Fishway design not only takes into account the swimming abilities of target fishes, but also considers the hydrodynamic characteristics within the fishway. In this study, the flow fields of one vertical-slot fishway (i.e. VSF), five T-shape fishways (i.e. TSF-1~TSF-5) and two H-shape fishways (i.e. HSF-1 and HSF-2) are numerically simulated by solving the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the K-Omega-SST turbulence model. The numerical results clearly indicate that the hydrodynamic properties of HSF-2 are overall superior to the remaining seven cases, in terms of the time-averaged flow pattern, the time-averaged velocity magnitude, the depth-mean timeaveraged velocity magnitude along the vertical-slot section, the volume percentages of the time-averaged velocity magnitude less than some critical values, and the distribution of the time-averaged turbulent kinetic energy. Therefore, HSF-2 is more friendly for fishes with relatively smaller sizes and weaker swimming capacities to transfer upstream. The novel HSF-2 is firstly proposed in this paper, and it is naturally designed during the process of improving the flow regime. Furthermore, the generalizability of the superiority of HSF-2 over VSF and the original T-shape fishway (i.e. TSF-1) has been exhibited with the aid of the numerical results of four operating conditions (i.e. Q = 400 L/s, 600 L/s, 800 L/s and 1000 L/s).
The optimal and reliable performance of doubly fed induction generator is essential for the efficient and optimal operation of wind energy conversion systems. This paper considers the nonlinear dynamic of a DFIG linked to a power grid and presents a new robust model predictive control technique of active and reactive power by the use of the linear matrix inequality in DFIG-based WECS. The control law is obtained through the LMI-based model predictive control that allows considering both economic and tracking factors by optimization of an objective function, constraints on control signal and states of system and effects of nonlinearities, generator parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. Robust stability in the face of bounded disturbances and generator uncertainty is shown using Lyapunov technique. Numerical simulations show that the proposed control method is able to meet the desired specification in active and reactive power control in the presence of varieties of wind speed and pitch angle.
The development of smartphones, specifically their cameras, and imaging technologies has enabled their use as sensors/measurement tools. Here we aimed to evaluate the applicability of a fast and noninvasive method for the estimation of total chlorophyll (Chl), Chl a, Chl b, and carotenoids (Car) content of soybean plants using a smartphone camera. Single leaf disc images were obtained using a smartphone camera. Subsequently, for the same leaf discs, a Chl meter was used to obtain the relative index of Chl and the photosynthetic pigments were then determined using a classic method. The RGB, HSB and CIELab color models were extracted from the smartphone images and correlated to Chl values obtained using a Chl meter and by a standard laboratory protocol. The smartphone camera was sensitive enough to capture successfully a broad range of Chl and Car contents seen in soybean leaves. Although there was a variation between color models, some of the proposed regressions (e.g., the S and b index from HSB and Lab color models and NRI [RGB model]) were very close to the Chl meter values. Based on our findings, smartphones can be used for rapid and accurate estimation of soybean and Car contents in soybean leaves., J. P. G. Rigon, S. Capuani, D. M. Fernandes, T. M. Guimarães., and Obsahuje bibliografii
As part of a biodiversity study in northwestern Hungary, we conducted a parasitological survey of small mammals. In both common shrews (Sorex araneus Linnaeus) and pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus Linnaeus), we found myxospores of a species of Soricimyxum Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007 (Myxosporea) and plasmodia in the bile ducts within the liver. Spores from both species of shrewswere morphologically and morphometrically indistinguishable, but differed in their SSU rRNA gene sequences by 3.3%. We identified spores and developmental stages from the common shrew as Soricimyxum fegati Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007, based on morphometric data and DNA sequence similarity. Spores from the pygmy shrew were only 96.7% similar to S. fegati, hence we identified them as a novel myxosporean Soricimyxum minuti sp. n. This is only the second myxosporean parasite species described from mammals., Csaba Székely, Gábor Cech, Stephen D. Atkinson, Kálmán Molnár, László Egyed, András Gubányi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Endothelin B (ETB) receptors present in abundance the central nervous system (CNS) have been shown to have significant implications in its development and neurogenesis. We have targeted ETB receptors stimulation using a highly specific agonist, IRL-1620, to treat CNS disorders. In a rat model of cerebral ischemia intravenous administration IRL-1620 significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological and motor functions compared to control. This improvement, in part, is due to an increase in neuroregeneration. We also investigated the role of IRL-1620 in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). IRL-1620 improved learning and memory, reduced oxidative stress and increased VEGF and NGF in Aβ treated rats. IRL-1620 also improved learning and memory in an aged APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of AD. These promising findings prompted us to initiate human studies. Successful chemistry, manufacturing and control along with mice, rat and dog toxicological studies led to completion of a human Phase I study in healthy volunteers. We found that a dose of 0.6 μg/kg of IRL-1620 can be safely administered, three times every four hours, without any adverse effect. A Phase II clinical study with IRL-1620 has been initiated in patients with cerebral ischemia and mild to moderate AD., A. Gulati, M. G. Hornick, S. Briyal, M. S. Lavhale., and Seznam literatury
In passing remarks, some commentators have noted that for Nagel, physicalism is true. It has even been argued that Nagel seeks to find the best path to follow to achieve future physicalism. I advance these observations by adding that for Nagel, we should discuss the consciousness problem not in terms of physical and mental issues but in terms of our desire to include consciousness in an objective/scientific account, and we can achieve this only by revising our self-conception, i.e., folk psychology, to develop a more detached view of experience. Through the project of objective phenomenology, Nagel aims to achieve some sort of objective, detached, and scientific explanation of the subjective nature of experience. This project seeks to make the truth of physicalism intelligible and consciousness more amenable to scientific study, potentially raising an even broader concept than the one physicalism originally proposes.
Ten ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from three subfamilies feed on honeydew excreted by nymphs of the leafhopper Balclutha punctata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). This relationship is facultative for the partners. Preliminary field observations suggest a mutualistic interaction that represents an intermediate stage in the spectrum of formicid-hemipteran mutualisms. Behavioural adaptations of the leafhopper (no escape reaction) and the ants (no predation of leafhoppers, protection from spiders) are evident, but characters of advanced facultative mutualism such as physical contact between the partners or ant-triggered excretion of honeydew were not observed.
In this short note, we introduce a new architecture for spiking perceptron: The actual output is a linear combination of the firing time of the perceptron and the spiking intensity (the gradient of the state function) at the firing time. It is shown by numerical experiments that this novel spiking perceptron can solve the XOR problem, while a classical spiking neuron usually needs a hidden layer to solve the XOR problem.
Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) are key enzymes involved in the intracellular nucleotide maintenance in all living organisms, especially in trypanosomatids which are unable to synthesise purines de novo. Four putative NDPK isoforms were identified in the Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 genome but only two of them were characterised so far. In this work, we studied a novel isoform from T. cruzi called TcNDPK3. This enzyme presents an atypical N-terminal extension similar to the DM10 domains. In T. cruzi, DM10 sequences targeted other NDPK isoform (TcNDPK2) to the cytoskeleton, but TcNDPK3 was localised in glycosomes despite lacking a typical peroxisomal targeting signal. In addition, TcNDPK3 was found only in the bloodstream trypomastigotes where glycolytic enzymes are very abundant. However, TcNDPK3 mRNA was also detected at lower levels in amastigotes suggesting regulation at protein and mRNA level. Finally, 33 TcNDPK3 gene orthologs were identified in the available kinetoplastid genomes. The characterisation of new glycosomal enzymes provides novel targets for drug development to use in therapies of trypanosomatid associated diseases., María de los Milagros Cámara, León Bouvier, Chantal Reigada, Fabio A. Digirolamo, Melisa Sayé, Claudio A. Pereira., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Steady two-dimensional natural convection taking place in a rectangular cavity, partially filled with an isotropic porous material, has been investigated numerically using an ADI method. It is assumed that one of the vertical walls of the cavity has a ramped temperature distribution. The vorticity-stream function formulation has been used to solve the set of nonlinear partial differential equations governing the flows in the clear region and the adjoining porous region. The effects of Darcy number and Rayleigh number have been discussed in detail.