Economics and Performance Forecast of Gas Turbine Combined Cycle

Forecasts of the various types of gas turbines economics and performance of gas turbine combined cycle （GTCC） with will help power plant designers to select the best type of gas turbine for future Chinese powerplants. The cost and performance of various designs were estimated using the commercial software GT PRO. Improved GTCC output will increase the system efficiency which may induce total investment and will certainly increase the cumulative cash which then will induce the cost and the payback period. The relative annual fuel output increases almost in proportion to the relative GTCC output. China should select the gas turbine that provides the most economical output according to its specific conditions. The analysis shows that a GTCC power plant with a medium-sized 100 to 200 MW output gas turbine is the most suitable for Chinese investors.     

Lamin B1 duplications cause autosomal dominant leukodystrophy

Adult-onset autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD) is a slowly progressive neurological disorder characterized by symmetrical widespread myelin loss in the central nervous system, with a phenotype similar to chronic progressive multiple sclerosis. In this study, we identify a genomic duplication that causes ADLD. Affected individuals carry an extra copy of the gene for the nuclear laminar protein lamin B1, resulting in increased gene dosage in brain tissue from individuals with ADLD. Increased expression of lamin B1 in Drosophila melanogaster resulted in a degenerative phenotype. In addition, an abnormal nuclear morphology was apparent when cultured cells overexpressed this protein. This is the first human disease attributable to mutations in the gene encoding lamin B1. Antibodies to lamin B are found in individuals with autoimmune diseases, and it is also an antigen recognized by a monoclonal antibody raised against plaques from brains of individuals with multiple sclerosis. This raises the possibility that lamin B may be a link to the autoimmune attack that occurs in multiple sclerosis.     

Crystal structure of the channelrhodopsin light-gated cation channel

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are light-gated cation channels derived from algae that have shown experimental utility in optogenetics; for example, neurons expressing ChRs can be optically controlled with high temporal precision within systems as complex as freely moving mammals. Although ChRs have been broadly applied to neuroscience research, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which these unusual and powerful proteins operate. Here we present the crystal structure of a ChR (a C1C2 chimaera between ChR1 and ChR2 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) at 2.3?? resolution. The structure reveals the essential molecular architecture of ChRs, including the retinal-binding pocket and cation conduction pathway. This integration of structural and electrophysiological analyses provides insight into the molecular basis for the remarkable function of ChRs, and paves the way for the precise and principled design of ChR variants with novel properties.     

Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 -based dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells TiO_2 with were fabricated.The phase composition and microstructures of the solar cells were examined by X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy,and the energy levels of the present solar cells were also discussed.The results show that a solar cell mixed with xylenol orange and rose Bengal shows a higher conversion efficiency compared to solar cells with a single dye.An introduction of amorphous TiO_2 layers results in an improvement of the conversion efficien...