IRIDE:Interdisciplinary research infrastructure based on dual electron linacs and lasers

This paper describes the scientific aims and potentials as well as the preliminary technical design of IRIDE, an innovative tool for multi-disciplinary investigations in a wide field of scientific, technological and industrial applications. IRIDE will be a high intensity "particles factory", based on a combination of high duty cycle radio-frequency superconducting electron linacs and of high energy lasers. Conceived to provide unique research possibilities for particle physics, for condensed matter physics, chemistry and material science, for structural biology and industrial applications, IRIDE will open completely new research possibilities and advance our knowledge in many branches of science and technology. IRIDE is also supposed to be realized in subsequent stages of development depending on the assigned priorities. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

The role of SOCS3/pSTAT3 pathway in the development of diabetic retinopathy

Purpose: Suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are feedback inhibitors of the JAK/STAT pathway. SOCS3 critically controls STAT3 activation, cytokine signalling and inflammatory gene expression in macrophages and microglia. In this study, we investigated the role of SOCS3/STAT3 in myeloid cells in the initiation and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). 
Methods: Mice with a conditional deletion of SOCS3 in myeloid cells (LysMCre-SOCS3 fl/fl) and C57BL/6J (as control) were rendered diabetic by a low-dose multiple intraperitoneal injections of Stroptozocine. Diabetes related retinal changes, including leukostasis, acellular capilliaries, and microglial activation were assessed at different stages of disease. Bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) from LysMCreSOCS3 fl/fl and C57BL/6J mice were cultured in high glucose (HG) medium, and cell activation was evaluated by real-time RT-PCR.
Results: In C57BL/6J diabetic mice the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) was increased and SOCS3 was decreased in the retina. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), the main cytokine that stimulates STAT3 activation, was increased in the plamsa in diabetic mice. Although blood glucose levels and Hbac-1 were comparable between LysMCre-SOCS3fl/fl and WT mice after STZ injection, the LysMCreSOCS3 fl/fl diabetic mice developed severe retinal vasculopathy, including increased leukostasis and microglial activation at one month and enhanced acellular capillary formation at 6 months after diabetes induction. 
Conclusions: our study suggests that the JAK/STAT3 pathway is involved in the initiation and progression of DR, and uncontrolled STAT3 activation results in accelerated DR progression. Targeting the STAT3 pathway may be a novel approach for the management of DR.

Special condition wind power forecasting based on Gaussian process and similar historical data

Due to the variability of wind power, it is imperative to accurately and timely forecast the wind generation to enhance the flexibility and reliability of the operation and control of real-time power. Special events such as ramps, spikes are hard to predict with traditional methods using solely recently measured data. In this paper, a new Gaussian Process model with hybrid training data taken from both the local time and historic dataset is proposed and applied to make short-term predictions from 10 minutes to one hour ahead. A key idea is that the similar pattern data in history are properly selected and embedded in Gaussian Process model to make predictions. The results of the proposed algorithms are compared to those of standard Gaussian Process model and the persistence model. It is shown that the proposed method not only reduces magnitude error but also phase error.

What do high penetrations of wind power mean for gas generation?

Dependency on thermal generation and continued wind power growth in Europe due to renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets has resulted in an interesting set of challenges for power systems. The variability of wind power impacts dispatch and balancing by grid operators, power plant operations by generating companies and market wholesale costs. This paper quantifies the effects of high wind power penetration on power systems with a dependency on gas generation using a realistic unit commitment and economic dispatch model. The test system is analyzed under two scenarios, with and without wind, over one year. The key finding of this preliminary study is that despite increased ramping requirements in the wind scenario, the unit cost of electricity due to sub-optimal operation of gas generators does not show substantial deviation from the no wind scenario.

Electric vehicle capacity forecasting model with application to load levelling

There are many uncertainties in forecasting the charging and discharging capacity required by electric vehicles (EVs) often as a consequence of stochastic usage and intermittent travel. In terms of large-scale EV integration in future power networks this paper develops a capacity forecasting model which considers eight particular uncertainties in three categories. Using the model, a typical application of EVs to load levelling is presented and exemplified using a UK 2020 case study. The results presented in this paper demonstrate that the proposed model is accurate for charge and discharge prediction and a feasible basis for steady-state analysis required for large-scale EV integration.