved this problem simulated the velocity deficit using the Jensen wake model. However, this model is not in agreement with field measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulations. In this study, an approach to solve the wind farm layout optimization problem based on a Gaussian wake model is proposed. The Gaussian wake model uses an exponential function to evaluate the velocity deficit, in contrast to the Jensen wake model that assumes a uniform velocity profile inside the wake. The proposed approach minimizes the annual cost of energy of a wind farm using a genetic algorithm. The application of the proposed approach yields higher annual generation and a lower computational time for all wind scenarios under study. Under a more complex wind scenario, the improvement was relatively small. This suggests that the use of a more robust wake model in the WFLO problem, does not lead to greater efficiency in real wind cases. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

To study climate-related aspects of power system operation with large volumes of wind generation, data with sufficiently wide temporal and spatial scope are required. The relative youth of the Wind industry means that long-term data from real systems are not available. Here, a detailed aggregated Wind power generation model is developed for the Republic of Ireland using MERRA reanalysis wind speed data and verified against measured wind production data for the period 2001-2014. The model is most successful in representing aggregate power output in the middle years of this period, after the total installed capacity had reached around 500 MW. Variability on scales of greater than 6 h is captured Well by the model; one additional higher resolution wind dataset was found to improve the representation of higher frequency variability. Finally, the model is used to hindcast hypothetical aggregate wind production over the 34-year period 1980-2013, based on existing installed wind capacity. A relationship is found between several of the production characteristics, including capacity factor, ramping and persistence, and two large-scale atmospheric patterns the North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Atlantic Pattern. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This work presents a techno-financial evaluation of two Chilean locations with promising wind potential: Laguna Verde placed in the central region of the country, and Porvenir in the southern region. A small scale wind farm was studied, considering a nominal electrical production capacity of 90 kW. This facility is comprised of three wind turbine models, all available in the national market. Currently, the tariff method used in Chile is the net billing scheme, where the energy bought and sold to the grid has different prices. The study is based on 300 hypothetical residential households. The software tool used to perform the assessment was the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER). For all the scenarios the results showed a Net Present Cost (NPC), instead of a financial profit from the proposed projects. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out. From the group of variables studied, the NPC exhibited itself as more sensitive to the price of buying energy from the grid and to the annual average wind speed. Finally, a few government policies and their applications are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMSG wind turbine system configured with three-level neutral-point-clamped (3L-NPC) back-to-back power converter and direct-drive train has good properties and is a nice solution for high power wind energy applications. Direct model predictive control has emerged as a viable alternative for power electronics and electrical drives. This work presents a direct model predictive current control (DMPCC) solution for both the grid and generator side control of grid-connected 3L-NPC back-to-back power converters in PMSG wind turbine systems. The presented DMPCC is realized all in alpha beta frame and evaluated all with experimental results on a fully FPGA based platform. Experimental results confirm both its effectiveness and its better steady state control performances in comparison with the conventional switching table based DTC-DPC technique.

Pitch control comprises a significant proportion of current wind turbine load-control approaches. Collective pitching is used in restricting the overall power generation at high winds, whereas individual pitching has the added advantage of mitigating cyclic loads that are detrimental in fatigue damage of the turbines. Currently, there are many studies on conventional pitching control that account for long-term variations in wind speeds and associated high loads, but a smaller number of studies in short-term pitch action. The present study focuses on the use of rapid pitch control for handling short-term variations in wind conditions and load fluctuations within one cycle of rotation, with special attention to the prognosis of the aeroelastic response of the rotor. We use a numerical model capable of handling the complexities of the multi-physics dynamics of a wind turbine rotor. Based on a nonlinear adaptive ODE algorithm, it provides a natural way to integrate the various multi-physics aspects of wind turbine dynamics, including the control system and the coupled response of the aerodynamics and the structural deformations of the rotor. Results are presented for the case study of the NREL-5MW Reference Wind Turbine, and their significance for wind-turbine rotors in general is discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) model has been suggested as a model of adult and adolescent depression though face, predictive and construct validities of the model to depression remain equivocal. The suitability of the WKY as a diathesis model that tests the double-hit hypothesis, particularly during critical periods of brain and behavioural development remains to be established. Here, effects of post-weaning social isolation were assessed during early adolescence (similar to 30pnd) on behavioural despair and learned helplessness in the forced swim test (FST), plasma corticosterone levels and tissue monoamine concentrations in brain areas critically involved in depression, such as prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, striatum and hippocampus. Significantly increased immobility in the FST was observed in socially-isolated, adolescent WKY with a concomitant increase in corticosterone levels over and above the FST-induced stress. WKY also demonstrated a significantly increased release and utilization of dopamine, as manifested by levels of metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in nucleus accumbens, indicating that the large dopamine storage pool evident during adolescence induces greater dopamine release when stimulated. The serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid was also significantly increased in nucleus accumbens, indicating increased utilization of serotonin, along with norepinephrine levels which were also signficantly elevated in socially-isolated adolescent WKY. Differences in neurochemistry suggest that social or environmental stimuli during critical periods of brain and behavioural development can determine the developmental trajectories of implicated pathways.

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship among epigenetic changes in Wnt antagonists, histone H4K20mel and the expression of tumor-suppressor genes in acute leukemia (AL) to better understand the pathogenesis of leukemia. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of Wnt antagonists (Wnt5a, HDPR1, DKK1 and DKK3) in patients with AL and in normal controls; pyrophosphate sequencing was performed to detect the methylation status of the Wnt5a promoter; and western blotting was performed to detect the overall expression levels of Wnt5a protein and histone H4K20mel in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in normal controls. The relationship between Wnt5a protein expression and histone H4K20mel was analyzed. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR (ChIP-qPCR) was performed to investigate the recruitment of H4K20mel and SET8 to the Wnt5a promoter and coding regions. Our results demonstrated that the expression levels of Wnt antagonists were generally low in AML, but showed differential expression in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). In most cases of AML, methylation of the Wnt5a promoter was observed and Wnt5a protein expression was low. In some cases of AML, the overall level of H4K20mel protein was higher than that in normal controls. In addition, Wnt5a expression was positively correlated with H4K20mel expression and was unrelated to the methylation status of its promoter. Moreover, H4K20mel and SET8 were enriched in the Wnt5a promoter region and coding region. By contrast, Wnt5a expression was unrelated to H4K20mel expression in normal controls. Moreover, we observed that the methylation of Wnt antagonists was often found in patients with AL, particularly those with AML, whereas the extent of methylation was variable in ALL patients. Wnt5a expression was positively correlated with the enrichment of H4K20mel and SET8 at the Wnt5a promoter and coding regions. H4K20mel increased Wnt5a expression by promoting transcription initiation and elongation.

The rarely reported red pigmented dinoflagellate, Woloszynskia pascheri, is described from frozen surface waters in Ontario, Canada. New information based on light microscopy (LM) is provided on cell organelles (dinokaryon, chromosomes, pigment droplets and ectoplasmic vesicular layer), the thin-walled ice-bound pellicle cysts and thick-walled summer resting cysts. An earlier published suggestion that W. pascheri has morphology similar to that of Gymnodinium cryophilum (Wedemayer, Wilcox et Graham) G. Hansen et Moestrup is refuted. The process of red ice formation depends on a number of weather-related and other environmental factors. The most important of these being a mid-winter thaw that creates pathways (cracks and melted areas of ice) for passage of swimming cells from the water underlying the ice to water on the surface of the ice. In thin-walled ice-bound pellicle cysts, W. pascheri remained viable at ambient air temperatures lower than -20A degrees C for several days and suggests a unique biochemical physiology that needs research. A summary of the historical classification of this species reveals a tumultuous past and the continuing assignment of this species within the genus Woloszynskia appears doubtful, given the rapidly improving state of knowledge about the fine structure and molecular biology of many other similar species.

Worry is a common phenotype in both psychiatric patients and the normal population. Worry can be seen as a covert behavior with primary function to avoid aversive emotional experiences. Our research group has developed a treatment protocol based on an operant model of worry, where we use exposure -based strategies to extinguish the catastrophic worry thoughts. The aim of this study was to test this treatment delivered via the Internet in a large-scale randomized controlled trial. We randomized 140 high-worriers [PSWQ]) to either Internet-based extinction therapy (IbET) or to a waiting-list condition (WL). Results showed that IbET was superior to WL with an overall large between-group effect size of d 1.39 (95% confidence interval [1.04,1.73]) on the PSWQ. In the IbET group, 58% were classified as responders. The corresponding figure for WL participants was 7%. IbET was also superior to the WL on secondary outcome measures of anxiety, depression, meta-cognitions, cognitive avoidance, and quality of life. Overall treatment results were maintained for the IbET group at 4- and 12-month follow-up. The results from this trial are encouraging as they indicate that worry can be targeted with an accessible and novel intervention for worry. Replication trials with active control group are needed.

Background: Wound healing is often impaired in diabetic animals and humans. Matrix metalloproteases act as proinflammatory agents in physiological wound healing pathways by stimulating cytokines including the interleukins, IL6, IL1A and IL1B, and the tumor necrosis factor and transforming growth factor beta1. Botanicals are traditionally used to assist healing of different types of wounds, because they produce fewer side effects. Our specific aim here was to develop a plant-based recipe supporting effective wound healing in diabetic animals. Methods: Plant materials from Adiantum capillus-veneris, Commiphora molmol, Aloe Vera, and henna were collected for this study, and oven-dried at 60 degrees C. The dried leaves and resins were then crumbled into a powder and mixed in equal parts with Vaseline as a preservative. This mixture was used as an ointment on wounds induced in 60 diabetic and non-diabetic rats that were divided into 6 subgroups receiving agent or control treatments. Necrotic tissue surrounding the wound was periodically removed during wound healing. RNA was extracted from the healing region of the wound at days 7, 14 and 21 for cDNA synthesis to monitor changes in Tgfb1, Mmp3, Mmp9, Il6 and Tnf alpha expression using real-time PCR. Results: The expression of the Mmp3, the Tnf alpha, and the Tgfb1 genes from wound tissue were significantly different (p0.05) of the Mmp9 gene expression in diabetic and non-diabetic rats treated only with Vaseline after 7, 14, and 21 days. But, the expression of the Mmp9 gene decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in diabetic rats after 14 days in comparison to non-diabetic rats, when the herbal mixture was added to Vaseline. Conclusions: Our study presents an herbal treatment that alters the gene expression signature at wounds induced in the rat model for type I diabetes in a manner consistent with accelerated healing, and demonstrates that this herbal treatment might be effective to treat wounds in diabetic patients.

Fault detection in induction machines is commonly realized through motor current signature analysis. In case of Wound-Rotor Induction Machine rotor faults, the amplitude of the inverse sequence harmonic component -sf of the rotor current space-vector is monitored in order to sense its variation. However, motor current signature analysis is limited by some drawbacks. In fact, under transient operating conditions an efficient Fast Fourier Transform cannot be made, since slip or frequency vary, and so the amplitude of the harmonic component -sf. In this paper, a new technique based on the Square Current Space-vector Signature Analysis (SCSSA) is proposed for rotor fault detection in Wound-Rotor Induction Machines operating under time-varying conditions. The performance of the proposed approach is confirmed by simulation and experimental results. The proposed technique can be easily embedded in the digital control system for modern wind power plants.

We conducted two separate, exploratory studies to evaluate the differences between the supervision of wraparound (in-home) and outpatient (office) child treatment interventions. Study one (n = 96) examined the structure and norms of supervision between groups as well as rates of general disclosure to direct supervisors. Study two (n = 116) specifically examined the frequency of child abuse and neglect encountered in each intervention setting, and the level of disclosure in supervision of these mandatory reporting events. Findings from the first study suggest that wraparound clinicians received significantly less individual supervision and colleague consultation than their office-based counterparts. Additionally, wraparound clinicians were significantly more likely to withhold information about client cases from their direct supervisors. In the second study, wraparound clinicians endorsed significant increases for observed child abuse, observed child neglect, and verbally reported child neglect compared to their office-based counterparts. In regards to mandatory reporting issues with children, wraparound clinicians were found to be significantly less likely to disclose issues pertaining to child neglect to their direct supervisors than office-based clinicians. Our studies show preliminary evidence for a needed increase of individual supervision in wraparound practice, in addition to a greater focus on clinician disclosures related to incidents of child abuse and neglect.

The X chromosome has played a critical role in the development of sexually selected characteristics for over 300 million years, and during that time it has accumulated a disproportionate number of genes concerned with mental functions. There are relatively specific effects of X-linked genes on social cognition, language, emotional regulation, visuospatial, and numerical skills. Many human X-linked genes outside the X-Y pairing pseudoautosomal regions escape X-inactivation. Dosage differences in the expression of such genes (which constitute at least 15% of the total) are likely to play an important role in male-female neural differentiation, and in cognitive deficits and behavioral characteristics, particularly in the realm of social communication, that are associated with sex chromosome aneuploidies. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The rapid development of energy, electricity, and transportation industries has created a market for steel pipes; however, buried steel pipelines near high-voltage transmission lines and electrified railways often experience alternating current (AC) corrosion at the damaged coating of pipelines; such phenomenon is mostly due to the resistance between the capacitance and inductance coupling, especially for long-distance pipelines in parallel operation. AC corrosion can cause pipeline corrosion perforation and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in some cases, which has been a vital threat to the pipeline safety. In this work, the influence of AC on corrosion behavior of X80 pipeline steel was investigated in NS4 near-neutral solution by data acquisition technique, electrochemical test, immersion tests and surface analysis techniques. Results show that with the increasing of AC density, corrosion morphology changed from uniform corrosion to localized corrosion with many pits. Under the full AC interference, X80 steel occurred cathodic and anodic polarization which resulted in iron dissolution and hydrogen precipitation. The negative half wave AC would lead to hydrogen evolution and hydrogen induced anodic dissolution, the pits in X80 steel surface present sharp. However, under disturbance of positive half-wave AC, only anodic dissolution occurred and the pitting appeared spill shape and smoothly. Under various AC waveform interference, the corrosion products of X80 steel surface were different. Under full AC wave and positive half-wave interference, the corrosion products were loose, had have no alpha-FeOOH and occurred cracks; however, under negative half-wave AC interference, the corrosion products were denser and contained alpha-FeOOH which has protective effect on substrates.

Model animals are crucial to biomedical research. Among the commonly used model animals, the amphibian, Xenopus, has had tremendous impact because of its unique experimental advantages, cost effectiveness, and close evolutionary relationship with mammals as a tetrapod. Over the past 50years, the use of Xenopus has made possible many fundamental contributions to biomedicine, and it is a cornerstone of research in cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, immunology, molecular biology, neurobiology, and physiology. The prospects for Xenopus as an experimental system are excellent: Xenopus is uniquely well-suited for many contemporary approaches used to study fundamental biological and disease mechanisms. Moreover, recent advances in high throughput DNA sequencing, genome editing, proteomics, and pharmacological screening are easily applicable in Xenopus, enabling rapid functional genomics and human disease modeling at a systems level.

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) catalyses the transglycosylation of xyloglucan, the major hemicellulose polymer, which has been thought to mediate the cross-linking of cellulose microfibrils in cellular walls and proposed to be involved in the control of cell wall relaxation. To understand the relationship between litchi fruit cracking and gene expression patterns, three XET genes from litchi fruit were identified and then examined for their expression profiles in pericarp and aril tissues at different development stages, using a cracking-resistant cultivar, 'Huaizhi', and a cracking-susceptible cultivar, 'Nuomici'. Three full-length cDNAs of 1267, 1095 and 1156 bp encoding XETs, named LcXET1, LcXET2 and LcXET3, respectively, were isolated from expanding fruit using RT-PCR and RACE-PCR (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) methods. Northern blotting analysis showed that LcXET1 mRNA accumulation occurred much earlier in aril tissues at 59 days after anthesis (DAA) than in pericarp tissues at 73 DAA in 'Nuomici'. However, it appeared at almost the same time (66 DAA) in pericarp and aril tissues in 'Huaizhi'. which suggested that differential accumulation of LcXET1 in pericarp and aril tissues in 'Nuomici' and 'Huaizhi' was closely associated with fruit cracking. LcXET2 mRNA accumulation could be detected in pericarp and aril tissues throughout fruit development but exhibited a differential accumulation pattern between pericarp and aril tissues. In the aril of 'Nuomici', intensive signal bands were detectable at 59-73 DAA in rapidly expanding fruits of 'Nuomici' but only weak bands could be found in the pericarp tissues. In contrast, moderate signal bands were detectable both in pericarp and aril tissues of 'Huaizhi' fruits. Furthermore, LeXET3 showed constitutive expression in both pericarp and aril tissues of developing 'Nuomici' and 'Huaizhi' litchi fruit. In addition, differential expression patterns of three XETs genes were observed in different tissues of litchi, with only LcXET1 being fruit-specific. To further address the role of LcXET in fruit cracking, alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was used to treat 'Nuomoci' to reduce fruit cracking. Enhanced LcXET1 mRNA accumulation appeared in pericarp while LcXET2 and LeXET3 mRNTA accumulation enhanced in aril tissues in the NAA-treated fruits. Thus, LcXET1 is more likely to play a role in reducing litchi fruit cracking than LcXET2 and LcXET3. (c) 2006 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Many recent publications highlight the large role of the pivotal eukaryotic nuclear export protein exportin-1 (XPO1) in the oncogenesis of several malignancies, and there is emerging evidence that XPO1 inhibition is a key target against cancer. The clinical validation of the pharmacological inhibition of XPO1 was recently achieved with the development of the selective inhibitor of nuclear export compounds, displaying an interesting anti-tumor activity in patients with massive pre-treated hematological malignancies. Recent reports have shown molecular alterations in the gene encoding XPO1 and showed a mutation hotspot (E571K) in the following two hematological malignancies with similar phenotypes and natural histories: primary mediastinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. Emerging evidence suggests that the mutant XPO1 E571K plays a role in carcinogenesis, and this variant is quantifiable in tumor and plasma cell-free DNA of patients using highly sensitive molecular biology techniques, such as digital PCR and next-generation sequencing. Therefore, it was proposed that the XPO1 E571K variant may serve as a minimal residual disease tool in this setting. To clarify and summarize the recent findings on the role of XPO1 in B cell hematological malignancies, we conducted a literature search to present the major publications establishing the landscape of XPO1 molecular alterations, their impact on the XPO1 protein, their interest as biomarkers, and investigations into the development of new XPO1-targeted therapies in B cell hematological malignancies.

A 1.8V, 932 nA, rail-to-rail CMOS operational amplifier operating in the weak inversion regime in order to amplify the output signal of an air pressure sensor is presented. The two main parts of the ASIC are the beta-multiplier current source and the two stage amplifier. The layout has been drawn considering the matching techniques and the chip was fabricated and further characterized and measured.

Background: Sex chromosome aneuploidies occur in approximately one in 420 live births. The most frequent abnormalities are 45, X (Turner syndrome), 47, XXX (triple X), 47, XXY (Klinefelter syndrome), and 47, XYY. The prevalence of males with more than one extra sex chromosome (e.g. 48, XXYY or 48, XXXY) is less common. However, the literature provides little information about the cognitive and behavioural phenotype and the natural history of the disease. We report the clinical, neurocognitive, social cognitive and psychiatric characterization of a patient with 49, XYYYY syndrome. Case presentation: The patient presented with a complex phenotype including a particular cognitive profile with intellectual deficiency and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with limited interests. Moreover, social anxiety disorder with selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder were observed (DSM-5 criteria, MINI Assessment). Conclusion: It is now admitted that 49, XYYYY has unique medical, neurodevelopmental and behavioural characteristics. Interestingly, ASD is more common in groups with Y chromosome aneuploidy. This clinical report suggests that understanding the cognitive and social functioning of these patients may provide new insights into possible therapeutic strategies, as cognitive remediation or social cognitive training.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a conserved eukaryotic quality control mechanism which triggers decay of mRNAs harboring premature translation termination codons. In this chapter, I describe methods for monitoring the influence of NMD on mRNA abundance and decay rates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The descriptions include detailed methods for growing yeast cells, total RNA isolation, and Northern blotting. Although the chapter focuses on NMD, the methods can be easily adapted to assess the effect of other mRNA decay pathways.

Young adult (YA) cancer survivors report substantial distress, social isolation, and body image concerns that can impede successful reintegration into life years after treatment completion. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) interventions focus on developing mindfulness and self-compassion for managing distress, hardships, and perceived personal inadequacies. An MSC intervention would be beneficial in supporting YA survivors' management of psychosocial challenges that arise in survivorship; however, a telehealth intervention modality is essential for reaching this geographically dispersed population. We conducted a single-arm feasibility study of an MSC 8-week videoconference intervention for nationally recruited YA survivors (ages 18-29). The MSC intervention was group-based, 90-minute videoconference sessions, held weekly over 8 weeks, with audio-supplemented home practice. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed via attendance rate and an intervention satisfaction scale. Baseline to post-intervention changes in psychosocial outcomes (body image, anxiety, depression, social isolation, posttraumatic growth, resilience, self-compassion, mindfulness) were assessed using paired t tests and Cohen's d effect sizes. Thirty-four participants were consented and 25 attended a videoconference group. Feasibility was established with 84% attending at least six of the eight sessions, and intervention acceptability was high (M = 4.36, SD = 0.40, score range = 1-5). All psychosocial outcomes, except for resilience, demonstrated significant changes (p0.5). YA survivors are interested in receiving an MSC videoconference intervention. Feasibility, acceptance, and potential psychosocial benefits of the intervention were demonstrated. Findings can be applied toward the design of an efficacy randomized controlled trial to improve quality of life for YA survivors in transition after cancer treatment.

Although young adult women consume the majority of their total daily energy intake from home food sources, the decision-making processes that shape their home food environments have received limited attention. Further, how decision-making may be affected by the transformative experience of motherhood is unknown. In this study, we explore the factors that influence two key decision-making processes food choices while grocery shopping and the use of non-home food sources-and whether there are differences by motherhood status. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 women, aged 20-29, living in southwest Georgia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data stratified by whether or not children were present in the home. Decision-making was affected by numerous factors, Which differed across groups. In regard to grocery shopping, women with children more frequently discussed the influence of nutrition and the preferences of children, while women without children more frequently discussed the influence of taste and the preferences of other household members. Cost, convenience, weight control, and pre-planning meals emerged as salient in both groups. In regard to the use of non-home food sources, convenience and taste were discussed by both groups, while social factors were only discussed by women without children. The cost of eating out was the only reason cited for eating inside the home, and this factor only emerged among women with children. Motherhood may be an important contributor to the decision-making processes that shape young adult women's home food environments. Interventions may find success in framing messaging to emphasize factors identified as motivating healthy decisions, such as protecting the health of children, and practical strategies may be adapted from those already in use, such as pre-planning and budgeting for healthy meals. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

YY1 is a multifunctional transcription factor that activates or represses gene transcription depending on interactions with other regulatory proteins that include coactivator YY1AP. Here, we describe the cloning of a novel homolog of YY1AP, referred to as YARP, from the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH. The cloned cDNA encoded a 2240 amino acid protein that contained a domain which was 97% homologous to an entire YY1AP sequence of 739 amino acids. Two splice variants, YARP2 and YARP3, were also cloned. Northern blotting demonstrated the YARP mRNA (similar to 10kb), which was increased 1.7-fold after dibutyryl cAMP-induced neural differentiation of the cells. Presence of YARP mRNA was also confirmed in human tissues such as the heart, brain and placenta. Bioinformatic analysis predicted various functional motifs in the YARP structure, including nuclear localization signals and domains associated with protein-protein interactions (PAH2), DNA-binding (SANT), and chromatin assembly (nucleoplasmin-like), outside the YY1AP-homology domain. Thus, we propose that YARP is multifunctional and plays not only a role analogous to YY1AP, but also its own specific roles in DNA-utilizing processes such as transcription.

This study aimed to evaluate the protein metabolism effect of Zanthoxylum alkylamides and to explore the potential mechanism in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were orally treated with 2, 4 and 8 mg per kg bw of alkylamides daily for 28 days. Alkylamides decreased the relative weight of the liver and food intake, significantly increased the relative skeletal muscle weight and significantly decreased the blood urea nitrogen levels. Insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB), globular proteins and ALB proteins/globulin protein levels in serum significantly increased. TP, RNA content and RNA/DNA ratio significantly increased in the skeletal muscle of diabetic rats. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results indicated that alkylamides significantly increased the mRNA expression of insulin receptor (InR), IGF1 and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) in the liver and skeletal muscle. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K, PKB and mTOR significantly increased, whereas those of atrogin-1, muscle ring finger 1 and FOXO in the skeletal muscle significantly decreased. Alkylamides may advance protein synthesis by the PI3K/PKB/mTOR signalling pathway and attenuate the catabolism of protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Therefore, it was possible that alkylamides ameliorate protein metabolism disorders in diabetic rats by activating the mTOR pathway.

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes clinical symptoms similar to those observed in dengue and chikungunya virus infections. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated laboratory testing using a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in January 2016. More than 1,000 suspected cases of infection were tested and nine were confirmed as imported cases of Zika virus infection from January to July 2016. The travel destinations of the infected individuals were Brazil, Philippines, Viet Nam, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial envelope gene indicated that the viruses belonged to the Asian genotype circulating in South America. We further investigated the duration for which the viral RNA and virus-specific antibodies were detectable after the symptom onset. After the day of symptom onset, Zika virus was detectable until 6 days in serum, 14 days in urine and saliva, and 58 days in semen. Immunoglobulin M against Zika virus was detected as early as 2 days after the symptom onset and was maintained at these levels until 41 days, whereas Immunoglobulin G was detectable from 8 days after the symptom onset and was maintained until 52 days. These findings would help diagnostic laboratories improve their testing programs for Zika virus infection.

Distribution of Zika virus has spread throughout the world. WHO has announced that Zika virus disease is a global health problem. As a tropical country, Indonesia has the potential to spread Zika virus. This letter is to report that there was a single case of zika in Jambi province published by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. This case was analyzed with the temperature in the scene, which is considered as an appropriate factor to development of Zika virus.

The gene product of the zinc finger CCCH-type containing 15 (ZC3H15) gene, an immediate early erythropoietin response gene (synonymous: LEREPO4), was further characterized. ZC3H15 was expressed ubiquitously in all human tissues tested by northern blotting and showed mainly a diffuse cytoplasmic distribution by immune fluorescence microscopy and western blotting of subcellular protein fractions. The expression of ZC3H15 was downregulated effectively in HeLa cells to 5.13% of the control by transfection of specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). Subsequent Affymetrix microarray analysis revealed 202 differentially expressed genes including 114 induced (>= 3-fold) genes and 88 suppressed (<= 0.3-fold) genes. The gene ontology (GO) categories containing an over-representation of differentially expressed genes comprised cell growth, transcription, cell adhesion, regulation of NF-kappa B, regulation of MAPK, cell cycle arrest and immune response. ZC3H15 interacted with the signaling adapter protein tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 2 (TRAF-2) as shown by co-immunoprecipitation. ZC3H15 expression was found to be significantly increased in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples compared to MDS, CML, ALL and normal bone marrow samples using the Leukemia Gene Atlas (LGA) database. Based on these data, it is hypothesized that ZC3H15 may interact with TRAF-2 functionally within the NF-kappa B pathway, and may be explored as a potential target in AML.

The intercalation of L-phenylalanate (LP) into the interlayer gallery of zinc layered hydroxide (ZLH) has been successfully executed using a simple direct reaction method. The synthesised intercalation compound, zinc layered hydroxide-L-phenylalanate (ZLH-LP), was characterised using PXRD, FTIR, CHNS, ICP-OES, TGA/DTG, FESEM and TEM. The PXRD patterns of the intercalation compound demonstrate an intense and symmetrical peak, indicating a well-ordered crystalline layered structure. The appearance of an intercalation peak at a low angle of 20 with a basal spacing of 16.3 A, signifies the successful intercalation of the L-phenylalanate anion into the interlayer gallery of the host. The intercalation is also validated by FTIR spectroscopy and CHNS elemental analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms that the ZLH-LP intercalation compound has higher thermal stability than the pristine L-phenylalanine. The observed percentage of L-phenylalanate accumulated release varies in each release media, with 84.5%, 79.8%, 63.8% and 61.8% release in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution at pH 4.8, deionised water, PBS solution at pH 7.4 and NaCI solution, respectively. The release behaviour of LP from its intercalation compounds in deionised water and PBS solution at pH 4.8 follows pseudo second order, whereas in NaCl solution and PBS solution at pH 7.4, it follows the parabolic diffusion model. This study shows that the synthesised ZLH-LP intercalation compound can be used for the formation of a new generation of materials for targeted drug release with controlled release properties.

There is current interest in harnessing the combined anticancer and immunological effect of nano particles (NPs) and RNA. Here, we evaluate the bioactivity of poly I:C (pIC) RNA, bound to anticancer zinc oxide NP (ZnO-NP) against melanoma. Direct RNA association to unfunctionalized ZnO-NP is shown by observing change in size, zeta potential, and absorption/fluorescence spectra upon complexation. RNA corona was visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the first time. Binding constant (K-b = 1.6-2.8 g(-1) L) was determined by modified Stern-Volmer, absorption, and biological surface activity index analysis. The pIC ZnO-NP complex increased cell death for both human (A375) and mouse (B16F10) cell lines and suppressed tumor cell growth in BALB/C-B16F10 mouse melanoma model. Ex vivo tumor analysis indicated significant molecular activity such as changes in the level of phosphoproteins JNK, Akt, and inflammation markers IL-6 and IFN-gamma. High throughput proteomics analysis revealed zinc oxide and poly I:C-specific and combinational patterns that suggested possible utility as an anticancer and immunotherapeutic strategy against melanoma.

Aim: The zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is a mammalian host restriction factor, and it could inhibit HBV RNA synthesis in vitro experiments. However, the role of ZAP against HBV in vivo environment is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether ZAP could act against HBV transcription and replication in ZAP tansgenic mouse model. Methods: HBV-replication-competent plasmid pHBV4.1 was transferred to ZAP transgenic ICR mouse via the tail vein using a hydrodynamic in vivo transfection procedure, and ICR mouse were used as controls. HBV RNA and HBV DNA replication intermediates in the liver were respectively analyzed by Northern blotting and Southern blotting. The expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) in the liver tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Results: As compared to ICR control mouse, the levels of 3.5 kb mRNA in ZAP transgenic mouse were decreased by 8.4%; while the level of HBV DNA replication intermediates was decreased by 82%. In addition, the expression of HBsAg and HBcAg in ZAP transgenic mouse liver were both significantly less than that of ICR control mouse. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ZAP could inhibit HBV replication in vivo in mice, which offers a new target for anti-HBV drug development.

The present article reviews the biotechnological research in Zingiber montanum (Koenig) Link ex A. Dietr. (cassumunar ginger). Studies on biotechnological interventions in this plant were focused mainly on the application of tissue culture techniques. Recently, attentions are being drawn towards the genomic studies which mostly aimed at establishing the genetic relationship of different gene pools. The present review summarizes the various aspects of tissue culture protocol for in vitro micropropagation, in vitro microrhizome induction, in vitro conservation technology and molecular biology studies of this medicinal plant. This review will help in further research of this plant in areas related to tissue culture for propagation and increased production of important secondary metabolites, phylogenetic analysis and genetic engineering. Moreover, it will offer an insight into crop improvement and breeding programs of this important underutilized medicinal plant for improved yield and quality of secondary metabolites.

This paper focuses on a new kind of artificial neural networks - the Z-transform artificial neural networks (ZTANNs). It is proposed to use the Z-transform instead of ordinary weights and a linear activation function of an artificial neuron. This extension allows to use artificial neural networks in new areas. The ordinary description of artificial neural networks is a special case of the description proposed in this paper. It also contains a description of the use of the ZTANN for automatic identification of objects in digital control system. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.