Demand Respond Program and Dynamic Thermal Rating System for Enhanced Power Systems

This paper reviews the development of demand response (DR) and dynamic thermal rating (DTR) system for enhancing the operation and reliability of power system. The advantages and prospect of the DR program are discussed. The case for DTR system is established by comparing it against the traditional static thermal rating (STR) system. Various line monitoring methods and devices required for the implementation of the DTR system are presented. The challenges for deploying the DTR system from the perspective of selecting appropriate transmission lines for DTR deployment, identifying critical spans for deploying DTR sensors, managing the reliability of the DTR system, and the integration of the DTR system with existing and future power systems are discussed. Finally, the two main standards governing the operation of the DTR system, namely the IEEE 738 standard and the CIGRE standard are compared to elucidate the employability of the DTR system.

Forensic Application Evaluation of a Novel Canine STR System in Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Shiba Inu Groups

Aim. To evaluate the forensic application values of 19 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci in canines. Methods. The 19 STR loci in two canine groups (Pembroke Welsh Corgis, n = 200 ; Shiba Inus, n = 175 ) were analysed by the capillary electrophoresis platform. The allele frequencies and forensic parameters were calculated, and the genetic relationships between these two canine groups and a previously reported Labrador group were analysed. Results. These two canine groups conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at all STRs except for locus VGL3438 in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi group, and there was no linkage disequilibrium among pairwise loci at the 19 STRs. All STRs were polymorphic in the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Shiba Inu groups, of which the locus C38 had the highest polymorphism. And it was found that the genetic relationship between the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Labrador groups were closer in the three canine groups (Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Shiba Inu and Labrador). Conclusion. The 19 STR loci had high genetic polymorphisms and forensic application values in Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Shiba Inu groups.

The construction and application of a new 17-plex Y-STR system using universal fluorescent PCR

Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) polymorphisms are useful in forensic identification, population genetics and human structures. However, the current Y-STR systems are limited in discriminating distant relatives in a family with a low discrimination power. Increasing the capacity of detecting Y chromosomal polymorphisms will drastically narrow down the matching number of genealogy populations or pedigrees. In this study, we developed a system containing 17 Y-STRs that are complementary to the current commercially available Y-STR kits. This system was constructed by multiplex PCR with expected sizes of 126-400 bp labeled by different fluorescence molecules (DYS715, DYS709, DYS716, DYS713 and DYS607 labeled by FAM; DYS718, DYS723, DYS708 and DYS714 labeled by JOE; DYS712, DYS717, DYS721 and DYS605 labeled by TAMRA; and DYS719, DYS726, DYS598 and DYS722 labeled by ROX). The system was extensively tested for sensitivity, male specificity, species specificity, mixture, population genetics and mutation rates following the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) guidelines. The genetic data were obtained from eight populations with a total of 1260 individuals. Our results showed that all the 17 Y-STRs are human- and male-specific and include only one copy of the Y-chromosome. The 17 Y-STR system detects 143 alleles and has a high discrimination power (0.996031746). Mutation rates were different among the 17 Y-STRs, ranging from 0.30% to 3.03%. In conclusion, our study provides a robust, sensitive and cost-effective genotyping method for human identification, which will be beneficial for narrowing the search scope when applied to genealogy searching with the Y-STR DNA databank.

Strategic Grazing in Beef-Pastures for Improved Soil Health and Reduced Runoff-Nitrate-A Step towards Sustainability

Generally, improvement in the soil health of pasturelands can result in amplified ecosystem services which can help improve the overall sustainability of the system. The extent to which specific best management practices have this effect has yet to be established. A farm-scale study was conducted in eight beef-pastures in the Southern Piedmont of Georgia, from 2015 to 2018, to assess the effect of strategic-grazing (STR) and continuous-grazing hay distribution (CHD) on soil health indicators and runoff nitrate losses. In 2016, four pastures were converted to the STR system and four were grazed using the CHD system. Post-treatment, in 2018, the STR system had significantly greater POXC (by 87.1, 63.4, and 55.6 mg ha−1 at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm, respectively) as compared to CHD system. Soil respiration was also greater in the STR system (by 235 mg CO2 m-2 24 h−1) and less nitrate was lost in the runoff (by 0.21 kg ha−1) as compared to the CHD system. Cattle exclusion and overseeding vulnerable areas of pastures in STR pastures facilitated nitrogen mineralization and uptake. Our results showed that the STR grazing system could improve the sustainability of grazing systems by storing more labile carbon, efficiently mineralizing soil nitrogen, and lowering runoff nitrate losses.

Cross-species validation of human specific STR system, SureID® 21G and SureID® 23comp (Health Gene Technologies) in Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes)

Objectives The human specific commercially available STRs system are often not tested in non human primates for their cross applicability. The aim of this study is to test Cross-species validation of two commercially available human specific STR kits i.e. SureID® 21G and SureID® 23comp (Health Gene Technologies) for their positive application in Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Result In SureID® 21G, 19 loci amplified and while 20 loci amplified in SureID® 23comp. All the amplified loci in both STR kits were found polymorphic and the locus Amelogenin showed differential banding patterns between male and female revealing their known gender. The present study validates the applicability of these human specific STR kits in Chimpanzee that can be used in forensics analysis, paternity testing and population genetic studies.

Genotyping irregularities observed in STR markers used in forensics and human identification in the Lebanese population

Forensic DNA analysis is based on the evaluation of DNA profiles obtained from reference samples or crime scene traces. Profiles are determined using different commercial STR multiplex kits, which includeallelic ladders for the correct designation of alleles ofa given STR system. However, some new STR variants could be observed and their identification is essential for proper allele size calling in casework interpretation and cases of kinship matching or relationship testing. A total of 6392 samples were analyzedas part of the DNA work at our DNA testing facility from 2004 until 2016, where one hundred and twelvenew different STR variant alleles of 20STR loci wereobserved in the Lebanese population. Forty-fiveof these variant alleles were internationally reported in the STR-base whereas the remainingsixty-sevenalleles were observed for the first time. The loci included D3S1358, D19S433, D21S11, D13S317, TPOX, FGA, D7S820, D18S51, CSF1PO, D2S1338, D10S1248, D12S391, D22S1045, D2S441, Penta-D, Penta-E, SE33, D1S1656, vWA, and THO1.Also, four triallelic patterns were observed at D21S11, D12S391, D13S317 and Penta-D loci. Primer binding site mismatch that resulted in a discordance between the amplification of different kits was observed once attheD19S433 locus.