Search

To fully utilize the voltage regulation capacity and interaction characteristics of the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) system, a novel Modified Partially Observed Markov Decision Process (MPOMDP)‐based Reinforcement Learning (RL) scheme for Autonomous Voltage Control is proposed, which incorporates Demand Response (DR) and cooperation with the Transmission Network. The proposed scheme consists of two vital components: an MPOMDP block and a Modified Asynchronous Advantage Actor‐Critic‐based RL block. The MPOMDP block innovatively exploits the confidence interval of the observed state to make a better perception of the precise system state by introducing two new probability vectors. Then the MPOMDP block is fed into the underlying architecture of the RL block for asynchronously capturing features and optimal decision‐making, where the solving framework additionally brings in a public data buffer to realize boundary information sharing. Case studies are conducted on a modified T&D system considering N‐1 contingencies, with a training dataset from a district in Suzhou, China. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can achieve significant voltage optimization while ensuring fast convergence speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical disturbances play an important role in the formation of tropical cyclones (TCs), but their climate characteristics are still poorly understood. The present study investigated the characteristics of tropical disturbances over the western North Pacific (WNP) for the period 1965–2020 using the reanalysis datasets. An algorithm based on the threshold of synoptic-scale vorticity and convection was developed to identify and track tropical disturbances. Approximately 116 tropical disturbances were detected primitively in the WNP from June to November each year, and about 13.1% of them subsequently developed into TCs. These developing disturbances contributed to the formation of 80.9% TCs in the WNP. Compared with nondeveloping disturbances, the position of developing disturbances is more eastward and southward, whereas the majority of their lifetimes and propagation speeds are similar. The annual numbers of developing disturbances exhibit significant interannual (interdecadal) variability. The percentage of TCs associated with disturbances also experiences a significant inverse interdecadal relationship with the number of TC genesis in the WNP, indicating that the formation probability of TCs is inconsistent with the transition probability from disturbances to TCs. In addition, the long-term trends of developing and nondeveloping disturbances suggest that global warming might be responsible for more tropical disturbances in the WNP instead of higher transition probability from disturbances to TCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, poses a significant threat through infections in both community and hospital settings. To address this challenge, we conducted a phase I clinical trial study involving a recombinant Staphylococcus aureus vaccine. Utilizing peripheral blood lymphocytes from 64 subjects, we isolated antigen-specific memory B cells for subsequent single-cell sequencing. Among the 676 identified antigen-binding IgG1+ clones, we selected the top 10 antibody strains for construction within expression vectors. Successful expression and purification of these monoclonal antibodies led to the discovery of a highly expressed human antibody, designated as IgG-6. This antibody specifically targets the pentameric form of the Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SpA5). In vivo assessments revealed that IgG-6 provided prophylactic protection against MRSA252 infection. This study underscores the potential of human antibodies as an innovative strategy against Staphylococcus aureus infections, offering a promising avenue for further research and clinical development. • 676 IgG1+ antigen-binding clonotypes were identified by high-throughput scRNA/VDJ-seq. • IgG-6 was screened from PBMC separated from 64 phase I clinical volunteers. • IgG-6 provided prophylactic protection against MRSA252 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed to investigate whether Mabuterol (Mab) inhibits proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) induced by platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) and how far it is related to mitochondrial fission/fusion and intracellular calcium if it comes into play. To explore the mechanism of Mab's antagonizing the proliferation, Mdivi-1, DRP1 inhibitor, which has an inhibitory effect on mitochondrial fission, is used to compare with Mab. Cell viability was measured by either MTT or CCK-8. The inhibitory effect of Mab on S phase of ASM cell cycle induced by PDGF-BB was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). Fluo-3/AM, Ca2+ fluorescent probe, was used to detect Ca2+ fluorescence intensity by inverted microscope and flow cytometry. The gene expression of Drp-1 and Mfn-2 was observed with Real time PCR and the proteins of Drp-1, Mfn-2, PCNA and cyclin D1 were assessed by Western Blot. Mab and Mdivi-1 both suppressed the proliferation induced by PDGF-BB. The results from inverted microscope and flow cytometry showed that Mab inhibited [Ca2+]i in rat ASMCs induced by PDGF-BB. Cell cycle concept map illustrated that Mab significantly controlled the S phase of ASM cell cycle induced by PDGF-BB. As a consequence, Real time PCR and Western blot revealed the fact that Mab decreased the expression of Drp-1 mRNA and protein, and promoted the expression of Mfn-2 mRNA and protein. These findings suggested that Mab placed restrictions on the proliferation of rat ASMCs induced by PDGF-BB and the mechanism might be associated with the intracellular calcium inhibited and the mitochondrial fission/fusion regulated by Mab. Mab inhibited the proliferation of ASMCs induced by PDGF-BB Mab suppressed the increase of intracellular Ca2+ induced by PDGF-BB Mab suppressed the expression of Drp-1 and promoted that of Mfn-2 Mechanisms of Mab' action may be related to its regulating fission and fusion of mitochondria [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel data-driven mathematical model which fills the gap in the solution to the DOPF problem under high uncertainty. The proposed data-driven mathematical model lets the model has the ability that can autonomously learn the distribution characteristic of uncertain variables. and effectively prevents the over-fitting data phenomenon. • The first to put forward the mathematical expression between linear ACOPF and uncertain variables and to give the data-driven model a formal mathematical expression too. Our work fills the gap that current data-driven methods based on big data have no accurate mathematical model. • Our model significantly reduces the computational burden. This improvement solves the phenomenon that standard data-driven algorithms require extreme demand in the aspect of computer hardware. The uncertainty caused by the distributed generations(DG) with inconspicuous patterns has been an essential subject in the optimization scheduling for the distribution network. We propose a novel data-driven approach to deal with the dynamic optimal power flow(DOPF) problem which contains uncertain variables with their unknown probability distribution. The data-driven model is made to learn the joint probability distribution of the uncertain variables and use robust optimization(RO) to solve the multi-stage stochastic linear DOPF by averaging the worst case from each uncertainty set. In contrast to the motivation for traditional RO to find solutions that perform well on the worst-case realization, our proposed approach adds robustness to the historical data as a tool to avoid overfitting as the number of data points tends to infinity. The application verification for the AC OPF problem is presented for the IEEE-33 system. The simulation verifies the feasibility and robustness of the proposed approach and its results are compared with those of other data-driven stochastic optimization methods. We prove that the proposed approach can effectively solve the overvoltage problem caused by the high permeability of photovoltaic generation and achieve a better out-of-sample performance guarantee, and also has obvious economic advantages over other data-driven methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel POMDP modelling method for reactive power optimization of the ADN which fills the gap in the solution to the optimization problem with significant data uncertainty. • Introduce a technique for transforming the POMDP model into the belief state which can be easily solved by the RL algorithm. • Use a misestimated state probability vector to consider data uncertainty in the belief state update process. • Match multiple agents with multiple reactive compensation devices and adopt a novel multi-agent actor-attention-critic algorithm to solve the proposed belief MDP model. We present an innovative partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) modelling method for the reactive power optimization process of the active distribution network (ADN) under the high permeability of the distributed generation. This model is tolerant of the uncertainty resulting from data uncertainty. We believe that the belief state space in the POMDP model corresponds to the state space in the Markov decision process (MDP) model, and we apply the multi-agent actor-attention-critic (MAAC) reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to the proposed model. This technique extracts the most effective information with the highest quality from the huge historical measurement database, hence enhancing the learning effectiveness of agents and the stability of the optimization strategy. We simulate reactive power optimization in a modified IEEE-33 nodes ADN and a modified IEEE-123nodes ADN. The simulation demonstrates the stability and economic superiority of the proposed approach under varying degrees of data uncertainty relative to previous RL algorithms based on the MDP model. The simulation demonstrates that the proposed POMDP model is more appropriate for the real operation of the partially observable distribution network than the MDP models. And the optimal strategy obtained by the proposed MAAC algorithm is reliable with deteriorating data quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial sesame oil was selected as the research subject and its volatile flavor components was extracted through solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE). Then, the aroma substances of the sesame oil were semi-quantitatively analyzed based on triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Finally, the relative odor activity values (ROAV) were combined to analyze the terms of volatile flavor contributions. The results showed that a total of 107 volatile flavor components were identified in sesame oil, of which 35 substances were seem as contributed flavor (ROAV≥0. 01), including 4 sulfides, 5 phenols, 10 pyrazines, 4 furans, 3 aldehydes, 4 thiazoles, 2 pyrroles, 2 thiophenes, and 1 indole. They provided "cabbage" "fishy" "sulfur" "smoky" "popcorn" "oil" and "roasted sesame". In particular, compounds 14 flavor components with ROAV≥0. 10 were determined as key flavor components, such as acetyl pyrazine, 2-furanmethanol, 2,3-dimethyl-pyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulphide, methyl furfuryl disulfide, methyl thiolacetate, 4-vinyl-2- methoxyphenol, 2-methoxyphenol, hexanal, 2-ethyl-6-methyl-pyrazine, 2-methyl-3-furanothiol and 3-ethyl-2,5- dimethyl-pyrazine. Using this method to determine the key volatile flavor components of sesame oil, not only could expand the flavor database of sesame oil, but also could provide an important material basis for evaluating and regulating the flavor quality of sesame oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Therapeutic options for ulcerative colitis (UC) have increased since the introduction of biologics a few decades ago. Due to the wide range of biologics available, physicians have difficulty in selecting biologics and do not know how to balance the best drug between clinical efficacy and safety. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of biologics in treating ulcerative colitis. Methods: In this study, eight electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, Sinomed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP Information, and WanFang Data) were searched to collect eligible studies without language restrictions. Retrieved 1 June 2023, from inception. All articles included in the mesh analysis are randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The inclusion of drugs for each outcome was ranked using a curved surface under cumulative ranking (SUCRA). Higher SUCRA scores were associated with better outcomes, whereas lower SUCRA scores were associated with better safety. This study has registered with PROSPERO, CRD42023389483. Results: Induction Therapy: Among the biologic therapies evaluated for induction therapy, vedolizumab demonstrated the highest efficacy in achieving clinical remission (OR vs daclizumab, 9.09; 95% CI, 1.01–81.61; SUCRA 94.1) and clinical response. Guselkumab showed the lowest risk of recurrence of UC (SUCRA 94.9%), adverse events resulting in treatment discontinuation (SUCRA 94.8%), and serious infections (SUCRA 78.0%). Maintenance Therapy: For maintenance therapy, vedolizumab ranked highest in maintaining clinical remission (OR vs mesalazine 4.36; 95% CI, 1.65–11.49; SUCRA 89.7) and endoscopic improvement (SUCRA 92.6). Infliximab demonstrated the highest efficacy in endoscopic improvement (SUCRA 92.6%). Ustekinumab had the lowest risk of infections (SUCRA 92.9%), serious adverse events (SUCRA 91.3%), and serious infections (SUCRA 67.6%). Conclusion: Our network meta-analysis suggests that vedolizumab is the most effective biologic therapy for inducing and maintaining clinical remission in UC patients. Guselkumab shows promise in reducing the risk of recurrence and adverse events during induction therapy. Infliximab is effective in improving endoscopic outcomes during maintenance therapy. Ustekinumab appears to have a favorable safety profile. These findings provide valuable insights for clinicians in selecting the most appropriate biologic therapy for UC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pu-erh tea has become a focus of research due to its reported biological activities, including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-immunosenescence. The present study was performed to evaluate the potential gastroprotective function of Pu-erh tea extracts against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven groups: A normal control, a model control, a cimetidine (0.08 g/kg) group, three Pu-erh tea extracts groups (low, moderate and high-dose; 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50 g/kg, respectively, and a green tea powder (1.00 g/kg) group. The normal and model groups were pre-treated with distilled water while the other groups were respectively administered cimetidine, Pu-erh tea extracts and green tea powder for 14 days. Then, absolute ethanol was orally administered to the rats of all groups excluding the normal controls. The effects of the pretreatments on gastric mucosal injury were evaluated by gross assessment of gastric lesions, examination of histopathology and determination of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and asymmetric arginine (ADMA) concentration in gastric mucosal homogenate. Pre-treatment with cimetidine or Pu-erh tea extracts markedly suppressed the formation of ethanol-induced gastric lesions. Furthermore, clear decreases in MPO activity and ADMA concentration in the gastric mucosal homogenate were observed following pretreatment with cimetidine or Pu-erh tea extracts. The anti-gastric ulcer activity of green tea was less than that of Pu-erh tea. Overall, these effects of Pu-erh tea extracts may be due to potential functions in protecting the gastric mucus layer and suppressing inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nefopam, an analgesic drug, effectively elicits antinociception in the majority of noxious and thermal models in rodents. Acetaminophen is among the most commonly used analgesic and antipyretic drugs worldwide, either on prescription or over the counter. The present study aimed to investigate the analgesic activity of nefopam combined with acetaminophen, which was expected to maximize the potency of analgesia and decrease the dose of nefopam required. Three series of experiments, namely acetic acid-induced writhing tests in mice, hot plate tests in mice and tail flick tests in rats, were used to evaluate the analgesic effect. Initially, an optimum proportion of the two drugs, 3.5 mg/kg nefopam (N) + 60 mg/kg acetaminophen (A), was determined by orthogonal array design based on writhing response number. Subsequently, combinations of N and A (1.75 N + 30 A, 3.5 N + 60 A and 7.0 N + 120 A mg/kg) were determined to elicit antinociception in the writhing test (P<0.01 vs. normal saline control) in a dose-dependent manner. In the hot plate test, hot plate latencies up to 60 min after drug treatment were observed. The combination of 7.0 N + 120 A mg/kg exerted a greater cumulative antinociceptive effect throughout the observation period, with an area under the curve value of 1,156.95±199.30 area units (AU), compared with that achieved by 7.0 N mg/kg alone (632.12±62.38 AU). Furthermore, both monotherapy and compound therapy exhibited antinociception dose-dependently in the tail-flick test. However, a combination of 5.0 N + 84 A mg/kg exerted greater analgesic effect compared with 5.0 N mg/kg alone. The data obtained demonstrate that acetaminophen may enhance the antinociceptive activity of nefopam. Thus, coadministration of nefopam with acetaminophen warrants clinical evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus causes pine wilt disease, which poses a serious threat to forestry ecology around the world. Microorganisms are environmentally friendly alternatives to the use of chemical nematicides to control B. xylophilus in a sustainable way. In this study, we isolated a nematophagous fungus—Arthrobotrys robusta—from the xylem of diseased Pinus massoniana. The nematophagous activity of A. robusta against the PWNs was observed after just 6 h. We found that B. xylophilus entered the trap of A. robusta at 24 h, and the nervous system and immunological response of B. xylophilus were stimulated by metabolites that A. robusta produced. At 30 h of exposure to A. robusta, B. xylophilus exhibited significant constriction, and we were able to identify xenobiotics. Bursaphelenchus xylophilus activated xenobiotic metabolism, which expelled the xenobiotics from their bodies, by providing energy through lipid metabolism. When PWNs were exposed to A. robusta for 36 h, lysosomal and autophagy-related genes were activated, and the bodies of the nematodes underwent disintegration. Moreover, a gene co-expression pattern network was constructed by WGCNA and Cytoscape. The gene co-expression pattern network suggested that metabolic processes, developmental processes, detoxification, biological regulation, and signaling were influential when the B. xylophilus specimens were exposed to A. robusta. Additionally, bZIP transcription factors, ankyrin, ATPases, innexin, major facilitator, and cytochrome P450 played critical roles in the network. This study proposes a model in which mobility improved whenever B. xylophilus entered the traps of A. robusta. The model will provide a solid foundation with which to understand the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms underlying interactions between nematodes and nematophagous fungi. Taken together, these findings contribute in several ways to our understanding of B. xylophilus exposed to microorganisms and provide a basis for establishing an environmentally friendly prevention and control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overexpression of the MYC oncogene is a molecular hallmark of both cancer initiation and progression. Targeting MYC is a logical and effective cancer therapeutic strategy. A special DNA secondary structure, the G-quadruplex (G4), is formed within the nuclease hypersensitivity element III 1 (NHE III 1) region, located upstream of the MYC gene's P1 promoter that drives the majority of its transcription. Targeting such G4 structures has been a focus of anticancer therapies in recent decades. Thus, a comprehensive review of the MYC G4 structure and its role as a potential therapeutic target is timely. In this review, we first outline the discovery of the MYC G4 structure and evidence of its formation in vitro and in cells. Then, we describe the functional role of G4 in regulating MYC gene expression. We also summarize three types of MYC G4-interacting proteins that can promote, stabilize and unwind G4 structures. Finally, we discuss G4-binding molecules and the anticancer activities of G4-stabilizing ligands, including small molecular compounds and peptides, and assess their potential as novel anticancer therapeutics. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: SET is a multifunctional oncoprotein which is ubiquitously expressed in all kinds of cells. The SET protein participates in many cellular processes including cell cycle, cell migration, apoptosis, transcription, and DNA repair. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the expression and activity of SET correlate with cancer occurrence, metastasis, and prognosis. Therefore, the SET protein is regarded as a potential target for cancer therapy and several inhibitors are being developed for clinical use. Herein, we comprehensively review the physiological and pathological functions of SET as well as its structure‐function relationship. Additionally, the regulatory mechanisms of SET at both transcriptional and posttranslational levels are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:Dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ) which is originally developed as an analog of antibiotic epoxyquinomicin C is a specific and potent inhibitor of NF-κB and has been shown to possess promising potential as an anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent. Objective:This study examines DHMEQ’s effect on therapeutic potential for atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions. Materials and methods:AD lesions were chronically induced by the repetitive and alternative application of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and oxazolone (OX) on ears in BALB/c mice. The mice were then externally treated with DHMEQ ointment. Macroscopic and microscopic changes of the skin lesions were observed and recorded. Results:DHMEQ inhibited ear swelling and relieved clinical symptoms of the AD-like lesions induced by DNCB/OX in BALB/c mice. Histopathology examination illustrated that it significantly decreased DNCB/OX-induced epidermal thickness, the infiltration of inflammatory cells, and the count of mast cell. The elevated level of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum and the mRNA levels of interferon γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-13 in the ear tissues, were also suppressed by DHMEQ. Discussion and conclusion:This study indicated that DHMEQ would be useful for the treatment of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]