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Inducing Potential Mutants in Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) via Physical and Chemical Mutagenesis
No full textCannabis sativa is a multi-use crop with applications in food, fiber, construction, and medicinal industries. Cannabis plants with low THC concentrations (hemp) have recently been decriminalized by multiple nations across the globe, but farmers are still on the fence about its legality. To avert the risk and constant regulatory pressures due to potential THC contents, we aim to develop a Cannabis variety with zero cannabinoids - Type V Cannabis, using physical and chemical mutagenesis. We selected EMS as the chemical mutagen and E-beam radiation as the physical mutagen and identified the LD50 doses for three hemp varieties ��� HT, 4X, and HCP. The variations in seed germination percentages among mutagen treatments were found to be highly significant (P < 0.05). The M0 seeds were treated with the LD50 dosage of the mutagen to produce mutant M1 populations. The M1 plants displayed a wide array of mutant phenotypes and were tested for their trichome profiles. Selection of M1 plants was done based on mutant phenotypic traits and trichome production, followed by self-hybridizations to produce M2 seeds. The obtained line- Type V is expected to be 100% compliant with all regulations. This promising line presents a new, versatile, and sustainable crop with applications in food, fiber, and construction industries, addressing the growing needs of the nation
Multi Agent-Based Model for Residential Households Trading Market of Renewable Energy in Qatar
No full textPeer-to-peer energy trading (P2P) is a new paradigm for operating energy systems. You can generate energy from renewable energy sources (RES) in your home or office and share it locally. RES is crucial for the transition to sustainable development. The integration of distributed energy resources (DER) and energy storage systems (ESS) has several advantages, such as reduced Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, loss reduction, and reduced dependency on the grid.
An architectural energy market model was proposed and simulated to represent the design and interoperability aspects of components for P2P energy trading between nano-grids. An equitable marketplace is simulated using agent-based modeling (ABM) and game theory to enable owners of photovoltaic (PV) systems to sell their electricity to neighbors and the grid. The transacting entities include decentralized energy producers, consumers, or both, such as residential entities. Each residential entity is a villa simulated as a nano-grid having a battery and solar PV panels. This model was developed as a case study for Qatar.
Solar energy is traded at a rate local energy producers and consumers determine. The energy price is dynamic and depends on changes in the generation-to-demand ratio throughout the day. The amount of excess energy produced can be purchased by anyone and is listed in the market by all available sellers, along with the generation type, price, and location. Buyers place orders for energy, and the trading market framework matches prospective buyers with sellers. Game theoretical
modeling is used for the decision-making between the agents. A novel method integrating game theory and agent-based modeling to simulate the P2P market is developed and validated.
The market framework was tested using various scenarios, including battery storage, reduction of subsidies for non-renewable energy, introduction of a carbon tax, and increasing PV capacity to study plausible outcomes of solar PV trading. The results suggest that when greater PV capacity is assumed, the benefits of trading increase, and a larger proportion of household demand is met locally without the need to buy energy from the grid. Adding battery storage to the system enhances trading, provides more energy for sale, and reduces the amount of energy purchased from the grid.
The universality of this market framework is confirmed through comprehensive validation exercises involving data from Qatar and Europe (Germany), representing distinct regions. The proposed model exhibits scalability, offering the potential to extend its application to entire neighborhoods or even entire cities in various geographical locations. This adaptable framework can address diverse energy trading needs and preferences across different regions
Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers for Convex Optimization Problems with Tensorflow Using GPU Computing
No full textIn aerospace engineering, there are many high-dimensional optimization problems, including sensor optimization, control variable calculation, structure analysis, and more. Solving these high-dimension optimization problems demands substantial computational resources, leading to high computational costs. Mathematical optimization algorithms and computation methods have long been a focal point of study, aiming to reduce the complexity of high-dimensional problems and minimize computation costs. This research applies the optimization algorithm, alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), to multiple convex problems and provides an implementation of these algorithms in Python using TensorFlow for accelerated graphics processing unit (GPU) computing. While an existing public domain implementation of ADMM is available in MATLAB, this research strives to handle high-dimensional problems more effectively than this MATLAB implementation, which relies on central processing unit (CPU) computing. The TensorFlow implementation for GPU computing is then compared to the CPU computing implementation and the performance of the interior point method (IPM) when solving the same problem
Taxation in the Fifty States: A Comparative Analysis with Special Attention to Texas
No full textTaxpayers in the US are subject to taxation at three levels: Federal, State, and Local. While federal taxes are imposed uniformly across all the states, state, municipal and sales taxes vary widely. Here, PERC's Montgomery Professor Dennis W. Jansen and PERC Graduate Student Thamina Uddin provide a comprehensive comparison of the taxation burden across the fifty states and the District of Columbia, focusing on the use and distribution of property, sales, and income taxes to Personal Income for the years 2013-2021
The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Response to Chronic Ischemia and Exercise Training Within the Coronary Microcirculation of Swine
No full textThe overall goal of this thesis was to explore adaptations in the contribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to coronary microvascular function in response to chronic ischemia and exercise training. The main hypothesis of this study was that superoxide and NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived ROS would contribute to vasodilation of coronary arterioles and that the contributions of these ROS would be impaired by chronic ischemia and ameliorated with exercise training. These studies utilized a swine model of chronic ischemia via occlusion of the proximal portion of the left circumflex artery with an ameroid occluder while exercise adaptations were examined via the completion of a 14-week progressive (5 days/week) treadmill regimen. Functional pressure myography experiments were performed on isolated arterioles from occluded and nonoccluded regions of sedentary and exercise-trained swine. Additionally, microvascular endothelial cells and arterioles were isolated for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to examine superoxide anion levels and immunoblot to evaluate protein levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), p22phox, and NOX isoforms.
Functional microvascular studies demonstrated that exercise training produced a rightward shift in vasodilation to the endothelium-dependent agonist, bradykinin, when scavenging superoxide with tempol, independent of occlusive treatment. Further experiments with the NOX1/4 inhibitor, GKT136901, revealed attenuated dilation after exercise training plus occlusion, but not with either exercise or occlusion alone. HPLC revealed that there were no differences in the basal or bradykinin-stimulated production of superoxide anion, regardless of occlusion or exercise. Furthermore, immunoblot analyses revealed decreased NOX2 protein after exercise with no differences found in NOX1, NOX4, p22phox, or SOD protein levels.
Together, these studies demonstrate that exercise-training stimulates independent contributions of both superoxide and NOX1/4-derived ROS to endothelium-dependent, bradykinin-mediated dilation of swine coronary arterioles. It is evident that exercise training produces cellular adaptations within the coronary microcirculation resulting in the contribution of ROS to vasodilation, and subsequently, increases in coronary blood flow. While we determined that ROS play a role in exercise-induced adaptations in the coronary microcirculation, additional study of specific sources and downstream effectors of these ROS are warranted
The Mental Well-Being of Students Enrolled in Dual Credit Courses at a West Texas Early College High School
No full textThe mental well-being of any adolescent is critical to how they think, feel and act in any environment. The purpose of the study was to measure the level of satisfaction with life of students enrolled in dual credit courses in a West Texas Early College High School (ECHS). The focus domains of life satisfaction were in these five areas: Family, Friends, School, Living Environment, and Self. The sample consisted of 152 ECHS students. The tool used was the Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). The MSLSS revealed that although overall ECHS students have a positive satisfaction with life, ECHS students had a low satisfaction with the School domain, below 4.0, indicating a lower life satisfaction in this area. There was no statistically significant difference in life satisfaction among students between grade levels, but there was a statistical difference between genders in the Family domain. An intervention course that integrates resilience-building and social-emotional learning (SEL) is recommended to address these findings. Further research is also recommended towards the adolescent well-being of ECHS students enrolled in dual credit
The Design of a Mobile E-Beam Treatment Station for Contaminated Soils
No full textThe presence of perfluorooctanoic substances (PFAS), a manufactured chemical used in various applications, has raised concerns due to its widespread impact on the environment and hazardous effects on human health. Energetic destructive methods such as thermal, supercritical oxidation, and the electron beam (eBeam) are currently being investigated as possible methods to mitigate this issue. These technologies are more efficient at separating contamination from its media and do not produce a contaminated byproduct. However, these technologies have yet to be proven at a scale at which it can be used to combat this contamination effectively.
This thesis investigates two different design configurations as a scaled pilot for mobile e-beam soil treatment systems by addressing structural and spatial concerns. Structural concerns were addressed by analysis completed in SolidWorks finite element analysis features. The two designs are then compared by considering factors such as radiation shielding, manufacturability, size and throughput, mobility, cost, and ease of setup. PUFFIn+ is used to simulate various electron beam soil interaction parameters such as beam energy, soil thickness and beam utilization efficiency.
These considerations and comparisons result in a final mobile electron beam facility recommendation of the following; the design should be able to be transported using only one trailer, the trailer chassis will require three or more axles and will be an oversize load, the power of the beam should be 3 MeV 50 kW, the optimal thickness of media at this beam energy is 0.5cm, the thickness of shielding if stainless steel is used should be approximately 6 inches around the treatment room, a clamshell shielding should be put around the accelerator, and all conveyors regarding media processing should be metal alloys to avoid contamination. More specific design recommendations are discussed in further detail in the text
Feasibility of Mixed-Integer Linear Programming for Onboard Planning in Distributed Earth Observation Satellite Systems
No full textPlanning is traditionally completed on the ground, which limits swift response to events of interest. As a result, there is an expanding need for onboard planning for satellites. This sparks exploration of the feasibility of reactive Earth observation using optimization for onboard, edge processing of plans. Reactive Earth observation lowers response time to events of interest, such as tropical storms or the formation of algal blooms.
This thesis compares a global optimization method, mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), with two less computationally expensive local optimization methods: greedy and forward search algorithms. This planning problem models a satellite constellation operating within an inland water quality remote sensing mission over a 24-hour simulation period. The water quality mission poses a challenge due to the small swath of relevant onboard instruments used to observe the large quantity of water bodies.
Two respective cases of 5- and 10-satellite constellations are applied to investigate scalability of the problem. On average, the local optimization methods achieve 64% of MILP performance. Smaller 1- to 2-hour planning horizons generally have little effect on MILP performance. Additionally, the MILP successfully solves problem sets of up to 580,000 variables for the 5-satellite problem and up to 900,000 variables for the 10-satellite problem. The MILP achieves these metrics in planning horizons of up to 8-hours for the 5-satellite problem and in planning horizons up to 4-hours in the 10-satellite problem.
A Raspberry Pi was employed to characterize the feasibility of using MILP for onboard planning. The Raspberry Pi could solve problems that did not exceed its memory capacity and was able to solve at least half as many problems as the PC was able to solve, depending on the size of the problem set.
Performance results build an argument to use small planning horizons to create plans in a reasonable amount of time. Raspberry Pi results suggest that smaller problem sets that do not exceed memory capacity during solving ensure that onboard planning is feasible for MILP. Overall, results suggest that MILP is a great method for satellite planning for relatively small problems
Unraveling the Role of TET-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation in Heart
No full textDifferent types of DNA modifications play a crucial role in the epigenetic control of gene expression in organisms. Traditionally, the major attention has been focused on 5-methylcytosine (5mC), a major form of DNA modification. However, the discovery of the TET enzymes has sparked new research on their major catalytic product, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). The enzymatic activity of TET proteins is intricately regulated by metabolites under physiology or pathological conditions. In addition, metabolic reprogramming plays an essential role in regulating the development and regeneration of heart tissues. However, how TET enzymes regulate cardiac metabolism in response to external stresses still remain poorly understood.
In this study, we investigated the consequences of Tet triple knockout (Tet-TKO) in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and observed notable alterations in glucose metabolism. These changes were marked by enhanced glucose uptake and glycolysis, likely owing to the upregulation of genes critical for glucose metabolism. Furthermore, these cells exhibited defects in glucose-dependent differentiation, suggesting that cells with epigenetic defects might display metabolic vulnerability when exposed to external nutritional cues.
Maternal exposure to balanced nutrition is critical for supporting embryonic development. We observed that maternal exposure to a high-fat diet led to noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCC) in embryos at E15.5. At the molecular level, maternal HFD exposure resulted in significantly reduced 5hmC production and chromatin remodeling in embryonic heart tissues collected from E15.5 embryos. Interestingly, maternal vitamin C treatment countered the negative impact of HFD exposure and restored the metabolic changes observed in pregnant mice, as well as the NCC phenotype observed in E15.5 embryos. This restoration is possibly due to the replenishment of iron, a co-factor of the Tet enzyme, in its reduced form. We further used a cardiac-specific Tet-triple knockout mouse model to confirm that the cardioprotective outcome of maternal vitamin C treatment in HFD conditions is attributable to the enhanced activity of TET enzymes.
There is a mutual influence between obesity and myocardium dysfunction. We report herein abnormal systemic energy homeostasis and obesity phenotypes in adult mice upon disrupting DNA methylation and demethylation balance in heart tissues. We observed that myocardium-specific Tet deletion had minor effects on heart size, structure, and function. By contrast, Tet ablation in heart resulted in increased whole-body weight, accompanied with higher blood glucose and lipid levels. In parallel, Tet-TKO mice exhibited increased glucose intolerance, insulin insensitivity and body fat, which mimicked the obesity phenotype.
Collectively, our findings establish the pivotal role of the TET family of dioxygenases in maintaining proper systemic hemostasis, thus enhancing our understanding of the intricate interplay between epigenetic modifications and cellular metabolism
Influence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 on the Intestinal Environment, Gut Permeability, and Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Horses Fed a High-Starch Diet
No full textThirty mature Quarter Horse geldings were used in a completely randomized 32-d study to test the hypotheses that supplemental live Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 improves apparent digestion, stabilizes the intestinal environment, reduces gut permeability, and decreases inflammation in horses fed a high-starch diet. Horses were stratified by BW, age, and body condition score (BCS) to one of two treatments (n=15/treatment): concentrate formulated with 2g starch ��� kg BW^-1 ��� meal^-1 (CON) or the same concentrate top-dressed with 25 g/d Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC; 20 billion CFU). Horses were fed individually in stalls every 12h. Between meals, horses were housed in dry-lots with ad libitum access to Coastal bermudagrass hay. On d 0 and 32, BW and BCS were recorded, and blood was collected prior to feeding at 2, 8, 16, and 24h post meal. Samples were analyzed for serum D-lactate, chemokine (CCL2) and cytokine (TNF��) concentrations. Whole blood 16s rRNA sequencing was performed. Fecal samples were obtained on d 0, 16, and 32 prior to feeding and at 8, 16, and 24h post meal; fecal pH and fecal starch were measured. Beginning d 28, intake and total fecal production were recorded over 4-d. There was an effect of treatment on ���BW (P=0.03), with no change in BCS (P=0.97). D-lactate peaked at h 8 on d 0, and CON was greater than SC (P���0.01). On d 32, D-lactate tended to be higher in SC at 16h compared to CON (P<0.10). LogCCL2 and TNF�� declined (P���0.02) across treatments to d 32. Fold change of percent reads from d 0 in bacterial 16s rRNA was not different between treatment groups. On d 0, fecal pH declined to h 16 (P���0.01) in both groups but returned to baseline by 24h. At h 0, CON had lower fecal pH on d 32 than d 0 (P���0.01). Fecal starch was undetectable indicating nearly complete dietary starch digestion. There was no effect of treatment for any measure of intake (P���0.25) or digestibility (P���0.77). High-starch diet reduced fecal pH and increased BW but after 32-d, there was no difference in digestibility, intestinal inflammation, or gut permeability, regardless of SC supplementation