bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Soldier: From Degraded Reproduction to Avenging Hero
Authors: Schultz Corey Kai Nelson
Published: January 2019

Chapter 3 analyzes the figure of the soldier. It examines the positive structures of feelings of honor and bravery that were associated with this figure during the Maoist era, which emphasized the army’s spirit of “serving the people” and the benevolent protection of the state, and argues that the absence of this lauded figure serves as a potent reminder of the disappearance of these noble qualities and feelings in contemporary society. It then examines the figure’s “appearance” in simulacra in the films – the police officers, security guards, and entertainers who dress up as soldiers – and argues that these imitation and substitute figures are degraded in the films, thus emphasizing the loss of these noble Maoist qualities in the Reform era. It concludes by analyzing the soldier wuxia (martial arts) hero in A Touch of Sin, arguing that this heroic, vengeful figure symbolizes the immediate need to address social and economic disparity, and heralds a shift in Jia’s oeuvre from mourning the demise of the Maoist classes to demanding redress for their plight.
The City in Chorus: For a Choral History of Athenian Society
Authors: Azoulay Vincent , Ismard Paulin
Published: January 2019

This chapter specifically aims to find a path that traverses — or a midway point between — both approaches to the study of the Greek world influenced by Actor-Network Theory and more traditional Durkheimian approaches centered on the city. It considers the model of the choros (as it was conceptualized by classical authors) as capable of offering a productive paradigm for understanding the mechanisms of belonging at work within Athenian civic society during the classical period. The choral reference also refers to a certain way of writing history—one inspired by the models of the novel and the choral film— that seems particularly fitting for describing the complex way in which the Athenian social sphere functioned. The article formulates the following hypothesis: a choral approach, at the crossroads between the specifically Greek conception of the chorus and the contemporary conceptualization of the chorus in the field of fiction, makes it possible to stay as close as possible to the ways in which the social sphere was composed, the formation of groups, and the identities at the various levels of community life. This hypothesis to put to the test by examining a unique moment in Athenian history: the years between 404 and 400.
The Immortality of Theseus and His Myth
Authors: Toscano Margaret M.
Published: January 2019

This chapter examines the reinvention of the mythological figure Theseus. It analyzes two films from different genres: one is the popular action film, Immortals, and the other is a philosophical art film Ship of Theseus (2013). It shows how neither work provides a retelling of the Theseus myths. Rather, they use the figure of Theseus to ask questions about the desire for immortality and the complexities of personal identity.
Medieval Empires and the Culture of Competition
Authors: England Samuel
Published: January 2019

Medieval Empires and the Culture of Competition shows how the interactive, confrontational practice of courtly arts helped shape imperial thought in the Middle Ages. Its analysis covers Classical Arabic poetry and official prose, Spanish court documents, Galician Portuguese lyric, and Italian narrative works. The historical span is 950-1350 CE. Scholars of premodern cultures have struggled to reconcile the political violence of the late Middle Ages with the cosmopolitanism of that era’s Islamic and Christian empires. This book argues that medieval thinkers’ most pressing cultural challenge was neither to demonize the foreign, “heathen” other, nor to reverse that trend with an ethos of tolerance. Instead it was to make the court appear as robust as possible in the face of major demographic change and regional war. The ritual of artistic contest allowed elites to come to terms with religious and ethnic groups’ rival claims to legitimacy, and to subsume those claims into an overarching courtly ideal.
The Islamists and International Relations: A Dialectical Relationship?
Authors: Adraoui Mohamed-Ali
Published: January 2019

Islamism now dates back a hundred years. Concern over members of this political and religious movement relates to their putative and potential radical - or even violent – behavior when confronted with cultural otherness. Such behavior takes root in their assumed wish to redesign the world in their image. From its inception in the 1920s to its more recent manifestations, the Islamist movement strove to lift Muslim societies out of their alleged civilizational lethargy. In so-doing, it has paid substantial attention to the state of international affairs, as well as to potential ways to act on it. If the State remains undeniably Islamist movements’ privileged arena for action, considerations for Muslim countries’ environment; devising strategies aiming at the completion of a “motherland of believers” (al-oumma); thoughts on an interstate order within an Islamic frame of reference - remain prominent concerns to them. From its outset, Islamism has always insisted on the duty to serve religion as a whole - and thus everyone identifying with it. Its end goal therefore overrides geographical, historical and political borders – those being perceived as divisive and weakening the face of Islam. In addition, Islamists consider the current international order as one consciously designed by non-Muslims. In such views, the latter nurse an ontological enmity towards Islam because of its revisionist potential. The Arab revolutions initiated in 2010 have been experimental fields of the oppositional – even revolutionary – dimensions of Islamist ideology. These enable interrogations to be raised on Islamism’s practice and possible evolutions. In other words, how do Islamist movements translate fundamental diplomatic and relational principles into practice with other actors of the international system? If Islamist forces are indeed maintaining special relationships with the outside world mainly driven by the wish to shower the planet with Islam-serving behavior, is it however analytically relevant to identify a specific Islamist practice of international affairs? There are two objectives tied to this presentation. First, it will attempt to shed light on how Islamist activists, leaders and theorists view the world. In so-doing, Islamist speeches and intellectual output will be scrutinized. Then, answers will be provided to the following question: when Islamist officials have had the chance to approach national decision-making arenas - this is the case in some countries that have experienced the Arab Spring – how did they manage to put up a foreign policy agenda centered around an Islamic framework? This question is central for through it one can attempt to measure the empirical outreach of the Islamist ideology.
Storytelling Schemes, Realism, and Ambiguity: Susanne Bier’s Danish Dramas
Authors: Langkjær Birger
Published: January 2019

This chapter connects Bier’s approach to genre with Danish cinema’s gradual shift, apparent since the 1990s, from realism and folk comedy to mainstream genres with greater international appeals. Author Birger Langkjær suggests that Bier’s romantic comedies and dramas evidence this broader shift, which he locates in a preference for ‘tight narrative structures’ observable in Danish cinema during the last several decades. Langkjær narrows his focus to Bier’s dramas, including Open Hearts (Elsker dig for evigt 2002), Brothers (Brødre 2004), After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet 2006), and In a Better World (Hævnen 2010), which have attracted significant international attention and praise, while also provoking criticism, particularly of their melodramatic and/or ‘schematic’ properties. Langkjær scrutinizes such criticism by examining the narrative structures of Bier’s dramas and proposing art cinema and realism as genres better suited to illuminating how Bier’s dramas function. He specifically highlights the tension between ‘the macro-structures of melodramatic story-telling and film realism’ and the films’ evocations of ‘a psychological intimacy with [their] characters and the trivialities’ of their everyday lives. It is precisely this tension, he concludes, that distinguishes Bier’s dramas from traditional Danish realism and the formulas conventionally associated with melodrama.
The Truth is in the Eyes: Susanne Bier’s Use of Close-ups in The Night Manager
Authors: Redvall Eva Novrup
Published: January 2019

“The Truth Is in the Eyes: Susanne Bier’s Use of Close-ups in The Night Manager” sheds light on aesthetic strategies apparent across Bier’s works. Eva Novrup Redvall points to Bier’s decision to frame and interject eyes as a means of aligning the audience with the visual sensibility of a spy. In her analysis of Bier’s recent and extremely successful foray into serial television drama, Novrup Redvall takes extensive note of Bier’s use of close-ups. Applying theoretical discourses on the close-up and studies of Bier’s stylistic traits in her previous work, she reflects on the “remarkable array” of eyes, as well as Bier’s use of close-ups of objects. She concludes that Bier achieves a high-end mainstream genre production replete with arthouse aesthetics, which forefronts character interiority while highlighting the “complicated tensions” between characters and their circumstances.
Introduction
Authors: Rees Lowri Ann , Reilly Ciarán , Tindley Annie
Published: January 2019

THIS EDITED VOLUME is about a subject of rural history that has often been ignored or reviled: the land agent. Factor, commissioner, manager, steward or agent: call him (and he was until well into the twentieth century universally a ‘him’) what you will, historians of rural Britain and Ireland have yet to give his role and operational parameters much sustained attention....
The Factor and Railway Promotion in the Scottish Highlands: The West Highland Railway
Authors: McGregor John
Published: January 2019

A late-comer to the region, the West Highland railway was presented as a “landowners’ line”, emulating the successful schemes of earlier date which genuinely merit this description. Speculation, inter-company rivalry and the prospect of government assistance were the main ingredients of the West Highland project; but a proprietors’ coalition was an essential precondition and estate factors were necessarily involved – as instigators, advisers or parliamentary witnesses. The immediate record of promotion, construction and early operation is rich and there is a wider context of “railway politics” that offers new insights into the intensely varied role of estate factors; that they were not simply agricultural or rural managers, but also industrial and transportation entrepreneurs. As such, their relevance to the historian lies in the industrial as well as the agricultural economy.
Frustrations and Fears: The Impact of the Rebecca Riots on the Land Agent in Carmarthenshire, 1843
Authors: Rees Lowri Ann
Published: January 2019

This chapter utilises the extensive correspondence of the Middleton Hall land agent, Thomas Herbert Cooke, as he becomes drawn into the Rebecca Riots during its peak in the summer of 1843. As one of the few Welsh case studies in the volume, this chapter draws parallels with Scottish, Irish and English experiences of upheaval and protest, and its impact on landed estates, and in particular, the role of the land agent. Analysing the archive of personal papers reveals information that would not traditionally be recorded in estate papers, namely the agent’s frustrations and fears. The letters are also revealing of the attitude of a newcomer to the local area, with Cooke critical of the use of the Welsh language in church, the agricultural practices of the tenantry, and poor quality of the land he was expected to manage. Whilst he appears as a rather melancholic character, pessimistic and critical, his tendency to worry was completely justified during the summer of 1843, when he witnessed at first hand the Rebecca Riots. This essay will introduce Cooke and his employer before discussing how the letters chart the activities of Rebecca and her daughters in the immediate vicinity of the estate. It will reveal how the land agent and his employer became targets of Rebecca’s wrath, highlighting the potentially difficult position estate middle-men held within society.
Poor Beasts
Authors: Gunn Kirsty
Published: January 2019

This chapter consists of an original short story, based on the themes explored by the novel: of power, conflict, and the past and future of land issues and how defines them in Scotland today.
A Distributed Execution Pipeline for Clustering Trajectories Based on a Fuzzy Similarity Relation
Authors: Maguerra Soufiane , Boulmakoul Azedine , Karim Lamia , Badir Hassan
Published: January 2019

The proliferation of indoor and outdoor tracking devices has led to a vast amount of spatial data. Each object can be described by several trajectories that, once analysed, can yield to significant knowledge. In particular, pattern analysis by clustering generic trajectories can give insight into objects sharing the same patterns. Still, sequential clustering approaches fail to handle large volumes of data. Hence, the necessity of distributed systems to be able to infer knowledge in a trivial time interval. In this paper, we detail an efficient, scalable and distributed execution pipeline for clustering raw trajectories. The clustering is achieved via a fuzzy similarity relation obtained by the transitive closure of a proximity relation. Moreover, the pipeline is integrated in Spark, implemented in Scala and leverages the Core and Graphx libraries making use of Resilient Distributed Datasets (RDD) and graph processing. Furthermore, a new simple, but very efficient, partitioning logic has been deployed in Spark and integrated into the execution process. The objective behind this logic is to equally distribute the load among all executors by considering the complexity of the data. In particular, resolving the load balancing issue has reduced the conventional execution time in an important manner. Evaluation and performance of the whole distributed process has been analysed by handling the Geolife project’s GPS trajectory dataset.
Variation in Stripe Rust Resistance and Morphological Traits in Wild Emmer Wheat Populations
Authors: Huang Lin , Feng Lihua , He Yu , Tang Zizhong , He Jingshu , Sela Hanan , Krugman Tamar , Fahima Tzion , Liu Dengcai , Wu Bihua
Published: January 2019

Wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides), the tetraploid progenitor of cultivated wheats, is indigenous to the Near East Fertile Crescent. An important center of distribution is found today in and around the catchment area of the upper Jordan Valley in Israel and surrounding regions. In the current study, the field stripe rust resistance and morphological traits were analyzed using 98 sample accessions that represented the geographical distribution of wild emmer populations in Israel and its vicinity. The resistance tests at two field locations revealed that the majority of the wild emmer accessions possess quantitative resistance against stripe rust. This could be due to the high frequency of Yr36 in the wild emmer populations. The identification of potentially novel stripe rust resistance in this set of germplasm is highly significant. In total, 11 morphological traits were examined in this study. Wide range of natural variation was revealed in the tested morphological traits. Most of the morphological traits had significant correlations with climate variables, indicating that the local environmental conditions have a profound effect on shaping the genetic structure of wild emmer wheat. Our results suggest that wild emmer wheat has the enormous potential to improve stripe rust resistance and various important agronomical traits in wheat.
Detection and Quantification of Fusarium spp. (F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides, F. graminearum) and Magnaporthiopsis maydis in Maize Using Real-Time PCR Targeting the ITS Region
Authors: Campos Maria , Patanita Mariana , Campos Catarina , Materatski Patrick , Varanda Carla , Brito Isabel , Félix Maria
Published: January 2019

Fusarium spp. and Magnaporthiopsis maydis are soil-inhabiting fungi and respectively the causal agents of fusarium ear rot and late wilt, two important diseases that can affect maize, one of the most important cereal crops worldwide. Here, we present two sensitive real-time PCR TaqMan MGB (Minor Groove Binder) assays that detect and discriminate several Fusarium spp. (F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides, and F. graminearum) from M. maydis. The method is based on selective real-time qPCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and allows the quantification of the fungi. The applicability of this newly developed TaqMan methodology was demonstrated in a field experiment through the screening of potentially infected maize roots, revealing a high specificity and proving to be a suitable tool to ascertain Fusarium spp. and M. maydis infection in maize. Its high sensitivity makes it very efficient for the early diagnosis of the diseases and also for certification purposes. Thus, qPCR through the use of TaqMan probes is here proposed as a promising tool for specific identification and quantification of these soil-borne fungal pathogens known to cause disease on a large number of crops.
Performance Assessment of a Low-Cost PM2.5 Sensor for a near Four-Month Period in Oslo, Norway
Authors: Liu Hai-Ying , Schneider Philipp , Haugen Rolf , Vogt Matthias
Published: January 2019

The very low-cost Nova particulate matter (PM) sensor SDS011 has recently drawn attention for its use for measuring PM mass concentration, which is frequently used as an indicator of air quality. However, this sensor has not been thoroughly evaluated in real-world conditions and its data quality is not well documented. In this study, three SDS011 sensors were evaluated by co-locating them at an official, air quality monitoring station equipped with reference-equivalent instrumentation in Oslo, Norway. The sensors’ measurement results for PM2.5 were compared with data generated from the air quality monitoring station over almost a four-month period. Five performance aspects of the sensors were examined: operational data coverage, linearity of response and accuracy, inter-sensor variability, dependence on relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T), and potential improvement of sensor accuracy, by data calibration using a machine-learning method. The results of the study are: (i) the three sensors provide quite similar results, with inter-sensor correlations exhibiting R values higher than 0.97; (ii) all three sensors demonstrate quite high linearity against officially measured concentrations of PM2.5, with R2 values ranging from 0.55 to 0.71; (iii) high RH (over 80%) negatively affected the sensor response; (iv) data calibration using only the RH and T recorded directly at the three sensors increased the R2 value from 0.71 to 0.80, 068 to 0.79, and 0.55 to 0.76. The results demonstrate the general feasibility of using these low cost SDS011 sensors for indicative PM2.5 monitoring under certain environmental conditions. Within these constraints, they further indicate that there is potential for deploying large networks of such devices, due to the sensors’ relative accuracy, size and cost. This opens up a wide variety of applications, such as high-resolution air quality mapping and personalized air quality information services. However, it should be noted that the sensors exhibit often very high relative errors for hourly values and that there is a high potential of abusing these types of sensors if they are applied outside the manufacturer-provided specifications particularly regarding relative humidity. Furthermore, our analysis covers only a relatively short time period and it is desirable to carry out longer-term studies covering a wider range of meteorological conditions.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Beverages in 2018
Authors:   Beverages Editorial Office
Published: January 2019

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing[...]
Emerging Functional Imaging Biomarkers of Tumour Responses to Radiotherapy
Authors: Campbell Alan , Davis Laura M. , Wilkinson Sophie K. , Hesketh Richard L.
Published: January 2019

Tumour responses to radiotherapy are currently primarily assessed by changes in size. Imaging permits non-invasive, whole-body assessment of tumour burden and guides treatment options for most tumours. However, in most tumours, changes in size are slow to manifest and can sometimes be difficult to interpret or misleading, potentially leading to prolonged durations of ineffective treatment and delays in changing therapy. Functional imaging techniques that monitor biological processes have the potential to detect tumour responses to treatment earlier and refine treatment options based on tumour biology rather than solely on size and staging. By considering the biological effects of radiotherapy, this review focusses on emerging functional imaging techniques with the potential to augment morphological imaging and serve as biomarkers of early response to radiotherapy.
Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of Human Chondrocyte Expansion on Synoviocyte Matrix
Authors: Kean Thomas J. , Ge Zhongqi , Li Yumei , Chen Rui , Dennis James E.
Published: January 2019

Human chondrocytes are expanded and used in autologous chondrocyte implantation techniques and are known to rapidly de-differentiate in culture. These chondrocytes, when cultured on tissue culture plastic (TCP), undergo both phenotypical and morphological changes and quickly lose the ability to re-differentiate to produce hyaline-like matrix. Growth on synoviocyte-derived extracellular matrix (SDECM) reduces this de-differentiation, allowing for more than twice the number of population doublings (PD) whilst retaining chondrogenic capacity. The goal of this study was to apply RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis to examine the differences between TCP-expanded and SDECM-expanded human chondrocytes. Human chondrocytes from three donors were thawed from primary stocks and cultured on TCP flasks or on SDECM-coated flasks at physiological oxygen tension (5%) for 4 passages. During log expansion, RNA was extracted from the cell layer (70–90% confluence) at passages 1 and 4. Total RNA was column-purified and DNAse-treated before quality control analysis and next-generation RNA sequencing. Significant effects on gene expression were observed due to both culture surface and passage number. These results offer insight into the mechanism of how SDECM provides a more chondrogenesis-preserving environment for cell expansion, the transcriptome-wide changes that occur with culture, and potential mechanisms for further enhancement of chondrogenesis-preserving growth.
(Bio)Ethics in a Pluralistic Society
Authors: Gray Ben
Published: January 2019

Traditional (bio) ethics relies to a large degree on the analysis of problems to determine the right course of action. In particular, in medicine, a dominant text declares that there is a “Common Morality” that applies to all people. This paper will argue that ethics is culture bound and that, in a pluralistic society, a common morality approach to the resolution of problems has significant limitations. I will argue that more attention needs to be paid to the process of agreeing to a way forward given that there is disagreement. I will illustrate how this applies not only at the clinical level but also at the level of national and international politics. A theoretical understanding of compromise and a look at ways of describing the way people make ethical decisions as opposed to seeking an ideal ethical code is presented as a way in which we can manage problems better in a pluralistic society.
Cross-shelf Heterogeneity of Coral Assemblages in Northwest Australia
Authors: Moustaka Molly , Mohring Margaret B , Holmes Thomas , Evans Richard D , Thomson Damian , Nutt Christopher , Stoddart Jim , Wilson Shaun K
Published: January 2019

Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of coral assemblages and the processes structuring those patterns is fundamental to managing reef assemblages. Cross-shelf marine systems exhibit pronounced and persistent gradients in environmental conditions; however, these gradients are not always reliable predictors of coral distribution or the degree of stress that corals are experiencing. This study used information from government, industry and scientific datasets spanning 1980–2017, to explore temporal trends in coral cover in the geographically complex system of the Dampier Archipelago, northwest Australia. Coral composition at 15 sites surveyed in 2017 was also modelled against environmental and spatial variables (including turbidity, degree heat weeks, wave exposure, and distance to land/mainland/isobath) to assess their relative importance in structuring coral assemblages. High spatial and temporal heterogeneity was observed in coral cover and recovery trajectories, with reefs located an intermediate distance from the shore maintaining high cover over the past 20 years. The abundance of some prominent genera in 2017 (Acropora, Porites, and Turbinaria spp.) decreased with the distance from the mainland, suggesting that inshore processes play an important role in dictating the distribution of these genera. The atypical distributions of these key reef-building corals and spatial heterogeneity of historical recovery trajectories highlight the risks in making assumptions regarding cross-shelf patterns in geographically complex systems.
Replacement Names for Elwoodius Clarke & Oberprieler and Platychirus Clarke & Oberprieler (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Mesophyletidae)
Authors: Clarke Dave J. , Oberprieler Rolf G.
Published: January 2019

In a recent paper we published on the weevil fauna preserved in Burmese amber, two newly proposed generic names were subsequently identified as preoccupied names (Elwoodius Clarke & Oberprieler and Platychirus Clarke & Oberprieler). We propose the name Zimmiorhinus as a replacement name for Elwoodius Clarke & Oberprieler and Burmophyletis as a replacement name for Platychirus Clarke & Oberprieler.
New Construction of Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) Self-Dual Codes over Finite Fields
Authors: Zhang Aixian , Ji Zhe
Published: January 2019

Maximum distance separable (MDS) self-dual codes have useful properties due to their optimality with respect to the Singleton bound and its self-duality. MDS self-dual codes are completely determined by the length n , so the problem of constructing q-ary MDS self-dual codes with various lengths is a very interesting topic. Recently X. Fang et al. using a method given in previous research, where several classes of new MDS self-dual codes were constructed through (extended) generalized Reed-Solomon codes, in this paper, based on the method given in we achieve several classes of MDS self-dual codes.
Using High-Frequency Entropy to Forecast Bitcoin’s Daily Value at Risk
Authors: Pele Daniel Traian , Mazurencu-Marinescu-Pele Miruna
Published: January 2019

In this paper we investigate the ability of several econometrical models to forecast value at risk for a sample of daily time series of cryptocurrency returns. Using high frequency data for Bitcoin, we estimate the entropy of intraday distribution of logreturns through the symbolic time series analysis (STSA), producing low-resolution data from high-resolution data. Our results show that entropy has a strong explanatory power for the quantiles of the distribution of the daily returns. Based on Christoffersen’s tests for Value at Risk (VaR) backtesting, we can conclude that the VaR forecast build upon the entropy of intraday returns is the best, compared to the forecasts provided by the classical GARCH models.
Doubly Nonnegative and Semidefinite Relaxations for the Densest k-Subgraph Problem
Authors: Guo Chuan-Hao , Guo Yuan , Liu Bei-Bei
Published: January 2019

The densest k-subgraph (DkS) maximization problem is to find a set of k vertices with maximum total weight of edges in the subgraph induced by this set. This problem is in general NP-hard. In this paper, two relaxation methods for solving the DkS problem are presented. One is doubly nonnegative relaxation, and the other is semidefinite relaxation with tighter relaxation compare with the relaxation of standard semidefinite. The two relaxation problems are equivalent under the suitable conditions. Moreover, the corresponding approximation ratios’ results are given for these relaxation problems. Finally, some numerical examples are tested to show the comparison of these relaxation problems, and the numerical results show that the doubly nonnegative relaxation is more promising than the semidefinite relaxation for solving some DkS problems.
A Novel Dual-Structure Parallel Hybrid Excitation Machine for Electric Vehicle Propulsion
Authors: Zhang Xiaodong , Zhao Xing , Niu Shuangxia
Published: January 2019

Magnetic field regulation is a difficult and long-existing issue in surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). To produce effective and efficient flux regulation for PMSMs, a new topology, named a dual-structure parallel hybrid excitation machine (DS-PHEM), is presented in this paper. In this machine, the rotating permanent magnet (PM) excitation and stationary DC field excitation are artificially arranged and designed at the inner and outer magnetic circuits, respectively. Therefore, a decoupling and parallel feature is obtained between two excitation sources. This machine integrates the merits of a brushless structure and theoretically infinite constant power range, as well as zero risk of demagnetization. In this paper, the machine configuration is introduced, mainly focusing on some important design criteria for electromagnetic integration, and the operating principles of flux control are also analyzed in detail. To further verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, the overall electromagnetic performance of the proposed DS-PHEM is evaluated by using the time-stepping finite-element method.
Highly Photoactive Polythiophenes Obtained by Electrochemical Synthesis from Bipyridine-Containing Terthiophenes
Authors: Sordello Fabrizio , Minero Claudio , Viscardi Guido , Quagliotto Pierluigi
Published: January 2019

According to numerous previous reports, a Z-scheme with two photon absorbers is the most promising strategy to achieve artificial photosynthesis, but in addition to two efficient catalysts—one for oxygen evolution, the other for CO2 reduction—two different and complementary semiconducting sensitizers are required. Here we present the synthesis of two bipyridine-functionalized terthiophenes, which can be electropolymerized to give photoactive p-type semiconductors the capability to perform as photocathode in photoelectrochemical cells for water photosplitting or artificial photosynthesis. Indeed the bipyridine moiety in their structure allows the binding of transition metal carbonyl complexes employed in CO2 reduction, and their band-gap is suitable for the coupling with wide band-gap semiconductors, which have already found application as photoanodes. Finally, they are characterized by photogenerated charge carrier density between 1.1 and 1.4 × 1019 cm−3, with first-order recombination constant of 0.7–1.8 × 10−2 s−1. These figures are of the same order of magnitude of their inorganic counterparts and would therefore guarantee photoconductivity of the device and the activation of the organometallic catalysts with which they should be coupled to function as photocathodes for CO2 reduction.
Thermodynamic Performance Investigation of Commercial R744 Booster Refrigeration Plants Based on Advanced Exergy Analysis
Authors: Gullo Paride , Hafner Armin , Banasiak Krzysztof
Published: January 2019

After the recent renewed interest in CO2 as the refrigerant (R744) for the food retail industry, many researchers have focused on the performance enhancement of the basic transcritical R744 supermarket refrigeration unit in warm climates. This task is generally fulfilled with the aid of energy-based methods. However, the implementation of an advanced exergy analysis is mandatory to properly evaluate the best strategies needing to be implemented to achieve the greatest thermodynamic performance improvements. Such an assessment, in fact, is widely recognized as the most powerful thermodynamic tool for this purpose. In this work, the advanced exergy analysis was applied to a conventional R744 booster supermarket refrigerating system at the outdoor temperature of 40 °C. The results obtained suggested the adoption of a more sophisticated layout, i.e., the one outfitted with the multi-ejector block. It was found that the multi-ejector supported CO2 system can reduce the total exergy destruction rate by about 39% in comparison with the conventional booster unit. Additionally, the total avoidable exergy destruction rate was decreased from 67.60 to 45.57 kW as well as the total unavoidable exergy destruction rate was brought from 42.67 down to 21.91 kW.
Analysis of Driving Factors of Photovoltaic Power Generation Efficiency: A Case Study in China
Authors: Yi Tao , Tong Ling , Qiu Mohan , Liu Jinpeng
Published: January 2019

With the increasing consumption of fossil energy and changes in the ecological environment, meeting the energy demands required for industrial and economic development with clean and efficient power generation is a major challenge of our society. Solar energy is considered to be one of the most renewable and sustainable energy sources, and photovoltaic power generation has become an important research topic. This study combines data envelopment analysis (DEA) with Tobit regression analysis to assess the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation in China and analyze factors affecting efficiency to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation. The results show that there are obvious regional differences in photovoltaic power generation efficiency in China. The phenomenon of focusing on economic development at the expense of the use of solar power generation still exists. The establishment of photovoltaic demonstration projects, the implementation of differential electricity price policies, and the promotion of photovoltaic precision poverty alleviation can alleviate economic pressure and effectively improve the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation.
The Data-Driven Optimization Method and Its Application in Feature Extraction of Ship-Radiated Noise with Sample Entropy
Authors: Li Yuxing , Chen Xiao , Yu Jing , Yang Xiaohui , Yang Huijun
Published: January 2019

The data-driven method is an important tool in the field of underwater acoustic signal processing. In order to realize the feature extraction of ship-radiated noise (S-RN), we proposed a data-driven optimization method called improved variational mode decomposition (IVMD). IVMD, as an improved method of variational mode decomposition (VMD), solved the problem of choosing decomposition layers for VMD by using a frequency-aided method. Furthermore, a novel method of feature extraction for S-RN, which combines IVMD and sample entropy (SE), is put forward in this paper. In this study, four types of S-RN signals are decomposed into a group of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by IVMD. Then, SEs of all IMFs are calculated. SEs are different in the maximum energy IMFs (EIMFs), thus, SE of the EIMF is seen as a novel feature for S-RN. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a comparison has been conducted by comparing features of center frequency and SE of the EIMF by IVMD, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and ensemble EMD (EEMD). The analysis results show that the feature of S-RN can be obtain efficiently and accurately by using the proposed method.
Microservices Model to Enhance the Availability of Data for Buildings Energy Efficiency Management Services
Authors: Jarwar Muhammad Aslam , Ali Sajjad , Chong Ilyoung
Published: January 2019

In the Internet of Things (IoT)-supported energy data management infrastructure, objects from various energy generation and consumption terminals in buildings produce a tremendous amount of data. However, this data is not useful unless it is available on-time for services that discover meaningful information in order to provide intelligent decisions. The microservices-based data caching, data virtualization, data processing, data analysis, and data ingestion methods can be applied to enhance the data availability for energy efficiency management services provision across buildings. To foster building energy efficiency management services (BEEMS), Web of Objects (WoO) provides data abstraction, aggregation, and ingestion mechanism with virtual objects (VOs) and composite virtual objects (CVOs) by using ontologies and availability and scalability of services with microservices. This article proposes the use of data processing microservices modeling to enhance data availability and expose services capabilities with microservices for BEEMS. We present a semantic web agent based on an ontology for linking, enhancement, reusability, and availability of data-objects, services, and microservices. For the evaluation, we present a use case, which includes heterogeneous data collection and processing and provision of various BEEMS. A prototype for the use case scenario has been built and the results have been evaluated in the laboratory to mimic the enhanced data availability for BEEMS.
District Power-To-Heat/Cool Complemented by Sewage Heat Recovery
Authors: Aprile Marcello , Scoccia Rossano , Dénarié Alice , Kiss Pál , Dombrovszky Marcell , Gwerder Damian , Schuetz Philipp , Elguezabal Peru , Arregi Beñat
Published: January 2019

District heating and cooling (DHC), when combined with waste or renewable energy sources, is an environmentally sound alternative to individual heating and cooling systems in buildings. In this work, the theoretical energy and economic performances of a DHC network complemented by compression heat pump and sewage heat exchanger are assessed through dynamic, year-round energy simulations. The proposed system comprises also a water storage and a PV plant. The study stems from the operational experience on a DHC network in Budapest, in which a new sewage heat recovery system is in place and provided the experimental base for assessing main operational parameters of the sewage heat exchanger, like effectiveness, parasitic energy consumption and impact of cleaning. The energy and economic potential is explored for a commercial district in Italy. It is found that the overall seasonal COP and EER are 3.10 and 3.64, while the seasonal COP and EER of the heat pump alone achieve 3.74 and 4.03, respectively. The economic feasibility is investigated by means of the levelized cost of heating and cooling (LCOHC). With an overall LCOHC between 79.1 and 89.9 €/MWh, the proposed system can be an attractive solution with respect to individual heat pumps.
Analysis of a Horizontal-Axis Tidal Turbine Performance in the Presence of Regular and Irregular Waves Using Two Control Strategies
Authors: Ordonez-Sanchez Stephanie , Allmark Matthew , Porter Kate , Ellis Robert , Lloyd Catherine , Santic Ivan , O’Doherty Tim , Johnstone Cameron
Published: January 2019

The flow developed on a tidal site can be characterized by combinations of turbulence, shear flows, and waves. Horizontal-axis tidal turbines are therefore subjected to dynamic loadings that may compromise the working life of the rotor and drive train components. To this end, a series of experiments were carried out using a 0.9 m horizontal-axis tidal turbine in a tow tank facility. The experiments included two types of regular waveforms, one of them simulating an extreme wave case, the other simulating a more moderate wave case. The second regular wave was designed to match the peak period and significant wave height of an irregular wave which was also tested. Measurements of torque, thrust, and blade-bending moments were taken during the testing campaign. Speed and torque control strategies were implemented for a range of operational points to investigate the influence that a control mode had in the performance of a tidal stream turbine. The results showed similar average power and thrust values were not affected by the control strategy, nor the influence of either the regular or irregular wave cases. However, it was observed that using torque control resulted in an increase of thrust and blade root bending moment fluctuations per wave period. The increase in fluctuations was in the order of 40% when compared to the speed control cases.
Regeneration of Transformer Insulating Fluids Using Membrane Separation Technology
Authors: Safiddine Leila , Zafour Hadj-Ziane , Rao Ungarala , Fofana Issouf
Published: January 2019

Oxidation of oil/paper insulation initiates premature aging and introduces carboxylic acids with eventual increase in oil acidity, which hampers the properties of the oil. In this paper, a membrane separation technology-based purification process for aged insulation oil has been evaluated and reported. The intent of the present study is to eliminate carboxylic acids, dissolved decay contents and other colloidal contamination present in aged oil and enhance the useful life of oil. The potential of the membrane treatment process has been demonstrated using Ultraviolet Visible Infrared Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy diagnostic measurements for oil and membrane. Additionally, membrane retention properties like membrane flux, retention coefficient, sorption time and membrane mass have been analyzed to understand the treatment process. To further evaluate the performance of the membrane and effectiveness of the treatment process, acidity, dielectric dissipation factor, relative permittivity, and resistivity measurements of the oil before and after filtration have been also reported. The proposed membrane purification method has been tested for Algerian utility in-service oil samples. It is inferred that, membrane filtration method is a simple and effective method for treatment of aged oils and aids in extending the remnant life of the oil. The procedure is economically attractive because of increasing prices for transformer liquids, cost effective and environmentally sounds.
Object-Oriented Usability Indices for Multi-Objective Demand Side Management Using Teaching-Learning Based Optimization
Authors: Singh Mayank , Jha Rakesh Chandra
Published: January 2019

This paper proposes Object-Oriented Usability Indices (OOUI) for multi-objective Demand Side Management (DSM). These indices quantify the achievements of multi-objective DSM in a power network. DSM can be considered as a method adopted by utilities to shed some load during peak load hours. Usually, there are service contracts, and the curtailments or dimming of load are automatically done by service providers based on contract provisions. This paper formulates three indices, namely peak power shaving, renewable energy integration, and an overall usability index. The first two indices indicate the amount of peak load shaving and integration of renewable energy, while the third one combines the impact of both indices and quantifies the overall benefit achieved through DSM. The application of the proposed indices is presented through simulation performed in a grid-tied microgrid environment for a multi-objective DSM formulation. The adopted microgrid structure consists of three units of diesel generators and two renewable energy sources. Simulation has been done using MATLAB software. Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) is adopted as the optimization tool due to its simplicity and independency of algorithm-specific control parameters. Five different cases of renewable energy availability with results validate the efficiency of the proposed approach. The results indicate the usefulness in determining the suitable condition regarding DSM application.
Defining and Evaluating Use Cases for Battery Energy Storage Investments: Case Study in Croatia
Authors: Pavić Ivan , Luburić Zora , Pandžić Hrvoje , Capuder Tomislav , Andročec Ivan
Published: January 2019

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) and renewable energy sources are complementary technologies from the power system viewpoint, where renewable energy sources behave as flexibility sinks and create business opportunities for BESS as flexibility sources. Various stakeholders can use BESS to balance, stabilize and flatten demand/generation patterns. These applications depend on the stakeholder role, flexibility service needed from the battery, market opportunities and obstacles, as well as regulatory aspects encouraging or hindering integration of storage technologies. While developed countries are quickly removing barriers and increasing the integration share of BESS, this is seldom the case in developing countries. The paper identifies multiple case opportunities for different power system stakeholders in Croatia, models potential BESS applications using real-world case studies, analyzes feasibility of these investments, and discusses financial returns and barriers to overcome.
Occurrence, Seasonal Abundance, and Superparasitism of Ooencyrtus kuvanae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) as an Egg Parasitoid of the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in North America
Authors: Liu Houping
Published: January 2019

The occurrence of egg parasitoid Ooencyrtus kuvanae (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on its new host, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae)), was surveyed at 4 study plots in 2016 and 10 additional plots in 2017 in Pennsylvania through field collection and laboratory incubation. O. kuvanae adults were found on L. delicatula egg mass surfaces at two plots (ODSouth and Lutz) in 2016, but at none in 2017. The results of laboratory incubation showed that O. kuvanae adults were only recovered from host eggs collected at plot ODSouth in 2016, with adults emerging between 22 April and 2 May 2016 at 22 ± 1 °C, 40% ± 5% relative humidity (RH), and a 16:8 h photoperiod (light/dark). The overall parasitism at this study plot was 6.0% by egg mass and 1.2% by egg. Two oviposition sites contained parasitized L. delicatula eggs, with 12.3% (9.5–15.0%) host egg masses and 3.1% (1.3–5.0%) host eggs utilized by the parasitoid. O. kuvanae parasitism by egg was significantly higher on oviposition site ODSouth #7 than on ODSouth #8. No O. kuvanae adults were reared out of field-collected host eggs from the 10 plots in 2017. Seasonal abundance and superparasitism of O. kuvanae was examined at plot ODSouth in 2017. O. kuvanae-parasitized L. delicatula eggs were found on all four oviposition sites based on field monitoring of parasitoid adult emergence, resulting in a parasitism of 35.4% (18.8–55.6%) by egg mass and 2.2% (0.5–3.9%) by egg. No significant difference in parasitism by egg was observed among oviposition sites. O. kuvanae adults emerged in the field between 2 May and 1 June 2017. Superparasitism was confirmed for O. kuvanae on L. delicatula eggs based on parasitoid production (1.0–3.3 adults/parasitized egg) and adult exit holes (1–3 exit holes/parasitized egg). As the first parasitoid recorded from L. delicatula in North America, O. kuvanae has the potential to become an important biological control agent for L. delicatula in North America, with its well-synchronized life history in the spring, century-long field establishment, superparasitism, and female-biased progeny population. L. delicatula complements the gypsy moth well as an alternative host for O. kuvanae in the field.