Affect Energy Production Research Articles

A Novel Data-Driven Approach with a Long Short-Term Memory Autoencoder Model with a Multihead Self-Attention Deep Learning Model for Wind Turbine Converter Fault Detection

The imminent depletion of oil resources and increasing environmental pollution have driven the use of clean energy, particularly wind energy. However, wind turbines (WTs) face significant challenges, such as critical component failures, which can cause unexpected shutdowns and affect energy production. To address this challenge, we analyzed the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data to identify significant differences between the relationship of variables based on data reconstruction errors between actual and predicted values. This study proposes a hybrid short- and long-term memory autoencoder model with multihead self-attention (LSTM-MA-AE) for WT converter fault detection. The proposed model identifies anomalies in the data by comparing the reconstruction errors of the variables involved. However, more is needed. To address this model limitation, we developed a fault prediction system that employs an adaptive threshold with an Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) and a fixed threshold. This system analyzes the anomalies of several variables and generates fault warnings in advance time. Thus, we propose an outlier detection method through data preprocessing and unsupervised learning, using SCADA data collected from a wind farm located in complex terrain, including real faults in the converter. The LSTM-MA-AE is shown to be able to predict the converter failure 3.3 months in advance, and with an F1 greater than 90% in the tests performed. The results provide evidence of the potential of the proposed model to improve converter fault diagnosis with SCADA data in complex environments, highlighting its ability to increase the reliability and efficiency of WTs.

Global diversity and ecological functions of viruses inhabiting oil reservoirs

Oil reservoirs, being one of the significant subsurface repositories of energy and carbon, host diverse microbial communities affecting energy production and carbon emissions. Viruses play crucial roles in the ecology of microbiomes, however, their distribution and ecological significance in oil reservoirs remain undetermined. Here, we assemble a catalogue encompassing viral and prokaryotic genomes sourced from oil reservoirs. The catalogue comprises 7229 prokaryotic genomes and 3,886 viral Operational Taxonomic Units (vOTUs) from 182 oil reservoir metagenomes. The results show that viruses are widely distributed in oil reservoirs, and 85% vOTUs in oil reservoir are detected in less than 10% of the samples, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of viral communities within oil reservoirs. Through combined microcosm enrichment experiments and bioinformatics analysis, we validate the ecological roles of viruses in regulating the community structure of sulfate reducing microorganisms, primarily through a virulent lifestyle. Taken together, this study uncovers a rich diversity of viruses and their ecological functions within oil reservoirs, offering a comprehensive understanding of the role of viral communities in the biogeochemical cycles of the deep biosphere.

Mitochondria Transplantation: Rescuing Innate Muscle Bioenergetic Impairment in a Model of Aging and Exercise Intolerance.

Arroum, T, Hish, GA, Burghardt, KJ, Ghamloush, M, Bazzi, B, Mrech, A, Morse, PT, Britton, SL, Koch, LG, McCully, JD, Hüttemann, M, and Malek, MH. Mitochondria transplantation: Rescuing innate muscle bioenergetic impairment in a model of aging and exercise intolerance. J Strength Cond Res 38(7): 1189-1199, 2024-Mitochondria, through oxidative phosphorylation, are crucial for energy production. Disease, genetic impairment, or deconditioning can harm muscle mitochondria, affecting energy production. Endurance training enhances mitochondrial function but assumes mobility. Individuals with limited mobility lack effective treatments for mitochondrial dysfunction because of disease or aging. Mitochondrial transplantation replaces native mitochondria that have been damaged with viable, respiration-competent mitochondria. Here, we used a rodent model selectively bred for low-capacity running (LCR), which exhibits innate mitochondrial dysfunction in the hind limb muscles. Hence, the purpose of this study was to use a distinct breed of rats (i.e., LCR) that display hereditary skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction to evaluate the consequences of mitochondrial transplantation. We hypothesized that the transplantation of mitochondria would effectively alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction in the hind limb muscles of rats when compared with placebo injections. In addition, we hypothesized that rats receiving the mitochondrial transplantation would experience an improvement in their functional capacity, as evaluated through incremental treadmill testing. Twelve aged LCR male rats (18 months old) were randomized into 2 groups (placebo or mitochondrial transplantation). One LCR rat of the same age and sex was used as the donor to isolate mitochondria from the hindlimb muscles. Isolated mitochondria were injected into both hindlimb muscles (quadriceps femoris, tibialis anterior (TA), and gastrocnemius complex) of a subset LCR (n = 6; LCR-M) rats. The remaining LCR (n = 5; LCR-P) subset received a placebo injection containing only the vehicle without the isolated mitochondria. Four weeks after mitochondrial transplantation, rodents were euthanized and hindlimb muscles harvested. The results indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in mitochondrial markers for glycolytic (plantaris and TA) and mixed (quadricep femoris) muscles, but not oxidative muscle (soleus). Moreover, we found significant (p < 0.05) epigenetic changes (i.e., hypomethylation) at the global and site-specific levels for a key mitochondrial regulator (transcription factor A mitochondrial) between the placebo and mitochondrial transplantation groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the efficacy of mitochondrial transplantation in a rodent model of aging with congenital skeletal muscle dysfunction.

Impact of operations and maintenance on the energy production of floating offshore wind farms across the North Sea and the Iberian Peninsula

This paper evaluates how operation and maintenance (O&M) factors affect energy production and optimal deployment sites for floating offshore wind farms (FOWs) in the North Sea and the Iberian Peninsula. The geospatial analysis incorporates reliability, maintainability, accessibility, and availability aspects, and evaluates their impact on energy production. The results demonstrate that O&M factors have a significant impact on the final energy production and therefore on the identification of optimal deployment sites, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the North Sea, promising deployment sites are identified in regions with lower wind resources but shorter turbine downtime, such as Denmark, Germany and southern Scotland. In the Iberian Peninsula, areas with high resource potential, such as the northwest Spanish and Portuguese coasts, may be less appealing than the less powerful Mediterranean regions due to lower maintainability. In particular, the efficiency of future FOW farms in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean regions of the Iberian Peninsula heavily relies on vessel operational limits for major repairs. Increasing the significant wave height limit for major repairs from 1.5 m to 2 m results in an average capacity factor increment of 2.54% across ScotWind farms and over 6% along the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Solanaceae Glycoalkaloids Disturb Lipid Metabolism in the Tenebrio molitor Beetle.

Glycoalkaloids (GAs) are produced naturally by plants and affect insect survivability and fertility. These compounds can be considered potential bioinsecticides; however, the mechanisms and effects of their action remain undiscovered. As lipids are essential molecules for the proper functioning of an insect organism, this research aimed to determine the effects of GAs on the lipid metabolism of the Tenebrio molitor beetle. Solanine, chaconine, tomatine, and tomato leaf extract were applied to larvae by injection at two concentrations, 10-8 and 10-5 M. Then, the tissue was isolated after 2 and 24 h to determine the levels of free fatty acids, sterols and esters using the GC-MS technique. Moreover, the triacylglyceride level and the activity of the key β-oxidation enzyme, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HADH), were measured. The results indicate that GAs affect the content and composition of lipid compounds in the beetles' haemolymph and fat body. The effects depend on the GA concentrations, incubation time, and kind of tissue. Moreover, the tested compounds decrease HADH activity, especially in the fat body, which may affect energy production. To our knowledge, this is the first study concerning lipid metabolism in T. molitor after GA application. Our results provide some insights into that topic.

Proteomic analysis reveals changes in the proteome of human THP-1 macrophages infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

Paracoccidioides spp. is the etiologic agent of Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a systemic disease with wide distribution in Latin America. Macrophages are very important cells during the response to infection by P. brasiliensis. In this study, we performed a proteomic analysis to evaluate the consequences of P. brasiliensis yeast cells on the human THP-1 macrophage proteome. We have identified 443 and 2247 upregulated or downregulated proteins, respectively, in macrophages co-cultured with yeast cells of P. brasiliensis in comparison to control macrophages unexposed to the fungus. Proteomic analysis revealed that interaction with P. brasiliensis caused metabolic changes in macrophages that drastically affected energy production pathways. In addition, these macrophages presented regulated many factors related to epigenetic modifications and gene transcription as well as a decrease of many proteins associated to the immune system activity. This is the first human macrophage proteome derived from interactions with P. brasiliensis, which contributes to elucidating the changes that occur during the host response to this fungus. Furthermore, it highlights proteins that may be targets for the development of new therapeutic approaches to PCM.

Impact of Opioids on Cellular Metabolism: Implications for Metabolic Pathways Involved in Cancer.

Opioid utilization for pain management is prevalent among cancer patients. There is significant evidence describing the many effects of opioids on cancer development. Despite the pivotal role of metabolic reprogramming in facilitating cancer growth and metastasis, the specific impact of opioids on crucial oncogenic metabolic pathways remains inadequately investigated. This review provides an understanding of the current research on opioid-mediated changes to cellular metabolic pathways crucial for oncogenesis, including glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glutaminolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The existing literature suggests that opioids affect energy production pathways via increasing intracellular glucose levels, increasing the production of lactic acid, and reducing ATP levels through impediment of OXPHOS. Opioids modulate pathways involved in redox balance which may allow cancer cells to overcome ROS-mediated apoptotic signaling. The majority of studies have been conducted in healthy tissue with a predominant focus on neuronal cells. To comprehensively understand the impact of opioids on metabolic pathways critical to cancer progression, research must extend beyond healthy tissue and encompass patient-derived cancer tissue, allowing for a better understanding in the context of the metabolic reprogramming already undergone by cancer cells. The current literature is limited by a lack of direct experimentation exploring opioid-induced changes to cancer metabolism as they relate to tumor growth and patient outcome.

Preliminary insights on the metabolomics of Trichinella zimbabwensis infection in Sprague Dawley rats using GCxGC-TOF-MS (untargeted approach).

Trichinella infections have been documented globally and have been detected in wild and/or domestic animals except Antarctica. There is paucity of information in the metabolic responses of hosts during Trichinella infections and biomarkers for infection that can be used in the diagnosis of the disease. The current study aimed to apply a non-targeted metabolomic approach to identify Trichinella zimbabwensis biomarkers including metabolic response from sera of infected Sprague-Dawley rats. Fifty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into T. zimbabwensis infected group (n = 36) and the non-infected control (n = 18). Results from the study showed that the metabolic signature of T. zimbabwensis infection consists of enriched methyl histidine metabolism, disturbance of the liver urea cycle, impeded TCA cycle, and upregulation of gluconeogenesis metabolism. The observed disturbance in the metabolic pathways was attributed to the effects caused by the parasite during its migration to the muscles resulting in downregulation of amino acids intermediates in the Trichinella-infected animals, and therefore affecting energy production and degradation of biomolecules. It was concluded that T. zimbabwensis infection caused an upregulation of amino acids; pipecolic acid, histidine, and urea, and upregulation of glucose and meso-Erythritol. Moreover, T. zimbabwensis infection caused upregulation of the fatty acids, retinoic acid, and acetic acid. These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics as a novel approach for fundamental investigations of host-pathogen interactions as well as for disease progression and prognosis.

A Review of the Relationship between Gut Microbiome and Obesity

Obesity is a rapidly growing problem of public health on a worldwide scale, responsible for more than 60% of deaths associated with high body mass index. Recent studies underpinned the augmenting importance of the gut microbiota in obesity. Gut microbiota alterations affect the energy balance of the host organism; namely, as a factor affecting energy production from the diet and as a factor affecting host genes regulating energy expenditure and storage. Gut microbiota composition is characterised by constant variability, and is affected by several dietary factors, suggesting the probability that manipulation of the gut microbiota may promote leaning or prevent obesity. Our narrative review summarizes the results of recent years that stress the effect of gut microbiota in the development of obesity. It investigates the factors (diet, dietary components, lifestyle, and environment) that might affect the gut microbiota composition. Possible strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of obesity include restoring or modifying the composition of the microbiota by consuming prebiotics and probiotics, fermented foods, fruits, vegetables, and avoiding foods of animal origin high in saturated fat and sugar.

The Nexus Between Urbanization, Renewable Energy, Financial Development, and Economic Growth: Evidence from Turkey

This study aims to analyze the relationship between renewable energy production and financial development, urbanization, and economic growth in the 1980-2020 period of the Turkish economy, which draws attention to its high growth rate. Methodology: To determine the relationship between financial development, economic growth, urbanization, and renewable Energy, ARDL cointegration analysis, cointegration regression models, and Toda Yamamoto causality analysis will be applied using 1980-2020 period data. Results/Findings: The ARDL boundary test shows a long-run relationship between financial development, economic growth, urbanization, and energy consumption under structural breaks. According to the cointegration regression model results, renewable energy production is determined by financial development and per capita GDP. Toda Yamamoto causality analysis shows the existence of causality running from financial development, per capita GDP, and urbanization variables to renewable energy production. The results reveal that in determining Turkey long-term energy demand projections and strategies of Turkey's, it is necessary to consider both the impact of financial development and economic growth and the supply of energy needs with sustainable resources by minimizing foreign dependency. Originality and Practical Implications: According to the government's estimates, electricity consumption is expected to reach 370 TWh in 2025 and 591 TWh in 2040. These developments reveal the importance of energy consumption in the Turkish economy and make it necessary to investigate the factors affecting energy production.

Design of an energy vulnerability index - spatial and temporal analysis: case of study Colombia.

Climate change might affect energy production and therefore the energy security of a country or region. This situation may impact renewable energy sources such as hydro power, leading to consequences on energy transition strategies. This might be critical in sensitive regions to climate change, one of them being the Caribe and northern South America. Since there are numerous energy systems based on sensitive technologies worldwide, it is necessary to introduce techniques to analyze the effects of climate change on different possible energy transition paths. The goal of this study is to develop and assess a method to analyze one of the most critical effects faced by climate change for societies worldwide: the sensitivity of the energy systems to climate change. This is especially critical in developing countries, in locations where temperatures will strongly increase in the following years. To assess this effect, this study proposes a vulnerability index (VI) to evaluate the vulnerability of an on-grid electricity system to climate change at the national and regional scales. This index was assessed using a Monte-Carlo method for uncertainty. The case of Colombia, a country with a system based on hydropower (> 70%) is used to illustrate the method. VI is based on variables related to climate change, the energy matrix, and vulnerability. Results show that the regions with the larger vulnerability correspond to the more energy-demanding ones. The VI for these regions is greater than 50% of the maximum possible vulnerability; meanwhile, the vulnerability of the whole country was estimated as 43%.

Development of appropriate fatty acid formulations to raise the contractility of constructed myocardial tissues.

IntroductionHeart disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide, and the annual number of deaths due to heart disease has increased in recent years. Although heart failure is usually managed with medicines, the ultimate treatment for end-stage disease is heart transplantation or an artificial heart. However, the use of these surgical strategies is limited by issues such as thrombosis, rejection and donor shortages. Regenerative therapies, such as the transplantation of cultured cells and tissues constructed using tissue engineering techniques, are receiving great attention as possible alternative treatments for heart failure. Research is ongoing into the potential clinical use of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs). However, the energy-producing capacity of cardiomyocytes maintained under previous culture conditions is lower than that of adult primary cardiomyocytes due to immaturity and a reliance on glucose metabolism. Therefore, the aims of this study were to compare the types of fatty acids metabolized between cardiomyocytes in culture and heart cells in vivo and investigate whether the addition of fatty acids to the culture medium affected energy production by cardiomyocytes.MethodsA fatty acid-containing medium was developed based on an analysis of fatty acid consumption by rat primary cardiomyocytes (rat-CMs), and the effects of this medium on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production were investigated through bioluminescence imaging of luciferase-expressing rat-CMs. Next, the fatty acid content of the medium was further adjusted based on analyses of fatty acid utilization by porcine hearts and hiPSC-CMs. Oxygen consumption analyses were performed to explore whether the fatty acid-containing medium induced hiPSC-CMs to switch from anaerobic metabolism to aerobic metabolism. Furthermore, the effects of the medium on contractile force generated by hiPSC-CM-derived tissue were evaluated.ResultsRat serum, human serum and porcine plasma contained similar types of fatty acid (oleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and arachidonic acid). The types of fatty acid consumed were also similar between rat-CMs, hiPSC-CMs and porcine heart. The addition of fatty acids to the culture medium increased the bioluminescence of luciferase-expressing rat-CMs (an indirect measure of ATP level), oxygen consumption by hiPSC-CMs, and contractile force generated by cardiac tissues constructed from hiPSC-CMs.ConclusionshiPSC-CMs metabolize similar types of fatty acid to those consumed by rat-CMs and porcine hearts. Furthermore, the addition of these fatty acids to the culture medium increased energy production by rat-CMs and hiPSC-CMs and enhanced the contractility of myocardial tissue generated from hiPSC-CMs. These findings suggest that the addition of fatty acids to the culture medium stimulates aerobic energy production by cardiomyocytes through β-oxidation. Since cardiomyocytes cultured in standard media rely primarily on anaerobic glucose metabolism and remain in an immature state, further research is merited to establish whether the addition of fatty acids to the culture medium would improve the energy-producing capacity and maturity of hiPSC-CMs and cardiac tissue constructed from these cells. It is possible that optimizing the metabolism of cultured cardiomyocytes, which require high energy production to sustain their contractile function, will improve the properties of hiPSC-CM-derived tissue, allowing it to be better utilized for disease modeling, drug screening and regenerative therapies for heart failure.

Renal Transcriptome and Metabolome in Mice with Principal Cell-Specific Ablation of the Tsc1 Gene: Derangements in Pathways Associated with Cell Metabolism, Growth and Acid Secretion.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is caused by mutations in the hamartin (TSC1) or tuberin (TSC2) genes. Using a mouse model of TSC renal cystogenesis that we have previously described, the current studies delineate the metabolic changes in the kidney and their relation to alterations in renal gene expression. To accomplish this, we compared the metabolome and transcriptome of kidneys from 28-day-old wildtype (Wt) and principal cell-specific Tsc1 KO (Tsc1 KO) mice using targeted 1H nuclear magnetic resonance targeted metabolomic and RNA-seq analyses. The significant changes in the kidney metabolome of Tsc1 KO mice included reductions in the level of several amino acids and significant decreases in creatine, NADH, inosine, UDP-galactose, GTP and myo-inositol levels. These derangements may affect energy production and storage, signal transduction and synthetic pathways. The pertinent derangement in the transcriptome of Tsc1 KO mice was associated with increased collecting duct acid secretion, active cell division and the up-regulation of signaling pathways (e.g., MAPK and AKT/PI3K) that suppress the TSC2 GTPase-activating function. The combined renal metabolome and transcriptome alterations observed in these studies correlate with the unregulated growth and predominance of genotypically normal A-intercalated cells in the epithelium of renal cysts in Tsc1 KO mice.

Solar Panels Dirt Monitoring and Cleaning for Performance Improvement: A Systematic Review on Smart Systems

The advancement in technology to manage energy generation using solar panels has proved vital for increased reliability and reduced cost. Solar panels emit no pollution while producing electricity as a renewable energy source. However, the solar panel is adversely affected by dirt, a major environmental factor affecting energy production. The intensity of light falling on the solar panel is reduced when dirt accumulates on the surface. This, in turn, lowers the output of electrical energy generated by the solar panel. Since cleansing the solar panel is essential, constant monitoring and evaluation of these processes are necessary to optimize them. This emphasizes the importance of using smart systems to monitor dirt and clean solar panels to improve their performance. The paper tries to verify the existence and the degree of research interest in this topic and seeks to evaluate the impact of smart systems to detect dirt conditions and clean solar panels compared to autonomous and manual technology. Research on smart systems for addressing dirt accumulation on solar panels was conducted taking into account efficiency, accuracy, complexity, and reliability, initial and running cost. Overall, real-time monitoring and cleaning of the solar panel improved its output power with integrated smart systems. It helps users get real-time updates of the solar panel’s condition and control actions from distant locations. A critical limitation of this research is the insufficient empirical analysis of existing smart systems, which should be thoroughly examined to allow further generalization of theoretical findings.

Single neutron transfer on 23Ne and its relevance for the pathway of nucleosynthesis in astrophysical X-ray bursts

We present new experimental measurements of resonance strengths in the astrophysical 23Al(p,γ)24Si reaction, constraining the pathway of nucleosynthesis beyond 22Mg in X-ray burster scenarios. Specifically, we have performed the first measurement of the (d,p) reaction using a radioactive beam of 23Ne to explore levels in 24Ne, the mirror analog of 24Si. Four strong single-particle states were observed and corresponding neutron spectroscopic factors were extracted with a precision of ∼20%. Using these spectroscopic factors, together with mirror state identifications, we have reduced uncertainties in the strength of the key ℓ = 0 resonance at Er = 157 keV, in the astrophysical 23Al(p,γ) reaction, by a factor of 4. Our results show that the 22Mg(p,γ)23Al(p,γ) pathway dominates over the competing 22Mg(α,p) reaction in all but the most energetic X-ray burster events (T>0.85 GK), significantly affecting energy production and the preservation of hydrogen fuel.

Dust adhesion physics on photovoltaic surfaces and its application on assisted natural cleaning of solar trackers

Soiling is a problem that affects energy production of solar panels. Dust particles are deposited on the surface of the panel by the wind currents. Adhesion occurs due to Van der Waals forces, depending on the contact area of the tempered glass surface with the dust particle, due to gravitational force acting on the mass of the particles, and due to capillary forces, which are increased with the amount of humidity, depending on the climate. In this project, the positioning capabilities of a solar tracker were used to achieve better assisted natural washing under conditions of weak and heavy rain, using a “passive cleaning” when the rain is intense and an “active cleaning” when the rain is weak. For passive cleaning, the effect of varying the inclination angle while washing and drying was studied and quantified, analysing the formation of stains generated by raindrops drying. It was evident that the higher the angle of inclination the greater the effect of gravity on the drops, facilitating their sliding and falling off the panel, however, it was found that it is possible to carry out passive cleaning at an angle of inclination that does not require prominent deviation from the angle that fits the position of the sun, in fact, it is enough with an inclination angle of 30° to achieve an effective passive cleaning process. In active cleaning, a rocking movement is performed by varying the angle of inclination of the solar tracker with values of + θ and -θ, which increases the contact time of the raindrops with the surface of the solar panel, allowing a better sweep of dust particles and therefore a more complete washing even in light rain conditions. Active cleaning improves the results in surface cleaning in almost 57% when compared to passive cleaning, in light rain conditions.

HUBUNGAN MANAJEMEN ENERGI DENGAN KELELAHAN PADA PASIEN DIABETES MELITUS TIPE 2

Metabolic disorders in blood sugar levels are caused by damage to insulin secretion so that it affects energy production. Fatigue is one of the complaints and symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients. This study aims to analyze the relationship between energy management and fatigue in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study used a correlational design with a cross sectional approach. Calculation of the sample in this study using the Slovin formula, which obtained 34 respondents with diabetes mellitus at the Kejayan Health Center, Pasuruan Regency using purposive sampling technique. Data collection in this study used an energy management questionnaire and Multidimensional Fatigue Invantory (MFI20). The results show that in energy management, energy management in patients with diabetes mellitus is obtained with a good category of 55,9%. On fatigue, the median result is 60.50 with a min-max value of 34-73. The correlation test showed that there was a relationship between energy management and fatigue (p = 0,033, r = -0,366, = 0,05). There is a negative correlation which shows that the higher the energy management, the lower the fatigue felt. Fatigue felt by diabetic patients does not go away easily so that energy management must be carried out properly. It is expected that diabetes mellitus patients maintain good energy management. It is a concern for nurses in improving energy management of diabetes mellitus patients to reduce the fatigue they feel.

Experimental study on application of nacelle-mounted LiDAR for analyzing wind turbine wake effects by distance

The blade rotation of wind turbines causes the wake effect, which affects energy production of downstream wind turbines, and its magnitude and intensity vary with distance. To optimize the wind turbine layout for maximum efficiency, it is necessary to quantitatively evaluate the wake effect by distance. Using a nacelle LiDAR, it is possible to concurrently measure wind conditions at multiple positions. This study presents the results of analyzing the wake effects by distance, behind a 3 MW wind turbine, using a nacelle LiDAR. Wake wind data measured at 10 points by a nacelle LiDAR, mounted on the nacelle of a 1.5 MW downstream wind turbine, were analyzed against freestream wind data obtained from a 70-m-high met mast installed near the turbine. Variations in wind conditions in the wake region were analyzed as a function of distance and wind direction, and the influence of these factors on the power production of the downstream wind turbine was estimated using SCADA. The variations in wind speeds and turbulence intensities at multiple distances between 0.9D and 4.8D were quantitatively evaluated. Additionally, it was confirmed that the wake effects reduced the power performance by 23% at 5.7D under a wind speed of 8.5 m/s.

How Does Biased Technological Change Affect Energy Production in the Us? Evidence from Patent Data

How Does Biased Technological Change Affect Energy Production in the Us? Evidence from Patent Data

Neurodegenerative Disorders: Spotlight on Sphingolipids.

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable diseases of the nervous system that lead to a progressive loss of brain areas and neuronal subtypes, which is associated with an increase in symptoms that can be linked to the affected brain areas. The key findings that appear in many neurodegenerative diseases are deposits of proteins and the damage of mitochondria, which mainly affect energy production and mitophagy. Several causative gene mutations have been identified in various neurodegenerative diseases; however, a large proportion are considered sporadic. In the last decade, studies linking lipids, and in particular sphingolipids, to neurodegenerative diseases have shown the importance of these sphingolipids in the underlying pathogenesis. Sphingolipids are bioactive lipids consisting of a sphingoid base linked to a fatty acid and a hydrophilic head group. They are involved in various cellular processes, such as cell growth, apoptosis, and autophagy, and are an essential component of the brain. In this review, we will cover key findings that demonstrate the relevance of sphingolipids in neurodegenerative diseases and will focus on neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation and Parkinson’s disease.