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The effect of low concentrations of ethanol on Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity, defined as ouabain-inhibitable 86Rb+ (K+) uptake, was investigated in a crude synaptosome preparation which was subject to minimal subcellular fractionation procedures. Moderate (20-30%) but potent (EC50 = 3.8 mM) stimulation of total ouabain (1 mM)-inhibitable K+ uptake by ethanol was observed following incubation periods of up to 20 min. The activity of the ethanol-induced component of K+ uptake was antagonized by nanomolar concentrations of ouabain. Thus, the moderate stimulation of total ouabain-inhibitable K+ uptake by ethanol was attributable to the activation of a component of K+ uptake which was very sensitive (VS; IC50 = 2.8 x 10(-10) M) to inhibition by ouabain. Slightly higher concentrations of ouabain (10(-9) - 10(-6.6) M) stimulated K+ uptake above control (no ethanol or ouabain) in both the absence and presence of ethanol. The selectivity of the VS-ethanol interaction was demonstrated by the lack of any ethanol effect on two other components of ouabain-inhibitable K+ uptake which accounted for inhibition of K+ uptake by concentrations of ouabain above 10(-6.6) M and were defined as sensitive (S; IC50 = 10(-6) M) and insensitive (I; IC50 = 10(-4) M) to ouabain. These results define the ethanol-inducible component of ouabain-inhibitable Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity and promote the view that changes in Na+,K(+)-ATPase-dependent ion translocation may contribute to ethanol intoxication in vivo.

AbstractThe brief exposure of recently ovulated mouse oocytes to a dilute solution of ethanol in vitro for 1, 3, or 5 min induced a uniform high incidence of parthenogenetic activation. The majority of parthenogenones developed a single haploid pronucleus after the extrusion of a second polar body. The proportionate incidence of this parthenogenetic class was significantly reduced as the duration of ethanol exposure increased from 1 min to 5 min. There was a concomitant increase in the incidence of parthenogenones that developed two haploid pronuclei following failure of extrusion of the second polar body. Cytogenetic analysis of the ethanol‐induced single‐pronuclear haploid parthenogenones at metaphase of the first cleavage division clearly demonstrated that a significant proportion were aneuploid. The incidence of aneuploidy observed was directly related to the duration of ethanol exposure. G‐band analysis of the aneuploid metaphases revealed that the chromosomes were not randomly involved in the malsegregation events. This observation may be a reflection of the relationship of particular chromosomes to the meiotic spindle apparatus rather than on any specific property of the agent to which they were exposed. It is believed that ethanol disrupts the organisation of cytoskeletal elements and, in particular, interferes with the processes of chromosome segregation at the second meiotic division.

Interconnectivity and interoperability are very important features in the development of integrated energy management systems for industrial facilities. A simple and common strategy for exchanging energy-related information among the entities in a facility is currently lacking. To this end, the purpose of this study is to present an IoT-based communication framework with a common information model to facilitate the development of a demand response (DR) energy management system for industrial customers. Additionally, we developed and implemented an IoT-based energy-management platform based on a common information model and open communication protocols, which takes advantage of integrated energy supply networks to deploy DR energy management in an industrial facility. The experimental results of this study demonstrate that the proposed platform can not only improve the interconnectivity of the entities in industrial energy management systems but also reduce the energy costs of industrial facilities.

Cu2CdSn(S,Se)(4) is an important candidate material for thin film solar cell absorber layers. In this work, low-cost Cu2CdSnS4 nanocrytal thin film with a stannite structure has been successfully fabricated by a butyldithiocarbamate-based ethanol solution approach. The selenized Cu2CdSn(S,Se)(4) thin film shows large densely packed grains and has a suitable band gap value of 1.01 eV. The Cu2CdSn(S,Se)(4) thin film solar cell with a proof-of-concept power conversion efficiency of 3.1% was fabricated. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract The rapid increase in energy demand and the limited resources of fossil fuel as well as the environmentally damaging effects, drive the world to find new options for sustainable electricity generation, which is represented by renewable energies. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the most promising technologies in the field of electricity generation to tackle this issue with a competitive cost in the future. This paper presents an investigation of the potential of implementation of CSP plants in Libya. The socio-economic context, current energy situation of the country and different types of CSP plants are discussed. Moreover, an assessment of site parameters required for CSP plants including solar resources, land use and topography, water resources and grid connections are investigated in detail. In addition, thermo-economic simulation of a 50 MW parabolic trough power plant is performed. The simulation is conducted based on meteorological data measured by the weather station installed at the Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies (CSERS) in Tajoura city. The performance results are compared with the reference plant Andasol-1 in Spain. Even though the proposed plant is located on the North coast where solar resources are at their minimum compared with other regions of the country, the outcome of the study proves that Libya is not only suitable but it can be economically competitive in the implementation of CSP technology.