bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimizing Potassium Application for Hybrid Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Coastal Saline Soils of West Bengal, India
Authors: Banerjee Hirak , Ray Krishnendu , Dutta Sudarshan Kumar , Majumdar Kaushik , Satyanarayana Talatam , Timsina Jagadish
Published: December 2018

The present study assesses the response of hybrid rice (variety Arize 6444) to potassium (K) application during rainy (wet) seasons of 2016 and 2017 in coastal saline soils of West Bengal, India. The study was conducted at the Regional Research Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kakdwip, West Bengal. The soil is clayeywith acidic pH (5.91), saline (Electrical conductivity/EC 1.53 dS m−1) and of high K fertility (366 kg ha−1). The experimental plots were laid out in a randomized complete block design with five (5) K treatments (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg K2O ha−1) with four replications. Plant height, dry matter (DM) in different plant parts, number of tillers, and grain yield were measured in each treatment for the determination of optimum K dose. The study revealed that the stem, leaf, and grain dry matter production at 60 days after transplanting (DAT) and harvest were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher at 90 kg K2O ha−1 application. The number of tillers hill−1 was also higher (p ≤ 0.05) in plants fertilized with 90 kg K2O ha−1 over K omission. At harvest, grain K concentration improved (p ≤ 0.05) with K fertilization at 90 kg K2O ha−1, 116% more than the zero-K. Omission of K application from the best treatment (90 kg K2O ha−1) reduced grain yield by 3.5 t ha−1 even though the available K content was high. Potassium uptake restriction due to higher Mg content in the soil may have caused reduced uptake of K leading to yield losses. The present study also showed higher profits with 90 kg K2O ha−1 with higher net returns (US$ 452 ha−1) and benefit:cost ratio (1.75) over other treatments from hybrid rice (var. Arize 6444). From the regression equation, the economic optimum level of K (Kopt) was derived as 101.5 kg K2O ha−1 that could improve productivity of hybrid rice during the wet season in coastal saline soils of West Bengal.
Apparent Accumulated Nitrogen Fertilizer Recovery in Long-Term Wheat–Maize Cropping Systems in China
Authors: Liu Jie , Li Jumei , Ma Yibing , Jia Yuehui , Liang Qiong
Published: December 2018

Recovery efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers has always been an important issue, especially for N fertilizer recommendation rate in cropping systems. Based on the equilibrium of N in the soil–plant system, apparent accumulated N fertilizer recovery (NREac) was determined for long-term (15-years) experiments in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) rotations at five field sites with various soils and climate characteristics in China. The result showed that the frequency of cropping and the content of soil clay affected NREac positively and negatively, respectively. In the absence of nutrient deficiencies and other soil constraints (from NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in S2-CP (site2-Changping) in Beijing, S3-ZZ (site3-Zhengzhou) in Henan province and S4-YL (site4-Yangling) in Shaanxi province), NREac had a narrow range from 70% to 78% with the highest average of 75% in wheat and maize cropping system. Meanwhile, the value 75% of NERac is a rational value proved by 3414 experiments. Additionally, the nitrate-N approach suggested that nitrate-N could be utilized by subsequent crops, the amount of which is calculated by the equation −1.23 × [(NO3−-N) − 87]. Furthermore, another simpler and feasible method was proposed to maintain basic soil fertility while achieving a rational grain yield and maintaining a safe environmental upper threshold of nitrate. The present study provided a suit of methods for N fertilizer recommendations for the optimization of N applications in wheat and maize cropping system in China.
Bystander Phage Therapy: Inducing Host-Associated Bacteria to Produce Antimicrobial Toxins against the Pathogen Using Phages
Authors: Brady T. Scott , Fajardo Christopher P. , Merrill Bryan D. , Hilton Jared A. , Graves Kiel A. , Eggett Dennis L. , Hope Sandra
Published: December 2018

Brevibacillus laterosporus is often present in beehives, including presence in hives infected with the causative agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), Paenibacillus larvae. In this work, 12 B. laterosporus bacteriophages induced bactericidal products in their host. Results demonstrate that P. larvae is susceptible to antimicrobials induced from field isolates of the bystander, B. laterosporus. Bystander antimicrobial activity was specific against the pathogen and not other bacterial species, indicating that the production was likely due to natural competition between the two bacteria. Three B. laterosporus phages were combined in a cocktail to treat AFB. Healthy hives treated with B. laterosporus phages experienced no difference in brood generation compared to control hives over 8 weeks. Phage presence in bee larvae after treatment rose to 60.8 ± 3.6% and dropped to 0 ± 0.8% after 72 h. In infected hives the recovery rate was 75% when treated, however AFB spores were not susceptible to the antimicrobials as evidenced by recurrence of AFB. We posit that the effectiveness of this treatment is due to the production of the bactericidal products of B. laterosporus when infected with phages resulting in bystander-killing of P. larvae. Bystander phage therapy may provide a new avenue for antibacterial production and treatment of disease.
Trench-Assisted Multicore Fiber with Single Supermode Transmission and Nearly Zero Flattened Dispersion
Authors: Wang Wei , Qiu Shi , Xu Haidong , Lin Tianxu , Meng Fanchao , Han Ying , Qi Yuefeng , Wang Chao , Hou Lantian
Published: December 2018

A trench-assisted multicore fiber (TA-MCF) with single-supermode transmission and nearly zero flattened dispersion is proposed herein. By adding a simplified microstructure cladding with only one ring of low-index inclusions on the basis of the multicore fiber, the microstructure cladding and mode-coupling mechanism were jointly employed into the TA-MCF to modulate light transmission. This guarantees that the TA-MCFs had sufficient capability for wideband dispersion management when only pure, germanium-doped, and fluorine-doped silica glass with low index differences were chosen to form the TA-MCF. Analyses also revealed that the TA-MCFs have the merits of shorter cut-off wavelength and flatter-top optical intensity distribution compared with traditional multicore fibers. After the investigation of the structural parameters’ influences on the dispersion of the fundamental supermode, two TA-MCFs with single-supermode transmission and nearly zero flattened dispersion were designed. For the seven-core TA-MCF, the dispersion varying from −0.46 to 1.35 ps/(nm·km) in the wavelength range of 1.50 to 2.04 μm, with bending loss as low as 0.085 dB/km and 35-mm bending radius at 1550 nm was achieved with index difference less than 0.015. The TA-MCFs proposed herein have the advantages of being a quasi-single material, with an all solid scheme and simplified structure.
A Multi-Tone Sound Absorber Based on an Array of Shunted Loudspeakers
Authors: Cong Chaonan , Tao Jiancheng , Qiu Xiaojun
Published: December 2018

It has been demonstrated that a single shunted loudspeaker can be used as an effective low frequency sound absorber in a duct, but many shunted loudspeakers have to be used in practice for noise reduction or reverberation control in rooms, thus it is necessary to understand the performance of an array of shunted loudspeakers. In this paper, a model for the parallel shunted loudspeaker array for multi-tone sound absorption is proposed based on a modal solution, and then the acoustic properties of a shunted loudspeaker array under normal incidence are investigated using both the modal solution and the finite element method. It was found that each shunted loudspeaker can work almost independently where each unit resonates. Based on the interaction analysis, multi-tone absorbers in low frequency can be achieved by designing multiple shunted loudspeakers with different shunt circuits respectively. The simulation and experimental results show that the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient of the designed absorber has four absorption peaks with values of 0.42, 0.58, 0.80, and 0.84 around 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 300 Hz, and 400 Hz respectively.
Interference Alignment in Multi-Hop Cognitive Radio Networks under Interference Leakage
Authors: Erdogan Eylem , Çolak Sultan Aldırmaz , Alakoca Hakan , Namdar Mustafa , Basgumus Arif , Durak-Ata Lutfiye
Published: December 2018

In this work, we examine the interference alignment (IA) performance of a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) multi-hop cognitive radio (CR) network in the presence of multiple primary users. In the proposed architecture, it is assumed that linear IA is adopted at the secondary network to alleviate the interference between primary and secondary networks. By doing so, the secondary source can communicate with the secondary destination via multiple relays without causing any interference to the primary network. Even though linear IA can suppress the interference in CR networks considerably, interference leakages may occur due to a fast fading channel. To this end, we focus on the performance of the secondary network for two different cases: (i) the interference is perfectly aligned; (ii) the impact of interference leakages. For both cases, closed-form expressions of outage probability and ergodic capacity are derived. The results, which are validated by Monte Carlo simulations, show that interference leakages can deteriorate both system performance and the diversity gains considerably.
An Experimental Investigation into Combustion Fitting in a Direct Injection Marine Diesel Engine
Authors: Ding Yu , Sui Congbiao , Li Jincheng
Published: December 2018

The marine diesel engine combustion process is discontinuous and unsteady, resulting in complicated simulations and applications. When the diesel engine is used in the system integration simulation and investigation, a suitable combustion model has to be developed due to compatibility to the other components in the system. The Seiliger process model uses finite combustion stages to perform the main engine combustion characteristics and using the cycle time scale instead of the crank angle shortens the simulation time. Obtaining the defined Seiliger parameters used to calculate the engine performance such as peak pressure, temperature and work is significant and fitting process has to be carried out to get the parameters based on experimental investigation. During the combustion fitting, an appropriate mathematics approach is selected for root finding of non-linear multi-variable functions since there is a large amount of used experimental data. A direct injection marine engine test bed is applied for the experimental investigation based on the combustion fitting approach. The results of each cylinder and four-cylinder averaged pressure signals are fitted with the Seiliger process that is shown separately to obtain the Seiliger parameters, and are varied together with these parameters and with engine operating conditions to provide the basis for engine combustion modeling.
A Fuzzy Inference System for Unsupervised Deblurring of Motion Blur in Electron Beam Calibration
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Salaheddin
Published: December 2018

This paper presents a novel method of restoring the electron beam (EB) measurements that are degraded by linear motion blur. This is based on a fuzzy inference system (FIS) and Wiener inverse filter, together providing autonomy, reliability, flexibility, and real-time execution. This system is capable of restoring highly degraded signals without requiring the exact knowledge of EB probe size. The FIS is formed of three inputs, eight fuzzy rules, and one output. The FIS is responsible for monitoring the restoration results, grading their validity, and choosing the one that yields to a better grade. These grades are produced autonomously by analyzing results of a Wiener inverse filter. To benchmark the performance of the system, ground truth signals obtained using an 18 μm wire probe were compared with the restorations. Main aims are therefore: (a) Provide unsupervised deblurring for device independent EB measurement; (b) improve the reliability of the process; and (c) apply deblurring without knowing the probe size. These further facilitate the deployment and manufacturing of EB probes as well as facilitate accurate and probe-independent EB characterization. This paper’s findings also makes restoration of previously collected EB measurements easier where the probe sizes are not known nor recorded.
Biochemical and Physiological Parameters in Rats Fed with High-Fat Diet: The Protective Effect of Chronic Treatment with Purple Grape Juice (Bordo Variety)
Authors: Dos Santos Lacerda Denise , Garbin de Almeida Mariana , Teixeira Cláudia , De Jesus Alyne , Da Silva Pereira Júnior Édison , Martins Bock Patrícia , Pegas Henriques João Antônio , Gomez Rosane , Dani Caroline , Funchal Cláudia
Published: December 2018

High-fat-diet (HFD) has been related to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Consumption of grapes and their byproducts containing phenolic compounds has been reported due to the benefits they produce for human health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and protective effect of chronic intake of purple grape juice on certain biochemical and physiological changes promoted by the consumption of HFD. Forty male rats were randomly divided into four groups to receive standard or HFD diet and/or conventional (CGJ) or organic grape juice (OGJ) for three months. Dietary intake, body weight gain, cardiometabolic parameters, and serum lipoperoxidation were investigated. Results showed that consumption of CGJ and OGJ changed the pattern of food and drink intake of the animals. There was a reduction in the body weight of animals that consumed grape juices and an increase in the weight gain in HFD and OGJ rats. HFD increased abdominal fat and the abdominal fat/weight ratio, and both grape juices prevented these modifications. HFD increased hepatic enzymes levels (aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)) and reduced urea. Purple grape juices prevented some of these changes. HFD enhanced lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) in serum and CGJ and OGJ prevented this increase. The consumption of purple grape juice has the potential to prevent and ameliorate most of the alterations provoked by HFD, therefore regular intake of grape products could promote beneficial effects.
Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) + Carbon Ion Boost for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Minor Salivary Glands in the Oral Cavity
Authors: Lang Kristin , Baur Melissa , Akbaba Sati , Held Thomas , Kargus Steffen , Bougatf Nina , Bernhardt Denise , Freier Kolja , Plinkert Peter K. , Rieken Stefan , Debus Jürgen , Adeberg Sebastian
Published: December 2018

Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) are more common in the minor salivary glands (MiSGs) than the major salivary glands, and are characterized by slow tumor progression and frequently local recurrence. The main treatment option is surgery followed by combined radiotherapy. Methods: A retrospective analysis contained 67 patients with ACC of MiSGs in the oral cavity who underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy. The median cumulative IMRT dose was 50 Gy followed by 24 Gy for carbon ion (C12) boost. Median follow-up was 40 months. Results: Median 5-years overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and local disease-free survival (LDFS) rates were 85.5%, 57.4% and 74.9%. Median time until progression was detected was 32 months (range: 2–205 months). Early grade ≥3 mucositis, dermatitis, and dysphagia were detected in 52.2%, 7.5% and 11.9% respectively. Besides common toxicities, two patients (3.0%) developed grade 3 toxicities with osteoradionecrosis of the jaw after 18 and 66 months. Higher-grade late toxicity (CTCAE grade 4) was not detected. No treatment-related death was detected. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that postoperative combined radiotherapy with IMRT plus C12 boost seems to be a feasible and effective treatment method in ACC of MiSGs in the oral cavity, with good control and survival rates and adequate toxicity.
Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Silicas (MCM-41): Synthesis and Applications in Catalysis
Authors: Martínez-Edo Gabriel , Balmori Alba , Pontón Iris , Martí del Rio Andrea , Sánchez-García David
Published: December 2018

Mesoporous silica sieves are among the most studied nano-objects due to their stable pore structure and easy preparation. In particular, MCM-41 have attracted increasing research attention due to their chemical versatility. This review focuses on the synthesis and regioselective functionalization of MCM-41 to prepare catalytic systems. The topics covered are: mono and di-functionalized MCM-41 as basic and acid catalysts, catalysts based on metallic complexes and heteropolyacids supported onto MCM-41, metallic nanoparticles embed onto functionalized MCM-41 and magnetic MCM-41 for catalytic purposes.
Advancement of Metabolic Engineering Assisted by Synthetic Biology
Authors: Lee Hyang-Mi , Vo Phuong N. L. , Na Dokyun
Published: December 2018

Synthetic biology has undergone dramatic advancements for over a decade, during which it has expanded our understanding on the systems of life and opened new avenues for microbial engineering. Many biotechnological and computational methods have been developed for the construction of synthetic systems. Achievements in synthetic biology have been widely adopted in metabolic engineering, a field aimed at engineering micro-organisms to produce substances of interest. However, the engineering of metabolic systems requires dynamic redistribution of cellular resources, the creation of novel metabolic pathways, and optimal regulation of the pathways to achieve higher production titers. Thus, the design principles and tools developed in synthetic biology have been employed to create novel and flexible metabolic pathways and to optimize metabolic fluxes to increase the cells’ capability to act as production factories. In this review, we introduce synthetic biology tools and their applications to microbial cell factory constructions.
Non-Classical Anionic Naked N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Fundamental Properties and Emerging Applications in Synthesis and Catalysis
Authors: Leow Mei Yi , Ho Curtis C. , Gardiner Michael G. , Bissember Alex C.
Published: December 2018

Ongoing research exploring the chemistry of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) has led to the development and discovery of new NHC subclasses that deviate beyond Arduengo’s prototypical N,N′-disubstituted imidazol-2-ylidene-based structures. These systems continue to enable and extend the fundamental role of NHC ligands in synthesis and catalysis. In this regard, the advent of protic NHCs has garnered particular interest. This derives in part from their applications to the selective preparation of unique molecular scaffolds and their unprecedented bifunctional reactivity, which can be exploited in transition metal-catalyzed processes. In comparison, the synthetic applications of closely related anionic naked NHCs remain rather underexplored. With this in mind, this review highlights the interesting fundamental properties of non-classical anionic naked NHCs, and focuses on their emerging applications in synthesis and catalysis.
Improving Corrosion and Corrosion-Fatigue Resistance of AZ31B Cast Mg Alloy Using Combined Cold Spray and Top Coatings
Authors: Shaha Sugrib Kumar , Dayani Siavash Borhan , Xue Yuna , Pang Xin , Jahed Hamid
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we report the application of zinc phosphate electrostatic-painting top coating on cold sprayed AA7075 leading to a significant improvement in corrosion-fatigue performance. High strength AA7075 powder was sprayed on AZ31B substrate, followed by the application of the top coating. The electrochemical corrosion and corrosion-fatigue tests of the coated and uncoated specimens were performed in 3.5% NaCl solution. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that a continuous nanolayered mixture of Mg/Al was formed at the cold spray coating/substrate interface leading to high bonding strength. The results showed that the combined coatings improved the corrosion resistance remarkably, and significantly increased the fatigue life, with a fatigue strength of 80 MPa at 107 cycles, as compared to the as-cast specimen. Surface topographic analysis of the corrosion-fatigue-tested specimens demonstrated the presence of deep macro-pits on the cold sprayed AA7075 coating after 3.7 million cycles, while there were no such pits on the top-coated specimens, even after 107 cycles when tested at 30 Hz. The fractographic analysis of the fatigue-fractured specimens showed that the formation of pits allowed the NaCl solution to penetrate in the AZ31B substrate, creating localized corrosion pits resulting in premature failure, which eventually reduced the fatigue life.
Chitosan-Based Coating Enriched with Hairy Fig (Ficus hirta Vahl.) Fruit Extract for “Newhall” Navel Orange Preservation
Authors: Chen Chuying , Cai Nan , Chen Jinyin , Peng Xuan , Wan Chunpeng
Published: December 2018

A novel coating based on 1.5% chitosan (CH), enriched with or without hairy fig (Ficus hirta Vahl.) fruit extract (HFE), was applied to “Newhall” navel orange for improving the preservation effect. Changes in physicochemical indexes were analyzed over 120 days of cold storage. Uncoated fruit were used as the control. The CH-HFE coating, based on 1.5% CH enriched with HFE, exhibited the best preservation effect and showed the lowest decay rate (5.2%) and weight loss (5.16%). The CH-HFE coating could postpone the ripening and senescence of navel oranges, and maintain higher fruit quality by inhibiting respiration, decreasing the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), and enhancing the activities of protective enzyme, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), chitinase (CHI), and β-1,3-glucanase (GLU), which suggests that CH-HFE coating has the potential to improve the postharvest quality of “Newhall” navel orange and prolong the storage life.
Heuristic Approaches for Location Assignment of Capacitated Services in Smart Cities
Authors: Hoekstra Gerbrich , Phillipson Frank
Published: December 2018

This paper proposes two heuristic approaches to solve the Multi-Service Capacitated Facility Location Problem. This problem covers assigning equipment to access points, offering multiple services in a Smart City context. The access points should offer the services to the customer and fulfil their demand, given the coverage of the service and their capacity constraints. Both the heuristic approaches solve the assignment problem for the services separately and combine the solutions of the step together. One of them, however, updates the cost parameters between consecutive steps and produce near optimal solutions in reasonable time compared to the solution obtained from solving an integer linear programming problem exactly.
A Bayesian Failure Prediction Network Based on Text Sequence Mining and Clustering
Authors: Chang Wenbing , Xu Zhenzhong , You Meng , Zhou Shenghan , Xiao Yiyong , Cheng Yang
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this paper is to predict failures based on textual sequence data. The current failure prediction is mainly based on structured data. However, there are many unstructured data in aircraft maintenance. The failure mentioned here refers to failure types, such as transmitter failure and signal failure, which are classified by the clustering algorithm based on the failure text. For the failure text, this paper uses the natural language processing technology. Firstly, segmentation and the removal of stop words for Chinese failure text data is performed. The study applies the word2vec moving distance model to obtain the failure occurrence sequence for failure texts collected in a fixed period of time. According to the distance, a clustering algorithm is used to obtain a typical number of fault types. Secondly, the failure occurrence sequence is mined using sequence mining algorithms, such as-PrefixSpan. Finally, the above failure sequence is used to train the Bayesian failure network model. The final experimental results show that the Bayesian failure network has higher accuracy for failure prediction.
Planar Array Diagnostic Tool for Millimeter-Wave Wireless Communication Systems
Authors: Famoriji Oluwole J. , Zhang Zhongxiang , Fadamiro Akinwale , Zakariyya Rabiu , Lin Fujiang
Published: December 2018

In this paper, a diagnostic tool or procedure based on Bayesian compressive sensing (BCS) is proposed for identification of failed element(s) which manifest in millimeter-wave planar antenna arrays. With adequate a priori knowledge of the reference antenna array radiation pattern, a diagnostic problem of faulty elements was formulated. Sparse recovery algorithms, including total variation (TV), mixed ℓ 1 / ℓ 2 norm, and minimization of the ℓ 1 , are readily available in the literature, and were used to diagnose the array under test (AUT) from measurement points, consequently providing faster and better diagnostic schemes than the traditional mechanisms, such as the back propagation algorithm, matrix method algorithm, etc. However, these approaches exhibit some drawbacks in terms of effectiveness and reliability in noisy data, and a large number of measurement data points. To overcome these problems, a methodology based on BCS was adapted in this paper. From far-field radiation pattern samples, planar array diagnosis was formulated as a sparse signal recovery problem where BCS was applied to recover the locations of the faults using relevance vector machine (RVM). The resulted BCS approach was validated through simulations and experiments to provide suitable guidelines for users, as well as insight into the features and potential of the proposed procedure. A Ka-band ( 28.9   GHz ) 10 × 10 rectangular microstrip patch antenna array that emulates failure with zero excitation was designed for far-field measurements in an anechoic chamber. Both simulated and measured far-field samples were used to test the proposed approach. The proposed technique is demonstrated to detect diagnostic problems with fewer measurements provided the prior knowledge of the array radiation pattern is known, and the number of faults is relatively smaller than the array size. The effectiveness and reliability of the technique is verified experimentally and via simulation. In addition to a faster diagnosis and better reconstruction accuracy, the BCS-based technique shows more robustness to additive noisy data compared to other compressive sensing methods. The proposed procedure can be applied to next-generation transceivers, aerospace systems, radar systems, and other communication systems.
Power Consumption Analysis of Bluetooth Low Energy Commercial Products and Their Implications for IoT Applications
Authors: Garcia-Espinosa Eduardo , Longoria-Gandara Omar , Pegueros-Lepe Ioseth , Veloz-Guerrero Arturo
Published: December 2018

Internet of things (IoT) has become a very important business segment for the industry since it is estimated that 50 billion devices will be interconnected by 2020, where 30% of them are forecasted to use Bluetooth low energy as the enabling communication protocol. IoT involves smart devices that can be connected to the cloud in order to share and process all types of data collected through sensors. Moreover, 100% of smartphones and tablets shipped in 2018 include Bluetooth low energy, which will allow the interoperation with the upcoming 5G standard. As a result, different low-power hardware platforms have become available to either build prototypes, or implement full IoT solutions. One fundamental aspect while choosing a development platform is to analyze the power consumption of its components to build an optimal low-power application and extend the battery life. In this work, we present current consumption measurements of four Bluetooth low energy commercial platforms configured as central and as peripheral devices, these measurements are aimed to provide the data that are not available in the datasheets and which is needed to select, in an optimal way, the proper connection parameters for the protocol.
An Optimized Algorithm and Test Bed for Improvement of Efficiency of ESS and Energy Use
Authors: Je Seung-Mo , Huh Jun-Ho
Published: December 2018

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has four distinct seasons. Such an environment provides many benefits, but also brings some major problems when using new and renewable energies. The rainy season or typhoons in summer become the main causes of inconsistent production rates of these energies, and this would become a fatal weakness in supplying stable power to the industries running continuously, such as the aquaculture industry. This study proposed an improvement plan for the efficiency of Energy Storage System (ESS) and energy use. Use of sodium-ion batteries is suggested to overcome the disadvantages of lithium-ion batteries, which are dominant in the current market; a greedy algorithm and the Floyd–Warshall algorithm were also proposed as a method of scheduling energy use considering the elements that could affect communication output and energy use. Some significant correlations between communication output and energy efficiency have been identified through the OPNET-based simulations. The simulation results showed that the greedy algorithm was more efficient. This algorithm was then implemented with C-language to apply it to the Test Bed developed in the previous study. The results of the Test Bed experiment supported the proposals.
Modeling the Hysteresis Characteristics of Transformer Core under Various Excitation Level via On-Line Measurements
Authors: Du Xuhao , Pan Jie , Guzzomi Andrew
Published: December 2018

In this paper, the hysteresis characteristics of a transformer core are determined from limited on-line measured voltages and currents under certain excitations. A method for calculating the magnetization curve and hysteresis loops of the transformer core under various excitation is developed based on limited excitation conditions, and using the deep neural network, support vector regressor and the Wlodarski model. The coercivity and the amplitude of magnetic field strength of hysteresis loops can be captured with high accuracy based on this method. Then, a finite element model of the transformer core is constructed to predict the distributed magnetic flux density and the excitation current using the calculated hysteresis loops. The currents from various excitation voltages on two different transformer structures are also measured to compared with simulated currents. The outcome indicates that the overall hysteresis loops and magnetization curve of the transformer core may be useful for modeling the magnetic field and excitation current under any voltage excitation.
Robust Tracking Control of a Three-Phase Charger under Unbalanced Grid Conditions
Authors: Choeung Chivon , Kry Meng Leang , Lee Young Il
Published: December 2018

This paper presents a robust control technique for three-phase chargers under unbalanced grid conditions. The control method consists of inner-loop robust grid-current control and outer-loop proportional integral control for constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) control. A dual-current control for the inner-loop positive and negative sequence is employed to eliminate the unbalanced current caused by the grid so that a constant current and voltage can be provided to the batteries. The inner-loop robust controllers utilize state feedback with integral action in the dq-synchronous frame. A linear matrix inequality-based optimization scheme is used to determine stabilizing gains of the controllers to maximize the convergence rate to steady state in the presence of uncertainties. The uncertainties of the system are described as the potential variation range of the inductance and resistance in the L-filter.
Method for the Energy Storage Configuration of Wind Power Plants with Energy Storage Systems used for Black-Start
Authors: Li Cuiping , Zhang Shining , Zhang Jiaxing , Qi Jun , Li Junhui , Guo Qi , You Hongfei
Published: December 2018

With the increasing participation of wind generation in the power system, a wind power plant (WPP) with an energy storage system (ESS) has become one of the options available for a black-start power source. In this article, a method for the energy storage configuration used for black-start is proposed. First, the energy storage capacity for starting a single turbine was determined. Then, a hierarchical planning model was established. This model did not consider the starting efficiency of the WPP, but it did consider the layout of the energy storage in the WPP and the balance of the terminal voltage when starting the WPP. Finally, the feasibility and value of the proposed method and model were verified in a 49.5 MW WPP with an ESS (a power rating of 2.24 MW and energy capacity of about 1.68 MWh). The result suggests that configuring an ESS with a small capacity on the side of the turbine can achieve black-start for a WPP with an ESS as the power source.
Assessing Energy and Environmental Efficiency of the Spanish Agri-Food System Using the LCA/DEA Methodology
Authors: Laso Jara , Hoehn Daniel , Margallo María , García-Herrero Isabel , Batlle-Bayer Laura , Bala Alba , Fullana-i-Palmer Pere , Vázquez-Rowe Ian , Irabien Angel , Aldaco Rubén
Published: December 2018

Feeding the world’s population sustainably is a major challenge of our society, and was stated as one of the key priorities for development cooperation by the European Union (EU) policy framework on food security. However, with the current trend of natural resource exploitation, food systems consume around 30% of final energy use, generating up to 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given the expected increase of global population (nine billion people by 2050) and the amount of food losses and waste generated (one-third of global food production), improving the efficiency of food systems along the supply chain is essential to ensure food security. This study combines life-cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency of Spanish agri-food system and to propose improvement actions in order to reduce energy usage and GHG emissions. An average energy saving of approximately 70% is estimated for the Spanish agri-food system in order to be efficient. This study highlights the importance of the DEA method as a tool for energy optimization, identifying efficient and inefficient food systems. This approach could be adopted by administrations, policy-makers, and producers as a helpful instrument to support decision-making and improve the sustainability of agri-food systems.
Review of Heating Methods for Rural Houses in China
Authors: Zheng Guozhong , Bu Wentao
Published: December 2018

With the continuous development of the social economy, residents living in rural China pay more attention to the heating quality and require a comfortable and healthy indoor thermal environment in winter. The existing traditional heating methods cannot meet the high-quality heating demands. Although the new heating methods based on clean energy can satisfy the needs of residents in terms of energy saving, environmental protection and thermal comfort, they have not been widely used due to their high initial investment, the misunderstanding of principal functions and the perceived difficulty of application. This study firstly summarizes various available heating methods for rural areas from aspects of technical characteristics, environmental friendliness, indoor comfort, and economy. Then it gives advice for government and relevant institutions to increase publicity for new heating methods. It aims to provide a theoretical basis and feasible suggestions for the selection of heating methods for rural residents in China. It also aims to provide theoretical policy making references for the transformation of the original rural heating methods.
Finite Element Method Investigation and Loss Estimation of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Feeding a Non-Linear Load
Authors: Barmpatza Alexandra C. , Kappatou Joya C.
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this paper is the performance investigation of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) system, suitable for wind power applications and the comparison of the machine electromagnetic characteristics under open and closed control loop implementations. The copper and iron losses are estimated and compared for the above control systems with the use of the Steinmetz-Bertotti loss separation equation. In addition, the effect of the rotating magnetic field on the total losses is studied. The generator is simulated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), while the rest of the components are connected to the machine model using a drawing window of the FEA software and suitable command files. The close loop control used in the present study results to less losses and greater machine efficiency. The main novelty of the paper is the simulation of the PMSG coupled with a converter and control schemes using FEA, which ensures more accurate results of the whole system and allows the detailed machine electromagnetic study, while the majority of existing papers on this topic uses simulation tools that usually simulate in detail the electric circuits but not the machine. The FEM model is validated by experimental results.
Performance of Pd-Based Membranes and Effects of Various Gas Mixtures on H2 Permeation
Authors: Kian Kourosh , Woodall Caleb M , Wilcox Jennifer , Liguori Simona
Published: December 2018

H2 permeation and separation properties of two Pd-based composite membranes were evaluated and compared at 400 °C and at a pressure range of 150 kPa to 600 kPa. One membrane was characterized by an approximately 8 μm-thick palladium (Pd)-gold (Au) layer deposited on an asymmetric microporous Al2O3 substrate; the other membrane consisted of an approximately 11 μm-thick pure palladium layer deposited on a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) support. At 400 °C and with a trans-membrane pressure of 50 kPa, the membranes showed a H2 permeance of 8.42 × 10−4 mol/m2·s·Pa0.5 and 2.54 × 10−5 mol/m2·s·Pa0.7 for Pd-Au and Pd membranes, respectively. Pd-Au membrane showed infinite ideal selectivity to H2 with respect to He and Ar at 400 °C and a trans-membrane pressure of 50 kPa, while the ideal selectivities for the Pd membrane under the same operating conditions were much lower. Furthermore, the permeation tests for ternary and quaternary mixtures of H2, CO, CO2, CH4, and H2O were conducted on the Pd/YSZ membrane. The H2 permeating flux decreased at the conclusion of the permeation tests for all mixtures. This decline however, was not permanent, i.e., H2 permeation was restored to its initial value after treating the membrane with H2 for a maximum of 7 h. The effects of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and the steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio on H2 permeation were also investigated using simulated steam methane reforming mixtures. It was found that H2 permeation is highest at the greatest GHSV, due to a decline in the concentration polarization effect. Variations in S/C ratio however, showed no significant effect on the H2 permeation. The permeation characteristics for the Pd/YSZ membrane were also investigated at temperatures ranging from 350 to 400 °C. The pre-exponential factor and apparent activation energy were found to be 5.66 × 10−4 mol/m2·s·Pa0.7 and 12.8 kJ/mol, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed on both pristine and used membranes, and no strong evidence of the formation of Pd-O or any other undesirable phases was observed.
Allocation Mechanisms of Non-Structural Carbohydrates of Robinia pseudoacacia L. Seedlings in Response to Drought and Waterlogging
Authors: Yang Bin , Peng Changhui , Harrison Sandy P. , Wei Hua , Wang Han , Zhu Qiuan , Wang Meng
Published: December 2018

Climate change is likely to lead to an increased frequency of droughts and floods, both of which are implicated in large-scale carbon allocation and tree mortality worldwide. Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) play an important role in tree survival under stress, but how NSC allocation changes in response to drought or waterlogging is still unclear. We measured soluble sugars (SS) and starch in leaves, twigs, stems and roots of Robinia pseudoacacia L. seedlings that had been subjected to a gradient in soil water availability from extreme drought to waterlogged conditions for a period of 30 days. Starch concentrations decreased and SS concentrations increased in tissues of R. pseudoacacia seedlings, such that the ratio of SS to starch showed a progressive increase under both drought and waterlogging stress. The strength of the response is asymmetric, with the largest increase occurring under extreme drought. While the increase in SS concentration in response to extreme drought is the largest in roots, the increase in the ratio of SS to starch is the largest in leaves. Individual components of SS showed different responses to drought and waterlogging across tissues: glucose concentrations increased significantly with drought in all tissues but showed little response to waterlogging in twigs and stems; sucrose and fructose concentrations showed marked increases in leaves and roots in response to drought but a greater response to drought and waterlogging in stems and twigs. These changes are broadly compatible with the roles of individual SS under conditions of water stress. While it is important to consider the role of NSC in buffering trees against mortality under stress, modelling this behaviour is unlikely to be successful unless it accounts for different responses within organs and the type of stress involved.
Multiple Sequence Alignments Enhance Boundary Definition of RNA Structures
Authors: Sabarinathan Radhakrishnan , Anthon Christian , Gorodkin Jan , Seemann Stefan E.
Published: December 2018

Self-contained structured domains of RNA sequences have often distinct molecular functions. Determining the boundaries of structured domains of a non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is needed for many ncRNA gene finder programs that predict RNA secondary structures in aligned genomes because these methods do not necessarily provide precise information about the boundaries or the location of the RNA structure inside the predicted ncRNA. Even without having a structure prediction, it is of interest to search for structured domains, such as for finding common RNA motifs in RNA-protein binding assays. The precise definition of the boundaries are essential for downstream analyses such as RNA structure modelling, e.g., through covariance models, and RNA structure clustering for the search of common motifs. Such efforts have so far been focused on single sequences, thus here we present a comparison for boundary definition between single sequence and multiple sequence alignments. We also present a novel approach, named RNAbound, for finding the boundaries that are based on probabilities of evolutionarily conserved base pairings. We tested the performance of two different methods on a limited number of Rfam families using the annotated structured RNA regions in the human genome and their multiple sequence alignments created from 14 species. The results show that multiple sequence alignments improve the boundary prediction for branched structures compared to single sequences independent of the chosen method. The actual performance of the two methods differs on single hairpin structures and branched structures. For the RNA families with branched structures, including transfer RNA (tRNA) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), RNAbound improves the boundary predictions using multiple sequence alignments to median differences of −6 and −11.5 nucleotides (nts) for left and right boundary, respectively (window size of 200 nts).
Johann Scheffler (Angelus Silesius): The Silesian Mystic as a Boethian Thinker. Universal Insights, Ancient Wisdom, and Baroque Perspectives
Authors: Classen Albrecht
Published: December 2018

This paper offers an analysis of a number of the fascinating, thought-provoking, and yet often deeply puzzling epigrams by the German Baroque poet Johann Scheffler (Angelus Silesius), and illustrates how his enigmatic mystical concepts were influenced, to some extent, by the philosophical thoughts offered by the late antique statesman and thinker Boethius (d. 525). While recent research has already reached new insights into the long-term reception history of Boethius’s De consolatione philosophiae well into the modern age, including by Scheffler, we still face the critical desideratum to determine the meaning of Scheffler’s spiritual insights in direct correlation with Boethius’s fundamental teachings, and hence, to answer the intriguing and challenging question of why Scheffler, along with Boethius, continues to speak to us today, and this perhaps more than ever before. Even though Scheffler pursued deeply religious questions typical of his time, he obviously greatly profited from Boethius’s musings about the meaning of the absolute Goodness, the vagaries of fortune, and the instability of all material existence in the quest for happiness. Many times we observe that Scheffler offers paradoxical and also apophatic statements, but those make surprisingly astounding sense if we read them, especially in light of Boethius’s teachings, as perceived in the seventeenth century. The epigrams thus prove to be the prolific outcome of universal cross-fertilizations and demonstrate the continued impact of antiquity on the modern world and the growing need today to accept the notion of “world literature” not only in a contemporary, transcultural perspectives, but also in terms of universal interactions throughout time.
Historical Earthquakes and Their Socioeconomic Consequences in China: 1950–2017
Authors: He Xin , Wu Jidong , Wang Cailin , Ye Mengqi
Published: December 2018

Understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of historical earthquake disasters and resultant socioeconomic consequences is essential for designing effective disaster risk reduction measures. Based on historical earthquake disaster records, this study compiles a Chinese earthquake disaster catalog (CH-CAT) that includes records of 722 earthquake disasters that occurred during 1950–2017 in the mainland of China. This catalog includes more complete data records than other existing global earthquake databases for China as a whole. Statistical results demonstrate that the number of earthquake disasters and the resultant direct economic losses (DELs) exhibit significant increasing trends (p < 0.01) over the studied 68-year period. Earthquake-induced deaths vary greatly between individual years and exhibit no significant trend. The Qinghai-Tibet seismic zone is the area with the highest frequency of earthquake disasters and the largest accumulated DELs, whereas the North China seismic zone is associated with the highest number of deaths. Among the 722 earthquake disasters, nearly 99.0% of deaths and 95.0% of DELs are attributable to 1.8% and 3.9% of the earthquake disasters, respectively. Approximately 54.2% of recorded earthquake disasters have earthquake magnitude (Ms) values between 5.0 and 5.9, while earthquake disasters with Ms greater than or equal to 7.0 account for 88.5% of DELs and 98.8% of deaths. On average, earthquake-induced DELs and deaths increase nonlinearly with increasing Ms per earthquake. DELs have a positive correlation with deaths and casualties on a logarithmic scale. This study further discusses that during different stages of socioeconomic development, changes in both exposure and vulnerability may be the major factors leading to change differences in earthquake-induced socioeconomic consequences. This study is a beneficial supplement to the global earthquake database and is useful for calibrating global or regional empirical loss models.