Search

The energy system of solar town is a comprehensive energy system with the photovoltaic as the main body, combined with other local energy sources. To fully utilize the solar energy and geothermal energy in such system, a two-stage robust optimization method considering uncertainties of both energy supply and demand is proposed. Uncertainty adjustment parameters are introduced to avoid sacrificing economic efficiency in order to ensure power supply reliability. A max-min-max two-stage robust optimization configuration model is established with the objective of minimizing the overall system cost. The optimization includes the allocation of photovoltaics, combined heat and power, ground source heat pumps and storage in the integrated energy system of the solar town. The uncertainty of photovoltaic and load data is described by a box-type uncertainty set independent of probability distribution. The upper and lower boundary interval as robust constraints represents the fluctuation range of photovoltaic and load. The column and constraint generation algorithm and strong duality transformation are employed to reduce the complexity level of solving the problem. A case study is conducted on a solar town located in northern China. By adjusting the uncertainty adjustment parameters, the conservatism of the configuration plan can be effectively controlled. The scheme has strong applicability, mainly embodied in not only ensuring the reliability of power supply, reducing the load power loss rate, but also reducing the configuration cost and improving the light rejection rate.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a key driver of fibrogenesis. Three TGFβ isoforms (TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and TGFβ3) in mammals have distinct functions in embryonic development; however, the postnatal pathological roles and activation mechanisms of TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 have not been well characterized. Here, we show that the latent forms of TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 can be activated by integrin-independent mechanisms and have lower activation thresholds compared to TGFβ1. Unlike TGFB1, TGFB2 and TGFB3 expression is increased in human lung and liver fibrotic tissues compared to healthy control tissues. Thus, TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 may play a pathological role in fibrosis. Inducible conditional knockout mice and anti-TGFβ isoform-selective antibodies demonstrated that TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 are independently involved in mouse fibrosis models in vivo, and selective TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 inhibition does not lead to the increased inflammation observed with pan-TGFβ isoform inhibition. A cocrystal structure of a TGFβ2-anti-TGFβ2/3 antibody complex reveals an allosteric isoform-selective inhibitory mechanism. Therefore, inhibiting TGFβ2 and/or TGFβ3 while sparing TGFβ1 may alleviate fibrosis without toxicity concerns associated with pan-TGFβ blockade.

Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial in resistance to certain viral infections, but the mechanisms used to recognize infected cells remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the activating Ly49P receptor recognizes cells infected with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) by a process that requires the presence of H2-D(k) and the MCMV m04 protein. Using H2 chimeras between H2-D(b) and -D(k), we demonstrate that the H2-D(k) peptide-binding platform is required for Ly49P recognition. We identified m04 as a viral component necessary for recognition using a panel of MCMV-deletion mutant viruses and complementation of m04-deletion mutant (Deltam04) virus infection. MA/My mice, which express Ly49P and H2-D(k), are resistant to MCMV; however, infection with Deltam04 MCMV abrogates resistance. Depletion of NK cells in MA/My mice abrogates their resistance to wild-type MCMV infection, but does not significantly affect viral titers in mice infected with Deltam04 virus, implicating NK cells in host protection through m04-dependent recognition. These findings reveal a novel mechanism of major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted recognition of virally infected cells by an activating NK cell receptor.

The objective of this study is to provide estimates of price elasticities of irrigation water demands in Zhangye Basin (ZB), an inland river basin in China, with the most recent data and to compare the values of marginal product (VMPs) of water to the prices of water farmers are currently paying. With a set of village and household survey data collected in 2009 and 2014, household fixed effects models are used to estimate water demand and crop production functions. The estimation results are then used to estimate price elasticities and VMPs. Results show that demands for surface water, groundwater, and conjunctive irrigation water are all in the inelastic range. The results imply that water prices may need to be increased significantly to induce sizable water savings. Another significant finding is that for a large share of the sample households, VMPs of water are higher than the prices of water. The estimated VMPs provide policy makers with some guidelines on the minimum level of water prices required to achieve any water savings among those households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]