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Characterizing the performance of gas fired combined cycle power plants is critical to economic dispatch decisions. Dispatch models rely on an accurate prediction of Gas Turbine and combined cycle power output and heat rate. Approaches for generating performance characteristics range from correction curves to detailed thermodynamic performance models. Unfortunately, most techniques are either too simplified, require significant expertise, or are manually labor intensive. Furthermore, these performance estimation techniques do not intrinsically capture uncertainty due to the inherent variability of the weather and state of the asset. This paper proposes a physics-enhanced Artificial Intelligence technique for automatically characterizing power plant performance including uncertainty due to weather effects. The model uses a layered sub-model approach to rapidly learn power plant performance without the need for extensive data preparation. The proposed technique is used to evaluate for accuracy, ease of use, and level of automation. The new technique is accurate to within 1% and provides a power and efficiency forecast one week out. The technique is also applicable to other power generation assets and scaling techniques, and challenges will be discussed. An overview of the automation framework is provided including discussion on modeling approaches, AI approaches used, modeling techniques, and use cases.

EPRI has been developing a digital twin of simple and combined cycle gas turbines over the last 5+ years to provide owners and operators with improved capabilities that typically reside in the expert domain of OEMs and 3rd party service providers. The digital twin is a digital model, a physics-based representation of the actual asset. The model is thermodynamic and is created with the intent to support 5 M&D areas: • Integrate with existing M&D tools such as advanced pattern recognition (APR) • Power plant performance prediction and trending such as day, week, and month ahead performance prediction for capacity and generation planning • Health Monitoring and Fault Diagnostics to support asset management with additional health scores and virtual instrumentation enabled by the digital twin model • Monitoring and prediction of both base and part-load performance. Many gas turbine tools have been simplified to work only at full load conditions. To be useful and to improve utilization of collected data, part-load conditions should also be considered. • Outage and repair impacts, including “what-if” capability to understand and quantify potential root causes of less than expected performance improvement or recovery after outage and repairs. This paper presents current progress in creating an EPRI Digital Twin applicable to gas turbines. The formulation, methodology, and real-world use cases are presented. To date, digital twins have been created and tested for both E and F class frames. This paper describes the process of generating closed-form equations capable of transforming existing, measured historian data into the health parameters and virtual sensors needed to better track unit health and monitor faulted performance. These equations encapsulate the digital twin physical model and provide end-users with a methodology to calibrate to their specific unit and efficiently use their choice of monitoring software. Tests have been performed using operator data and have shown good accuracy at detecting anomalous operation and predicting week ahead performance with excellent accuracy. Post-outage impact analysis is also assessed. Real-world application cases for the digital twin are also presented. Examples include using the digital twin to identify causes of post-outage emissions and performance issues, expected impact of degradation and fault conditions, and simulating improvements to operation through part repair and upgrades.

While endometrial cancer (EC) has an overall good prognosis, some patients do poorly and there is room for refinement within current classification systems. Using the TCGA prognostic grouping of EC, our group developed the Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer (ProMisE), which reliably and reproducibly stratifies ECs into four prognostic groups: POLEmut, p53wt/NSMP, MMRd (mismatch repair deficient), and p53abn, with the best prognosis for POLEmut to worst prognosis for p53abn. In the current study, global proteomic analysis was performed using the clinical SP3-CTP workflow on archival tissues from 151 patients including 40 MMRd, 34 POLEmut, 34 p53abn and 43 p53wt/NSMP, with clinical follow up data. Included in the cohort were 11 replicate samples (different parts of the same tumor) to examine spatial heterogeneity in the proteomic profiles. Replicate samples were highly correlated to each other, with the exception of three POLEmut cases with very poor correlation in the proteome in different parts of the tumor. As POLEmut tumors have an exceedingly high mutation burden, it is not surprising that this translates to heterogeneity at the proteomic level. Disease specific survival was examined to determine prognostic significance within the whole cohort and within individual molecular subgroups. High TOMM34, PLTP or TSFM expression was correlated to poor disease specific survival in the whole cohort and independently prognostic when molecular subtype, grade and histotype are considered. High MGST, NCL or XPNPEP3 were associated with poor outcomes within the p53wt/NSMP group. POLD2 and ENAH were prognostic within the MMRd group. Within the p53abn group, ACADVL and BABAM1 were found to be prognostic, and GRB7 was found to be enriched in the p53abn group compared to other molecular subtypes. As the group with the worst prognosis, p53abn group could benefit from novel therapeutic avenues. ACADVL, BABAM1 and GRB7 all lie within pathways that are potentially targetable. Our proteomic analysis has identified prognostic markers that may be useful in further refining current molecular classification to help guide treatment decisions. Furthermore, new therapeutic interventions could be developed to target proteins and pathways identified by this proteomics screen. Citation Format: Dawn R. Cochrane, Gian Negri, Jutta Huvila, David A. Farnell, Emily Thompson, Winnie Yang, Genny Trigo-Gonzales, Amy Lum, Sandra Spencer, Ryan Riley, Samuel Leung, Christine Chow, Jamie Lim, Martin Koebel, Stefan Kommoss, Friedrich Kommoss, Lien Hoang, David G. Huntsman, Gregg Morin, Jessica N. McAlpine. Global proteomic profiling of endometrial carcinomas identify prognostic markers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference: Endometrial Cancer: New Biology Driving Research and Treatment; 2020 Nov 9-10. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(3_Suppl):Abstract nr PR002.

Arboricultural safety standards exist in some countries, but it is unclear how many standards exist, how they compare to one another, and whether (and how many) countries share standards. To address these gaps, we obtained and analyzed arboricultural safety standards from 29 countries. We determined which safety categories were included in each standard to highlight frequently and infrequently included categories. We computed the proportion of all safety categories included in each standard, and we compared standards to determine their similarity with one another. Among 29 countries, 14 unique standards exist. Of 90 safety categories gleaned from the standards, 19 were included in all standards and 20 were included in all but 1 standard. Standards in Hong Kong, Poland, Singapore, Spain, and Sweden included at least 90 % of 90 safety categories. Our findings can be used by safety committees around the world to develop or revise local standards; they may also be used to help develop an international best management practices guide for safety.

This work is motivated by the thermoacoustic instability challenges associated with ultra-low emissions gas turbine (GT) combustors. It demonstrates the first use of high-speed dual-plane orthogonally-polarized stereoscopic-particle image velocimetry (PIV) and synchronized OH planar laser-induced fluorescence in a premixed swirling flame. We use this technique to explore the effects of combustion and longitudinal acoustic forcing on the time- and phase-averaged flow field—particularly focusing on the behavior of the Reynolds stress in the presence of harmonic forcing. We observe significant differences between ensemble-averaged and time-averaged Reynolds stress. This implies that the large-scale motions are nonergodic, due to coherent oscillations in Reynolds stress associated with the convection of periodic vortical structures. This result has important implications on hydrodynamic stability models and reduced-order computational fluid dynamics simulations, which do show the importance of turbulent transport on the problem, but do not capture these coherent oscillations in their models.

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) is a powerful tool, particularly for studying complex biological systems, such as tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment, which may not be resolved by sequencing of bulk material. Nonetheless, it is not without limitations, which include the technical challenges of generating a high quality single cell suspension. Dissociation of tissue to single cell suspension requires mechanical and enzymatic disruption, and the effect of these methods on gene expression or cellular population bias has not been established. In this study, we examined the effects of enzymatic dissociation on cell population capture and transcriptional changes at single cell resolution in breast and ovarian cancer patient samples, patient-derived breast cancer xenografts and cultured cell lines. scRNAseq data showed that enzymatic dissociation of tissues at 37oC with collagenase resulted in significant induction of heat shock, stress and immediate response genes, which was conserved across all tissues. This gene expression induction was not observed when tissues were dissociated at 6oC with a protease derived from a Himalayan glacier soil bacterium. Moreover, dissociation of patient tumors at low temperature enhanced the abundance of rare cell populations, including B-cells, T-Cells and cytotoxic T-cells, which were significantly depleted following dissociation at 37oC. These biases resulting from standard sample preparation methods could significantly affect biological interpretation of scRNAseq data, and can be minimized by dissociation of tissues at low temperature. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Ciara H. O'Flanagan, Kieran R. Campbell, Farhia Kabeer, Allen Zhang, Jamie Lim, Sohrab P. Shah, Samuel Aparicio. Temperature-dependent transcription artifacts and cell population biases in scRNAseq data are minimized by tissue dissociation at low temperatures [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4706.

Introduction: In Singapore, the age-standardised event rates of myocardial infarction (MI) are 2- and 3-fold higher for Malays and Indians respectively compared to the Chinese. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and quantity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and non-calcified plaques across these 3 ethnic groups. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. We identified 1041 patients (810 Chinese, 139 Malays, 92 Indians) without previous history of cardiovascular disease who underwent cardiac computed tomography for atypical chest pain evaluation. A cardiologist, who was blinded to the patients’ clinical demographics, reviewed all scans. We retrospectively analysed all their case records. Results: Overall, Malays were most likely to be active smokers (P = 0.02), Indians had the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.01) and Chinese had the highest mean age (P

J. Neurochem. (2011) 116, 646–658. Abstract Striatal delivery of dopamine (DA) by midbrain substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) neurons is vital for motor control and its depletion causes the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. While membrane potential changes or neuronal activity regulates tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, the rate limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis) expression in other catecholaminergic cells, it is not known whether the same occurs in adult SNc neurons. We administered drugs known to alter neuronal activity to mouse SNc DAergic neurons in various experimental preparations and measured changes in their TH expression. In cultured midbrain neurons, blockade of action potentials with 1 μM tetrodotoxin decreased TH expression beginning around 20 h later (as measured in real time by green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression driven off TH promoter activity). By contrast, partial blockade of small-conductance, Ca2+-activated potassium channels with 300 nM apamin increased TH mRNA and protein between 12 and 24 h later in slices of adult midbrain. Two-week infusions of 300 nM apamin directly to the adult mouse midbrain in vivo also increased TH expression in SNc neurons, measured immunohistochemically. Paradoxically, the number of TH immunoreactive (TH+) SNc neurons decreased in these animals. Similar in vivo infusions of drugs affecting other ion-channels and receptors (L-type voltage-activated Ca2+ channels, GABAA receptors, high K+, DA receptors) also increased or decreased cellular TH immunoreactivity but decreased or increased, respectively, the number of TH+ cells in SNc. We conclude that in adult SNc neurons: (i) TH expression is activity-dependent and begins to change ∼20 h following sustained changes in neuronal activity; (ii) ion-channels and receptors mediating cell-autonomous activity or synaptic input are equally potent in altering TH expression; and (iii) activity-dependent changes in TH expression are balanced by opposing changes in the number of TH+ SNc cells.

There are more than 100 sarcoma subtypes, each uncommon and diagnostically challenging. Conventional chemotherapy has little benefit for most soft-tissue sarcomas; new treatment strategies are needed. Multiple recent genomic studies have provided detailed insights into sarcoma biology, including more accurate classification by molecular subtype, identification of recurrent mutations in oncogenic pathways, and evidence of epigenetic dysregulation. Advances in immunotherapy (adoptive immune cell transfer, tumor vaccine strategies, and immune checkpoint inhibition) have also provided a better understanding of how immuno-oncology might best be applied to sarcoma treatment, including connections to oncogenic pathways that may support combination strategies with conventional and targeted therapies. In this article, we review the latest sarcoma genomic studies and immuno-oncology developments and discuss how the findings suggest potential strategies to improve diagnosis and treatment across multiple sarcoma subtypes. Clin Cancer Res; 21(21); 4753–9. ©2015 AACR.

Household indoor air pollution from open-fire cookstoves remains a public health and environmental hazard which impacts negatively on people's right to health. Technologically improved cookstoves designed to reduce air pollution have demonstrated their efficacy in laboratory studies. Despite the tremendous need for such stoves, in the field they have often failed to be effective, with low rates of long-term adoption by users, mainly due to poor maintenance of the stoves. In poor, rural, isolated communities, there is unlikely to be a single behavioral or technological "fix" to this problem. In this paper, we suggest that improved cookstoves are an important health intervention to which people have a right, as they do to family planning, vaccination, and essential primary care medicines. Like these other necessary elements in the fulfillment of the right to health, access to clean indoor air should be incorporated into state health strategies, policies, and plans. State infrastructure and health systems should support public and private sector delivery of improved cookstove services, and ensure that such services reach all communities, even those that are poor, located remotely, and likely not to be served by the market. We suggest that community health workers could play a critical role in creating demand for, implementing facilitation and delivery of, and monitoring these cookstoves and related services. Through this approach, improved cookstoves could become an appealing, available, and sustainable option for the rural poor. In this paper, we adopt a human rights-based approach to overcome the problem of indoor air pollution, and we use Nepal as an example.

Objective Advance Care Planning (ACP) encourages the expression of a person’s values, beliefs and life goals and is a route that all patients with chronic disease can benefit from, especially those at high risk of deterioration (1). A recent randomised trial showed that ACP improved awareness of patients’ end-of-life (EOL) wishes and reduced their families’ distress. ACP is likely to be beneficial for patients with chronic heart failure (HF) in our institution. Methods In this pilot study, the Heart Failure Service (HFS) team conducted ACP from Feb 2012 to Nov 2012 in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, a tertiary hospital in South-East Asia which receives about 1500 HF admissions annually. The HFS is a multidisciplinary team comprising a physician, advanced practise nurses, case managers and pharmacists. The team received formal training in Basic Advance Care Planning (First Steps) and End-of-life treatment options (Last Step) as per the “Respecting Choices” programme pioneered by the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation. ACP was initiated by the Case Managers or other team members for patients in Stage C or Stage D of HF, which was conducted together with patients’ families, caregivers, and other significant persons as permitted by the patients. Patients who refused, who were mentally incompetent, had a history of self-harm or intent to self-harm, were uncommunicative, or who had other had acute life-threatening comorbidities were excluded from this pilot study. A post-ACP telephone survey of patients’ and their families’ perception of ACP was performed. Results We initiated ACP for 22 patients, age 70 ± 13 years old, 73% Male, 59% Stage C, 41% Stage D, LVEF 27% ± 15%. Ten patients completed full ACP discussion. The rest were unwilling to complete the discussion. Nine patients died a mean of 53 days after initiation of ACP, of whom only 3 had completed ACP. These three had their end-of-life preferences honoured. In the post-ACP survey 3 patients expressed better understanding of their medical condition, were relieved that their EOL preferences were made known, and felt more in control of their treatment plan and thus less anxiety. The rest of the patients were too ill to do the survey or had died, but their family members felt relieved of guilt as they did not need to decide patients’ EOL preferences. Conclusions ACP appears to be beneficial in the patients who agreed to participate. This may be due to selection bias as they are likely to be open to the ACP process, having perhaps already had prior exposure to the concept. It is unclear how to identify those ready to proceed with ACP, and this should be studied further.